CH 15

Having completed 3 main quests and 21 side quests completed. Zel looked at the rewards he got and found it satisfying.

[Acquired - 240 Exp Points]

[Acquired - 6 Skill Points]

[Acquired - 4 Mastery Points]

[Acquired - Class Assignment Crystal 1x

- An item given to those ready to advance their souls to the next level. Giving themselves a purpose that will guide them to the pinnacle. A one-time use item.]

[Acquired - Basic Exp Vouchers 3x

- Gives 50 Exp Points]

[Acquired - Scholar's Bungle 1x

- A forgotten scholar's beloved bungle. Legend has it that the scholar wore this bungle on his way to the Emperor, when he was bestowed with a position in the council. Grants +3 Intelligence]

[Acquired - System watch 1x

- A smart watch that can access the system. Has quick access functions.]

Class Assignment Crystal was basically a random list of specializations based on a ranker's capabilities that you can choose from and the available, side quests, skills and talents a ranker would have in the future would be related to that profession.

'I won't do that right now, I need to get more levels.'

The vouchers give 50 Exp and are dropped from the one main quest and one side quest. Scholar's Bungle was his third equipment that made him realize that mana was something he could focus on because his skills were already giving him a huge edge in terms of physical damage. Mana would supplement his usage of skills.

'Besides, Mana is the basis of the new world.'

The system watch was just moving his system interface into a smart watch instead of his phone. It also helps him by showing when he had finished his quests by showing a notification on the screen. It was showing one notification right now, but he knew it was just him completing the side quest 'Get Served'.

[Current Side Quests Available:

(Run)

- Run 10 kilometers

Rewards: 10 Exp Points

Time Limit: 11 Hour, 10 Minutes, 12 Seconds

Failure Penalty: none

(Get Served)

- Finish everything Emilia will bring to the picnic.

Rewards: 10 Exp Points

Time Limit: none

Failure Penalty: -10 affinity with Emilia]

The quest gave him 10 Exp which was nice, but nothing to take note of. The future he saw made him forget about leveling up his skill or the idea of getting more skills. He needed to get to level 5 so he can increase his Vessel Limit. There were no cheats this time, he had to train in this life to get Exp.

Most rankers at the same level have only taken a couple weeks to get to level 3, not because they were better than him but because they didn't care about anything else. Zel on the other hand didn't feel it was something he needed to speed up, because he had already seen the future. Doing things faster only put more strain on his mind. Side quests are self-improvement quests after all, the truer to yourself you are, the easier they would be.

'The timer doesn't mean that the world would end.' The thing he should focus on is having the right tools and skills necessary for him to help his family get mana faster. Zel's dream was something that led him to believe that more than personal strength, it would be having people to rely on that matters more.

'I need to have more rankers by my side.' The forums have stopped speculating about the anomaly who kept using so much mana that the timer sped up a little and instead talked about 'Tiger' who was posting about new information like crazy. The frequent posts that give out information like it was raining gold.

[Tiger's Forum Posts:

- Basic Mana Skills, go get them -

- The stats you want to use, why you should focus on it -

- Equipment management? I got you fam -

- Why skills are more important than stats -

- Side quests: Easier to do when you don't care -

- At what level do I have to be when the timer ends? -

- I found out about how skills get added in the available skills and talents tab' -

- Why you should save your Mastery Points -]

He was using information like this to bolster up humanity's prowess before they arrive. He knew a few people who could be of use to him and he was planning on meeting them later this week. Three people who would serve as his generals should they accept his leadership, but he knew they were going to agree. After all, he was the only one who could help them.

Emilia woke up an hour later feeling serene. The familiar heat and the smell he gave off was so charmingly good that she didn't even open her eyes just so she would be able to stay just a little bit longer.

"You know your feet twitch a little when you wake up." Zel watched on as Emilia's eyelids were forcing themselves shut. He went closer just so he could feel her erratic breathing.

"..."

"Oh, is Emilia still not awake? Maybe I could touch somewhere, just a little squeeze."

Emilia was feeling his hands move back to where it left off before she fell asleep. The sensations were more pronounced as she was closing her eyes. It enabled her to visualize the hands that moved from her thighs to somewhere closer to her buttocks.

" Smack. You beast!" Sensing that things were going to take a step forwards without her being ready, she had to accept the fact that she can't stay in this position any longer.

"Ohhh, was my Emilia faking her sleep?"

Zel however, didn't seem to react to her blow. Usually he would let go as soon as she did so but he didn't do it at this moment. His face was close to hers, very close. Close enough that she could feel his breathe when he speaks.

"No.... No! I just woke up and heard you!"

"Really? What did I say?" Zel took a spot just beside her head and whispered his words softly. Prompting Emilia to try and release herself from his clutches.

"Something perverted that's what!"

"Oh? Did you not want me to do it?"

