Chapter 39 – A step into the mud (2)

  I found myself once again facing the man who had grabbed me by my military shirt. This time, I didn't pull away. Instead, I quickly opened my skills and menus to check for any changes. All my skills, except for Goddess Choice, had been reset, and my goddess points were still missing.

  I wondered if it was because I had used them for information. Had I used them for an action, would they have reset? I waited, but the goddess chose to remain silent for once. Gncing over, I saw her and the system munching on popcorn as they watched me.

  Ignoring their actions, I proceeded with my pn. First, I activated ‘A Date to Remember’. If I was right, this skill should amplify everything that happens on a date, at least concerning interactions with the date target. I didn’t think it affected my combat abilities, or at least not in any way noticeable to me.

  [Who needs a brother’s approval?]

  Next, I revisited my options:

  Defuse the situation.Hit on his sister.Attack him.Kill him [conflict]Option four was still there, but it wasn't the one I was interested in. My attention was drawn to option two—the only one that could lead to an actual date.

  Since using the ‘My Father Works For That Company’ skill—and even before that—I had been pondering how to effectively use these skills. My testing was extremely limited, but I had some ideas.

  I selected the second option and time resumed. Looking down at the man beneath me, I thought, ‘Nothing personal.’ Flirting with someone’s sister here was the same as going up to a guy back home and spping his mom.

  As I activated Angelica's card and initiated my angel transformation, I fshed my most charming smile at his sister, whose short brown hair and emerald green eyes seemed to sparkle with surprise.

  [+5 Elowen Stave affection points.]

  Suddenly, the man’s arm retracted as a bde sliced through the air where it had just been. I ignored the disturbance, folding my wings around myself, and slowly approached the girl through the stunned crowd.

  “Hello, I'm Liev Ekker,” I began, my smile coy. “You have some of the most enchanting eyes I've ever seen. And such a beautiful face; it's a shame about what happens ter today.” Everyone seemed to think I was a seer, so I decided to py the part.

  The girl looked uncertain, her eyes darting around as she processed my words. Then, a groan from her brother caught my attention as a ninja reappeared beside me, her bde gleaming and a wire strung across the room. I gnced back to see the man leaning on his sword, on one knee, his other leg severed just above the knee.

  More options appeared before me:

  Heal him.Let him bleed.Taunt him.I studied his shocked expression for a moment—he must have gotten distracted, and it had literally cost him a leg. I chose to heal him, casting a quick ability, then turned back to the girl, positioning myself so that she faced only me.

  “Don’t worry about him. I know he can be hotheaded. Now that he’s calmed down, we can continue and unlike him, I’ll handle this monster with just a single move,” I said as I reached out and gently pinched her chin, directing her gaze to mine. As our eyes met, she stammered, and I continued, “After all, it would be a sin to see such a lovely dy sad.”

  [Charm has triggered]

  [+11 Elowen Stave affection points]

  Despite my concerns that nerves or an elevated heart rate might betray my true feelings, I remained as composed as ever. The words flowed effortlessly, like lines from a well-rehearsed py. "We still have a few hours, and I just couldn't leave without introducing myself and sharing my feelings. Of course, I would also appreciate your support while I easily tackle a monster so perilous it could obliterate this entire octave."

  Charm Her Pants Off was a skill specifically crafted to impress a girl. Usually, it felt somewhat random, yet I was convinced it calcuted the most optimal move to maximize affection. The real challenge y in how to effectively deploy it, and one strategy I devised was bragging.

  The strategy was to brag about a grand feat, which would then be spectacurly executed upon activating the skill. There were only three notable drawbacks I could foresee. First, there was a risk the girl might find my failure more endearing than my success, which seemed unlikely with her brother and family’s lives at stake. Second, the act I boasted about could be impossible, though I had already demonstrated they were kilble. Lastly, and what I anticipated as the most challenging hurdle, was ensuring she believed my boasts—or at least believed that I believed them.

  I had the fallback option to use "My Father Works For That Company," but avoiding the waste of any more goddess points then needed, would be preferable.

  "What? That's impossible," the man excimed, clearly skeptical of the monster's strength.

  Continue flirting.Confront the man.Belittle the man.The dialogue choices emerged left and right, guiding me through the situation. I pondered why, then it dawned on me that perhaps this was my first time using these options specifically to woo someone. It made sense that actions leading to romance involved more dialogue than those leading to confrontation.

