"Ah! Aaaah! Ugh...!"
Back in reality, I collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony. Every inch of my body burned with searing heat, as if my skin were being scorched, while a crushing pain threatened to shatter my bones.
I glanced down at my skin, now flushed crimson.
Aftereffects.
The aftereffects of the Game World manifested in my real body.
I had already experienced this phenomenon before. After indulging in as much sex as I desired in the Game World, I would return to reality with a stinging soreness in my genitals, a clear sign of the aftereffects.
And naturally, I knew how to deal with it.
"Wow, complete recovery...!"
Activating the skill instantly restored my body to its original state. The crimson flush faded from my skin, and the agonizing pain that had threatened to shatter my bones vanished.
I collapsed face-first onto the floor, my body physically sound but mentally drained. I lay there motionless for at least ten minutes, staring blankly at the floor.
"...I didn't die. It hurt like hell, but I didn't die."
I had half-expected this.
In the Game World, my character felt more like an avatar than a true self. Yet I couldn't be certain. The lingering aftereffects that occasionally plagued me after exiting the Game World were the source of my anxiety.
Every time I experienced those aftereffects, the same thought resurfaced:
If I die in the Game World, will my real-world self die too?
But today, I finally shook off that fear for good.
Even if I die in the Game World, my real-world self won't perish. The pain is excruciating, but bearable. Besides, I have the Complete Recovery skill.
Now I can play to my heart's content without worrying about the consequences. It truly lives up to its name: Pleasure World.
I chuckled and sat up.
Next to me on the floor was a palm-sized, round object the Hologram Device I'd brought back from the Code: XTK world. A tap on the device summoned a Hologram Woman above it.
With her stunning face and perfect figure, the Hologram Woman slowly began to perform a pole dance.
"Wow, Electronic Girl! You're breathtaking every time! I'm so glad I brought you back."
For a while, I watched the Electronic Girl's pole dance. Her swaying breasts and seductive hip movements gradually lifted my spirits. After partially recovering my mental state with the Hologram Woman, I opened the Pleasure World App.
I meticulously checked each log entry that scrolled down the screen.
"...An Ending Achievement? I didn't even know those existed."
Ending Achievement: "Anger Management Disorder" unlocked.
Emotion Controller acquired.
The name of the Ending Achievement was "Anger Management Disorder." I disliked the name, but I couldn't argue with it. Looking back, I could have acted more calmly, but my anger had flared up, causing me to act recklessly.
No. I still had a plan. I was going to end the game and return to reality before detonating the Ecluss Nuclear Fusion Reactor.
I was supposed to escape back to reality while my Avatar faced death in my place. That was my plan.
But the timing went awry, and I was trapped, with no choice but to die.
In the moment of death, I felt nothing. My body vanished faster than I could register any pain.
"What's this Emotion Controller?"
The Emotion Controller was in my Inventory, and there was even a description for it:
Emotion Controller
By selecting a target, you can perfectly control their emotions.
Simply press the button while facing the target.
Single-use.
The Emotion Controller I pulled from my Inventory resembled a square remote with a single button. I examined it from all angles.
"You can control emotions? That means I can control my own emotions too."
I felt uneasy. Controlling emotions it must be an extraordinary ability. But human emotions are interesting precisely because they can't be controlled. To arbitrarily control one's own emotions?
"That sounds boring. I'll have to avoid using it on myself."
It would probably be more fun to use it on women than on myself.
"Heh heh. Making them get angry or sad with just a flick of my finger... Even imagining it is amusing. If you can control emotions, that means you could even make someone fall in love with you, right?"
Love-hate.
It meant you could make someone both love and hate you at the same time.
"The possibilities for games you could play with this are..."
Endless.
Could this be some kind of hypnosis ability, like the kind often seen in adult comics and novels?
Now that I think about it, it's a shame it's a one-time use item. I could probably use this to get Han Harin into bed right away.
No.
I want to seduce Han Harin using my own abilities, not some cheap trick like this.
I'll save the Emotion Controller for later, for a woman who seems completely unreachable.
The Emotion Controller is on hold!
I'll carefully store it in a corner of my house for future use.
