Chapter 52
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Dungeon Wife
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"W-We have to go to the workshop."
As soon as we stepped out into the training grounds, Yuuna hurriedly let go of my hand.
Was she worried someone might see us holding hands all chummy like that?
"We've still got time. Wanna do a bit more?"
"First, I'll teach you how to use monster ore."
It had been a while since I'd gotten Hunter lessons from Teacher Yuuna.
"You said it's a special material? Does it drop sometimes?"
"Yeah, it's a material that contains mana on its own. In simple terms, it can strengthen items."
"Ooh."
Like reinforcement stones, huh?
"Just in case, I'm telling you this upfront: monster ore can only be refined through government-approved facilities. Do it anywhere else, and you're in big trouble."
"Government-approved facilities?"
"Hunter Association, Hero Association, and so on. Prestigious academies even have their own monster ore refining setups inside."
This place was one of those prestigious academies, right?
How the hell did (former) Sanghyeok even get in here? Realistically, he would've been cut at the entrance exam.
This was the mystery of erotic games for you.
"You do it there?"
"Yeah. Some people reinforce their uniforms, but usually, it's weapons."
"Obviously weapons."
For a guy, it's gotta be weapons!
"Excited? Kim Sanghyeok."
"It's way too exciting content to pass up."
I couldn't resist gear enhancement.
"Well... D-ranks don't really deal with stuff like monster ore."
"Don't go bragging like you've seen tons."
"I have seen tons. Heh heh. My Yukihime is a whopping A-rank."
"What's Yukihime? Your sword's name?"
Yuuna showed me the sword at her waist.
"My treasure. I couldn't use it during the scarecrow test, though..."
"What, some restriction?"
"Bringing specially refined weapons to the scarecrow test is against the rules."
Because some people would bring overpowered, hyper-reinforced gear.
"A-rank means it's higher ranked than you."
"Proof that I've been more diligent than others. Weapons like this are symbols of hunters... armor or weapons, we call them Masterpieces regardless."
Masterpiece
So Yuuna's Masterpiece was called "Yukihime."
My Masterpiece... Glock 19?
'Not sure yet.'
More than anything, it kept jamming, which was annoying as hell.
I thought it'd get better as my Technique rose, but getting screwed at critical moments...
What if I reinforced the revolver?
Lost in thought, we left the training grounds and boarded a massive elevator before I knew it.
Like a lift descending underground?
There were dozens of other academy students besides us. All different years.
"We're heading to A Workshop. They have monster ore refining facilities there."
The elevator hummed downward.
Underground in the academy was packed with infrastructure solely for refining gear: furnaces everywhere, shops galore.
"This is A Workshop..."
"You could call it the heart of Etsol. Come on, let's go."
"Uh, okay."
Yuuna grabbed my hand and led the way.
She guided me to a bizarre smithy where a female blacksmith was hammering iron.
Everything was huge and sturdy—impressive.
"Raida! Here to get some monster ore refined."
"Who's this handsome guy?"
"Kim Sanghyeok. Member of Yuuna's squad."
"Squad? You doing squads now, Yuuna?"
"Just... a guy I'm teaming up with at the academy."
Raida stared me down intently.
She was a muscular woman pushing 180cm, radiating intimidation.
Thinking back, before I hit 190cm, she would've towered over me...
She'd burned off any useless fat through grueling labor but kept her massive breasts—a sexy, tanned figure that suited her perfectly.
The cigarette dangling carelessly from her mouth and her bleached bob cut fit her vibe spot-on.
"Uses a gun?"
"Y-Yes..."
"You're raising a gun user, Yuuna?"
"Seems he likes it."
"Tsk tsk..."
......
She pitied me just for running a gun build.
"That bad?"
"You picked it knowing, right?"
"More than me, I figured... you'd know better, sis."
"Sis?"
Raida burst into hearty laughter, mouth wide open.
"Ah ha hak! Yeah, I know my stuff. See, guns are mana hogs when it comes to monster ore."
