Lukey’s eyes slowly opened to the gleaming rays of the morning sun. The sky was clear, seagulls were squawking in the distance…

  And Lukey’s head was throbbing.

  “Ugh, what happened?” Lukey groaned, pushing himself up from the sand.

  As his hazy mind became clear, Lukey gradually began to take in his surroundings. To begin with, he was clearly lying on the beach; the problem was, he couldn’t tell where. A look at his surroundings revealed open waters in front of him and a mountain wall in the back. The location was enclosed by several other boulders that blocked off any vision to the sides, making it completely isolated.

  Did I get drunk and pass out here?

  Lukey tried to get up, but only then did he realize something heavy was latched onto each of his arms. Besides moving his upper body, he was immobilized, with both arms pinned to the sand. Lukey looked to his sides in confusion and became horrified by what he saw.

  Latched onto each of his arms were two women he was very familiar with. To his left was Saphina, who was wearing a skimpy outfit similar to the armor she wore during their recent mission, colored sea green to match her hair. On the right was Sona, who was wearing a similarly skimpy outfit, which consisted of two golden lines of cloth that wrapped vertically over her front before meeting up in the back. Both of them were sound asleep; neither noticed how they had their bodies wrapped around his arms.

  WHAT IN THE ABYSS HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!?

  Lukey began to panic internally as he began to consider the consequences of what might’ve happened last night. For Sona, if she woke up and felt Lukey took advantage of her, then she would probably deliver a beating that would grant him another extended stay in the Mystic Reef. For Saphina, she probably wouldn’t care, but her clan would probably shorten his head by the neck if they found out he touched their chief’s daughter.

  Lukey’s eyes began to buzz, and he slowly began to sweat as he tried to recall exactly what happened last night.

  Calm down, calm down. Just because they’re here, wrapped around my arms, doesn’t mean anything happened. C’mon, think! What happened?

  The last thing Lukey remembered was the ship floating into Bum’s Break, right in between the two mountains. Once it docked, everybody practically jumped off into the water to get drinks and food, courtesy of everyone who had set up food stalls on the beach. Lukey had done the same, sticking to rum and food, but his memory started to get a bit hazy when he tried recalling what happened after darkness fell. Lukey tried his best to remember but turned up nothing. His mind hurt too much, and he simply couldn't force himself to recall anything in his position. A moment later, however, he got an idea.

  Maybe whatever happened gave me a title? If it did, it might give me something to go on.

  A quick [Insight] brought up his list of titles; however, there was nothing new to be seen. Panicking, Lukey quickly went through every aspect of his body he could think of—attributes, internal channels, anything that could give him a clue as to what occurred. It wasn’t until he checked his list of arts on a whim that he found something unusual. Right where the undeveloped art was, there was a strange new entry.

  Once Lukey saw the art, all the memories from last night hit him like a ton of bricks.

  …

  Last Night

  The tranquil moon sat high in the night sky, and it shared its light with all of Bum’s Break.

  Torches lined and illuminated the beach, food vendors were handing out sticks of fried eel and fruit bowls topped with sugar and cream, and a band had been assembled along the southern end, banging their drums in low tones while a dancing breeze came from the flutes. At least a thousand people had come to celebrate the reopening of the beach and the creation of the new sovereign icon.

  Lukey, meanwhile, was busy trying to see how low he could go.

  “A little lower!”

  “You got this!”

  “He’s nearly touching the sand!”

  The voices from the crowd blurred as he did his best to bend back as far as he could go, bending his knees until both they and his back nearly touched the ground. Above him was a wooden pole, which was placed roughly two feet off the ground along two wooden posts. Getting under it would have proven impossible for most people, but for Lukey, who had trained his legs to the point of exhaustion, this was a breeze.

  Lukey kept his body bent over as he slowly hopped beneath the wooden pole, inching himself forward with every motion. His waist was nearly touching the pole, but he continued onward as he kept hopping forward. Eventually, he was able to make it up to his chest before having to bend even lower to avoid touching his head on the pole. Finally, once his rat’s tail had cleared the pole, he pushed his knees up and raised both hands in celebration.

  “Awesome!” One man said.

  “That was great, kid!” Cheered a woman.

  “Up top!” Said another man.

  Compliments poured in from the men and women around him as Lukey gave high-fives all around. Instead of responding, he simply smiled and accepted it all with sheepish grace before excusing himself to go get a drink.

  This is getting tiring. I need some food in my stomach, and maybe some alcohol to help me with the socializing.

  Lukey walked over to an area where several bars had been set up to serve ten different kinds of alcohol. The bars were being run out of stalls where beer and rum were served from barrels, while tables and bar stools had also been set up to allow people a place to eat and drink. Lukey walked over to one stall that had a curtain around it for privacy, and once he looked inside, he saw a familiar face.

