Inside the luxurious hotel suite, the room was filled with movement for two long hours. On the king-sized bed lay Ivy, her body trembling as she panted heavily, her face drenched in a mix of sweat and tears. Her pale skin had turned a flushed red, and her ruby eyes stared blankly, as if lost in a daze.
Ivy's bare body shivered under the blanket, letting out a soft whimper. The sensations from their intimate encounter still lingered, leaving a dull ache in her lower abdomen and neck, where Asic had held her tightly. She glanced over at him—he sat on the edge of the bed, nude, humming a tune, clearly in a good mood.
Asic resembled a relentless beast that wouldn't let go of its prey until it was utterly defeated. If Ivy hadn't fainted from dehydration after losing so much fluid, he would have continued. Being treated as his possession strangely filled her.
The last time, Asic had been drunk and uncontrolled, his actions selfish, oblivious to his partner's feelings. This time, Asic had full control, and he made Ivy understand that the $2,000 she had given with her business card was an insult.
"Are you back with me?" Asic smiled, noticing Ivy's gaze. Her eyes had changed—though she was back to herself, her breathing was still irregular, her body beyond her control.
"That was... amazing. I felt like I almost died a few times," she admitted.
"Felt like heaven, didn't it?" Asic smirked, playfully swatting her hip. Ivy bit her lip in frustration, feeling the sting of his playful slap. Asic got up from the bed and opened the fridge, grabbing an energy drink. Ivy watched him nervously.
"Are we going again?"
"If you're still hungry, I can keep going," Asic teased, grinning, but Ivy felt her body go limp.
"I want to... but my body can't take it anymore," Ivy whispered weakly. She used to be strong enough to wrestle a dragon, but now she was no different from an ordinary woman. Just two hours with Asic had pushed her beyond her limits.
"Once you train your body a bit more, I'll take you on another ride to heaven—free of charge." Asic laughed. He hadn't even gone all out, and there was still a year ahead to show Ivy that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly. If Ivy had chosen to tie herself to him for a year, there was a price she'd have to pay. He would make her so obsessed with him that she'd never forget him.
"Asic," Ivy called out.
"Yes?"
"Marry me," she said, out of the blue. Ivy was proposing to a man she'd only met three times!
"If you marry me, I won't lend you the Bitgold anymore. I'll give it to you as a dowry."
Asic was so shocked he almost dropped his drink. The first thing she said after their intimate moment was a proposal? He looked at her face—dazed, completely under his spell. He was convinced that if Ivy ever gained more power than he had, she'd chain him up in her house for sure.
[Master, OC has learned that even the smartest humans can be foolish.] OC's commentary made Asic unable to put his feelings into words.
"Ivy, get a grip," Asic said. He had seen this often—right now, Ivy was riding a dopamine high, her thought processes muddled. It was like paying to watch a favorite video, only to realize afterward that it had been a foolish decision.
"I can take care of you," Ivy insisted.
"I can take care of myself."
"But I can give you so much more. Let's get married," Ivy pleaded, her voice needy. She got off the bed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against his. She wanted him, and when Ivy wanted something, she made sure to get it.
"If you can make me love you, I'll marry you," Asic said, giving her a challenging smile. For a man who had never experienced love, this was a nearly impossible task—but one Ivy would have to overcome if she wanted him.
"Deal," Ivy smiled, accepting the challenge. Holding him tightly, she felt relaxed and happier than she had been since losing her position as CEO. However, before she realized it, Asic had picked her up and tossed her back onto the bed.
Ivy's eyes widened just before the wolf devoured her once more—for another hour.
---
The following morning, Asic brought Ivy to his office. Asic had an office under his name, so there was no need to rent a separate location for their company. As Ivy explored, she found that the office was well-equipped—not too small, not too big, with nearby restaurants and public transportation for convenience.
"There's even a bathroom and bedroom here. You could easily live here," Ivy commented.
"I do live here."
"Should I move in too?" Ivy wondered aloud, tapping her chin. She had several houses in Cryptopolis, and getting here wasn't difficult. But Ivy was someone who hated wasting time, often sleeping in her company office.
"Afraid I'll get lonely?"
"Yes. Don't you like the idea?"
"If we're alone together, you might end up getting eaten without realizing it."
