Chapter Text
It had been a normal Saturday at the Cavalry Guild Headquarters.
Although Guild Leader was out with Nathan for the annual overseas conference for Top Guilds around the World and some espers were out on missions, most of the guild espers were lounging around, talking or playing games in the guild's recreation room.
Kanna was going to ask Ever if she wanted to go out shopping with her since some of her equipment had broke in the last dungeon she was in, but then it happened.
The guild building made out of the strongest dungeon materials shook.
Their only warning before their surroundings changed was the familiar ellipses that appeared when they were being transferred to what researchers suspected was another realm.
[...]
[......]
[Welcome to SSS-Grade Rift: Peletta Duchy]
[Quest: Defeat the Rift Master Yudrein Ail]
"Fuck." Someone said and none of the guild members in the room disagreed with him.
-
"It's real." Ever reported after rushing to the windows with some others to see that the entire Cavalry Guild Headquarters had been transported into another realm. She didn't open the window yet because sometimes unknown terrains had poison or unknown viruses in the air, but it was clear. Their headquarters had been located in the middle of Seoul. Outside the building, besides the neighboring buildings that had been taken with them, there was an ocean.
"We're in a rift." Ever announced to the silent guild members and other guild employees that had gathered in the room upon reading that blue system window.
"No." Devran said, holding his head, "This doesn't make sense. Had an entire guild ever been brought into a rift before? And SSS-grade? What the fuck? I didn't even know that rift grades could go above S grade."
Many other people began talking amongst themselves too. Some guild employees even despaired because none of them had ever heard of anything SSS-grade and S-grade rifts were known to kill multiple S-grade espers in the past if they weren't careful.
It felt like their deaths were fated, already set in stone.
"Silence!" Ever commanded and everyone silenced, looking to her. Ever nodded and looked to Keilusa, the official Vice Guild Leader of the Cavalry Guild and the Guild Leader's brother, before speaking up when Keilusa gave her permission to continue.
"Sure, it's rare for a guild's headquarters to be brought into a rift, but when other corporations and buildings, even districts and entire towns, have been affected by rifts before, should we have expected the chance for it to happen to us to be zero?" Everyone fell silent, reminded of how random rifts were.
"No, and while an SSS-grade rift is unprecedented and it was just our bad luck to get caught in one without warning, fortunately, it was a rift and not a dungeon." Those who caught on to the difference brightened a little in understanding. Ever smiled, gesturing to the basement.
"We have the guild warehouse full of high grade items and we have almost everyone in our guild. This rift might be the toughest that we have ever faced, but it should be doable with all our people and equipment."
Everyone brightened in hope, looking more energetic despite the chilling feeling in the air, no doubt the powerful presence of the rift master grating on their senses.
Maybe they could do this.
Keilusa gave permission for everyone to use the guild warehouse without reservation - no point in hoarding items when they all could die - and used his surveillance-like ability to scout the surrounding areas for monsters.
Ever and the other esper team leaders then gathered to discuss how they were going to protect the civilians that were caught up and tackle the rift.
The Cavalry Guild was one of the greatest guilds in Korea. They had seven S grade espers. While two S-grade espers weren't with them and Kanna's ability was support-focused, Ever, Gakane, and the Eldore siblings were strong. With them and an entire elite guild of veteran A-grade and B-grade espers, surely, it could be possible.
-
They stiffened in fear before they even got close to the castle that felt like the most likely place for the rift master to be.
If the earlier powerful aura in the air had been stifling, the murderous intent that blanketed the rift after a neighboring guild seemed to have the same idea as them to try nuking the castle with high grade AOE items was suffocating.
"We're all going to die!!" The neighboring guild that was fortunate to have their guild leader present with them shrieked in fear.
Ever wished she could blame them for trying to nuke the castle with items typically better left in guild storage, but they were going to try the same thing to at least weaken the rift master and take away any domain buffs it had if staying in its territory made it stronger.
And now, they all had learned that the rift master was strong enough to detect and defend the entire castle from a falling meteorite among other things with what seemed to be a wind barrier.
"That's not good." Gakane said grimly. "Even our best attacks won't be able to deal more damage than that."
The neighboring guild must have had an S-grade consumable summoning item - a veritable national treasure that could only be acquired through immense luck or wealth.
But now it was wasted like a dropped bottle of wine, having done no damage at all to the castle and presumably rift master. Rather, it had only made this 'Yudrein Ail' angry, so much so that all of them could palpably feel it.
If anyone still had doubts that it was an SSS-grade rift, no one did now.
"We'll have to go about this in another way." Ever agreed. An all-out attack won't work. They'd have to be smarter about this.
-
Kanna was nervous, but she determinedly accepted her role as information gatherer and support when they had returned to Headquarters to take her with them.
Originally, no one would want Kanna anywhere in a dungeon or rift, much less at the forefront of any battle because of her highly valuable yet extremely non-combative abilities, but they couldn't be picky - not when their strongest espers, the Guild Leader and Nathan, were still overseas and no one was going to try rescuing them once they got the system notice in front of the rift gate that the rift was SSS-grade.
Even S-grade espers hesitated at S-grade dungeons and rifts with little to no information.
And this was one such rift. 'Peletta Duchy' and 'Yudrein Ail' gave no information on what the rift and rift master would be like. Perhaps, if 'Peletta Duchy' was 'Peletta Duchy of the Kingdom of Endless Night' and 'Yudrein Ail' was 'Count Yudrein Ail' or something, they could have made the stretch and guessed that he was a vampire or something, but no one was going to do anything on just guesses for an SSS-grade rift.
Instead, they would wait a few weeks to see if the Cavalry Guild inside was still alive. And when no one had escaped the rift yet, that was when the Korean government would fall on their knees and beg the international community of espers for help to close the rift.
Eventually, someone would have to try to close the rift because rifts, unlike dungeons that broke and released monsters after some time if left unconquered, were like domes that expanded the longer they were left unconquered.
Although no rift had yet to be allowed to grow larger than a city, it was theorized that rifts could engulf the entire planet if left open.
And no one wanted that. Not when most rifts seemed to be of, or at the very least, based off of post-apocalyptic worlds.
"What kind of rift is it, Kanna?" Hinn asked as they escorted Kanna to the castle. Although they hadn't seen it from the empty beach that the Korean buildings were transferred to, fortunately, there were city ruins just before they reached the castle.
"Were they people or some kind of human-like people or monsters?" Finn also piped up, looking at the signs written in another language with curiosity.
"Humans." Kanna answered, biting her lip as she did. None of them blamed her. In this case, it would have been better if the village had once been occupied by monsters or something.
Even goblins would have been better.
A village of humans suggested that the rift master was human or something much smarter and stronger than humans.
Which didn't bode well for them who had to defeat it.
"Did the rift master destroy the village?" Gakane asked, shuffling through the objects in the room, trying to find more clues the old-fashioned way while Kanna did her work.
"No. The village was destroyed by ordinary monsters." Kanna grimaced as she watched the abominations kill and destroy everything around. "Mindless abominations." She corrected because to them, ordinary monsters were like kobolds and two headed snakes. "They look like chimeras, except more randomly put-together and much larger than the ones of that C-grade dungeon." Her gaze became more distant. "But we don't have to worry about them. They got swept into the ocean."
"Swept into the ocean?" Everyone around her echoed.
"Yes... It looked like a tsunami took everything but the castle with it into the ocean."
All of them silenced, looking out the window. The distance of this city to the ocean wasn't that close.
Neither was the city small.
It was, as the system named it, a 'duchy'.
"...Do you think that the rift master also controls water?" Gakane asked, unable to imagine a tsunami that big not being able to subsume the castle and the cliff that it was established on. At least the cliff should have been damaged if that much powerful rushing water charged at it.
"Either that or the rift master protected both the castle and the cliff with a barrier strong enough to fend off a tsunami that could engulf an entire duchy." Ever wryly said.
All of them silenced once again.
Devran held his head. "Fuck. How are we going to defeat the rift master?"
Although they had strong espers in their guild, none of them could imagine themselves fending off a city-consuming tsunami.
