Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The Natural Nun, Yoo Su-ah - 2
***
“Su-ah? What are you doing here…?”
As if sensing my presence, Su-ah parted the curtain and approached my bed.
“Nurse Cecilia had to step out for a moment due to an emergency. So, I was watching over you, Brother.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yes. As a healer and a nun, it is my duty to help the afflicted, so please don't feel burdened.”
“Well…”
I didn't feel particularly burdened. I was just uneasy about suddenly being alone with Yoo Su-ah, one of my top people to avoid.
I wasn't the protagonist, so why were the heroines drawn to me like this? It was just a coincidence, right?
Anyway, I had felt this even when reading the original story, but her excessively nun-like speech was a little difficult to get used to.
It felt like the contrived dialogue of an NPC.
'Well, she is a natural nun.'
Technically, she was an NPC, in a way.
According to the original story's setting, Yoo Su-ah grew up in a convent. Abandoned by her parents as a child, she was taken in by the Mother Superior, which resulted in her overly devout faith.
Well, it was her defining characteristic.
Of course, her beauty also had a sacred air.
Her brown hair, bobbed to her shoulders in a perfectly straight line, and her equally straight bangs framed her face. Her skin was pale, almost white, and her brown eyes were luminous. A cross necklace hung around her neck, and a cross bracelet adorned one wrist.
Anyone could tell she was a healer just by looking at her. That was Yoo Su-ah.
'And according to the setting book, she's an E-cup.'
Her small stature, delicate frame, and the loose robes she always wore hid her E-cup status.
But I knew about this and thanks to the author's generosity, I had seen the illustration of Su-ah blushing in a bikini.
The impact of that image had been considerable, especially since Su-ah's figure was hidden beneath her robes throughout the original story.
Her ample and bold bust was undoubtedly the most impressive among the main heroines…
“B-brother? Your face is red… where are you looking…?”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry…! I zoned out for a second! I wasn’t staring at you on purpose, I was just… spacing out…!”
“Oh, I see. You must still be recovering.”
“Uh, y-yeah! That’s right!”
I quickly looked away.
I must have been staring too obviously while imagining the illustration of Su-ah in a bikini.
The atmosphere immediately turned awkward.
I desperately wished for the nurse to return, but there was no sign of her.
I awkwardly thanked her.
“Th-thanks.”
“Yes? Oh… *giggle*.”
Su-ah politely covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled.
Her gentle, crescent-moon eye smile momentarily captivated me, melting my heart.
I felt like I should confess all my sins right then and there.
Then, Su-ah said something I couldn't quite comprehend.
“No, Brother. I should be thanking you.”
“…Huh? Why?”
“*Giggle giggle*, the prayers I’ve offered to the Lord every day have finally reached you as a radiant light. How can I not be overjoyed and grateful?”
“…What? Prayers? For me?”
Confused by her words, I asked again, and Su-ah suddenly took both my hands in hers.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she wore a look of pure gratitude.
What was going on with her?
“Of course! The Lord has finally answered my prayers, and through this answer, He has shown me faith. So I am the one who should be thanking you, Brother!”
…What was she talking about?
Was she saying she prayed for Han Tae-jin’s future every day?
'There was no mention of that in the original story…?'
It was a bit touching, but I still didn’t understand why.
Was this the grace of an innate nun?
“You have no idea how happy I am about your transformation, Brother. Not only have you escaped the hell of sloth, but it seems you’ve also pulled yourself from the swamp of misguided desires. How could I not rejoice?”
“Uh… huh? The swamp of misguided desires…?”
“Let’s pray together now. Shouldn’t we give thanks to the Lord for this blessing?”
“Uh, o-okay…”
Seemingly not interested in my reply, Su-ah, brimming with faith and on the verge of tears, clasped my hands together, closed her eyes, and began to pray. I closed my eyes as well.
The strange sense of déjà vu I'd been feeling since morning was solidifying into certainty, but I decided to play along for now.
And Su-ah's warm hands weren't unpleasant.
“The Lord has bestowed His grace, bringing a light of salvation to this lost lamb. I pray that this light may reach deep into his heart and remain with him for eternity…”
I didn’t know.
As someone who didn't believe in religion, the prayer's content didn't resonate with me.
I was more fixated on the phrase 'swamp of misguided desires,' but I had to push that thought aside as the prayer ended shortly.
“May he be guided onto the path of grace… Amen.”
“Amen.”
I had tried to avoid any involvement with the main heroines, but somehow, on my first day back at school, I had interacted with three of them.
Han-Na on the bus.
Ella because of the hidden piece.
And now Su-ah with this sudden prayer.
I had encountered all of them except for Baek Mi-jin, the passionate part-timer.
However, I couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was happening.
The main heroines reactions were all bizarre, as if a screw was loose.
'What is this? Seriously, what's going on? Could it be… they knew about the stalking…?'
