Crow looked at the face of the man who'd been talking trash, and one thing was for sure.
Who's this random? Apparently, my new status is rubbing people the wrong way.
I was on the brink of death just yesterday, and now, despite the forced enlistment, I've landed a somewhat prestigious spot.
At least it feels that way, given how nice the room she gave is.
The random dude kept talking.
"When the Queen is done with you, I'll be the one to get rid of you myself," the random spat.
The mist was too thick to see the man's face, but his hostility was unmistakable at least in his words. Crow didn't hesitate. He fell back on the same 'public school' attitude from his childhood.
"What's your deal, man? You want a fight? Then step up," Crow said, his voice eerily calm.
The random stood up, his face contorting.
"I'm going to wipe that confident look off your face, you little minion."
Smack! Smack!
The two of them clashed right there in the hot springs. Fists flew back and forth through the steam until...
"Blind bolt," the random whispered.
What?
Everything went black.
Something flew into Crow's face, but he didn't care.
Stopping a fight for any reason is a defeat.
"Haha, what now? What are you going to do about it? You can't even see me," The random taunted.
The fists kept flying. Crow took a beating, absorbing more hits than he landed, until...
Crow lunged, grabbing the man by the throat as he zeroed in on the direction of the voice.
"Well, I don't need to see you right now,"
Smack. Smack. Smack.
He beat the man until he fell silent, then threw him across the room.
Crack! Thud.
Crow still couldn't see, but based on the heavy crash, the man had likely landed behind the boxes at the back of the hot springs.
But then, Crow started feeling something strange.
His vision began to slowly return. He blinked, looking down at his hands, then at his abdomen.
A syringe was sticking out of him.
"What is this? What kind of person brings something like this into the hot springs?" Crow muttered as he pulled it from his body.
Half of the liquid had already been injected into him during the fight.
As he looked, he saw the description of the syringe with the Ring of Wisdom.
***
[Status]
Name: Shadow' s kiss
Description: A viscous, ink-black liquid distilled from the grave-blossoms that thrive in moonlit crypts. 11 drops can plunge a full-grown ogre into a slumber so deep, its breath grows cold and its heartbeat becomes a faint whisper, blurring the line between sleep and death.
[Warning!]
CON is resisting the [Sleep] effect.
CON Resistance Check: Failed.
Threshold exceeded. Status effect [Deep Slumber] applied.
The sage of the ring didn’t waste time.
[Man, I am glad I am not you.]
***
Crow, after reading the status and the words of the ring's sage, continued.
"Just my luck," he muttered.
"But why... a sedative? Ah... to make it look like I drowned..." he muttered, his voice trailing off as he began to fade out.
Splash!
Crow fell unconscious. The hot springs reached chest height; he fell on his back and, as he had little air in his lungs, he ended up sinking.
***
[Warning!]
Status: Critical.
Low oxygen levels.
Recommendation: Breathe!
Time until total organ failure:
Analyzing...
Analyzing...
Body is not entirely mortal.
ERROR!
Estimated time until death: 10 minutes.
[Good luck, kid. It's a shame... I was starting to like you. Sayonara.]
Right… maybe it’s a good... bye…
***
Some time later…
The hot springs door burst open with a bang as Sharon, the vampire maid, arrived.
"It's been over an hour... did he pass out? No way," she said jokingly, until she saw him. Crow was motionless, submerged, his pale body contrasting with the dark wood.
The faint smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by the look of someone who had just seen a ghost.
Without a second of hesitation,
She pulled him out of the hot springs, laying him across her knees. His white loincloth, soaked through, had slipped off and stayed at the bottom of the water.
Lucky for him he wasn't awake, or the shame would have been absolute. His dark hair dripped over his expressionless face. He looked dead.
"Stupid human, stupid," she snarled, her voice mixing irritation and panic. "You can't just... pass out in the hot springs." Her face blazed crimson.
She tilted his head back and pressed her icy lips against his, forcing air from her lungs into his. No response. She repeated the motion for several minutes. Until...
Crow gasped, his lungs expelling water. His eyes remained closed, but a slow, dopey smile crept across his lips.
"What... such a sweet fruit... want more for the road," he murmured, his voice hoarse, drifting through a dream.
Sharon's eyes widened. She jerked her gaze aside, her cheeks flushing a color they hadn't worn in ages.
"That's the mead, you fool!" she shouted, her voice climbing higher than intended, pointing to a small silver flask lying on the floor near her.
"And you're okay? You nearly die and the first thing you do is... is... spout nonsense?"
He didn't glance at the mead, he'd just opened his eyes. But quick as he moved, he realized what had happened.
Gotta thank the Random dude. He's forgiven.
After that, they stood, and Crow headed toward the door to leave. Sharon called out:
"You haven't forgotten anything." She stared sideways, face burning red.
