"So? What was that about being too erotic and that anyone would be fucking Oxen-Bovin if it had a bit human like face" Lia asked Kyle with a straight face.
"Ah that... *Cough*.. *Cough*... It was... Nothing. Yea nothing"
"But I clearly heard it you know... "
"Ah no I was just bullshitting to lighten up the mood. Also to mate with them first the person needs to have a cock like male oxen-bovin" Kyle tried bullshitting by whatever came into his mind.
But then....
A system notification popped up in his mind. It sounded robotic but what it said was definitely not opening and a big eye opener.
[ Dick Tree Can evolve your penis structure and shape into a monster's penis once you have successfully unlocked the current routes till Lv. 4]
"Huh??... WTF!!! DO YOU MEAN??? " he screamed in his mind.
This dumb-shit system!! what does it think my dick is....arghhh..
Whatever... I will think about this when I reach that stage. I have a more important matter in my hand right now and my time is slipping fast.
He thought while looking at Lia.
"You know... You are getting pinned down easily by any monster we come across. Even this beast was able to almost injure you"
"Where are you going with that?" Lia asked not expecting him to turn the conversation to her.
I mean "Lia… look at your arms."
She blinked, confused for a moment, then glanced down at the faint tremble in her hands. The forest was still humming around them—distant clicks, low groans, the brush of mist against bark—yet Kyle's tone cut through it.
"You're still shaking from that last dodge," he said softly. "Also I admit that your reaction speed is definitely good… but…just good enough for monsters like these."
Lia scowled. "So now you're trying to tell me I'm weak?...you a Mid-novice rank telling me??"
"No," he said immediately, shaking his head. "I'm just stating the facts and saying that your body is too tense and stiff. I have noticed that your muscles lock up when you get stressed. That's why you can't twist out of the way fast enough."
She glared—but the frustration in her eyes wasn't aimed at him. It was at herself.
He pressed forward while she was off-balance.
"Well… There's actually a training I know that can be helpful for you" he murmured. "A… stim-response routine that hunters use to loosen their nerves and improve their reflex chains."
"Stim… what?" she asked suspiciously.
Kyle coughed, looking away as if embarrassed. "Well..It's… uhh… kind of hands-on."
Her eyes narrowed further. "Define 'hands-on.'"
He lifted both palms. "It's just…umm… a kind of focused stimulation along certain muscles. Like shoulders, legs, thighs, wrists and lower back. It resets the tension loops so your body could respond faster when something lunges at you."
She stared, still unconvinced. "And what?—you know how to do that suddenly?"
"Yes. Have been seeing that for years now." he lied smoothly.
"You? Watching body-enhancing training?"
"Yes, you do know about me being childhood friend of Rina right and also know how talented she is. I have seen her mother helping her with this technique"
"Hmm..that. Does sound reasonable? "Lia nodded.
Kyle sighed dramatically, seeing that she still had some doubts "And also… I don't want to die next time we are on hunt and something like Stalker pops up. Especially… not because my partner froze up at the critical moment of the fight."
Her jaw clenched. "I didn't freeze."
"You hesitated for half a second, Miss," he corrected gently. "And that's enough to get someone killed."
Lia bit her lip, gaze flicking away to the shadows of the trees. She hated that he was right.
Kyle saw it—the tiny crack in her resistance—and pushed with quiet confidence.
"If we do this," he said, "I can genuinely help in improving your reflex timings and well It's not magic, it's not weird, it's just… contact-based training."
"With you touching me," she muttered.
"With me helping you survive," he countered.
Silence.
Wind rustled through the branches, a strange bird screeching somewhere above. The forest always felt like it was watching, waiting, choosing its next meal.
Lia exhaled sharply. "And this will actually improve my reaction speed?"
"Yes," Kyle said without missing a beat.
"…And it won't be weird?"
"Not unless you make it weird."
She shot him a flat look.
He raised his hands again. "Okay, okay—I won't make it weird."
She sighed, long and exhausted, then rubbed her forehead.
"Fine," Lia muttered. "You can… help. But if you try anything remotely pervy—"
"I won't," Kyle lied with an innocent smile far too convincing for its own good.
"—I will punch you."
"Totally fair," he said cheerfully.
She crossed her arms, trying to hide the faint flush rising in her cheeks.
"Fine…Just get it over with."
Kyle grinned.
"Gladly!... but you know we need to move to somewhere safe and away from the team. I don't want to give them any wrong ideas. Especially when my public image is changing for the better."
" Yea Sure smartass…you don't" Lia rolled her eyes at his comment and then went forward towards Jor and instructed them to move forward without waiting for them and deliver the Oxen-Bovina to the village.
"But what will you be doing then?" jor asked.
" Well it's not everyday we have an easy mission and complete it early. I want to help Kyle get familiar with the forest… I mean he is the weakest but has the sharpest mind among the team. This would help him and the team in the long run, "Lia said.
"Oohh…that's actually pretty nice of you captain. Sure, go forward. We will deliver the beast back ourselves" Jor nodded and then left with others waving a goodbye and good luck to Kyle.
After the team left, Lia and Kyle moved a bit to the east and found a short cave covered in thick vines. This was a rest point for the village's hunters.
Lia entered it quickly whereas Kyle stayed for few seconds and moved inside…he knew he had successfully hooked her and now it was a matter of time before he got his another 50 dickies reward.