That was the worst-case scenario.
If that were true, I wouldn't be able to predict anything about the future.
Or was there some hidden backstory that would be revealed later?
I didn’t know.
All I could do was play dumb and try to gauge their intentions from their reactions.
'....'
Su-ah, having finished her prayer with an "Amen," remained silent for a moment, eyes closed, as if savoring the lingering feeling.
Then, she released my hands and stood up from the chair beside the bed.
“If you face any hardships or difficulties in the future, please come to me, Brother.”
“Uh… okay, I will.”
“Then…”
Su-ah bowed politely. It seemed absurdly formal for classmates, but knowing her as I did, it appeared natural.
However, I couldn't just let her go.
That sense of déjà vu had been lingering since morning.
Han-Na and Ella mentioning the weekend, and Su-ah rejoicing over my escape from the 'swamp of misguided desires.'
It would be foolish not to be suspicious at this point.
Of course, if my suspicion was correct, the situation would become quite complicated.
I had to pray that I was wrong.
Maybe they meant something else entirely?
“Su-ah.”
I called out to Su-ah just as she was about to draw the curtain around my bed and leave.
“Yes, Brother?”
—*Slide*
But just then, Nurse Cecilia entered the infirmary, and I couldn’t bring myself to voice my suspicion.
Of all times, why did she have to appear right now?
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Are you feeling better? Your magic power was completely depleted, and you have some internal injuries. Why would you push yourself so hard with such a frail body?”
“Ah, haha…”
Embarrassed by the nurse's concerned scolding, I scratched the back of my head and chuckled.
Apparently, this guy was a VIP patient in the infirmary and quite close to Nurse Cecilia.
It felt like an older sister looking after her frail younger brother.
I chuckled awkwardly and looked back at Su-ah, who leaned close and whispered from behind the curtain, making me blush.
“But it was quite impressive, Brother.”
It seemed my arrow had hit the target after all.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Having quickly recovered thanks to the nurse's attentive (?) care, I rotated my stiff arm as I headed somewhere.
The school bell had rung a while ago, and the academy grounds were deserted.
It was the perfect time for me to monopolize the hidden pieces.
The main heroines' suspicious words bothered me, but I needed to follow the fast-track growth route, so I decided to put it aside for now.
Finding hidden pieces was my top priority.
And if my ominous premonition came true, I would need considerable power to avoid any unfortunate incidents.
As I mentioned before, the attack by the villainous alliance, Illusion, was imminent.
I had to become stronger before then.
Even though I lacked a sense of justice, I wasn't spineless enough to kneel before a villainous alliance.
Although all my stats had increased by 1 thanks to the Limit Break trait, my plan for monopolizing hidden pieces remained unchanged.
My first priority was 'strength.'
My current strength was 7, but I still had a long way to go.
I opened the memo app on my phone.
There were a total of 12 stat-related hidden pieces.
I had already acquired 1, so 11 remained. I set off to acquire another one.
The quest involved finding the beloved bone of the academy's mascot dog.
I completed it easily, of course.
[Hidden Piece ‘Puppy’s Treasure’ acquired.]
[Strength increased by 5 as a reward.]
Hidden pieces weren't limited to objects like the Purple Mineral.
Even the dog raised in the academy courtyard could be a hidden piece.
—*Whimper, whine.*
“There, there.”
The dog wagged its tail and whimpered, grateful that I had found its treasured bone.
But *I* was the one who should be grateful, Poppy.
A whopping +5 strength for such a simple task.
With that, my strength reached 12, and my Frail level decreased by another 0.5.
I felt a surge of energy in my body.
My stiff muscles had also fully recovered.
I considered working on acquiring titles, but it was getting late, so I quickly acquired another hidden piece instead.
Acquiring titles required rather complex strategies, commensurate with their effects.
'Still, it's hard to believe he didn't have a single title, even as a graduating student. Truly impressive, Han Tae-jin.'
Titles were naturally acquired during academy life by achieving significant accomplishments.
For example, successfully completing a group presentation would grant the title 'Passionate Presenter,' providing resistance to status effects for one minute.
Or winning a prize in the athletic competition would grant the title 'Strong Developer,' permanently increasing strength.
The titles acquired varied depending on the difficulty and accomplishment of the task, and since they could be switched depending on the situation, it was a very useful system.
However, Han Tae-jin’s title slot was empty.
'This guy must have had absolutely no interest in acquiring titles.'
That showed how meaningless his academy life had been.
Seriously, with all that stalking, shouldn't he have at least acquired a title like 'Shadow Tracker'?
Something like the ability to cloak for one minute?
'Sigh, let's not get our hopes up.'
Since titles were acquired through life achievements, many useful titles were difficult to obtain quickly, even if you knew the strategy.
So, instead, I completed the 'Curse of the Shackles' hidden piece quest and acquired a 'Random Gacha Box.'
