BLBJ 5.4

“Eizen?” Bartholomew and Christian called his name simultaneously, as if they hadn’t expected him to appear here.

“What brings you here?”
“How’d you know the 5th floor was my room?”

Eizen smiled awkwardly.

‘Both of them must have shown their faces, right?’

Checking the chat window’s reactions, he confirmed Bartholomew and Christian had appeared on screen. 

Now he just needed to get Tennes and Jeremiah’s faces on camera.

“Haha, I just came to see your faces for a moment. Now that I’ve seen them, I’ll be going.“

Eizen never intended to enter the room in the first place.

But just as he nodded and turned to leave, both hands grabbed his arms.

“Why? Come in.”
“You’ve come this far – wouldn’t it be nice to have some tea?”

“No, I should really…”

“Come in. It’s not my room, but…”
“Alright, make yourself comfortable.”

Eizen’s feet dragged. Eizen looked like he was about to cry, but there was no one here to save him. No one at all.

💬Waaaah, 3 beeps.

💬Ah, seriously, stop with the beep! beep! from earlier, lolol, it’s ridiculously funny.

💬Beep! Beep! Beep!

💬Ah, I like 3 beeps with Christian and Pike included.

💬Just make it 6 beeps together. Please.

💬Mr. SixthSense, you’re seriously straightforward, lol.

Surely something like that wouldn’t really happen. Eizen sat down slowly on a chair, wary of the two.

The room was quite spacious. It was a sight that definitely screamed Bartholomew was a real wizard. Bizarre objects were scattered everywhere. Books were piled up like mountains.

On top of that, there were papers covered in unrecognizable writing and bottles filled with strange colored liquids.

Eizen, who had been blankly surveying the room, suddenly remembered something he’d forgotten.

‘The Affinity Potion!’

Didn’t Christian have one?

Eizen glanced at Christian, but he was wearing a new coat now.

Had Christian found the heart-shaped potion bottle? What should he say to Christian to get it back?

Eizen’s mind grew complicated.

“Here.” Bartholomew handed him a cup of tea.

Eizen downed the tea in one gulp without even asking what kind it was. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t had a single sip of water since having sex with Pike. His lips had been parched dry, and this cup of tea was like a long-awaited rain in a drought.

“Take your time. Would you like some more?”
“… Thank you.”

Eizen’s face flushed bright red. Just moments ago, he’d been thinking only of how to escape, how to get out of there. And now, just because they offered him a cup of tea, he was gulping it down like this.

But his throat was so parched he couldn’t think of anything else. Was this how someone who hadn’t had a single drop of water for days felt?

The thought that he was so parched because he’d been leaking fluids everywhere made him feel even more embarrassed. Eizen bit his lip hard and downed the second cup in one gulp.

“What the hell? What were you doing that you’re gulping it down like this?”
“Guess you’re thirsty.”

The two of them chuckled at the remark, leaving Eizen speechless.

💬It’s sex. Sex.

💬Usually, after sex, doesn’t the top make him drink water with his mouth?

💬But Eizen ran off before we even had time for that.

💬You’re not just going to drink water and leave, right?

‘I just want to drink and go.’

After quenching his thirst a bit, Eizen cautiously glanced at the two.

“Eizen, do you know what this is?” Seeing that Eizen had calmed down somewhat, Christian held out a heart-shaped bottle.

‘Affinity Potion!’

“It was in my coat pocket. Is it yours?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right.”

Just as Eizen reached to grab the potion bottle, a large hand clamped down on his wrist. He flinched and looked at Christian, who gave a sly smile.

“What is this?”
“I’ve experimented with it, but it doesn’t seem to have any special effect.”

Bartholomew answered nonchalantly as he sat down at the table. Apparently, he’d found the bottle and come looking for it, curious what it was.

‘I thought they were on bad terms, but maybe not?’

Or maybe they’re only friendly at times like this?

