Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Pleasure Without Responsibility (2)
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Even after checking the product description several times and seeing it hadn't changed, I was momentarily dumbfounded. But when I thought about it objectively, it was an item that went without saying—it was absolutely necessary.
Not only was it a hassle to check safe days every time or buy condoms, but resolving Han Min-ah's heat cycle made creampies an essential condition.
Plus, the 5-point bonus for each creampie would add up to a decent amount over multiple times, so 50 points was plenty justifiable as an investment for the future.
『0%--●--------50%』 The moment I purchased the Sperm Concentration Control Function, a horizontal volume bar—looking just like a system window UI—popped up in front of my eyes.
Probably the button in the middle represented the current concentration setting.
"Sperm concentration control function... this is something else..."
Even mulling it over again left me incredulous.
For starters, I could fully understand why the system was selling me this ability.
There was a good chance I'd have to sleep with other hunters like Han Min-ah in the future who needed their heat cycles resolved, so it was likely meant to prevent the risks of reckless creampies.
Unlike with other hunters where you could avoid pregnancy with condoms or anal, beastkin hunters' heat cycles were most effectively resolved through creampies.
It felt like the system, anticipating this need in my lust management duties, had deliberately added this to the point shop.
...Or maybe it was just coincidence, and I was overthinking it.
Either way, the point shop selling something ridiculously bizarre or entirely unprecedented wasn't a big deal.
What mattered was whether it was useful to me or not.
Not just the risks when helping Han Min-ah with her heat, but the fact that I could do it with anyone without pregnancy worries was an insane advantage. True pleasure without responsibility, since the pregnancy function wasn't permanently disabled.
The fact that it wasn't a vasectomy but allowed concentration adjustment was straight-up broken.
Not only could I creampie freely and set pregnancy chance to 0%, but if pregnancy was the goal, it came with a bonus over 90% success rate. Even if the latter wasn't relevant, the former was definitely helpful.
Considering the 5-point bonus per creampie, ten worry-free ones would more than recoup the cost.
『0%●----------50%』 With that thought, I dragged the black button on the volume bar all the way to the left, setting it to 0%. No more worries about contraception from now on.
Especially with someone like Han Min-ah—if she got pregnant, it'd be a massive disaster for her.
She was already shouldering her two younger siblings' tuition and debts; adding more burden was out of the question.
Even if I said I'd raise the kid, her strong sense of responsibility would leave her with psychological strain. Considering all that, preparing ahead was crucial.
After spending 50 points, I had 400 left total.
Just 100 short of the 500 needed to unlock Swordsmanship Level 6. If I set my mind to it, I could gather that in one night. With that in mind, I opened my smartphone to check the most recently added contact.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Silver and Jade Corporation, Seoul Gangdong-gu Branch.
Sky Blue Shield—a party led by Kang Hye-eun, the Warrior of the Guardian Shield—had finished their morning dispatch and gathered in the company cafeteria for lunch and casual chatter.
"Glad you recovered safely from being sick, Min-ah."
Hearing the encouragement from her longtime friend and party leader Kang Hye-eun, Han Min-ah flinched like a startled cat.
"Ah, uh... yeah. Being healthy is my one redeeming quality, right!"
"It's not your only one. Sky Blue Shield wouldn't be complete without you, Min-ah."
"Don't get sick next time. ...Hye-eun works too hard without you."
"Y-yeah..."
Normally, she'd feel grateful for Hye-eun's genuine concern, but today the party leader's attention felt oddly burdensome.
The cause of her day off and her ability to return stemmed entirely from events involving Hye-eun's childhood friend, Sung Tae-kyung.
Just recently, she'd seen Hye-eun overjoyed, thinking she was dating him. That made Han Min-ah even more cautious.
She'd learned against her will that Tae-kyung didn't see Hye-eun as a girlfriend, that he'd intensely fucked her yesterday to relieve her heat cycle, and that he was sleeping not just with her but other party members too.
Her body felt better with the heat resolved, but her mind was more unsettled than ever.
