《The parralel of the worlds》 1.00 A completely dark and closed room, trash scattered everywhere, a nauseating smell, moldy walls with bloodstains, pervasive and dangerous humidity. The only light source comes from a computer, and the only sound is the clacking of keys and heavy breathing. Suddenly, the typing stops. The man, who is barely visible, sits curled up on a wooden chair, his head between his knees, rocking back and forth while biting his nails. ??????: I can''t let him die... I can''t... I can''t!!!!! Let him die!!!!!! He bends forward, closer to the screen, extends his arms uniformly, and starts typing rapidly without stopping. ??????: Don''t worry, you''ll be there but not really!!! (types even faster) You won''t die, I promise!!!!!! He strikes the keys even more violently and quickly, and as he gets lost in his frantic typing, a hair floats in the air, slowly descending until it gently touches the floor. It wasn''t a long hair; it was quite short and white... **POV Wan** I was walking through empty corridors. The reason? I was late. The reason for my lateness? I was too preoccupied with the "ethereal arc" I saw this very morning. I recognized it immediately because this "ethereal arc" comes from "I''m top 0%" or "IT0" for short¡ªthe work I''ve been enjoying for the past two years. It''s a romcom harem where the protagonist is an idiot relying solely on his physical abilities and lacking the decency to use his brain... Well, it''s understandable in his case since he is a literal living weapon, with physical capabilities that no one in his world can handle. I often fantasized about his existence and was almost preoccupied with this idea. The main character is a "good person," etc., but he is so annoying that if I were within 15 meters of him, I''d insult him so much that even his saint-like behavior would falter... Anyway, it would be a huge problem. Wan: (muttering to himself) I just dreamed... ¡ãMy brain must really be fried after everything I''ve watched..¡ã I''m really going crazy.... (I''m really going crazy) I forgot to mention that I spent so much time in the United States for my assassination work that I speak English without realizing it. It doesn''t change much in my daily life since I don''t talk much. In fact, I talk so little that most people think I''m mute. They call me a "loner," which doesn''t have a real equivalent in French, so there you go. ???: Hey Wan. Wan: Oh Ama-ne. Ama-ne: ... Still with that dead expression, huh... Wan: Every time you see me... you always say that... and my expression is just monotone... Ama-ne is one of my only two friends. She writes novels with an illustration every ten pages, which is a lot over time, and recently she''s started doing manga. This information is superfluous and useless, but I just felt like mentioning it. Wan: And I really don''t think I have a "dead expression," I''d say more like I have a stoic face, so a monotone expression. To put it simply, it means I never show any facial expressions other than indifference. My facial expression never changes; I don''t smile, I''m never scared, never happy, never sad or anything related to emotions on my face. Of course, I have emotions; I just don''t show them on my face. Ama-ne: By the way, I''ve never asked you, but what''s your percentage? A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Wan: ... Percentages..., here we go. Percentages are a system in IT0; the lower the percentage: the fewer people in that percentage and the more elite you are considered. For example, the top 1% consists of 9 people, the top 2% has 18. Of course, there are also 2.1%, 2.2%, 2.3%, etc.¡ªbut fractional numbers are generally impossible to count. The percentages aren''t necessarily based on physical abilities or IQ. For instance, Einstein wouldn''t surpass the top 46% because he only had his intelligence. Of course, if someone with an IQ of 400 appeared, it would be different as they''d have surpassed human limits in any era. The same applies to almost everything; the more versatile you are, the better, or you can focus on being the best in a single category. The system might seem odd, but with reflection, it''s quite ingenious. Wan: 64%. I lied. To be honest, I don''t even know what my top rank is, but if I calculated correctly, the top 64% includes 576 humans. I know that considering the entire humanity, it''s not a lot, but if we add the 63% ahead of "mine," we end up with 5 billion 40 million people (5,040,000,000). Ama-ne: Oh... Be careful... You know what happens to those below 60%... (worried) In IT0, bullying is even more prevalent, especially for those below 60%, and society can''t do anything about it because that''s just how it is. Conversely, those above 25%¡ª2 billion people¡ªare considered global elites. (¡ã . . . ¡ã = thought) Wan: hmm... ¡ãI don''t know what''s going on, but... it''s bad¡ã we''re late.... (On est en retard) we should hurry. Ama-ne: It''s okay; I''m used to being late. Wan: I see... "If we''re late, might as well be fully late," it''s a good philosophy. I arrived in front of my class. Wan: This is where we part. Ama-ne: See you at the club during lunch break. (walks away, making a small hand movement) Wan: Yes, at the club... I took a deep breath, organized my thoughts, and opened the door. Wan: Sorry for being late. Teacher: Oh Wan... And why were you late? This teacher is my homeroom teacher, and I hate people like him. He prioritizes disruptive students and sidelines the calm ones who don''t cause trouble. The real problem isn''t his friendliness with the troublemakers but his partiality towards others. Wan: .... Every day, I hold back from being rude, hitting, and... killing everyone who bothers me. Teacher: So? Wan: I don''t know... I''m late because I wasn''t on time, it''s just logical. Teacher: Wait, what''s with that condescending tone! Wan: ¡ãI just spoke as usual...¡ã I then opened my mouth to say something and stayed like that for two seconds before closing my mouth and shrugging my shoulders. Wan: p-... ¡ãWhy should I apologize?... I just said what I thought...¡ã You know what... I''ll go to detention (leaves). Teacher: Wait, stay here-..! I had already closed the door behind me and left - leaving the class whispering and the teacher taken aback - not to detention, of course; it was just a lie. I went to the roof and sat on the edge, my legs hanging in the air. Wan: (looking at the ethereal arc) I get the feeling that I''m really in IT0... No, it''s not possible; otherwise, how are Ama-ne, the teacher, and all the other students who were here before today... still here... I haven''t transmigrated, I can confirm that. I took out my phone. Wan: Moreover, it seems that for Ama-ne, percentages and the ethereal arc are not something new, ..... Now I can say it but ..... I''m so cooked... (I''m so screwed) IT0 is a romcom harem, I''m up to date with 653 chapters. The main character is... rather dumb regarding romantic feelings. The proof is that even after 653 chapters and the 6 heroines present, he still considers them just friends and hasn''t even thought of love as a possible feeling... even after they confessed. I opened the app where I read IT0 and... it wasn''t in my recent list. So, I went to my follows, and it wasn''t there either. I typed its name in the search bar and... nothing found. I did the same for the author but couldn''t find him either. Just as I was about to turn it off, it started vibrating, making me jump, and I fell forward into the void... IT0 is cursed... No, being in IT0 is a curse. Well, I caught myself with one hand and held onto the edge of the roof. Luckily, I didn''t drop my phone because it seemed like something had appeared on it when it vibrated. Wan: I''m not in IT0, ... but was this world constructed similarly to IT0?... I was going to climb back onto the roof, since I was hanging in the air, but I heard the door to the roof open. Wan: when I say I''m cooked... (When I say I''m screwed...) I was convinced it wasn''t a ''coincidence'' that someone came to the roof during class time when the roof is off-limits... It was clearly a scene from IT0, the scene where the first heroine was discovered at that moment. A person with a hood and a black jacket would appear right after as she was resting her brain and taking a break since it was her first day at this school. Wan: ¡ãwhy it happens... now¡ã (Why is this happening... now) I couldn''t see her, but I knew exactly what she looked like. She must be a few centimeters shorter than me, with naturally blonde hair and beautiful light green eyes. She has long hair that reaches the bottom of her back when untied, She is really beautiful. Her great beauty is accompanied by fine and elegant features. To put it simply, she is quite good at almost everything¡ªphysical abilities, intelligence, grades, and all other possible fields. Because of that, she was in the top 8%, a top that includes 72 people of which she is a part, making her an elite among elites. In the IT0 reader comments section, she is often criticized for being too kind. Once, when she was pushed off a four-story roof and the protagonist¡ª or rather the human weapon¡ªsaved her at the last moment, she apologized to the stalker who did it, claiming she was partly responsible, and then forgave the stalker even though he was about to kill her. Wan: ¡ãI''ll stay like this for a long time...¡ã 2-3 minutes had passed, and I was still hanging in the air, holding onto the edge of the roof with one hand. Meanwhile, Mia¡ªthe first heroine''s name¡ªwas talking with the hooded person, or rather the stalker. But something was bothering me... The scene wasn''t exactly like in IT0. I don''t know how to describe it, but... this scene clearly came from IT0, that''s for sure, and Mia''s presence confirms it, but there were some differences. First, the heroine''s words. Normally, she would speak naively and act like the greatest saint, but here, it seems like no. Wan: (hears footsteps approaching quickly to the edge) Oh... damn. _________________________ End of the chapter one| 2.00 PREVIOUSLY 2-3 minutes had passed, and I was still hanging in the void, clinging to the edge of the roof with one hand. Meanwhile, Mia - the name of the first heroine - was talking to the hooded person, or rather the stalker. However, something was bothering me... The scene wasn''t like in IT0. I don''t know how to describe it, but ... this scene clearly came from IT0, yet there were some differences. First, the heroine''s words; normally she would have spoken naively and acted like the greatest saint, but here, she didn''t. Wan: (hears footsteps quickly approaching the edge) oh... damn END OF PREVIOUSLY The footsteps approaching were quick, suggesting that something had changed from the original IT0 scene, which went more like this: Original IT0 Scene: Mia: But why are you doing this? Stalker: (advances slowly, irritated voice) It''s... (grits teeth) IT''S YOUR FAULT!! You... left me¡ª... (takes another step toward Mia) you will have to learn from your mistakes... Then the stalker was supposed to be speaking to her within 5 centimeters and then, enraged, raising his hand to push her. Except here, boom, the protagonist appears and pushes the stalker away with a kick he classified as "light" but which broke some of the stalker''s bones. At that moment, I really felt sorry for the stalker. End of the original scene But here''s what actually happened: Mia: Stop following me, you''re creepy! Stalker: "Creepy"... CREEPY! (runs towards Mia) It may seem silly and weird to some, but at that moment, I didn''t really feel like saving her and then... I didn''t need to help her. I mean... Physically, she''s stronger than me, even though it doesn''t look like it when you see her, so... what are the chances she needs help? None. Mia: (defends herself and throws the stalker behind her) I was right, but unfortunately for her, she had just sent a human over the edge of the roof, so it was like an attempted murder... but, well... I was there, that was already something. Wan: (catches the stalker with his free hand and throws him back on the roof this time) ¡ãhow it goes like that?...¡ã I then climbed back up and could see the stalker on his back, lying down and sweating, and Mia with tears in her eyes. After analyzing, I could be sure she didn''t do it on purpose. Wan: (walks up to Mia and slaps her) I slapped her, yes, I don''t know what else to say, I slapped her, period. Mia: !?...? Wan: I don''t know you but... What were you thinking? (still expressionless face) You could have easily¡ª you, who threw him like a twig¡ª pushed him away easily. Mia: (head down) She had nothing to say, simply because I had only told the truth. Wan: (turns to the stalker) And you, scum, didn''t you think you were weaker than her and that she could hurt you? Stalker: (hood off) it''s that crazy girl who¡ª...! Wan: Listen, I don''t care about the why or how, the problem is that I''m involved now and whether you''re a girl or not, you will both take responsibility. That''s equality. It was a girl. In IT0, it was a boy, but at that moment, that wasn''t the problem. Stalker: And what are you going to do if I don''t co¡ª...!.... I stepped in front of her, swept her off her feet, and grabbed her hair, dragging her towards the roof exit. Wan: You will each take responsibility for what you''ve done. Stalker: Ouch (struggles) but I¡ª!... This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Wan: I don''t want to hear anything from you. So, I took them to the principal''s office, explained the situation as best as I could, and the stalker was arrested, while Mia (the heroine) got a simple verbal warning... That must be one of the privileges of being a main character. Mia: (closes the principal''s office door behind her and then turns around) Sorry, and thanks¡ª... Where did he go! ¡ãhe dares to leave after slapping me, ... well he wasn''t wrong but...¡ã I was no longer there. Well, I saved her, now she shouldn''t talk to me or see me again, I''ll just avoid her and that''s it. (sometimes) Wan: sometimes... (sighs) heroine number one done. I said that proudly but, in the end, it wasn''t really the case. Ama-ne: Wan, are you okay?... They told me you left class (sitting on a chair in front of a computer) Wan: yes (sitting on a chair in front of a computer) Shin-hee: Well, my slave, you were rather charismatic earlier (sitting on a chair in front of a computer) He is my second and only friend, his name is Shin-hee, and he has the "chunibyou" syndrome. He says he is the "worthy descendant" of the "dreamlike ethereal tree" and that he has sealed within him the "demonic flame of the depths and death." Shin-hee: my slave... You should stop playing for today... Wan: I preferred when you said "my follower" instead of "my slave." We were in the club room I was a part of, the club: "do not enter." We went there almost every day after school to play and read our favorite works, and when I say works, I mean: "manga, anime, novels, manhwa, manhua, webtoon," and any other literary or non-literary work related to pop culture. To sum up, we were "geeks" and occasionally "Otaku." We were often "bullied," but I didn''t care, no underage kids who haven''t been vaccinated yet are going to make me feel bad about myself, kids who have never experienced real life and who will be disoriented in a few years. Ama-ne: It''s true that you''re not playing very well today... Usually, you''re the best, but now... even Shin-hee is better. Wan: You must be right. Oh, and if a blonde girl comes, tell her exactly this: { (censored) } POV Mia I was in my agency''s car on my way to my photoshoot. It was around 9 PM, more precisely, it was 8:49 PM. Mia: (mumbling to herself) that boy... (sighs) I couldn''t stop thinking about what happened on the roof. Mia: ..... how could he slap me!!! I was within my rights to defend myself! I was complaining, but in truth, I was quite grateful to him. If he hadn''t been there, I would have become a murderer. Mia: next time I see him, I''ll make him pay!!!!! And earlier in his weird club room, how could he...¡ª!!... Flashback Mia: (in front of the club room door) ¡ãwell..., I hope he''s there¡ã (knocks, then opens) Shin-hee: (standing on his chair looking at the ceiling) he''s lucky that I, the dreamlike tree, possessor of the flame of the depths and death, didn''t use my demonic eye of greed!! Ama-ne: well yes, you''re right, thanks to that we would have won... (sighs) Mia: uh sorry to bother you... ¡ãwhere did I land again!?!?!!¡ã Shin-hee: huh? Was there someone else here?... Strange, my demonic eye didn''t spot you... Don''t tell me you ...¡ª BELONG TO THE CORRUPTED TEMPLE!!!!!! Ama-ne: no Shin-hee, she''s not from the corrupted temple, ... forgive him, he''s a bit... in his own world. Anyway, you must be the one Wan told us about? Mia: ¡ãcaught off guard¡ã Wan? ¡ã.... it must be the boy with hair over his eyes¡ã oh yes... that''s me... Shin-hee: (thinking) what does my slave have to do with the new student?...??? Mia: ¡ãhis "slave"...?!? Isn''t this a maso club after all?! With the other crazy guy (Shin-hee) and the one who was hanging off the edge of the roof...¡ã (looks at Ama-ne) ¡ãshe''s the only one who seems normal...¡ã Ama-ne: you''re in luck; he wanted us to deliver a message to you. Mia: a "message"? Ama-ne: yes, and he wanted us to tell you this: "stop looking for me and harassing me or believe me, the next time on the roof, I will be there but not to help you" ¡ãI didn''t quite understand but he wanted us to tell her...¡ã Mia: .....¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ãharassing him!!!!!!!!!!!!¡ã (angry but keeps her smile) thank you anyway and sorry for the disturbance (leaves and slams the door behind her) End of Flashback Mia: ¡ãme harassing him!!! And then what!?!¡ã (irritated) ¡ãnext time I see him, I''ll kill him!¡ã (figure of speech) Driver: are you okay, Mia? You seem... on edge, maybe? Mia: yes... I was just thinking about some events. Driver: well at least, did your first day go well? Mia: ... (seems a bit disturbed) I don''t think you can say that, but... let''s say I solved some problems and made several friends among my classmates. Driver: it''s normal for you to be popular! (cheerfully) That''s true... I had almost forgotten because of Wan, but... I have everything to be popular. I''m beautiful, I''m new, so I attract attention, I have good manners, I do modeling. As long as I only show my "nice" side... well, I will surely be popular very quickly, if not already. I''m good at everything: "physically," "mentally," "intelligently," and in all other areas. I have innate talent, but my only "flaw" is that I have two sides: the one everyone sees and loves, the sweet and cute Mia, and my other side... the "real" side, where I relax and act a bit like I did in my thoughts when I talked about Wan and what happened this morning in class. Mia: ¡ãWhy am I thinking about him again!!!! I hate him!¡ã (this time, it''s the "real" side) POV Wan I was in a huge "room," if you could call it that. Every possible space on the walls and even the corners were filled with books. And even if that was all, the ceiling was about forty meters high from the ground. I had one of those tools where you just sit on the wooden platform and turn a sort of crank to go up and down. I could go as high as I wanted, whether it was to the ceiling, four meters, or thirty-two meters. It was up to me to decide how high I wanted to go. Speaking of books, I had counted how many I owned, and it turned out I had 528,542 books. (Descriptive image at the end) Wan: (a book that looks quite old covers his face) My world has merged with that of IT0. That was the only phrase I could affirm without hesitation after a whole day of reflection. Wan: ...but something is wrong... In IT0, the school where the protagonist is located is a school aimed at training ''Heroes.'' ? that it is glorious* ? I remember those three words because they were the first words I said - sarcastically - after reading the lines mentioning this Hero school. (? que c''est glorieux* ?) Wan: the "Prism" school.... It is not present... or it does not exist? Should I believe in the possibility that since our worlds have ''merged'' and not been exchanged, IT0 has adapted to the ''normal'' world, and the ''normal'' world has adapted to IT0? Wan: But if that were the case... (sighs) Yes, the world of IT0 was not so simple. In fact, the author received many criticisms because the world of IT0 was supposedly "too well written, to the point where readers wanted it to become a ''shonen.''" And although I didn''t completely share this opinion, I agreed that the world of IT0 was closer to the world of a shonen than any other genre of work. The author had included fantasy, adventure, action, suspense, drama, and everything else. But unlike his detractors, I found it really interesting. Wan: So... has IT0 merged only with its characters, or... is it just that I wasn''t paying attention... no, not paying attention is impossible for me... Or maybe the other races are just hiding, waiting to appear... As I was thinking, suddenly, without even realizing it, a translucent window, like in video games, appeared in front of me... It was transparent and had words... in a... color I had never... ever seen. This color was a color that... didn''t exist... I could have described it for hours, it was so beautiful, but that wasn''t the most important thing here. ?This story is intended for this sole reader.? Wan: (no special reaction) ... hmm ¡ãa direct message and not a notification..., it''s the ''system'' present in IT0¡ã In truth, I was shocked, but as I said before, I have total control over my face and thus my facial expressions. To put it simply: I have a perfect poker face, and the same goes for my logic. I have an "unbreakable" composure. Wan: ¡ãAm I supposed to be this "sole reader"?¡ã It was probably talking about me because during the last 70 chapters that came out, I was the only reader... all the other readers had stopped, I don''t know why, and in the end, I was left alone reading the words the author typed through his screen. It was a bit like a face-to-face between me, the last reader, and the author. [You are currently between the two worlds, causing a malfunction in cosmic activity. To resolve this issue, an update will be performed.] Wan: ¡ãhere''s the notification..., the writing... did not appear in the same color as the direct message..., this time it''s just white...¡ã [System calculation in progress...] [The update will be fully completed in 4 days and 2 minutes.] [Once the update is completed, you will find yourself in the parallel of the worlds.] ________________ End of chapter| 3.00 Three days later, 22 hours and 2 minutes before the update is completed Over the past three days, I''ve tried to gather as much information as possible, and I''ve come up with four crucial points: 1. Since I am not from the ''parallel of worlds,'' I will have to use my phone to consult the system after the update. 2. Since I am not from the ''parallel of worlds,'' I won''t have innate gifts like magic, superhuman abilities, or anything of that sort compared to the characters of IT0 and even compared to those from the ''normal'' world who will have them (not everyone, of course; the gift is still quite rare). 3. Once the update is completed and fully finalized, the appearance of gifts, other races, and monsters - which will appear all over the world - will occur, or rather will be introduced as an event that took place around 320 years ago. 4. Finally, with my phone and the system, I will be able to acquire skills or gifts that will help me in this world, which is currently entirely hostile to me in every way. Although I think I can manage for a while with my physical abilities, I must not forget that there are those who can throw huge fireballs with the temperature of the sun, create long blades - sometimes exceeding 5 meters in length - and do all sorts of things with magical power. This means that for me, as a ''giftless,'' I would be easily struck down as if a lightsaber were cutting through butter. Well, that would be if I were a simple ''giftless,'' which is, of course, not the case. I have several aces up my sleeve: first, my 11 years as an assassin, my phone with the implanted system, and finally, all the knowledge I possess about IT0. With these three aces, I am prepared for all eventualities. Of course, I am prepared for all eventualities only for... with a bit of luck... the first 4 or 5 months, and that''s only if I am at Prism and stay there; otherwise, it''s going to be very difficult. Anyway, let''s get to today. It''s been three days since Mia Vermilion has been trying to corner me somewhere to talk to me, and after three days of incessant chasing and hide-and-seek, she finally succeeded. Mia: Finally! (on the roof, leaning against the wall, blocking Wan) Huff Wan: ... This is definitely harassment (monotone voice, expressionless) We were on the roof, and I was leaning against the wall with one of Mia''s arms on each side of me and her body in front of me to prevent me from leaving. She was red, and I understood because I was too. We were very hot because we had been chasing each other for over an hour, right after having PE class. She was even sweating profusely. No, she was drenched, but really, she was very sweaty. Well, I also understood because I was sweating too, though less than her, I still was. Mia: This is not harassment! (Out of breath) I''m tr-... huff I''m just tryyy...- huff Wan: Would you mind relearning how to breathe before trying to talk to me? Because right now, you sound more like a fan. She was about to exclaim but stopped halfway and started catching her breath. Wan: Actually, having a fan would have been rather useful, but the air you sent me was hot, so... you just made me even hotter. What I understood more about Mia over these three days is that she has a facade she doesn''t drop to stay ''popular,'' but like a twist of fate (or rather bad luck), she found someone in front of whom she dropped her facade, and that person is me... Mia has changed compared to who she was in IT0, and though it disturbed me, I moved past it. Mia: (takes a deep breath and then exhales) It''s a bit bette-... (stumbles) huh...wh-what...! (falls forward) She fell forward, and her head ended up over my shoulder while her body pressed against mine, despite her and especially despite me. This situation would lead one to think it''s a bit of a clich¨¦ ''happening'' from a rom-com, but it isn''t the case. Yes, I had calculated everything. I made sure a boy from the class provoked her to a duel during PE to tire her out, then we had a chase for at least an hour. Even though she managed to follow me, she had to be tired, so I let myself get cornered against the wall of the roof. Then, I told her to catch her breath first, which made the adrenaline helping her legs stay standing after all this exhausting physical activity disappear. Without this adrenaline, she wouldn''t have enough strength in her legs to stand. Wan: You know, falling into a guy''s arms like that isn''t very healthy. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It was a joke. My vocal tone was monotone, of course, but it was definitely a joke. At that moment, I just wanted to leave, but I had to end her interest in me before the update was completed. Mia: Th-... that''s not it!!!! (a bit red) Wan: I figured, it was a joke. Mia: Arrh, you!... (stops then sighs in fatigue, resigns) Wan: No, really, it''s not safe. You can rejoice that it''s me and that I have no sexual or physical attraction to you. But if it had been someone else, believe me, they would have already tried something. She said nothing. She just listened and now had shivers and cold sweats. Wan: Know this and understand it, I don''t want to be ''mean'' or ''harsh.'' I''m just realistic. Given how your body is wet and sticky, you could have been... Mia: ....... I spoke from experience. I''ve often received assassination requests asking me to kill a man or woman who had sexually abused them or a close relative. Wan: I think you get it... Moreover, you must have noticed, but I managed to drain all your energy very easily. Again, it worked because it was me, but you can''t know if someone like me won''t show up with intentions that disregard your opinion or desires or just want to use your body to make money, whether you are alive or not. A silence that lasted 10 seconds but seemed like 10 minutes imposed itself. Mia: Y-You are right... Wan: No one will come to save you. We are not in a Disney movie. There won''t be a charming prince or a bandit with a soft heart coming to save you. In fact, there would have been the protagonist, but... I accidentally ''took his place,'' so she will have to defend herself, because I don''t plan to save her every time. Mia: Yes... ¡ãWe''re not in a Disney, I know... Anyway, my life isn''t one...