Chapter 351: Like Mother, Like Daughter (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 351: Like Mother, Like Daughter (3)
I practically fled up to my rooftop room and let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… That was close. I almost crossed a dangerous river.”
Of course, it was a river I’d have to cross someday.
But I needed to be thoroughly prepared, not defenseless and unready like I was now.
From that perspective, today was a dangerous day, but one where I gained quite a lot.
“It seems like they’re slowly starting to catch on, doesn’t it…?”
Jeong-hee was a given, since I told her myself.
What surprised me was that even Yu-jeong, who wasn’t particularly sharp, was starting to give her mother disapproving looks.
She must have sensed something to be acting that way.
A woman’s intuition truly is a scary thing.
“…What do I do now?”
I thought for a moment, but my course of action was already set.
I would walk the tightrope between them for a while, and once I was mentally prepared, I would cross that river.
The sight of the mother and daughter locked in a sharp-tongued battle was terrifying, yet at the same time, thrilling.
“A mother and daughter fighting over one man…? Now that’s something I can’t resist.”
And what a mother and daughter they were. They were both so stunningly beautiful that if they stood side-by-side, people would mistake them for sisters.
If a man could witness that and do nothing, he’d be one of two things.
Impotent, or gay.
“Ah, there’s one more.”
Or he could be the naive Son Si-woo of the past.
Back when I only had eyes for Han Ju-hee, I would have flipped the table on even a perfectly prepared feast.
Of course, there’s no chance of that happening now.
“For now, I’ve more or less confirmed how they both feel.”
Seeing them trade verbal jabs to keep each other in check, it was clear neither of them planned on giving me up easily.
For me, there was nothing more welcome.
“It’s really not long now.”
My heart pounded.
The moment I could achieve the dream I’d harbored since shortly after entering this body was not far off.
Jeong-hee’s impossibly soft skin, and Shin Yu-jeong’s, so firm and supple it felt like it would spring back if I pressed it.
I wondered what it would feel like to knead those two contrasting bodies at the same time.
“Ugh…!”
I struggled to suppress the uncontrollably surging emotions.
And I reminded myself, over and over.
“Calm down, just calm down…”
She, Gula, who had arbitrarily built a temple in my subconscious and welcomed me, had told me.
Indulge your desires to your heart’s content.
That was what I wanted, too.
But it had to be done according to my own will.
“I can’t become a fool who gets devoured by his emotions.”
I had no desire to let my mind be swayed by mere power or feelings.
If I want something, I must take it. If I don’t want it yet, I must stop.
Isn’t that the freedom I truly desire?
“Hoo.”
With a short breath, I shook off even the faint remnants of emotion.
“Now, it’s time for the unboxing.”
It was time to begin in earnest.
Unboxing.
A term people often use when they finally get to rip open a delivery box they’ve been waiting for.
So, what was I unboxing today?
“Status Window.”
Exactly that. The Status Window.
[Status Window]
Name: Kim Do-jin
Sex: Male
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 185cm / 86.3kg
[Strength: 78] [Stamina: 79] [Agility: 76] [Mana: 89]
Trait: Apostle of Greed
Sub-trait: Gluttony (貪食)
Sub-trait: Stigma of Greed
[Mutual Non-aggression (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31)]
[Disclosure Prohibition (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31.)]
Unfortunately, the increase in my stats wasn’t that significant.
It was only natural for growth to slow down at this stage.
But what I was here to check wasn’t my stats, but my trait.
“Apostle of Greed…”
My trait had changed once again.
From ‘One with Aptitude’ to ‘Bearer of Karma.’
And now, finally, ‘Apostle of Greed.’
In other words, I had taken another step toward victory in this competition.
“For someone who ranked 504th, I’m doing exceptionally well, aren’t I?”
The person who barely scraped by in 504th place was now an Apostle, having surpassed so many others…
Of course, it was thanks to a series of miracles lining up.
Unexpected talent, and the experience I’d accumulated as Son Si-woo.
Those two factors created an incredible synergy, maximizing my growth rate.
If that bastard who stole my body and is now living it up had participated in the competition with this body… well.
I’d bet he’d still be crawling at the bottom, or he would’ve been long dead.
“First, let’s check it out.”
I stopped my thoughts there.
It was time to see the effects of my new trait.
I reached out and lightly touched the trait section of the status window floating before me.
A script appeared.
[Apostle of Greed]
-You are the chosen Apostle of the Goddess of Greed, Gula.
-You cannot be satisfied unless you have more, and greater, things than others.
-Your greed to be superior to others forcibly adjusts the user’s stat efficiency to 1.5x.
-Your greed to take what belongs to others fully unlocks the sub-trait Gluttony (貪食).
-Sealed.
-Sealed.
“Hmm…”
I didn’t know how to describe this feeling.
You know how it is?
