As they continued to eat, Lucas's gaze would shift to her chest. The two full bags of milk pressing against her top.
He had always admired them but with this quest he was drawn to them even more than usual.
'So close yet so far away' he sighed in agony.
The fabric of her top pressed tightly, leaving little to the imagination. Then a thought surfaced.
'The charm skill…'
Maybe she wasn't so out of reach after all.
To use it easily, he needed to meet certain conditions.
'Physical contact… and eye contact'
The knowledge sat in his mind like a memory, clear and certain, even though he had never actually read it anywhere.
He had considered trying it on Carol before, but there was no way he had the nerve for that.
Stacy, on the other hand…
There was hardly any risk.
Slowly, he stretched out his hand and placed it over hers on the table.
It was so sudden, so random, that she froze.
Her eyes dropped to their hands, lingering there for a few seconds before she looked back up at him.
"I thought I saw a fly," he said, not pulling away.
"O-Okay…" she stammered, clearly confused.
A second passed.
Then another.
When he still didn't move, she gently pulled her hand back and slipped it under the table.
'Damn it!… I was almost there'
His heart pounded loudly in his ears, sweat forming at the back of his neck.
Years of avoiding women had left him like this, too tense to even hold a hand without panicking.
But nevertheless he wasn't ready to give up.
He would definitely find the opportunity… or so he thought.
He spent the whole evening trying to get closer to her but to no avail, at times he did it was impossible to find her eyes.
'This is starting to get frustrating'
He tried his best not to make it obvious, but at the rate he was 'accidentally' brushing against her was starting to get suspicious.
"Lucas, don't you think it's getting late. They said they would turn off the generator by 12,"
Lucas stared at the time left on his quest,
'Just five more minutes' he sighed inwardly, before forcing a smile.
"I was just about to say the same thing,"
As he got up to leave she escorted him to the door. He stepped out and gave her one final look,
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure," she answered.
But something kept him firmly in place, he suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders. She was startled.
"Stacy… Please can I ask you a question?"
"Wh-What are you doing?" She asked flustered,
She didn't try to struggle since his grip remained soft and tender, his hands were merely resting on her shoulders.
He had been making subtle advances all night, but this—
this was the most direct he had been.
'So this is it…' a knowing, embarrassed look crossed her face. 'He's going to confess'
"How… soft are your breasts?" The words came out rougher than he intended.
"Hm?" She blinked, caught off guard.
Lucas knew there was no turning back now.
"Please forget that any of this ever happened"
His hands moved from her shoulders, to her chest. Cupping her breasts and squeezing.
By the time her mind caught up with what had just happened, he had already pulled away.
Her eyes widened.
"Lu—"
But he was gone.
Lucas turned and bolted, practically sprinting back toward his house without looking back.
Stacy stood frozen in the doorway,
"…What just happened?"
Lucas wondered as he slammed the door. That was text book sexual harassment, he could get sent to prison for doing something like that.
'Thank God they are practically non-existent now' he exhaled a sigh of relief before he caught himself.
"I can't believe I'm celebrating that the police is gone,"
[Legacy Quest Complete]
[How soft are her breasts?– Answer: Really soft!]
[Reward: Panties of the Goddess of Beauty and Allure]
As the system messages faded, a soft glow began to form in front of Lucas.
At first, it was just a flicker, like light gathering in midair.
Then it grew brighter.
And brighter.
Until…
flash.
The light collapsed inward, taking shape.
What remained floating before him was… a pair of white panties, decorated with small pink floral patterns.
They looked ordinary.
Light, delicate fabric. Soft looking edges. Completely unremarkable at first glance.
Yet they hovered there, suspended in the air, emitting a faint, almost divine glow.
Lucas stared.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He reached for them and they dropped into his hand like an unwanted blessing.
"What the fuck is this?!" He screamed out realizing that it really was just female underwear.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
A translucent screen flickered into view.
[Panties of the Goddess of Beauty and Allure]
–When worn over the face of a true pervert, they can completely change his identity but for not more than thirty minutes. The wearer would also be unrecognizable to strangers–
Lucas stared at the description.
Then back at the item.
Then at the description again.
"I'm supposed to wear it on my face? What kind of sick fetish is that?"
He stared at his reward in disbelief.
"I can't wear this over my head,"
[You should try it, you might be surprised by the results or you can sell it on the dimensional Marketplace]
"There's something like that?" He asked,
[Yes, I mentioned it before. There you can buy and sell all sorts of items, even items from other worlds. To access, you would be need to pay another five Karma Points]
Lucas frowned "What happened to the other five I gave you before? Are you trying to extort me?"
[These are for two different functions]
"Okay, why are there paid functions in the first place? Who are we even paying?"
[The Karma Points are being used to support the war efforts]
"So wait, it goes to your gods? That means they are charging us for fighting in their war?" He realized
"Why can't they just make everything free?"
This was just like paying tax for cash earned.
Looking at it one way, it was almost like they were conquered and forced to pay taxes and even fight enemies they knew nothing about.
'That doesn't seem like liberators to me'