"No! I mean, not here…" Emilia was unable to hold herself back and just blurted out what came to mind.

"Hahaha, so we can do it somewhere else?" Zel laughed at Emilia's cute expression. Something that had become a habit as his teasing plays were becoming more frequent, the more they stay together.

"Hmph."

"Oh come on, I'm sorry."

"You are?" Emilia just gave Zel a side look while laughing in her mind. She had finally got him to stop teasing him, knowing that he was not someone to push things too far. But she did want him to...

"Yes, please forgive this beast for daring to touch his tigress."

" Snort . Fine, I accept your apology."

Zel pushed himself up and gave her a hand while he looked around. Emilia followed his gaze and saw that everything had been packed and ready on the car as only the two of them and the blanket was left.

"Do you want to go back home?"

"Not yet."

"Why? Are you not feeling well from the medicine?"

"That was medicine? For what?"

"Medicine that makes your breasts bigger of course!"

"What? Why? How?" Emilia was confused by what she was hearing. Is such a miraculous medicine really what she drank? Did he like bigger breasts then? Was he just a pervert or did he know that she was insecure about her rather modest breast size?

"Haha, I thought you'd smack me for saying that."

"Of course, I would. But, well, I mean, is what you said true?" Emilia didn't care, no, she cared about something else. Something more important.

"It's not what the medicine was intended for. But yeah, it's true."

"Then what's it for then?"

"It's just a relaxing medicine, don't you feel your body getting lighter? Like you got to rest for a whole day?" Zel raised his shoulders nonchalantly and was about to pull her closer so they can both stand but saw that she was looking down and not minding him at all.

"Now that I think about it… Yeah, it does."

"Good, that means it worked."

"I still don't want to go though."

"Why not?" Zel was faced with a fact he didn't consider, or at least he thought he did. He wondered if he was being too pushy when he gave her the medicine and was about to regret it when he felt her hand reach for the one he gave her and it pulled him down on the blanket.

"I, I want to sleep on you more."

"We can do that at my place."

"Well, the air here is better. I also like the atmosphere here."

Feeling glad that it wasn't as he thought, he decided to just follow along. He still needed to apologize for the earlier incident, so this was nothing.

"Fine. Just a few more minutes, ok?" Zel lied back down and patted his chest while smiling at Emilia.

"Ok. Thank you, Zel." Emilia graciously accepted his invitation and lied on his chest. Her left hand rested on his stomach while her other one touched her breasts.

'Will they really get bigger?'

Zel just accepted his fate of being a pillow. It also felt nice to have the woman of his dreams cling on to him so he wasn't the least bit reluctant to grant her request. He didn't bother to check up on his new side quest because he still had to get the other side quest done but he had no choice in the matter with the main quest. After all, the main quest was too dangerous for him to finish right now.

[Current Main Quests Available:

(Popular)

- Get 10 Reputation Points

Rewards: 2 Mastery Point, 100 Exp

Time Limit: none

Failure Penalty: none]

Reputation Points were gained by being well known in an area, the more people know you, the more reputation points you get. It's not like a good or bad thing kind of popularity though, having your name known because of a murder would grant you points while being a hero who saved a kid from a burning building would still give you points. There is no good or bad reputation, no bias on how people see you as long as they know who you are.

Zel won't be able to do what he wants if people knew who he was. The problem with having more Reputation Points is that people would have interest in you, making the miniscule possibility of other rankers recognizing you as a ranker all the more possible. He didn't need that kind of trouble right now.

In fact, he wanted to leave the reputation problem alone while he sets up his team. One broken kid and a pair of siblings were now on his mind, he didn't care about anything else except them. Well, after his family and Emilia that is.

The recruits have to be attended to individually which would take him a few days, but after that would be training.

'Clairvoyance really helped me with that one.'

Of the ten times he had used his skill in the past few week, he ended them right after the first portal opened. He saw how dangerous those things are so he needs to prepare well. Those three are able to give him what he wants so he'll use his talent to get the edge in the upcoming recruitment.

A solid base of operations was also something he had to take mind of, but his liquid funds were a little low due to the spending spree he had made lately.

'I just had to show off to them.'

He knew it was a little too much to buy those things but if he could ensure that he could keep Emilia by his side, then nothing's ever too big of a price. He looked towards the woman on his mind, her rosy fragrance calmed his worried hard greatly. He knew one thing was for sure, he'd protect her from everything. It was then that she asked him a question that put all the plans he had in shambles.

"Hey Zel, I wanna ask you something."

"What is it tigress?" Zel felt content. He wanted to just stay this way, the future was too tiring. He was about to try and find a future where he doesn't have to mix in with the rankers that would try to do some big things in the future when Emilia called him back to reality.

Emilia was giving him a rather confused look, like she was unsure of something.

"What's a system?"