Chapter 37: A Preference for Strong Men (3)

It only took a moment to be bewildered by the bed, which had nearly doubled in size in just one day, so I immediately opened KakaoTalk and demanded an explanation from Kang Hye-eun regarding this situation.

「(Photo)」

「What is this?」

「Huh? It’s a double bed?」

「No, I mean why did it get bigger?」

「Well, if it’s narrow, it’s a bit inconvenient…?」

Inconvenient, I assume, probably means inconvenient during sex. Or maybe inconvenient when sleeping together.

Admittedly, the last time we did it, I did think the bed was a bit small for two tall people to use.

Besides, with midsummer approaching, even between people of the opposite sex, it’s a time when sweat and body heat can become unpleasant.

Of course, I’d judged it as a necessary sacrifice for awakening points, but I never expected her to upgrade the bed to a size three sizes larger the moment she got her paycheck.

And not her own bed, but mine.

「How much did it cost? I’ll pay you half.」

「Huh? No! I told you I’d buy it for you!」

「It’s not just a single bed, it doubled in size! How can I just accept this?」

「It’s fine! Just accept it if I tell you to!」

「No, but this is kinda…」

「What’s wrong with it?! I’m your girlfriend, so I can do at least that much for you!」

…Huh?

Wait, girlfriend?

No way, could Kang Hye-eun have actually thought of me as her boyfriend all this time?

「Hold on, Hye-eun-ah. Let’s just clarify one thing.」

「Yeah?」

「I’m sorry, but I don’t exactly think of you as my girlfriend, Hye-eun…」

「…Huh?」

After a few minutes of silence, Kang Hye-eun’s reply came, and even the text itself clearly conveyed her bewilderment.

「We’re just childhood friends, Hye-eun-ah. Although, we are much closer than typical childhood friends.」

「What are you talking about? If we’ve had sex, we’re obviously boyfriend and girlfriend!!」

「No, Hye-eun-ah. Let’s be clear about this. When did I ever confess to you? Or did you confess to me?」

「Well, no, but…」

「Of course, I admit you’re an attractive woman. And I’m grateful for your help while I was lost. But that doesn’t mean we’re officially dating.」

「Then what are we?」

「What?」

「We’ve slept together multiple times, so if we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, then what the hell are we?」

「Just childhood friends who are close enough to sleep together.」

「…Fine.」

As if she didn’t want to talk anymore, Kang Hye-eun didn’t send another reply after that message.

And I, waiting for her reply for a while, quietly organized my thoughts.

It might be a bit harsh on Kang Hye-eun, who thought of me as her lover, but this was something I had to clarify, even if it disappointed her. It was a necessary issue to address.

Since I’d decided to earn points by sleeping with Hunters to awaken, I certainly had no intention of creating troublesome entanglements like having a lover.

The reason I didn’t mention my relationships with Cha Yuri or Do Sihee to Kang Hye-eun was purely out of concern for the worries a ‘childhood friend’ might have, not because I was hiding it as a secret since I considered her my lover.

Someday, I’ll have to reveal to Kang Hye-eun, as well as Cha Yuri and Do Sihee, that I’ve been involved with other women like a slut. After all, it’s not something I can hide forever.

However, if they lose interest after finding out and decide they don’t want to be involved with me anymore, then that’s just how far our connection goes.

…And just in case, if someone is okay with it, I’ll continue maintaining these relationships.

Kang Hye-eun will probably soften up and come back to me eventually. Ever since school, she’d get angry at me for reasons I never understood, only to suddenly calm down at some point; that was her personality. If needed, I could even approach her first when I see an opportunity, once her desire builds up.

However, if she decides she doesn’t want a relationship with me because of what I just said, I’ll have no choice but to accept it and cut ties. Having the awakening ability ‘Hunter Lust Manager’, dating someone and pretending to be their lover feels like deceiving them, at least for me right now.

I didn’t want to lose a connection that lasted over 15 years so meaninglessly, so I left one last message for Hye-eun, hoping it might offer some comfort.

「Thank you for changing the bed. And Hye-eun, even though you’re not my girlfriend, you are undeniably someone precious to me.」

As soon as I sent the message, the ‘1’ indicating it was read disappeared, but still, no reply came.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After washing my dirty body and changing out of my dirt-covered clothes, I sprawled out, throwing myself onto the much wider and softer bed.

Immediately after, I opened my smartphone and launched the Hunter Lust Manager app.

Hye-eun’s issue was something time would eventually solve, and right now, it was time for me to check what I gained after having sex with Do Sihee.

『Skill Unlocked (NEW!) >>』

『Point Shop (NEW!) >>』

『Achieved Feats (NEW!) >>』

『Current Lust Management Hunter List (NEW!) >>』

『Find Nearby Hunters >>』

『Remaining Awakening Points: 0』

「Why are there so many new things popping up…?」

Especially since the Skill Unlocked menu, which hadn’t even twinkled once except on the first day, was now sparkling as if something new had been added, so I could only cautiously guess that a new skill had been unlocked.

