Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: You Said Anything?
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"Is that really a person?"
Doyeon muttered blankly as she watched the two of them moving almost like they were flying through the air.
Videos related to Awakeners were heavily censored.
Fights inside Gates were closer to brutal combat than simple hunting.
Since guns with overwhelming range and firepower couldn't be used, it was rare to kill monsters in one shot.
Blood was a given, and monster guts often showed up, so it would have been weirder not to censor them.
Unless it was a Gate like this one, filled with golems or slimes that didn't show grotesque sights even when killed.
So civilians only got to see snippets from TV shows or YouTube.
They'd heard Awakeners were strong and handled superpowers, but seeing it up close was a whole different story.
"That's too much."
Sia grumbled in response to Doyeon's words.
But anyone would think the same seeing someone casually leap to a 7-meter height.
Sia, clinging to the high ceiling and holding a slime that was dripping goo, held it out to Doyeon and Yura.
The slime wriggled desperately to escape, but with its core gripped tight, it couldn't move properly.
"Wanna touch it?"
"...Is it okay to touch?"
"It's fine, it's fine. These guys wouldn't hurt an elementary school kid."
Jiyu, who had caught a differently colored slime, stretched it out long between her hands as she spoke.
Its glossy, rice-cake-like body looked tantalizing.
The two took the slimes from Sia and Jiyu, kneading them like dough with both hands.
"Whoa...! This feels so weird."
"It's like kneading water itself... better than those liquid terrors."
"I wanna raise one."
"Can you?"
All three turned to Jiyu at once.
Sia was an Awakener herself, but she knew next to nothing about Awakener stuff.
"Well, they've tried domesticating monsters a lot... but most die from mana deprivation outside Gates or fields. Even constant mana supply doesn't help; stress kills them."
"Cabbie."
"Kinda like those chicks they sold in front of old schools?"
"Ugh... I hated those. They died in less than a week if you bought one..."
"Yeah, usually from stress or hypothermia."
"No way..."
Passing a cave full of slimes, they encountered tiny mud dolls barely reaching knee height scurrying through the tunnels.
Some walked on two legs like humans, others mimicked beasts.
"Oh...!"
Unlike the slimes stuck to walls for ages, these were active and fun to watch.
Golems weren't great to touch directly like slimes, but they were way more entertaining to observe.
As they ventured deeper, the number of slimes and golems increased, and so did their sizes.
Slimes that used to flee at the sight of people now casually crossed their path.
"Usually, folks just sightseeing stop here. Hunters go deeper. That's where bosses and bigger ones show up."
"But what do you get from catching these?"
"Nah, these are total scrubs—nothing drops. Boss-grade ones sell for mana stones, but after entry fees and taxes, it's just chicken money."
"It's literally just for the hunting thrill. I wanna go deeper... what about you guys?"
Excluding the first day, they'd explored the Gate a few more times.
Clearing boss monsters multiple times boosted their records, unlocking higher-grade Gates.
Those were swarming with monsters that could rip people apart effortlessly, but this leisurely spot was way more fun.
'No sense of danger here or there...'
Hanging out with like-minded friends was the best.
So it felt too soon to leave.
Doyeon and Yura exchanged glances, nodded, and replied.
"We're good with that."
"30,000 won's too much to waste heading back early."
"Okay. Let's go."
Following Jiyu's lead, the four headed deeper into the Gate.
The tunnels widened, monsters grew larger, and their numbers thinned proportionally.
"Good. Bend your knees a bit and stab hard."
"Hya!"
Yura let out a cute grunt as she jabbed the stick Jiyu handed her into a slime.
"Eww...! This feels so gross!"
The squishy sensation of the wooden stick sinking in was downright creepy.
Goosebumps rose on her arms like bugs crawling on her skin.
The pierced slime wriggled before going limp.
"Ugh... Never catching slimes again."
"Good. My turn now? Pass the stick."
Doyeon, hair tied back, rolled up her sleeves and strode forward.
At the two civilians' regret over just watching, they lured and let each kill a monster for fun.
Golems just kicked up dust, but slimes occasionally burst like water balloons—sticky goo splattering Doyeon and Yura's clothes.
"Eww, gross!"
"So sticky..."
"Hey, that skill? Holy whatever? Clean us up with it."
"You'll just get dirty again. I'll do it when we leave."
"Ugh... Feels gross."
"Psh, you've handled way worse."
"Ow, hey...!"
Doyeon shot Jiyu a small glare, glancing at her.
"Huh? What?"
"No... it's..."
"Mm... Secret."
"What... what's that..."
Jiyu pouted playfully, looking a bit sulky at the teasing.
Sia blinked at the unexpected reaction.
'...She's not usually like this, pushing to hang out first... Was she lonely?'
Probably because right after returning, the three had sex, and Sia bonded quickly as a girl among them.
But she couldn't say that outright, so Sia grinned slyly instead.
"Heh heh, you'll find out soon enough, Jiyu."
"What... That's creepy. Your smile's so dad-like. Showing your age, sis?"
Not liking the dodge, Jiyu grumbled curtly.
