Chapter 10 - What do you mean a hidden quest is still hidden even after clearing it?
[ What Do I Do If a Hidden Quest Is Still Hidden Even After Clearing It ]
=== What Do I Do If a Hidden Quest Is Still Hidden Even After Clearing It ===
"..."
I stared blankly at the notification window floating in the air.
[Hidden Quest cleared. Rewards will be distributed.]
[Reward: Vigor Enhancement, Han Cho-yeon's ability rank rises to S]
After coming about three more times after our first round, I had finally fallen asleep with Han Cho-yeon in my arms.
When I finally woke up, it was already well into the afternoon, and a notification window was floating right in front of my face.
It was offering me rewards, claiming I'd cleared some Hidden Quest...
I decided to put the Vigor Enhancement aside for now.
Having already experienced just how ridiculously powerful this system was a few times before, it wasn't really worth getting surprised over at this point.
The real issue was what came next.
'Han Cho-yeon's ability rank rises to S.'
"...Does that even make sense?"
I muttered to myself, completely dumbfounded.
Of course,
I'd known this system was out of the ordinary ever since it let me acquire an SS-rank skill.
But this was on a completely different level.
I recalled what she'd told me when we were drinking before.
Han Cho-yeon had definitely said she was a C-rank Hunter with a C-rank ability.
Specifically, an ability that let her communicate with plants.
Depending on how high the rank was, that kind of ability could actually be useful in combat. But in Cho-yeon's case, her rank was so low that she wasn't expected to fight at all, making a quiet research position much more suitable.
That was why she practically worked as a researcher instead of an active Hunter.
And yet...
'...From C-rank.'
I stared at the notification window again.
S-rank.
It wasn't even raising it one step at a time.
'No, even raising it by one rank would have been insane.'
But this?
Straight to S-rank in a single leap.
"This is insane..."
This wasn't just a good reward.
It completely defied common sense.
In the Hunter world, rank was an absolute, unyielding standard.
Talent.
The ceiling of one's growth.
Potential.
All of it was determined the moment you Awakened—or, as some said, the very moment you were born.
That was why the concept of a "rank up" was treated as nothing short of a myth.
Even though a rank increase was flat-out impossible, every Hunter still secretly dreamed of it.
'And this system just hands it out like it's nothing?'
And what was even wilder...
It wasn't even a reward for me.
It was turning someone else
into an S-rank.
To an outsider, that might not sound like a big deal, but...
If it only applied to me, it could be written off as a one-time miracle.
An ultra-rare, self-targeted growth ability that maxed out my potential in one go.
But the fact that it could apply to others meant there was a very real possibility that this system could turn anyone I did a quest with into an S-rank.
"...Wait a second."
Thinking along those lines, the other two women caught up in my quests immediately came to mind.
Yoo Seo-rin and Yoo Ra-eun.
Considering the timing and the fact that the reward was "Vigor Enhancement"... the clear condition for this Hidden Quest had to be sex.
"No way... There's no way, right?"
My head was starting to spin, so I decided to stop overthinking it for now.
After all, it was an unpredictable unique ability that didn't even show me the quest details, masking everything as a "Hidden Quest."
I slowly turned my head to the side.
Cho-yeon was fast asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. She looked so peaceful that it was hard to believe she was the same wild woman who had pushed me to my limits yesterday.
"..."
She had one arm locked around my waist, and her leg was draped lazily over mine.
It was as if she was holding onto me so I couldn't escape.
She must have been holding me like this all night, because her grip was surprisingly firm.
"...Haa."
A soft sigh escaped my lips.
Memories of last night came rushing back one by one.
Right before we both collapsed from sheer exhaustion, Cho-yeon had showered me with kisses, whining that she didn't want to sleep yet.
—Mmh... chu... More, I want to do it moooore...
Recalling how easily she flipped between her mature, older-woman persona and her cute, needy side, my cock threatened to harden again.
"...Ugh..."
Just then,
Cho-yeon stirred slightly.
Her grip around my waist tightened even further.
"...Don't... run..."
"...If you run away..."
"What's this about?"
I chuckled, looking down at her adorable sleep-talking face.
This woman...
She even talks in her sleep.
"...No..."
She mumbled, burying her face deeper into my chest.
She snuggled even closer.
Her warm body heat radiated directly against mine.
"..."
I looked down at her in silence for a moment.
I'd forgotten for a moment because of yesterday's steamy atmosphere, but she definitely seemed to carry some kind of trauma.
I figured it had something to do with her family, but I had no intention of prying.
Whatever it was, I had no intention of letting her down—especially not when she was clinging to me in her sleep, begging me not to leave.
Then, suddenly,
the notification window from earlier flashed in my mind again.
[Reward: Han Cho-yeon's ability rank rises to S]
S-rank, huh.
Even thinking about it now, it didn't feel real.
Right here, on this very bed—
this woman hugging my waist and mumbling in her sleep
was now one of the few elite powerhouses in the entire Hunter world.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment,
I gently reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from Cho-yeon's face.
