"I’m cooked. Cooked, I tell you!" I mumbled, ruffling my hair with a lost expression as I stared at my system interface. Where were the OP cheats and godly traits, huh?!
’Calm down, Handel, calm down. Deep breaths. In... out... in... out.’
Once I finally steadied myself, I turned toward Laura, silently begging her to explain—and of course, she did.
"Sooo... I’m guessing you’ve seen your system," she said with a slightly nervous look. "Fret not, it’s not as bad as it seems... okay, it’s bad. Really bad."
"S-so you’re telling me I can only reach the next minor rank in five years?!" My face went pale as the cruel reality sank in.
"H-hey, don’t take it out on me. It’s not my fault you’ve got shitty luck!" Laura shot back, flustered.
"Haaa..." I exhaled, already tired of life. "So what can I do to improve the rate?"
Yep. I just went through the five stages of grief in record time.
’I’ve never read about this ’rank improvement’ stuff in any of the novels back in my past life... but it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out, right?’. I consoled
"There are ways," Laura said, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. "But the main one is missions."
"What about the others?" I pressed. I need every scrap of info, no matter how useless it seems.
"Three ways in total," she explained. "Treasures, missions, and hunting. But treasures are rare—you won’t find them at your level. Hunting works too, but you’d need to kill high-rank beasts to see real results. Missions are your best bet."
"...I don’t have a choice, do I?" I muttered.
Laura rolled her eyes and sat cross-legged on the bed in front of me, her tone sharp. "Stop whining. Grow some balls. Complete missions, earn rewards, level up, and then you’ll have more options to fix your growth rate."
I couldn’t even be mad—she was right. Still, I stood and paced, ignoring the soreness all over my body. "So... when’s the next mission?"
As if on cue, the doorknob rattled. A beautiful auburn-haired woman slipped inside, her nervous eyes darting to me.
"W–what?! You were dead a minute ago! H–how are you still alive?!"
"Oh, uh... hi, I ju—"
The door slammed shut again as she bolted.
"This could be interesting," I muttered with a wry smile, my gaze flicking back to the system screen.
[New Mission: Deceive Miriam Rothschild]
Reward: Rate of improvement reduced by 5 weeks
Penalty for failure: Rate increased by 5 weeks
Remark: Time to use your brains ☞￣ᴥ￣☞
"Apprehend the suspect quickly!"
Two armored knights barged in, seizing me by the arms before I could even react. I was hauled before a tall, black-haired woman whose cold eyes glared down at me from her seat.
"Answer my questions quickly, and I might spare your worthless life."
Her words dripped with condescension as her aura flared, pressing down on me. Or at least, it should’ve—
[New Skill Unlocked: Rank Nullification]
Effect: Nullifies the aura of a higher-ranked individual for a limited time. (Stronger opponent = shorter time.)
’Finally, the system’s being useful,’ I thought, smirking.
The woman raised a brow, clearly intrigued. "Oh? For a mere F-rank to withstand even a fraction of my aura... interesting."
Skills: [Ruler’s Hand Lvl.2], [Enchantment Lvl.3], [Soul Severance Lvl.1], [Aura Suppression Lvl.2]
Traits: Hates the weak. Calm. Calculating. Cunning. Loves challenges. Weak to compliments.
Remark: Don’t get on her bad side, or you won’t even know how you died →_→
I bowed low in my kneeling posture and declared smoothly, "Please forgive this servant... I was simply lost in your beauty and forgot to respond."
For a second, her eyes widened. Then... "O-oh... uh, th-that’s fine." Ava mumbled, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
If I played this right, I’d walk out alive—and maybe even gain a backer.
Her auburn-haired companion—Miriam—was glaring daggers at me, but I ignored her.
"I’m the man this lovely lady hired for her pleasure." I gestured toward Miriam, who jolted in shock. "I passed out from the intensity and she must’ve mistaken it for death."
Cringe. CRINGE. My soul crumpled inside. But survival was greater than dignity.
Ava turned calmly to Miriam. "Is that true?"
"I–I did buy him... but he was dead! I checked myself!" Miriam stammered.
[New Skill Unlocked: Liar Lvl.2]
Effect: Allows you to spin lies more convincingly, unless countered by detection abilities.
Mission Completion Rate: 51%
Remark: Almost there! Don’t die yet!
--- Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs noᴠelfire.net
"Both of you may leave," Ava finally said, waving us off. "Handle your problems, Miriam. And don’t summon me again unless absolutely necessary."
"Y-yes, big sis..." Miriam muttered, sulking. The guards dragged me after her.
Back in her chambers, the guards departed, leaving just the two of us. Miriam sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes narrowing.
"Do what?" I feigned ignorance.
"How did you fake your death?"
I sighed dramatically. "I have a condition... when my body experiences stress beyond its threshold, I slip into a vegetative state to cope."
Her face softened. "So... it was that good? That’s... nice..."
Her voice trailed off as her cheeks burned crimson.
’She’s... cute?’ My heart stuttered. ’Holy shit. She’s cute as hell.’
"Yes, ma’am," I said solemnly. "It was that good."
"O-okay then..." she mumbled, flustered. "Massage my back. Like you usually do."
I swallowed hard, climbing onto the bed. Her exposed back gleamed in the candlelight, unfairly perfect. My hands hovered, trembling.
"Mmm..." she moaned softly as my touch traced her skin.
[Mission Complete: Deceive Miriam Rothschild]
Reward: -5 weeks to rank improvement
Bonus Reward: [Magic Fingers Lvl.2] – Any consensual touch on sensitive regions increases pleasure.
Remark: Nice one, bro!
’Oh hell yeah.’ My grin almost split my face.
"Could you... go lower?" Miriam whispered, her voice shaky but hopeful.
My brain processed her request at light-speed.
And the only answer it produced was: