Call Me Mother-in-Law or Sister-in-Law?

We had sex for the first time in two months, so we spent quite a long time satisfying each other's desires. We kept our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bodies intertwined well past dinner time, releasing all the pent-up lust we'd accumulated until then. After doing it in school uniforms, we did it with nothing but stockings on bare skin, and then finished with good old-fashioned naked sex. By the end, we were starving.

I was using Han Yugyeong's chest as a pillow when my stomach let out a loud growl. She burst into giggles.

"Hungry? Should we order something for dinner?"

"Yeah. Get me some chicken."

"Got it~!"

While Han Yugyeong opened the delivery app and ordered chicken, I got up from the bed, slipped on underwear, a short-sleeve shirt, and shorts, then headed to the room where I'd left my luggage. I pulled the Ruins Glasses out of my suitcase.

Only three uses left. I'd already bought up everything listed on the Dark Merchant and had more on the way, but I still needed to check Aris and Chieri's status windows too. If the number of women around me kept growing, I'd have to keep buying these steadily.

I did have the Appraisal trait, but to see every single stat like these glasses did, I'd need at least an Epic-rank or higher trait. Fortunately, even though the Ruins Glasses weren't exactly common, no one but me ever bought them. So even if a better trait appeared, I probably wouldn't need to pick it. Every single trait slot was too valuable to waste.

Of course, no matter how much I hoarded them, I couldn't use the Ruins Glasses recklessly. They were a limited item, so I had to be frugal.

Had Han Yugyeong's level gone up? It had been a few months, so she probably gained at least one level. I'd gained two levels in the two months we were apart, so she should've gotten at least one too.

I put on the glasses and walked back into the bedroom. Han Yugyeong held up her smartphone and said,

"Since you eat a lot, I ordered four different flavors, one of each. You need to eat well and keep up your strength, right?"

Four seemed a bit much, but since she'd be eating with me it should be fine. If we couldn't finish them, we could always save the leftovers for later.

When Han Yugyeong saw me wearing the Ruins Glasses, she realized I was about to look at her traits. She smiled and sat down on the bed. Even though she was sitting there with her breasts fully exposed and smiling seductively, I decided to take care of that urge later. For now, I focused on her status window.

"Let's see how much our Yugyeong has changed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shall we?"

"Yes! Look at me. I'm curious too..."

At her expectant words, I concentrated and stared at her.

Oh, she was level 6 last time. So she gained two whole levels while I was gone… Her physical stats rose evenly—one point each in Agility and Nerves—while her mental stats gained one in Intelligence and Focus, and two in Knowledge. But the real jackpot was on the skill side. Four brand-new skills had appeared. Before, she only had Learning. Now she had Management, Throwing Technique, and two language skills.

The original Learning skill had also changed. Its level had gone up, and it now said it had a positive effect on the proficiency growth of other skills. It seemed the combination of this Learning effect and her high Intelligence had caused her to acquire so many new skills.

Still, even with the help of her traits and stats, reaching this point must have required an incredible amount of effort.

"How is it?"

"You've worked really hard. Good job, Yugyeong."

"Hehe, I'm glad you noticed. Even if no one else in the world recognizes me, it's fine as long as you do, Yongtae."

Han Yugyeong looked overjoyed that I'd acknowledged her hard work. Anyone would feel good about being recognized, but it must feel even better when the person doing the recognizing is someone you love.

"Then now..."

I needed to pick a trait for her.

Hmm… Master of Horticulture would be completely useless for Han Yugyeong, and if she wanted to make use of it she'd have to learn herbalism alongside it, which was a hassle. Modification - Steel Face would literally turn her beautiful face into steel, so that was absolutely out of the question.

The first option, Star's Knowledge, seemed to have appeared because of her existing Star's Intellect trait. It was a magic-related trait that would let her learn the unique magic system called Star Magic. In a world closer to cyberpunk, magic wasn't generally considered very good (though it was still rated better ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than swordsmanship or martial arts). But Star Magic was one of the few truly useful kinds. Plus, having the Star's Intellect trait would create a strong synergy.

Since there wasn't really anything else worth choosing, I figured Han Yugyeong would pick this one too.

