The Awakening Stimulus

Interspecies, my SSS-class unique ability, has never once disappointed me. There was definitely something… Click. The sound of the door opening. Miho must have returned from her punishment—the one where she had to walk around the neighborhood naked after losing our console game bet. As I was pondering how to use the Awakening Stimulus, I looked at Miho as she stepped inside, and a status window popped up.

“Holy crap!”

The Awakening Stimulus was an even more incredible ability than I had imagined. To be able to artificially strengthen the demi-human I wanted, and in such a highly satisfying way!

“W-why are you yelling all of a sudden!”

“Quiet, come here! Giddy-up!”

“Waaaaah!”

That night was exceptionally long.

A day ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠passed, and when I finally came to my senses, Miho’s Awakening Stimulus had been successful. Although the system said the success rate was 20%, I had been so engrossed in the sex that I didn't even know when it had succeeded.

Slurp. “Hmm….”

I sat in the living room chair, sipping cider and lost in thought. Four options had appeared. It seemed the Awakening Stimulus worked in the direction I desired. Even though I hadn't tried it on other demi-humans yet, I knew that since I had the Genius trait and the system described her as a "highly superior specimen," awakening an SSS-class skill wouldn't be easy.

‘The ??? option is… damn. 15% is way too low.’

As this warning showed, the Awakening Stimulus wasn't a one-and-done ability. If reality were a mobile game where I could just reroll gacha as much as I wanted, it would be different, but in reality, 15% was too slim a chance to gamble on. I could pick it later when I had more breathing room. If not that, then spells, fire, or healing… should I just ask her directly?

I was twirling my finger, deep in thought. “What are you doing!”

“What… ugh!”

With a squishy sensation wrapping around my back, my body lurched forward. And my finger, moving in mid-air, clicked on the ??? option.

“Eek… I didn’t do anything wrong, did I…?”

“…If it goes wrong, it’s your fault, so just wait right there….”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“So this lucky bag was the answer!”

Surprisingly, it worked. The luck of breaking through that 15% chance flooded me with dopamine.

“Ahem! You can touch me more!”

“…Yeah, yeah. Miho’s breasts are the best.”

The time it took for the Awakening Stimulus was shorter than I imagined. My curiosity about the "mana craving" was resolved that night.

“Ha, hnn… my body… my body is so hot….”

Seeing the recommendation for semen and massage, I had intentionally kept my hands off her today, but the backlash made Miho’s body burn up.

“How does it feel? Ugh… the sensation is strange… it feels good, but also not….”

“You said it would be solved with Master’s semen. So hurry…!”

The side effect of the Awakening Stimulus? The effect of the "mana craving" was extreme arousal. But the intensity was so severe that it seemed to be reaching the point of pain.

And the next day, at Miho’s private office in the Baekryeong-ga guild.

“Amazing! It really appeared… wait, huh?”

Unlike the Awakening Stimulus sold in the shop, Miho, who had awakened an amplification that had no item or skill description, wore a puzzled expression.

The grades of her most prominent stats, Spellcasting and Mana, had risen to SSS-class. The fact that the "↑" mark on her Mana had disappeared meant that her base stat had already hit SSS-class and was now reaching into a realm that no longer appeared on the status window. However, the "Evolution" I had just pulled wasn't visible. It was the same for my own status window, where the Awakening Stimulus didn't appear. Was it a more special kind of ability?

After a moment, Miho tried a few things on her own and looked at me.

“Is it over?”

“Did you say… Evolution? I feel ridiculously strong.”

“In what way?”

“…I don’t know either?”

…I had to just let it be. I wasn't the one who awakened the evolution. It was Miho’s role to hone that power from here on out.

“Still, somehow… I feel like I can do something amazing. We’re raiding an S-class gate today. I’ll show you there.”

Looking at her status window, she was definitely in a state so incredible that it wouldn't be a stretch to call her an SSS-class hunter, not just a reserve SS-class. Her low Strength, Agility, and Stamina weren't that important for Miho, who used Spellcasting as her main weapon.

As a minimum safety measure, at least one SSS-class hunter must accompany a raid on an S-class gate. The reason was that in the past, a raid team inside an S-class gate, including two SS-class hunters and many S-class or lower hunters, had been completely wiped out. A "Double Gate." Roughly speaking, a mana saturation occurred by chance inside the gate, and at that exact moment, the raid team inside was attacked by monsters that had become freakishly strong. By the way, the probability of that happening is lower than winning the lottery jackpot twice.

“Yaaawn~.”

Because of that, Carlson, the guild leader of Baekryeong-ga and an SSS-class hunter who was representing this raid team, was lying down in front of the S-class gate.

He certainly had a status window worth his salt, proving he didn't just get the SSS-class title for show. But my impression was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠light.

‘Pretty average.’

Thinking about Miho’s growth rate, I wondered if she could even win right now if she fought him well. They were that similar. Of course, my unique ability, Interspecies, had helped with that. As long as Miho didn't betray me, I intended to keep supporting her. Though, we were already bound tightly by the Pendant of Submission.

“Doyen!”

A fresh voice called out to me while I was staring at my smartphone, lost in idle thoughts. It was Rania, the Elf who was included in the S-class gate raid team today.

“Oh. What’s this?”

“Ah, it takes an hour to start, so I made something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for us to eat. Would you… like to have some together?”

I expressed my gratitude and took one of the yubu-chobap (tofu skin sushi) Rania had made. By the way, I had told her she could speak comfortably, but she said she felt more comfortable using honorifics, so I just let it be.

“Wow… did you really make this yourself?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, a certain Fox-kin who only knew how to click on food delivery apps came to mind.

“The best. It’s really delicious.”

“Hehehe… thank you.”

Her faint, shy smile was charming. So what if the quest window called her a "useless Elf"? I could just raise her combat power myself.

I spent time chatting with Rania. Not long after, it was time to enter the gate, and I slipped into the back row, where the magic stone collection team and porters were standing, and entered the gate.

A cave covered in ice in every direction. It was a place that looked beautiful at first glance, but the cold air pierced my lungs.

‘*Sniff*… it’s cold.’

Since it had been announced that the gate’s internal environment was cold, I pulled my thick coat, which I had worn in advance, tight around me.

“Ugh… damn it… why is it so cold….”

“Wow, I think my toes are already freezing.”

“This sucks… they better pay us more per hour, right?”

Perhaps thanks to Miho’s enhanced unique ability, Heavenly Fox, I was fine, unlike the low-ranked hunters who had entered with me and were complaining about the cold. It was about the same as walking around in a warm long-padded coat in winter. However, since this S-class gate raid was scheduled to last a whole week, I had no intention of enduring this cold the whole time.

Even though the cold air brushed against my body, I could feel it, but that was it. Once I put on the bracelet, it felt as if the very concept of "cold" had vanished. As expected of Interspecies. Among the cold-weather gear worn by the A-class and higher hunters, there probably wasn't another item that boasted this level of performance.