Chapter 3

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: Direct Experience Distribution

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As she took a single step forward, the surrounding air grew sharp and icy cold.

A chill swept over my entire body, as if it would freeze me down to my lungs.

"Ice Wave."

Sheeeek—!

With just a single word and a flick of her hand, the dense thicket and massive trees before her eyes were instantly blanketed in pure white frost.

Wherever the cold touched, primitive plants shattered like glass shards, and even the nearby mana beasts scattered as frozen chunks without so much as a dying screech.

And right after that.

A dizzying array of hunting logs and loot lists unspooled beneath my vision.

"Whoa..."

An overwhelming freezing spell that erased a swath of dense jungle in an instant, carving out a white void in its midst.

"So this is the true power of an elite hunter with level 60 skills..."

Gulp.

'What about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all the effort I poured in for months?'

Memories flashed by like a montage—back when I struggled desperately against even a single low-grade mana beast in a minor rift. I didn't think those efforts had been wasted... but the tension gripping my body had long since melted away like snow.

"Don't dawdle. Keep up."

"Ah, yes ma'am!"

All I had to do was silently trudge along the frosty path Instructor Cheon Da-eun had carved out.

"Hah... hah..."

That said, walking wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

We'd been trudging endlessly along the icy path for hours now.

My soles felt like they were on fire, and my thighs throbbed like they might burst at any moment.

"Instructor, slow down just a bit!"

This was tougher than the basic military marches. Or maybe even worse?

If my body wasn't far more conditioned than my real-world self, I'd be toast. We'd already covered 30 kilometers following her for hours on end.

"Hah, hah... seriously, let's take a break. At this rate, it's a marathon!"

"Tch. A hunter with such a frail body? We'll start physical training from scratch when we get back."

"You're the one who turned the whole path into ice—that's why it's hard to walk! Meanwhile, you're gliding along like you're skating!"

While I carefully picked out the less slippery edges of the ice path she'd made, Instructor Cheon Da-eun floated effortlessly over it with mana, gliding as gracefully as a figure skater. It was infuriatingly elegant...

At times like this, I envied her magic skills.

"Jealous? Then fly yourself."

"Ugh! I want to fly too! Since you're already floating, can't you lift me up?"

"I already told you. It'd waste my mana to carry your body too. If you want to fly, learn it yourself."

"How's a Maker supposed to learn that?!"

"Sigh... such a pain. Fine then. We could do the experience distribution now."

Distribution?

Oh right. That existed.

"You mean my skill, right?"

"Exactly. Absorb the proficiency from my skills, and you might make them your own. Simple, isn't it?"

Was it...?

It sounded plausible enough as she explained.

After all, it was pulling proficiency from the clone, so it probably included the magic she'd used.

"So how do I receive the distribution?"

"Do I know, or do you?"

"...Wa-wait a sec."

She knew everything else just fine, but not this.

Grumbling, I opened my status window.

"Let me see... ah, here it is."

The command was simple.

"Shout 'pause,' then 'directly' absorb the experience held by the summon."

Directly absorb?

The phrasing felt oddly suggestive.

How exactly was I supposed to "directly" absorb it?

"No clue still. What does that even—huh?"

"......"

"Instructor? Instructor Cheon Da-eun?"

I waved my hand in front of her face, but no reaction.

Ah.

Did I accidentally shout "pause" just now?

"Heh, it's like I yanked the power cord."

What a bizarre skill.

Maybe because it came from a Maker Hunter. It was called a clone, but it acted more like an android or golem.

"Man, up close like this, she's insanely pretty..."

Did her face just change completely now that her mouth was shut?

The slender curve of her neck peeking from under her uniform.

Skin so pale it bordered on ghostly white.

The voluptuous swell of her breasts, impossible to hide even under the uniform.

Come to think of it, Instructor Cheon Da-eun was a stunning beauty. That's why I'd chosen her as the model in the first place.

But now what?

To be honest, some ideas were popping into my head...

The kind of lewd stuff a hormonal teen boy might think of.

"No, no, this can't be it. What about a male clone then?"

There was this rumor—or urban legend.

Mages could link mana between bodies by mingling saliva, blood, or semen—body fluids like that.

