Ren murmured under his breath, his voice trembling with desperate hope, "Please… just this once… save me, Trash…"
His life was hanging by a thread—so thin it could snap at any moment. At this point, even a miracle felt uncertain.
Time slowed—everything slowed, his heartbeat, his breath, his thoughts.
Scenes of his life flashed before his eyes—one after another, fast yet painfully clear.
Ren thought, a tear slipping down his face as a faint smile formed, "…so this is it… I'm going to die…"
And then—
His slow-motion, dramatic final moment—
Was abruptly interrupted.
A screen appeared right in front of his eyes.
[ Activating Skill — Luck or Not Depends? ]
Ren just stared at it with a completely blank face.
"…Right when I'm about to die…?"
But this—this was his change of fate.
[ Don't worry when Trash is with you! ]
"…What!?" Ren blurted out.
And then—right in front of his eyes—something completely inexplicable happened.
His foot suddenly caught on a rock.
His body tilted.
His balance broke.
At the same time—Flare's attack, which should've crushed him—was thrown off course, her blow slicing upward instead.
And somehow—somehow—Ren's weapon slipped through and landed a hit.
But…
Not exactly on her.
Ren completely lost his balance and fell forward.
Hard—but—
"…Huh?" There was no pain. Instead, something soft… very soft. His hand had already grabbed onto it.
SQUISH
"…So soft…" Ren muttered, squeezing it again without thinking.
SQUISH
Ah—
A soft sound slipped into the air.
Ren's head snapped around, his eyes darting left and right—nothing.
Then—
…Below him.
His gaze slowly dropped—and froze. It was Flare.
Her clothes—completely torn apart from the earlier clash, fabric split and scattered—left her exposed. Her giant boobs, at least an "F" cup, were soft, and her nipples were pressed inward, while her pussy, smooth and delicate, carried a natural softness like an unripe fruit. Her curves alone were enough to make them tempting, her physical build was simply too much to handle.
Ren's mind went completely blank as he saw her giant boobs—far larger than anything he normally sees, with those inverted nipples, so unfamiliar that his thoughts simply stopped.
He was… on top of her.
His hand—right on her chest, warm, soft… very soft.
Ren's brain short-circuited.
"…Oh."
Ren tried to get up.
"S-sorry!" he stammered, completely flushed.
Flare, equally flustered, couldn't bring herself to say a word.
But just as Ren was about to pull away—
The door suddenly opened.
Ren's eyes darted toward it.
"Shit! What timing!"
In a panic—without thinking—Flare grabbed him and pulled him back, clinging to him tightly.
It was one of the female guards.
"Captain, there's a meeting soon, so—" she began, but stopped mid-sentence.
A bead of sweat formed on her face.
"…Captain… what are you doing?"
Flare replied in her usual cold tone, not even a flicker in her expression.
"Just some hand-to-hand training."
At the same time—
Ren was suffocating.
No space to breathe—his face completely buried, trapped as she held him tightly.
Ren tried to get up—but Flare didn't let him go.
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a soft whisper.
"If you move… my reputation will be ruined… so please… for me?"
Her eyes sparkled—completely different from her usual cold, emotionless self.
Ren froze.
"…What is this sudden change…!?"
But he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to—his last attempt failed miserably, his voice completely muffled as he struggled, trapped against her, unable to even form proper words.
Ren tried to say something—but no proper words came out.
His voice was completely muffled, his face still trapped as he struggled to speak.
Every attempt just made things worse.
Flare's body tensed.
"A-Ah… p-please… stop…" she whispered under her breath, her composure cracking for the first time.
Her face flushed deeply, her breathing growing uneven.
The female guard frowned slightly.
"…Captain? Is something wrong?"
Flare answered instantly—her expression already back to cold, controlled, untouchable.
"No. You may leave."
"…Yes, Captain."
The guard nodded and walked out, the door closing behind her.
For a moment—silence.
Even Ren was stunned.
…Her acting is too good!
As soon as the guard left—Flare immediately let go of Ren.
Ren pulled back in an instant—
"—Hah…! Haaah…!"
He took in deep breaths like a man who had just escaped death.
Flare turned away, one arm crossing over herself, still trying to steady her breathing.
Her face was red—completely unlike her usual self.
"…Sorry about that," she muttered quietly, avoiding his gaze.
Ren took a deep breath, grabbed his weapon in a hurry, and shouted, "SORRY!" before bolting out at full speed without even looking back.
Flare quickly got up, reaching out slightly. "Wait—!"
Too late.
He was already gone.
She froze there for a moment… then slowly lowered her hand.
"…You have to take responsibility now…" she whispered under her breath, her face still red, her fingers lightly touching her cheeks.
A pause.
"…What am I even saying…?"
---
Ren walked quietly, letting out a long phew, his mind still tangled in what had just happened—what could've happened.
A strange feeling lingered in his chest—half relief, half something he didn't even want to name. He imagined again those crushing stone gauntlets coming down on him… and then that situation with Flare. Yeah—one pleasant, one definitely not.
Don't think. Don't think.
He exhaled deeply, forcing a smile. "No point thinking about it now," he muttered. Whatever the consequences were… he'd deal with them later. That was future Ren's problem.
For now, he just walked.
The road ahead was lively, glowing with lanterns and chatter, people moving around without a care in the world. It felt… normal. Peaceful. Almost enough to make him forget everything.
Almost.
But then—
…that body though…
A faint warmth rushed to his face.
A nosebleed instantly followed.
Ren wiped it away in one smooth motion—so fast it was almost instinctive now.
"…Yeah, that's becoming a problem."
His expression twisted as something else reacted way faster than it should have. His body stiffened mid-step, and he nearly stumbled.
Control. Control. CONTROL—!
He smacked himself hard, forcing it down with sheer will.
"Ah—mhh…!"
His legs trembled as he kept walking, barely holding himself together. His face contorted in pain as he muttered, "I seriously need a better way to deal with this…"
[ Pervert ]
Ren's eye twitched. "You're one to talk."
Then suddenly—
His expression shifted.
"…Wait."
He slowed down.
That moment earlier… the one that saved him.
The thing that activated right before he should have died.
"…Hey," Ren muttered, his tone more serious now. "What was that skill you activated back then?"
[ About that… see for yourself ]
A screen flickered into existence before his eyes.
[ Skill — Luck or Not Depends? ]
Ren stared.
"…Why is there a question mark in the name?"
He kept walking, his surroundings slowly changing without him even noticing at first. The lively streets faded into something quieter… darker.
Shops stood closed, buildings showed deep cracks, and rough-looking armed people watched silently from the sides.
Blood stains scattered here and there like they belonged.
Ren's brows furrowed.
"…Oi."
Silence.
His irritation spiked.
"HEY! I'm asking you something!"
[ Description — There is a fifty-fifty chance: either the user is blessed with a sudden boost of luck for a very short time, or cursed with extreme bad luck for the rest of his life. ]
Ren stared at the skill description for a few seconds.
Then—he smiled.
A very wide smile.
"…Are you kidding me?" he said, his voice almost too calm. "You actually left my life to a fifty-fifty… with a chance of getting permanent bad luck?"
His smile twitched.
Veins almost popping.
[ … ]
"Say something, you actual piece of trash!" he snapped, his voice filled with anger.
But before anything could respond—
Something blocked his path.
A voice cut through his rant, sharp and irritated.
"…Who did you call trash, boy?"