Eizen gave an awkward smile. “It’s nothing. I just thought the bottle was pretty…“

”Hmm…” Christian narrowed his eyes.

How could he possibly say it was an affinity potion with these two right in front of him?

‘No. Is it better to say it?’

‘It’s an affinity potion! Please drink it!’ Would they drink it if he said that? All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.

The moment Eizen blinked, the hand gripping his wrist slipped away.

“Well, even if it’s a love potion, it doesn’t really matter.”
“Even if that really is a love potion, I can’t guarantee it’ll work.”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s some magical power you’re unaware of.”

Christian chuckled, and Bartholomew shrugged.

💬You’d know right away if you both tried it.

💬You saw the secret shop open as soon as we tried it, right, everyone!

💬This is the power of the system.

💬It manipulates the game data itself – how can the capture targets resist, hehehe.

Whether it’s the system’s greatness or whatever, there’s no way to prove it actually works. Eizen quickly stuffed the affinity potion into his pocket, and a moment of silence fell.

“Come to think of it, I heard you’ve been getting close to that paladin lately?”
“Huh?”

Why is Pike suddenly being brought up here?

Eizen was slightly flustered. It had only been a few hours since he’d had sex with the paladin.

‘Besides, there was no way the rumor could have spread yet.’

There was no way anyone could have been watching him enter that room. And what happened inside! There was no way anyone could know. But why on earth was he bringing up Pike?

As Eizen hesitated, unsure how to respond, Bartholomew chimed in.

“Pike saved you last night, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but.

Does this town have no secrets? Or is it because Eizen is the protagonist that everything gets shared?

The movie The Truman Show came to mind. It felt like living in exactly that kind of world.

‘No, that’s actually right.’

The only difference is that, despite the restrictions, Eizen can still turn the broadcast on and off.

Eizen let out a deep sigh. He’d clearly only intended to pop his head in briefly to turn off the broadcast. How did he end up sitting here being grilled about his relationship with Pike?

💬Wow, rumors spread so fast.

💬A few hours after something happens, it seems like the tops share info with each other.

💬Lolol, but how much do they actually know?

💬They even seem to know that sex happened.

Eizen swallowed hard. He couldn’t even begin to guess how much they really knew. He fiddled with his cup. His heart grew slightly anxious.

“You’re really with a guy who considers abstinence a virtue?”
“If that came out, the temple wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”
“Well, yeah, but as long as we don’t get caught outright, it’s fine. Everyone’s living a life of debauchery. Bartholomew.”
“Pike is a bit peculiar, though.”
“Did Eizen really fuck that guy? That’d be impressive.”

Eizen quietly avoided the gazes of Christian and Bartholomew.

They were so different from the last time they met. Back then, they’d touch his dick without hesitation, bite, and suck on it. Now, they spoke calmly as if none of that had ever happened. 

Eizen couldn’t get used to it.

💬But haven’t we been talking about Pike this whole time?

💬Boring.

💬If he’s a top, shouldn’t he be jealous?

💬Exactly. Why keep talking only about Pike?

Eizen was puzzled by that too. Not that he had any intention of joining the two of them for a threesome here.

Still, it felt odd that Bartholomew and Christian were so fixated on talking about Pike the entire time. Plus, hadn’t everyone usually shown at least a hint of jealousy before? Why the sudden change in attitude?

‘Something’s different.’

The big problem was that he didn’t know what that ‘something’ was.

He stared at Christian and Bartholomew, wondering if the answer was written on their faces, but got no response.

Eizen kept staring at the two men talking about Pike and cautiously asked, “Why have you been talking only about Pike since earlier?”

💬A straight fastball aimed at the body.

💬Lolol, wow, that’s a seriously heavy fastball.

💬Isn’t it a bit cute?

💬What’s cute about it?

💬Why are you only talking about Pike! Talk about me! That kind of vibe XD

💬Lolol, thinking about it that way, it is cute.

