Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: I'll Show You Some Magic!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"I'll show you some magic!"
Suddenly, Lee Ha-eun appeared out of nowhere, and Lee Ji-hyun began trembling in fear.
It wasn't just the power of her older sister, who'd always been called a genius since childhood and stayed ahead of her no matter what.
"From now on, I'll serve Miss Lee Ha-eun."
Even the nanny who'd raised her had fallen completely for Lee Ha-eun's offer.
Even at her young age, just after awakening, Lee Ji-hyun finally realized whose daughter she was. The daughter of Lee Hyun-woo, Star Cloud Guild Master, who could have anything she wanted.
But to enjoy those things, she had to prove her own worth.
Whether through strength or politics.
But as the youngest, there was almost nothing she could do. She was already ten years behind her eldest brother in starting out, and the same went for her second brother and eldest sister.
Even her youngest sister, Lee Ha-eun, whose starting line was closest to hers, had been born three years earlier.
From the moment she was born, she'd had to fight against sheer unfairness. She could eat whatever she wanted and buy whatever caught her eye, but keeping it all required grueling effort.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could never catch up to the years they'd already accumulated.
A few hunters, like Baek Hwa, had chosen to follow Lee Ji-hyun, but they were a tiny minority—and even now, people were defecting to the other side in real time. In desperation, like grasping at straws, she'd met Yoo Hye-rin's son and daughter, whom she could call her master's kids.
Park A-jun and Park A-young.
They'd only just awakened and didn't seem like much at first, but both were incredibly hardworking. And talented, too.
Park A-jun was held back by his job, but he'd learned the Swordsmanship skill in a single day, showing his gift for the blade. Park A-young was the same.
"Ahh... I know my job all too well... It's so lame I wanna die."
"You lunatic."
And sometimes, Park A-jun's jokes during practice made her laugh, even if she didn't fully get them.
Lee Ji-hyun had planned to keep him on her team to the end, even if he couldn't shake his job's penalty. Now, she was on the verge of tears.
Was she losing them to her sister again...? That despair washed over her.
Her foul mood after Park A-jun tamed Bianca must have stemmed from this anxiety.
Not jealousy... exactly.
"Hehe. A gem only shines when held by someone who recognizes its true value. Mr. Park A-jun, Miss Park A-young. I'm making you a special offer."
Lee Ha-eun wagged her finger, and the people behind her pulled out sheets of paper.
"S-Sis...!!"
"You're not planning to be the kind of incompetent leader who blocks her team members' futures, are you? Think it over, little sis. Stick with that crazy incest freak of a brother and end up like me...? Or join me, and I'll hook you up with some decent hunters?"
Lee Ji-hyun tried to block her physically, but a single gesture from Lee Ha-eun sent her flying back. The gap between them was immense; shoved aside, Lee Ji-hyun couldn't even move or speak.
"Oh! And of course, our Baek Hwa gets something even more special, right?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Lee Ha-eun, but I've already sworn my loyalty to Miss Lee Ji-hyun. No matter how sweet the offer, I can't accept."
"Hmm... Take it anyway. You might change your mind?"
Lee Ha-eun forced a contract into Baek Hwa's hand despite the refusal.
Meanwhile, Park A-jun and Park A-young were reading the contracts handed to them.
'Sob... Of all people, not you, Park A-jun... You can't betray me...'
I gave you a signing bonus when you were nobody, provided housing and instructors, even stopped Baek Hwa from kicking you out. You can't do this to me. You can't suddenly betray me just because you tamed an SS-Rank monster!!!
Unable to make a sound, Lee Ji-hyun glared at the back of Park A-jun's head with terrifying obsession.
How well had she treated him?
It made sense to invest in Park A-young, who showed real promise. But Park A-jun? He wasn't shaking his job's penalty—in fact, he was sinking deeper into hell. Investing in him wasn't rational.
That's why she'd pinned her hopes on him anyway.
"Whoa... These are some great terms."
"Of course. I can confidently say no one can offer better. It even says I'll be part of the deal. Me, future Guild Master of Star Cloud Guild."
Lee Ha-eun boldly declared she'd become the Guild Master.
Her faction was still a bit short of her eldest brother Lee Jun-hyuk's. But with Park A-jun, that changed.
'He might even become an SS-Rank hunter.'
A skill that permanently boosted stats was unprecedented in human history. But Park A-jun shattered that rule.
Ejaculating inside a woman's pussy to permanently raise her stats...!
'The boosts are random, but I can do it all day if needed.'
She had to have sex to raise stats anyway. So Lee Ha-eun proudly offered herself as a condition.
Even if polygamy or polyandry were legal, as an S-Rank hunter and future Star Cloud Guild Master, she could keep Park A-jun from cheating.