"Oh, right," he said, catching on that he'd forgotten to change clothes... until he glanced down and discovered things sat worse than he'd imagined.
Embarrassment crashed through him, but he pressed forward toward the back to grab his clothes.
Bruh.
Upon reaching the back area to retrieve his clothes, Crow's gaze swept across the shattered lockers where he'd hurled the guy.
"Huh, where'd Random go?" he muttered, looking at the empty space. Only Sharon remained.
The brawler had vanished after his botched assassination attempt. Crow shrugged it off.
Anyone can kill me here, I know that, this is for me to remember where I am.
Sharon led him outside, mentioning she'd show him several rooms. She guided him toward the training grounds, where he could drill every day if he chose.
Next came the magical library, though she only gestured at it from a distance without actually approaching.
Sharon explained that Alice would conduct a personal tour another time.
After spending several minutes touring various castle locations...
"These serve as your quarters from now on. The other room functioned as temporary lodging, we hadn't anticipated a new resident."
Crow stepped inside and surveyed the space. Black and gold velvet draped the walls. An enormous bed dominated the center, draped in scarlet silk sheets. A crackling fireplace in the corner cast dancing shadows across every surface.
"Larger than I expected," he commented.
Sharon closed the door behind him and drew closer.
"The queen wants you comfortable. And sorry about the earlier situation. I didn't want to see you that way, but I had no choice." Her cheeks turned red.
Wasn't I in a Souls-like? Why does this feel like I stumbled into a dating simulator.
I'm trying to pinpoint when the massacre and suffering pivoted to this.
She crossed to a small table and lifted a glass vial containing a luminous crimson liquid.
"Drink. This will accelerate your recovery."
Crow accepted the vial but didn't raise it to his lips immediately.
"What exactly is this?" he said
Sharon's lips curved slightly.
"Something only the queen's chosen receive."
Crow studied the liquid for a moment, then the Sage within the Ring opened a status window again.
***
[Kid, it's a power-up potion. Plus 5 STR and CON. You know, the rare stuff.]
I want the status window, you lazy old man.
[I don't want to, why would I help you for free, I dun wannaaa!]
The Sage slammed the information panel shut with his words.
Crow was perplexed.
Apparently, the old man wasn't doing well, he is like a spoiled brat. Then again, that much was already clear, considering he was stuck inside a ring.
***
Without further questions, Crow brought the vial to his mouth.
The taste struck him as strange, sweet, yet underlaid with something metallic... like liquid iron mixed with something more.
The instant he swallowed, his entire body ignited.
He clenched his teeth as a wave of power pulsed through him. His muscles loosened, wounds sealing themselves, fresh energy surging through his veins.
Sharon watched his reaction, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
"Now rest, Lord Crow. The queen holds great plans for you."
She bowed and exited the room, leaving him alone.
Crow settled onto the bed's edge, strength flooding back into his limbs.
He was becoming something new and powerful.
And deep down, he knew this marked only the beginning.
His thoughts drifted to the problem plaguing him, the difficulty accessing his status. He depended on the sage's soul for information, unlike the hero who simply...
The hero's a player... could it be... no, impossible. If that's true... did he come from the same world as me?
The thought crackled through Crow's mind.
The hero accessed this information naturally, while I relied on the sage who'd perished seeking knowledge of everything.
“Status,” he muttered.
Silence…
Nothing happened.
"Sage, here's the deal. If you don't show me the status bars, I'll grind you into dust and toss you in the trash. You've got 1 minute to drop this clown act." Crow's tone was like a gamer after losing his 11th match in a row.
[Whoa whoa, hold up, dude!]
[Chill out, bro! Don't need to go that far. I only tried to make a point, you know, for you to help me out, but you didn't ask me to make an accord.]
Crow's expression remained frozen, the same poker face.
"..." Silence.
[Sorry bro, sorry, don't destroy me! If you do this, I can't come back to this world. I'll help you, okay? So don't say that anymore.]
The sage's cowardice spilled out in every word.
A slight smile tugged at Crow's lips.
"Good to know. Already figured out the first thing I'll do if you break your word. Show me my status now," he said while smiling.
The sage opened the status window.
***
[Status]
Name: Crow (former name error) Soul Level 11
Title: The Spared One
Class: Soul Devourer / Grim Reaper
Situation: Amused and Sleepy
STR 47
DEX 33
CON 56
INT 22
WIS 27
***
[Learned Skills]
Hand to Hand Combat level 5
Swordmanship level 1
Persuasion level 2
***
[Passive Skills]
Quick Reflex
Enduring Soul
Soul Devourer
Frail Existence
Questionable Charm
Grim Reaper's Aura
***
"I want all the information, ah forget it, I'm just gonna break this ring," said Crow.
