The Fox in Human Skin
Kim Sang-chul, the human president of the Hunter Association, stared at the scene before him, unable to believe his own eyes. The test dummy, specifically designed for human-only trials, had been utterly pulverized, with the force of the impact even damaging the wall behind it. No matter how much it was tailored for humans, that dummy possessed defensive capabilities on par with an S-class hunter.
“Are you… are you truly certain you awakened only yesterday?”
“Yes.”
Kim Sang-chul hurriedly flipped through the man’s profile. Lee Su-ho. He had two family members to support; his father had died while trying to save his teammates during a gate raid, and he was currently the sole provider for his sick mother and younger sister. He was handsome, had a clean criminal record, and possessed a perfect backstory to match his extraordinary abilities.
‘Could this finally be it? The moment humanity finally takes flight?’
They had suffered in so many ways because they lacked a single SSS-class hunter to turn the tide. Kim Sang-chul finally felt a glimmer of hope that the status of humanity within the Association might finally rise.
I didn't have any debts left to pay, and I’d already secured an S-class slave, so I was finally enjoying some leisure time for the first time in a while.
Rumors are flying that a human who awakened recently and came for testing hit SSS-class. Are we finally getting an SSS-class hunter?
Someone else had clearly picked up some trashy rumor and started spreading nonsense on the gallery again.
Ding-dong!
It was a rare holiday, and as I was browsing the gallery wondering what to do, a clear doorbell rang. It was around 11:00 AM. Since there was no one who would be coming to see me, I assumed it was Miho and opened the door.
“Who is…?”
“Wow. You’re handsome!”
‘…What?!’
I was deeply flustered by the sudden flirting from a beautiful woman with the features of an ordinary human, but a familiar scent of peaches tickled my nose in a pleasant way. Objectively speaking, I considered my appearance to be average. It wasn't like I had amazing abilities, either. For a woman I was meeting for the first time—a beauty who would make people turn their heads on the street—to suddenly show up and hit on me with a bright smile was something that couldn't happen in my common sense.
Unless it was an organ trafficker, a new type of voice phishing scam, or that urban legend about sex-proselytizing, it made no sense. I was actually ready to happily accept it if it was sex-proselytizing, but… I checked my status window and it was just Miho.
This sharp-tongued fox dares to try and deceive her Master?
The spell level listed in my skills was a whopping SS-rank. Since she could easily use spatial movement, she had probably just slightly altered her appearance with a spell. Looking closely at her face, there were many parts that resembled Miho. Especially her breasts. I felt my mood improve at the thought of touching those magnificent breasts again today.
“Thank you for the compliment. Since we’ve met like this, shall we have a meal together?”
“……I’d love to!”
Thinking I’d been completely fooled, Miho didn't hide her joy as she stepped into the house.
There is only one topic upon which the demi-human races, who are constantly at odds to seize hegemony over Earth, collude: the monsters, disasters that pour out of gates that appear at regular intervals. Establishing guilds to block these monsters in the most effective and systematic way has become something of a social phenomenon. Among them, the Baekryeong-ga is the only guild of the Ho-jok (Fox-kin) and, in a way, functions like a nation representing their race. In fact, it is said that the Guild Master’s power is absolute within the Baekryeong-ga.
“Hoo… acting all high and mighty just because of a unique ability…”
“I’m sorry……”
Miho, an S-class hunter belonging to the Baekryeong-ga and a member of the 2nd Raid Team, had used up her one week of vacation she’d been saving up to keep her promise to Kim Doyen.
“Do you have any common sense, taking a whole week off… ah, just go.”
“Yes…”
Moira, the team leader of the 2nd Raid Team, didn't hide her annoyed expression as she waved her hand. Moira was a capable SS-class hunter. Even though she had no chance of becoming an SSS-class hunter, she lacked nothing, having been appointed as the team leader of the Baekryeong-ga’s 2nd team. Therefore, she was in a relationship where she was incomparable to Miho, a mere half-baked S-class hunter, in terms of martial power and status, and Miho had no choice but to take it even if Moira insulted her to her face.
Although all of Miho’s stats had grown by one level recently, that didn't mean a half-baked hunter suddenly became a fully-fledged S-class.
“Ha…”
Her heart felt crushed. ‘The Hunter Officetel…? There’s no set time, so I should just go now.’
