Miraya was still waiting for Rick to say something. She was getting more and more worried about how he was doing mentally. Rick tried to think of a response that wouldn’t make him sound crazy.
"I was just curious," Rick said weakly. "You look like you know what you’re doing and are very professional, so I thought you might be older."
"Not that twenty-nine isn’t, um, grown up. I mean, you are definitely grown up...! Just not technically..." He stopped talking because he knew he was worsening it.
Miraya blinked at him and then laughed. "Oh gods, you really are serious about this mature affinity thing, aren’t you? For your power to work, you really need to talk to older women."
Rick said, "It’s hard..."
"I’ll say." Miraya’s laughter turned into a smile of amusement. "I’m sorry I don’t meet your power needs, but I’m happy to help you as a receptionist."
"And hey, look at the bright side, I’ll be thirty in less than a year. Maybe come back and talk to me again, okay?"
She winked at him, which was clearly a tease, and it made Rick’s eyes open so wide. It felt like it was a green flag raised right in front of him.
[MIRAYA BRIGHTWOOD LOVE: 0 → 1]
[WARNING: TARGET IS NOT OLD ENOUGH]
[NO EXPERIENCE GAIN POSSIBLE]
[ADVICE FROM THE SYSTEM: STOP WASTING TIME]
Sebastian appeared on the counter between them. Miraya couldn’t see him, but Rick could. "Look! The system won’t even record any meaningful gains in affection."
"You can’t have her, so stop staring at her and get your head out of your ass and move to find someone who is thirty years old, you idiot."
"But look at her... she’s so fucking beautiful, I really want to be spoiled by her in bed!"
"Look at my face! Do I look like I care?" Sebastian showed the most not-give-a-fuck face to him.
Rick let out a sigh and moved on to a new topic. "So, what about those first quests? What would you suggest for someone who has never fought before?"
Miraya’s smile for work came back. "Gathering quests is always a good idea. There is currently a standing order for fire lilies from the meadow west of town."
"The alchemist’s shop pays two silver for every ten bundles of these. They are used in basic healing potions, and the good thing is there are no monsters in that area during the day, so it’s ideal for new adventurers."
Rick said, "That sounds doable," happy to talk about something apart from age limits.
Miraya pulled out a specific posting and said, "There’s also an escort quest where an old woman named Martha needs someone to walk with her to the next village to see her daughter."
"It takes three hours to walk there and back, and it costs five silver. It’s safe but boring."
Sebastian’s monocle practically sparkled with interest when he heard the word ’elderly.’ "That sounds good now! Elderly usually means over fifty. If you’re kind to her, you could have a lot of love."
"How old?" Rick asked, trying to sound relaxed.
Miraya looked at the posting details and said, "Martha’s in her early sixties."
"She was a nice lady. Her daughter keeps asking her to move to the village for good, but Martha is determined to stay in Thornwick. She goes there once a month."
[Martha, age 62, is a possible target.]
[ESTIMATED LOVE POTENTIAL: MODERATE]
[QUEST COMPATIBILITY: HIGH]
[RECOMMENDATION: TAKE THIS QUEST]
Rick said, "I’ll take the escort quest," before he could change his mind.
Miraya looked shocked. "Really? Most new adventurers like to start their first quest by gathering items because escort quests can be boring, and Martha talks a lot."
Rick said honestly, "I don’t mind. Plus, it’s safer than fighting monsters, right?"
"That’s true." Miraya wrote down the quest assignment in her ledger after she thought about it.
"Around nine o’clock, Martha usually leaves in the middle of the morning. Tomorrow, meet her at the east gate. She’ll be the one with the big suitcase and the loud opinions about everything."
Rick put the quest paper with his guild card. "Thanks, Miraya. For everything."
"I’m just doing my job," she said with a smile. "Good luck tomorrow."
"And don’t let the teasing get to you. Adventurers love to discuss other people’s business, but they’ll quickly find something else to do. People won’t care about your profession as long as you do your part and complete quests."
Rick said, "I hope you’re right."
He heard whispers from tables nearby as he turned to go up to his room.
"That’s the guy who likes mature women."
"Do you think he likes Captain Carmilla?" They came in at the same time.
"No way, she’s too good for him."
"But his power really does make him stronger when he’s around older women. She could be just what he needs."
"That lucky bastard."
Rick hurried up the stairs as fast as he could without running, trying to ignore the rumors about his love life that were still going around. Miraya said that Room 214 would be there, and it was. It was a small room with a bed, a small desk, a wardrobe, and a window that looked out over the town square.
He fell onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened in less than a day. He had died, come back to life, found out he had the most embarrassing cheat ability ever, almost died again, been saved by a beautiful knight widow, finished his first quest, leveled up, and become the talk of the guild.
Rick said to the empty room, "This is my life now."
Sebastian showed up and sat cross-legged on the desk. "Yes, it is. And tomorrow, you’ll take a 62-year-old woman to the next village, where you’ll probably hear her whole life story."
"Better than fighting goblins by yourself," Rick said.
"That’s true. I guess it’s baby steps." Sebastian introduced some changes to his monocle. "Since you have time, let me show you how things are going for you now."
"You need to know what leveling up really did for you."
Rick saw a see-through screen appear.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[NAME: RICK ROLLAND]
[AGE: 24]
[LEVEL: 2]
[PROFESSION: MATURE AFFINITY USER]
[HP: 120/120]
[MP: 80/80]
[STRENGTH: 8]
[AGILITY: 7]
[ENDURANCE: 9]
[INTELLIGENCE: 12]
[WISDOM: 11]
[CHARISMA: 6]
[LUCK: 14]
[Affinity Bonus: +2 to all interactions with women over 30]
[ACTIVE SKILLS: None]
[PASSIVE SKILLS: Basic Combat Awareness Level 1]
[CURRENT BONDS:]
[Carmilla Crimsonford (Affection 6/10) gets a bonus of +5% Physical Defense.]
Rick looked at the numbers. They weren’t outstanding, but they were better than nothing. It was a little rude to say that his charisma was only six, but it was probably true because of how terrible he was at socializing.
Sebastian said, "The Affinity Bonus is your bread and butter."
"Every time you talk to a woman who meets your criteria, it gets a little better. They find you more likable, trustworthy, and memorable. It’s a small effect, but it builds up over time."
"And what about the bond bonus from Carmilla?"
"Each person you get close to gives you different benefits depending on who they are and how you get along with them. Carmilla’s instinct to protect you makes your physical defense stronger."
"That bonus will get bigger as her love for you grows, and the benefits become massive when affection is at its highest."
"What happens when you love someone at level ten?"
It was difficult to tell what Sebastian was smiling about. "You’ll have to find that out. Let’s just say that the rewards are worth the work, it’s the same shit you always wanted in your previous life."
Rick put that away for later. He was exhausted for now. He felt like he had been awake for forty-eight hours straight because the adrenaline from the day’s events had worn off.
Rick said, "I’m going to bed. Wake me up if something important happens."
Sebastian said with contempt, "I’m a system administrator, not an alarm clock. But okay. Get some sleep, you’ll need it."
Rick finally let himself relax when the butler left. Tomorrow would bring new problems, new tasks, and probably new things that would make him feel awful.
But for tonight, he was still alive and had a warm bed with a roof over his head. That was all.
"Can you leave now and not see me right now?"
"Why? Don’t tell me..."
"I can’t sleep before imagining some good milfs I can meet soon."
"You’re fucking disgusting!"