[Succubus Hunter: You have successfully subdued a certain number of succubi. Damage dealt to succubi +100%. The effect of the trait "Succubus Physique" is doubled! Immune to all charm-type magic!]
[Your title "Succubus Hunter" has been converted into the trait "Succubus Hunter," but you may still equip it as a title.]
"…Huh?"
A flicker of curiosity surfaced in Kurose Akira's eyes as he read the newly obtained title.
This was his first time ever earning a title in the game. From the look of it, titles were something akin to hidden achievements—unlike guild achievement badges, they couldn't be obtained through standard quests, but their effects seemed comparable.
After a brief moment of consideration, Akira decided to equip the "Succubus Hunter" title.
In an instant, a dazzling title frame materialized above his head—just like something straight out of an MMORPG—radiant and ostentatious, practically begging to be noticed.
…Except his particular title frame was decorated with an excessive number of hearts.
One glance was enough to tell: this was absolutely not something he could stroll around wearing in public with a straight face.
Without hesitation, Akira removed the title, then called out to his surroundings:
"Alright, can I leave now?"
The moment his voice fell, the palace doors slowly creaked open.
A figure soon entered his line of sight—Mary.
"Su—"
She had just begun to speak when her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the scene inside the hall.
Succubi lay scattered across the floor.
Golden holy light still clung faintly to their snow-white skin. Though unconscious, each of them wore an expression of deep satisfaction.
A sight that stirred… unmistakable envy within her.
Heh…
Realizing her lapse, Mary quickly composed herself, smoothing over her expression before turning back to Akira with a calm, professional tone.
"Mr. Kurose, please follow me. I will escort you out."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted—just for a moment—toward him.
Akira hadn't had time to dress yet. His well-built physique was fully exposed, and the sight sent an inexplicable tremor through Mary's heart.
But under the weight of her fear toward Idis, she forcibly suppressed her thoughts and pulled herself back under control.
"Alright."
After putting his clothes back on, Akira walked over to her side.
Yet the lingering aura on his body—the dense, intoxicating scent left behind after the "holy battle"—once again accelerated Mary's heartbeat, her pupils unconsciously filling with heart-shaped reflections.
So fragrant… I want to…
"Where's Idis?" Akira asked, completely unaware of Mary's inner turmoil.
Mary lowered her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of nervousness.
"Lady Idis is not currently in the residence."
"She left?" Akira raised a brow, mildly surprised.
"Yes." Mary nodded. "She returned to the Abyss midway through… watching. Before leaving, she instructed me to escort you out."
"Midway?"
Akira frowned slightly, a trace of surprise crossing his face.
He hadn't expected Idis to have been observing the entire "holy battle" in real time.
Before long, Mary led him out of the palace and back to the estate.
Standing before the teleportation array, Akira prepared to return to the guild.
At that moment, Mary approached him carrying an exquisite bronze chest, offering it with both hands.
"This is…?" Akira asked curiously.
Mary smiled. "A gift prepared especially for you by Lady Idis. She asked that you open it after returning to the guild, if that's alright."
"Oh. Got it."
Akira nodded, took the chest into his arms, and stepped into the teleportation array. His figure gradually faded from sight.
At the same time, unbeknownst to him—
Idis stood quietly by a window, watching his every move in secret.
"He's gone," she murmured, withdrawing her gaze before turning to look at the woman seated in the room—Roxia.
She hadn't actually returned to the Abyss, as Mary had claimed.
The only reason she had left early… was because Roxia's arrival made it impossible for her to continue watching Akira's interaction with the succubi.
"What exactly are you planning to use him for?" Roxia's brows were laced with anger, her voice sharp. She couldn't accept Idis manipulating Akira.
"Use him?"
Idis walked slowly toward her, her tone calm and composed.
"Our relationship is based on mutual benefit. He provides me with what I need, and I give him something in return. How can that be called 'using' him?"
"…"
Roxia fell silent.
She didn't deny that Akira and Idis were bound by shared interests.
But what she cared about… was Idis's true objective.
Take the Elf Queen, for instance—her relationship with Akira was also transactional. Yet her goal was clear: she wanted him to resolve the crisis that had plagued the Elven Kingdom for years.
But Idis's intentions were far more complex—certainly not as simple as claiming the throne of the Star Kingdom.
After a long moment of contemplation, Roxia rose to her feet. Her voice was cold, sharp as a blade:
"If I ever find out you've harmed him… I won't let you get away with it."
With that, she transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished instantly.
After she left, Idis remained standing there, silent.
Nearly a full minute passed before she let out a soft sigh, a trace of helplessness in her voice.
"Who would've thought… the dignified Pope of Light would turn out to be such a hopeless romantic."
"…Then again."
She lifted her gaze toward the blue sky beyond the window, her eyes glinting with thought.
"Women who believe in the Light have always been like this. It's practically tradition."
…
A flash of white light.
Akira returned to the guild.
At six in the morning, the guild hall was quiet—completely empty except for him.
"Looks like everyone's still asleep," he murmured, his eyes dropping to the bronze chest in his hands. "Perfect time to see what's inside."
He sat down on the sofa and opened the chest.
As the lid slowly lifted, a faint fragrance wafted out—but the contents inside made his expression instantly turn serious.
"What is all this…?"
Frowning, he picked up a pink vial, confusion filling his mind.
[Lust Potion (Elite): Increases lust. Also rapidly restores life force energy.]
And there weren't just one or two.
There were over twenty bottles of the stuff.
In addition, the chest contained what looked like an assortment of jerky—but on closer inspection, each piece had clearly been carefully selected. All of them were premium items meant to strengthen the body.
There was no doubt about it—
This entire chest was packed with "tonics" meticulously prepared by Idis for him.
