Morning light dragged Rem from surprisingly peaceful sleep, though tomorrow would mark the beginning of a journey she'd written to be deadly—three weeks through lands designed to kill unprepared travelers while the protagonist collected women like trophies, soooo fun .
[Daily Quest Available: Morning Training]
[Objective: Practice with your weapon for 30 minutes]
[Reward: 50 LP + Recovery Bead]
She grabbed her sword while heading behind the shed. Thirty minutes passed in a blur until completion arrived along with another Recovery Bead in her inventory, bringing her total to two healing items she'd probably need later on.
[Current LP: 775]
[Recovery Beads: 2]
Today's real challenge waited in her quest log with requirements that made yesterday's humiliation seem almost pleasant—at least she wont meet these people, so them ogling at her body was fine as far as she was concerned, but sweating together, being pinned beneath someone, days before they were going on a deadly path?
"Just sparring" Rem muttered while pulling up the store interface to purchase what she'd been dreading since yesterday. "nothing more complicated than that damn it."
[Adventurer's Allure Outfit: -150 LP]
[Current LP: 625]
The outfit materialized as expensive-looking fabric that felt professional rather than provocative, a skin-tight black bodysuit covering everything from neck to ankles while somehow managing to look athletic rather than obscene. The matching black shirt added another layer of modesty over the bodysuit, bracers wrapped around her forearms for protection, a combat belt sat at her waist with attachment points for weapons or supplies. Boots completed the ensemble with reinforced soles, though her legs only had the protection of the body suite... it was not quite bad.
She changed quickly before doubt could settle in. The bodysuit clung to her body like a parasite while remaining functional enough that she didn't feel like walking advertisement for services she wasn't offering.
"Okay," she said to her reflection while trying not to notice how the material accentuated muscles she'd developed recently. "This isn't so bad, I can work with this."
Finding Kaisen meant heading to the inn where he usually ate breakfast. The walk through early morning streets drew some attention but nothing like yesterday's spectacle. People glanced, a few stared, but most seemed to be uninterested despite how well the outfit displayed the body underneath.
The inn's interior smelled like fresh bread while morning light filtered through windows to illuminate tables where early risers were eating before starting their day. Kaisen sat alone at a corner table with food half-finished in front of him, he noticed her approaching him.
His eyes widened slightly while a smile spread across his face, the confident expression of someone who knew exactly how attractive she was, was the bastard trying to act charming? she shuddered. "Well well, that's quite a look, Rem," he said while leaning back in his chair to study her outfit with obvious approval. "Combat gear? Or are you just showing off?"
The teasing tone caught her off-guard after yesterday's flustered stammering. This was different energy entirely—confident, charming, the real Kaisen she knew too well, rather than the awkward boy who couldn't handle seeing her in a kimono. Heat rose in her cheeks despite her best efforts to remain professional while other inn patrons turned to watch their interaction with interest. Some of the fuckers dared snickering.
"I need to spar with you for an hour," Rem said finally, trying to ignore how his gaze traveled over her bodysuit-clad form. "I need more experience outside real threat, low stakes you know"
"Sure," he agreed easily but that confident smile never wavered. "Though I gotta say, you make that outfit work better than most professional fighters I've seen~"
"Shut up," she muttered while her face burned hotter. "Just finish eating so we can get this over with."
His laugh followed her to a nearby table where she sat to wait, acutely aware of his attention even when she wasn't looking directly at him. This was going to be more complicated than she'd anticipated if he'd decided to stop being flustered by her appearance—the confident energy he was giving off was somehow worse than stammering embarrassment because it made her stomach do strange things that had nothing to do with the her breakfast.
The walk to the training ground outside city walls gave them time for conversation that felt less awkward than their previous interactions. Kaisen moved beside her with easy confidence while asking about her preparations for tomorrow. "You're really taking this seriously you know" he observed. " Im glad to see that.....most people would just trust Elise's planning, but you're putting in extra work to be ready, hot"
"Someone has to," Rem replied while trying not to notice how aware she was of his teasing. "You seem too relaxed enough?"
"I'm always ready when it counts," he said with that easy grin suggesting something entirely different. "Besides, with you watching my back? I'm not worried at all."
She chuckled " what do you take me for, some sort of almighty god? watch you own back bastard.... though you should not be worried either way"
The training field appeared ahead as an open space where guards usually drilled, currently empty in the morning which meant privacy for whatever awkwardness was about to unfold between them. They took positions across from each other while drawing weapons, his blade catching morning light while her sword felt comfortable in her grip after days of practice.
"How hard should I go?" he asked while settling into a ready stance that looked deceptively casual.
"Don't hold back, you think you can?" Rem said firmly while her competitive nature pushed past nervousness about quest requirements. "I need real practice, not you treating me like I'll break."
