Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Does the Hunter Mama Dream of a Dedicated Baby? (1)
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One of the greatest mysteries since the Millennium Shock was how skills were assigned.
Theories abounded: that the status window automatically granted them, that they generated on their own, or that they only appeared once certain abilities reached a sufficient level.
Out of all those hypotheses, I decided from today onward to wholeheartedly believe the one that posited some intelligent entity was handing out the skills.
General Skill: Sage Time (A)
A skill generated from those around you's evaluation of you.
When the empty space in your balls is 70% or more, judgment, composure, and intelligence greatly increase.
When the empty space in your balls is less than 70%, judgment, composure, and intelligence greatly decrease.
Current remaining space: 76% (Greatly increased status applied)
"What the actual fuck..."
A curse slipped out on its own. I stared blankly at the translucent window floating in the air with utterly defeated eyes.
"When the empty space in your balls is seventy percent or more, judgment, composure, and intelligence greatly increase. When the empty space in your..."
I squinted hard, straining my eyes. I muttered the words aloud and read it again, but no miracle occurred—no change in the text.
They called it a skill, but wasn't this just a massive debuff? It felt like some invisible entity was whispering that my future was as a semen dispenser.
The pleasant drowsiness that had been washing over me vanished in an instant. I sat up in bed and rubbed my face hard.
Sure enough, my head felt strangely clear. Of course it did. I hadn't lost my shit yet after seeing a skill like this. At the very least, the description didn't seem to be lying.
I perched on the edge of the bed and dry-washed my face, forcing myself to think as positively as possible.
Yeah. Even without it, I'd been squeezing out what I could. If I thought of this as a small but tangible reward...
"Aaaargh!"
As if. I buried my face in the bed and screamed. I felt like I was inching closer to earning the title of "complete psycho," but realistically, who wouldn't react this way?
A human who turns dumb if he doesn't regularly blow his load? It was too vulgar and absurd to even curse about properly.
Screeech.
"J-Jungwoo? You're awake...?"
I slowly lifted my head from under the covers. Moon Hayeon was peeking around the thick steel door, looking at me.
"Yeah, for now..."
"Did you sleep well? You've been out for two straight days."
Yang Jihee, standing behind her, flung the door wide open as she spoke.
Two days. No wonder I felt so refreshed. I looked down at my body, now dressed in pajamas. I fiddled with my forearm, then cautiously asked,
"What happened with the expedition...?"
"It got canceled. The Yongdam Clan took it over."
"Oh..."
"We were actually talking about that. Want to come up once you're a bit more awake?"
"No. I'll head up now..."
As I slid off the bed, a sudden suspicion halted my movement.
"...How did you know I was awake?"
It couldn't have been from noise—I knew from experience just how soundproof this room was.
And it wasn't like they'd coincidentally come down to check; the timing was too perfect.
"Ermmm..."
Yang Jihee was smiling brightly, but I didn't miss how Moon Hayeon's gaze subtly shifted away.
I narrowed my eyes and strode over with deliberate steps, staring right at Moon Hayeon.
"How'd you know?"
"C-Cam... Mmph!"
It happened so fast I barely saw it. A hand shot out at blinding speed and clamped over Moon Hayeon's mouth.
"Cam? Sense."
The consonant had slyly shifted.
"Camera...?"
"Sense."
"No, that's totally different."
"Sense."
"..."
"Sense."
I gave up pressing her. Following her gaze, I turned my eyes.
Out of nowhere, she was staring at the ceiling light. As I blankly eyed the fixture, Yang Jihee grabbed my wrist.
"Come on. Shall we head up? Everyone's waiting."
Ah. Gotcha.
Yang Jihee wore her usual soft, warm smile, but I couldn't shake the feeling she was glossing something over.
Still wearing my grumpy expression, I silently followed her up the stairs, my footsteps thudding louder than usual.
Yang Jihee muttered softly from ahead.
"Why'd he get so sharp all of a sudden...?"
I can hear you.
