Career Decision (3)

It was a medicine we had created together with the Doctor, restoring a formula from a book in the research institute's library.

"Just five pills came out."

The Troll Lord's heart — the size of a human head — and nearly a full sack of rare, high-grade materials had been condensed into five pellets no larger than a thumb.

"One each."

I handed a Troll Lord's Elixir to the Doctor, Kang Han-na, and Han Jo-hyun.

"Are you sure it's all right to give us something this precious? Every single one of these has to be worth over twenty billion won."

"It's fine. The three of you looked after me while I was here. You're all my women."

"Seonghun..."

In this world, men had no concept of marriage. There were simply too few of them; their duty was to impregnate as many women as possible. If a man did marry, his wife would face crushing social condemnation. Some women, having fallen in love and tried to keep a man to themselves, had been so viciously denounced that they took their own lives.

In this world, a man was public property. Marriage for men was strictly illegal — and that law was the same in every country on Earth. Common-law arrangements existed, of course, but to maintain one, a man still had to diligently impregnate other women.

"You are all my wives."

"Kh-hhk."

Kang Han-na's eyes welled with tears of emotion.

I swallowed the Troll Lord's Elixir.

"Kh!"

A tremendous medicinal force slid down my throat and wrapped around my heart. My body burned.

"Aaagh!"

Shaaaaaaaa!

A golden aura erupted from every inch of me.

The women followed my lead and took theirs.

"Master."

"Hmph."

In the corner of the infirmary, Choi Yeo-jin was holding a naked dogeza.

"You think a piece of trash like you deserves an elixir like this?"

Pffft!

The instant the insult landed while she was still prostrated, Choi Yeo-jin squirted.

I pushed the elixir into her mouth. The shameless girl ignored the pill entirely and sucked on my fingers instead.

"Insolent bitch."

"I'b thowwy."

"Still. You did help when we made these."

Gulp.

"Thank you. I'll serve you until the day I die."

"Says who? A useless slut like you, I'm dumping on the street this instant."

"Master! Hhk! Hhk! Please don't throw me away!"

"Even while you're sniveling, your pussy's dripping."

I planted my foot on Choi Yeo-jin's cunt as it gushed.

"Nngh! Thank you!"

"That's your punishment!"

"Khh-hhhnnn! Nngh!"

That was when Han Jo-hyun called to me.

"Seonghun, there's someone I'd like to introduce."

"Who?"

"A bodyguard. She'll be protecting you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for the next three years."

"A bodyguard? I don't really need one."

"No. You're one of the most famous men in the world, Seonghun. There are still plenty of people who'd come after you."

Coming after me even after Selectio's warning, huh. Then again, you never know what desperate psychos will do.

"Follow me."

I left the room with the Doctor, Kang Han-na, and Han Jo-hyun.

"You stay right there in dogeza. I'll be watching you on the security camera."

"Yeees!"

Choi Yeo-jin answered in a voice so bright it was almost cheerful. I wasn't even sure she understood this was supposed to be a punishment.

When our group entered the conference room, a woman was already seated there. She sat in perfect stillness with her eyes closed — a white-haired beauty. Her ears were pointed, and she wore a strangely shaped headband designed to keep her hair from covering them.

"This is my bodyguard?"

"Yes. This is Ryu Su-gyeong, an S-rank hunter."

Heroes and hunters used entirely different ranking systems. Heroes were graded Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, and Grand Master. Hunters, by contrast, used a simple letter scale from F to S.

"Greetings, client. I am Ryu Su-gyeong. In the martial world, I am also known as the White Plum Sword Flower."

Her voice was clear and crystalline.

"Before the Mount Hua Sect fell, she was an actual disciple. She's an elder among elders — one of the people who helped rebuild the Mount Hua Sect that exists today."

Those ears and that face left no room for doubt. She was an elf.

"You're an elf, right?"

"To be precise, I am a pure-blooded High Elf."

Ahh. So that's why she looks so pure.

"Why are your eyes closed?"

