Chapter 174
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Mana Milk or Breast Milk is Invincible and Miraculous (2)
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Gyeo Yeonsu made her way to the Kang Jik Guild barracks.
There wasn't any particular reason.
She had heard that she needed to let go of her lingering attachment to additional awakening.
But it wasn't something she could just shake off that easily.
She had told Hong Shijun it was fine, but in truth, Gyeo Yeonsu had been agonizing over it for quite a while.
Even if it was just a few weeks at most, the intoxicating rush of Resurrection that she had tasted back then felt like an eternal hell she couldn't forget.
It was like being shackled, somehow.
The summoned beasts moved just as before.
But when she recalled how much quicker and more powerful their attacks had been, it pained her to think their potential was being blocked because of her.
The second death had been the same.
It was a surprise attack from an assassin-type monster, but if her mana had been higher...
If her abilities had been just one step stronger...
Wouldn't her summons have sensed it and responded?
After resurrecting with Resurrection and leading her summons in a massacre-like revenge, that desire had only grown stronger.
In the end, Gyeo Yeonsu was just an ordinary woman in her early thirties.
She wanted more, wanted to climb higher.
It was just that she had so much already, so she held back a little, mindful of others' gazes.
So when Hong Shijun, who understood her longing for additional awakening, said he'd check with Kang Jik...
It felt good.
She desperately wanted to look into it herself, but she waited patiently.
And when she heard from Hong Shijun about how additional awakening worked...
She felt relieved.
If she had looked into it alone, she honestly couldn't say what choice she might have made.
Additional awakening was important, but Hong Shijun was even more so to her.
The reliable man who always stood in front of her, risking his life and taking care of her.
It wasn't some dramatic "can't live without you" eternal couple vibe, but in this day and age, throwing away a man like Hong Shijun for an uncertain future wasn't a smart choice by any measure.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah! Sis!!"
"Hello."
She entered the barracks where the women of Kang Jik Guild were gathered, wanting to confirm one last thing.
Whether it was really true.
Whether she really had to get pregnant with that man Kang Jik's child for additional awakening.
Since it was such an unbelievable reality even without actually having the baby.
She trusted Hong Shijun, but her desperation outweighed even that trust.
"What are you all up to?"
The three women inside were fresh and young.
Even Lee Sua, who was only three years younger than her, looked so pretty and youthful alongside Im Hyeji and Kang Hana in their early twenties that she blended right in like a peer.
Gyeo Yeonsu had never in her life heard anyone say her looks fell short.
But she couldn't help feeling like the auntie tagging along with the young kids.
"Ah..."
The casual question created an awkward atmosphere.
Gyeo Yeonsu noticed the small baby bottles each of the three women was holding.
"...Huh?"
The white milk filling the bottles looked like regular milk to anyone.
Baby formula milk.
Why were they each holding one?
And what was that one empty bottle left on the floor between them?
The three women exchanged awkward glances.
Lee Sua seemed to have been sucking on her bottle right up until Gyeo Yeonsu arrived, without even time to put it down.
"Uh... should I come back later?"
Gyeo Yeonsu was quick on the uptake.
Sensing she had walked in on something she shouldn't have, she flashed a quick smile and turned to leave.
"No! Sis."
Lee Sua grabbed her.
She set down her bottle, which she'd been sucking on noisily, pulled Gyeo Yeonsu over, and sat her down right in the middle of them.
The four of them had grown quite close after being invited to Hong Shijun's place.
"Want to try some of this?"
That was probably why.
Lee Sua handed her the remaining bottle.
"...What's this?"
In the ambiguous atmosphere where accepting or refusing both felt weird, Gyeo Yeonsu asked.
No matter how she looked at it, the scene was bizarre.
Three women gathered around, drinking milk from baby bottles.
Suddenly, stories Hong Shijun had told her flashed through Gyeo Yeonsu's mind.
This might be the perfect chance.
"By any chance... is this... from Kang Jik... that thing?"
"...Pardon?"
"I heard... to do additional awakening... you have to get... pregnant."
"...Ah."
"So you heard..."
She was shocked by how readily they admitted it.
It was really true?
Did that mean all these women gathered here had gotten pregnant with Kang Jik's child and achieved additional awakening?
"You don't actually have to... give birth, right?"
With that certainty, her mind eased.
