Chapter 41: Prices Will Surely Rise After Grocery Shopping

Please support me on Patreon, where you can read a bunch of extra chapters, not just for this novel, but for all the novels I'm working on. I upload at least 2 times daily for each novel.

Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff

******

Initially, Bochang thought today would yield no opportunities.

Unexpectedly, just as the day was coming to an end, another "Dating Option" triggered.

[Option 1: Seize the moment, for time waits for no one. Immediately respond with: "Sure." - Completion Reward: 100% increase in mental energy.]

[Option 2: To avoid any mishaps, gently pat Stelle's head and say: "It's late at night; it wouldn't be appropriate for us, a lone man and woman, to stay together in the same room." - Completion Reward: Ethical Praise, Access to Belobog Administrative District Central Plaza Fountain. You can consume one Ethical Praise to retrieve treasures from the fountain once. Note: This type of item will...]

"A boost in mental energy... After such a long wait, finally there's an option offering a mental energy increase. In that case... the Invisible Hand could also receive significant enhancement, right?"

As for why this interaction with Stelle didn't trigger negative rewards like before, Bochang speculated it might be because there were no additional people around.

Bochang suspected it might be because there were no other people around.

Without hesitation, he chose Option 1 immediately.

What is Ethical Praise? He wasn't quite familiar with that term.

"Alright."

With Bochang's consent, Stelle entered the room. Wearing only a white shirt, it appeared as if she had no pants on; the shirttails barely covered her lower body, leaving her slender legs fully exposed to the black-haired youth's gaze.

Bochang casually closed the door behind them. The light from the corridor gradually narrowed and eventually disappeared completely.

The illumination within the room was very dim.

[Reward distribution in progress—Congratulations! Your mental energy has been increased by 100%.]

A chilling sensation traveled up his spine to the top of his head, swiftly spreading throughout his entire body. Feeling immensely comfortable, Bochang nearly let out a moan. In that instant, as he experienced the system's enhancement, Stelle had already climbed onto the bed.

She lifted the blanket, revealing the empty space beside her, and said, "Bochang, come rest here."

Bathed in the light pollution outside the window, Bochang quietly observed Stelle, her golden eyes still as captivating as when they first met.

Stelle lay on her side facing Bochang. Due to her position, a small gap opened between her white shirt's buttons, allowing his gaze to glimpse a hint of sacred radiance within.

Although he had previously noticed it while observing her wrapped in a towel during yesterday's bath, now...

The sensation was even more pronounced.

Without needing to suppress any impure thoughts, simply gazing into Stelle's calm and somewhat detached golden eyes naturally extinguished much of the inner flame within Bochang.

She harbored no ulterior motives; she merely wanted to change sleeping spots.

"Bochang?" Stelle prompted gently.

Shaking his head to dispel those inappropriate ideas, Bochang replied, "Coming, coming."

Dressed in thin pajamas, Bochang climbed into bed next to Stelle.

Facing each other, the gray-haired girl closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. However, for Bochang, relaxation didn't come as easily.

Even with his eyes shut, Stelle's rhythmic breathing kept him restless, unable to drift off for quite some time.

"Don't overthink... don't overthink..." Bochang silently repeated to himself. Suddenly, he had an idea, "That's right... Stelle has been having strange dreams lately, which leaves her mentally drained. Perhaps using the power of the Sheep Talisman, I can transform her Dreamscape into something more pleasant."

After pondering briefly, Bochang began channeling the Sheep Talisman's energy.

Without a physical talisman as a conduit, controlling the Sheep Talisman's power relied entirely on Bochang's own mastery, making it susceptible to mishaps if not careful.

The Dragon Talisman incident served as a stark reminder.

With precision, Bochang activated the Sheep Talisman's strength, causing his soul to instantly detach from his body. Compared to the unruly power of the Dragon Talisman, the Sheep Talisman's energy seemed much easier to control.

Even as a disembodied spirit, Bochang could sense that he still retained the power of the Sheep Talisman, allowing him to detach others' souls from their bodies. With this ability, he might be able to effectively seize someone else's body by simply leaving it as an empty shell and then slipping inside.

"Feels somewhat twisted..." Bochang shook his head, determined not to use such power on his teammates, fearing potential harm to their souls. "If I accidentally turned them into vegetative states, that would be quite troublesome."

"Huh? It's only been about ten minutes, yet Stelle is already asleep?"

After separating his soul, Bochang noticed a Dreamscape aura emanating from Stelle's body. By entering this aura, he could induce dreams or observe what kind of dream she was experiencing.

"Let me guide her towards a pleasant dream for a good night's sleep..."

With that thought...

Bochang, in his spiritual form, entered Stelle's Dreamscape.

Instantly...

The entire world underwent a dramatic transformation.

Within the Dreamscape, Bochang witnessed a series of peculiar scenes. He saw an enormous figure overlooking the world, a room where a woman with indistinct features conversing with thin air, presumably Cocolia and this realm's Stellaron.

"Stelle has such strange dreams, likely due to the influence of the Stellaron within her..."

Bochang observed Stelle standing motionless, as if watching a movie unfold before her eyes.

In the Dreamscape, Stelle lacked control over herself.

Thus...

Bochang gently took Stelle's hand and asked, "Stelle, what are you doing?"

"Me? I don't know..." The sudden appearance of the black-haired youth in her Dreamscape left Stelle bewildered.

[Dating Options activated.]

[Option 1: With a serious expression, tell Stelle, "Stelle, Earth is under attack by monsters again. Let's quickly merge and transform into Ultraman to fight them." - Completion Reward: Supercharged Grocery Prices, Doubled Effectiveness.]

[Option 2: Swiftly pin Stelle to the ground and say, "I just learned this grappling technique..." - Completion Reward: Acquire Skill 'Grappling Technique', ensuring your first successful grapple on any accessible creature.]

**[Option Three: Grasp Stelle's hand and run, saying, "Didn't we agree to get married today? Quickly, let's go to the wedding venue together. On this joyous occasion, the bride must be present." — Completion Reward: Obtain Equipment - Teleportation Ring, allowing arbitrary teleportation within a 10-meter radius. Contains three energy slots; each use consumes one slot, with a full recharge taking twenty-four hours for one slot. Note: This type of item...]

[Note 2: Upon encountering another Teleportation Ring, these items can be bound together, enabling mutual teleportation functionality.]

"Stelle, you truly are my precious gem!"

Bochang didn't expect the second trigger of the "Dating Options" feature to occur so swiftly.

Apart from Option One, both Option Two and Option Three seemed appealing.

The Grappling Technique caught his eye eagerly.

A guaranteed success on the first attempt at grappling any creature—does that mean even capturing Aeon would be possible?

However, after the grapple...

The subsequent outcome would likely be dire. Bochang understood without needing to ponder it further.

"I haven't even come face-to-face with Aeon, let alone attempting to capture him..." Shaking his head internally, Bochang dismissed his wild thoughts, "Hmm... The Teleportation Ring isn't bad either..."