As I ran through the forest with the girl holding my hand, I could hear the Weasenox tracking us down, but the torrential rain had covered our trail. 

“Wait, what are you doing?!”

“Do you want to get killed by that thing?!” she cried, getting behind a tree. “I think we’re safe now, it’s not following us.”

“Hey, whoever you are, I appreciate your help, but I can’t leave this quest unfinished! It took me a lot of effort to meet the requirements, and I can’t let another person come here and snatch the spoils!”

The girl stared at me. She was cute, with honey-colored eyes and caramel skin. The pouring rain had wetted her black hair and robes, which lined her generous chest. “What’s the reward?” she asked, tilting her head.

“...200 gold and a weapon.”

She pouted her lips before exhaling. “Fine, I’ll help you! But first, do you even know the penalty for dying in this game?”

“There’s a penalty?”

I hadn’t thought about something like that at all!

“Yes. When you die, the system takes half of your gold.”

With that new information, I had to think about it thoroughly. Let’s see… Each meal costs 10 gold and the inn costs 30. Yesterday I had 160 gold, minus breakfast, lunch, and dinner, minus another night spent at the inn, and today’s breakfast… That’s 90 gold. If I die, I would only have 45 gold remaining, and if I wanted to spend another night at the Moonlight Dream, I would have to spend another 30… 

If I die, I would only have 15 gold for tomorrow’s food and who knows if I could get more earnings!

But the girl beside me had already decided. I wouldn’t get another chance like this.

“Okay, let’s do this. I’ll give you half of the gold, okay?”

She nodded with a serious expression on her face while fervently holding her staff. “Deal. But how are you going to fight it? You’re not wearing any armor, and I’ve seen you fight without a weapon. Are you aiming for the Brawler Class or something?”

Are there even specialized classes in this thing? I thought that being inside The Novus would be more like having a long vacation!

“I didn’t have the gold to buy gear, sorry.”

Although the odds were against us, she still had a determined look in her eyes. “How agile are you?” she asked.

“I recently got an upgrade, and my body feels lighter. Why?”

“Could you get its attention while I attack it from a distance with everything I have?”

“Sure. Let’s go.” 

Before I could run back to the woods, the girl pulled my arm.

“I mean it. Get its attention. I don’t have the strength or the agility you have. If that thing targets me…”

“Count on me.”

Was that me who said that? Never in my life have I said such a thing. It felt weird coming out of my mouth.

After nodding at each other, we ran back, searching for the thing. The Weasenox was still in the area, sniffing the air in vain. The girl positioned herself behind a tree and gestured for me to go.

At that moment, I realized I hadn't asked her name.

I ran forward, trying to get behind the Weasenox’s back, but it turned its head, alerted. A ball of fire had exploded behind it. Did that girl miss? No. The monster deviated its attention towards the already extinguished fire, which gave me the opportunity to jump on its back.

“Blaze!” I heard the girl cry, hitting the Boss on the head. The monster recoiled, annoyed, which allowed me to climb its back. “Blaze, Blaze!” The girl continued casting, while I could feel the impact of each fireball through the monster’s body. “Where are you?!” she shouted, sounding afraid.

“I’m here!” I cried from the beast’s neck as I tried to choke it. “And now die, you piece of shit!”

For a moment I thought that my slim arms could not obstruct its breathing, but once I heard my partner’s word of encouragement, I didn’t let go.

“Keep going, it's working! Blaze, Blaze!”

The beast only had two options: to attack the annoying fire caster, or to get rid of the one who was choking it. The Weasenox made its choice in an instant, throwing a swipe at me.

“Dammit!” I cried after feeling that the skin of my back had been torn open. But did I falter? Hell no! I  wanted my gold and my free weapon! Free is always good when you’re on a budget!

 

Your courage and determination have awakened a new ability! You have unlocked the Fire Boost, ‘Valor’!

 

Great! How do I use--?!

 

Gather fire mana around your body and shout the Words of Power!

 

Oh, the tutorial hadn’t finished talking, sorry. But how do I gather that mana thingy?

“Fuck it!” I gritted my teeth and imagined engulfing my whole body with inner energy. It was working, since I could feel fire running through my arms. “Valor!” 

...Nothing happened. ‘System Lady’, you lied to me!

 

You have to shout the complete chain command. FIRE... BOOST... VALOR...

 

“F-fine! Fire Boost, Valor!”

I could feel the muscles of my arms swelling, which I hoped didn’t make me look less feminine!

Whatever. I applied this newfound force and heard bones cracking. At that moment, the beast was standing on its two feet, continuously getting blasted by the novice pyromancer.

“I unlocked a new spell!” she shouted. “I’ll use it to finish it off. Be careful!”

“Do it!”

“Minor Fire Crafting, Firebreath!”

I couldn’t see what she was doing, but the Weasenox’s body was getting warmer by the second… Which made me feel exhausted.

 

Congratulations! You are now Level 5!

 

Your ‘Monster Slayer’ Passive Skill is now Level 2!

 

Your POTENTIAL and VITALITY Rank have both increased from Bronze E to Bronze D!

 

“Cool… I don’t… know… what… any of that… means…”

When the beast collapsed, I did too.

The girl’s voice had turned into a distant, muffled noise as my consciousness gradually faded.

