Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Does Hunter Mama Dream of Her Exclusive Baby? (4)
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A little while ago.
Thunk!
With a sharp whooshing sound slicing through the air, the thrown dagger plunged into the throat of the wolf-like monster.
The beast, already covered in wounds, gushed bright red blood as it convulsed violently. Then, with a heavy thud, it toppled sideways and lay still, never to move again.
"Way better than when you were firing that gun."
Unlike me, Chae Seoah spoke without a hint of ragged breath. Well, with her skills on top of the Seeding buff, it'd be weirder if she struggled in a mere D-Rank Gate.
Once they got a real chance to move, the clan members adapted to the Seeding buff in no time.
In the end, their practice wrapped up in less than an hour. Now, the main goal was helping me get a bit more comfortable with fighting.
"Better? My wrist's still so stiff."
"That's a huge improvement compared to before."
"Huge improvement? You pierced a wyvern's head, and here you are struggling to one-shot a single monster from a D-Rank Gate? Does that even make sense?"
Oroji and Chae Seoah bickered whenever they had a spare moment. Ironically, they were the pair with the best synergy in actual combat.
"Um, Jungwoo. You're doing great, so don't worry too much..."
Hee hee. With her signature creepy chuckle leaking out, Moon Hayeon sidled up beside me. She reached out to pat my head, mouthing "There, there."
As I accepted the familiar touch, I glanced sideways at Yang Jihee. Normally, she'd be petting my head right alongside her, but instead, she stood a short distance away, staring blankly into the forest depths.
All day today, her heals and buffs had come a beat too late. I'd missed more than a few dagger throws when the buff hit mid-motion out of nowhere, and she barely healed unless I specifically asked.
I had a vague idea why she couldn't focus, so I'd kept my mouth shut about it.
Well, if it were me and someone I knew was mixed in with a group like that, it'd distract me too. Say, if it were Moon Hayeon or Chae Seoah...
"Ugh..."
"W-What's wrong, Jungwoo? H-Hurting somewhere?"
"No, just... my heart a little..."
As I muttered nonsense, Oroji shot me a rather chilly look.
I subtly ignored her gaze and thumped my chest with my fist to ease the stuffiness. What could I do? The world had its share of situations too awful to even imagine.
"Then let's butcher this one and keep moving?"
"Sounds good. Doesn't seem like there are more around here anyway."
I nodded, drew my dagger, and knelt in front of the monster.
Slice, slice. As I pushed the blade in the way I'd learned during hunter training, the muscles and hide peeled apart with a creepy tearing sound.
"Jeez. She does it so cleanly—why make him do it?"
"Experience matters more than money right now."
"Still, the pay difference... Just let me do it..."
Tsk. Oroji smacked her lips in disappointment.
I ignored her and kept working silently.
*
"Ugh, this is disgustingly heavy."
Oroji grumbled as she hoisted a sack over her shoulder.
The sun was setting, painting the plains in orange hues. We trudged across them, each carrying one or two sacks.
Bones, teeth, hides, and so on—every part of a monster had its uses. The only truly useless bits were the meat and muscles, or so they said.
Ever the resourceful type to pickle anything, plenty of folks had tried monster cuisine. But the results? Less gourmet dungeon dining, more naked Man vs. Wild survival.
Apparently, the gamey stench made it impossible to stomach.
Which meant we were lugging the full corpses of every monster we'd killed so far—minus the meat and organs.
Staggering along with the heavy, sloshing sacks made it clear why bigger clans needed so many porters.
"If it's too heavy, just say so, Park Jungwoo."
"I'm good. Not that heavy."
Truth be told, my sack was the smallest, which made whining feel pretty embarrassing on top of everything.
"Hee... You're so reliable..."
Yang Jihee's voice drifted from behind, utterly listless. No butt pats like usual, no sudden candy offerings. She just walked in silence.
The shock from earlier must still be lingering. As I nodded inwardly, Oroji up ahead suddenly raised her hand.
