After that insane night with Kelly, I left before dawn, slipping away while the stars still lingered in the sky. I wasn’t about to risk waking up at her place in broad daylight, letting people see me—especially not Anna. She’d think I was some kind of immoral perverted bastard.
Maybe I was.
The streets were eerily silent as I strode home, the chill of the early morning biting at my skin. Unlocking the door with my spare key, I stepped inside, careful not to make any noise as I headed straight to my room.
But the moment I entered, I froze.
Something was off.
My bed wasn’t empty.
A figure lay sprawled across it, and as I stepped closer, my pulse quickened. I saw a glimpse of thick, familiar thighs peeking from under a pink nightie, one leg bent slightly while the other stretched out.
Ivy.
She was sleeping, her soft snores filling the room, oblivious to my shock. But that peace didn’t last long—I grabbed her shoulder and shook her awake.
She yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes before looking up at me.
"Ma-ster... you’re back," she murmured drowsily.
I shook her harder, my voice low but sharp. "What the hell are you doing here?"
She blinked lazily, still half-asleep. "I came to apologize."
"Apologize?" I scoffed. "And how the hell did you even get in my room?"
She smirked. "I’m an A-rank hunter."
I rolled my eyes. "Right. And what if you picked the wrong room? What if you ended up in my mother’s room instead?"
She shrugged. "I’m an A-rank hunter."
I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Whatever. But don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for what you did to my mother. That’s unforgivable."
At that, she sat up, her sleepiness vanishing as she met my eyes. Then she gulped as if gathering her words.
"My daughter likes you, Asher," she said. "And I don’t want to be the kind of mother who stands in the way of her daughter’s happiness. That’s why I came—to apologize. So we can start fresh. No grudges. No bad blood."
Anna likes me?
I stared at her, silent, mulling it over. She wasn’t wrong. The last thing I needed was Anna figuring out I was on bad terms with her mother, that’ll only lead to lots of questions that’d reveal secrets l don’t want the world to know.
"Fine," I grumbled. "Go on, apologize—then get out. I need to sleep."
A slow, sly smile curled on her lips. And before I could react, she grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me onto the bed. My breath hitched as she reached for my waistband.
I jerked back. "Whoa—whoa! What the hell are you doing?"
She leaned in, her voice a sultry whisper.
"Apologizing."
Her lips inched closer to my crotch.
The hell?!
This woman was dangerously seducing me!
She pulled my trousers off.
The rest was history.
Drained from my rough night with Kelly, my system recommended an item from the store called Cougar’s Heat Potion, which triggers heightened arousal and endless endurance during sex, but it only works on mature lovers.
Once my stamina was restored, I went all in on Ivy, stopping only when the first rays of sunlight crept through the window.
She slipped out of my room, still in her nightie, moving with the stealth of a shadow. But I was confident no one saw her.
As she liked to remind me—she was an A-rank hunter, after all.
"Mom, I’ll be going on a dungeon raid for a few days," I announced, breaking the silence during breakfast with my family.
"Let’s go together, brother dearest! I have nothing to do anyway. The academy is on pause because of that incident during your field trip." Sharon chimed in, more obnoxious than usual—despite it still being early morning.
"NO!" I snapped. "I work alone. If you want a dungeon raid, go on your own!"
As Sharon whined about how she would be a great help, Mom finally spoke up. "Why do you feel the need to go on a dungeon, son?"
I exhaled deeply.
Then, lied.
"I just... want to test my limits against monsters. And also sell some gems so I can provide for us. I mean... we’re about to run out of funds, aren’t we?"
Mom shook her head. "Not quite. Yesterday, the guild receptionist brought a stack of 100 gold coins. She said it was your reward for slaying that reaper monster. So, we have plenty of money for now."
Dammit! I can’t believe I missed the chance to see that hot receptionist! She’s on my bucket list! One day, she’ll moan my name and apologize for all the hell she put me through as l judge her with my rod.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked at Mom firmly. "Alright, then I want to raid dungeons to get stronger!"
She looked surprised at first, then chuckled. "You really have changed, Asher. But I’m glad you’re so passionate. Alright, but be careful, okay?"
"Yes, Mom." I beamed. I might not be her real son, but getting her permission before any journey just felt like the right thing to do. At least, she wouldn’t worry too much if I was gone for a while.
Escaping Sharon, however, was another battle entirely. She insisted on coming along. I tried dashing through alleyways, hoping to shake her off, but the brat was as persistent as ever.
"System lady!" I called out. "Can’t you just teleport me to Felmora Kingdom like you did with the demon realm?"
[I can’t use teleportation magic.]
[That’s a skill you need to master on your own.]
The system deadpanned!
"What? Are you kidding me? You literally teleported me to—"
[Not necessarily.]
[I simply analyzed the portal to the demon realm that the Revolutionaries drew on the floor.]
[The only place I can send you is back and forth between this world and the demon realm.]
"Wait... So if you teleport me to the demon realm and then back to the human world, does that mean you can drop me off anywhere I want?"
[Yes. But only to places you’ve been before.]
"So basically, my teleportation is a one-way trip to hell before I can actually go where I want? This is like ordering fast food and being told I have to pick it up in the underworld first!"
[Yeah, duh! If you don’t like it, learn to teleport yourself and stop bugging me!]
My system fumed. So teleportation was now out of the picture since l had never been to Felmora before.
The kingdom was far. Even with a phantom chariot, it would take two days to get there. A horse-drawn cart? At least ten.
I didn’t have enough money for a phantom chariot—not that I could operate one since it required mana. And I didn’t have enough for a horse and cart either!
That’s when an idea struck me. If I can’t teleport or use road transport there, I’ll just have to fly!
That brat, Rose’s daughter, knew how to fly. I’d ask her to teach me. Besides, time moved slower in the demon realm, so a few days there of flight training wouldn’t delay my journey to the cat girl’s kingdom.
"System, take me to the demon realm."
I stopped in an alleyway, catching my breath.
"Finally, I’ve found you!" Sharon’s voice rang out as she ran toward me.
A magic circle materialized below my feet as l let out a smirk. "Sorry, sis, but I’m going solo on this one."
Before she could react—
Zoop!
I vanished into the portal, straight to the demon lord’s castle.
I really would’ve enjoyed seeing the look on her mischievous face, though.
TBC