  Activating Grace the Princess's card, I quickly used “Observe” on everyone present, then scrolled through the list of names in my notifications that had accumuted since the start of this date.

  As I scrolled through the notifications, it also dawned on me why this felt so effortless: I wasn’t viewing anyone in this room as a person; they were merely NPCs that I needed to manipute with the right dialogue to achieve my goals, just like in any game.

  Part of me felt I should be more remorseful about using them in this manner, but when the alternative was their demise, it was difficult to feel guilty. This raised the question of why everyone but him was killed, and I had a solid guess.

  After reviewing my notifications and finding nothing unusual, I decided to observe him and then his party, who had remained silent so far. The memories of long-forgotten csses began to resurface—nights spent poring over research papers between gaming sessions. Ultimately, I selected option two.

  “Don’t bother me when you couldn’t even save your wife, and now you’re leading your other wives and cute little sister to their deaths too,” I said, confronting the man squarely. “What they faced was merely a fragment of a rger monster, a fact you would have known had you not recklessly led all the adventurers to their deaths. I personally couldn't stand by and watch such a cute girl die and I would never be defeated by such a monster.”

  [-3 Elowen Stave affection points]

  Invite her out.Continue bragging.Gncing at the man again, I noticed him eyeing one of his party members—the girl who had previously dragged him away. I had thought they were keeping quiet, but it seemed they were simply communicating in ways that didn’t include me.

  The tension in the room was palpable as everyone watched our exchange. I half-expected someone to intervene, but they remained like NPCs on the sidelines.

  I chose option one.

  "Would you do me the honor of joining me on this date? Consider it a reward for so effortlessly solving the problem and saving your family and your foolish brother," I said, extending my hand. She hesitated, her gaze shifting from my hand to her party.

  Allow the brother to come.Tell the brother to stay.Simply drag her away.Again, I chose option one.

  “Don’t trust me? I am a gentleman, unlike some,” I assured her with a half-smile. “But if it makes you feel safer, your brother can accompany us—just ensure to give us some space,” I added for him. I had anticipated his presence either way; I was under no illusion that he would refrain from following if I had insisted otherwise.

  I vividly recalled how the shadow had singled him out, using others to taunt him, and ultimately leaving him alive st so he could witness the demise of everyone else. My guess was that he had angered the one controlling these creatures, and the hinted-at girl was retaliating against him.

  This meant she would target him, and I didn’t want that happening within this octave. I double-checked the notifications; none were from anyone outside this room, making it unlikely she was observing us right now.

  Looking at the angry man, I considered sitting down to expin the situation and colborate with him. Yet, while people here often dispyed an inhuman ability to shrug off traumatic events, they could also exhibit heightened human traits, such as susceptibility to irrationality. Memories of lessons taken long ago about human psychology—susceptibilities, mental pitfalls, and blind spots—fshed through my mind, as if I had just attended those csses.

  He was visibly off guard, unaccustomed to not being the one in control. Unable to attack me due to 404, and likely uncomfortable rallying others to his cause, he was paralyzed by indecision. Despite a millennium passing, he remained as human as any of us.

  The brown-haired girl seemed torn between us, unsure of how to respond in this situation.

  Pull her attention back to you. [Charm]Threaten her with 404.Simply drag her away.After considering what I knew about the two, I chose the second option.

  “Just think of it as defusing the situation. None of you want future trouble with someone like me,” I said, letting my gaze shift meaningfully towards 404. She caught on immediately. They had a history with nobles, and it seemed each had a guardian. Whatever their future pns, they probably preferred to avoid conflict now.

  [-17 Elowen Stave affection points]

  I took her hand, primarily to further aggravate the man, and led her out of the adventurers' guild.

  “You!” The man yelled, having regrown his leg, he rose to follow us, with his party trailing at a cautious distance. “Get your hands off her.”

  I waited until we were outside before responding. “I'll release her when you prove you can actually protect her like a real man.”

  Go sightseeing through the town.Go outside of town.Go shopping.I scanned my notifications again and this time noticed seven inconsistencies, four of which had question marks for names.

  ‘Use 1 goddess point to gather more information on the first entry in the list,’ I thought, focusing on the entries with question marks.

