"What are you doing together? Did you forget about me and are having fun alone, Humph." Lupa stood in front of Vincent while pouting with a pair of puffed cheeks and the pork jerky moving up and down as she kept biting on it. She looked quite cute and angry at the same time. "I suggested Ester to train her freezing sigils. Here, come and take a look at the soup slowly freezing. It's relaxing to watch." Vincent skillfully tried to change the subject by placing all focus on Ester while she did her thing. Lupa didn't seem to have a long attention span. She soon stopped pouting and raised a curious brow. With great interest, she then said, "Wow, the soup is getting frozen. So cool. Look, the corners are freezing, wow." "You like this sister?" Ester felt a bit boastful when Lupa gave such a compliment. Lupa nodded while her curiosity got the best of her. She lowered her index finger. As the finger's skin touched the soup, Lupa pulled her hand out post-haste while saying with a frown, "Uff... It's cold." "Haha, what did you expect, little wolf?" Vincent laughed at how innocent and naive Lupa was. "Is it really that cold? I can't feel any cold, and it feels weird watching the pot freezing." Ester said with a puzzled frown. She felt strange watching the soup slowly freezing while she didn't feel a hint of cold. The temperature was the same as before for her as if she became resistant not only to her magic but also to cold. [I have two possible theories. First, the possibility of the cold around us is made by her magic; thus, she is immune to the cold made by her.] Vincent repeated what Kazmi said, making Ester stop feeling weird by the unknown. He then added, "At the same time, I believe that your hands are currently resistant to all types of cold sources. If you can't feel the cold freezing pot, then that's what I'm assuming." [Hey, I was about to say that as my second theory. Just to let you know, I thought that as well. Humph.] Kazumi felt a bit embarrassed that Vincent arrived at this conclusion faster than her. Kazumi considered herself as the intelligent one in the group because she could remember everything at the play of a memory. The Photographic Memory wasn't a passive ability but an active one. This meant she could decide when to remember and what to remember. As if she had an encyclopedia of information in her soul mind at her disposal. Vincent chuckled while Ester and Lupa questioned 'why he was doing this?' in their mind. Vincent, Lupa, and Kazumi had nothing to do except to watch Ester freeze the pot for training and entertainment purposes. A few minutes later, Kazumi warned Vincent about a change in Ester's mana fluctuation. It meant her mana was spent, and she began the mana fatigue phase. To forcefully absorb and use mana for regeneration with the pain and stress it brings along. Vincent noticed how Ester would sometimes peek at Lupa while gritting her teeth. He quickly understood why she resisted the pain. It was to impress Lupa. To show she wasn't baggage. Vincent approached Ester and quietly whispered in her ear. At the same time, he skilfully snapped his fingers a couple of times to distract the wolf with heightened hearing, "I know you have no mana, and you want to impress us. Stop when you can't take it anymore, okay? I don't want to see you in pain." Ester slowly nodded, but hardheadedly kept pushing herself. The soup was almost frozen, but Ester's condition became worse. The soon minor Mana Fatigue appeared. "Overheat." Vincent had some time left to use. [Overheat activated.] [Mutation starting to alter the host...] [Mutation process finished.] [Race altered to mutated human for its duration.] Vincent swiftly took the finished frozen pot from her grasp and placed it on the ground. With his warm Overheat hands, he held her cold Frozen Sigil enchanted hands while nodding as a signal to stop. Ester raised a faint smile when she felt a pair of warm hands hold hers. She was resistant to cold but not to heat. Soon, her crimson eyes stopped shining, and the sigils hovering above her hands vanished. [Overheat duration ended.] [Host Race returning to human.] Vincent returned to normal and Ester as well. The ground was now littered with Mutated Ash, and soon, a problem occurred, Lupa felt curious about the Ash. Lupa grabbed a hand full of Ash and threw it at the fire. Vincent and Ester soon begin laughing at the sight of Lupa throwing Ash in the fire like a spiritual shaman. It would've appeared like a party if it was night from the constant red and green lights taking turns. [This wolf is priceless. Haha. I don't have a mouth, but my cheeks hurt, haha.] "You don't have to impress us. One day you might become stronger than Lupa." Vincent said while enjoying the light party and the warmth it brought with it. "Can I become stronger than you too?" Ester felt like Vincent didn't mention his name on purpose. "Maybe not... that's because I need to protect my girls... Ahem, I mean my retainers." Vincent mistakenly raised another teasing flag. Luckily, the laughing Kazumi didn't notice. Later, Lupa stopped playing with the Ash as it burnt up in the campfire. Then she remembered what Ester asked her to find. With a smirk to receive praise, Lupa took out a long piece of grass tied with knots. "Vincent, we have a gift for you, hehe." Lupa giggled while walking behind Vincent. She nodded at Ester, and Ester did the