  It was Sona, who was lying with her head in her arms and wearing a skimpy golden outfit. Apparently, the outfits were being made and sold by Ginny, who was selling them as a kind of luxurious waterproof outfit. Lukey had already seen dozens of islander women wearing them, and apparently something was already in the works to cater to men as well. They were made in similar fashion to his wetsuit, though perhaps with far less material. Lukey wouldn’t complain though, especially when they looked so… appealing.

  Lukey took a seat by Sona’s side and ordered some coconut rum and a bowl of pineapple with cream.

  “Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. How have you been?” Lukey gently said.

  This question prompted Sona to take a look at her side, and her eyes briefly widened in recognition before pulling her head up, propping her arm up on the bar, and setting her head in her palm.

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  “Hey,” Sona wearily replied. “Good to see you’re doing well. Heard you took down your first tyrant. That must have been exciting.”

  Lukey shrugged. “I’d rather forget it, to be honest. Besides, it’s nothing as exciting as what you must have been through, I’m sure.”

  Sona smiled sweetly.

  “Not one to brag, huh?” She sighed. “I wish more guys were like you. Many of the men I meet either want to show off how strong they are or stay away from me because they're intimidated. Honestly, it's just nice being able to talk to someone so openly like this."

  As Sona talked about their foray into the jungle to destroy the terraclaw nests, Lukey continued to ogle her body. Starting from the top, her thick green hair was an absolute mess, likely from lying down so long. Her eyes were bagged and weary, a sign of exhaustion from having to march around the island for days while continuously using her arts. Every time she sighed, Lukey could see her chest rise and fall, and he made sure to commit each view to memory. He also spared a few glances at her backside, which was shapely and firm from a strict training regimen. All this, combined with the green and brown skin and clearly defined muscles, made her an absolute sight to behold.

  Of course, Lukey knew nothing of substance could ever happen between an older woman and a sixteen-year-old, newly minted adult, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to commit each and every inch of her to his memory.

  Which reminded Lukey…

  That’s right, today’s my birthday. Now that I’m older, we celebrate less and less, so it’s getting hard to keep track of. Meanwhile, another week from now is the new year. Today was truly the perfect time to celebrate.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be blathering on like this; I should go.” Sona said before turning to leave. Before she could get up, however, Lukey stopped her.

  Crap! I grabbed her on instinct! Unfortunately, this might be the only chance I have to look at her body until she leaves the island! How do I make her stay?

  Lukey breathed in and out and spoke as calmly as he could.

  “Please stay,” he said. “I don’t mind listening to your stories. Why don’t we talk a bit more over drinks?”

  “I don’t know,” Sona said, scratching her head. “Truthfully, I’m just a middle-aged woman with very little experience about the outside world. Do you honestly want to hear about my problems?”

  Suddenly, Lukey felt the same as he did when he first came to Tranquil Waters all that time ago and started talking with Ginny and Adran. Every person had their own hopes, dreams, and problems they were dealing with, but sooner or later they all caved and spilled their problems on him. Lukey didn’t realize it until now, but he was just someone who was easy to talk to, so he did his best to channel that energy as he stole a line from Blustag.

  “Is it wrong to care about other people’s problems?” Lukey said as serenely as possible.

  It was here that the floodgates had opened, and some foreign power began to emanate from Lukey, a power that neither he nor Sona noticed was active.

  Lukey took Sona’s hand in his, then led her back over to the bar, where he asked the bartender to get them some more drinks. At this point, Sona was beginning to look very relaxed, and Lukey was even able to hook an arm around her without her complaining.

  Hehe, lucky!

  “You’re too kind, Lukey,” Sona said in a daze. “Truth be told, you’re actually the only man I’ve really gotten to know outside the expanse. My village is all women, so I don’t really get the chance to talk to someone of the opposite sex. In fact, I’ve never even kissed a guy before, much less done anything else.”

  Woah, she’s letting a lot of personal information slip. Is she already this drunk?

  Lukey patiently listened to Sona tell her story as she recounted life in her simple village. As he did, he kept her close as his arm was firmly wrapped around her. Lukey let the night drag on as her head fell onto his shoulder and silently said a prayer to thank the sovereigns for this moment.

  …

  Present

  So that’s what happened.

  Whatever he said or felt during his encounter with Sona, it resulted in the creation of [Aura of Serenity]. Lukey never even realized that the art had formed during that point, nor did he realize that it ran automatically during his talk with Sona. He had just assumed she was drunk, but clearly it was due to whatever effect this art had.

  What an evil art. Not only is it so subtle that you can’t even feel it, but it can even affect the likes of Sona, someone with a stage three class.

  As far as Lukey could figure out, the art was the culmination of all his interactions up until now. He liked helping people, and he tended to be quiet in conversations as he listened to others talk. Instead of talking back, he always just relaxed his mind and let the other party talk. [Aura of Serenity] simply seemed to be an extension of that. On paper, it sounded passive and friendly, but in practice…

  This thing could be abused if it’s used in the wrong way.