  [A member of the church with a Farsight Blessing.]

  [Smells like charcoal when wet.]

  [You are trying to gather information on a ???, more Goddess points are required.]

  A warning appeared on the third entry, ‘She could see us.’

  That was both helpful and problematic. It suggested she had access inside but also provided an opportunity to prolong the encounter. I needed to make it to the end of the day. Hopefully, she would find the unfolding events entertaining enough to wait until then.

  Yes, this seemed like the perfect time for a picnic, ideally after a leisurely shopping spree.

  Ignoring the irate man behind us, I left the ninja to manage him while linking arms with the girl. “How about a nice picnic? Let’s hope a few shops are still open.”

  We leisurely made our way back to the entrance area, taking our time. I paused frequently to admire anything that caught my eye, commenting to the girl that even the finest sights paled in comparison to her charm, all while continuing to throw barbs at the guy.

  Upon reaching the shopping district, I was surprised to find several shops still open, operating as if it was just another day. It seemed that even at the end of the world, there would be people trying to make a profit.

  We strolled through the shops, picking up some containers of sweets and flowers that matched her eye color, noting the popurity of flowers here. I was tempted to give some to his wives, but he already looked like he was on the brink of attacking me again.

  As the day neared its end, I concluded our shopping excursion, and we made our way toward the entrance. There, a group of military personnel stood around a circle, within which a shade loitered ominously. Each soldier was positioned in front of a pilr, while the commander and another girl focused on a ste connected to the pilrs.

  [Containment and analyzing field]

  I had actually forgotten about her. Ideally, I should have taken a moment to expin the situation before we departed, but I was unsure how without jeopardizing my own pns. Fortunately, she hadn't recklessly thrown herself into danger. Instead, she had managed to draw the creature in and was now analyzing it, likely preparing to implement another strategy.

  As if picking up on my sense of relief, the creature smirked in our direction before suddenly materializing above the commander.

  Options fshed before me:

  Let her die.Use Charm Her Pants Off.Summon Yuno.Save her yourself.My initial impulse was to employ Shadow 13 and rush to her rescue, but could I make it in time? No, the shadow would invariably outpace me. I reviewed my cards and Blessings again, searching for a viable combination, but found no straightforward way to combat these things. I only had one more shot at this if I failed here.

  With the new year approaching in just 10 minutes, I doubted the duration of "Charm Her Pants Off" would suffice. The next viable option was to summon Yuno. I had no doubt she'd be ready even before I called—she always was—but what could a tier 1 do against such adversaries?

  Or perhaps I'm looking at this the wrong way; whether it's tier one or tier one hundred, it's all the same to these shadows. And Yuno? She's like a walking Swiss Army knife.

  Deciding, I chose to summon Yuno. In one moment, the commander and the others were present, registering the impending threat; in the next, they had vanished, leaving even the shade bewildered and scanning its surroundings.

  Seizing the moment of distraction, I activated Era’s card and cast her charm on everyone around.

  “I would very much appreciate it if you could leave me, my date, and her useless brother to enjoy our date,” I said, ready to deploy my ‘Award Winning Smile’ if necessary. “Don't worry, she'll be safe with me.”

  [Charm triggered, enhancing the effect of a charm-reted blessing.]

  Every girl in the vicinity blushed, and several apologized before turning to leave. The few men gave understanding nods and also departed. Even the brother looked stunned as his wives deserted him.

  ‘404, protect her if anything happens,’ I silently communicated to 404, knowing Yuno was likely nearby to rey the message.

  The creature eyed us, visibly annoyed but remained outside the barrier. The Reports had indicated it could penetrate the barrier, so I remained vigint.

  Flirt with your date.Use charm on her.Set up a picnic location.Option one was tempting, but I knew from the card's information that charm couldn't force someone to act against their inherent will, and it risked backsh if the brother perceived any manipution toward his sister. So, I chose the third option.

  Grasping the girl's hand and bringing her close, I maintained a composed demeanor. "This spot seems perfect, with an exquisite view. How about you help set it up?"

  “You fatherless!” the brother shouted, still dismissive of the looming threat posed by the shade.