same, it felt like they planed this. "Hmm..." Vincent said while Lupa lifted his hair. He could feel her doing something, but when he turned his gaze at Ester, a faint smile was on her face. [You look lovely, pff... haha.] "Your hair has grown longer than my hair, so we decided to help you keep it together. " Ester said with a light smile. Vincent quickly stood up and touched his new small ponytail hanging on his head. He couldn't believe what his hands were touching. From short to long hair in less than two weeks. "Ester. Are there powerups in this world? Like the body changes when a person grows stronger?" Vincent asked the most desired question he currently had to be answered. However, Ester shook her head and said, "No. The body never changes." Vincent felt like the streak of mysteries piling onto each other where going crush him. At least Kazumi, who knew the same things as him, could offer moral support. A priceless commodity in this world. "Do you think I should grow my hair like the two of you?" Ester asked while fiddling with her hair. Lupa donned long white hair, and now Vincent had long hair as well. "No need. You look cute the way you are." Vincent said while triggering a trap. [Nice one boy. That should win you some points. Look at those nicely warmed red cheeks of hers. The complement was a critical hit.] "Is my hair nice too?" Lupa hugged Vincent from behind and asked childishly. The playful wolf wanted a compliment as well. "Yes. Ahem... How do you feel, Ester? Can you walk? You have lost some weight and muscle while you were sick." Vincent frowned worriedly at her current condition. He wanted to make sure she was okay. "Do you dislike skinny girls?" Ester stood up, suddenly made a backflip, and raised her hands as if it was a show. She then finished with an alluring smile. It felt like a professional dancer was in front of them. [I like you. How can I hate you, sexy girl.] Kazumi tried putting words in the surprised Vincent mouth. "I like you, so how can I hate you, sexy girl." Vincent immediately realized he fucked up. Ester raised her hands to hide her embarrassed red face. On the other hand, Lupa frowned for being left out. She wanted to be complimented as well. "Hey, what about me? I want to be called sexy or whatever it is." Lupa rushed in front of Vincent for an answer. Her tail wagged along with her anticipating fluttering heart. -You sly devil. Why did you have to put words in my mouth?- [You said these words, right? I'm just a thought in your mind, hehe. Will, the single Hero, finally score two hotties? We will find out after the break.] -I wish you had a body. I would spank you so hard...- [Ohh... Are you into that? You didn't have any research material in folder sixty-nine if I'm not mistaken. Scratch that. I just check, and you do have.] Vincent felt at wits end in this situation. A soul making his life harder, and two girls waiting for his next words with attention and anticipation. "...you are cute too, Lupa." Vincent sighed and resigned to his fate. [Your skill is getting better, I suppose. Hey, where is that shy and embarrassed Vincent I like to tease?] Kazumi wanted to tease more, but Vincent quickly became immune to her words. His nervousness about being alone with two beauties also subsided at a speedy pace. "Then can you pet my head? Lupa is a good girl, so I want a reward." Lupa childishly hugged Vincent making the embarrassed Ester frown with a hint of jealousy. She wanted to hug Vincent but was too shy to step forward. "There there." Vincent petted Lupa's head, then slipped from her grasp as she always acted too innocent for his pure heart. [Extra Life activated. The player may continue his harem journey, hehe.] Kazumi teased Vincent, but deep down, she wanted to feel his touch. Kazumi could feel Ester's cold touch, so she could feel Vincent's touch as well. "Since we can continue, why don't we spend the day loading our stuff on the cart and leave tomorrow?" Vincent wanted to restart the journey to Laurel Town with everything in place. They not only had to leave and start their journey in a hurry, but Vincent had to lighten the load to carry the sick Ester by removing many things from the cart. Lupa nodded and offered to scout the areas she missed, then she swiftly left. Ester stayed next to the fire while muttering a few words alone. 'It's better to leave for the cave to be alone. Wait! Am I begging to be left alone right now?' Vincent pondered while walking to the cave. He realized how hard it became to resume living the nerdy otaku lifestyle he once had. [Vincent, I have an idea. What about the Red Numb Mushrooms? Why don't you grind them to paste? A single bite proved effective as you saw when eating the spicy soup. What if you smear the numb paste unto the short sword? I wonder how effective it could be?] Kazumi mentioned an idea filling Vincent full of curiosity. A short sword with Minor Numbness seemed quite intriguing. Even if the effect was minor, the fight against the Great Yok Boar proved to be worth it since it suffered from numbness. Vincent spent a few hours alone in the cave grinding his mushrooms. Hours later, a bowl of sticky paste was in his hands, held like a priceless treasure. [Name] Red Numb Mushroom Paste [Condition] Fresh [Effects] *Minor Numbness [Detail] Crafted by Vincent Agius. A paste that inflicts Minor Numbness by contact on wound or digestion.