"Ugh...."
What happened?
I clutched my pounding head and barely sifted through my most recent memories.
'Ah, personality destruction!'
The tiles on the floor felt hard and smooth against my hand.
Right, I'd definitely been staring into the bathroom mirror, destroying the Tutorial Manager's personality.
"Did it work?"
That same voice from before was gone now.
I hauled my wobbly body upright and checked the mirror. My nose was gushing blood like a faucet.
"Whoa...."
This much blood loss could've killed me and no one would've batted an eye.
But my complexion looked fine, so maybe I didn't need a hospital?
[Ah... Ahh... Eek... Ek....]
It was still alive?
Only now it wasn't a voice—it was appearing as system messages, and even those were starting to fade.
A moment later, the system windows vanished completely.
"Ugh!"
At the same instant, unfamiliar memories flooded in.
'What's this...?'
Not memories from my past life.
Not from this one either.
The headache faded quickly. I calmly observed the incoming memories as I made my way back to the sofa.
"...Hmm."
The Tutorial Manager's personality shattered.
A fragment of that broken personality must've seeped into me.
Since the personality itself was destroyed, it'd be more accurate to call it a harmless snippet of memory that couldn't influence me at all.
In fact, I wasn't recalling it like my own—it was more like watching someone else's movie.
"Strongest being. Hypnosis. But it doesn't work. Different species? Then possess a body from the same species. Corrupt all the women and conquer this world?"
I pieced together the fragmented memories to grasp the situation.
"So the Tutorial Manager was one of the otherworldly beings trying to invade our world."
In the memories, the thing looked like it was molded from black sludge.
The theory that gates were beachheads for interdimensional invasions had been floating around for a while, but this confirmed it.
"It could use powerful hypnosis, but...."
There were memories of it crossing through a gate and trying its abilities on Hunters—only for them to fail completely.
Concluding it was due to species differences, it hatched a plan.
"Possess a human male whose mental wavelength is close to its own."
The thing was male.
But most men in our world had effeminate personalities, so their wavelengths didn't match, and it couldn't possess them.
Then it found me—the one with past-life memories that aligned with its wavelength—and approached me disguised as a dark red mana stone.
"And if things had gone according to its original plan...."
It would've turned me into a sex-crazed maniac, then used hypnosis to enslave the Hunters and rule the world.
And as I used its powers more, my sense of self would merge with its, until it fully stole my body.
"Haha."
I survived because I didn't succumb to lust.
Its plan fell apart due to a few unforeseen variables.
"You wanted a real man, but I'm no ordinary one."
If I hadn't had my past-life memories.
If I hadn't known a real man's lust, I wouldn't have resisted the amplified version.
'That lust was on another level—nothing like a teenage boy's.'
Men in this era don't have much sex drive to begin with, so the amplified version would've broken them.
But I had experience, so I could resist to some degree.
Even now, my groin was throbbing.
Just like fragments of its memories lingered in me, so did some of that amplified lust.
"Plus, I admired and respected Awakeners."
They'd saved my life, so I wanted to be like them.
When that proved impossible, I took the grunt job of Gate Cleaner to help however I could.
Without that mindset, I might've fallen for its temptations before even resisting the lust.
"And...."
I already knew what hypnosis was.
I knew the results its hypnosis could produce—from my past life's porn experiences—so I could immediately turn it against it for a counterattack.
"But... I ended up saving the world."
It felt like a dream come true.
The dream of helping the world, the Awakeners.
I'd slain the final boss threatening them with my own hands. Happiness washed over me like I'd done a line of the best drug.
"Feels good."
My heart swelled.
So this was what accomplishment felt like.
"But... what about the skills?"
I'd killed it, but since it died from personality destruction, the skills might still be around.
I called it out right away.
"Status Window."
[Hypnosis]
[Stage 1: Stare into the target's eyes and implant suggestions. Induce actions based on the implanted suggestions.]
[Targets with strong willpower can resist to some degree.]
[Stage 2: When activated while in contact with the target, stronger suggestions can be implanted.]
[The larger the contact area, the stronger the suggestion.]
[Stage 3: With mucosal contact, extremely powerful suggestions can be implanted. Even targets with strong willpower can't easily resist.]
[Man's Pride]
[Strengthens your virility.]
They were still there.
But due to the fallout from its personality shattering, the skills had been altered too.
'Suggestions... not full hypnosis, but behavioral inducement?'
Contact allows for proper suggestions, but for reliable hypnosis like before, mucosal contact is needed now.
'Mucosal contact means kissing—or sex.'
When the skill transformed, the amplified lust must've mixed in.
That was its power too, tormenting me to the end, so it naturally got incorporated.
And Man's Pride remained unchanged.
With this, my virility might even be stronger than in my past life.
"Skills confirmed. Time to wash up."
I'd been through too much—mentally exhausted.
I stripped to shower and caught my reflection in the mirror. I froze.
"...Shota with a monster cock."
It didn't gross me out.
It was my body. I even felt awe toward myself.
"Ugh!"
A light touch, and it sprang to full erection.
Eyeballing it, at least 18cm now.
"Girth so thick one hand can't fully grip it."
Top 1% even in my past life.
But how was I supposed to go outside starting tomorrow?
