I had about an hour before the dead mind-mage was missed. But I decided not to leave the city – in an hour, I couldn't outrun pursuit anyway. I also felt sick – I'd promised the kid I'd get him out, and because of my arrogance, he died. In the grand strategic scheme, I'd won – trading an ordinary boy for two system-users wasn't an even exchange. But I still felt like shit. Once again, I'd overconfidently attacked an enemy I knew nothing about. My level was too low, and the clans weren't at the top of the food chain for nothing – their professionals were head and shoulders above any upstart like me. Even with a 15x damage multiplier, my strike couldn't penetrate the brute's toughness – I suspected the problem was my low Knife Fighting skill and lousy weapons.
I walked confidently past the guards patrolling the district. Without rags, wearing clothes from Part's house, no one paid me any attention – well, they did, but for other reasons. After asking passersby, I found a bookstore. Behind the counter sat an old man with a white beard and kind eyes – a dead ringer for Gandalf. I asked to see magical skills. There were far more here than in the village shop – six shelves full of skill books.
"Are there any skills that use ki?"
"Few, but Grandpa Buga has everything. Second shelf on that cabinet over there." There were basic skills, mostly buffs – speed boosts, sensory enhancement, body reinforcement, etc.
"Grandpa, is there a passive toughness skill that works with ki?"
"So, beauty, you're dabbling with ki? Why would you want that? It's hard, and you only see results after years."
"Don't worry, Grandpa – patience and work grind everything down." I gave him a charming smile.
"I do have one book, but you won't need it – it's too hard to learn. A beauty like you wouldn't endure such hardship."
"Grandpa, you'll show me the book anyway – even if I don't want it, I'll know such things exist. Expanding my horizons, so to speak."
"Alright, wait here – I'll bring it." The old man briskly climbed upstairs and returned ten minutes later. He held a small book with a black cover, bearing unfamiliar hieroglyphs.
"I hope the whole book isn't in that language," I said, pointing at the cover.
"No, the book is in Imperial. Those hieroglyphs mean 'Eternal Pain.' To harden your body with this method, you must endure torment. This isn't a 'Toughness' perk for having good sex. See? Told you it's not for you."
"Tell me more – how much does it harden the body, and are there side effects?"
"The method is divided into nine stages. After the first, your body will be as tough as Toughness level two; after the second, as Toughness level five. I've never seen anyone rise above the second stage – for that, you need special alchemy to boost regeneration and the ability to endure pain."
"How much does this book cost? I want to buy it."
"Are you sure? You'd be wasting your money."
"I'm sure. Name your price."
"Fine – I'll name it." The old man grinned slyly. "Five hundred gold coins, and you spend three hours with me. I hope I don't need to explain how we'll spend those three hours?"
"And your little pipette can handle it? Are you out of your fucking mind, old man? Gold is fine, but forget the other part."
"Well, you're wrong about the pipette," he said, lifting his robe to reveal a thirty-centimeter flaccid cock. "Take it or leave it."
And my fucking brain whispered: why not?
"Alright, let's go, you old pervert. Just know – if you have a heart attack, I'm cleaning out your entire shop."
We went upstairs into a room. Inside, I threw off my cloak and tunic. When I turned around, the old man was already undressed. Despite his age, there was no sign of decrepitude – a moderately muscular body, abs, the old man was sexy.
As always, I took control immediately – pushed him onto the bed, straddled his face, leaned down to his python, and started playing with it. He caught on fast and began working his tongue, licking my labia and occasionally probing inside. I took his cock in my mouth and started sucking the head. It was already filling with blood; erect, it was about forty centimeters long, but surprisingly not as thick as I'd expected. At some point, he gently took my swollen clit between his teeth – it hurt a little, but that only turned me on more, and I came, spraying juices onto his face. It had been a while since I'd come. To my surprise, the orgasm wasn't as intense as before.
I got off his face and mounted him in my favorite cowgirl position, guiding his long cock into me. The pleasant fullness in my pussy brought the usual pleasure and sense of rightness. I started bouncing on the cock that didn't quite enter me fully, pressing against my womb. Fifteen minutes of riding, and the old man came heavily inside me – but I didn't. I kept bouncing; he didn't mind. At some point, playing with my breasts, I twisted my nipple – pain rippled through me pleasantly; I did the same to the other, twisting hard – and came. A massive orgasm hit me, lasting a couple minutes, trembling, foam spilling from my mouth.
"So that's why you wanted that method – the girl likes pain," he said, and started spanking my thighs and ass from his position – and I liked it.
We changed positions – I went doggy-style, and he entered me while continuing to spank my ass. I came again, then he poured hot cum into me powerfully. After that, without warning or preparation, he shoved his cock into my ass. It hurt like hell – but that pain brought incomparable pleasure. He drove his cock into my intestines to the full length, and I came immediately. Again, the orgasm lasted minutes. When I came to, he was still pounding my ass, whipping me with a belt. Pain and pleasure mixed into bliss. I screamed and writhed, orgasm after orgasm. The old man knew his craft – in giving both pain and pleasure.
Three hours later, I lay on the bed, wrecked in every hole, covered in cum, smiling blissfully. I was in nirvana. After all those days, I needed release – my psyche had been through too much, hence the stunt of jumping on the first cock I found. What bothered me most was my inclination toward pain. I'd apparently overleveled Masochism, and now during sex I craved pain acutely. I'd think about that later, in a calmer setting – right now I needed to finish shopping and find a place to sleep. By the way, the sex with the old man gave me a ton of experience.
You received 62,400 EXP.
You reached Level 17.
Free Attribute Points: 85.
Vaginal Sex +2
Anal Sex +5
Oral Sex +3
Anal Elasticity +4
Oral Elasticity +7
Arousability +2
Fertility +36
You have raised the skill "Anal Sex" to level 20. Choose a perk:
Wet Ass (your anus produces its own lubricant).
Cum Receptacle (Ass) (you heal health and restore endurance after someone cums in your ass).
Sensual Ass (your anal opening has many more nerve endings than before – anal sex provides 500% more pleasure).
I chose Sensual Ass – more pleasure wouldn't hurt with my line of work. None of these were survival perks anyway.
The old man showed me a bathroom, where I washed up. We went back to the shop, and I browsed other skills. I chose the general skill Earth Trap (creates 2x2x3-meter pits) and a ki-based skill: Ki Blade – allows materializing ki from the source into a blade form. Cost depends on size and density. This skill was more for training than combat – it helped practice control and quickly drain my reserves.
I paid 500 gold and 20 silver, said goodbye to the shopkeeper, and left. I headed to a tavern on the edge of the slums, ordered food to my room, and went upstairs. An hour later, a maid brought dinner – a pork ham hock, vegetable stew, and cold juice, cherry-like. I ate well and went to sleep.