¡ã We then stayed like that for about ten minutes in silence while she was clinging to me. Mia: T-Thank-... I cut her off. Wan: You''re really sticky, and... I won''t say anything about the sweat because we are in the same boat, but for you, we''re starting to see through your clothes. Mia: (looks at herself completely red) W-What!!! (tries to back away but stumbles and falls backward) Wan: (catches her princess-style) ... (looks at Mia''s shirt) Indeed, we can see through it. We were wearing our autumn uniforms, not the summer ones, so it was easy to see through ours due to our sweat. Wan: ... (monotone voice) Well, I did an involuntary analysis of your body, but I''ll avoid stating it to not get hit-... I quickly dodged a punch aimed at the right side of my temple. Mia: P-P-Perv!!! (completely red with shame) Wan: Sorry for preventing your fall, sorry for warning you that your clothes were see-through so you could fix it instead of just staring, sorry for saying I saw your body involuntarily instead of saying nothing and developing perverse ideas... oh, and I should also apologize for warning you about the dangers that come with your behavior? Mia: (embarrassed but doesn''t know what to say) .... (looks away) Wan: Right now, the person who looks most like a pervert here is you. Mia: (still very embarrassed and red) I-I-I am not a pervert! (throws another punch that Wan dodges again) Wan: (dodges less gracefully) Could you stop? Every dodge makes me even hotter, and if this continues, even my composure won''t allow me to keep my thoughts in check. Mia: (looks at Wan in astonishment) Y-Your... Wan: What now? Mia: Your eyes... I see them. Wan: ! (reacts very quickly and covers Mia''s eyes with his hand) Did you see them? (voice surprised and worried) When it comes to my eyes, I can no longer keep my composure or make my facial expressions stay monotone, and it''s the same for my voice. Mia: Y-Yes... . . . . . . My eyes... are like a curse I''ve carried since birth. They are special... even in IT0, they would be considered inhuman or of a special level, even cosmically. Mia: (takes Wan''s hand and removes it from her eyes to look at Wan) And they are problematic, especially in this exact situation. Mia: (puts her hands behind Wan''s neck, pulls him close, and kisses him) Wan: .... ¡ã...that''s problematic¡ã Mia: (kisses even more passionately) My eyes allow me to do two things: amplify the strongest emotion the person in front of me feels with a single visual contact, even if it''s against my will. So yes, it''s a real curse; and the second thing is that if I want, I can transmit an emotion of my choice and intensity to the person in front of me. You might say, "but that''s super overpowered." Yes, it is, but I said it''s a curse. Those on whom I use my eyes develop a dependency on me and go crazy to the point where they want to kill me to have me all to themselves. Of course, the dependency doesn''t develop immediately for everyone. For people like Mia, it should be the fourth or fifth time. Mia: (hooks her legs behind Wan''s back and presses against him) She''s acting like this because I told her that her clothes were becoming transparent, meaning I saw her body, or more precisely, her almost-naked body except for her underwear. There''s no denying it; the author gave her a body that would tempt any man. Now, I understand a little better why he described her as: ?Her body is more beautiful than gold and more precious than antimatter. Even covered by a 10-centimeter-thick mountaineering suit, it would still be tempting; and if temptation were a thing, it would be her body, and we would worship her if she showed herself in a swimsuit, despite herself. Whether it''s her skin, her pigment, her proportions, or anything else, everything is perfect.? Wan: ¡ãI wondered why he emphasized her body so much, but... it would be lying to say I don''t understand¡ã If it had been anyone else in my place, they would have probably tried to go further without hesitation, except for the protagonist or the human weapon, as I like to call him. Wan: ¡ãIn IT0, the author says Mia has a weakness, located 10 centimeters below her buttocks¡ã (removes his mouth from Mia''s) ¡ãshe seems hypnotized¡ã (moistens his finger in his own mouth and places his finger a bit below Mia''s buttocks) In truth, IT0 has nothing ''innocent'' about it; it''s just that the protagonist is innocent. No, in fact, he has surpassed innocence; he is a sage monk on his own, no, better, he is an entity of pure energy (the second highest rank on the virginity scale, knowing that to reach the first, one must be at least 300 years old). Anyway, that''s what makes IT0 ''innocent.'' For example, without the protagonist, Mia would probably have been raped or at least molested. It''s unfortunate to say this, but I say it because as an assassin, I''ve seen all the worst humanity has to offer. Humans are evil, and when I say humans, I mean all people who are human and make up humanity. Wan: (spreads his saliva in a circle on Mia''s thigh just below her buttocks) I know it sounds like a pervert, but that''s not the case!!! This is one of the reasons why I say IT0 is not an ''innocent'' work. Let me explain: in IT0, Mia''s swimming coach from when she was a child became obsessed with her when she moved from England to Korea. After analyzing each swimming session where he saw Mia, he determined her weak point and planned to use it against her. But that was without counting the death of the swimming coach because he sought magical vines to tie Mia to a chair with, so she wouldn''t be destroyed. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Mia, he died because he entered the elven dream forest and stepped on one of the branches the elf king needed to survive his disease, thus rendering it useless and the king unsavable. All this to say, I am definitely not a pervert! Wan: (presses the center of where he placed his saliva) ¡ãnormally, she should faint in: 3... 2... 1...¡ã Mia: (faints) Wan: (catches her) And there you go, job done. _____________ End of chapter| 4.00 20 minutes after putting Mia to sleep Wan: (leaning against the wall, looking at Mia) she''s going to catch a cold and... a blanket should help her clothes not be translucent anymore, but... I can''t just leave her here like this... I took my phone out of my pocket and typed a few words on my screen Wan: (looks slightly above him) ... please system I had asked the system to give me a blanket, and it was perfectly capable of doing so, now it just had to agree to give it. Wan: come on, it''s for her own good... the first heroine Mia Vermilion And suddenly a blanket appeared out of nowhere and gently settled on Mia. Wan: thank you, even though it''s a bit unfair that if it had been for me you wouldn''t have given it to me... My phone was still usable despite the update, it''s just that an app that can''t be deleted had appeared under the name "System for this sole reader". Otherwise, it didn''t talk to me anymore compared to when it announced the update to me. Wan: put me the first... No ... ¡ãI''ll only have one scene, I can feel it¡ã put me the moment when Eun-Seo is emotionally saved by the protagonist Eun-Seo is the name of the second heroine, and I wanted to reread the scene where she is emotionally saved again. Wan: (looks attentively at his phone) After 3 to 4 seconds of loading, text appeared on my phone: "Even though she said every day that she wanted to die, she realized one thing after nearly dying. In the end, it was human nature to want to live. And she said to herself and for her own good: Don''t be so pathetic. Move forward. Be stronger. Then she hurriedly got up and went to appreciate what she could of life with all her friends." Wan: ¡ãI expected more lines but... well it''s already something¡ã Eun-Seo is one of the best-written characters in all of IT0 in my opinion, and this phase of ''depression'' really helped her, but the problem is that the protagonist (or the human weapon) was too nice and all that because he is the protagonist and then he will be there to help her, but here, the protagonist is not, so I will have to do as I did with Mia and remind her of the harshness of life. Wan: Eun-Seo ... I wonder if her character will also differ from what she was... in any case, it will be interesting... 3 hours later POV Mia Wan: (leaning against the wall sleeping) Mia: hmm... huuh... I... (lying down) I had trouble waking up as usual, but this time the sleep seemed really deep, much deeper as if someone had pressed the ''off'' button on a console. Mia: (sits up with some difficulty) ... hmmm (looks at Wan sleeping) wait... I had too many questions and information in my head first why was I sleeping on the roof? And with a blanket no less... quite cozy actually; what happened?; why was he there sleeping next to me? And above all, I hope he didn''t do anything to me...!? 2 minutes later If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Mia: ¡ãwell I checked a bit all over my body and it seems I have nothing except...¡ã (gently touches her mouth) I remembered what we... no, what I did. Mia: (very blushing, embarrassed, hands on her face) why did I do that?! I... started kissing him by clinging to him..., and in the end, I couldn''t thank him, it happened right after I saw his eyes by the way... he really has beautiful eyes, even though they are white and it seems strange at first seconds... you quickly realize that they are... ... ... I can''t find the right word... I would say ''perfect'', his eyes are perfect, even though they are white you can easily distinguish the iris from the rest. Mia: ... (looks at the sky) ... ¡ãwhat time is it?¡ã The sky was rather dark and it was filled with stars. Mia: ¡ãlooks like it''s.... night..¡ã damn! (hysterically searches for her phone and takes it out then checks her calls) 8:23 PM! I had a lot of missed calls, a good dozen. Wan: hmm... (rubs his eyes) ... huh... 8:23 PM? Mia: (looks at him and blushes remembering before her sleep) Wan: 8:23 PM?... (suddenly stands up) twenty-three... (stumbles) Mia: (looks at him) Wan: (holds his head) haa.... you sucked out my soul when you kissed me. Mia: (blushes even more) grgq jehkkj¡ª that''s!!! Wan: it''s okay let''s not talk about it anymore, I just need you to let me sleep at your place... Mia: huh wh-what...!!! Wan: (articulates) I- just - need - you - to - let - me - sleep - at - your - place Mia: I-I got it! Wan: ha you don''t want to... Mia: o-of course not! who would let a stranger sleep at their place Wan: (sighs in exasperation) I didn''t want to play it like this but you leave me no choice... ... let me sleep at your place or I''ll file a complaint for sexual assault... You kissed me without my consent... And yes it''s blackmail. Mia: ha...!¡ª... but...! Wan: even handcuffed... I have to sleep at your place... I can''t go home after 8:30 PM and I won''t have time to get there before... We stared at each other without saying anything, she must have been taken aback by my request which is legitimate, but really I had to sleep at her place at best, I can''t go home past 8:30 PM and I can''t stay on the street at night due to certain problems and dangers I face. Wan: I''m serious, and know that it doesn''t please me... Even if it''s on the floor, under the porch, on the balcony, in the garden or whatever, even if I''m gagged, chained, and blinded, I have to sleep somewhere connected to a habitat. Well, I''ll skip the negotiations but I finally managed to get her to say yes. Wan: (walking next to Mia) ¡ãEun-Seo... I remember a lot of those monologues and dialogues¡ã I had asked the system for the scene of her emotional rescue by the protagonist because it was a scene I had dropped because it annoyed me... In fact, everything related to the protagonist annoys me..., I really have a deep hatred for him. Wan: oh and I''ll try to forget when you kissed me al¨C... She punched me again which I dodged by moving one or two centimeters. Mia: (blushing, irritated) stop talking about that! Wan: that''s why I said "I''ll try to forget"... But besides when you kissed me (dodges another punch) are you sure you don''t have anything weird with my eyes? Mia: I already told you I don''t feel anything weird with your eyes! Wan: hmm ... well you don''t want to brief me¡ª... (stops in front of a building) Mia: we''re here... Wan: hmm ... well ___ I follow you She didn''t talk much more, it must have been because I had probably exhausted her mentally and morally, I was almost sorry but after all... I''m the one who suffered, right...? Mia: (opens the door) I warn you but I live with my 2 little sisters and a little brother, the oldest is staying at her friend''s, and the 2 little ones are twins. Wan: ¡ãI know, it''s said in IT0¡ã it sounds like the summaries before anime episodes, or the episode 0s of new seasons Mia: (sighs, irritated) ¡ãhow did I end up giving in...!!!¡ã just ... don''t allude to what happened Wan: ... you mean when against my will you kissed m¨C...! Mia: (hysterically puts her hand on Wan''s mouth and blushes a little embarrassed) yes that, so stop it! Wan: hmmgehqldbfu (can''t talk due to the hand on his mouth) Mia: I won''t remove my hand until you promise! Wan: ¡ãis she stu¨C... is she doing this on purpose or what?¡ã hqkdmshrolehkjspamhaauzodlbfczgorlfhlsvzlp (says: with your hand on my mouth? wow high IQ I see.... (sarcastic)) Mia: promise it! Wan: ¡ãshe''s starting to irritate me with her running gag¡ã rbkzvr qz fr lz bjche! (remove it from my mouth!) Mia: promise it! Wan: ¡ãyou want to play this... we''ll play okay...¡ã (licks Mia''s hand) Mia: (instinctively removes it, then covers her licked hand with her other hand) wh-what are you doing! Wan: you should have removed your hand from my mouth! Mia: (red with embarrassment) t-that''s not a reason! Wan: and you shouldn''t obstruct my voice! I talk if I want! Well, many words and complaints were exchanged but we finally arrived at the dinner I had prepared. Wan: before eating there are rules. Mia: ¡ãhe wants to impose rules on us at our place... he''s got some nerve...¡ã The two children who are Mia''s brother and sister - and fun fact they are about 5 years old - looked at me with admiration, probably because they saw my eyes, oh and I forgot to mention but my eyes do not work the same way on children who are not in high school, they do not experience the effect of looking into my eyes and seeing their strongest emotion become so intense that they become dependent and then addicted. Wan: no moaning! No shouting! And above all, savor it! Mia: do you think so highly of your cooking skills...? or are you just bragging? Wan: I''ll let your palates and taste buds be the judge. Mia, who hadn''t believed me, devoured her dish in less than 3 minutes and asked for more, and it was the same for the children except that they took longer to finish due to their smaller mouths, and were full after 2 plates and then went to sleep. Mia: (looks at Wan) ... and you''re not eating? Wan: no ... because of a certain someone I have a distorted taste in my mouth (referring to when Mia kissed him). Mia: (irritated and a bit red) you...!... (punches Wan). Wan: (dodges) no, seriously, it''s just that I can''t eat after 8:50 PM and it''s 9:26 PM (drinks water) I can only drink. Mia: (cautiously) ... an illness? Wan: no. Mia: a choice? Wan: no. Mia: a restriction imposed by your ... job perhaps? Wan: not that either. Mia: a prohibition then? Wan: are we playing a guessing game here? Mia: you didn''t answer me. Wan: ..... it''s a tacit prohibition, so it hasn''t been enacted or said m¨C-.... Mia: I know what ''tacit'' means. Wan: oh yeah well there you go, you got your answer. Mia: you seem to lead a strict life... Wan: ¡ã"strict"?¡ã ..... By these words, she probably meant that my prohibition of returning after 8:30 PM and my prohibition of eating after 8:50 PM made my life strict... But I didn''t really understand it, not at that moment anyway. Mia: (questioning voice) you must also sleep¡ª.... She stopped herself mid-sentence, probably thinking it might be indiscreet. Mia: (holds out a forkful of food to Wan with a smile that is both a little sad and happy at the same time) say ahhh. Wan: I already told you¨C.... Mia: (interrupts him, and takes on a pleasant expression accompanied by a slight smile) you''re not at home here so that means you can eat, no actually it''s an order, eat. Wan: I guess you''re right ... (eats). After finishing what I had in my mouth. Wan: by the way, thanks for feeding me¨C.... (dodges a punch from Mia). Mia: (blushing, irritated) stop with your jokes! Wan: yes yes don''t worry, I''ll savor what you gave me... directly to my mouth (dodges another punch) by the way it tasted the same as when you kissed me (dodges another punch). Mia: (very very blushing) stop it!!! ________________ End of chapter| 5.00 [End of the update in 6 hours] The system started talking to me again when there were only 12 hours left for the update and reminded me again when there were only 6 hours left. Wan: ¡ãonly 6 hours left for this famous update...¡ã The update was ''almost'' finished. Wan: (looks at the time on his phone) ¡ãand it''s... 6 o''clock sharp, which coincides with midnight, so... but in the meantime I''m...¡ã (sighs) Mia: Just say it directly if I''m boring you! Wan: Well... I came because you told me you were going to buy me ice cream, but... (looks at all the bags he''s carrying) Mia: I-I didn''t lie, I''m going to buy you ice cream! It''s just that... I''m taking advantage of having someone who can be the... carrier. Wan: ...you''re not even hiding behind excuses anymore... (sighs) But if it''s for ice cream, I can carry a little longer. On this beautiful late autumn weekend day, Mia sent me a message asking me to go out. I responded with a firm no because, first, I didn''t feel like it, and second, I never go out on weekends. But she then said that if I went out with her today, she would buy me an ice cream, so I went out. After 2 or 3 hours of her continuing to collect her purchases and me carrying them, she finally went to buy my ice cream. Wan: (looks very closely at his ice cream and doesn''t move) Mia: Aren''t you going to eat it? Wan: I''m scared. Mia: ...of an ice cream?... Wan: Of what might happen to the ice cream. Mia: ...apart from eating it, I don''t see what else could happen. Wan: When I was little, I had my first and only ice cream in my life, but I ended up dropping it before I could even lick it... Mia: ... She stopped talking, and I could have looked at her face to see what was happening, but I couldn''t risk my ice cream falling, so I preferred to say nothing and just look at my ice cream. Mia: ...Pfft- She burst into laughter, a laughter she tried to hold back but couldn''t. Mia: ...Pfft- And there she goes again, determined to mock me. Mia: (bursts out laughing) hahahaha, sorry I can''t help it hahaha! (continues laughing) Wan: ...I''m really upset. Mia: Yeah, yeah (still laughing a little) Wan: ¡ãShe probably thinks it''s like with the kiss she stole from me, and since I didn''t care, she thinks it''s the same.¡ã I was really upset. I don''t know if it''s because of my monotone voice and expression, but I was really upset. Wan: (slowly sticks out his tongue and approaches it gently but surely to his ice cream) And just as my tongue was about to finally touch the surface of the ice cream, a man threw a rather large and imposing stone at my chest. Although it didn''t cause me any physical damage, it just really annoyed me because it made my ice cream fall. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Wan: ¡ãIf my cerebral cortex wasn''t...¡ã Mia: (tries to hold back her laughter but ends up laughing) hahahahahhaha Wan: ... (stands up) I must have been radiating a murderous aura. I can''t control my murderous intentions when I''m angry. Wan: (picks up the rather large stone from the ground) ...I know you''re Mia''s real stalker, and I don''t care... but now... Mia: Huh? My real stalker? ... What are you saying? Real Stalker?: (stressed) Ha-... um, I-I- it''s... wh-!!! I placed my left foot forward and anchored it to the ground, then I squeezed the stone in my hand so hard that bits of it fell, and it took the shape of my hand. Wan: ...you followed us when I went to her house yesterday, when we went out today, and you were there when she slept on the roof... even during the chase, you watched from afar... and despite all this voyeurism, I said nothing... after all, you didn''t do anything serious except maybe the time you sent the fake stalker (Chapter 2 - 3)... I said nothing, I did nothing, I didn''t even report you to the police, but now... Mia: (shocked) ¡ãHe was there all this time!?!¡ã Wan: But... making me drop the first ice cream I could eat in over 14 years... I took a stance, putting all my strength into my legs, lower back, and right arm, then threw it very hard right at his face. He tried to put his hands in front of his face, but the stone shattered on impact, breaking the bones in his arms, probably due to the implosion caused by the stone combined with my strength. The small fragments of the broken stone that hit the stalker''s face knocked him out due to numerous hematomas and the fragments hitting his eyes, which caused a shockwave that shook part of his cerebral cortex. How could I describe it all so precisely? Thanks to the system, which explained in detail what had happened. [You have earned 6 tokens for resolving the case from the original version of IT0] From what I understand from the "System of this Single Reader" app, the ''tokens'' are a system that should allow me, after the update, to acquire abilities or gifts to put me on the same level as those monsters who will have magical powers, mental abilities, and supernatural stuff. In short, I won''t be thrown into the ocean without a lifebuoy. After a few minutes, I called the police, and they took the stalker away. Mia and I went to sit farther away in a nearby park. After I explained the situation to her and the fact that the roof stalker was just a kid sent by the real stalker, whom I had just knocked out and who had been arrested by the police, we sat in silence for more than 2 hours, which was a lot. During this time, I took out a book and started reading it. I noticed Mia was throwing some innocently curious glances at me and my book. I thought she would take it badly, but surprisingly, she didn''t seem to mind. Mia: What are you reading? After 2 hours and 20 minutes, she finally started talking. Wan: I''m reading a table (sighs)... isn''t it obvious? I''m reading a book. Mia: I meant the title and genre! And also the synopsis. Wan: This book is called "Sitting on Our Chairs," and it''s about a man who has everything and meets a woman who seems detestable at first but eventually shows kindness. The woman then tells him about a very dangerous place that can grant a wish. So, he accompanies her, but we quickly realize something is wrong; regarding the genre, I wouldn''t say it has a specific genre, but it''s closer to drama than anything else; it really makes us think about evolution and the trust we give and receive. Mia: Haa... Wan: A problem? Mia: No... it''s just that I didn''t see you as someone who would read such deep books. Wan: And how do you see me? Mia: As a geek, NEET, and Otaku. Oh, and also a loner. Wan: ... I don''t take it bad, but... that''s a little wicked. Mia: I know, I know, I shouldn''t judge a book by its cover. Wan: (closes the book and turns to Mia) Well, do you have one last thing to say before I go home? Mia: ... (a little embarrassed) Do you... do you think we can be friends? Wan: ... (stands up and takes an indifferent look) I guess? Mia: Okay, so now we''re friends! (extends her hand for a high five) [The character ''Mia Vermilion'' greatly appreciates you] Wan: (gently high fives) Woohoo (not very encouraging, then leaves) After taking 2-3 steps, I turned around and headed back to Mia. Wan: It''s past 8:20 PM, and I live too far away, so let me sleep at your place again tonight. Mia: It''s partly my fault, so... okay... but this is the last time! Wan: Yes, yes. At 11:47 PM While everyone was sleeping, I was by the window in a T-shirt, examining the scene where Eun-Seo was doing her self-critique regarding her nature and that of the protagonist: "The wind and the water make monuments of dust Terrible and beautiful Were you formed like this too? Your degradation plunges me into the deepest phases And the way your gaze softens in the face of challenge Not to mention how it strengthens resilience Your erosion consists of golden cracks Nothing like a or a scruple Why do you make the earth feel emptier under my feet And the world evolves too fast for me to follow But I want to feel the heat on my heels Like the roots of trees destroy the hardest ravines And the waves shape the lowest caves So would you let me burn you using the technique of a forest fire I just tremble with fear I think you are an unreachable mount Because I haven''t tried to climb the wall between our outer shells You are a threat and a danger So I would rather absorb your nature than give you a single thin chance to take mine under the pretext of "purifying" it, even though I know my nature is rotten and putrid - Eun-Seo -" Well, it was more of a poem reflecting her self-critique, but it''s the same thing. And when I said that Eun-Seo was a very well-written character, I wasn''t exaggerating. I really appreciated her character because she reminded me of myself and a phase I went through during my 11 years of assassinations; Eun-Seo''s development was excellent. I sincerely appreciated and thanked the author internally for such a deep, interesting, and... perfect character writing. But that''s what I thought before the "conclusion" of her development. When the chapter of the "conclusion" of her development came out, I felt betrayed by the author because the protagonist came and ended her entire inner struggle with just a few words and an extended hand. Objectively, it was a good symbol, even if it''s a bit clich¨¦. The problem is that Eun-Seo herself said: "I would rather absorb your nature than give you a single thin chance to take mine under the pretext of ''purifying'' it." She didn''t want her nature to be taken away because it would mean losing her soul, her conscience, her critical mind, and her free will. But it was only after that I understood it wasn''t really the author''s fault. In fact, it was the protagonist he created who forced him to write this, otherwise his protagonist wouldn''t be worth the character he gave him. And this is what made the protagonist invincible for an entire arc¡ªmore invincible than he already was. Whether it was his social relationships, his fights, his emotions, or even his enemies, everything was already acquired before he even started. I called this arc "The Great Takeover of the Human Weapon," but as the arc progressed, the author took back control of his book from his own protagonist and resumed writing in the way that made me appreciate his work so much. But... his work wasn''t perfect... there was one thing missing that, although he tried to include, disappeared because the protagonist prevented it due to his naive and "innocent" nature... but it''s okay, I will be what was missing... after all, I am "this single reader"... I will bring what was missing to this work that the protagonist prevented. Wan: (holding a completely blank book) I will accomplish what you couldn''t, author-nim* [The update is 100% complete] [The update is finished and completed] [The parallel of the worlds will be put in place] [/In progress/] [The transposition of the parallel of the worlds is complete] [May luck be with you ????????????**] ________________ End of chapter| *An honorific title that Koreans use after a name or title **Basically, what the system wanted to say was censored, either by the system itself or maybe by something or someone else. 6.00 PREVIOUSLY Wan: (in the library room from last time, holding a completely blank book) I''m going to accomplish what you couldn''t, author-nim*. [Update is 100% complete] [Update is finished and complete] [The parallel of worlds is about to take place] [/In progress/] [Transposition of the parallel of worlds is complete] [May the luck be with you ?????????????] CURRENTLY Wan: So this is Prism... I was standing in front of Prism, the best school in the world for training heroes, and... how to explain it... it was really beautiful and big. Actually, in IT0 the author gave a much longer and detailed description, but I couldn''t perfectly reflect it. The world of IT0 blended mythology, fantasy, romance (it''s primarily a rom-com), friendship, drama, conspiracy, supernatural, and a tiny bit of politics. The reason why Prism is the best school in the world and why it is located in Korea is because two things were found here: the remains of a dragon dating back to the beginning of the appearance and the first Hero in the world, who is also the one who defeated the dragon. I''ll add just in case, dragons are one of the strongest species in IT0. But since the first Hero became a dragon slayer, there are only a few left, and they now live peacefully and hidden. But... that''s not all. Here at Prism, there is one thing, or rather a living being, that makes Prism continue to receive funding from all the countries in the world. Oh, and let''s talk about the countries around the world. Since the appearance, some countries have fallen due to new species that have intelligence equal to or sometimes superior to humans, and skills generally above those of humans. This has divided the Earth into three parts: 30% exclusively for demons and any other species supposedly representing "evil," 10% exclusively for humans, 10% exclusively for elves, dwarves, and any other fantasy species, and finally 49% where humans, elves, dwarves, and all other fantasy species can live together. Initially, humans planned to take this remaining 49%, but the first Hero stopped them and decided that since fantasy species were for peace, there was no reason to fight. And finally, the 1% represents Prism. Prism is a place where anyone who wants to become a hero can enter as long as they have the skills, whether they are humans, elves, dwarves, vampires, demons, kitsune, oni, lycanthrope, and any other species. (Sorry, I just wanted to show off all the names I know. Of course, I know many more; I just didn''t want to add unnecessary text. Anyway, I''ll shut up and let you read.) Wan: (in the classroom) ... ¡ãit looks like a university classroom except it''s much smaller and just a bit bigger for the students, as described in IT0¡ã (descriptive image at the end). As I looked around to find the important characters, I finally realized that yes, I was really in Prism school, which is described, mentioned, and so important in IT0. And after realizing this, one thing, no, rather an unconscious and uncontrollable thought passed through my mind: "What if... instead of being a solitary observer, I could be a main character?" But I quickly shook my head and erased that idea from my mind. Wan: ¡ãI''m not here to make friends...