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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Dawn broke.
Han-byeol sighed, standing before her capsule. She logged in every day to maintain her rank, but today, the thought of entering the game filled her with dread.
She knew exactly what awaited her.
“…Sigh.”
After a moment of hesitation, she logged in. She had to face the music eventually.
Constricting…
A feeling of tightness greeted her. The ropes chafed against her skin, a dull ache penetrating the minimized synchronization rate.
It was… surprisingly not that unpleasant.
She’d put her stream on hiatus for the time being. She couldn’t let her viewers see her like this. They’d never let her live it down.
She scanned the cave, but Yor was nowhere to be seen.
He was probably still asleep. Or perhaps he was out hunting.
She tried to wriggle free, but the ropes held firm.
She needed a new plan.
And the only plan she could think of was… suicide.
When an otherworlder died, their body was reconstructed in a sanctuary in their own world, and they respawned in a nearby village.
In other words, death meant freedom.
Of course, there would be penalties, but…
She’d spent the previous night researching ways to die in the game.
…Searching for suicide methods just to escape a game…
She chuckled wryly. She must be the only one.
She’d come up with three options.
Biting her tongue, hanging herself, and starving herself.
Biting her tongue was out of the question. It wasn’t a guaranteed instant kill, like in the movies. It would be incredibly painful, and unlikely to succeed.
Plus, Yor wouldn’t just stand there and watch. He seemed determined to keep her captive until she gave him what he wanted. He’d stop her.
For the same reason, any other physical methods were ruled out.
That left starvation and dehydration.
Surprisingly, the game simulated even those minor details. Not eating would drain her stamina and slow her down. Extreme hunger would even cloud her mind.
It might work.
“…Ugh.”
But she hesitated. There were no recorded cases of players dying from starvation.
Who would willingly subject themselves to such a slow, agonizing death?
And she personally found the idea repulsive. It would be incredibly painful.
She wasn’t known for her patience. And she had a healthy appetite.
As a gymnast, she’d needed a lot of energy to fuel her intense training.
That habit had stuck, and she ate far more than the average person.
None of the options appealed to her.
She sighed deeply.
“Sigh…”
…There was one more option.
The easiest and most straightforward one. Give Yor what he wanted. Hand over the holy water and tell him where she got it.
‘Ugh, no…’
She shook her head. That was just as unappealing. She’d rather die. The problem was, she couldn’t even do that.
Lost in thought, she had a sinking feeling that she’d eventually cave.
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“Happy, time to eat~”
Dinner time arrived.
Yor, as always, brought her a plate of food. He hadn’t given up, even though she hadn’t touched a single bite.
His persistence bordered on madness.
What was he hoping to achieve?
Han-byeol couldn’t understand.
The plate arrived. She promptly spat on the food.
“Ptoo!”
“No! Not the food!”
Yor looked genuinely distressed. Han-byeol smirked inwardly.
This was her only form of rebellion.
‘I’ll annoy him if it’s the last thing I do.’
She had to resist somehow.
She didn’t care if he hit her. In fact, it might be beneficial.
Not that she enjoyed being hit. Really.
It was just… there was a chance she could die from it!
That would be a win-win situation.
Again, she didn’t want to be hit. Really.
“…You need to be punished.”
Yor glared at her, his eyes cold. The look of contempt sent a shiver down her spine.
‘Yes!’
Han-byeol smiled triumphantly.
He might slap her again, or even kick her. She was ready for anything.
But the punishment he chose was… disappointing.
A flick to the forehead.
Flick!
“Ow…!”
It wasn’t painless.
Her head snapped back, a throbbing pain spreading through her skull. She usually kept her synchronization rate at around 30%.
Senses were crucial for her combat style, which relied heavily on technique. She’d even increase it when she wasn’t in immediate danger.
Perhaps that was why she’d mastered Sword Qi so quickly.
Anyway, the point was, it hurt.
“Ugh…”
But it wasn’t enough. She wouldn’t die from this.
‘Should I provoke him more…?’
She hesitated.
She wasn’t fearless. While she sometimes found a thrill in danger, she knew when to hold back. That flick had hurt more than she’d anticipated.
And Yor didn’t seem inclined to continue.
“I’m going hunting. Stay put, Happy.”
“It’s Shin Han-byeol…!”
He left the cave.
Time passed…
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The following night arrived.
She still refused to eat from the plate, despite her growing hunger.
She’d been logging out during mealtimes to eat in the real world, but the moment she returned to the game, a gnawing emptiness filled her stomach.
What kind of technology was this…?
Thankfully, he provided water, so she wasn’t thirsty. But the hunger was becoming unbearable.
And she had to sleep in the game. She’d used her last fatigue potion. She needed a full night’s rest to survive the next day.
Why did this game have such a realistic system? She cursed the developers as she drifted off to sleep.
It was the third day of her captivity.
She skipped breakfast and lunch. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to eat like a dog.
But her hunger intensified.
Evening arrived, and she once again turned away from the food.
Then, night fell.
“Ugh… ugh… I’m hungry.”
She woke up, her stomach growling.
Grumble…
It demanded sustenance.
Even with the minimized synchronization rate, she couldn’t completely ignore her physical needs.
Especially hunger, which had a strong psychological component.
‘What is this torture…’
She stood up, irritated. She played games to level up, not to experience starvation.
As she grumbled, something caught her eye.
The plate of food Yor had left for dinner. He hadn’t taken it away, even though she hadn’t touched it.
He only cleared the plates in the morning.
So, she’d been sleeping with food right beside her.
She wouldn’t have given it a second thought before… but after three days without food, it was starting to look appealing.
…Gulp.
She swallowed involuntarily. The food was cold, but it probably still tasted fine.
The savory aroma of meat wafted towards her. It was fried rice, the same as before.
“…”
She glanced around. The cave was dark and silent.
It was late at night. Yor was probably fast asleep.
Thoughts raced through her mind.
‘Should I just take one bite?’
‘I’ll just taste it and rearrange the rice so he won’t notice.’
‘No, even then… how can I face-plant into a plate…’
Desire versus pride.
Her gaze lingered on the plate…
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“…Huh?”
Early morning.
As Yor was replacing Happy’s food bowl, he noticed something odd.
He thought he was mistaken, but he wasn’t.
The amount of fried rice had definitely decreased. By almost half.
And even more surprising, the rice was neatly arranged, as if someone had carefully smoothed it over after eating.
He stared at Happy.
“…What are you looking at?”
She glared at him, her usual prickly self. But Yor sensed something different. A hint of guilt, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“…Never mind.”
He’d considered confronting her, but he decided against it. A good fisherman knew when to be patient.
He had a confession to make.
He’d been feeling… aroused lately.
He wasn’t going to assault her. She’d tried to kill him, after all.
But think about it. A beautiful woman, tied up in his cave for three days. It was hard not to notice.
Watching her struggle in the corner of his cave evoked a strange sense of… sadistic pleasure.
He hatched a plan. He wanted to see her eat from the plate, her face buried in the food.
It was a pointless, childish idea. Which made it all the more appealing.
She’d eaten some of the food last night, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to see her eating, not just the evidence of it.
‘I will see her eat with my own eyes.’
He silently retreated, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
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[Your Text Here]
… kinky