The First Step of Evolution
"...Slept quite well."
Was it because I'd fallen asleep with my head in Noah's lap?
It was a refreshing morning after a good, long rest for once.
As my mind slowly cleared, I felt a soft, warm sensation on my face.
"......"
I slowly opened my eyes to see Noah gazing down at me with a worried expression.
It looked like she'd been watching over me in that position all night.
"Are you awake, Commander?"
"Y-yeah."
"Was my lap comfortable?"
"...Yeah."
"I'm so glad I could help you sleep well."
At my words, Noah smiled with genuine joy, like she was the happiest person in the world.
I tried to move, worried she might be uncomfortable, but she grabbed my face and wouldn't let go.
"It's fine, Commander. I'm not tired at all. My body belongs to you... so use it however you like, as much as you want."
"......"
Did she even realize how suggestive and possessive that sounded?
She just smiled at me purely and affectionately.
"...Alright. Then I'll impose on you a little longer."
"Yes, Commander."
With that, I laid my head back on Noah's lap, groaning as I fought off the morning drowsiness.
That's when a strong sense of incongruity hit my lower body.
My dick had stood straight up at some point, like it was giving its morning salute.
And atop it, Noah's small hand gently descended.
"This is what they call... being healthy first thing in the morning, right, Commander?"
"...Yeah. It's just a natural male physiological response."
"Hee hee, is that so? I'm glad to see you're so healthy, Commander. So... let me help relieve your morning fatigue."
With a shy whisper, Noah gently wrapped her hand around it and began slowly stroking up and down.
"Hngh..."
The clumsy but earnest caress from her small, soft hand sent waves of pleasant pleasure rippling through my body right from the morning.
"Haa..."
"Does it feel good, Commander?"
"Y-Yeah."
As my breathing grew rougher, Noah's movements became bolder.
She demurely swept her hair behind her ear, then lowered her head and carefully took me into her mouth.
"Hrngh!"
It was an unskilled tongue play, different from the sultry intensity with the Hachishakusama, but filled with pure intent to please only me.
Her morning blowjob nearly made me lose all reason the moment I woke up.
And on top of that...
"Mmgh, hngh... slurp."
Noah even guided my hand to her head, as if telling me to do whatever I wanted with it.
It was silent permission to go deeper, rougher.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After shooting a thick load into Noah's mouth and watching her swallow it, I joked lightly.
"...Looks like the light that recovered overnight is dimming again?"
Noah giggled and replied.
"Hee hee hee... I don't think so. On the contrary, I just purified your negative energy with my mouth, didn’t I?"
"......I see."
Only after that purification ritual could I finally drag myself out of bed.
Anyway, the refreshment was short-lived.
As I got out of bed and dressed, my thighs were still trembling.
"Tch... I need to do something about this pathetic stamina."
I couldn't keep hiding behind the ECHOs during ongoing expeditions and unknown dangers.
Plus, if my stamina improved?
My libido would benefit too, especially in endurance.
Thinking back to sex with the Hachishakusama, Noah's morning service, or the heated time with Pomen—stamina was crucial for my sex life.
"Alright, let's do this."
With resolve, I headed to the physical training room.
Someone had cleaned it up, it seems. The equipment was neatly arranged.
I started running on the creaky treadmill.
But after just ten minutes, my breath was up to my throat. I hadn't even touched the barbells or other machines.
"They say beginners who mess around with machines on their own get bad form and suffer for life."
Like those YouTube videos—I held back, afraid of screwing up.
"Damn... my stamina really is trash."
The only exercise I'd done in my life was breathing exercises at most.
As I sat on the floor panting, the Money Compass popped into my mind.
On a whim, I opened it and searched related items.
⚙ MONEY COMPASS ⚙
Red Core Serum
Price: 5000C
> Muscle fiber development accelerator. Muscles regenerate stronger every time they recover.
> Side effect: severe muscle pain during recovery.
Mito Drive
> Price: 7500C
> Drug that permanently boosts mitochondrial energy conversion efficiency.
> Stamina gradually increases, and endurance greatly improves proportional to workout volume.