Leaving the deflated Sia behind, Jiyu led the other two.
They tussled safely with monsters, Doyeon and Yura getting hands-on.
"Tough..."
"Feels one-sided, but still tiring."
"Unused muscles aching."
"Still fun though."
"Yeah. ...Huh? What's that?"
Nodding excitedly, Yura pointed at something bubbling from a ceiling hole.
"Ah, boss. You two, fall back."
"Dangerous?"
"Nah? Goo stings skin a bit, but ointment fixes it. Clothes melt though."
"Eek... Total You Sia monster."
"Why me...?"
"Ooh."
Unlike Doyeon's disgust, Yura stretched her neck curiously to observe the boss slime.
"Quit slacking—go earn chicken money."
"Yes, ma'am."
As Doyeon finished, Sia kicked off the ground.
Closing the distance like space folding, she swung her hand lightly.
Despite its bark-thick goo shell, the huge slime burst like a soap bubble.
"Whoa. Fast."
"When'd she get there?"
"...!"
The two marveled casually, but Jiyu gaped, swallowing hard.
Even without focus, her superhuman senses from skills couldn't track Sia.
It felt like regressing to her pre-Awakening days.
"Mana stone here, ma'am."
"Mm. Good girl."
Watching their banter, Jiyu fidgeted with her hands.
Soon calming, she spoke evenly.
"...Path's longer ahead. What now?"
"Mm... Boss down, bodies sticky. Head back?"
"I'm good."
"Takes time to exit anyway—good point to wrap."
With that, the four retraced their steps to the Gate entrance.
Before exiting, Sia used her holy spell to cleanse Doyeon and Yura's filth and slowly heal them.
"Haa..."
"Sounds like an old guy post-sauna."
"You don't get it, Jiyu. Feels amazing."
"Really?"
Sia suddenly approached the distant Jiyu and grabbed her hand.
"Ah, hey!"
"Hey now. Hold still. There— no pain—."
"Hng...!"
Holy power suddenly infused, Jiyu let out a cute breath.
Flustered, she covered her mouth, but everyone had heard.
"See? Nice, right?"
"...Yeah."
Bracing for teasing, Jiyu found them oddly serene.
Feeling silly for overreacting, she quietly accepted the power.
'......'
The sensation sinking in left her speechless.
Recent overwork fatigue and minor wounds vanished instantly.
'...Impossible.'
Field healers, buffers, debuffers grew rarer at higher levels.
Not just physical limits—skills had inherent constraints.
Unlike projected skills, direct-affect ones faced target resistance, positive or negative.
Not conscious; even resurrection-level heals on normals might only patch wounds on superhumans.
It gauged their strength inversely.
Jiyu, a first-year vet, had massive resistance from her skills.
Yet Sia pierced it effortlessly, serene-faced, curing her fatigue.
"Better?"
"...Yeah."
She'd expected Sia stronger after that move, but the gap was huge.
Some pride lingered, but now was time to swallow it.
To grow stronger, yes.
"More?"
"Please."
"Yeah. Lots."
The phrasing felt off, but Jiyu focused on the power.
Fatigue gone, vitality surged.
A refreshing thrill shivered her spine with odd pleasure.
"Ah... This... Feels... Good..."
No intent, but her melting expression and quickening breaths twisted innocent words.
Jiyu felt nothing lewd, but watching Doyeon and Yura sensed something erotic.
They exchanged looks, nodded.
Probably soon.
......
......
"Haa— so full."
"We eat too much every time lately."
"From one glutton to two."
"We'll head first since we're this way!"
"See ya later—."
Doyeon and Yura waved big, vanishing around the corner.
"Us? More food?"
"...Nah, walk a bit?"
"Sure."
Jiyu led half a step ahead, Sia following.
Leaving bustle, they crossed a quiet park kids avoided in a residential area.
"Luring me to a dark spot... What for?"
Tense mood; Sia kept playful, but Jiyu's face stayed stiff.
Sia hands-on-hips, stared.
"That..."
"Yeah."
After long hemming, Jiyu bowed her head, forcing words.
"Teach me... a bit?"
"What?"
"Fighting... stuff. Wanna learn."
"......"
Silence hung between them.
Sia felt relief Jiyu didn't know their trio dynamic, surprise at her humbling pride despite youth and skill for mentorship.
'If more like her there, it'd been easier.'
Too many with ego over pride.
As Sia reminiscenced briefly,
Jiyu, thinking her bold ask angered Sia, stammered on.
"I-I... Can't do much, but if it's something I can, anything—I can do it... Can I ask?"
"......Anything?"
"Eh? Y-Yeah! If I can!"
Expecting rejection, Jiyu's face lit up, nodding fast.
She missed Sia's faint lip curl.
"You said anything?"
"Yes!"
"For real?"
"Yes!"
"Jiyu."
"...Yeah?"
"Ready?"
"...Huh?"
Soon after, as wished, Jiyu sparred with Sia in "private training."
Beyond satisfaction, she felt a real leap forward.
And...
And... she sat on a motel bed in her underwear.
"...Huh?"
What?
Why?
'Why... did it end up like this?'