"I lost my sight in a battle long ago. However, I can see well enough through hearing and smell. The mind's eye far surpasses the eyes of the flesh."

Every word carried weight. She was the real thing — a living relic of the old martial world.

The Doctor let out a quiet breath of relief when she saw I was pleased.

"The government has also decided to invest an enormous amount so that you can adjust to our country, Seonghun. Even a simple daily protection detail costs a fortune if the hunter is S-rank."

"How much are we talking?"

"Ten billion won a year."

They're not even sending her to a warzone. She's just going to trail after me, and that's ten billion?

"The contract is for three years. She'll keep you safe the entire time."

Can't they just give me that thirty billion instead?

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"But if you were a real disciple of the old Mount Hua Sect, then your age—"

Swish—!

A lock of hair drifted down in front of my face.

Thuk.

Something had passed by. I was sure of it.

Flutter.

The front of my shirt split open and slid to the floor.

"Seonghun!"

"Are you all right?"

The women rushed to check me over.

"Do not speak to me of age. That is a warning."

What a cantankerous hunter.

"What's this?"

I reached toward her unusual headband.

Tak!

Her face tightened as she struck my hand away. She was a master, all right — even a light tap left my hand stinging.

"Do not touch my headband. It is a tool that protects my ears, which serve me as eyes."

Some kind of special enchantment on it, then. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠For someone from a prestigious sect, she looked delicate, but her manner and speech were as strict and sharp as a blade.

"Got it."

I shook out my tingling hand.

"Have you decided where you'll be staying starting next month?"

"Not yet. Seoul, I suppose. If I'm opening a clinic, I'll need a large population."

"What kind of clinic?"

I grinned.

"A pregnancy clinic."

"Pardon?"

"A clinic that gets women pregnant. I'll also handle sexual sensitivity development, body correction, breast work, and whatever else comes through the door. My ability is more or less ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all-purpose, appearances aside. I can't fix anything too severe or any emergency trauma, though."

"That's impressive. What will you name it?"

"The Golden Cock Clinic."

"If it's you, Seonghun, I'm sure it'll be a huge success."

A major bank in Seoul. The crowded lobby fell silent in an instant.

"No way. Is that...?"

"Romeo?"

"Who's the pretty one next to him?"

"That's not a person. I think that's an elf."

I cut through the crowd and sat down in the waiting area.

"Have a seat. Your legs have to be tired."

"Not in the slightest. I must always be prepared for enemies."

Ryu Su-gyeong kept her expression perfectly still, ears angled, scanning the room.

"Please come with me."

A bank employee walked over.

"Sorry? I'm waiting for my number."

"Men may receive their consultations in the VIP room."

"Ah. I see."

I followed her into the VIP room, Ryu Su-gyeong at my side.

"What brings you in today?"

"I'd like a loan."

"A loan? And what would you be using the money for?"

"I'm starting a business. A clinic. I'm a medical ability user with a Yellow Aura. I don't have any actual medical training, but my power is Divine Physician, so it's close to all-purpose."

"I see. In cases like this, the loan limit changes dramatically depending on the clinic's specialty. What would your primary fields be?"

"If I had to pick, obstetrics and plastic surgery. But if I put my mind to it, I can treat almost anything. My proficiency still needs work, so I'll be focusing on those two for now."

"Hmm. That's a little ambiguous. For obstetrics — would you be impregnating patients with magic?"

I shook my head with a confident smile and slowly stood up.

"I don't impregnate women with magic. I do it with this."

Srrrk.

I drew out my massive Golden Cock and showed it to the banker.

"That's..."

"Yes. Our clinic is one hundred percent natural conception. The name is the Golden Cock Clinic. Well? Think it'll make money?"

"Remarkable. At this rate you won't just cover the interest — you'll have the principal paid off in no time. Frankly, men tend to get approved for loans quite easily. Their abilities are excellent on average, and if all else fails..."

She let the sentence trail off.

"If all else fails, what?"

"You can always pay with your body."

A man's position in this world is truly ambiguous. I still can't tell if it's high or low.

