Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Lysander’s cool composure broke. His purple eyes widened in panic, and he stumbled backward over his own feet, nearly tripping over a tree root. "I... That’s not... I didn’t say I forgot! I only... I was simply referencing the facts!"

Ingrid could hardly believe her luck. This terrifying, powerful, two dicked snake who could slice through zombie beasts without batting an eye was standing here in front of her, practically stammering like a high school kid getting teased by his crush. She had never realized this man could be so ridiculously shy!

Naturally, being the merciful person she was, she decided to push him as hard as she possibly could.

"Oh, don’t be like that, Lysander!" Ingrid purred loudly, stepping closer with a dramatic sigh, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "You were certainly not this shy last night when you were holding me so tightly! Remember when you whispered..."

"Ingrid, stop," Lysander warned, his voice cracking slightly.

"And what about that part where you continued thrusting your two dicks into my mouth and you wouldn’t let me go even when I asked for a break? You were so wild, you cummed on me multiple times! Who knew beneath that mysterious veil was a total..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lysander practically jumped forward, his hands slapping directly over her mouth to seal it shut.

"Stop talking!" he hissed, his face burning red beneath his veil, his bright purple eyes pleading with her to end his misery. "Just... Please, close your mouth! People could be nearby!"

"Mmph! Mmmph!" Ingrid slapped his hands and glared at him. But behind his palms, she was still smiling.

"If I let you go, will you shut up and stop saying these things?"

Ingrid’s eyes danced with amusement but she let out a muffled giggle against his palm and gave him an exaggerated, slow nod to show that she understood. Lysander stared into her eyes for a long moment, making sure she was actually going to comply, before he slowly, hesitantly pulled his hand away from her face.

"Still, you could have told me thank you."

"Thank you," he muttered under his breath immediately. But without giving her another second to open her mouth and utter another word, he turned around instantly, grabbed the wooden cart handles, and began marching away down the trail at a speed that almost bordered on a full sprint.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ingrid laughed, trotting along behind him at a comfortable pace.

Now that she had thoroughly broken his spirit for the morning, she decided to finally take a look at what was going on in her head. She called out to her internal system.

’Lorna, wake up. Let’s see what we got from finishing that very interesting mission yesterday.’

’ Ding !’ A glowing golden interface popped up in Ingrid’s visual field, practically exploding with celebratory virtual confetti and flashing lights.

{Main Mission: Save Lysander & Detoxify the miasma from his core — COMPLETED!}

{Rewards Granted: +10,000 Revenge Points!}

{Special System Item Granted: Ultimate Body-Shaping Weight Loss Pill x1!}

{System Level Up! New Feature Unlocked: Daily Side Quest Board!}

Ingrid’s jaw hit the forest floor so hard she almost tripped over her own feet. ’Holy Moly! It’s actually true. You added my points!’ she shrieked internally, her eyes practically popping out of her skull as she stared at the glowing pill icon in her inventory.

’Host! Congratulations !’ Lorna’s voice vibrated with extreme excitement in her mind. ’ You are rich in Revenge Points now! But look at your physical reward, the Weight Loss Pill! It will refine your body’s metabolism, shed all your unwanted fat, and sculpt your physique into a goddess tier without a single side effect!’

Ingrid’s heart did a violent backflip in her chest. A weight loss pill?! It was a real magical weight loss pill?! After spending so much time feeling sluggish and self-conscious in this heavy, awkward body, this was literally the greatest moment of her life! Tears of absolute joy welled up in her eyes. She wanted to scream, jump up and down, and throw a one-woman dance party right there in the middle of the woods.

’Give it to me, Lorna! I want to be snatched!’ Ingrid screamed in her mind, practically drooling at the thought.

’Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Host!’ Lorna interjected quickly, slapping a giant virtual stop sign across Ingrid’s vision. ’Do NOT take it right now! Detoxifying and reshaping your entire bodily structure is a drastic process. It will flush out impurities, cause extreme temperature changes, and leave you completely bedridden for days while your body transforms! You need to wait until we get home! Once you are safely inside your own room, I will give you the full instructions on how to take it properly!’

