Chapter 436: A Mother's Magic Touch (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 436: A Mother's Magic Touch (2)
As time passed, Seo Jeong-hee truly felt the changes happening to her.
A younger body.
And with it, things that had slowly weathered away and vanished with the flow of time were coming back to life.
They were, without exception, things of intense heat.
Passion, desire, a competitive spirit.
The vitality she had regained along with her youth was drawing out and summoning the person she had been in her teens and twenties.
She was in the process of transforming into something that could not exist by the laws of nature.
A bewitching creature possessing the passion and desire of her twenties, the sultry maturity of her thirties, and the wisdom of her forties.
For now, she could only feel the change and didn't know the details, but that power was slowly beginning to manifest.
This time was a perfect example.
Before she could even recover from the fatigue of her travels, the three of them had tumbled into bed together from early evening.
And then, she had been bedridden.
At first, she thought it was just because they had been too vigorous in their desire for one another, trying to cool their heated bodies, and had completely drained their stamina.
But that wasn't it.
When her condition didn't improve after three days, Seo Jeong-hee began to worry. With the help of Baek Hyeon-a, with whom she had grown close recently, she went to a nearby hospital for an examination.
There, she heard the shocking news.
-"Congratulations. It's Awakening Pain."
-"What? What did you say...?"
Awakening Pain.
The term for the suffering one inevitably experiences in the process of becoming an Awakened Being, possessing an ability called a Trait that transcends human limits.
Awakening Pain is generally divided into two types.
One is when the body can't withstand a sudden, great shock, and the person faints.
The other is when the person suffers pain akin to a severe illness, but it lasts for several days.
She didn't know why it was divided into two types, but she was the latter.
The pain she had been experiencing wasn't from her lovemaking with Kim Do-jin, nor was it a simple illness. It was Awakening Pain.
Upon learning this, she was seized by all sorts of thoughts.
‘Awakening at my age….’
It was a little embarrassing.
It wasn't that there were no precedents, but hearing that it was an uncommon case made it even more so.
At the same time, she began to feel a sense of anticipation.
‘What… what kind of Trait will it be?’
She suddenly recalled a video she had seen on Nertube.
A female Hunter fought and apprehended a villain that had appeared in the city, then vanished without a trace.
For a moment, she thought that perhaps she could become like that, too.
‘That might be asking too much….’
Just because one becomes an Awakened Being doesn't mean they can all become like that.
One has to go a step further and become a Hunter.
If becoming an Awakened Being was purely in the realm of luck, becoming a Hunter was solely in the realm of talent and effort.
She would have to pass the notoriously difficult Hunter License Exam, and well…
‘It would be hard.’
Even if she could, it might only be possible after the first digit of her age changed again.
The Hunter License Exam.
Having watched her daughter's efforts to become a Hunter up close, she knew better than anyone.
She knew how difficult and grueling it was.
To think of it lightly would be to look down on not only her daughter but every Hunter in the world.
‘Still, if it were possible, that would be amazing….’
Just the thought of it was thrilling.
Men dream of being Superman, and women, Wonder Woman.
Doesn't everyone dream at least once of being a hero who protects the peace from villains?
For a moment, she drifted into a sweet childhood dream, imagining herself flying through the sky in a tight-fitting suit, a mask, and a cape.
Finally, her thoughts arrived at her present wish.
Kim Do-jin and her daughter, Yu-jeong, entering dangerous dungeons where a single misstep could cost them their lives.
‘I hope I can be of help to those kids in some way.’
And that wish came true.
What's more, it was tied to the field she was most confident in.
*
I thought she was sick in bed because her body couldn't handle our excessive lovemaking, but apparently not.
It just had to happen right after she had pushed herself more than usual, so we never saw it coming.
To think that it was Awakening Pain.
After finishing her story, she told us about the Trait she had acquired after the pain subsided.
"The name of the Trait is... 'Bapsim'."
"Uh, um."
"...The Bapsim I know?"
"Y-Yeah...."
Jeong-hee nodded, smiling sheepishly.
Bapsim.
