Ch 194: It’s the crazy cat lady!

"Ah… I am going to stick it in, Mistress." sighed Mash as she positioned herself over Corruption's shaft.

"Sure, please do, Mash." grinned Akeno, lying down on the bed.

Mash, dressed in her black and purple latex gloves and stockings, as well as an erotic version of her Servant's black and purple battle outfit that left her breasts and crotch bare, and of course her collar, slowly lowered herself on the strap-on.

"Ah…It's inside, Mistress's cock." sighed Mash, an expression of pure bliss on her face.

"It feels so good. I love it." she said as she started moving.

"It feels good for me, too, Mash." smiled Akeno.

"It's hitting… so deep inside. I'm so happy." said Mash. "Ah… My pussy is about… to cum."

"I'll allow it. Cum for your Mistress, Mash."

"I'm… cumming!" said Mash as her body trembled violently.

Akeno moved her hips up and down to prolong Mash's orgasm, then changed her position her put her on the bed, on all four.

"I am going to use your favorite position, Mash."

"Yes! I love… being fucked… in that position." gasped Mash, her voice quivering with lust.

"Ara ara, Mash, you are a slutty bitch, you know that?"

"Yes! I am a slutty bitch… for Mistress." panted Mash.

"So bark like a dog, Mash."

"Woof…woof." barked Mash, her face a mask of ecstasy while Akeno fucked her roughly.

"Woof…I'm…Mistress's slutty bitch… woof!"

"Good girl. Here's your reward." said Akeno as she came as well.

"Woof. Mistress's love… Is being pumped into my womb!"

Mash came again, and they both cuddled as they recovered their breath. As they did, Akeno gently rubbed Mash's lower belly, where her fully formed Thrall Crest was.

"You belong to me and Noah, Mash."

"Yes, Mistress. You make me feel so good. I want to serve as your meat slave for the rest of my life." dreamily said Mash.

"We will spend a long time together, Mash. You signed the Soul Contract, and you received Noah's abilities. But we need to save the world first, before we can enjoy ourselves to the fullest."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Let's take a nap, then we'll shower and leave Sanctuary. I intend to take on my next timeline today with a pair of Servants among those who aren't trained yet."

Mash nodded, feeling slightly disappointed.

"And you, my dear slave, are going to leave with Gudako to another timeline as well. I expect you to start training her while you are away."

"Yes, Mistress." said Mash as her smile returned.

"I'll give you some supplies, like the collar that sped up your training. Start training her to become a good little slutty pet as well."

"Yes, Mistress. Senpai will become a good bitch for you. I am eager to try a threesome with you both." said Mash with a blush.

"That will definitely be in the cards. But business first. For now, we nap a little."

"Hum." nodded Mash.

Akeno smiled contentedly as she gently brushed with her hands the hair of her newest pet.

The obedient, eager to please Mash snuggling against her was the result of almost a week in real time, and closer to eighty days inside the Sanctuary. She had long obtained the last evolution of the Crest. But there was something about Mash that made Akeno want to play with her more than necessary. Maybe it was that she spoke a lot more during sex that most girls, and that excited Akeno.

But whatever the reason, she had work to do.

…

"Takina, I'll be away for a while, so you'll get control of your own belt." whispered Akeno in Takina's ears.

"Too bad." smiled Takina.

"Chisato and company will probably return before too long."

"I'm looking forward to it. I intend to wait for her return, then go to her to the next timeline as soon as she feels up to it."

"Yes. She'll be happy. Too bad I'll miss seeing her reaction when she sees you waiting for her."

"Eheh. Who are you going with?" asked Takina.

"I intend to ask Jeanne and Jeanne Alter." smiled Akeno.

Takina nodded, wondering how long it would take Akeno to devour both saintesses. Probably not long.

"And speaking of the devil. See you later" suddenly said Akeno as she spied Jeanne and Jeanne Alter walking down the hallway and chased after them. They both heard her coming and turned toward her.

While Jeanne had golden blonde hair tied in a long braid and sky-blue eyes, Jeanne Alter possessed pale blonde, almost white hair that stopped at her neck and pale yellow eyes. Jeanne was wearing her blue dress mixed with steel plate armor, white Alter had the same outfit painted jet black, and a cape with a fur collar.

