Warm sunlight brushed over my eyelids. Morning. I forced my brain out of the mud, only to find a girl’s face filling my vision. For a heartbeat, old memories slammed through me like doors flying open in the dark.
”…So I actually made it out alive,” I muttered, voice barely more than a breath.
Relief washed over me, shaky and raw. That succubus had nearly drained me dry, yet somehow I wasn’t dead—or worse. Deep inside, though, something buzzed, like a new ember had taken root. Probably that cursed skill I’d picked up: *Sex Sorcery II.*
I blinked open my status window. Maxed. And right below it, waiting, *Sex Sorcery III.* I didn’t let myself think too hard—I just slotted it in with a sigh. Useful, maybe, but the name made it feel like a bad joke.
My skill list flickered into view:
* Crafting III — 06/10
* Alchemy III — 06/10
* Appraisal III — 06/10
* Hammer Mastery III — 09/10
* Creation Magic III — 06/10
* Early Bloomer I — MASTER
* Archaeology II — 03/10
* Sex Sorcery III — 01/10
I grimaced. *Hammer Mastery* was climbing fast since it doubled as my weapon skill, but the rest felt like a grind. And that last one… I didn’t even want to look at it.
”…Yeah. Time to face reality.”