Chapter 78

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 78

Chapter Title: Clan

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Having returned to the modern world after so long, I took stock of what needed doing. Interviews with potential clan members were lined up for the entire week.

For the time being, focusing on growing and stabilizing the clan seemed like the right move.

'That can wait.'

Before spending any Karma, I decided to rename [Earth-31] first.

'Hmm... Let's go with Academy.'

After a moment's thought, I picked a name that came to mind. As an Academy student, [Academy] felt the most straightforward.

I checked the Karma I'd earned from the [Academy] Earth.

'Whoa...! That's a ton.'

Seeing over four thousand Karma accumulated left me impressed. In terms of time, it hadn't even been a month, but it had piled up more than expected.

I wondered where all this Karma had come from.

'Helena's the reason.'

She really did seem like a regressor. At this point, it was practically confirmed.

I hadn't even slept with her, yet I'd racked up an insane amount of Karma. Nearly half of it came from her.

Getting tangled up with Helena was pure luck.

The other half came from Amelia, Kang Hyun-ah, and Kang Su-ho.

'Tormenting Kang Su-ho racks up a decent amount of Karma, huh?'

I nodded as I reviewed the Karma acquisition log.

A sweet world where spirit herbs were fairly easy to obtain and Karma flowed generously. But I could instinctively sense hidden dangers lurking.

Truth be told, Helena being a regressor was a problem in itself. Even with that absurd power, she didn't seem at ease.

'Is the world on the brink of destruction or something?'

It might be more dangerous than I'd thought. I'd ponder that later. For now, it was shopping time.

'Enter shop.'

Boom.

The familiar expansion of space.

His bedroom stretched endlessly, transforming into an infinite universe. Glittering items shone like stars in the night sky, illuminating every direction.

'Huh?'

The first skill he'd ever bought in the shop had been a special deal.

He didn't know the original price of [Mental Protection]. But he remembered snagging an incredibly useful skill at a steal.

'If I hadn't gotten lucky and spotted it, I never would've known special deals existed.'

True to form, the shop was an infinite universe. There might be more hidden features.

'I'll dig around when I have time later. For now, special deals.'

'Race change scroll?'

He instantly grasped what [Weak Point Detection] was. He checked the race change scroll first.

'Could it turn me into something like a tentacle monster? Worst case, an ant.'

He didn't have the Karma to spare anyway, but it was intriguing.

Searching around, he found these too. It seemed like you could transform into any race existing in the universe.

Honestly, no immediate use for it. He turned to [Weak Point Detection]. The name alone screamed quality, and the price was reasonable.

It was exactly as he'd imagined. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He bought it right away.

'I'll test this later... Leaves me with about 2,700 Karma.'

He purchased one [Mid-Grade Mana Core]. Buy eight more, and it'd evolve into a High-Grade Mana Core skill. He needed to know how much mana one core added.

'A bit over five years' worth.'

By the time he reached High-Grade, he'd have what martial artists called a century's worth of internal energy. Now he saw that spending around 10,000 Karma would put him at peak-master level.

'High-Grade's roughly 10,000 Karma.'

Seeing a skill that fired sword energy for 10,000 Karma confirmed it.

Finally, he bought [Mid-Grade Martial Bone] and exited the shop.

Since it shortened the time to learn martial arts, there was no downside to buying it.

The skill took effect. His senses sharpened, and the efficiency of reinforcing his body with internal energy improved.

Hummm.

He heightened his focus through meditation and tried increasing his sword energy. Despite having less mana than in the Academy world, he succeeded.

'Nice. Much smoother.'

Next up: [Weak Point Detection]. To test it, he needed a target.

He headed to the house next to his clan house, where clan members—the Lee sisters, Da-hye and Da-som—lived.

Ding-dong!

Suddenly, he recalled the doorbell sound Kang Su-ho had pressed. He wondered how much the guy had figured out.

The door opened shortly after.

Da-som stood there in her school uniform, a piece of toast in her mouth. Come to think of it, it was about time for her to head to school.

"Oppa... I mean, Clan Leader? What's up so early? Here for Sis?"

"Yeah. And you can call me whatever's comfortable—no need for 'Clan Leader'."

