Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: H Level
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"Haa... ha..."
The elf's light panting filled the air.
Yoon Young used it as background music while checking the message once more.
Your H Level has risen to 3!
A message saying his H Level had reached 3.
'So this is what it takes to level it up?'
Come to think of it, that made perfect sense.
The H stats included a separate Pleasure Resistance level for NPCs.
So there had to be something to counter it, right?
If Pleasure Level was high enough, it wouldn't mean NPCs were impossible to conquer forever.
Until now, he'd just assumed it was some internal metric.
'Hmm... Leveling it up is good, but...'
Seated on a simple wooden chair, Yoon Young pulled the elf onto his lap and kneaded her breasts while pondering.
'When did it hit level 2, anyway?'
If it was now at 3, that meant it had been 2 before.
But he had no memory of it.
He sometimes glossed over system messages, sure, but he wouldn't have missed something like this.
'Which means... it's a newly added feature?'
One hypothesis.
This world was constantly being updated.
Things like [Today's Status] popping up out of nowhere supported that.
It didn't feel entirely static; there was a sense of ongoing change.
Or maybe existing features were gradually unlocking as things evolved.
'Probably just my imagination.'
It seemed plausible, but it was too early to jump to conclusions.
For now, Yoon Young opened his status window after a long while and scrolled through it carefully.
A new H Status window had appeared below the familiar interface.
Pleasure Resistance Ignore:3
Caress Proficiency:Lv. 2
Act Proficiency:Lv. 3
"Oh."
The keywords jumped right out at him.
Pleasure Resistance Ignore. Caress Proficiency. Act Proficiency.
Pleasure Resistance Ignore was straightforward: it bypassed the Pleasure Resistance that NPCs had.
'How strong is 3, though? Probably not enough to ignore a level 3 resistance...'
The game's stats weren't intuitive at all; you had to learn through adventuring.
In cases like this, it helped to err on the side of pessimism to avoid disappointment.
Click.
Wondering if there were details, he tapped it.
Ignores Pleasure Resistance by 3.
There wasn't much explanation for Pleasure Resistance Ignore, but
<Caress Proficiency Lv. 2>
Increases the pleasure a woman feels from your caresses. The higher the level, the greater the increase. Adjusted to not destroy body or mind.
(Current: +5.5% Pleasure)
Proficiencies had detailed descriptions.
'Oh ho. So that's a thing.'
5.5% seemed pretty significant.
But that wasn't all.
Every woman also has hidden erogenous zones with heightened sensitivity. During caresses, you have a chance to discover them. Higher levels increase the probability and make detection more intuitive.
Erogenous zone detection!
This would be incredibly useful in H Mode.
'Level this up enough, and I could force myself on them only for them to melt into ecstasy and submit with moans...'
The kind of development only possible in those ero-games where the protagonist inexplicably delivers superhuman pleasure.
'Fuck, just imagining it has my hands shaking.'
Yoon Young read the next description.
<Act Proficiency Lv. 3>
Increases pleasure felt by a woman during intercourse. Higher levels amplify it further. Adjusted to not destroy body or mind.
(Current: +7.1% Pleasure)
Act Proficiency was a level higher than Caress Proficiency.
Probably because he'd focused more on thrusting and climaxing than caressing.
'"Destroy body or mind," huh... In hardcore ero-games, they sometimes go too far and die from it... This prevents that, maybe.'
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'Mind,' is it...'
Did NPCs even have a 'mind'?
Yoon Young stared blankly at the elf on his lap.
She gazed back at him, breathing raggedly.
She moved and breathed like a real person, but locking eyes revealed an inescapable otherworldliness.
Something unreal...
A subtle emptiness crept in, yet that very unreality and alienness made her seem even more beautiful.
Feeling a non-sexual urge to connect, Yoon Young lightly kissed her lips.
Smack...
As if shrugging off his philosophical musings, he stroked her smooth thigh while reading on.
Women have different internal erogenous zones. During intercourse, you have a chance to pinpoint them. Higher levels boost probability and intuition.
'Similar vibe to Caress.'
It guided him to make her feel way more pleasure, even with the same thrusting.
'Yeah. Leveraging these will make sexually corrupting NPCs a breeze.'
With H Level unlocked, conquering Faye's pleasure stats would be much easier.
He was curious to test it, but...
'Now that I'm actually considering it, the motivation just isn't there.'
Right now, Yoon Young felt virtually no sexual desire.
Just drowsy, sleepy, wanting rest.
A side effect of interfacing with a mismatched-level NPC.
He'd felt the same for a good while after Claire.
'Maybe catch a nap?'
No rush, anyway.
Sleep when sleepy.
Do tasks after waking.
Yoon Young looked for a bed in the cabin.
Two rooms: one a study-lab, the other a bedroom.
A cozy bed under soft lighting.
Worn pillow and blanket welcomed him.
Soft fabric stuffed with fluffy filling.
Had the elf who lived here used them...?
'Come to think of it... Never seen NPCs sleep.'
Even as he thought that, he buried his face and sniffed.
Sniff... haa.
'Smells nice.'
A faint blend of grass and flowers.
Similar to the elf's scent.
"Up you go."
He carried the elf to the bed, stripped naked, lay beside her, and pulled her close.
The delightful sensation of her soft body.
Skin-to-skin, it healed him in every way.
'Haa... Feels good.'
Lying there, sleep began to creep in.
Yoon Young drifted off to the elf's breathing as his lullaby.
The next day.
"Fwaaaah."
He woke refreshed.
Yesterday, zero drive, no lusty thoughts. Today, rock hard upon waking.
'Sleep really is the best medicine.'
He checked [Today's Status] right away.
Weather: Clear (No penalties)
Time: 06:10 (Early morning)
Public Order: Good (No hostile NPCs)
Today's Luck: Average (Hit/Evasion up)
"Six a.m."
Much earlier than usual.
Early bedtime yesterday, maybe.
'Feels like I picked a [Sleep] option.'
Yoon Young stepped out of the bedroom.
No elf in the cabin, so he looked around. She was taking a morning stroll outside.
"Lately, spirits have been acting strangely due to some emerging anomaly."
She examined a floating blue light as she spoke.
"I've been calming them around here, but if you encounter one, best not to provoke it."
Her long ears and witch attire amid the forest exuded mystery.
Hard to believe he'd ravished that body yesterday and slept hugging it tight.
'Ah, blood rushing down.'
Recalling yesterday got him hard again.
Yoon Young approached and reached out with desire.
The soft breast yield under thin fabric.
'With H Level now, mindless pounding should feel different from last time, right?'
He decided to explore her body again.
"...Not as impressive as I'd hoped."
After thoroughly enjoying the elf, Yoon Young ransacked the cabin for anything special but found nothing.
No quests, just her line about trusting he'd keep his promise.
Even the bookshelf books were in unreadable script.
'Suspicious, sure... Maybe need higher level to progress.'
No more business here, so he left the hidden cabin.
Outside, he sorted his tasks.
'First, finish the fresh pork quest.'
Conditions already met.
In the residential district, he handed the fresh pork to the squinting auntie.
"Oh my! You actually got it... Thank you. No real reward, but here's my specialty pork BBQ recipe."
Acquired Special Pork BBQ Recipe!
"Hmm... BBQ, huh."
He'd been eating at the inn, but...
'Cooking it myself would be better. Levels up Cooking too.'
Skill levels were useful no matter what.
Stomach rumbling just in time—he'd give it a shot.