"What I mean by 'gates' is... well, I didn't fully understand it either," Virelia admitted, her voice soft as she looked at the mark on her neck. "But it means you opened my potential when you... when you were inside me."
Draven blinked, and suddenly, a transparent blue box flickered into existence in front of his eyes.
"What the... a screen?" Draven gasped.
[ EROS SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
• User: Draven
• Level: 1
• Speed: 1
• Strength: 1
• Stamina: 1
• Ability: 0 (Locked)
"Level one," Virelia noted, looking at the floating text over his shoulder. "You're still very weak. It's dangerous here. To get down this mountain and reach the Village of Vroom, you need power. You can kill monsters to level up, but that takes a long time. There is... another way."
"What other way?" Draven asked.
Right then, another notification pinged in his vision:
[QUEST: ACCELERATED GROWTH]
To level up 5x faster, engage in 'Soul-Bonding' with Virelia. Current Bond Level: 1. Next level reached through intimacy.
Draven's face turned bright red. "What? Really?" He looked at the screen, then back at Virelia. "I mean... I would love to level up quickly. If it's the fastest way, then... that's the only reason I want to do it."
Virelia let out a small, knowing hum. "Mmm-hmm. I'm sure." She flashed him a teasing smile as she stood up.
"But we can't stay here in the open. By nightfall, mountain wolves come to these peaks. I'm not a fighter, so I can't protect you yet. We need to find shelter."
Draven nodded, following her as they began to trek down the rocky slope. What the hell? he thought, his head spinning. Am I dreaming? I've seen this in anime and read about it in manga, but this is real. I'm in another world... and I'm stuck here with a beauty.
As they trekked downward, Draven noticed that Virelia's face was still a deep, burning red. She wouldn't look him in the eye.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head quickly, then hesitated. "No. It's just... I've never felt the way I felt back then. When you were with me. The moment you finished... that was what unlocked my memories and brought us here." She looked away, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It was... intense."
Draven turned his gaze straight ahead, his own ears turning red. "This is a bit awkward," he muttered. They walked in silence for a few more minutes until a dark opening appeared in the mountainside.
"A cave," Draven said, pointing. "It looks like we'll have to stay here for the night."
Virelia nodded and they crept inside. The air was cool and smelled of damp earth. As their eyes adjusted to the shadows, they saw two large, grey wolves curled up on the ground, fast asleep. Draven's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, let's go," Virelia whispered, her voice trembling. "We should find somewhere else."
Draven paused. He looked at the sleeping beasts, then at his own trembling hands. I need to level up. "They're asleep. If we leave, they might wake up and hunt us in the dark. Let's take them out now. We have to do this together."
Virelia hesitated, then gave a firm nod. "Fine. Anything you say, Draven."
Draven spotted a heavy, jagged rock and hoisted it over his shoulder. Virelia followed his lead, picking up a smaller but solid stone. They crept forward, the only sound being the heavy thumping of Draven's heart. He gave a silent signal: On three.
Draven slammed his rock down with all his might. CRUNCH. His wolf let out a choked yelp and went still. But Virelia, frightened by the sudden violence, hesitated. Her rock clipped the second wolf's shoulder instead of its head.
The beast snarlled, its yellow eyes snapping open as it lunged toward her.
"Virelia!" Draven yelled. He didn't think—he simply jumped. He threw himself onto the wolf's back, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck as it thrashed wildly. "Dammit!"
"I'm sorry!" she cried out, frozen for a second.
"Get another rock! I'll hold it in place!" Draven shouted, his muscles straining. The wolf snapped its jaws inches from his face. One wrong move and he was dead.
Virelia scrambled back, grabbed a heavy stone, and ran forward. With a cry of desperation, she slammed the rock down onto the wolf's head. The creature gave one final shudder and went limp.
Draven fell back against the cave wall, gasping for air. Suddenly, the blue light filled the dark cave again.
The Notification:
[COMBAT COMPLETE]
• Enemies Slain: 2x Mountain Wolf
• Experience Gained: 20XP
• LEVEL UP! Draven is now Level 2.
• Reward: 5 Stat Points.
•Fire Ability unlocked LV 1