Sung Yujin
Level: 24
Strength: 16 Stamina: 13 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 15
Available Points: 99
A whopping 99 Points!
A smile crept across my lips. The 66 Points I received as a bonus for achieving the Ending Achievement were a significant boost.
If only I had one more Point, I'd have exactly 100!
They say human greed knows no bounds, and that was exactly the case.
I naturally reached to level up my Youngcheon Style trait, but then I paused.
Use 80 Points to increase Youngcheon Style (???) Lv. 5 to Lv. 6?
Eighty Points. If I upgraded it, I'd be left with only nineteen Points.
Youngcheon Style is a great trait. It's my most frequently used one. Considering the future, leveling it up makes sense. But...
But did I really need to upgrade Youngcheon Style right now?
After careful consideration, I came to a conclusion. The answer to the question was no.
I didn't feel any lack in my current Youngcheon Style. While Lv. 6 would make my Youngcheon Style sharper, increase its proficiency, and boost its power, I believed my current Youngcheon Style was sufficient.
"...I should upgrade Complete Recovery while I'm at it. This skill could be a real trump card."
Even if my heart is destroyed, as long as I can use the skill, I can survive. Didn't I just experience that?
Complete Recovery Lv. Master
Completely restores health. Removes all Status Ailments and heals all injuries.
Cooldown: 12 hours
Complete Recovery's maximum level was 5. Reaching level 5 had cost me a total of 55 Points.
I now had 44 Points remaining half my Points were gone. But I felt no regret, only joy.
"This means I can use Complete Recovery twice a day!"
I knew how invaluable Complete Recovery was. No matter how exhausted or drained I felt, using it instantly restored me to peak condition. It was an indispensable skill that proved its worth in everything from exercise to sex.
"Hacking... I don't need to level that up right now. Since I have the Illuster, I can move around the Vampire Detective world comfortably even without hacking skills."
One trait caught my eye:
Mental Resistance Lv. 1
Grants resistance to mental anomalies. You remain unshaken by most disturbances.
This was a trait I'd obtained as my first Play Bonus.
To be honest, I didn't fully understand its effects.
"Unshaken by most disturbances? Does it affect my emotions?"
It didn't seem to affect my emotions. I'd never felt any external interference with my feelings.
"Disturbances... disturbances... disturbances..."
Even after thinking about it, I still wasn't sure. What exactly constituted "a decent amount of work"?
Level's low anyway... might as well upgrade it. It was the first Trait I ever got, so abandoning it would feel wrong.
I invested 15 Points to reach Level 3.
Mental Resistance Lv.3
Grants resistance to mental Status Ailments. Provides resistance against mental interference.
Better safe than sorry, I guess.
I read the updated description of Mental Resistance once and moved on.
Remaining Points: 29.
Time for a Random Draw. I haven't done one in ages. I'm starting to feel withdrawal symptoms. And today... I have a feeling I'll get a jackpot skill.
Come to think of it, I'd been investing all my Points into skills and Traits lately, completely neglecting Random Draws.
"Let's allocate 9 Points to my stats first."
Sung Yujin
Level: 24
Strength: 16 Stamina: 13 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 10 Vitality: 17
Skill power consumption reduced by 0.2%.
Skill cooldown reduced by 0.2%.
I raised my Intelligence to 10 and invested the remaining 4 Points into Vitality.
No matter how I think about it, for a man, Vitality is key.
I carefully stroked my most precious part with my right hand. Whether it was the increased Vitality or the fact that I hadn't used it while focusing on Code: XTK's games, it began to respond almost immediately.
Now, I had 20 Points left.
20 Points! Let's go for a Random Draw!
The result:
One skill and 19 pieces of junk.
What really annoyed me was that I got four useless Potential Potions.
"I got a skill! The Random Draw was a huge success! My instincts were right after all."
Special conditions have been met.
The Random Draw Shop has been unlocked.
You can now purchase items and bonuses obtained through the Random Draw by spending Points.
This new feature had been unlocked during my recent Random Draw.
"...A shop? Spending Points? Not bad. Not bad at all."
