Sofia tilted her head, still wearing that smug little grin. "How do I actually put the skill into the skill tree?"
"You just need to press the plus sign right beside your skill," I told her.
She nodded once and reached out, tapping the glowing + icon next to Basic Shield. The instant her finger touched it, a massive flood of knowledge slammed straight into her brain — not hand gestures like mine, just a single clear chant and the exact way mana flowed through her veins to form the barrier. The heavy, solid sensation of the shield locking into place in front of her, the way it would absorb blows, the rhythm of the words… it all poured in like she had been casting it for years.
The panel updated immediately:
Basic Shield – Level 1
Experience: 0/100
MP Cost: 15
Cooldown: 8 seconds
Seeing that she would need to cast it 100 times just to level it up, Sofia went completely speechless. Her mouth opened, then snapped shut. The smug look on her face vanished in a heartbeat.
Then, on the left side of the panel, a new glowing message box appeared:
Every 10 levels, you will receive 3 skill options so you can choose your fighting style.
Seeing her completely speechless reaction, I couldn't help but grin.
"See, Mom? This is completely unfair."
Sofia nodded slowly, still staring at her panel in disbelief. "Yeah… it really is."
Then, as if shaking it off, she asked, "Well, anyway… does the system have any inventory?"
Muttering under my breath, I swiped the skill tree panel away and whispered, "Inventory."
A clean new window instantly appeared in front of me. Sofia quickly swiped on her own panel to open hers too.
Inventory
Slots: 5/5
Slot 1: Basic MP Potion ×10
Slot 2: Basic HP Potion ×10
Slot 3: Empty
Slot 4: Empty
Slot 5: Empty
Both of us had the exact same setup — ten basic mana potions and ten basic health potions already stocked. The remaining three slots were completely empty.
That's what Liam thinks.
Then we spotted a Level 0 rabbit peacefully munching on the grass just a few meters away, its little nose twitching as it nibbled. The moment I focused on it, a small status window popped up above its fluffy body. Sofia saw it too.
Level 0 Rabbit
HP: 200/200
We both went completely speechless.
Two hundred hit points. On a goddamn rabbit.
My Fireball only cost 15 MP — which meant it probably only dealt 15 damage per cast. With that stupid eight-second cooldown, the rabbit would either hop away or straight-up murder me long before I could burn through two hundred HP.
Sofia glanced at me, eyes wide. "But what about my shield skill? I can block 15 points of damage, right?"
I nodded slowly, throat tight. "Yeah… and since we're all Level 0, its damage output should also be around 15 per hit. Still… two hundred HP on a Level 0 rabbit? That's completely ridiculous. This system doesn't make any sense."
"Hmm… I can only cast Fireball five times before my MP runs out," I muttered, still staring at the innocent-looking rabbit. "And I don't even know how long it takes for mana to recover. At most, I can deal 75 damage. That still leaves the damn thing with 125 HP."
Sofia ruffled my hair affectionately, her fingers warm and teasing. "Let's go anyway. If we take the rabbit meat to that village, we can sell it for some money."
I nodded.
Then, with a casual flick of her wrist, Sofia opened her inventory and pulled out a weapon. A sturdy, well-balanced steel sword materialized in her hand. A glowing blue information panel appeared right beside it:
Tier-1 Steel-Forged Sword • Professionally crafted • Holds edge well • Slightly superior materials • Knight-tier basic weapon • Cannot channel mana
Seeing my confused stare, Sofia smiled and explained, "Along with the weapon, there are also clothes for both of us in my inventory — proper ones that actually fit this world."
I blinked. "But why are my three slots completely empty while yours are full?"
She gave me a smug, satisfied grin and replied, "Whoever sent us here clearly knows I'm in charge."
The corner of my mouth twitched again. I knew exactly what she was implying… but I still couldn't find a single good comeback.
While I was still quietly mumbling about how unfair this whole system was, Sofia reached into her inventory once again. A sturdy shield instantly appeared in her left hand, accompanied by a glowing information panel.
Tier-1 Steel-Forged Shield • Professionally crafted • Sturdy and well-balanced • Slightly superior materials • Knight-tier basic weapon • Cannot channel mana
I sighed and finally gave up. She was the warrior, after all. It made sense that she got the proper weapons. I couldn't fight without equipment anyway.
When I looked at her properly, my breath caught.
Sofia stood in the golden morning light like a vision. The thin white nightgown clung shamelessly to her voluptuous hourglass figure — her heavy breasts straining against the fabric, slim waist flaring into wide hips and thick, powerful thighs. Her long wavy golden-blonde hair danced in the breeze as she held the steel sword confidently in her right hand and the shield in her left. The contrast between the delicate, almost see-through nightgown and the battle-ready stance made her look impossibly sexy — like a mature, elegant warrior goddess who had walked straight out of a legend.
She looked so fucking hot it made my brain malfunction.
Without thinking, I unconsciously blurted out, "Marry me, Sofia."
The second the words left my mouth, both of us froze.
A bright blush instantly bloomed across Sofia's cheeks, spreading all the way to her ears. Even though we had no issues being physically intimate with each other, my sudden and blunt proposal in this new world had completely caught her off guard.
For a long, heavy moment, neither of us knew what to say next.
I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Ahem… ahem."
Before Sofia could even reply to my sudden proposal, I quickly changed the subject and started walking toward the rabbit. "Let me do some experiments first."
Behind me, Sofia let out a soft huff — half amused, half annoyed.
I stopped a safe distance away, closed my eyes, and focused. "Fireball."
I felt the mana stir in my chest, flowing from my heart down into my right arm exactly as the knowledge described. Then I performed the hand gestures — a slow, precise sequence that took nearly five full seconds. Finally, I chanted in a steady voice:
"Raging flames of wrath, gather and burn — Fireball!"
A sharp, burning heat flared in my palm as the fire mana compressed. The entire process took a painful fifteen seconds. When I opened my eyes, my MP had already dropped.
MP: 65/80
Floating just above my palm was a small, flickering fireball the size of a cricket ball, crackling with heat. I stared at it in complete disbelief.
Fifteen whole seconds… just for this? And it could only deal 15 damage?
I let out a long sigh. "Well then… let's see how long it lasts before disappearing."
Exactly eight seconds later, the fireball flickered out and vanished into thin air. The cooldown reset, and the panel updated:
Fireball – Level 1
Experience: 1/100
MP Cost: 15
Cooldown: 8 seconds
Hmm… not bad for the first cast, I thought. Now let me test how far this thing can actually travel.