💎[ImBuyingAPenis donated 50,000 won] — The age of the holy knight has arrived. Who’s the main character? No one else bought stock, right?

Straightforward or not, what can you do about someone who lacks the skill to ask indirectly? Eizen waited for their answers.

Christian and Bartholomew glanced at each other briefly and chuckled.

“Don’t you like that paladin guy?”
“Huh?”

“You have a crush on him.”
“That’s mutual, right? Isn’t it?”

Well, calling it mutual is a bit vague.

More than that, he was curious why they specifically singled out Pike. After all, before having sex with Pike, hadn’t Jeremiah been the one who’d gotten the furthest? And on top of that, Jeremiah had even openly stripped Eizen completely naked?

‘Why on earth?’

Just as his doubts piled up, a notification popped up.

[You have the highest affinity with Pike and have entered the Pike route]

💬Wait, wait a minute! Hey!

💬My stock!

💬It’s not too late 😭 Quickly give the affinity potion to the other capture targets too!

💎[ImBuyingAPenis donated 100,000 won] — Holding out wins.

💬Ah, quickly give the affinity potion to Christian 😭

💬Bartholomew, open your mouth! The affinity potion is coming in!

💬No, no, hey, don’t forget Jeremiah.

💬Tennes! Tennes too!

💎[TennestheEmperor donated 60,000 won] — Give Tennes two affinity potions too.

💎[ChristianAkgae donated 70,000 won] — Please take care of Christian right in front of us first T_T

💎[EmperorLongLive donated 100,000 won] — Wait, give Jeremiah a potion too.

The chat window scrolled at an insane speed. It was utter chaos. Everyone was shouting the names of their capture targets, demanding they be fed affinity potions immediately.

‘Uh, what should I do?’

If Eizen gave the potion to someone else now, would he break free from one route? Or was it pointless since he’d already entered a route?

Eizen’s mind raced. One thing was certain: if he confirmed the Pike route here, everyone except ImBuyingAPenis would be gone.

‘No. That can’t happen.’

Besides, it was better to keep the competition going than focus on just one person. They could even do a relay by donating the funds.

Eizen fiddled with the affinity Potion in his pocket. If he used the two he had and got one more, that made three. The small heart-shaped bottle jingled between his fingers.

Giving the affinity Potion to others wasn’t a big problem. Now that competition was heating up, donations were steadily increasing. Advertising revenue was up, and the viewer count had surpassed 1,000.

‘The problem is, I’ll end up having sex anyway…’

Even if he didn’t want to, he’d have to have sex. There was no way around it. He’d already spent a burning night – no, day – with Pike. There was no way he could refuse the other capture targets.

Eizen tugged at his hair.

‘I shouldn’t have had sex!’

Regretting it now was too late. Besides, hadn’t Eizen thoroughly enjoyed himself the whole time he was having sex with Pike?

Eizen bit his lip hard and fiddled with the affinity potion. The conclusion was clear: he had to evenly raise the affinity levels of all five.

He hadn’t even bought other skills yet. To escape being a fallen noble, he still needed more patronage funds.

‘Damn it. Plus, I have to buy more affinity potions too.’

If he needed two bottles each, that meant buying five more. His head was throbbing.

Eizen clenched the affinity potion tightly, glancing at the two men staring at him.

‘I have to feed them. There’s no other choice.’

Even if he couldn’t feed them both at once, he had to narrow the gap with Pike.

But he couldn’t just hand one to Bartholomew and one to Christian and say, ‘Here, down them in one shot!’

Eizen glanced around cautiously. Having tried to escape until just moments ago, he now had to figure out how to feed them what he had in his pocket. And he also needed to show the viewers his resolve not to take the Pike route.

[Viewers: 1,009]

Just a little while ago, there were 1,398. The moment the notification popped up that he’d entered the Pike route, about 400 people dropped out in a flash.

