I woke up slightly earlier this morning; the sun still had to rise, and my bedroom was even more silent than usual, with just the sounds of Licia and Claire's peaceful breathing reaching my ears.
Usually, I'd go back to sleep right after, making the most of however many minutes I still had left, but today, I wanted to experiment with a few things in the Kingdom.
While I should've used those minutes to do something productive, I got distracted by Licia.
The blankets covering her body had slipped down during our rest, and her shirt was rumpled just enough for her breasts to begin slipping out from underneath it.
An entire minute passed with me staring intently at the fabric caught against her nipple.
It was such an inviting sight, but I kept wondering if it'd be fine for me to touch her while she slept.
We were a couple, and she had admitted to having fun with my body while I slept in the past, so...
I convinced myself that only a little bit would be fine.
With a slow, gentle touch, I brushed my hand against her shirt.
She showed no reaction even as I pressed against her breast, and I let its weight settle in my hand, affectionately squeezing it.
Licia: "Hnh..."
A soft, sweet moan escaped her.
Even as I felt the warmth of her chest, she didn't shift around.
I wrapped an arm around her back, hugging her while bringing her breast close to my mouth.
While enjoying the comforting taste of her mound, I felt her hand reaching behind my head, pulling me in toward her while stroking my hair.
The movements of her hand were tender, but too deliberate for someone asleep.
Miwen: "Sorry... Should I stop?"
It wasn't my intention to wake her up.
I pulled away from her breast, wrapping both hands behind her.
Licia: "Your tongue... Feels warm..."
She sounded slightly drowsy, holding back a yawn.
Licia: "It's a funny sensation to wake up to... But I don't mind... It feels good..."
She guided my hand back to her chest and lifted the other side of her shirt, exposing both breasts to me.
Caught in her loving embrace as she clung to me, I felt a little greedy and slid my hand inside her shorts.
Miwen: "...What about here?"
I put a finger inside her, rubbing against her walls.
Licia: "Anywhere... Any~ time~"
A soft moan stopped her whispering into my ear.
The sound of the zipper on her shorts opening briefly broke the silence, and I pulled her panties down, exposing all of her privates.
Our touches grew more intimate, and soon, our rustling had unintended consequences.
Claire: "What time... is it?"
She sounded grumpy.
While shifting around, she rubbed her eyes, yawning loudly.
Miwen: "It'll be five soon."
After stretching her arm, she went right back to sleep.
It was a little awkward for Licia and me to continue after waking her up, but it was also the perfect opportunity...
Miwen: "Do you mind?"
I caressed her body, pressing my hand against her breasts and butt.
Claire: "Do whatever you want... Just try not to wake me up this early..."
She turned toward me, kissing my neck and wrapping my arm around her.
My last ten or so minutes before getting out of bed were filled with the feeling of the girls' soft bodies as I played with them.
Miwen: "Licia, could you handle breakfast with Ellie today? You guys can start it a little later than usual."
I stepped out of the bed and changed clothes before the alarm rang.
Licia: "Mmn... You're probably gonna run into Mia..."
I was counting on that.
Licia: "Take good care of her..."
After carefully kissing Claire goodbye, I leaned toward Licia on the bed.
She wasn't satisfied with just one smooch on the cheek and tapped her lips.
Miwen: "I will."
Once she was satisfied, I entered the Kingdom.
Before my vision could fully settle, white strands flashed before my eyes, blocking the otherwise green of the grass field that had replaced my bedroom.
Mia: "Oh... You're here."
Her lips briefly curled into a smile.
I couldn't read the intent behind them, but I thought it was cute.
Miwen: "You're training with the clothes I gave you?"
She was sweating buckets, holding her own knees.
Mia: "Yeah? Any problem with that?"
So far, she had the least variation in her clothes among all the girls.
Every time I traded [Kingdom Points] for clothes, she chose identical white shirts and the same pair of running shoes.
She already had three of them.
Even when it came to her shorts, she'd picked the same two.
The only different piece of clothing she had picked so far was the comfy-looking black sweatpants she was wearing.
Miwen: "Not really. I'm happy you like them."
She rolled her eyes, averting my smile.
Mia: "What are you doing here so early? Want me to train you more?"
I silently shook my head.
As exciting as spending more time with my lovely fiancée sounded, I had already enjoyed myself too much with Licia and Claire.
It was time to take care of the serious matters.
Miwen: "I have things to do and... A few questions for you."
She stared at me with narrowed eyes.
After a soft sigh, she walked beside me.
Miwen: "...What do you think about the new girls, Mia?"
We walked to the edge of the Kingdom, standing before the thick fog surrounding it.
