Chapter 160: Quite the Payday…

P.S: This Chapter and the next contain a lot of system stats and monologuing with Ai; I tried to make it short, but some things needed to be established.

The first thing Akira noticed when he woke up was the warm and slightly sweet scent, like green tea brewing close by. The second thing was that his whole body felt like it had been wrung out and left on a drying rack… like he’d been completely drained of energy.

He sat up slowly. Every muscle from his shoulders down to his thighs carried that deep ache of a body pushed past its limits and somehow still standing.

Ayaka and Rina were still out cold on the carpet, curled together like a pair of exhausted kittens; their auras felt steady and calm. Safe.

He got to his feet carefully, joints popping, and followed the smell toward the kitchenette.

Satomi was already there.

She’d slipped into a loose silk robe without bothering to tie it properly, which meant it was doing a lousy job of covering anything.

The fabric parted naturally with every small shift, offering teasing glimpses of the smooth swell of her breasts, the dark shadow between her thighs, and the faint sheen of dried sweat still clinging to her skin.

She held a small kettle over the stove with casual grace, one hip cocked, while her other hand scrolled lazily through her phone as if she hadn’t spent the last few hours on her knees, throat and cunt stretched around cock, guiding two younger succubi through shattering climaxes.

The robe slipped an inch lower when she turned slightly, exposing the soft underside of one heavy breast and the stiff peak of her nipple brushing the silk.

She didn’t bother fixing it. She just met Akira’s eyes over the rim of her screen with that same calm, knowing smile, like she could still taste him on her tongue.

“Morning, my lord,” she purred. “Thought you’d still be passed out after wrecking three succubi senseless. Or did you miss the taste of my throat that much already?”

Akira rubbed a hand over his face. His eyes moved down her barely-covered body before locking on hers. “How are you up already?” he asked. His voice was still rough from sleep and the groans she’d pulled out of him earlier.

“Experience. I’ve been alive for a very long time, Akira-kun. Recovery that takes younger succubi six hours takes me forty minutes.” She set the kettle down and pulled a second cup from the cabinet. “Tea?”

“Yeah.” He sat down on the kitchen stool and watched her pour. “Ayaka and Rina should sleep for a while longer?”

“Several hours at minimum. Their systems went through massive destabilisation and restabilisation in the same night. Let them sleep.” She slid the cup across the counter to him and leaned against the opposite edge, both hands wrapped around her own. “Drink.”

He drank. It was some kind of roasted barley blend, and for a moment neither of them said anything.

“So what does this mean?” Akira asked. “Practically. Going forward.”

Satomi tilted her head slightly. “It means Rina’s corruption has been reversed and sealed. Ayaka’s contamination from the festival attack is fully cleared. And I…” She paused, letting the silence stretch for just a beat longer than necessary. “I am now formally aware of exactly what kind of entity I’m dealing with in you.”

“That sounds like a warning.”

“It’s an observation.” She studied him over the rim of her cup. “You stabilized three succubi in one night without your own essence collapsing. That shouldn’t be possible for someone at your level.” She paused again, and this time there was something warmer behind her eyes. “It’s impressive.”

“You’re not going to make this weird, are you, Satomi-sensei?”

She laughed softly. “Define weird.”

She set her cup down carefully, then glided around the counter. The silk robe parted further as she moved, offering slow flashes of smooth thigh and the shadowed curve where her breasts met her ribs.

She stopped just inches away… so close that the heat radiating from her skin brushed against his bare chest through the open gap in the fabric.

Her fingers found his jaw, nails grazing lightly as she tilted his face toward hers. Her full lips curved into a slow, knowing smile, eyes half-lidded and dark with promise.

“I’ll tell you something for free,” she murmured, tracing the edge of his lower lip with her thumb. “Next time, when there’s no crisis, no exhausted succubi sprawled across my carpet, I’m going to take my time with you. Properly. Every inch. No rush. Just you, me, and hours to taste, tease, and ruin each other until neither of us can walk straight.”

Akira held her gaze, pulse kicking harder under her touch. “I’ll mark my calendar.”

Her smile deepened. Then, she leaned in and kissed him slowly. Her tongue slipped past his lips just long enough to remind him how her mouth had felt wrapped around his cock hours earlier, then she drew back, leaving him tasting her on his tongue.