"Then eat me—I'm delicious," Ivy teased, inviting him to take her whenever he wanted. She seemed to forget that she'd passed out just hours earlier. She wandered around, choosing a room to sleep in without even waiting for Asic's response.
[Master, you've corrupted a talented woman.] OC teased, but Asic felt like he was being unfairly accused—he hadn't meant for things to end up like this.
Ivy eventually chose a room—a small one by the window, with an attached bathroom for privacy. She returned to the main office, connecting to the internet and getting straight to work.
Asic headed down to the basement for his daily training. A few hours later, when he returned, he noticed strange items on the table—personal belongings of Ivy's, scattered everywhere.
"Wanna get something to eat?"
"You're buying!" Ivy smiled at him.
"You, a multimillionaire, want an unemployed ex-officer like me to buy you lunch?"
"I've wanted a guy to buy me lunch for ages."
"If you ask nicely, I'll buy it for you."
"Asic, I'm hungry," Ivy pouted, blinking up at him, looking like a small pet waiting to be fed. After what had happened last night, it was as if something had unlocked within her—her shame vanished, and she went from being a cool billionaire heiress to an adorably helpless bunny.
'Feels like I'm raising a kid, not a wife,' Asic thought. If Suzinna could hear his thoughts, she'd probably give him a thumbs-up and shout, "See? See what I mean?!"
Asic took Ivy to a nearby Thai restaurant. The area had a variety of international cuisines—Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Mexican. After trying them all, Asic liked the Thai and Japanese food the most, and he figured Ivy must have had enough European cuisine, so he decided to take her somewhere different.
Ivy ordered grilled chicken rice with a spicy dipping sauce, eating quietly, savoring each bite.
'Easily pleased,' Asic thought, though OC heard it too.
[Master, you've gone from respecting Ivy to underestimating her. Now, you don't even see her as fully human anymore.] OC wanted justice for Ivy. The way Asic looked at her now was as if she were a small, weak animal, but with a voracious appetite. The change had happened in less than 24 hours.
"While you were exercising, I drafted a business plan," Ivy said after finishing her meal.
"That fast?" Asic was a bit surprised. They had just made their agreement last night, and she had already started working.
"According to our agreement, you need to prove your worth to me. We don't have much time, so I figured one mine should be enough. But it has to be challenging enough that, if you can clear it, I'll have no doubts about you. I've selected some mines for you to consider." Ivy connected to the system and sent the data to Asic directly.
OC opened the files immediately, displaying information about twenty different mines. On the surface, they seemed like ordinary mines, but they had death and injury rates 500% to 1600% higher than typical mines.
"These are all dangerous mines."
"Exactly. They're all mines that couldn't be cleared—either the monsters were too powerful, or the environment was too harsh, making it impossible to mine enough to break even. Most of the deaths were due to monsters. You can find the details on the last page."
"There were a lot of deaths," Asic said solemnly as he looked at the statistics. Most of the bodies hadn't even been recovered, as retrieval costs were often too high for the companies to justify.
"The way the mining industry works is that companies acquire the rights to a mine—either through ownership or by renting the rights from the mine owners. In any case, Miners are needed to extract the resources. Some mines bring enormous profits, while others lead to bankruptcy."
"Because the costs outweigh the profits?"
"Exactly. Costs include equipment, labor, and Miner fees. If Miners die, the company has to pay fines. Mines that consume excessive resources and supplies often end up unprofitable, even after clearing out monsters and extracting all the ore."
"To survive in this industry, you need to accurately assess whether a mine will yield enough profit to justify the investment. Without accurate assessment, companies are destined for bankruptcy," Ivy explained, teaching Asic what he needed to know as a future company president.
"So, if you take on a mine with a high death rate, how will you handle it?" Ivy asked.
"If the previous team failed, send someone more capable," Asic replied, drawing from his experience as a police officer. In law enforcement, if a standard team couldn't handle a case, it was escalated to specialized units, and eventually to elite agents like himself.
"But how much more capable? In the Miner world, ability is ranked by stars—the more stars, the higher the fee. If a two-star mine needs a three-star or four-star Miner, it's still a loss, isn't it? What would you do?"
"I wouldn't do it," Asic replied without hesitation. No one invests in a guaranteed loss—only a fool would. Mining was a predictable business; profit margins were often clear on paper, unless they were incredibly lucky and found a hidden ore deposit.