"Through strategy." Ever answered. That was the only way and that was the reason why they had brought Kanna with them.
Kanna nodded. Although she was pale from having seen firsthand how this village was destroyed - first by monsters and then by the tsunami - she affirmed determinedly, "I'll try my best to see if I can find anything."
-
The castle was beautiful but old. Kanna placed her hand on the door and sighed in relief when the system responded as usual to her touch and S-grade ability.
Although it wasn’t a known fact to those outside the most important members of the Cavalry, Kanna’s ability was ranked by the system as S-grade because she could sometimes access what Guild Leader called the system’s archives and read hidden information in gates and the ‘flavor texts’ of items and monsters.
Her ability wasn’t omniscient, nor could she read everything, but both the system and their Guild Leader thought highly of the few things that she could read with her ability and considered her S-grade.
Kanna frowned as she read the slightly more detailed information of the rift and rift master.
“Blessed by the Moon God. The Great Hunt. The One who Killed Duke Peletta. Assassin. Yudrein Ail.” Kanna read out the titles, her face slowly falling with each item, “He who controls all elements of nature. Omega. A revenant.”
“Shit. That’s not fair. An undead blessed by divine? Then does that mean divine power won’t work on him?” Devran complained and Lusan frowned, having hoped that he could have been of more use when it seemed like the team would need more attackers this time. “He not only controls all the elements, but is also blessed and immune to divine power?”
“Did Yudrein have his power to control elements first or was that after he became blessed or undead? If it was the first, I wonder who had killed him.” Gakane contemplated as he tried to imagine the history of this world. Although there were monsters, mindless abominations according to Kanna, everything else seemed like a rather ordinary medieval age world.
“I wonder when he had died.” Ever wondered, thinking through the new information. There were three types of things that the system classified as a revenant: ghosts, animated corpses, and those who had been resurrected through means outside of the norm.
But what was most important about those who had been resurrected as ‘undead’ rather than as ‘human’ was their mental instability. Undead often didn’t remember their life as the living, but when they did, they often clung or obsessed over the most negative aspects of it. When too much time passed, they even forgot everything else other than the thing that they obsessed over.
No one had ever successfully talked and negotiated with a rift master before - though some espers had tried in experiment, empathy, or sheer desperateness to survive – but since this was an SSS-grade rift, Ever had wanted to at least try if the rift master had some intelligence.
“It’s really hard to live.” Steiber sighed as he had probably thought the same thing. They didn’t know anything about rift masters, especially because none of them shared the same language nor were willing to talk instead of immediately fight, but it would have been nice if they could get everyone out without a fight that would no doubt end with many injuries or casualties if they were honest with themselves.
“What do the titles do?” Emun asked, moving them on despite how the fight they were walking into was going to undoubtedly go bad.
Kanna sighed as she accessed and read the first title’s description.
“Blessed by the Moon God only gave him a second chance at life.” They all sighed. So they didn’t have to worry about more abilities, increased stats, or divine protection.
“The Great Hunt gives him full pain immunity.” …Well, considering how they thought that he could be the ghost or animated corpse type of revenant before they heard the first title’s description, they already were thinking that he had that.
“The One who Killed Duke Peletta gives him 50% more instability and all stats while in Duke Peletta’s office.”
“Damn it!” Many people cursed. All of the titles sounded unimpressive and not fitting for the rift master of an SSS-grade rift with seemingly no other monsters until Kanna read that one. That was crazy. How high was the rift master’s stats then? And giving someone classified as undead instability?
“If only we can blow up the castle.” Hinn sighed.
“We brought so many of the A-grade and S-grade items that we had always wanted to use too.” Finn lamented. Guild Leader never allowed them to use those items and explosives because dungeon byproducts were money so it was better not to damage too much of the dungeon inside and it was too destructive to use them outside the dungeon on Earth. He thought he could finally use them here when Keilusa finally gave permission for them to be taken out of guild storage, but alas, the rift master had demonstrated himself to be too good at defending the castle.
“So we have to lead him out of the office…” Ever said thoughtfully, looking up at the castle and trying to see if she could figure out its layout. Fortunately, Kanna was already working on transcribing the blueprints from the Peletta Castle description she found while checking the location’s flavor text.
“And how are we going to do that?” Someone grumbled.
“Well, at least we know that he’s probably in the office and chances are that he’d try to stay.” Gakane said as he looked down at Kanna’s quick sketching and then at the window that was probably Duke Peletta’s office. “How about we just take a quick peek and if that does nothing, return for the day?”
Rift masters and dungeon bosses didn’t normally stay in one place, unlike in the RPG games before the world essentially became like one. They could move out of their ‘rooms’ or ‘starting points’, which was why they had gathered up people to defeat the rift master before he could possibly attacked them at the Guild Headquarters where they had a lot of civilians, non-combat members, and B-grade espers.
But if Yudrein Ail was a revenant and the office gave him a buff, it was possible that he would stay there. That the title gave him instability also suggested that he might not care for anything outside of the office.
If that was the case, then they wouldn’t have to attack today like they had originally planned. If Yudrein wouldn’t move from his location, then they could rest, strategize, train a little, and try the attack another day. After all, they did have emergency rations in their Guild Headquarters – enough to feed the others who had been brought into the rift with them too.
Ever nodded.
“We’ll go with our original plan.”
They all tensed, but gave firm nods, preparing themselves for the fight that might happen.
-
Although everyone was ready for anything to go wrong as veterans who had been through too many high grade dungeons and rifts, they sincerely did wish that the rift master had been a proper ghost or something and just cared about the office he should have been in.
Instead, the rift master proved to be what the system had classified him as: an Assassin.
He might have also remembered that they – well, the other guild – had tried to nuke the castle earlier and tried to get all of them to let down their guard by lowering his earlier killing intent to imperceptible levels.
“Nion left!” Kanna shouted as her ability quickly read fast movement from where her hand was still on the castle wall.
Dandenion quickly looked left, his ability stiffening the rift master that had suddenly lunged from the shadows of the hall.
All of them quickly got into position, casting barriers, buffs, and debuffs, hearts pounding by how close that was. Although it wasn’t the office where he would be buffed, the speed of the SSS-grade rift master was insane.
Had Dandenion been a second too late, Gakane would have gotten his head cut off.
Dandenion’s ability wore off too quickly. All of their weapons only met a wind barrier. If elemental attacks had been used, the rift master proved to have superior control of the elements as they all were harmlessly vanished away too.
“Shit…” Devran weakly said as his fireball was reduced to a puff of air in an instant. “How are we going to defeat that thing?” He asked as they all stared at the rift master who was looking at them with dead, dead black eyes from behind the wind barrier. Although every other aspect of the rift master was pretty, shivers crept down their spine at the sight of the rift master staring at them like they were ants with that cold, detached, seemingly emotionless expression.
When the assassin let go of his restraint as if there was no point in hiding it now that he was exposed, however, they felt fury and wrath, and felt more despair at the sheer power that he exuded.
They had been naïve. The ‘Assassin’ must have hidden even most of his aura and killing intent earlier when they had felt it all the way from their Headquarters. Now in front of him, they didn’t think even all the S-grade espers on Earth put together could defeat this monster.
“It’s impossible.” Steiber said, falling on his knees. He shouldn’t be one of the first to give up when he was a Deputy Commander like Ever, but his attack had done nothing and his knees had fallen on their own, unable to stand in front of the rift master.
Phieny also trembled as she held her head from where she sat on the ground, “We can’t beat him. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die!”
Ever wanted to refuse and stand up to the rift master to show them that they couldn’t just give up now, but her gloved fists were shaking too much to be of use too.
As soon as this rift had appeared, it must have already been the end for Earth. Even though they had been one of the strongest guilds on Earth, they were just the beginning.
The rift master walked forward, wind barrier dispersing as soon as he finally deemed all of them harmless. His hand slowly extended his sword to cut....
“N-no!!” Gakane shouted, sending his shadow out to tackle the rift master before he could slice Dandenion’s head off.
To all of their surprise, the shadow actually did manage to tackle the rift master.
All of them stared when the rift master didn’t move at all too.
