[Sam's POV]
Sam woke that morning feeling less stressed than he had for a long time.
It felt like something tangled deep had unwound and a weight lifted from his shoulders that he hadn't even realized was there.
He looked to the side, noticing messy purple hair at the edge of his vision.
Akeno was cuddled close, legs entwined with his, her head resting on his shoulder.
I don't know what I was expecting. But it wasn't that last night.
He brushed the hair from her face.
"I don't regret it…"
But I can't stay in bed.
He shifted to get up, but Akeno's arms tightened around his torso.
He let out an amused huff as he tried a little harder, slipping out of her hold.
"Noooo…" he heard Akeno say behind him as he slowly gathered his things.
"Time to face the day, Akeno. Or is the 'big girl' regretting something?"
Akeno slowly opened her eyes. "The only regret is waking the monster that was asleep. Four times for a girl's first? You beast~"
"Five, though I doubt you remember that last one."
Akeno's face turned red as she sat up. "Still a beast. Here I thought you were a gentleman."
"I was told all men are wolves, and we like delectable meat~" He turned and bared his teeth playfully, stalking towards her.
She rolled her eyes. "Only if the wolf needs to be force fed. But I like my gentle wolf~"
Sam stopped and chuckled. "Good, I'll save the wolf for later then. I got training to do."
Akeno tapped her lips, obviously expecting something.
Sam rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss her.
***
When Sam entered the training grounds, none of the ice or damage from his fight with Esdeath remained.
Okay.. the system pinged last night, lets see what there was.
—
[Achievement: Lost Virginity with a Main Cast member.
Reward: 1x Silver Random Ticket]
[Achievement: Have intercourse with Akeno Himejima.
Modifier: Virginity taken.
Reward: 1× Platinum Ability Ticket]
[Achievement: Take Akeno Himejima's first kiss.
Reward: 1x Silver Ability Ticket]
—
Sam stopped, his fists clenched as he read the text.
Do not… He stopped himself. The system wasn't a person, just chaos.
But that didn't stop him from being angry that he was rewarded for accepting feelings.
Why gamify feelings? Or is it such an achievement that Akeno fell in love and trusted me?
He tried. Really tried. To look at the upside. Intimacy meant survival. Survival meant Strength. Strength meant he could protect her. Them. Everyone.
Roll it.
—
[🎲… Rolling Silver Random Ticket…]
[Comforting Presence]
|Rare Trait|
Your presence is a very comforting one; those who encounter you might feel like they just came home. This also makes you feel very trustworthy. People are more likely to confide in you and feel less threatened by you. Comforting people in distress also comes naturally to you. Does not work on people with a strong negative opinion of you.]
—
Urgh… So much for strength.
He looked at the other Silver ticket. Roll it.
—
[🎲… Rolling Silver Ability Ticket…]
[Railgun]
|Rare Ability|
Allows you to turn any magnetic object in your grasp into a railgun projectile, the higher the mass the higher the cost and you also have to aim it.
—
Range, but I'll need ammo. Special type too.
Finally Sam's eyes landed on the Platinum Ability Ticket notification.
That's higher than Gold.
—
[🎲… Rolling Platinum Ability Ticket…]
[Draconic Escalation]
|Elite Ability|
Worm - When under danger or in a fight you start taking on a draconic form that gets stronger over time or the more danger you are exposed to, and slower the less danger or conflict you are in. As escalation increases you gain basic pyrokinesis and regeneration alongside enhanced physical stats.
—
A…Dragon?
A notification broke through his surprise.
—
[Evolution path unlocked]
Exoskeleton + Mithril Skeleton + Draconic Escalation = ???
For evolution, one of these abilities must reach 100% mastery, the remaining two must reach 50%.
—
Sam felt the changes, barely at first, as a subtle warmth rose through his body.
This is the baseline, just being warmer?
He started stretching, trying to see if anything felt off as he prepared for training.
If anything, I'll tell Grayfia to throw me at a High-class monster today to test it.
As he finished warming up, he heard footsteps.
