Chapter 3: Under the Oak Tree
Exposing the relationship between Baek Iseul and Namgung Bong meant death for Baek Yisoo. Such a revelation would mean the humiliation of the entire Baek Family in front of the empire and a show of weakness in front of their enemies. In the martial arts world, this was a fatal mistake.
Baek Yisoo was too cowardly to get involved in such an incident.
He didn't want to die.
He rolled up his wide-legged pants and sat in the corner of the room. Supporting his head with his hand, he watched the wooden floor.
Although the words coming out of his mouth denied the Seduction System, deep in his heart things were different. He wanted to be happy like everyone else. He didn't want to spend his life as a 'lowly being'. Why did he have such a bad fate when everyone else was happy?
How long would he be humiliated by others like this?
Baek Yisoo thought about this for ten minutes. From the moment he was born, he had lived his life as a slave. Moreover, he was not resourceful like Kwang-su or others. His parents were also incompetent, so there was no one to raise him. So the wages he received were not even worth mentioning.
'How long will it go on like this? Do I have to keep living for others?'
Taboos were absolute for slaves. A slave could never cross the line. Baek Yisoo remembered that when the patriarch was here, a slave who looked at the madam out of the corner of his eye was beaten until he could no longer walk.
That was the main reason he was careful not to overstep his bounds.
Baek Yisoo was almost twenty years old. By this time he had done all kinds of hard labor, including in the mines. At that time, he always got up whenever he fell down to complete his work. He attributed this to his strong will.
But the situation was different.
He was now realizing that he had been completely tamed.
Time passed. Baek Yisoo's mind seemed to be being sucked into a black hole as he thought about his dark future. He took deep breaths for another half hour, trying to calm himself and collect his thoughts. Only then did he come to a decision.
A sapphire necklace appeared in his hand.
[Image Move]
Description: A special gemstone made with Nature and Formation Energy. When used with inner energy, it can record a certain area for ten minutes. It is a very valuable treasure and difficult to obtain.
[Internal energy limitation removed due to mission].
There were two of these pendants in the area called Inventory. Baek Yisoo thought for a while about why there were two and realized the purpose behind the system's assignment. Namgung Bong was not important to him because he was not a slave of the Namgung Family.
But the same was not true for Baek Iseul.
"How do I approach them?"
Rumor had it that Baek Iseul was a first rate martial artist. Namgung Bong was a first rate martial artist who was about to reach the Master rate. Both of them could kill Baek Yisoo with just their breath.
He was lucky last time. When the two of them were enjoying themselves, they didn't pay attention to their surroundings and didn't think that a drunk like Baek Yisoo could approach them carefree. Baek Yisoo didn't think about it either. Because he was drunk, he didn't act nervously.
But now he was completely sober and the fear was causing cold sweat to break out on his back.
As he was thinking about it, he saw a few pieces of clothing in the inventory.
[Koo Mihyun's Clothing Set]
Description: Legendary as the Nine-Tailed Fox, Koo Mihyun decided to make a suit to hide from her one-time enemy, Imoogi. Equipped with the Imoogi aura, this suit set provides unprecedented stealth.
Features: [Stealth (Max)], Speed +1
The clothes were black. They looked so luxurious that Baek Yisoo couldn't bear to touch them. Such craftsmanship was worth thousands of nyang. It consisted of a robe, boots and a hood. After Baek Yisoo put on the clothes, albeit clumsily, he began to feel like a scholar.
Slowly, he became more confident.
Time passed quickly. Baek Yisoo calmed himself and came to the place where Namgung Bong and Baek Iseul had killed him. He could feel those hands wrapped around his throat like a steel eagle claw. This made him take deep breaths in and out.
But he calmed himself.
He was aware of the situation, there was no room for error.
Baek Yisoo hid himself in the bushes and waited carefully. He took care to calm his breathing.
He waited and waited.
After about ten minutes, a voice came from the bushes.
"Shh! Slow down! If my parents see us, we're both dead!"
"Who will see us here?"
"Pray no one sees us..." came a reproachful voice.
Baek Yisoo activated the vision stone with a deadly look in his eyes.
Foreplay didn't last long, although the two began with lustful kisses. Namgung Bong eagerly dropped his pants and entered the valley. Baek Yisoo watched this scene, which could turn any person on, with icy eyes.
Accompanied by Baek Iseul's lustful moans, Namgung Bong came with a roar. A surprised expression appeared on Baek Iseul's face.
"Are you very aroused?"
"Sorry my darling, I've been restraining myself for too long." Namgung Bong's cheeks flushed. This shyness, combined with his handsome face, gave him a new charm.
"The battle with the Bloody Monastery made me very nervous," Namgung Bong added. Although he was relaxed here, in his normal life he had to watch his every move and avoid anything that could be misunderstood.
"No problem."
Baek Yisoo left as the two hugged each other again. He was afraid that if he stayed here any longer, he would lose his self control.
While checking his mission rewards, he took off his clothes where no one could see him. After putting the clothes and the image stone in his inventory, he checked the surroundings and went inside. Kwang-su and a few male slaves were inside playing cards. When they saw him, they clicked their tongues and glared at him.
Baek Yisoo ignored them and went to bed.
Because of his nervousness, he hadn't had a chance to fully examine the system. Although he had gotten a little information from the Memory Piece, it was buried in his memory.
Apart from the Mission Window and the User Profile, the system had several other functions. The most prominent of these were the Inventory and the Market.
Since he had already experienced the Inventory, he skipped it and looked at the Market. When he clicked on the word Market, a magenta tab appeared in front of him, divided into different tabs. After a bit of inspection, he realized that this Market could only be used with Seduction Points.
'Black Dragon Pill, Music Skill Book, Painting Skill Book, Diamond Body...'
It contained all kinds of items. Some were reserved exclusively for martial arts, while the rest were items that could be used in all walks of life.
Discovering this Market made Baek Yisoo so excited that he wanted to scream.
But then he realized the amount of Seduction Points needed to buy these items.
[Black Dragon Pill]
Description: Strange phenomena occurred in ancient times. Animals evolved and merged with the energy of nature. One of these animals was the salamander. The salamander became one with the energy of nature and after thousands of years of evolution, it became a Dragon. When it became a Dragon, it was hunted by humans and finally met the Evil Energy. From that day on, the Black Dragon became a symbol of evil and destruction.
Features: Susceptibility to Demonic Powers is maximized. Hardens the physical body.
[10,000 Seduction Points]
"Ah, why is this so expensive?"
Baek Yisoo's face quickly turned green as he looked at the other items with great excitement. There were items here that were so rare that it was staggering. However, they were so expensive that Baek Yisoo realized that he had to save for years just to buy one item.
There were a few items that were relatively cheap. These were support items that could be useful in the seduction process rather than improving martial arts.
[Music Skill: Craftsman]
Description: Music is the bridge that connects us to each other. With an artisan-level skill, you can create music that reveals your emotions and brings you closer to your target.
Features: Grants the user a Craftsman-level skill, the pinnacle of mastery.
[1,000 Seduction Points]
Baek Yisoo felt that the market was divided into two different categories. They were divided into Martial Arts and Art of Seduction. Under Martial Arts, there was the Black Dragon Pill, martial art manuals, and various treasures. When he used these, he could improve his martial arts. In the Art of Seduction, there were items and abilities he could use in the seduction process. These items were much cheaper and more usable than the Martial Arts.
"Every person has something they like. I can use music, painting, carving and even poetry, depending on my goals."
He spent hours studying the Market and the system, not realizing how time was passing. He eventually fell asleep.