Dreaming of a Bigger Life and Deeper Sorcery
Even if I couldn't just up and leave this house right away, it was still true that I needed to figure out the path I'd walk from here on out. First things first, I had to escape that damn one-room apartment. I hadn't thought like that before. Sure, I'd wanted a bigger place, and it felt like something that should naturally happen, but when I crunched the numbers, nothing added up. Moving cost money, and pondering how to scrape it together always left me exhausted. Things had gotten a bit more flexible money-wise after landing the job at the Dungeon Management Office. I'd figured a few more years of work, and I could swing an apartment. But even then, it hadn't felt great. I'd wondered if moving to an apartment was really necessary. Deep down, I'd tried not to think about it, but I was starting to realize what I'd been missing back then.
I'd wanted someone to share my life with. A loneliness that had built up inside me over so many years. Honestly, I'd even thought that if I was going to live alone forever, maybe it was better to stick with the cheap one-room. But now? Those thoughts had completely flipped.
I scrolled through listings for new places on my phone, feeling a swell of excitement. Of course, we couldn't all live together in my house. They had their own places, and there was no need for communal living. Unless it was something like Kang A-jin's hidden mountain home—who wouldn't raise eyebrows at a house with a revolving door of gorgeous high-rank hunters visiting a single guy? Especially since they were all elite S-rank beauties who turned heads wherever they went.
So I decided my new place would be just for me. I started searching for around 1,000 square feet, but then it hit me—what was I doing settling for that? I bumped it up to 1,600 square feet. I was an S-rank hunter now; I could afford to dream a little bigger. Even if buying something massive like Kim Seol-bi's place was out of reach for now, a 1,600-square-foot apartment should be doable soon enough.
To make it happen, I'd need cash. And no way was I asking one of the women for financial help now that I was S-rank. Hunters had their own ways of making bank, right? I'd hit the dungeons. Which meant getting my rank officially tested...
I hesitated, wondering if it was smart to step out into the open like that. I'd killed Jo Dong-geun with my own hands just yesterday. Society had to be in an uproar, right? But searches turned up nothing. Not surprising. He was an adult, an S-rank hunter with no oversight—who'd make news out of him vanishing for a day?
Still, better play it safe... I decided to lay low for a few days and watch how things unfolded. No harm in caution. My rank was S, and the test results could draw unwanted eyes. No one would link a new S-rank to Jo Dong-geun's disappearance right away, but why risk it?
Lying on the bed, browsing the net, I spotted a tempting 1,600-square-foot apartment. I'd make that my goal—earn the money while keeping tabs on the situation.
Jo Dong-geun dying here hadn't upended my daily life. Even with this bizarre cohabitation stretching on, there was nothing I needed to change from before. Reason being, I wanted to build up my skills. And to do that, I needed dungeons—which I couldn't hit just yet. So the only growth path open to me was the one I'd been on: sorcery lessons with Kang A-jin.
Facing Jo Dong-geun had burned through over a hundred talismans, so restocking those was on the list too. Sorcery had no ceiling—you could keep advancing indefinitely. No need to stick to the same old types or levels. That fact alone sparked genuine excitement in me. Unlike grinding experience through sex with the women, this felt like tapping into my innate, boundless potential. Motivating. Fun, even.
In the usual basement with Kang A-jin, the lesson kicked off.
"Ah, Sung-gi-ssi’s absorption... it's truly... I don't even know how to describe it..."
She looked genuinely stumped. I'd seen that expression the very first time she taught me. She had mastery-level sorcery theory and execution; I was a total newbie. Adjusting her lessons to my pace had been tough for her.
This time was similar, yet different. For someone steeped in sorcery for decades, grasping complex rituals took years of study. Only then could you wield them. Repeat enough, and you'd gain the insight to craft your own—like Kang A-jin and Valentina now.
But I barely needed that buildup. It was instinctual, like a hunter awakening and intuitively using their skills. She barely had to explain, and I'd get the essence.
I couldn't articulate it perfectly, and my understanding wasn't as deep as hers. But...
"Would something like this work?"
The goal of learning sorcery was to use it. Getting lost in theory missed the point. It was like she was realizing something she'd never consciously noted. Perfect understanding and practice? Nice, but if you could cast it, that was enough.
I knew my limits, though. This way, I could only use what she taught—no real application or innovation anytime soon.
Still... As we went, I wondered if I could push that far. Inspiration wriggled, hinting that creating new sorcery might not be so arrogant—or impossible.
Our lessons continued, occasional hitches aside. Bound by my Unreasonable Favor skill, prolonged time together stirred that subtle pull between us. "Accidental" touches piled up, once, twice... and then...
"Sung-gi-ssi..."
"A-jin-ssi..."
No one leading, we embraced and kissed. Clothes flew off. True to our first time, she spread a wide tablecloth-like fabric on the floor. We dove into physical intimacy.
The first time had been tentative, but not anymore. I pulled her small, pale, perfectly curved body close, lavishing affection without restraint. I was S-rank now—no holding back.
Hunter sex had perks. No breaking each other, no matter how rough. Endless stamina. I'd noticed my semen production had skyrocketed. A little fatigue? Eat, and recover fast.
But the real magic? Mana resonance. Between emotionally close hunters, mana interacted intimately. Erotic mana blooming purely for sex, thickening the air, amplifying pleasure.
That's why I hadn't slept with the women exposed to my skill before. One-sided resonance with normies or rank gaps could harm—or kill, mana devouring life force like a sharpened skill. But in harmony...
"Haang! Aaang! Sung-gi-ssi! Yes, so good!!"
"A-jin-ssi, you're so beautiful. Your body feels amazing!"
We lost track of time in fiery passion. After three rounds, resting, I spotted the elevator descending—like before. I knew who'd arrive soon. Our long basement sessions had prompted Lisa with food.
Sure enough, the doors slid open. Lisa emerged, trays balanced on both hands. She froze at the sight of us naked and entwined. Our eyes met; like last time, she set the food by the elevator, bowed to me, and said nothing—but it felt like, "Enjoy your time."
Seeing her like that tugged at my heart. I jumped up, dashed to the elevator, and caught the closing door. She looked up at me with those adorably rabbit-like eyes.