Morning light filtered through the shed's gaps while the quest notification burned in her vision like a brand she couldn't remove, three hours in public wearing that damn kimono, fifteen compliments from people who'd be staring at her for all the wrong reasons, showing Kaisen while he looked at her the way men looked at women dressed to be desired.
She was most warry of kaisen, what if his system decided to add her into his harem!? gods the though of doing.... anything with that guy. She shuddered.
"Just get it over with," she muttered to the empty room, sitting up to face the day that would either break her completely or prove she could survive anything Aria threw at her.
The familiar notification appeared right on schedule:
[Daily Quest Available: Morning Training]
[Objective: Practice Basic Strike for 30 minutes]
[Reward: 50 LP + Recovery Bead]
Rem grabbed her sword without enthusiasm, heading behind her shed where no one would see her going through the motions while her mind stayed firmly locked on the task waiting later. The Basic Strike skill guided her movements with now-familiar efficiency, her body flowing through strikes that would have seemed impossible a week ago, though the progress felt hollow today.
Thirty minutes passed in a blur of repetitive motion until the completion notification arrived along with the small green Recovery Bead materializing in her inventory, one more healing item she'd probably need desperately before this journey ended. Her LP climbed to 525, still not enough for anything major from the store, though that hardly mattered when the quest would give her something no amount of LP could buy—stat points she could allocate however she wanted rather than accepting whatever Aria decided to grant.
[Current LP: 525]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
The stat point system had appeared in her interface yesterday like Aria's way of dangling actual agency in front of her, the ability to shape her own progression rather than being shaped entirely by quests. Each level would grant five points to distribute freely, major quests could reward points directly, she could build herself strategically instead of hoping random quest rewards happened to boost the stats she needed most.
Part 1 would give her two points to start, Part 2 another five, seven points total to allocate however she wanted after enduring both halves of this nightmare quest. She could dump everything into STR for raw damage, spread between DEX and END for survivability, even boost CHA if she wanted social advantages though that felt like leaning into the corruption rather than resisting it.
"Worry about allocation after you've actually earned the points," Rem told herself, heading back inside to face the real challenge waiting in her inventory.
The White Silk Kimono sat there like an accusation wrapped in expensive fabric, traditional design modified in ways that transformed elegant into erotic. She'd been avoiding looking at it properly since purchasing yesterday, some part of her hoping that ignoring the garment would make it less real, but the quest timer ticked down relentlessly whether she acknowledged it or not.
Three hours minimum in public. Fifteen compliments required. Show Kaisen his reaction. it could not be that bad right?
She pulled the kimono from inventory with hands that wanted to shake but refused out of pure spite, white silk spilling across her palms smooth and cool. The traditional wrap style looked modest at first glance until you noticed the modifications—neckline cut lower than appropriate revelaing most of her cleavage in its glory, side slit riding higher than necessary, the fabric itself thin enough to become semi-transparent when light hits it right.
Rem stripped off her current clothes, trying not to think too hard about what she was doing as she wrapped the kimono around herself following the traditional method she somehow remembered from some cultural research she'd done while the worldbuilding. The silk clung to every curve as she tied it in place, the fabric designed specifically to shoe her body, to highlight it even. She felt hot in her chest.
Her cracked mirror showed the truth she'd been dreading—she looked good, objectively beautiful in a way that made her stomach twist because it wasn't just pretty or elegant, it was sexy in that deliberate way that invited staring. The kimono transformed her into something out of a fantasy, the kind of exotic courtesan character she'd written too many times to count, skin almost visible through silk.
"I look like I'm advertising," she said to her reflection, watching how the morning sun streaming through gaps made the fabric much worse for her. This wasn't modest cultural attire, this was fetish fuel wrapped in traditional aesthetics! it was designed to make people look while giving her just enough plausible deniability to claim she wasn't trying to attract attention.
Her face was already flushing just thinking about walking outside like this, about the stares that would follow her through the market while men imagined what the semi-transparent silk was barely concealing. The compliments wouldn't be polite appreciation of beauty—they'd be the kind that made clear exactly what the speaker was thinking about, the kind that reduced her to an object rather than a person.
"Three hours," Rem said firmly, taking a breath that did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves. "Get fifteen compliments, show Kaisen, complete the quest. Then never wear this thing again. gosh do woman actually enjoy this?! crazy creatures" She seemed to forget the fact that she too was now a woman.