"With a cock like yours, Seonghun, I'm sure you could settle any debt at a very high valuation."

"Hahaha. My business is going to thrive, so that scenario won't come up."

"We'll see. Commerce is a thing no one can predict. If you do end up paying with your body, I'll be happy to help a little."

She slyly hiked her skirt. Her stockings were soaked through.

"Come by the clinic later and I'll get you pregnant."

"Really? Heeheehee. That sounds wonderful."

"Reservations will be mandatory, I'm sure."

She took her time reading through the business plan I'd brought.

"A clinic like this right in the heart of the capital. That's going to take a considerable amount of money."

"I don't need any medical equipment, so that's fine. I treat patients with my power alone. Most of the cost is real estate — I'll be building in a busy district — plus furniture."

"Understood. People who rely solely on their power and are inexperienced with conventional medicine do tend to cause medical incidents at a higher rate, but... there's no legal issue, so it should be fine."

Bang!

She stamped the documents.

"Welcome as a partner of our bank, Lee Seonghun."

"Hahaha. Thank you."

That was when Ryu Su-gyeong cleared her throat.

"Kindly pull your trousers up."

"You can't even see it anyway, can you?"

"I can perceive its size and shape in precise detail through the vibrations in the air."

Her long ears twitched as she spoke.

"I can distinguish everything by scent as well. A faintly sweet plum blossom fragrance... truly mysterious."

She was a disciple of the original Mount Hua Sect, the one that had been wiped out. And as it happened, I was the one secretly carrying on the lineage of the Violet Haze Divine Art.

"When you put it like that, I suppose I have no choice."

I stopped enjoying the banker's stare and hurriedly pulled my pants back up.

This elf — whether from her long life or from being a martial master — had a personality as strict as stone, and she looked at men the same way.

That afternoon I went looking for a place to stay.

"Hmm. This should do."

It was a modest studio. I was short on money with the business still in preparation, so a studio would have to suffice for now. In a few months I'd be living somewhere far larger.

"I like the fixtures. The soundproofing's a bit of a concern, but everything else is excellent."

Ryu Su-gyeong folded her arms.

"This will be a little cramped for two."

"For two?"

"Yes. Myself and my client. We will be living together, of course."

"What are you talking about?"

"Enemies may strike at any time, from anywhere. And you intend to live alone? Surely you did not think I would leave a gap in my protection while receiving ten billion won a year."

"You still get to go home after work, don't you? How are we supposed to live together in a place like this?"

She sat down on the floor. Her chest surged like a wave beneath her training robes — an enormous pair of breasts hidden under all that loose fabric.

"If you wound my pride, I will not hold back. I have never once failed a commission. I have protected clients even on the battlefield."

My jaw dropped.

Live with a five-hundred-year-old white-haired pure-blooded High Elf? A strict, blind swordswoman?

Fine by me. Age is just a number. What matters is the face and the body.

And her face and body could have walked into a beauty pageant that afternoon and won it outright.

"A-all right. I'd be grateful if you'd live with me."

A tiny twitch.

Huh?

I could have sworn the expression on this woman — eyes still calmly closed — had shifted, just for a second.

Shff!

She headed for the bathroom.

"I will wash first."

"Sure."

Why is she in such a hurry to shower?

Squish!

Squeezing past the piled luggage in the narrow space, her enormous breasts mashed against the wall.

"This house is certainly a little small. Ten billion a year, and the residence is this cramped. I have never had a client like this."

"Well, I'm broke right now. Can't be helped. Hahaha."

"Haa... Then I suppose I shall have to pack my things and come here as well."

And so a very strange cohabitation began.

Ryu Su-gyeong started her shower. That was when an uninvited guest arrived.

Creeeak.

The door opened and someone came in lugging an enormous bundle.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho!"

The one hauling the huge pack was my one and only slave, Choi Yeo-jin.

"It's way too small for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two people. It's smaller than the doghouse at our main estate!"

"Why would you be living here?"

"Huh? Where else is a slave supposed to live if not with her Master?"

You've got to be kidding me.