John sat there for a long moment with Selio's warm, sleeping weight draped across his lap, the hybrid's furry cheek pressed against his shoulder and soft, rhythmic breaths tickling the side of his neck.
The office air felt thicker now, heavy with the mingled scents of sweat, sex, and the faint metallic tang that always lingered after he used the system. His old fat body ached in places he had almost forgotten, thighs burning from the effort, lower back protesting the awkward angle against the desk edge. He realized, with a slow, creeping clarity that made his stomach twist, that he had just had real sex for the first time in his entire life.
Not the frantic, lonely sessions back in Saitama with nothing but his hand and a screen, but actual, living contact. The heat of another body, the tight clench around him, the way Selio had chirped and shuddered and fallen asleep still wrapped around him like he belonged there.
It should have felt monumental, like some kind of milestone worth savoring, but there was no time to process any of it.
The thought slipped away almost as soon as it arrived, pushed aside by the heavier weight of everything else still unfinished.
He could not afford to sit here getting lost in his own head. Not when the map on the monitor still glowed with the aftermath of his last tantrum, not when the frustration from that failed 10v1 still simmered low in his gut like acid.
He shifted carefully, one hand stroking down Selio's back in slow, absent circles, feeling the soft rise and fall of the hybrid's breathing. The decision settled quick and practical: it was best to start small, to test the waters again without diving straight back into another kingdom-sized mess. Overthrowing a goblin village sounded manageable. Something contained. Something he could play with while he figured out the rest of his next moves. John reached over with his free hand, the motion gentle enough not to wake Selio, and pulled the glowing globe interface closer. The planet spun lazily under his touch, continents blurring past as he scoured the surface for anything that looked promising.
Most of what he found were scattered packs of lesser ferals roaming open plains or dense forests, small groups of wild-eyed creatures that moved on all fours and communicated in nothing but growls and gestures.
They were too primal, too unpredictable, and he had no interest in trying to rule over something that might bite his hand off the second he turned around. He kept zooming, fingers tapping controls that made rivers and mountain ranges streak by in streaks of color. Hours seemed to pass in the quiet glow of the monitors, though the office clock had barely moved. The search felt endless, the planet larger and emptier than he had expected, until finally one settlement caught his eye.
It was a lesser advanced tribe tucked into a narrow valley where the trees thinned out into rocky clearings. Five hundred souls, the system overlay read, their structures simple wooden huts clustered around a central fire pit that still smoked faintly even at this distance.
What made them different was the way they carried themselves. Built like femboys, slender and soft-hipped with delicate features that the map's high-resolution feed captured in crisp detail, yet they spoke in full sentences.
He watched a small group move around the fire, voices carrying just enough for the audio feed to pick up fragments of conversation about hunting routes and shared stores. They had language. They had community. They were perfect for a first real test. John's mouth curved into a small, tired smile. This would do. A village of five hundred felt like the right scale to start reclaiming some control without burning half the continent again.
He tried selecting War as his avatar for the teleportation out of habit, fingers already moving toward the option before the system window flashed red in front of his face. Error notification, bold letters stark against the blue glow. "Since War is dead you can only use him when a world war is happening."
The words sat there mocking him for a second, the finality of it sinking in like a slap.
FUCK.
John exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound loud in the quiet room, and closed the window with a flick of irritation.
Fine.
He would just goof around with his powers instead, keep things loose and experimental until he figured out a better approach.
No need to force the big dramatic entrance right away. He could revive Selio, so why not push it further? The thought clicked into place with sudden clarity. If the system let him bring one back, it had to let him bring another. Lui.
The cocky lesser male fox-boy. sharp tongue and fake bravado masking whatever loyalty had made him fight when he did not have to.
John pulled up the death logs again, the scrolling list filling the monitor wall with its cold, endless river of names. He typed the name in, fingers steady despite the fatigue still weighing on his shoulders, and watched the entry appear.
Found.
Died the same day as Selio, same brutal circumstances. He selected revive without hesitation, pouring in the necessary essence from the growing reserve, and confirmed.
The air in the office shimmered for a moment, folding in on itself with a soft pop that made the monitors flicker once.
Then Lui appeared on the floor a few feet away, sprawled out on his back like he had been dropped mid-step.
The fox-boy gasped awake almost immediately, chest heaving as his eyes snapped open and darted around the unfamiliar space. Stone walls, glowing screens, the faint hum of electronics he had never seen before. His ears twitched, tail flicking once against the floor, and his gaze finally landed on John. Confusion clouded his face for half a second before recognition hit, sharp and disbelieving.
"Where the fuck am I?"