Rem opened her door before she could lose her nerve, stepping out into morning sunlight that immediately made the white silk catch fire with translucence, showing the shape of her body through fabric that might as well have been painted on. The quest activated fully the moment she crossed the threshold, a timer appearing in the corner of her vision counting down three hours while tracking compliments received.
[Quest Active: Part 1 - Public Display]
[Time: 0:00 / 3:00]
[Compliments: 0 / 15]
The walk toward the market felt like the longest journey of her life despite being maybe five minutes from her shed, each step making the kimono shift in ways that did not feel right to her, and definitely not for this body. A farmer loading his cart did a double-take so obvious it would have been funny if Rem wasn't the subject, his eyes going wide before he remembered himself and looked away with obvious reluctance. Two women chatting near a well stopped mid-conversation to stare, their expressions mixing disapproval with something that might have been envy. Yeah that's right bitches, i have better boobs anyways~
By the time Rem reached the market proper, her face felt like it was on fire from the constant weight of attention following her every movement. The morning crowd wasn't dense yet but everyone present seemed determined to make up for low numbers with the intensity of staring, conversations trailing off as she passed while heads turned to track her progress through the stalls.
"Miss," a merchant called out from behind his produce stand, his smile too wide and too interested. "You look absolutely stunning this morning, like something from a painting!"
[Compliments: 1 / 15]
The notification appeared cheerfully oblivious to how the words made Rem's skin crawl despite being technically polite, the merchant's eyes traveling over her body with appreciation that had nothing to do with artistic aesthetics. She nodded acknowledgment without speaking, not trusting her voice when embarrassment was already choking her, moving deeper into the market while more attention accumulated like weight on her shoulders.
"Dear, that color is gorgeous on you," an older woman said with genuine warmth, reaching out to touch the silk before remembering propriety. "Where did you get such beautiful fabric?"
[Compliments: 2 / 15]
At least that one felt sincere rather than leering, though it still made Rem want to sink through the ground when the woman's husband was very obviously staring at how the silk clung to her curves. More people were noticing now as word spread through the market about the lady in white silk, small clusters forming to whisper while pretending not to stare, the attention growing from uncomfortable to suffocating.
A young man approached with the kind of nervous energy that suggested he'd lost a bet or been dared by friends, his face already red before he even opened his mouth. "I just wanted to say you're really beautiful and I know that's probably weird to hear from a stranger but I couldn't not say something because you're just—"
"Thank you," Rem cut him off before he could finish rambling, the compliment counting even though his delivery was a disaster of awkward sincerity.
[Compliments: 3 / 15]
Three down, twelve to go, barely twenty minutes into the quest. She could do this, she could survive strangers commenting on her appearance while the kimono made sure every eye in the market tracked her movements through the stalls. She was never returning to this backwater place anyways.
Rem didnt know this but world had started spreading around town, not just due to her erotic appearance but her similarity to a certain folk tale, apparently when she covers her mouth for whatever reason, she looks just like a lady in white silk, a folktale originating from Japan. She had no idea though.
"Rem?!" Elena's voice cut through the market noise with genuine shock. "Is that you, dear?"
The baker appeared from behind a vegetable stand carrying some grocceries, her expression cycling through surprise, confusion, concern as she took in the dramatic change from Rem's usual modest attire. "You look... that's quite different from your normal clothes!"
Elena's tone held more worry than judgment but the attention her voice drew made things worse, more people turning to see what had caused the baker's exclamation, another wave of stares washing over Rem like she was standing on display.
"It's my only clean outfit," Rem explained with as much dignity as she could muster while dressed like high-class entertainment. "Everything else I own is covered in blood from the bandits yesterday or destroyed, I need to buy actual combat clothes once the market opens properly."
The excuse was technically true which made it easier to sell, though it didn't explain why her "only clean outfit" happened to be an expensive semi-transparent silk that showed more than it hid. Elena's concern deepened into something protective, the motherly instinct that had led to free breakfasts clearly extending to keeping strange men from bothering the girl dressed like trouble.
"You look lovely," Elena said firmly, loud enough for nearby gawkers to hear. "That color suits you perfectly, dear."
[Compliments: 4 / 15]
The baker's compliment felt less violating than the others, protective rather than predatory, though it still counted toward the total Rem needed. Elena stayed close after that while Rem browsed stalls looking for actual clothing vendors, the baker's presence discouraging some of the more aggressive attention though nothing could stop the staring that followed everywhere the white silk went.