I navigated my Gift's systems until a translucent screen appeared before my eyes, the Kingdom's map reflected on it.
With the Merchant's arrival closing in, we'd probably be around level 12 even if we managed to reach the Fourth Floor.
I didn't want to risk rushing the girls since we could always abandon the Kingdom if necessary, so I started thinking of alternative ways to increase our odds this morning.
The Kingdom itself seemed like a good start.
Mia: "They're fine. I don't like you meddling, though."
She sat on the ground, staring at the other house.
Meanwhile, I studied the costs of building walls around the Kingdom.
Mia was at level 69, the new girls were at level 9, and the rest of us were at level 11.
With all of that combined, I earned 129 [Kingdom Points].
Miwen: "Hm... Even Beatrice?"
Unlike the houses, the walls varied in cost according to the culture used. Their height, shape, and the material they were made of also contributed to their costs.
The cheapest option only cost 3 Kingdom Points, but they looked like fences made out of flimsy wooden branches.
I wanted to cut off an entire section of the map with these walls, from north to south, but before doing that, I had to be sure of the shape they'd take.
As such, I used a Kingdom Point to first buy a new plot of land.
The Kingdom's first-ever expansion.
The fog behind us slowly started to clear, the grass almost expanding forward.
Looking at the map, the Kingdom had taken a rectangular shape. It was just two green squares glued together, but it had effectively doubled in size.
Mia: "Woah..."
It was weird to look at, but nothing extraordinary seemed to come out of it.
We explored for a little while before I started messing with another type of building that allowed me to change the terrain.
Mia: "Dunno about Beatrice... Ah... Do you want me to keep an eye on her?"
I shook my head.
Miwen: "No. I'm giving her a chance."
When it came to defensiveness, my first instinct was the most basic.
I wanted to create high ground in the form of cliffs or hills for Ellie and Beatrice to defend from a safe position.
However, the price of building even a small mound was way higher than I expected, and each centimeter only got more expensive.
For anything meaningful, I'd need at least 300, maybe 500 Kingdom Points.
Miwen: "But I was thinking if maybe you want to move into their house? Or have them move into yours? I can make up an excuse if you want."
Since the hills and cliffs didn't work as intended, I moved on to rivers.
To my surprise, building a river that crossed from the top border to the bottom was much cheaper.
Forcing our invader to cross a river seemed even more effective than having the high ground, so I gladly built it.
Before our eyes, the dirt sank into the ground.
A stream of water then ran down from the fog in the northern border, filling the canal.
Mia: "...I'm fine being alone. If anything... I might prefer it."
She squatted beside the riverbed and lowered her hand into the water.
Her hand came out of the water completely soaked, and her eyes widened a little.
Despite how intently she stared at the fog where the water came from and back at me, I was just as confused.
Miwen: "...Are you sure?"
Now that I had the river, I built walls of white stone and brown wood following its curves.
They were slightly shorter than the two-storey houses the girls lived in, but that was on purpose.
I didn't want the walls to block the sunlight.
Mia: "You don't have to worry about me."
We stood behind the walls, where I built a second layer, connecting the two with a stone roof that would work as a platform for us to move around.
I also kept a hollow space between the two layers, placing ladders connected to holes so that we could climb to the top and back whenever needed.
Miwen: "I am your fiancé. It's my job to worry-"
She shook the ladder I was climbing, enjoying herself while I struggled to hold tight.
Once she finally let me climb up, I built two larger watchtowers on each side of the wall, hoping to make use of Ellie and Beatrice's ranged attacks to wear down our invader while the rest of us kept it away.
Miwen: "...You can be sincere with me, Mia. I'll listen."
We sat by the wall, watching the sun rise on the horizon.
Licia sent me a request to join the [Kingdom], signalling she had gotten out of bed.
Mia: "I... Don't need your help. I'm fine."
She crossed her arms, holding her hands between her legs.
Miwen: "I know you're strong. Just... Don't force yourself, alright?"
The breezes coming our way were slowly warming up.
Her hair swayed with the wind, but even after a whole minute had gone by, she didn't say a word.
I also kept quiet.
Even if it was little.
Even if it didn't comfort her.
I wanted to be by her side.
I had to.
Mia: "...I don't like the color."
Once we crossed the river and watched the walls from the perspective of an invader, she rested her arm against my shoulder, leaning her weight against me.
Mia: "It does make for good training, though. I'll have you climb the wall and run upstream when we get back."
The smile on her face was filled with dangerous excitement.
Miwen: "Someone's in a good mood."
Her eyes briefly flashed a tinge of embarrassment.
Mia: "Why don't you make a forest as well? I'd love to hunt you down. For training, of course."
