Alpha Male (Part 2)
The first thing that caught his eye was the very first skill on the list. It was a skill named Alpha Male.
Alpha Male. It originally meant the leader of a pack, the strongest male with an overpowering presence. But lately it had become a trending meme in online communities, basically shorthand for “a guy who’s insanely popular with women.”
“...Does the Hunter System even keep up with current memes now?”
Park Jihun was stunned by the unexpectedly modern touch, yet he couldn’t deny the faint spark of anticipation the words “Alpha Male” lit inside him.
Maybe it’s something that makes women flock to me?
Becoming a hunter would already guarantee popularity, but extra charisma on top of that was hardly a downside. And if the skill somehow worked on female-type monsters too…
“Heh. Then I’d have nothing left to wish for.”
It would be the literal realization of his wildest dreams. But when he read the skill’s actual description, he could only tilt his head in confusion.
Alpha Male (Level 1)
When facing female monsters or female-type monsters, all stats are doubled. Inflicts stiffness, fear, hesitation, and loss of battle intent on the target.
“...Stats doubled? Plus stiffness and fear effects on top?”
Completely contrary to his expectations, Alpha Male was a pure combat skill. And an absurdly broken one at that—doubling his stats while also applying crowd-control effects.
“Wait, this isn’t about being popular with women. This is literally just being physically overwhelming to them.”
So it wasn’t Alpha Male—it was more like “absolute fucking gigachad”? That was the thought running through Park Jihun’s head.
Still, even though he had never actually lived the hunter life, he had played enough games to instantly recognize how ridiculously overpowered the effect was.
“This… this is a goddamn jackpot, right?”
The name felt a little off, sure, but the performance was first-prize lottery tier. Even if it was limited to female and female-type monsters, doubling his stats meant that whenever his numbers went up in the future, he would always be twice as strong as anyone else in those matchups.
The only problem was—
“Ah… I really was aiming for female-type monsters, but…”
He frowned and tilted his head back and forth, conflicted. When he said “aiming,” he hadn’t meant physically beating them into submission. He had meant fulfilling every last one of his sexual fantasies the moment he met them.
Getting a skill that sounded like it was telling him to beat them to death felt a bit disappointing.
“No, wait… actually, this might be perfect?”
Suddenly his eyes flashed and he straightened up.
“If my stats are overwhelmingly higher and I get hesitation and stiffness effects… I can subdue them without killing them!”
He nodded vigorously, as if he had just realized something monumental. Just like he said—if his stats were overwhelmingly superior and the skill applied control effects, he could overpower them, pin them down, and then do all sorts of other things without needing to kill them.
Given how monsters charged at anything that looked human, subduing them alive was far harder than simply killing them. But with superior stats and built-in crowd control, subjugation would become almost effortless.
“Whoa, that’s what it was! The System totally read my wish and delivered exactly what I wanted!”
His eyes sparkled at the thought of encountering female monsters, capturing them, and unleashing every filthy desire he had.
“Oh, right. There was a second skill too.”
He had been so distracted by the first one that he had almost forgotten. Since the first skill perfectly matched his lust, he was curious what the second one would be like.
Most hunters awakened with only a single skill. After that, they usually had to buy expensive skill stones with their earnings or luckily obtain one inside a gate. Of course there were exceptions—geniuses who awakened with two or even three skills right from the start.
Park Jihun couldn’t hide his delight at being one of those chosen few.
Female Hunter
Permanently increases stats upon defeating or subduing female monsters or female-type monsters. Effect varies by situation.
“Wow.”
The second skill was one of the rarest among rare skills—a permanent stat-growth passive, considered the absolute best in its category. Its name, Female Hunter, suited Park Jihun far too perfectly.
“And it activates when I subdue female monsters, too.”
He completely ignored the word “defeat.” He had zero intention of killing beautiful female-type monsters.
Well, I’ll still kill the ones that are just straight-up female monsters with no humanoid traits.
Anyway, the Female Hunter skill felt like it had been custom-made to pair with Alpha Male. The synergy was insane.
“Holy shit… even if you ignore the whole ‘female’ and ‘alpha male’ theme, these specs are completely broken.”
His base stats were low, but against females they doubled, putting him in the 30–40 range. He wasn’t exactly sure how strong that was yet, but it was still way better than the average of 15–20. And although it was limited to females and depended on the situation, he could raise his stats just by killing monsters.
