9:20 p.m.
Ren was lying on his back on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The ceiling was the same as always, with the same wood, the same color, and the same lighting in the room. The only difference was the noise coming from downstairs—the sound of the shower.
Ren moved his body and shifted his weight to the right, turning onto his side to face the window and the desk. His eyes wandered for a moment as he remembered the night before and how everything had changed.
A little smile appeared on his face.
"The devil, huh?"
Ren pushed himself up with his hands and stood up from the bed. He rubbed his nose with his arm before walking toward the window.
"God, this place smells like sweat."
With ease, Ren opened the window, letting some fresh air flow in and clear the room.
'I've got to clean myself next. I'm all sweaty.'
Ren looked at himself. He was wearing only his underwear. He didn't like the idea of staying naked all the time, and he didn't want to dirty his clean clothes before washing up, so one pair of underwear was enough for now.
'Devil's Deal.'
Ren thought about the system, and it immediately appeared.
Name: Ren
Rank: Devil-Born [ 0 / 1000 CE ]
Corruption Essence: 14
Mission: Target 1 — Ongoing
Next target available in: 06d 22h
Skills:
[Eyes of Desire Lv.1] [Deal Maker Lv.1]
Partner: [Aoi — Deal Active]
Nights completed: 1 / 7 New chapters come out on g.com first.
Next meeting: Tomorrow, 7:45 PM
[Enhancements] [List of Partners] [Status Window]
Ren stared at all the changes that had appeared in the interface. The interface had been updated, and he had gained 14 CE from that night alone.
'It's more detailed now. What happened?'
[ DUE TO THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE DEAL, THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UPDATED. NEW INFORMATION HAS BEEN ADDED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO THROUGH IT? ]
'No, not now.'
Ren declined for two reasons. First, the changes were relatively simple and easy to understand. Second, he was more curious about the Corruption Essence that had appeared.
'So, I can gain Corruption Essence from sources other than rewards ?'
[YES. NOT ONLY FROM THE NIGHT, BUT ALSO FROM ALL YOUR ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.]
'I see. But where did the 14 come from?'
[IT CAME FROM TWO OCCURRENCES OF INFIDELITY-RELATED SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH A WOMAN IN A RELATIONSHIP, ALONG WITH SHAME AND HUMILIATION. FIVE POINTS FOR EACH OCCURRENCE, PLUS TWO POINTS FOR SHAME AND TWO FOR HUMILIATION.]
Ren moved away from the window, returned to the bed, and sat down with his hands behind him for support, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
'So, being intimate with Aoi twice earned me 10 CE. That means if I could continue, let's say, six times, I might be able to get 30.'
[NO. THE CORRUPTION VALUE IS NOT FIXED. IT DEPENDS HEAVILY ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SITUATION, THE TARGET'S STATE OF MIND, THE ACTIONS THEMSELVES, AND MANY OTHER FACTORS. THE SYSTEM IS THE ONE THAT CALCULATES AND ASSIGNS THE VALUE.]
'I see...'
Ren was disappointed, not because he couldn't farm specific actions for large amounts of CE, but because the calculations were out of his hands. There was no way for him to know exactly what the system considered or how it calculated the values.
'But I can at least make an educated guess. The system said that infidelity-related intimacy earned me 5 CE, so I can assume it'll be around that number most of the time.'
Ren's eyes moved away from the CE display and scanned the interface until they landed on the three buttons at the bottom, all of which were illuminated.
Of the three, he had only accessed the List of Partners, since it was necessary for selecting targets. That left the Enhancements and Status Window.
At that moment, the door opened forcefully. It was Aoi, covered with a wet towel. Her hair was tied up at the top, but the ends of the wet strands still clung to her neck. The thick towel covered most of her body. Finally, her face had returned to its usual cold expression. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on her jeans, which were next to where Ren was sitting. Find the original chapter at NovelPing.
Their eyes met, and Aoi's face twitched for a moment. Then she looked at him for another second, and, for some reason, her expression relaxed. Ren didn't miss that.
'What on earth was she thinking about?'
Without saying a word, Aoi walked toward the bed and bent down, grabbing her jeans with a quick, forceful movement that came within inches of Ren's legs.
"Whoa, why the aggression?"
"..."
Aoi didn't reply and started walking away.
"The silent treatment? Are you an angry girlfriend? Hahaha."
She didn't respond. Aoi didn't even turn around. She seemed completely unbothered by Ren's provocation. Ren didn't like that at all. It was strange and somewhat annoying, though not enough to upset him too much. So, he calmed down and let it go.
'She's probably really angry about the last ride . I don't blame her. It was pretty intense.'
"Haha, fine, I get it. Anyway, tomorrow, same time. Don't forget..."
As soon as Ren finished speaking, Aoi left the room and walked away. Ren listened to the sounds for a while, and after about five minutes, he heard the front door open and close.
Aoi had left the house, and Ren was alone in his house once again.
Ren threw his hands up, stretched, and let out a scream.
"Ahhhhh! Tonight was like a dream! I can't wait for the next one... But seriously, the silent treatment? That's funny."
she was the talkative type even when we were having sex she was replying to him Ren couldn't shake those feelings. Yes, he was annoyed, but something else was bothering him, too. It was as if he had forgotten something important.
'I think I've gotten a little too attached to the dominant role after such a long time. It's time to let myself feel this way.'
Dismissing the thought, Ren looked at the system display and then at himself.
'I'll leave that for later, after a refreshing shower and a meal.'
With that, Ren stood up and left the room. Little did he know that this unsettling feeling wasn't merely dissatisfaction or a hunch. and It might end up costing him dearly.