DING!!
Congratulations, Ahko, for leveling up to level 10!!
All stats + 1
Hp and Mp are automatically full
Exp: 0/5120
After a couple of days of draining many man-eaters' vitality, Ahko has finally leveled up to level 10. At first, she was clumsy, slow, and embarrassed. Since she's new to dominating in an intercourse act, after all, she's always been the bottom one. But over the days, she's getting faster and reckless. It's not because she liked it, she doesn't like this one bit, even though she's a succubus, and a succubus should always be aroused, but because of the system, she's immune to it, though that doesn't mean she can live like a normal human. She is still a succubus, and succubuses need vitality in order to be alive.
From only a couple of man-eaters a day, it turns into hundreds, she is getting better at draining one's vitality. She also attempted to use her other succubus abilities on the man-eaters, but since the man-eaters were only controlled by Martha and lacked a genuine soul, her succubus abilities were useless. She isn't as strong as she was days ago, but at least she can walk normally and doesn't get too tired.
"Congrats, Ahko, you are 45% back from your original level."
"That doesn't matter, idiot. Even if I leveled up to level 100, it's still a fraction of what I had."
"Most of them come from blessings and you bought some too."
"Oh, wait a minute... Why didn't I think of that? Can I buy some stats?"
"Buying stats cost 10x more than usual."
"... What?"
"If you get too strong your body will implode."
"Why can't I just buy like a little bit of stats, maybe like only 10 for all or something?"
"Do you want to waste your shopcoins on some stats? You will gained them again in a couple of weeks."
"Are you retarded or something? I already told you I can't be waiting here for a month."
"The slaves' bodies are still in the same spot where they died, so no need to worry about that."
"What about Layla, hm?"
"I'm sure you can find another human with resurrection ability."
"No, I want this girl specifically."
"... Did you sense something valuable beside her resurrection within her?"
"Perhaps."
"I see... That girl is very important."
"I don't understand how those useless slaves died. I never gave them any command to go anywhere. Unless they got assassinated in that inn."
"If indeed that happened, there's a very high chance Layla has also been killed."
"But there's a low chance she's still alive.."
"It's probably the bandits you killed weeks ago."
"Huh? But I didn't leave a single soul in that mine."
"Who knows, maybe there's one you thought you've killed but he survived."
"Tsk, those pesky bandits."
"There are 7 more bandit bases in the Damrin Mountain Range, it is not a surprise that at least one of them wanted revenge for what happened."
"How can they know that those slaves and Layla reside in that room?"
"It is possible that a bandit from outside of the mine has heard the commotion and didn't try to help the bandits inside, but simply waited until you came out with Alya and Kate."
"Man, I thought those horny driven bandits wouldn't think that far. I guess this one is a little bit smarter..."
"They are probably waiting for you to come back to Priya City and then either capture you or kill you."
"... So you think Layla is dead..?"
"The probability is high, but they could use her as a hostage and are waiting for you."
"Hmm... Bandits are more likely to take her as hostage and just gonna make me do whatever they want just not to get her killed. Fucking cowards. They might be raping her right now."
"If she's not dead yet, why not wait for a couple of weeks to gain your strength back?"
"Because I don't want her to be traumatized retard.! You see what they did to slaves back in the mines!?"
"The slaves become addicted to male genitals."
"Yeah!- Well, some of them. But most of them are traumatized, okay!? They do not have the same willpower as me! They have probably only been captured for months, you know how much I've been affected before Lord Ken bought me!? Since I was born!!"
"... Seems like the duke of the House of Menry even rewrote her memories to that extent. Impressive. It must be really bad for you, but you have to consider that some of the slaves have been living like that since they were born."
"Well, I get gangraped, tortured, humiliated, and so much more!! I'm surprised I'm not dead yet. Why would they keep me alive!? To satisfy their sadistic needs!?"
"Maybe that's why she gained those sadistic traits... Hurting something weaker than her is a coping mechanism. Since I don't know much of your past, how about you walk me through them?"
"Huh? Since when do you want to know my past?"
"To make us get along easier, I'll try not to trigger you by your past in the near future."
"... Fine."
