Is Massage Really This Difficult?
‘Lee Ayoung, you’re insane. You’re absolutely insane….’
Lee Siwoo, my one and only childhood friend who awakened and gained the S-class support trait Massage. No, wait—that perverted devil bastard.
I had fallen hook, line, and sinker for that perverted devil’s whispers.
The moment his hands stroked my feet, a moan had burst from my lips.
The sound of that moan from yesterday echoed in my head.
It wasn’t just a massage. When he started kneading, I had actually fainted.
Were my feet an erogenous zone? Or was this just pent-up frustration from not having a single relationship in my twenty-three years of life?
“Haa….”
“Ayoung, is something wrong? Why are you sighing so much today?”
Park Hayan, the older sister who had entered the Tower with me, spoke up. She was an A-class Hunter like me. Unlike me, who had gained my combat trait only a few months ago, she had awakened when the world first changed. Yet, for some reason, she was climbing the Tower with beginners like me instead of joining the vanguard.
I’d asked her why, but she just smiled. Had she not opened up to me yet? Or was there a reason she couldn’t say?
We’d spent months together, but I still didn’t know.
“It’s nothing….”
“Really? If something’s bothering you, you can tell me anytime.”
“Yes…. Thank you, Unnie.”
Hayan-unnie tilted her head, patted my shoulder, and took the lead.
‘Should I ask for advice? She’s lived a few years longer than me. Maybe she’d know if it’s normal to have an erogenous zone on your feet?’
The memory of that moan made me shake my head frantically. How could I tell anyone that I’d screamed my lungs out and fainted while getting a foot massage from my childhood friend? If anyone found out, I’d die of shame and bid this world farewell.
‘It’s all Lee Siwoo’s fault for getting such a weird trait!’
As I blamed Siwoo, our conversation from this morning came to mind.
“Hey, about when you fainted yesterday….”
“Stop! Stop! Don’t say another word! Do you want me to kill myself?!”
“Ha…. Fine. When the massage finished, it said it reduced foot fatigue by 10%. For 24 hours.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know either. Probably a buff? If anything changes in the Tower today, tell me when you get back.”
“Yeah. Got it. It’s dangerous, so don’t go wandering off. Call me if anything happens.”
“I awakened yesterday. I’m going to spend today looking into the Massage trait.”
“Okay. Eat well, and be careful.”
I’d checked my status window when I left the house, but nothing had changed.
‘Is it a buff only Siwoo can give? But it doesn’t show up for the person receiving the effect…. And what’s with the foot fatigue?’
Just then, Hayan-unnie’s voice came from ahead.
“Ayoung! Focus! The monsters are coming!”
“Ah! Yes! Sorry!”
I quickened my pace and moved to her side. We were on the 2nd floor of the Tower. It was an early floor, so even a C-class Hunter could hunt there easily. But in a place where monsters appeared, one moment of carelessness could lead to serious injury or death.
Before long, a group of monsters about waist-high came into view. Three green-skinned goblins wielding clubs.
“Ayoung! I’ll take two!”
“Yes! I’ll take one!”
Hayan-unnie blocked the path of the goblins as they rushed toward us. A goblin broke away from the group and lunged at me. I dodged its club with a turn-step, then spun 360 degrees and delivered a back-kick to its head.
“Kuek!”
“Huh?”
After landing a direct hit on the goblin’s head, I felt a sensation I’d never experienced before. I back-stepped and looked down at my legs. They felt lighter than usual, and the pain was significantly dulled.
“Is this the effect Siwoo mentioned? Calling it ‘fatigue reduction’ feels like an understatement. It feels like my legs were reborn!”
“Kue-ek! Ku-hik!”
The goblin shook its head, trying to regain its senses. I snapped out of my thoughts, side-stepped, and attacked again.
‘It’s so light! I’ve never had such light feet!’
My legs felt so nimble that I kicked the goblin relentlessly until it vanished into light, leaving only a magic stone behind. I ran to Hayan-unnie’s side and helped her finish off the remaining two.
“Phew, looks like you’re in great condition today, Ayoung?”
“Hehe. I guess so.”
“You looked like you were going to die earlier, and now you’re suddenly in top form? What is this? Is it the power of love?”
“Power of love, my foot! Ack! Don’t poke my side! Unnie!”
I dodged her fingers as she poked my waist, but eventually, I gave up and confessed.
“I’ll, I’ll tell you! Stop! I think it’s because I got a foot massage yesterday.”
“A massage? Where?”
“Ah…. That, well….”
I realized what I’d just blurted out and started stuttering. Ah, am I an idiot? Do I want to die of shame that badly?
“Huuung? Ah! That guy you’re living with?! Oh my god! Did you finally start dating?!”
“Da-dating?! No such thing!”
“Huuung? Then who gave you the massage?!”
“Ah…. The guy I live with did it! But he’s my servant!”
“Huuung? You just offered your feet to a servant? And bare feet at that?! Oh my! Does he do chest massages too?!”
“Ah! Seriously! It’s not like that! Stop it, let’s just go!”
‘Damn it. Lee Siwoo, you bad bastard. This is all your fault.’
My ear suddenly itched, so I dug at it with my finger. Was someone badmouthing me? The only person who would do that was that vixen.
A blue window floated before my eyes. After Ayoung had let out those delicate moans and fainted yesterday, I’d stayed by her side all night, worried she might actually die. I’d pulled an all-nighter, seen her off in the morning, and then slept in.
I’d finished my chores and was finally checking things out.
“Two types of skill categories…. Is that how support traits usually are?”
I’d always focused on combat traits on the forums. That’s why I knew nothing about support traits.
“Let’s check the massage techniques and the system properly.”
