Johannes smiled shyly and bowed his head.
The nights spent waiting outside Iris’s house had been worth it.
Thanks to his strong resolve not to run away at the last minute and his proactive approach, he had succeeded in becoming friends with Iris.
If only he had summoned the courage sooner.
Then he wouldn’t have had to worry about another man stealing Iris away.
He clenched his lips tightly, fighting back the redness swelling in his eyes.
“No, I haven’t lost her yet. If I give it my all from now on…”
Since Iris hadn’t married Laika, there was still a chance.
Though he couldn’t bring himself to ask directly, he sensed they weren’t even dating.
So now, he just had to carefully take each step from friendship to something more.
At that moment, Iris, misunderstanding Johannes’s hesitation, scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
“Did I get ahead of myself? I guess we need to get closer before we can really call each other friends.”
“Huh? Ah, no. If we’re jogging together, then yeah… we’re definitely friends!”
Johannes shook his head frantically, afraid their friendship might be canceled.
Iris smiled brightly and gently tapped his shoulder.
Johannes, still with his head bowed, unfortunately missed that radiant smile.
“That’s right. Let’s do our best from now on, friend.”
“Yeah…”
Johannes lifted the corners of his mouth in a small smile.
The light touch on his shoulder tickled him, causing him to shrink back.
Not wanting to reveal his flushed face, he tightened the hood of his jacket even more.
Iris’s eyes curved even more with amusement at his shy demeanor.
Though his expression was mostly hidden by his bowed head, his embarrassed actions clearly showed he was flustered by becoming friends.
“Seeing him like this makes me a little shy too.”
Becoming friends overnight with Johannes, whom she’d held a bad preconception about, felt strange.
She regretted having disliked him without really knowing him.
Iris, who was also embarrassed though not as much as Johannes, quickened her pace little by little.
Running through the backyard, she called out to him.
“Johannes, let’s run a little!”
“Yeah.”
Johannes nodded quickly and followed her with a creaking sound as they ran together.
A faint smile spread across his lips.
It was good that he had taken the risk.
He now had a reason to contact Iris, they’d promised to jog together, and he had even heard the word ‘friend.’
Though thinking of Laika stung his heart in one corner, it was fine—he was a man who would soon disappear from Iris’s side.
If he stayed around too long, he was determined to make that man disappear.
***
Before the Enraka Church event, Iris’s days were busy.
She diligently accepted missions on the Hero App and completed two monster exterminations.
“Kieek!”
“The lower-body clone… using it like this is perfect.”
While her lower-body clone busily shook its waist to defeat monsters, Iris, perched on a rock, simply watched with ease.
She replenished the drained mana by drinking potions in between.
Though it looked quite odd, she had gained a very useful skill.
“Laika, thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”
Thanks to the previous Potion Transport Mission and the two monster exterminations, the Chastity Belt Hanger had reached Level 30.
Her skill levels had also increased significantly.
But progress was still painfully slow.
At this rate, how long would it take to exterminate powerful villains and bring peace to Gyodam City?
“Leveling up is too slow. I wish I could make better use of the Chastity Belt’s ability to learn other people’s skills. I feel like if I keep leveling up, some powerful feature will unlock…”
“Hoo, after getting Laika’s skill, I’m no longer satisfied with the skill of a weak monster. I want to learn skills from someone much stronger and more capable.”
“But there aren’t many handsome, talented people around. Even after working all night with Laika, I only managed to get one skill…”
At that moment, Abellus’s face flashed through her mind.
Even from their brief encounter, it was clear he was no ordinary madman—the Psychopath Research Director.
Baron, whom she learned about through the Headshot Skill, was not only a genius scientist but also a villain with supernatural abilities.
What if she made him her next target?
The thought of being under Abellus in his white coat, enduring whatever he might do, made her uneasy but at the same time, her lower abdomen warmed slightly.
She secretly liked being treated roughly.
“I did call him a madman when he grabbed my butt out of nowhere, but looking back, maybe it wasn’t so bad…”
Recalling Abellus’s face, she noted his flaw was his slightly deranged mind, but he was quite, no, very handsome.
Unlike Laika’s sharp and playful looks, Abellus had a cold image with a hint of madness that carried a strange charm.
Wearing rimmed glasses and a lab coat, he looked intelligent and intellectual.
If she wanted to make contact, the simplest way would be to get a job as a cleaner at the laboratory.
She had already seen a permanent job listing for cleaners on the homepage.
Or she could just hang around the research lab; its location was clearly posted on the website.
“No. He’s dangerous.”
Though seriously considering applying as a cleaner, Iris shook her head vehemently.
Her instincts warned her: approaching him recklessly just to gain a skill could leave her broken and turned into a human test subject.
Of course, if she infiltrated as a cleaner, the hallucination function of her transformation suit would prevent him from realizing she was a hero.
If that led to seduction, what came after was the real problem.
With her current weak abilities, she risked ending up like the heroes who were carried off on stretchers after missions.
Like a praying mantis male eaten by the female after mating, Abellus gave off the vibe of someone who wouldn’t hesitate to use women he was intimate with as research material.
And even after all that, she would only gain one skill.
Getting that one skill wasn’t worth the enormous risk of dealing with Abellus.
“I need to develop the Skill of the Back. I have a feeling I need to level up to acquire more skills.”
Frustrated, she continued to work hard day by day.
The weekend when her grandmother was coming soon approached.
Waking early and washing thoroughly, Iris looked into the mirror.
Not knowing what might happen at the Enraka Church today, she planned to buy items at the Secret Exchange to prepare thoroughly.
From last time, she noticed the available items changed regularly, with new ones appearing each visit.
“Oh, what’s this?”
Her eyes widened as she entered the Exchange.
A large banner was hanging.
Congratulations on reaching Level 30 as the Chastity Belt Hanger. A tremendous change awaits you.
“Wow, it’s not like a university acceptance banner or anything… I didn’t expect something like this to be at the Secret Exchange. I wonder if it means a good reward? It looks like more items are now available to purchase…”
There were several new items on the display shelf.
Iris rubbed her hands together and approached.
Upon reading the detailed descriptions, her mouth dropped open wide.
Ultra-Strong Barrier
Always safe, no matter who with. A barrier that provides 100% protection against pregnancy is equipped in the crotch. Enjoy a safe sex life.
Absorption Technique Thread
A mysterious thread that grants an additional function to the <Skill of the Back> skill.
Upon ingestion, as the name suggests, when receiving vaginal ejaculation, you can steal one skill or a certain amount of skill levels from the partner.
“This is insane! Exactly what I wanted. I’ve dreamed of this. Why is it only available now?”
She hadn’t expected much from the banner but now that these powerful new items had appeared, she suspected they were unlocked at Level 30.
Hurriedly, she checked her Fame points.
She currently had 7,220 Fame.
After being drained by buying another <Book of Escape>, additional missions had helped her recover.
“How much are these?”
She hoped the price wouldn’t be too high.
Perhaps the heavens heard her desperate wish.
Her lips curved into a wide smile as she saw the price tags.
“Both are on a Level 30 commemorative discount? Even if I buy both at once, it’s only 3,000 Fame. Wow, I’m buying them right now!”
With a grin stretching from ear to ear, Iris purchased the two items.
She also bought the <Feather of Favor> she had originally planned to get, leaving her with 3,100 Fame.
Humming happily, she stepped away from the mirror.