Something shifted in his expression at those words—the easy smile becoming more focused while his entire posture changed from relaxed to predatory in a heartbeat. "Alright then," he said quietly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
[Part 2: Combat Assessment]
[Duration: 1+ hour of sparring required]
[Must work up visible sweat]
[Must allow opponent to pin you at least once]
[Timer begins now]
They circled each other like wolves testing for weakness. Rem's training guided her movements while she watched for openings in his guard, striking first with a quick slash aimed at his shoulder that he parried effortlessly before launching a counter-attack so fast her eyes barely tracked the movement. Her blade came up to block on pure instinct while shock rippled through her at his speed.
This was different from the bandit fight where adrenaline had carried them both through chaos—this time there was no one to protect, no one to bother. Kaisen moved like water flowing around obstacles, each strike perfectly placed while his footwork demonstrated training she knew he'd never received because she'd written him to have natural talent rather than formal education. He was a monster wearing human skin, the kind of protagonist who made combat look effortless through sheer physical superiority, he had to bee if he went around fucking girls.
They traded blows in rapid succession but Rem realized she was being pushed harder than she'd ever been pushed. Her technique kept her in the fight while his raw talent should have overwhelmed her completely, but she adapted to his rhythm slowly, learning to read his tells, finding openings in what should have been flawless defense. He was better than her—significantly better—but she wasn't helpless against him either.
"You're good," he said while they broke apart briefly, breathing harder from intense the exchange. "Better than I expected, honestly thought I'd have you on your back by now."
Heat flooded her face at the phrasing while his grin suggested he knew exactly what he'd said, that tone making every word feel loaded with subtext she wasn't ready to examine. "Keep dreaming," she shot back while launching another attack to hide her flustered state.
Twenty minutes into the sparring, Rem felt sweat beginning to form on her skin while the bodysuit clung more tightly from absorbing most of it. Her breathing came harder from sustained exertion while Kaisen seemed barely winded despite matching her intensity, his blade moving in patterns she still could not read properly.
Then something new appeared in his attacks that made her eyes widen.
His sword began glowing faintly with energy rippling along the steel like living light, the air itself seeming to vibrate with power while he swung in an arc that left afterimages trailing behind the blade. Multiple strike lines appeared in her vision where one sword shouldn't be able to create them, forcing her to dodge backward while barely avoiding getting hit by what looked like three simultaneous attacks from a single weapon.
"What the hell was that?!" she demanded, staring at his blade which seemed to be still pulsing with that strange energy.
"Oh that was mutilate" he explained casually "Picked it up recently, pretty useful when you need to hit multiple targets. its a pretty basic skill"
She filed that information away while her mind raced through implications—he had started unlocking abilities now, actual techniques beyond just enhanced attributes, which meant he..... probably... with Elise, no!! "That's not fair," she muttered while adjusting her grip. "Using abilities I dont have."
"All's fair in combat," he replied with a shrug before attacking again with that damned glowing blade creating impossible angles.
Thirty minutes in, both of them were breathing hard now while sweat soaked through their clothes. Rem's bodysuit clung to her skin in ways that made her hyperaware of her body's shape, the black material becoming almost glossy with swet while her face burned from more than just exertion. Kaisen's shirt was sticking to his chest in ways that outlined muscles she didn't considering what that would look like in reality, her eyes catching on the way fabric molded to his torso before she forced her gaze back to his face. Damn it
He noticed her attention though, and that damn knowing smile spreadacross his features while he paused mid-attack to grab the hem of his shirt. "Getting hot," he said sluggishly before pulling the garment off in one smooth motion, revealing a chest that shouldn't look that good.
Rem's brain short-circuited completely while her face went so red she probably looked sunburned—defined abs, muscular shoulders glistening in morning light, he knew exactly what effect he was having. "What are you doing?!" she managed to squeak out. her voice was unusually high and he enjoyed every bit of it.
"Taking off my shirt because I'm sweating," he replied innocently but that grin suggested nothing innocent at all. "Problem?"
"No," she lied while trying desperately to focus on anything, she was a man too.... it was nothing special, anyone can have rock hard abs, or veins "Perfectly normal training behavior....."
His laugh made her want to punch him almost as much as it made her stomach do flips. She attacked aggressively, throwing herself into combat with renewed intensity. They fought with everything they had, some more than others but neither was giving any ground.
Forty-five minutes into the quest, Rem's competitive pride warred with the requirement to let him pin her at least once—she hated losing even in practice, but the quest demanded it for completion. She made a decision during one exchange, launching an aggressive combination that left her slightly overextended on purpose , making it look natural enough that he wouldn't question the opening.
Kaisen took the opportunity immediately with terrifying speed, sweeping her legs out from under her so smoothly she barely registered it before her back hit the ground. He followed her down with his weight pinning her to the earth and his blade pressed against her throat in the classic victory position, both of them frozen in the sudden intimacy of the moment.
His face hovered inches above hers while sweat dripped from his hair onto her cheeks, their bodies pressed together in ways that made her aware of every part between them. She could feel his heartbeat where his chest touched hers, could smell the sweat on his skin, could see nothing except his eyes staring down at her with an intensity that had nothing to do with combat practice.
