alwaysunqualified
Chapter 37 - An impossible date. (1)
My squad and I approached the entrance to a cave system, our next destination after leaving Zogthar. I referred to it as a cave system, but all that was visible was solid rock stretching as far as the eye could see.
As I confirmed our location on the mini map, I noticed an enemy fade into the distance, promptly dealt with by the elusive ninja girl. She remained hidden, but assisted when asked.
It felt like having a "lite" version of Yuno around—'lite' because, unlike Yuno, who would anticipate and act on my needs without prompting, I had to specifically ask the ninja girl for help.
As the st red dot vanished from my map, I signaled the all-clear. Andy approached the entrance and, using his magic, entered a code signaling our presence. To me, it looked as if he merely pced his hand against the rock wall, but after a moment, a puddle formed and slowly expanded until a girl emerged from it.
Materializing from the water, her body was translucent, resembling a gel, and shimmered a dark blue as the light from outside passed through. Her face, though human in shape, was smooth and featureless except for two rge, slightly disappointed eyes that surveyed us.
[Name: Jel Level: ??? Affection: [Married] Harvests a special type of slime that develops in her home cave. It acts as a crystallization agent for many alchemical concoctions.]
"I am Liev Ekker, from Cupid City Mallita. We have come to deliver your scheduled supplies," I announced. Although I wasn't entirely briefed on the contents of our cargo, the orc girl had mentioned that hers included special cores and powders with various effects, along with numerous pills designed to bolster mental defenses. Given the susceptibility of orcs to mental attacks and the potential havoc a rampaging orc could cause amidst monsters, it had become standard practice to force these mental reinforcement pills into any orc leaving the Octave.
"You seem rather inexperienced to be transporting such supplies," the slime girl remarked after scrutinizing our group for a while. I initially thought her concern was because we were all tier 1, until a giant neon sign appeared behind her, depicting a girl with her face in her hand, which read 'that was a clue'.
Driven by curiosity about how this was considered a clue, I asked, "Is there something wrong? If so, we can help."
“No, it is nothing. I will show you to our storage area. It’s not far from here,” she responded, shaking her head, her entire body rippling with the motion.
"I earned this position by defeating a tier 8 monster, if you're doubting my capabilities," I added. The slime girl looked surprised at my cim. I might have let the matter drop, but the massive sign behind her now dispyed an image of it sighing.
"That's right, our commander here single-handedly defeated a hydra-type monster," Robert chimed in, supporting my assertion.
Her expression conveyed skepticism, but she spoke nonetheless. "It's nothing serious. A monster has somehow infiltrated our inner ke, and we're unsure how. It has confined itself to the ke, so there have been no incidents."
“I'm already here. I might as well take a look,” I offered. Officially, our job was merely to deliver the supplies and proceed to the next checkpoint, a few days’ journey away. However, thanks to the ninja girl clearing away any potential threats, we were ahead of schedule.
‘Start a date; use one date point,’ I instructed cautiously. She might have downpyed the situation, but any monster capable of bypassing their defenses was clever, that meant potentially highly dangerous. If it hasn't caused trouble yet, there must be a reason.
Having the ability to restart the date allowed me to take some risks here without jeopardizing my friends' safety.
Otherwise, we would have had to wait until reaching a rger Octave with a base to report the issue, hoping they would find it significant enough to investigate. If not, I’d have to file a mystery investigation request with the adventurer's guild, not a cheap request, though slightly mitigated by this being a military-secured location. Thankfully, I still had a rge reserve of Cores to spend, even though I was now forced to rely on them to power magic items.
The real hardship was having to ask one of the guys to activate a device for me and enduring their ribbing about the mighty Angel needing their humble assistance each time. I understood why things like switches were rare, but it was still frustrating.
It seemed as though nothing was happening, even though time had frozen around me, until a giant rainbow meteor streaked across the sky, heading straight for me. It crashed into the ground before me, and from the rainbow fmes, the silhouette of a naked girl briefly appeared, then disappeared.
