For the Finest Banquet

Using my skills had taught me a few things. After shaking off those annoying kids and coming home, I sat down to sort through what I'd learned. The new information concerned Abilities and Skills — and the relationship between Abilities and Techniques.

According to the Unix Cube, the powers I could use were divided into Abilities and Skills. Skills themselves split further into Root Skills and Branch Skills, but that distinction didn't seem particularly important, so I set it aside.

In the real world, an ability user's power was divided into Abilities and Techniques. More precisely, a Technique felt like the method of wielding an Ability. Under the Unix Cube's skill architecture, though, Techniques seemed to fall into the Skill category.

Put simply, real-world Abilities and Techniques were ultimately subsumed under Skills. I still didn't have enough information to know whether any Hunter in reality used what the Unix Cube defined as an "Ability."

Not that any of this particularly mattered. What I needed right now wasn't a taxonomy of techniques. It was whether they were useful.

"Anyway, I can tell my Light Control is on par with a real-world Ability. In that case, becoming a Dungeon Hunter should be a breeze."

The most basic condition for becoming a Dungeon Hunter — ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raw power — had been verified. Light Control was famous as a jack-of-all-trades Ability, and it suited dungeon work perfectly. I could fire Holy Arrow besides, so mana capacity didn't look like it would be a bottleneck either.

"Come to think of it, there was an item that could raise a skill in an instant."

The first S-rank item I'd pulled: the Elixir of Growth. A ridiculous consumable that could instantly push any Root Skill at Level 5 or below straight to Level 5. You could feel how broken it was just from the description. S-rank items really were in a league of their own.

"In theory, you'd get the best efficiency out of it by using it on a Level 1 Skill."

Obviously, the skill I'd use it on was Elemental Mastery. A Root Skill almost certainly influenced the strength of its Branch Skills as well.

Which meant raising Elemental Mastery was effectively like reinforcing six skills at once. In real-world terms, six Abilities getting stronger. How much stronger, I had no way of knowing yet.

I opened the inventory and tapped the pill-shaped icon. A list of options unfurled beneath it. I tapped the one that read Use.

"Elemental Mastery. No question."

I confirmed without a second's hesitation. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no such thing as over-investing in Elemental Mastery. A flashy fanfare bloomed in my ears — the same familiar flourish that played whenever I pulled an item. By now, the sound was almost endearing.

The skill level had risen. There was no flashy motion like a character level-up. I opened the skill window to check for changes, but aside from the Lv. 1 display flipping to Lv. 5, I couldn't find a single other difference.

The result was blander than I'd expected, and it left a sour taste. Not that visual fireworks mattered. What mattered was whether the ability had actually grown.

"Checking it here and now would be a stretch. And I don't feel like going back out."

Today wasn't the only day I had. I'd verify the ability properly while I registered with the Hunter Association. Until then, I needed to dig into everything I could find on Dungeon Hunters. What I knew was garden-variety common knowledge. Becoming one in earnest meant there was a lot to study. The world of Dungeon Hunters was a completely different country from the world of ordinary people, and I intended to walk into it prepared.

"Come to think of it, there's also the quest to explore the Unix spacecraft, isn't there?"

Clearing it would mean a reward, no question. Access to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ship itself was unrestricted — I'd already confirmed that. But I didn't go clear the quest right then. I had something more important to do.

"I should check Sujin's room again."

I brought the Watching Eye's feed back up. As long as the camera was nearby, I could operate it just by concentrating hard. An item so useful it was hard to believe it was only B-rank. How far was the maximum operating range? I'd have to test that later.

"Hnnngh…! Hah…! Hah…! Why… why can't I…!"

What I saw stopped me cold. Sujin was frantically rubbing between her legs. Good god. Had she been at it the entire time I was at the park testing my skills and coming back? This was a level of wantonness I hadn't accounted for.

They say a thief who learns the trade late never notices the sun coming up — and Sujin was proving the proverb in the most erotic way imaginable. Earlier she'd had her hand down the front of her cotton pants, stroking herself through the fabric. Now the pants had been kicked aside entirely, and she was rubbing her pussy with abandon. She was completely hairless, every fold of her slit laid bare.

It was a pussy so neat and tidy you had to wonder if anyone could actually look like that. But the unfocused glaze in her eyes and the thread of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth made the whole picture obscenely filthy. If she'd been in my apartment instead of hers, I would have fucked her ten times over by now.

"Hnnngh…! No matter…! how much I rub…! how much I scratch…! it won't feel good…!"

Squish. Squish. Scritch. Scritch. Schlick.

Sujin crooked her fingers and raked herself at a different angle. This might have been the first time in her life she'd ever masturbated. That would explain why she was trying everything.