"Correct. Beyond the compensation for losses, losing Miners is detrimental. No one wants to engage in a losing venture. These are the mines not worth pursuing. We can buy them cheaply because they're worthless to the original owners."
"So my task is to clear these mines?"
"Exactly," Ivy smiled sweetly.
"Football players prove their value by scoring goals. Miners do it by extracting ore from challenging mines. Even if you lose money on paper, the real profit will be in your reputation and future opportunities. Successfully clearing a difficult mine could lead to partnerships with other companies."
"Look at these mines—hundreds of Miners have died. If you clear them, not only will you gain fame, but we'll also earn the support of the victims' families."
"Sounds good to me," Asic nodded. "Helping others and gaining benefits aligns with my goals."
"Exactly. The key to building a business is creating a brand—something that stays in the minds of the people. In the early stages, we'll focus on low-profit margins and take on high-risk contracts to build our reputation. Once we've established ourselves, the bigger opportunities will naturally follow. By that time, we'll be so successful we won't be able to count the money fast enough. But to get there, you're going to have to work a lot harder," Ivy explained.
"I understand. For long-term gain, we need to accept losses at the start. Did I get that right?" Asic asked.
"Exactly. You might get discouraged or feel like the work isn't worth the effort, but almost every company starts this way."
'Not bad. If I had to come up with a plan myself, I'd need to study everything from scratch. Partnering with Ivy was definitely the right decision,' Asic thought, smiling inwardly. Ivy was already helping him pave a path for the future. All Asic had to do was follow her lead, which suited him—he was more comfortable in the field than thinking things through in an office.
"What do the marked symbols mean?" Asic noticed some of the mines were marked with a star as a special symbol.
"Those symbols indicate mines that are worth taking on but come with extremely high risks," Ivy answered. She had been in the industry for over ten years—she knew almost all the mines that had made headlines or garnered special attention. It only took her a few hours to compile the list.
"For example, this mine is called [Rattatouille's Nest]. It's a grade-D mine, and only 25% of it has been excavated. The danger level is equivalent to a C+ mine, mostly due to the high number of monsters. So far, 327 people have lost their lives there, which means 75% of the ore remains unmined. The mineral extracted there is called [Ergo]. Its current price isn't very high, but I believe it will increase in the future."
"Why are you so confident it will increase?" Asic asked, curious. Ivy answered right away.
"Researchers in New Zealand are developing clean energy technology using Ergo. Right now, the research is still in the testing phase, but if they succeed, the value of Ergo will skyrocket—from $1.3 per gram to $2.5 or even $4 per gram."
"So it'll only be valuable if there's demand for it."
"Exactly. At the moment, the general public doesn't know Ergo's potential, but in six months to a year, it could become highly sought after. Currently, the tests are still inconclusive, which is why the demand for Ergo remains flat."
"Asic, if you want to make a profit as a Miner, you need to invest when prices are low and sell when they're at their peak. I know that mining Ergo might be a waste of effort if the research doesn't pan out, but if it does, the returns could be massive—maybe three, five, or even ten times what we put in."
"Only those willing to take risks win. This is the world of investors—courage to risk, courage to invest. If we wait until Ergo is in high demand, we'll only be followers. We need to be leaders."
"..." Asic didn't say anything, but a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He felt a surge of excitement about working with Ivy and what lay ahead.
There was no denying Ivy's experience in the Miner industry. She understood investment and gathered information in advance. She wasn't taking risks on a whim—she had done her research and concluded that the risk was worth taking.
[Master, OC likes her.]
'I like her too.'
[Will you marry her?] OC officially joined the Asic-Ivy fan club.
'That's a separate matter.'
"So, I have to choose one of these, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I won't choose. Ivy, pick one for me."
"You want me to choose?"
"Yes, pick the one that's the most dangerous and has the highest reward." Asic tossed the decision to Ivy. It might have seemed like he was lazy and passing the responsibility on to her, but in reality, it was a display of his confidence.
'No matter how difficult the mission, I will succeed.'
"I really do love your arrogance," Ivy smiled. "Alright, then, Rattatouille's Nest it is."
She had already wanted him to choose Rattatouille's Nest. That's why she used it as an example, though she feared he might refuse due to its high difficulty. It was a grade-D mine with a C+ level of danger—a mine that only a four-star professional Miner team could handle. But Asic was confident, and Ivy had high expectations for him.