The air was cooling down fast as Kyle stepped past the simple wooden gate marking the entrance to the Savanna village. The gate wasn't built to stop the villagers but was meant to keep an eye on the monsters and outsiders from different tribes who lived in "Dark Forest".
Rix, the older guard, had given Kyle his own cloak right after he was allowed to enter. It was a heavy, slightly greasy piece of cured animal hide that smelled strongly of smoke and old sweat.
"This will save your dignity, Kyle," Rix had muttered while wrapping it quickly around Kyle's shoulders.
Now, Kyle walked between Rix and the other guard, feeling the rough hide scratching his skin. It was an awkward walk. He was a supposed hero in a stolen, smelly cloak, moving from the terrifying solitude of the Dark Forest into the loud, familiar safety of the tribe.
Huts made of wood and thick, woven grass were clustered tightly together. Children, whose faces were streaked with mud, stopped their games to stare at the nearly naked, strange-looking man being escorted. The smell of cooking meat mixed with the dry, grassy scent of the Savanna. This was the most primitive settlement Kyle had ever seen, yet it was also the safest place in this savage world.
"The Elder will be waiting at the great fire, Kyle," Rix said, his voice low and serious. "Tell her everything. You are no longer just the boy who left; you're an awakener now and that changes everything for the tribe."
"I understand," Kyle replied, making his voice sound strained and quiet, the perfect tone of a man recovering from shock. His C-Rank Charm subtly amplified the simple word, making Rix feel the weight of his trauma.
They passed the open area where people prepared hides and walked toward the center of the village. Ahead lay the Ring of Valor—the flattened, cleared circle of packed earth used for duels and training—and just beyond it, the larger communal area where the Elder usually presided.
And… That's where Kyle's good feeling ended.
Three young men suddenly broke away from the small crowd and marched directly into Kyle's path. They were strong, muscular, and wore much better, more expensive hides and leather vests than anyone else. They carried themselves with an easy arrogance, like kings in a small kingdom.
The man in the middle, taller and wider than Kyle, stopped right in front of him. His expression was cold and mean, his eyes locking onto Kyle's face and then dropping dismissively to the way the borrowed cloak hung awkwardly on his frame.
This was " Torin Asshole ". He was the golden boy, the best hunter of his age, and Kyle's lifelong tormentor. Kyle quickly ran a system scan on him.
Name: Torin Asshole. Species: Human. Rank: Peak Novice. Traits: Arrogant, Physically Dominant, Jealous.
"Well, well. Look who came back. It's our honorable Softblade," Torin sneered, his voice carrying far across the quiet clearing. He was ignoring Rix and the other guard completely. "Still can't keep your clothes on, Softblade?"
The nickname, the worst kind of venom, hit Kyle like a punch, but he didn't flinch. He let his internal thoughts guide him.
'Don't get angry. Anger is weakness. Use the lie.' he calmed himself.
The two boys flanking Torin—big, thick-headed boys named Gar Whoreborn and Brod Slutborn—snickered, their hands resting on their axes.
"Did a demon strip you? Or something?" Torin continued, taking a step closer, forcing Kyle to hold his ground. "Or did you just run off and roll around in the mud until the stench drove your last piece of leather away?"
"And what did I hear?"
" You Awakened!, is that so? Then what kind of ability did you gain?... Is it the ability to find the fattest dung beetles?" Torin laughed out mocking him.
His insults were sharp and cruel, aimed at Kyle's orphan status and his weakness. The crowd around them murmured nervously.
Rix stepped forward quickly, his hand going to his spear. "Hold your tongue, Torin! This is Kyle, and he has just returned from the Dark Forest after a struggle—"
"A struggle?" Torin cut Rix off, his voice laced with pure scorn. He looked Kyle up and down, making his disgust clear. "What struggle? Did he struggle to hide under a rock? Look at him, Rix! He's still small, still pale, still the shame of our age group. Don't you see? This Awakening is a joke! He's wasting our time."
Kyle felt the old, familiar shame try to rise, but his newly sharpened F- Intelligence smothered it instantly. He let the feeling pass, allowing his C-Rank Charm to surface instead. He gave Torin a slow, tired, superior smile. It wasn't angry; it was patronizing.
"Torin, the only thing embarrassing is the way your words run out of your mouth," Kyle said, his voice quiet, almost bored. "They're loud, but they go nowhere. While you were spending your life chasing deer. I was fighting a demon. What were you doing? Counting the bruises on your knuckles from punching a tree?"