……Was he in shock?
But why…
The rift master suddenly flailed his arms, causing the shadow to disperse, and all of them almost tensed (admittedly sighed in relief at the normalcy), ready to brace themselves for the rift master’s attack again, if it weren’t the oddly cute wide-eyed look the rift master suddenly had, the slight fluster to his movements.
Why did it look like the rift master was flustered?
Wait, was it because-
“Gakane, again!” Devran shouted while the rift master was still looking at the air in a daze.
Gakane was already at it, sending his shadow to tackle the rift master into a hug again. The rift master froze again, jolting like a startled cat when Gakane’s shadow tightened the hug and rested his shadowy head on the rift master’s shoulder.
All of them stared, watching as the rift master shivered and shook in the hug, hands moving as if to push the shadow off him gently, before it became too much and the rift master flailed again, causing the shadow to disperse by the sheer power of his SSS-grade stats.
“Gakane!” Devran shouted as he stood up from the ground on shaky knees.
“Got it!” Gakane shouted back, already moving to send the third shadow.
This time, the rift master looked ready to push the shadow back in panic before it could hug him, but Devran was already running, shouting, “You know what? I’m going to do it!”
Ever couldn’t even ask what Devran was going to do.
By that time, Devran was already moving through the dispersing third shadow and grabbing the rift master’s arms. The rift master’s strength stat had to be immensely higher than Devran, but undeterred by how he couldn’t hold the rift master’s arms still, Devran lunged forward with his head to plop his lips on the rift master’s.
Then, it didn’t matter that the rift master’s strength was higher.
The rift master stilled once again, once seemingly cold and dead eyes widening, and Devran manipulated the rift master’s suddenly powerless arms up against the wall behind the rift master.
The rift master stared blankly as Devran pushed his tongue in while pinning the rift master’s arms above his head on the wall. Devran moved his hands to hold the rift master’s thin wrists with one hand, his other hand moving downwards to touch the rift master’s crotch-
And Phieny shouted, “I can’t believe I’m helping you!” in tears as she pressed her hands against the rift master’s knees before the rift master could instinctively jerk and knee Devran in the crotch. Normally, Phieny’s strength would be nowhere near enough to subdue the SSS-grade rift master’s even most careless movements, but as soon as Phieny touched him gently on the knees, the rift master’s eyes trailed down from where he had been going cross-eyed to try to stare at Devran’s kiss to now look at her with his wide eyes.
His black eyes then widened even more when Phieny quickly unbuckled the rift master’s pants to kiss him.
“N-nn!” The rift master squeaked, knees buckling when Phieny kissed the head of his cock and then wrapped her mouth around him. His hands tried escaping Devran’s hand but couldn’t despite his higher strength stat for some reason.
No, not for some reason, Ever realized when the rift master’s knees buckled again when Devran took advantage of his fluster to kiss him more deeply. The rift master was flustered, embarrassed, confused and severely weak to gentle touches, intimate acts, and shows of affection.
And in his confusion, he hesitated and unconsciously didn’t want to hurt those that were treating him like this.
The rift master startled when Juan quickly ran to blow in his ear and stick his hand up the rift master’s shirt before the rift master could unconsciously flail and throw those on him off in a panic like he had with the shadows. Kurga jogged to simply pat the rift master on the head, causing the rift master’s eyes to swirl.
Looking at how the rift master looked like a very socially awkward and reserved young adult (was he 20?) being surrounded by a harem of attentive handsome beauties, Ever almost felt bad for him.
Almost. If it wasn’t for how close the rift master was to killing them all earlier and how the rift master still could at any moment like with Gakane’s shadows if they stopped distracting him and weakening him with constant touches and intimate attention.
Gakane slowly approached her as he watched more combat team members surround the rift master who was now the one on the ground, knees so weak from everyone’s attention, with wide eyes.
“I guess we are doing this…” Gakane slowly imitated Devran’s wording, “But say we do this, how are we going to defeat him?”
If they stopped at any moment, the rift master could regain some strength and sanity to snap out of his fluster and remember to kill them all. Even if he was still flustered, he could kill them accidentally like with the shadows if he was just a little stronger and careless.
Not to mention, if any of them showed killing intent or anything less than gentle care, there was no doubt that the assassin would sense it and instantly snap out of his shock to defend himself. That was probably the reason why Devran and Phieny and all the others approached the assassin with the intent to treat him like a child or intimate partner – intimately, gently, kind with love and care. If they shook with fear or disgust or something, the assassin was likely to sense it and more easily snap out of the daze he currently was in.
To delude someone else, oneself had to be deluded and now all of them were caught up in the act.
But although they could do this to not get killed by the rift master, it didn’t change the fact that they were still stuck in a rift that wouldn’t open until they did the quest which was to defeat the rift master.
Although the system was generous with the wording ‘defeat’, how were they going to kill the rift master that they just plainly realized just now that they couldn’t kill, make him admit defeat when they didn’t share the same language for communication (and that was if rift masters could communicate normally when there was no evidence of successful talks with them), or make him theirs like summoners and beast tamers could?
They didn’t have a summoner or beast tamer in their guild. Nipollen could turn into a cat, but that was it. Nor did Ever want to entrust an SSS-grade rift master to another guild even if their neighboring guilds who had been taken by the rift with them had a person with such abilities.
“Um…” Kanna began as she also approached them, staring at the rift master with wide eyes. “We do have an S-grade item that can tame him.”
“Oh?” Ever and Gakane turned to her with wide eyes. “We do? Why didn’t we bring it here?” Ever asked, knowing that if Kanna didn’t take it out yet, then it must be at the guild.
Kanna mumbled, “I didn’t think that it would work. The user can only tame the monster if the monster is of a lower class than the user.”
“Oh…” Then obviously, it wouldn’t work. No one, not even Guild Leader who was the strongest esper in the world, was SSS-grade. No one even knew any grade higher than S-grade had existed.
“Then why would it work now?” Gakane asked because if it didn’t, then Kanna wouldn’t mention it.
“Higher grade monsters can be tamed if their favorability level is high and their Hostility and Wariness are low.”
“Ah…” Ever and Gakane realized.
Although before they would have thought that it would be impossible to befriend a higher grade monster that would try to kill them as their first response, now, looking at the rift master, it could be possible.
The chance was low, but it was better than nothing, especially when they couldn’t think of a way to defeat the rift master.
“Bring it-” Ever almost ordered, but on second thought, shook her head. “Stay. We might need you to read the rift master’s thoughts if he acts up.” There was honestly no way of telling right now how the rift master would behave once he got used to everyone or if he saw through everyone or, worse, if he was triggered by something and his innate mental instability as an undead began acting up (Ever didn’t trust that ‘revenant’ racial description even if it seemed to be a resurrection from a god himself.)
They still needed information and a way to get new information if something unexpectedly happened in this new situation. Kanna had to stay as their best information gatherer.
“Gakane, get Juan to come over here so we can talk about the things we need from the guild.”
Now that she thought about it, there was an entire list of things that she wanted from the guild too. Especially if they were going to stay here for the time being, not knowing how the rift master would react outside of the castle.
Gakane nodded, moving to extract Juan from what was now becoming an orgy focused on the rift master. Before he could though, Ever couldn’t help but remember.
“By the way, I didn’t think you would have your shadow hug him so gently.” Ever teased, reminded of how the rift master was first fooled, struck dumb, and then began showing his weak side. Now that Ever thought of it, Gakane’s shadow really did tackle the rift master in quite the gentle and comfortable hug like trying to calm a hostile but scared small animal.
Gakane blushed in sudden remembrance of what he had unconsciously done with his shadow. “He just looks like my younger siblings’ age! And I wasn’t thinking when he almost killed Nion!”
“But you bought us an opportunity.” Ever smiled, looking at the rift master. “Although I feel a little bad about this, we’ll take responsibility if we can make him ours.”
Gakane also felt a little bad. It was one thing using a taming item for a monster that looked like an animal and another thing to use a taming item for a monster that looked and probably was ‘human’.