More compliments accumulated as Rem moved through the market, some genuine appreciation of the beauty she projected, others carrying undertones that made her skin crawl—merchants calling her gorgeous while their eyes were on her boobs, women commenting on the fabric while clearly judging her choices, young men stuttering through praise that reeked of hormones and lack of experience.
[Compliments: 5 / 15... 6 / 15... 7 / 15]
When Rem finally found a clothing vendor with practical combat gear, the relief of seeing normal modest outfits almost made her forget the humiliation of how many people had watched her shop in the kimono. She bought fitted pants, reinforced tunics, a proper traveling cloak with hood—She hesitated before buying a pair of underwear and bra, her boobs were damn heavy.
"That kimono really does look wonderful on you though," the vendor said while wrapping her purchases, his smile professional but appreciative. "Special occasion?"
[Compliments: 8 / 15]
"Something like that," Rem muttered, paying quickly before the conversation could continue.
Forty-five minutes had passed with eight compliments collected, progress steady if humiliating, meaning she still needed seven more across the remaining two hours and fifteen minutes. The market was waking up fully now as mid-morning approached, the crowd thickening with shoppers and merchants, more eyes to track the woman in white silk who looked like she'd wandered out of a fantasy and into reality.
The tavern would be next, lunch crowd gathering for early drinks or meals, a concentrated group of people in an enclosed space rather than the market's spread-out audience. Rem's stomach twisted at the thought of entering that tavern dressed like this but the quest demanded it, the notification still burning in her vision with requirements that wouldn't disappear no matter how much she wanted them to.
She headed toward the tavern with her purchases tucked under one arm, even her ass was on full view, whispers following her progress through streets that felt narrower when people were staring, either upfront or at her back. The building appeared ahead with its weathered sign swinging in the breeze, promising food and drink and the concentrated attention of dozens of people with nothing better to do than gawk at whoever walked through the door.
"Just an hour," Rem told herself, pausing outside to gather courage.
She pushed open the door, stepping into the dimmer interior where her eyes needed a moment to adjust from bright morning sun to tavern gloom. Conversations died mid-sentence as heads turned toward the entrance, the white kimono catching what light filtered through windows to glow like beacon announcing her presence to every person present.
The bartender's wolf-whistle pierced the sudden quiet, crude but enthusiastic. "Well hello there, gorgeous! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"
[Compliments: 9 / 15]
Laughter rippled through the room, tension breaking as patrons decided how to react to the exotic apparition who'd walked into their morning drinking. Some calls were appreciative, others crudely suggestive, several men rising from their seats like they were considering approaching before friends pulled them back down. Rem's face burned hotter than the forge in the blacksmith's shop while she navigated toward a corner table, trying to minimize her visibility but knowing the white silk made that impossible.
"That's quite an outfit, miss," someone called from across the room. "You here looking for company?"
The implication was clear, the assumption obvious—women dressed like that were advertising specific services, never mind that Rem just wanted to complete a quest and get back to her normal life. She ignored the comment, sitting at her corner table where at least walls would protect two sides from staring eyes.
"Don't mind them," a serving girl said, appearing "They're harmless, mostly. Just drunk and stupid. You really do look amazing though, I wish I could pull off something like that, gods your figure is so hot."
[Compliments: 10 / 15]
Rem ordered water she didn't want, buying time to sit in the corner while compliments slowly accumulated from patrons who'd apparently decided approaching her was acceptable behavior.
[Compliments: 11 / 15... 12 / 15... 13 / 15]
Two more, then she could leave, could flee back outside where at least the stares would be spread across more space rather than concentrated in one dim room. A merchant who'd been drinking since morning finally worked up courage to approach her table, his smile friendly but his words slurring slightly with alcohol.
"I just wanted to say you're the most beautiful woman I've seen in years," he said with tipsy sincerity. "My wife used to wear silk like that before she passed, you bring back good memories."
[Compliments: 14 / 15]
The unexpected sadness in his voice made the compliment less invasive somehow, grief tempering what could have been creepy into something almost sweet. Rem nodded acknowledgment, not trusting herself to speak without voice cracking from the emotional whiplash of the last hour.
One more compliment, then she was done with this part of the quest, could move to the final requirement of showing Kaisen before completing Part 1 entirely. She just needed one more person to comment on her appearance, one more stranger to reduce her to visual appreciation rather than person.
"You really do look lovely," an elderly woman said, sitting at the next table over. "Reminds me of when I was young and beautiful, before age took its toll. Enjoy it while you have it, dear."