She was just as beautiful as the original Jeanne, in a different way.

"Hi, Jeanne, Alter. How are you both doing?" smiled Akeno.

"I am doing fine, thank you for asking." smiled Jeanne.

"Fine. But I'm bored. Are you about to go into another timeline?" asked Alter.

"Exactly." nodded Akeno. "And I was thinking about going with you both. What do you think about it?"

"I'm in." immediately nodded Jeanne Alter. "I'll become cranky if I don't get something to fight soon."

"We wouldn't want you to become cranky." grinned Jeanne. "I will be happy to assist you, Akeno."

"Great. If you are both ready, let's inform the Director and bid farewell to everyone." said Akeno.

…

Half an hour later, Akeno, Jeanne and Alter, dressed in modern outfits, appeared inside the new next timeline.

And as soon as she saw her surroundings, her eyebrows shot up. They were in a bedroom.

The bedroom of a cat lover… no, a cat fanatic!

The bed's headboard was shaped like a cat's head, with the mattress being the tongue. Cats on the wallpaper. Cat-shaped carpet.

And cat plushies everywhere. There probably were over fifty of them.

"Oh my, I feel like we saw something we never should have seen." smiled Jeanne.

"I don't dislike cats, but let's get out of here. This is too much." frowned Alter.

Akeno nodded, but the three women froze as they heard footsteps getting closer.

The door opened and a young woman stood in the doorframe, her eyes widening at the sight of the three women.

She was beautiful, with purple eyes and long black hair styled in a ponytail, as well as a flawless white skin. She was dressed in a gray sweater and black jeans.

For two seconds, no one said anything. Then the girl took a deep breath and opened her mouth to scream.

"Please stop, we aren't robbers or anything!" hurriedly exclaimed Akeno.

The girl didn't stop, and she screamed.

"NYAAAAA!!!!"

Akeno sighed and ordered both Jeanne and Alter to dematerialize, then opened the window and jumped out. A few uses of Shunpo later, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and they were far away.

Akeno finally entered a back alley.

"I see we're off to a good start." sarcastically commented Alter. "We're now considered robbers."

"Better than last time." shrugged Akeno. "We started in police custody as suspected spies. We should be somewhere in South Korea. I saw a few signposts written in Korean, and North Korea isn't nearly as developed."

"Assuming this world had followed a similar timeline to our own, which is not guaranteed." pointed out Jeanne.

Akeno nodded, mentally opened her system window, and selected the Quests tab.

In the previous world, she had failed the quest about attending both the Nine-Schools-Competition and the Thesis Competition, mostly due to making too much of a mess and causing some fated antagonists to appear too early.

This time, however, it seemed like Lilith had given her three quests that would be either done or failed quickly, and their rewards seemed particularly important!

“Quest 1: Enter the Carthenon Temple with a group of at least six Hunters, survive, and save every member of your group. Warning, high difficulty.

Reward: Less than three Hunters dying: New System attribute - Perception. Less than two Hunter dying: New daily training quests. No deaths: New System feature: Class selection and evolution.”

“Quest 2: Participate in the Jeju Island Raid and save every S-Rank Hunter. Warning: High Difficulty.

Reward: Noah will gain the features unlocked by fulfilling the first Quest.”

“Quest 3: Kill the Monarchs. This world will soon become a battlefield opposing the Rulers and the Monarchs. Monarchs, with the exception of Ashborn, the Shadow Monarch and King of the Dead, plan to bring forth the Apocalypse, drowning the world in monsters to flush out the Rulers hiding among humanity. Warning, extreme difficulty.

Kill Antares, the Monarch of Destruction and King of Dragons.

Kill Baran, the Monarch of White Flames and King of Demons.

Kill Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs and King of Beasts.

Kill Sillad, the Monarch of Frost and King of the Snow Folk.

Kill Tarnak, the Monarch of the Iron Body and King of Monstruous Humanoids.

Kill Regia, the Monarch of the Beginning and King of Giants.

Kill Querehsha, the Monarch of Plagues and Queen of Insects.

Kill Yogomunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration and King of Demonic Specters.

Reward: Dungeons will stop spawning. The Demonic Pillar’s location will be revealed.”