Those who remained were holding on, believing Eizen wouldn’t abandon the other capture target routes. So Eizen had to show his resolve to keep that faith alive.

“It’s true Pike saved me, but either of you would have saved me if you’d been there, right?”
“Well, if a beauty’s in danger, of course you save them. It’s only right.”

Unlike Christian, who answered cheerfully with a bright smile, Bartholomew wore a peculiar grin, “Why should I save you?”

“Huh?”

“It’s good entertainment, isn’t it?”
“…”
“Showing up after it’s all over to offer comfort wouldn’t be so bad, either.”

A moment later, Eizen felt a chill run down his spine. If Bartholomew had been there, he might have been subjected to something truly awful by those vile men. Eizen flinched and quietly stepped back a little further.

💎[MewMew#1Fan donated 10,000 won] — Bartholomew is smart too.

What the hell is so smart about him! Eizen wanted to retort, but bit his lip hard. He tried to find even a shred of emotion on Bartholomew’s face that might suggest he was joking, but sadly, his words about it being “good entertainment” seemed to be the absolute truth.

Sensing the frozen atmosphere, Christian flashed a sly smile and tapped Eizen’s shoulder.

“Even if he said that, he would’ve saved you.”
“I said I wouldn’t.”
“Hey, Bartholomew.”
“What’s the point of us saying this anyway? Pike saved you in the end.”
“True.”

Pike-centric.

It was a system where you couldn’t help but notice if you were following one person’s route. They just kept talking about that person nonstop.

Eizen slowly glanced at the two of them.

‘How do I slip in an affinity potion?’

‘Should I try that old-school method of ‘Whoa! What’s that?’

Well, there wasn’t really anything else to grab their attention. After a moment of hesitation, Eizen’s eyes widened.

“What’s that?”

The moment Eizen shouted and swiftly pulled out his hand, only Christian turned around.

“What is it?”
“…Th-that… thing….”

Under Bartholomew’s gaze, Eizen fidgeted awkwardly with his hands.

💬Lololololol

💬Insane, lololol

💬He didn’t look back.

💬He didn’t respond?

💬Christian got fooled all by himself, hehehe

💬(Awkward)

“Huh?”

Worried he might not have heard, the kind wizard Bartholomew spoke again, grabbing Eizen’s hand. Eizen clenched his fingers tightly.

“What is it?”
“What else? A cheap trick.”

Why did that smiling face look so terrifying? Eizen burst into an awkward laugh and said to Bartholomew, “Let go. Let go of me.”

“What? What happened?”

“He took something out of his pocket.” Bartholomew answered calmly. 

Why were those long, white, scholarly fingers so incredibly strong?

Eizen tried to twist his wrist, but Bartholomew didn’t budge an inch. Bartholomew’s expression remained perfectly composed, his voice never raised, as he kept a tight grip on Eizen’s wrist.

 Eizen felt goosebumps rise all over.

“Ah!”

💬Dropped it.

💬It’s over.

💬Just play it cool, say it’s an affinity potion, and make him drink it.

💬Let’s just say it’s good for stamina.

💬Tops naturally have good stamina anyway, lolol.

💬How about a top taking Viagra?

💬You’ve lost it.

People just chuckled and laughed.

Eizen felt the blood drain from his head to his toes.

‘Damn it. Damn it!’

All three eyes landed on the affinity Potion that had rolled onto the table.

“That’s the thing from earlier, right?”

Christian picked up the bottle. The pink liquid inside the heart-shaped bottle sloshed around. Eizen’s lips twitched. How was he going to get out of this?

“Um, well, as a gesture of goodwill, I was going to let you two each try one.”
“What is it?”
“So, um…”

💬Just call it an affinity potion.

💬Eizen looks like he’d be terrible at lying anyway.

💬Let’s say it’s for unlocking the secret shop.

💬Or just say it’s something good?