But… reminded of how close they all came to death and still were so close to it (as well as all the lives that he already had to see gone forever in front of his eyes), Gakane agreed. It was necessary. No one was strong enough to defeat an SSS-Grade rift master in their world, not even Guild Leader and Nathan combined. And they would take responsibility if it worked. Otherwise, they would have to weaken the SSS-Grade rift master so much through other methods that they could kill him.
But hopefully, it worked. He didn’t feel like killing someone who could get that startled and confused by a simple act of a hug from a shadow.
-
It had only been a few minutes before Ever was glad that she had sent Juan to collect everything that they needed from the guild instead of Kanna.
Ever, Gakane, and Kanna were on high alert when Phieny and Devran began to slump. Fortunately, Kurga had grabbed the two and pushed them out of the group before the rift master – Yudrein, Ever thought she should begin calling the ‘monster’ who they were intending to make theirs – truly noticed.
Kanna quickly checked on them with her ability before telling everyone – including those with their attention half-focused on Yudrein – that Yudrein knew how to guide.
While that solved the problem of the shortage of guides that they had in their guild, Ever asked, “But he isn’t one?”
From experience, Ever knew that the description of ‘esper’ or ‘guide’ should be in a person’s ‘flavor text’.
Kanna checked Yudrein again, placing a hand on his hand, before nodding. “He isn’t one… but maybe it’s related to his ability to control all elements of nature. Maybe we weren’t thinking right and all elements of nature actually referred to…”
“Everything of nature.” Gakane realized, palming his face. “If it was just fire, water, wind, and earth, then it would just say those four things, but actually, he can probably manipulate anything natural, even energy.”
And guiding was the stabilizing, refining, and cycling of esper energies.
So when Yudrein unconsciously took care of those taking care of him, he essentially did the job of a guide and brought them into a guiding high.
“He’s an SSS-grade guide.” Gakane realized and all of them temporarily froze at the pure implication of those words.
Currently, there was such a big shortage in guides on Earth that there was even a law that guides must register and join the Awakener Association or a guild. Of course, even with such a law, that wouldn’t change how guides were scarce and even their guild only had three to manage all of their high grade espers.
While all of them were used to managing their esper energies and taking some guiding potions here and there now, if there was another guide in their guild… no, if there was an SSS-grade guide in their guild…
“Do you think he can guide even Guild Leader and his brother?”
All of them froze again – though some people quickly began distracting Yudrein again before the rift master could even think a thought amidst his daze.
Some espers like Guild Leader and Keilusa had a condition that made their esper energy unmanageable and abrasive to even the best of guides. Although they tried to delay their rampage and death with guiding potions, they couldn’t stop the inevitable forever with just potions. While everyone had been trying to look for an item that might be able to help, so far no one had found a solution…
But what about an SSS-grade guide that had an ability to control all elements of nature, possibly including energy?
If that was the case, then it was even more crucial to win over and tame the rift master.
“I’m back.” Juan said, just happening to appear at that moment. He only just managed to take out the collar amongst other things that Ever asked for when Ever grabbed Juan’s shoulders.
“Return back to the guild and bring Keilusa.” Remembering that the rift master was possibly a guide and all of them at the moment were espers, Ever added, “And more people – espers and guides. Tell them that it’s safe. We just need people who can’t enter guiding highs just in case. Only people from our guild, of course, though.”
Juan looked confused, but left just as quickly as he had returned, seeing Ever’s expression.
While Juan left to gather people, Ever asked Kanna, “How do we use the Taming Collar?”
Kanna quietly took the collar and began setting it up. While she did feel bad for the sentient monster, she also didn’t want Guild Leader and Keilusa to rampage, forcing all of them – especially Nathan, the Guild Leader’s close friend, her own best friends, Ever and Gakane, and the barely adult kids, the Eldore twins, who were the only other S-grade espers in their guild - to have to kill them.
She was also certain that this was for the best for the both of them. Even if all of them were to die by the rift master’s hand, the rift master would have to continue to kill every other esper and person in their world as the rift expanded and live in this dreary rift all by himself. Rather than that, wouldn’t it be better to allow them to take care of him? Especially if he was so sensitive to hugs?
-
The rift master nearly snapped out of his daze when he saw the collar, but Kanna saw shackles-prison-torture when she used her ability to peer at his mind and though the images had been quite shocking, she hugged him, causing new images to flash through his mind – spiteful faces, anger, disgust - as his eyes shook.
“Not for torture.” Kanna promised even though she knew that they didn’t speak the same language. “It’s for you.” Kanna said as she distracted Yudrein with a kiss on his forehead before nuzzling it with her own, forcing him to look into her eyes as their foreheads touched. “Be a good boy and I promise you that we will never hurt you.” Kanna said, looking at him with earnest eyes while Ever snapped the collar into place.
The once cold, dead, emotionless eyes of the rift master looked so young and full of a myriad of emotions the longer they looked into hers… until the rift master looked away as if unable to bear her eyes.
Kanna let him, knowing that it would take time, especially with the system window of a warning and stats that appeared before all of their eyes with the collar owner set to the Cavalry Guild.
[Notice: Higher grade monsters can only be tamed if their Favorability level is maxed and their Hostility and Wariness are zero.]
[Current Ratings of Yudrein Ail
Favorability: -100
Hostility: 100
Wariness: 100
Confused, angered, afraid]
Kanna wryly thought that it would take a long time if everything that everyone had done did ‘nothing’ so far to win the rift master’s heart and everything was at the worst case scenario stats.
Ever sighed when she also saw the windows. “We’re going to need you, Kanna.”
Kanna nodded, pursing her lips, but since everyone was already in this so far, she should as well and show her sincerity to the rift master they were trying to capture and woo to their side.
Fortunately, because of how espers and guides worked, everyone, unlike the rift master, was already used to naked bodies, sharing, and intimate things like sex.
And if it meant getting everyone out here alive and keeping Guild Leader and Faria’s husband alive many years into the future too, then she was more than willing to toss away things like her shame.
“Since he can unconsciously guide, we’re going to do this three at a time instead of all at once.” Ever ordered and all of them understood in an instant. “The moment you see someone in a guiding high, pull them to the side and take their place. We can’t leave Yudrein unattended for even a second. Remember that he is an SSS-grade rift master. Keep an eye on his movements at all times, no matter how innocent. Understood? Good, then from now on, first up is me, Kanna, and…”
-
“He’s confused.” Kanna said, reading and interpreting the emotions and images that flickered through Yudrein’s mind as everyone continued touching him, drawing out his thoughts of what was going on. Although they didn’t share the same language, emotions and images were universal and Kanna found her eyes softening as she read more. “He doesn’t think this is real.” Immense doubt, blurred faces with sneers and mocking laughs, a lot of hostility not from him but aimed at him. “He’s not sure that we are real. He’s never been treated this way before.”
“Poor Yudrein,” Ever cooed, rubbing his face with her hand. Ever, or someone who looks like Ever except with short hair and scars, softness, feeling soothed- Ever brushed her hand downward to touch Yudrein’s cock, still wet from Phieny’s mouth. Alarm! “You don’t deserve that. I promise that we will all treat you better.” Ever said as she stroked her finger down the length of the cock. Shaken.
“Keep doing it.” Kanna urged as Yudrein trembled underneath them, for some reason thoroughly shaken by Ever in more ways than one and in a way that mattered because Kanna suspected that they needed to shatter Yudrein’s perception of how this was all fake to make any real progress.
Ever wrapped her hand around Yudrein’s girth and began stroking, making the rift master jerk and writhe on Kurga who had been hugging Yudrein from behind. Kurga grunted at the rift master’s strength, even if it was unconsciously held back, and at how the rift master’s naked bottom was grinding against Kurga’s cock as he reacted to Ever’s handjob.
When Kurga inevitably hardened against Yudrein’s butt, the rift master quaked and Kanna saw a blurred-out face that she thought almost looked like Guild Leader. She also saw images of Yudrein doing it, being fucked from behind by someone even bigger than Kurga, memories of pleasure among other things and-
“He’s not a virgin.” Kanna said in half-surprise because Yudrein’s reactions half-seemed like he was new to all forms of touch, intimacy, and love among many other things. “You can put it in. He’s taken someone bigger than you before and has that title that gives him pain immunity.”