She felt comfortable enough to voice the questions in her heart.
"No, it's not like that... We can't tell you everything, but this is just... like a potion or something. Nothing to do with pregnancy. It just improves your skin a bit, that's all."
She could see why the three women, unlike at the housewarming, seemed awkward and hesitant around her.
"Sorry. We should've said something sooner... but it was hard for us to bring up."
It was guilt over complaining to her about envying their additional awakenings and how unforgettable the rush was—while not mentioning it was artificial.
Gyeo Yeonsu shook her head.
"It's really fine. I'm disappointed, but... what can you do."
"At least try this. You might get lucky and see some effects. Among us, only Hyeji hit the jackpot this time, the rest were duds. This is super rare stuff, and I'm giving you mine."
In truth, letting go of the obsession made it no big deal.
Gyeo Yeonsu was already an SSS-rank hunter; she didn't need to push further, and she'd been content with what she had so far.
She knew well that chasing others' happiness out of envy left you hungry for what you already possessed, leading to ruin.
It was just that the taste she'd been force-fed back then had been so violently addictive.
She decided to be satisfied with the connections she'd made with these good people and call it a day.
Thinking she'd come at the right time, they all popped the bottles in their mouths and started sucking together.
"Pfft... this is hilarious."
The way they slurped up the milk, declaring how delicious it was; the faint banana-like flavor from what was supposedly just milk, making it oddly addictive until they drained every last drop...
Her lingering hopes for additional awakening ended here, but seeing these three women living so enjoyably even in the dungeons made her not want to cut ties with Kang Jik Guild either.
"We can keep in touch and stay close from now on, right?"
"Of course."
"Yes!!!"
"Sis, if you really can't give it up, just get a divorce..."
"Hana!"
It was fun.
Maybe because even in Hanlim Guild, or on other dungeon raids, there was no one who chatted so comfortably and treated her without reservation.
They were a bit younger to call peers, but she felt grateful that they treated her, the auntie, like a friend.
And then, messages started popping up for her.
"My mana increased. Vitality... skin whitening...?"
"Sis, this is a real secret, okay? It's a gift between those who share secrets. Don't tell Kang Jik? He told us not to get chummy with you."
"...Yeah. My lips are sealed.... Huh? But this is..."
"What's wrong? Something off?"
Magic Power stat has grown to SS-rank due to the effects of Mana Juice that absorbed SS-grade Mana Stone mana.
"My magic power... grew to... SS-rank."
"Huh?"
"Really?"
"Whoa!! Congrats, sis!!"
It was unbelievable news.
She opened her status window, checked the message again.
Afraid it might vanish, she stared at it blankly without even closing the window, and with genuine well-wishers cheering beside her, tears suddenly welled up.
"Thank you..."
She never could have imagined.
Even dreaming of additional awakening had been vague wishful thinking.
She hadn't thought her own story would become reality, even knowing women who had truly achieved it.
She had given up on the dream of additional awakening, but this gift arrived right after she let go.
It felt all the bigger for it.
"I'm sorry..."
She felt immense gratitude toward Im Hyeji, Lee Sua, and Kang Hana for yielding it to her.
"It's great!"
"So lucky."
"Not the ability itself... but a stat growth is even better than additional awakening!!"
Gyeo Yeonsu didn't know their inner relief that this didn't add a real rival in another sense, so their heartfelt congratulations moved her even more.
They were in the middle of a tearful celebration party when Kang Jik walked in.
"What's going on?"
"Bro!"
"...We're screwed."
"Kang Jik..."
Unlike the three flustered women, Gyeo Yeonsu instinctively jumped up and threw herself into Kang Jik's arms.
"...Pardon?"
"Thank you. Kang Jik. Thank you so, so much."
"...Thanks for what..."
His eyes were flustered.
His face said he had no idea.
Even so, Gyeo Yeonsu smiled.
This was consideration too.
She knew the world wasn't that kind.
There were no coincidences without reason.
She happened to visit the tent, happened upon women drinking from bottles, and a spare bottle that seemed prepared just for her?
All this happening right after she told Hong Shijun the truth?
Gyeo Yeonsu wasn't a fool.
"Thanks to Kang Jik's semen... I was able to awaken my stats. Thank you. I'll never forget this grace and repay it my whole life."
".....Pardon? What liquid...?"
She hugged him tightly, full of pure gratitude.