I'd said it a million times before, but Yang Jihee's house was ridiculously spacious and nice. Sunlight poured perfectly into the living room around lunchtime, and at night, it was dead silent—no car noises or anything.
What that meant was the bathroom was insanely good too.
Honestly, forget everything else—this bathroom alone made me want to move in permanently. Hot water on demand from the showerhead? What kind of tech and money did it take to make something like that?
"Hm hmm~."
I finished showering, dried off, and headed to the living room. It was already getting dark outside. How many hours had I slept? What time was it now? I had no clue.
With a towel draped over my wet hair, I crossed the first-floor hallway to the living room. The clan members lounged comfortably on the plush sofa, chatting away.
Except for one person who clearly didn't fit the vibe.
"So, out of nowhere, she loosens her arm, pulls a knife, and hurls it?"
"Oh my. For real?"
"Dead serious. I thought she was nuts."
"J-Jungwoo does have a bit of a bold side..."
"Bold my ass. One more bold move and she'd be picking her bones."
Okay, fine. I'm not that stupid. Walking alone with her across that vast plain, I had considered the possibility of things going this way.
But this fast? Without even consulting me?
I was so dumbfounded my grip slackened. The towel slipped off my head.
"What? You already showered?"
Grinning shamelessly, the woman who'd shoved past the homeowner and plopped onto the single-seater couch waved. Naturally, it was Oroji.
"Why are you here...?"
"Huh? They called me, kiddo. Oh, should I call you Clan Leader now?"
I shot a glare full of resentment at the group. Yang Jihee cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Of course. We haven't officially accepted her yet. Can't do that without the clan leader's approval."
"No, it's fine, but..."
I trudged over and sank into the sofa. Chae Seoah scooted close on my left, Yang Jihee on my right.
Oroji was a capable, powerful hunter. Her flashy criminal record alone proved it—she'd evaded capture until just recently. I'd confirmed it watching her fight up close.
If she joined our "Hwarjeon" Clan, it'd be like leaping several steps toward fame.
That said, her personality had some major flaws. But since no one in our clan was all there except maybe me, it didn't seem like a big deal.
"Alright then. It's decided."
Yang Jihee spoke with a small smile. Oh yeah. She made an oddly theatrical gesture, then stared right at me.
"Any new skills you picked up? You took down a wyvern, after all."
"Oh. Yeah, Throwing and Weak Point Targeting."
"Anything else?"
"...Nope?"
"Really?"
As I subtly averted my gaze, Yang Jihee's eyes pursued relentlessly. I glanced at the laptop on the glass table. The earbuds were messily plugged in.
"Really, nothing."
"For a small clan like ours, knowing everyone's full strength is crucial, right, Clan Leader?"
Hearing her persistently poke at my sense of responsibility, I was certain.
Ah. Cameras and mics, huh.
Cursing my past self for muttering aloud, I hemmed and hawed,
"Well, actually. One skill did pop up, but..."
No point hiding it anymore. With a resigned mumble, I explained the Sage Time skill.
Hearing that my brainpower was entirely dictated by the sperm count in my balls, the clan members all wore strangely excited expressions.
"Th-Then we'll have to, um, manage that from now on too..."
"Yeah. Can't have you short-circuiting at a crucial moment."
"Hee hee. No wonder you were embarrassed. But what can you do? It's already here."
"Exactly. Jungwoo really does have a small capacity."
I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Chae Seoah looked so smug every time she used the word "small."
She was perfectly normal otherwise. Why did she go weird the second dicks were involved? Maybe the Seeding skill had a hidden effect of loosening a few screws in your head.
Of course, I had zero desire to understand, so I turned away from her. That's when Oroji entered my peripheral vision.
She wore a truly bizarre expression—a mix of unease and distrust. She kept side-eyeing the clan members.
"...No wonder you can't even jerk off alone. They're all fucking crazy."
Hearing her mutter as if she were the picture of sanity, I thought calmly,
At least. That doesn't sound like something you should say.