Book 1: Chapter 57: Massage Success and A Heroic Encounter

Book 1: Chapter 57: Massage Success and A Heroic Encounter

"I actually got a new skill on top of some level ups..." Lone muttered in disbelief as he looked at the system notification hovering in the corner of his vision. "I've had Massage Mastery for ages, so what's the with the new skill difference?"

Congratulations! The hosts passive skill [Massage Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner level 4.

Congratulations! The hosts passive skill [Massage Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner level 5.

Congratulations! The hosts passive skill [Massage Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner level 6.

The host has developed the passive skill: Basic Massage Technique.

Passive Skill: Basic Massage Technique Increases the host's ability to relieve muscle tension via a hand massage by 5%. Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Lone chuckled softly as he continued to rub Sophie's feet. So this skill is about tension while Massage Mastery is about pleasure? Good to know, I suppose.

He continued to service Sophie's feet as he pulled up Crude Fireball's skill information. He wanted to go over its upgrades from having ranked up once more.

Active Fire Magic Skill: Crude Fireball

An incredibly rudimentary application of the common [Fireball] Fire Magic skill.

Due to its crudeness, 50 [-50] lines of Ancient Magic Speech must be chanted either verbally or mentally to invoke this skill. These lines will automatically be spoken or thought by the host when the host intends to use this skill.

The MP cost to invoke this skill is moderately [down from substantially] increased due to its inherent flaws.

Cost:2,500 MP [-2,500 MP] Mastery:Advanced Level 1

These changes were from both the rank up to intermediate and then advanced, hence why the numbers were double what they should be. The system was surprisingly flexible when it came to seeing stuff like this.

'Bog-standard, as I assumed. I hope it'll get a nice buff like Crude Lightning Bolt did at expert rank. Thicker and faster bolts, right? What would the equivalent for a fireball be? Hotter and faster? Maybe smaller but still just as powerful?' Lone's mind was racing as he worked his way up from Sophie's foot and started massaging her calves.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Basic Massage Technique] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Basic Massage Technique] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Basic Massage Technique] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.

Congratulations! The hosts passive skill [Massage Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner level 7.

As he soothed Sophie's body and helped her loosen her joints, his skill continued to level-up.

Why Soph forbids you from doing this to her is a mystery to me Sophie purred. It feels so good

Keep talking like that and Ill start practising a different skill instead, Lone teased.

Sophie answered, We honestly would not mind given how loose we feel right now.

Lone resisted the temptation. He still had more stuff to check, after all. And besides, she likely wasnt being wholly serious.

Hed been working hard on including her in his and Sophs relationship, he wouldnt screw that up by rushing things when he had only recently started to break down her reservations.

By the time that he had reached her thighs with his massage, Lone finally looked at his newly-updated status.

Status

Name:Lone ImmortusSex:Male Age:24Level:74 Species:FoxkinRank:G Race:Golden Foxkin HP:9,100/9,100 [+400]SP:7,424/15,950 [+680] MP:1,230/16,010 [+3,900] Basic Stats Strength:867 [+18]Vigour:1,595 [+68] Dexterity:595 [+102]Agility:590 [+173] Vitality:910 [+40]Luck:72 [+4] Bonus Stats Charm:77Charisma:46 Magic Power:1,601 [+390]

Consciously trying to not annoy Sophie, Lone spoke with his inside voice. 'Fuck yes! Almost 400 Magic Power from only four overgrown spiders? Don't mind if I fuckin' do. Wow. They're pretty dextrous and agile too... The other stats are a wet disappointment, but we came here for more MP, so I hardly have the right to bitch.'

"Mmmm..." a sensual moan leaked out of Sophie's lips.

Lone gave her a curious look as he finished off his water and put the glass he was holding back into his Dimensional Storage. "Sure. I'm good to go. No quip about last night? You were pretty passionate."

"Don't remind us. We might get in the mood again. Let's just go and hunt the spiders, yes? We can talk of sex upon our return, though it is Soph's turn tonight, not ours," Sophie replied sharply.

Lone chuckled at that. "You two have a rotation system in place literally one day after deciding to join our relationship? Why am I less surprised than I should be? Whatever, haha, let's get a move on. The day ain't gettin' any younger."

The pair quickly made their way into the forest, and, naturally, with Sophie's unbelievably reliable Mana Sensing, killing an even 14 spiders as the night was descending upon them wasnt much of a challenge.

Having almost 4,000 mana more than yesterday, as well as the fact that Lone's Crude Fireball only cost half the price now certainly allowed him to murder far more of the creatures as opposed to yesterday, which the foxkin was very thankful for.

Lone checked his notifications and his skill Crude Fireball, which had Ranked up once again, as he was retrieving the corpse of the Manasilk Spider in front of him.

Congratulations! The host's active fire magic skill [Crude Fireball] has levelled up! It is now Expert Level 1.

Active Fire Magic Skill: Crude Fireball

An incredibly rudimentary application of the common [Fireball] Fire Magic skill.

Due to its crudeness, 25 [-25] lines of Ancient Magic Speech must be chanted either verbally or mentally to invoke this skill. These lines will automatically be spoken or thought by the host when the host intends to use this skill.

[New!] The fireball's base temperature and its size have increased by 0.25 times.

The MP cost to invoke this skill is slightly [down from moderately] increased due to its inherent flaws.

Cost:1,250 MP [-1,250 MP] Mastery:Expert Level 1

Congratulations! The host's active fire magic skill [Crude Fireball] has levelled up! It is now Expert Level 2.

'So I was right about it being hotter, but bigger? I guess that makes sense looking back on it now. That first goblin who hit me with it, wasn't his fireball big enough to cover my entire body?' Lone wondered as he straightened his back and cracked his neck.

"Lone, there's trouble," Sophie suddenly said as she grabbed his arm, ripping him out of his thoughts.

"What? Loads of spiders again?" Lone asked in a hushed voice.

"No, worse, people," Sophie said as she looked in the distance.

Following her gaze through the trees, Lone could barely see three figures, two shorter than the one in the lead.

From the looks of it, two pair in the back were children wearing rags while the leading figure was a young man wearing somewhat gaudy armour and his features looked almost... Asian.

"Is that a foxkin and an... elf? Her skin is a bit darker and crisper than the ones on the island, but those ears, while shorter, they are definitely pointy..." Lone frowned as he focused on the other child. "A red tail and crimson hair..."

Sophie glanced up at Lone's face with her head still covered by her helmet. "A friend of the twins, perhaps?"

"Maybe... The rags and metal collar, on top of those hopeless expressions, well, they aren't exactly the best of signs," Lone said.

Sophie frowned under her headgear very much like how Lone was. "Slaves?"

"So it would seem, and I've an inkling to who the man is..." he replied as he fixed his posture and made sure to stand slightly in front of Sophie.

Within a few seconds, the Asian-looking man, the foxkin girl, and the elf, were within a few metres of Lone and Sophie.

A scowl covering his expression, the man asked, "Why are you in this forest and who are you?" directly to Sophie, completely ignoring Lone for the moment.

Sophie kept both of her hands on the hilts of her shortswords as she answered, "We could ask the same of you."

The man's face noticeably brightened when he heard Sophie's crystal clear voice and almost melodic tone.

"That's fair, I suppose," he replied as he nodded his head. "I'm Tamiko Daisuke, or just Daisuke. This is Harem Member One," he said as he bobbed his head to motion at the elf, "and this is Harem Member Two," he claimed as he gestured to the foxkin.

A second of cold silence filled the air as the man narrowed his eyes. "Now, answer me. Who are you and why are you here?"