"So? What made you so sick?"
"E-eh?!"
"If you were too sick to come in, it must've been serious. Did you go to the hospital? Could be something dangerous."
"I-it was just a cold! A regular cold!"
"...Really?"
"Y-yeah! Probably just fatigue buildup. Ha, haha..."
Everyone at the company knew how hard Han Min-ah pushed her body, so blaming a cold on accumulated fatigue was convincingly plausible.
"Alright, I get it. Take better care of yourself next time."
"O-of course! This is Han Min-ah you're talking to!"
"That's exactly why I'm saying it. You need more rest days."
"I heard you're coming in every day, even outside party summons?"
"......"
"If you collapse, it's like one of our pillars crumbling. Without your scouting for safety, even the same dungeon feels way riskier."
"O-okay... I'll be careful next time..."
Han Min-ah answered in a hesitant voice, still avoiding her friend's gaze.
To her now, promising to be careful next time was as good as saying she'd rely on Tae-kyung again if her heat hit.
Compared to Hye-eun, who'd liked him since childhood, her own feelings seemed shallow. She couldn't shake the guilt of feeling like she'd stolen her friend's pure affection.
"Hye-eun, what about me?"
"Huh?"
"If Min-ah's not the one collapsing, but me—what then?"
"Ji-hee?"
"Yeah."
"Ji-hee is of course an indispensable member too. We absolutely need you for monsters like Yellow Crystal Spiders or Bear Sharks."
Though she found Chun Ji-hee's sudden question a bit odd, Hye-eun calmly responded as the composed party leader.
"Right."
"Why ask out of the blue? Planning a summer vacation or something?"
"Nah. Just wanted to remind you how essential I am to you."
"Yeah, well. Min-ah, Ji-hee, and Yu-ri too—you're all vital to our party right now."
Of course, she'd often thought adding a healer or support DPS would be ideal, but it remained just a thought without action.
First reason: There simply weren't that many A-Rank Hunters.
Second: Among them, the nobility of nobility—healer hunters—were rare even company-wide, countable on one hand.
Third: Most hunters preferred sticking with their lower-level original group over joining new parties even after ranking up.
For a group like Sky Blue Shield—which had climbed properly from low ranks and just recently had Han Min-ah qualify as A-Rank—adding new members was probably impossible.
Hunters weren't a long-lived or stable profession to begin with. Most retired before 30.
Around late 20s, they'd lose much of their peak performance, making it inefficient relative to effort.
Not that they lost all ability, but many dropped below the threshold to continue as hunters.
When that hit, most cashed out their unstable careers, lived off savings, or found other work. That was the norm.
...Some stayed active into old age, but they were exceptions. Mid-20s was when retirement prep began.
Even with those risks, hunting remained hugely popular.
Intense economic activity in your 20s could secure costs for old age, letting you coast leisurely for the remaining 60 years.
Almost no one lived idly post-retirement—many women built social careers early instead—but still, over half of women worldwide were or had been hunters. It was that commonplace.
Even Hye-eun's mother, Kang Eun-young, had stayed active nearly till 30.
Weighing all that, Hye-eun decided against recruiting for Sky Blue Shield. The current lineup would last till retirement.
She'd worried recently when Cha Yu-ri showed typical signs of declining skill and retirement, but luckily she recovered in a month and returned. The four could keep going a bit longer.
"Haa..."
Even so, she couldn't help sighing involuntarily amid all the recent events.
She'd reached A-Rank fulfilling her childhood friend's dream in his stead—yet the man she'd even envisioned marrying drew a line, saying they weren't lovers.
Unaware of fickle male hearts, Hye-eun often felt chest tightness lately.
...Meanwhile, Han Min-ah—who'd been quietly gauging the mood as Hye-eun and Chun Ji-hee talked—
"...Unni Yu-ri."
"Why?"
"Mind if we talk outside for a sec? I have a favor to ask..."
—was cautiously pulling aside Cha Yu-ri, who sat quietly eating beside her.