Other people had to spend a fortune on elixirs or grind through hellish achievements to earn stat points. He could get them basically for free. It was as if the heavens were telling him to grow strong and unleash every last one of his hidden desires.
“And since they’re monsters, even if some people find it disgusting, there won’t be any legal or ethical problems! Probably.”
Besides, he wasn’t just some pervert who got hard for any female monster—he was specifically excited by beings that looked almost human but weren’t. That made it feel less repulsive, he told himself.
“Yeah. Beautiful female bodies. I like them even if they aren’t human.”
He imagined it.
A pointy-eared beauty with slightly greenish but still smooth, supple skin. Her enormous breasts and tight ass barely covered by ragged cloth. A beast-girl with fluffy ears and a swaying tail. And at the very top—
A succubus wearing clothes so revealing they might as well be nonexistent, radiating decadent, seductive charm as she tempted men!
“Oh, fuck yes. I’m getting fired up just thinking about it.”
Simply from imagining them, he felt himself growing rock-hard down below. Whether it was thanks to the Alpha Male skill or just his mood, the heat pulsing between his legs felt far stronger than usual.
“Still, I should probably only do it where no one can see, right?”
Even though the mere thought made him want to pounce the second he saw one in front of him, he surprisingly still possessed a shred of common sense. He was a walking collection of exotic fetishes, but exhibitionism wasn’t one of them.
“Anyway… I’ve awakened as a hunter. Time to go register.”
Thinking that, he finally rose from the bed.
“As for the part-time job… I’ll just send a text.”
It was a short, blunt message. The place was a trash part-time job that frequently withheld pay from a high-school-grad orphan and didn’t even meet minimum wage, so he felt zero attachment.
His phone buzzed and rang for a while afterward, but Park Jihun neatly ignored it all and headed toward the nearest Hunter Association branch.
In Incheon, where Park Jihun lived, the Hunter Association had three branches: the Bupyeong Branch, Incheon Airport Branch, and Songdo Branch. The closest and most convenient one from Guwol-dong was the Bupyeong Branch.
“Please place your hand on this crystal orb. It’s a magical device that identifies awakeners.”
“Sure.”
As the receptionist instructed, he put his hand on the transparent crystal. It began to emit a soft glow in response to his mana.
“Confirmed. Please take a seat and wait. We’ll call your name when it’s ready.”
The employee’s attitude was extremely polite but carried a strong bureaucratic tone. Maybe it was because Hunter Association staff saw dozens of awakeners every single day, no matter how rare hunters were supposed to be.
Park Jihun felt a little disappointed that no one was cheering or looking at him with wonder.
But that only lasted a moment. His attention was quickly stolen by the hunters walking around inside the branch.
“Whoa…”
People you would never see in modern society unless they were cosplaying were strolling around everywhere. A heavy swordsman wearing full plate armor with a massive sword strapped to his back. A mage in a flashy uniform and robe, carrying a staff topped with a huge red orb. A twin-blade big sister in skintight leather that perfectly showcased her killer figure.
“…Ahem. Hm.”
For some reason his gaze kept locking onto her.
Anyway. If the world hadn’t turned out like this, the only place you’d see such a sight was at a comic convention. Of course, not everyone was dressed like that. Quite a few people wore simple tracksuits like Jihun, though they still carried swords at their waists, bows in their hands, or had dagger holsters strapped to their belts. They were probably new hunters or low-rank ones who couldn’t afford full gear yet.
“Park Jihun.”
While he was busy people-watching, the receptionist called his name.
“Ah, yes.”
When he reached the counter, the employee handed him a card.
Hunter Registration Card
Name: Park Jihun
Hunter Rank: —
It looked exactly like a national ID or driver’s license. Just as it appeared, it was official proof that he was a registered hunter. Of course, since he hadn’t taken the training or the test yet, the rank field was blank. That would be filled in soon enough.
“There happens to be a training session today. Right now you only have a temporary license, so you can’t enter any gates. Once you complete the training and receive your rank, you’ll be fully registered and able to enter gates.”
The receptionist spoke rapidly, like an AI reading from a macro.
Lucky me.
Training was happening today. If it hadn’t been, he would have been stuck sitting in his room with only a temporary license for days. This was perfect timing.
“Where do I go for the training?”
“Please head up to the second floor…”
Following the directions, Park Jihun headed off to receive the education required to become a proper hunter.