Chapter 2.7

“I’m going to run away tomorrow. I won’t come back.” 

Wait, no, since she was doing this anyway, she might as well max out his affection level before leaving. Even if her data disappeared after restarting the game, she wanted him to regret her departure immensely. 

“I’ll run away in two days.” 

Was two days too short? 

“No, in three days.” 

As the timeline kept extending, Ray eventually let out a chuckle. He seemed displeased with her turning away, so he grabbed her arm and made her face him. 

“Sera.” 

“Yes, Master.” 

“Are you sulking?” 

“Yes, very much.” 

“What would make you feel better?”  

She sulked. Springing up, she grabbed the blanket Ray had pulled away and turned her back to him again. 

“If you don’t like it, just hit me. Maybe I’ll come to my senses if I get hit enough.” 

“…” 

Wasn’t that how it started between us?

When there was no affection level, he hit her so much, but now it was clear he wouldn’t do that anymore. She spoke nonchalantly, confident in her prediction. 

But the future is unpredictable. It seemed her assumption was instantly wrong. Ray pulled the blanket away again and moved her onto his lap, as if he really intended to hit her. 

“How many hits?” 

“Are you seriously going to hit me…?” 

“If you need it to come to your senses, then I have to hit you, even though I don’t want to.” 

He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he? 

Hah, does he think I’ll lose? 

“Fine. Go ahead. Hit me. Hit me until I die, if you dare.” 

She spoke in a sneering tone and buried her face into the bed. Her posture, with her butt raised, was utterly ungraceful, but she resolved to endure it no matter what. 

Knowing how painful this game could be, her body trembled slightly, but she held firm. She didn’t expect Ray to actually start punishing her immediately. 

Smack! 

“Ugh…” 

The yellow bruises hadn’t even faded yet, and by tomorrow, they might upgrade to purple ones. 

Each strike brought a whirlwind of sensations—horrible pain, fear so intense it made her fingertips tingle. And yet… did it feel slightly good? 

Smack! 

No, it hurt. It definitely hurt. She trembled from the pain. His hand showed no signs of stopping. Were men’s hands always this rough, like clubs? 

Even as she swallowed her tears, she stubbornly endured. Eventually, Ray, who had clearly softened toward her, stopped first. His warm hand wrapped around her trembling, sore b*ttocks and caressed them. Because she had been hit so much, her body flinched at every touch. 

“Why is a slave so stubborn?” 

Her body, pushed to an extreme state of tension, clung tightly to Ray. Honestly, it hurt, but the pain oddly tickled her inside, making it hard to focus. Dizzy, she hugged Ray and moved her hips so that her groin rubbed against his. 

“Haa… It doesn’t hurt at all, you know?” 

“There’s no way, not with bruises like these.” 

Ray pinched her butt lightly, causing intense pain to shoot through her. 

“Hngh!” 

“Does it still not hurt?” 

“It hurts! It hurts so much! Happy now? You don’t even like me, so why care about whether I’m hurt or not? Just hit me more!” 

She pushed him away as she spoke. If she stayed like that, she might have ended up rubbing against him uncontrollably. The pressure on her sore butt from his knee hurt, but she was more focused on wanting to fix Ray’s attitude. 

How dare he say he doesn’t like someone with an affection level of 84%? That’s something she would never tolerate. Resolving herself, she opened her mouth, but Ray shoved something into it before she could speak. 

“Mm!” 

It felt like a pill, unpleasant to the touch. She tried to spit it out, but the water he poured in and his hand covering her mouth forced her to swallow it. 

“Why are you so stubborn?” 

It was a truth serum. Not only did it make her words honest, but it sharpened her emotions, causing tears to well up suddenly. She was flustered, and Ray seemed equally surprised. 

“B-because Master, you make me feel sad, so I’m sulking!” 

“Then just say what you want. Why tell me to hit you?” 

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it! Who in the world would expect someone to beat a sad person until their butt turns to mush?” 

“Wasn’t that what you wanted? You’re dripping like this.” 

Ray’s hand slipped under her short skirt. Her glistening groin welcomed his touch. When his fingers brushed against her flushed inner flesh, her walls contracted and released fluids, even though he hadn’t inserted anything. 

But this wasn’t because she liked it. It was just her body reacting on its own. She was sure of that, but the truth serum made her mouth betray her thoughts. 

“I like getting spanked. Especially when I’m bent over your lap, Master!” 

A wave of immense shame washed over her. She tried to cover her face with her hands to stop her uncontrollable mouth, but it was useless. 

“Did getting hit excite you after all?” 

“Yes…” 

“Does it hurt a lot?” 

“It hurts so much. Can’t you hit me more gently?”