[System, what is the Perception attribute?] asked Akeno.

[This attribute will allow you to notice details more easily, sharpen your instinct against hidden threats and killing intent directed at yourself, and contribute to an easier cultivation. You will understand abstract concepts like death or time more easily.]

[I see. So, it is pretty darn important. And this Class feature?]

[This information is restricted.]

[Okay… The warning about the difficulty takes into account my current strength, right?]

[This is correct. The Extreme difficulty rating isn't to be taken lightly. Only by doing well in the previous quests and not neglecting any opportunity to become stronger will you be able to face the Monarchs.]

[Just how strong are they? Stronger than Ren?]

[Antares should be about comparable in raw power to Ophis, but has considerably more battle experience.]

[Unholy Crap! …Thank you, System. I guess trying to keep a low profile won’t be an option if I want to ace the first quest.]

Akeno then took up her smartphone.

“Jeanne, Alter, I’m about to call my boyfriend. Would you mind giving me some privacy and search for information about this world?”

“Of course, Master. Tell us when you are done.” Smiled Jeanne, and Akeno felt their presences fade away.

Nodding to herself,

“Akeno?”

“Hi, Noah. I just entered the next timeline. I don’t have much time to speak alone, so let’s get straight to the point. Korea, Hunters, Dungeons, nine Monarchs, and two dangerous places called Carthenon Temple and Jeju island. Do you know anything about it?”

“…Sorry, that doesn’t ring any bell. You seem to refer to some modern world with dungeons appearing out of nowhere, but there’s so many novels and manhwa with that setting, the total is probably in the hundreds.”

“I see. Well, it was worth a shot. But Lilith has given me three high-difficulty quests, and if I succeed in both, we will both share the rewards. A new attribute called Perception, daily training quests, whatever that is, and Classes.”

“That sounds… really good. Perception might not be all that useful, since it would take points away from the other attributes, but adding Classes sounds potentially great. Still, be very careful, Akeno. The last time I got a difficulty warning was about subjugating Hagun island, and there were several moments that would have led to my death if I had not prepared for it as much as I could.”

“Yes. I won’t underestimate those quests. I’m going to spend some Yin and Yang points to increase my chances. A lot of points, actually. Got to go, good luck.”

“Thank you. Use as many points as you need. Love you, Akeno.”

“Love you too.” smiled Akeno, ending the call.

Akeno didn't tell Noah about the Extreme difficulty of the last quest, since he couldn't tell her anything about it. She didn't want him to worry needlessly.

She walked out of the back alley and started exploring the streets. A signpost displaying a map revealed that they were in Seoul, and another pointed to the Korean Hunters Association as being only about a kilometer away.

Akeno took it as divine providence and decided to visit them to learn more about dungeons.

After a short detour in another back-alley for Jeanne and Alter to reappear without drawing attention and inform them about the three Quests given by Lilith, they found the headquarters of the Korean Hunters Association, looking from the outside like a simple office building, six stories high.

Akeno, Jeanne and Alter entered, immediately drawing attention due to their looks.

Akeno took a pamphlet from a nearby stand, quickly read the salient points, and smiled as she walked to one of the receptionists.

“Welcome to the Korean Hunters Association. May I help you?”

“Hello. We would like to register as Hunters.” smiled Akeno.

"Of course." nodded the receptionist, used to this request. "Please take the left door and take a seat in the waiting room for the examination."

"Thank you. Have a good day."

The girls nodded and found the waiting room. Three other young people were present.

According to the pamphlet, some normal human being experienced something called an Awakening, gaining superior physical abilities, and in many cases, a special power like Pyrokinesis or Healing. A rare few gained more than one ability. Civilians having experienced Awakening were those who could become Hunters.

But Awakening could only happen once, and determined the limits of their potential. Limits they would never exceed, no matter how hard they trained or how many monsters they killed. Hunters were ranked according to their potential, measured by a machine.

The Rankings went from E-rank, barely superior to baseline humans, all the way to S-rank.

They were also categorized by their abilities and fighting skills into six archetypes: Fighters, Mages, Assassins, Tankers, Rangers, and Healers.

Each candidate was done in only about five minutes, it seems, and it soon was Akeno's turn to enter the testing room.

