My heart hammered in my chest as I stood before her. Gwenneth Socheron. My most annoying stepsister. In this large, luxurious house, I lived with only three women: my charming yet cold stepmother, my younger stepsister Angeline who treated me like garbage, and her—Gwenneth—the older stepsister who constantly tormented and ordered me around like her slave.
She had been gone for a week on a dungeon mission, and her sudden return felt like a slap in the face. Of the three of them, she was the main reason I hated living here.
Right now, she stood before me with her usual arrogant posture, her mouth running, complaining and insulting me. But her words went in one ear and out the other. My entire attention was locked on the deep red window floating between us, displaying a quest so personal and cutting.
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[REVENGE QUEST]
TARGET: Gwenneth Socheron
OBJECTIVE: Make her climax 5 times while she is fully conscious.
REWARD: 1500 EXP
NOTE: Use of skills [Time Stop] and [Mind Control] is forbidden. Violation will result in quest failure.
[Accept: y / n]
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Damn it! I screamed internally. This System is utterly shameless! Is this some kind of joke?
My mind was instantly flooded with doubt and fear. How could I possibly do that without [Time Stop] or [Mind Control]? Plus, she had to climax five times? Hell! How am I supposed to pull that off? Gwenneth is a registered Hunter. Her strength could easily crush me. If I so much as touched her with ill intent, she'd probably break my arm on the spot, or worse, kill me instantly!
But... 1500 EXP. That was a massive amount of EXP, enough to skyrocket my level. And beneath the fear, a small whisper from my class, Depraved Time Lord, saw this as a challenge and... an opportunity. Plus, there were no penalties or time limits mentioned.
Gwenneth, noticing my blank stare and that I wasn't listening to her rant, flushed with anger.
"You useless trash! Are you even listening to me?!" she snapped, her voice rising with fury. Without any warning, her hand swung fast, aiming to slap me.
"Wait!" I croaked, reflexively raising both arms to protect my face in a pathetic gesture. My whole body trembled—not faked, but a genuine instinctual reaction forged by years of terror.
"W-Wasn't there delivery? You can just order through an app..." I tried to persuade her, my voice shaking.
Seeing such a clear, fearful reaction from me, Gwenneth instead smiled with satisfaction. A sneer that made me nauseous. She lowered her hand, seemingly amused enough by the pitiful fear I displayed.
"Too slow," she said with a condescending tone, "And I'm craving instant noodles right now. This instant, go to the convenience store!"
My chest felt tight. I barely had any spare change. "But... the money?" I weakly squeaked out, almost a whisper.
Her eyes narrowed, emitting a familiar threat. "What did you just say?"
"Okay! Okay! I'll buy it!" I quickly replied, taking a step back to put distance between us before her rage fully erupted. I bowed my head and hurried down the hallway, leaving her standing in front of my room with a victorious smile.
As I walked down the stairs, my heart seethed. That damn bitch. But, beneath the anger, a plan began to form. Getting money with the skills I had should be easy enough.
.
.
After successfully "persuading" a passerby to willingly "donate" his wallet via Mind Control, getting cash felt as easy as plucking a leaf. I bought several packs of the instant noodles Gwenneth wanted and some snacks for myself at the nearby convenience store, then walked home with a plastic bag swinging in my hand.
The breeze on the cool afternoon touched my skin, but it couldn't cool the burning heat in my chest. My mind drifted back to the humiliating scene earlier: how I'd raised my arms to protect my face, my trembling body, my voice choked with fear. I have the power to stop time and control people's minds, yet I still acted like a scared little kid in front of her?
I gritted my teeth, despising my own cowardice. It felt like two different people lived in one body: one was the "Depraved Time Lord" who could freeze time and control minds, while the other was the old "Adam Socheron," trapped in a victim's mindset for years. Shedding my old self wasn't as easy as allocating stat points in a Status window. It wasn't as simple as the novels or comics I read.
I have to change this, I resolved inwardly. Slowly but surely. I need to get rid of this pathetic nature.
My thoughts then shifted to the impossible Quest: making Gwenneth climax five times without Time Stop or Mind Control. I'd accepted it on impulse, but now, in the cold light of reality, I was utterly baffled. How? She'd tear me apart if I tried to touch her without permission. Was there another way...?
As I pondered solutions, my mind wandered to the oddities of Time Stop. After using it a few times, I'd started noticing illogical details. In theory, if time truly stopped, all biological processes—including breathing and blood circulation—should freeze too.
But they didn't.
The people I touched during the frozen time... they seemed to be "reactivated" by force. They started breathing, their bodies felt warm, and I could even feel their heartbeats—even though their minds and consciousness remained static, like dolls. Meanwhile, others I didn't touch remained perfectly frozen, like statues.
It was so strange. As if the skill didn't truly stop time for the entire universe, but created a sort of bubble where I had control over what was "alive" and what was "frozen."
Unfortunately, there was no manual or mentor to explain this phenomenon. But, on the other hand, it worked to my advantage. Imagine if it didn't—if everything I touched remained cold and stiff as stone... that would severely diminish, even eliminate, all the pleasure I could reap during that halted time.
I arrived in front of the house and took a deep breath. The real battle was inside.
Reaching Gwenneth's room, I handed over the plastic bag containing the instant noodles she wanted. She took it dismissively, her eyes implying impatience.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and cook it for me!" she ordered, rubbing her sore shoulder with an annoyed expression.
I swallowed, feeling my throat go dry. This was it. I had to be brave.
"Um... are you... are you not sore from your work?" I asked, my voice sounding hesitant.
Gwenneth frowned, her gaze full of suspicion. "What do you mean?"
"If... if you are sore," I continued quickly, trying to sound non-threatening,
"How about I give you a massage? I'm pretty good at it. Back at the academy... I was often ordered to do it."
My explanation sounded pathetic, deliberately playing into the image of a bullied victim that was well-known in this family. It was the only way I could think of to touch her without getting punched immediately. And I had to do it now, before she ate and her mood worsened.
Realizing how unnatural and suspicious my offer sounded, I hastily added, "In exchange... please don't bother me for the rest of the day."
Gwenneth studied me with a sharp, probing stare. Her body was indeed very sore, and she had planned to go to a spa later anyway. Her thin lips curved into a sneer.
"You think I don't know your dirty intentions, you pathetic virgin!" she snapped, making me almost jump. "You just want to touch and peek at my body, don't you? Do you have a death wish?!"
My heart sank. Failure. This stupid plan was indeed too forced. "S-Sorry! I'll go cook this noodles right now," I mumbled in a panic, turning and hurrying to leave the room.
"Stop!"
Her firm voice froze my steps at the doorway. Slowly, I turned back.
Gwenneth was still sitting on her bed, her gaze now more like she was taunting a new toy.
"Who said you could leave?" she said in a low tone.
"You were the one who offered to massage me. So, massage me." She crossed her legs, her gaze sharp as a blade. "But remember, one strange move... just one... and I'll make tonight your last memory."