Her soft hair brushed against my fingertips.
At that moment,
"...Mmh."
Cho-yeon knit her brows slightly.
And then,
"...Are you awake?"
she looked up at me, her eyes half-open.
They were still hazy with sleep.
"...I just woke up," I said calmly.
"...Liar."
"...About what?"
"...You've been staring at me for a while."
Even as she mumbled sleepily,
she didn't show the slightest intention of letting go of my waist.
"..."
After staring at me for a moment,
Cho-yeon let out a faint smile.
"...You didn't run away."
"...Why would I run away?"
"...I don't know,"
she murmured, closing her eyes again.
"...But still,"
she added, half-asleep.
"...I held onto you tight."
With that,
she squeezed me a little tighter.
As if she truly had no intention of ever letting me go.
*
It took another ten minutes of cuddling before Cho-yeon finally woke up completely.
Since I couldn't hide the truth from her anymore,
I decided it was time for an explanation.
Leaning back against the headboard, I summarized everything that had happened so far as simply as I could.
I told her about my ability, and how the bizarrely named unique skill "Snail Husband" actually worked.
I explained the quests and the rewards that came with them.
I confessed that my first time sneaking into her house to clean and cook had been entirely because of those quests.
And finally, I told her about the notification window that had just popped up, and the reward for clearing the Hidden Quest.
I tried to stick to the bare facts to avoid rambling, but the story itself was incredibly bizarre.
It was the kind of tale no ordinary person would ever believe.
When I finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the room.
"...So,"
Cho-yeon said, slowly turning her gaze toward me.
"...to summarize..."
Her eyes were sparkling with a strange intensity, any trace of sleep completely gone.
I nodded.
"That's basically it."
Quests appeared because of my ability,
rewards were granted when I cleared them,
and as a result...
Cho-yeon's ability rank
had jumped to S-rank.
Silence fell once more.
Even after I finished explaining, Cho-yeon didn't say a word.
Instead, she stared blankly into the empty air just above her head.
She was undoubtedly checking her status window.
"..."
Her fingers swiped at the empty air,
as if she were trying to rub a smudge off a screen.
Of course, since the status window was intangible, her petite hand only swiped through empty space.
And then,
"...Phew."
she let out a soft breath.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then snapped them open.
Her expression was completely different now.
Her eyes were practically glowing.
Her lips twitched as she desperately tried to suppress a massive grin.
"..."
I watched her, a warm smile spreading across my face at how genuinely thrilled she looked—
"...Ahem."
when she suddenly cleared her throat.
She sat up straight, adjusting her posture for no apparent reason.
She sat so rigidly upright that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been buried under the blankets just a moment ago.
"...Mmm."
Cho-yeon nodded solemnly, trying her best to look nonchalant.
"...I see,"
she said, her voice dripping with forced calm.
"...S-rank, huh."
But despite her calm words,
her eyes were still glued to the empty air.
And...
her finger tapped the air again.
Tap.
Tap.
She was trying to tap the status window to make sure it wasn't a glitch.
"..."
"..."
"...It's real,"
she whispered, even softer this time.
Then, she peeked at me out of the corner of her eye.
"...Well,"
she hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"...That is quite an impressive ability."
She was clearly trying to sound as dignified as possible.
I chuckled.
"...Are you happy?"
"...Well,"
Cho-yeon shrugged her shoulders with mock indifference.
"...It's not bad."
Then, she cleared her throat again.
"...Ahem."
She smoothed down her hair for no reason.
"...S-rank, huh."
she mumbled to herself again.
"...Hehe."
"..."
...?
"...Ah."
Embarrassed that her giggle had slipped out, Cho-yeon's ears instantly flushed bright red.
"..."
"..."
Our eyes locked.
And then,
"...N-No,"
she stammered, quickly looking away and clearing her throat yet again.
"...Ahem."
She completely wiped the ecstatic grin off her face and tried her best to look poised and demure.
"...Well,"
she began, carefully choosing her words—
only to stop when she realized I was still grinning at her.
"...Ah."
Her eyes narrowed into a glare.
"...You just... you l-laughed at me, didn't you?"
"...Me? No."
"...You definitely laughed."
"...Okay, I did laugh."
"..."
Cho-yeon's mouth clamped shut.
And then,
"...Sigh."
she let out a dramatic sigh.
Suddenly, she kicked the blanket aside and lunged forward.
"...Hah!"
She grabbed my arm with surprising strength.
"...Get over here!"
"Whoa—"
Before I could even react,
Thud!
I was pinned back onto the bed.
"Wait a minute—"
Without giving me a chance to protest, Cho-yeon straddled me, looking down from above.
She was much closer now.
Her face was flushed red all the way to her ears, and she glared down at me with mock annoyance.
"...Prepare yourself... ♡"
In the end, completely forgetting about my hunger, I wasn't allowed to leave the bed until evening.