"This time you can choose two traits. The first set is Star's Knowledge, Master of Horticulture, and a trait that lets you modify your face into steel."

"Can you explain them one by one?"

At her request, I explained each of the three traits in detail. Han Yugyeong nodded, listening with great interest.

"So the only one worth picking is Star's Knowledge, right?"

"Yeah. The other two aren't great… Master of Horticulture is meh, and the modification one is a total trap that would ruin your pretty face."

"Hehet, then pick Star's Knowledge for me."

The moment I selected Star's Knowledge, starlight poured down on Han Yugyeong from outside the room. The selection effect was this flashy? It really was fitting for a high-tier trait.

Star Magic will be registered as a skill. If the user possesses the Star's Intellect trait, the power of Star Magic increases and mental energy consumption decreases.

The moment Star's Knowledge was chosen, the Star's Intellect trait also changed. They were traits that created synergy with each other, after all.

Initial Intelligence increased by 6. Intelligence effect enhanced. Intelligence cap raised by 2. If the user possesses the Star's Knowledge trait, Intelligence cap is further increased by 2 and Intelligence efficiency is also further enhanced.

By the way, while it varies by spell, most magic consumes mental energy when casting. Mental energy is generally calculated from the total of all mental stats. Since Han Yugyeong's mental stats were mostly high, she probably wouldn't have to worry about running out of mental energy while using magic.

"Ah! Oh my god, to think such knowledge existed…! Thank you, Yongtae!"

Han Yugyeong threw herself into my arms with a deeply moved expression. Maybe because she loved studying so much, she seemed genuinely happy to gain new knowledge.

"Want to try it out?"

"Yes! Wait a second..."

She took a letter opener from the nightstand beside the bed. Then she focused, and began speaking in a language that was difficult to understand.

"ᛢᚾᚣᚱᚳᛁᛩᚺᚾᛁᚢᛩ."

This was a spell available at Level 1 of Star Magic—Starlight Forging. It was an all-weather buff skill that could be applied to bullets, fists, or even summoned creatures. It was a top-tier buff. The reason Star Magic was considered useful was precisely because even learning just this lowest-tier spell, Starlight Forging, let you pull your own weight. No matter what other paths you took, simply providing buffs with this spell was valuable enough to be worth a trait. That was why it was so popular. Though it was hard to obtain since it required a Unique Legacy trait.

The letter opener that received the Starlight Forging buff was radiating a mysterious blue and purple glow. Its cutting power must have increased tremendously. I had no intention of testing it, though.

Han Yugyeong seemed completely entranced ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by the mysterious light coming from the letter opener and kept staring at it.

"Now let's look at the second trait."

This time the options were all fairly balanced. Phase of Protection was a trait that strengthened barrier abilities. It probably appeared because of her Mental Barrier trait. Mechanical Sympathy was an essential trait for people who went down the machines, firearms, or driving tech tree, but Han Yugyeong was focused on summoning, throwing, command, and magic. It was completely useless for her.

Healthy Body was a trait that supported Resistance and Stamina stats while increasing their efficiency. Between Phase of Protection and Healthy Body, either would work. Since it came down to preference, I should explain them and let her decide.

If it were me, I'd pick Phase of Protection, but since her Resistance and Stamina were low, giving her a boost with Healthy Body seemed like a good idea too.

"This time..."

After I explained, Han Yugyeong said she'd choose Healthy Body. She said that rather than an instant-use shield, she preferred something that would always be active and improve her base stats. When I thought about it, it was the right choice. We weren't living in a game where it was mission → battle → mission → battle. Since everyone had their own daily lives, something useful in everyday situations was better.

Being resistant to disease meant she probably wouldn't catch colds or anything like that anymore. Even though it was only Rare rank, it was a good trait.

Han Yugyeong didn't seem to feel any immediate difference and tilted her head. Stamina and Resistance were stats that were hard to notice in daily life. She'd probably only feel it during intense exercise. I'd have to let her experience it properly with some intense sex later.

Ding-dong!

Right as we finished choosing the last trait, the doorbell rang. The chicken must have arrived. Since Han Yugyeong hadn't had time to put on clothes after using the spell and choosing traits, she was still completely naked. So I went out to receive the delivery.