I looked over my stats as I boiled water for two cups of instant ramen. I currently had 150 Essence Shards. My goal had been to make Sakura cum today, and that had been achieved, netting me 100 shards. I didn't plan to upgrade anything yet. Most abilities and upgrades cost 100 shards or more. If I chose to upgrade them, I wouldn't have anything left for maintenance on Monday.
But now I had 150 shards—a sudden boon from Sakura's blowjob. Even if I bought something, I would still have 50 shards, enough to last me at least five weeks. During that time, I would either have Sakura climax five times in a row without her fainting, or have a mutual orgasm the next time she gave me head.
Now, what should I upgrade?
I could upgrade my stats—STR, Dex, Int, or Stamina. Or I could buy Mana Eye ability. Or I could choose to save the shards until I could buy something more powerful.
Yeah, it was a no-brainer. Mana Eyes were useless unless you were majoring in magical engineering. If I upgraded my stats, that meant I could try dungeon diving as soon as tomorrow. The choice was either STR or Dex.
STR, or Strength, boosted my physical power, while Dex boosted my agility and reaction time. The new dungeon I'd just seen in the news consisted of goblins. That meant I didn't need to dodge much—I could just pummel them with weapons like a brute.
"Yosh! Let's upgrade my STR and try dungeon diving tomorrow!" I pumped my fist. I wasn't troubled by money, but conquering a dungeon was a man's dream. Not many people were blessed by the system to wield system-registered weapons.
Monsters could only be harmed with system weapons. So, no matter how advanced our technology was, it was useless against them. Moreover, only people blessed by the system could wield them.
Fifty years ago, when dungeons first spawned, the earliest adventurers had to fight them with their fists. But now, as more and more system weapons were discovered within dungeons, you could buy low-grade weapons from the city council. In addition, if you could prove you had the system's blessing, you could even borrow weapons from the city council.
Arcane stones, dropped from monsters inside dungeons, were extremely valuable. They powered everything—from our phones and laptops to power plants, ships, and even airplanes. They had quickly become a clean power source, replacing fossil fuels.
That was why blessed people were often seen as having won the jackpot in life, since they were the only ones who could defeat monsters and obtain arcane stones.
"Alright. I'll upgrade my STR."
[Congratulations. Your Strength has been upgraded. Would you like to see your current stats?]
"Yes, please!"
[Stats
Name: Makoto Tanuki
Age: 18
STR +1
Dex +0
Int +0
Stamina +0
Target: Sakura Yuuki
Missions: Available
Dreamscape: Locked
Shop: Shop Tier 1
Special Skill: Body Swap
Patron: Aphrodite
Essence Shards: 50 (Maintenance: 10)
]
"Hm… it didn't seem like anything had changed," I muttered. A chime rang from my door, telling me that the delivery guy had arrived with Sakura's new clothes.
"Delivery for Sakura Yuuki!"
I opened the door. After confirming the address with him, he took a photo and left.
A few minutes later, Sakura came out of the bath wearing my T-shirt and no pants. My brain froze at the sight. She looked sexy. The loose, oversized T-shirt hung off her shoulder, giving me a peek of her upper breast. The hem of my shirt acted like a very short skirt. It covered her private areas, but barely. Her bare legs were gorgeous, slim like white jade. I gaped, but Sakura ignored me and took the box from my hands.
"Why are you staring?"
"Ahem. I cooked cup noodles. Want some?" I pointed toward the kitchen, diverting the conversation.
"Okay! Thanks!" Sakura skipped toward the counter.
She wasn't wearing any panties. I could see her butt cheeks when she hopped onto the counter. This was even sexier than full nudes! i should explore this kind of fashion further.
The TV detailed the new dungeon that had spawned in the city. I noted the location on my phone, intending to go there that evening after Sakura left.
"Alright. I'm leaving now. See you on Monday," Sakura said after changing into the dress she had just bought. It was a navy-blue one-piece, with a floral pattern near the hem.
"Yeah, bye-bye. If you want to play again, give me a call, alright?"
"…Alright." Sakura blushed before leaving.
Yes! She agreed! I smirked while keeping my thoughts from leaving my mouth. I didn't think I could find a trainable girl in this day and age. Moreover, she came to me willingly!