It sounded like something out of an erotic game or doujin, but the game lore actually mentioned it.

Probably the dark desires of the devs.

What if experience distribution worked the same way?

"......"

The instructor had cleared all the mana beasts around ages ago.

Maybe it was fine to try once?

It wasn't the real Cheon Da-eun anyway—just a clone. A fake.

"K-Kissing once won't hurt. She's wiped out all the beasts anyway."

I said it confidently, but my heart pounded like crazy.

'She's definitely paused, right?'

To be safe, I leaned in close to her face—close enough our breaths almost mingled.

Tentatively, I reached out and touched her cheek.

A subtle texture—not doll-cold, nor human-warm. Emboldened, I trailed my fingers slowly along her jawline.

Smooth skin. Still no reaction...

'Alright, she's really paused.'

With certainty came a rush of heat.

"This is a clone. A clone. No crime no matter what I do..."

Slowly, very slowly, I brought my face to hers.

Chu.

My lips lightly touched hers. Soft, slightly cool. Just a simple kiss, yet it hit harder than anything else in the world.

Not sweet so much as the thrill of forbidden infidelity...

I started with just brushing lips, but her utter lack of resistance emboldened me.

I pressed deeper. Hesitating only a moment, I tentatively slipped my tongue out. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It glided between her parted lips, enveloped by warm softness.

A strange, new sensation.

Chup, slurp...

It works!

I grew bolder, moving my tongue more freely.

Exploring her defenseless mouth, savoring every corner.

Gone was my initial caution; as time passed, our "experience distribution" twisted into something obscene and intense, tongues tangling lewdly.

One hand cradled the back of her head; the other groped the full curves under her uniform.

I delved even deeper into her mouth.

Slurp, chup, chuup, slurp—

My mind went blank.

My groin stiffened hard.

She showed no reaction—it was pure one-sided fondling—yet why did it feel so damn good?

How much time passed? My breath faltered, and I finally pulled back in a rush.

"Pwah! Haa...!"

A sticky, translucent strand of saliva stretched long and slow between our lips.

Only then did reason return.

"Whoa, tons of distribution logs..."

I hadn't noticed mid-kiss, but system logs for XP and proficiency poured down like a waterfall.

"Just from a kiss, and it gives this much XP..."

For her, this low-level XP was peanuts, but for me, it was huge. Hundreds of beasts' worth poured in at once, filling my proficiency levels instantly.

Instructor Cheon Da-eun's core magic branch, no less.

I never imagined acquiring skills so directly.

"This is nuts."

I'm starting to get how this skill really works.

And why I shouldn't reveal it.

I haven't even absorbed all the XP yet, and I've gained this much. If I mixed something besides saliva, what efficiency would that yield...?

My lower half ached at the thought.

'Time to wake her up.'

I cleared my throat and shakily uttered the command.

"Resume!"

In that instant, as if time restarted, her eyelids fluttered shut then open. Like someone snapping out of deep thought, she stared blankly into space for a moment.

"Mm..."

She tilted her head slightly. Unconsciously, her thumb brushed her lower lip.

Her slender finger tracing her lip's outline sent cold sweat down my spine.

No way she noticed, right?

She furrowed her brow as if sensing something off. Maybe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a subtle foreign feeling in her mouth?

She stared at me intently for a moment. Her icy gaze made me flinch, but she soon shook her head as if it was nothing.

"You alright, Instructor?"

"No. Must've been my imagination. Felt like my mana fluctuated slightly. Did something happen?"

She seemed to recall our prior conversation and asked me.

Good—no memory of the kiss.

"N-No! Nothing happened. I was just checking the skill details more closely."

I shrugged casually, playing it cool.

Don't let it show. No matter what.

The instructor still looked faintly puzzled but nodded without pressing further.

"I see. Figured out the experience distribution method then?"

"Y-Yeah! Turns out I just distribute it directly via the system. Not enough proficiency to use the skills yet, though..."

"Obviously. You didn't think you'd steal my hard-earned gains that easily."

Hm.

Pretty simple, actually.

I laughed awkwardly to cover.

Looked like the true meaning of "direct distribution" was my little secret.