Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Growth and Promotion (1)
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Sung Tae-kyung was in the midst of an intense, instinct-driven tryst with Do Shi-hee, the female Hunter from the Ariel Foundation.
"Tae-kyung, you busy this weekend by any chance?"
"……."
Kang Hye-eun lay on her bed, clutching her smartphone and staring intently at the screen for a long while.
She'd casually typed out a KakaoTalk message following her whims, but mustering the final courage to hit send proved elusive.
As a result, Kang Hye-eun simply kept the chat window open, locked in a meaningless staring contest with it.
"If you're free, how about we go somewhere fun this weekend?"
"...Ah, no. This feels way too obvious. My intentions are showing right through."
She pondered at length what to add after the initial message, but every continuation she tried seemed to scream her ulterior motives.
Having already burned through two hours just typing and deleting the same content repeatedly, Kang Hye-eun couldn't pry her thumbs from her phone even late into the night.
"Tae-kyung, you've been away from home a lot lately. You aren't hanging out with weird girls until late, are you?"
"...N-No, this won't do either. Writing it like this makes me look like a stalker. It'll ruin whatever goodwill I have left."
In truth, she'd been treating her childhood friend's house like her own for quite some time now. Recently, she'd even taken his old mattress under the pretense of replacing his bed—acts that weren't far off from those of a stalker or obsessed fan.
Kang Hye-eun was well aware of this side of herself. But showing it outright would surely disgust him, so she hastily deleted the second message without sending it.
Just days ago, her bond with her childhood friend Sung Tae-kyung had felt closer than family. Yet somehow, without her realizing, an emotional chasm had opened between them.
'I'll help you relieve your pent-up lust. We're childhood friends, after all.'
When they'd first hooked up, he'd approached her without hesitation, as if their closeness was only natural.
'Why are you acting like my girlfriend? We're just childhood friends.'
But when she'd mustered her resolve and taken a step closer in response, he'd instantly pulled back and drawn a line.
Having never dated at twenty-two and viewing only Sung Tae-kyung as a romantic prospect, she even wondered if such casual distance was the norm between men and women.
Without cracking open his head to peer inside, this stifling frustration would never resolve. Like it or not, she knew she had to meet him once and have a frank talk.
"Tae-kyung, mind if I come over for dinner tomorrow?"
"Ughhh! Everything I write just sounds pervy!!"
Suddenly flooded with recent memories mid-typing, Kang Hye-eun began thrashing her feet on the bed.
Just days ago, while swapping out his bed at his place, recollections of their sexcapades in every corner of his home had assaulted her mind.
Sending a message like this felt no different to her from asking, 'Can I fuck you this weekend?'
To Kang Hye-eun—who'd sworn off sex for a while to solidify her feelings—it felt endlessly guilty.
"Hye-eun~! Stop thumping around so late at night~!"
"O-Okay! I won't anymore!"
She tossed an appropriate reply to her mother Kang Eun-young's voice from downstairs.
With that, she hurriedly deleted all her drafted texts and set her phone aside.
Clutching a vague hope that Sung Tae-kyung might reach out first tomorrow or the day after.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The afternoon after a night filled with lust alongside Do Shi-hee.
I was still lounging on the bed where we'd shared our final round of love, letting the late hour drag on.
In a typical hotel, it'd be time to rush checkout. But since check-out here was at 2 p.m., I had a leisurely hour left to enjoy the A/C—no issue at all.
'Might as well savor this 400,000-won-a-night spot to the fullest.'
Heading home offered nothing but fiddling with the system to level skills or browsing lists of other Lust Management Hunters—tasks I could handle right here in the hotel.
Plus, I was due at the Hunter Autonomous Guild tonight, not home. Swinging by the house first would just be a hassle.
For reference, Do Shi-hee—the one I'd shared such passion with last night—was no longer by my side.
True to her status as the heiress of Do Kyung Group, one of the nation's top conglomerates, she'd hurried out this morning citing a packed schedule.
She'd insisted no need to see her off, so I let her go without much fuss.
We had shared a rather deep kiss at the hotel room door just before parting, though.
"Good luck on your promotion exam tomorrow."
"...Thanks, Sung-cheol."
After bidding her farewell that morning with those words, I remained alone in the 5-star double room, pulling up the Hunter Lust Manager system.
I'd already checked once last night after leveling Swordsmanship, but more points had trickled in via irrumatio since then, sparking vague hopes of something new.
Had to see if fresh items had appeared in the Point Shop, too.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Achievements Unlocked (NEW!) "What? More achievements?"
I could've sworn I'd unlocked three new ones just last night.
Securing points was top priority across the board, so I immediately claimed rewards from two achievements in the menu.
⚙ ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED ⚙ Climax via Fellatio and Irrumatio Only ⚙ ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED ⚙ Drive Partner to Climax via Throat Sensitivity Checking the achievement list post-sex with Do Shi-hee always revealed the strangest unlocks.
Probably a byproduct of her unique sexual preferences, unmatched by other women.
She'd mentioned gaining much from me, including lust relief—but what I'd gained from her was worth at least ten times that.
I couldn't help but look forward to what achievements the next encounter might unlock.
'Who the hell designed these achievements for the Hunter Lust Manager ability, anyway?'
The very concept of accumulating points to buy skills or items was unlike any awakening I'd encountered. From day one, I'd chalked it up to an unreal ability within an unreal world.
Separate from the cheat-like Hunter Lust Manager itself, the Achievements menu raised several red flags worth probing.
...Though my curiosity ended there.
'Solving that mystery isn't a priority right now.'
Unraveling achievement mechanics would just scratch a couple itches in my head—nothing to boost my actual growth.
Far better to focus on future plans than waste brainpower on trivia.
Especially for me, eyeing a switch from the Guild to Silver and Jade Corporation. No time to dawdle before Han Min-ah changed her mind; I needed to finalize the transfer, then join Kang Hye-eun's A-Rank party—my top goals.
No room for distractions.
'Even if the means are a bit lewd, I need clear objectives and to stick to them.'
To grow as a Hunter: maximize sex with my Lust Management targets. Pile up achievements at the Guild to hit B-Rank ASAP.
Focus on those two for now. Other issues wouldn't resolve by overthinking early.
'Oh yeah, need to get back in touch with Hye-eun.'
Including school days, no matter how mad she got at me, she'd always come crawling back within five days. A week of radio silence after our text spat? Unprecedented.
She must've been seriously pissed by my last words. Her reaction was understandable.
'What to do here.'
Best case: She approaches first, like always. But waiting forever risked losing her for real.
People aren't always rational.
Even deep bonds from years together could snap irreparably from a single deep rift. Losing Kang Hye-eun so pointlessly would breed regret—as her childhood friend, sex friend, and Lust Manager.
'Bluntly reaching out anytime might sour things again...'
Best to contact once her emotions cooled. Fortunately, I had a way to indirectly check.
That thought prompted me to open "Current Lust Management Hunter List" in the Hunter Lust Manager system and expand entry #001 at the top.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📛 Name: Kang Hye-eun ✨ Awakening Ability: Warrior of the Guardian Shield 💰 Est. Points: 80 ...Such high estimated points meant I could at least get a chance to talk.