"Hello." said Akeno to the technician present.

"Hello. Please put your hand on top of the gray globe." said the man, his eyes staring at a screen and barely giving her a glance after he finished speaking. After that glance, however, he couldn't stop staring, obviously smitten numb.

Akeno did as instructed, and the machine hummed for a few seconds before issuing a beep.

The technician checked his screen, and the result made him almost jump.

"27 312!"

"Is this a lot?" asked Akeno.

"A lot? This score places you well into the A-ranks! Congratulation, Miss…"

"Akeno Himejima."

"Are you perhaps Japanese?"

"Yes. Is this an issue?"

"Ah, no, but why are you trying to join the Korean Branch of the Hunters Association, instead of the Japanese one?"

"I'll probably stay in this country for a while, and I hadn't registered before." shrugged Akeno.

"I see. How would you describe your fighting style?"

"Well… I can do several things. I can heal, use offensive spells, and I am not bad with a sword, either."

"How good are you at healing? Can you cure severe injuries without having to leave a dungeon?"

"Yes. Up to dealing with lost limbs."

"Amazing!" excitedly exclaimed the technician. "There is a chronic shortage of Healers among Hunters, and those who can rejoin a severed limb are extremely valued! The nation's top guilds will compete to offer you a contract!"

"Is it fine if I put you into the database as a healer?"

"Yes, please." smiled Akeno.

And just like that, Akeno became an official A-rank Hunter. Akeno was slightly surprised that they didn't ask for an ID, but she wasn't going to complain. Maybe the demand for Hunters was important enough that they would take in anyone who awakened.

Akeno waited as Jeanne and Alter registered in turns. Both scored around 19 300 and were considered entry-level A-ranks. Jeanne was categorized as a Tanker due to her defensive combat style, while Alter became a Fighter.

They left the building, and Akeno used her smartphone to connect to the local internet and search for the closest dungeon.

"We'll choose a D-rank dungeon to start with, to grow familiar with dungeon hunting. Is that fine with you?"

"Yes. We should act carefully, until we know what we are doing." said Jeanne.

"I think we should start with a C rank at least. All three of us are A-rank. Isn't it shameful to start with a D-rank?"

"I understand what you mean, Alter, but from what I'm seeing on the government's website, the guilds are buying rights to exploit any dungeon C-rank or above. And we shouldn't antagonize or join a guild before we gather information about them."

"Fine. D-rank it is, then."

"And as soon as we can afford it, We'll buy you both a smartphone."

"Yes, thank you, Master." smiled Jeanne. Alter nodded as well.

…

It was still mid-morning when they found the closest E-rank dungeon, as it wasn't far. A few men and women were waiting in front of the blue vortex suspended mid-air.

Dungeons in this world were tricky. They could appear anywhere on the surface, and as soon as they opened, the Hunters had one week to enter and kill the boss. They would then be teleported soon after to the entrance.

If they failed, the dungeon would collapse, releasing the monsters into the real world, boss included.

There were valuable crystals to harvest in the dungeon, as well as monster cores, but they would have to do the harvesting before the boss was killed.

As soon as Akeno, Jeanne and Alter entered the construction site where the dungeon had opened, all gazes turned to them. Two people took the initiative to come closer.

"Greeting, young ladies. Are you here to join the dungeon expedition?" smiled a man with a short gray hair. He wore a black leather jacket over a white shirt and seemed to be in his late forties.

"That is correct. I hope you won't mind." smiled Akeno.

"Not at all. I am Kim Sangshik. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Park Beom-Shik." grinned the man just one step behind him, with long frizzled black hair and wearing a green puff jacket, and a sword strapped over his shoulder.

"Likewise." replied Akeno as they introduced themselves.

More people were introducing themselves. Song Chi-Yul was armed with a sword, but said he was a mage. Lee Joohee was a pretty girl with long reddish chestnut hair, and a healer. Kang Jeongho was a stout guy with a beanie hat.

Those people seemed pleasant enough and Akeno didn't feel any hidden hostility or lust from them, just the normal level of appreciation for their beauty.

But there were two people who hadn't come to introduce themselves. One was a young man with short, messy black hair dressed in blue hoodie, blue jeans and white sneakers, looking down as if depressed. He had a dagger sheathed on his waist.

