บท 19: No Longer Trash

Once they returned, Jeanne quickly fell asleep with a satisfied smile and Ardor felt it was all worth it, seeing her like this.

He left the room and sat on the sofa present in his living room, painted in shades of gold and black, and opened the bag she had been carrying, and took a box out. He looked at the master bedroom.

"You still don't know it, but you're someone with a 'high' talent. I have to keep up!" He looked at the wooden box in his arms. "And this'll help me do it."

He recalled the instructions to use this, and muttered, "So, we just swallow it with water? Okay, but I'll first scan this."

Summoning his MHS, he entered his Custom Creation Room. Back in the familiar colorful void, he enjoyed the feeling of flying with his thoughts, and mentally imagined what he had been holding. The box instantly appeared in his arms.

"I wonder how they made it possible…" Still, he shook his head, knowing that knowledge was too far from him. "Scan this Soul Flower for me. Tell me how much it costs to make."

He saw the gigantic eye appear, scan the box, and unbeknownst to him, the blue rays went through the wooden box, and scanned the white flower before giving him the result.

[This is a supernatural resource of the lowest grade. It will cost you 100 LPs to create.]

"100!? All to get a low talent?" It mortified Ardor. "How much will it cost to go further?" he asked himself, then shook his head in self-mockery.

"It's already great that I have a chance to change my life. My step brothers and cousins will probably waste their entire lives." With some gratitude, he added, "It's better to think of that when the time comes."

He summoned his balance.

[Lust Points: 195

Logs:

Base LPs: 75

Spent on Renting a VIP Room x10 days: -30

Daily Mission with Jeanne: +100

50% from Lance (with 4x bonus): +50]

"What?" Seeing his balance shocked him. He let that sink into his mind for a moment. And when he understood its implications, he couldn't help but be astonished. "100! So he actually earned that much! Who did he do it with?"

Ardor knew the only way this was possible was if Lance's partner today was more than one rank higher than him. It could only be…

"Bella Mist! How courageous! Did he get a quadruple bonus as she's probably a Warrior and he's a mortal? But how did she let him do it?"

Ardor had an idea and went to his Shop to see its Purchase History then it appeared. He instantly understood the cause and effect.

"So it's Pleasure Fingers, huh?" He nodded his head. "With that, he could certainly do it."

Ardor looked at the daily mission mainly responsible for Lance to almost surpass him in earnings in a day.

[Make a woman release her essence without penetration = 1 LP/release (repeatable)]

"Truly an incarnation of lust." He thought of his clone in admiration. "I can't be left behind!"

He asked his system once again, "Can my talent be raised higher with this flower?"

The eyeball once again appeared, and this time, it scanned him from top to bottom. Ardor again felt as his thoughts were laid bare, his secrets exposed, and if he were a girl, he would certainly cover his private parts and yell; the blue light was that penetrating.

The progress bar once again loaded and Ardor got the result.

[No. Your body does not have any talent at all. The maximum effect of this flower will raise your talent in attracting magical energy to "low." Taking additional flowers will not have any effect.]

Ardor didn't see the result he wanted but learned something new.

"So it's to attract magical energy, I see. Then someone with better talent can absorb more magical energy at the same time and vice versa," he murmured, but didn't remain disheartened for long since, unlike other mortals, he had a unique advantage—his MHS.

Ardor left the Custom Creation Room and opened his eyes, back in his living room, and opened the box in his hands. A faint fragrance spread out. As he looked at that white flower and inhaled the scent, his soul felt mildly intoxicated and free.

Without staying immersed in the sensation, he immediately held the flower with a delicate grip and took a glass of water he had prepared on the side table.

"It's now or nothing!" He felt ready to leave his trashiness behind!

He ate the tasteless flower in two bites and drank the complete glass of water. He waited for a second, two seconds, a minute, but nothing seemed to change.

"Did they scam me? But my MHS can't be wrong! What's goin-"

Before he could finish his words, an immense feeling of drowsiness assaulted him, and took him to the dreamland. His head fell back and rested on the soft sofa while his limbs lay limp and relaxed.

A startling change was occurring in his soul!

Wisps of dark and red particles invisible to the naked eye were floating towards him from the air, and entered his body. They went deeper within and settled down near his soul. This kept repeating frequently, as he lay asleep, blissfully unaware. The night went by.

…

"Argh!"

Ardor groaned, feeling his stiff body, and opened his eyes. Taking a moment to recollect his thoughts, he finally remembered his last action. He immediately used the best way to confirm if it worked out.

[Warrior/Mage Talent: Trash/Low (Fire & Dark)]

"Yes!" his inner feeling of anticipation turned into delight as he jumped up and clenched his fist. He ran in joy to the master bedroom and noticed that his love lay on the bed with open but sleepy eyes.

"Jeanne! I'm no longer trash!" He let out his feelings of pride with a beaming smile.

Jeanne instinctively replied, "You never were!" She awoke from that drifting state between sleep and wakefulness and added, "You've always been the best!"

Ardor enjoyed that unconditional love and trust she had in him. He smiled as he jumped on the bed and hugged her gently, filled with joy bursting out of his heart.

'I now have beauty,' he glanced at Jeanne's blissful face, 'and I have talent. Time to convert that to power and see this ultimate quest through.'

Just as this thought came into his mind, he heard the long-forgotten bell.

[Ding!]

[Mission 2: Enter the Magical World

Introduction: You now have a woman loyal to you, and have finally left your trash status. It's time to enter the true supernatural side of the Mystic World!

Task 1: Get admitted into a Mage Tower or Academy

Task 2: Become a Beginner Apprentice Mage

Duration: 3 Weeks

Reward: 10 Lust Points, Minor System Update

Penalty: You lose access to the MHS for a month.

Remarks: Your journey is just starting. You only need to be careful of which Mage Tower/Academy you join.]

Ardor went through the details and noticed the penalty. 'What a nice way to tell me—It's do or lose!'

He wondered about the Minor System Update as Jeanne left his embrace and went to freshen up. The duo once again ordered food and left the Wicked Inn to visit different places in the city.

They went to the noble households in the north, but left that place soon as they didn't have anyone to visit but learned about three duke households after asking around for a bit.

They went to the commercial district in the south, the different academies in the east and the residential district in the west where they were currently staying; they even had fun in the private swimming pool at the Wicked Inn.

Exploring was left to the day, while enjoying the pleasures of the flesh was done at night. Ardor noticed how Jeanne was getting more and more comfortable with him, after she had officially accepted him as her lover and he removed her slave status.

Her cheekiness was still there, but there was more love present. His heart felt satisfied seeing her state. This continued for the next 4 days until news finally broke out at night; the esteemed Lord Mage had arrived!

…

Next day, the checks at the entrance were stricter than ever before. Any suspicious people were arrested on the spot and detained if found to harbor malicious intentions. Veteran guards were posted on the entrances, and they stared at the visitors vigilantly.