episode_0129

“Ah…”

“Aaaah.”

Here, two female students sat on the bed, clutching their heads in identical poses.

A synchronization rate of nearly 100%. I burst out in admiration and clapped my hands. *Clap clap.*

“This is crazy, truly crazy…”

Normally, Cheon Soyul would have screamed at my cheeky behavior. But not now. As if she didn’t even see me, she tore at her hair, muttering something.

I had no choice but to turn my gaze to the red-haired girl beside her, Hong Yeonhwa.

Hong Yeonhwa was the opposite of Cheon Soyul. She was silent. She just… closed her mouth.

Silence. And then more silence.

She exuded an aura as if she was crawling into a deep sewer all by herself.

Although I regrettably hadn’t stolen mind-reading from Jiwoo Noona, I could still read her expression.

Loosely translated, it was probably something like, “What have I done?”

I stood awkwardly in the room, scratching my cheek. Was I the only one calm?

Of course, I’d been through situations like this more than once, so it wasn’t surprising. An orgy? How many times do you think I’ve experienced such situations, including Kanzaki Rie and Baek Ayun?

At this point, having been intimate with nearly ten women, I no longer felt an existential crisis with each instance.

The only puzzling thing was that Cheon Soyul was holding her head, overwhelmed with self-loathing.

*’She’s been with me a few times already.’*

Seriously, it’s not like this is our first or second threesome, why is she suddenly acting like this?

If Cheon Soyul heard that, golden lightning would strike from a clear sky. But since she wasn’t hearing it directly, it should be fine, right?

I turned my head and looked up at the void. As I told the two of them to sort out their feelings on their own, and a thought surfaced in my mind—

*Ding!*

With a mechanical sound I hadn’t heard in quite a while, a hologram visible only to me appeared.

──────────────── [According to your trait, Hong Yeonhwa’s unique ability, ‘Flame Sovereign,’ is being copied.] ────────────────

“Wow…”

Even seeing it again, it was an admirable trait. At this level, it was an ability comparable to Cheon Soyul’s ‘Heavenly Thunder’ or my Master’s ‘Frozen Core.’

*Woosh!*

While I was at it, I summoned a flame onto my palm. Information and knowledge about this trait steadily accumulated in my mind.

Indeed, the white flame from back then must have been manifested through this trait.

*Crack!* This time, I created lightning in my opposite hand. Lightning, flame, and frost.

I had achieved a triple core. For some reason, I felt incredibly refreshed.

“Whoops.”

At that moment, the flame borrowed from Hong Yeonhwa instantly grew in size and flickered grandly.

As powerful as the flame was, controlling it consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.

I immediately extinguished the flame and shook my hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t possess heat resistance like Cheon Soyul or Hong Yeonhwa.

Even if I held it for a long time, it wouldn’t burn me, but it seemed it would sting a little.

In any case, I had gained another excellent ability. This flame would be a great help when facing the Moonlight Cult and its leader.

Honestly, some opponents often gave me abilities that were nothing more than a ‘chicken rib’ [a proverb for something of little value but that you don’t want to throw away]…

*’…Is it too trashy to think like this?’*

Hmm. I briefly hummed and shook my head. Of course, it was impossible for me to think badly of them just because they gave me useless abilities.

Just as I was about to close the blue window, feeling unnecessarily sorry towards Rachel and Seo Harin Sunbae…

*Ding…*

“?”

With a soft mechanical sound, the blue window reappeared. I had clearly closed it, hadn’t I?

“Huh?”

But it wasn’t the window I had opened. It was the same blue window, but the content within was vastly different.

My pupils trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.

──────────────── [Cheon Soyul. Kim Jiwoo. Ryu Seeun. Baek Ayun. Kanzaki Rie. Seol Hayeon. Seo Harin. Violet. Rachel Brehelton. Hong Yeonhwa. The total number of opposite-sex individuals you have had sexual intercourse with has exceeded ten.] [Additional trait ability, ‘Unique Ability Sharing,’ is activated.] [The first target is Cheon Soyul.] [‘Freezing’ is shared with her.] ────────────────

It was at that moment.

*Crrrrrrrack!!*

The room froze over completely, accompanied by a tremendous roar that made the space seem to tremble.

“Gah, ah?!”

Hong Yeonhwa cried out “Ow, that stings!” and bounced in place. Her movements resembled a broken cat, but that wasn’t what was important now.

I stared, mouth agape, at the bed. The center where the cold air swirled.

“Ah, dang it, sh…!”

There, Cheon Soyul, half of her body covered in ice, contorted her expression chillingly. Lightning was already crackling around her.

I quickly took action before she instinctively blew this room away.

“Hong Yeonhwa!!”

“Yes, y-yes!?”

“Fire!”

Startled by my call, Hong Yeonhwa flinched a half-beat later and turned her head.

Fortunately, she displayed excellent comprehension and perfectly understood what I meant. She instinctively extended her hand and unleashed a flame.

*Whoosh!*

It was a posture and sight reminiscent of a firefighter, but the difference was that instead of putting out a fire, she was starting one.

Fortunately, it seemed the cold wasn’t from the Frozen Core, as the ice quickly melted.

“Ah…”

Cheon Soyul’s blurred expression returned to normal around then.

It seemed her mind had momentarily frozen due to her body suddenly being encased in ice.

Was the effect still lingering? Cheon Soyul, clutching her head and frowning, soon paused and looked down at her body.

Her body, which had been thoroughly frozen and then melted. Her clothes… What had become of them?

“…”

Cheon Soyul was silent. Hong Yeonhwa also kept her mouth shut, and I, reading the atmosphere, naturally fell silent.

All her clothes were gone. All that remained was about 30% of her burnt-away panties.

Her upper body was stark naked, revealing her fair, pristine skin.

I unconsciously glanced at the pink ‘fruits’ before receiving Cheon Soyul’s murderous aura and turning my head away.

“Yeonhwa…”

Cheon Soyul, quietly raising a hand to cover her chest, spoke to Hong Yeonhwa.

“Could you lend me some pajamas again?”

“Yes, Unnie.”

Hong Yeonhwa presented the pajamas to her with a stiff, rigid demeanor. It was as if she was serving her superior.

Cheon Soyul, covering her body with the shirt like a blanket, ground her teeth together. *Grind.*

“There’s something I’ve felt all this time.”

She opened her mouth.

Her gaze was directed at me.

“…When something this outlandish suddenly happens, usually if you pick one guy, you’re right, aren’t you? And in my vicinity, that’s you. Husband.”

“I didn’t do anyth—”

“Shut up.”

At Cheon Soyul’s growl, I clamped my mouth shut. It was unfair. This time, I truly hadn’t done anything; the system window was the culprit, wasn’t it?

But if she was going to treat even that system window as part of me, then there was nothing I could say…

Cheon Soyul, who had gotten up from the bed and crossed her arms, looked at me with eyes dripping with cold.

“Explanation. Briefly.”

“…”

I had no choice but to reveal everything I knew.

*****

“What…? A special reward…?”

Cheon Soyul was dumbfounded. Truly, no other expression was needed; a single word, ‘dumbfounded to no end,’ seemed to explain everything.

What had she just heard? Had she heard it correctly? Before that, was it really true? What was the probability that Lee Hyunjin was spouting nonsense?

“…”

Judging by his expression, that didn’t seem to be the case. Lee Hyunjin’s flustered demeanor, as he furtively watched her, was clearly genuine.

Should she call this fortunate? Good grief.

*’…A reward for completing ten women, that kind of feeling…’*

Cheon Soyul covered her mouth with a soft sigh. It seemed unbelievable, but wasn’t the trait itself, which stole an opponent’s abilities through sexual intercourse, absurd from the start?

If it was Lee Hyunjin, the owner of such a preposterous trait, then it wasn’t entirely impossible.

But aside from that.

“When did you manage to gather ten, you philandering bastard?”

*Cough.*

Cheon Soyul couldn’t control the sudden surge of rage and grabbed Lee Hyunjin by the collar.

Was it even conceivable to sleep with ten people of the opposite sex in one’s lifetime?

No, whether it was possible or not was secondary. Was that truly a number that could be achieved in less than a year?

Cheon Soyul’s indignation was entirely justifiable and rational.

Lee Hyunjin could only break out in a cold sweat, unable to offer any excuses.

In this situation, saying that the majority of those ten were people she knew wouldn’t be effective. It would be fortunate if it didn’t backfire.

“I’m sorry. Truly.”

So Lee Hyunjin apologized. He just apologized. What else could he do?

“It’s my fate, truly.”

Cheon Soyul eventually lost her steam and released Lee Hyunjin. By now, her anger was fading to the point where it was difficult to argue further.

She had to think positively. The man she had her eyes on was such a capable man. He had been intimate with a whopping ten women…

“Ugh, you beast.”

A positive thought process was not something that could be easily acquired.

Cheon Soyul couldn’t hold back and created a chunk of ice, throwing it at Lee Hyunjin. *Thwack.*

Of course, to Lee Hyunjin, who had near-extreme cold resistance, it caused no effect other than physical impact.

It didn’t matter since she hadn’t truly intended to harm him. Cheon Soyul sighed.

“I’ve really fallen for it.”

There was no going back now. Only now could Cheon Soyul feel it.

The ‘thread’ connecting her and Lee Hyunjin.

She wasn’t sure if ‘thread’ was the right word, but it didn’t matter either way. At any rate, it meant that he and she were connected.

It felt as if ice magic was being transmitted through that thread.

It wasn’t constant; it was more like a *flash!* of data being transmitted only at the moment she thought of using the ability.

It was quite an abstract description, but she was at a loss for other words to explain it.

Cheon Soyul thought so, brushing her lips. It was an expression of worry, and the nature of her worry soon emerged from her mouth.

“That.”

She raised her head and looked at Lee Hyunjin.

“Can it be passed on to someone else besides me?”

“Huh?”

And then, as Lee Hyunjin blinked, it was the moment both of them simultaneously turned their heads towards Hong Yeonhwa.

“Eh?”

*Crrrrrrrack!!*