The Third Woman's Touch
"By any chance, did Kang A-jin do something in the room while I was there?"
At my question, Kim Seol-bi flinched. Her face twisted as if recalling a memory she'd rather forget, even though she'd just been rejoicing in my growth. It was a rare expression for her. I figured something must have happened.
The mana measuring device had recognized three new users. That meant there were three people's worth of mana inside me. Mine wouldn't be included. I'd only gained enough mana to be recognized as a hunter after meeting Kim Seol-bi. My own innate mana wasn't strong enough to manifest on equal footing with hers.
The triggers for Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi's mana influencing me were clear. They'd been exposed to Unreasonable Favor and shown near-reckless affection.
The identity of the third one was unknown. And the clue to unraveling that mystery lay in what had happened while I slept.
Kim Seol-bi had called Kang A-jin to fix Kim Eun-bi's reckless behavior, but that didn't seem to be the whole story. There was definitely more to it.
The atmosphere in the room the moment I opened my eyes. And the dream I'd had. Kang A-jin fleeing like she was escaping—it was suspicious. Even if she hadn't succeeded in her commission, Kim Seol-bi wasn't the type to hold a grudge against her.
There was absolutely something more.
"That is..."
Kim Seol-bi hesitated, unable to open her mouth easily. Normally, I wouldn't have pressed her. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable just to hear something.
But this felt essential for living with the Unreasonable Favor skill going forward. There were still too many unknowns about it for me. Sure, getting close to Kim Seol-bi and living happily with her sounded great, but incidents like what Kim Eun-bi had done could happen anytime.
And it didn't seem like mishaps only happened through Kim Eun-bi. Something had gone down through Kang A-jin while I slept. I felt that certainty strongly.
"Please tell me. I need to know too."
At my words, Kim Seol-bi let out a deep sigh—"Haaa..."—and I led her to the bed. Stroking her back gently, I repeated myself.
"Tell me. Keeping it bottled up inside must be torture."
"The truth is..."
I listened as Kim Seol-bi recounted what had happened while I was asleep. Of course, I'd heard parts of it earlier, but key details had been omitted then—the parts she disliked, and the ones she didn't want me to know.
As I thought...
A chill ran down my spine. When she'd first told me, I hadn't thought much of Kang A-jin failing to resist my skill. It happens, I'd figured simply.
But objectively, Kang A-jin was extraordinary. Her abilities and income were so vast she lacked motivation to work as a hunter. And the people she dealt with weren't just high-rank hunters—they seemed to include those with immense wealth and power.
For someone like that to fail against my skill, when I was barely D-rank? What the hell is going on?
Learning the full story from Kim Seol-bi revealed it wasn't just that Kang A-jin had failed to fix Kim Eun-bi. She'd grown curious about my ability and wanted to see me to uncover its secrets. After shooing Kim Seol-bi out of the room, she'd performed a ritual to probe my power, as she'd claimed—and the result...
Kim Seol-bi said Kang A-jin had closed the door to the room she'd left open. When her unease led her to open it again, the scene inside shocked her.
You'd think she'd be used to it after Kim Eun-bi, but no. It was a sight she hated no matter how many times she saw it. If she were a nasty S-rank hunter, she'd have ended it right there.
My heart warmed knowing how much she liked me, but it also made me think we had to fix this. I needed to understand my own ability better. That way, even if unavoidable incidents like today's happened, I could prepare.
Kang A-jin...
I recalled her from my dream. She'd struggled to approach me because of Kim Seol-bi. Maybe that dream was tied to my ability too.
Kim Seol-bi's and Kim Eun-bi's mana had meshed well inside me—perhaps because their affinities weren't bad, or one was clearly stronger. But Kang A-jin's mana clashed with Kim Seol-bi's already established presence. That's why Kim Seol-bi had growled at her, and Kang A-jin retreated without displacing it.
Retreated...
If that were the end of it, the mana measuring device wouldn't have detected three signatures when I placed my hand on it. I remembered holding hands with Kang A-jin in the dream. If that meant I'd accepted her mana...
I stroked the back of Kim Seol-bi, who wore a pained expression.
"It's no one's fault. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"Okay..."
Irresponsible words, but true. If Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi couldn't resist my ability, Kang A-jin probably couldn't either. I couldn't say it in front of Kim Seol-bi without ten mouths, but she probably knew it too.
What I needed to figure out was how to navigate this mess.
Just days ago, as a mere civilian awakener, even handling one S-rank like Kim Seol-bi was overwhelming. Now adding her cousin and a shaman on par with S-rank? If I could handle this casually, I'd already be a playboy.
Kim Seol-bi murmured in my arms.
"Kang A-jin said something like this. To abandon worldly notions... If we can't kill you, Sung-gi, then we... have to adapt..."
I was startled. Adapt? Was Kim Seol-bi saying she'd accept me getting close to other women?
She said Kang A-jin had spoken those words. But her tone suggested she was seriously considering them.
If we can't kill you...?
I swallowed hard. It was possible. If someone was unattainable, just causing heartache, wouldn't killing them be easier? S-rank hunters were beyond the law. No one would punish Kang A-jin for it. One dysfunctional S-rank was worth more than a D-rank's life—economically or for national security.
But Kang A-jin had said if we can't kill you. She had no immediate plans to. Kim Seol-bi went without saying, and I doubted Kim Eun-bi would either.
Indeed...
If they couldn't kill me or erase my ability, sharing was the only option.
The thought made me jump. Could I handle it? An S-rank hunter, an equivalent shaman, and Kim Eun-bi—an A-rank hunter and Kim Seol-bi's cousin—all at once?
The picture in my head wasn't bad. Deep down, part of me even wanted it to happen.
Really...
Setting aside the unsolvable dilemma for now, I pondered my ability more. According to Kim Seol-bi, Kang A-jin had been touching me. Her description was unsparing.
She'd slipped her hand into my pants, fondling my symbol while touching herself too. Not full insertion like Kim Eun-bi, but bold as hell for someone else's house. No wonder Kim Seol-bi was furious. It explained Kang A-jin's escape.
It has to be that...
All the clues pointed to one thing: the explosive growth while I slept. The lingering effects weren't just from Kim Eun-bi. Kang A-jin's addition had spiked my rank in one go. The direct trigger? Intimate skinship.
Even with Kim Seol-bi, I'd grown massively—enough for a fever—right before full insertion sex. But no new skill yet.
That comes through combat...
Hunting with Kim Seol-bi in the dungeon had granted skills and agile movement. Experience came from skinship; skills from dungeons. I couldn't parse the mechanics, but the facts led there.
No way...
Growth was essential. To have sex with Kim Seol-bi, and to fend off unknown threats. If the key was women drawn by Unreasonable Favor...
My mind grew tangled again when a voice suddenly rang out.
"Let me go! What the hell are you doing?!"
Kim Seol-bi made a troubled face at the shout from the next room.