Valentina's Eccentric Welcome
"Anyway."
Kang A-jin's teacher approached me and extended her hand. I reflexively took it and shook.
"My name is Valentina. In the underground world, everyone knows me, but you might find it unfamiliar."
"Kang Sung-gi."
Valentina's hand was soft. I'd thought she might look younger than her age due to makeup and clothes, but her skin was so smooth that I wondered if I'd misunderstood something.
"A-jin, just how old is your teacher...?"
Instead of asking her directly, I turned to Kang A-jin. Valentina grinned.
"Hmm, yes. In Korea, asking someone's age isn't considered rude. In fact, it's necessary to show proper respect going forward, right? Though I personally despise formality and etiquette. Even our little A-jin here always tried to be so polite with me, which was a headache. It creates this invisible wall between us. And that freezes up even the best relationships. Because of that, I've had to..."
Valentina looked at Kang A-jin with sticky, lingering eyes. A-jin flinched and took a step back.
I sensed something beyond imagination in their master-disciple dynamic. Maybe A-jin kept her distance on purpose to avoid breaking that invisible wall? And Valentina probably got too close with her other disciples, casually intimate in ways she shouldn't...
I blurted out a question to Valentina. "By any chance, are all your disciples women?"
"Hohoho! Of course! What use is taking in some man? A master-disciple bond should be intimate! Day or night, whatever we're doing, we have to be together. You can't do that with a man."
It sounded moral at first glance, but the reality was the opposite. This woman simply had no interest in sleeping with men and only took female disciples to suit her tastes.
I could understand how much hell A-jin must have endured walking that razor-thin line. Looking at her with pity, she turned away with moist eyes.
"You were curious about my age? I'm 33."
"Ah..."
Relief washed over me. At least common sense hadn't shattered too badly. A-jin wasn't calling someone younger than her "teacher."
Valentina looked ageless on the surface, but she was definitely older than me.
"You're older than me."
"Naturally. But my insides are still tender and supple."
"You look young on the outside too."
Insides still tender and supple? How the hell did she learn Korean?
Valentina burst into high-pitched laughter at my compliment. "Hohoho!"
"Well, well. You sure know how to say the right things. No wonder A-jin fell for you."
She continued with a pleased expression. "But I won't hand her over to you, so don't get your hopes up."
"..."
She spoke Korean better than some Koreans.
After our light greeting, we headed upstairs together. The three women, expecting a private sorcery lesson, were startled by the sudden appearance of the foreigner—and the girl who looked like she'd stepped out of a fantasy world.
"A-jin, who are these people...?"
"Oh my my my!"
But Valentina showed even greater surprise than the women upstairs. She rushed over, scrutinizing each one.
"Magnificent! Such distinctive beauties! If I'd known Korea had girls this pretty, I'd have come sooner! I was getting sick of those flat-chested types. But this... wow..."
She didn't need to finish. I could guess what she meant—drool was trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Who is this woman, unnie?"
Kim Eun-bi, sensing unease, asked Kang A-jin.
"She's my teacher. I contacted her after a long time, and she said she wanted to see my face, so she came in person."
Silence fell over the group. Where to even start damage control?
Kang A-jin first explained how Valentina had gotten here. It was the only way to make sense of her popping up in a house hidden by barriers. Jo A-young predictably asked, and A-jin gave a simple rundown.
It was hard to believe, but everyone here had witnessed A-jin's abilities firsthand. They accepted the story without much pushback or questions.
"But how does she speak Korean so well?"
Kim Eun-bi voiced the question I had too.
"Hohoho, little one. For a sorceress of my caliber, language is no obstacle. Want me to teach you? Interested?"
"Really? Then I could master English or Spanish too?"
"Absolutely. But it requires a deep bond between us. If you want, we can start tonight."
The intriguing topic must have hooked her, because even being called "little one" didn't faze Eun-bi much.
"No. It's fine."
Kim Seol-bi stepped in for her, grabbing Eun-bi's arm and signaling her to get a clue. Eun-bi soon felt the chill and backed away.
"It's okay. I don't need perfect English..."
"English is just the start of what I could teach you. Hmm..."
Thinking she'd hooked Eun-bi, Valentina pressed her to learn—then suddenly stared piercingly.
"What a shame."
She sighed. "You've already slept with a man. Recently, too. You were definitely a virgin before."
"Huh?"
Eun-bi's face flushed at the out-of-nowhere claim. But Valentina's insight was razor-sharp. No wonder they revered her as a saintess in Brazil.
This topped even the warp zone teleportation for shock value.
"Sniff sniff."
Sniffing like a hound, she let out an even deeper sigh.
"Such a waste~ Every woman here has been taken by that guy. If only it'd been a week sooner!"
How is she this perceptive?!
I lamented her incredible talent being wasted on virginity detection. Why had A-jin respected her teacher so much?
"What the hell does that mean?"
"She says the craziest shit to strangers!"
The women reacted as expected. As the man responsible for their first times, I kept my mouth shut.
"And who's that one?"
Eun-bi pointed at the fantasy-girl standing behind.
"Ah, this is Lisa. Teacher created her to assist with her work."
"Huh?"
"What?"
Even I was shocked. Created? So she wasn't human?
My mind flashed to Valentina the sorceress stitching corpses into new life. Prejudiced, maybe, but Brazil? It wouldn't shock me. And as a saintess... maybe she built her fame healing the sick and raising the dead?
"Why act so surprised at this?"
Valentina put her hands on her hips dismissively. "I love all my disciples, but none could perfectly assist me. I needed someone by my side 24/7, understanding my every power, reading my mind without explanation. A-jin came closest, but sadly, she never fully shed her hang-ups about sex. So I made Lisa for that purpose. She's the second-best sorceress after me and fights bravely like a hunter too."
Everyone's jaws dropped at the explanation. What the hell did this woman get up to?
"So how exactly did you create a life...?"
"A kind of soul collecting, I suppose?"
An English term popped out. No one here, including me, knew what "soul collecting" meant.
Except one person.
"Soul collecting is a ritual to capture souls about to scatter after death. You extract only specific qualities from the soul—minus the ego—and store them in a vessel."
Kang A-jin explained.
"Exactly. For reference, Lisa is a composite of the best traits from 19 souls. Some were renowned hunters in life, and one was my disciple who sadly passed before me. You know."
You know?
I got the gist intellectually, but seeing it in reality was another matter entirely.
So she's human-shaped, but not really human?
My head spun in confusion.