Gideon stared at the system screens in front of him, his eyes wide and unblinking in focus and contemplation.
[Summer Miller]
[Affection: 15/100]
[Lust: 15/100]
[Status: No Pregnancy]
—
[Freya Miller]
[Affection: 20/100]
[Lust: 15/100]
[Status: No Pregnancy]
[Harem Boost: None]
—
[Rewards Obtained:]
[Love Coins: 500]
[Bonus Love Coins from Climax: 200]
[Gacha Ticket x2]
[Endurance Elixir x1]
[EXP +400]
—
[Congratulations, you level up!]
[Level 3 → Level 6]
[Status Update:]
[Charisma: 40 → 70 | Strength: 35 → 65 | Endurance: 40 → 70 | Speed: 35 → 65 | Defense: 30 → 60]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked a new area: Residential Area (Safe Zone).]
[To activate it, you must plant the Seed of Aaru.]
[Do you want to plant it in this area?]
—
Gideon did not answer right away.
He needed to check the surroundings first. Planting the Seed of Aaru in the wrong place would be reckless, especially if Aberrants frequently passed through the area. A Safe Zone only mattered if it could actually stay safe.
Still, that was not what bothered him the most. He glanced at his remaining Love Coins and it was only about eight hundred.
'Four thousand two hundred more Love Coins for my debt,' he thought. 'Damn it. Five thousand really is not a little.'
At least he understood the system better now. The higher the sexual act, the higher the reward.
A kiss was worth around fifty Love Coins. Since he kissed two women, it doubled to one hundred.
A blowjob or titjob gave roughly two hundred and fifty, and the climax bonus added another hundred.
'Not bad,' he admitted. 'If this keeps up, I might not need PayLater anymore.'
His attention shifted to the Gacha Tickets.
He knew what gacha systems were, but he had no idea what kind of rewards this one would give.
[Do you want to use a Gacha Ticket?]
'I should check the options first,' Gideon thought.
The screen shifted, presenting three choices.
[Combat Gacha]
[Love Gacha]
[Safe Zone Gacha (Locked)]
"Damn," Gideon muttered. "I really should not have used PayLater if there is a combat gacha."
He took a slow breath. At least the tickets did not seem restricted. Any of them could be used on the available gacha options.
For now, that was one less thing to worry about.
"Gideon, let's go. We can't be late."
Summer's voice came from behind him, making Gideon jolt slightly as he turned around.
She was wearing a brown robe that looked worn and poorly stitched, with holes here and there and uneven edges, as if whoever made it had little experience with sewing or cutting.
She tossed him a black mask before sitting beside him on the sofa. Her boots landed heavily as she moved.
"There's a lot of sand out there," she explained. "Some areas have really strong winds."
She pulled a pair of goggles from behind her robe and handed one to him. "Use this if that happens."
"I see. Where are you taking me?" Gideon asked as he put on the black mask.
It looked like a ski mask, except the top was missing, leaving only his mouth and neck covered.
Summer tilted her head slightly, then smirked. "God, you're so fucking hot. Let me kiss you."
She leaned in and cupped his face, but before she could do anything, a sharp clearing of the throat stopped her.
Summer turned around to see Delilah standing there with her arms crossed, eyes sharp and expression dark.
"Don't do anything stupid," Delilah said, her gaze shifting to Gideon. "Protect her. If she gets hurt, even a little, you're out."
"Don't worry," Gideon replied calmly, smiling. "I won't let that happen."
Summer groaned out loud.
Delilah walked into one of the rooms and returned carrying a handgun and a suitcase. Summer stood up and took the handgun, reaching for the suitcase as well, but her mother pulled it back.
"Don't break it," Delilah said sternly. "We only have three of these left. If you destroy it, you will sleep outside."
"Geez, Mom," Summer muttered. "It's a sniper rifle. It's not like I'm going to use it to hit a monster."
"Who knows," Delilah replied dryly. "You might do it out of habit."
She turned to Gideon. "You can take one gun and ammo from the crate."
He nodded and walked over to the crate filled with firearms. He already had the skill, but not the weapon.
'Should I just buy one from the Infinite Shop?' he thought while scanning the crate.
It was mostly filled with handguns, the kind commonly used for home defense back on Earth. Nine millimeter semi-automatics.
'An M4s or M16 would be more useful. Even a shotgun, if normal bullets can't penetrate Aberrants.'
But that would mean using PayLater again.
Judging from the bunker, there had to be rifles somewhere below, but he had never been allowed down there. The sharp look Delilah gave him told him clearly that asking was pointless.
Gideon sighed inwardly, took a handgun, and grabbed extra ammunition, slipping it into his pocket. He was already wearing armor, or more accurately, a bulletproof vest.
"Where did you get that vest?" Delilah asked suddenly.
Gideon opened his mouth to answer, but Summer beat him to it.
"I gave it to him," she said casually, grabbing his hand. "Let's go. If we stay any longer, she'll suck the life out of you."
They left the bunker together and breathed in the outside air at last. Summer walked ahead while Gideon followed. The world outside was just as gloomy and unbearably hot as always.
"Sorry about my mom," Summer sighed. "She's really annoying."
"No, I understand," Gideon replied. "This is an apocalyptic world. Kind people don't last long."
"She's already kind enough to let me stay. Especially since you're all women and…" He took a breath. "She's right. I could be dangerous to you."
Summer stopped suddenly and turned to face him. "You don't think you're going to stop there, right?"
"What?" Gideon blinked, confused.
"You know," she said, stepping closer until their bodies pressed together. "That dangerous thing."
Her face flushed as she whispered, "You need to take responsibility and do it properly. All the way."
Then she turned away and walked faster, leaving Gideon standing there, confused.