"......"
Low reinforcement efficiency... I figured as much...
"Plus, guns take a huge Technique penalty in dungeons, so even reinforced, they don't pack much punch."
Yuuna chimed in from the side.
"What does that mean, Yuuna?"
"Guns get weaker in dungeons, right? You know that? Swords don't."
"Right?"
"If a sword gets stronger like 5, 10, 15 per monster ore... a gun goes 8, 9, 10, 11... like that."
Hmm...
Wanna reroll my character?
Not too late now, is it?
"Don't get down. Just think it over carefully before shoving in the ore."
Still, I like guns.
I had an aversion to close-quarters monster brawling.
And...
'It's not like it can't be reinforced, right?'
A monstrously reinforced pistol might pull off some unexpected performance.
"I like guns."
"That's what you like? Monster ore investment is so inefficient, everyone avoids them."
"That's why I like 'em."
No one else does it. It's hip.
Totally badass?
I was the type to blow my mind over that kind of charm in RPGs.
"I wanna do what others don't."
"Puhaha hak!"
Raida laughed from the gut.
Yuuna shot me a look like she wished I'd make a rational choice...
"Make my Glock at least 'Judgment of Light' level, please."
"Brought a nice haul of monster ore, huh?"
"One goblin monster ore."
"Pfft. What're you gonna do with that? To shoot beams, you'd need 30,000 B-rank monster stones."
"30,000 for beams?"
That's insane!!
Raida clutched her stomach, cracking up.
"Ahahaha hak! Where'd you find this funny guy, Yuuna?"
"......"
Yuuna's cheeks flushed red.
"I-Is he innocent... or just stupid..."
"Why? Yuuna, she says 30,000 gets beams. Totally badass."
Personality Excretion beam? Totally doable.
"How do you even gather that much monster ore...? You're the Student Council President?"
"Isabella? Student Council President shoots beams?"
"Our academy president's Masterpiece is Devil Suit. Famous stuff. They say it ate 27,000 monster ores."
Holy crap...
"Ah~ Isabella? Her MP's a masterpiece."
She never showed anything like that in our Lucky Pervert duel.
Student Council President was hiding her power.
Or maybe Personality Excretion left no room for it...
"The Student Council President is the pinnacle of Etsol Academy. Surpassing that means piling up insane achievements... impossible just attending academy."
"Gotta become a Hunter or Hero?"
Hold up.
"Yuuna. Hunters get monster ore from dungeons, but how do Heroes get it?"
"Monsters that escape dungeons. But they're too strong to handle easily... usually, you catch villains and get ore as reward. Villains use black-market refined weapons."
According to Yuuna's explanation,
black markets let you quickly stockpile and reinforce with shady stolen goods, but it's illegal.
Heroes seize villains' weapons for the state and snag some ore as reward for reinforcement.
In other words...
"Isabella's a total workaholic. Hasn't slept more than two hours since she was eight."
Raida said.
To gather 30,000, I'd have to grind like that too.
"No one can bring their full power without gear. A good MP directly ties to a hunter's strength. So pick your weapon type carefully."
I wasn't ignoring Yuuna's serious advice, but if this was Onahole Academy content, it was basically a system made for the protagonist.
Even a wooden club could probably hit +99 stages.
Overflowing with romance.
Pursuing romance was just an inevitable guy thing for me.
"Gonna do guns."
"...Sigh. Fine."
Yuuna pulled a bunch of monster ore from her inventory.
"Yuuna?"
"Use all this to reinforce Sanghyeok's weapon."
"What......"
All of this?
Yuuna hauled out dozens of various ores, including the C-rank ones we'd farmed together.
She could use them on her own weapon and still not have enough—why give them to me?
"You boosted my stats before. Repaying the favor."
"...Yuuna."
"You're really doing guns? No regrets?"
"Yuuna, thank you!!"
I hugged her in sheer joy.
"Kyaa!?"
"Thank you! I love you!"
"Okay, okay, let go... Geez...!"