I forced myself to sound enthusiastic, but my face remained impassive. The Random Draw Shop sold items, not skills. And most of the items for sale were ultimately useless things that had appeared in the Random Draw.
I shifted my gaze elsewhere. To the skill I had just drawn.
"...A skill is a skill, but what am I supposed to do with this?"
Gills Breathing Lv. 1
You can breathe underwater. Lasts for 1 hour.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
Using the skill allowed me to breathe underwater for an hour. That was it.
...Am I supposed to fuck the Mermaid Princess or something? Bullshit. I might go for a pretty human woman, but do you think I'd stick my dick in a fish's pussy?
Most fish reproduce through external fertilization. The Mermaid Princess probably does too.
What's the point of me being able to breathe underwater if the woman can't?!
The skill was a complete bust. I sighed heavily and forced myself to look away.
The Random Draw Shop was a newly added feature. It allowed me to repurchase items I'd previously obtained through random draws. The problem was the price.
Summoning Pill.
Increases all stats by 1.
Price: 800 Points.
?Caution.
Effective only upon initial consumption.
"What? It only works once?"
I was stunned. When I first took the Summoning Pill, there was no such warning. Setting aside the exorbitant price of 800 Points, I was annoyed by the sheer lack of courtesy in withholding such crucial information.
"It's just like that Potential Potion!"
Potential Potion
Unlocks a portion of your latent potential upon consumption. You might even discover hidden talents.
Price: 30 Points
?Caution:
This potion has no effect if you possess no latent potential.
I gritted my teeth, glaring at the description of the Potential Potion.
Then a question struck me.
30 Points? Why is it so cheap compared to the Summoning Pill?
The Potential Potion was an exceptional item. It rapidly unlocked one's latent potential and talents. Depending on how you looked at it, it could even be considered the ultimate potion.
"...But since I have no potential, it has no effect on me at all."
I shifted my perspective.
What if the Potential Potion wasn't cheap, but the Summoning Pill was just expensive?
"...Taking a Summoning Pill increases all stats by 1. That means..."
Whether your stats are 1 or 100, they all increase by 1.
I deliberately cut off my train of thought.
If I continued thinking, I was sure my stomach would turn.
Emotion Controller
By selecting a target, you can perfectly control their emotions.
Simply press the button while facing the target.
Single-use.
Price: 20,000 Points
?Caution:
May also work on some inanimate objects. It is recommended to use this when there is nothing else in front of the intended target.
"They're even selling Emotion Controllers? 20,000 Points is a bit much, though."
The biggest advantage of the Random Draw Shop might just be the "Caution" label.
I browsed the other available items:
Holy Water
Drinking or applying Holy Water might bring good fortune?
Price: 2 Points
Celestial Wet Wipe
A wet wipe made from celestial clouds. Extremely soft.
Price: 1 Point
Thermos
An ordinary thermos.
Price: 1 Point
"..."
I quietly rubbed my eyes.
There wasn't a single useful item. Just a waste of Points.
"Damn it. Let's at least check the Illusters."
I pulled two Illusters from my Inventory.
I planned to use one immediately and keep the other as a spare.
"The Illuster is rechargeable. If left alone, it automatically recharges using Ecluss from the atmosphere."
I was gleefully celebrating when a blind spot suddenly occurred to me.
Ecluss is energy that exists only in the virtual world. It doesn't exist in reality.
A wave of anxiety surged through me. I hurriedly checked the Illuster.
>Charging. Estimated time remaining: 14 hours, 41 minutes, 22 seconds.
"Phew. At least it's charging... Wait a minute. 14 hours? According to the Illuster's original settings, it should fully charge in just 6 hours!"
Sensing something was off, I reflexively glanced at the Pleasure World App. There, a notification window popped up, as if mocking me.
Items with special abilities or effects obtained in the Game World have their effects and abilities diminished in other worlds.
"...Huh?"
I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I had misread.
My vision was perfectly fine.
Why does this damn app always reveal crucial information only after the fact?!
I was furious, but there was nothing I could do.
I couldn't afford to stop using the Pleasure World App just because I was annoyed. It was everything to me.
...Let's look on the bright side. Even if the effects are diminished, at least I can still use them in the real world.