Literally, it refers to the strength you get after eating a meal.
It's a word that shows just how serious our people have been about food since ancient times.
The name is a little ridiculous, but....
"It's quite intuitive."
"That it is."
Just as Baek Hyeon-a said.
It's very intuitive and clear.
Her explanation continued.
"While I was keeping it a secret, Unnie and I ran some experiments."
I glanced at her face as she spoke.
I had been thinking that she seemed to have put on a little weight every time I saw her....
Suddenly, her sharp gaze turned to me.
"...Let's stop the rude thoughts right there, shall we?"
"Ahem."
Sometimes, the sharpness women display is beyond imagination.
Anyway.
Jeong-hee and Baek Hyeon-a had apparently been experimenting for the past few days, hiding the existence of the Trait from us.
There was no particular reason, they just wanted to tell us after they understood it a little better.
To be precise, it was because she hoped her Trait would be helpful to us.
"The effects are just as you've seen. When you eat the food Unnie makes, you gain a special effect. The duration lasts as long as you feel full... In my case, it was about six hours."
"Six hours...."
That's quite long.
The duration of doping potions sold by alchemists is, on average, two hours.
But her food lasts a whole three times longer.
Of course, the feeling of fullness varies from person to person, but it would surely be at least twice as long.
"Is stamina recovery the only effect?"
"No. Right now, there are two in total. A stamina recovery effect and a mana recovery effect."
An increase in stamina and mana recovery speed.
It's definitely a useful effect.
Even more so in a place like a dungeon where you have to fight consecutive battles.
It means you can recover more than others even if you rest for the same amount of time.
And that directly translates to stability inside a dungeon.
Plus, one more thing.
"When you say 'right now'...."
Jeong-hee, who had been smiling shyly, answered my question.
"Ever since I got the Trait, when I look at ingredients, I see a brief description and what effects I can expect from making a dish with them."
"Does that mean the effects are endless, depending on the ingredients you use?"
"Yes... but like I said, for now, it's just the two that Hyeon-a mentioned."
"...It seems there's another restriction besides the ingredients?"
"That's right. It's a system called Proficiency...."
Bapsim is a Trait that literally activates the inherent energy of ingredients to grant useful buffs.
But she can't handle all ingredients that way.
Each ingredient has something called Proficiency.
"It's divided into four levels: Novice, Adept, Expert, and Mastered... It seems that each time I reach a new level, a beneficial effect is added or the existing effect is enhanced."
Baek Hyeon-a added a comment.
"For reference, the main ingredients in the beef and potato stew we just ate, the beef and potatoes, are both at the 'Novice' stage. I can't tell you how many days we ate the same dish just to raise it this far...."
"I-I'm sorry, Hyeon-a."
"...It's okay, Unnie."
Jeong-hee looked apologetic, and Baek Hyeon-a, who clearly wasn't okay, forced a smile and shook her head.
That in itself was an amusing sight, but I was more interested in the food.
A 15% increase in stamina recovery speed, and this was only the 'Novice' stage.
What kind of effects awaited at the higher stages?
As I was marveling in anticipation, she spoke to us with a look of pure motivation.
"You have no idea how happy Mom is to be able to help you!"
"Jeong... Ajumma."
"Mom...."
"So from now on, on the days you go to a dungeon, you have to eat a meal Mom makes before you leave, okay? No, on second thought, maybe it would be better to call all your friends over and feed them too?"
A pang resonated in my chest.
She wasn't just happy because she had become an Awakened Being; she was happy because she could help us.
Her expression made me realize.
Just how anxious Jeong-hee must have been, left alone at home every time we set out to conquer a dungeon.
It seemed this Trait would be a great help not only to us but to her mental health as well.
At the very least, just seeing us leave after eating a hearty meal full of beneficial effects would lessen her worries for us.
As I was smiling warmly at her, chattering away happily like a child.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
"By the way, this Trait... what's its rank?"
It was a question that, if asked to anyone else, would warrant a string of curses instead of an answer.
To this, she replied with a bright smile.
"It said it was S-rank? Is that a good thing?"
