Chapter 4: First Mission, And A Soft Ass

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: First Mission, And A Soft Ass

Michael did not hesitate.

"Yes," he said. "You have to help me. My ability doesn’t work alone."

Seraphine studied him for a long moment, her violet eyes unreadable. Then she gave a small, almost indulgent nod.

"Very well. Show me."

Seeing that she was willing to go along with it, Michael called up his system and focused his attention fully on the translucent interface only he could see.

The moment the system appeared, a bright golden light flared across the panel, warm and dense, before a simple, ornate box formed in the center of his vision.

[Newbie Gift Box Acquired]

’Wow, so this system is generous with freebies, huh.’

He tapped on it without ceremony.

The golden-and-red box shook slightly before bursting open. Soft light spilled out, and new text scrolled into place.

Ding!

[You have received 200 Emotion Points.]

[Note: Emotion Points are the currency used to create and assign missions to women who feel attraction or emotional attachment toward the Host, and toward whom the Host also feels attraction.]

[Cost scales with mission length, complexity, and reward value.]

[If an assigned mission is deemed unworthy of the offered reward, the point cost increases exponentially.]

[Growth Points are earned upon successful mission completion and may be invested to raise any personal attribute, skill, or technique by one minor realm per full point.]

Michael absorbed every line in seconds. As a veteran otaku, it was clear that whoever made this system had spent time designing it, giving it both strengths and limitations.

Emotion Points created the missions.

Growth Points made him stronger.

Simple. Clean. Dangerous.

And with the fact that both parties needed to feel attraction, Michael knew he couldn’t just go around farming every random woman who liked him.

Besides that, there was another problem that troubled him.

The written language of this world looked similar to Earth’s English at a glance, but the characters were structured differently. What counted as a single letter on Earth often split into two or more distinct strokes here.

The letter "K," for example, was written as one long vertical slash paired with a separate angled mark that resembled a less-than sign.

Two characters instead of one.

Every word cost more. Every sentence ate through points faster than it would have on Earth.

Even so, two hundred points were enough for a first test.

He scrolled lower, and a new section expanded.

[Character Ranking System]

Common → Uncommon → Rare → Epic → Legendary → Heroic

[Note: The rank of any written character is determined by the inherent value of the object or concept it represents.]

Michael pondered the words for a moment before understanding dawned on him.

’Oh, so it’s like how two people could share the same name and still carry completely different ranks if one was a nobody and the other controlled cities.’

Michael nodded once to himself.

After studying a few more details, he selected the mission generation tab.

A short list of viable targets appeared. At the top, under "Women in Immediate Proximity," three names glowed.

Ivy Fox — High mission potential.

Seraphine Voss — Currently limited to low-tier missions.

Rachel Davies — High mission potential

Seraphine’s brow furrowed as she watched him stare at empty air, his fingers occasionally twitching as though he were tapping invisible buttons.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Using my ability," Michael answered without looking up.

"It looks like you’re just typing, though."

He glanced down at her frowning face before looking back up.

"Just one moment, and I’ll be done."

Without wasting another second, he selected her name.

What appeared in front of him next was a customization button, but beneath it was a short list of suggested missions he could afford with his current points.

Most were trivial, but one made the corner of his mouth curl.

[Mission: Embrace the person standing in front of you.]

Time Limit: 3 minutes

Reward: One F-rank Fire-Attribute Rune

Penalty: None

Cost: 103 Emotion Points

Michael didn’t hesitate before confirming the mission. Then he glanced down at Seraphine again, and, just as anticipated, her expression had changed drastically.

Her violet eyes widened, fixed on the translucent purple panel that had bloomed directly in front of her face. She reached out on instinct to touch it, but her fingers passed straight through the light.

She froze, then slowly tilted her head toward him. "...Did you do this?"

"Yes."

For the first time since he entered the office, genuine surprise cracked her composed expression.

"You really do have a unique talent."

The system updated quietly in Michael’s peripheral vision.

[Emotional State Updated: 38% Skeptical | 34% Intrigued | 18% Surprised | 10% Amused]

[Arousal: 14%]

[Favorability: 33/100]

Seraphine’s gaze dropped back to the mission text. The soft curve of her mouth flattened into a faint frown.

"Why is the content so... inappropriate?"

Michael scratched the back of his neck, deliberately letting a hint of awkwardness show.

"It’s not really my fault. With the points I have right now, this is the highest-value mission the system would allow."

She tilted her head, ash-blonde hair shifting against her shoulder.

"Points?"

"My ability runs on them," he explained. "I can create almost any quest and attach almost any reward, but everything costs Emotion Points. The bigger the reward or the longer the mission, the higher the price."

Seraphine’s eyes sharpened.

"Any quest?" she repeated slowly. "And whatever reward?"

She opened her mouth as though to speak, then closed it again. Something darker and far more personal moved behind her gaze.

Michael watched the shift with interest.

For a brief moment, the polished Dean disappeared, replaced by a woman who had stood at the peak of the First Heaven for sixty years and still failed to take the final step.

When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "How do you obtain these points... and how many would it take to defy the heavens, even for a single second?"

Michael understood immediately.

She was talking about her own failed ascension.