"Whooaa, why you didn't say that before, chill bro," said the coward.
***
[Passive Skills]
Quick Reflex – Your body reacts faster than your mind. Dodging strikes has become instinctive, though it doesn't guarantee good efficiency against all foes.
Enduring Soul – Your spirit refuses to break, allowing you to resist despair and pain, can continue fighting at low HP without losing consciousness. Physical wounds still hurt, but giving up was never an option for you.
Soul Devourer – Consume the essence of defeated enemies to restore a fragment of your own life force. The hunger is insatiable, and every bite carries a faint whisper of the fallen with the memories of them.
Frail Existence – Your existence is weak, you are not a full Grim Reaper. You cannot sustain your full power in the physical world, most skills are locked. Requires more Souls to stabilize.
Questionable Charm – You are seducing too many girls, through questionable means, for some reason luck is on your side in this matter. How did you even obtain this skill???
Grim Reaper's Aura – A faint aura of death emanates from you, slightly unsettling nearby foes.
??? - */*+-/*-/2/32*-1*-/ 2/-*/123-*/
ERROR!
The user has a bugged passive skill. Its information cannot be accessed, because one does not naturally exist in this world.
***
"Fine, you've escaped... for now." Crow spoke before collapsing onto the bed.
His body relaxed as the elixir's energy pulsed through him. Yet exhaustion pressed down, undeniable. He remained partially human, and after everything that had transpired, sleep conquered him swiftly.
His eyes drifted closed, the last sensation reaching him, a gentle night breeze flowing through the chamber's large window.
Crow surrendered to sleep.
The next morning...
He woke to a strange sensation, something displaced, abnormal, though he couldn't identify what. The room looked different.
He glanced at his abdomen and spotted a beauty, Sharon, clad only in a light white garment, resembling sleepwear.
Am I going crazy? Maybe a little crazy? Hmm.
Well, he'd clearly lost his mind and hallucinated. He ignored it and turned his head aside.
Someone lay beside him.
Facing away, close enough for him to feel the warmth radiating from her skin. The sheets covered only her waist, exposing pale bare shoulders and long white hair spilling across the pillow. Even without seeing her face, something commanding emanated from her, a quiet, powerful beauty. He recognized her instantly.
Karl tried to swallow, his mind swimming in confusion. He wore only his pants, and appeared freshly cleaned. Yet he recalled nothing after returning from the hot springs, he'd simply gone to sleep, interacted with no one.
Something is wrong here, I think.
As if answering his thoughts, the woman beside him rolled over slowly.
Her eyes opened, red and calm like wine beneath moonlight. She met his gaze without surprise, as though she'd known the exact moment he'd wake.
"Finally..." she murmured, her tone soft, almost affectionate.
"Karl, you need to remain faithful."
Crow's words tumbled out in rapid succession.
"Karl? But how do you know... ah right, you examined my memories."
She approached slowly, savoring each centimeter of tension hanging in the air.
Her ruby eyes never blinked, locked onto his with a firmness both intimate and invasive.
Her fingers touched his face lightly, almost reverently, testing the warmth of his skin with care, or dominance. A slight smile curved the corner of her mouth, enigmatic yet loaded with intention.
Then she kissed him.
No rush. Her lips found his with calculated slowness, as though she wanted him to absorb every second, every detail. Soft, warm, yet firm, possession lived in the gesture, marking territory, affirming something without a single word.
His breath failed for an instant. The world around them lost form, sound, and logic. Only her taste existed, the sweet subtle perfume, the heat spiraling outward.
When she pulled back, just slightly, eyes still glued to his, her voice emerged as a whisper:
"Now you belong to me. Whether for one night... or all of them..."
After speaking, Alice began kissing him slowly on the mouth, and Sharon, who'd awakened above, kissed his cheek and…
And...
And—
BOOOOM
"..."
“AAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!”
"..." Crow woke in silence, eyes opening slowly.
He stirred to multiple screams of pain, not his own.
The screams erupted from wild beasts, bizarre creatures, certainly monsters judging by the tone.
He sat up, body invigorated, mind still processing what he heard, what had just happened, and his feelings, disappointment, relief, fear, realization that everything had merely been a dream. In quick succession.
Wow, I don't even know what to say. Better pretend this never happened. No one can ever know about this.
Crow thought, as a considerable wave of shame flooded through him.
Maybe, because of the hot springs event.
Another scream tore through the air.
“AAAAAARRRRGGGHH!”
Desperate voices, saturated with fear and pleading outside his room.
Standing up, he walked to the large window of his room and looked down at the courtyard in front of the main mansion.
What he saw made him arch an eyebrow.
"Well," Crow muttered, a grim smile tugging at his lips. "Now this looks like a Dark Fantasy."