The Mana Suppressing Earring
Kang A-jin drove me all the way back to Kim Seol-bi's house. Her place was hidden under sorcery stealth from the start, so there was no way I could've found my own way back. The drive back somehow felt even longer than the trip there.
We sat in the driver's and passenger seats without exchanging a word. It was because Kang A-jin seemed lost in thought. I figured she was pondering why her talisman barrier had failed.
My own mind was a mess too. Because tomorrow, she was insisting on that four-way face-off. And by that, she obviously meant me, her, Kim Seol-bi, and Kim Eun-bi. Why the sudden need for all four of us to sit down together? What the hell was she planning to say? Honestly, it didn't sit right with me.
Setting everything else aside, I'd lied to Kim Seol-bi today to go meet Kang A-jin—and we'd even had sex. Well, it hadn't quite gone all the way to completion, but still. From Seol-bi's perspective, it was straight-up betrayal. With Eun-bi, there'd been the accident angle to excuse it somewhat, but this time? No room for excuses. I'd sought out A-jin on purpose, hadn't turned down her advances, and I sure as hell hadn't passed out.
"Mm..."
That said, I couldn't bring myself to ask A-jin not to tell Seol-bi and Eun-bi about today. At this point, maybe it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off. Anything had to be better than this suffocating limbo.
After trying it with A-jin, I got it. If I couldn't have that electric thrill, what good were all these amazing women around me? It wasn't like I wanted to leech off their status for some cushy life. Hell, I'd rather keep slaving away at the Dungeon Management Office.
A-jin didn't stop the car on the main road. As she started up the hill, I spoke up.
"Drop me here, please."
Any farther, and I might run into Seol-bi or Eun-bi. Something told me they'd be waiting by the window for me to get home.
"No, it's dangerous."
I knew what she meant. We'd been ambushed by Park Hyun-jun's goons—tough to admit at my level, but there it was—right after leaving Seol-bi's place. A-jin must've been worried about a repeat.
She had a point. Just like before, I wasn't safe from Hyun-jun's clutches. One failure might mean he'd send even stronger ones this time. I'd gotten a talisman from her, sure, but with my low hunter rank, it wasn't all that powerful yet. Having it didn't magically make me a powerhouse.
My worries turned out to be unfounded. As we climbed the hill, the car turned transparent. Even with her face buried in thought, A-jin handled sorcery like that with ease.
She pulled up by the wall and said, "Be careful going in. Thank you... for coming today."
Her voice dripped with regret.
"No, thank you. I would've been in deep shit without you, A-jin. And you taught me sorcery too..."
Dragging it out would just thicken the awkward air. As I got out, she added,
"See you tomorrow."
"..."
She was serious. I fretted over what she'd say at this showdown. Seol-bi and Eun-bi sure wouldn't welcome her with open arms.
Stepping out, I gazed down the empty hillside. Her invisible car was probably already descending.
"Haaah..."
Learning sorcery had been great, but the unfinished sex left a heavy weight on my chest. If it'd gone all the way, I wouldn't feel this nagging incompleteness.
I rang the bell at the door. It swung open before a second had passed. I walked up to the house.
"Sung-gi."
"Oppa."
As expected, Seol-bi and Eun-bi looked worn out from waiting past the promised time. If A-jin hadn't cloaked the car, they'd have spotted us for sure.
"Sorry. I tried to get back sooner, but I fell asleep..."
The sleep part was true, at least.
"Yeah..."
As she brushed past me, Seol-bi eyed me suspiciously. With her hunter senses, she might've caught A-jin's scent on me. But she said nothing.
"Did you eat dinner?"
"Yeah, we did."
I couldn't face them and headed straight to my room. And yeah, I was exhausted. Learning sorcery and charging the talisman had been fun in the moment, but it'd drained my stamina hard. Plus, the thing with A-jin... Even stabilized by the barrier at first, when it collapsed, the physical toll hit.
With all that crap swirling in my head, I decided to just crash and sort it later. I was out in under a minute.
"Sung-gi, Sung-gi..."
A voice called in my dream haze. It sounded like A-jin's. Good thing I didn't blurt out "A-jin?"
Cracking my eyes, I saw Kim Seol-bi's face right up close. She'd climbed onto the bed, shaking me awake. Bold move, even in her own house. Just days ago, this would've been normal, but after the Eun-bi incident? Not so much. With Eun-bi in the house, was this okay?
"Seol-bi...?"
"It's me."
She beamed. Damn, she's gorgeous. A-jin's afterglow lingered from yesterday's surprise romp, but alone with Seol-bi in the dead of night? All other thoughts vanished.
She wasn't still watching us, right? I glanced at the ceiling.
"Huh? What're you looking at?"
Seol-bi followed my gaze.
"Nothing. Still half-asleep..."
I covered quick.
"But..."
I had to address the elephant.
"Is Eun-bi asleep?"
"Yeah."
"What if she wakes up for the bathroom?"
An A-rank hunter's ears were sharp. Our voices weren't loud yet, but chatting risked it. I'd overheard their sisterly talks from my D-rank room before—contents fuzzy, but the sound? Hunter hearing caught it easy. For A-rank Eun-bi? No contest.
"It's fine. She's out cold."
Seol-bi's tone was loaded. I didn't pry. Probably not the restraints from days ago—Eun-bi wouldn't go quietly awake. Forcing her in? Unlikely. Sleep item, then. Regular pills don't work on hunters; made sense.
Why go to such risky lengths sneaking in here at night? Not that I minded.
"Sung-gi, look at this."
Seol-bi swept her hair back, revealing her ear. Pretty as always—no flaw on her. Pure praise tempted, but she wasn't the type to flaunt randomly. Something more. I stared hard. Eyes adjusting to the dark, I spotted the earring.
Not flashy or pricey. With her wealth, no way she'd drug Eun-bi just to show off jewelry.
Still, I complimented. "Looks nice."
"Honestly, the design's not that pretty."
"Huh?"
What riddle was this? Not her usual vibe.
"Hee hee hee, Sung-gi."
She giggled, barely containing her glee.
"It's a mana suppressor item. Came way faster than expected, right?"
"Mana suppressor?"
Brain foggy from sleep, it took a beat. Then, seeing her joy, it clicked.
"No way..."
"Yeah. Now we can..."
Her hand slipped under the covers, stroking my chest.
"...have sex."