Hearing these four words, Chuck froze, turning curiously to Julia.
"King's Game?"
"That's right!"
Julia, clearly taking charge of the party, pointed to Kaede and Kaoru, smiling as she explained.
"A party game recommended by high school girls from Tokyo. The rules are..."
"Stop. I know the rules."
Chuck raised his hand, stopping her with a wry smile.
"I mean, isn't it a bit too early to start with a game like this?"
The King's Game, often seen in anime and games, was similar to Truth or Dare. It used rules to force players to do things they wouldn't normally do.
Unlike Truth or Dare, the King's Game was self-contained, not relying on Rock-Paper-Scissors.
The rules were simple: drawing lots.
A non-player referee marked sticks of similar length. One was the King; others were numbered.
Players drew lots. The King, unaware of who held which number, issued a command to a random number. The chosen player had to obey.
That was one round.
Simple.
But there was an unwritten rule: "The King's command is absolute." As the game progressed, commands inevitably escalated in intensity, becoming ambiguous or erotic.
In a party of attractive young men and women, led by veterans, the atmosphere would naturally heat up.
But the problem was...
This wasn't a party of hedonistic youth. It was a sigma male relaxing with his harem. Starting with something that could spiral out of control might ruin a rare night of relaxation.
"Uh... how about the dumpling contest between Jiang Qi and me first?"
"King's Game it is."
Hearing Julia's question, Chuck stopped questioning and sat down obediently, waiting for the game.
The dumpling contest... if that started, Chuck wasn't sure he could stop. The afternoon prep would be wasted.
Breaking twigs into similar lengths was easy on the island. Kaoru volunteered as referee again.
As a former gal, Kaoru hadn't played this but knew the rules from shoujo manga.
"Mr. Chuck, you first."
Small hands held eight sticks, hiding the marks, offering them to Chuck.
The women eating fries and roast meat focused on him.
Besides commands, the thrill lay in the draw: Who would be the "King"?
If it were me, what would I command?
Unfortunately, the thrill was lost on Chuck.
His high mental stats let him memorize the shape of each twig instantly. Even with marks hidden, he knew which was which...
Basically X-ray vision.
Playing like this was boring. Tell them? Or change the method...
But seeing their excited faces, he swallowed his words.
Knowing a cheater existed ruined the fun.
So even with X-ray vision, he had to pretend ignorance, using the advantage to control the rhythm and make the game interesting...
Thinking this, he chose a stick.
After everyone drew, they held up their sticks.
"Who is the King?"
"Me!"
Janet, the mature mare lazily leaning on Yitong's shoulder, raised the stick with the crown mark. Smiling, her blue eyes scanned her companions unscrupulously.
"Sister Janet, you can give the command."
Kaoru reminded her. Everyone watched nervously.
"Then..."
Janet thought of various R-rated ideas but decided to start simple.
"Number 8, sing a song for everyone."
"Oh, who's number 8?!"
"Great, not me."
Hearing the command, the women checked their sticks and sighed in relief. No one responded until eyes turned to Momo, who had her head down, pretending not to hear.
"I... I can't sing."
Thin-skinned Momo tried to renege. Yitong looked displeased.
"Momo, didn't we agree no lying? You won second place in a singing contest in middle school and said you wanted to be a singer."
"Mom! Stop talking!!"
Exposed by her mother, Momo turned red, wanting to bury herself.
Coaxed and pressured, the teary-eyed girl covered her face and sang "Spring Breeze" in a tiny voice.
The teasing crowd froze upon hearing the first line. Smiles vanished, replaced by surprise.
Her mom was right. Momo's voice was contest-level.
After the song, Momo buried herself in Chuck's arms amidst applause, dying of embarrassment.
"Round two! Who is the King?!"
"Ah, me."
Valentina, who had been devouring roast lamb leg, raised her stick. Wiping grease from her mouth and taking a sip of wine, she burped comfortably.
Leaning back lazily, her green eyes scanned the group, stopping on Chuck and his stick.
Her eyes flickered.
Valentina, seemingly uninterested, had been waiting for her turn.
Upon seeing the crown, she observed others' sticks, spotting numbers held by Julia, Kaede, and Momo, eliminating possibilities.
Eliminating what?
Chuck's number, of course.
Making Chuck obey her was the ultimate thrill for Valentina.
Remaining numbers: 1, 2, 5, 7...
She held number 2 last round, likely Julia's now. So she had to guess between 1, 5, and 7.
Frowning, Valentina decided.
"Number 5, massage my legs."
"Okay~"
Yitong nodded smilingly, stood up graciously, and walked to the disappointed Valentina. Smiling gently, she began massaging Valentina's firm thighs.
Valentina's disappointment turned into comfort.
Enjoyable.
The legendary King's Game continued pleasantly but mildly.
Enjoying food and relaxation was the priority, so commands remained normal.
Food was consumed, night deepened, but wine consumption lagged.
Chuck checked the time. Normally bedtime.
But a party shouldn't end early. Bellies full, wine needed drinking. Time to change the game's scale and atmosphere...
"Mr. Chuck, your turn."
Seeing the women enjoying the night, Chuck smiled as Kaoru offered the sticks. He locked onto the King stick easily.
And pulled it out mercilessly.
"Who is the King~"
"Me."
Chuck raised the stick with a meaningful smile.
The women's hearts trembled.
As expected, his command was different.
"Number 3, come here and let me knead your tits."
...
...
"So that time... you committed suicide?"
In the cold cave, Lee So-yeon looked stunned after Tang Yumo's story.
She thought Tang was swept away or fell. Suicide?
Is she still...
"Don't worry, I'm over it."
Tang Yumo waved her hand with a bitter smile. "I mean, surviving the trip from the other side was pure luck. No reference value."
"..."
Cold water poured over So-yeon.
She wanted to seek help from the "strong man," despite her sister's opposition. Survival was paramount. But she couldn't even reach him.
Head south?
Impossible.
A terrifying creature kept anyone with a brain away.
"Okay. Sorry for the trouble. Rest early."
So-yeon stood up, walking Tang out. Tang walked steadily beside her.
"So-yeon, you don't need to overthink."
Before leaving, Tang stopped and turned.
"The island is big, but not that big. Instead of finding him, maybe wait for him to find you. That's what I think."
Tang left.
Watching her enter the settlement, So-yeon felt powerless and defeated.
Wait?
Time was what she had most of, yet lacked most.
...
"Oh ho... Baby, gently, you're milking me..."
The King's command was absolute. Janet, the unlucky Number 3, leaned back in Chuck's arms. His arms wrapped around her, kneading her massive breasts unscrupulously.
Even through clothes, dark wet spots appeared on her nipples. Rich female milk scent spread, adding lust to the party.
Command fulfilled. Janet returned to her seat, blushing and covering her breasts. The women's faces lost their relaxation, gaining heat and desire.
Kaoru's voice trembled, hands warm on the sticks.
"Next round, who is the King?"