CHAPTER 255: SIGNING

The bathroom was warm with steam from the heated water of the bath. The air smelled of citrus.

Kaiden stood naked before the wide mirror with a toothbrush in hand, still drying his hair with a towel. But despite his tall frame, he was barely visible behind the line of four utterly naked women brushing their teeth in front of him.

Luna.

Aria.

Nyx.

Bastet.

All four stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the mirror, hips slightly tilted forward, thighs brushing against one another. The sight of four perfectly shaped, perfectly bare asses lined up at the sink as if he was seeing some kind of forbidden toothpaste commercial was enough to make Kaiden’s morning blood pressure spike.

And yet there was no teasing. No lewd giggles. Not even a wink.

They were focused. Composed.

Silent, save for the sound of brushing and rinsing.

The mood had shifted drastically as soon as they climbed off the harem bed. Last night’s playfulness was gone, replaced by a stillness that spoke louder than words. They had a dungeon to clear. A deadly one that almost claimed their lives. There was no more room for distractions.

Kaiden finished drying his hair and looked into the mirror.

They were all gazing back.

Confident. Calm. Gorgeous.

And ready.

He couldn’t help but voice his thoughts. "You know... I still don’t get why we had a night-long orgy the night before a major dungeon crawl. Most people would’ve just... gotten some shut-eye? Not that I’m complaining, of course."

Luna shrugged and spoke while her mouth was still half-foamy with paste. "Think, dude, think. Use your upper head, time to turn the lower one off for now."

Nyx rinsed, then leaned on the sink. She elaborated on Luna’s answer so he could get what they thought, instead of the gamer girl’s response confusing him even more.

"Let’s be real. None of us was going to sleep tonight. After what happened last time... we’d just be tossing and turning until morning. Maybe not you, Mister Hardcore Born-To-Kill, but our heads would’ve been filled with too many useless thoughts."

Aria nodded, doing final checks to see if her makeup was applied perfectly. Yes, even in a dungeon, the Moon Valkyrie desired to look her best. They all did. After all, Kai would be there with them.

"Our minds would’ve spiraled. Remembering how close we came to losing each other. Lying in bed, watching the ceiling, trying to force our fully-awake minds to get some sleep. It sounds like torture."

Bastet wiped her lips with a towel, cheeks still pink from residual heat as she received the dicking of a lifetime last night. "So instead of waiting for insomnia to gnaw at us... We chose fun."

Kaiden stood behind them with a finger stroking his chin like a philosopher confronted with life’s most sacred truths.

Or perhaps... the world’s most glorious view.

Four naked beauties, side-by-side, brushing their teeth in front of a wide mirror, each one with her own unique curves and silhouette, but all equally sinful from behind.

His eyes roamed greedily over the lineup, committing each to memory with reverence.

"... And the fact that I owed someone ten days of intense service had nothing to do with it?" he asked with a raised brow, pretending to be skeptical.

Nyx snorted as her hips swayed left and right just a touch more than necessary as she rinsed her mouth. "That was just the excuse to get you to play along without asking too many questions. Our dear Bastet’s not so rebellious that she’d leave just because you missed one day of ravaging her body, right?"

"Shhh!"

*CLACK.*

She swung her hips sideways with sudden but entirely deliberate force.

Her toned, tanned cheeks collided into Nyx’s soft, pillowy ones with a wet slap of skin on skin. The contact was sensual and sharp, making the recipient grunt and stumble one step to the side from the unexpected impact.

"Oh-ho?" Nyx turned her head slowly. "Is that how we’re playing?"

She retaliated with a powerful push of her own, her plush rear rippling as it crashed into Bastet’s hips. The felinid let out a gasp and lost ground, forced to catch herself on the sink with both hands. Her tail was swishing indignantly.

"Hah!" Nyx crowed, feeling victorious. "Even Kaiden knows you’ve fallen deep. You’re not hiding anything, kitty."

Bastet shot her a flushed glare in the mirror. "Doesn’t mean I can’t try!"

Kaiden, still admiring the action with the same thoughtful expression he’d use when weighing battlefield options, hummed quietly. "Fascinating technique. But you’re both rough around the edges..."

He then nodded to himself. "I decided that you’ll both have to practice this new combat style more, strictly in my presence, of course."

Meanwhile, to the side, Aria and Luna had long stopped paying attention. They met each other’s eyes in the mirror with matching sighs and rolls of eyes. Tired, but affectionate.

This was their life now. This chaotic, overwhelming, strangely perfect mess was the family they chose for themselves.

But just as Aria turned to step away as she headed for the dressing racks...

*Smack!*

A pair of slim hips bumped into her from behind.

"Ack!" Aria staggered forward, catching herself with one arm against the doorframe.

"Hey!" she shouted, whipping her head around.

But Luna was already zipping out of the bathroom with her victorious laughter echoing back down the hallway.

Aria narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, it’s on, miss. I wonder who will lose their internet access right before winning a ranked game? Geez, I have no clue at all. None."

...

The whirring of the mana-powered artifact car faded as it pulled into the secured perimeter zone just outside Runewoven’s private dungeon location.

Riven was the one behind the wheel, as always.

The doors slid open.

Kaiden stepped out first. Not because he forgot how to be a gentleman, but because he knew the reception they’d receive on this day would not be warm at all, and he wanted to be the one who had to face the hostility.

And immediately, as expected, he felt the heat of a hundred metaphorical daggers piercing into him.

The large yard next to the dungeon was cordoned off by rope barriers, beyond which stood an entire phalanx of polished suits and bitter stares.

There were lawyers, dressed in lean gray suits, faces unreadable behind expensive glasses.

There were senior shareholders, trying to look dignified despite the obvious rage boiling under their tailored vests.

And there were Association observers, here to confirm the legality of the share transfer.

As the rest of Kaiden’s squad stepped out behind him, now all geared up and battle-ready, the staring intensified.

It wasn’t subtle.

They hated him.

They hated what he represented.

An opportunistic mercenary striking gold.

He’d carved off a fifth of it with nothing but pressure, timing, and an iron grip over their investment’s desperate situation.

He hadn’t lied. He hadn’t stolen.

But he had cornered them.

And now, a man with no official guild, no corporate legacy, and no prior stake in Runewoven stood before them with 20% ownership and the right to influence their future profits.

Rae, walking behind the others, tilted her head.

"Whew... Someone made a lot of enemies while I wasn’t watching." She gave Kaiden a teasing sidelong glance. "Was it the haircut?"

Kaiden didn’t respond, ignoring the tanned chaos.

His posture was relaxed.

His face was neutral.

But his presence was undeniable.

They were here for a reason.

And it wasn’t just to watch the execution of a contract.

They were here to see if he would fail.

Because if he and his team died in that dungeon... the contract would be voided.

Runewoven would no longer call him its shareholder, meaning their precious shares would go back to the treasury, just as the clause stated.

No payout.

No humiliation.

No problem.

And they were hoping for it, even ignoring the fact that Kaiden’s failure would make their investment suffer more. Such was the petty wrath they held.