Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Secret
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I stopped myself from using the spear I was holding.
Even that distance felt too close for that spider monster bastard.
It seemed like a waste of mana, but I decided to widen the gap and hunt it from afar.
As my will focused, mana materialized into a spear of just the right size for throwing.
And I fixed the materialized mana in place.
A black mana spear for throwing was complete.
'Where's the weak point? The head, probably?'
For most monsters—barring the weird ones—the head was almost always the weak spot.
Whether I could actually hit it was another matter entirely.
I aimed for the spider monster's head and hurled the black mana spear.
-Fwhoosh!
-Thud!
I'd aimed for the head, but since I hadn't practiced much, the mana spear ended up lodged in the monster spider's abdomen.
-Kieeeek!
The monster spider thrashed wildly, spewing thick green bodily fluids from where the mana spear had pierced its belly, letting out a horrific screech.
But the real terror was the fluids splattering toward my eyes and ears.
"Fuck."
-Pop! Pop! Boom!
Startled at the thought of the fluids splashing on me, I backed away while quickly conjuring and throwing a few more black mana spears.
Finally, after a few tries, I pierced right through the spider monster's head.
I felt the experience points flowing in and knew the monster was dead.
The spider monster had turned into a porcupine from all the mana spears I'd thrown at it.
Its legs were still twitching faintly, and even in death, it looked utterly repulsive.
A little time passed, and the mana fixed to the spears dispersed and vanished.
Seeing the system message confirmed it was a Corrupted Being.
Honestly, I'd been hoping it wasn't.
Then I could've left the area without a second thought.
But seeing that filthy thing up close killed any desire to venture deeper and hunt more spider monsters.
"What about the mana stone?"
If it'd been in the abdomen, I'd have abandoned it without hesitation.
How many could be inside that apartment?
Probably not packed to the brim...
Right?
These things that can't be detected are so frustrating.
Suni's suggestion wasn't all that appealing to me.
How the hell was I supposed to study that repulsive creature?
I didn't even want to ask her for details on the research.
These monsters weren't much of a threat on their own, but we were on the city's outskirts now. I doubted they'd be the only things here.
First things first, I needed to set up a save point.
I decided to scout for a good spot while keeping my distance.
I pulled back without going deeper into the complex and slowly circled the outskirts, which seemed to be the spider monsters' territory.
'No sense of how big this area is...'
The spiderwebs blanketing the city were far more widespread than I'd thought.
It was getting dark, so I figured I'd launch a drone tomorrow for a better survey.
A bit away from the monster spiders' territory, in a sparsely built-up area on the city outskirts, I spotted a quiet, clean church.
'This'll do.'
I wonder if it'll spread this far?
Well, it must have, to claim such a ridiculous territory.
Which means this place isn't safe either.
I carefully barricaded the chapel and cleared out the pews to make space.
I dismantled the save point I'd set up in Sejong City center and installed one here instead.
It should activate around this time tomorrow.
I pitched my tent, pulled some sundae gukbap from my inventory, and enjoyed a hearty meal.
"Gulp!"
I laid out a fluffy mattress inside the tent and flopped down on it.
"Hoo..."
The comfortable mattress eased some of the stress from dealing with that spider monster.
It'd been a while since I'd slept alone.
Without the soft bodies of my women to hold every single night, it felt weird not having them.
Thinking about the girls sent blood rushing south.
Was celibacy always this tough?
How did I ever sleep alone before?
Guess my body had gotten way too used to them.
"........."
Still, I had my pride. Jerking off after not even lasting a day? No way.
Han Su-ji dashed down the hallway in a hurry.
-Tap tap tap!
"Gotta go. Gotta go."
She rushed into the bathroom, flung open the door to the farthest stall, yanked down her pants, and plopped onto the toilet.
-Splish splash.
"Hoo..."
Su-ji relieved herself refreshingly and stood up feeling invigorated.
That's when someone entered the bathroom.
For some reason, she instinctively froze and held her breath.
"Ji-ah, what's the big idea dragging me to the bathroom like this?"
Baek Seol-hwa's voice rang out.
'Sh-should I go out?'
The timing felt off now, and she was stuck in an awkward spot.
"Shh! Quiet!"
"Hm? What's up?"
Ji-ah's unusually firm tone made Su-ji hold her breath reflexively.
'No way... Is that Ji-ah actually reining in Seol-hwa?'
Her curiosity spiked intensely.
She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help it.
She held her breath and eavesdropped on their conversation.
"You know, right?"