  The shadow lingered just outside, observing. It seemed to relish the spectacle of the man being publicly humiliated. When it began to ugh at him, the man spun around, drew his sword, and began to speak. ” And what-”

  “Go ahead, give it a shot if you want to die,” I interjected before he could finish. Almost instantly, a giant beam of light sliced through the air.

  The shadow didn’t dissipate; instead, it stood there, a cocky smile just visible on its dark visage, still chuckling.

  Checking the time, I realized we still had a moment.

  “How about you take a few steps closer? I hear some guys just aren't big enough to reach where it matters. Of course, I don’t have that problem. I'm told I might just be a little too big,” I taunted, yering my words with innuendo that seemed to carry meanings even I hadn't fully intended, crafted from random insults I'd picked up.

  "You," he said, but this time his focus was entirely on the shade.

  Suddenly, a bck shadowy hand reached through the space beside me, where my date had just been sitting. The man stiffened, unable to move, before he bellowed at the ughing shade and charged out of the barrier.

  The shade scampered away like a little girl, ughing at the furious man in pursuit.

  Brushing myself off, I asked, "Can you bring her back out? I’m going to end this."

  The girl was abruptly expelled from the shadows, looking utterly bewildered, followed by the ninja girl who readied herself to follow me.

  "You stay here," I instructed her. She had managed to evade these entities so far, but even a minor error would mean death.

  "No," she replied softly, her gaze fixed on mine, taking me by surprise. Usually, if she was reluctant to do something, she simply wouldn’t act. This was the first time she had outright refused.

  With no time to argue, I activated Angelica’s card once again. "Yuno, protect her," I instructed, though it was unnecessary to say.

  "Stay in the shadow," I commanded as I unfurled my wings, allowing them to carry me beyond the barrier. My date had a prime view, particurly with her idiot brother effectively clearing a path through the forest.

  I Activated Charm Her Pants Off, I then heard a voice, my voice, yet not quite mine, echo in my mind: ‘You really should be careful what you brag about. This is going to suck.’

  The shadow that the man was pursuing came to an abrupt halt, shrugged its shoulders nonchantly, gave the man a sly smile, and pointed overhead.

  The man seemed to understand the gesture, readying his sword and charging the light, turning it into an even more spectacur dispy.

  "I’m going to have to stop you two right there," I announced, nding squarely in front of the man while smiling at the shade. The shade continued to ignore me, its gaze fixed on the man as a surge of shadows filled the air, merging into one colossal entity—this time, it was clearly putting on a show.

  The man also ignored me, but I intervened just as the shade began its descent, with only seconds remaining in the year. I flipped it off, drawing its attention to me for the first time. "A little lesson for the pdog of the hedonistic dark queen…"

  I rapidly cycled through my cards, exhausting their abilities until only two remained visible on the field: Esmeralda’s card on top, glowing slightly, and Ellie’s card beneath it in the darker area.

  As the new year arrived and the shade began its descent, I concluded, "Not even death can escape the void."

  A small purple flicker appeared at the tip of my finger, and I felt as though my entire being was being sucked into it. More than just something—bits of everything were being drawn into the tiny, pin-like purple void.

  "Now why don't you two have your little pets py with each other and save me the headache," I said, giving the creature a cocky smile.

  The massive shadow that descended was quickly absorbed by the void, disappearing into a hole no rger than a pinhead.

  [+444 Elowen affection points]

  [Elowen has become a fangirl]

  [The void has eaten your Affection.]

  [The void has eaten your Goddess points.]

  [The void has eaten your map levels.]

  [The void has eaten your date points.]

  [Lost affection can be reestablished, but all else is permanently gone.]

  [A small part of your body, mind, and soul were consumed.]

  Looking down, I noticed about half an inch was missing from the finger I used to flick her off. When I retrieved a potion from my inventory, I also realized that about ten potions were missing from my first slot.

  ‘The price of doing the right thing,’ I thought, as I looked at the notifications, my legs wobbling under me, making it challenging to stand straight.

  Elowen leapt down from her vantage point, brushing past her brother who was ready to embrace her. Instead, she ran to my side and wrapped her arms around me to keep me steady. Looking at her, her face was full of concern, and her moist lips quivered slightly as she thanked me.

