"I apologize. My brother-in-law has caused you trouble."
"..."
This was unexpected.
I had anticipated Han Suri would threaten me. I thought he'd confront me, asking, "You think you can mess with my brother-in-law and still work as a Hunter? Huh?" Instead, he apologized with utmost politeness.
Though his face betrayed not a shred of genuine remorse.
"Ah, Brother-in-law! Over here! Get me out of here right away!"
"As you can see, my brother-in-law is a bit immature. In fact, this is the third time he's been locked up in this detention cell. Still, he's quite skilled, and deep down, he's not a bad guy, so I keep him around."
Eun Sangmin was a 23-year-old senior in college. Objectively speaking, awakening Mana at that age alone would qualify him as a prodigy.
"But I heard Sung Yujin is an E-Rank Hunter."
"That's correct."
"Even though you were recently promoted, my brother-in-law is C-Rank. I heard you defeated him in a fight... Is that true? Isn't that logically impossible?"
"Are you suggesting I'm hiding my true abilities?"
"I'm not being sarcastic. I'm just genuinely astonished. And if it's true... I'd love to recruit you to our guild."
"...Huh?"
I asked back, dumbfounded. I never imagined I'd receive a recruitment offer here, especially after beating up his brother-in-law.
Are they trying to lure me into the guild to get revenge?
"Brother Yujin!"
"...21 years old. At that age, he can manipulate mana and even defeat C-Rank Hunters in combat. And doesn't he possess two abilities Acceleration and Lightning? From the perspective of someone running a guild, Sung Yujin is a walking gold nugget. No, he's like a lottery ticket with guaranteed winnings. I don't want to let him go..."
"Suri, Suri, Han Suri~"
A man's voice cut through the air. Han Suri's face crumpled like a discarded tissue, but he quickly regained his usual expressionless composure and turned to look behind him.
"...What brings the Poison Beast of the Jaun Guild here?"
"What do you think? The same reason as you. My disciple caused trouble and dragged me here."
It was Jin Woosung, the Hall Master of the Spirit Heaven Sword Hall. Beside him stood his daughter, Jin Seyoung, arms crossed, glaring at me.
Since I couldn't call my parents here, I contacted Jin Seyoung. The situation hadn't escalated to the point where I needed a lawyer, and as this was Hunter-related, I figured she'd be more helpful.
I certainly hadn't expected her to bring Jin Woosung along.
"A disciple?" Han Suri glanced at me and nodded. "So that's why such a talented individual isn't more widely known..."
Han Suri prepared to take the imprisoned Eun Sangmin away.
"What's this? We haven't seen each other in ages, and you're just leaving?"
"We're not exactly close, are we?"
"We worked together, didn't we? That makes us at least dinner buddies."
"We didn't work together. We just happened to meet in the same dungeon."
Han Suri signaled to an Association staff member who had been quietly observing, and the staff member unlocked Eun Sangmin's cell.
"Let's go, Sangmin. Please, can't you just stop causing trouble?"
"This... never mind."
Before leaving, Eun Sangmin glanced at me.
"...You take the lead. And I'm sorry about what happened back then."
Eun Sangmin trudged after Han Suri.
"Hey, Brother-in-law, what's your relationship with that guy? He looks incredibly strong."
"We have no connection."
I watched Eun Sangmin for a moment before turning away. His apology now wouldn't improve our relationship. I had no intention of becoming close to him.
He wants me to take the lead? He must be planning to participate in the Dungeon Survival.
Though I didn't like it, Eun Sangmin's skills would undoubtedly be helpful. Objectively, he was stronger than our team member, Han Harin.
"Hey! Sung Yujin!"
Jin Seyoung burst into the detention cell, grabbed me by the collar, and began shaking me violently.
"...Ugh."
"What if you fought another Hunter in the street?! Do you know how shocked I was when I heard the news?! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
"No, I'm not hurt. I won."
"Ugh, you little brat!"