¡ã (looks at the others who are talking and having fun) They all seemed really happy, and normally the protagonist should have been among them. Wan: ¡ãI can''t afford to stray from the main story¡ã My only viable advantage here is that I know everything there is to know about IT0. I know what will happen next but also what happened before, and I really can''t afford to lose this advantage just because I supposedly want to live a social life. Wan: (goes up and sits on the edge of the last row) ¡ãas for the big changes compared to IT0 that I''ve read... it''s settled¡ã (looks at his phone and goes to the note app whose icon has turned from yellow to black). As soon as the update was completed, my phone became ''my tool to use the system'' because yes, I can''t use the system like the others in this world, or rather this parallel of worlds. And this made all the apps turn into ''parts'' of my system, so the ''Note'' app became an app where the system can write. Wan: ¡ãI''ll check again the major changes that IT0 has undergone...¨C¡ã Shin-hee: (sits next to Wan) so, my slave, did you get a gift at the last second? Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He never said it meanly when he called me "my slave." Wan: ... you could say that. Shin-hee: a day before admission... well, you''re lucky enough to be worthy of the role of my slave, me, the possessor of the demonic flame of the depths and death and also descendant of the ethereal dream tree (laughs proudly). Wan: ¡ãhis chunibyou hasn''t gone away even in another world....¡ã hmm. I wondered for a moment if his chunibyou syndrome would have an impact on the gift he received. Ama-ne: Wan! Shin-hee! (waves from afar, quickly heading towards them then stops beside them) haa we¨C..we''re in the same class! (smiles sincerely) Shin-hee: oh, there you are, follower number one, hahaha, consider yourself lucky that we are in the same class. Wan: ¡ã... I don''t need to make friends... I already have some and pretty good ones¡ã I''m happy to see you. Ama-ne: (a bit shy) r-really? Wan: of course, after all, we are friends. Shin-hee: (pulls Wan''s cheeks) my slave, we are not in a dream. Wan: che chais. (I know) Shin-hee: (stops pulling his cheeks) huh? So why are you acting so warmly? Wan: ...? "Warmly" you say? Ama-ne: usually you would never have said that to us... Shin-hee: yes, that''s it. I thought you were imagining yourself in a dream... Wan: huh... ¡ãdo I usually act that coldly?¡ã anyway, let''s move on, the instructor is coming. As the instructor was entering the room and about to start explaining everything to us, everyone moved towards the available seats in a rush. Wan: (looks to his left, then quickly turns his head forward without saying anything else) Mia: (pulls Wan''s cheek) don''t ignore me...! She was irritated but kept her facade smile, which seemed sincere but was actually just a facade. Wan: ¡ãso she remembers me and the last 5 days¡ã yes, che m''excuche ch''est bon alors lache ma choue (yes, I apologize, it''s okay, so let go of my cheek). Mia: (lets go of his cheek) move and make some space for me. Wan: (rubbing his slightly red cheek) there''s space on the other side of the row. Mia: the instructor is about to start, so make a little space for me, will you? Wan: reason enough, go sit farther and leave me alone. Shin-hee: (whispers to Ama-ne) when did my slave start talking so freely with her? Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) I don''t know... it must be since he asked us to deliver a message to her if she came looking for him. I heard their whispers and also saw Shin-hee nodding in agreement with Ama-ne''s response. Mia: let me sit here. From her words and the way she said them, she probably meant "let me sit here, or else who knows what will happen during practical training." She was clearly not the Mia I had read about. Wan: ¡ãI wonder if this is what friends generally do... I haven''t really done this with Shin-hee or Ama-ne. Shin-hee wouldn''t care much, and Ama-ne would be too kind to ask for what''s already someone''s¡ã. As I thought about what to do, I quickly realized one thing: as arrogant as they are, they would think no student would dare miss the classes, so they wouldn''t do a roll call. After realizing this fact, I understood that I couldn''t skip today''s classes because they were way too important, especially for me. So I chose a middle ground, which was to sit under the row to be hidden and thus be able to consult the modifications that IT0 had undergone on my phone and review them quietly. That''s what I did. Mia: (whispers) you''re really nuts... doing this on the first day, do you even realize?... Wan: (whispers, still focused on his phone) I have more important things to do. Mia: (whispers) more important than information about our next three years... (sighs) you know what, forget it, I just hope you don''t get caught. Shin-hee: (whispers) you''re rather audacious, my slave. Ama-ne: (whispers) b-be ca¨Creful... Ama-ne was stressing out. Ama-ne has always suffered from a certain mental pressure regarding everything related to school and education in general. Basically, she is my perfect opposite. Wan: yes, yes, focus on what he''s going to say, it''s important. Mia: you have some nerve... Wan: if you say so... he won''t do the roll call anyway. Instructor: well, before explaining everything or anything, let''s do the roll call. Plus, I was notified of a certain problem regarding the number of students in this class. Wan: ... ¡ãhuh?¡ã... I started to stress a little because I was first on the list. Mia: Pfft (stifled laughter). And this... Mia started to mock me while trying to hide her laughter. Instructor: hrumm hrumm, so Wan? Wan: present (still under the row). Instructor: hmm, okay, next¡ª... wait, I think there''s a problem with your file. Wan: hmm? (crawling under the row). Instructor: there''s no last name, there''s only your first name. Wan: that''s normal. Instructor: but we''re supposed to have a first and last name on the file. Wan: I don''t have a last name (still crawling to get out from under the row). It''s not that I don''t have a last name, but I just can''t use it, and the system understood this well because it didn''t put my last name on the Prism registration file. Instructor: well... that''s surprising... would you mind if I ask for your student ID? Wan: (crawling out from under the row) no problem (throws the student ID card randomly backward, and it miraculously lands in front of the instructor, who catches it mid-air). Instructor: (quickly checks the card) hmm, it''s fine... however, I think there''s another issue... Wan: (on the floor, stopped crawling) again? Instructor: (a bit uncomfortable) well... it concerns your percentage (coughs). The percentage is quite an intimate matter. It''s like asking a mother if she enjoyed what her husband did to her during their intimate moments; it should be at that level of intimacy. Wan: and precisely? Instructor: can I talk about it, are you sure? Wan: yes. Instructor: well... it''s not on your card, nor on your student file. Wan: that''s normal, I don''t know it either. Instructor: ... huh?... wh-what!? Not knowing one''s percentage in IT0 is like not knowing if you''re a living being or not; it''s extremely condemnable by the community. Instructor: tell me... I don''t want to be suspicious and I''m just doing my job, but reassure me, you''re not part of the anti-percentages group, are you...? (still analyzing Wan''s card). The anti-percentages are a group considered terrorist, who believe that percentages are just a new form of discrimination. Their proof is that every other species with their own percentages use them to better manipulate their species, which strongly encourages discrimination, no matter what species it concerns. Wan: ¡ãhe''s exposing me too much, so I''d better stay on the floor¡ã no, I just don''t see the point in knowing my own percentage, that''s all. And that was my point of view; I really don''t see how knowing my own percentage would help me. And then, Prism didn''t prevent asking the administration to keep our percentage secret or not to disclose it at all. And for me, it was the latter option. Instructor: ... okay, I believe you, and after all, it''s not forbidden (throws the card back where it came from) let''s continue. He quickly did the roll call and then explained things I knew all too well because these things were part of the basics to understand IT0. Instructor: and now, let''s move on to choosing weapons! We had the instructor a bit excited and happy to be there, just like in the original work. Wan: ¡ãthe choice of weapons...¡ã (comes out from under the row). Mia: you''re finally out, huh? Shin-hee: let''s go, my slave! He seemed rather excited and happy too. Ama-ne: ... the ch-choice of weapons...¡ª Wan: (places his hand on Ama-ne''s shoulder) it''s okay, don''t worry. Ama-ne: haa Wan. Wan: after all, I''m here, so why worry? Mia: so full of himself. Ama-ne: y-yes, you''re right, Wan (determined). She was rather cute with her closed fists in front of her eyes and apparent determination. Shin-hee: that''s right, after all, the descendant of the ethereal dream tree and great possessor of the demonic flame of the depths and death is here, so no worries! He was really excited; his chunibyou was probably playing a part. Mia: woohoo!!! (pointing finger far ahead). Ama-ne: y-yes...! Wan: (still with the same expression and monotone voice, making what he says sound sarcastic) we''re going to have so much fun. I really wanted to encourage them, but my voice sounded sarcastic... I guess it''s an area where I can never improve. ________________ End of chapter. 7.00 Instructor: Make good choices, kids! (still excited) The choice of weapons is really important because it''s the weapon you''ll be learning, improving, and sometimes killing monsters with for three years, or just one year if you want to change weapons. But one year lost is already a lot. Personally, I don''t care because my 11 years as an assassin have made me someone who can master all imaginable weapons. Wan: ¡ãThe protagonist took a sword; after all, his gift almost required it.¡ã The protagonist''s gift was "human weapon," but when he was young and on a school trip, he liked a sword, so his gift transformed and made "human weapon" into "human sword." His gift was overpowered; it allowed him to increase his physical abilities by 100% when he didn''t have a sword and by 300% when he did. In short, he just needed to do some exercise to become invincible, knowing that even before obtaining his gift, he had incomprehensible physical abilities. He was really lucky. Wan: (not taking his eyes off his phone) Ama-ne. Ama-ne: Y-yes! She was less stressed than when she came but still stressed, which was understandable as she would have to spend at least a year with the weapon she chose today. Wan: Just wait two minutes and I''ll advise you on your weapon choice. [Wan: System, tell me which weapon choices would be best for Shin-hee and Ama-ne?] I had sent a message to the system; since the update, I''ve been able to do many things. Wan: ¡ãI personally think a bow might be good for Ama-ne, but it''s better to be sure.¡ã [Shin-hee could do well with a katana; it would be best. As for Ama-ne, she could be a good archer or mage, and if she chooses one of these two professions, she could also choose chakrams as an optional weapon.] [Wan: Thank you.] Wan: Okay, Ama-ne, I recommend a bow, and you, Shin-hee... did you know that the first descendant of the ethereal dream tree used his katana to cut through the flame of the depths and death to seal it? I knew that if I told Shin-hee to take a katana, he wouldn''t listen and would just take a weapon that seemed cool. As for Ama-ne... well, it''s a bit mean to say it like this, but... if I told her to believe in the wolf, she would believe it, so for the bow it should be the same. And that''s what both I and the system-nim concluded, so it''s the right choice. I quickly explained to them the strengths and what they would need to work on with their choices, and they went to confirm their choices with the instructor. Mia: Haa (sigh) I feel left out... and you''re not advising me...? (looks at him out of the corner of her eye, curious) Wan: (also looks out of the corner of his eye) .... In IT0, she first took a spear because the protagonist encouraged her, but she realized two years later that her true talent and potential lay in short swords. Wan: (looks back at his phone) short swords... but I guess you''ll still take a spear, won''t you? Mia: You know me quite well, actually. Wan: (doesn''t take his eyes off his phone) Just know that when you come crying after a defeat, I''ll remind you that I warned you. And this time, I won''t comfort you like on the roof; I''ll remind you that if you had listened to me, you could have avoided all that self-hatred, those defeats, those tears, and all those lamentations. My words were cold, and my monotone voice and expression made my words even harsher. Mia: You''re scary, but don''t worry, that won''t happen (rather confident). The reason she doesn''t want to stop using the spear is because her deceased parents used spears. Mia: So... why do you still have one of those old things? (points to Wan''s phone). Wan: Hmm...? ¡ãOh yeah... it''s true, in IT0, technology advanced, and people now use watches that deploy touchable holograms¡ã (shrugs). Mia: Isn''t it related to your gift? Wan: ¡ãHow cute they all are thinking I have a gift¡ã No, it''s not really related to my gift. Mia: Haa... then it''s another restriction? Like the prohibition on eating and going in at certain times? You''re not allowed to have a holo-watch, so you keep this phone...? Wan: Not this time... it''s... one of my greatest treasures... I guess? You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. After all, it contains more than ten thousand digital books, games that no one has anymore, exclusive photos, and apps that no longer exist... oh, and there''s also the system which is my only support in this world, but that''s not the most important. Mia: ... I didn''t think you were the collector type. Wan: Hmm, I''m not the collector type. I''m more of the knowledge taker¡ª... A rather tall man, at least 10 centimeters taller than me, appeared behind Mia, placed his hand on her shoulder, and stood in front of me with an irritated look. Wan: ¡ãThis must be Lee Sangho.¡ã Lee Sangho, Mia''s childhood friend, considered himself the protagonist''s rival for a long time but gave up when he realized it was impossible for ordinary people to surpass him. He also uses a spear and is the descendant of a true Hero with a pure heart who saved many people. Thanks to his ancestor, he was born wealthy and can be considered one of the 50 richest families in humanity. And truthfully, he is rather strong, after all, he''s Prism''s number 2. Lee Sangho (I''ll just write Sangho): Who are you?! His voice wasn''t polite; it was suspicious and a bit irritated, maybe even a bit mean. Wan: ¡ãJealousy... it''s quite pathetic.¡ã Mia: First, let go of me! (pushes Lee Sangho away). Wan: .... Hey.... I don''t know why, but I suddenly felt like being rude and presumptuous. Wan: (mumbles to himself) Dad said to stay calm and polite (speaks normally) In this kind of situation, it''s customary to give your name before asking someone else''s. Oh, and I''ll overlook how you spoke to me, but know that I didn''t appreciate it. Mia: ¡ãEven when he''s irritated, he listens to his father... he''s really a good kid.¡ã Sangho: I asked for your name (even firmer with his words and tone). Truthfully, I knew he wouldn''t become polite just because I asked. After all, Sangho is the perfect secondary character with a strong temperament but a good heart. Wan: ¡ãOption one: hit him, rejected; option two: show him my eyes, rejected; option three: ignore him, accepted.¡ã Well, Mia, don''t forget what I told you (turns around). Sangho: I asked for your name! (even more irritated). Wan: ¡ãGet more irritated; you only become more manipulable, young master.¡ã .... Oh yeah, the weapon choice, I forgot. Sangho hates one thing above all: people mocking the spear. Since he was little, he saw everyone respecting the sword because it was the first Hero''s weapon, and since then, every other weapon has been despised by children. And as a child who looked at his ancestor and his spear with so much respect, he started to think that as long as he became strong, he could make everyone respect the spear he loved so much and shut up those who despise it. Wan: ... Why not the spear... Sangho: ....! Wan: I have no experience, but after all... the spear is a basic weapon and useless until you reach the Master level... Mia: ¡ãWhat is he doing?!¡ã Sangho: What did you say!! (clenches his fist). Mia: Stop, Sangho! Wan: ¡ãIt''s already too late, princess, you can''t do anything, the young master is enraged.¡ã But well... the spear remains useful overall... I just don''t have enough skill to handle it. First, the most important point to me is that I do have enough skill to handle the spear; it was just an excuse, nothing more. Not because I don''t want people to think I can''t handle a spear. My goal was to calm Sangho, and it half worked. He was angry, but not enough to jump on me. Sangho: Your name. Wan: I already said before, it''s customary to give your name before asking for someone else''s, so young master? Sangho: Lee Sangho, and you? (angry in his tone). Wan: You can call me Hypnos (takes a stick resembling Sun Wukong''s staff) ¡ãThis should prevent me from accidentally killing someone.¡ã [Due to your involvement with the character ''Lee Sangho,'' you have obtained 2 tokens.] [''Lee Sangho'' has developed a small animosity towards you.] Wan: ¡ãHmm, that''s something.¡ã After the weapon choice came the theory class and other such things. Truthfully, for me to survive, I will need to obtain two or three things and resolve a story from the original IT0 line to get enough ''tokens'' to finally get a gift; speaking of tokens, the system told me that when I have a minimum amount of tokens, I can create a gift, and the more tokens I have, the better the gift I create will be. Of course, with tokens, I can choose to improve some of my invariable stats. By the way, here are my stats: ===============+ Wan [(last name censored)] 17 years old; 1.77m; 67kg Variable stats: Constitution: [7.543] (average for Prism students: N/A) (cannot be improved by tokens) ¡ª¡ª Strength: [8.843] (average for Prism students: 7.158) (limitless improvement) ¡ª¡ª Speed: [14.279] (average for Prism students: 7.794) (improvable up to a certain point) ¡ª¡ª Endurance: [7.093] (average for Prism students: 8.212) (limitless improvement) ¡ª¡ª Intelligence: [N/A] (average for Prism students: N/A (undeterminable)) (cannot be improved by tokens) ¡ª¡ª Agility: [13.638] (average for Prism students: 6.897) (improvable up to a certain point) ¡ª¡ª Magical Power: [0.000] (average for Prism students: 7.003) (limitless improvement) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Invariable stats (improvable only with tokens): Vitality: [8.999/10] (limitless improvement) ¡ª¡ª Health: [6.111/10] (cannot be improved with tokens) ¡ª¡ª Perception: [9/10] (improvable up to a certain point) ¡ª¡ª Luck: [6/10] (improvable up to a certain point) ¡ª¡ª Charm: [20/10] (thanks to his eyes, Wan can charm anyone) ¡ª¡ª Beauty: [N/A/10] (if Wan didn''t hide a large part of his face with his hair, this stat would be {11/10} instead of undetermined) ¡ª¡ª Charisma: [20/10] (thanks to his eyes, Wan can control and enslave anyone, but can also become a great crowd leader) ¡ª¡ª Perseverance: [9/10] (cannot be improved with tokens) ¡ª¡ª Wisdom: [10.111/10] (maximum level exceeded) ¡ª¡ª Willpower: [2.478/10] (cannot be improved with tokens) ¡ª¡ª Mental Agility: [12/10] (maximum level exceeded) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Secondary stats: +++ (click on the plus to expand the list) ===============+ Well, I''m not overpowered, but it''s okay. I''m complete, and I''m stronger than most. Now, even though there are some problems, like my magical power being non-existent because I was transposed into the parallel worlds, it''s not an issue because I can also improve it with tokens. In summary, I need to get as many tokens as possible before the practical training against monsters, which will take place in two months and comprises the first incident and the first encounter with Eun-Seo. I then went back home to my dormitory, and to be honest, I had mixed feelings. I was, of course, happy to be in this parallel world that has almost all the concepts of IT0, but... I had a sense of disillusionment. I know full well that what I''m living now is real, but... I want much more... just living at Prism and being a simple student... it''s not enough for me... It''s really selfish of me, but I think that... I''ll get so involved that I''ll change this parallel world. Wan: (lying on books, most of which look old, in the huge library room from last time) all this is insanely exciting (still monotone in both voice and facial expression). The system gave me a gift; it seemed to know how much I loved this room, so it made it so that when I''m safe and open a certain book it provided, and no matter the time, it teleports me to this room. Wan: (calls someone on his phone). To recover what will allow me to survive in this world, I will have to be absent for a while, and regarding first-year absences, Prism is rather strict, but it doesn''t concern me. In IT0, an antagonist once said, "If power is the right to live, then I''ll have to kill you." This antagonist was really powerful, not with his body but with his money, position, and contacts. And in my case, I know the person who possesses one of the greatest powers in this world. **Flashback** Wan: ¡ãSo the major changes concerning me and the world of IT0.¡ã (After looking at the previous ones) Wan: ¡ãThis one... is really interesting and useful.¡ã [?? Parallel to his position, power, and strength in your former world, your father, as well as every member of your family, are among the people with the most power, both politically and economically, and are also among the strongest and highest percentages.] **End of Flashback** Wan: ¡ã... Well... usually, I wouldn''t ask this man and my family for anything, but... might as well take advantage of it.¡ã (the call is answered) Prepare an absence form for the day after tomorrow specifying ''with an indefinite duration'' and for the excuse put... put whatever you want, as long as it''s you, they''ll say yes, and do it while talking to as few people as possible. He would probably try to chat, so I hung up, and as I expected, he sent it to me two minutes later to ask if everything was okay. I told him yes, and he said he would ask his right-hand man to drop it off for him the day after tomorrow. Wan: (teleports back to his dorm, then goes to the open window) It''s exhausting as a first day, but I''m not finished. Now, I''m going to do some reconnaissance to free something that is under the school and has been providing them with uninterrupted magical power for over 300 years. Wan: ... Well... all of this is really insanely exciting (still completely monotone). ________________ End of chapter. 8.00 My second day at Prism is a bit more physical since today we have practical training. We pair up with someone who has the same type of weapon as us and we fight against them, not for real though, which is why we have iron weapons but only for training. As simple Prism students, it should be impossible for us to get hurt. Well, except for the boy with green hair and green eyes who had a gun and was training with an Instructor to avoid hurting anyone. Everyone thought he was crazy because firearms could no longer harm intelligent beings or monsters, so they were abandoned. But what no one knew was that this green-haired, green-eyed boy would become one of the greatest and strongest Heroes in the future, even causing problems for the protagonist. Shin-hee: Let''s go again, my slave! (One knee on the ground, leaning on his katana, out of breath) Wan: Well, King Shin-hee, you''ll have to work on your endurance first, and although I don''t know what your gift is, you''ll need to prioritize your katana training (standing without much trouble, barely out of breath) Shin-hee: I''ll win without using my Flame of the Abyss and Death! Wan: *Is his chuunibyou syndrome really affecting his gift?* (rests his head on his staff and leans on it) Understand this, you''ll need to master at least the basics of katana handling to last more than 40 seconds against a monster if you have any issues with your gift. Shin-hee needs to improve a lot of things, but I have a hunch he''s destined for great things; he certainly has enormous potential. Wan: Rest a bit, and then we''ll go again. As I turned to see Ama-ne''s level with the bow, I noticed that her dexterity was excellent. It really didn''t seem like it was her first time, but after watching for a bit longer, I noticed some issues. Wan: (behind Ama-ne) You''re not straight enough, Ama-ne. You''re too tilted when your target is quite far away, and when you release the string, you put all your strength into your hips, which makes you tire faster and reduces the power of your shot. Ama-ne: Hah! (jumps) Y-you scared me...! Wan: Sorry, just try to apply what I told you. Ama-ne: O-of course! W-wait (fumbles with her arrows, trembling a bit) Wan: (places his hand on Ama-ne''s, then helps with the arrows) *Her hands are clammy.* No need to stress. I couldn''t tell you this before because I was pointing out what was wrong, but you''re actually doing really well. So don''t worry. Look at your target, aim, then release the string and let the arrow do its job. Ama-ne: (takes a deep breath, then smiles broadly) Y-yes, thank you! She then made a shot better than the previous one, but it wasn''t perfect. Wan: Let me have your bow for a moment; I''ll show you how to do it. Ama-ne: O-okay, here (hands him the bow and quiver). I took the bow, placed an arrow on the string, and got into the perfect position for shooting at that distance. I put some tension on the string and released it after checking again that the target was still. The arrow hit the target, which was 50 meters away, in 7 seconds, which was pretty fast for the other students but actually just decent for mid-rank Heroes. But before my arrow reached the target, I had already shot two other arrows simultaneously, which formed a perfect small triangle in the center of the target. Wan: I hope you''ve remembered and absorbed what you saw. Ama-ne: (stars in her eyes) Y-yes! Thank you! I handed her back her bow and then went to help Kim Jaesang, the boy with green hair, green eyes, and a pistol. Kim Jaesang (I''ll just call him Jaesang): Thank you, your help was invaluable! (a broad, bright smile) If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Wan: No problem, it was my pleasure to help. (turns away) Jaesang: W-wait! You didn''t tell me your name! Wan: Hypnos, and I already know you''re Lee Jaesang. Until we meet again. Jaesang: See you next time (gives a quick wave). [Thanks to your interaction with the character ''Lee Jaesang,'' you have earned 2 tokens.] [The character ''Lee Jaesang'' seems to like you.] Wan: *Hmm, that''s enough for now.* I then went looking for a partner, but everyone seemed to already be paired up. Everyone except Mia, Sangho, who seemed to be negotiating - not to say begging - Mia to pair up with him, and finally, a beautiful elf with long white hair and red eyes standing alone, holding her rapier, watching the others train. Wan: *Anna... a sub-heroine.* In a literary context, "sub-heroine" could be translated as "secondary heroine." This would describe a female character who is not the main protagonist but plays an important role in the story, often supporting or contrasting with the heroine, or rather the heroines in the case of IT0. Anna is the princess of the elves; she is quite talented and destined for great things. I know this because I''ve read it. She generally offers financial support and a bit of political power to the protagonist. Wan: (quietly approaches Anna) I see you''re alone too. Anna: (takes a few seconds, then turns her head toward Wan) Oh, yes indeed. She seemed pensive. I must have interrupted her thoughts as she was watching the others train. Wan: Would it bother you if we trained together? Anna: N-no! It''s fine, let''s train together...! Although she tried to hide it, she was really happy to have finally found someone to train with, and I was satisfied to have found someone worthy of training with me. No offense, but helping Shin-hee improve by training with him is fine for a while, but I also want to practice. It''s been two and a half years since I last fought someone with a weapon. So, we quickly found a spot with enough space and stood facing each other 10 meters apart. Wan: Oh, and would it be okay if we used our magical powers? Anna: Huh... Oh, uh, yes, that''s fine, but you might end up getting hurt, you know? The elven princess Anna is known for having a unique magical power associated with the wind element since childhood. So yes, it could indeed hurt me, but I need at least that to first fight on equal terms and second to learn the principles of magical power and be able to counter it. At those words, I wanted to smirk, but nothing. My face and voice remained monotone. Wan: Don''t worry, and although I have little magical power, mine is also dangerously sharp, so it''s perfect. It was a lie, but it must have convinced her because she got into a combat stance and released a bit of her magical power. Wan: *...Wow... I can feel it; it''s really dangerous...