[Compliments: 15 / 15]
The notification appeared with cheerful finality while Rem felt something crack inside her chest, some wall she'd been maintaining against the constant objectification finally giving way to exhaustion. She stood quickly, leaving coins on the table for water she'd barely touched, heading for the exit.
Outside air hit her face like salvation despite still being trapped in the kimono until the quest completed fully, two and a half hours down with thirty minutes remaining plus the special requirement of showing Kaisen her outfit. The thought made her stomach twist worse than the market stares or tavern attention, something about his opinion mattering in ways stranger's didn't even though that made no sense when she barely knew him.
Rem walked toward the square with resignation heavy in her chest, people were still staring, but it felt less disgusting now.
She spotted Kaisen almost immediately, his distinctive figure lounging near the fountain where people gathered to fill buckets or rest during market trips. He was talking to someone she didn't recognize, his expression animated with whatever story he was telling, completely unaware of what was approaching from behind.
Rem's courage nearly failed entirely when she realized she'd have to actually get his attention, make him look at her dressed like this, endure whatever reaction crossed his face when he saw her like this. Her face was already burning with anticipation of the embarrassment to come, her hands fidgeting with the kimono's sleeve without conscious thought, every instinct screaming to turn around and flee rather than let him see her like this.
But the quest demanded it, the special objective requiring his visible reaction, so she forced herself forward on legs that wanted to be anywhere else. "Kaisen," she called out when she was close enough, her voice coming out smaller than intended, weak almost.
He turned, his easy smile already forming before his brain processed what his eyes were seeing. The smile froze, his expression shifting through confusion to shock to something that looked like his mind had crashed completely, face going so red so fast it should have been medically concerning. His mouth opened but no words came out, whatever he'd been about to say dying in his throat while his eyes traveled down then snapped back up like he'd touched something hot, the pattern repeating as he apparently fought a losing battle with his own gaze.
"Rem?" he finally managed, voice cracking slightly. "What... what are you... is that...?"
His friend had wisely retreated, leaving them alone to whatever this was, though plenty of other square occupants were watching the scene with obvious interest. Rem wanted to disappear into the ground, wanted to be anywhere except here being stared at by someone whose opinion shouldn't matter but somehow did, her own face burning hot enough to probably match his. She was looking like a fucking hooker asking for work!!!!
"It's my only clean outfit left, alright?" she said defensively, embarrassment making her sharp. "Everything else I own is.... gone, I needed something to wear while buying actual combat clothes."
The excuse came out more aggressive than she'd intended, her frustration manifesting as defensiveness while her hands continued fidgeting with the kimono and her eyes refused to meet his for more than a second at a time. Kaisen's face somehow went even redder, his nervous energy manifesting in the way he rubbed the back of his neck while very carefully trying to keep his gaze on her face rather than let it wander.
"It's... you look really... I mean that's very..." He gave up on coherent speech, his brain apparently too overloaded to form complete sentences. "Different. Really different. Not bad different just... different different."
His flustered rambling would have been funny if Rem wasn't equally mortified, both of them standing in the square while people watched them be awkward at each other, neither able to maintain eye contact or speak like normal humans having a normal conversation about a normal fucking topic.
"I'm going to change now," Rem announced, cutting through the painful silence. "Got proper clothes from the market, never wearing this thing again... how do i look?"
She fled before Kaisen could respond or her embarrassment could kill her outright, practically running back toward her shed while the quest completion notification finally, mercifully appeared in her vision like liberation from torture.
[Part 1 COMPLETE: Public Display]
[15 compliments received ]
[3+ hours in public ]
[Kaisen reaction witnessed ]
[Reward: 200 LP + 2 Stat Points]
[Current Total: 725 LP]
[Available Stat Points: 2]
Rem slammed her shed door behind her with enough force to rattle the walls, ripping off the kimono immediately before the silk could remind her of the last three hours. The modest combat clothes she'd bought materialized from inventory as she dressed with frantic speed, the normal fitted pants and reinforced tunic feeling like armor against the world rather than invitation for staring. She let the underwear stay in the inventory for now.
"Never again!" she said to the empty room, her voice shaking slightly with leftover adrenaline and mortification. "Never wearing that, never doing that, never putting myself through that again."
