Jae ran with all his strength, wishing his Speed attribute was more than just 13.

After running for a while, he was faced with the worst thing ever—a dead end.

He immediately turned and tried to run in another direction, but it was too late. The spider was already in front of him.

Left with no choice, Jae decided to fight the spider.

He thought about how he had begged for a second chance while dying,how he swore to stop being useless and worthless. And now that he had gotten his wish, he was still running… like a weak man

It was a waste of a second chance to run and not fight.

He checked his system to see if he had anything that could help him, but there was no weapon in the inventory. Then he remembered the skill he had, Mana Blade.

He could use that as a weapon, but he had no idea how to activate it. Thankfully, the moment he thought about it, the skill activated, and a glowing blade formed in his hand

"All right… Come on, you dirty spider," he muttered, gripping the blade tightly as his knuckles turned white.

The spider had been eager to rush him before, but now with the pulsing blade in Jae's hands, it hesitated, stalking forward carefully, calculating the best angle.

After a tense pause, it leaped at him.

Jae saw the attack coming and jumped out of the way quickly, barely escaping one of its long, hairy legs.

The spider began to scurry toward him again. Jae quickly formed a plan, this spider was much faster and stronger than him , and his sword skills were basic at best. He had to be efficient.

As the spider lunged again, Jae dodged to the side and swung his blade with all his strength at one of its legs.

With a sickening swish, the blade sliced clean through, cutting the leg off.

The spider screeched in agony and rushed at him again.

Jae waited, then took another calculated swing.

Squish, another leg was cut off.

Swish. Squish. Two more legs were cut off.

The spider was wobbling now, its balance failing.

Jae decided it was time to end the fight.

He jumped up with all his strength and brought the blade down in a powerful blow, right to the spider's head.

The spider screeched loudly before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

The system chimed:

<Quest Completed.>

<New Skill Unlocked: Phantom Step>

<This skill allows the user to move faster than the eye for 3 minutes when used.>

Jae sagged to the floor, panting heavily.

A rumbling sound followed the cave's entrance was opening again.

Jae processed all that had happened. Because he hadn't questioned the system, hadn't explored its purpose, and hadn't shown any initiative in using his powers, the system had forced him to fight by placing him in a life-or-death situation.

It seemed the system wanted him to grow stronger, for a reason. And it would always push him to do things that could help him grow.

This was good, though.

Jae wanted to become powerful. So that if his loved ones were ever attacked again… this time, he would be ready to protect them.

As he stood up and left the cave, he thought about the first mission the system had given him, the one that involved kissing Clara.

Could he really level up from that?

After all, it was the Lust System, it made sense that he could gain power through lustful activities.

The next afternoon, Jae was resting under the shade of a tree when Clara appeared on the horizon.

Today, she wore a cream-colored gown. And although it was loose-fitting, he could still clearly see her massive boobs.

Thankfully, he wasn't wearing his ugly brown shirt today, he had on a darker, cleaner one.

Clara walked up to where he sat and plopped down beside him.

"It's so hot," she complained. "I just want to dump myself into a pool."

Jae could agree. The day was scorching, and it felt like his skin might melt, even under the tree. He nodded silently.

"What's with you? Why are you being so mute?" she asked.

But then she noticed the bruises on his face, and gasped in shock.

"What did this to you?" she asked.

Jae was tongue-tied, scrambling to think of a quick lie.

Then she noticed more bruises, on his arms and neck. She sat up and faced him, serious.

"What happened?"

Jae shrugged. "I fell down a hill. It's nothing, really."

Clara stood up. "It's nothing?" she repeated. "Wait for me. I'm coming now."

She turned and left.

Moments later, she returned with a vial and a piece of cloth.

She knelt in front of him. "Stay still," she said.

Jae nodded.

She began to apply the ointment to his bruises, treating them carefully.

It felt cool and a little spicy. He let out a quiet breath of relief.

Whether it was the sight, watching her kneeling there, so tenderly and lovingly , or the reminder of his mission, or both, Jae slowly leaned forward until his face was just inches away from hers.

Then he leaned in, and kissed her.

She kissed him back.

He got a system notification :

<Quest Completed.>

<1 Refreshing Elixir Obtained.>

When Jae broke the kiss, she bonked him lightly on the head

Jae thought he was in trouble for kissing her, but she smiled, showing perfect teeth, and said: "Well, why didn't you kiss me earlier? You know how I love it. You like to keep me waiting, don't you?"

Jae's mouth fell open, for the second time in her presence.

She had wanted him to kiss her all along?

Just then, a flood of memories hit him, and Jae realized that Clara was more than just a neighbor to him.

She was his friend, and definitely more than a friend… because they had kissed a lot.

And hugged a lot.

And hugged while kissing…

While being naked…

Jae blinked rapidly, pushing the image out of his mind.

He smiled and said with a teasing grin,

"You know I like it when you beg."

Clara scoffed, picking up the vial and cloth as she stood to leave.

Jae reached out and held her hand.

"Don't go," he said softly. "I want you to stay."

Clara chuckled.

"I'm only going to return the vial, Jae. I'll be back."

Jae flushed with embarrassment and nodded, letting go of her hand.

Clara turned to leave, then glanced over her shoulder with a mischievous smile.

"And when I get back… we'll go to your room," she said, winking.

Jae felt the embarrassment vanish, replaced by a mix of surprise and elation.

That beautiful girl… wanted to be in his room.