Overcoming the Rank Limit
I headed down to the basement and infused my mana into the talismans just as Kang A-jin had taught me earlier. It filled me with joy to see the number of usable talismans growing one by one.
Lost in the work, time slipped away until drowsiness came crashing over me. Using mana in this new way I'd learned from her for the first time had drained my stamina more than I realized. After stuffing myself full at dinner and repeating the same task, my body was demanding rest.
I decided to finish just a few more and then head home. I didn't want to keep Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi waiting any longer.
But while working on those last few, I unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
When I snapped awake, my head was resting on the table.
“Ah……”
Being underground made it impossible to gauge how much time had passed.
I pulled out my phone. As expected, there were tons of text messages and missed calls.
It was 10:50 PM. Not catastrophically late, but definitely time to get back.
Right then, the elevator hummed softly as it descended. The blinking numbers stopped at basement level 2.
The doors slid open, revealing a familiar silhouette.
“Sung-gi……”
It was Kang A-jin. Her voice calling my name had an unusual edge, though I might have just been groggy.
For some reason, she exuded a sultry aura as I said to her, “Sorry for staying so late. I should head out now.”
“Sung-gi……”
Kang A-jin’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She seemed to have something to say but was hesitating.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“Yes……”
Without a word, Kang A-jin walked toward me. As the distance closed, my heart started pounding.
Of course, she was a beauty, and just being near her was enough to stir any man’s heart. But this feeling was new.
If I had to compare, it was like the air when Kim Seol-bi first visited my house and we were alone—thick with an inexplicable erotic tension.
“If it’s not urgent, can it wait? I really need to go……”
“It’s important,” she said, as if resolved. “Don’t you want to overcome your limits, Sung-gi?”
“Limits?”
I’d been shattering limits left and right these past few days—from ordinary awakener to hunter, climbing ranks daily, and today even mastering sorcery. I couldn’t guess what she meant.
“I know about your relationship with Kim Seol-bi. And things must be tricky with Kim Eun-bi too.”
“Hm……”
I got the gist, but wasn’t sure how to respond.
“I have a way.”
“What way?”
“It might not be perfect yet. But ever since meeting you, I’ve been thinking about it nonstop. How to overcome that limit……”
“Sorry, but what exactly are you talking about……”
Kang A-jin brought her hand to her chest and began unbuttoning her dress, one by one.
It was a simple dress style, and after a few buttons, her pale cleavage came into view. Red lingerie—lacy, contrasting her pure image, radiating raw sensuality against her flawless skin.
“Wh-what are you doing……”
She kept undressing. The simple design meant a few more buttons exposed most of her upper body and shoulders. Dazzlingly white skin, utterly pristine.
C-cup, full and firm? It meshed perfectly with her unique aura, suffusing the air with breathtaking allure.
To exude such purity and eroticism at once—a woman like her was one in a million.
I knew I should stop her, that I’d regret this and needed to get home fast. Yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away as she stripped.
She reached back, unzipping with ease—her lithe, toned body flexible enough to handle it solo.
Zip— The sound synced with my loud gulp.
Thud. The dress pooled at her feet, revealing matching red lace bra and panties. The sheer fabric let her mound peek through—no hair at all. It suited her perfectly, somehow.
In just lingerie, Kang A-jin sighed, “Haaah……”
“Sung-gi……”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Don’t do this. You can’t.”
I recalled what she’d done while I slept. Once was embarrassing enough; she could do it twice. I wasn’t entirely uninterested, but going through with it would leave me unable to face Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi.
Coming to Kang A-jin’s house and fooling around? Even if I kept quiet, it felt like it’d come out somehow.
Beyond that, my conscience prickled—I couldn’t hold back much longer.
“I told you. We can overcome the limit.”
She spread her arms, and several talismans fluttered into the air. Violet beams extended, intertwining like a barrier.
A perfect cube enclosed us.
“Now our mana can harmonize.”
“Huh?”
I pondered her words. Overcoming limits. Mana harmonizing.
“Ah……”
I finally understood. I couldn’t have penetrative sex with Kim Seol-bi or Kim Eun-bi because their ranks dwarfed mine. Lower- and higher-rank hunters couldn’t—it was a mana mismatch.
A rank or two apart might be barely possible, but unsatisfying for both.
That was the limit she meant.
“Sung-gi……”
She closed the gap further. I realized I couldn’t push her away anymore.
I’d felt it with Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi’s outbursts, but this pull was overwhelming—not mere attraction to a pretty woman.
I remembered my trait, Unreasonable Favor. S-rank Kim Seol-bi, A-rank Kim Eun-bi, and this world-class sorceress rivaling S-rank—they all succumbed. What chance did I have?
She took my hand, guiding it to her breast. I gripped it.
“Haang!”
Soft as expected, as it looked—like it’d melt away if squeezed too hard.
Her skin was impossibly smooth. Perfect handful size.
Forgetting my earlier turmoil, I kneaded mindlessly.
Squish, squish. She twitched, face crimson.
“Haa, Sung-gi, haaa.”
I brought my other hand up, claiming both breasts.
Truth be told, frustration had built up. Living with two stunning women without proper intimacy? Their rivalry only worsened it.
That pent-up desire exploded now.
I glanced up. The talismans hovered steadily.
“Twenty minutes. That’s the limit……” she said breathlessly.
Likely the barrier’s duration. Even she couldn’t perfect a sorcery to fully bridge ranks.
Impressive enough. If easy, hunters and normals would do it all the time, ranks be damned.
She might be the world’s first. When did she research this while chasing me? Passion must’ve fueled it.
She, who’d touched me in my sleep, drawn that strongly.
“Sung-gi……”
She leaned in. I kissed her flushed, soft lips.
“Mmm, nngh……”
Lips parted, tongues entwining.