S-Rank Talent Fragment
Min Ga-hee calmly unraveled her story. Rather than jumping in with a reply, Seo Joo-hwan nodded occasionally, listening intently.
Her mother was an opera singer renowned even overseas, and her father was a famous domestic singer. Just hearing their names would make anyone go, Ah, them!
"You must've gotten a lot of attention from a young age."
Thanks to that, she'd grown up bathed in expectations from birth. If anything, the people around her had made more of a fuss than her own parents.
"Yeah. I picked things up quickly, so it was even more like that."
Her talent amplified it. She herself loved music, so she'd immersed herself in it from childhood. The flood of attention brought her more joy than pressure, overflowing with confidence. Singing, instruments—she mastered them faster than others. As a child prodigy, she'd even appeared on TV shows.
But talent has limits even its owner can't know. Stagnation hit suddenly.
"At some point, my skills just stopped improving. Not that I was stuck in place, but..."
She'd first sensed it around middle school. So she practiced harder, honing her craft with even more effort. But after entering an arts high school in high school...
"Everyone caught up and overtook me in a flash."
Min Ga-hee had blossomed early under her exceptional parents, always far ahead of her peers. But the moment stagnation set in, they overtook her just as fast.
"I was definitely better before, but watching them pull ahead right in front of me... it was frustrating. No, more than that. And I felt sorry for Seol-gi most of all. We'd promised to debut together..."
A faint smile played on Min Ga-hee's lips as she spoke.
So that's why she acted like that at the bar...
Now he understood Yoon Seol-gi's reaction back then. Her friend, with whom she'd vowed to debut together, drunk and insisting on singing—it must've been exasperating and worrying.
That must've been tough.
He could at least imagine the feelings Min Ga-hee had gone through. What must it feel like to grow up called a genius, only to realize too late that you weren't? Daughter of a famous opera singer. Daughter of a famous singer. The fame of her parents probably invited even more comparisons. Jealous rivals might've sneered behind her back.
Pretending to be airheaded is often easier.
Her words came back to him. Maybe that personality had formed from ignoring the whispers around her. Just a guess, though.
"Hehe. Talking to you has lightened my heart a bit, oppa."
Finishing her tale, Min Ga-hee flashed her signature ice-bucket smile. Seo Joo-hwan stroked her blue hair.
"You've worked hard."
He admired how diligently she'd run so far. Some might scoff at making a big deal out of a mere 21 years of life, but to her, those moments were everything.
"Thank you."
Min Ga-hee giggled again, nuzzling into his hand like a puppy enjoying the affection. As he smoothed her hair, Seo Joo-hwan said,
"Ga-hee."
"Yeah?"
"You still love music, right?"
"...Yeah."
The answer came late, but her head nodded without hesitation. She hadn't given up despite the wall because, as he'd said, she loved music.
Seo Joo-hwan wanted to open up her potential. He couldn't do anything grand, but...
"How about trying composing?"
He could gently point her toward a path.
*
The next day, after seeing Min Ga-hee off, Seo Joo-hwan boarded the train home.
Ah, I'm beat.
No seats even in the afternoon. He'd planned a good nap on the way back, but no such luck.
Maybe I should buy a car.
Before regression, he'd only gotten his license after college. To buy one now, he'd need to take the test first.
A car, huh. What should I get?
Pre-regression, even after licensing, he hadn't bought one. Beyond money, his unlucky fate made him fear accidents anytime. But now, misfortune was gone, luck overflowing. Even after the blessings ended soon, it wouldn't revert fully. He'd mull over getting his own ride after living a bit more.
> Line 1 transfer station. Passengers wishing to transfer...
Oh, seats available.
Luckily, the transfer train had plenty. Sitting down, he pondered the Lust System.
Talents, huh. The real blessing is this thing.
The two blessings ending soon paled compared to the system's core power. It let him see talents, acquire others', and rapidly upgrade ranks with points. Level limits applied, but still an insane perk.
Speaking of talents, Min Ga-hee's S-rank Composition came to mind as she headed home.