Women here are all gorgeous anyway, and with my past-life-level lust restored, wouldn't I be popping boners left and right?
"Self-hypnosis, maybe?"
Even the guy who gave me this power fell to hypnosis.
Couldn't I hypnotize myself?
"Hypnosis."
No time to waste—let's try it.
＊＊＊
'It worked.'
A day had passed since I acquired the skill.
Thankfully, no morning wood torture or suffering from heightened lust.
[Current Hypnosis Targets]
[Yoo Jun-hyuk]
[Active Hypnosis Effects]
[No erections and sex drive maintained at previous levels until this hypnosis is removed.]
[Mind becomes calm.]
Even a management menu.
No forgetting who I've hypnotized or what effects are on them.
Not that I plan to go around hypnotizing people willy-nilly.
'But self-hypnosis maxes out at Stage 1.'
Since it's just suggestions, strong will lets me override it—get erect or aroused if I focus.
Gotta keep that in mind when I'm out.
"Eheheh."
Problem solved, now I'm hungry.
Gate Cleaner work is day labor, not full-time, so I can slack off as much as I want. Didn't head to the staffing office today.
"What to do from here."
I'm not attached to being a Gate Cleaner.
I only chose it because I couldn't become an Awakener—poultry instead of game pheasant, to help Hunters however.
"No need to keep at it."
My dream of helping the world was fulfilled by defeating that final-boss-like bastard.
So I had zero interest in a grueling job paying 100,000 won a day from dawn to dusk.
"First, figure out what I can actually do."
I'm an Awakener too, sorta homebrew.
But this skill won't cut it for Hunter or Hero.
"Monsters mostly run on instinct, and villains would kill me before I could use my skill."
Hunters dissolve gates or hunt monsters that emerge and settle as native beasts.
Heroes capture criminal Awakeners.
Neither fits my half-baked hypnosis.
"Plus, to register as a Hunter or Hero, I'd have to prove my skill to the state... and if word got out it's hypnosis...."
Big trouble.
Even with conditions, no one wants someone who can control them.
"Regular jobs are out too."
Embarrassing, but my resume's a blank slate.
I figured having past-life memories made me destined for greatness.
After Hunters saved my life.
Even knowing Awakening's tough for men, I trained hard, waiting for it.
My life felt like a webnovel protag's.
They get rewarded for effort, achieve the impossible, become the world's center.
But my efforts betrayed me.
Training barely boosted strength; weapon skills were meh.
By adulthood, all I had was better stamina than average guys and a well-sculpted body from workouts.
"Then I started Gate Cleaner work and skipped college altogether."
Without hypnosis, I'd be wallowing in self-pity.
"Think rationally. Specs can be built from now."
Best job for my current situation.
And what I want to do going forward.
"Cafe owner?"
My drive to help the world's fulfilled.
Achieved my life goal—doubt I'll top this sense of accomplishment.
No urge to get filthy rich.
Or chase fame.
Just wanna chill through life's remainder.
Take the easy path if possible.
"They say a cafe's popularity is 10% coffee taste, 90% staff or owner looks."
Hate sounding narcissistic, but by this era's standards, I'm a hunk.
Get hit on often; friendly stares are routine now.
Never dated, though.
Low sex drive from this era's male body.
Pre-adulthood: obsessed with training, no interest in dating.
After: Gate Cleaner grind buried me in home-work-home routine.
At first it was nice, but later annoying, so I always wore a mask and beanie outside.
"Work cafe part-time. See how much my looks boost sales, study barista cert after shifts."
Startup cash from parents' inheritance should cover it.
Save part-time pay as emergency fund for if it flops.
"Then, check out barista certs."
Booted up the computer and hit the internet.
Main page flooded with news headlines.
[Voice-Changing Awakeners Rampant in Phishing Scams.]
[S-Rank Hunter Choi Yu-ra Declares Break. Duration TBD.]
[Outrageous WaiTubers' Hit-Piece Videos. Faking It for Views.]
[Domestic Telecom Giant Leaks Customer Data. 'Users Must Manage Their Own Info'—Backlash Over Shameless Remark.]
Hmm, gotta research barista certs.
But these articles are all intriguing.
Clicked Choi Yu-ra's first. Title was the whole story.
No set end date—just taking a break for now. Her interview from yesterday replayed in my mind.
"Could my skill fix her?"
Heal her mental wounds with hypnosis?
"Not likely."
Shook my head.
Original skill, maybe. But this nerfed version?
For someone like her, Stage 3 minimum to heal.
'Mental issue, so consistent Stage 1 chats might work, but why would she meet a nobody like me with no connections or credentials?'
Prayed she'd get through her rough patch.
Next, telecom data leak.
"What the fuck?"
That's my carrier?
Hope my info didn't leak.
"So damn brazen."
Their fuckup, and they blame customers.
Gotta switch soon.
"Voice phishing—same old shit, past or present."
Awakeners doing phishing scams.
Makes sense; voice-only skill ain't Hunter or Hero material.
"Doesn't give a free pass to crime, though."
Last, WaiTubers: same as ever, spewing unverified crap like gospel for clicks.
"Cyber wrecks never die, era be damned."
Alright.
News read, playtime over.
"Barista certification search—go!"