[Massage Technique - Basic Massage(F)]
Content: Massage has evolved into various techniques. Basic Massage is a technique even a beginner can perform.
Primary Effect: Fatigue recovery and healing.
Special Effect: Triggers when the recipient’s satisfaction reaches 100% (can be exceeded). Special effects are granted randomly.
“Ah, so the special effect triggered because her satisfaction hit 100%?”
“But was it really that good…. Seeing her faint, I guess it was….”
“Can you faint from a massage? Tsk. Wait, could it be? Ha…. Anyway, what a vixen.”
Of all the places, her feet had to be her erogenous zone. I was worried about who would end up with her. What if she just stuck her feet out at night and said, ‘Suck on these, you bastard.’
I suddenly felt a chill.
Amen! Hallelujah!
Get away from me! You ghost bastard!
[Massage System]
Content: A system created to support the practitioner’s massage trait. Check out various achievements and functions.
“I hate complicated things….”
[Massage System - Achievements]
📍 Achieved: Tutorial Quest
📍 Unachieved: Am I a Masseur Now?, GRAND OPENING of Exclusive Massage Shop!, No More Basic Massage with Fern-like Hands! …
I saw countless unachieved goals. It looked just like the achievement window in a game. The list seemed endless even as I scrolled. My first thought was: I don’t want to do this.
It looked like it would take an enormous amount of time to achieve them all. Maybe 100,000 hours of playtime?
I chose the one that stood out the most.
[Achievement - The Path of a Pushover is Surprisingly Easy]
📍 Objective: Purchase necessary items from the Massage Shop (0/1)
🎁 Reward: Exclusive Stat Point 1pt
“Ha? What kind of achievement name is that? It sounds like it was made by someone with a few screws loose.”
“There’s a shop? And exclusive stat points….”
“What’s this?”
I opened the Massage System status window, and the shop button was bound by chains and a padlock. Looking at this broken system, I felt like I was losing my own screws. Yeah, Hong Gil-dong came to mind. ‘Cannot call the shop a shop….’
Damn it.
“How do I activate this? The instructions are so unfriendly.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than a blue light appeared, as if saying, ‘Did you find me?’
Whoa. Are you a ghost?
[Will you activate the Shop function?]
It will be linked to the practitioner’s bank account, and you can purchase items necessary for massage by deducting actual currency.
[Accept]
“Actual money gets deducted? Shouldn’t it provide exclusive currency instead?”
“There isn’t even a decline button. What kind of system is this, shaking me down for money….”
As if possessed by a ghost, my finger moved toward the Accept button.
Whoa! No! I don’t want to! Don’t do it!
Soon, a message appeared saying it was linked, and the shop was activated.
“Everything is ‘Basic.’ And a VIP system? This is a totally Chinese-style system. I’m suddenly losing interest.”
Hey, System. Are you Chinese?
I shouted into the void at the silent system. Kimchi is ours! Hanbok is ours too!
I bought one Basic Massage Oil to complete the achievement. A small portal opened in front of me, and the oil popped out of thin air.
“Whoa, damn! It just pops out of thin air! What if it breaks?! It cost ten thousand won!”
I opened the lid and smelled it.
“Sniff, sniff. Smells like 1% artificial flower scent. Like strawberry milk with no actual strawberries, there’s a 200% chance this isn’t real flowers.”
“I’ll have to use this on Ayoung later. I wonder if she’ll moan again today?”
“Hehe. You vixen. I’ll make you faint again today.”
The only thing I liked about the Massage System was that there was a chance I could make that vixen faint whenever I wanted.
I’d always been the one getting beaten up. Massage System! Arigato! Spasiba! Thank you!
Fireworks exploded in the message window, indicating the achievement was complete. Let’s open the status window again.
My existing stats were gone.
“Ha. Are all support traits like this? It’s annoyingly complicated.”
I felt like I was losing my mind. Too much information was flooding my brain. Is this why people tell you not to go to grad school?
[Exclusive Stats]
Pressure: Increases strength, increases massage effect.
Speed: Increases speed and accuracy, decreases massage time.
Observation: Increases diagnostic ability, decreases scan time.
Duration: Increases stamina, increases skill and technique proficiency.
Sensitivity: Increases mental/physical synchronization between practitioner and recipient. Increases special effect trigger rate.
“Hmm, hmm. I see. Future Lee Siwoo, you study this.”
Despite what I said, I read the details about the points and fell into deep thought. Since I had no one to massage but Ayoung, Duration and Speed were MAGAPASS!
“For the future, Sensitivity or Duration seems like the top priority over strength….”
Sensitivity was the stat related to the special effect triggered on Ayoung yesterday. Or Duration, which increased skill proficiency. I had to choose one of the two.
What should I pick….
“First of all, lasting longer is the best. Being a ‘three-second man’ like a rabbit is a no-go.”
As I increased Duration, it felt like I’d upgraded from a three-second man to a thirty-second man. A battery that’s strong and long-lasting.
“Whoa! Energizer!”
Just as I was acting like a fool by myself, I heard the sound of the door lock.
“Hey! Your sister is home! Aren’t you going to greet me?!”
Good. I should greet her with a massage. If she’s my sister, she can at least moan and faint, right?
“I discovered something new! Come here. Let’s faint again today.”
“W-what? Hey, you crazy bastard!”
“Just stay still. Your brother will take care of it.”
“N-no! I’m sweaty, I need to wash up!”
“Ah, now that you mention it, you do smell a bit sweaty.”
“…Fine. You faint for once today!”
“Hey, w-wait! A spinning kick is not—!”
Thwack.
I lost consciousness in front of the entryway. Maybe I lost my mind because the system explanation was too long?