After she left, I grabbed my sling bag and headed to the bus station, making my way to city hall to register as an adventurer. I still had insurance money from when my dad died, so I wasn't struggling financially, but who could say no when a literal jackpot from heaven had dropped right before my eyes?
Dungeons emerged in this world about 50 years ago. At first, people were dismayed, seeing it as a threat. But after it was discovered that the stones dropped from dead monster could be used as a power source by a blessed people, they now saw it as a gold mine.
I beelined to the receptionist when I arrived at city hall. The pretty receptionist welcomed me with a bored look. She embodied the exemplary government attitude toward work—always on time, well-groomed, but inefficient.
"Good evening. May I help you?"
"Yes. I'd like to register as an adventurer. I just got a system the other day. Um… how much does a system-registered weapon cost?"
"Wonderful. We can loan you a system weapon. A beginner sword costs three F-rank Arcane Stones per day. What weapon would you like? We have swords, axes, and spears. I recommend a spear if you're new to fighting, but since all the spears are currently loaned out, you'll have to choose another weapon. If you plan to do this long-term, we also have a special program—thirty days of rental for sixty stones."
"I see. Can I start tomorrow?"
"Of course. But before you can start, we need to conduct a test to prove that you indeed have a system. Could you come over to the testing area?"
"Yes. I was wondering whether I was hallucinating the system. Hahaha."
"Understandable. Who wouldn't want to be an adventurer? It's a lucrative job. Even the sons and daughters of CEOs try dungeon delving at least once." The receptionist chuckled as she brought me to an empty room with a hammer and a box. "I myself used to write fiction, wondering whether I'd be chosen one day by the gods. Ah, here we are. You just need to pick up that hammer, tell me its name, and hit that dummy."
[Hammer of Futility
ATK: 0
Weight: 100
]
"Hammer of Futility? What an odd name... Moreover, it has zero attack and a weight of 100," I read the description. Despite having a weight of 100, the hammer felt like a regular hammer in my hand.
"Correct. Now, please hit the box with as much strength as you can."
I did as I was told. The strange status only affected me when I tried to swing it. It felt sluggish, like I was swinging it through thick jelly.
"That was lame. Is this how dungeons work? I thought I was better than this," I muttered. I had improved my stats, but the hit was pathetic. It didn't even dent the metal box.
"No. That was normal. You really do have a system's blessings. Let's see… yup, you're an F-rank. You can enter this dungeon. Let's return to the receptionist desk. I'll register your name." The receptionist typed in my name from my school ID and handed me another card with my name on it. It listed my adventurer ID, rank, and date of expiry. It was similar to a driver's license.
"Um… is that it?"
"Yes. You're now an adventurer. You may enter any F-rank dungeon. Please come by tomorrow to get your loaned beginner's weapon. By the way, my name is Cynthia." She winked at me.
"Alright. Thank you." I beelined to the exit, goosebumps rising on my skin. Was she flirting with me? She must have been a gold digger, preying on hard-earned adventurers' money. I'd better find another girl tomorrow. She was dangerous.
The sun had set some time ago. Using the same bus route, I took a one-hour ride to the new dungeon that had been discovered a month ago. There, adventurers frolicked before a cave that jutted out of the ground. A makeshift building had been constructed around it, enclosing the dungeon with concrete. That was where a receptionist desk was located.
"Luggers! Are you an adventurer? Do you need luggers? Willing to do it for 200 dollars a day!"
"Sorry. I'm new. What are luggers?"
"Ah, you're new, I see. Are you willing to hire luggers? Luggers are normal people who join an adventurer to carry their loot and supplies."
"Ah! I see. In that case, I don't need one. I'm only entering for one day at most. Thank you for the explanation, sir. By the way, I thought only adventurers could enter dungeons."
"Normal people need adventurers to enter a dungeon; otherwise, how are they going to defeat monsters? Well, it's not like there are guards monitoring the dungeons. If you want to sneak in, you can do so. Anyway, my name is Stephen. If you need a lugger, please give me a call. I also have fifteen friends—we're all experienced luggers. If you join a guild someday and plan a massive raid, we can handle it."
"Will do. Thanks."
After satisfying my curiosity about the dungeon, I went back home. My phone rang with messages from the city council, asking me to pick up my loaned sword tomorrow.
Tomorrow was the day of my adventure! Let's kill a lot of goblins!