Infinite Possibilities
“Ah, something...”
I felt a boiling energy surging within my body. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The universe itself unfolded in my mind. Every single cell in my body could sense that I had ascended to an entirely new realm, unlike anything before.
Opening my eyes, Kang A-jin was smiling at me.
“How is it?”
“I don’t even know what to call this...”
“I can only imagine what you’re feeling, Sung-gi. I’ve never experienced anything like it myself, and no one in the world has. Even the top hunters they call rankers probably aren’t on your level. The only one who might come close to understanding is Lisa, but as you know, the way she was born isn’t the same as yours.”
“Yeah...”
I felt a twinge of unease. It was like suddenly gaining an immense reservoir of inner energy but having almost no practical combat experience or techniques to wield it. If I couldn’t figure out how to use this power properly, the imbalance would persist.
Kang A-jin voiced exactly what I was thinking.
“The mana from those 26 people inside you has mostly stabilized, but that alone won’t let you accomplish much. I think what comes next is even more crucial. You can learn more skills than anyone else in the world—not just mimic them, but truly master them. Depending on the path you take from here, you could grow infinitely stronger and acquire infinite skills.”
“Infinite...”
I mulled over that distant, incomprehensible word.
“Is that even necessary?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I’d love to just live peacefully and safely with you like this forever. I’m sure the other women feel the same. Valentina might think differently with her unique mindset... but anyway, you’re venturing into completely uncharted territory. Who knows what lies ahead? No one’s ever walked that path.”
“Yeah...”
Of course, she was right a hundred times over. How could anyone predict the future? At the same time, a brand-new sensation had undeniably awakened inside me. I now possessed overflowing mana, and an intense urge to wield it surged up. To use it, I’d need skills.
I turned to Kang A-jin. “Teach me sorcery. I don’t think it’ll feel frustrating to learn anymore.”
“Of course.”
But a lonely expression crossed her face. “Still, you don’t need to learn sorcery from me anymore.”
“What? What do you mean...?”
Was she trying to push me away? I couldn’t understand the shift in her attitude. Her next words immediately revealed she was thinking something entirely different.
“Valentina would be a far better teacher for you than me. Why learn from me when there’s a sorceress more skilled than I am? I’ll speak to her...”
I grabbed her wrist as she started to rise.
“No.”
“Huh?”
“I want to learn from you, A-jin.”
“But...”
“I haven’t had many lessons yet, but isn’t the world of sorcery vast? You left Valentina’s side because you had so much independent research to pursue, right?”
“That’s true, but...”
“At the very least, I believe your understanding of sorcery rivals Valentina’s. As you know, she’s a monster. It’s less like she learned sorcery and more like she simply unleashes her innate talent. Geniuses aren’t usually good at teaching others. Be my teacher, A-jin. And...”
I smiled. “You know my abilities better than anyone. I don’t grow alone. From now on, you’ll grow alongside me. Soon enough, you’ll become a sorceress equal to Valentina—or maybe even surpass her...”
“Ah...”
Kang A-jin’s face flushed red.
“Are you really okay with me?”
“Please, Teacher.”
At my playful words, a blissful smile spread across her face.
“Alright. The lessons will be far more intense than before. We only opened gates on your palms and fingers last time, but now we’ll open them in many more places. That’s fine, right?”
“Do as many as you need.”
“Take off your clothes.”
Her work began right away. The first time she taught me sorcery, she’d created gates on my palms and fingers—portals for channeling sorcery effectively. The more gates I had, the faster and easier it became to cast. Powerful sorcery required chants, but gates could shorten or even skip that process.
As I stripped off my shirt and pants and reached for my underwear, Kang A-jin panicked.
“No! Not there yet.”
“Okay.”
In movies and dramas, scenes like this often led to full nudity, so I’d assumed it was necessary. But piercing gates all over the body wasn’t simple; there was no need to open one down there yet. Though I couldn’t help a flicker of anticipation.
“Let’s head down.”
She led me to the basement warp zone. I realized then that the space wasn’t just for warping—it was designed for major sorcery rituals.
While I stood there in my underwear, she began preparations. Scattering talismans and focusing her mind, characters invisible until now emerged on the floor. They were utterly unfamiliar—not like any modern language, more akin to ancient runes from fantasy films or games.
With the ritual groundwork laid, she spread a large cloth over the floor, like a tablecloth.
“Lie down here.”
I lay on the cloth as instructed. The moment I did, light poured from the floor characters. It felt alien and uncomfortable at first, but soon it soothed my senses, calming me. The slight oppressiveness was likely from the sorcery preparing to open gates in my body. Each gate would fully activate the characters’ power.
Kang A-jin knelt beside me. Spreading her arms, she began chanting. This seemed like powerful sorcery—it didn’t activate immediately. After two or three minutes, sweat beaded on her forehead. The light waves rising from the floor shifted one by one. They wriggled into unrecognizable shapes before forming complete characters. Those characters began seeping into various parts of my body.
Dozens of them embedded themselves like tattoos—black markings etched into my skin—before sinking in and vanishing.
Kang A-jin pulled a box from her inventory. Inside were dozens of needles in various sizes and shapes. The thought of them piercing my body was chilling, but complaining mid-ritual was out of the question.
She advanced to the next phase. The needles floated into the air, automatically seeking and piercing the right spots. A stinging sensation spread across my body. Some went in shallow, others far deeper than expected. Soon, my body resembled a porcupine. The relief was that it only looked that way—no intense pain.
The needles began extracting one by one, light bursting from the wounds. Blood trickled from the punctures in varying amounts, but as the light faded, the wounds all healed.
The floor lights died down, and Kang A-jin relaxed her straightened back with a heavy sigh.
“Haaaah...”
Her face, dotted with sweat, looked utterly endearing. In truth, she’d sacrificed and yielded more than anyone else so far. Thanks to her efforts in every crisis, we’d escaped disaster. That affection swelled, making me unable to just leave her be.
I reached up and cupped her cheek.
“Eek!”
Startled, Kang A-jin’s eyes flew open as she caught her breath from exhaustion.
“A-jin...”
“Sung-gi...”
We no longer needed talismans or barriers for sex. We both knew that full well. This skinship had no restrictions or hesitations.
I pulled her face toward mine.
“Ahh...”
Whether her explosively red face stemmed from the fatigue of the major ritual or sheer embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.
I pressed my lips to hers.