[Flashback]
It was a heavy rainfall, the storm raged, the streets were empty, the dark sky hung low and cracked open with veins of lightning like a god was punishing those who had sinned, clouds bruised in shades of emptiness and sadness, wind howled between the crooked rooftops, tearing loose banners from rusted poles, and one of the banners finally tore apart after months of neglect, and it landed on a girl's feet. It was Ahko.
She was only 5, she had no parents, no loved ones, no friends, no place to stay, nobody. She's just a poor, helpless child who barely eats every week. Her bare feet were submerged in a puddle that had long turned to mud, living in an empty, dark alleyway that no human wants to go into. The cold bit into her bones, but she had long learned that crying didn't make it anything better. Her rags clung to her skin, soaked through, and her messy, dirty silver hair was filled with mud, lice, and other unwanted insects.
Ahko barely remembered her past, she didn't want to, and she never wanted to relive it again. Once in a while, she tried to beg from the pedestrians on the streets, she believed that if she spoke kindly and innocently enough, someone might offer her something to make her life a little less miserable. Some were nice enough to give her a few bronze coins, maybe some bread or other food, some ignored her, some spat on her and insulted her like trash. One time she tried to eat throw-away crusts in a pile of trash at the bakery, but the baker immediately shoved her out and even kicked her once he saw her trying to reach for them. Even the maid stepped in and poured boiling water onto her feet to teach her to stay away from the bakery. They don't want people to see this trash, nobody girl eating near the bakery, it will immediately lower their sales.
This is the top of the iceberg of her misery. Similar orphans, just like her, beat her up until she was left unconscious, and this is on a daily basis. Even though they are in the same situation, they didn't want to associate with her, it's not because they are more superior than her, it's a coping mechanism to get them a quick boost of happiness, even if it's just a little bit.
The rain grew harsher, washing the blood from her scraped knees, and somewhat cleaning her dirty hair filled with lice and mud. Her dull silver hair comes back a little just for a bit before getting dirty and messy again when the rain is over. Some of her wet hair sticks to her face, and she can smell the unfathomable smell that is coming from the hair. No gag reflex happened because she is used to this kind of smell, hell, even the pile of trash she slept on smells somewhat better than her hair.
And that is not the worst of it all. Sometimes, at least a couple times a week, when she is begging for some money or food. Usually, an older man looked at her and smiled with a perverted look on his face. He willingly gave her some money or food, but in exchange for one thing. Ahko, with no choice, has to accept whatever weird fantasies he wants. At first, she was innocent, maybe she thought that this was how she was going to make money and get food. Though this is short-lived, as most of the time when she begged for money in front of a group of people, they beat her up to oblivion, SA her, dragged her outside of the alleyway and onto the public, and then humiliated her. Nobody cared, nobody had any sympathy for her, but they all laughed, and some even threw rotten vegetables or fruit at her.
Even though all other kids are in the same situation as her, homeless, have no parents, and no one to love. But she's getting tortured the most because she's a G rank. Back then, the lowest rank was F, and thought to be the lowest rank, but Ahko shattered that with her G rank. Obviously, it attracts so much attention, but it is not good for her. What can she do? She's more useless than the lowest F rank there is. Other orphans with an F rank can grow out of it somewhat if they try. But not for Ahko.
One day, when getting beaten up by other orphans as usual. A girl saw the brutality with her own eyes, knowing she was a weak girl, let alone de-escalating the situation, she waited until the group went away. Tears rolling down her face as she sees the messed-up situation Ahko is in. She rushed to her and comforted the near-unconscious girl. It wasn't even 2 minutes before her mother found her trying to treat Ahko's injuries. Her mother scolded her and then told her not to touch that stinky, useless, trash girl ever again.
But she didn't listen. The next day, she secretly grabbed bandages from the drawers and went out to find that girl. When her mother said where she was going, she told her that she was going with some friends while hiding the bandages. When she arrived, she looked at Ahko's very fucked up body and face, her hair covered in mud, and visible lice could be seen. A girl of that age with that situation should've cried for their parents, but for Ahko, she's already numb to this.