He met her darkening violet eyes and felt something he couldn’t quite place stir in his chest. He had no idea whether the system could truly help someone punch through the barrier between Heavens. But... he felt like he had to say something to her. Something to this woman who had desperately tried to push past her limits but was stuck in place.

He raised both hands, fingers spread, a small smile forming on his face.

"Ten million."

Seraphine’s eyes widened. A faint, almost forgotten brightness flickered inside them.

"Is it truly possible?" she asked. "To defy the heavens?"

Michael straightened, letting a confident grin spread across his face. "I’m a Tier 0 prodigy, aren’t I? Of course I’m confident."

She stared at him for several long seconds. Then, unexpectedly, a low, husky giggle escaped her.

"You’re really silly, you child." She leaned back slightly. "I don’t even know if your rewards actually work," she said, her eyes curving. "Why should I believe anything else you say?"

’Oh, right,’ Michael thought, a small blush forming on his cheeks. ’I haven’t even tested whether the system actually gives rewards or not.’

He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. But before he could answer, she rose from the desk in one smooth motion and stepped directly in front of him.

The height difference forced her to look up slightly. Up close, the mature fullness of her figure was impossible to ignore—the heavy swell of her breasts beneath the black blouse, the narrow waist that flared into wide, womanly hips, and the soft pressure of her presence.

"Why don’t I complete the mission," she murmured, "and see for myself how truthful you are?"

Michael’s pulse jumped. Slowly, he opened his arms for her to enter.

Seraphine stared at the man’s open arms for a beat before stepping into them without hesitation.

The first thing he registered was heat. Then softness. Her full breasts pressed firmly against his chest, yielding and heavy, the kind of mature weight that no girl his age could match.

The scent of her perfume wrapped around him, richer at this distance. Instinct made him keep his hips slightly back; the length he carried would have made contact unavoidable otherwise, and he wasn’t ready for that conversation yet.

Seraphine, however, had no such restraint.

She leaned in further, erasing the careful space he had left between them. The soft give of her lower belly brushed against him, and Michael’s control slipped for half a second. His hands moved from her slim waist to the full, plush curve of her ass before he could stop them.

The flesh was soft, abundant, and almost shockingly warm through the pencil skirt as his fingers sank in slightly.

A small, involuntary sound; half breath, half whimper, escaped her throat.

Realizing that her control had slipped, and that she had actually made that sound in front of a boy who could well have been her grandson—Seraphine stepped back.

However, even her hurried retreat couldn’t erase her body’s reaction. A faint flush colored the tops of her cheeks, and her body trembled ever so slightly as she exhaled once, steadying herself.

Then she looked down at the system panel in front of her as it chimed.

Almost immediately, a small stone etched with a glowing red runic mark materialized in her open palm.

Her entire body went still. A visible shiver ran through her shoulders.

She raised her eyes to his, violet irises bright with something close to disbelief.

"...It actually works."

Michael’s grin returned, wider this time. "I told you."

Seraphine closed her fingers around the rune. For a moment she simply stood there, one hand on her hip, the other resting under her chin, thinking.

The posture pulled her blouse tight across her chest and emphasized the long line of her waist. When she finally looked at him again, the skepticism had thinned into something far more dangerous: hope.

"This ability is fascinating," she said quietly. "Not even the oldest records mention a talent that creates missions out of nothing. Which brings us back to the important question." Her gaze locked onto his. "These ten million points. How exactly are we supposed to gather them?"

Michael’s confidence faltered for the first time.

He scratched his cheek, suddenly finding the view outside the window very interesting.

Seraphine’s voice hardened, firm and absolute. "Don’t worry about the method. Whatever it is, I plan on helping you."

He swallowed, then stepped closer and lowered his voice so only she could hear. He explained the core restrictions—emotional closeness, genuine attachment, and the way higher intimacy unlocked higher-tier missions and better yields. He left the more physical implications carefully unsaid. It was best that way.

Even so, a soft pink bloomed across Seraphine’s cheekbones. She cleared her throat, glanced away, then back again.

"In that case," she said, her voice once more composed, "it makes even more sense for you to move in with me."

She turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window, giving him a clear view of the ripe, heavy curve of her ass beneath the tight skirt as she spoke.

"Go say goodbye to your friends. Call your parents. Pack your belongings. I will wait for you at the front gate."

Michael nodded and started for the door.

"Michael."

He paused.

Seraphine tossed the F-rank Fire Rune toward him in a lazy underhand throw. He caught it easily. Her expression had returned to the calm, authoritative mask of the Dean, but her eyes remained sharp.

"Nothing that was said in this room leaves it," she told him. "Especially the nature of your ability."

"Understood."

He stepped into the hallway and let the door close behind him.

Only then did the small, private smile return to his face.

’Sorry, Dean,’ he thought as he walked. ’That part won’t work.’

Michael knew it all too well. If he truly intended to stand at the peak of the Three Heavens, he could not afford to place every resource in a single basket.

Seraphine Voss was an extraordinary start—an apex predator willing to open her home and her attention to him.

But she would not be the only one.

There were other women. Other attachments. Other missions waiting to be written.

And Michael Kaiser planned to collect them all.