* I''ve gotten myself into some real trouble, and you have no idea. I sense danger when it''s present... and right now, there''s a huge one in front of me. Wan: *Who sent me to get into this mess...* As she concentrated her magical power and sharp-looking wind swirled around, I thought I should stop this powerful concentration. So I planted my staff in the ground, jumped, launched myself forward by pushing off with my staff, and as I was in the air in front of her and slightly above, I took my staff, which was still in my hands behind me, and struck with it quite forcefully and vertically. Wan: (stopped by the magical wind) ...This bothers me. I hit harder, and as we were clashing, her with all her magical power and me with all my physical strength, I was finally sent flying backward by her magical wind, but too bad for her, as fast as I am, I kicked her left side at the neck, even though unfortunately, because of the wind, my foot couldn''t strike as I wanted, but I still managed to deal some damage. Wan: Your wind... damn... sorry, I mean, shoot, it hurts. Anna: I warned you... (places her hand on her neck) ...and your strike... gave me a strange sensation... The blows I deliver sometimes aim to cause internal damage rather than external. Of course, this can be dangerous, so I never do it intentionally; it''s unconscious. Wan: *Seeing that magical power, I feel like giving up... this isn''t a fight that a ''giftless'' and ''magically powerless'' person like me can win...* But... all of this is incredibly exciting. A challenge is only a challenge if it seems insurmountable, and that''s why... this isn''t even a challenge because I know I can win. Wan: (runs toward Anna) *If her wind can be used at a distance, then I''ll be in big trouble.* As I ran toward her, she sent a gust of wind that blew my hair back, revealing my eyes. But at that moment, I was focused on one thing: "victory." Wan: Aim for victory (a very thin black and red circle forms around Wan''s pupils).* **My eyes cause anyone who sees them to have their strongest emotion at that moment intensified to the point where it becomes the only emotion guiding them. But it''s different with elves; they have a way of experiencing emotions that is quite distinct from humans, so my eyes won''t have an immediate effect on them and will take about twenty minutes compared to humans. That''s where the second ability of my eyes comes in. As I mentioned before (Chapter 3), they allow me to amplify a particular emotion to a very high intensity. In this case, it was ''the desire to win.'' In short, I used my eyes to make sure she continued to fight, and as a result, a very thin circle red around my pupils. 4 minutes later Wan: (with cuts all over, heavy breathing, holding himself up with his staff) If my cerebral cortex didn''t prevent me, I''d probably be smiling with satisfaction. Wan: (rearranges his hair and covers his eyes) Anna: (on both knees, leaning on her rapier, heavy breathing, a bruise on her neck, and probably more bruises under her clothes) Yes, that was certainly an excellent fight. (smiles with satisfaction) Well, I didn''t lose. I won, but only by a little¡ªreally, by just a very, very small margin. Wan: That was really fun. I hope we can do this again. [Thanks to your interaction with the character ''Anna,'' you have earned 3 tokens.] [The character ''Anna'' seems to consider you strong and likes you.] Wan: Not bad... Starting tomorrow, I won''t be at Prism for an indefinite period, so being able to look forward to fighting like this again when I return is quite encouraging. Sangho: (gives Wan a strong pat on the back) Fight me next. Wan: (falls forward) ... I was really annoyed. Wan: (still with his monotone expression and voice, muttering to himself) Dad said not to get mad at those weaker than you. Sangho: You really make me want to hit you, you know that, right!? Wan: (gets up and clenches his fist) You want to fight? Sangho: Hell yeah, you got it all figured ou¡ª Wan: Sorry, Dad. (kicks Sangho in the groin) Go take care of your private parts first, young master. I was really annoyed. After such a fight, he dared to provoke me. Then, as if on cue, an instructor came over to treat our injuries: Anna''s bruises, my cuts, and Sangho''s... testicles. [Thanks to your interaction with the character ''Lee Sangho,'' you have earned 3 tokens.] [The character ''Lee Sangho'' harbors resentment towards you.] Wan: That''s already 3 tokens earned. Shin-hee: (writing in a small notebook) That was quite educational. Next time, my blade will be on their level; I know it. _________________ End of chapter | 9.00 I was at the infirmary with Anna and Sangho. Wan: Sangho, seriously, please stop shouting, you''re hurting my ears. This isn''t meant as an insult or anything, but you''re really hurting my ears. Anna: Mine too, so could you lower your voice a bit, please? Sangho: For the elf with her long ears, I get it, but you (points at Wan suspiciously)... you''re really suspect and... frail. I guess he says that because compared to my height, my weight is rather low, and he''s not really wrong. Wan: I have sensitive ears, and I''d appreciate it if you stopped judging me so intensely since I''ve only been responding to your provocations and threats so far. Sangho: You''re the one who was hanging around Mia! Wan: Me, hanging around her? ... What a joke... She''s the one who came to talk to me. Sangho: Huh... uh, okay, but even if that''s true, I remind you that you criticized the spear. Wan: Then I quickly self-criticized, saying that it was just because I didn''t have the skill. Sangho: (mumbles) Anna: S-sorry to interrupt, but I remind you that earlier it was you (Sangho) who attacked him while he could barely stand on his feet. Sangho: Hah... uh... I-...what.... She said it for me, and she was right. Wan: I''m the one who should be asking for an apology... (lies down on his bed and pulls out his phone) but you''re lucky Dad told me not to hold grudges against people who didn''t know. Sangho: Hmmm, I don''t care about your forgiveness! (draws the curtain) Wan: (eyes fixed on his phone) Anna: Without prying, may I ask what that is? (Points at the phone) Wan: The ancestor of the holo-watch (doesn''t take his eyes off the phone). Anna: Oh... I''ve heard of it in some legends, they say it had the power to enslave 98% of the youth at the time. Wan: Probably. After reading the last words about what I was going to do right now, I put away my phone and got up. Anna: (a bit worried) Hah, where are you going!? You''re still injured. Wan: I''ll be fine for what I need to do. Oh, by the way, what''s your name? I ask out of respect, but I already know it. Anna: ... Anna, and you? Wan: Hypnos, anyway, I''m off. Get well soon, and I''m not sorry for the bruises. You also gave me cuts, so we''re even. [Thanks to your involvement with the character ''Anna,'' you''ve gained 1 token.] Wan: ¡ãI must be at... 21¡ã 6 with Mia''s bully, 5 from Sangho, 4 from Anna, 3 from Jaesang, and 3 from Mia, and since the system said that the minimum I need to create a gift is 34, I''ll aim for 75, or maybe 100 with a bit more perseverance. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Wan: (walking outside) ¡ãI also have to take into account the tokens I''ll invest in magic power¡ã Well, not having magic power will be useful to me today. I have something to do today that I can''t afford to delay, after all, I won''t be at Prism tomorrow, and if I come back in 2 weeks or a month, then loneliness will take over, and in the meantime, I''ll likely have acquired a minimum amount of magic power, which will hinder my mission today. Wan: (walks past an alley where he sees several students) One human, two elves, and a dwarf were scaring a student who seemed to be a vampire. Wan: ¡ãWell, it doesn''t really concern me..., and Dad said that anything that could get me into trouble and isn''t beneficial to me doesn''t deserve my help.¡ã As I was about to leave, a description of a character crossed my mind: "A rather small and frail girl, though the daughter of Count Dracula, she isn''t respected as such because she is the result of an act between the vampire Count Dracula and a succubus. So, here''s what came out of it: a girl with pink hair and almost pale skin who can change form between her small, cute form and her ''tall,'' beautiful, and alluring form worthy of a succubus with Count Dracula''s blood." Wan: ¡ãEvie... if that''s really her... then I could earn tokens, and that''s a benefit, and besides, it''s true that before meeting the protagonist ¨C in 2 weeks ¨C she was being harassed.¡ã I ran and delivered a flying kick to the jaw of the man closest to Evie (?). Wan: ¡ãAlright, it''s just going to be a role, not real cursing¡ã I don''t like your faces. Normally, I would have let them talk and give their villain speech, but I didn''t feel like listening to them this time. (After knocking out the four) Wan: ¡ã...Evie is also a supporting heroine, but... she has a masochistic side; she likes being emotionally mistreated.¡ã Evie: Hah (tears in her eyes) th-thank y¨C... Wan: Shut up. Evie: Ha, uh, I wanted to thank you for helping me¨C... Wan: I just didn''t like their faces, so shut up, you little idiot. ¡ãI''m not as good at insults as I used to be¡ã Aargh (bows at a 90-degree angle) Sorry, I wanted to be vulgar, but I can''t do it. Evie: ... Huh, oh, uh, y-yes, no problem... it''s okay. [Evie has developed a small attraction to you, but it diminished due to your change in behavior.] Wan: ¡ãDamn, this maso...¡ã After thinking about it, I said this: Wan: ¡ãMia changed her behavior, she went from ''pure and innocent'' to... I wouldn''t know how to describe what she became, so... what if it was the same for Evie... maybe... she''s masochistic but also in need of affection. My proof is: the fact that she was disappointed but showed it... with a bit of luck, this will work.¡ã Wan: (squats down to Evie''s level) So, are you okay? Evie: Y-yes, I''m fine! And it''s thanks to you, thank you! (a broad smile) Wan: It''s okay, I wasn''t going to leave you alone with these (looks at the unconscious boys on the ground)... punks?... Evie: Y-you''re the first... Wan: (tucks a strand of Evie''s hair behind her ear) It''s okay, the others are just idiots. [Evie feels a bit more affection and attraction for you.] Wan: By the way, without prying or wanting to embarrass you, could you tell me why they wanted to do this to you? Of course, you can say no, it won''t bother me. Evie: ... They do it because [...] She explained her life to me, how she''s bullied because she''s not a pureblood, etcetera. I don''t want to be mean by summarizing it like that, but it''s a backstory I''ve read before, so it doesn''t affect me as much as it did when I first read it, but I still feel compassion and sadness for her. Evie: (tearfully) It''s¨C...! (starts crying) Wan: ¡ãWould this be the right moment to play on the masochistic side?¡ã... (wipes Evie''s tears with his finger) Stop crying, they say it makes you ugly and especially that it makes you shrink, so since you''re already pretty small, if you shrink any more, you''ll soon touch the ground without even bending down. [Evie feels much more interest, affection, and attraction toward you.] Evie: (cries even more) Waaaaah Wan: ¡ãIt''s silly... but she really looks like a little elementary school child, she''s really cute...¡ã (gets on his knees) A hug to keep you from getting any smaller? (opens his arms) I''m not doing this because I particularly want to... well, maybe I did want to just a tiny bit when I saw how cute she was, but I did it because the author once wrote: "Although she has a slightly masochistic streak, she likes being treated like a child." Evie: (goes into Wan''s arms) Waaaah waaah waaah (sorry for the cries, I just didn''t know how to write it) Wan: Well, sorry to say it like this, but you''re really small ¡ãmix of insult and politeness, combo sent.¡ã [Evie is starting to sincerely like you.] Wan: ¡ãI should stop here¡ã (strokes Evie''s hair and whispers) It''s okay, it''s okay. For a moment, it reminded me of a time in my childhood. I know it came out of nowhere, but I wanted to say it. Wan: It''s okay, I know my monotone voice isn''t perfect for reassurance, but you don''t have to worry anymore, everything''s over for today. [Thanks to your enormous involvement with the character ''Evie Dracula,'' you''ve gained 12 tokens.] Wan: ¡ã... Damn... that''s a lot at once¡ã... Oh, you''ve stopped crying...? (looks at her in his arms) ¡ã12 tokens... I hope she didn''t fall in love...¡ã Evie: (sniffles, lifts her head and looks Wan in the eyes) Hmmm (nods her head vigorously). Wan: Good... so could you let go of me? She was holding onto me very tightly. Evie: No! (buries her head in Wan''s clothes). Well, after a bit of struggle, she finally let go in exchange for my number. Wan: ¡ãAlright, back to my main objective... I managed to snag 12 tokens at once, so that puts me at a total of 33 tokens.¡ã After checking the time, I realized that the time I had set aside for my main objective had been lost while earning those 12 tokens. It was now time for the class I dreaded the most, the magic power class. Since I don''t have any, I don''t see how I could participate. I could have skipped it by saying that due to my injuries from the previous class, my body wasn''t in a condition to practice, but one, the infirmary gave me a recovery potion, and two, I had already left the infirmary, so I had no choice but to go. Wan: (lying on the ground on his back) ¡ãIt''s really exhausting pretending I have magic power, but that it''s so minimal I can''t use it.¡ã Shin-hee: Hehehe, my slave, I can help you with your magic power if you want (clearly speaking down to him). Wan: .... My king... you''re too good with your magic power, it''s becoming suspicious.... ¡ãAnd damn, does it burn.¡ã Shin-hee: Well, as a worthy descen¨C... I decided to tune out his words and let him talk; I then moved on to other pairs but ultimately did nothing. Well, I wasn''t expecting much anyway, you can''t get anything by multiplying 0.000. Wan: ¡ã.... I give up.... I also take back what I said earlier..... "A challenge is only a challenge if it''s insurmountable" what a loser''s phrase...¡ã After stringing together so many losses ¨C which weren''t really losses since it was lost from the start ¨C my desire to obtain magic power by going out into the world to seek what I need was only strengthened. With magic power, I could finally fully enter this story. Wan: (gets up) ¡ãWell... main objective, here I come, then after that, magic power.¡ã ________________ End of chapter | 10.00 So normally I wouldn''t drag out the suspense, but this time what I''m going to do is going to be really incredible (at least for me). Wan: (in front of Prism''s technical center) ... well... I''m going to go all out (moves his hair to clear his eyes). I entered and imposed the emotion of ''servitude'' so that they would be forced to obey me. Wan: (looks at the surveillance camera on the ceiling) delete all images and videos of me, then turn off the cameras (a very thin black and red circle forms around Wan''s pupils). And so I reached the basement of the basement after descending more than 70 meters deep. Wan: ¡ãThis is where my lack of magic power comes into play.¡ã In IT0, the protagonist ends up (coincidentally) here and opens the door, except he arrived too late, and that''s one of the reasons why I couldn''t come later. Wan: ¡ãAll the walls are white...¡ã I don''t know why, but it''s a bit creepy, I think (places his fingers on the huge completely white door). There are three different ways to open this door: the first is to have the password made of magic power and to draw a magic circle on this same door with quantified magic power. The second is to wait two months when Prism''s system security will temporarily weaken, and this door will become breakable for those with over [15.572] in strength. And finally, the third, and the one I''m going to use: having no magic power at all, which makes the door think someone is entering the password when they''re actually not. Wan: (fully places his hand on the door for 3 seconds, then removes it) ... (nothing happens) damn... it doesn''t seem to be working¨C... I just needed to be more patient because the door started to open, making a lot of noise and taking its sweet time. Wan: ¡ãYeah, a door that makes dust when it opens, never seen that before, wow...¡ã (sarcastic). When the dust cleared, I could see a black spot in the middle of all the purely white walls, ceiling, and floor, and that''s what I had come for. The black spot turned out to be a dragon with black scales ¨C so a black dragon ¨C who, since its birth ¨C 300 years ago ¨C had been locked up there by the first Hero to "prevent any threat," even though his real goal was just to use the enormous magic power that dragons possess to supply Prism with magic power. Wan: ... ¡ãhmm... what should I say first? Does it even understand human?¡ã (walks toward the dragon). To be honest, I didn''t have much information on this being because in IT0, when the protagonist arrived, this being was already dead. Dragon: (points at Wan). Wan: ¡ãThis is particularly dangerous because, first, my eyes won''t work, as dragons don''t feel the same emotions as humans... no, it''s more like they call them differently, but anyway, it doesn''t change the fact that my eyes won''t work, and since it''s a dragon, its stats will probably be way above mine. Well, in terms of speed, I think I can manage.¡ã Dragon: (still pointing at Wan) wabug dezra. Wan: ¡ãI don''t understand the dragon...¡ã Well, there''s also another thing I didn''t specify about dragons, they don''t have names. While other species give their children names composed of letters, dragons have no names, they have intentions. In truth, it''s a concept that''s incomprehensible and incompatible with other intelligent species, but let''s say I''m an exception. With my eyes, I can discern the dragon''s intention in front of me. [The black dragon | | just said that you are "lonely eyes."] The space the system left between these two bars is normal because a dragon''s intention can neither be said, read, nor heard and understood by anyone other than dragons (except for me, in this case). Wan: (takes out his phone and writes to the system). I asked it how to say "you too" in dragon, and it gave me the answer: Wan: atare gui | | (opens his mouth and moves his lips, but no sound comes out after "atare gui"). What I ''pronounced'' isn''t a word but an ''intention,'' and it''s only understandable by dragons (and incidentally, me). (Dragon): ! gui jkola | | ?! (jumps around a bit). This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. [The black dragon just said to you, "you know me?!"] I asked the system how to say, "can you speak in my language, please? I''m not very good in dragon," and it replied: Wan: drece jikol mnio svazz? kdol fuitu gui hagnderr. Then, while I was 2 meters away from it, it approached me, pressed its forehead against mine, and then a faint, slightly liquid black light appeared. Dragon: Alright, now we speak the same language! But it wasn''t over. The slightly liquid black light didn''t disappear; it enveloped its entire body, then covered it completely, and the Dragon finally turned into a girl who looked exactly like me but seemed to be only 9 years old. Wan: .... Dragons are polymorphs, that''s a fact, but taking on an appearance so very similar to mine and of the opposite gender is a bit hard to believe. Wan: .... ¡ãThere''s way too much to say, but.... let''s start with the most important thing¡ã You don''t have a name, do you? Dragon: Yes, you said my name! She was naked, but I didn''t care; there was something more important. Wan: I''m not talking about your intention. I then gave her a little lesson on the difference between a name and an intention, and after a few minutes, she finally understood. Wan: So, you don''t have a name? Dragon: No, I don''t have a name! Well, I know it''s not really related, but she seemed more cheerful and lively compared to the flashback given in IT0: ? Nothing about me mattered to them, to the point that I began to doubt my own existence. Only my lonely eyes watched this room in silence. ? I said I didn''t read much about her, but what I did read was necessary: ? We all need a place to belong, and someone to stay with. No matter what, I''ve always been alone. ? Wan: So, let me give you one, okay? Dragon: Yes, yes, give me one! Her behavior was childish, and that''s probably because she''s still a "child" among dragons, but her horns weren''t showing while she was in her human form, so that''s already something won, for when I take her out with me. Wan: Alright... from now on, your name will be Kodoku { (censored) }, ¡ãI gave her the same last name as mine...¡ã Does that work for you? Do you like it? Dragon: Another one! She didn''t seem to like that one, so I thought again and came up with two more just in case she didn''t like the first, there''d be the second and vice versa. Wan: How about Uli? Or Hamkke if you prefer. Dragon: Uli! (stars in her eyes) Uli is good! Wan: Well, Uli, would you like to escape from this place that''s kept you locked up for so long? Uli: Yes, but... it''s not possible... (makes a sad face) The chain absorbs magic power, so even if you put in strength, you can''t remove it. Wan: Shhh (whispers) my monotone voice isn''t perfect for reassurance, but just.... let it guide you while I free you from all this. Uli: ¡ã.... It''s strange, but his voice reassures me a bit...¡ã Since I can''t manipulate a dragon''s emotions, I can put emotions into my words thanks to my eyes, even if it won''t have a huge effect, it will still work at least a little. Uli: (closes her eyes). Wan: (places his fingers behind the collar-shaped chain around her neck) ¡ãI don''t have magic power, so it''s okay.¡ã Well, I could have just destroyed it crudely, but I preferred to opt for a symbolic and elegant way, I broke it in two (with my hands). Wan: Open your eyes. Uli: (opens her eyes) Huh . . . Wan: You''re free (shows the two remaining parts of the chain). Well, what would suit me best is if we made a contract and she became my familiar, but that''s fine. In truth, I mainly came to free her so that she could be free and not die in a month because all her life energy had been drained. Uli: T-thank you! (starts crying). Wan: ¡ãFirst Evie, now her... I came to the parallel worlds to do babysitting, it''s true¡ã Well, before anything else, get dressed (gives her his shirt, then pulls out his phone). I was about to write a message to the system, but as if by chance, she jumped on me, hugged me, and buried her head in my chest, crying with all her might. Wan: ¡ã....Having kept all that inside since birth, so for over 300 years..., I understand her.¡ã [Wan: teleport me and Uli to the lair of galactic knowledge, please, system-nim.] Well.... I know it''s a somewhat embarrassing name "lair of galactic knowledge," but.... it''s because of Shin-hee, you have to understand. [Exceptionally and thanks to nearly impossible circumstances, the request has been approved.] We were teleported to my room while she was still crying in my arms. Wan: ¡ã.... I just thought of something, it''s mean to say and think, but... aren''t dragon tears special?¡ã I had a very vague and blurry memory of dragon tears being mentioned as one of the highest-grade materials an alchemist could possess. Wan: Stop crying, I''ve taken you out of that white room that held you captive all this time. She made a surprised, childlike face, and as her tears were still flowing, she sat up a bit but continued holding onto me, looking around and noticing that we were indeed in a different setting from the white room that had imprisoned her since her birth. Wan: I''m going to take you to the other dragons; they''ll take care of you¨C She started crying again, probably due to the overwhelming rush of emotions, and out of nowhere, I received a message from the system. [The black dragon ''Uli'' wants to be your familiar and you her master.] [Due to this sudden proposal, you have obtained the title ''Loved by Dragons.''] Wan: ¡ãA legendary rank title... that''s not bad.¡ã I could tell it was a legendary title because the title was written in gold. [Whenever you encounter a dragon, the chances of it liking you are 74.99%, and the chances of it loving you are 73.99%.] [Whenever you protect a dragon, your stats will double their current value, including invariable stats.] [You now understand the language of dragons and can read it, but you cannot speak it.] [Due to the young age of the black dragon ''Uli,'' you are unable to cast or memorize dragonic incantations and spells.] [Whenever you attack a dragon, your stats will be halved.] [Conversely, whenever you attack someone hostile to dragons, your stats will be quadrupled.] Wan: .... ¡ãWow... I don''t know if it''s fair to say this, but it''s like finding a goose that lays golden eggs.¡ã (uses his phone while Uli is still crying). [You have rejected Uli''s request; the title remains.] Uli: Huh... (looks up and stares at Wan) You''re going to abandon me! (cries even harder and starts hitting Wan). Wan: ¡ãGood thing she doesn''t have magic power anymore, otherwise who knows what might have happened to me...¡ã [You have sent a request for an equal contract with the black dragon ''Uli.''] In IT0, there are several forms of contracts with familiars. The one Uli sent me was the default one: a servitude request, meaning she wanted me to be her master and she my familiar, which would make it impossible for her to disobey any of my orders. However, with equal contracts, it''s as if we''re partners, but we can communicate telepathically and summon each other wherever we are. Wan: I don''t want to be your master; let''s just say I want to be your friend. [The black dragon has accepted your request. You are now under an equal contract where neither''s rights prevail over the other''s, and vice versa.] [Due to this contract, the title ''Dragon Master'' that you were supposed to receive has transformed into ''Dragon''s Equal.''] [As for the benefits and drawbacks, you will have to discover them gradually throughout your life.] [Congratulations, you are the first in the world to acquire the titles: ''Loved by Dragons'' and ''Dragon''s Equal.''] [Thanks to this achievement, you obtain /Calculation in progress/] Wan: Does that reassure you? Uli: (cries even harder) Wan: The excess of emotion (holds her a little tighter) ¡ãI really came here to do babysitting.¡ã [/Calculation complete/] [You have obtained 2 dragonic skills: - Dragon''s Breath Lv ???; - ????????????? Lv ???] [You have also obtained all possible, existing, and unimaginable knowledge regarding dragons {does not concern dragons themselves but rather their life, life systems, etc.}] [And 5 tokens, I forgot, sorry.] Wan: ¡ã... How could I have dared to forget how much I love babysitting!!!¡ã ________________ End of chapter| [Current number of tokens: 38] 11.00 I was in a completely dark room, with red lights and polaroids in the red water, just like in the movies. It was a room I knew all too well because this was where I would return after every mission, and it was also from here that I would leave for each mission, and this went on for nine and a half years, from when I was seven to when I was fifteen (end of seven years and fifteen years included in the calculation, so it really is nine and a half years). And it had been two and a half years since I last came here. Wan: (sitting on a slightly dilapidated wooden chair, eyes uncovered) ¡ãMaybe I should have at least said goodbye when I left?... No, that would have been a waste of time.¡ã Right then, I was thinking mostly about Shin-hee, Ama-ne, and incidentally Mia, as well as my token-factory... I mean Evie. Uli was in my lair of knowledge. Since we''re under an equal contract, she''s allowed to stay there even when I''m not, and she must be reading all the books she can. Thanks to me, and since we''re under an equal contract, she can now read "human," which she couldn''t do before. Besides that, I was only able to add 5 or 6 books containing knowledge from the parallel worlds, so although she''ll gain some knowledge, I need to buy more. ????: (a man enters, wearing sunglasses, a white scientist''s coat, and holding a lollipop) hohohohoho, but look who we have here! (An amused smile appears on his face.) That''s Morris. He isn''t an original character from IT0, no, because I''ve known him since I was eight. He was hired to act as a liaison between those above and the assassins, but he''s also used for scientific tasks. Let''s just say he''s multi-functional, and oh, I guess I don''t need to mention it, but since he''s wearing glasses, my eyes won''t make his strongest emotion even more intense. Morris: You can count yourself lucky; the Seven Stars all went on a mission two days ago. They went to Brazil, so we won''t be seeing them anytime soon, hehe. Brazil in IT0 is a territory possessed by demons and therefore off-limits to anyone who isn''t a demon. Morris: So, what brings the world''s greatest assassin, the great Zenith, to visit me? Hohoho. Morris is a bit crazy around the edges, but well, I get the feeling that''s the minimum requirement to work as an assassin in this organization. Wan: Give me a mission for Pandia, and stop calling me by my code name. Pandia, that''s what the demons call Madagascar. Nowadays, Madagascar, or rather Pandia, is an island where neither faith nor law reigns. Morris: Hahaha, coming back like this, doesn''t it mea-... I cut him off because I knew what he was going to say. Wan: I won''t take a single cent from this reward; it will all go to those above. I just want to be able to stay in Pandia for a month after completing the mission. Morris: (his smile fades) ... are you serious? Wan: Yes, I just don''t want to have to return immediately after the mission. Morris: ... (regains his smile) Deal! Hahahahahah! Woohoo! Wan: ¡ãI''m the one who''s 17, and he''s 26...