  Looking at her, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for all the hard work I had put in. I imagined countless ways to utilize her cute little lips. With determination, I pushed her down gently, causing her to fall onto her back. ‘Really I should put her to work all night as repayment for saving her.‘

  Suddenly, my system interrupted with a cheer, "Ah, yeah, a new mother!" tossing popcorn jubintly.

  That abrupt interjection snapped me back to reality, and I hastily retreated to Love Land, plunging into the ke to cool off both physically and mentally. Emerging from the water, I saw the goddess lecturing the system intently.

  "That is no good, System-chan. That is called cock-blocking and is one of the worst things you can do," the goddess scolding, her face marked by disapproval.

  Floating there, I was immensely thankful for the interruption. I had been about to force myself on her, even though she didn’t seem entirely resistant. Yet, I barely knew her; we hadn't even exchanged meaningful words.

  It struck me again—I hadn’t seen her as a person, but as an NPC, bending to my will. What frightened me more was considering the goddess's remark. Was I really getting worse? What would I do when I got back home?

  ‘Brother,’ a familiar voice snapped me out of my daze.

  "Yuno?" I asked, surprised. How did she get in here? I hadn’t summoned her.

  ‘Entered on my own,’ she stated, as if it were a matter of fact, something she had always been capable of. ‘I was.’

  'Wait, if she always could, why didn’t she…' It was a stupid question; she had never entered because I hadn't wanted her to. Even now, she remained unseen. "What did you come for?" I asked, curious about her intentions.

  ‘Message,’ Yuno said, then fell silent, conveying not words but an image of a man identical to me, yet his demeanor was both more rexed and more tense. "Guess I'm telling you this then. Listen, if you don’t do everything you can, our family and daughters will die. Also, fuck seers," he stated bluntly, relying on Yuno to convey the deeper message.

  And she did. A barrage of his emotions hit me—his regrets, his hope, and his resolve. He had chosen to stay away from home, opting to travel and use Seraphina’s information to acquire powerful cards. He became skilled at quickly increasing girls' affection points to five hundred before moving on.

  His family sought him out, but seeing his resolve, they agreed to meet occasionally, with Yuno and Sakura accompanying him wherever he went.

  It wasn’t until he hit a wall in tier three that he returned home to mend the affection points lost this day. After truly getting to know the girls he had left behind, he realized the cost of his cowardice.

  He finally found happiness, surrounded by loved ones—until Yuno appeared one day, showing him a grim future. Despite all the cards he had gathered through his travels, they were ineffective. His starting point had been too te.

  He had many strong individual cards, but none could match the depth Sk?gul had given to him.

  ‘Fuck seers’ The irony of him cursing seers, when his message was delivered by one, wasn't lost on me, but I understood his point. Learning that the queen had been maniputing me without my knowledge was unsettling, and that was just the beginning. I kept encountering seers and unwittingly doing their bidding to the extent that I began to question every decision I made. I even had Yuno constantly show me the future, reluctant to leave my bed until I was certain of my actions.

  One day, a girl who sent shivers down my spine—a seer—incessantly talked about my dick and other oddities while cursing, beat me until I stopped caring. Then continued until I lost consciousness. As I y there, immobilized, semi-coherent, a childhood revetion resurfaced, offering me the answer I had forgotten.

  I once asked my father how we could have free will if God was omnipotent. He didn’t answer immediately, but ter, during a study session, he asked me to pick up a pen. When I returned with it, he expined that while he knew I would pick up the pen, and any observer would have predicted it, the choice was ultimately mine. That is the essence of free will.

  This version of me had become too frightened to make his own choices. Each encounter with a seer, and even more so with a goddess who knew his actions before he did, eroded his sense of autonomy. Each person in his life became another lever for manipution.

  However, when they finally did make their way in, he realized that they, too, possessed free will and acted according to their beliefs. That's when the lesson truly resonated, a lesson I knew before arriving here but had to relearn: it doesn't matter if the so-called goddess is benevolent or malevolent, I just need to make my own decisions based on what I believe is right.

  The same principle applied to the people in my life. Their actions indicated a desire to help, so why not trust them? If I’m wrong, then I'll simply have to overcome the obstacles for their sake. That became his motivation to grow strong enough to protect them.

  I'm sure there were other factors that kept him distant, but the main ones were the fear of losing control and fear of being controlled.

