A Half-Baked Transcendent

"What is that supposed to mean? Sponsor you? Aren't you with Cool Support too?"

Jang Ahra fixed me with a look of pure suspicion. Fair enough — I'd dropped the sponsorship demand on her with zero preamble. Even Kim Isol, sitting right beside me, looked more startled than she did.

"I want to build a dungeon expedition team of my own. And for that, more than anything, I need money. Working at the company is just a means of scraping that money together."

"By yourself?"

"No. Of course I'll need people to help. Awoken, too. Kim Isol here, and every member of our F-team — I'll need all of them. But they'll agree without hesitation. Jang Yong included."

Kim Isol, who had been listening in silence, suddenly raised her voice.

"Says who?"

Ah. Things had been going so well, and now Isol was about as helpful as a hole in a boat. I hastily pinched her ear and pulled her close.

And whispered.

Didn't she want her mana increased?

I told her, flat and final, that I would never raise the mana of someone who wasn't even on my team.

Only then did Kim Isol settle down. No — if anything, she looked pleased. Apparently she'd decided that meant I'd keep boosting her mana going forward.

Counting your chickens before they hatch, are we?

That all depends on your attitude from here on out, so you'd better behave.

Jang Ahra watched our little huddle with a strange expression. Stripped of her mana, she couldn't eavesdrop on the whisper. Not that it mattered much — she'd already felt firsthand what I could do to a person's mana, so even if she had overheard, it wouldn't have changed a thing.

"I have no intention of sending my Yong to some no-name startup."

"No. Jang Yong will come. No matter what. And if we're being honest, Cool Support isn't exactly in a different league right now, is it?"

"Why on earth would my Yong join a company built by the likes of you?"

"Because once he learns what I can do… he won't be able to stay away."

I seized Jang Ahra's hand. Some things you have to experience for yourself — a long-winded explanation would only sound cheap, and I didn't need Isol getting any fresh suspicions about my ability.

Still gripping her hand, I restored her mana and simultaneously dropped its rank to F-1. Then, just as quickly, I snuffed it out again.

Jang Ahra jolted and tried to yank free, but I'd anticipated that — I clamped down hard and held her. With virtually no mana left except for that single instant, a woman's strength wasn't enough to pry open my grip.

"Wh-what? What did you just—"

"Your mana came back just now, didn't it? Only for a moment, but still."

"……"

"That was a tiny fraction of what I can do. I can erase Jang Yong's mana entirely, or weaken it to nothing. And the reverse? That's exactly why I asked to consult with you, Noona. I honestly didn't expect you to refuse."

She looked from the hand I still held to my eyes, her face cycling through a whole gallery of expressions. Shock and curiosity. Unease and agitation. And anger.

"That's impossible… I've never even heard of an ability like this…"

"It's a secret, so keep your mouth shut. The day this goes public, I'll kill you."

I could kill her right now, if I wanted. But only right now. With her mana gone, I had options — later would be a different story. Even so, I spoke as if I could end her whenever I pleased. Bluff and threat both. I kept my face dead serious, cold and absolute, so it wouldn't look like acting.

"So you really are… a Transcendent…"

"Something in that neighborhood, sure. Think of me as a half-baked Transcendent — no money, and limits on how I use the ability. That's all I have to say about myself. So. What do you think about the sponsorship? I'm not asking for a fortune. Just enough for me to quit the company and found an Awoken support firm of my own. A loan works too, if you prefer. It'll take time to pay back, but still. And give some real thought to the conditions I offered earlier. Managing this yourself has to be easier than dealing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a company where people with loose lips are walking around as department heads and deputy managers, doesn't it?"

"The conditions…"

"Yes."

"What you said earlier… are you serious?"

"Of course. I can keep Jang Yong out of combat entirely. Or strip his mana. Once word gets out that his mana is gone, the government won't issue him dungeon entry permits. He'd be safe."

She was wrestling with it. Trusting a complete stranger and writing a check after less than an hour of acquaintance was a lot to ask.

"I still… need time to think."

"How long do you need?"

"I don't know. And I'm not cutting the sponsorship to your company. I have to keep that going for a while, at least. If those people start spreading stories about me… I'll have no choice but to actually kill them…"

"You can't do that. You're not serious, right?"

"……"

Was she actually serious? She'd rather commit murder than let her little brother find out what she'd been doing?

Hwaa… this woman was a different breed of lunatic entirely.

A chill ran down my whole body. I didn't even dare ask why she was this obsessed with her brother.

"Well, I wasn't demanding sponsorship on the spot, and I didn't really expect you to agree today either. We've only just met. Take your time watching us, then decide. There's no rush. Ah — if you free up a slot, come by our next expedition. I'll arrange it so you can see exactly how we hunt inside a dungeon. You're on a raid team, so dungeon access shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

"Hmm… fine. If you're that confident, I'll come take a look. And…"

"Don't worry about Jang Yong. I'll take good care of him. Keep the women at arm's length. Ah — you don't need to worry about the women on our team. Not a single one of them has any interest in him."

"That's impossible! What woman could dislike a face that cute—"

"What kind of nonsense is—"

Kim Isol, who had been sitting quietly beside me, looked ready to jump in — apparently Jang Ahra's over-the-top praise of Jang Yong was more than she could stomach. I clamped a hand over her mouth before she could offend a woman who might yet become my sponsor.

Do you have any idea how much money this is?