If someone hadn’t fingered Yudrein earlier while Devran was kissing him and Phieny was giving him a blowjob among the other things everyone else did, then it would still be fine because of Yudrein’s The Great Hunt title.
Come to think of it, she thought The Great Hunt would be related to the Moon God like how Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt or that he was a great hunter, but if the title gave him pain immunity then did that mean that he was the hunted one…
Kanna was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Kurga grunt in both pleasure and surprise.
“He’s wet.”
Also, come to think of it…
“I’ve been wondering about it for a while, but does ‘omega’ refer to that omega?” Hinn suddenly asked from the side while Yudrein trembled and bit his lip under Ever and Kurga’s increasingly fervent dual attention. “Was this world an alpha-beta-omega verse?”
“Does he have a womb?” Finn asked, eyes dilated as he stared at Yudrein’s bare stomach and where Kurga was poking underneath his pleasant abs.
Kurga enlarged himself with his ability as he gave one deep and long thrust into Yudrein, using his arms to force the squirming boy in place as he did and came. The image of that blurry face that resembled Guild Leader again.
Yudrein quaked as he came all over himself and Ever stroked him through it and then unceasingly afterwards.
While Yudrein trembled within his arms on his still hard cock, Kurga nodded in answer to Finn’s question.
“It was an omegaverse.” Hinn whispered, grabbing her brother’s arm a little fanatically. “Omegaverse was real.”
Ever hummed as she continued stroking Yudrein, following her own order of not neglecting Yudrein for even one second. “You’re going to have to remind me on what that is. I don’t read as many romance novels as you, Elle, and Guild Leader.”
Hinn was all too eager to introduce them all to the concept of omegas.
And they decided to move to a bedroom when they heard about nesting and thought about trying it among other things.
-
Although they didn’t know what Duke Peletta was to Yudrein besides a possible target when he had been an assassin, they all moved to Duke Peletta’s room on the blueprints that Kanna had transcribed because the duke’s bed had definitely had to be the largest in the castle.
And large it was.
Almost all of them could fit on the bed if they sat and the combat team that Ever had organized to fight the SSS-grade rift master hadn’t been small in number at all.
Ever and some others kept patting Yudrein alongside his face, arms, neck, and spine as Kurga carried him still buried with his enlarged form in Yudrein’s hole to simulate an alpha knot to the room.
“Does he care?” Ever asked subtly, not wanting to mention Duke Peletta to the assassin just in case that title had a deeper meaning. Even if Ever could never proclaim to understand the system, the system definitely did not award titles with buffs like that to just anyone who killed someone.
Kanna shook her head as she kept her hand on Yudrein’s thigh throughout the trip and now on the bed.
“No. I think he even likes it. I think it smells like mint to him?” Kanna said questioningly because she didn’t smell anything and mint was a rather strong scent to smell.
Hinn grinned. “It must be Duke-” Ever gave her a sharp look while patting Yudrein and Hinn quickly corrected herself with a sheepish look. “his scent. I bet he was an alpha or omega. Oh! If he was an alpha, then that just makes this a tragic love story. Yudrein was an assassin ordered to kill his mate! That’s why he’s haunting his office and guarding the castle!”
“Would that make sense?” Devran, who had recovered from his guiding high, asked doubtfully. “Can anyone make him do anything?” Devran asked, shivering in memory of that moment he truly thought that he was going to die. “And if he had a mate, then why would he be so surprised by hugs and kisses, gentle touches in general and affection?”
Hinn frowned, but before she could continue, Ever stopped caressing Yudrein’s cock for a while to scrutinize the room.
“More importantly, if we are to properly woo our omega, we should work on building a nest. Gakane, Lusan, take care of Yudrein for us while we go find some bedding material. Juan should be here with the others soon.”
Gakane nodded, agreeing that the girls would probably understand how to make a good nest for the omega better than him and the others.
And subtly agreeing with Ever’s silent order.
Rifts and dungeons didn’t always have a history or scenario behind them, but some did and it would be a good idea to check out the office for any clues on their mission to understand and tame Yudrein. Eventually. Because they did need to completely tire out and distract Yudrein, who had a title connected to that place, before they could risk incurring the omega’s wrath if the omega caught onto what they wanted to investigate sooner or later.
It wasn’t high on the priority, or even something necessary, but it was something that they could try if nothing else worked.
-
Yudrein whimpered as two fat cocks moved in and out of him in tandem, their owners’ muscular bodies squishing him tightly in between them. When the omega instinctively tried escaping from the pleasure, Gakane and Kurga pulled the respective arm and hip that they were holding down, forcing Yudrein’s hole to enlarge around both of their pillars at the same time.
Yudrein’s legs danged weakly. Sometimes, Finn felt like it was hard to know if the SSS-grade rift master could ever walk normally after this or if he’d be permanently split open, but when Gakane had Lusan heal Yudrein over them, tightening Yudrein’s walls and making the omega tremble, head buried between two pillowy chests, Finn realized that Gakane would force the omega to.
Yudrein buried his face into Gakane’s chest as the two large men bit his neck while coming in him.
Oh, Finn stared with wide eyes, the SSS-grade rift master was crying.
Even when Gakane, Kurga, and Lusan had to stop because of reaching their guiding high, nothing stopped for Yudrein who was attacked by more people immediately afterwards, everyone agreeing with Ever in overwhelming the rift master in never-ending rounds even if it meant sending the rift master into overstimulation.
-
“Oh? Did the boys all give you a good time?” Ever asked as she picked up Yudrein from the large couch that the boys had moved to when Ever, Kanna, Phieny, and the others had worked hard to gather all the soft items that they could find in the castle. They also took some gently worn clothes from Duke Peletta’s closet, seeing how Yudrein had apparently liked the duke’s smell.
Although the rift master had stiffened at the sight of his clothes on the bed and Ever had to distract the rift master with surprise jerks on his cock that made him curl and tremble into Ever’s breasts, just as Kanna had conjectured earlier, the omega actually did like the Duke Peletta’s scent and he relaxed into them, burying his face into what looked to be a white uniform with fancy gold embellishments.
Like this, the omega was so nice and pliable that Ever suspected that even if they stopped distracting Yudrein, there was a chance that Yudrein might not think of killing them. She didn’t want to take any chances though, especially when Yudrein’s mood abruptly turned for a moment as he was staring at the white uniform, and she had Yudrein look at her instead with a gentle turn of his head.
Ever had talked with Kanna while they had been away from Yudrein in Duke Peletta’s walk in closet and then in their search for extra bedding from the supply closets in the castle.
Apparently, the rift master had known someone that looked like her – except the person the rift master had known had short hair and scars everywhere.
But because they were similar enough, it was more possible for her than any of the others to ease the rift master into believing that this was reality and that they genuinely did want to be with him.
And since Kanna hadn’t read any memories of the male omega being with a woman, the different experience could help shatter any illusions the rift master had about this being a dream. After all, she would make the experience so vivid that it would be impossible for the rift master to think that he could have dreamed it up.
“Look at me,” Ever ordered as she straddled the rift master. Taking a risk and trusting in Kanna’s theory that the rift master would be least aggressive and defensive against her, who resembled his former friend, Ever swooped down to kiss the drowsy omega’s lips, biting down and deepening it.
Yudrein’s half-lidded eyes widened and shook just like they had with each new or surprising experience from them, but he didn’t bite down on her or push her off.
Ever smiled. Good, because she was going to be his first woman. Not the friend that had apparently looked like her nor a dream – but her.
-
Ever quite found the rift master adorable. Dangerous and scary, yes, but the way the rift master’s eyes had widened again when Ever had stripped herself on top of him… well, Ever felt like teasing the rift master a lot more.
“If you cover your eyes like that, then a girl like me would be forced to think that she’s ugly.” Ever teased, forcefully moving the rift master’s hands away from his eyes after taking off everything. She knew that he wouldn’t understand her words, but she couldn’t help but lean closer so that her breasts pressed against his chest and repeat, “Look at me.”
