Reasons to Become Stronger
"I-Is that really true? Oh my god! Just by having sex with Master, our superpowers get stronger..."
"Isn't it amazing? It's all thanks to Master's omnipotence, you know."
"Um... but Master."
"Yeah?"
"Does that mean... I can get even stronger here too if I have sex with Master every day?"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head at Ignis's words. I'd never even considered it.
"Get stronger, huh..."
Unlike Yuna, who still had tons of room to grow, Ignis had already maxed out her potential. Her superpower, Great Witch of Fire, was at level 10. Logically, even if a fully grown powerhouse like her fucked me, she couldn't level up further.
"But certainty is the enemy."
I'm Steel Armor, the man who shatters common sense. And hadn't it been proven that even level 11 superpowers were possible? So maybe Ignis could grow even more here too?
'Huh?'
I tilted my head again, seeing Ignis gazing at me with desperate eyes. Why the hell was she looking at me like that? She was already an S-rank hero.
"Ignis."
"Yes, Master."
"Do you want to get stronger than you are now?"
"Yes."
The answer came instantly.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"You're already insanely strong. So why push even further?"
"...Because I want to be of help to Master."
"Huh?"
An unexpected answer this time.
"You want to help me?"
"Yes. Master is so strong. No one can stand against you."
"Damn right."
"That's why."
"Huh?"
"Because you're too strong, you always take on the biggest risks yourself. Sure, you call us into fights sometimes, but only when you can fully control the situation. If you couldn't control it, you wouldn't call us at all."
"....."
I was the one at a loss for words this time. How did she know? As expected of an S-rank hero—she'd pierced right through my thoughts.
Just like she said, if a situation arose where I couldn't control everything, I wouldn't dream of calling my women. They could get hurt or die. The mere thought was nightmare fuel; better to fight the enemy alone than risk that horror.
"I want to help you in those moments. But with my current power, I couldn't. That's why I want to get stronger. Much, much stronger than now."
"Hmm. Ignis."
"Yes, Master."
"I'm grateful for your feelings. You're so damn admirable, it's bringing tears to my eyes. Look—my dick's crying right now too."
"Isn't that precum?"
"Tears. Anyway, if a situation like that ever happens... yeah. Like you said, I won't call you girls. Because if you get hurt, it'll hurt me way more than any injury to myself."
"....."
"...Master."
My words must've hit hard—their eyes welled up with tears. Ahh... Always delivering inspiration to women, that's me: Inspiration Armor
"I'll keep doing that from now on. Even if you get stronger than you are now."
"Master."
"Yeah."
"Same goes for me."
"....."
Ignis pushed back against my words.
"You just said it yourself—if we get hurt, it pains you more. Well, it's the same for us. If you get hurt, we'll cry blood tears."
"Exactly!"
Yuna chimed in from the side. By the way, hadn't we just been fucking like wild animals? How'd the mood shift like this?
"So help us, Master. Help me get stronger than I am now—so I can be of use to you in your dangerous moments."
"Yeah! Me too! I'll get stronger than Ignis here!"
"....."
I was deeply moved by the two women thinking of me like that. So moved I felt tears coming on. So I closed my eyes.
'Damn. My life's motto is give and take, but I haven't been living it.'
I'd do anything for my women—and I was. Just being with them made me happy enough that I figured I was receiving plenty. But no. I wasn't getting as much as I gave. Or rather, I was refusing it. Refusing to take more. It was give and give, not give and take.
"...Alright!"
I opened my eyes and nodded firmly.
"I'll make you both stronger than you are now, no matter what! Just trust in your Master!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Thank you, Master."
Yuna and Ignis rushed over and hugged me. I spread my arms wide and squeezed them tight. Their feelings for me were so pure, so admirable—I couldn't ignore them.
But how the hell do I get Ignis to level 11?
*****
Unfortunately, I couldn't meet up with Ji-min and had to leave the hotel. Right when I called her, villains hit a jewelry store, so she got dispatched.
"Why do jewelry stores always take the L...!"
Whether it's math problems or this world, nobody leaves them alone. Anyway, we rescheduled for tomorrow. She was off, so we'd go on a date.
"Hey, handsome?"
"Huh? Me?"
I'd just stepped out of the hotel when someone called me. I turned to see a voluptuous woman eyeing me up. She wore a skin-tight, ridiculously short hot pink minidress that clung to every curve.
'Oh ho? Right up my alley.'
Big tits, slim waist, wide hips. And those heels made her legs look endless.
'Oh, right.'
I realized why she was calling me as I thought about it—I wasn't wearing my mask. Since Raonjena, Yuna, and Ignis all knew my face, I'd skipped the hassle during sex. And I'd just walked out like that, no second thoughts.
"What's up?"
"Mmm..."
As I approached, she crossed her arms, scanning me head to toe. The pose made her chest pop even more.
"Got time? I've got plenty."
"Time? Hell yeah, tons."