When you’re so happy, you can’t even think to scream.
That’s how I felt right now.
Should I first shout “All hail Goddess Gula!” three times, or should I just let out a huge yell?
Setting aside the two rambling lines at the top, the part below them was just too fantastic.
“Stat efficiency 1.5x…”
So, if my Mana is 89, does multiplying it by 1.5 make it almost 130-140?
Sadly, no.
I’d noticed this since I had the ‘Bearer of Karma’ trait; it wasn’t a simple multiplication of the number.
For example, when my Mana was stuck at 80, the ‘Bearer of Karma’ trait should have made it 104.
Numerically, that should have been enough to go head-to-head with an S-rank Hunter, but… it felt weaker than I expected.
If I were to convert the actual increase into a rough number, it was probably in the low to mid-90s.
The reason was likely that the weight of a single point increases as the stats grow.
The difference between raising a stat by 1 in the 80s versus in the 90s is quite significant.
The amount of effort required to climb, and the reward gained upon climbing, are both greater for the latter.
That was probably why the tangible growth felt less than expected.
“Even considering that, 1.5x is insane.”
My highest stat right now is Mana.
Even if I lower my expectations, 89 multiplied by 1.5 means it’s at least over 100.
And what does that mean?
“…With just my Mana, I might really be able to take on an S-rank.”
Of course, I couldn’t guarantee a victory.
The first reason was that my other stats were still lacking in growth.
The second reason was the sub-traits granted to S-rank Hunters who surpass 100 in a stat.
The merits of these sub-traits are substantial.
To give an example… right.
After Han Ju-hee’s Mana surpassed 100, she gained the sub-trait ‘Firepower Enhancement.’
As the name suggests, it’s a trait that enhances the power of her specialty, fire-attribute magic. With it, she carved her moniker, ‘Scarlet Witch,’ not just across Korea, but into the memory of the entire world.
A single sub-trait like that has a massive impact on an S-rank Hunter.
I’d even heard that the top-tier S-ranks have three or four sub-traits.
“Jeez, what a bunch of monsters.”
It seemed I’d need a little more time before I could take on guys like that.
But it was too early to be disappointed.
I said I couldn’t guarantee a victory, but I never said I would definitely lose, did I?
Besides, I still had an ace up my sleeve.
The sub-trait ‘Gluttony (貪食),’ which was fully unlocked by becoming the Apostle of Greed.
I reached out my finger once more to check it.
[Gluttony (貪食)]
-For a certain period, you steal and use the opponent’s stats.
-A portion of the stolen stats is digested and absorbed by the user.
-The majority of the stolen stats are expelled during the digestion process and returned to their original owner.
-If the owner of the stolen stats dies, you absorb an additional portion of the wandering stats.
-The higher the user’s total stats, the greater the absorption amount and duration.
-Warning: Overeating can be harmful to your body.
“Uh, hmm.”
So.
To sum this up… I can steal an opponent’s stats, use them to make myself stronger, and even make a portion of them permanently mine through a ‘digestion process’?
“…This one trait has a debuff, a buff, and a growth engine all in one.”
It was a perfect sub-trait, one I couldn’t find fault with even if I tried.
I drag my opponent down, and I rise up by that same amount.
In combat, there’s nothing more desirable, so I should be overjoyed, but…
“I’m starting to get scared.”
This overwhelmingly powerful ability was, paradoxically, instilling fear in me.
My first concern was the other ‘Apostle of Greed.’
Didn’t this mean he also possessed this ridiculous sub-trait and was constantly growing stronger?
Not only that, but the Apostles of the other Seven Deadly Sins were also a problem.
Just as the Apostle of Greed was given Gluttony, they too would receive comparable sub-traits. Who knew what kind of troublesome abilities they would get?
With every step forward, the path narrows.
That means someone has to get off the path for me to walk more comfortably.
So, what’s the best way to make someone else get off the path?
“I’ll have to push them off myself.”
There was no other way.
For now, the path might be wide enough that I can hide, hoping someone else pushes another, and another gets pushed.
But sooner or later, that day will inevitably come.
The moment when I have to draw my own blade and plunge it into my opponent’s heart, their throat.
In the end, it is my destiny to fight others who possess abilities just as broken as my own.
At that thought, sweat drenched the fist I had unknowingly clenched.
“Hmm…”
A short grunt.
It was too early to die.
To do all the things I couldn’t in my past life, I needed this life to continue for a long, long time.
Therefore, I must live.
Even if it means I have to survive by coveting the lives and futures of those who would try to steal my own.
I must.
“Still, just in case…”
But no one knows how life will unfold.
To put it bluntly, the life of a Hunter was one where you could be killed in an ambush tomorrow.
So.
“For now, let’s just quickly devour what’s right in front of me.”
Mother-daughter rice bowl.
Right now, that was the only thing on my mind.