Wonder what she'll do.
He'd already suggested a path. She'd looked puzzled at the sudden composing idea, but her choice after was hers.
She'll figure it out.
Forcing her to compose just because the talent was a waste would be overstepping. They'd swapped numbers, so if she pursued it, he'd hear eventually.
Deciding not to dwell, Seo Joo-hwan checked overnight messages.
Quest reward: 10,000 LP. No extras this time.
Plus 2,000 LP from the Club Girl Hunt achievement, and 10,000 LP from two mid-rank fetishes collected.
Ah, singing talent.
He smacked his lips in mild regret. Would've loved her S-rank Composition, but got B-rank Singing.
Not bad, though.
Dance, singing—performance talents he'd coveted anyway. Some vague fantasy about it. He just found good singers so damn cool.
As he confirmed the acquisition and moved to close the window, an unfamiliar phrase caught his eye.
You have had relations with a woman possessing an S-rank Talent.
S-rank Talent Fragment acquired.
S-rank Talent Fragment?
The name screamed extraordinary. Seo Joo-hwan pulled up the item details.
S-rank Talent Fragment
▶ Effect 1: Sell at shop for 100,000 LP.
▶ Effect 2: Collect 10 to create an S-rank Talent Stone.
Overly simple description. No info on what an S-rank Talent Stone even was.
Seo Joo-hwan called out to Lucy.
Lucy, explain. What's an S-rank Talent Stone?
It's a reinforcement material needed to raise a talent to S-rank.
Can't just level it up?
System levels unlocked talent and skill rank caps. That's what he'd thought, but apparently S-rank was different.
The LP-upgrade limit is A+. To go beyond, you need Talent Stones. For reference, if Master had acquired Composition from Min Ga-hee, it would've registered at A+.
Tch. So no freebies. Wait, no.
Seo Joo-hwan shook his head inwardly. Regret aside, no room for complaints. A+ was world-class. Whining about no free S-rank when he'd gotten so much already? Nah.
Be grateful for what you have.
Of course, he had no intention of settling for A+. The condition only fueled his drive. With power like this, why not aim for the peak?
One worry, though.
Ten of them. Not impossible in a lifetime, right?
Meeting ten S-rank genius women worldwide? All women, and sex required for fragments? Even meeting ten was a stretch.
Not even gonna meet ten...
Not at all. S-ranks are rare, but easier to find than Master thinks.
Really?
Yes. Those talents are rare, but many owners live unaware of them, staying hidden.
Ah.
It clicked instantly. Min Ga-hee had an S-rank in composition but pursued other paths. Maybe he'd collect them quicker than expected.
Buoyed by hope, Lucy doused it.
Of course, even so, it won't be easy.
Pick a lane, would ya.
Not like they were playing hard to get.
*
Blessing, Succubus God's Blessing effect has ended.
Blessing, Helchang's Blessing effect has ended.
The day had finally arrived.
"Argh! Give me back my blessings!"
The first day post-blessings, he didn't notice much change. But three days later, he realized just how massive the buffs had been.
First, Helchang's Blessing. Same workout routine, but waking up brought unprecedented muscle soreness. His whole body creaked; he skipped the next day's session.
Without the blessing, he felt how insanely intense his routine had been. You don't miss what you have until it's gone—the stark contrast left him drained.
He had to dial back to a normal person's routine.
But the real issue was elsewhere.
Succubus God's Blessing had given Seo Joo-hwan three effects so far.
Succubus God's Blessing
▶ Effect 1: Dramatically increases luck related to sex.
▶ Effect 2: +200% effect when mastering any skill.
▶ Effect 3: Stamina surges.
Sexual luck dropping made chance encounters with new women scarce. No entanglements arose. But he could chalk that up to holing up at home except gym visits.
The second effect stung like Helchang's, but bearable.
The third? Unacceptable.
Without it, pre-regression weakness resurfaced, anxiety flooding his body.
"Give me back my staminaaa!"
His balls felt utterly empty.