Useless viewers. Every single conversation flooding the chat window was utterly pointless.

While Eizen rolled his dark eyes, the two waited quietly for his answer.

“Something good for the body? ” When Eizen grinned, both of them simultaneously made disapproving faces.

“If it’s good for the body, why don’t you eat it? You look weak.”
“You try it first.”
“If I eat it, will you eat it?”

“Let’s see.” Bartholomew chuckled, propping his chin up as if amused.

‘This is maddening.’

To keep pace with Pike now, he needed to buy five more bottles. If Eizen drank one, he’d have to buy six. Three million won! That meant he’d have to spend every last won of the donations he’d received so far.

‘Blood money, 500,000 won.’

Eizen swallowed his tears and opened the bottle cap.

💬But what happens if Eizen drinks it himself?

💬Right? If you give it to a capture target, their affection goes up. But if Eizen drinks it?

💬Wouldn’t he just become a narcissist?

💬Lololol, but honestly, I’m curious too.

He felt a sudden fear. Yeah, just like the viewers said, no one actually knows what effect it has when Eizen drinks it.

Eizen hesitated for a moment.

“I think it would be more helpful to you two than to me…”

The moment Eizen mumbled his reluctance to drink it, Bartholomew snatched the affinity potion. “Well then, what the heck.”

Just as he faintly smiled, thinking Bartholomew might drink it himself…

A hand clamped down on Eizen’s jaw, and the bottle touched his lips.

“Ugh!”

A pink liquid, almost tasteless, touched Eizen’s tongue. A faint sweet fragrance spread.

“I’m curious about new things, but I don’t want to test them on my own body.”
“Even so, forcing it down like that is rough.”
“Then what?”
“Don’t you know about mouth-to-mouth?”

Eizen gulped down the affinity potion, barely a sip. There was really no choice but to drink it. The moment it poured between his lips, it vanished as if melting away.

Bartholomew chuckled softly, looking at Eizen.“Doesn’t seem to have much effect. But why are you trying to feed this to us?”
“Because it’s good for your health.”
“If it’s good for health, just give it to us. Why resort to such a cheap trick?”

💬Shouldn’t have used such an old trick for nothing.

💬But seriously, does it really have no effect on Eizen?

💬That’s kind of a shame.

Eizen handed each of them a bottle from his pocket.

“It’s really expensive… ”

It really is expensive. 500,000 won per bottle. Swallowing that thought, Eizen looked at Christian, who drank it without a second thought, and Bartholomew, who still wore a skeptical expression.

“If it’s good for you, why make it heart-shaped?”
“It represents the heart.”
“Is it good for the heart?”
“Well, you could say that…”

It increases affinity. Meaning it makes you fall in love, so it might not be good for the heart. It makes it pound wildly.

“Not even worth a sip. Christian. That’s why you keep getting slapped in the face. You just pick up and eat anything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You gobble things down without knowing what’s dangerous or not.”

Christian frowned at Bartholomew’s words.

“Once upon a time, there was a certain lady…”
“Here, here, drink up. It’s delicious.”

Christian poured the Affinity Potion into Bartholomew’s mouth, who still hadn’t drunk it.

‘Phew, thank goodness.’

At any rate, the distance between him and the two people had narrowed thanks to the two bottles of Affinity Potion. At the same time, a notification popped up.

[Secret Shop Opens]

[♥Secret Shop – Christian♥]

[Time Remaining: 23:59:59]

[♥Secret Shop – Bartholomew♥]

[Time Remaining: 23:59:59]

💬It’s open! The secret shop!

💬If you’re not gonna have XX right now, isn’t it kind of pointless?

💬Ah, I said 3 beeps, come on!

💬To break free from Pike’s route, you need to have XX with both of them!

💬Open it first!

💬I’m curious what’s inside.

💬Pike was a pervert who got turned on by priest robes with a celibate face. What about these two?