"Hold up. Something under that rock shadow ahead. It's moving."
I followed her outstretched finger. Far across the plains, amid scattered boulders, something seemed to writhe in a clustered mass.
"We can grab that and head back. It's getting late anyway."
"Y-Yeah. Time for dinner soon..."
The group quickened their previously sluggish pace toward the rock.
Up close, the hazy shape sharpened into focus. But it was so unbelievable that I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and looked again.
"Huh? That's..."
Chae Seoah's hand shot out, clamping over my mouth.
In the shadow of the boulder, the people we'd seen at the entrance were tangled together.
Eight of them, all intertwined in a frenzied orgy. No idea how the participants felt, but from the sidelines, it was utter chaos.
Sucking this dick, then those tits. Groping here, fondling there. Their movements screamed pure animalistic lust.
The most standout figure was, predictably, that guy who'd caught my eye in the Gate.
Unlike the others, who at least wore shirts or carried weapons, he was stark naked—not a thread on him.
Less "people clinging to him" and more "him yanking them around everywhere." But even that paled compared to the real shocker...
"He's a guy...?"
I whispered under my breath. As if he'd heard, the muscular man slinked around behind him.
Grabbing those long twin tails like handles, he thrust right in...
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"So that's what female corruption looks like..."
Moon Hayeon's quiet mutter reached my ears. As always, her word choice only deepened my suspicions about whatever "research materials" she pored over in her downtime.
"...She said her favorite spot was somewhere else. Maybe Oroji was right after all."
"Nah, I don't think normal people get that into it."
"Let's go."
A firm voice cut in. Yang Jihee's.
I cracked my eyes open to check her face. It was rigidly set, just like before. Her pursed lips and the dark circles under her eyes radiated deep fatigue.
"No monsters around anyway. Just go."
She spoke again. Whether they felt the same inexplicable pressure I did, no one objected. We turned toward the Gate entrance without a word.
On the way back, the group's expressions were surprisingly calm. Hard to believe we'd just witnessed an eight-person orgy straight out of hardcore AV.
I sidled up to Chae Seoah and whispered,
"Is this... common?"
"Not common, but... Gates are hunter-only. Sometimes people use them for affairs or stuff they don't want seen."
"Ah..."
"Interested?"
She asked, her gloved hand idly stroking her thigh. I shook my head frantically.
"No way!"
"O-Oh... really?"
Moon Hayeon, who'd been eavesdropping, deflated a bit.
Hey, I'm the one being teased—why are you wilting?
"I mean, it's inside a Gate. Monsters could pop out anytime, anywhere. That defenseless..."
The longer I talked, the itchier my back felt.
I glanced at Oroji. Eyes narrowed, she smirked with one corner of her mouth, mocking me.
"Wow, boomerang much?"
"Boomerang? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing~. 'Defenseless' just reminded me of something."
No clue why everyone was staring, but I stomped louder on purpose, protesting in a raised voice.
"I never did it because I wanted to, okay?"
I cut myself off mid-sentence. Oroji's glare burned.
"What was it you said? 'Can't go alone'?"
I clamped my mouth shut in defensive silence. Yup. Silence really was golden.
"...Ah."
Chae Seoah froze, like she'd realized something.
"What's up?"
"Well, it's..."
Her blank expression twisted faintly. Eyes scrunched, nose twitching.
Her gaze—brimming with unspoken turmoil—locked on Yang Jihee, walking ahead without a word.
"Hmm..."
She hummed in thought, fiddling with her lips before letting out a short sigh. An emotion that didn't suit her at all flickered in her eyes as she kept staring.
"Why...?"
"Oh, nothing. Just stepped on a rock. Let's go."
I glanced at her shoes. Those thick boots looked like they'd shrug off needles, let alone pebbles.
As I trailed the silently trudging clan members, I recalled the look in Chae Seoah's eyes.
Pity. Clear as day.