Aside from her lustrous blonde hair, another thing that was noticeable about Ellie was that she was around 160cm in height, but because she always wore her witch’s hat, she looked a lot taller than she actually was. She had a well-developed bust and a decent hourglass figure, while thick, creamy thighs that would catch the eye of any man peeked out through her irregularly-parted skirt. Naturally, her facial features were quite attractive too. Her large, doe-like eyes were so captivating, they seemed to draw you in, body and soul.
She frequently invited me to her sleeping quarters, but she was actually a virgin with no experience in the bedroom. And despite her many solicitations, she was a bashful girl, who was quick to flush with embarrassment. Although her advances flattered me, I always turned her down. I’d rather steer well clear of having a child to look after. At least, not until after I’d fulfilled my objectives. Though, for the record, I was very flattered that a gorgeous girl like Ellie liked me.
“Meow.”
The third girl of the three mewed as she rubbed her head against me like a cat. Of course, she was also an SUR card brought forth by my Unlimited Gacha: Level 9999, Genius Monster Tamer, Aoyuki. As her name suggested, she had the ability to tame any magical beast, divine creature, cryptid, or rare animal. Aoyuki was the shortest of the three girls, and not only was she in a cat-eared hood, she also wore an extra-large collar around her neck. The collar was secured like a belt, and it was so long that it dangled behind her like a tail. Some people even thought she resembled a cat in her looks and her mannerisms.
Aoyuki was a cute girl with a baby face framed by fanciful blue hair, and unlike the other two, her breasts were much more delicate things. Her arms and legs were skinny, though they were also long compared to her slight stature. She’d often mew and rub her head against me—like she was doing right at that moment—and I found her mannerisms so adorable, I’d always end up stroking her chin as if she were a real cat.
“Mreeow,” Aoyuki purred with pleasure.
“I didn’t just come here for you, Nazuna. I need to talk to all three of you,” I said. “Ellie, you can invite me to your room another time. Aoyuki, I need you to sit up straight and listen—”
From out of the dark recesses, a four-legged monster suddenly appeared and plodded toward us. The beast was at least ten meters in length and had a snake-tail thicker than my torso. The seemingly sentient tail slithered and wriggled around like a serpent. I’d noticed the monster was lurking there when I came in, but after getting a proper look at it, I realized the creature resembled the brute I’d encountered when I’d first stumbled into the lowest reaches of the Abyss. My body instinctively froze due to the trauma of that encounter. Noticing how scared stiff I was, the three girls fell into formation in readiness to attack the monster, which was called a Snake Hellhound.
“Ya really gonna disrespect my master in front of me like that? I ain’t gonna make your death quick, bub!” Nazuna barked as she effortlessly raised her broadsword, the pupils of her eyes stretching out vertically.
“I have spared you creatures out of compassion and because I know your utility, but there is no excuse for this attempt to harm Blessed Lord Light,” Ellie said, a strong aura of bloodlust emanating from her as she opened her book of spells. “I must eliminate every last one of your kind from this dungeon and from the surface world, and erase any mention of your species from the annals of history and the literary canon of this land.”
“Agreed. This thing has upset my master. It deserves to suffer a fate worse than plunging into the fiery pits of Hell.” The eyes of the normally catlike Aoyuki were hidden by the hem of her hood, and dangling down to the ground from her hand was a spiked metal collar attached to a chain. “We must destroy this thing at once,” she added, as she assumed a fighting stance.
In the presence of these three menacing Level 9999 fighters, the expression on the Level 1000 Snake Hellhound’s face had turned to one of boundless fear. If I were to even jokingly give the three girls the go-ahead, they’d probably eradicate every last Snake Hellhound in this dungeon, before going on to wipe them off the face of the planet. I took some deep breaths to calm my nerves, then turned to the trio.
“I’m fine. Stand down, you three. Can’t you see the poor little guy is absolutely terrified? They’re actually quite cute once you get used to them.”
I approached the Snake Hellhound to pet it, and the creature—realizing that its life was on the line here—rolled over onto its back and let me rub its belly. Its snake-tail wriggled playfully close to me, and I stroked its cold, scaly cheeks.
“Well, if ya say so, Master.”
“I will always follow your instructions, Blessed Lord Light.”
“Mrreow.”
The three girls obediently stood down. With this distraction taken care of, I was finally able to broach the topic at hand.
“I’ve received word from Mei that our target has taken the bait. I came here to tell the three of you to get ready to move.”
I’d been so excited to receive this message from Mei that I’d gone to the effort of relaying the news to the other girls in person, without relying on my power of Telepathy like I usually did.
“Oh! So it’s finally happening! Congrats, Master Light! I’ll make sure I’m ready for this one!” Nazuna said with glee.
“I for one am not pleased that Mei was chosen to be the bait for this mission,” Ellie said. “I could have performed the role perfectly. Or more perfectly, I should say.”
“Mew,” Aoyuki added.
“I appreciate your willingness, Ellie,” I replied. “But unfortunately, you don’t quite look human. Mei can easily pass for a human, so she was the better choice for this mission.”