“I’m real, aren’t I?” Ever asked, taking the rift master’s hands and making him touch her breasts and every reachable inch of her body as she drew herself back up again. Maneuvering the two thin wrists to fit in one hand that she pressed against her chest, Ever moved her other hand to pump the cock just behind her. Yudrein flinched at the sensitive thing getting stimulated again and then jolted when he saw Ever lowering herself down on him. “Relax and just enjoy yourself.” Ever said as she began moving, riding the rather pretty dick before Yudrein’s adorably large eyes. “We’ll be here together for days until we can win you over, Yudrein.”
-
Kanna glanced at the latest numbers, sighing in relief when the Wariness stat finally went down.
[Notice: Higher grade monsters can only be tamed if their Favorability level is maxed and their Hostility and Wariness are zero.]
[Current Ratings of Yudrein Ail
Favorability: -80
Hostility: 70
Wariness: 95
Confused, doubtful, afraid]
5 was still too little when they needed Wariness to get all the way down to zero, but it was a good start and Kanna knew that everyone would be devoted to chipping down Yudrein’s walls.
It was either that, die, or never get out, after all.
Of course, everyone was increasingly motivated the more they saw and had Yudrein too though.
-
“I see…” Keilusa said when he and the others who had just arrived learned the full situation. “So this is the only way to subdue the rift master?” Keilusa asked wryly, casting a glance to the bed where the SSS-grade rift master was getting railed amidst a cozy nest of pillows and blankets. “May I ask who’s idea was this?”
Faria’s question was more practical. “Is it true that he can guide my husband?” She asked with wide eyes and shaking hands.
-
Faria kissed Yudrein, not minding that the rift master was supposedly a dangerous SSS-Grade rift master who had nearly wiped out their entire combat team of elites.
If the rift master was unconsciously guiding people despite not being a guide and not even being forced to guide, then the rift master had to be a kind person. At the very least, a fair person to reciprocate perceived kindness. And while Faria understood that Yudrein was still the rift master, someone dangerous and someone they had to kill or subdue for everyone to leave the rift alive, Faria was going to be affectionate and gentle with him too.
“Thank you for saving my husband.” Faria said with a happy smile and warm eyes to the boy as he was made to sit on her husband – Keilusa’s own doing after Keilusa had the boy thoroughly guide him. Faria didn’t mind the sight at all as she joined them, sandwiching the rift master between them, warming his cock as he warmed Keilusa’s and wrapping them both in a grateful hug.
-
“Yudrein, what do you think? Do you like it?” Ever asked after having gotten Juan to run and get some toys from the private deep guiding rooms the other day.
Yudrein drooled wordlessly into a pillow as Ever pegged him with an abnormally long strap-on.
With how everyone else was currently in a guiding high after fucking Yudrein without rest, it was best if she made little to no contact with the rift master at all now that it was her turn to distract the rift master and try to increase his favorability, lower his hostility and wariness with the guild.
After all, they really couldn’t leave the rift master untouched for a second.
After she felt close to reaching that feeling of pure relief and contentedness she got from the best of deep guiding sessions, Yudrein whimpered but made no effort to throw Ever off when she buried the dildo deep within him, turned on the vibration setting to the highest, and hugged him to keep him from escaping while she basked in a guiding high. When the others recovered from their daze to return to keeping their rift master company, they could pull her off and restart again, but for now this was enough.
-
“He likes being pet on the head. Hugged.” Kanna read as she slowly observed Yudrein’s reactions to her hands as he was getting fucked by a guide who would not fall for the tempting guiding nirvana that Yudrein was now becoming the more he liked them. That said, Favorability was still negative 50 so Kanna had to use her ability again while everyone listened attentively to her examination of Yudrein’s body. “It’s warm and comfortable. Familiar.”
At that, someone placed their hand on Yudrein’s head, patting his sweaty but soft hair. Although the rift master was getting used to them – finally after two days – he was still unsure and gave the person a complicated look before looking away. At that moment, the guide must have nailed Yudrein’s prostrate because he hiccupped as he did so and then began squirming on the sheets again when the guide began pummeling him there and two other people held Yudrein’s hands down so that he couldn’t do anything.
Kanna saw familiar images of blurry faces, hostility and unhappiness aimed towards Yudrein, but also of an old man – grandfather - touching a young Yudrein’s head and a big man who looked like her Guild Leader holding him in a hug on his lap, the complicated but warm feelings for the latter, and reassured her guildmate.
“He likes it. He’s just not used to positive interactions. There were a lot of people who mistreated him and looked at him badly in the past.”
“He also reluctantly likes being pulled into laps and held there. It calms him.”
Kanna moved her hands down more, caressing parts of Yudrein’s face and drawing that complicated expression from him again as his eyes flickered towards her.
“He likes being caressed on the face like this.”
“His neck is sensitive. There’s a gland here that makes him jerk.”
“He’s not used to people sucking his nipples or kissing his front. The person he was with a very long time ago only took him from behind. He doesn’t like gloves. They make him feel unworthy.”
Kanna bristled as more sad feelings and dark blurry images appeared through the rift master’s mind as they were testing positions. “While he doesn’t mind being taken from behind, he prefers being on his back. The bastard kept pushing his face down so that he couldn’t see his face.”
The guide flipped him back onto his back and hugged him. Yudrein trembled in the hug and then writhed again when the guide thrusted again deep within him.
“He doesn’t mind being overstimulated. The person used to use him until he fainted.” Kanna frowned as she saw an image of Yudrein looking at an empty bed in the morning. “He doesn’t like being alone. There should always be one person with him, especially when he wakes up.”
“He’s never had a toy before, but he likes them, especially the biggest ones, as long as someone’s with him.”
“He’s never been sucked here or eaten out there either. It surprises him most when we do that.”
Then Kanna smiled as she took over for the guide after the guide and rift master both came. Straddling the rift master as he was catching his breath, Kanna rubbed the swollen, red gland that had been bullied by so many mouths and hands and forced to squirt so often. It quaked within her grip but easily hardened from oversensitiveness and the SSS-grade rift master’s stamina.
Kanna continued using her ability as she lowered herself onto the rift master. “He’s never been with a woman before us. It’s weird to him, but he doesn’t mind it.”
And Kanna rode him for a while before pretending to falter. The rift master hurriedly caught her despite his fatigue from being stimulated for so long and daze from still not fully coming to terms that they were real. When he set her on the bed, he faltered and tried to pull out, but Kanna smiled and reached out to pull him in a hug by his shoulders in an universal plea for him to continue for her.
He adorably faltered and panicked, but slowly did so when she waited for him. He faltered, but began pulling out and thrusting in, watching her reactions attentively and treating her carefully like glass.
“He’s never been on the giving side.” Kanna concluded before smiling and pulling Yudrein down to press her forehead against his again. “Such a gentleman.” She praised and the rift master reddened. “He doesn’t understand our words, but he understands our eyes. And he likes praises. He’s never been sincerely praised for a long time.”
“Finish for me, baby.” Kanna returned her attention to Yudrein, looking up at him sincerely. Yudrein stared at her like he didn’t know what to do with her, but seemingly not wanting to leave her like this, he slowly held her back and pressed a kiss against her neck before thrusting.
Kanna’s gasps became more broken as the rift master watched her attentively, thrusting her where she liked it and increasing the pace and strength of his thrusts when he saw that what he did previously was not enough. Her esper energies were quickly getting realigned, pacified, and refined too and-
When Kanna reached her end, she clenched down on the rift master, forcing him to remain in her with her legs wrapped around his waist, and pulling his head down again to bite him on the most sensitive part of his neck. He trembled and came deep inside of her, resting his head against hers, bodies pressed together on the bed, for a while before his eyes shot open and he quickly pulled out to clean her with his ability.
He considers himself human. If they were different species, or if he was truly undead, then there would be no need to worry about pregnancy.
But Kanna hummed as she fell into the comfortable lull of a guiding high. As she felt him carefully wash her, she thought he was a funny rift master, somehow being more concerned over her than himself who also had a womb and was definitely railed and came into dozens of times for days.