"......"
"......"
Having fallen for her act, Yu-jeong and I felt our faces sour in real time.
*
It was no different from any other day.
He leaves the house as the sun begins to set and arrives at the club as the surroundings are dyed in darkness.
The entrance is still empty.
When he gets out of the car, the club's staff, who were waiting in advance, all rush out and bow to him.
"Welcome, Boss!"
It feels as if he's become a king.
He walks past them and enters the club.
The VIP Room, Room 1, where the inside is hidden from the outside, but the stage is clearly visible from within, is his designated seat.
He downs glass after glass of the expensive liquor prepared in advance, and soon, the time is ripe.
Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump!
The bass booms from the massive speakers.
Music builds upon it, layer by layer.
Men and women, swaying their bodies to the heart-pounding music, fill the stage.
That's when it begins.
"The quality of the crowd isn't great tonight."
"I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll contact them to be more mindful."
To him, the most delicious woman in the world is one he has yet to taste.
For this purpose, he once again scans the stage, searching for a new face.
Then, his gaze stops on one woman.
"She's not bad."
"If you give me a description, I'll bring her right away!"
"The one in the red dress over there."
"Ah...! Please wait just a moment, Boss!"
The waiter dashes off like an arrow.
Soon, led by his hand, the woman he had just picked out enters with a coy expression.
She sits across from Kim Tae-yang and speaks in a blunt tone.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just heard Hunter Kim Tae-yang was here, so I came to see your face for a moment, that's all."
"Heh...! Right. Now that you've seen my face, how about a drink? This is some rare stuff you can't get anywhere else."
Thanks to the endless stream of news articles, he is branded with a bad image in the eyes of every woman in the world.
And yet, they approach him out of curiosity.
To see a figure more mysterious than any celebrity, one of only five... no, is it seven now? in all of South Korea.
Anyway, a number that goes on endlessly below the decimal point.
And slowly, they sink.
Sunk by his spending habits, which ordinary people could never hope to match, and by his generous and gentle demeanor, so different from what they saw in the articles.
"Hnngh...."
One drink, then two, and finally, she leans her staggering body against his impossibly firm one.
He can tell just by the sound of her breathing.
Whether this woman is truly drunk or just pretending to be.
‘Okay, she’s asking for it.’
This woman wasn't drunk.
She just couldn't bring herself to say the words "take me," so she was showing it with her body.
He immediately leads the "drunken" woman gently to his car and heads to a nearby hotel suite.
Laying the woman on the spacious bed, he realizes something new.
Today is not like any other day.
"Hehehehehe."
As if to prove it, the ring-shaped artifact on his left middle finger scatters an eerie light.
He had been told.
That he could gain power just by having sex with a woman while wearing this artifact.
It's unbelievable.
That's why he wants to test it.
Through the woman before him.
"Ahng...♥"
His masterful caresses made the woman flop like a live fish with the slightest touch.
From head to toe.
After slowly savoring her, he begins the main act.
An S-rank Hunter.
Moreover, the violent lovemaking of a warrior confident in his strength and stamina.
"Haahk, ahk...!"
Creek, creak!
Even the top-of-the-line bed in the suite groans, letting out loud noises.
"O-Oppa, I'm, I'm gonna d-die...!"
The woman lets out intense moans as if she could stop breathing at any moment.
He pays her no mind.
He dismisses it as something many women have said and continues to pound away relentlessly.
"Khh... Fuck, I'm coming!"
He reaches his climax.
Splurt!
He empties everything inside her without a thought for contraception, savoring the afterglow.
Just as a pleasant smile spread across his face from the refreshing sensation coursing through his body.
"Ah, aaargh... Keuk...!"
The woman before him began to wither, letting out a pained gasp.
Crack...!
Crunch!
"Kahak, keuk...!"
As if all the moisture had been sucked from her body, she shriveled up, instantly becoming a mummy.
"What, what the fuck. W-What is this...!"
He stuttered in shock for a moment.
Then he felt it.
His body had become a fraction stronger.
And at the same time, he realized he had made an irreversible mistake.