Mana Drained, Oaths Sworn
“Arrrghhh!!”
Just like with Park Hyun-jun before, mana was ripped straight out of Kim Hyun-cheol’s body. I had no idea if there was actual physical pain involved, but he kept screaming his lungs out. At the very least, he seemed to grasp that his power was draining away, getting sealed into that talisman. The way he kept glancing at the passed-out Park Hyun-jun made it clear he knew he’d end up the same way soon enough.
The process didn’t take long, and Kim Hyun-cheol collapsed with a pallid face. Kang A-jin handed me the talisman containing his mana.
“Sung-gi.”
“Thanks, A-jin.”
I absorbed the mana from the talisman right away. I could feel fresh mana surging into me rapidly, accumulating in my body. It felt almost too easy taking down an S-rank hunter who’d once lorded over Korea and claiming his mana. That must mean I’d grown that much stronger. And every woman tied to me was incredible in her own right.
Kang A-jin subtly showed something to Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol, who were starting to regain their strength. Just like when she’d revealed Jo Dong-geun’s true nature to Jo A-young, it was a recording preserved on a talisman in visual form. It played out in full: the two of them breaking into Kim Seol-bi’s house, spewing subhuman filth from their mouths, then getting castrated and stripped of their power.
“If you act on your own again, I’ll make this public.”
“N-no, please......”
“Anything but that......”
I couldn’t say which hit them hardest—committing the crime, getting castrated, or losing their power. Any one leaking out would ruin them. They’d never show their faces in Korea again. Even fleeing overseas with that disgraceful record wouldn’t make life easy, S-rank hunters or not.
“You’re Sung-gi’s slaves now. Got it?”
“Ugh......”
“Slaves......”
They clearly recoiled at the word, hesitating to respond. Slaves of mine, specifically. I didn’t even need lackeys like these.
“Looks like these idiots haven’t learned. Let’s just cut ’em off for good.”
Valentina said it with a laugh, but her tone was dead serious—no joke there.
“No! I’ll do it! I’m your slave!”
“I’ll obey every command unconditionally!”
Even neutered and unable to use it, the thought of total physical castration terrified them. Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol shouted their oaths of loyalty.
Still...
I figured Kang A-jin had her reasons for leaving them like this. I’d find out in time.
Powerless, Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol were dragged off by Seo Na-yeon. They couldn’t even walk on their own, and it wasn’t something a few potions could fix. They’d never wield overwhelming power or strut around arrogantly again. Still S-rank on paper, but they wouldn’t perform at that level anymore.
From that angle, maybe what I was doing wasn’t so bad for Korea’s dungeon security. I’d killed Jo Dong-geun and stripped Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol of their strength. I didn’t pity them one bit, but objectively, it might shake things up.
An SS-rank dungeon’s coming soon, too.
An SS-rank dungeon in Korea was fundamentally good news. Higher-rank dungeons dropped better loot. New ones often yielded novel materials, and SS-rank? The value would be immense, no question.
The problem was the shrinking pool of S-rank hunters who could actually bring their full power to bear. If locals couldn’t handle it, calling in foreigners was an option—but a last resort. S-rank hunters weren’t mercenaries you hired with cash alone. You paid far more, and it left political and economic debts to the dispatching nation.
Ordinary citizens had no clue about any of this. Hell, hardly anyone even knew Jo Dong-geun was dead.
Could Kim Eun-bi and Jo A-young make S-rank?
The thought popped up out of nowhere. Might be jumping the gun, but rare as it was, if these A-rankers climbed to S, they could fill the gaps left by Korea’s missing top hunters.
I knew sexual intercourse exposed women to my Unreasonable Favor trait, boosting their growth. Kim Seol-bi had confirmed it worked both ways—not just me leveling up. But the gains weren’t huge for her. A-ranks like Kim Eun-bi and Jo A-young stood to benefit more than an S-rank like Seol-bi, though not enough for an instant rank-up like mine. No one had mentioned personal growth since her, anyway—probably too subtle to notice clearly.
If this turns into some kind of signal...
Right now, I could only dole out minimal EXP without a solid method. But master it, and I might pump massive gains into them. My Unreasonable Favor wasn’t fixed or complete. It took ten years to properly awaken, and it kept evolving—snaring women through sex, unlocking potential step by step.
Not impossible.
Of course, thinking wouldn’t magically solve it. Even Valentina and Kang A-jin couldn’t fully parse my ability.
“We’ll have to stay at the hotel for a while. Might as well sell this place and find a new one.”
Kim Seol-bi said it while eyeing her house, wrecked again before repairs could finish. I agreed it was the right call. Not just the damage—its location had been too exposed, hit twice now. I didn’t want her dealing with this crap anymore. Sure, no one left to target her like that, but we hadn’t predicted Park Hyun-jun, Kim Hyun-cheol, or Seo Na-yeon either. Anything could happen.
I even wondered if Kim Seol-bi and the others should live somewhere untraceable like Kang A-jin’s place. If not individually, maybe pool resources for a secure spot to share...
Hm...
A palace-like harem sprang to mind naturally. I figured it’d make us all happy, but priorities first. Better to go aggressive than just play defense against intruders. Like Jo Dong-geun—build a reputation so fearsome no one dared cross me. If I gained fame and everyone knew Kim Seol-bi, Kang A-jin, and the rest were close to me, no one would act rashly.
Is this the ‘power moving me’ Valentina mentioned?
A bit different from what I expected, but it fit the bill. No need to fight the flow—just ride it. Park Hyun-jun, Kim Hyun-cheol, and Seo Na-yeon’s stunt had me pondering future homework.
At least I’d stopped them before Kim Seol-bi suffered worse. I’d have loved to punish Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol more, but Kang A-jin seemed to have plans for them, so I let it slide. Killing S-rank hunters recklessly wasn’t ideal anyway, and even powerless, the title held value for leverage.
The unexpected night wrapped up. Valentina urged me to crash at Kang A-jin’s, but with tomorrow’s schedule, I passed. Besides, blowing off steam with sex after all that was still a stretch for me.
The next day, despite yesterday’s chaos, I stuck to plan and hit the gear shop. I’d mastered Lisa’s skills via the hunter dungeon simulation program. Unlocked way more weapons for me, too. They offered free rentals one per type—no reason to say no. Buy later or pay usage fees, but the shop owner clued me in: S-rank gear and items held massive value just sitting there, appreciating over time.
Dealing with S-rank hunters, they didn’t haggle hard—screwing one over meant bigger payback later. Better to build ties for long-term gains. Even standard deals profited them plenty. The rental period’s perks going their way proved it.
After the gear shop, I headed to the dungeon as scheduled that afternoon.