Chapter 49: Chapter49-Netori King
Currently, I was lying in my king-size bed, staring blankly at my system's screen.
My mind was racing, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.
Why?
Because, on my way home to the mansion after a long day of work, something unbelievable, though profitable, happened to me.
In front of me was a virtual screen filled with numerous messages. I read them:
[Ding, Congratulations, host! Hidden Quest: [Make Kiara your personal f*ck toy] has been completed!]
[Objective complete: 1/1.]
[Ding, Congratulations, Host! You've acquired detailed information about Skill levels, which have been added to your (Info) section. You've also acquired the Dash skill as a reward, which has been added to the Skills section!]
[Ding, Congratulations, host! Hidden Quest: [Broken Kiara] has been completed!]
[Objective complete: 1/1.]
[Ding, Congratulations, Host! You've acquired 50 Quest Essences from the Hidden Quest, and they have been added to your Character Profile!]
[Ding, Congratulations, Host! You have awakened one of the Epic titles: 'Netori King.']
[Ding, Congratulations, host! The system has undergone changes and added a new (Title) section to your character profile!]
Oh, so many messages...
I examined them all.
It took some time, but it was worth it.
I got many useful rewards.
I ignored the first quest and its rewards for now and focused on the second quest and my newly awakened title.
"Broken Kiara..."
So, there was a quest for breaking her mind by fucking.
I never expected that.
The reward was essences.
Not much, but still good given my current rank.
Getting free essences is always better than fighting monsters.
I mean, why work hard when you can get it just like that?
Then I looked at my new title.
'Netori King?'
Hard to believe that a netori hater like me got a title against my belief.
I know I shouldn't think this way considering I had fucked Kiara twice, but I couldn't help it.
I have changed.
From a netori hater to committing netori all because of the system's quest.
But somehow, I don't feel very sad or unhappy, which I usually should have felt.
But I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt; it's as if I've done nothing wrong.
Maybe it's because I'm doing this to get stronger and more powerful so that I don't get left behind by others in this world.
But still, am I not just justifying my actions with that reason?
I have to admit deep down that I am someone who has stolen another man's future wife.
Maybe I also ruined his future life with his lover because of my shits.
I know...
I am guilty.
I should be ashamed of myself.
Yet, I'm not.
I don't even understand why.
I should feel guilty.
But I am not.
Yet, I won't force myself to feel guilty.
No matter how guilty and ashamed I feel about myself and what I've done, nothing will change.
The past is unchangeable, so I'll move forward and hope not to repeat these mistakes.
That's it.
Nothing else...
Now, turning my attention back to my newly acquired skill...
I opened my character profile and looked at the changes after the upgrade.
Name: Michael Frostburne
Race: Human
Current Rank: Iron
Title: Netori King, Lust King
Progression to Gold Rank: 48% (1200/2500 essences)
...
(Info)
(Skills)
I clicked on the information section and then selected the skills level section inside it.
A virtual screen displaying skills levels appeared in front of me.
Level 1
...
Level 10.
"Wait! Just that," I muttered under my breath, surprised by the way the levels were presented.
I had expected them to be like the ranks in this world, but they were numerical instead.
After a minute, I shifted my focus to the skill section.
I clicked on it, and a new page appeared listing the recent skill I got.
Dash (Level 1)
Curious about this skill, I clicked on it, and a new information page about it appeared.
(Increase your speed attribute by one Rank for 2 seconds.)
Now, this skill is seriously overpowered, but the time limit is so damn short.
I sighed...
What an incredible skill...
If only the time limit were longer.
As I pondered this, a realization hit me.
Now that I think about it, can't I upgrade this skill?
In every video game, a person can upgrade their skills by meeting the necessary requirements.
So here, everything should be the same, especially since I upgrade my ranks in a similar way.
But the problem is how?
I mean, how do I level up?
I also don't know the requirements needed for the next upgrade.
I was thinking of asking the system, but I accidentally clicked on (Level 1) and a new page appeared, showing me the requirements for the next level up.
(Would you like to upgrade your Dash skill to level 2?)
(Yes/No)
(You need 100 Monster Essences to advance to the next level.)
(Note: Monster Essences used for upgrading your ranks will be deducted from your character profile.)
I carefully examined the page, reviewing the requirements for upgrading my Dash skill to level 2.
Hmm, to upgrade the skill, I have to sacrifice 100 essences.
It's not a large amount, but I still hesitated to use them.
Why?
Because I usually hunted Lesser rank monsters, earning around 80 to 100 essences per hunting day.
So, I wasn't sure if I should upgrade it or not.
But the hope that the skill might increase its time limit or even raise its rank by 2 was something I didn't want to miss out on.
