As the morning stretched on, Steve and Tonya prepared their bags, readying themselves to proceed towards the market.
Within minutes, they were on their way to the market. And in no time, they proceeded, moving at a calm pace, chatting lightly as they made their way to the heart of the town.
The market was exactly what Steve expected—crowded, noisy, and bustling with life. Every stall was vibrant with colors, smells, and sounds.
But amidst all the chaos, there was one particular thing that caught Steve's attention more than the fruit stands or vegetable rows.
'... MILFs.' he thought, his gaze sliding over a group of older women chatting near a spice vendor.
There were all kinds of them—curvy, elegant, confident. Their smiles were seasoned, their bodies experienced.
It was tempting. Very tempting. But Steve straightened his shoulders and focused forward.
'Self-control, man. You're not here to gawk. You've got a job to do.' he reminded himself.
Tonya, meanwhile, had already started moving from stall to stall, picking up what they needed. Steve followed along, although he did most of the heavy lifting. He didn't mind it. It gave him time to think.
'Hmmm...Maybe I should add a new skill.' he thought.
'Something spicy. Something to tip things in my favor.'
He considered his last entry—the infamous 'intoxicating chicken'—which surprisingly had worked out better than he had expected...but still-
'No way I'm repeating that mess...' he muttered, adjusting one of the heavier bags.
'And besides...there's no way in hell I'm gonna be able to convince a stranger to feed on my meat...hehe...that sounded kinda dirty.' He added as a weary chuckle escaped his lips.
'So...then...how do I go about it?'
As they walked, he kept pondering. Tonya did most of the shopping, occasionally asking him to check the weight of some fruit or to hold a few more bags. He obeyed wordlessly, deep in thought, not like he had a care for the shopping. He was only here for the harem.
'Mmmm....What am I gonna write next...?'
That was when the idea hit him. So sudden, so clean—it stopped him in his tracks.
They were at the edge of the market now. Tonya was still negotiating with a vendor over some dried herbs.
It was there he saw the chance and took it.
He dropped the bags gently near a stone bench, pulled out the Author's Notebook from his waist pouch, and flicked it open. His hand moved instinctively, drawing out his quill.
He hesitated only for a second before writing the text-
"Player, Upon completing his harem, receives a skill..."
He paused, the edge of his lip curling.
'No...' he thought, tapping the tip of his quill against the page as he pondered.
'Too obvious. That would mess with the flow of everything.'
So, upon passing for a moment, he continued instead-
"Player, upon completing his harem, achieves godly blessing in which any woman within a 5-meter radius becomes susceptible to his charm, their reaction depending on their class and awareness."
'Yeah, that works.' he thought, gently rubbing his chin.
'Believable... reasonable. Not too OP.'
He added the final punctuation. A full stop.
And the moment the dot was placed, a loud ding rang, immediately displaying a notification which pinged in front of his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Task Completed!]
His chest rose in satisfaction.
'Perfect. This is exactly what I needed.'
With a quiet exhale, he closed the notebook and slid it back into his pouch, hidden beneath the fabric of his shirt.
'Now all that's left... is the hunt. And once that's done, I'll get the real reward.'
He could feel the strategy building in his head, every step lining up like pieces on a board.
He had already accounted for most of it. The hard part was behind him—now, all that remained was to set the pieces in motion.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'I've already written this before. Most merchants offer discounts to attract customers...' He looked at the bags already piled beside them.
'...Which means by the end of our shopping....we should have more than enough money left.'
He turned just in time to see Tonya approaching with a pleased look on her face. Her hips swayed softly, her steps light.
"Hey." she said, catching his attention.
He tilted his head to her.
"Hm?"
She smiled.
"I'm done with the list. But guess what? We still have a lot of money left. Like, a lot more than expected. Almost every trader gave us a discount. It's like... they were being unusually generous."
He chuckled, glowing an innocent smile at her.
"That's great."
"We should probably head home now."
she added, adjusting one of the lighter bags.
Steve raised a brow, then gave her a teasing smile.
"Or... we could treat ourselves."
She blinked.
"Treat ourselves? I mean... we do have extra, but not that much."
He leaned closer.
"Come on, just a little. I already have something in mind."
She frowned slightly, uncertainty crossing her face.
"I don't know... It doesn't feel right."
"Hey." he said, grinning, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Don't you want to know what I've got planned for us? I promise—you're going to love it."
Her lips parted just a little, curiosity lighting up her gaze. With a playful huff, she crossed her arms beneath her chest, unintentionally lifting her breasts higher—soft, full curves pressing snugly against the thin fabric of her shirt, making his heart skip a beat.
"So?" she asked, her voice laced with playful challenge, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
"What do you have in store for us?"
He shot her a sly look, one brow arched with deliberate flair, mischief glinting in his eyes like a spark waiting to catch flame.
"Clothes shopping."
To her, it might have sounded like a plain suggestion, but to Steve, he had several ulterior motives in mind...harem wise.
***
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