She stepped away smoothly, robe slipping closed again like nothing had happened, though the faint flush on her chest betrayed her.

“Now,” she said, her voice returning to its usual calm tease, “go get your girls some clean clothes.”

He was already reaching for his phone when it lit up in his hand: three missed calls from Mia, two from Mei-san.

He winced. Mia was going to be a whole separate production.

“Good morning, darling,” Ai’s voice purred right on cue, sounding warm and amused in the back of his skull. “You have seventeen unread system notifications, a new route unlock, and two very worried women who’d like to know where you’ve been all night. Which problem would you like first?”

“The clothes problem,” Akira said quietly, already heading for the door.

—

The morning air outside hit him sharp and cool. His body was still processing everything; he could feel it in the slight tremor in his hands, the way his essence felt hollow, like a tank that had been mostly drained and was now slowly refilling.

He walked two blocks before Ai spoke again.

“Well, darling, if you aren’t the busiest guy in town. From gym storage rooms to pocket dimensions, you’ve certainly kept me entertained. Want me to run you through what you’ve skipped? You’ve earned quite the payday.”

“Run it.”

A soft chime, followed by the familiar overlay, blinked into his peripheral vision.

—

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONS]

[TRANSACTION LOG: RECENT DESTINY DIVERGENCES]

[PREVIOUS BALANCE: 21,570 PP]

[THE MANA FEVER CRISIS – REWARD: 500 PP]

[THE SCHEDULING CONFLICT – REWARD: 500 PP]

[THE BUNNY SUIT INCIDENT – REWARD: 200 PP]

[THE LANDLORD’S PROPOSAL – REWARD: 2000 PP]

[Performance Bonuses: Mei’s Peak (+500), Rina’s Release (+800), Triple Threat Champion (+2,500)]

[INTERMEDIATE BALANCE: 28,570 PP]

[THE FESTIVAL CATACLYSM – COST: – 1000 PP]

[Boss Fight: [CONCEPTUAL WARFARE] against The Muse of Depravity – REWARD: 3000 PP + 5000 PP (MISSION COMPLETE)]

[TRIPLE PURIFICATION – REWARD: 4200 PP]

[CURRENT TOTAL: 39,770 PP]

[BONUS: ELDER SUCCUBUS COOPERATION ACKNOWLEDGED]

[ROUTE ESTABLISHED: SATOMI AYASE — CLASS: ELDER SUCCUBUS / INSTRUCTOR]

[AFFINITY: 76 — EXPERIENCED INTEREST]

[NOTE: An Elder Succubus’s interest is not casual. Proceed with awareness.]

[PHYSICAL STATS — UPDATED]

[STRENGTH: 68 / AGILITY: 66 / ENDURANCE: 64 / ESSENCE CAPACITY: 71 / CHARM: 58]

[NEW THRESHOLD UNLOCKED: POST-LILITHIA COMBAT TIER]

[You are now recognized by demonic entities as a Mid-Class threat.]

—

“Thirty-six thousand PP. And Satomi-sensei’s route just went live,” Ai said with satisfaction. “Her affinity at seventy-six isn’t impulsive interest; she’s made a considered decision about you.”

“That’s either good or very complicated.”

“Why not both? The bigger issue is the combat tier unlock. You’ve crossed a line in the hierarchy. You’re not a human dabbling in demon business anymore. You’re something they have to account for.”

“Mid-class,” Akira said quietly.

“Which means Valerius will feel it. He already may.”

He kept walking.

“Want to see the new shop listings? You have enough PP to make some real moves today.”

“Show me.”

The overlay expanded, the shop interface filling his vision with the new selections.

—

[SYSTEM SHOP]

[COMBAT TIER]

[Soul Fracture (Lv.1) — 3,500 PP] Disrupts a target’s spiritual core upon physical contact. Temporarily short-circuits supernatural abilities and instincts. Unblockable by targets below Alpha-class.[Phantom Step (Lv.1) — 2,000 PP] Instant short-range blink (10 meters in less than 0.5s). 3 charges per 6-hour cooldown. Essential for dodging fatal strikes.[Predator’s Lock — 2,800 PP] Paralyzes a single target with primal fear for up to 8 seconds. Works on entities below Beta-class. Flavor: The feeling of being watched by something that owns you.