So, I had to think carefully.
After a moment's consideration, I clicked on the "Yes" option.
(100 Monster essences deducted from the host's Character profile.)
(Processing the upgrade...)
(10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0.)
(Ding, Congratulations Host! Your Dash skill has been successfully upgraded to Level 2!)
Some system messages promptly appeared, notifying me that my Dash skill had leveled up.
My heart felt a twinge of bitterness as I saw the deduction of essences from my character profile, but overall, I was satisfied with my decision.
Besides upgrading, what else could I have done?
I couldn't resist my desire for power...
So, I went ahead with it.
I sighed again.
Human greed always wins...
It's very difficult to control it unless you're a saint.
Anyway, I checked out my newly upgraded Dash skill.
Dash (Level 2)
Then, I clicked on the Dash skill once more to review the updated information.
Everything else remained the same, except for one crucial improvementthe time limit had increased from 2 to 4 seconds now.
Then I muttered, "Hmm, okay."
Now, let's check the number of essences needed for the next level up.
With curiosity piqued, I proceeded to examine the requirements for advancing my Dash skill further. Clicking on the Level 2 option again, many notifications promptly appeared:
(Would you like to upgrade your Dash skill to level 3?)
(Yes/No)
(You need 1000 Monster Essences to advance to the next level.)
Nah, I'm out.
Yeah, I'm really out.
I don't need the upgrade.
I mean, seriously, system?
I get that it's an overpowered skill, but do you really have to increase the essences needed for the next level up by 10 times?
That's enormous.
If I upgraded it to the next level, it might increase the duration by another 2 seconds, but my essences would drop to just 100.
Then, I'd have to again grind day and night like an ant worker.
It would take forever for me to rank up to Gold if I upgraded it.
So, I'm not doing it.
For now, how about testing the new skill on the training dummies?
I'm curious to see its impact in combat situations.
Focusing on my upgraded Dash skill, I decided to test it out.
I jumped up from my bed and headed to the door, eager to get to my training room.
Just as I opened the door, I saw someone standing right in front of me.
Who the heck?
It was Allen, staring at me intensely.
I was a bit shocked by his sudden appearance.
What is he doing out here?
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Why isn't he saying anything?
Why is he staring at me like that?
His gaze felt like a laser beam cutting through my heart.
Allen kept staring at me like a statue, making me really uncomfortable.
A minute passed, but he still stood there like a stone.
Ugh, looks like I have to start the conversation again.
The silence was getting to me, so I broke it and asked, "Do you need something, Allen?"
Allen shifted his gaze and replied, "Young master, Master asked me to give you this invitation card."
He took out a card from his pocket and handed it to me.
What kind of invitation is this?
Maybe another wedding invitation from some celebrities or hunters. It was common.
Every month, Michael received at least one wedding invitation.
It's the same now.
Just last month, I got an invitation from one of those guys.
Usually, neither the previous Michael nor I would go to these weddings unless my father personally asked me to.
So, let's see who's getting married this time.
I looked at the invitation card and was immediately dumbstruck.
Why?
Because it wasn't a wedding or reception or ceremony invitation.
It was an invitation to the CANNES meeting.
I was confused because the CANNES meeting for hunters or celebrities usually didn't happen at this time of year.
It typically took place in December.
So, what happened? Why was it moved up?
It was one of the most important meetings in the human domain, held every year.
Its primary role was to showcase individual or family power or to serve as an emergency meeting for the domain's key figures.
Right now, it's clear to me that this meeting must have been moved up due to an emergency.
"Is this for real?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, young master," Allen replied.
I quietly muttered, "So soon, it wasn't supposed to happen now."
Allen heard me and said, "Young master, Master told me the meeting has been moved up because both leaders of the association called an urgent meeting and requested all important persons in the human domain to attend."
"Urgent? About what?" I asked.
I needed to gather as much information as possible before attending the meeting.
It's an emergency, so something must have happened or already happened to cause this event.
I was feeling really uneasy for some reason.
I have a bad feeling about this.
With no emotion, Allen said, "I don't know, young master."
'Damn it.'
I looked back at the card and said, "Thanks, Allen. You can go now."
Allen said goodbye, giving me one last look before leaving.
I no longer minded his stare. My attention was fully on the upcoming event.
Examining the card, I discovered that the meeting was scheduled for next week.
Time was limited, and I needed to prepare for any surprises.
Right now, focusing on training was crucial to ensure I wouldn't be affected by any unexpected events soon.
Then I dashed into my training room to practice my new skill...
Little did I know, this entire Cannes event had been triggered by none other than myself.
It would soon come back to haunt me.