Growth Pains
'My body's no joke.' I sat up in bed, kneading my arms.
Ever since awakening, I'd never caught a cold or anything like it, and even after intense weight training, I'd never felt muscle soreness this bad.
This had to be because of what happened with Kim Seol-bi yesterday, right?
'What the hell...?'
Before dwelling on it too deeply, I decided to contact the Dungeon Management Office first.
Now that I'd confirmed Kim Seol-bi had really come looking for me yesterday and that no villains were involved, it was time to deal with my real-life responsibilities.
'Even so, that was too much.'
Disappearing for a whole day without a word— they must've cursed me out at the office.
'Not like anyone's worried, though.'
Awakened staff were tougher than regular people, so the Dungeon Management Office had a habit of treating us roughly.
My body was tempered by years of part-time jobs, but I hadn't expected this level of stress from what I thought was a quasi-civil servant gig. Even if I'd only been there a month.
The director in particular treated employees like bugs.
No one explained why, so I could only guess. Maybe he was venting the stress from dealing with hunters on us regular awakened folks.
Hunter resentment was rampant in society anyway.
Who wouldn't envy people who awoke overnight and shot to the top?
Talk about unfair. Though no one chose to awaken or not.
Plus, awakened hunters acted like tyrants. There was barely any way to control them.
Without hunters, dungeons went unmanaged, which meant humanity's extinction.
Leaving it to individual conscience? How effective could that be?
Even if one wanted to live right, others wouldn't let them—too many leeches trying to cash in on hunters.
In my short time at the Dungeon Management Office, I'd seen plenty of hunters. Aside from female hunters being unrealistically attractive, their manners were unbearable.
I'd worked at convenience stores, cafes, and bars too, but regular customer assholes were nothing compared to the entitlement baked into hunters.
'Still, the pay's not bad.'
Good insurance, decent allowances. Where else could I get nearly 50 million won a year without skills? It even went up with seniority if I gritted my teeth.
I gave a wry smile and typed a message.
It was to the director, but no reply came. A relief, maybe?
He wasn't glued to the office daily, but thinking about facing him tomorrow already soured my stomach.
'Still...'
Thinking of Kim Seol-bi made it all fade.
Me, getting this lucky? An S-rank hunter. A goddess in human form, walking into my bed to seduce me.
"Heh heh heh."
I dragged my heavy body to the PC and searched.
I needed to know why my body was wrecked.
It didn't take long to find out. Simple, really.
You couldn't put a regular awakened on the same level as an S-rank hunter. Especially for sex.
Like an elephant and an ant? In those violent adult animations, regular awakened bodies tore or exploded.
'Passing out was lucky, then?'
Recalling yesterday's heat, ending like that was a miracle.
A community post claimed a regular hooked up with an A-rank for a one-night stand—300 hate comments calling it a lie from a lunatic.
Sex with an A-rank drunk was suicide, let alone possible.
'But why'd Kim Seol-bi...'
I pondered, then concluded.
Would she have tried to harm me on purpose? This backed up her zero experience perfectly.
"Haaa..."
Knowing the cause brought deep despair.
Platonic love existed in theory, but like Santa or unicorns, it was unrealistic.
How could healthy man and woman sustain without sex? Unless there was a reason.
'I could manage.'
Honestly, I'd endure it to see her.
'But she couldn't.'
Why settle for a guy she couldn't fuck? Kim Seol-bi, the nation's sweetheart S-rank?
"Haaa..."
Clinging to faint hope, I kept searching. Maybe a miracle method.
Intense searching led to one conclusion: No way for a regular awakened and S-rank to fuck.
Expensive items? Just theory. Unproven, eye-wateringly pricey—unrealistic for an S-rank to use on a regular.
'Not zero chance.'
I chuckled bitterly.
One possibility: Become S-rank. Or A or B. No mana death or fainting sickness.
But it drained me more. Ten years, zero growth.
No miracle now. Hunters started at F for dungeon hunting.
B-rank was the line for minimal S-rank insertion. I'd need storm-like growth, skipping ranks.
'A beautiful dream that lasted a night.'
Heart aching at losing her, but no choice.
Then, a forgotten item in the wardrobe: Mana measurer.
Bought ten years ago with hopeful dreams. Checked sporadically till five years back.
Old used model, but couldn't fake consistent zero growth.
Tired of disappointment, I stashed it away.
It hit me: If growth was the only way with her...
Immune to letdowns, but for her, one more.
Dragging my aching body, I rummaged through old clothes and pulled out the tablet-sized device.
Set it on the desk, grabbed water from the purifier.
Bad result ends it with her. No expectations, yet heart raced.
Watch my life's luck vanish?
"Huuu..."
Back to desk. Remembered how, despite years.
Whirr—
Old but functional. Display lit with cheery message, ignoring my mood.
Place your palm on the screen for 5 seconds to measure.
"Huuu..." Deep breath, palm down.
Five seconds... Eternally grim.
Pam-ba-bam!!
"Huh?"
Sudden fanfare. From the device—first time hearing it.
Fanfare kept blaring.
"What?"
Unbelievable. Especially with this flu-like ache after ten growthless years.
Reset, measured again.
2.01%... Not vs. five years ago. Growth in seconds since last check.
'No way... me...'
I reinterpreted the brutal soreness.
'Growth pains?'