"Our Earth is still uniquely beautiful."
"Indeed."
From space, Earth looked more like a 'radiant blue dot' than a 'pale blue dot.' Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan had seen many alien planets, but only a few were as blue as Earth.
Once Earth became known, many alien species would surely want to visit. At that point, some would definitely set their sights on conquering it, so they needed to grow stronger in advance.
"Is that the construction site over there?"
Looking in the direction Kwon Jihan pointed, Yoon Seo saw white dust flowing in one direction, like a river of stars.
It was the space highway under construction within the solar system.
For spaceships to travel at superluminal speeds, the infrastructure of space highways was essential. Superluminal speed wasn't just a matter of faster travel; it required laying down a separate spacetime layer so it wouldn't affect the surrounding space. That was what the space highway did.
The Cosmos, the dominant power in the universe, along with several public organizations, was covering most of the construction costs for the newly introduced Earth. Of course, Earth was also bearing a portion of the cost, which amounted to astronomical figures. Earth had adopted the P.C., a currency promoted by Cosmos, and would be paying off its debt over the next few centuries.
"When did they say the construction would be completed?"
"If you calculate the reuse time of the necessary skills and the cooldown potion cycles, it'll take about three years."
"That's short."
"Yeah. It'll pass in the blink of an eye. Once it's finished, let's be the first travelers. I'm totally hooked on space travel."
"As long as there aren't any issues on Earth."
"Hah. Why do we still have so few S-rank hunters as strong as us? Earth is way too short on S-rank hunters."
Yoon Seo, who had been thinking about how many had died 13 years ago in the Great Dungeon, quickly changed the subject, afraid Kwon Jihan might notice.
"Riceball, come here. Let's check out the highway."
Peeeep!
At Yoon Seo's call, Riceball came flying from somewhere. Sitting on Yoon Seo's palm, Riceball briefly observed the highway before losing interest and started grooming its feathers. Kwon Jihan chuckled.
"Riceball, do you even know how amazing the skills and technology behind that are?"
Peep.
Riceball stopped grooming its feathers and tilted its head toward Kwon Jihan. Looking at its tiny, inquisitive head, Kwon Jihan couldn't help but feel defeated.
"Too cute. I can't handle it."
Rather than sightseeing, the little bird seemed more interested in being pampered, so the two lavished it with affection and gentle strokes.
***
"Thank you so much for your help on this mission, myam."
"No, we're the ones who should thank you. Take care."
"I'll keep in touch, myam!"
As soon as the spaceship carrying Myam departed, Kwon Jihan immediately took out an elixir from his inventory. Plucking a leaf from a garden tree, he placed it into the elixir, triggering a transformation.
Elixir in progress…
Time remaining: 49 hours 10 minutes 11 seconds
"Why 49 hours?"
Kwon Jihan frowned, expecting to be able to take it immediately. Yoon Seo patted him on the shoulder, calming him down.
"It's only two days. Why are you so upset?"
"Three years pass in the blink of an eye, but 49 hours feels like an eternity. Hyung, do you even get how I feel?"
"Sorry for not understanding. Let's go inside. I need a shower."
"You go first. I'm too pissed off, need to run it off before I go in."
It was late at night, and tomorrow morning, Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon had an important event to attend. Yoon Seo, also taking it seriously, headed in to shower first.
By the time Yoon Seo came out, having finished his warm shower in a bathroom larger than his apartment in Seoul, Kwon Jihan was still running.
Or rather…
Flap-flap-flap.
"Wow, Riceball's fast. You really are the coolest bird in the world. Think I can keep up with that speed?"
Whoosh.
Peeep!
Riceball flapped its wings furiously, chasing after the whooshing Kwon Jihan.
Why was Kwon Jihan even using the
'People do weird things when they're too frustrated.'
Yoon Seo beckoned Kwon Jihan over without saying a word. Kwon Jihan sensed him and stopped right in front of him.
"Hyung, did you shower?"
"What are you doing right now?"
"Giving Riceball a workout. Gotta make sure Riceball crashes hard tonight."
"Why…?"
"In case we get another trial later, like crossing the Anadi Viiva bridge in a labyrinth. Next time, I actually want to fail."
"..."
Hoping Kwon Jihan's plan would work, Yoon Seo headed to the bedroom early.
He set out the gel, prepared towels, and even spritzed the room with the perfume they'd received as a gift from an AiAi fan. Then, he did squats while waiting.
Kwon Jihan tiptoed in, with Riceball fast asleep on his palm.
Of course, Riceball wasn't actually tired, but it was a smart bird that knew it should act exhausted after this much exercise.
After gently placing the Ego Sword in the next room, Kwon Jihan started toward the bathroom.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, to shower. I'm all sweaty."
"Doesn't matter. Come here."
Yoon Seo grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the bedroom.
They stripped each other as they kissed, as if someone was chasing them. Kwon Jihan sat back against the headboard, and Yoon Seo climbed onto his lap. His brown eyes gleamed brighter than when he used his skills, and Kwon Jihan's gray eyes shone just as fiercely.
The foreplay was brief. Yoon Seo grasped Kwon Jihan's cock with both hands. Hot, hard, and large, he stroked it a few times, causing Kwon Jihan to exhale a hot breath. Then, with one hand, he grabbed Yoon Seo's nape and kissed him. While exchanging hot breaths and saliva, he used his other hand to apply a generous amount of gel.
"Hurry… put it in."
Kwon Jihan tried to respond with a 'yes,' but his answer was swallowed by the kiss.
Soon, Kwon Jihan found Yoon Seo's hole and inserted two fingers.
Yoon Seo furrowed his brows and pulled back from the kiss.
"Not your fingers."
"You have to loosen up first, hyung."
"You always ignore me at times like this."
Yoon Seo grabbed Kwon Jihan's wrist and lifted his hips.
"Ugh."
"See? Even with just my fingers…"
"Just shut up for a bit."
Yoon Seo grabbed the fully aroused weapon with one hand and used the other hand to spread his own buttocks. Kwon Jihan, with his hands on Yoon Seo's waist, was at a loss for what to do.
"Uh…"
Finally, the tip began to enter.
Yoon Seo, unable to move further due to the massive girth pushing through the tight space, rested his forehead on Kwon Jihan's shoulder.
"Ah, it's too much…"
Kwon Jihan's size wasn't just long, but also incredibly thick. Even the tip was too large, causing a strained feeling already.
"Ha, damn. Hyung…"
Kwon Jihan clenched his fist.
"It's tight."
"Ugh, it's because you're too big."
"And because you're small."
"I'm not that small—ugh, ah, wait, don't move."
Yoon Seo wrapped his arms around Kwon Jihan's neck, pressing his forehead into his shoulder. They were stuck in a position where only the tip was in, unable to move further.
Kwon Jihan loosened his fist and grabbed Yoon Seo's hips with both hands.
Blue veins bulged from his arms.
He applied pressure with his fingers.
He thought about pushing just a little, ever so slightly.
"Ugh…"
The moment Yoon Seo let out a groan, Kwon Jihan loosened his grip around Yoon Seo's waist. Unsure of what to do with his hands, he moved them behind his head and gripped the headboard.
Crack.
"..."
"..."
Yoon Seo lifted his head.
Kwon Jihan blinked.
Crunch.
Yoon Seo's gaze shifted to the back of Kwon Jihan's head.
Kwon Jihan blinked rapidly and brought his hand forward. Shards of the broken wooden headboard tumbled down.