[An Extremely lucky one in a googleplex pull has occurred.]
A surprised "Oh!" escaped, followed by the sound of a hand covering lips.
“I know you're there, come out. I'm not mad anymore,” I called out, striving to sound both kind and assertive.
“You won’t yell?” my system inquired, her voice somewhat subdued.
“No, I won't yell. I told you yelling isn't the way to solve problems. I was being stupid. I’m sorry,” I admitted, genuinely regretting my previous behavior.
“Promise?” she asked, her tone brightening.
“Yes, I promise,” I replied, shaking my head with a smile.
“You have to keep your promise, you said so yourself,” she said, emerging from hiding, her purple eyes gazing up at me.
“I know, I won't yell,” I reassured her, looking down into her eyes.
“Even if I used all the love points?” she asked, averting her gaze.
‘She did what now?’ I took a deep breath. While it was frustrating, it wasn't something I couldn't manage. “What happened?”
“Well, a rainbow-colored thread woke me up, and when I went to tell you—it looked like the gacha—but you yelled at me. I ran away sad, but the thread stayed there. So, I finally decided to follow it and found Auntie, who looked like she was in pain. When I touched her, the thread glowed brightly, and Auntie looked better, so I kept touching her until I started feeling a tingle. I didn’t realize the points were gone, really,” she expined in one long breath. I could guess she was only being half truthful, but the part about trying to help seemed genuine, and that was what mattered most.
“It’s okay. I’m not mad about that. In fact, you did a good job trying to help,” I reassured her.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes lifting to meet mine again.
“Yes, we can always earn more points, but you only get one chance to help Yuno. Just make sure to tell me next time. There might have been a better way to help her,” I suggested, though I doubted Yuno had actually needed the help. She has always been the most level-headed member of the family and could likely find a solution to any problem with some time.
Her only real shortcoming was her need for more social interaction. Even I often forgot about her when I first arrived here, and she still spends most of her time hidden away. Then again, my little brother is simir; it took me embarrassingly long to realize that he simply gets exhausted around other people and needs time to himself.
“You’re the best, Daddy,” I felt a phantom hug envelop me.
“So, can I also roll the gacha? We still have a lot of points,” she inquired, revealing her true motives, but I could only smile at her antics.
My ex and I would often lie in bed and talk about the future. I envisioned having a son to py sports with, roughhouse, and occasionally knock some sense into when he started straying off the right path. We’d also share moments of comfortable silence together.
She, on the other hand, always dreamed of having a daughter. She looked forward to styling her hair, teaching her to cook, going shopping, and pampering her until the teenage years hit and she became boy-crazy. At that point, she joked, the responsibility would shift to me.
This girl, slowly but surely, has been filling that role—the adopted daughter I never pnned for. Even if I still wish she wouldn't call me father, it doesn't change the affection I started to feel for her.
“I still need to be conservative with our resources until we return to the retively safe city, but like now, when I decide it’s okay, I’ll let you roll it,” I said, sticking to the pn we’d agreed on earlier. Hopefully, Seraphina’s roster has some girls worth trying for the cards of. With almost a million people in the city, I’m sure there are some truly powerful combinations out there.
“Ow,” she said, and I suddenly realized that I felt a lot better. I might miss home, but I still have family here with me. We stayed like that until she grew bored and went off to py with the card she’d missed out on.
[An Impossible Date]
[Target: ???]
As I looked at the target information, I tried to determine who it could be—perhaps one of her daughters or a girl nearby. However, the map revealed nothing, and the title suggested It wasn’t that simple. I decided to first address her issue. If my understanding of the summoning pool is correct, then whoever the target is likely has a connection to this area, and considering the specified date location, it might rete to my "More Than Just A Little Luck" skill.
If that's the case, then the purpose of the skill might be to acquire rare cards, even if it takes a while. I used this skill years ago.