Jin Seyoung slapped me on the back as I spoke proudly. It stung terribly, as if she'd infused it with Mana.
"Seyoung, that's enough. Let's go get some meat. Dad's hungry."
"Dad, you should say something stern too! You're the head of the Spirit Heaven Sword Hall, even if it's just in name!"
Jin Woosung glanced at me, and my body tensed involuntarily at the sight of his single right eye.
"You won, right? Then that's all that matters."
"Winning isn't the point!"
"Seyoung, back in my day, when I was young, huh? We used to fight all the time. A man's gotta fight sometimes. Besides, you won, right? Then that's all that matters."
"Ugh, seriously?!"
Jin Seyoung scowled, her playful tone from earlier replaced by a serious expression as she turned to me.
"I don't care if you cause trouble. Just don't kill anyone and don't lose."
"...Yes, I will."
"Good. You're buying the meat. The winner always treats."
"Dad!"
SMACK!
Jin Seyoung's fiery smash landed squarely on Jin Woosung's back.
"Gahhh!"
The sound was completely different from when she'd hit me.
Sitting on the sofa in my apartment, I kept checking the time on my smartphone.
4:50 PM.
Only ten minutes left until the appointed time.
I wanted time to speed up, but today it seemed to be dragging on endlessly.
It's not like I'm writing a fleeting moment, but one minute feels like ten. Hurry up already.
I sat on the sofa, nervously shaking my leg as I stared at my smartphone. I tried to look away, but my gaze kept drifting back to the screen.
After what felt like an eternity, the clock finally struck 5:00 PM.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. I spoke into the intercom, trying to sound indifferent, as if I hadn't been waiting at all.
"Yes, I'll be right there."
My heart pounding with anticipation, I opened the front door. Han Harin stood there, arms crossed, dressed casually.
"Come in, Senior."
"...I'll take my leave."
Han Harin stepped into my apartment. She was only the third woman to ever visit my home. For the record, the first was my mother, and the second was Jin Seyoung.
"Is there anything I need to do?"
"No. I've already prepared everything. This is a paid service, after all. It's only natural that I handle all the preparations."
Han Harin had come to my house today for the special Mana massage we had discussed at her place earlier.
Yesterday, for reasons I couldn't fathom, she had called me to request the special massage.
She probably felt guilty for not being able to stop me and Eun Sangmin the day before.
Han Harin had used her gravity field to try to break up the fight, but it had no effect whatsoever. When Mana is involved, her gravity field is utterly useless unless she infuses it with her own Mana.
That incident must have intensified her desire for Mana, leading her to contact me.
For 15 million won, I'd give her special Mana massages for an hour each session.
We had already agreed it would involve direct contact everywhere she permitted, and if any touch felt wrong, she could stop me immediately.
Ugh. Fuck. Even to me, fifteen million won for an hour sounded ridiculous.
Still, the method itself wasn't a lie.
By using touch to guide Mana flow and stimulate the body, I could at least help her sense Mana more clearly.
If this doesn't work at all, she'll try to kill me...
Given Han Harin's personality, she wouldn't let this slide. With her wealth, she could hire criminal Hunters for a hit job, or ask her older sister, Han Ayeong a rising S-Class Hunter to take me down herself.
...Fuck. I get to touch Han Harin's body, and that's the problem? I'll worry about the consequences later.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. The fact that I could touch Han Harin, my first love, was making me overly excited. I needed to maintain a professional demeanor here.
"By the way, Senior, this special Mana massage varies from person to person. I have an exceptional talent for Mana, so I was able to awaken in just a month. But for you, it might take two months, or even three."
"...Understood."
"First, please change into comfortable clothes, as I mentioned earlier."
"Just taking off my outer layer is enough."
Han Harin removed her outer layer right in front of me. I had a fleeting hope of catching a glimpse of her underwear, but beneath the coat, she was wearing blue training shorts that reached her knees and a white T-shirt.
Though the shorts were knee-length, they were tight enough to reveal her figure clearly.
"Actually... doing it bare-skinned would be more effective..."