This monster ore must've been her precious stash.
To hand it over so readily for my growth...
I'd grant any request she made.
"Guns it is!"
"Good. Hang on a sec."
I decided to reinforce the Glock 19.
It was my first gun, deep attachment, and even with a revolver, I'd still use the Glock.
I'd gradually expand my arsenal.
First investment: Glock.
Glock 19 (COMPACT) [B-Rank]
Owner: Kim Sanghyeok
Glock 19 compact version. Holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammo. Reinforced with monster ore—increased shooting precision, fire rate, and power.
"Here."
"Thank you."
I took it like a holy relic.
"Now it'll pack a punch even in dungeons. Come back when you get more ore."
"Yes!"
"That happy?"
Yuuna looked at my beaming face like there was no helping it.
"Glock hit B-rank!"
"Anything else? Need something?"
"Gun shop next."
This time, I grabbed Yuuna's hand and led her.
She let out a flustered noise but followed.
Total date vibes.
"What's all that stuff attached?"
Yuuna, not super gun-savvy, eyed it curiously.
"Dot sight—you know that one?"
"Yeah. What's this on the muzzle?"
"Muzzle brake. Compensator. Vents gas to cut recoil."
"And the bottom one?"
"Flashlight."
Called "Surefire."
Made for extreme situations—super durable, bright as hell.
Bought it so I'd be set even if dropped in an apocalypse dungeon again.
And...
"You have a gun already—buying another?"
Yuuna said as I picked up the revolver.
"Backup for jams."
"Don't revolvers jam?"
"Even if the round you're firing fails, the cylinder rotates to a good one. Great for emergencies."
Not reinforced, but it'd do the job if the Glock crapped out.
The revolver I chose as sub was the Colt Python.
Colt's luxury competition pistol.
"Not like a modern student. Picking that proves it."
The gun shop owner chuckled.
"Ah, I’ve got a good eye."
Perception (Red)
Colt Python
Not mass-produced—a master craftsman hand-bent and fitted every action part. Luxury Colt Python with walnut grip.
I wasn't just good at spotting onahole masterpieces.
The glass case had countless revolvers, but
if there was a craftsman-made Colt Python, no other choice.
Its signature was the checkered walnut grip—non-slip checkering pattern.
Colt went bankrupt—game lore aside—and before they decided to reissue it, these were practically artifacts, hard to find.
The handcrafted Colt Python's strength: top-tier accuracy.
"Ammo and holster too, sir."
"Hmm. 1,000 coins."
"...Just ammo and holster."
"900 coins then."
Ugh, most of that's the gun price. I'm broke now?
It hit me suddenly, dizzying.
Then Yuuna slipped in.
"Short on cash?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Gonna split loot anyway. I'll cover the shortfall."
"Really?"
This okay?
Truth was, I'd given her way more money before,
but her noticing without me asking? Pure gold.
"Thought your girlfriend was just pretty, but she's got a heart of gold too."
"Not girlfriend. Not yet."
I dropped it casually.
"......"
Yuuna glared daggers and paid with her student ID.
"What? Miss got someone else? She only had eyes for you the whole shopping trip..."
"...J-Just process the payment!"
"Give it a shot. Uncle sees she totally..."
"Uncle!"
Out of the gun shop, Yuuna's ears were beet red.
"Whew, hot. The furnaces?"
"Head up?"
Residual heat from scheming my harem—my insides burned too.
Heh heh heuk... How many more cringey stunts like this ahead...?
"Not girlfriend... yet☆"
Uwaaaak!!!
Driving me insane!
How do they pull off moves that make you wanna blanket-kick?
"But what if I skimmed the loot split? Why not check the amount?"
Might as well go for broke?
Second verse, brain-melt!
"Like handing your wallet to your wife and not worrying."
"Pfft!!"
Yuuna couldn't hold it and playfully punched my back with cute fists.
"You idiot! Idiot! Die! Just die already!"
Her shy reaction? Delicious.
Being handsome really is the best.