"So… now what?"
Saeko was staring at the zombies frozen in time, not understanding how something like that was even possible.
Of course, she was very grateful to Yuu. Now that she couldn't trust the police or her parents, she really needed that kind of strength.
"Take your clothes off."
"Huh?"
She hadn't expected a request like that. And though she was embarrassed, she wasn't about to refuse. After all, she'd sworn loyalty to him.
Saeko already belonged to him, so she began unbuttoning her school uniform.
"O-okay. Should I take off my bra too?"
"Yeah."
"…Whatever you say."
Saeko wondered why she had to strip, but she obeyed without hesitation.
Her top disappeared along with her bra, exposing her large breasts.
Yuu, who'd kept a serious face up until now, showed a more human interest and cast a glance at Saeko's breasts.
Her two big boobs weren't just milky white with pink areolas, but perfectly round, lightly bouncing as Saeko moved. Their gentle curve made their size even more pronounced.
It was impossible not to feel tempted to lick them, and Yuu's mind was now filled with indecent thoughts.
He was a sinful god!
Still, he felt he should keep up his serious act, and simply nodded.
"Perfect. Now lie down on your stomach, right there."
He snapped his fingers, and a bed appeared on the floor, with clean sheets.
Shizuka, who'd stayed quiet for quite a while, finally opened her mouth.
"Uhhh… Kami-sama. What exactly are you about to do to her?"
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry. I'm not gonna do anything that could hurt or harm her."
"Ah, okay. I see. BUT WAIT! Does that mean I have to strip too?!"
Shizuka, with a blush on her cheeks, couldn't help but ask.
"Nope."
"Okay! Cool, I guess."
Saeko took off her shoes and laid her naked body on the bed. Since she was lying on her stomach, there was no avoiding the way her huge boobs got squished against the surface.
The temperature was pleasant, but her skin trembled a little at the cold sheets.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"Just relax."
Saeko felt her back being touched by strange hands.
When she turned her head, she saw Yuu standing beside the bed, looking at her with a serious expression. He pricked his finger with a needle, and a drop of white blood fell.
"With this blood, I'll grant your wish and unite our paths."
The drop of blood touched her bare back and rippled like a stone falling on the surface of a lake.
Then, white glowing lines began flowing across Saeko's body, tangling into a strange pattern.
"Ahh~ Is it burning?"
Saeko felt an electric current running through her back, and a soft moan escaped her parted lips.
A circular pattern spread out with glyphs written around the outer edge. The circle was perfect, and at the same time, looked like the outline of something.
However, Saeko had no idea what it meant.
"Don't worry about that. I'll explain later."
"Okay…"
When Yuu pulled his hand away, the burning in Saeko's flesh stopped, and the mark fused with her skin like a tattoo.
The last of the glyphs crossed the edges of the circle.
It clearly formed the image of a snake eating its own tail.
"Wow, that's amazing! You got a tattoo!"
Shizuka clapped.
"Well, it's my Grace manifesting as a tattoo. Through it, you'll grow stronger the more you fight."
"Seriously?"
Yuu extended his hand and a piece of paper floated in front of Saeko's eyes. Then he passed it over her back where the ouroboros symbol was, copying its essential data.
"Here it is. You can call it your Status."
She looked down and, after admiring the beautiful design of the tattoo, she read what was written.
×××
[Status]
—Name: Saeko Busujima
—Path: The Beginning and the End
—Rank: Pathstrider
—Level: 1
[General Stats]
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
[Magic]
—None
[Exclusive Skill]
—Crimson Awakening
—Linked Path: The Beginning and the End
—Description—
Between the beginning of life and the end of all awareness, there's a moment where true desire is revealed.
—Effects—
When using this skill, Saeko's repressed, battle-thirsty nature awakens. While in this state:
—Every successful hit increases the damage of the next one by +10%.
[Passive Skill]
—Aegis's Blessing:
No force can touch what Aegis has claimed as his own.
—Description—
A blessing granted only to those recognized by Aegis, the Aeon of the Beginning and the End.
It binds the soul of Aegis and the Blessed One through an eternal bond.
—Effects—
Both linked individuals can sense each other's location.