I had a strong feeling Jang Ahra would end up joining us on the next expedition. Given that brother complex of hers, the odds looked very high. Whether it would be next week or the expedition after depended on her raid team's schedule, but she would show up once — that much was certain.

Until then, I needed to have Jang Yong so thoroughly under my thumb he couldn't move without my say-so. Sitting around waiting stupidly wasn't my style. The board was set; now it was time to tilt the situation in my favor.

I could call the kid right now and—

Ah. If only that guy had been a girl. That would've been perfect.

"Alright, give it back already. My mana."

Right. I had to restore her mana.

But how? If I just handed it back with no performance at all, every bluff I'd run on Kim Isol would collapse on the spot. And I could hardly demand sex from Jang Ahra right here at first meeting…

"Um… Kim Isol, would you mind heading back now?"

"I don't want to."

"I see…"

"Hey. Give me my mana back."

"Could I borrow your ear for a second? And Kim Isol — absolutely no eavesdropping!"

"Hmph."

I leaned in to Jang Ahra's ear and explained. Restoring mana required physical contact. Very… intense physical contact.

"So what? Just do it. I'm a busy woman."

"It doesn't work if I just touch you anywhere."

Kim Isol was glaring daggers in our direction. Her expression was hard to read — those sharp eyes of hers always looked half-angry, so I couldn't tell if she was actually furious or just resting her face. Still, this wasn't a power-up; I was only putting things back the way they were. Maybe I could get away with a lighter touch and some creative excuses?

Or not.

Then again, that girl had literally pissed herself in front of me just to get her mana back…

Even so, doing this with her watching would be mortifying…

I decided to settle for groping Jang Ahra's chest and calling it done. But asking a woman I'd just met to let me feel her up was never going to fly. Believe me, I'd have preferred to just restore it cleanly. If that little watchdog weren't here, I could have spun all sorts of lines…

"M-my chest? What the hell are you talking about! You perverted bastard…"

"Ah, I'm sorry. My ability just works this way… which is probably why I'm broke. If you don't want to, feel free to leave as you are. I apologize."

"……"

Kim Isol looked at Jang Ahra with something close to a sneer. Jang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ahra, for her part, squeezed her eyes shut and thought hard for a long moment. Then she opened them and spoke, as if she'd made up her mind.

"This stays secret too. Everything about us meeting here today is a secret. The day any of it reaches my Yong's ears, I will use every connection I have to erase the both of you."

"Does that mean…"

"Fine. Go on. Touch me. Give me my mana back — now."

Jang Ahra set her hands on her waist and thrust her chest forward.

Look, I'm sorry, but…

"I-it only works if I touch bare skin…"

"What did you just say?!"

Color flooded Jang Ahra's face. I tried to keep my tone as calm as possible — after all, I was counting on her becoming my meal ticket. But calm delivery doesn't make a request like that easy to swallow.

In the end, after a long stretch of persuading both women, I posted Kim Isol as lookout and went into the women's restroom alone with Jang Ahra. Then I slid my hand under her clothes and kneaded her breasts.

I couldn't see them, but the feel of them was more than satisfying.

"Hnn… h-how long… haaah…"

As I raised her mana rank by rank back up to her original A-9, a thoroughly indecent moan slipped out of her with every step. Was the pleasure of mana flooding back really that intense? I had no frame of reference.

Still, with enough time, I managed to restore her mana completely.

When we stepped out of the women's restroom, a fair number of women were waiting. The moment they saw my face, the whispering started.

"Oh my, what's this? A man? At this hour?"

"Who's the woman inside? Don't tell me he was molesting someone in broad daylight?"

"Watch your mouth. Those two are Awoken."

"I'm jealous. Being Awoken makes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that guy look even hotter."

I scratched my head, thoroughly embarrassed, and hurried out of the café.

Ah, this is mortifying.

And what about Jang Ahra's face? People were going to recognize her. Not my problem. That was her headache.

As I fled the scene like a man who'd just committed a crime, Kim Isol trailed after me, staring daggers, her face full of open dissatisfaction.

And what exactly is your complaint?

She must have read it on my face, because she stuck out her lower lip and muttered,

"You bastard."

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever. You're a bastard."

"Ah… right."

I admit it. I am something of a bastard.

I was busy.

We'd left the café around five in the afternoon. Clocking out then and there would have been nice, but I still had work. I needed to find a destination for our next expedition, write up the report, and submit it by tomorrow morning. Only then would it clear approval by tomorrow afternoon, and only then could we start prepping for the run.

It wasn't a long job, though. Among E-rank dungeons, only a handful let you fight monsters at a pace that still left room for a normal commute. Ones close to Seoul were even rarer. I picked a spot where we could earn at least a little money regardless of difficulty, and got straight to work on the report.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

My phone started vibrating. I picked up.

Senior Sora.

A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it. What was I, some lovesick kid?

"Yes, Senior."

"Hmm… seven at the earliest?"

"Let's do it today. People only find superhuman strength when they're under pressure. If we set a time, I bet I can finish everything before seven."

"Sounds good. Dinner's on me tonight. You treated last time."

"I'm hanging up. Going to finish this fast. See you soon."

I'd sent Kim Isol home because of the report and everything else still on my plate — but the second I heard Senior's voice, energy flooded back into me. It made no sense. Why did she pull at me like this?

Ah. No time for that. Every minute, every second — finish this report and go meet her.

The call might have sounded like I was the one begging to meet, but if you looked closely, she was the one who'd called because she wanted to see me first. And suddenly I wanted nothing more than to see Senior's face — glasses and all — as soon as humanly possible.