Actually, Eizen was curious too. Pike during sex was really… completely different from how he appeared… Didn’t he show that side?

‘Should I just peek into the Secret Shop?’

Anyway, buying items inside requires money.

Besides, given the current mood, we weren’t about to jump straight into sex. I’d done it one-on-one with Pike, and suddenly doing a threesome would obviously cause major backlash.

💬Secret shop! Please open!

💬I need to know what’s inside.

💬Bartholomew might actually be surprisingly normal.

💬Nah, nah, I bet Bartholomew’s will be something really weird.

💬Don’t you think Christian’s the one who’ll be normal?

💬He’s such a flirt, he’s probably experienced every kind of play already…

Eizen looked at the chat window filled with half-expectation, half-jokes. Then he opened [♥Secret Shop – Christian♥] first.

[♥Secret Shop – Christian♥]

[Handcuffs]
[Anklets]
[Confession Potion]
[Aphrodisiac]
[Sleeping Potion]
[Hallucinogen]
[Paralysis Agent]

💬Is he a druggie?

💬What the lolol, this is insane, lololol.

💬The secret shop’s gone crazy, lololol.

💬Why are there so many drugs?

💬Is his kink tying people up and feeding them random pills?

💬Ah, I get it! His thing must be forced situations!

💬Ah, okaaay.

What the hell is okay?

Eizen couldn’t stop his face from turning pale.

“What’s wrong? All of a sudden.”

Christian reached out his hand. Eizen reflexively slapped it away and answered stiffly. “I’m fine.”

A womanizer. Touching this person and that person indiscriminately. Why! Why! Why is forcing it his preference?

Eizen’s head throbbed painfully. On top of that, there was no way Christian would take those aphrodisiacs or sleeping pills. A chill ran down his spine.

Was it better to get beaten until his ass was swollen and bruised by Pike’s hands? Or was it better to have sex while drugged? Eizen couldn’t tell.

‘Bartholomew must be normal.’

💬After seeing Pike and Christian, I’ve realized something.

💬What’s that?

💬There isn’t a single sane person here.

💬Lololololol.

💬Maybe Jeremiah’s the only sane one.

💬Didn’t he say he’s supposed to be a tyrant?

💬Being a tyrant doesn’t mean he can’t do sweet stuff in bed.

💬Let’s open [♥Secret Shop – Bartholomew♥] first.

💬Bartholomew, don’t let us down.

No, please, I hope you do disappoint them.’

Eizen prayed fervently inside. Two perverts were already more than enough. One whose kink was whips, and another whose kink was drugging people.

‘Please. Please.’

For the sake of when they actually have sex later, please. The moment Eizen clenched both hands tightly and prayed as if crying out…

Suddenly, his heart thumped!

“Huh?”

Thump. Thump.

The sound of his heartbeat echoed clearly in his ears. His whole body tingled. As if countless hands were tracing his skin.

Eizen touched the back of his neck. He felt the skin burning hot. It felt like a fever was rising.

Tilting his head, Eizen traced his hot, flushed lips with the tip of his tongue.

‘I don’t know. I should open the Secret Shop first.’

Eizen rubbed his heated cheek with his fingertips and opened [♥Secret Shop – Bartholomew♥].

[♥Secret Shop – Bartholomew♥]

[Dildo]
[Dress]
[Underwear]
[Tentacles]
[Slime]
[Voluptuous]
[Wolf]

“… Huh?”

Eizen let out a dumbfounded sound. What the hell was all this?

💬Lololololol, of course. He never disappoints.

💬This time it’s non-human stuff, huh, lol.

💬The wolf is insane.

💬Looks like Bartholomew’s into watching! With the dildo and the wolf, yeah.

Staring blankly at the chat window, Eizen wanted to run away. No, he had to run away.

“Aaah!” Eizen let out a bloodcurdling scream and fled straight out of the magic tower.

What did he expect? The capture targets were fucking perverts!