Her tail rose behind her back, swaying from side to side.
Miwen: "Much as I'd like to spend some time alone with you somewhere no one can see-"
She growled, her white fangs in full view.
Miwen: "...Don't you think that'd give our invader cover?"
Mia rolled her eyes, and as soon as I tried stroking her hair, she pushed me to the ground, showing a sour face.
A second later, I heard a thud behind me.
Her back rested against mine.
Mia: "...Thanks. Idiot."
She whispered under her breath.
After a while, Ellie and the other girls appeared on top of the wall, waving their hands at us.
It was the perfect excuse Mia needed to return home and pretend she hadn't said anything.
Back home, Licia and Ellie headed to the kitchen while Mia ate a slice of the lemon cake from yesterday.
There didn't seem to be anything for me to do, so I started rolling on the gachas.
Since Ellie had her bow, Beatrice her staff, and Anna her sword, all of our bases were covered, and I decided to invest my tickets in the [Skills Banner].
Claire: "Anything good?"
While I sat on the sofa, Claire lay sideways, resting her head on my lap.
Her eyes were completely fixed on the TV, but since she was still changing channels, she had enough time to give me a speck of attention.
Miwen: "Let me see..."
[Enhanced Drop Chance] had leveled up twice, while [Greater Might] had one level-up.
Other than those two, all remaining tickets earned me new skills...
Miwen: "Stealth strike..."
The first new skill was the simplest.
My attacks would receive a small boost whenever I was unnoticed by my target.
Claire: "Not very useful. Next?"
Maybe not for her, but Ellie and Beatrice could make use of it.
Even Mia might be fast enough for the skill to trigger.
Miwen: "Voice of Command...?"
This one was more interesting, but also harder to visualize.
[Voice Of Command
The user can inspire or compel their allies, increasing their abilities when following orders.
This skill makes it slightly easier to convince others.
This skill has an upfront cost of one mana point for ten uses.]
Claire: "...No."
She shook her head.
Miwen: "Just no?"
Claire: "Just no."
The next skill I found was called [Trap Disarmament].
It didn't have any mana cost and made it easier to identify and avoid traps, even those created by magic.
I would say it was one of the better skills for an adventurer, especially in later floors.
But I already knew how Claire would react, so I skipped it.
[Increased Climbing Proficiency
Increases the user's ability to climb any surface-]
I didn't read the rest.
I didn't care to.
I hated it.
Miwen: "...This one's good."
[Eagle Eye
Increases how far the user can see and lowers the detail loss when looking at objects from afar.
This skill is always active and can be deactivated at any time.]
When I read the description, Ellie's ears perked up.
It was definitely a skill she'd appreciate, but before sharing it with her, I searched for the last two missing skills.
To my surprise, I had actually gotten two levels on a new skill.
[Ice Veil
A rare skill only obtained by those proficient in the use of [Ice Magic]
The user can create a thin layer of ice around themselves, boosting their defense against elemental and physical attacks.
This skill has an upfront cost of 5 mana points.]
Licia: "Oh! That one is good!"
She left Ellie with the pans and stood behind the sofa, massaging my shoulders.
Licia: "I used it all the time back then..."
She leaned forward, her arms wrapped around my neck.
Licia: "I was just waiting for it to show up in my [Available Skills] menu, you know? But it's pretty expensive to acquire..."
Her hands slid down toward my chest as she leaned closer.
They reached as low as Claire's head, forcing her to push them away.
Licia: "I'll do anything you want, so... Pretty please?"
Not satisfied with using the forbidden "pretty please" technique, she even bit my ear.
Unfortunately, the Kingdom's renovations left me very few points remaining, and I really wanted to share the [Enhanced Drop Chance] with everyone now that it had reached level 4.
I had also silently promised Ellie the [Eagle Eye] skill, so...
After sharing it with her, I had no points left for Licia's skill.
Licia: "Hnmr...."
She made noises I had never heard from her.
It almost sounded like Mia's grumpy growls.
Miwen: "Tomorrow, alright?"
I held her hands.
Licia: "Promise."
Our fingers intertwined, but instead of the loving touch she'd usually give me, Licia gripped me hard.
Miwen: "I promise."
With my last ticket, I rolled on the [Spellbooks Banner].
Beatrice: "I haven't finished the one from yesterday yet..."
She pointed to the small sofa, the book lying on its armrest.
Miwen: "...I'll keep them coming."
A gleeful smile flashed across her face.
Beatrice: "That's... Thanks..."
She returned to her seat and resumed her reading.
With everything properly taken care of, it was time for us to head to another Dungeon Raid.
This time, Beatrice stayed inside the Kingdom so we could show Anna more about Earth.