The retort was perfect. It attacked Torin's intelligence and his predictability. Rix coughed, trying to hide a smile. The crowd buzzed. Torin's face instantly went dark red, and his eyes bulged with rage.
"You scrawny little worm!" Torin yelled, losing all control. "You think a few clever words make you strong? Gar, Brod, grab the bastard! Let's show him what a realPeak Novice can do to a soft, disgusting liar!"
Gar and Brod moved, big and clumsy, rushing to grab Kyle's arms.
Danger!!
Kyle's brain instantly went into calculation mode. He could not fight. He was outnumbered and out-ranked.
He didn't try to block or punch. He used his G+ Agility. He pushed off the packed dirt with a burst of speed none of them expected, slipping out from between the two thugs in a movement that was too fluid, too swift for the old 'Softblade.' Gar and Brod, failing to grab him, slammed into each other with a painful thud.
Torin let out a guttural roar, fueled by humiliation. He launched himself at Kyle, not with a weapon, but with a massive, focused shoulder charge, aiming to break Kyle's ribs and drive the air from his lungs.
Kyle saw it coming. He couldn't dodge this one. He planted his feet and met the blow, tightening every muscle with the power of his G+ Strength and Endurance. Torin slammed into him, and a wave of raw force hit Kyle's chest. The air whooshed out of him, and he slid backward, the heels of his bare feet dragging lines in the dirt. But he didn't fall. He stayed upright, gasping for breath, but still standing.
The crowd erupted in shocked noise.
"He stood up!" someone shouted.
Torin was shocked. He had expected an instant, humiliating collapse. He raised his fist, ready to deliver a crushing blow.
"Enough."
The single word cut through the chaos like a sharp knife. It was clear, commanding, and absolute.
Everyone—Torin, the guards, Kyle, the crowd—froze and turned.
Walking toward them, moving with an innate, quiet power that commanded respect.
She was – "Rina Nippleborn."
She was the same age as Kyle and his childhood friend, but her presence was worlds apart. Her skin was a warm, Savanna bronze, and her eyes were bright, intelligent pools of deep ruby that seemed to absorb every detail. Her snowy white hairs were meticulously braided and held back by polished bone beads, signifying her high status. She was dressed in the finest, lightest, expertly tanned sky-blue hides—not bulky armor, but clothes that emphasized quickness and grace. She was not tall, but the aura around her, the undeniable power of her Low Beginner Rank, was immense. She was the one true genius of the Savanna tribe in the younger generation.
Rina Nippleborn walked straight into the Ring of Valor, ignoring the danger and the mess, and placed herself directly in front of Kyle, her back facing him like she was his shield….always have been.
"Torin, you fool," Rina said, her voice quiet but ringing with authority. She didn't shout. "Are you truly so consumed by jealousy that you attack a man still recovering from the trauma of his Awakening?"
Torin stammered, intimidated by her rank. "Rina, this has nothing to do with you. He's a liar, and he's hiding behind his pathetic story—"
"A liar?" Rina scoffed, her lip curling slightly. She looked at Kyle over her shoulder, her eyes falling instantly on the fresh, dark bruise forming on his chest from Torin's charge. She turned back to Torin, her voice growing colder. "Look at him. The old 'Softblade' wouldn't have dodged a single strike, much less survived a direct charge from you. He is clearly Awakened. He is fragile, yes, but he has changed."
She took a slow, deliberate step toward Torin, who instinctively retreated half a step.
"He has survived a traumatic, chaotic confrontation in the Dark Forest. To strike him now, before he has even rested, before the Elder has had time to speak to him, is not the act of a warrior. It is the act of a jealous, pathetic bully who fears that the boy he mocked has finally gotten stronger than him."
Rina lifted her hand slowly. A faint, subtle green light—the signature of her elemental affinity—flickered briefly around her fingertips. It was a tiny display of power, but it was all the proof anyone needed of her authority.
"You want to face him, Torin?" Rina challenged, her eyes unwavering. "You want to test the strength of the new Awakened? Fine. You will face him. But you will face him when he is ready, when he is healed, and when he has received his first proper training. Until then," she pointed a sharp finger at the ground, "you will stay away from Kyle. Your idiocy has been seen by everyone here."
Torin's large body was trembling, but he knew he couldn't fight Rina. He couldn't challenge her as she was in the Binner ranks and a lot stronger than him. .