¡ã Morris: Alright, wait here, I''ll get the one that pays the most, hihi~ (whistles as he leaves). The reason I came here is because they''re the only ones who would have the money to buy and lend me an S-rank facial disguise artifact without leaving any trace. I need a disguise artifact to be able to pass as (disguise myself as) a demon and thus retrieve the {limit seed} located deep within the sinister forest of Pandia. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The next day, I went to Pandia, then I used the artifact. Horns grew from the back of my skull, eventually coming around to the front of my face (descriptive image at the end of the chapter). My skin also became slightly paler, and my eyes turned pure red. Thanks to this, I''ll be able to walk around with my eyes uncovered, and the artifact will only last for 17 hours during the day. Wan: ¡ãAlright... my target is a demon slave trader, Baron Tsuhre.¡ã Normally, that wouldn''t have been a problem, but... right now, he''s expecting Beelzebub to show him his latest finds. Beelzebub is a duke who is soon to be promoted to demon king, but if that were all... at his birth, he received a third of the ''wrath'' will, which ¨C among demons ¨C is considered to be receiving a stigma, and thanks to that, he was able to rise among the best. Currently, if I had to quantify his level and mine, he''d be at level 100, and I''d be at level 10. And also, among demons, his percentage is one of the top ten highest, and as if that weren''t enough, I have to kill Tsuhre before he can meet Beelzebub. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Wan: ¡ãHe will meet him in 3 weeks, and during that time, I need to make as much untraceable money as possible.¡ã I was walking through the streets of Da?nmonn, the capital of Pandia, which is on the outskirts of the Indian Ocean. The currency used here in Pandia is U crystals. These are crystals that can help increase the magic power within the body, even if it rarely exceeds 0.250, and after 4 or 5, the magic power no longer increases. That''s why they use it as currency. Wan: ... As I was walking calmly, dressed a bit richly for the people around, because yes, Da?nmonn may be the capital of Pandia, but it''s still a poor city. Actually, using the term ''city'' was a bit too kind; it was more of a slum, and when it comes to slums, I know them well, that I can affirm. Uh yeah, so as I was walking calmly, I noticed that I was being followed by three demons who were rather young despite their dirty faces, and I say this without wanting to be mean, it''s just what I thought of their faces when I saw them. Wan: ¡ãPerfect, I needed some targets to mug.¡ã I''ve already said it, but I need untraceable money because that''s how I''m going to enter Count Tsuhre''s slave market. I went into an alley where it was just the four of us, me and the three demons. 3 minutes later Wan: (sitting on a man who''s being used as a chair) ¡ãOnly 6 crystals...¡ã Well, I presume you''re working as a team for someone, aren''t you? To be honest, I already knew the answer. After all, the protagonist passes through here to complete a mission given to him by Azazel, the holder of the ''sloth'' will, and she''s one of the few who fully possesses a will among the demons. She isn''t hostile to humans, she isn''t hostile to elves, she isn''t hostile to anyone except one person: "Ja-Woon Shin," an extremely strong Hero of humanity but also deeply corrupt and involved in dark affairs. But well, that''s probably for another time. Wan: .... ¡ãAre they unconscious or just playing dead?...¡ã Alright, chair, tell me who the boss is. Chair: I-I-I-I can''t-... I put two fingers around one of his horns, which was quite misshapen. Wan: ¡ãIf a demon''s horn is completely destroyed... they will fall into one of the most painful states, hovering between life and death.¡ã You know what I''m going to do if you don''t answer correctly. Chair: !... I-I-I really can''t! From his voice and expression, he was terrified from the depths of his heart and soul, but I didn''t care about his fear. Wan: Too bad for you. And just as I was applying pressure with my two fingers on his horn, and powder was starting to fall from it, someone hit me, instinctively making me step back. Wan: ¡ãI didn''t sense their presence....¡ã [The character ''Hoe'' feels a bit of hatred towards you.] Wan: ¡ã... Well... tokens coming my way¡ã (turns around rather slowly). Hoe is a male demon, a former assassin who returned to the slums of his childhood to help all the people in need there. Unfortunately for him, his judgment has become clouded, and he helps the wrong people, and of course, he''s not the boss of these three losers. Wan: (turns around rather slowly) ¡ãHoe likes people with an aura, even if he must have thought I was torturing them.¡ã [WARNING - CHANGE REGARDING THE CHARACTER HOE] "Huh...?" That''s the first thing I said to myself. I mean... I know changes have occurred, and I haven''t been notified of all the changes that have taken place... but... why now? Why announce it in this way? What for? Why Hoe? Wan: (suddenly turns around)! [The character ''Hoe'' no longer has the same gender, and their issue is no longer the same.] Hoe: (a woman) Who are you, and why are you doing this? In front of me stood a woman with long, slender legs, and with small, delicate horns. She stood straight as if she were in the army. Her expression was cold and slightly disdainful as she looked at me with her piercing, ruby-red eyes. Her long black hair, reaching down to the small of her back, was caught by the wind, and she held a bag of groceries while wearing a nun''s outfit from this world, though without any distinctive religious symbols. Wan: ¡ãThis shouldn''t alter my plans too much...¡ã ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Mia: (slumped over her desk) Ugh, I''m so boooored! Ama-ne: (sitting in a chair, arranging arrows) Well... it''s true there''s not much to do outside of classes. Shin-hee: It''s still the beginning of the year, after all (sitting against the wall, forming a ball of magic power). Mia: It''s a shame the pervert isn''t here... he could''ve entertained me (an irritated pout). Shin-hee: My slave is surely busy right now, even as we speak. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Wan: Could you let me explain? (leans against a wall to dodge flexible magic power). Hoe: (her magic power hits and destroys the wall) I don''t need any explanations! You need to be purified so that all your regrets disappear! Wan: ¡ã... She''s in my top 15 of crazy people, and she''s not the fifteenth.¡ã I''m going to hit back if you don''t stop. Hoe: I''ll purify you first! Let your regrets disappear! Wan: (dodges another devastating blow) ¡ãGood thing we''re in a place where I can rely on the walls...¡ã My agility, which was really high, combined with my speed, allowed me to keep pace without using magic power as long as I used both walls. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Mia: I hope he doesn''t take too long... (sighs). Shin-hee: Knowing him... hrumm hrumm if I were you, I wouldn''t count on it. Ama-ne: Well... it''s true that when Wan does something that seems important, he tends to forget some essential things. Mia: .... You''re just saying that he''s an idiot who can''t focus.... Ama-ne: N-n-no! That''s not what I meant at all! Shin-hee: ¡ãMy slave is probably fighting right now... it''s always like that when he''s alone.¡ã Hahaha, I wonder what story he''ll tell me this time! (laughs loudly and narcissistically). Mia: He really needs to tone it down... (The door to the room, which until now contained only the three of them, opens). Sangho: Let''s go grab a coffee, Mia! (a bright and cheerful smile). Mia: No. (firmly and without hesitation). Sangho: (loses his smile) W-well, let''s at least go train or something! Mia: No, and close the door when you leave (dry tone). Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) She''s really hard on him. Shin-hee: (whispers to Ama-ne) Isn''t he supposed to be her childhood friend? Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) Yes, that''s why it surprises me. Shin-hee: (whispers to Ama-ne) I think she acts like she doesn''t care, but she actually likes him. Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) Oh, so she''s a tsundere, huh? Mia: Cut it out, you two! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Wan: Ma''am, I have no regrets, and I don''t need any purification. ¡ãWell, Hoe as a woman is really violent (and incidentally crazy).¡ã Hoe: Let me PURIFY YOU!!! (a psychopathic face, clearly enjoying what''s happening). This is where the difference in Hoe comes into play. He, or rather she, has now changed ''issues.'' Alright, a little lesson: a character''s ''issue'' is what drives their development. Previously, in the original IT0, Hoe''s issue was that he helped lazy people who, instead of getting up and moving to find a job or a way to live, remained sitting and acted as homeless people, waiting for Hoe to give them food. In the end, he found out, and also discovered that in addition to using him, they were compulsive alcoholics and sexual predators. In the end, he got killed by them, and I''ll let you guess why an assassin like him couldn''t recognize that he was leading himself to his own downfall. No answer? Giving up? The protagonist¡ªit was him who further deepened Hoe''s stupidity by helping him with all these tasks. Even though, now that he''s become a woman and crazy... I would''ve preferred the old Hoe; at least I could''ve gotten him on my side or manipulated him easily. But now, I''m going to have to calm her down. Wan: .... ¡ãThis is going to be a lot of work to handle...¡ã ________________ End of chapter | 11.05 One week after Wan and Hoe''s meeting While Wan was broke and struggling in Pandia¡ªspecifically in Da?nmonn¡ªfor his mission to assassinate Count Tsuhre and avoid Beelzebub, Mia, Ama-ne, and Shin-hee were at the ''Prestige'' shopping mall located in present-day Busan. They arrived here via portal; since the emergence, humans have managed to create portals connecting two fixed locations. Mia: Are you sure a book is a good gift? Ama-ne: Y-yes! To be honest, Wan is the biggest reader I''ve ever seen. Shin-hee: Once, he showed me his personal library, and I was shocked to see that my slave owned more than 528,532 (528,548) books, and he''s probably acquired more since then. Mia looked shocked, which was understandable since a normal person never owned more than 10 books, and here we were talking about half a million. Shin-hee: But that aside, know that it''s presumptuous to say you want to give him a gift when you''re just trying to bribe him. Mia: .... You really sound like Wan... Shin-hee: Don''t change the subject, tell me why you want to bribe him. Mia: I-I''m not trying to bribe him... Shin-hee: Why do you want to bribe him? (firmly) Ama-ne: ¡ãShe wants to bribe Wan?¡ã Mia: .... (turns her head a bit embarrassed and fiddles with her fingers) ...I want him to teach me the move he used at the beginning of his fight against Anna... Shin-hee: .... (calms down and relaxes) Hmm, what do you want to know? (takes out a small notebook) Mia: You took notes?... of his fight...? Shin-hee: Yes. Ama-ne: ¡ãHaa, I should have watched his fight...!¡ã Mia: Actually... I wanted to know how he controlled his magic power... Shin-hee: He didn''t use any (writes something in his notebook). Mia: Huh...? To Mia, it was incomprehensible that such an impact could occur between two people without both of them using magic power in parallel. Shin-hee: He didn''t use any. He can''t even use his magic power. Mia: But¡ª... And the shock!? Shin-hee: It was his own strength against Anna''s magic power (continues writing without bothering to look up). Mia: .... Mia was stunned. How could she believe that mere physical strength had produced such an impact and held for over 7 seconds? It was impossible to believe, but as she searched for possibilities to explain it, she finally found an answer. Mia: It''s because of his gift, isn''t it? Ama-ne: ¡ãHis gift?!¡ã (leans in to listen) Shin-hee: No, I don''t know what his gift is, but it wasn''t his gift that allowed him to do that. Ama-ne: Well, it''s true that Wan has always been very strong (doesn''t seem too shocked by what they''ve said). Mia: No, Ama-ne, not you too... don''t tell me you''ve gone crazy as well... Mia didn''t actually think it was impossible for Wan to do that. She had already seen Heroes defeat enormous monsters without using magic power, but this was a student from Prism, and more importantly, a student who had only attended classes for two days before temporarily withdrawing for an indefinite period. A student who had been lucky enough to obtain a gift just one day before the admissions deadline, a student who had an average rating so far because he couldn''t use his magic power but excelled in combat. So no, it wasn''t impossible, but it was like obtaining a legendary-rank title by snapping your fingers¡ªthere''s only a one in a Duocillion chance of getting one by accident. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Hoe: (running with a wide, happy smile on her face) Mr. Hypnos! (waves her hand in the air) Wan: Oh, Hoe, is there a problem? Hoe: No, I was just happy to see you! Aside from her slightly crazy tendencies, Hoe was loving and cheerful, and after I showed her the truth behind the demons and demonesses she had been feeding, she started crying and feeling sorry for herself, coincidentally on a rainy day. FLASHBACK Hoe: Even after all that... ¡ª I still couldn''t... pu-puri-...fy my re- sniff regrets (cries silently, crouched with her head in her arms and knees). Wan: Yes (dry and monotone). Hoe: ! (lifts her head toward Wan, then her face tightens with regret, and she buries her head back between her legs and arms). You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Wan: ¡ãDid she really think I was going to comfort her?¡ã [Current number of tokens: 42] As if it were a reminder from the system, it showed me the tokens. Wan: ¡ãOf course, I''m going to comfort her; I''m not a monster!¡ã Ma''am... you were wrong all along. Hoe: (in a trembling voice) I-I''m s-... Wan: But as my father always said, "What we did in the past only matters if it affects our future." And I''d like to add something. Hoe: (slowly lifts her head, her mouth slightly open). Wan: We always have the right to multiple chances, both you and I. To be honest, I sympathize with you because I''ve had regrets too, but... I didn''t let them take over, and so they got lost in my abyss. So far, it was a flawless performance. At that moment, I could have told her I was a demon king, and she would have believed me. Now I was going all in¡ªif what I was about to say failed or was rejected, it would be over for me, my request, and my tokens. And suddenly, as if by luck, the sun returned and shone behind me and in front of Hoe, except I was blocking the sun with my body. Wan: (surrounded by the sun) So... would you also like to lose yourself and your regrets in my abyss? Hoe: (a bit surprised) ¡ã...Is this a guide sent by this universe for me?¡ã (illuminated by Wan (the sun)). END OF FLASHBACK (I earned 7 tokens) Since then, she''s been acting like a yandere. She comes to see me every day, brings me food, and stays with me for more than 15 hours a day. I also decided to play the honesty card by telling her that I''m a human disguised as a demon to infiltrate a slave market and destroy it, which wasn''t false because with the death of Baron Tsuhre, his slave market would die with him. Hoe: How can I help you?! (enthusiastically) We were both sitting at a picnic table that I had set up on a lush green plain. Behind me was a tent large enough for three people, but it only housed me and sometimes Uli, who wanted to sleep with me. I had been making a lot of trips between my lair of knowledge and Da?nmonn. Wan: I don''t want your help. Who knows what could happen if Beelzebub catches us? You''d be in danger, and I don''t want that to happen. I was telling the truth¡ªshe was going to be quite useful. She considered me her guide; she might be my token farm, and I liked her a lot. I mean, her character and development (the one in the flashback) moved me and made me attach (just a little) to her (her character). Hoe: (torn between two emotions, joy and determination) I''m extremely happy and touched that you''re worried about me! But I still want to help you! She then leaned over the table, and her face ended up less than 10 centimeters from mine. Hoe: Please! Let me help you! I''m really sincere! Wan: Are you sincere? Hoe: Yes, I''m willing to do anything! Wan: Then¡ª.... I was about to speak, but my eyes caught sight of her cleavage, which, in this position, revealed almost everything, whether it was her breasts or her bra. Actually, her cleavage wasn''t noticeable at first, but in this position... Wan: (turns his head) Before anything else, could you sit back down? Hoe: Huh, oh yes (unsuspecting, then sits back down). Sir, I''m not joking; I really want to help you, and I''m willing to do anything! Wan: Even become my slave? I''m rather cautious, and even though I trust you, I need guarantees. I said that in the hope of calming her down, but when I raised my eyes to her face, she was holding her head in her hands with an expression that mixed excitement and embarrassment, although when I looked at her face, I noticed she was much more excited than embarrassed. Hoe: Your slave... (a thin line of drool runs down her mouth) ¡ãIs this the universe rewarding me for my efforts?¡ã And while she was imagining certain things between her and me, she suddenly started pounding the table, then, with a bright, radiant smile, she stood up and said: Hoe: I accep¡ª...! Wan: I''m going to stop you right there. I interrupted her. Wan: I know that for some reasons you''d gladly accept, but spend more time thinking about it. Hoe: But¡ª...! Wan: I''m saying this for your own good. Hoe: (makes a pouty face and puppy eyes, then lowers her head) ...Okay... Oh, and unrelated to the situation, but night was falling, giving way to a starry sky. Wan: ¡ãI''d like to remind you that I''m the younger one here; there''s even a six-year gap between us. She''s 23, and I''m 17.¡ã (places his hand on Hoe''s head, then gently strokes her hair) If you really want to help me, please read this book for me (hands her a book written in the demon language). I''m still having some trouble with the demon language. Hoe: (slowly raises her head, tears in her eyes) W-with pleasure! Finally, I rested my head in my arms on the table and listened to Hoe read. To be honest, her voice was rather pleasant to hear, and she read well too. Whether it was her intonation or her punctuation, I could clearly understand everything that was being said. Hoe: "And after he solved his first problem, he tried to escape with his treasure, but unfortunately for him, he fell into the ocean with it...." The end... (looks at Wan). Wan: (peacefully asleep). Hoe: I wonder what kind of person he is among humans... and who his friends are... and also if he has a girlfriend, or if he''s engaged or married... (gently and delicately plays with Wan''s hair while slumping onto the table). ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Mia: (blushing) This is a book about sexual positions! Shin-hee: You want to bribe him and... (laughs narcissistically) hahaha... You are holding a book recognized by me, descendant of the ethereal dream tree and eternal possessor of the flame of the depths and death, hahahaha! Mia: Go to hell! Shin-hee: And it''ll come in handy when you''re with him, hahahahahhah! Mia: (punches Shin-hee, who blocks it with magic power) Ugh, what the hell are you TALKING about!? Ama-ne: (in a very, very low and uncharismatic voice) S-s-stop fighting... we''re in a shopping m-mall..! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Wan: (sleeping peacefully (but really, just sleeping)). Hoe: Actually, earlier, I noticed you looking at my cleavage... it embarrassed me, but I really wanted you to let me help, so I stayed like that, hoping it would dissuade you from saying no, but no, you turned your head and asked me to sit back down. Wan: (sleeping peacefully). Hoe: And then when I was sad that you rejected my help, you comforted me again (he just asked her to read a book he couldn''t understand). And when you asked me to be your slave... it''s weird to say this, but I reached ecstasy.... And again, I know it''s strange, and this is the first time I''ve felt this way, but I think I''m in love with you, Mr. Hypnos... (blushes a little as she realizes what she just said). [Thanks to your strong involvement with a character who has undergone a change, you obtain 12 tokens]. The next morning Wan: Hmm (slowly opens his eyes). As I was struggling to wake up because my sleep had been so comfortable and restorative, I felt something rather soft against my face. It took me a moment to realize it was a woman''s chest, and that woman was Hoe. Of course, I quickly moved away, and fortunately, she wasn''t completely naked; otherwise, who knows what I would have thought happened last night. But she was wearing a baby doll nightshirt with a lingerie set underneath. I first tried to extricate myself from her arms, but I was surprised to notice that I also had my arms wrapped around her. Wan: (looks at himself and his body) ¡ãOkay, I''m not naked... well, not completely...¡ã I was shirtless, but below, there was nothing unusual. Besides, I don''t know why, but I felt comfortable. Wan: ¡ãIt must be thanks to her gift or her skills.¡ã Although Hoe was often seen when the protagonist was in Da?nmonn, we never actually saw her fight or even talk about fighting, so it was impossible to know her gift or anything like that. Hoe: Hmm... Hoe was waking up, so I pretended to still be asleep, but it didn''t work. Hoe: I saw you (giggles softly and kindly amused). Wan: (continues pretending to sleep). Hoe: And besides that, I feel something hard against my skin. Wan: Th-that''s my phone! (pulls out his phone and shows it). Hoe: (laughs gently, amused) Your reaction was really cute. Wan: Hmm (turns his face away). Hoe: (pulls Wan against her). Wan: Aaahhh... And... I know that it sounds like I''m just a pervert, but I swear I didn''t do it on purpose. Wan: (one hand on Hoe''s breast and the other hand on her stomach) Haaa... Hoe: (laughs, genuinely amused) You''re just a child; it''s obvious. Wan: S-s-sorry! (still monotone, with eyes just a little narrower). I stuttered because this was the third or fourth time something like this had happened in my life, despite all the people obsessed with me. Well, in the end, she did let me go and told me that I had fallen asleep while she was reading the book. Just after that, she had brought me back to the tent, and when she was about to leave, a storm had set in. And storms in Da?nmonn are particularly violent because they strike with magic power that the former Great Demon had sown while fighting against the former Imperial Elf. Even though the battle took place 300 years ago, its effects are still felt, particularly through storms like this one. Wan: (puts his shirt back on) And about my shirt... and your clothes? (with a bit of hesitation on the word "clothes"). Hoe: Well, the storm was going to last a really long time, so I made myself comfortable; and as for your shirt, I thought you''d like to be comfortable too. Wan: Hmm... Silence fell as I stared at her, and she looked at me, wondering what I wanted. Wan: Aren''t you going to get dressed? Hoe: No, after all, the storm hasn''t passed. Wan: What? "The storm hasn''t passed" didn''t make much sense to me because I couldn''t hear anything that could be a storm, especially not a Da?nmonn storm. Hoe: I put up an isolation barrier. Okay, now I understood better. With an isolation barrier, we could only hear the noises from inside and not from outside, and vice versa. Wan: ... (stares at Hoe, then glances back and forth between her outfit and her face) Are you really not going to get dressed? Hoe: No, besides, you''re the one who grabbed me in your sleep, you held me in your arms on your own. Wan: I wasn''t conscious. Hoe: (teasing smile) And when you took the opportunity to check out my outfit, you were conscious then, right? Wan: It was just to analyze the situation, that''s all. And besides, it''s see-through, so I could see every inch of your body, even the most intimate parts. Hoe: (teasing and provocative smile) Ooh~ Suddenly, she flipped me over, and I found myself lying on the ground with her on top of me. Hoe: You saw "even the most intimate parts"? Wan: Yes, and right now it''s even worse. Now I was closer, and since she was on top of me, I had a full view of everything¡ªher vagina, her breasts, her legs, her stomach, and even the junctions connecting her legs to the upper part of her body. Hoe: (licks her lips) So, do you want to explore them? (a wide, provocative, and teasing smile). End of chapter (Spoiler: He said no, and then they played cards while waiting for the storm to pass). [Current number of tokens: 61] 12.00 It was a few hours before I would execute the plan I had devised to kill Tsuhre without the slightest danger. I had been in Pandia for two weeks, and today was my only chance because, after re-confirmation from the organization (the one he temporarily works for as an assassin), Beelzebub would arrive in 8 hours. Wan: Hoe, no matter what you see out there, don''t act until Count Tsuhre is dead. I finally agreed to let Hoe help me. After all, given how strong she was, she could assist me in case of trouble. At the moment, she''s even stronger than me. Last time, I was just in a place that disadvantaged Hoe and worked to my advantage, and even then, we were just about equal. Hoe: Mr. Hypnos-... (interrupted) Wan: You can call me Wan now. Hoe: O-okay, Mr. Wan! By the way, I have some questions... Wan: Hmm, I''m listening. Hoe: I have a strange feeling in my neck. Is that normal? Wan: Yes, after all, it was tough, and it went deep into your throat. Hoe: Hmm, it still feels weird, though. (Holds her throat) Wan: Let me remind you that you were the one who wanted this. Hoe: Yes, that''s true. By the way, should I call you master now? Wan: ..... I was a bit surprised by this question. Even though what happened could lead her to call me that, I thought she''d understand it''s just temporary. Wan: Do as you like. ¡ãIt''s not like we''ll be together for another two weeks anyway.¡ã Yes, as soon as Baron Tsuhre is dead, I''ll head to the sinister forest of Pandia, and I''ll leave her behind. She''ll be alone again, and by breaking the guide she found in me, I''ll indirectly break her. Hoe: Yes, Master Wan! (Shows a wide, happy smile) Wan: At least tell me you know the servitude contract is temporary. It only lasts 3 days, and at the end of those 3 days, the crystal sealing the contract will liquefy into magical power. Hoe: Yes, I know, so I might as well enjoy it! After checking the thousands of U crystals I had amassed by playing at the casino, the weapon that would kill Tsuhre, reviewing the identity I would assume, making Hoe review the identity she would assume, and putting on our outfits that were just perfect for the situation, I packed up the tent and stored the table in my knowledge lair. Hoe: I''m ready! (Making a quick fist gesture) Wan: (Looking at the sky) ¡ãNight has fallen¡ã (Moves his gaze to Hoe) Hoe was wearing a long black dress, a kind of neck warmer not connected to her dress, and some gloves that went just a little past her elbows (descriptive image at the end). Her skin seemed a bit more well-kept compared to when she was feeding her fake homeless people and exhausting herself for them. Wan: Hmm, it suits you. Hoe: (Blushes a little) T-thank you, master! It suits you well too. Wan: Hmm, I guess, although I might have let my hair grow a bit too much. My hair had grown about ten centimeters in the meantime. It''s probably because, over the past two weeks, I''ve been exposed to magical power for the first time in 17 years. Otherwise, I was wearing a classic suit ensemble: a black suit jacket, a white shirt underneath, black suit pants, black loafers, and a black bow tie. I was almost entirely dressed in black. I even changed the color of my horns to dark gray. Except for my shirt and my eyes, I was dressed all in dark colors to blend in better when I''d flee with Hoe. Hoe: Long hair really suits you, master. Wan: Well, it''s normal, but for now, let''s move on. We have more important matters at hand. We then arrived on a muddy street. We wore long trench coats that covered us completely, so as not to get extorted, noticed, or dirty. After a good ten minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the door leading to Tsuhre''s slave market. We removed our trench coats and took the stairs right after the door, which led us to a long corridor with completely black walls, floor, and ceiling. In this setting, our outfits seemed inappropriate, but after picking out masks we liked from boxes on the sides and putting them on, we then passed through a double door, revealing a room resembling the hall of a castle (descriptive image at the end). We weren''t alone; there were about five or six others besides us, all masked. Wan: (Whispers to Hoe) Don''t get distracted by what''s around us; we just need to find Tsuhre and talk to him. (Stops whispering) Besides that, I like your mask. Hoe: Huh? Oh, yes, I suppose it''s nice. I picked it because it wasn''t bulky. Hoe opted for a mask that only covered a quarter of her face, and she chose her right eye. Hoe: And yours... covers your whole face. Wan: That''s what you think. Baron Tsuhre''s slave market was never mentioned in IT0, but all slave markets in demon territory have one common feature: they all have masks made of slime, so they''re completely customizable. Wan: [Slime form change, type: mental] It changes shape according to the wearer''s desire and the closest idea. By saying this formula, the mask adhered to my skin and turned into a fairly thin fabric mask that only covered my eyes. Hoe: Wow, as expected of you, master. Wan: Focus. Hoe: Yes... You''re such a killjoy, master. Wan: Are you doing this on purpose? ¡ãWe''re going to kill someone, and she''s messing with me?