  Lukey briefly held a perverted grin on his face before looking back at Saphina lying on his other side.

  Oh yeah… How did that happen again?

  …

  Last Night

  After roughly an hour of listening to Sona’s rambling about her non-existent love life and the exploits of her and her squad, she had taken her final drink and passed out. Shortly after, Lukey excused himself from the bar and looked around the beach for something new to do. It only took a few moments, however, until he was met with some entirely new faces.

  New zaurian faces.

  “Hey, there he is! That’s the guy!”

  A group of zaurian men had manifested from out of sight, and before Lukey could look behind him to pinpoint the source of the voice, he felt a large, burly arm around his back. Several more arms followed as the group of zaurian men all huddled around, each one wearing a proud, smiling face.

  “Hey, kid, you’re the one that babysat the chief’s daughter, right? We owe you one!” The zaurian to his right said with gratitude.

  “Yeah, that brat ran off on her own, and we couldn’t find her! Thanks for watching out for her all that time,” a zaurian to his left chimed in.

  “Don’t mention it,” Lukey choked. He glanced over to get a better look at the men and was both confused and horrified by their appearance. By this point Lukey was getting used to their scales, horns, and large stature, but what really threw Lukey off was their outfits. These men were wearing the same type of armor Saphina wore, minus the chest covers. Instead, they seemed to wear a kind of loincloth that showed off as much of their bulky legs as possible, and nothing else.

  Is the entire race addicted to nudity or something!?

  Wanting to change the subject, Lukey decided to ask them about their relationship with Saphina.

  “So, you mentioned babysitting her. Does that mean you’re her bodyguards?”

  “Call me Kaito, and yes, we are.” The zaurian to his right said. “We were supposed to guide Saphina as she completed her bridal training, but then the dominators attacked us, and we all got kidnapped.”

  “Bridal training?” Lukey asked curiously. “Is she getting married or something?”

  “Not yet.” Kaito shook his head. “But if she does want to get married, she needs to boost her attributes. Where we’re from, a woman’s job is to protect the village, while the men go out to hunt. For this reason, women with classes undergo training to boost their vitality and strength. Incidentally, this also makes the women a lot curvier once they start leveling up.”

  An image of Saphina no longer being a skinny brat but instead a fully-fledged woman with a fleshed-out chest and birthing hips came to mind.

  Lukey drooled.

  “I see you know what I’m talking about,” Kaito grinned. “Speaking of which, we heard about your stunt with the tyrant. That was both very brave and very foolish… which is exactly what a woman likes in a man. When a guy does something brave and stupid for a zaurian girl, it’s basically like a marriage proposal.”

  Lukey stared wide-eyed at Kaito before the zaurian released his grip and began walking away with the other men.

  “Watch out, kid! Actions have consequences!” Kaito shouted, before roaring with laughter that echoed off into the night.

  Lukey didn’t know the meaning of those words until a little later into the night.

  …

  Ugh, I need to find someplace to nurse this hangover.

  Lukey was making his way over to a secluded spot to relax when he suddenly felt two soft objects pressed upon his back.

  “LUKEY!” a girly voice yelled.

  Saphina had run up to him from out of sight, and she had practically thrown herself on him as she began wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Hey, what’s with you?” Lukey said with an aching head. “That’s dangerous, you know.”

  “It’s fiiiiiine.” Saphina slurred. Lukey could practically smell the alcohol on her breath as she talked. “Heeeeeey, you know I still remember what you did for me. Taking on that tyrant so I could get away. I’ve never had a guy do that for me before… that was really manly. Say, do you mind if we find someplace out of the way?”

  While the prospect of being alone with her was enticing, all Lukey really wanted to do was get away from the crowds and the music. Unfortunately, Saphina practically latched herself onto his arm, and her superior strength made it impossible to throw her off. So, he silently trudged on as he began making his way down the beach. Sadly, she wasn’t the only one who would be latching onto him tonight.

  “Heeeeeeey,” a sultry voice called out from behind, “why’d you leave me at the bar? I was looking all over for yoooouuuuu.”

  A worried look behind revealed Sona, who had latched herself onto his other arm shortly after. It would seem that after waking up at the bar, she still wanted to talk, and thus she went out and hunted for him.

  Just like that, the consequences of his actions had come back to haunt him.

  Why now!? Of all times!? Please, I just want to sleep!

  “Heeeyy, he’s mine, back off, tree hugger!”

  “Ehhh? No way, I was with him first, lizard breath.”

  “Dried up seedbed.”

  “Mosquito bites.”

  …

  Present

  Ah, right. Then I found this place, and they immediately passed out, pinning me to the ground. Since I couldn’t escape their grasp, I ended up falling asleep with them.

  Lukey let out a sigh of relief at the realization that nothing had happened last night. As he chuckled internally, however, he also felt a bubble pang of regret as he began to realize that there were, in fact, consequences to his actions.

  Great, now how do I get out of here?