Although they would sometimes clean him, he had never cleaned himself and Kanna wondered which seed would accidentally take if they did manage to keep him.
-
Although they never did manage to check the office because Yudrein had never fully let his guard around them, the Wariness still high despite his Favorability towards them finally being positive and Hostility standing still in the 20s, somehow, despite the enemy being an SSS-grade rift master that could kill any of them at any moment if he just had the slightest desire, it was Guild Leader who had managed to instantly save them.
“Oh?” Their Guild Leader made a surprised noise when almost everyone had immediately rushed out of the room and gathered around him when the guildmates standing on guard outside the door informed them that Kishiar and Nathan were finally here. At first, their Guild Leader had been concerned about them, having panicked and rushed over as soon as he got the news that the entire guild was brought into an SSS-grade rift while in a conference overseas, but seeing them all doing well, even looking so healthy and stable, he was curious about what was going on. And he wasn’t disappointed.
“So the SSS-grade rift master is a cute monster boy that you all want to tame into our guild pet?”
His cute subordinates protested at the summary, but Kishiar chuckled, not blaming them for what they were doing. Kishiar was just glad that they were all alive, having feared for the worst – that they had all died as soon as the rift took them – when he had heard the news. Every guild at the conference, despite having multiple competitive, proud espers, couldn’t even look at him in the eyes when the news broke and they all heard it. No one from the conference of the Top Guilds wanted anything to do with something SSS-grade even though they all knew that they would have to inevitably deal with it somehow because it was a rift and not a dungeon.
The fear in the room was palpable. And Kishiar felt it too and he rushed out without a word, concerned for everyone he knew.
Although what his guild had been doing in the long few days it took for Kishiar to travel from around the world and fight off the government’s attempt to stop him and Nathan from entering the rift – a suicide mission and foolish attempt, they screamed as they tried to keep him from going into rescue his people so that he would stay outside the rift and protect them instead – was surprising, Kishiar was just glad that they had somehow, just barely managed to find a way to survive.
Even if the way was to overwhelm, overstimulate, and seduce an SSS-grade rift master.
And to think that in their initially very desperate attempt to do so, they accidentally found a way for Keilusa and Kishiar to survive past this year too.
But even if the SSS-grade rift master could guide, Kishiar didn’t think that his subordinates would be this nervous around him and Nathan and protective over this ‘Yudrein Ail’ if the rift master could only guide.
Kishiar wasn’t actually as promiscuous as some tabloids pointed him to be, but he couldn’t help but wonder how cute the boy was as he casted a look at the door that led to this ‘Duke Peletta’s bedroom.
“Hm… Well, if the rift strategy that my adorable guildmates chose is to seduce and tame the SSS-grade rift master into submission, then I, as Guild Leader, can’t not support my guild’s actions and decisions.”
Some of his guild members reddened at his teasing.
Then, becoming a little more serious because it was still an SSS-grade rift master that even his S-grade espers unanimously agreed that even Nathan and him joined with them couldn’t beat, Kishiar asked, “So? Any details we should know before we help?”
At that, Kanna briefed them on a summary of the things that they had tried and had learned about Yudrein. Kishiar couldn’t hold back a smile at some of the things mentioned – this rift master was already sounding too cute in his ears – and in the end, he asked giddily, gesturing to the door.
“Me or you?”
Nathan frowned, torn between his caution about any things that could possibly threaten Kishiar and his desire to see Kishiar’s esper energy guided after so many years of being dangerously on the edge, only held back by Kishiar’s restraint, a supportive elite guild that took over the bulk of the esper work, and multiple guiding pills.
In the end, caution won out. Perhaps because Nathan was as uncertain as Kanna and Kishiar of how the rift master would react to someone who looked like the only, probably deceased, ‘partner’ the rift master had in his past – there was a chance that the rift master would react as well as he did to Ever who resembled his only friend. Besides, if Nathan managed to tame the rift master first, then the rift master could guide Kishiar afterwards.
“Stay here.” Nathan said, a rare demand, as he decided to go first. “We don’t know how he would react to you yet. Or to two S-grade espers.” Nathan added because although they were nothing compared to SSS-grade, they were still dangerous top-grade threats and the assassin-side of the rift master might not like that.
Kishiar was disappointed, but held back, knowing that defeating the rift master took priority over his curiosity and desire.
-
Although Nathan was an esper, like quite a number of other espers, Nathan wasn’t that interested in sex or guides. It was just a necessity. It felt good, yes, and there was nothing as amazing as a guiding high in the rare moments a guide could actually bring him to one, but Nathan had never felt like bothering the guides for more if it wasn’t necessary. There was already a shortage of guides in the world and too many not-so-pleasant espers already bothering them.
He pitied them more than anything else.
And Nathan found himself thinking a little of the same for the rift master that looked young like the new hires of their guild.
It turned out, Nathan didn’t need to pretend to care for the ‘monster’. He was already finding himself grabbing a soft towel from his inventory to gently wipe the rift master’s come-stained face. The rift master’s eyes completely widened from their daze when he finally noticed him, but Nathan pressed a kiss on his forehead to reassure him and the rift master stayed still, watching with shaking eyes as Nathan continued cleaning him, having the last person to fuck him pull out so that Nathan could wipe him there too.
The rift master’s hands twitched from where he was being ‘held down’ by some espers as if he didn’t know how to react. Nathan considered that it might be dangerous to proceed without giving the rift master more assurances and indications of his intentions so he moved his face up to kiss the rift master while continuing to gently scrape out all of the fluids with his hand so deeply within the rift master.
The rift master looked even more startled by the kiss, but he didn’t bite as Nathan deepened it while moving his fingers within the rift master to press at the walls. When Nathan quickly found the rift master’s prostrate, he rubbed it, causing the rift master to squirm on his hand, his walls spasming around Nathan’s fingers as Nathan milked him.
Already so used, the rift master came on Nathan’s fingers with a cry in Nathan’s mouth. Nathan continued stroking the rift master’s prostrate albeit more softly now. He then continued cleaning the rift master.
Yudrein stared at Nathan with half-lidded eyes, confused but allowing him to touch him. Nathan wondered what the rift master was thinking, but decided to continue.
“Can I?” Nathan asked as he patted the omega’s hole, pressing his erection against the omega’s thigh.
The rift master’s eyes widened again, seemed to swirl with something, but he nodded and watched as Nathan unzipped and finally entered into him. Something seemed to shake within the rift master, monumentally, as Nathan took him gently while kissing the rift master’s face lightly here and there.
When Nathan pressed a kiss right by the rift master’s eye, the rift master opened his closed eyes to see him and the system window that Nathan had opened in the corner of his eyes changed.
[Notice: Higher grade monsters can only be tamed if their Favorability level is maxed and their Hostility and Wariness are zero.]
[Current Ratings of Yudrein Ail
Favorability: 70
Hostility: 5
Wariness: 1
Confused, stunned, afraid]
-
Unfortunately, it didn’t change after that no matter how long Nathan attended to Yudrein until he reached his guiding high, the rift master somehow an expert at manipulating energies much better than any guide Nathan knew despite not being a guide. When others, excited by the progress that Nathan had made, tried to make more progress during Nathan’s guiding high, they also failed.
And so, it was up to the Guild Leader.
But now knowing the rift master a little more, Nathan felt less worried about leaving it to them – Kishiar whose esper energy had always been volatile and Yudrein whose mood could become volatile. He didn’t think Kishiar would ruin everyone’s progress nor that the dangerous SSS-grade rift master that no one would ordinarily want to face would intentionally hurt Kishiar unless the man did something first.
-
Kishiar chuckled softly as he finally climbed onto bed, staring at the adorable big, tremulous black eyes of the dear ‘omega’ rift master that his guild – even Nathan – had thoroughly cherished and made love.
While Kishiar didn’t like the thought of him reminding the rift master of someone – Kishiar would rather be seen for himself by this adorable monster – Kishiar appreciated how pliant it made the rift master.