> Extreme calorie consumption; requires large amounts of nutrient-rich food in the short term for full effect.
"......"
They actually exist.
But the descriptions all seemed off. Each had one or two side effects.
As I scrolled through dangerous items like Blue Regenerator, Carbon Infusion, and Neuro Brew that'd turn a human into a half-cyborg, I finally spent 7500C on the Mito Drive.
"Lots of meals? Concentrated nutrients can handle that."
The Ark's stock of concentrated nutrients tasted awful but was insanely efficient nutritionally compared to regular food.
The purchased Mito Drive for 7500 cash was a syringe filled with green liquid.
"Feels like a bad choice."
I squeezed my eyes shut and jabbed it into my arm. A jolt like electricity ran through me, followed by a strange power surging in my body.
"...Endurance improves proportional to workout volume, right?"
I got back on the treadmill.
And ran without stopping.
My thighs felt like they might burst, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.
I had to squeeze every bit of value from that 7500C.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hngh!"
As I sweated buckets on the treadmill, the training room door creaked open, and Pomen peeked in.
"Oh, Commander!"
"Hahk, hahk..."
As I stepped off, Pomen scurried over with cool water.
"So sexy first thing in the morning? Ah, I can't hold back..."
She blatantly wiped my face and chest with a clean towel, groping as she went.
That's when it happened.
"Pomen. Karen's looking for you. Says you need to help with exterior plating."
"Why me?! Arva's there!"
"She says Arva can't handle it alone. Plus, you're the strongest in our squad, right?"
"Kyaaaa!"
Noah pushed aside Pomen, who was pulling her hair in frustration, and shyly offered me a bottle of clean water.
"And Commander. If you use other machines... may I check your form?"
"...Sure? That'd be great for me."
I barely knew how to use them anyway.
If the ECHOs taught me, perfect.
"Me too! I can teach you—!"
"Pomen, go handle work first. That's an order from the Commander too?"
"Aaaahk!"
Ignoring Pomen's wail, I began learning other machines from Noah.
But the most proactive in my training... was none other than Arva.
After watching me for a while, as I reached for dumbbells, she frowned.
"Your form is terrible, Commander. Unlike ECHOs, humans have fragile bodies. That way, you risk tearing your rotator cuff."
"Oh, really? Then how..."
"Put that down first. Wrong weight choice. 7kg is too much for your current strength."
Arva snatched the dumbbell and demonstrated shoulder exercises lightly, like handling a feather.
She was the spitting image of a veteran trainer.
"Shoulder range is up to here. Feel the exact stimulus point. Start with 5kg. Breathing... out, in. Like this."
Soon she was behind me, pressed close, correcting my form.
"You have basic stamina and muscle endurance, but no weight training experience means conservative weights are key. Feel it here?"
"Uh, yeah... It's aching, though?"
"That’s a perfectly normal reaction. Get used to that stimulus."
Like a pro coach, Arva meticulously taught form, breathing, everything, her hands precise and considerate like machinery.
Soon I was repeating dumbbell sets under her guidance.
Sweat poured; arms shook.
Just as my mind screamed to quit...
"One more. Not your limit yet, Commander. You can do it."
Arva's voice suddenly sharpened.
"Grgh?!"
"Good. Maintain your form. One more."
"D-Didn't I just do it? Wasn't that the last?"
"No. You can do it, Commander. Don't fall for your brain's false signals."
"Ughghgh!"
"One more."
"???"
That day, only after the demon instructor Arva wrung my soul dry could I end training.
Dragging my exhausted body back to the commander's quarters...
"Urghwaaagh!!!"
I chugged concentrated nutrients like water.
Necessary to see the full effects of the Mito Drive.
While living in the training room for three straight days...
[Emergency summons from the workshop, Commander.]
The Central AI Wanderer spoke to me through a speaker in the training room corner.
"Emergency summons?"
[Yes. Karen seems to have completed the core Synchronization Device required for your future plans.]
At those words, I stopped exercising and dragged my creaky body to the workshop.
Opening the door released a sharp ozone smell and blinding blue light.
At its center, a massive futuristic machine hummed quietly, exuding grandeur.