¡ã After touring everything vile and illegal we could see, we finally found ourselves in front of Baron Tsuhre, who was walking with two guards. Tsuhre: (Walks past, glancing quickly at Hoe and her body, then licks his lips) Wan: 5,000 U crystals. Tsuhre: (Stops, then turns his gaze to Wan) For? (Serious) Wan: ¡ãThis pervert knows how to be professional¡ã Your slaves. Tsuhre: Sorry, but I already have an important guest who has reserved all the slaves for tonight. 5,000 U crystals, with one U crystal being worth 73,968 won (50€), means 5,000 U crystals are worth 739,688,353 won (500,000€). A slave generally costs 5 U crystals at most, so this offer should have been enough, but he prefers to miss this offer for Beelzebub, who is surely wealthier, but mainly to gain his favor. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Wan: When I said 5,000 U crystals, it was just to see the slaves. I wasn''t talking about buying bread. My plan was to act like a spoiled brat so he''d think he could extort as much money as possible from me. Tsuhre: ... (Takes on a huge malicious smile) You should have said that earlier, young master. (Claps his hands together) Follow me. (Speaks to his guard) And you, go gather all the slaves down below. Hoe and I then followed him down the hall, and just before exiting the hall, I felt a gaze on me. I looked up and saw a beautiful young woman with a whip in her hand and red hair staring at me. A sadistic and amused smile spread across her face, and two or three seconds after our eyes met, I caught a card in front of my face, put it away, and continued following Tsuhre. [The character ''Miyoku'' has taken a certain sadistic sexual interest in you.] I realized that when I read her card, I had just encountered one of the future antagonists. [Thanks to your involvement, you have gained 2 tokens.] Wan: ¡ãAs long as she gives me tokens, that''s fine by me.¡ã I know saying that when a sadistic and super-powerful antagonist is emotionally and sexually interested in me isn''t the best thing to do, but well, I currently have 63 tokens, so if I could get a good dozen by increasing her affection for me, that''s fine by me. But it''s a double-edged sword; unless there have been changes to her as well, I risk getting captured and... well, I''ll spare you the details, but it''s truly a double-edged sword. Anyway, I arrived in Tsuhre''s office, which seemed to be the room just before the one his subordinate was preparing with the slaves. Wan: (Sits down in a relaxed and laid-back manner) Yeon, give him the 5,000 (Makes a quick hand gesture to Hoe). Hoe was pretending to be Yeon, the secretary of this spoiled young master that I was; so she placed a bag full of 5,000 U crystals. Wan: (Looks around the room, then points to an unusual globe) What''s that thing called? Tsuhre: A dimensional holographic globe. This globe was rather large and didn''t seem physical. It was a first for me, as I had never seen such technology. Wan: Yeon, write that down. I''ll ask Dad¡ªhmm, I mean, Father to buy me a hundred of them. Hoe: At your command, master. (Jots down notes in a small notepad) After verifying all the U crystals in the bag, he resumed his malicious grin. Tsuhre: I''ll be direct, young master, but what''s your budget? Wan: I''d say it doesn''t have an exact limit, but if I had to set one so that Dad¡ªsorry, Father¡ªdoesn''t cut off my allowance, I''d say about twenty thousand U crystals. Why? How much do slaves cost here? Tsuhre: Well, it depends on which ones, and how much money do you have on you? Wan: Yeon. Hoe: Currently, we have 7,000 crystals on us, but if that''s not enough, we can fetch another ten thousand and be back in an hour. Wan: ¡ãBeelzebub arrives in 7 hours, we should be fine.¡ã Tsuhre: (Still with his malicious grin) Well, unfortunately, you''re short by 8,000 U crystals, but... (Looks at Hoe with a lecherous and perverse gaze) we can work something out... Wan: (Stands up) ¡ãWhat a disgusting pervert¡ã I''ll go get the 8,000 U crystals; I''ll be back in an hour. Hoe and I left, acting as if we were really going to fetch the U crystals. Then we returned 1 hour and 20 minutes later, went back to Tsuhre''s office, and then went to see the slaves. Wan: Father wasn''t lying; this is amusing to see. All the slaves were locked up in cages. They were dirty, muddy, and most of them were either large, robust men or ravishing women with many assets. There were also children, 90% of whom were girls, which I found really disgusting. I mean, there should be some limits. What''s more, there were slaves of all species, really of all species. Wan: I need to see humans, elves, dwarves, spirits, and all those living in the fantasy domain and the shared domain. At that point, anyone would be wondering what I was doing. He was right beside me, and it was the best moment to kill him. Even if there were guards, Hoe was there to handle them. But I had to make this all more credible, so I walked past a slave with wolf ears who seemed to be respected by everyone in his cage. Wan: (Whispers very softly) Make sure the children close their eyes when I come back. I''m going to kill Tsuhre. Then I randomly chose an elf. That pervert Tsuhre probably thought I chose her just because she had nice assets or something. I swallowed the U crystal that was supposed to seal the contract, but too bad for him, I don''t have magical power, so I can''t infuse it into the U crystal, which means I can''t make someone my slave unless they want it. Wan: What''s her name? All the slaves suddenly became much quieter. Tsuhre: You can give her whatever name you want. (Pleased with the deal he just made) And as he knelt down in front of the cage to open it, Hoe killed the three guards, and I cut off his head in one clean stroke. His body fell, and blood flowed abundantly, but it wasn''t enough. His head, which had rolled to my feet, I crushed with all my strength. Wan: ¡ãMy first kill in two and a half years.¡ã I said that to remind myself. Hoe: Did you really need to be that violent? Wan: It''s the first time I''ve killed a demon, so I wanted to make sure he was dead. (Lifts his foot and looks at the bits of brain stuck to his loafers) The elf woman I had supposedly taken as a slave charged at me, but Hoe stopped her, and then I said: Wan: Jump three times. That''s an order. Of course, she didn''t jump three times because I didn''t actually make her my slave. Wan: You''re not my slave, that''s all. Well, I wish you all a better life. (Starts to leave) Hoe: (Grabs Wan by the collar) Maybe we should open them, Master? Wan: You can''t open living beings. Hoe: I meant the cages, Master. Wan: Oh, then go ahead, open them. I''ve done my job; I''ve got nothing else to do¡ª [The character ''Savio'' feels conflicted about you.] Wan: I didn''t say anything, let''s help all these people. Savio is a descendant of Qilin, and above all, a teacher in the broadest sense of the word, in both combat and moral, physical, and technical education, as well as culture. Truly, he''s multi-functional and loves teaching people. Right now, I don''t need a plan or anything; I just need to ask him to teach Uli. Then, when I''m sure he won''t reveal that Uli is a dragon, I''ll give him all the details, and he''ll gladly accept to teach a species known for its wisdom and intelligence. Wan: (In the process of opening a cage) Oh, and I almost forgot, but who is Savio? I heard that he''s a brilliant teacher. Savio: That''s me, indeed. Wan: ¡ã... I''m speechless. Whether it''s the system or the author, I''m speechless.¡ã [WARNING ¨C CHANGE REGARDING THE CHARACTER OF SAVIO] [The character ''Savio'' has had their gender changed.] I was happy to finally face a man because so far, the only man I''ve been around for the past two weeks was Shin-hee. So yes, I''m pissed off. I''ve had enough of being polite, but I can''t take it anymore. Damn it, let me hang out with some men, for crying out loud! Wan: Could I speak with you a little later? Savio: O-of course. (A bit hesitant) [The character ''Savio'' is wary of you.] Wan: ¡ãWhatever, as soon as I talk about teaching, she''ll say yes.¡ã Her core issue hasn''t changed, and since it hasn''t changed, she''s still as passionate about teaching as ever. After freeing all the slaves, I found myself in front of Savio while Hoe distributed the crystals I had amassed. I didn''t donate out of kindness; I gave them away because it''s a good way to scatter possible evidence. Wan: (Sitting in a nonchalant manner on a throne) I heard from a great elf friend that you''re an excellent teacher, is that true? (Removes his mask) At this point, I wasn''t even trying to play the arrogance card. No, I just made myself comfortable on this rather cozy throne. Wan: But also that you''re passionate about teaching. Savio: Well, yes, I love teaching, but I don''t know if one can say I''m an excellent teacher. Wan: Stop being modest; I''ve been told about the hundreds of offers you''ve received. Savio: It''s more because I have connections that helped. Wan: Anyway, I''m going to make you an offer that a teaching enthusiast like you could never refuse. Savio: ? [The character ''Savio'' feels a certain curiosity.] Wan: Among your achievements, it''s said that you''ve taught every race on this planet, and that you''ve even taught a Winged One. The Winged Ones are... well, that''s a story for another time, but they''re a really, really, really special and rare race. Wan: I''m going to let you teach someone from a race that has no more than 4 or 5 members. Savio: A... race like that...? Even the Winged Ones have around thirty-five members... Wan: Although officially, it''s been completely annihilated, less than ten members still exist, and I''m asking you to teach one of them. Savio: But... if that''s really the case... you know it''s dangerous to¡ª tell me that. Wan: That''s why I want us to sign a contract. Savio: (Shivers and jumps) Wan: Not a slavery contract; I want to sign a temporary contract, one where all you''ll have to do is teach and keep the existence of both the race and the individual, as well as the location, a secret. Savio: ...¡ª (Thinks) Wan: ¡ãShe can''t say no. Her passion for teaching is like an alcoholic''s passion for alcohol; they can never resist.¡ã I sold her a dream, and I gave her an exit door but also an entrance door. To be honest, these are simple things to do. I mean, everyone has manipulated someone without even realizing it, and here¡ªI offered her what, for her, is the Holy Grail. [Thanks to your involvement with the character ''Savio,'' you''ve obtained 3 tokens.] [You have earned the title ''Manipulative Pervert'' (more commonly known as: "Narcissistic Pervert")] Now, written like this, it sounds weird for sure, but let me give you its true definition: "Manipulative Pervert" or "Narcissistic Pervert." These terms refer to a person who manipulates others in a calculated and often cruel way to satisfy their own needs and desires without regard for the consequences for others. So it has nothing to do with perverse ideas! [You receive nothing you didn''t have before.] [As an apology, you receive 5 tokens.] Wan: ¡ãTokens, yesssss!¡ã (Still with a monotone expression) Anyway, she accepted, which she couldn''t refuse¡ªnot because I had it all calculated, but more because it was just logical that she would accept ______________________ End of the chapter| 12.05 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In the Knowledge Lair Uli: Wan! Wan: (lying on a pile of books) Hmm? (reading a book, with librarian glasses on) Uli: I want new books with pictures! Wan: ¡ãIt''s true that I only have books with words, and only the ones I bought two weeks ago have pictures...¡ã Uli: I like books with words, but I want books with pictures! Wan: ¡ãYou can really tell she has the mental age of a 7-year-old, not that it''s a problem, of course¡ã (closes his book) In the outside world, I''m not in a place where there are picture books, so wait until Madame Savio comes; I''ll ask her to buy some for you and bring them. Since Wan was under contract with Savio, she could come to the Knowledge Lair. When Savio came a few days later, she brought about twenty picture books. Wan: You didn''t need to bring so many, you know... Savio: (petting Uli''s hair) It was a request from my little dragon Uli. How could I have brought just two or three! (stars in her eyes) Wan: ¡ãA teaching enthusiast.¡ã In IT0, the author writes word for word when describing Savio: "If asked to choose between teaching or living, he wouldn''t understand the question and would answer without a hint of hesitation, ''teaching.''" Wan: Well, have a good session. Savio: You''re leaving? Wan: Yes, and I''d prefer if you used informal language with me. After all, I''m only 17. Savio: 17?... She seemed surprised but not shocked. For Wan, that was for the best, because otherwise, it would have become a topic of conversation, and Wan wouldn''t have been able to leave quickly. Wan: Yes, anyway, good luck with Uli. (A book appears in his hand) Savio: Yes, goodbye... Wan looked at her one last time, with her jacket over her teacher''s outfit, her black hair, her blue and violet eyes, her pointed ears, and her blue Qilin horns and tail. Wan: (opens the book and disappears) Savio: 17 years old... ¡ãAnd yet, from the way he acts, I''d give him 27, and from how he looks, I''d give him 19. I thought he seemed younger... but he just looks older...¡ã After the lesson. Savio: Tell me, Uli. Uli: Yes, Professor Savio? (lying on her stomach with a picture book in her hands) Savio: Do you like Wan? Uli: Yesss! (cheerful tone) Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Savio: And can you tell me some things about him? Uli: What do you want to know, Professor Savio? Savio: I don''t know... for example, have you ever seen him smile? Uli: No! But Wan tells me when he''s happy and when he''s not; he just always keeps the same face. Savio: ¡ãEmotions, but he never shows them, he just states them¡ã And how long have you known him? Uli: It''s been three weeks! Savio: ¡ãSo he met Uli two weeks before he met me.¡ã Savio then asked Uli a lot of questions about Wan, and after that discussion, her curiosity was at its peak. And when there''s curiosity, there''s something to learn, and when there''s something to learn, there''s something to teach, and where there''s something to teach, there''s Savio. [The character ''Savio'' now feels a huge curiosity about you.] [Thanks to your involvement with the character ''Savio,'' you''ve obtained 5 tokens.] Wan: ¡ãI don''t know what they''re talking about, but thanks, Uli and Savio. Thanks to you, I''ve finally surpassed 75 tokens!¡ã [Current number of tokens: 76] Hoe: Master, come here, I found a cave! (a little further away, on a path) Those two were in the sinister forest of Pandia, apparently searching for a cave that, for Wan, housed the {Seed of the Limit}. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Meanwhile, Shin-hee, Mia, Sangho, Anna, and Yeong were forming a team¡ªwhich, by the way, they didn''t choose¡ªfor today''s real-condition training. Anna: We should try to get to know each other''s abilities better. Sangho: (arrogantly) And who said you''re the leader here!? Mia: (gives a smack to Sangho) Shut up, she''s the most tactical and strategic person here. Sangho: Owwww... Shin-hee: ¡ãShe hits where it hurts¡ã (chimes in) Mia: And even if that weren''t the case, you wouldn''t be the leader; you''re too dumb. Anna: ¡ãAnd she finished him off without mercy.¡ã Yeong: Can I start if you allow me? Shin-hee: I''m listening. Shin-hee didn''t look down on her, it''s just that, to him, he''s superior, so he acts that way. Sangho: Yeah, we''re listening! He, on the other hand, clearly looked down on her. Yeong: I can play the tank role thanks to my gift. Anna: I''m DPS type. Mia: DPS as well. Sangho: DPS too! Shin-hee: From what I hear, I''ll have to play support, but don''t worry, I''m perfect, so it won''t be a problem, hahahaha! Well, actually, the scene that just happened is a scenario directly from Shin-hee''s brain and imagination when he heard the team compositions. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Meanwhile, Ama-ne was practicing with her bow. She was now able to shoot two arrows at the same time. It wasn''t as fast and precise as Wan''s, but she was still excellent, even compared to someone whose gift was aligned with shooting. Ama-ne: (puts down her bow) I can''t do it like Wan... (puts her hands on her temples and massages her head) Maybe I''ll remember if I''m lucky (tries to recall). No matter how hard she tried to remember all the details, she had already imitated Wan perfectly. Ama-ne: I can''t remember anything else; maybe I don''t have enough dexterity? The real issue is that Wan has too much dexterity. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Wan: Repeat that for me? Hoe: (a bit hesitant with her words) The contract... of servitude, I altered it before we signed it. I thought that since Master isn''t very sensitive to magical power, you wouldn''t notice... Wan: ... ¡ãAnd she''s right; I didn''t notice...¡ã You could have altered whatever you wanted, but you... Wan sighed. Of all the things she could have altered, Hoe chose to alter the duration and the contract cancellation options. Wan: ... You decided that the duration would be infinite, and that there wouldn''t even be any options to cancel the contract... Hoe: ... Yes, Master. (very low voice) Wan: Me... well, it works out for me since I can order you to do whatever I want, but you, you''ve just bound yourself to be my slave until the end of your life. Hoe: Yes! (stars in her eyes) Wan didn''t need to think much to come to a conclusion. Wan: ¡ãNow, she''ll be a major asset in my plans, and she won''t be able to refuse anything...¡ã It''s for the best. Hoe: (excited, a wide, happy smile) Maaaaster! (jumps on Wan) Wan: (falls to the ground) Aargh, your chest is crushing me! (still monotone) Hoe: All the more reason to stay like this, hihi~ Wan: ¡ãI''m going to have to deal with this issue of her behavior.¡ã ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Wan: (in the Knowledge Lair, sitting at a desk) It annoys me to have to do this. Savio: It''s for Uli, so do it. Wan: (with a brush in hand) Just admit that you''re curious. Savio: Where there''s something to learn, there''s something to teach! (stars in her eyes) Wan: (sighs) Calligraphy, right? Savio: Yes, write a word or a phrase that''s symbolic. Wan: (looks carefully at the brush and ink) It seems like good quality. Wan wasn''t really expecting an answer. He placed his brush on the paper and delicately and gracefully moved it across the sheet. Wan: (stops and sets the brush down) Wan then said nothing for the next ten minutes, and then he stood up. Wan: Sit down. (offers her the chair) Savio: (a bit surprised) Oh... o-okay... (sits in the chair) Wan: Alright, now what do you see? Savio: It says "complete and finished," in a very beautiful script, by the way. Wan: I know, but try to see beyond that. That''s what I was doing during the time I didn''t speak. Savio: Beyond...? Wan: My father and even my oldest brother once told me, "There''s a world behind the walls, but to see it, you first need a window and then a door." Savio: That''s... that''s deep, for sure. Wan: Back then, I didn''t really understand, but I learned later. And where there''s something to learn... Savio: There''s something to teach! (smiling, with stars in her eyes) Wan: Yes. I''ll be¡ªliterally¡ªright next to you on my phone, so don''t hesitate to call me if you think you understand the meaning behind those two words. Savio: Absolutely! But... why are you doing this? Wan: Doing what? Savio: Trying to teach me something. I heard from Uli that you don''t do anything unless it benefits you. Wan: Hmm, that''s not entirely false, but... I suppose I appreciate your passion for teaching. [Your title "Manipulative Pervert" activates one of its effects.] [? The chances that people believe your words, whether true or not, increase significantly.] Wan: ¡ãI was half-telling the truth, so it''s not a lie! This title is a lie!¡ã Ahem, and let''s just say it''s a gift because you''re teaching Uli for free. Savio had refused any form of payment. She enjoyed teaching, and since it was Uli¡ªone of the few remaining dragons¡ªshe didn''t even want money. After hearing these words, she gave Wan a huge, wide, happy, and sincere smile, then she focused on the paper on the table. [Your words have been perceived as true.] [As a result, and thanks to your title: "Manipulative Pervert," you gain 0.050 stat points, which will be randomly distributed between variable and secondary stats.] Wan: ¡ãWho said this title was a lie? Me? Impossible. It''s the most beautiful and honest title I''ve ever seen.¡ã _____________________ End of chapter | 13.00 I obtained the {limit seed} without much trouble; it was in a cave I found with Hoe''s help. Speaking of Hoe, I let her go wherever she wanted, but I instructed her not to approach the jungle I was currently in. It had been two weeks since I had managed to kill Tsuhre, so I had a little less than four weeks left before I had to return to Prism to meet Eun-Seo, the second heroine, during the practical monster elimination exam. Wan: ¡ãI ghosted them all month long, but their messages and calls still keep coming¡ã Except for Shin-hee and Ama-ne ho know me best and are the only ones who understand who I used to be, so it''s understandable. As I walked through this jungle, wondering whether I should call them or do something else, I heard a noise in one of the bushes to my left. I put my phone away and carefully watched the bush. The noise was sharp, so it didn''t last, but I felt that whatever caused it was still there. Normally, I would''ve gone to check, but¡­ no, I''m not suicidal; I''m not going over there. We''re halfway into IT0, and as I''ve said before, "being in IT0 means being cursed," so I''m already half-cursed. Who''s to say that if I go, I won''t run into a calamity? A quick lesson: calamities are monsters, but they''re unique. They''re the only ones of their type in the world. They''re not necessarily strong, but they''re almost always dangerous. Wan: ¡ãIf I were the protagonist or if my luck stat were at 10, I could probably tame the creature behind that bush.¡ã For some reason, I remembered that the protagonist made a contract with the fourth most dangerous calamity. Wan: He was seriously overpowered.... Suddenly, a small white string, barely four centimeters long, jumped at me and bit me. At first, I jumped in surprise, but when I realized I didn''t feel any pain, poison, or curse, I focused my eyes on the little white string, which was actually a very tiny snake absorbing magic power. Wan: (grabs the snake between his fingers) I don''t have any magic power, so you threw yourself into the lion''s den, but this is perfect¡ªhaving a calamity in my hands. (The snake keeps wriggling.) Even though it was hard to believe this thing was a calamity, it had potential. In short, it works like the frog demon king in The Daily Life of the Immortal King: it improves and grows stronger by absorbing and taking the magic power of living beings. Outside of this jungle, it would have likely become a high-level calamity, but because this jungle is overwhelmed by the immense magical power of a very powerful seal, the calamity I had between my fingers hadn''t developed as much as it could have. Wan: ¡ãI could be nice to it like the protagonist...¡ã but that''s not my style, and it takes too much time. Become my familiar. I used my eyes. I didn''t yet know if they worked on calamities, but I figured it was worth a shot. Wan: ¡ãIt stopped wriggling¡­¡ã [The calamity ''white snake'' wants you to fully enslave it.] It worked. It obeyed and sent me a request for complete subjugation. Of course, I said yes and then sent it to the lair of knowledge. Wan: Good luck, Uli, Madam Savio, and maybe even Hoe with this calamity. After that, I resumed following the path. Wan: ¡ãMy luck stat is pretty low, but compared to this, it feels like many opportunities are opening up for me.¡ã After those thoughts, I focused again, reminding myself why I was here. Wan: Anyway, it feels good to be a bit alone. ¡ãHaving Hoe around was useful, but I clearly prefer traveling solo¡­¡ã Focus. (Takes a deep breath and continues on the path.) Wan: Aside from that, I''d love to be able to eat some¡ª... (stops) .... I can''t concentrate... and that''s not normal... As I''ve already said: "I have nerves of steel," and I think it showed when a private message window in a color that doesn''t exist appeared in front of me. I didn''t react much, and that was precisely thanks to my nerves of steel. So yeah, it''s not normal that I can''t concentrate. Wan: This must be proof that I''m getting closer to where I want to go. The place I wanted to reach emitted illusions or mental attacks, so not being able to concentrate was normal because I was indeed undergoing mental attacks. However, what I found strange was the fact that I didn''t feel anything¡ªnot even a tiny hint¡ªnothing at all. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Wan: ¡ãI really need some magic power, even if it''s just 0.001...¡ã With a bit of magic power, I should be able to sense things like this at least a second before, and a second in battle is already a lot, especially if the opponent is only using mental techniques. Wan: I shouldn''t be far now. When you know you''re being hit by a mental attack, its effectiveness decreases. But in my case, it''s quite special¡ªsomeone else might already be hallucinating; yes, I''m clearly praising myself here. Wan: The path continues to the left... In IT0, it wasn''t the protagonist who found this place but Eun-Seo. She comes here much later, after recovering from her depression, in about two or three years, and she finds a certain comfort in the person she sees here after another hard moment in her life. Even though she never spoke to him, she just saw him and fell in love. Sadly for her, she died without ever learning his name. The protagonist would later come here, mad with grief, unable to bring himself to leave. He decided to stay in this forest for a while, and it''s here he would meet the same person Eun-Seo had fallen in love with. This person is sealed in this forest, having sealed themselves here 700 years ago because of their curse. They have a similar curse to mine with my eyes, except theirs was imposed by magical power and is more widespread. Wan: (continues straight, avoiding some leaves that formed a sort of wall) In IT0, the author said that in his deep sadness, the protagonist got lost in thought and continued straight instead of turning. So, I did the same, hoping this part hadn''t undergone any changes. Wan: (after passing through the leaves blocking the path) .... ¡ãIt''s the castle described by the author.¡ã I found myself about thirty meters away from a European-style castle. A bit closer to me, but still some distance away, was a fountain. There was grass everywhere, and you could see the horizon with no end in sight. What surprised me most was that I hadn''t seen the castle before passing through the wall of leaves. It startled me because the castle was somewhat big. The reason I hadn''t seen it was probably because it was in a sub-dimension¡ªlike my lair of knowledge, by the way. Of course, I''m not entirely sure about my ''sub-dimension'' theory, but for now, it''s the most plausible one I have. [You''ve entered a territory that does not belong to you.] [You''ve entered: "Morph¨¦e''s Domain - Lv???."] Wan: ¡ãIt''s not necessarily a hostile territory; I should probably head towards the castle...¡ã The mental attacks must have become stronger if I have to think about something so obvious. It proves I''m getting closer to my goal. [WARNING ¨C IMPORTANT CHANGE] Wan: Please, system-nim, maybe author-nim, I don''t know, but please, I really want this to remain a man. I''m tired of being around only women! I''m not gay, I don''t feel any romantic or sexual attraction towards boys or men. I''m not a misogynist either; it''s just that it''s been literally a month since I spent more than two hours with anyone other than women. Yes, they were gorgeous women, but I need my dose of testosterone, of well-trimmed beards, of rugged skin¡­ I know it sounds like I''m crazy, but I''m not! Not yet, at least. But it won''t be long if I don''t meet someone who''s not of the female gender. The character I was supposed to meet was named Morph¨¦e, like the sleep fairy mentioned in Greek and occasionally Roman mythology. Morph¨¦e is a man cursed to be loved and charmed by anyone who sees him. In truth, Morph¨¦e''s physical appearance hasn''t been much described, but it''s often said that he''s a being who loves to have fun and entertain others. He''s the one who eased the protagonist''s sadness after Eun-Seo''s death. [The gender of the character ''Morph¨¦e'' has been changed.] Wan: ..... And you think I''m going to be happy about this? Shin-hee, I miss you. ???????: Hahaha, who do I see before me, a new visitor after 400 years of waiting? Hahaha! It was a feminine voice with a rich laugh. Wan: (inhales and exhales) ¡ãWell, that doesn''t change what I need to do, I need to focus !