"Got you," he said quietly, his voice lower than normal while his gaze traveled across her face like he was memorizing her features.
Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might escape her chest while heat flooded through her body—this confident version of Kaisen was infinitely more dangerous than the flustered boy she usually saw, because he looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in his entire world. The quest requirement pinged complete in her peripheral vision but she barely registered it, too focused on the things she was feeling.
Pride surged through her embarrassment to fuel movement she'd been planning since he'd taken her down, hooking her leg behind his in a reversal technique. Momentum shifted as she twisted with surprising strength—suddenly finding herself on top while he lay on his back beneath her, shock evident in his expression. Her hands pinned his shoulders while her hair fell around her face in a curtain, a triumphant grin spreading across her features that felt more genuine than any smile she'd worn since arriving in this world.
"Now I've got YOU!!" she said with satisfaction coloring every word, that foxy expression probably making her look insufferably smug but she enjoyed every moment of it.
He laughed—genuinely laughed with delight—while looking up at her with newfound respect shining in his eyes. "Okay... that was a little impressive," he admitted freely. "Just a little"
[Part 2 COMPLETE: Combat Assessment]
[All requirements satisfied]
[Reward: 200 LP + 5 Stat Points + Seduction Basics (Passive) + Travel Combat Set]
[Current LP: 825]
[Available Stat Points: 7]
[Seduction Basics: activated]
She rolled off him quickly before the position could become more awkward than it already was, both of them sitting on the ground catching their breath after an hour of the most intense sparring she'd ever experienced.
"You're really good at this," he said while meeting her eyes directly. "You've got solid instincts that go beyond just knowing techniques. your a damn prodigy"
"You're a monster!" she replied honestly. "That speed, that control, the way you move like fighting is breathing—how do you do that?"
He shrugged casually like natural superhuman ability was perfectly normal, well it was in this world. "Just comes naturally I guess, i dont know why but my body had always been special"
She felt the passive skill change immediately as Seduction Basics integrated into her being—something shifting in how her body moved while grace seemed to flow through gestures that should have been ordinary. Kaisen was staring at her with renewed intensity, he seemed confused about something.
"Something's different about you," he observed.
"I won" she deflected, instead checking her inventory for the Travel Combat Set that had materialized. The description made her eyes widen at the quality—complete light armor designed for mobility without sacrificing protection. Another skin-tight black bodysuit as the base, but this one had a fitted metal breastplate protecting vital organs without restricting movement, leather covering reinforced her abdominal while wrapping around her back for more protection, articulated leg armor allowed full range of motion while guarding against strikes. Combat boots completed the ensemble with reinforced toes meant for kicking through obstacles.
'Finally got proper armor!!' she though with genuine relief. 'Should help with not dying when monsters try to eat me.'
They stood together while exhaustion from sparring made her muscles ache pleasantly, the kind of soreness that made her feel good instead of worse, she felt proud at her progress. Kaisen retrieved his discarded shirt but didn't put it back on immediately, instead carrying it while they began walking back toward the city with comfortable silence stretching between them.
Rem pulled up her stats while walking, studying the seven points she needed to allocate before tomorrow's journey began:
[Stats:]
STR: 8
DEX: 12
END: 10
VIT: 10
CHA: 19
LST: 11
[stat points: 7 ]
She made her decision quickly based on her needs—She needed strength to deal damage when combat became inevitable, endurance to maintain fighting capability during prolonged encounters, vitality to survive hits that would kill weaker people. She put three points into STR, two into END and two into VIT creating a balanced build meant for versatility rather than specialization.
[Allocation Confirmed]
STR: 11
DEX: 12
END: 12
VIT: 12
CHA: 19
LST: 11
[stat points: 0]
The change rippled through her body immediately— her muscles became denser without bulking up visibly, her breathing easier despite recent exertion while everything felt sturdier somehow like her bones had hardened a little.
"You okay?" Kaisen asked while watching her with concern.
"Just tired from sparring," she lied smoothly.
He left it at that, much to her delight.
They reached the city gates as morning stretched toward midday, the walls promising safety they'd be leaving behind tomorrow. Kaisen paused before they split, turning to face her with that intensity she'd written into his character, never considering what it would feel like directed at her.
"Rem?" he said quietly while his gaze held hers steady. "You really did look amazing today—both in how you fight, how you look while fighting."
Her face went red despite her best efforts to remain composed, the bastard knew how to smooth talk at least, geez she was such a good writer "Thanks," she managed while her voice came out softer than intended.
"I'm glad you're coming with us tomorrow," he continued while stepping closer. "Having you with me, and Elise.... how could i ask for more."
Something warm bloomed in her chest that had nothing to do with her increasing lust or the system—genuine appreciation for being valued as a fighter rather than just another potential person to conquest. "I'm glad too," she admitted quietly while meaning it despite all her reservations about joining the main story.
He grinned that confident grin before walking toward the inn, leaving her standing outside the gates while her hand touched her chest, her heart still racing.