The system disagreed cheerfully:
[Quest Updated: Part 2 available]
[Objective: Purchase Adventurer's Allure outfit (150 LP)]
[Wear outfit while sparring with Kaisen or Elise for 1+ hour]
[Must work up visible sweat]
[Must allow opponent to pin you at least once]
[Reward: 200 LP + 5 Stat Points + Seduction Basics (Passive) + Travel Combat Set]
Tomorrow, Rem decided immediately. She'd do Part 2 tomorrow when she'd recovered from today's humiliation, when the memory of Kaisen's flustered reaction had faded to something less mortifying. When she forgot the fact that..... ugh, For now she'd check her new stat points, figure out allocation strategy, maybe sleep for twelve hours to make up for the stress of being a public spectacle.
[Available Stat Points: 2]
[Current Stats:
STR 8
DEX 12
END 10
VIT 10
CHA 19
LST 11]
Great, her lust had increased, that was fun, at least she got two points to allocate however she wanted, with five more coming after Part 2 completion for seven total to distribute. She could dump them all into one stat for focused growth or spread strategically across multiple stats for balanced improvement. STR would increase damage output, DEX would improve speed and accuracy, END would boost stamina for prolonged combat, VIT would raise max HP for survivability.
Rem decided to save the points until after completing Part 2, getting all seven at once to make strategic allocation easier rather than splitting attention across two separate decisions. The points wouldn't expire, she could hold them as long as needed, better to see the full picture before committing to a build direction.
A knock on her door made her jump, the sound sending a spike of anxiety through her chest until she remembered she was wearing normal clothes now, not the kimono that had made the last three hours such torture. "Who is it?"
"It's Elise," came the refined voice from outside. "May I come in?"
Rem opened the door to find the noblewoman standing there in practical traveling clothes, her expression holding that complicated mix of formality and uncertainty that seemed to be Elise's default when dealing with situations outside her noble training. Word must have spread about the woman in white silk because Elise's eyes traveled over Rem's normal outfit with visible relief, tension easing from her shoulders when she confirmed Rem wasn't still dressed like walking advertisement.
"I heard you were... causing quite a stir in the market today," Elise said carefully, not quite making it a question but clearly curious about what had happened.
"Only clean clothes I had," Rem repeated the excuse that was wearing thin through overuse. "Got proper gear now, won't be an issue going forward."
Elise nodded acceptance without pushing for details, her noble manners apparently extending to not interrogating people about their wardrobe choices even when those choices had become city gossip. "I came to confirm—you're officially accepting the position as my guard?"
"Yeah." Rem gestured for Elise to enter, the small shed barely accommodating two people but at least offering privacy from curious ears. "I'm in, be ready in two days like you said."
The relief that crossed Elise's face was genuine, vulnerability breaking through the cold mask for just a moment before she caught herself and straightened into proper posture. "Thank you, truly. I know it's dangerous, I know I'm asking a lot, but having someone I can trust watching my back means everything."
They discussed logistics while evening light faded outside—the journey route through White Ash Forest first, Marcus the healer attendant who'd be joining them, supplies Elise would provide from her family's resources, expected timeline of three weeks if nothing went catastrophically wrong. .
"We leave at dawn in two days," Elise concluded, standing to go. "Meet at the south gate, Marcus will have everything prepared."
She paused at the door, looking back with expression turned thoughtful. "The people who saw you today—they'll remember. That might cause problems if we're trying to travel quietly."
"Won't be wearing that again," Rem assured her. "Just normal clothes from now on, nothing that draws attention."
Elise nodded, seemingly satisfied, then left with customary grace that made even exiting a shabby shed look dignified. Alone again, Rem collapsed onto her bed while exhaustion finally caught up, the stress of three hours being stared at draining away now that the quest was complete and safety of solitude had returned.
[Current Status:]
[LP: 725]
[Stat Points: 2 (saving for after Part 2)]
[Quest Progress: Part 1 complete, Part 2 available]
[Time limit: 1 days]
Tomorrow she'd complete Part 2, earn the remaining five stat points plus Seduction Basics plus the Travel Combat Set that would let her actually survive monster encounters. Tomorrow she'd spar with Kaisen in another revealing outfit while working up sweat and letting him pin her in what would be awkward at best and mortifying at worst.
But tonight she could rest, could pretend the last three hours hadn't happened, could close her eyes without quest notifications burning in her vision demanding she degrade herself for power. Tomorrow would bring new humiliation, but tonight was hers.
She spent the rest of the training her attacks, trying to get a grasp of some footwork, but the basic strike remained as the only viable attack in her arsenal.... not now at least
Sleep came easier this time, exhaustion overwhelming embarrassment, her last thought before unconsciousness took her being gratitude that at least the kimono was over, at least that particular nightmare had ended.