Ahko was surprised when the girl from yesterday returned with bandages. Even though she was near-unconscious when that happened, she remembered what she did vividly. She's even more surprised when the girl starts to treat her wounds with bandages. It wasn't much, but it's enough to make her wound feel slightly better. All this time, Ahko was shocked, confused, nervous, and even paranoid. Why would this girl randomly help her, a nobody? for no reason? Is there a reason at all? What is happening? The girl finished treating her wound and sighed in relief as she sat on a pile of trash.
"U-U-U-Uh-Uhm... Y-Y-You..." Ahko stuttered.
The girl stared blankly at Ahko. She wasn't expecting Ahko to be able to talk, she thought Ahko was mute or maybe deaf. Her eyes lit up, and her smile grew bigger, but it wasn't the evil or perverted smile Ahko had seen in her previous experiences. No, this was different. It felt genuine, a genuine smile, a real smile. Her stomach filled with butterflies when she looked at it. Even her mouth kept shut by how captivating her smile looked.
"Oh, you can talk? That's a relief..." The girl sighed, "Are you okay?" The girl asked.
"Y-Y-You... C-Can't... S-Si-Sit... T-There..." Ahko struggled to talk."
"Oh! W-Why can't I?"
"I-I-It-It's D-Dirty..."
"... But... You always sit here, right?"
"... I-I'm t-t-tr-trash..."
The girl closed her eyes and shook her head. She then stood up from the trash pile and put her hand on Ahko's head. Ahko, who was still nervous and scared, immediately stiffened, her eyes widened, and she shut her mouth tighter than before. But after a few gentle headpats, she finally relaxed and gave in to the headpats.
"A-A-Am I a D-Dog N-Now..?" Ahko questioned quietly.
"... W-What.?" That question dumbfounded the girl.
"I-I s-see... P-pe-people d-do... T-that..."
"N-No... You are not a dog... You are a girl, a normal girl.."
"B-But... P-p-people c-call... M-me t-trash..."
"You are not, what is your name..?"
"N-name..? W-What is t-that..?"
The girl sighed and lifted her hand from Ahko's head. Ahko immediately thinks that she said something wrong and the girl in front of her is going to beat her up like any other kids, she closed her eyes waiting for something to happen but nothing did. She opened her eyes slowly and saw that the girl was pondering about something. Her index finger is on her chin while her head is lifted up. Seconds later, she looked at Ahko with a smile.
"From now on, you are Ahko."
"A-Ahko..?" Ahko trembled.
"Mhm... Ahko, my name is Lydia."
Lydia extended her hand for a handshake. Ahko stiffened again when Lydia slowly extended her hand. She thought this time, Lydia was sure going to beat her up or maybe drag her out to the public to humiliate her again. After a moment of silence, Lydia finally realized Ahko didn't know what a handshake was, so she slowly and gently pulled Ahko's hand and put it in hers. They then shake hands, though Lydia does the shaking while Ahko watches. Then she slowly shook her trembling hand and, for the first time ever, smiled.
[Back to the Present]
"And that's how I met Lydia for the first time."
"It is fascinating that you remembered all those things when you were 4."
"Well, I think I met Lydia when I was 6 or 7. I don't want to remember that time anymore. I vividly remembered the first ever kindness I got."
"Is this part of Ken's memory manipulation? Or is it really true? I guess I will never know until Ahko turns back to her old self. And what about Lord Ken? Can you tell me about him? And how did he rescue you?"
"... I'll tell you more later, I'm not telling my past for the next hour"
"It hasn't been 20 minutes."
"Exactly."
"... Alright, I'll let you do your thing."
Yue quietly leaves Ahko with the man-eaters. Ahko stares at Yue until she vanishes into the cave, then stares back at the man-eaters. Before she goes into her knees again, she suddenly walks away from the man-eater and goes into the woods.
"Martha."
"Yes, Mistress?"
"Let your man-eater loose again, I don't need them anymore for the time being."
"As you wish, may I ask where Mistress is going?"
"... Going home, matter of fact, why don't you come with me for some adventure?"
"Of course, Mistress. I would love to go out for an adventure with you. I will ensure your safety." Martha bowed.
"Good, now I don't have a cloak to hide your dryad features, I'll go back to the village and see what I can do."
"Understood, Mistress. I will be waiting..."