I crossed my arms too, eyeing her provocatively right back. Killer body... Huh?
'...Wait, what?'
"So, what do you think? For a guy like you, I could go cheap..."
"Hold up."
"Huh?"
I stuck out my hand to cut her off. Frowning, I stared straight at her tits. Then tilted my head.
'Why isn't it standing up?'
This woman was totally my type. The kind I'd drag to bed right now. But my dick wasn't reacting. No matter how hard I stared at those massive jugs, nothing.
'Hey! My partner! What's wrong? Why won't you get hard?'
-Hmph! I'm not getting hard!
'P-Partner? Not getting hard?'
-That's right! I refuse to geeeeet haaaaard-!
'Hey, partner! What's with the sudden attitude?'
-Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!
"....?"
My dick stayed limp, no matter what. Why? My libido wasn't gone—I was dying to drag this woman to bed. But with no reaction down there, it was just awkward.
'Weird?'
Just to check, I glanced around. A woman my type was arm-in-arm with a decent-looking guy, heading into the hotel.
-Haaaard-!
"....?"
It... stood up? I looked back at the woman.
-Wilt...
"....?"
Deflated again? 'What the fuck is going on?' Why the hell won't my dick stay hard?!
"What? Not interested? Just say so."
"W-Wait."
Panicking, I scanned around frantically. Lots of women near the hotel. Hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, soft, hard...
'Stop!'
In the middle, it went soft. Who was I looking at when it died?
"Wow! Daddy, this hotel is so pretty!"
"....."
The girl who killed my boner was in a school uniform. She looked underage, no doubt.
I turned back to the hot pink dress woman. Voluptuous body, but no reaction. This chick was a minor.
"Haa... Hey."
"What? 'Hey'? If you don't like it, just say no—why the casual tone and bullshit? Ugh, forget it. I don't like rude guys like you anyway."
"You're underage, right?"
"W-What? I'm an adult!"
"Show me your ID."
"Didn't bring it today. Wait, why do I have to explain? If you don't like me, say it! Hmph! What a joke!"
She turned with a sour face and stormed off. Tsk tsk. Kids these days, strutting around half-naked... Huh?
"Wait a sec?"
My dick doesn't react to minors? But it did to 18-year-old Raonjena? That means...
"As expected! Raonjena's an adult! Of course! Uwaha! Uwahahaha!"
Enlightened, I burst into cheerful laughter and strode out of the hotel. People stared weirdly, but I didn't care and kept laughing.
*****
Ding~!
"You've arrived?"
"Yeah. Long time no see, Peter."
Peter Elder no longer sighed when he saw me. He even greeted me with a smile.
"It's done?"
"Yes. But since I only make men's clothes, I'm not sure if it turned out well."
"It's fine."
The day Peter Elder shook my hand, I'd entrusted him with scraps of Zephyrus's hide and asked him to make an outfit. He specialized in men's wear, but I trusted a master's keen eye and skill to cover any gaps. Plus, even if it flopped, I had plenty more Zephyrus hide in my inventory.
"Here it is."
"Whoa!"
I was stunned when the curtain pulled back. Compared to Peter's fretting, the outfit on the mannequin exceeded my expectations by miles.
It was a sheer stocking base with a short dress exposing most of the chest above, a skull-embossed choker at the neck, and a full-body robe. The color was a deep navy blue overall, accented with purple highlights to keep it from feeling dull.
"Wow! You nailed it. This is better than I imagined."
"Phew... Glad to hear it. It was my first women's costume, so I agonized over whether I was doing it right midway through."
"A change in theme doesn't dull a master's craft."
"Haha. Master? You're embarrassing me."
"Don't be modest—own it. Peter's skills are the best in Dark City!!!!!"
"Hahaha."
I gave him a thumbs-up and praised him lavishly. Gotta butter him up for next time. But honestly, he'd done a killer job. The outfit I'd commissioned was Yuna's new costume.
No matter how loaded the Hero Association was, they didn't splurge on B-ranks—Aqua Girl's current suit was just standard fabric. Now that I'd scored monster hide, I wanted to gift her a custom one. Made from monster leather, it'd outclass her old one in defense by a landslide.
"My girlfriend's gonna love this."
"I hope so."
"Oh, and this is your bonus."
"Pardon? Hehe, no need for that. I just..."
"Take it. How else can I keep commissioning—er, requesting—your work?"
"Huh? More...?"
"You didn't think one was the end, right? And I've got tons more Zephyrus scraps."
He hesitated briefly in surprise, then smiled.
"You're really giving me all that precious monster hide?"
"Obviously. No one around me but you can handle it."
"True. Folks with that skill are mostly Hero Association affiliates."
"Hero Association?"
Wait, there were actually people who could process monster hide besides Peter?
'Oh, right.'
Flame Witch and Ice Queen's suits weren't ordinary. And all S-rank heroes had top-tier gear. Guess the Association had specialists for high-rank heroes' costumes and equipment.