 

* * *

 

While squinting, I could distinguish a warm orange light nearby. I shut my eyes and moaned. “This sucks…” I said aloud. Even though I had my eyes closed, a lot of notifications inside my head demanded my attention. “Fine. What do you want?”

“Um, excuse me?” a girly voice said.

My eyes widened after remembering what had happened. I was no longer in the forest, between the mud and the Weasenox corpse.

“Where am I?”

“In a cave nearby,” the pyromancer said in an apologetic tone of voice. “It’s my fault that you’re in this state. My attacks couldn’t finish the job quicker because of the rain. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m also at fault,” I whispered. “I should have gotten a weapon and some gear before attempting this hunting quest.”

I bet Steve unlocked the Valor skill, too. Casting that and wielding a sword would have overturned this battle so easily.

I could still hear the pouring rain outside. It sounded kind of relaxing now that the danger was over. The cracking wood fire between us also gave this cold cave a cozy feel.

When I tried to stand up, a piercing pain paralyzed me and almost made me cry.

“Whoah! Try not to move too much!” the girl said, getting closer. “The beast scratched your back, remember? It’s a very nasty wound. Please lay down and rest for the time being. But if you can’t stand the pain, I can go to town and get some help.”

 

Thanks to your outstanding will, you have unlocked a new passive skill: ‘Pain Endurance’ Lv 1

 

Will I have to shout it too? Because it’s kind of embarrassing, you know… Oh, the effects are kicking in automatically. Sweet.

“There’s no need to,” I said immediately. “Once it stops raining, we’ll think about what to do, alright? I just need to…” 

At that exact moment, I realized I was unclothed, and quickly covered my boy’s chest with the cloth she had put over me. I realized it was an uncustomized ‘New Beginning Dress’, surely hers.

“T-that’s the only thing I had,” she said, shyly, looking away. “Your clothes were all wet… and although they dry quickly in this world, they’re soaked in your own blood, so I thought you wouldn’t like wearing that...”

“You… saw…”

“I saw nothing, I swear!”

“It’s pretty obvious that you did,” I said in a severe tone, while she tried not to make eye contact with me. “Come on, you can mock me if you want.”

“Why would I mock you? I can see why you’ve decided to cross-dress. You look prettier than some of the girls in town... I mean, sorry! I’m not judging you, okay? You’re free to be and do whatever you like, remember?”

“Do I… really look that pretty?”

“Yes!” she beamed, finally looking me in the eye. “If I hadn’t taken off your clothes, I would have never known, I swear!”

I’m not so sure about that. Back on Earth, where I had access to my makeup and a wide collection of girly clothes I had accumulated with the passing years, some girls knew just by glancing at me.

If this girl is telling the truth, there could be two explanations: One, the heat of the moment, and the constant rain obscuring her vision made her believe I was a real girl. Or the second one. Thanks to the way The Novus has rendered my androgynous face, I truly look like a petite, flat girl.

Steve thought I was one until the moment he looked at my hard-on. Hmm… Remembering the scene all over again makes me feel livid and guilty. Maybe I should have started with the truth and hoped for the best.

But at the same time, he only took an interest in me because of my looks, didn’t he? So what does it matter what I have under my dress?

No... I can’t think like that either...

I can’t force a hetero guy to like me...

I’ll just… wait for the one that accepts me for who I am. Because I have decided that no matter how much I change my body, voice, and appearance, I won’t get rid of my…

“Are you okay?” the girl whispered beside me, startling me. Just a moment ago she was keeping her distance, but now?

“Sorry, were you saying something?”

“It’s just that you looked in pain. Do you want me to go get help after all?”

“No, I’m truly okay. I got a notification earlier that I now have Pain Endurance or something.”

“I see,” she muttered while glancing at my back. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Grace.”

“I’m Taylor. Nice to meet you.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, we’re friends now.”

“We are?” she muttered before beaming. “Yes, I’d love that!”

“Fighting to the death has united us,” I said, half-smiling. “So, what do you want to ask?”

“You didn’t have the money to buy gear because you spent it buying that pretty dress and the stockings, right?”

UGH! Critical hit to my soul!

“Y-yeah… That’s correct.”

“That’s what I thought,” she whispered, before leaning towards me. “But you’re being too irresponsible! I know you want to look pretty and feminine, but you’re being too short-sighted! You almost died back then, and if you had, your precious money would have been reduced to half! If you keep that up, you’ll never be able to buy more cute stuff!”

Was I being scolded?

“S-sorry, you’re right. I’m usually more cold-headed, but this time I…” Wait, I just realized something. “Can I ask you something, too? What were you doing here, in the heart of the woods, too? You said that you were too weak to fight at close distance.”

“I was following you, of course…”

“W-what?”

“Hey!” She clapped. “If your mission is to be the cutest of all the girls in town, I could help you with that!”

“I don’t think that…”

She did not listen, and stood up, stepping in front of me. “I noticed you haven’t even bought cute panties yet,” she said while pulling up her robes. “Like these…”

She revealed something lacy and lovely right in front of my face. The tiny straps circling her hips made it look indecent and alluring at the same time.

“A thong...” I muttered before crossing my eyes with her as she giggled.

The expression of her face and her gleaming gaze was something I had never seen in a girl before.

 

 

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