It was literally a box with unknown contents.
It was a small, cube-shaped box that fit in the palm of my hand, but according to the setting book, it could contain anything from S-rank summons to S-rank weapons and armor.
Of course, it could also contain useless junk.
This kind of gacha item was a must-have in an overpowered protagonist-growth story, but the protagonist hadn't acquired this box.
In fact, it hadn't even appeared in the original story.
'It was probably added as an extra setting when they published the setting book.'
Thanks to that, I got to scratch a free lottery ticket.
'Let's go.'
After arriving at the classroom and storing the Random Gacha Box in my mana pocket, I headed straight home.
My heart pounded with anticipation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After a hearty dinner, I took out the mana pocket.
As the saying goes, even a trip to Geumgangsan Mountain is best after a meal.
My Frail level had dropped to 9, making it easier to swallow food, which significantly reduced my meal time.
Of course, since I tried to eat faster, minor trait activations still occurred.
[Frail (Lv9) activated.]
[Excessive food intake stimulates bowel movements.]
[Penalty: Abdominal pain and uncontrollable flatulence for 3 minutes.]
—*Rumble.*
—*Poot.*
“Ugh… my stomach.”
Although I suffered from stomach aches and flatulence, it felt good to be gradually transforming from a slacker into a human being.
A strong body was essential to maximize my stat efficiency, so I had to keep working at it.
—*Scrape scrape.*
After cleaning up, I took out the Random Gacha Box from my mana pocket and sat on the floor.
It was a small, cube-shaped box.
A red button protruded from its surface.
Pressing the button would activate it instantly, and anything from useless junk to S-rank, or even R-rank summons and items could appear.
[T/N: R = Royal]
However, as I had seen in the setting book, the probability of getting an R-rank was an atrocious 0.00001%, so it was best to rule it out.
If I could draw infinitely, I might have entertained a sliver of hope based on my high luck stat, but expecting that probability with a single draw was something even the most shameless person would scoff at.
So, I honestly didn't expect an R-rank.
“Please, let it be any S-rank.”
*Rub rub rub.*
I rubbed my hands together like a fly and pressed the button.
What I wanted most was an S-rank weapon.
Of course, I wasn't capable of wielding it yet, but as someone who dared to dream of becoming an S-rank hunter, it was a necessary weapon.
However…
As the Random Gacha Box emitted a bright light, momentarily blinding me, and the light gradually formed a humanoid shape, accompanied by a system notification, I realized something extraordinary was happening.
[Opening 1 Random Gacha Box.]
[...]
[...]
[Congratulations!]
[You have defied the odds and summoned the R-rank ‘Succubus Queen Bersha’.]
[The Mark of Subjugation will be automatically engraved, making Bersha unable to disobey your commands.]
[Acquiring Bersha permanently increases all stats by 5.]
[Acquiring Bersha grants the special skill ‘Go! Lewd Dream Demon!’]
…What was this?
The probability was supposed to be 0.00001%?
And why was the skill name so… suggestive?
Even with my high luck stat, how could I defy a 0.00001% probability on my first try?
Was Han Tae-jin really just a low-level villain?
“…Are you the lowly creature who summoned me?”
The now fully materialized Succubus Queen Bersha looked down at me with a haughty expression, arms crossed.
Fleshy skin, a revealing outfit that barely covered her vital areas, two goat horns protruding from her head, a swishing arrow-tipped tail, and a strong demonic aura.
The succubus I had only read about in novels had appeared before me.
And she was the 'Queen' of succubi, no less.
But wait a minute.
“Lowly… creature?”
“Indeed. I don’t know how you managed to summon me, but it seems you experienced a stroke of luck bordering on a miracle.”
…Well, it *was* a stroke of luck bordering on a miracle.
But wasn’t the summoned creature, bound by the Mark of Subjugation, a bit too haughty?
Speaking informally to her master from the start?
I needed to establish dominance from the outset.
If I lost the initial power struggle, it would only become harder to control her later.
“Bersha, kneel.”
I had a bad feeling that if I didn't assert my dominance now, things would get quite messy in the future.
“Gah?!”
At my command, Bersha’s knees buckled involuntarily, and she slammed onto the floor.
'W-what is this…?!'
'When in Rome, do as the Romans do. First, you’ll learn human manners, Bersha.'
'How dare you try to teach *me* manners…?!'
'Yep.'
Bersha struggled, still on her knees.
An R-rank summon on my first try… was this real life?
Living in a luxurious detached house despite being an orphan, paying the hefty academy tuition on time, and still having around 25 million won in my bank account… it was all strange.
Just who was this guy?
His extreme stats and summoning an R-rank Succubus Queen on his first try were too suspicious for just a simple stalking villain.
The more I learned about things that weren't revealed in the original story, the stronger my suspicion became that Han Tae-jin wasn’t just a one-off, low-level villain.
He couldn't be… the main villain, could he?