The moment the assassin vanished into the rain, my legs gave out.
I didn't fall gracefully. I slid down the brick wall like a wet sticker peeling off glass, landing in a puddle of muddy water.
(Ow. Ow. My ribs. My dignity.)
The golden text of the System hovered in front of my face, mocking me.
[Current Lifespan: 0 Months, 0 Days, 59 Minutes.] [Warning: Mana Void is destabilizing. Heart failure imminent without Desire Point infusion.]
Fifty-nine minutes.
I had bought myself an hour of life by accidentally seducing a killer, but the adrenaline was fading fast. And as it faded, the Void returned.
It felt like a cold hand squeezing my heart.
"I need... energy," I wheezed, clutching my chest.
Not mana stones. Not electricity. I needed belief. I needed someone to look at me with hungry eyes, or my heart was going to stop beating for good.
A crash echoed from the main street, followed by the screech of a goblin.
I dragged myself up. My vision swam.
(If that's a cop, I'm arrested. If it's a monster, I'm dead. If it's a pizza delivery guy, I'm saved.)
I stumbled out of the alleyway.
It wasn't a pizza guy.
In the middle of the empty street, under the flickering light of a broken streetlamp, a girl was fighting for her life.
She wore a tattered novice gi and wielded a sword that looked too heavy for her. Her hair was black, tied back in a ponytail that whipped around as she swung wildly at three Green Goblins.
Runa Yozakura.
I recognized her from the Hunter Association brochures. The "Fallen Prodigy." She had massive mana reserves but zero control. She was famous for destroying property and failing missions.
Right now, she was losing against trash mobs.
"Die! Just die!" she screamed, swinging her blade.
It bounced off a goblin's wooden shield. The recoil made her stumble.
My System chimed.
[Target Identified: Runa Yozakura.] [Desire Potential: High.] [Suggestion: Make contact.]
I needed to touch her. Skinship generated 50 points. That would buy me... maybe a day? Or at least stop the chest pain.
But I couldn't just walk up and grope her. She was holding a sword. She'd cut my head off by accident.
I had to play the role.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to cough up a lung. I adjusted my soaking wet coat, slicked back my hair, and stepped into the light.
(Showtime. Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip.)
"Pathetic," I said loud enough to be heard over the rain.
Runa froze. She spun around, eyes wide. "Who's there?!"
The goblins paused too, confused by the new arrival.
I walked toward them. I didn't run. I couldn't run. A slow walk was all my heart could handle, but to them, it looked like the confident stride of a predator.
"You possess enough mana to level this block," I said, keeping my voice bored and monotone. "Yet you swing that blade like a frightened child swatting a fly."
(Please don't attack me. I have 1 HP.)
Runa blushed, shame coloring her cheeks. "I... I'm trying! Their defense is too high!"
"Their defense is garbage," I countered. "Your grip is the problem."
I stopped right next to her. The goblins screeched and charged.
Runa flinched, raising her sword. "Look out!"
I didn't move.
Mostly because my legs had locked up from fear, but it looked cool.
"Ignore the vermin," I commanded. "Focus on me."
(God, they have sharp teeth. Please kill them quickly.)
I stepped behind her. The goblins were three meters away. Two meters.
"Your hips," I whispered, leaning close to her ear. "They are too stiff. You are fighting the flow of energy instead of riding it."
I reached out.
My hands were trembling violently from the cold and the pain.
I placed my hands on her waist.
(Oh thank god, she's warm. She's a radiator. I'm going to hug her leg if I don't get energy soon.)
Runa gasped. Her body went rigid. "S-Sir?"
"Relax," I ordered, pressing my thumbs into her sides. "Let the power flow."
[System Alert: Physical Contact Established.] [Passive Seduction Active.] [Desire Points Gained: +10... +10...]
The pain in my chest vanished instantly. It was like drinking a Red Bull made of pure oxygen. Color returned to my vision.
Runa didn't push me away. She was trembling too, but not from fear.
My touch, amplified by the System, wasn't just a correction. To her, it probably felt like I was injecting high-voltage electricity directly into her nervous system.
"It... it feels strange," she stammered, her face turning crimson. "My mana... it's moving on its own!"
"Guide it," I said, guiding her hips into a proper stance. "Don't chop. Flow."
The lead goblin jumped at us, a rusty knife aimed at my face.
"Now," I whispered.
Runa swung.
It wasn't her usual clumsy chop. Guided by her belief that I was "unlocking" her potential, the System actually corrected her trajectory.
The blade whistled through the air.
Snick.
The goblin was cut cleanly in half. The force of the swing didn't stop there; a shockwave of wind pressure blasted the other two goblins into the brick wall, knocking them unconscious.
Silence.
Runa stood there, panting, staring at her sword.
"I... I did that?" she whispered.
I released her waist and took a step back, casually putting my hands in my pockets to hide the shaking.
"Barely," I critiqued harshy. "You wasted 30% of the energy on friction. A mediocre performance."
(That was awesome! Holy crap! You cut a monster in half!)
Runa turned around slowly. Her eyes were shining. The rain plastered her hair to her face, but she didn't seem to notice. She looked at me like I was a deity who had just descended from the heavens.
[Target Status: Awestruck.] [Desire Points Gained: +50.]
"Who... who are you?" she asked, her voice hushed.
I turned away, the wind billowing my coat dramatically.
"Renji Amagiri," I said. "Just a passing disappointment."
I started to walk away. I needed to get back to my apartment and eat instant noodles before I passed out from exhaustion.
I heard a splash behind me.
I turned back.
Runa Yozakura was on her knees in the mud. Her head was bowed, her hands pressed together in supplication.
"Master!" she shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. "Please! Take me as your disciple!"
(Wait, what? I just wanted free points.)
"I have no time for children," I bluffed.
"I have money!" she yelled. "I have my savings! I'll cook! I'll clean! Just... please touch me again! I mean—teach me again!"
The System window popped up with a cheerful ding.
[Quest Alert: The First Believer.] [Objective: Accept Runa as a disciple.] [Reward: Passive DP Income (Low).] [Failure Consequence: Death by Poverty.]
I looked at the kneeling girl. Then I looked at the "0 Yen" balance in my bank account.
I sighed, a long, weary sound that she probably interpreted as the burden of immense power.
"Fine," I said. "But my training... is very hands-on."
Runa's face turned an even darker shade of red, but her eyes burned with determination.
"I am ready, Master!"
(I am so going to jail.)