11 Failure

''Wake up idiot,'' I heard the fox's annoying voice in my mind. Before I could open my eyes, the headache that made me pass out came back. I took my head in my hands and wished I had never woken up.

''What... what the hell...'' I was unable to complete my words because of a new wave of pain in my head. Not only was it aching, I felt pressure on my ears and eyes as if I were under thousands of tons of water. I was feeling every strand of my hair on my head like needles.

''Oh honey, you must have gotten cold. You have a fever.'' As I heard the tailor's voice, I felt her hand on my forehead. Even if she was with me before, I had neither seen nor heard of her presence because of the pain I felt.

''Your skill overloaded your mind. When you stepped outside, the desires of dozens of people on the street filled your mind, but your brain still belongs to a human and could not handle such a load,'' the fox was simultaneously making another explanation in my mind.

Was the fox right or the tailor, I didn't know. I had a cold shower in a stream twice a night recently and didn't rinse. I literally died once. I was using a skill I knew very little about, and I never thought how harmful it could be for my mind.

My response to both the fox and the tailor was a painful groaning. ''Idiot,'' the fox said.

''My, my,'' the gentle tailor lady said, ''Wait here. I'll get you a glass of water.'' She left me alone with the annoying fox in my mind. When I looked up, I saw that I was still in the tailor shop. I didn't remember how I got here, but I was half lying and half sitting on a seat.

''What do you mean saying my brain overloaded?'' I asked the fox and hoped it was a temporary situation.

''I meant what I said,'' it said. Great. While I was writhing in pain, I also had to deal with a pesky fox. I took a deep breath and tried to remember what happened.

''But... I wasn't using skill while going out on the street. How was it overloaded by people on the street?''

''Of course you were. It's a passive skill. It's not something you can turn on and off at will,'' the fox said.

''...if there is nothing I can do then why do you keep calling me an idiot?'' I asked.

''Just because you can't turn it off completely, you idiot, doesn't mean you have to use it with full force when you're about to step on a street full of dozens of people.''

I frowned my eyebrows due to pain and rubbed my forehead, ''I didn't... don't know... oh fuck.'' Hearing the approaching footsteps of the tailor, I leaned back and closed my eyes. The fox wasn't saying anything helpful, and I had too much headache to think.

I gratefully drank the water brought by the tailor, ''Thanks,'' I said.

Tailor lady smiled, ''You're welcome. You can stay here 'till you feel better. We can go to see cleric Roen at noon together,'' she said. She must have noticed that I didn't understand what she said from my facial expression, ''Every noon, cleric Roen shares blessings at the light temple. He can heal you,'' she added.

''Umm... sure,'' I said since I couldn't think of a good excuse in time. A blessed cleric with a healing skill. I asked God many times to send someone like this to me when I'm bleeding or poisoned. But damn cleric had found the perfect time to come across, huh.

The tailor left me to go back to sewing and cutting clothes, doing tailor things. I always thought sewing was something for grandmothers, but watching the tailor transform the pieces of fabric into glamorous dresses I realized that I was wrong. It was both an art and a craft.

''Hey fox, will I blaze and turn into a fireball if I enter a temple?'' I asked.

''Nah, only demons born of pure evil react in this way to sacred things,'' the fox said. ''Be careful with cleric though. Some of them can sense evil things. Luckily, you haven't been transformed enough to be sensible.''

I nodded and I promoted learning to use my skill without harming myself or anyone else again to the first place among my priorities. While I was looking for a helpful guide on the web, I started braiding my hair absently.

After the conditioner, cream, gel, and hair mask, I could have perfect curls. But right now my hair was looking like a bird's nest. Actually, I used to cut my hair short because I didn't want to waste time to make it untangled. However, one of my acts that was proof that falling in love was stupid was to grow my hair up to my waist because he loved it.

I sighed and finished braiding my hair. I stopped fiddling with my loose braid and focused on guides that don't go over my budget. You couldn't buy the most valuable guides and techniques with money. You had to pass the tests of life and death, had to take oaths of loyalty and things like that.