“Let me know if you spot anything strange,” I instructed, not really expecting any help.
“Yes, father,” she replied, obviously distracted and not really listening. Shaking my head, I allowed time to resume.
“This way through the portal, but be careful—it can be quite disorienting,” she warned. The term she used wasn't exactly 'portal'; it was more complex, akin to a wormhole but implying a shift in space.
We followed her through the water-like circle, where I immediately sank. I plopped into another pool of water, only to be jostled by another body colliding with me. Darkness surrounded us until a soft blue light illuminated the cave-like area, allowing me to see the pool we had entered recede rapidly.
As I stood up, I was surprised to find everything not submerged was dry. Ahead, the slime girl’s expression of surprise was excessive. Her liquid face allowed for an exaggerated range of emotions, and her eyes widened comically, like a cartoon.
Turning back, I saw the rest of my squad on the ground, struggling in vain to get up. Even the ninja took some deep breaths before vanishing again.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, crouching down to better assess their pale faces.
"I don't know—" Robert managed before he started dry heaving. I was relieved that we hadn't eaten or drunk anything in a couple of days. I hadn't seen anyone vomit since arriving here, not even the adults when absolutely wasted—they just got wobbly, and I certainly didn't want to witness it now.
All of them looked bewildered, likely never having experienced sickness before. There were some Blessings that could induce illness, but they were slow-acting and usually countered easily by natural defenses. These were the types of Blessings that made a weak person weaker, not a strong person weak.
Kneeling down, I patted Elric on the back, as he was having the hardest time. “Take deep breaths and try to pick something to focus on,” I suggested.
“Is it always like this?” I asked the slime girl, who was observing us from a safe distance. I couldn’t bme her, if they really did start vomiting, it could potentially mix into her.
“Yes, anyone without a strong slime bloodline takes weeks to adjust, and even then, they never fully do,” she expined, finally gliding over. She moved smoothly across the ground like a boat across water, her body still except for a wave-like jiggle. She seemed more interested in me than in my ailing friends.
“I see. Do you have somewhere they can rest?” I asked, not wanting to leave them outside. If I could buy some items, there were a few that could help ensure their safety, but even then, it would still be safer inside.
“Yes, I will take them to my home; my daughters will take care of them,” she responded.
“Hey, this isn’t enough to keep us down. Just give us a—” Elric started to protest but was cut off as he began dry heaving again.
“Stop being hard-headed. I’ve got the ninja girl to watch my back. Plus, are you really going to pass up on letting a slime girl take care of you?” I asked, continuing to pat him on the back.
“That does sound nice,” Mark said, giving Elric a weak smile.
I heard Andy take a deep breath before remarking, “I hear if they like you enough, they’ll let you drink directly from their bodies.”
I wondered if that would count as cannibalism before quickly dismissing the thought.
“Alright, I got outvoted. Just make sure to stay hidden behind your wife,” Elric joked. Ever since we left the base, I’ve had her defeat any monster above tier zero, to the extent that the other guys compined and it was concluded that I indeed employ the 'hide behind the wife' strategy.
“You called, Mother?” another slime girl appeared, looking identical to the woman down to her shimmer in the soft blue light.
“Take these men home,” her mother instructed, pointing to my friends on the ground.
“Um, is he fine?” she asked, and my eyes inadvertently drifted down to her breast, noticing she did not have nipples before I quickly redirected my focus back to my squad, who had their eyes glued to the new girl. Fortunately, they were in no condition to do anything stupid, but I found myself wishing I had bought some BB bullets for my gun. I could definitely see why the lieutenant always resorted to smacking us—it was the quickest way to handle things.
“He is going to investigate our ke,” the mother expined as the daughter’s arms elongated and wrapped around the guys on the ground. Her eyes remained fixed on me even as her mother ushered her away.
“This way,” the mother said, once her daughter had departed, treating me with noticeably more respect than before.
