Chapter 9: If you don’t want to be imprisoned, you have to be strong

I was screwed.

That was the conclusion I reached after careful consideration.

Utterly and completely screwed.

Even with my ex-wives suddenly barging into my life, I had believed I could find peace at the academy, where I spent most of my day.

I was wrong.

I had underestimated them.

All roads lead to Rome, as they say.

I hadn’t anticipated the consequences of these women, each a master in their own right, applying themselves wholeheartedly to a new task.

The time it took them to master Korean, excluding the most nuanced expressions that even native speakers struggled with? One day.

While Hangul was considered easy to learn, it supposedly took foreigners 88 weeks to become fully proficient.

They did it in a single day.

Once they mastered the language, they went to the Hunter Association to register as Otherworlders, all successfully registering as 17-year-olds.

Some officials were suspicious of their mature appearance, but they were all intimidated into silence by their glares.

‘Those Association employees are useless.’

Was it that difficult to say, “You don’t look 17”?

‘Well, it would be difficult…’

Even I, with A-rank power, was intimidated by them.

It would be strange if ordinary people or F-rank Awakened individuals weren’t.

‘But as public servants, shouldn’t they overcome that and do their job?’

I was slightly disappointed in them.

The public servants in the romance novels I read were incredibly competent. Reality was different, it seemed.

Upon returning home, my ex-wives immediately applied for the academy entrance exam online and started studying using my textbooks.

They occasionally asked Seung-ah and me for help, but being incredibly intelligent, they quickly grasped the material and stopped needing assistance.

“Yu-won, how do I solve this?”

They didn’t stop asking questions entirely, though.

Sometimes they asked about problems they could easily solve, seemingly as an excuse for physical contact.

Ha-yeon would lean close, her breath tickling my ear as she pointed at a problem.

“Oppa, how do you solve this one?”

Estelle would rest her ample bosom, a soft cushion of divine power, on my head as she asked a question.

The feeling and the sound of her heartbeat were distracting.

“Honey, I don’t get this.”

Liera would sidle up next to me, her hand reaching for my crotch.

Having spent several days with them, I had learned how to handle them.

I lightly swatted her hand away.

“This problem, you see…”

I calmly explained the solution, and she would click her tongue and return to her seat.

“Yu-won.”

“What’s up?”

Seung-ah would often approach me after I finished explaining a problem.

“Um… your ex-wives are learning too fast. They’re already well within the passing range…”

I had noticed.

The language barrier and the written exam were no match for them.

They were intellectually formidable.

“And honestly, with C-rank Hunter level skills, they’ll easily pass the practical exam.”

While the academy I was applying to was the most prestigious in Korea, C-rank combat abilities were more than enough for the practical portion.

The instructors were mostly A-rank, with some bordering on S-rank, but the academy’s purpose was to nurture students, not just select the elite.

While there were standards, setting the bar at B-rank would be too high.

‘There would be fewer than 100 successful applicants…’

And even with a B-rank requirement, I wasn’t sure if they would fail.

They might be weakened to C-rank, but they were masters in their respective worlds.

Their control over their power was on a different level compared to Earth’s Hunters. They could probably exhibit B-rank, or even A-rank, combat power with their current strength.

‘Maybe even A-rank…’

And once they regained their full power, they would reach S-rank in no time. I felt the need to train seriously to keep up.

‘Status Window’

I realized I didn’t need to say the command out loud. Just thinking it was enough to summon the blue window.

________________________________________________________________________________

[Name: Kim Yu-won (Lv154 / 72%)
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Race: Human

Stats▼
Strength: 59
Agility: 59
Stamina: 59
Intelligence: 39
Demonic Energy: 39
Mental Strength: 99
Charm: 29
Luck: 20
Remaining Points: 55

Traits▼
Five Lives (S), Lightning God’s Body (S), Savior of the World (S)

Skills▼
Translation (LvMax), Ink Lightning Divine Art (6 Stars), Blood Sky Dance (6 Stars), Poison Immunity (Lv7), Indestructible Body (Lv3), Observation (LvMax), Inventory (LvMax)]

________________________________________________________________________________

I couldn’t allocate points to Luck, and my other stats were capped at multiples of 9.

I gained one Remaining Point per level up, which I could use to increase my stats. However, breaking through the 9-point cap required a number of points equal to the current value.

To increase a stat from 59 to 60, I needed 5 points.

So, the standard practice was to allocate points up to 9 and then increase the stat through training.

Leveling up wasn’t just about killing enemies.

It was about absorbing their potential, and how well one absorbed it determined the level gained.

There were also bottlenecks based on personal enlightenment.

‘I reached level 100 when I achieved the peak of Supernal Realm, and 200 when I achieved Transformation Realm.’

S-rank Hunters were all above level 200. After checking my stats, I looked at my Traits.

The two S-rank Traits below Five Lives were carried over using the inheritance effect.

When I first reached the Transformation Realm, I underwent a transformation and gained the A-rank Trait Lightning Spirit Body.

I inherited it in my next life, and when I reached Transformation Realm again, it evolved into the S-rank Trait Lightning God’s Body.

Unfortunately, it didn’t evolve further, even after subsequent transformations.

But it significantly amplified the effects of the Ink Lightning Divine Art, so I was satisfied.

I gained Savior of the World after defeating the Demon King in Estelle’s world.

Its effect was simply “The world aids you.” I inherited it because it was S-rank.

‘And it was incredibly helpful in Liera’s world.’

Perhaps it boosted my Luck stat, because everything I did was successful.

A boy and a girl from the countryside managed to build a kingdom in just 20 years.

‘But why isn’t it helping me now, you useless Trait…?’

Did it somehow think my ex-wives attending the academy was beneficial to me? It showed no signs of stopping them.

I had also gained other Traits by reaching 100 in certain stats, but those weren’t inheritable.

‘When my Mental Strength reached 100, I gained the A-rank Trait Clear Mind.’

When I focused on Strength, I gained the A-rank Trait Immense Strength.

If those were inheritable, it would have been ridiculously overpowered.

But the system wouldn’t let me have it that easy.

‘Well, I can just increase my stats.’

I also had other skills, but these were all I had learned in this life.

I was already among the strongest on Earth, but it wasn’t enough.

‘I need to become stronger to survive among my ex-wives…’

My plans for a peaceful and leisurely life were shattered.

If I stagnated, they would quickly surpass me and control my life.

Especially Liera.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she kidnapped me, locked me up, and forced me to love only her.

And the other two weren’t much better; they were all possessive.

I needed to become so powerful that they couldn’t control me.

To protect myself.

That was my new goal in this life.

Of course, achieving this goal might lead to further complications and closer relationships with them.

But strength was essential for navigating those relationships as well.

So, to pursue this goal, I turned to Seung-ah.

“Seung-ah.”

“Yeah…?”

“Do you think I could use your family’s training grounds?”

As I mentioned before, Seung-ah’s family was incredibly wealthy.

Naturally, they were involved in the booming Awakened industry and had built a state-of-the-art training facility for Seung-ah.

I could train on my own, so I had never asked to use it, but now I needed it.

My current rate of progress wasn’t enough.

“Sure, Yu-won, you’re always welcome.”

She smiled and agreed.

It was her personal training ground, so it would be understandable if she felt uncomfortable sharing it with a guy, but she readily agreed.

16 years of friendship meant something.

“You’re the best, Seung-ah.”

I held her hand and thanked her.

Seeing her blush slightly, I made a vow.

Starting today, I would begin a grueling training regime to protect myself.