"…Hm?"
As he examined the contents more closely, something in the corner caught his attention.
A peculiar small object.
Its shape was strange—like a series of translucent jade-like beads strung together, emitting a faint glow.
[? (Epic): ?]
He couldn't view any description.
All he knew was that it was an Epic-grade item.
"Strange…"
Akira rubbed the bridge of his nose, curiosity rising.
"What are you looking at?"
A sudden voice startled him, making him flinch.
The item slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.
Turning around, he saw Roxia standing behind him at some unknown point in time, her golden-red eyes fixed intently on him through a thin veil.
"You're early today," Akira said, quickly picking up the item.
"The Church had nothing urgent," Roxia replied with a glance. "So I came early. You just got back?"
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, completely unaware that Roxia had followed him to Idis's estate.
"What did that 'Rose Duchess' have you do?" Roxia narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone probing. "All night long, no less… Don't tell me it was…"
Though she had gone with him, she hadn't witnessed what happened inside the palace. Idis had refused to show her, forcing her to question him directly.
Akira thought for a moment, then answered:
"Uh… helped a group of young succubi learn magic."
Technically speaking… that wasn't entirely wrong.
"…?"
A glint flickered in Roxia's eyes.
Helping succubi learn magic?
She clearly didn't believe him.
After casting him a cold glance, she said flatly:
"Sometimes, you need to stay rational. Don't let your lower half do the thinking for your upper half."
"Got it. I'll keep that in mind," Akira replied obediently. Listening to Roxia was always the safe choice.
"By the way…" Roxia's attention shifted to the strange object in his hand. "What is that?"
"No idea," Akira said, shaking his head. "Idis gave it to me. No description."
"Then throw it away. What good could she possibly give you?" Roxia rolled her eyes, her hostility toward Idis undisguised.
Akira said nothing, quietly storing the item in his inventory.
Then he turned to her.
"Anyway, today's goal is to complete three challenge tasks."
Due to the complexity of the special quest required to promote the guild to C+ rank, their progress had been stalled.
What puzzled Akira most was that helping the Elven Kingdom avert annihilation was only classified as a C+ promotion quest.
If you asked him, that difficulty easily rivaled an A-rank mission.
No—he was convinced the Adventurers' Association was deliberately holding him back!
Fortunately, the objective was simply to assist the Elven Kingdom in repelling the Undead Lord's invasion.
Otherwise, even an A-rank guild might struggle to complete it.
"Mm. Fine."
Roxia didn't seem particularly concerned, simply nodding.
"Then let me check… your challenge task first."
That single sentence instantly caught her attention.
"Mine… first?" she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Yeah."
Akira gave a simple reply and opened her challenge description.
[Roxia's Breakthrough Challenge!][Description: Roxia has long wanted to teach a certain Saintess a lesson, but due to various constraints has never been able to. She hopes you can help her.][Objective: Beat up the Judgement Saintess—Kailisi!][Reward: Level breakthrough! (Ultra-rare trait +1!)]
"…Beat her up?"
Akira blinked.
A breakthrough challenge… wasn't it supposed to be about surpassing oneself?
Why was Roxia's task about beating someone else senseless?
"Uh, Roxia?" he asked, puzzled. "What did this Saintess—Kailisi—do to you?"
"Kailisi…" Roxia murmured the name, pausing briefly before answering in a cold tone, "She's an idiot obsessed with fighting. Always pestering me. Extremely annoying."
"And her strength?"
"Decent. Third among the current seven Saintesses," Roxia replied casually.
"Third…"
Akira's expression turned serious.
He had already witnessed the strength of the white-stocking Saintess, Winneshan. That level was far beyond what he could handle right now.
Even if Kailisi was slightly weaker…
She was still likely level 80 or higher.
"This…" Akira scratched his cheek, troubled.
"What? Is your challenge tied to her?" Roxia noticed his expression.
"Yeah." He nodded. "The condition is that I personally beat her. Do I even stand a chance?"
"None," Roxia answered without hesitation.
"…"
Akira fell silent, awkwardly rubbing his nose.
"…However," Roxia continued, offering a possible path forward, "there is a special area within the Holy Church. If you fight her there, you might have a chance."
"Where?"
"The Tribunal of Light," she said, meeting his gaze. "Within that space, no being can use magic or faith-based power. Only pure physical combat is allowed."
"Pure physical combat…"
A spark of hope flickered in Akira's eyes.
"…But," Roxia added, a faint smile curling at her lips, "that's your only chance. And you'd better prepare well. With your current physical strength… you still might not be her match."
"Why?"
"She may be a Saintess, but she's also the granddaughter of a Cardinal. Trained rigorously within the Inquisitors from childhood," Roxia explained. "Among the seven Saintesses, her physical strength is the highest."
"…."
Akira's brows knitted together.
This challenge… was even harder than he'd imagined.
Still, he already had a plan.
He'd bring Mare Rhein along.
Two against one…
They should win, right?
"Set up a meeting with her," Akira said decisively.
"This afternoon, then," Roxia replied calmly, though a trace of barely concealed amusement flickered in her eyes.
"Works for me!"
Akira nodded. The sooner he completed Roxia's challenge, the sooner the guild would gain its second member above level 50.
After that, he opened Ivsha's breakthrough challenge out of curiosity.
[Ivsha's Breakthrough Challenge!][Description: Ivsha wants to indulge in intimacy!][Objective: 100 times!][Reward: Level breakthrough! (Ultra-rare trait +1!)]
"…?"
Akira's face immediately stiffened.
Her breakthrough task was just as bizarre as Roxia's.
But compared to the other one…
This actually seemed easier.
A mere hundred times… right?