Miho left the Baekryeong-ga territory and headed for Seoul, where humans resided, to meet the human whose mere presence made her feel pleasantly at ease. In the process, she changed her appearance to human to avoid unnecessary attention.
‘Is the Hunter Officetel… here?’
He would probably be obsessively touching her body and pouring out his desires again today, just like yesterday.
“…”
Miho blushed as she felt a sudden heat in her lower abdomen. Did such a convenient ability where you just had to have sex to get stronger really exist in the world? She thought about it while fiddling with the Pendant of Submission, which had performance so incredible it was hard to believe it was a lie.
‘So what if it’s a lie? Kim Doyen seems to like me… and above all, sex… it feels so good.’
Miho, who had been about to enter after using a spell to undo her disguise in front of the door, hesitated. Since she had come all this way even though she was in a bad mood, wouldn't it be okay to tease him a little?
As expected, Kim Doyen didn't recognize Miho’s disguise. Or so Miho thought.
“Hehe.”
She’d fooled him! He couldn't even tell after she’d just hidden her ears and tail and changed her hair color slightly. It was truly the behavior of a stupid human. As they entered the house—a small room and a living room, nothing special—Kim Doyen went into the kitchen, saying he would bring something to drink. In the meantime, Miho pulled out the Pendant of Submission, which was in a state of transparency—something she couldn't take off, but didn't want to take off anyway—from between her breasts. It was to the point where she wondered if this was becoming a habit.
‘SSS-class… are there more items like this?’
With a massive increase in growth rate, it was a godsend for Miho, who usually neglected her training. It meant she could get the same effect without doing things the way others did, just by slacking off! At this point, the option of working hard like others to achieve greater results didn't exist. And if things went well, she could even make Moira kneel and pay her back for all the harsh things she’d suffered—just as Miho was letting her imagination run wild.
Clack.
Kim Doyen, who had returned from the kitchen, placed a glass of water on the table. ‘His hospitality for a guest is terrible!’ Miho, who was grumbling to herself, drank the water and savored the pleasant, comfortable energy she felt from Kim Doyen. Should she call it a feeling of being drawn to him in body and mind? It was a feeling of intimacy rising from deep within her heart. Especially after having sex, that feeling seemed to have grown even stronger.
“You’re the one from the Association, right?”
“Huh?… Ah, yes. That’s right!”
Miho was flustered by the sudden question, but she decided to play along for now. ‘The Association is looking for Kim Doyen…?’ If it was the Association, it was surely a global organization to which all guilds formally belonged, wasn't it? Because of the unique nature of monsters pouring out if they weren't defeated within a week of a gate appearing, the one compromise that the races, who were usually at odds, had found was the Hunter Association, a policy humans had used.
“The Hunter Sexual Processing Program I applied for is finally…”
There was no way such a thing existed, but Miho, who had never had any interest in humans before meeting Kim Doyen, had no choice but to be deceived by his incredibly confident attitude. She just thought, ‘So humans have things like Hunter Sexual Processing Programs, too.’
Kim Doyen began to fumble with his clothes, taking them off.
“Eh? No, that…”
Miho was frozen in embarrassment at the sudden turn of events. She had ended up having sex with Kim Doyen semi-forcibly and giving him her virginity, but sex with him wasn't such a bad experience. Before she knew it, they were kissing, and by the time she came to her senses, the deed was done. Miho hadn't known the effect of the Word of Tranquility, but she thought that perhaps because she hadn't known, it had been an even more pleasant first experience. And since she had intended to use the slave collar to use him as she pleased, she had just tried to call it even.
Her relationship with Kim Doyen was just a simple one where they shared their bodies, he satisfied his sexual desires, and she became stronger through Kim Doyen’s abilities. She thought it was just a simple relationship where they satisfied their sexual desires on the side.
‘You said it was your first time… you said it was your first time!’
No, she had tried to think that way. It was inevitable that she would care about the person to whom she had opened her eyes to the male body and given her first time. As bad things continued to happen all day long, a very small ripple began to form in Miho’s heart.
“…Sniff.”
As her emotions began to dominate her thoughts, her eyes began to redden little by little. It was the moment Miho’s heart, which had come to tease him with a light heart, shattered in an instant.