Of course, among all these sparkling menus, the first one I always entered was fixed. It was entering the Achieved Feats menu and claiming all the initial achievement rewards.

Since it was the only way to earn points from the menu screen, it was naturally the first thing I had to check.

『Cumming via Anal Sex』

『Bringing her to orgasm simultaneously through three or more erogenous zones』

『Soaking all three of the woman’s holes with my semen』

Honestly, I somewhat expected the first item. Looking at the achievement menus so far, I figured there had to be an achievement related to anal sex.

The item 『Bringing her to orgasm simultaneously through three or more erogenous zones』 was likely achieved while stimulating her nipples and clitoris during anal sex.

And 『Soaking all three of the woman’s holes with my semen』 must have been achieved when Do Sihee, after receiving it both front and back, finished with a cleanup blowjob.

I thought I’d already cleared most of the early-game achievements with Kang Hye-eun and Cha Yuri, but I didn’t expect Do Sihee, with whom I’d only just formed a formal connection today, to unlock three achievement rewards.

Thinking about the future, it was definitely the right choice not to cut ties with Do Sihee immediately and leave some room. Her masochistic nature would unlock many more achievements in the future.

The awakening points, which I had meticulously spent down to 0, rose back up to 150 points at once upon achieving the three feats.

After obtaining the reward points like that, my second step was to check the Point Shop. I wanted to see if there was anything on special discount today as well.

The first item, the pocket dimension bag, and the second, the mysterious mask, had become indispensable items for me, so I figured the third item, if there was one, would surely be helpful too.

And so, with great anticipation, I entered the sparkling Point Shop, but the moment I saw the details of the new item, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

『Application UI Improvement: Allows manipulation of the Hunter Lust Manager system without using electronic devices as a medium. Price: 50 points (Currently 50% off)』

Damn, that’s harsh. They’re actually charging points for this?

Of course, it’s something I really need. I can’t keep operating skills and checking expected point gains from the app on my smartphone forever.

Even in the unlikely event I needed to quickly use points to level up a skill during combat, the current method of operation was quite inconvenient, and it was definitely something I had to buy for the future…

「They could have just given this for free from the start.」

It just irked me that I had to spend my already tight points on something like this.

Of course, not buying it wasn’t an option, so I immediately clicked the item to activate the Application UI Improvement.

And the moment I used the Application UI Improvement, the Hunter Lust Manager app on my smartphone suddenly closed, and even the application’s icon disappeared completely.

「Huh?」

It only took a moment to be surprised and flustered by the unexpected situation. Then, right before my eyes, a transparent menu window appeared, and the Hunter Lust Manager system materialized.

…So this is what ‘not using electronic devices as a medium’ meant.

『The improved Lust Management System operates 100% perfectly according to the Awakener’s will. System activation and deactivation, menu navigation, skill unlocking, Point Shop usage, achievement reward acquisition, and confirmation of Lust Management Hunters. All other operations are performed according to the user’s thoughts, thus requiring no unnecessary physical movements.』

Wondering if it really worked as the system said, I stopped moving my hands and navigated the menus solely with my thoughts, and the menus switched and screens changed smoothly on their own.

It was certainly convenient how the screen changed exactly as I thought. The fact that it operated without physical movement felt a bit awkward still. But seeing how convenient the recognition method was, I figured I’d get used to it quickly.

The current Lust Management Hunter list probably just contained Do Sihee’s info, so I skipped checking that, and finally, I immediately checked the Skill Unlocked menu, which was the most puzzling, to see what new skill had opened up.

『Spear Techniques lv. 1 (NEW!)』

「…Spear Techniques?」

What’s with the sudden Spear Techniques?

Seeing as it was unlocked at lv. 1, it probably means I can handle it to some extent without leveling it up.

Since I had exactly 100 awakening points left after buying the UI Improvement item, there was no reason I couldn’t level it up if I wanted to.

‘…Really?’

However, I wondered what meaning leveling up Spear Techniques would have for me now.

Since I had already set my sights on swordsmanship, I judged it would be more efficient to save the points for swordsmanship or recovery skills, so I decided to save them for now.

Even if I, a swordsman, learned Spear Techniques, it would be useless without a spear. Unless my goal was to pick up any random stick from the street and swing it around.

And if a truly necessary moment came later, I could just open the system and learn it then.

Thinking about it, the UI improvement is indeed convenient. Though it would have been better if they’d given it for free without charging points.

「Sigh, whatever.」

50 points wasn’t a small amount, but it was an amount I could earn back with just one sexual encounter.

Besides, with three Hunters under management now, it was an amount I could easily make up if I put my mind to it.

Rather than worrying about such trivial matters, it was much more important to prepare for my schedule with Cha Yuri tomorrow.

After settling my dinner with a protein-rich meal, I had a protein shake and some nuts, and went straight to bed.

To earn points tirelessly tomorrow, I needed to replenish my energy fully tonight.