We traveled deeper inside, heading in the opposite direction the guys were taken. Soon, I was led to an open part of the cave filled with water. The ceiling was coated with a slimy, crystal-like substance that emitted a soft blue light, simir to the light that the slime girl produced.
Approaching the ke, I peered into its depths, which were too deep to see the bottom. My Observe revealed nothing, regardless of where I looked. After pondering for a moment, I activated ‘Connections Run Deep.’ The skill spiraled out from the ke towards the direction of the slime girl and her daughters and extended in all directions away from this pce. It also revealed a connection leading to a monster at the bottom of the ke, which now appeared on my map.
The skill description stated it shows connections between people, but it functioned as I hoped with the hydra and simirly here. Either the description was misleading, or the ke and the hydra were considered as 'people,' which, given that pnts could develop a divine spark, was not entirely far-fetched. Something to ponder ter.
“There seems to be a monster at the bottom of the ke. Can you eliminate it?” I asked the ninja girl.
Unlike usual, the dot did not suddenly vanish. Instead, a small and quiet voice replied, “I still require time to adjust.” She admitted.
From my past experience with her card, it seemed like a navigation issue. She could inadvertently throw herself outside the cave instead of positioning herself under the monster. Worse, she could get stuck underwater with an unknown monster.
If the monster was close to the surface, I was confident I could strike it with lightning, but at that depth, the electric charge would diffuse.
‘Wait, why can’t I?’ I found myself questioning as memories of my conversations with Sk?gul resurfaced.
Inserting her card, I allowed lightning to surge from me, and a flood of new knowledge about runes infused my mind. It had been less than a year, yet she had already made so much progress—no, I realized it had actually been over a year. I hadn't fully processed it st time due to my focus on the hydra.
She had been delving into the study of runes, particurly on a rge scale. As I processed this new information, it became strikingly clear how much faster she had progressed in her studies after meeting me than she had in the past.
As I let my lightning spark into runes above me, it danced in complex patterns before slowly returning to my body, tracing small runic shapes in overpping circles that grew rger and rger. The power escated, filling the air with an electric buzz, and I pondered whether this could have been enough to vaporize the hydra.
‘No, it would have only damaged it, and any damage would have quickly been rendered pointless as the mana surging through its body replenished what was used to heal,’ I thought, realizing that my judgment was influenced not only by my own experiences but also by hers when her card was slotted in. With her card installed, I gained insight into her judgment and battle experience.
Once again, her card felt more complete than the others—well, not all the others. Angelica’s angel transformation had a simir comprehensive effect. It came so naturally to me, even more so than to Angelica, who still struggled to complete her own transformation. And both were different from the simple mastery increase I gained from earning more Affection points, like with the princess's card.
I could sense the monster in the water, still oblivious due to the naturally chaotic flow of mana in this area that kept me concealed. Had it detected me, it would have either attacked or fled.
As I pinpointed its location, I directed my finger toward where it y hidden. The lightning runes surged back into my body, which then transformed into lightning escaping from my fingertip, dragging my consciousness along with it.
I plunged into the water, and from my alternate perspective, I observed that the surface remained undisturbed as I descended into the depths. I surged toward the bottom before making a sharp turn into a crevice, then around a corner where the monster became aware of my attack as I made contact. I pushed myself inside its form and wreaked havoc.
Suddenly, my perception snapped back, merging the two perspectives, and I took a deep breath as I felt my card timer expire and my state return to normal. The fact that the entire process took so long yet felt like only a few seconds underscored why Sk?gul found runes so impractical. Had I been attacked during that time, I doubt I would have even noticed.
Taking another deep breath, I said, “That takes care of the monster. Now I just need to figure out how it got in here.”
"Wow, you are quite extraordinary. I have three daughters who have been eager to see the wider world. It’s just so hard to meet a nice man out here," she began, and I should have anticipated that her first thought would be to introduce her daughters rather than discuss the cave's mysteries. It seems that all mothers here share the same mindset.
