[Simulated Combat Power: 520!]
"Ivsha's magical output… surpassed Loserine's?"
Kurose Akira watched as Ivsha unleashed the high-tier spell Fallen Radiance, its raw magical might actually exceeding Loserine's high-tier sword art, Water Moon.
Was that even real?
Ivsha was only Level 8, and she was merely an Epic-rarity unit…
"Is this… all power granted by the magic crest?"
Akira's expression stiffened with disbelief. A 30% boost to magical potency plus +50 to all attributes—those bonuses alone were enough to trigger a qualitative leap.
But he had never imagined Ivsha would grow to such a terrifying extent.
"Kurose Akira~ this metal dummy can't compare to you at all~"
Ivsha walked up to his side with a radiant smile, her tone light and teasing, as though she were praising him rather than the result.
After the test concluded, Akira had both of them rest inside the Adventurers' Guild to recover their mana.
High-tier sword arts and high-tier magic always came with massive consumption.
Loserine's Water Moon could be used about three times at most, while Ivsha's Fallen Radiance could only be cast twice.
Taking advantage of the downtime, Akira opened the Trading Marketplace again.
This time, several private messages popped up.
Super Handsome Guoguo: "Bro, why are you ignoring me? How about 20 silver coins?"
Super Handsome Guoguo: "25! What about 25 silver coins?"
Invincible Little Fairy: "Big brother~ can you sell the Nun Amulet to me for 15 silver? Little sister really wants one~"
Ultimate Heartthrob: "Brother, that amulet's pretty good. How about 30 silver? That's my top offer."
"..."
Every single message was about the Nun Amulet Akira had listed.And every offer capped at 30 silver coins—clearly below his expectations.
He sent a reply to Super Handsome Guoguo.
Kurose Akira: "40 silver. Non-negotiable."
The reply came almost instantly.
Super Handsome Guoguo: "40 silver!? Are you robbing me!?"
Akira glanced at it, about to close the chat window—
Then another message arrived.
Super Handsome Guoguo: "Fine, fine! 40 silver it is! Don't raise the price again!"
"…Sold too cheap?"
Akira raised an eyebrow, but still adjusted the listing price to 40 silver coins.
The moment it went live, it was instantly snapped up.
Immediately afterward, another message came through.
Super Handsome Guoguo: "Scalper! I curse you to never get a girlfriend!"
"..."
Akira froze for a second, then shrugged indifferently.
A net profit of 40 silver coins—pure blood gain.
And judging by the guy's reaction, 40 silver was probably the absolute ceiling of what he could afford. That aligned perfectly with Akira's original estimate.
With that settled, Akira listed the remaining nine Nun Amulets as well.
He didn't care how fast they sold—only that someone bought them.
"Alright~"
After finishing the listings, Akira closed the Trading Marketplace.If nothing unexpected happened, they'd all be sold out within a day.
"Next up…"
He glanced at the Quest Panel.
All F+ rank commissions had already been cleared.What remained were Character Quests and Hidden Quests.
And then—
His gaze settled on the Special Task for Promotion to E-rank.
[Special Quest: Witch's Whisper]Quest Description: A witch, driven by revenge, has created a Flame-Wrapped Demon Cocoon. Once it hatches, an entire city will be destroyed!Objective: Destroy the Flame Cocoon.Recommended Level: 15Rewards: 20 Silver Coins, 2000 EXPAdditional Reward: Upon completion, player evaluation will rise to E-rank, and you will obtain 1 Adventurer Recruitment Scroll (Green).
"Flame Cocoon…"
Akira murmured softly.
Something that could wipe out an entire city upon hatching—this special quest was clearly lethal.
And the recommended level was 15?
Wasn't the difficulty of this promotion quest a bit too insane?
Fortunately, there was no time limit. Though he didn't know why, it meant he could wait until Ivsha's character quest was complete before considering it.
Of course, there was also tomorrow's event quest.
He badly needed the EXP from killing slimes to raise Ivsha and the others' levels.
"Oh, right~"
Akira took out the strange black stone he had picked up earlier from the lake where the water spirits dwelled. He examined it carefully once more.
Even now, he had no idea what its purpose was.
After staring at it for a long time without finding any clues, he sighed and gave up.
"About time… I should head to the church."
He put the stone away, stood up, and was just about to leave—
When a sudden wave of icy chill crept up his spine.
"Ugh—!"
The unexpected cold made Akira shudder violently, as though an invisible hand had clenched his heart.
"What the hell…?"
He turned around, searching for the source of the chill.
There it was.
At some point, the cloth doll Emily had given him had appeared behind him, neatly placed on a wooden chair.
"…?"
Frowning, Akira approached the Spirit Doll.
Though it was called a Spirit Doll, he had yet to sense anything particularly special about it.
Maybe now… it was finally time?
He reached out and grabbed the doll firmly.
The soft texture was strangely uncanny—impossible to describe.It felt like a living person, yet also unmistakably like an ordinary stuffed doll.
"So… what exactly is special about you?"
He fiddled with the doll in his hands. It didn't react at all—only that sweet, gentle smile remained, carrying an inexplicable sense of allure.
Sniff, sniff—
"…That smells really good."
Akira brought the doll closer to his nose, catching a rich, unusual fragrance.
It was different from Ivsha's natural body scent—more like an artificially crafted perfume. Slightly sharp, yet capable of stirring something deep within one's desires.
"Hey~ that's too close~"
"Huh?"
Akira froze.
That sultry, bone-melting whisper had caught him completely off guard.
Wait—what?
Did it just… speak?
He stared intently at the doll in his hands.
That wasn't his imagination, right?
"Hey. You just talked, didn't you?"
He questioned it directly.
No response.
For a moment, Akira narrowed his eyes—then gently pinched the doll's cheeks.
Since it was made of cotton, the soft, rosy face deformed easily under his fingers, kneaded without mercy.
"Ow ow ow~! Don't do that~ please~"
The doll let out another娇媚, pitiful cry.
Only then did Akira stop.
"Alright, talk. What exactly are you?"He flicked the doll's puffed-up cheeks lightly as he asked.
"I'm just a toy my master gave you! What else could I be!?"The doll puffed out her cheeks in indignation.
"Don't try to fool me."
Akira wasn't buying it for a second.
"Say one more lie, and I'll keep going."
"W-Wait! I'll tell the truth!"The doll hurriedly spoke, her voice anxious.
"I'm a cloth doll blessed by a witch! My second little master gave me to you! I know you're a Guild Master who has transcended the world's rules— the witch who created me said only people like you can give me true life! Please~ summon me~ I can bring you good luck!"
"…A witch again?"
Akira's eyes darkened slightly.Lately, his entanglements with witches were becoming far too frequent.
"Please? Please?"The doll pleaded sweetly."Summon me~ I really can bring you good fortune!"
"..."
Akira fell silent.
He had already planned to recruit the Spirit Doll as the guild's next adventurer.
But he never expected that something listed as a game entry would actually be a living being.
"I'll think about it," he replied calmly.
"Thank you~ thank you so much~ you're my favorite master~!"
The Spirit Doll's voice trembled with joy.
At that moment, a system notification popped into Akira's vision.
[Notice!]Spirit Doll has gained an additional sub-trait: [Slightly Likes You]Trait merged: [Spirit Doll Who Slightly Likes You]
"…?"