"No way. New clan members are coming soon... I'll be even more polite. Come in?"

He'd just come from another world and forgotten how early it was.

"Sure. Sorry to barge in at breakfast."

"It's fine."

Beep.

Inside, the place was spotlessly tidy. A spacious home over 1,000 square feet—plenty for two.

Lee Da-hye, who'd been staring intently at her computer screen, asked without turning.

"Da-som, who's that?"

"Clan Leader."

"Eek...?"

Da-som hurriedly grabbed her backpack.

"I gotta get to school. Sis, breakfast's ready—eat it, okay!"

"O-oh, yeah..."

Flustered, Da-hye jumped up from her seat. Her monitor displayed an article about him.

Da-hye opened and closed her mouth, at a loss.

"Uh...! Th-this is... I mean..."

"What, so surprised? Can't a clan member look up news about their leader? What does it say?"

"Y-yeah... 'Next-gen rookie,' full of praise."

The article was overall positive.

It said he'd awakened as an F-rank but climbed to C-grade through tremendous effort. No matter how you sliced it, this was a paid promo from Jang Ye-hwa's company.

Sure enough. Every piece of gear he wore in the photos was from SH Smith—shots taken in the rift last time.

He skimmed the article.

'Hmm... Hunter Choi Si-woo endured grueling porter work before awakening... Not untrue.'

He scrolled down to the comments.

Memories of his porter days flooded back. It would've been tolerable without the hunters' shitty power trips.

The physical toll was nothing compared to dealing with people.

There was one hate comment. He brushed it off and went to close the page when he suddenly sensed killing intent.

'Huh?'

Turning, he saw Da-hye glaring daggers at the monitor, muttering something.

He focused his internal energy on his ears. She was memorizing the hate commenter's ID.

"What're you doing?"

"N-nothing. Just a sec..."

"You know you can't go beating up civilians, right?"

"Y-yes... I won't hit him. Promise."

Her answer was odd, but he let it go. She was an adult who could handle herself; he trusted she wouldn't do anything stupid.

He'd come here for a reason, but the article had distracted him.

'Weak Point Detection.'

He stared intently at Da-hye.

As time passed, her face flushed deeper. A far cry from her monitor-glaring fury. She fidgeted with her fingers like an innocent girl.

She couldn't meet his eyes, kept looking away.

"I-it's not my turn today..."

He usually alternated between her and Han So-young; it wasn't her day.

Her weaknesses shifted with her posture.

Beyond obvious spots like the brow or heart, hard-to-react-to gaps in her stance glowed red.

Red seemed to mark vital points. But there were pink glows too.

The areas were peculiar. Her soft chest center, lower abdomen near the womb, and especially her crotch glowed pink intensely.

Even her earlobes were pink.

'No way...'

He toyed with her earlobe.

"Eek...! O-oppa..."

"Oh...?"

This was Da-hye's reaction when she felt pleasure. Pink must indicate erogenous zones.

'Jackpot.'

Still, a bit disappointing. There was fun in exploring blindly.

'Eh, it'll come in handy when needed.'

Even so, he needed to get a feel for the skill.

Pulling her wrist, he headed to the bedroom.

Thrusting vigorously, he learned all about Weak Point Detection.

Erogenous zones shifted slightly with mood or position. They could even emerge as arousal built.

After Da-hye climaxed repeatedly, nearly her whole body shimmered pink.

'Pretty effective.'

Teasing the darkest spots—like her inner thighs or lower belly—made her squirt.

"Haaahk♥!!"

More useful than expected.

And as his martial arts realm advanced, Mixed Origin Qi Art's effects amplified. Women he slept with would grow faster.

'She'll hit C-grade in no time.'

"Hic..."

He cleaned up Da-hye's fainted body, tucked her into bed, and left.

Time until the interview was awkward. He pulled on a cap and headed downstairs. He figured he'd check out the new cafe in his building.

Ding!

"Eek...! Wh-what's with these prices?!"

No sooner had he opened the door than a woman in a suit yelped in shock.

Her face rang a bell. One of the hunters scheduled for an interview today. She clutched her card, fingers trembling.

'How much could it be?'

Glancing at the menu, he was dumbfounded.

The cheapest Americano was 14,900 won.