Looking at her, I wondered how retionships even worked for her kind. We had a brief lesson on slime-reted races like this slime girl, but details on reproduction were never covered. If you had told me when I was still a kid and Miki was out of the picture that storks brought children here, I would have believed you.
I shook my head, dismissing the thought. "Has there been anything unusual around here?"
"We have stayed away from this area ever since we sensed it arrive," the woman answered, still giving me a wide smile, one that wrapped around her face in quite the odd way.
"Sensed?" I asked for crification.
"Yes, we are naturally attuned to our birthpce. We could feel that one second the monster was not there, and the next, it appeared. It hasn't moved much since then," she expined.
I activated my Treasure Hunter skill, hoping it might provide a clue. I had used it once before just to test it, but it had only highlighted a spot in the dorm that basically gave me a history lesson on the building.
When the skill took effect, two X's appeared: one floating through the air and the other on my map, below the water, close to where the monster had been staying. I guessed that the second X was what I was looking for, but I still used Observe on the floating X.
[Mana flow - ???]
[Observe has triggered, revealing a special interaction.]
[Love Land integration has failed. Building conditions not met: Mana spires required. Unlock conditions not met: A magical trait unlocked or a Blessing from the Goddess of Magic, tier 8 or higher.]
Reviewing my Love Land interface, one of the previously unnamed buildings now had a name and dispyed its requirements.
“There is a small metal object about 13 f… 4 meters that way, near the monster. Can you retrieve it?” I asked, intending the request for the ninja girl.
“Oh, yes.” The slime girl responded, assuming I was speaking to her. She slid over to the edge of the ke, dipped her finger into the water, and shortly afterward, the metal object floated up into her. She then pushed it out of her hand and handed it to me.
[???]
As I examined it, the system suddenly stopped fiddling with the card and rushed over, her excitement palpable.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as she bounced excitedly, her eyes fixed on the object in my hand.
“It's a rainbow rare!” she excimed, beaming with joy.
It took me a few moments to realize that this fragment of metal was the target of the date. The notion that I was apparently on a date with a piece of metal was perplexing. ‘Wait, that can’t be right,’ I thought, then used ‘Show Hidden Secrets.’
[Once a tier 1337 entity with a Blessing over dimensions.]
I gulped at the tier level, but my attention quickly shifted to an even more crucial piece of information. Someone this powerful, blessed with control over dimensions—this could be my ticket home.
"You look happy," the slime girl noted, observing my reaction.
"Exceedingly so," I replied. "Once I remove this, you shouldn't have any more random monsters coming in."
"Thank the Goddesses, it felt awful not being able to return to our birthpce," she said, her form jiggling in what I interpreted as happiness. I scanned the area for clues about how this artifact had appeared here, but came up short, and I had to halt my search when I was informed that my friends’ condition was worsening.
It seemed futile to continue searching without more information. It would be wiser to bring someone who specializes in this or to return when my Observe stat was higher and I had more abilities at my disposal.
Upon arriving at their home, I found the guys looking both relieved and miserable as the slime girls assisted them. Andy even had one gently rub his belly. Watching the liquid swirl slowly in her hands, my mind began to wander.
“Come on, let’s get you guys out of here.” I forced myself to focus before the temptation to stay became too appealing.
“How about just another half day?” Elric pleaded, looking surprisingly revitalized despite appearing as if he was on death's door.
“Another half day and you won’t even be able to walk to the next octave, and I’m not carrying you four for miles,” I retorted. I could suggest the ninja might help drag them, but knowing these four, they’d see that as an excuse to linger a few more hours.
“Can you help me carry them to the exit?” I asked the mother. Her arms stretched out like her daughters’ had earlier, easily lifting and carrying them back to the area we entered, where water slowly rose again to form a mini ke. Once we stepped through, we were back outside, the exit proving far less disorienting than the entrance.
Once outside, the guys could finally breathe without the urge to vomit, but they were still too weak to move much, so we would need to rest here a day or two before we could continue on our journey.
