Daniel twirled a strand of Jessica's hair between his index and thumb. His left hand was carrying, both bottles in one grip.
…
Fifteen minutes earlier.
In the bustling meat section.
'Ahh, my foot,' Somebody in the crowd stomped on his toe. 'This place literally stinks, my god… I can't take this…'
The air hung thick and warm, laced with the metallic tang of blood. Daniel tugged his collar up, over his nose as a nostril shield, neutralising the thick smell.
Daniel was trailing behind her through the crowd. When suddenly she stopped, he almost bumped into her.
He was getting sandwiched between two shoppers and placed his hand on Jessica's lower back to steady himself. Her hair brushed his cheek, carrying a faint scent of rose.
Daniel took this random opportunity and pinched a strand of her hair, pulling it tight.
"Ahh" she muttered, but didn't turn her head.
A wave of relief washed over his mind.
'Shit, that was close. Phew… but guess what, it paid off' he murmured in his mind, and slipped the strand of hair into his pocket.
…
Present day.
'Hehe… let's make Aunt's dol-'
"What you doing there?" Marnie's voice cut in from behind.
He froze. The single strand was still pinched between his fingers, but the darkness camouflaged it like a chameleon.
"Nothing mom, just looking out the gate…" he said with a neutral expression.
She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then headed towards the kitchen.
Daniel turned and walked straight to his room. He stashed the medicine bottle in his wardrobe, covering it under a pile of clothes.
Then pulled out one of the extra doll, he had created earlier. But before crafting Jessica's doll, he sat on the edge of his bed and flipped open his grimbook.
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(Page: -1)
Name: Daniel Dikson
Class: Human
Companion: Veilintina (Lust demon)
Exp: 1140/2500
Level: 5
HP: 1100/1100
Mana: 285/300
Strength: 5
Charm: 3
Skill: {Voodoo Trap}
Ability: {Third Eye}
————————
"Hmm… I didn't level-up this time. I guess quality really does matter for faster gains" he whispered under his breath and grabbed the hay doll in his palm.
Daniel has this old habit, more like an instinct, of thinking things through at the last moment before taking any action, from his previous life experiences.
'Aunt quality was normal, same goes for my mom' he mused, placing his index finger against his lower lip.
'I mean, I only have one doll for now, and I'm still curious what a shaman's quality would look like. Maybe i'm rushing this right now.'
Daniel put his doll back into the wardrobe, and decided to wait for now. He wanted to see lady Elira's quality first, before making another doll.
The rest of the day passed normally. his father came home drenched in sweat and his mother twitched her legs whenever she caught sight of him.
…
The next morning.
Daniel woke up early, but this time he didn't bother with excuses. He simply left for school like any obedient son.
Marnie was flabbergasted to see him.
He sat on the first row, and waited for her to show up.
A moment later she arrived, wearing the same white robe that clung desperately to her breasts.
"Good morning students" Elira said, her voice sweet and calm.
"Status" Daniel murmured, voice barely audible.
————————
Name: Elira blair
Age: 28
HP: 1000/1000
Mana: 400/400
Essence: 100%
Quality: Outstanding
Description: A hardworking, calm woman who wants to be a true warrior. To Elira sex is merely a game, as no man has ever lasted more than two minutes with her.
————————
'Heh… knew it,' He smiled softly, gaze drifting to her boobs. 'A shaman's quality is definitely a cut above normal people.'
Elira noticed his smile.
"Why are you laughing, Daniel?" She asked with a calm expression.
"Uh… nothing, maam" he stammered.
A girl sitting beside him let out a soft giggle. Daniel glanced at her. It was Emily, his classmate.
'Is she laughing at me?'
"Status"
————————
Name: Emily harlow
Age: 18
HP: 1000/1000
Mana: 100/100
Essence: 100%
Quality: below average
Description: An introverted person, who fantasises about marrying a prince and living a happy married life.
————————
'Yea… looking at her face, anybody can tell she lives in her own little world.'
"Students, today we'll be doing some physical activities to prepare you for the upcoming trials" she said, her voice crisp.
Daniel's attention shifted back to Elira again.
"First we'll start with stretching and then move towards the grass field for running. Understood…?"
Everybody nodded, and stood from the benches.
The class filed toward a corner beneath the large tree. A flat open grass field, perfect for any static exercise.
Elira and the other teachers stood in the shade while the students endured the heat under the morning sunlight.
"Rad, come up front" she called.
She selected a student to be a demonstrator, while the rest mimicked his movements.
Rad grinned smugly at his classmates.
Daniel felt a surge of irritation.
'This is not acceptable. How can she choose someone instead of me? That rad guy is so fucking lucky, and he's enjoying every moment of it.'
Elira guided them through basic stretches, calf stretch, hamstring stretch, quad stretch. Quick, efficient and simple for beginners.
Rad soaked in the attention, his grin growing, until Elira abruptly switched him out.
Rad's grinning expression faded instantly.
This time, she chose a female student named tina, a quiet girl. Elira guided her through the poses, while adjusting tina's form and posture.
Meanwhile, whispers of envy ripples among the other girls as well.
Once the basic stretches were done, Elira had them power through five standard squats, five deep squats, and five split squats each leg.
Then she dismissed Tina back into the group and stepped forward herself.
Without a word, she dropped into a flawless pistol squat. Perfect balance, zero wobble.
A perfect pistol squat.
A collective gasp swept through the students.
"Okay, now everyone try at least one" she said, her voice warm and encouraging.
Although it looks simple and easy but in reality it's not. It demands balance and strong leg muscles to lift your body.
Everybody tried on their spot, bodies toppled left and right. Some barely managed a shaky half-rep, others didn't even get that far.
Elira moved calmly between the rows, offering steadying hands and quiet corrections to those who fell.
Daniel noticed it.
He patiently waited for her to come closer to his row, then perfectly timed it, wobbling dramatically before falling forward.
*Thud*
He caught himself on his palms, conveniently right at her feet.
"Daniel," she said, crouching her body slightly. "Don't rush it. First learn to balance properly"
"Its hard" he replied with a hint of frustration.
She extended her right hand.
The moment, when his fingers closed over her warm, soft hand. A rush of heat surged through him.
'Damn… she's gonna make me leak with just… by her soft touch.'