Ingrid let out a dramatic, heartbroken whine, but she knew Lorna was right. Transforming into a supermodel in the middle of a monster-infested forest while Lysander dragged her in a wooden cart was probably a terrible idea. She forced herself to calm down, clutching her cheeks as she giggled like a lunatic internally.

’Fine, fine! Home it is! But the second I step through my front door, that pill is going down my throat!’

She wiped her watery eyes and refocused on the screen. The 10,000-30 points for clothes were gleaming brilliantly in her balance. Her eyes then drifted over to the new tab that had appeared on the edge of the screen labeled [Side Quests & Local Gathering].

’ Host !’ Lorna’s cheerful voice rang out again. ’Welcome to the Side Quest system! Since you need to build up your standing and make extra currency, these mini-missions are perfect for you!’

’Mini-missions?’ Ingrid asked in her mind as she walked behind the cart. ’Like what? Defeat ten wild slime monsters?’

’ Nope! It is way easier!’ Lorna replied, presenting a list of icons on the screen. ’ Due to your current level, you can only do simple, everyday tasks to gather points and make money! For example, picking rare wild herbs and selling them at the local beastmen market! However, once your current level changes, these side quests won’t be available anymore. You’ll have to do harder ones. As of now, we are currently traveling through the path of the Whispering Ravine. This area is packed with valuable medicinal flora that normal merchants and beastmen don’t have the courage to harvest because they’re terrified of the lingering swamp aura.’

Ingrid’s eyes lit up like bright searchlights. ’Wait... Really? I’ll get a lot of money if I sell them?’

’ Exactly !’ Lorna confirmed. ’ If you gather them, you can sell them in the town market for a massive amount of real money! AND the system will award you extra System Points for completing the gathering quests! Look here: there is even a passive mission that says: [Earn 1,000 Gold Coins in the Real World] -> Reward: +300 System Points!’

Ingrid’s mind was practically spinning with dollar signs. Real money! System points! Doing basic, day-to-day gathering tasks that didn’t involve getting chased by giant mutant flesh-eaters! This was a jackpot!

’Lorna, pull up the herb map right now,’ Ingrid commanded excitedly. ’We are going on a shopping spree!’

She immediately jogged up beside Lysander, who was still pulling the cart with a stiff, rigid back, refusing to look at her.

"Lysander!" Ingrid shouted happily. "Can we stop and gather some herbs to sell at the market?!"

Lysander abruptly stopped walking. He slowly turned his head to look at her, his purple eyes filled with sheer shock. "Gather herbs? To sell in the market?"

"Yeah! Why not?" Ingrid asked, bouncing slightly on her heels.

Lysander stared at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. "Ingrid... ever since you came to the tribe, you’ve refused to step anywhere near the market. You hated going outside, you refused to interact with the other beastmen, and you spent every single day holed up inside your house doing nothing."

He paused, his voice dropping. "You never worked. You never earned money. That’s one of the reasons why everyone in the tribe disliked you so much and called you a useless freeloader. And now you suddenly want to harvest wild herbs and run a market stall?"

Ingrid’s smile stiffened for a microsecond.

’Yikes,’ she thought to herself. ’The original owner of this body really was a total nightmare of a couch potato, wasn’t she?’

Quickly assembling an excuse in her head, Ingrid squeezed out a small, embarrassed cough and patted her chest gently. "Oh, come on, Lysander! You don’t understand! Back then, I wasn’t being lazy... I was just scared! You know how terrible my reputation was in the tribe. Everyone was always judging me and bullying me, so I didn’t have the courage to go outside and face them."

She paused, looking up at him with the most innocent, earnest eyes she could muster. "While I was holed up in my room all those days, I wasn’t just sleeping. Actually, I was secretly studying all about medicinal herbs. I read tons of books. I wanted to make sure that whenever I finally gathered enough courage to come out, I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else or be a burden to the tribe."

Inside her mind, Ingrid was practically throwing up at her own words. ’Gosh, what bullshit. Lorna, please tell me he buys this. I sound like a tragic anime protagonist.’