  "And all that hesitation cost me my friends, my family, my children," I mented, feeling a deep sorrow for the version of myself who transmitted those feelings. How long did I have? I had no idea, but it was long enough for me to have children.

  Left floating in the ke, I had much to contempte.

  A girl with dark purple skin, long pointed ears, and light purple eyes stood in a forest, her initially shocked expression slowly transforming into one of intense fury.

  "Mistr—" a man began, but the drow girl's eyes darkened to a pitch bck as they snapped to him, and he colpsed, lifeless.

  The girl stepped over him, repeatedly smming her heeled foot into his head. "That fucking piece of shit, who does he think he is?" she seethed.

  "How dare he!" She continued to mutter as she pulverized the man's head beyond recognition, fragments of his skull scattering. A twisted smile briefly crossed her face, but it quickly morphed back into a scowl. "And how the fuck does he even know what the middle finger means? Is he from Earth? I was told this realm was my pyground; why is someone else here?"

  "The dark queen will be displeased with you for killing her gift," another girl with dark purple skin remarked as she approached, her long white hair flowing behind her.

  The first girl's dark eyes fshed threateningly, but the newcomer showed no fear. "Your threats are meaningless, and you're wasting even more mana. Our Dark Queen needs your Blessings," she stated firmly.

  As the first woman watched her approach unflinchingly, her face contorted with rage, but she soon diverted her attention towards the man who had absorbed her shadows. With a grimace that mirrored a smile, she unleashed a deadly force, sweeping out in his direction. This surge of death stirred every creature in its path, driving them to flee in terror.

  The stampede of monsters soon triggered others to join them, causing a massive wave of creatures to surge through the forest.

  "If you are finished, we should leave. I will also be reporting this incident to our Dark Queen," the white-haired woman said.

  The girl's sinister smile reemerged as she delivered a few more kicks to the lifeless man before reluctantly following her companion.

  …

  "Liev is really going to hate her... Couldn’t you pick someone less sadistic, Death-chan?" I remarked to Death-chan, who was observing the scene with small sparks flickering around her.

  "She understands the joys of bringing death to others, the joys of releasing them into eternal oblivion," Death-chan responded, her voice echoing amidst the endless screams emanating from the sparks.

  "If you say so," I replied, unable to grasp her perspective. All this girl seemed to enjoy was torturing small animals.

  "I too wish for us to experience oblivion. To feel life ebbing away slowly. To revel in the agony of death," she said in a haunting, almost lifeless tone, her smile widening as she gazed at the dead man.

  "Yes, yes, Death-chan, you're a good girl, always eager to share your affection with the world," I said, giving her a pat on the head.

  [Achievement Unlocked: Forbidden fruit - Seduce another's man's sister. [It just feels so wrong.] - gain a 15% bonus when flirting with a sister.]

  [Chain Achievement Unlocked: Abyssal Kiss - Give the Goddess of the void a taste. - All healing halved, Some of all gains lost to the void. The void can always find you, the void is always watching.]

  [All your skills have been reset.]

  [Happy new year! You were gifted - 106,944 Love points - from all your loved ones.]

  [All Love points have been seized by debt collectors.]

  [Liev Ekker - Level 32Goddess points: 36Love points: 0 [Please pay back overdraft first]Debt: 1,141,524 [If you believe there was any fraudulent activity, please contact your local bank.]

  Affection points unallocated: 38,515 [48,372] Stat points unallocated: 0

  Luck: 21Date a lottery 20/15A Date To Remember [1 use(s) remaining]More Than Just A Little Luck [0 use(s) remaining]When All Else Fails, Try Again [2 use(s) remaining]

  Charm: 15Charm Her Pants Off [1 use(s) remaining]Award Winning Smile [1 use(s) remaining]Can You Really Hit A Face This Handsome? [1 use(s) remaining]

  Social: 15Social Butterfly [1 use(s) remaining]Goddess Choice [1 use(s) remaining]My Father Works For That Company [1 use(s) remaining]

  Observe: 15Show Hidden Secrets [1 use(s) remaining]Treasure Hunter [1 use(s) remaining]Connections Run Deep [1 use(s) remaining]

  Adult skills:Contraception [1 use(s) remaining]

  Achievements - 65Achievements_Alice - 1Achievements_Lucy - 0

  Deck 1(43,615 [52,885])Deck 2(0 [587])]