"..."
Han Harin glared at me sharply.
"Well, this should work too."
We had discussed the massage beforehand. There were two areas on her body I couldn't touch: her chest and pelvis. Fortunately, I was allowed to work on her thighs.
What's this? When she was fully dressed, I thought she was an E-cup, but with just a T-shirt on, it looks unnatural.
I was surprised by her chest. Not because it was smaller than I expected, but the opposite.
Seeing it up close, I realized she was forcibly compressing and sealing it. Han Harin was at least a G-cup, a true busty beauty.
"What do I need to do?"
"Ah, you can do it in this room. Everything's ready."
I led Han Harin into the small room. Originally used for storing miscellaneous items, I had hastily cleaned and prepared it for her.
Inside, there was a bed, a table, and some orchids for decoration. With Han Harin's consent, I had also installed a high-performance camera from the Code: XTK world to record the session for Mana analysis.
"The bed is a massage bed I got in a hurry, so it might be a bit uncomfortable."
"That's fine. Should I lie down here?"
"Yes, please lie face down. It's easier to start from the back."
Han Harin followed my instructions and lay face down. Her large breasts caused her lower back to arch slightly, but it wasn't a problem.
I took out the prepared glass bottle and placed it on the table. Inside was sacred water diluted with tap water, intended for massage oil. I'd added quite a bit of tap water.
"Then let's get started right away."
"..."
I dipped my hands into the diluted sacred water and reached for her feet. It was the most straightforward approach.
Heh heh. I'm an expert on women's bodies.
I was confident in my ability to massage women's bodies. I'd massaged them more times than most people could imagine. Moreover, in the Plum Blossom Sword Saint world, I'd practiced massaging Yuria while she lay on the bed. Though it always ended in sex, even Yuria had to admit my massage skills were impressive.
I massaged her feet with just the right amount of pressure, making sure to channel Mana into them.
If it's just about releasing Mana, I can do that too. Well, just in case, I should at least mimic a Mana massage.
Han Harin's feet were small and delicate, her skin soft and supple. The absence of nail art suggested she didn't focus on special care, yet there was nothing to fault.
She's just naturally blessed. Truly worthy of being my first love.
After massaging her feet for a while, I moved up to her calves. Having never received formal training, I relied on my past experiences and videos I'd watched to guide my touch.
They always massage like this in porn.
My hand moved to her thigh. Han Harin's body flinched.
That reaction confirmed my belief: her body was pure, untouched by any hand.
Hehehe.
Activating heightened sensitivity. Vitality will be continuously drained.
I activated Sensual Amplification, my most trusted and favorite skill.
In situations where natural contact is possible, this skill is practically cheating. The only downside is how quickly it drains my vitality.
Damn. If I'd known this would happen, I should have focused all my stat points on stamina instead of spreading them around.
Then I could have used Sensual Amplification for much longer.
I kneaded her thigh. It wasn't as firm and toned as Jin Seyoung's, but still pleasingly supple.
Han Harin's fighting style relied primarily on her gravity manipulation ability rather than physical prowess, so her physical conditioning was naturally inferior to Jin Seyoung's. Still, her body was remarkably lean, showing clear evidence of regular exercise.
"Senior, how do you feel? Do you sense anything?"
"...No."
That couldn't be right. After massaging her thigh for over two minutes with Activating heightened sensitivity, she should have felt at least a faint pleasure.
Heh heh. Then how about this?
Han Harin's erogenous zones: left nipple, tongue, armpit.
I decided to target one of Han Harin's erogenous zones: her armpit. I wouldn't rush things. I'd start slowly, working my way down her back first.
It's a shame I can't touch her butt... Hmm?
As my wet hand touched her back, the white shirt soaked through, revealing a black bra beneath.
Black! Women usually match their bras and panties... so there must be black panties under those shorts.
My hand moved from her back to her shoulder, pausing briefly before sliding down to her armpit.
"...Ugh."
A reaction.
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing. Keep going."