"Fine!" Torin snarled, his eyes burning with hatred as they stared past Rina, straight at Kyle. "Enjoy your pampered recovery, Softblade! I will call you out. I will call you to the Ring of Valor when you think you're ready, and I will shatter this little lie you've built and will see myself if your demon taught you how to bleed!"
With one final, violent snort, Torin spun around and stormed away, Gar and Brod quickly following their leader, their axes clanking as they retreated.
The crowd let out a huge, collective breath. Rix, visibly relieved, immediately rushed to Rina's side.
"Rina!! that was brilliant. You saved the situation," Rix said, wiping the imaginary sweat from his brow.
Rina ignored him. The stern look on her face melted as she turned to Kyle. Her dark, intelligent eyes, which had been so cold toward Torin, now radiated an intense mix of worry, fear, and profound relief.
She took Kyle's hand and started walking towards his hut which was at the west side of the village. Where poor people lived.
They remained silent during the whole walk to the hut and then entered his hut which was almost at the edge of breaking down any moment. The door closed behind their back.
and then…
"Kyle," she whispered, her hands gently grabbing his shoulders. "You absolute fool. What were you thinking? You are barely stronger than an old woman right now! You could have been seriously hurt! Do you have any idea how much weaker a Low Novice is compared to a Peak Novice brute like Torin?"
Kyle let his knees buckle slightly, allowing the weight of the last two days to finally settle onto her steady hands. He used his C-Charm to radiate overwhelming, focused gratitude, making her feel like the most important person in the entire world.
"Rina," he whispered, his voice low and ragged, playing the trauma perfectly. "I wasn't thinking. I was running. And I kept running East, out of the Dark Forest, because I knew you were here. I needed to see your face. I needed to know the only memory I had left was real."
The lie was devastating. Rina Nippleborn, the logical genius, had no defense. Her protection of him, her loyalty, her intelligence—all were suddenly framed as the ultimate, sacred reason for his survival. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.
"Kyle," she whispered, her logic completely overwhelmed by the emotional onslaught. "Don't say that. You don't know what you're saying. I just..."
"I have to say it, Rina," Kyle countered, closing the last few inches between them. His eyes were wide and vulnerable, but beneath that, his purpose was ruthless. "You saved me from a demon, and then you saved me from Torin. You are my only protection, my only certainty in this insane new life. You gave me back my life."
He raised his hand, the hand that had endured the Torin's mana enforced strike, and gently cupped her cheek. His thumb stroked her skin lightly, focusing all his C-Charm into the small gesture.
"And now I need to anchor the power," he murmured, his gaze falling once more to her lips. "The Elder would call it a ritual. I call it holding onto the only thing that is real."
Rina's eyes fluttered shut. Her intellectual guard was completely gone. She was drowning in his raw need for her.
"Kyle... we shouldn't," she breathed, but the protest was weak, purely formal. "Not yet. You're too weak..."
"I'm strong enough for this," Kyle assured her, his voice low, a deep promise. He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers. "Just one moment of certainty. Just you."
He closed the final distance.
His lips met hers. The kiss was not one of lust, but one of overwhelming, consuming emotional need. Rina responded instantly, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling his naked body closer to her. Her fear for him, her relief at his survival, her deep, long-held affection for the boy she had protected—all poured into the kiss. She wasn't kissing the Softblade; she was kissing the hero who had risked everything and returned back for her.
The kiss deepened, becoming desperate and perfect.
The System Notification Chimed in!!
[Quest completed: First Kiss (Rina Nippleborn)]
[Reward: 10 Dickies]
[Daily Quest Unlocked: whom to kiss]
[Reward: 2 Dickies]
Kyle slowly pulled back, his lips sticky, his eyes radiating a deep, consuming satisfaction that felt intensely personal to Rina.
"Thank you, Rina," he whispered, his eyes shining with fabricated gratitude. "I feel.... Like the chaos in my heart is finally receding and I know that you did that. You are my anchor."
Rina stared at him, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks flushed bright red. She looked deeply shaken, overwhelmed, and completely convinced that she had just performed a vital, healing ritual for the man she cared about. Her genius mind was already working to justify the intense physical reaction she was feeling.
"I—I'll find you a proper deer hide to wear and get you some medicinal herbs," she stammered, needing to pull back and regain her composure. "You need to sleep. We'll speak to the Elder and explain everything in the morning."
As she rushed out of his hut, Kyle sank back onto the soft fur mattress. He allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smile. He had earned his first 10 Dickies from the tribe's most powerful woman, simply by being the most charming and calculating liar in the village.
He had successfully secured his most powerful protector among his peers as his first revenue stream.