Grinding her teeth at the fact that she couldn’t stop talking, she raised her voice. Ray chuckled and embraced her again, gently stroking her heated b*ttocks. 

“I shouldn’t get attached like this, but being with you, Sera, is so much fun—it’s a problem.” 

He already had an affection level of 84%, yet he acted unusually. 

“What are you thinking?” 

“That you’re being dramatic…” 

She wasn’t sure if this was okay, but Ray’s affection level didn’t drop. Instead, he chuckled, seemingly entertained by her honest words. 

Feeling lighter after hearing his response, he let her lie down on the bed and reached into his coat pocket. 

Afraid that something strange like another truth serum might come out, she tried to run, but her sore b*ttocks made movement difficult. 

“Ugh.” 

“It’s nothing strange. Stay still.” 

〈Healing Cream〉 

– Instantly heals wounds or bruises when applied to the skin. 

Ah, thank goodness. 

It was just a normal recovery item. Relieved by the description, she hugged a pillow and buried her face into it. Soon, the cold cream was applied to her bruised b*ttocks. 

“If only you were always this honest.” 

As her b*ttocks twitched from the pain, Ray murmured regretfully. She hadn’t lied much, but it seemed she appeared to be hiding many things in his eyes. 

“What are you curious about?” 

“Everything about you.” 

“I like you, Master.” 

〈Ray’s affection level increases. (Current affection level: 85%)〉 

I wish he’d hate me. 

It seemed there wasn’t much time left until the tutorial ended. 

“With your whole body bruised, you still say things like that…” 

He spoke as though he couldn’t understand. It was reasonable, considering all she’d experienced here were spankings and forced s*xual acts. 

“The marks you leave on my body, Master…” 

“…?” 

“Well, they’re like a warrior’s badge of honor.” 

“Your badge of honor looks painful.” 

“My butt does hurt a bit, I admit.” 

“…” 

Ray pressed his lips together, then gently stroked her bruised b*ttocks before grabbing her thighs and turning her over. He stared intently at the kiss marks he’d left on her chest over the past few days. 

His gaze tickled her. Waiting quietly for him to speak, she subtly spread her legs, revealing the slick area between them. 

“I’d like you to make this hurt too…” 

“My slave has a hobby of saying strange things.” 

“Shove your c*ck in me.” 

“Pfft.” 

Ray burst into laughter at her blunt choice of words. It didn’t seem fitting for such an intellectual character to use crude language, yet it amused him. 

Though her mind suggested the latter wasn’t appropriate, Ray didn’t criticize her further and began unbuttoning his shirt. However, a white bandage was wrapped around his abdomen. 

“Are you hurt?” 

She widened her eyes and asked, quickly sitting up and placing her hands on the tightly bound bandage. Though it looked serious, Ray dismissed it casually. 

“It’s nothing…” 

“Who did this to my handsome man? Just say the word, and I’ll punish them. I may look like this, but I don’t lose easily.” 

But before Ray could say anything, her mouth spilled out words uncontrollably due to the truth serum. The gist was that she’d avenge him. 

Though she was serious, Ray shook his head as if it really wasn’t a big deal. 

“I just fell off my horse.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, it was my mistake. Are you going to take revenge on me?” 

But she hadn’t seen Ray ride a horse in the past three days, so it was clearly a lie. Still, she couldn’t figure out how to call him out on it. She lacked talent in this area. 

Determined to say something, she opened her mouth, but Ray abruptly kissed her and pushed her down. 

“Mm…” 

Instinctively, she licked his damp flesh, though a wrinkle formed on her forehead. As she bit his blunt tongue and sucked on it, Ray let out a chuckle and pulled back. 

“Are you that curious?” 

“Yes.” 

“You don’t believe me, do you?” 

“Yes, ah, mm…”

The truth serum’s effects hadn’t worn off yet. As soon as the honest answer slipped out, she covered her mouth with both hands, but Ray pulled them away. 

Even after hearing her words, her curiosity remained fixed on the bandage wrapped around Ray’s abdomen. She lowered her hands to stroke the bandage and pouted her lips. 

Was it really a fall? 

〈Should I find out?〉  

At that moment, a system window suddenly appeared, as if answering her thoughts, posing a question. She widened her eyes and nodded. 

〈Quest Notification〉 

– Visit the place where Ray works and find out the real cause of the wound on his abdomen. 

– Completion Reward: Lower-grade reward box 

A quest? Why? It’s just a tutorial. 

〈Quests are issued regardless of whether it’s a tutorial. As I please.〉 

The artificial intelligence of this game… seemed rather peculiar. Its erratic behavior, far from being fascinating, left her stunned.