[Date end]
Halfway through our wait, I entered Love Land to check on Ruby, who was silently sitting by the ke. Upon noticing me, she managed to make drool drip from her lips in a somehow seductive manner.
How she accomplished that was beyond me, but I inserted Miki’s card to feed her. She looked disappointed that I wasn't offering love points, her favorite, with Miki’s mana being a distant second.
She stared at me for a while, reminding me of Alice when we first met. Unlike Alice, the succubus was rather picky, but even she had her limits. She didn’t need to eat, but who would sit there hungry when a favored snack was right in front of them?
As she fed, her mouth moved in a deliberately seductive manner. Watching her, I couldn't help but admire her, viewing her objectively like a masterful piece of art. Her very essence was designed to do everything in a way that deliberately enticed men.
After she was satisfied, she gently pced her head on my p and took a nap.
Looking down at her, I had no way of gauging how close she was to developing true intelligence. If what I learned from Lamya, the librarian's card, was correct, then intelligence would emerge suddenly, transforming her from an innocent puppy-like creature into a fully matured woman.
‘What a strange world,’ I mused. Once we returned to the city, I would need to take her to many pces. Even if she were to suddenly become highly intelligent, without experiences to shape that intelligence, it wouldn't be as valuable.
Not wanting to disturb her and noting that I still had almost five hours left here, I decided to let her rest a bit longer before moving her to the house. While waiting, I checked on the zones, observing how the monsters were evolving without anyone to cull their numbers. I also attempted to remove the fragment of metal, but received a warning that it could not be taken out of my inventory in Love Land.
Soon, my thoughts drifted back to how I had used Sk?gul's Blessing in the cave. I slotted her card, delving deeper into the experiences I had earlier.
The information initially flooded in as a chaotic mess, but gradually, small pieces coalesced into coherent bits that made sense to me, though most remained at a subconscious level.
Then, other insights emerged. I recognized my errors with a spear, realizing how poor my skills still were despite years of training. Using her card aimlessly allowed the information to flow unfiltered, revealing all aspects, whether I consciously needed them or not.
Finally, a familiar piece of information surfaced—a theory on a movement technique that I recognized, the one I had used with the 'Charm Her Pants Off' skill on the princess.
The Valkyrie might not have understood where the inspiration came from, but she recognized its potential. My bond with her seemed to be a two-way street; I could sense that she also knew how to execute the minor tricks I had devised but dismissed them as impractical. However, this was different. This could elevate her Blessing to an entirely new level.
From her perspective, lightning was omnipresent, and since she was lightning, the technique wasn't about movement; she was inherently everywhere at once. I hadn’t moved to the princess that day; I had always been beside her.
If she was correct, this was indeed a ludicrous technique—being everywhere at all times.
Though she was no closer to fully grasping it than I was, her lecture resonated more profoundly. She was the only limiting factor in what her Blessing could achieve.
This also made me wonder about the strength of "Charm Her Pants Off." It seemed disproportionately powerful compared to my other skills.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by some heckling. “Hey, point out the beauty, let us ogle her too.”
“Ha?” I asked, recognizing the local jest among men when one is intensely focused on something.
Looking around, I realized I was back outside, staring at the rock wall that served as the entrance to the cave system. Gncing at my timer, I saw it had run down to zero. I had used up all my allotted time for this year.
[Achievement Unlocked: Innocent Tycoon - Let your system spend your Love points until you go into debt. - You can spend Love points even after you go into debt, the debt does not take effect until the date ends. Love points remain at zero until the debt is repaid. Unlike a loan, there is only a one-time 100% surcharge for overdraft. Achievement is locked when in debt.]
[Legendary Achievement Unlocked: Guy’s is she any good? Ftp btw - Hit a one in a googolplex roll. - ???]
[Achievement Unlocked: You Only Need One - Obtain a rainbow rare with a single date point. Increases the odds and chain bonus of date points. [This achievement can be toggled]]
