"Mmm..."A groan slipped out of Caelen's mouth as he stirred awake.
"Caelen."A gentle voice called to him. He blinked, groggy, rubbing his eyes before pushing himself up in bed. The room was quiet. For a second, he thought he was alone until he turned his head and saw her.
Emma stood beside the bed, wearing a black and white maid's outfit. It hugged her in all the right ways, and the tray of food in her hands barely distracted her from the blush rising on her face.
"Emma?" His voice cracked as he fully woke up. "What are you wearing?"
"I thought… you'd like waking up to a nice breakfast," she said, holding out the tray with a shy smile.
He blinked. "Wow. Uh… thanks."Shifting in bed, he sat up straighter and took the tray from her hands. On it were two plates—complementary pairings which were familiar to one another. A flaky redfruit tart with a drizzle of crystal syrup and a savory yolk-stuffed grain roll that steamed gently.
He took a bite. "This is actually really good."
Emma smiled, sitting down beside the bed. "Silver helped me. Evelyn's assistant. She said these pairings work well together."
"Well, thanks for waking up early to do this," he said, still chewing.
"I'm used to waking up early," she replied. "Church habits. You don't have to say that, since it's not a big deal."
Caelen laughed lightly. "I mean, waking up to food and a maid outfit does feel like a big deal."
Emma tilted her head, amused but not denying it. "I figured you'd like it."
He finished eating while she watched him in silence. At one point, he glanced up. "What?"
"Nothing," she said, smiling. "I just like seeing you like this. Calm. Kinda cute, honestly."
He blinked again and gave a helpless chuckle. "Where'd the mischievous Emma go?"
"She's still here," she said, taking the tray from him, "but I don't need to tease you to get your attention anymore. I can see you whenever I want now."
He stared at her for a second, almost surprised at how natural that sounded. She stood and turned to go.
"Oh, by the way," she added over her shoulder, "you made me miss dinner last night."
Caelen scratched his cheek. "Oops. Sorry about that."
"Not your fault," Emma said, then hesitated. "Actually… Silver mentioned Lucy came by to call us for dinner."
He blinked. "Really? I didn't hear anything."
Emma paused again as she was all red, then waved her hand. "It's not important. I just got a little embarrassed when Silver mentioned that the soundproofing only works if we actually close the door fully."
She left before he could respond, her voice lingering in the air.
Alone again, Caelen flopped back onto the bed, stretching his arms wide. His muscles ached just enough to remind him of the night before, but he hadn't gotten nearly enough rest.
Then something clicked."Oh, right."
He snapped his fingers, and a transparent screen blinked into view.
[Caelen - Status Overall]
Intelligent: 20
Strength: 24
Agility: 23
Endurance: 20
Resistance: 21
DM Count: 300
Remaining points: 62
"Whoa, whoa, whoa."He sat up again, eyes scanning the glowing red numbers.
"I didn't even… I mean, I didn't finish that many times, so where are all these points coming from?" He shook his head. "I need to figure out how this thing calculates. But first…"
His eyes lingered over the stats. Strength and Agility looked tempting. He still hadn't caught up to Lucy in raw numbers. Endurance, too, especially after recent… activities, he needs the strength.
Strength: 44 (+20)
Agility: 43 (+20)
Resistance: 31 (+10)
DM Count: 420 (+120 from 12 points)
"Nice."
[Caelen - status overall]
Intelligent: 20
Strength: 44
Agility: 43
Endurance: 20
Resistance: 31
DM Count: 420
Remaining points: 0
The extra Resistance might come in handy if something ever happens to snap in the wrong way, maybe. And adding to DM Count always felt useful, especially with what was coming soon. Something deep inside him was shifting. He could feel it.
Just as he was about to open the skill unlock tab, the door creaked open again.
Emma peeked in. "Lucy's calling you."
"Lucy?" He sat up straighter. "What for?"
"She wants you for something." Emma stepped inside, folding her arms. "She's on the upper floor. Floor eight. Not the dungeon."
He frowned. "Alright. Thanks. You coming?"
Emma shook her head. "No, she wants you alone. Said she needed to talk. I'll be with Evelyn studying something anyway."
Caelen stood and reached for his clothes. "Should I fix myself up properly?"
Emma raised an eyebrow. "She looked a little impatient. I'd just go like that. You're probably coming back all sweaty anyway, to be honest."
"…It's like that, huh?"
She grinned and closed the door behind her.
Caelen sighed, threw on a shirt, and headed toward the lift. He hit the button for Floor 8.
When the door opened, he blinked.
A forest? Lush greenery spread out in all directions. Trees shimmered with soft violet leaves, and glowing mist hung lazily in the air. It was a calm, beautiful space—but the magic he had never felt before and now is faint in here, which might mean it's heavy here.
And in the center of it all, waiting on a wide clearing of moss-covered stone, stood Lucy.
Her back was to him, hands behind her. She turned slowly as he stepped out.
No smirk. No teasing look. She wasn't angry either.
"Are you ready to train properly now?"
