Liu Yang sucked in a breath. His chest lifted like he was getting ready to run.
"Buckle your belt, I'm going to change," he said with a laugh in his voice but a dare in his eyes.
He cracked his fingers one by one—pop, pop, pop—then rolled his shoulders like some wrestler entering the ring. His neck tilted left, then right. POP. POP.
His eyes narrowed, his grin wide. His hand cut through the air like he was tearing open a curtain.
[Charm Morph]
The tingle shot through him again. His body shifted, skin crawling. His chest swelled, hips curved, legs slimmed down. Black hair grew longer, brushing his back. A soft face, lips too shiny. The whole girl look.
Last time it nearly killed him. His hands wanted to squeeze the boobs, his head full of dirty thoughts. His whole body betrayed him.
But this time—
Silence.
The lust hunger didn't rush in this time. His hands didn't twitch. His mind didn't scream for milk or forbidden fruit.
He froze. Then blinked. Then laughed.
"Wait… it's not hitting me… the skill, it's working! Holy shit!"
[Notice: Abyssal Dread Resistance is resisting mental debuff: Lust/Charm effect from transformation.]
His jaw dropped. His face went pale. "So you're telling me… last time I was basically debuffed… by my own boobs?"
[Correction: Yes, Host. You lost to yourself.]
"…."
He grabbed his head with both hands, shaking. "I really am pathetic."
Liu Yang brushed his long hair out of his face, still not used to the soft strands brushing his cheeks.
He turned to her, eyes sharp.
"You. Change too. Human form. Female."
She blinked, pointing at herself, confused. "Eh? Me? A girl? But I'm already a girl, Master…"
His eyebrow twitched. "Not demon girl. Human girl. You think we can just stroll into town with horns and tails hanging out? They'll chop our heads before we can say hello."
She tilted her head, lips puckered like she didn't get it. "Ohhh… infiltrate… pretend… disguise…" Then she clasped her hands together and nodded fast. "Yes yes, Master! I will be your… um… human servant girl! Together we'll walk side by side into human nest! Wahhh, it feels like a secret mission!"
Liu Yang slapped his forehead. "Oh great. So now we're gonna look like two random village girls walking around in the forest. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."
She grinned, showing her fangs for a moment before they faded into pink lips. Her horns shrank. Her eyes shifted, glowing red turning soft brown. Her whole body shimmered and suddenly—
she looked like a normal girl in a plain dress, shy and harmless.
She spun once in place, skirt flaring. "Master, how do I look? Pretty, right? No one will suspect I'm a demon!"
Liu Yang's eye twitched. He turned away fast. "Stop spinning before I punch a tree. Let's go."
[MP: 780/780 → 770/780 → 760/780]
[Estimated Time Remaining: 35 minutes]
"Shit. That was all. Thirty-five damn minutes before the disguise broke. Not even long enough for a proper nap."
He rubbed his temples, sighing. "What the hell am I supposed to do… if I go in like this, I'll run out before I can even buy bread."
She tilted her head, eyes big, pretending to think. Then her face lit up bright. She clapped her hands together. "Oh! Master, master! Let's go to the guild!"
Liu Yang froze. "Guild?"
She leaned forward, eyes shining.
"Master, listen! Humans all join guilds! They scream about it when drunk! Guild this, guild that, money money money! I heard it all!"
He squinted at her. "You sure you didn't just imagine it after sniffing beer fumes?"
"No no! It's real! Guild is where adventurers live, eat, drink, fight, register, everything!" Her arms flapped like wings, her skirt bouncing as she spun in a little circle. "They give you a card, Master! A card that says, 'I belong!' Humans love cards!"
He tilted his head. "…what, like a library card?"
"No! Adventurer card! It proves you're someone! It proves you have rank! From F to S!" She puffed her chest. "If you're F-rank, you find lost cats. If you're S-rank, you slay demon kings!"
He muttered low. "So either I chase chickens or I fight gods. Great choices."
She ignored him, still waving her arms. "Guild knows everything, Master. Who lost underwear, who will be next king, who farted in the palace. All information is theirs!"
His lips twitched. "I'm not joining some underwear-finding gang."
She stomped her foot. "No, Master! Guild also gives quests! Kill monsters, guard wagons, carry boxes, all that boring work humans call 'important.' You do quests, rank goes up, you get stronger!"
"And money," he added, staring down at his own ragged clothes.
Her face brightened, her hands clapping. "Yes! Money, Master! With coins you can buy food, clothes, even… more women!"
His head snapped toward her. "Oi. Don't say that last part so loud."
She giggled, twirling. "But it's true!"
Liu Yang dragged his hand down his face, groaning inside. Guild meant quests, quests meant information, and information meant survival. But above all—
It was coins.
If you are a guild member, people treat you different. Commoners respect you, shopkeepers bow deeper, even soldiers will sometimes listen. The higher your guild rank, the higher your place in society.
A strong guild member can sit and drink in a bar, and people will whisper their name. A weak one will run errands for the strong.
After hearing about guild he released she was right because a guild meant information and information was the only thing that could mean survival.
But most importantly. Money. Damn money. He couldn't live without it. How was he supposed to eat, sleep, or even buy underwear in this human world without coins?
"…Money. Damn money," he muttered. His eyes went dark, serious, like he'd just realized the true boss of this world wasn't Demon Lords or Hunters.
He sighed, lowering his hand. "Fine. Guild it is. First we learn. Then we live. One step at a time."