She planned to bind him through marriage, preventing reckless use of that cheat skill.
Strengthen her faction with Park A-jun's ability, add Bianca, and Lee Jun-hyuk's forces would be nothing.
"Oh man~! Thank you, miss! Mind if this humble one puts on a little show for you?"
"Pfft...! Go ahead."
'What? Miss...? I'm your miss! Jokes that make her laugh are supposed to be for me only. Why? We look alike, but I'm younger...?'
Seeing Lee Ha-eun laugh at Park A-jun's joke filled Lee Ji-hyun with thick betrayal. She was swallowing bloody tears inside.
"Alright then! I'll show you some magic! Assistant!"
"Hai! Master!!"
Park A-jun struck an exaggerated pose as he spoke, and Park A-young responded immediately.
Park A-jun used the word "sex" so often that Park A-young called him a sex bird. It showed the siblings got along well.
In fact, their chemistry was perfect. Without a word, she replied in fake Japanese to his "assistant" call, matching his over-the-top act.
"Alright, assistant! Let's begin!"
"Wakari mashita!"
Whoosh-!! Whoosh-!!! Roar-!!
"Hot! Shibaaa!!"
The contract burst into flames from Park A-young's small spark and turned to ash, vanishing.
Lee Ha-eun watched expectantly for what came next. A new contract would appear soon.
"Now~ where did that completely burned contract go...? Ah, there it is?"
"... "
Lee Ha-eun's face twisted.
This wasn't a trick. It was literal magic.
Park A-jun was showing off Park A-young's flame magic.
"Assistant! Again!"
"Hai-!!"
Whoosh-!! Roar-!!!
Another contract ignited and fell as ash.
"No way! That burned-up contract is here too?"
"... "
Lee Ha-eun gritted her teeth as Park A-jun snatched even the contract forced into Baek Hwa's hand. Still a trick, she told herself.
Once he burned Baek Hwa's too, it'd magically reappear.
That was her hope.
Roar-!!
"How was my magic?"
"... Hehe... Hahahaha!!"
Lee Ha-eun burst into laughter at Park A-jun's tablecloth pull.
"Hahaha..."
And then silence fell.
"No one's ever humiliated me like this, except my family..."
"You bastard, how dare you to the miss!!"
Lee Ha-eun's voice burned with fury rising from deep within.
Park A-jun didn't wipe the grin off his face, even as her academy classmates—sensing their master's rage—shouted to prove their loyalty.
"Phew... Fine, I was wrong for shoving a contract at you right off the bat, so I'll let it slide. But take this."
Lee Ha-eun held back her underlings, who looked ready to lunge, and offered her business card.
"If you change your mind, call me. Only a few people have this number."
"Sure, I'll take the card. But I don't think I'll change my mind."
"Why not? Does my little sister appeal more? I thought I stacked up pretty well... Oh, I get it. The usual guy thing. If I become Guild Master, you can naturally have my sister too, Mr. Park A-jun. How's that?"
Figuring he wouldn't burn a business card, Park A-jun pocketed it. But Lee Ha-eun's persistent persuasion grated on him.
"No, hey. Senior, why talk about your sister like she's an object?"
"...? Of course. Everything she enjoys comes from Dad. The one who inherits his position should be able to do whatever they want with those who've enjoyed it."
Park A-jun was shocked by her words. As a former everyman, he couldn't fathom this dark side of top-tier hunters.
"Why the hell should that be?"
"Because if they want to keep enjoying those perks, they need to stay on the Guild Master's good side?"
Two people who couldn't understand each other.
"No, just start a new hunter guild..."
"Pfft... Start a new guild? Live empty-handed, without all those perks? This industry's brutal. You need government gate management permits, regular gate cleanups. And if an emergency gate pops up? New guilds fail nine out of ten times. You know that, right?"
"... "
Park A-jun shut his mouth.
People used to luxury couldn't handle going broke overnight. Even flashy CEOs offed themselves when their companies tanked.
"Sigh... Anyway, call if you change your mind. Seon.bae.nim?"
After Lee Ha-eun left, Park A-jun pulled out the card and handed it to Lee Ji-hyun. Showing he had no intention of calling.
"Here. I get your family drama's messy... but we're a team. I'll help however I can!"
"Thank you..."
Lee Ji-hyun took her sister's card from him, tears streaming, and tore it to shreds.
"Hey, I showed off fire magic too."
"Thanks, A-young..."
"Eh... Am I the one who couldn't get scouted, so no thanks for me?"
"Yu-rin, Baek Hwa, everyone... thank you."
Lee Ji-hyun felt all the anxiety from forming her team melt away, and she smiled brightly.