"It's okay, Maia. Are you hurt?"
Misho rubbed her back and patted her head to comfort her.
"No… But still, it was so scary! This game is too realistic!" Maia shouted in his arms.
Misho rubbed her back and continued comforting her. Normally, she would act confident and kind. Only at times like this would she show her true self.
*Ding!*
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You received 2 woman's essence!
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The notification shocked Misho. He stared at the message in a daze.
"Misho?" Maia called out.
"You can cry more," Misho said and smiled at her kindly.
"E-Eh? You're creeping me out, Misho…"
Maia slowly pushed him away and looked at him fearfully. For her, it looked weird that Misho was smiling so kindly because she knew he usually doesn't do that.
"Wait, no! Didn't you receive a notification?" Misho replied in a panic.
"What notification?" Maia asked, confused.
"I got 2 woman's essence from you."
"...W-When!?"
Maia took a step back and looked at him with eyes full of fear.
"N-N-No! I don't think it's THAT woman's essence."
Misho felt awkward, seeing the fear in her eyes. She thought he violated her without her knowing.
"Oh! So it's not that! You almost scared me, Misho! I thought you did something weird! Ahahahaha…" Maia laughed awkwardly.
"Of course not! You know I messed up my first love…"
Immediately, the air between the two of them became silent.
"Anyways, what did it do?" Maia asked, avoiding the topic.
"Wait, let me check."
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Congratulations, you became a cultivator!
Essence Pool Stage reached!
In this stage, you can absorb the wind elements in the air to further your cultivation, or you could also absorb a woman's essence to speed up your cultivation!
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"The notification said that I became a cultivator," Misho said to her.
"What is a cultivator?" Maia asked.
"Well, a cultivator is someone who absorbs energy from heaven and uses it to gain immortality," Misho explained to her.
Maia tilted her head and looked even more confused. The terms Misho used only made it more confusing for her. Unlike Misho, who knew about this by reading web novels, she had no idea what they were.
"The world around us is filled with energy. You know what magic is, right? Basically, we absorb this energy in the air and make ourselves immortal. We will be able to cast cultivation magic and wield supernatural powers."
"Ohhhhh! I get it now! So how do I cultivate?" Maia asked with her eyes filled with interest.
"You can try closing your eyes and sensing the elements in the air. Then try pulling them inside your body by inhaling them through your nostrils."
Maia did as he said and closed her eyes. She closed her eyes and felt the elements in the air.
She saw twinkles of red dust that serenely floated around her. Some of it would flow with the wind and get blown away.
"I'm seeing it!"
"Relax and inhale them."
Misho was surprised that what he said was correct. He was just bullshtting everything. It seemed like the developers of this game based it on the cultivation he read in the web novels.
Misho watched as Maia inhaled and exhaled for a few minutes.
She opened her eyes and looked at him with excitement.
"I did it!" Maia said with a proud smile on her face.
"Congrats, Maia."
Misho smiled at her. Her happiness and energy contaminated him. He also wanted to try cultivating. He can't wait to return to his room.
"I also reached the Essence Pool Stage. It said that I need to absorb more fire element mana or absorb a man's essence…"
Maia wryly smiled at Misho.
"W-Well… We can worry about that later. Let's go. I will introduce you to Gerald," Misho said and grabbed her hand without thinking.
*Ding!*
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[Achievement unlocked!]
Lewd Hand Holding
First-time reward: +5 Woman's essence!
Continuous reward every 10 minutes: +1 Woman's essence!
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Essence Lake Stage reached!
The pool of essence inside you became a small lake. Congratulations! You can now use Tier 1 Magic Spells.
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"M-Misho, did you also get the achievement?" Maia asked in a shaky voice.
"Y-Yes…"
Misho nodded his head slowly.
"I think I know what this essence stuff is…" Misho muttered.
"Yeah. It's spending intimate time with someone from the opposite gender, right?" Maia asked.
"Yes…"
Misho and Maia smiled at each other.
"This is easy for us," Misho said.
"Mm!" Maia nodded her head.
The two of them were already comfortable with each other since long ago. They held hands happily and walked through the village.
The NPCs looked at them weirdly, but they didn't care.
Shortly after, they arrived at Gerald's house.
"Oh? Are you Quarter?" a young woman asked as she sat on a chair outside the house.
"Yes. Are you Gerald's wife?" Misho asked.
"Yes, I am."
"Nice to meet you. Gerald is very nice to me," Misho said and shook her hand
*Ding!*
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[Achievement unlocked!]
Holding A Married Hand
First-time reward: +5 Woman's essence!
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Misho stared at the notification in shock.
"W-Why did you hold my hand? I-I'm going to get pregnant…"
Misho took a step back and freed her hand.
"WHAT!?" Misho shouted in disbelief.
"D-Don't you know that only my husband could touch my hand?" Gerald's wife said with teary eyes.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know!"
Misho bowed to her. He didn't understand what was going on, but he felt guilty seeing the look on her face.
"Puff! HAHAHAHA!" Maia laughed behind Misho.
"I think it's okay… Just don't tell my husband…" Gerald's wife whispered with a red face.
Maia stopped laughing and widened her eyes in disbelief.
"M-Misho… Did you just make her cheat on her husband?" Maia asked as she tapped his shoulder.
"..."
Misho had nothing to say. The customs of this world don't make sense to him. First, married couples can't stay in the same room, and now, only the husband can hold the wife's hand!? It's so absurd!
The game developers were either innocent girls or playing pranks on him.
Maybe the developer is… [Author's Note: *wink wink*]