The rift master didn’t move at all, even when Kishiar tugged the rift master’s collar and then idly stroked his finger all the way downwards, admiring the rift master’s body. Instead, the rift master just stared at him, continued to stare at him with such wide eyes filled with emotions. Kishiar wanted to pick each one part, so utterly fascinated and wanting to know everything about this rift master.
“I heard he wasn’t very good to you.” Kishiar murmured, remembering Kanna’s objective summary of what she could read of Yudrein’s old partner. “What a bad man. If I was your alpha, I would have treated you so well. Kiss every part of you, eat you out, let you admire my face all you want. If that is what you want, would you mind submitting yourself to me for it? So I can bring you out of this dreary world to my own to give you all you want?”
Kishiar asked, knowing that the rift master couldn’t understand their language – them being from different worlds if rift masters truly were real beings – but finding the little rift master’s stare so adorable. Kishiar shooed the espers holding Yudrein’s arms down away to instead manipulate them to hold him by the arms. Yudrein let him like a doll and only put strength in his arms when Kishiar patted him as a reminder that he would need to properly hold him if he did not want his arms falling away from the position around his shoulders that Kishiar put them in.
Was this truly the SSS-grade rift master that no one could get to submit despite days of working so hard to overwhelm, please, and seduce him?
Kishiar couldn’t help but kiss him, hugging Yudrein upright to his lap. Yudrein’s eyes widened adorably even more.
A potent energy extended towards him and Kishiar shuddered, kissing Yudrein even more in heated delight as he felt the rift master guide him, the energies that had been out of control within him for years.
“You’re so good to me.” Kishiar said, moving a hand down to prod at Yudrein’s hole. Yudrein shuddered, holding onto Kishiar more tightly, and then he cried out, back arching when Kishiar pierced him.
Kishiar didn’t let the adorable rift master’s mouth go, pursuing those lips and engulfing them in a voracious kiss, swallowing all of Yudrein’s unrestrained moans.
Tears protruded from the rift master’s eyes and Kishiar fucked the omega sitting on his cock harder, bouncing him in his lap, wanting to see more of the rift master’s bullied, overwhelmed, fucked out expressions like a bad man.
“Let go of your restraint, Yudrein.” Kishiar demanded fervidly as he held the boy in place while ravaging his mouth and fucking into him deeply. “Your worries, your past, your fears. I will take care of it all.” Kishiar promised, peppering the boy’s face with kisses. “So don’t hold yourself back. Come with me to Earth.”
The rift master might have accepted because of the old partner that might have looked like him, but Kishiar didn’t mind, knowing that he had all the time in the world now to show Yudrein the world and convince Yudrein that he was better.
After all, the Taming Collar had finally clicked, the red jewel embedded in the front glowing and turning into a black to match the rift master’s energy in success after Kishiar had finished in Yudrein. Kishiar chuckled as he held the rift master that had finally passed out – allowed himself to pass out – in his arms.
Everyone sighed in relief or cheered as they read the new system windows as well.
[SSS-Grade Rift Master ‘Yudrein Ail’ has been successfully tamed.]
[Current Ratings of Yudrein Ail
Favorability: 100
Hostility: 0
Wariness: 0
Confused, hopeful, accepting]
[Quest Complete!
Calculating Rewards…]
[Rift will be closing in 0:23:59:59]
“You’re still confused.” Kishiar mused as he focused on Yudrein’s favorability screen, uncaring for everything else. “Well, no matter. We’ll show you how sincere we are in the upcoming days.” Kishiar murmured, kissing the sleeping rift master’s head. Fortunately, equipment could be equipped in an instant like a game because Kishiar didn’t want to let go of Yudrein. Amusingly, Kishiar could also equip his ‘pet’ too and Kishiar chose warm clothes from his inventory to dress Yudrein.
Which reminded him…
“How do I change ownership of Yudrein from the guild to me?” Kishiar asked Kanna.
Some guild members made faces at him, but most laughed and amiably said nothing but jokes about it.
“Already keeping him to yourself, Guild Leader?”
“Well, I guess Guild Leader was the one who truly did tame Yudrein!”
“It would be safer if only Guild Leader had control over him. If someone snuck into our guild and learned that we had an SSS-grade rift master as a guild pet…”
While they talked, Kanna sighed and helped the Guild Leader out because of having that same last concern. While there were many other things that Kanna wanted to say, she asked,
“Should we check out the office before the rift closes?”
Kishiar paused, thinking about the last title that Yudrein had which involved an office. Although Kishiar couldn’t be certain yet, from experience and intuition, while espers and guides could change which three titles of their own that they wanted to equip, the three titles of a rift master, dungeon boss, or named being tend to be what the system felt was most significant to the named at that time.
If such a seemingly insignificant ‘achievement’ mattered so much to Yudrein to become a title and one of the titles the system chose to represent Yudrein, Kishiar didn’t think that the theory that Hinn had about Duke Peletta being the alpha partner (that looked like him) that Yudrein once had was so off.
Kishiar felt like he’d have to brush up on his knowledge of omegaverse details later. How fun. He wondered just how many of the things that authors of his world had made up coincided with another world.
Yudrein was so fun.
He’d take such good care of him – give him all the love and affection and things he wanted.
“No.” Kishiar shook his head. “If he wants to tell us, then he’ll tell us, but let’s leave the things of the past alone.”
Kanna contemplated before agreeing. Some of the things that she saw flicker through Yudrein’s mind made Kanna a little incensed for Yudrein’s sake. When everyone in the Cavalry Guild could show Yudrein love better (and literally had!), it was better to leave that poor excuse of a man forgotten in the past.
Kanna smiled, excited to show Yudrein their world and more about positive social interactions after having spent so much time with the rift master and reading his thoughts. She patted Yudrein on the head and smiled more when Guild Leader didn’t mind and Yudrein didn’t wake up.
Some people saw and also did the same, smiling in delight that Yudrein now trusted them so much as to sleep in their presence and not wake up at their hand. Well, it could also be because of the collar – but they’d earn Yudrein’s trust thoroughly later if that was the case.
Kishiar gathered the guild to talk more about important matters. After emphasizing that Yudrein would be referred to as Kishiar’s ordinary civilian assistant ‘Yuder’ in public until Yudrein learned their language and could decide for himself how he wanted to proceed in their world – as an ordinary person, ‘S-grade’ esper, or ‘S-grade’ guide – Kishiar had the guild do a quick scan around the rift to see if there were any valuable items that they had missed and a quick check of their headquarters.
Then, once all of them were back in HQ and the rift closed, Ever looked out the window to sigh in relief that the Peletta Duchy realm that had once surrounded them had disappeared.
Her relief only lasted for a second as she noticed the literal ocean become an ocean of reporters and government agents.
“Guild Leader-” Ever began.
Kishiar smiled coldly, “Leave them.” And then cuddled the SSS-grade rift master still sleeping in his arms. “They wanted me to leave you all in the rift.” He explained simply. And well, even if they hadn’t, Kishiar would still want to be with his adorable new pet. It wasn’t fair that his guild got to spend days with him.
Ever’s eyes also turned flinty for a moment. She had expected no one to help, but to even try to stop the Guild Leader… Ever nodded and closed the window curtains shut.
Considering how everyone in the guild was currently in the room and had heard that, it was safe to say that the Cavalry Guild were all going to be passive-aggressively remembering this for the near future.
They couldn’t completely ignore rifts and dungeons, especially if they opened and broke, but as the Number One Guild in Korea, they definitely had enough power and influence to make things significantly harder for the ones that had tried to abandon them.
“Let’s all go on vacation!” Hinn said with a smile.
Finn nodded, getting on board right away. “Yeah! We just got out of an SSS-grade rift so we all deserve a break. Let’s take Yuder to see the world!”
Kishiar’s lips quirked up. If they looked like they were shopping for new locations, even countries, to base their headquarters in, while they were at, then they could even send the Korean government, S-grade espers that they had employed to block Kishiar and Nathan, and the public into a panic almost as big as everyone would panic if they knew that the Cavalry Guild had an SSS-grade rift master with them now.
“It would be nice to take Yuder to see the world.” Kishiar agreed just as mischievously as the twins.