I felt a sudden, ridiculous urge to coach her from the sidelines. As an erotic novelist, I prided myself on knowing a fair bit about how women touched themselves. Of course, that knowledge came from dirty books and porn, so whether any of it held up in reality was another question.

"Haaaahn~! It felt so good before…! It felt so good…! Jaeseong…"

The moment my name left her lips, I killed the feed. Dangerous. That one word from Sujin had me fully hard. If she'd called my name even once more, I would have gone straight to her door and rammed myself into that pussy without mercy.

I wanted to fuck her.

I wanted to fuck her until I lost my mind.

"Hoo… Hold it together. I'm just holding back for a little while. For the finest banquet."

I hypnotized myself. Without that, I didn't think I could have held back at all.

I saw Sujin that very evening. I knocked on her door like I had every right to be there and asked her to dinner. Sujin owed me, and she didn't hesitate for a second.

For the record, she was still masturbating when I knocked. The way she hurriedly straightened her clothes and came to the door was extremely sensual — easily eight times lewder than usual. Her outfit, for something thrown together in a panic, was surprisingly put together.

"I hope the restaurant was to your liking. It's a place I'm fond of."

Walking into the restaurant she'd recommended, I was reminded all over again that Sujin was a Hunter. It was a high-end place where a single meal ran over 150,000 won. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had never spent that much on food in my life, not even if you added up three meals. Of course, once I became a Hunter, I'd be eating like this as casually as a weekday lunch.

The prices were outrageous, but the food was excellent. If someone had told me to pay that bill myself, I would have refused on the spot. It's easy to be generous with someone else's money. No — I needed to drop that mindset. I was going to be a Dungeon Hunter too.

"How about a drink at my place? Nothing too heavy."

I gave a little tilt of an imaginary glass as I said it. Sujin had forced herself on me only last night. Not even a full day had passed, and here I was, shamelessly inviting her back to my room. Naturally, I'd already calculated that she wouldn't refuse.

I'd seen it with my own eyes: Sujin spending the entire weekend with her hand between her legs. Even now, she was slightly flushed. The air around her was strangely more charged than usual.

"Ah… Sure. Then I'll get ready in my room for a bit and come over."

"Of course. You treated me to dinner, so drinks are on me. I can't promise anything as expensive as the meal you bought, though."

"That… I think the wine we had yesterday would be fine."

She said it with a faintly hesitant look. Now that was an interesting remark. The same wine as yesterday. What exactly was she hoping for?

I thought I understood. This was a signal, and it was aimed at me. Sujin might have a far more lewd nature than I had given her credit for.

"Understood. I'll be waiting, then."

"Okay. I'll be right over."

We went back to our respective rooms. There was still quite a bit of yesterday's wine left.

When I'd first bought it, I'd picked up three bottles together. I'd only done it because buying several got you a discount.

Sujin knocked on my door about thirty minutes later. I'd already set out the wine and a few snacks, and I opened the door with my heart knocking against my ribs.

She stood in the hallway in casual loungewear, having changed out of the stylish outfit from dinner. For drinking together in a cramped studio, that kind of clothes made sense. But considering all she'd done was change, the prep time had run long. What had she been doing in there?

Well, they say a woman getting ready takes as long as a man can stay hungry, so she must have had her reasons. I should have peeked with the Watching Eye. A bit of a shame.

"It's cheap wine, so I'm not sure if it'll be all right."

I said it as I poured into a water glass. This really wouldn't do.

First order of business: actual wine glasses. Even if we were drinking at home, the atmosphere was dying on its feet.

"The price isn't what matters. I think this one suits my palate well."

Sujin picked up her cup with a smiling glance. Her gaze kept drifting, oddly, toward my glass. For the record, I hadn't spiked her wine with an aphrodisiac this time. I didn't have any — and even if I had, I wouldn't have used it. This was the slow process of conditioning her.

She's been glancing at me this whole time. And she's watering down her own wine. That's way too obvious. Should I play along a little?

I deliberately let my body sway. The truth was, I'd always been a strong drinker. And after enhancing my stats, my tolerance had gone up even further.

"Ugh… My head's getting a little dizzy."

"Oh no~! Are… are you all right?"

Oh, Sujin. That delighted tone is a little too obvious, don't you think? Really, such an easy woman to read. Well. That's one of her charms too.

"If I could just close my eyes for a bit…"

With that, I shut my eyes and collapsed to the floor. I cocked my head at an angle like a man dead drunk and laid a hand over my eyes.

Sujin watched me in silence. A few minutes later, she tapped my shoulder — a touch so light it was almost like handling a baby. It didn't feel like a gesture meant to wake me. If anything, it felt like one meant to keep me asleep.