The other was a girl busy berating him about something. dressed in a black sweater, blue jeans, and white and pink sneakers. She had dark purple hair styled into a ponytail that stopped at between her shoulder blades, and a short spear strapped on her back. Akeno couldn't see her face as she wasn't facing them, but she could guess the girl would be a beauty.

"Those are the Sung siblings." pointed out Song Chi-Yul as he noticed her glance.

"Are they okay?"

"This is something that happen often, don't worry about that, miss Himejima. They are both E-rank, and the boy almost always gets injured in the dungeon. Because of that, some people call him the weakest Hunter. The sister joined recently to protect him, but that only makes him more reckless as he tries to protect her and use his own body as decoy or shield."

The two siblings must have heard at least part of what was said, as they looked at Akeno and the others gathered around her with frowns on their faces. As Akeno suspected, the girl was indeed beautiful, with light purple eyes and a flawless face.

"That's unfortunate." sighed Akeno. Inside her head, alarms were blaring. A beautiful and brave sister, and a young man acting like a white knight while being considered the weakest… This screamed hidden protagonist to her. And even if she was wrong, she had nothing to lose giving them a bit of help.

With a polite smile, Akeno walked to them, followed by Jeanne and Alter, and they both tensed.

"It looks like we are going to explore this dungeon together. I am Akeno Himejima. It is nice to meet you."

"I am Sung Jinwoo. Pleased to meet you." hesitated the man as he stood, with the expression of someone expecting to be put down.

"Sung Jinah. It isn't really nice, to talk about people behind their backs." nodded the girl.

"You are correct, and I apologize for that." nodded Akeno. "Although, in my defense, I will point out that I didn't exactly talk. I mostly listened."

Jinah conceded the point, and nodded, some of her hostility melting.

"Jinwoo-kun, they told us that you often get injured. Since I am a healer, I will make certain to keep a close eye on you."

"Ah, yes. Thank you very much. I am sorry to be a bother." said Jinwoo. Akeno could detect a bit of resentment in his voice.

"I do not see you as a bother." said Akeno as she shook her head. "On the contrary, if you are willing to still go inside a dungeon after suffering injuries again and again, I find your courage admirable. Most people would give up and find a safer occupation."

"Ah…well…" said Jinwoo as she scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"How about we trade some favors? Please give us every advice you can about surviving in a dungeon. In return, I will give you both better weapons. I mean no offense, but they do not exactly look good."

Jinah and Jinwoo examined Akeno's sheathed katana, as well as the swords sheathed on Jeanne and Alter's waists, their armors, and the spear-tipped battle flags they held.

"Why do you want advice? From your equipment, you must be veteran hunters, no?" frowned Jinah.

"No. This one will be our first dungeon." replied Akeno.

"Ohhhh. So you must have powerful families." concluded Jinah. "Well, I'll gladly give you advice. This trade is more than fair to us."

Akeno nodded, and used Item Creation to create a decent spear for Jinah.

"There you go. Jinwoo, would you like a dagger, or maybe a weapon with a longer reach? I would advise that, if you often get injured."

"…could I have a sword, please?"

"Of course. Double-edged or single edge, straight or curved? Maybe a katana?"

"…A double-edged short sword would be great, thank you very much."

Akeno produced the requested item with a sheath and gave it to him.

"How did you manage to do this?" wondered Jinah, firmly holding the blue spear as if she didn't quite believe it was real. "Is it an ability you gained during your awakening?"

"Something like that." chuckled Akeno. Jinah seemed to go on a daze for an instant before she shook herself.

"Right. Our part of the deal. The first rule about surviving in a dungeon is that you do not get separated from the group, ever. The loot goes to whoever delivered the killing blow to the monster. Which is the biggest reason Jinwoo and I couldn't afford a decent weapon. We barely scrounged enough money to replace the weapons we broke. When you fight, you must be careful to keep your distance from the others to give them space to swing their weapons…"

"Found you! You dirty thieves!" suddenly yelled a young woman.

Akeno turned, ready to help capture the thieves in question, and blinked as she realized that they were the dirty thieves!

"Ah, it's the crazy cat lady." said Alter.