"Know... what...?"
"About... oppa and... sleeping together..."
'This is... a catfight?'
So their relationship really had been all for show until now?
Yeah, it made sense. Two women sharing one man couldn't possibly get along that well.
Su-ji grew more engrossed, focusing all her attention on listening.
"Hm...? I can't hear you well, Ji-ah."
"Shh! I mean, sleeping with oppa increases your mana."
Su-ji was thrown into confusion by Ji-ah's shocking words, which contradicted her own assumptions.
She knew what mana was, more or less.
Un-ho oppa had explained it vaguely.
Even her own awakening was due to that mana.
But it increased just from sleeping with him!?
"...I-is that for real?"
"You didn't know?"
"...Now that you mention it, that's weird... Ha! No way! I get it now!"
"It's not weird—it's a fact."
"As expected of my lord husband. He's extraordinary. I respect him. But why is that a problem?"
"Shh, lower your voice... The real deal starts now."
"What's else is there?"
"If you keep doing it with oppa steadily, even a regular person could become a superhuman."
'Wha...t!?'
Su-ji was stunned by Ji-ah's words.
It was absurd.
She wanted to burst out and demand if it was true.
"What? How could... No... actually, that might make sense. Rising internal energy could manifest as superpowers..."
Are they pranking me with a hidden camera?
But Ji-ah couldn't pull off acting that convincingly.
'No way that ridiculous nonsense is true...?'
"So you absolutely cannot tell anyone this secret. We have to be careful. You don't want any more women joining us, right?"
"Well... if it's what my lord husband wants... even heroes can have three wives and four concubines without shame..."
"Eek!!! Don't say scary stuff like that. Oppa could fall for another girl, and we might end up celibate! We could get dumped!"
"...That would be a problem."
"Right? This stays secret. Got it?!"
"If the principal wife insists, I have no choice."
"Good, as long as you understand."
Lee Ji-ah and Baek Seol-hwa left.
Even so, Su-ji stayed quiet and held her breath for a while longer.
Finally, she quietly opened the door and stepped out.
-Creak...
"Whoa, I feel like I just overheard something huge."
'C-could I improve my abilities too...? That huge thing inside me...'
-Gulp.
With flushed cheeks, Su-ji cautiously glanced around before leaving the bathroom.
Seeing no one, she bolted.
-Tap tap tap!
She dashed to the break room and flung the door open.
-Slide!
There sat Seo Chae-won alone, her neat bob haircut framing her face as she read quietly in a poised posture.
"Chae-won! I! Me!!"
"What's with the commotion?"
"I heard an amazing secret!"
"...?"
"I found out how to become a superhuman."
Su-ji's words were too intriguing to brush off, so Chae-won closed her book.
"What... did you say?"
"W-well..."
But now that she had to say it aloud, Su-ji realized just how absurd it sounded.
"Come on... spit it out."
Chae-won had been stressed about that very thing lately.
Hearing Su-ji had found a way made her anxious.
"Uh... um... Oppa..."
"...?"
"Argh, screw it. They say if you have sex with Un-ho oppa, you become a superhuman and your mana increases!"
Chae-won stared blankly at Su-ji's words, then flushed red with anger.
"...Y-you're... messing with me?"
"N-no, don't look at me like that!!! That's just what I heard."
"Ha... I feel stupid for taking it seriously."
Su-ji knew how badly Chae-won wanted powers.
So Chae-won's reproachful gaze left her deflated.
"I-it's true, that's what Ji-ah said..."
"...Doesn't it occur to you that Ji-ah unnie was just teasing you?"
"N-no, that's..."
Su-ji hesitated to admit she'd eavesdropped in the bathroom.
"Even if Ji-ah unnie did say that, you know she can't get enough of Un-ho oppa. Don't you think she might be deluded because of it?"
Chae-won's point made sense.
Ji-ah was head over heels right now. It wasn't impossible she'd be mistaken.
'Ji-ah might actually believe... that nonsense...'
"But it sounded so real..."
Still, Su-ji couldn't shake the feeling they weren't acting.
-Beep. Beep.
Then a faint, irritating alarm sounded.
"Wait!"
"Huh? Why?"
"It's the alarm."
"Alarm?"
"Monsters have been detected."
"F-for real?"
Chae-won quickly checked the tablet Un-ho had given her as the monster detector.
"Th-this! This is bad! We need to call everyone!"
"O-okay. I'll get the kids."
"I'll go get Ji-ah unnie and Seol-hwa."