The Blessed One is completely immune to negative and harmful effects targeting mind, body, or soul: (Mind control, poisoning, illusions, curses, emotional manipulation, and other similar things.)
If the Blessed One is in extreme danger or the target of malicious intent, [Aeon's Protection] activates automatically.
The Blessed One's growth accelerates based on how much affection they feel for Aegis. The higher the [Affection Level], the faster the experience gain (EXP).
The Blessed One have no growth limit.
[Active Skills]
—None
×××
"Wow."
That was all Saeko could say.
The way everything was written looked simply amazing.
But when she read the description of Crimson Awakening's first effect, Saeko felt a lot more than just 'wow,' and looked at Yuu with a slightly worried face.
"Uh…"
Anticipating her worries, Yuu gave her a gentle tap on the head.
"If you're wondering whether your bloodlust will disgust me or make me lose trust in you, let me just say, don't worry about it. Honestly, I kinda like that type of person."
"Oh… thank you."
Saeko's cheeks turned pink at the compliment.
"So… this is like leveling up in a video game?"
"Exactly. The more you fight, the more stat points you'll get. You can also raise your level. But for now, your Status is at the minimum."
This was what Yuu had been working on in his living room, while Yue watched him with sparkling eyes as he worked with a drop of his own blood.
The idea came from the world of Danmachi, also known as 'Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?'
In that world, the gods granted something called a Falna, or Grace, to adventurers. That blessing let them grow stronger through effort and combat.
And Yuu, who'd read the records of that world and the minds of the gods, copied it and created his own version.
The user's stats, Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic, were called General Stats.
Each stat had a Grade, representing its development.
The grades went from lowest to highest like this:
— I → H → G → F → E → D → C → B → A → S
And then, beyond S… if someone was abnormal enough to surpass the limit, they'd hit SS, and after that, SSS.
Of course, that almost never happened in Danmachi.
Another thing that mattered was the number beside the letter.
For example:
A stat at I – 0 was the weakest it could be.
When that stat reached I – 99, it would rank up to H – 100.
And so on, until S – 999.
All progress came from accumulated effort, whether training, fighting, or overcoming adversity. It was a system that rewarded dedication.
But then the [Aegis's Blessing] came into play. This Passive Skill erased the growth limit.
In the world of Danmachi, there was a hard cap that most adventurers never even got close to, which was the S Rank. It was seriously tough to reach. Not to mention the mythical SS or SSS ranks.
But thanks to Aegis's Blessing, the Blessed one could surpass those limits.
That meant that if someone had the talent, time, willpower, and enough affection for Aegis, they could reach SSS Rank.
The other key to growth was Level.
Level was the overall measure of one's being. Beyond just stats, Level determined how much magic the body could handle, how much damage it could endure, how much spiritual pressure it could withstand, and even what kind of enemies it could take on.
As Levels increased, it became way harder to reach the next one.
×××
"So I'll become really strong?"
Saeko, though unsure, asked.
"You might. But that depends on you."
Yuu replied as he handed her uniform back to her.
"Well, you finished reading. Don't you think it's time to get dressed?"
"Ah."
Saeko looked down and saw that, even though she was off the bed, she was still naked.
"I forgot."
A little embarrassed, she covered herself with the uniform while Yuu, watching with interest, let out a sigh.
'I was hoping to look a little longer. Oh well. I like her boobs, so no complaints!'
The smile that bloomed on Yuu's lips was completely sincere.
"By the way, you haven't told me your name, so should I call you Aegis-sama or Master?"
She'd seen the name on the paper that described her Status.
"Ah, right. Sorry, I forgot. How could I not introduce myself? I'm Aegis, but you can just call me Yuu. Yuu Izumi. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Yuu-sama. You already know my name, but still, I'm Saeko Busujima."
"Alright, Saeko. Now that you're ready, time will resume. Want to run a few tests to see if your skill works properly before that?"
"Tests? No need. I mean, I trust you, so I wanna face them head-on."
"Glad to hear that. You're really brave. I like that. I'll be watching you in action."
After those words, Yuu snapped his fingers again.
In that instant, the room changed.
The zombies, once frozen in time, started moving again.
×××
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