Grayfia walked onto the training grounds, unsurprised by Sam's early attendance.
"Good, you're early. Do you want to go over yesterday or get right into live combat today?"
"Live combat. I'm feeling a little itchy today."
Grayfia nodded, then a circle lit up underneath Sam. "We're resuming where we left off yesterday."
She means when I failed to kill the Ogre without Godspeed.
The circle lit up and flashed.
***
When Sam's sight returned, he dropped into a combat stance.
Grayfia's voice came from above him. "Same goal as yesterday. Let's see how far you can go without that lightning transformation."
Sam didn't look up as he saw his opponent.
A large snake with arms. Longer than a bus. Its body thicker than a horse.
It hissed as it drew up, eyeing Sam suspiciously.
Sam activated Exoskeleton along his forearms and fists, then from his knees down to his feet. Lightning Claws sparked to life a second later.
"Cmon Lizard, I've never tried Demon Snake."
The snake narrowed its eyes, then its upper half launched forward.
Sam's kick met its head as he redirected it into the ground. The exoskeleton cracked immediately due to the accelerated mass.
Sam pushed through the crack, driving the kick forward and using the momentum to flip over the snake's back.
Sam felt the snake's satisfaction a split second before a heavy impact slammed into him from behind. He was hurled back over the creature, his legs colliding with its body and spinning him midair.
Sam dug his armored hand into the ground, tearing a furrow as he bled off momentum.
His feet connected to the ground as he let out a breath, steam building out of it.
Smaller than the Ogre, less power but its intelligence and speed make it more dangerous.
Sam launched himself forward, faster than he expected as his claws momentarily connected with the scales of the snake.
He ducked as the snake's tail tried to hit him from the side, but he felt hands grasp his calf and pull him off his feet.
Damn! This is like fighting a humanoid and a monster at the same time!
He couldn't confirm as the snake's tail came at him like a speeding car. He barely dodged to the side, retaliating with a clawed stab that drew blood from the creature.
It went past the scales?
Sam felt his blood ignite at the sight of the injury, a smile crept onto his face beneath his helmet.
Fire surged from his hands and poured into the wound.
The snake thrashed, flailing its tail from the pain.
The tail slammed into Sam's chest, the impact throwing him off his feet.
His exoskeleton cracked midair as wings—raw and bloody—erupted from his back, stabilizing him.
As the exoskeleton fell away, power flooded him. Superiority.
His skin gleamed with a dull golden sheen.
Instead of fingers, elongated claws extended from his hands, lightning crackling around them.
Sam looked down at the snake, noticing its hesitation. His smile widened.
"Good. You know your place."
He opened his mouth wider as lightning and fire coiled in his chest.
"Sam."
Sam froze, only then realizing Grayfia had appeared behind him.
But only for a moment.
Then he unleashed a lightning-fire breath, the air screaming as it swallowed a wide stretch of forest, snake included.
He looked at the destruction and turned to Grayfia. "Test solved."
"What are you..?"
Sam blinked at her question, then laughed. "I'm better. Of course."
Grayfia raised her hand—then brought it down.
Pressure crushed into Sam.
He fell out of the sky, feet colliding with the ground as his body strained to resist.
"What... are you doing!?!" He grunted out, flame and lightning arcing off his form.
"You are not Sam."
"Who are you to TELL ME THAT!!!"
Sam felt the pressure lessen as he strained his neck upward, heat roaring through his muscles.
Grayfia looked smaller suddenly. More approachable. Less impossible.
He grinned as his gaze locked with hers.
"You're not as strong as I thought."
Grayfia answered by increasing the pressure on Sam. Slamming his form into the ground.
Sam didn't feel in danger.
He felt caged.
His claws dug into the ground, trying to force himself up.
It was useless. The harder he struggled, the faster his vision dimmed.
The pressure increased further as the heat dimmed slowly within.
Sam felt his breath slowly stop as the pressure crushed him.
Why the HELL did I provoke her?
"Have you returned?" her voice was much closer, not that Sam could see with his face in the ground.
All Sam could do was groan in response.