¡ã ???????: Am I so beautiful that you need to catch your breath? Hahaha. Wan: Morph¨¦e, that''s a nice castle you have there. (still facing away from ?Morph¨¦e) ?Morph¨¦e?: Hmm, you know me... You came here on purpose? Wan: Yes, and contrary to what you might think, I didn''t come here to admire your overwhelming beauty, which is, by the way, your curse. Morph¨¦e: ¡ãHe knows about the curse.¡ã Wouldn''t you want to, for starters, turn around and face me, please? There was a legend that circulated in Olympus and ancient Greece. It said that Morph¨¦e sealed himself in a forest and, being incredibly lonely, he took care of the sleep of humans and other living creatures to fill the void. That''s where the expression "fall into the arms of Morpheus" comes from, meaning "to fall asleep." Wan: ¡ãI''m not sure if, because of her curse, she''ll escape the effects of my eyes....¡ã You see, I''m also afflicted with a curse. Morph¨¦e: Oh~ So, you came here seeking help, then? Wan: Absolutely not. (ties a blindfold over his eyes) My curse isn''t tied to magic power. Morph¨¦e: ... Then it can''t really be a curse. You don''t even know that much... (An expression of disdain) Curses are a kind of magic. For example, there''s the minor curse of fatigue. It tires the opponent, and the more it''s cast, the higher the chance the opponent will faint, though it depends on the target''s endurance. Wan: What I''m talking about now is a curse from another world. Morph¨¦e: Hmm, strange... You seem like a human from this world. Wan: You come from a world where Olympus was a reality, and I come from a place that''s purely ordinary¡ªlike this world over 300 years ago. The only difference is, I was born to a truly special father. Morph¨¦e: Well, I''ve heard many stories of fathers. You may be from another world, but you must know that Zeus was a huge... Wan: A deceiver? Morph¨¦e: more or less¡­ he already¡ª Wan: I get it. But to go back to where I was, my father is really special, and I think that if my father had magic power, he would be able to fight on equal footing with Zeus. Morph¨¦e: (surprised) ¡ª I don''t think you realize who Zeus is... Wan: I don''t think you realize who my father is. Morph¨¦e: Whatever you say, he''s still a human. Wan: He''s not a "human" in the literal sense, and more importantly, do you really believe I don''t know about the time Zeus was defeated and humiliated by a human, and it was out of his enormous rage that he acquired the lightning bolt, which we now call: "Zeus'' Thunder"? Morph¨¦e: . . . - You''re lucky we''re in my sub-dimension, or you''d be facing Zeus right now. Wan: I''m not lying when I say my father could fight Zeus on equal terms if he had magic power. But anyway¡ª Morph¨¦e: "If he had magic power"? So, you''re saying he doesn''t? Wan: I don''t know. I haven''t seen him in seven years, and I came to this world afterward, so I don''t know if he has any. All I know is that he''s here, in this world too. Morph¨¦e: Hmm, good to know. Wan: Anyway, where was I? Morph¨¦e: Your curse. Wan: Hrumm, hrumm, yes, thank you. So, I have a curse that wasn''t triggered by magic power but by my chromosomes. Morph¨¦e: Chromosomes? I''ve heard Mobius mention that before, but I''ve never understood it... Wan: It''s what makes you a woman, gives you the color of your hair, your eye color, etc. Morph¨¦e: By the way, why don''t you turn around? Wan: ¡ãThe blindfold should be enough¡ã(turns around) I''m warning you, I can''t see anything. Morph¨¦e: Is that to avoid being affected by my curse? Wan: I wouldn''t be affected by your curse anyway. My eyes are afflicted with a curse that makes anyone I look at¡ª Morph¨¦e: Die! (suddenly excited) Like Medusa?! Wan: No. Anyone whose eyes I see has their most intense emotion amplified to the point where they can''t control themselves. Morph¨¦e: Ha, I see. But that''s not really a curse. Wan: It''s not finished. They become addicted to my eyes, so much so that they try to kill me or do unimaginable things to me. I''m not sure if it wouldn''t affect you too, so I preferred to play it safe rather than sorry. I couldn''t see anything, except maybe the sunlight hitting me in the face. I could''ve just covered my eyes with my hair, but this time I chose to play it completely safe. Morph¨¦e: Hmm, that''s quite a bothersome curse, it''s true. And I suppose plucking out your eyes and replacing them isn''t a viable option? Wan: I can''t even pluck my eyes out. Morph¨¦e: And you didn''t come here just to tell me that, did you? Wan: Indeed, I came here to make an exchange with you. ________________ End of chapter.| 14.00 PREVIOUSLY Morph¨¦e: And you didn''t come just to tell me that, did you? Wan: Indeed, I came here to make an exchange with you. END OF PREVIOUSLY Morph¨¦e: An exchange? Hahaha, I don''t see what you could possibly have to trade with me; if you saw my treasure vault, hahahaha. Morph¨¦e owns tens of thousands of treasures and stored them in her castle before sealing herself in her world. She was later transported to the world where IT0''s protagonist is, as explained in IT0, but what I didn''t know and wasn''t specified was that it was in a sub-dimension. Wan: Yes, an exchange, but let''s make a deal first. For one week, let me live by your side in your castle. And if you''re thinking, "You might try something against me," I remind you that poisons below mythical rank don''t affect you, and you''re also stronger than me. Morph¨¦e: Ha... just like that?... no transition... Wan: I also remind you that you''ve been prone to loneliness for a little over 500 years. Morph¨¦e: Aargh... you''re not entirely wrong about that... Wan: I know, so let me stay in your castle for a week, and afterward, I''ll present the exchange I have to offer. Morph¨¦e: Well... I hope you''re funny and know how to have fun! (A wide smile that Wan can''t see) To be honest, this wasn''t part of my original plan, but since Morph¨¦e changed genders, I had to adjust it a bit. Originally, I just wanted to become friends with her like the protagonist did and then sweet-talk her to get what I wanted, but now that has changed. I don''t really believe in my ability to become friends with a girl as extroverted as her, so I''ll just focus on business. The week I plan to spend with her will serve to figure out where to press and what to say to win her over. Morph¨¦e: (floating toward the castle) I didn''t even ask what your name was. Wan: (walking beside her) Well¡­ normally, I don''t give my real name to others, but I''ll make an exception for you. Morph¨¦e: An "honor"?... I think you''re forgetting who the mortal is between the two of us¡­ Wan: ¡­ My name is Wan, and you''re Morph¨¦e. Morph¨¦e: Tell me¡­ I hope it''s not too forward, but¡­ how do you know so much about me and about Zeus'' defeat at the hands of a human? You''re a mortal and from another world, so¡­ Wan: "It''s not normal," that''s what you''re thinking, isn''t it? Morph¨¦e: Yes, that''s what I think... Wan: I love reading stories, and I particularly enjoy fantasy mythology, so knowing as much as possible is a bit of a goal for me. [The title "Perverse Manipulator" cannot be activated due to the restriction imposed by the "Domain of Morph¨¦e."] Wan: ¡ãI was really telling the truth¡­ well, maybe IT0 helped me a bit too, but that''s all...¡ã Morph¨¦e: Hmm, Athena would probably have liked you. Wan: I imagine so. She then gave me a tour of the castle, which wasn''t very useful since I still had the blindfold over my eyes. POV Morph¨¦e I am Morph¨¦e, daughter of Hypnos, the being of Olympus who rules over sleep, and Nyx, the being of Olympus who reigns over the night. My domain is dreams, where I rule as the mistress, bringing visions to mortals while they sleep. My sisters, Phantasos and Phobetor, and I handle different aspects of these nocturnal journeys: Phantasos creates deceptive illusions, Phobetor engenders terrifying nightmares, while I, Morph¨¦e, give shape to dreams by taking on human forms. My power is unique. I can transform into any person, appearing in dreams under various forms, delivering messages or omens to sleepers. This is how I guide and inform mortals, offering them glimpses of the future or advice from the beings of Olympus. Each dream I bring is a story, an ephemeral vision that can inspire, warn, or simply provide a moment of respite. I have been invoked by the beings of Olympus themselves, notably by Hera to influence Zeus during times of war, or to offer omens of the future to heroes and mortals seeking answers.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. At night, I silently spread my dark wings, hovering above sleepers, penetrating their subconscious. My realm is vast and limitless, a world where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur, where desires and fears come to life. But that was before I had to seal myself. Now I manage everyone''s dreams while staying within my domain. Morph¨¦e: "So, when you close your eyes and enter the realm of sleep, know that I am there, I, Morph¨¦e, weaving the threads of your dreams, sculpting the faces and scenarios that populate your slumbering minds. Remember me, and welcome the messages I bring, for they come from the depths of the cosmos, carried on the wings of the dream being of Olympus." Wan: (sitting on a chair) You''re indeed the being of sleep, to manage to put me to sleep when it''s barely 5 PM. Morph¨¦e: (sitting in another chair) I was introducing myself just in case you didn''t know everything there was to know! Wan: If that''s the case¡­ may I ask you a question? Morph¨¦e: Hahaha, now you want to ask me questions? (Acting superior) Wan: (stands up and turns) I guess a mortal shouldn''t dare ask Morph¨¦e anything. Morph¨¦e: N-no! It''s fine, I was just kidding¡­ come back! Wan: ¡ãSo predictable.¡ã If you ask so nicely (sits back down). Morph¨¦e: (annoyed) Hrrrr, what did you want to ask me? Wan: May I? Or is it perhaps too much to ask from a mortal like me? Morph¨¦e: Raaaaah! Speak, I''m listening! Wan: It''s fun teasing you. Morph¨¦e: ...You know you''re really annoying!!! Wan: Yes, yes, I wanted to ask if you also sleep. Morph¨¦e: Well¡­ that''s a smart question you''re asking, but no, I don''t sleep. I can, but I don''t feel the need. Wan: Hmm, it''s weird to say this, but you''re really missing out. I''ve rarely seen anything as great as sleep. Morph¨¦e: (places her hand on her heart, raises her chin, and closes her eyes with a proud smile) I know! I''m the being of Olympus in charge of sleep, and have been for hundreds of thousands of years. I''ve been in charge of sleep since shortly after my birth, so it''s been hundreds of thousands of years, but I haven''t kept count. I started counting at first but quickly lost track. Four days later Wan: (sitting in the same chair) Tell me, in Olympus, do you understand the concept of "pedophilia"? Morph¨¦e: (sitting in the same chair) Pedophilia? Ah, that¡­ that only concerns mortals. As beings of Olympus, it doesn''t apply to us. Wan: That''s disgusting; Zeus with nymphs, who surely weren''t all of age, also Zeus with Ganymede. I was going to mention Hades with Persephone, but she was only a few days from coming of age, so I won''t use that one. Morph¨¦e: Haa¡­ I-I understand what you mean, but let me remind you that your norms and ours are very different, and also, we''re beings of Olympus, so there''s no real problem with our actions. Wan: ... If you could see the look I''m giving you under this blindfold, you''d understand. Morph¨¦e: Okay, some of our actions are blameworthy, yes, but don''t forget all the good we''ve generously offered to mortals! Like with Pygmalion! Wan: Okay, let''s say I overlook the "pedophilia," which is very serious, by the way. What about the rapes? Morph¨¦e: Haa¡­ it''s... Wan: Fine, no comment? Let me elaborate then; the rape of Leda by Zeus. He took the form of a swan to rape Leda, queen of Sparta. From that rape came two twins, Pollux and Helen. Though some fools might consider it "symbolic," this myth clearly involves an element of sexual abuse. Morph¨¦e: ... I had nothing to say, he was completely right. Wan: The "rape" of Io by Zeus. Zeus took the form of a cloud to seduce a woman of faith. Despite Zeus'' vain attempts to protect Io, she was found by a gadfly sent by Hera, a gadfly that would also harass her. This myth isn''t necessarily described as sexual abuse, but there''s certainly a question of consent. Wan: Zeus with the golden rain¡­ Zeus when he disguised himself as a queen''s husband and pretended to be him while her real husband was occupied with work and only came home every three days... Zeus with Diane... Zeus with... Zeus with... And he continued for a long time, listing many of Zeus'' "misdeeds" while I listened without saying a word. Morph¨¦e: ¡ãZeus, you''re not helping!¡ã Okay, I got it about Zeus! Wan: I have others than Zeus. I mainly cited him because he''s the boss of the beings of Olympus, but there''s also¡ª... Morph¨¦e: (cuts Wan off) That''s enough! You know what¡­ let''s stop talking about these things, okay? Wan: "Tired of fighting your own kind," is that it? That''s funny. Morpheus: (takes a breath and exhales) Yes, that''s it, so stop, will you? Wan: Well, I''ve only exposed the bad sides of Greek mythology, but there are plenty of stories revealing the good sides of the Olympians. Morpheus: (perks up) ? Wan: But well, the great Morpheus has requested that I, a mere mortal, stop talking about it, so that''s what I''ll do. Morpheus: Aaaargh! (really annoyed) I''m going to make some tea! (walks away) Wan: This mere mortal will eagerly await the tea you''ll bring him. Morpheus: Stop! (leaves completely) I was now in the enormous room that served as my kitchen. Morpheus: (still a little annoyed) He''s so unbearable¡­! I once again stared for a few seconds at this kitchen, far too big for me ; this huge castle was only for me, and had been since I was sealed 700 years ago. Wan is the only person to come here to this sub-dimension and not succumb to my curse. He also has one himself and asked to stay here for a while. As for the castle, with my treasures and the furniture already inside, it was well filled, but despite that, I was still alone. Morpheus: ¡ãHe''s unbearable!¡ã ... but still... His presence isn''t unpleasant. Having a bit of company after all these hundreds of years didn''t hurt; in fact, it actually felt good. Wan: (behind Morpheus) Hooo~ (still monotone, I remind you) My presence isn''t unpleasant to you...? How amusing. Morpheus: (jumps) W-What are you doing here?!?! Wan: I got lost, you see. But not me, obviously. Oh, and that was a joke, despite my somewhat monotone tone. Even after 4 days, he still hadn''t taken off his blindfold, nor changed his tone or facial expression. I think even on Olympus, I''ve never seen anyone like that. Morpheus: Y-... (blushing with embarrassment) You heard what I said?!?! Wan: Yes, and so, is my presence pleasant to you? Morpheus: N-No, I j¨C... well, maybe I appreciate your presence just a little... It''s true that having someone to stay with isn''t so bad, and I do rather like Wan. Morpheus: But don''t go imagining things! Wan: But I don''t imagine anything, I hear. And yes, I heard everything. Morpheus: (even more embarrassed) Stop it!!! (flails around) ________________ 15 POV Morph¨¦e It''s been a week since Wan first set foot on my estate, but it''s also been a week since we''ve met and rubbed shoulders in the same house. Morph¨¦e: So what was the reason for this express meeting of the castle''s residents? We were all seated around a large table, Wan had invoked the residents'' express meeting, something he''d just invented. Wan: before .... why did you put your dolls and statues on the chairs? Morph¨¦e: we''re all here! I say "we" because I''ve put the statues and dolls I''ve sewn and built to help me cope with loneliness, on the chairs around me. Morph¨¦e: you said "all the residents"! Wan: ¡ãI should have just asked her to come, instead of trying to sound dramatic...¡ã Morph¨¦e: so why am I here! Wan: ¡ãat least she understands that it''s her I want to talk to¡ã you haven''t forgotten what I said when I arrived? Morph¨¦e: (reflective) hmmm .... Wan: ¡ãshe forgot.... maybe...?¡ã Morpheus: ha! that: "what I''m talking about right now is a curse from another world"? Wan: no..., I''m talking about the exchange Morph¨¦e: the exchange...? ah yes, the exchange... That''s why he came, to make an exchange with me, after which he''ll leave me alone. Wan: it''s been a week, the deadline''s passed, so let''s talk about the exchange. Morph¨¦e : j-...I''m listening Wan: I''ve come to offer you freedom Morph¨¦e : la-... freedom? POV Wan Wan: ¡ãFreedom, in IT0 Morpheus mentions its term many times¡ã "I''d love to be free"; "if only freedom would accept me too...". "I''d love to be set free"; ''if only freedom would accept me too...''; ''this is where we say goodbye..., have fun without me, and never lose your freedom'', Morpheus mentions his term many times, so I think we can conclude that she thinks this seal was a bad idea and wants to be set free. Morpheus: ..... I really didn''t understand everything, but .... it makes me curious..., how are you going to do it?... After all, it''s a seal of mythical rank... Wan: Well..., ¡ãit''s thanks to her that I''m going to be able to free her¡ã. To destroy or break a seal of mythic rank, you need to have a technique, an item or an unsealing skill of the same level and, above all, master it well. Except that I don''t currently have any of these things. So how do I go about it? [Current number of tokens: 124] Thanks to this week with Morph¨¦e, but also to Hoe and Savio, I''ve managed to get more than 53 extra tokens. I asked the system if it could give me a mythic rank unsealing gift in exchange for tokens and it replied that gifts don''t have a specific rank, I then asked the same thing but for abilities and there it replied that yes it was possible. Wan: ¡ãit''s a bit of a shame to waste so many tokens just for that, but I need magic power at all costs, tokens are .... not easy to get but it''s not as limited as creating magic power¡ã Morph¨¦e: so how are you going to do it? Wan: I have ... the ability to unseal in a minute. Morph¨¦e: (opens her mouth to speak, but then closes it again without saying anything) ..... I''m not going to ask you how, but .... She''s hesitant, that''s not all since I mentioned the exchange I have the impression that there are a few things that have changed in her behavior...., does she know what I''m going to ask....., if I could see her facial expression clearly I could understand but .... I''ve got the blindfold on.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Wan: ¡ãit''s nothing..., she must just be a little taken aback by finally getting unsealed¡ã There''s no way she''ll refuse, I''ve come to offer her a freedom she''s wanted for hundreds of years, no even a thousand years but she''s wanted it for a long time so she won''t refuse I''m sure. Morph¨¦e: haa.... (breath) I don''t feel like it Wan: ¡ãvoil¨¤ j''avais dit quoooooiiiiii.....¡ã hmmm ... pardon? Morph¨¦e: (gets up abruptly) I said I didn''t accept! (leaves) Wan: ...----- There''s been a problem with my calculations..., as usual I''d like to say it''s impossible on my part but...., the fact that I''d just been refused proved otherwise... I then tried to talk to her again a little later in the day, at first she was all happy and you could hear it clearly in her voice, but then when I mentioned again the fact of unsealing it in exchange for one of her treasures, she quickly became irritated and left quite annoyed and you could hear it in her footsteps. So 2 days followed like this, she kept dodging me and when I luckily managed to talk to her she spoke to me for a bit before having a flashback and leaving annoyed. 2 days later Wan: ¡ãI''m going to bet on it¡ã (cooking) What I''m cooking certainly doesn''t come close to Olympian cuisine, but if we take into account that she hasn''t tasted Olympian food for a long time and doesn''t know how to cook, then I should be able to bribe her with a good dish. 30 minutes later Morpheus: (sitting on a chair) hmm you cooked... (still seems annoyed) I hope it''s good Wan: I don''t really know why you''re upset, but one of my older sisters once told me that "a meal always helps to clarify the thoughts and relationships between 2 people". Morpheus: hrrmm She let out the same sound as a cat being pissed off, a kind of self-defense system. Then I heard the sound of her metal cutlery hitting her plate, she was eating, but silently, something was wrong, she usually talked a lot, but really a lot and all the while being playful, and when I made fun of her she was a bit grumpy but let it go quickly. Wan: you know that instead of just letting me know in some non-explicit way that I''ve done something wrong, you could just tell me about it, so that I''ll understand... Morpheus: hmmm! Wan: ¡ãand she''s the one who''s lived hundreds of thousands of years...¡ã I have the stupid impression that almost all the "adults" I know are as mature as I was when I was 5. Morpheus: hrrrrrrrgg! Wan: Morph¨¦e, ... is this the first time I''ve used your name to speak to you directly, if I''m not mistaken? Morph¨¦e: ou-....yes this is the first time.. Well, she stopped her self-defense purring quite easily, that''s something. Wan: what''s wrong? I might as well be direct, after all I''m the one who''s soaked to the skin, I can''t spoil this week I''ve just had by failing to get what I came for in the first place. Morph¨¦e: nothing! humpf Wan: .... It''s a real shame that this is the last time we''ll meet and talk, and that it''s going to turn out this way. Morpheus: (coughs, almost chokes) huff, C''-....j-... She couldn''t find the words, so I heard her inhale sharply and then exhale at length. Morpheus: I don''t want to be unsealed..., what I want is... She doesn''t want to be unsealed?..., does she even know that, apart from me, no one else will come in the future to save her? I''m literally her last option to get the "freedom" she''s been dreaming of. Morph¨¦e: what I want is...- Wan: saying it all at once is easier than just waiting to feel the "right moment" Morph¨¦e: what I want is.... (strikes a pose) Wan: ¡ãshe''s doing it on purpose..., I literally just told her to say it all at once and....¡ã I would have blown if she hadn''t been facing me. Morpheus: WHAT I WANT IS FOR YOU TO STAY WITH ME SO I WON''T EVER BE ALONE AGAIN!!!! Her scream probably reached over 1700 decibels, the decibels usually produced by jet engines, except that here it was very high-pitched and I took it head-on, even though I was less than 3 meters from her. Wan: ...... ¡ã......¡ã My ears started bleeding immediately afterwards, I heard a high-pitched noise that kept echoing in my mind, my head was spinning and my vision was a bit blurry, I tried to get up from my chair but I could barely stand on my 2 legs and I fell because I had no strength left, and it was all over my body, all semblance of strength had left me, my blindfold even fell off and then I saw Morph¨¦e running towards me as if worried and the last thing I saw was Morph¨¦e''s troubled and worried face hiding the windows of the system. [You have............] Morph¨¦e: #(€+)#!"!'')''/"/#/#)#!€+€9_86"-#?20''6-#?€; I couldn''t understand what she was saying, it was inaudible, the noise in my ears was taking up all the space and it was starting to sound much louder with each passing second. Wan: vr-.....aiment be-....lle (falls unconscious) These were the last words I said after plunging against my will into a rather deep sleep, which in itself was rather amusing considering that I fell asleep right next to the one who deals with the dreams of all beings. ????? later My sleep was refreshing, it''s been a really long time since I slept so well, in fact my last sleep was just under 3 weeks ago since I''d slept, since I murdered Baron Tsuhre after all, it''s not because I have things like remorse of course, I''ve never had any regrets or remorse after killing, and this isn''t where it''s going to start, it''s just that . ... I don''t know, it''s like Morpheus I haven''t found any interest in sleep lately, and thanks to my constitution stat which has increased given that I ingested the limit seed, sleeping was no longer something I had or felt the need for, but as I told Morpheus, sleep really is an amazing thing so when I feel like sleeping, I''ll sleep . Wan: ######### ¡ãthe noise persists...¡ã That incredibly powerful, high-pitched noise was surely accompanied by magical power, she probably screamed with magical power unconsciously, but now whether it was my fault for pushing her to scream or whether it was her simply wanting to release what she had inside her, I don''t know and I don''t need an answer that would get me nowhere. Wan: ¡ãthe noise is less loud.... it''s already that I imagine¡ã I was lying on a bed, I didn''t have the blindfold anymore, my clothes weren''t the same either, I was currently wearing pyjamas with white bottoms and a white top, something basic after all; the bed was rather large and had transparent curtains, the sheets and comforter were also white (descriptive picture at the end) and it proved to me once again that it really was a European-style castle, in fact I was rather curious as to why she didn''t seal herself in an Ancient Greek castle, but my thought didn''t go further than the ''curiosity'' stage, it''s the kind of question I might ask when there''s a long awkward silence, the kind of question that serves to break the ice. Wan: (straightens up with some difficulty) I still had almost no strength at all, just managing to sit up on a bed I was already lying on. Wan: ########## ¡ãhe really doesn''t want to stop...¡ã The noise was less loud, but still present, and it didn''t let me have any rest, it was like playing a match but without stopping, in the long run it became unplayable. Wan: ¡ãand even that aside.... I feel like I''ve got something on my legs....¡ã (raises his head a bit to see his legs) On my legs there were the 2 arms and the head of what could be Morpheus, to tell the truth if it''s her, then it''s the first time I''ve seen her clearly well even then I can''t really see her, she has her eyes closed, when I fainted following her scream my vision wasn''t very clear, so I can''t remember her face clearly, but one thing was for sure she''s very beautiful. Wan: ¡ãshe still has the nerve to sleep on my legs¡ã. Some people would have found this scene a little cute, but I don''t. She could be the most beautiful girl in all possible and unimaginable dimensions, and I still wouldn''t care, so she''s surely one of the top 10 most beautiful people in all existing dimensions, and she''s certainly not tenth. Wan: hey Morpheus: (sleeping) Wan : wake up to-... wake up I''d almost been on first-name terms with her, I could have been on first-name terms with her, but I didn''t see the need. Morph¨¦e : (sleep) Wan: ¡ãand she was the one who said she didn''t feel the need to sleep...¡ã hey hoooo wake upiii Still no answer, well if she wants to play it like that we''ll play it like that Wan: 3 .... 2 .... 1 .... ok you want to play well let''s play I was on first-name terms with her, but she''s asleep so she didn''t hear me. Morph¨¦e: (still asleep) Wan: (pulls Morpheus'' cheek) Morpheus: (still sleeping) Wan: .... (slaps Morph¨¦e''s face) Morpheus: (startles, but remains slumped over Wan''s legs) Haaa! Wan: not a moment too soon Morph¨¦e: (with a tear in his eye, a sad childish pout) haaa! Why did you tapeeeer me!!! Wan: please move your head and arms away from my legs Morph¨¦e: you woke me up for this! Do you even know how many people dream that I''m even touching them! (still slumped on Wan''s legs) Wan: ¡ãshe''s laughing at me I hope....¡ã (raises his legs) I lifted my legs and Morpheus received a blow - through the sheet - from his knee in his jaw which made him bite his tongue. Morph¨¦e: (in pain) a?e! a?e a?e a???e! pourquoi -a fait za, ze me zuis m''bit la langche (entrainment de tenir sa machoire) Wan: you have a bed Morph¨¦e: -es dezzus! Wan: haaa... so this is your bed.... You brought me back to your bed..... Morph¨¦e : -uiiii!!! Wan: ...a real pervert after all Morpheus: ! Mais qu''ezz que -u dit !!!!!!!!! ________________ End of chapter| 16 After talking and negotiating at length for over a week, we finally came to an - almost - common agreement Wan: I''ll be back every 2 days, so are we agreed? Morph¨¦e: (a little wary) before we agree, ..... what do you want? Wan: (blindfolded) I want the {mathematician ring}. The {mathematician ring} is an artefact that allows its wearer to multiply by 2 the statistic of their choice, whether it''s invariable, variable, or secondary, or even if it''s a hidden statistic - I could actually talk about the concept of ''hidden statistics'' - but sticking to the {mathematician ring}, and given that its effect is so good, it is of mythical rank and was forged by Hephaestus, but wearing a ring with such a good effect is not without consequences Morpheus: eh-!... How do you know it exists? ..... (sighs) And as if asking me this question was pointless, she stopped in mid-sentence and sighed Morpheus: well, you probably know more about Olympus than I do, so I''ll skip it Wan: well...., at least you''ve understood Morpheus: coming back to the ring .... I don''t mind .... but tell me.... do you know all the repercussions that will take place when you put it on? Wan: Yes, and as you said, I probably know more than you do. In IT0 Morpheus (as a man) gives it to the protagonist as a gift after he''s spent 3 months with him; and I could thank the author for going into so much detail about this ring, because thanks to these descriptions I concluded what the main repercussions of this ring were, because yes I don''t clearly know, in IT0, like the boosted person he is, the protagonist doesn''t have to suffer the consequences because I know what happened. Morpheus: follow me, I''ll show you my treasure cellar! So I followed him, and found myself in a sort of staircase for a dungeon, or tower of imprisonment, the same ones they had in medieval times in Europe. Morpheus: you can''t run away afterwards! Wan: hmmm I didn''t really listen to him, in any case everything was going to be written down in a contract, so what''s the point of ''backing out'' when I can''t? Arriving at what seemed to be the door, I stopped for a moment behind Morpheus, who then opened the enormous door and made way for a treasure lair, but really, there were thousands of ancient gold coins, crowns filled with jewels, gems in pure form, there was even a small transparent bag of wing feathers, I don''t think anyone in the outside world has so many artefacts, but after all it''s not so surprising, Morpheus is a being of Olympus and has a fairly important role, so it''s normal for her to have so many artefacts. Wan: It''s really impressive Morpheus: despite the fact that your tone and facial expression never change, I can see that your actions reflect your thoughts. Wan: Why do you say that? I just said it was funny, I don''t see how it reflects anything. Morpheus: .... you are swimming in the treasure trove Wan: (swimming in the treasure pile) .... I just wanted to see what it felt like. After this brief discussion Morph¨¦e started looking for the {mathematician ring}, I could have tried to help her but I preferred to use the system that allows me to analyse all possible and unimaginable objects, including artefacts. ___________ ? ~ Crown of King Midas Rank: Mythical This crown was previously made of wood, and was the first thing Midas turned to gold. |The wearer of this crown gains a +2 bonus to Wisdom ___________ ? Wan: It''s interesting, the system is really useful. I then walked on, if you can call it that, I was more in the process of climbing this pile of gold and artefacts, and a gem caught my eye, even through my blindfold, this gem was particularly beautiful but it wasn''t the one that interested me, in this world there''s a race other than dragons that are in the process of becoming extinct, they''re called jewels, because their body - not entirely - is made up of gems and jewels.