Chapter 13 : Groping Fate in Gyodam City

“…What the fuck.”

Iris tilted her head, then cursed under her breath as a bad feeling crept up on her.

She picked up her phone again and looked at the man in the video—Laika.

Could it be that seeing this guy had… unlocked the chastity belt?

While she was busy entertaining that terrifying thought, something even more grotesque happened.

The chain, split into two, began slithering up her phone like it was searching for something, then started writhing.

“Is it insane or what?”

Iris slapped the chains away with force, but they stretched out, wobbling and fumbling all over the phone like it was nothing.

She couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality—her mind was going blank.

You can now grope the target to explore it more thoroughly.

You must earnestly wish to grope.

Another message popped up.

As the chain failed at groping the phone, it drooped and then crawled straight between Iris’s legs.

“Die! Go to hell, you freak!”

Disgusted, Iris spent a good while punching between her thighs and shouting curses.

But fighting a lifeless object was a losing battle.

Only her fists and her chastity-belt-covered crotch suffered.

Still fuming, Iris glared back and forth between the phone and her lower half, her eyes lighting up.

‘Wait, this guy… is he a gifted one?’

A bit late, but she finally realized.

She adjusted her posture, having just been glaring at the chastity belt, and focused back on the video.

She punched the grotesque chain again as it tried to crawl out.

The chastity belt’s intense reaction, the sudden pop-up status window—everything convinced her that the man had powers.

‘Is he… a villain?’

She worried for a second, but her curiosity to meet the man who’d triggered such a reaction from her chastity belt outweighed her concern.

Even if he was a villain, wasn’t he a pretty famous actor?

As long as he didn’t find out she was a hero, he probably wouldn’t harm her.

Maybe, if she played it right, she could steal a skill from him.

‘If he’s an actor, there has to be a way to approach him…’

With a snap, she stood up, turned on her laptop, and began searching online.

Her mind was filled with one thought—she had to meet Laika.

‘Alright. Let’s follow the chastity belt’s lead for now.’

***

“Please stay behind the line!”

“Kyaa! I can’t believe we’re seeing Laika!”

Following the bodyguard’s orders, the fans stepped back, squealing about Laika, who hadn’t even arrived on set yet.

‘He’s really popular… Well, I guess he is good-looking.’

Iris wore a hoodie and a skirt that reached her knees.

She’d put on the skirt in case she got a chance to inspect Laika’s skill.

She was currently at an outdoor filming location—a huge bakery on the outskirts of Gyodam City.

Adjusting her glasses, she carried some gear.

‘If I want to get close, becoming a staff is the best option. Lucky for me, there was a last-minute job posting.’

While looking for ways to meet Laika, Iris applied for an urgent filming staff position.

Now, the set was crowded with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the rising star Laika.

Gyodam City had the brutal rumor of being “half water, half villains,” but it seemed even here, people couldn’t resist a celebrity.

Maybe that’s why this reckless city kept functioning.

‘No, maybe I’m just too cautious. Accidents rarely happen in places like this. Just look at those guards.’

The site was tightly secured.

The bodyguards stood in a row, all of them looking incredibly tough.

Iris clicked her tongue, eyeing their broad backs.

‘Damn it, the way this Back Skill works is total garbage. I bet one of them is gifted, but if I try the chain on the wrong guy, I might actually die. Such a waste…’

If only she could just inspect people with her eyes.

At the very least, if the chain didn’t crawl out from between her legs…

Maybe her desperation reached something.

A message popped up:

The skill can be transferred to a bracelet.

‘What? No way… That’s way better than the chain. Transfer it! Right now!’

Transfer is currently unavailable due to low level.

‘Ugh, seriously? Fine, I’ll level up. No matter what, I’ll do it.’

With resolve, Iris’s brow furrowed.

She was scared that transferring the Back Skill to the bracelet might result in an even more grotesque usage.

Every skill she’d gotten so far had been twisted and traumatic.

Still, a bracelet was definitely better than a chastity belt.

No matter what, a bracelet was better than chains crawling out of her crotch and groping backs.

‘I’m transferring it. No matter what. It’s got to be better than this.’

Iris decided she would spend the next mission groping every monster’s back without mercy.

The location was Park Zone 3, a place that had become desolate due to recent monster sightings.

She had already tested things at home—groping objects didn’t help level up the skill.

So she had to grope a monster’s back during the mission.

While mentally preparing herself for that day, another staff member called her.

“Iris, Laika just arrived and is getting his makeup done. Can you deliver this?”

“Huh? Me? Sure!”

Eyes wide, Iris quickly took the script.

She hadn’t realized Laika had arrived.

He must have snuck in.

Heart pounding, she ran in the direction the staff pointed.

It was her first time meeting a gifted person aside from Teresa, and the excitement made her mouth fill with saliva.

‘Okay, calm down. Calm down.’

Thankfully, she wore glasses—they hid the indecent glint in her eyes.

Iris stood in front of a door marked “Authorized Personnel Only.”

The bakery café had lent this as a temporary waiting room for the actors.

The person guarding the door glanced at her staff badge and stepped aside.

When she trembled, the guard smiled knowingly, probably mistaking her nerves for a fan’s excitement.

When the door opened, Iris stepped in quietly and looked around.

Then froze.

There, in the silent room, sat a red-haired man on a sofa.

Of course, it was Laika—the man she had been so desperate to meet.

‘That’s my prey… I mean, actor Laika.’

Though he sensed someone’s presence, Laika didn’t even open his eyes.

He simply leaned back with one arm on the sofa, legs crossed.

Even though she’d already seen him on video, Iris found herself short of breath at his beauty.

His skin was so smooth a fly might slide right off.

Below his sharp nose, sculpted like marble, was a defined philtrum and plump lips that drew the eye.

Iris hesitated, then slowly approached.

Just as she was about to speak, Laika opened his eyes and looked at her.

‘Hmm… Why does he seem so familiar? Right, I saw him on video… Wait—??’

Their eyes met for just a moment—and Iris’s pupils dilated.

A moment later, a crushing headache slammed into her.

It was like being repeatedly bashed in the skull with a heavy fist.

Passive Skill [???] is activating.

‘Ugh, fuck? Why a passive skill—ugh! At this timing?! What the hell is this—why is it attacking me?! What kind of trashy skill is this…’

It was a cursed, shitty skill.

Invisible fists rained down like a brutal slave flogging, and Iris couldn’t bear it any longer—she squeezed her eyes shut.

The pain was so bad she thought she might actually die right there.

Maybe it was thanks to that mysterious beating, but the foggy memories of her past life—the manga she’d read—came vividly back.

‘Like a flashback before death…?’

They say your mind becomes clearest before dying.

Her head throbbed like hell, but her mind was crystal clear, almost meditative.

Like watching a movie, the manga pages flipped before her eyes, and the contents embedded themselves in her brain.

It was the story from the manga she’d read 22 years ago, now forcibly extracted from the depths of her memory.