However, I wasn't looking for any secret or valuable technique. All I wanted was to learn to use a single skill. According to the fox, all succubus' were born with such a skill. Although it was not exactly the same skill, it always has similar characteristics.

Succubus' was a rare breed of demons, but there had to be something on the web about a skill that an entire breed had. Finally, with the help of the fox, I decided to buy two guides.

The first was the Succubus' Handbook, mentioned in the guide nine-tailed demon gave. The fox did not know what the guide was about, as it did not carry all the memories of Malice, the nine-tailed fox, but thought I should buy it.

The other guide I bought was called "F*ck Their Brains". This was actually the opposite of what I wanted to do, but if I wanted not to do something, the fox said that I had to learn how to do it first.

They cost two gold coins in total. So I had nineteen silver coins left in the system. I had just over thirty silver coins in total with copper coins and coins I didn't upload to the system.

Interestingly, the guide was really useful. It was a comprehensive guide written to explain my skill or a skill similar to mine. ''So that's the why,'' I said the fox. ''Zane, the baker, could not hold his will against me because I had played too much with his mind to create lust.''

''Good, be more careful next time,'' it said.

I rolled my eyes and click on Succubus' Handbook. Reading a few pages was enough for me to realize it's a recipe book. However, it contained not only food recipes, but also a lot of interesting stuff, from aphrodisiacs to skincare treatments, even poison recipes.

Of course, the gold coins were valuable, but the main reason I could get the guides was that they were only accessible to succubus' in the system. You wouldn't want a human to spend a few gold coins and have access to your breed's secrets.

I set an alarm to remind myself to read all the recipes and went back to the other guide. I was deemed to have learned what I needed until the tailor called me. ''Honey,'' she said. ''We'll soon go out to go to the temple. Please don't hesitate to use the restroom.''

I nodded and headed to the restroom. It was tiny but after I had to crouch and pee in the forest, having four clean walls was enough to be thankful. I looked at myself in the mirror.

My only adornments were the amber buttons, the lacy neckline, and lacy cuffs of my new white shirt. I had tucked the shirt into the skirt. The waist of my brown skirt was tapering like a corset. My waist looked thin as it had never been after I tightly tied the three rows of ties on the corset at the waist of the skirt.

The skirt was down below my knee, indeed I looked like I was going to a temple or church. Under the skirt, my boots were up all the way to my thighs, but no one could notice. Of course, unless I decide to pull up my skirt at the temple.

''Actually, seducing a faithful believer gains a lot of experience. Especially the clergy,'' the fox's voice echoed in my mind. I pondered a little and gave up on the idea. The fox sighed as if in pain.

The tailor knocked on the door as I was stalling with washing my face and my hands. I opened the door. ''Honey,'' the tailor said. ''I saw you braid your hair. I hope you accept this,'' she handed me a ribbon.

''I... thanks,'' I said was no louder than a whisper. I put the ribbon at the end of my braid and kept my tears from running. I don't know why a gift that would not even be copper touched me.

Maybe it was because the greed in the eyes of those who gifted those priceless jewels was not in this woman. Maybe it was the first time that someone was being so kind to me, even though she wouldn't gain anything. Maybe it was just because I had a rough few days.

Tailor smiled at me, ''Let's go to the temple,'' she said and we did. I will not waste time telling about the devouts who go to the temple every noon or the poor people who come to see cleric Roen because they have no money to go to the doctor. The only point that mattered was that cleric Roen didn't realize what I was and let me in.

''You have a fever,'' the cleric said. ''You need to rest.'' I opened my mouth to say something but the gentle tailor didn't let me.

''Brother Roen, this young lady just arrived in town and has nowhere to stay. Can the temple host her until she is healed?'' The tailor lady who brought me here said. I was speechless. So she was planning this from the beginning?

I was about to object but I hesitated. What harm would it do? It was better than wasting money in a hostel. Besides, what the fox said was making me wonder. If seducing the clergy would strengthen me faster, maybe I could compromise a little.

Cleric Roen nodded, ''Hostels are not suitable for young women.'' He turned to me, ''Please let us host you.''

I smiled at him, ''I'll be honored.''