She met his eyes and asked plainly:
"Train?" Caelen blinked at Lucy as she walked toward him.
"Yeah," she said, stopping just in front of him. "Since you want to get stronger, you need to become more than just a half-decent spell-slinger. You barely know how to fight."
"I know how to fight a bit," he mumbled.
Lucy didn't answer. She just swung her fist.
He saw it coming and leaned back, about to dodge—only for her hand to twist unnaturally mid-swing and slam into his cheek anyway. The impact knocked him sideways, sending him to the ground.
Caelen clutched his cheek. "Hey! You actually punched me."
Lucy tilted her head with a faux-innocent look, then smiled faintly. "Yeah. It's my right. You did turn me into this, remember?"
Her voice was casual, almost teasing, but he could tell there was no real malice behind it.
He stood up slowly, brushing himself off. She stayed standing over him like a coach, arms crossed.
"Starting today till the end of the week, you're training with me. Every day. You better not be late, and you better not slack off. Got it?"
He blinked, then gave a small nod as it finally sank in. She wasn't just annoyed—she was serious. And maybe, he realized, this was exactly what he needed. Fighting monsters was one thing. But training with someone like Lucy? Someone who really knew how to fight?
That was different.
And the week was brutal.
Every morning started early. The second Caelen was awake, Lucy had him outside or in the floor's empty halls, drilling forms, sparring, and shouting corrections. Seven hours a day. Every single day. He hated the repetition, the soreness, the strictness—but slowly, it started making sense.
Lucy didn't go easy on him. She knocked him flat again and again. But by the third day, he wasn't falling as much. His balance was better. His dodges tighter. His counters sharper. There were even moments where he surprised her, which made her pause and raise an eyebrow, almost impressed.
He started understanding his body better. His reaction speed was much faster than he realized—his brain processed danger quickly, but his body just wasn't used to moving that fast. So Lucy sparred with him in bursts. "Follow your instincts, not your hesitation," she kept saying.
They also spent time on magic. It turned out his beginner spells weren't exactly listed in the system on purpose, which confused him for a while until Lucy helped him piece it together. Since his system was Lust-based, only skills linked to lust and demon energy showed up. His elemental magic was just… his own.
His first spell was [Arcing Touch], a lightning technique that coated his hand in electricity. He had to touch someone and then release it deliberately—something he hadn't known, which explained why he never tried to use it since he did not know.
His second was [Lightning Blade], which enhanced his weapon with crackling lightning. A basic enhancement spell, but dangerous in close quarters. The last was the one he instinctively used during the golem fight: [Lightning Aegis], a full-body coating that let him charge and shock anything he struck.
Even Lucy was curious about her magic, though she rarely said it aloud. During breaks, they tested her ice powers. Her abilities were too cold—unnatural even for a demon. Her ice didn't melt that easily, not even under flame or direct light for hours. Evelyn had noticed it first and sent her footage that proved it.
"It's like… your ice is static. Timeless," Caelen had said once, after watching her freeze an entire training dummy mid-motion.
Lucy didn't respond, but she'd looked thoughtful after that.
They grew into a rhythm. Train, eat, rest, repeat.
Emma saw him three times a day. Morning breakfast. Dinner. And late at night, when she'd sneak into his bed with a smile. He also finally figured out how his system gained points—it was directly tied to climaxes. Hers and his, too, specifically. Not just sex, but a physical one person, too. When she finished, he gained points.
Distance mattered too. One night, he asked her to do it alone from another room—but the system gave him nothing. That meant proximity was key, and it had limits he still needed to test.
Evelyn remained mostly distant during the week, but they crossed paths at meals. She greeted him gently, always smiling, and he wondered if she was waiting for something. The moment he could make a seed again, perhaps.
Last Day
Caelen collapsed onto the stone floor, panting. His shirt clung to his body, soaked with sweat. Every muscle ached, but not in a bad way—this pain felt earned. His body moved how he wanted now. No more sluggishness. No more wasted steps.
Lucy crouched beside him, holding a bottle of cold water.
"So that's how you think it works?" she asked, returning to a topic they'd been discussing for the last half hour: demon forms.
He took the bottle, nodded. "Yeah. It's like fire. If I have mana, I can use it. If I'm empty, then I've got nothing. The form is tied to the demon energy itself. No energy, no form."
Lucy tilted her head, thoughtful.
"So… even if you have a little, you can activate it?"
"Yeah. It can even last long, based on what the system showed. And it works."
She stared at him for a few seconds, then gave a small shrug. "Makes sense."
He smiled, watching her lean back with her arms supporting her. Something about her posture—relaxed but focused—reminded him of their first few days. Before the fighting. Before the tension.
"I'm glad we did this," he said softly.
She didn't respond immediately. Then, almost grudgingly: "You're not hopeless."
That made him grin.
Somewhere deep down, he hoped her loyalty stat had gone up. He was planning to check soon. But right now, sitting beside her after a week of bruises, sparring, and breakthroughs—he was content.
He'd earned this.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would appreciate the support by helping me grow my story, comment, and help out with the stones, I will appreciate it