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ___________ ? ~ Gem of the Queen of Jewels Rank: Legendary This gem contains all the vital concentrate of the Queen of Jewels, who lived for over 15,768 years and died at the hands of Thatanos, who was kind enough to spare the rest of her race, which had already been 98% decimated. |This gem needs to be refined. |Once refined, this gem will gain +1 Vitality _______ ? As I put the gem back down, I realised that the silence was starting to get on my nerves. Wan: Those are really interesting artefacts you''ve got there! Morph¨¦e: (proud of herself) Yes, yes, I know! Hey, they''re my treasures after all! Well, even though the silence was starting to get a bit heavy, I wasn''t going to talk to her just so she could brag. Wan: hmm.... (looking at bones) I don''t really know why, but I didn''t need to use the system to work out that what I had in front of me were not dragon bones but the bones of a species related to dragons. [1 effect of the title ''equal to dragons'' has been discovered] [Thanks to this discovery you receive 0.250 stat points distributed randomly] Wan: So it''s this title...¡ã I then consulted the effect I discovered for this title ___________ ? ~ Equals of dragons | 1-You can now recognise anything remotely related to the dragon ?????????? __________ ? Wan: ¡ãhmm, that could be useful¡ã Morpheus: Wan! I think I''ve found it (his hand plunged into the heap of treasure) I then followed a path where gold and treasure were not, and found myself in front of Morpheus who had what was surely the {mathematician ring} in his hand Wan: You have all these treasures, but you don''t find any use for them, .... doesn''t that sadden you? Morph¨¦e: yes, I think it''s a shame, but it''s nothing, these treasures will go somewhere some day, whether it''s in 100 years, 10 years or maybe even in a million years. Wan: ... I wonder if the beings of Olympus can also die of old age? Morpheus: maybe it will be a lucky man, or maybe there will be a lot of them fighting for my treasures, but in the end they will go somewhere. Wan: ..... That''s irrelevant, but can I ask you another question? Morpheus: before we wrap this up, if you like Wan: ... can .... you beings from Olympus die of old age? Morpheus: normally no, we usually consume Ambrosia and Nectar, which prevents us from dying of old age and makes us amortal, but we can be killed for sure. Wan: I''ve heard of it but I wasn''t sure if it was true ... and as far as I know, if you don''t drink Nectar and Ambrosia for a certain period of time you''re no longer amortal. Morpheus: ..... (laughs) That''s because you know as much as the beings of Olympus. Wan : How long have you been at it? Morph¨¦e : (smiles) don''t you want to put the ring on instead (takes Wan''s wrist) Wan: (breaks away from Morpheus and takes off his blindfold) how long? Morpheus: (loses his smile but wins it back) you finally take off your blindfold of your own accord (puts his hand on Wan''s forehead after shifting the hair that was in the way) you''re really beautiful..., you should never have had to hide Wan: ¡ã..... now I want to know how handsome I am compared to Apollo....¡ã I know, how much time do you have left? At my question, she tilted her head towards the ground, lowered her eyes and clenched her teeth a little. Morph¨¦e: probably 3 or 4 years... Then there was silence for a moment and after 2 or 3 minutes, which seemed to be short due to my extremely rapid flow of thought, she raised her head and smiled broadly before stepping back and making a little jump in the air, then lifting her dress a little and saying to me Morph¨¦e: that''s it, that''s 4 years of not being alone! At that moment, when I saw him clearly, his beauty dazzled me, as it would anyone who saw him, and yet I wasn''t under the effect of the curse; I''ve seen lots of really beautiful people, be it my father, my stepmother, my brothers and sisters, Hoe, Ama-ne, Mia, Savio, Miyoku (the antagonist who gave Wan a visiting card) really I''ve seen hundreds of beautiful people but . ..... it surprised me for a while, I could hardly take my eyes off them. The author didn''t give a physical description of Morpheus, just this sentence: ''This thing which is his beauty, is not explicable in any point, and even those who saw Aphrodite could not describe such a beauty''. But I''ll try, with a bit of luck I''ll manage to make you understand just a little bit what I see: ''Her beauty is breathtaking, a true living work of art. Her eyes, shining like stars, captivate and enchant, revealing a mysterious depth. Her smile, radiant and warm, has the power to transform the darkest day into a radiant ray of sunshine. Her graceful, elegant figure embodies perfection, every movement reflecting a natural harmony. She is the quintessence of the quintessence of the quintessence of the quintessence of beauty, a vision that leaves an indelible mark on all those lucky enough to see her''. To tell the truth if it hadn''t been for my eyes, end I mean if I''d had ordinary eyes I wouldn''t have been able to understand this and I''d just have been under the yoke of its curse, so for one of the first and only times in my life I didn''t consider my eyes a curse, but rather a blessing. Wan: ¡ãthat such a beauty will disappear in 4 years if she doesn''t get her hands on some Nectar and Ambrosia is unfortunate..... but...¡ã Morph¨¦e : But there''s no need to worry! I''m Morpheus, I''ll find Nectar and Ambrosia. Wan: ¡ãI could release her from her seal and let her go to Olympus..., I could but I won''t, in 4 years she''ll disappear, so in 4 years her domain and her treasures will be ownerless, and now that I''ve spent just under 2 weeks here, I''m the best person to get my hands on them..., I''ll also come back every weekend and do a more complete and in-depth analysis of this domain¡ã. Maybe I was too cold and mean, but that''s the way it is, she''s a being from Olympus, she''ll disappear then come back in another form in a few thousand years'' time, I''m just a human who knows everything there is to know about this world, from a distance it looks cool, but what it really means is that as soon as I''ve reached my full limits, I''ll just be a spectator in a story I already know. Wan: (takes the mathematician ring) ___________ ? ~ Mathematician Ring Rank: Historical-mythical This ring was worn by the first mathematician to ever exist in the world of Olympus. |This ring allows the wearer to multiply the statistic of their choice by 2, regardless of the type of statistic chosen. |Counterparty: {The counterparty can only be discovered if the ring is worn by someone} ___________ ? Wan: (sighs) If it''s like that, .... I''d like to spend another week with you... Eun-seo''s arrival is in 2 weeks, and I have to go back to Prism in 1 week so I can do my preparations...¡ã Morph¨¦e : (joins his hands, smiles broadly and puts on a very happy expression) it''s true !? it''s true !? Wan: yes, I don''t have much to do, so I might as well stay with you in this very comfortable castle. At that moment I tried to smile, but I didn''t succeed, if I had succeeded in smiling at that moment, then I''m sure I would have had him under my complete control, but .... it''s not just a simple calculation at that moment I also wanted to smile, I wanted to smile because I was sincere ... after all Morpheus is fun and good to be with, and this castle is really comfortable, it has a big library and it''s very quiet. _________________ Shin-hee: (on a rather futuristic computer) What did Vermilion say to you? Mia: I asked you why Wan never changes his facial expression. Shin-hee: .... I assume you asked Ama-ne before coming to see me Mia: Yes, she''s normal compared to you. Shin-hee: ¡ã''normal''....¡ã and what did she say to you? Mia : ... She said I should ask you, because you''d be able to give me the most details. Shin-hee: hmm, do you really want to know? Mia: first of all .... is it because of a trauma?... Shin-hee: Not strictly speaking. Mia: Good, then I''m ready to hear it! Shin-hee: (directly) the part of Wan''s cerebral cortex that deals with the transcription of emotions is damaged. Mia: .... I''ve got .... Shin-hee: I''ve already told you what you wanted to know, you won''t get any more details. _________________ [You are now the partner of ''Morpheus'', the being from the Olympus of dreams, and now also your wife]. Wan: ... ... Morpheus: (all smiles) let''s go and have some fun! (pulls Wan) Wan: (lets himself be pulled) .... ¡ã.....¡ã ... .... ..... ........ ... .... ... ... .... ..... ... .... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. . (It''s not Morse code) Wan: ¡ãso that was his counterpart....¡ã ________________ End of chapter| 17 It was the same evening after I''d put on the {mathematician ring}, and I wasn''t as speechless as when I''d found out what the quid pro quo was, and finally, after checking out all the advantages, I said to myself that it wasn''t so bad after all! ___________ ? ~ Partner of Morpheus Rank: Mythical This title can only be obtained after putting on the mathematician ring, which is the symbol of Morpheus'' seal. |Thanks to this title, you are now a being of Olympus by marriage (the choice as to which type of being of Olympus you will be will either be made by Zeus, or decided as soon as you set foot on the second floor). |You will enjoy the same amortality and eternal youth as Morpheus, but will be blocked for 1 century, in other words: 1,200 months/876,582 hours/52,594,920 minutes/3,155,695,900 seconds. |The statistic closest to your role as a being of Olympus (N/A) will be increased considerably, even transcended. |Due to certain exceptional conditions in your case, you''ll get 10 tokens per month just for having this title. [ ..... ] ____________? There were other effects but I just looked at the most important ones again, and of course I now have to sort out his problem regarding his lack of Nectar and Ambrosia Wan: ¡ãat least I waited until I was 18....¡ã 1 week ago I finally turned 18. The age of majority. Morph¨¦e: (all happy and smiling) So how do you like me? She asked me because she was wearing a dress in the same colours as her usual ones, but it was different from the others. Wan: I have the headband (has the headband) Morph¨¦e: you can take it off, you know, now that you''re my partner you can''t hurt me with your eyes She was probably right, but I preferred to keep my blindfold on, I''ve got used to it by now. Wan: it''s fine, keeping the blindfold on suits me fine Morph¨¦e: apart from the blindfold, you look good, especially dressed like that. Wan: ¡ãit''s me we''re talking about, it''s normal for me to look good, I look good in any case¡ã (he must have a lot of ankles to support his ego) Morph¨¦e: (reflective) hmmm... (rips off Wan''s blindfold) That''s it! That''s better! I don''t understand why you want to hide such a beautiful face! hehe... Wan: Now I want to know even more if I''m more handsome than Apollo... Morpheus: so you''re not saying anything?... (teasing, mocking smile) You''re embarrassed, eh~ (mocking giggle) Wan: not especially..., (looks at Morpheus without speaking) Morpheus: (smirking) hihi it''s that you''re almost scary, you know looking at someone like that without saying anything it''-....hmmm- She couldn''t finish what she was saying because I kissed her, for 3 reasons, the first being that one of the advantages of the title ~ Partner of Morpheus, is that every time you do something that couples do, you gain stat points up to a certain point; the second reason was for the tokens, kissing an original IT0 character should earn a number of points, it''s like with Mia who kissed me except that as the system was being updated, I couldn''t get any tokens; and the third was that I just wanted to kiss her, I didn''t get her curse but . ... I don''t know .... I just felt the urge and I indulged it. Wan: (opens one eye) ¡ãshe''s all red .... but she doesn''t seem to be pushing me away yet...¡ã (closes her eye and puts her hand on Morpheus'' cheek) [You ..........] A window in the system opened, but I didn''t really care, I was concentrating, the more I succeeded, the more tokens I''d have, and incidentally the more pleasure - non-sexual I might add - I''d get out of this kiss. Wan: .... ¡ãInteresting, .... she''s taking part now too¡ã. After 20 to 25 seconds of kissing like that, we finally broke away from each other''s lips, I took my hand away from her cheek and looked at my hand without speaking, and while Morpheus was catching his breath because I''d taken her by surprise, I delicately put 2 fingers on my lips. Wan: ¡ãthat was quite pleasant¡ã Morph¨¦e : (completely red) Wan: Don''t get me wrong, I was just curious to see if the effect of the title ~ Morpheus'' Partner would kick in ..... but this ... was .... quite pleasant I expressed it the way I thought it would be, because that''s really the most skilful and clean way of expressing how I felt about that surprise kiss. Morph¨¦e: (even redder) hkrr.... (squeezes her dress between her fingers) Wan: ¡ãanother strange noise...¡ã a meal awaits us (holds out his hand) Morpheus: (taps Wan on the shoulder) that was nice yes.... (still very red and looks at the ground) After these words, a little embarrassed on her part, she took my hand, and we walked hand in hand through this castle, towards the dining room where many of the dishes I''ve made lie, it was a bit like a rendezvous, Morpheus wanted us to do this to celebrate the fact that I''m staying with her for another week. Wan: ¡ãI should have won a certain number of chips...¡ã (holding hands with Morpheus while walking) [Current chip count: 187] With the extra week I''ve already spent here, as well as the fact that I''ve become Morpheus'' partner, but also that kiss, well I think that''s enough even if I was expecting to have a bit more Wan: I''ll ask the system how powerful the gift I can create is later, but in the meantime I''ll just create abilities. Morph¨¦e: (clammy hand, and still very red) After a few thoughts and Morpheus blushing from having kissed me, we arrived in front of the room where our dinner was to take place. Wan: Your hand is rather sweaty, it wasn''t your first time, can you reassure me? Morph¨¦e: f-... Shut up! (run over to the table and sit down) Wan: ¡ãit was his first time....¡ã (walks over and sits down in front of Morpheus) The fact that I was her first time (the kiss) is quite surprising given that she''s several hundred thousand years old, that she has a curse that makes everyone who sees her fall in love with her, and that she comes from Greek mythology, known for being big fuckers, rapists, also incestuous, a paedophile and many other very, very disgusting and unethical things. Wan: (takes off his jacket and puts it on his chair) lady Morpheus Morpheus: (blushing) What do you want now!!! She was still very embarrassed Wan: technically you''re a paedophile The best way to describe what I''ve just said is ''ha ... sa drop direct'' Morph¨¦e : kgrrkd-! .... Yes.... (very embarrassed smile) And proud of it, if it''s with you... I was just saying that because it was funny, but the fact that she answered that way surprised me a bit and made me want to laugh; otherwise we ate well - my dishes - and I drank some of the wine Morpheus served me against my will, but it''s OK, it''s not supposed to make me drunk, my Constitution statistic is too high for wine to have any effect on my body. So I take my first glass of wine. I take my first glass of wine, curious to discover what so many people enjoy. The first sips are pleasant, with subtle notes dancing on my tongue. I savour every sensation, every nuance of flavour. Yet, to my surprise, I gradually feel a slight warmth settle over me. My thoughts become a little fuzzier, and I realise with astonishment that the wine is beginning to take effect. The contours of the room seem to fade slightly, and I feel lighter, more relaxed. Wan: (with dilated pupils) ¡ãthat''s strange ....¡ãthe wine shouldn''t be having any effect on me... (burps very lightly) It''s as if each sip has opened a door to a state of well-being and lightness, but also a sudden realisation of the power of this drink. I continue to sip, fascinated by the way the wine is transforming my state of mind, while enjoying this new experience with a mixture of surprise and pleasure. Morph¨¦e : h¨¦h¨¦h¨¦ ta hik pre-mi¨¨re fois n''eeeeeeesssssstttttt-ceeee? hik Wan: You''re drunk, Mrs Morpheus! (quite drunk) but you can''t fool me .... wine isn''t as good a drink as it''s made out to be! I took out my phone and took a photo of the bottle Wan: (zooming in on the image) hik j- I knew it! My facial expression was still as monotonous as ever, but my tone was a little sharper Morpheus: you knew what? (jumps on Wan) She glued her wine-red face to my own face as I looked at the photo I''d taken ___________ ? ~ Euphoric Wine of Dionysus Rank: Legendary This wine was brewed by Dionysus, the being of wine. | Those who drink this wine are granted a truly euphoric state. | A special unlockable effect is granted to those who drink it and are bound by the intrinsic bonds of union (a couple in every possible form) ___________ ? Wan: ¡ãa special effect?...¡ã And suddenly a wave of heat hit my body and made me vibrate, I managed to hold on but the pain was really really REALLY hard to bear Morph¨¦e : a?e...!- (clenches her teeth as she holds her chest with her hands) Wan: (takes Morpheus and checks on her) Morpheus was clenching his teeth so as not to let out any screams, but she was surely enduring the same pain as I was Morpheus: (eyes closed tightly) Wa-... kruhff-!! The pain didn''t even let her pronounce my name Wan : it''s OK, I''m here, so it''s impossible for anything to go wrong (Morpheus in princess mode) ¡ãthe pain has made sure I''m not drunk any more..., I can''t tell if it''s a blessing or a poisoned gift¡ã. Morpheus : ?... Wan: you''d be better off in your room, on your bed. So I took him back to his room like this and when I got there I put him on the bed, I was still drunk but the pain kept my mind a little clear [The conditions to unlock the secret (special) effect of the ~ Euphoric Wine of Dionysus, have been gathered] If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Morpheus: (lying down with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath) Wan: .... ? [The secret (special) effect is: |After drinking this drink in the company of someone with whom you have a bond similar to a union and being in their room with them, the wine you have ingested will act as an aphrodisiac] Wan: ¡ãan aphrodisiac?..., isn''t that what people use for sex?...¡ã And while I was thinking, Morph¨¦e straightened up a bit and looked at me with a slightly teasing expression, while she had a glass of wine in her left hand and I could see even more blurred because of the pain I was holding inside me Morph¨¦e: hehehe are you joining me? [This pain has been analysed] Wan: ¡ãanalysed...¡ã ..... [The pain you''re feeling is there because you''re trying, without realising it, to resist the effect of the wine of Dionysus]. It answered a lot of questions, one being why Morpheus was no longer in pain and why she was now acting like this, two being why this pain is so intense, and three being what will happen if I give in to this pain. Wan: ¡ãif I give in to this pain I won''t be myself, and Dionysus will have some semblance of control over me¡ã. And then, as if a script were guiding my life and my words, the pain suddenly returned, and I felt as if a wave of lava was rising from my insides to concentrate on my lungs, my heart and my throat; I fell to my knees while holding my throat very tightly with one hand, hyperventilating very, very strongly, and holding my heart as tightly as possible with the other, but of course all this without changing my facial expression, only my actions reflected my state and not my face, my cerebral cortex would never, not even in cases like this, allow me to convey any semblance of emotion on my face. [The Olympian being ''Dionysus'' sends you a private message request] Dionysus, also known as Bacchus to the Romans, is the Olympian being of wine, celebration, madness, ecstasy and theatre. He is one of the twelve Olympians and has a rich and complex history, with myths that touch on many aspects of Greco-Roman culture. Wan: (leaps backwards and throws a huge headbutt to the ground) Morpheus: wh-what are you doing! (goes towards Wan) The ground shattered a little and of course the blood flowed freely but at least I was master of my conscience again, this pain preventing me from thinking properly, and so putting it aside even if it''s in this way is beneficial Morph¨¦e: (lifts Wan''s hair) y-you''re bleeding! I didn''t have time to worry about her, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the twelve Olympians, an opportunity that no-one in this world has ever had and probably ever will, so I took out my phone and pressed yes, because although I can sometimes touch the system window that appears in front of me directly, well sometimes I have to use my phone [You have accepted the request] [You are contacting ''Dionysos''] ?It''s surprising that I had to ask permission to be able to talk to you my child? It''s true that given that he still has a certain status, he should be able to bypass these restrictions of the system, but my system is special, after all it''s a gift from I don''t know who, who transposed me into the parrallel of worlds. Wan: ?What do you want to tell me? I didn''t have time to make the discussion to coax him or anything related to manipulation ?...you know who I am reassure me...?? Wan: ?yes, Dionysus also Bacchus, being of wine, ecstasy, feasting, madness and theatre, the one born twice, once from the womb of his mother who was a mortal princess and the second time from the sewn thigh of Zeus who is incidentally his father; so speak quickly, your wine is causing me some trouble at the moment? ?you''re quite amusing as a child lol, and I can also see that you''re trying to resist the special effect of my wine? Wan: ?... ''lol''... how cheesy... ; and yes I try not to get carried away by its effect yes? ?c''est que t''es dur, j''ai essay¨¦ de faire comme les terriens mdrrrr ; ceci mis ¨¤ part, je te conseille de se laisser men¨¦ par son effet? Wan: ?I can''t, if I let myself be led you''ll have some semblance of control over me, and don''t ask me how I know this? ?you''re really suspicious my child, but your reaction made me laugh ptdr, so I''m giving you a gift so you can let yourself go XD? [You''ve been given an ability by ''Dionysus''] ___________ ? ~ Wine Resistance (modifiable) Rank: Legendary This ability was created by Dionysus. |Thanks tothis ability, you can modify your resistance to wine as you wish, and you will never be mentally controlled by wine after consuming it (this effect will take effect in 24 hours due to the recent acquisition of this ability) ___________ ? Wan: (inspecting the ability screen carefully) ?thank you.? ?don''t worry it was my pleasure, I haven''t seen such a state in a long time; I''ll have to leave you to it, say hello to the little one for me and have fun? Wan: ¡ãby little one he surely means Morpheus...¡ã [''Dionysos'' ended the conversation] I then looked at Morpheus, I took the glass of wine she had left on the edge of her bed then I drank it, with that Dionysos who probably could see us because there were of his creations symbols whose effects were activated, will no longer be able to spy on us Wan: They''ve already told me that I have to let off steam sometimes...¡ã ????? : (man) just do what you want to do at the time ????? : (woman) don''t just keep your eyes on the end goal ????? : (other man) the end goal is important yes ????? : (another woman) but the path is just as important and more fun ?????: (yet another man) yeah you can''t get any funnier!!! ?????: (yet another woman) ... they''re not wrong ?????: (yet another woman) you quickly become boring if you stay as rigid as ever These were words that my father, my stepmother, my brothers and my sisters said to me, it was the moment of our farewell when I left for good for my career as an assassin Wan: I''m boring.... and then what? Normally, I''d have smiled a little nostalgically, but no, nothing came to me because of my cerebral cortex. Wan: (takes Morpheus'' arm and puts him on the bed) Morpheus: .... (smiling very teasingly and full of innuendo) I''ve just had your answer hey hey.... Wan: yes, that''s it, that''s my answer Then I let myself be carried away by a flood of emotions and pain, which sent me into a state where I wasn''t passed out but I wasn''t conscious, a state where I was acting purely on instinct, in fact, that night was really very pleasant. I didn''t remember it strictly speaking, but I remembered a few moments from that night, they were flashes, quick moments that happened that night. Wan: (shirtless, his head in the crook of Morpheus'' neck) At the time I was licking the tip of his ear, or maybe I was giving him a hickey, my memories of that are hazy. But I''m sure of certain things that happened that night; we had coitus, in other words we made love, or sex if you prefer, but one thing''s for sure: we did it. Morpheus: ahwwmm.....! (Trying to hold back from screaming) I also remember the noises she made, and I remember my heavy breathing. Wan: huff....huuuff.... (sweating) Our bodies superimposed on each other, our bodies becoming one, me inside her, our sweat mingling Morpheus: (with tears in his eyes, holding Wan very tightly) awwwwwhhhhnnn! Wan: (his chest pressed against Morpheus'' chest) huh.... Morpheus... Morpheus..... It was the first time for both of us, and it meant that although we had very little experience, we managed to get a lot of pleasure out of it. And I even remember .... end no I''m not sure, but I have a very quick memory, more an impression in fact where .... my face was no longer monotonous for 4 seconds if I''ve counted correctly Wan : (a very very very very very very very very slight, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth) it''s nice.... Morph¨¦e These are the words I spoke just after coming (coming = ejaculating) That night, that moment, those very brief memories, those flashes of 2 or 3 seconds; everything I remember will remain engraved in my mind, not because it was my first time, not because I practised sex, but because it was with Morph¨¦e and also a little bit because it was pleasant, it was - without wishing to make a bad joke - quite enjoyable. And so it was when I woke up that all those quick memories, those very quick flashes, those very short moments of that night came back to me. Morpheus: (sleeping next door) Wan: (completely naked, the sheet leaving only a little skin visible) ... (looking at his own body) ¡ãAs far as I can see, the scar powder is still working¡ã. The ''scar powder'' is a powder - as it says - that was created by the organisation I used to work for as an assassin, and all you have to do is apply the powder to your whole body once every 6 months, then freeze it and wait 2 hours, so there''s no more : scars, alterations, burns, or even wounds that were caused during those 6 months, and even by putting this powder on our bodies don''t look fake, in fact in the end there''s no way of knowing if someone has put scar powder on just by looking at them. I wondered if the powder was still there because my body was subject to a fairly hot temperature and sweat smoke that was present all over my body while Morpheus and I were making love. [Current token count: 207] Wan: ¡ãthat''s not bad¡ã After having sex with Morpheus, I''ve gained 21 chips, all at once, which is pretty impressive, and satisfying. ________________ End of chapter|