[HAREM/SOCIAL TIER]

[Scent Branding (Lv.1) — 1,800 PP] Passive pheromone marker in bodily fluids. Intimate partners feel involuntary spikes in affinity and submission when near you. Useful for tracking also. No activation required.[Pleasure Echo — 2,200 PP]

Triggers a 3-second sensory replay of intimacy in a bonded partner’s body. Range: 30 meters. Effective for conditioning and calming mana fever.[Obsession Anchor — 3,000 PP] Permanent loyalty lock for targets with 80+ Affinity. Targets feel acute psychological discomfort if they try to pursue others. The System’s version of a wedding ring.[Seduction Mastery (Lv.1) — 2,500 PP] Passive upgrade. Touch sensitivity +30% for partners; voice induces mild trance in unbonded targets. Warning: High risk of accidental seduction.

[SUPERNATURAL TIER]

[Essence Drain Reversal — 2,000 PP] Passive counter. Automatically reverses draining attacks from succubi, incubi or vampiric entities, pulling their power back into host.[Lilithia’s Whisper (Lv.1) — 4,000 PP] Channels the Succubus Queen’s authority. Forces involuntary submission on demons within 20 meters (30s duration). Warning: Accelerates Fragment awakening.[Dual Essence Threading — 3,500 PP] Allows simultaneous channeling of two essence types (e.g., Ice + Fire) for hybrid attacks.

[WEAPONS & TOOLS]

[Hunger’s Lash — 2,500 PP] Desire-essence whip. Deals spiritual damage and incapacitates humans via pleasure overload. Disrupts essence pathways in demons.[Voidfang Gauntlet (Right Hand) — 3,200 PP] Augments Dark Fist skill significantly. Nullifies enemy regeneration for 60 seconds. Can crush magical barriers and constructs bare-handed.[The Architect’s Compass — 1,500 PP] Gate mapping tool. Reveals enemy count, environmental class, and guardian rank before entry.

[GUARDIAN PROTOCOLS]

[Guardian Manifestation: Shirayuki — 2,000 PP] Ability to physically summon Shirayuki from her bonded state (4 hours/day). Beta-class combat power (Ice). Includes a human disguise for civilian areas.[UPGRADE: Permanent Form — 5,000 PP]Locked. Grants Shirayuki an indefinite physical form with zero PP upkeep.

Akira read through everything slowly.

The list was longer than usual and more expensive across the board. Whoever or whatever was calibrating these prices clearly knew last night had changed something about where he stood.

“Take your time,” Ai said. “Thirty-six thousand points is a lot, but the wrong choices now could leave gaps you’ll regret when Valerius makes his move. And he will make his move.”

Akira started sorting.

Combat first. He went through the three options and crossed Soul Fracture off immediately. It was strong, but it required physical contact to activate; against an Incubus Lord who wouldn’t let him get close without a fight, it was a liability purchase. Not now.

Predator’s Lock was interesting but situational. Eight seconds of freeze was useful for escapes or setups, but it only worked below Beta-class.

Valerius was Alpha. It would do nothing against the main threat and he wasn’t short on ways to deal with smaller ones.

Phantom Step was the one he actually needed.

“I’ve had the mobility problem since the festival,” he said to Ai, thinking through it. “Three times I nearly took a hit I couldn’t recover from because I couldn’t create distance fast enough. Phantom Step closes that gap.”

“Agreed. It’s the kind of skill that doesn’t win fights by itself but makes every other skill you have work better. You throw a Dark Fist, blink sideways before the counter arrives, and you’re suddenly fighting a completely different fight.”

“Buy it.”

[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: Phantom Step (Lv.1) — 2,000 PP]

[CURRENT PP: 37,770]

He moved to the Supernatural Tier. He looked at the three options: Essence Drain Reversal, Lilithia’s Whisper, and Dual Essence Threading.

“Which one?” Ai asked. “You have enough for the Whisper and maybe the Reversal, but—”

“All of them,” Akira cut in.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep