"Toodles~" He waved as he pulled open the door.
Closing the door, he started making his way down the hall while wondering what he should name his new potion. As he was about to turn the corner, someone else did. It was a highly attractive and mature woman, standing around 162 cm (5'4") tall with a slender yet voluptuous figure, and an impossibly large breast that immediately drew his eyes.
She wore a flowing, floor-length, light pink gown with long sleeves with a decorative gold belt worn loosely around her waist, the dress accentuating her generous bust and rounded hips, giving her an unmistakably mature and womanly appearance.
"Oh, my." A gentle, mature voice drew his attention, "If it isn't the Rex Magnus~."
Rex finally looked up from her breast to see a woman with long, wavy, honey-golden hair that gently fell down her back and frames her delicate, softly rounded face. Her warm orange eyes stared at him with a soft smile on her face.
'Who?' He quickly used Scavenger. 'This is Demeter?'
"You look even better in person." She gave him a playful smile as she extended her arm, "Why don't you give Lady Demeter a hug~."
"Uh…" Rex took a step back. "I'm good." He felt extremely uncomfortable hugging random people, even if she was a busted woman with such a massive breast he wanted to hold.
Demeter's smile faltered for a brief moment, surprise flickering across her features, but it quickly shifted back into a playful pout. She placed a hand lightly on top of her chest, feigning heartbreak as she tilted her head slightly.
"Oh dear, rejected so easily?" she teased gently, her tone amused rather than offended. Her warm orange eyes glinted with mischievous curiosity as she studied him more closely. "And here I thought a young hero like you would appreciate a goddess's embrace. Perhaps you're more innocent than I imagined~."
"It's not that," Rex coughed awkwardly, trying to keep his eyes on her face. "I just... don't hug strangers." He admitted, trying to end the conversation quickly.
"Strangers?" Demeter placed a finger on her cheek, tilting her head. "And here I thought we were friends." She sighed, "I came to discuss discounting the price of my Familia work since myself and Soma got a few drinks, but I guess that's not enough to make us friends~."
"…" Rex smiled, "Haha, I was joking, Lady Demeter. Of course, we are friends."
"Oh~? How quickly you change your tune," she teased lightly. "But I suppose I can forgive you, seeing as we're such good friends now." She stepped closer. "In that case, there's no reason to hesitate, is there? Friends shouldn't shy away from a friendly embrace~."
"Indeed." Rex nodded. He was actually hoping she would insist on the hug so he could claim he wasn't a 'simp' and resisted the goddess until she insisted.
"Wonderful~" Demeter's smile widened triumphantly, and before he could change his mind, she stepped in, gently wrapping her arms around his head.
"???" Rex blinked. 'That's not how you hug—'
Before he could react, his head was smoothly drawn down and nestled directly between the plush, softness of her ample breasts. His face sank into the warm, bare skin of her cleavage, enveloped on both sides by the soft, luxurious fullness of her chest.
'!!!' His eyes widened, the sudden proximity and intimate warmth overwhelming his senses.
The gentle pressure was both surprising and exhilarating. Her skin was incredibly soft and warm, the bare flesh smooth and supple against his cheek and forehead. The gentle swell of her breasts, the smooth, flawless expanse of her cleavage pressing closely against his eyes filled entirely the edges of his vision.
Her heartbeat softly thrummed against his cheek, with her delicate fragrance filling his nose, a subtle floral scent that only amplified the surreal comfort of the moment. He almost couldn't hold himself back from inhaling her scent like a dog.
Demeter smiled and softly caressed the top of his head, her fingers lovingly running through his hair, causing shivers to trail warmly down his spine.
"You really did wonderfully during the War Game, Rex," she whispered soothingly, her mature voice resonating gently in his ear, adding another layer to the overwhelming sensation. Her voice held sincere admiration, mingled subtly with playful amusement.
"Especially the part where you said 'Fall.'" She breathed. "It sent shivers down mine and many god's spine~."
There was a pause as they stayed in that position. "You know, my Familia has been searching for a strong adventurer like you so we could safely explore the Large Tree Labyrinth—"
Her fingers brushed delicately upwards, gently touching the edge of one of Rex's Doberman ears. The effect was instantaneous. A sharp, tingling sensation jolted through his body, startling him fully alert. Instinctively, Rex pulled himself free from her gentle grasp, stumbling slightly backward.
"Ah—" he stammered, embarrassment and confusion clearly visible on his face. "Then I'll see you later, Lady Demeter!" Without waiting another second, he turned and sprinted down the hall, vanishing from sight with incredible agility.
Demeter blinked in mild surprise, her arms still extended, before slowly lowering them to her sides. Her shock quickly melted into a mischievous, amused smile as she placed a finger thoughtfully against her lips.
"My, my, Rex Magnus," she murmured softly, chuckling gently to herself. "I look forward to our next meeting~."
———
Walking down the middle of Northwest Main, it wasn't long before Rex arrived in front of a large building constructed from polished, shiny white stone. A massive banner bearing the emblem of the Dian Cecht Familia—sparkling gems resting atop medicinal leaves—hung prominently above the ornate doorway.
Entering through the grand entrance, he found himself immediately surrounded by a bustling crowd of customers. One glance told him that everyone present was an experienced adventurer—no Level 1 adventurers could be seen, and even Level 2s were few, with most being Level 3 or higher.
'Well, makes sense,' Rex thought, taking in the luxurious interior. 'This is the Dian Cecht Familia's main shop. Everything here is high quality—and high price.'
It didn't take long to spot Airmid dressed in the standard Familia uniform—a plain white robe similar to a nurse's of a nurse's attire. She stood with calm poise, speaking to a Level 4 elf who looked a little too desperate for someone trying to make a high-end sale.
The elf was showing her a sealed case with a glowing, elegant flower inside. 'Is that the Luminara Arborea?' Rex blinked and used scavenger. 'Indeed, it is.' It was even of high quality, but Airmid didn't buy it, even as the elf gradually lowered his asking price.
Thanks to his purified Blue Papilio Powder, Dian Cecht Familia no longer required the flower as urgently as before, so they stopped buying everyone they came across like they used to do. Eventually, the man sighed and snapped the case shut, defeated.
"What is going on?" he muttered as he passed by Rex, not even noticing him. "Both Dian Cecht and Panacea rejected it…?" His voice trailed off, lost in the noise of the store.
Rex's attention returned to Airmid, who had begun walking toward him. "Welcome, Mr. Rex," she greeted.
"Airmid." He smiled. "Long time no see."
"I have been waiting." She returned his smile. "Please, follow me."
She led him deeper into the building and up a polished staircase to the third floor. There, she opened the door to a luxurious waiting room. It was bright with natural light pouring through large windows, and two long golden couches sat facing each other with a low glass table between them. A fresh flower arrangement sat neatly at the table's center and a few shelves with decorative books on one side of the room.
"Please wait here while I fetch Lord Dian Cecht," she said softly, bowing politely before leaving.
Rex nodded and entered the room, sitting on one of the couches while tapping a finger against his leg. His thoughts drifted—and his mind soon wandered back to his earlier encounter with Demeter, causing a familiar pressure to build in his pants.
'Bro? Again?' he internally groaned, focusing intensely to calm himself down. 'Is this a Level 4 vitality thing or what? Jesus.' He sighed.
'But damn, that was interesting.' He could still smell and feel her from earlier, which didn't help with him trying to calm himself. 'And I didn't know my ears were cliché-level sensitive like in anime.'
According to Scavenger, it only triggered when he was… excited. One of those weird things the body enjoyed more than it should when in that mood, which was good to know. Maybe next time he would try useing it to—
"Rex Magnus!" A voice boomed, shaking the room.
Rex turned toward the source, just as the god himself entered the room and behind him walked Airmid, now carrying a luxurious golden box in her gloved hands.
Rex quickly stood and gave a respectful bow. "Good afternoon, Lord Dian Cecht."
"It was supposed to be good morning," the god said, his tone mockingly stern. "So why are you two hours late?"
Rex kept his head lowered, calmly replying, "I had something urgent to handle, my lord."
"Something more important than meeting me?" Dian Cecht asked, his voice dropping and his eyes narrowing.
'Sounds kinda gay,' Rex thought, keeping his expression neutral, but before he could reply, the god suddenly exploded into his signature laughter.
"FU-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Dian Cecht clapped a heavy palm on Rex's shoulder. "Raise your head, boy. I'm merely jesting."
Internally sighing with relief, Rex raised his head and met Dian Cecht's amused gaze. "Thank you, my lord."
"Sit, sit!" Dian Cecht gestured grandly toward the couch opposite his own, the gold on his robe glinting majestically.
Rex obediently took his seat, and Dian Cecht sat down across from him. "Now," He said as Airmid placed the golden box carefully onto the table between them. "Let's begin." With that, the doll-like girl opened it to reveal a crimson nectar, thick and glimmering like blood, sealed in a gorgeous glass bottle adorned with decorative gold. It rested atop a plush velvet pillow inside the case.
"That," Dian Cecht began proudly, "is our new potion—admittedly only made possible thanks to your invaluable assistance to Airmid during that delightful ball."
He leaned back, his voice brimming with joy. "We would still be stumbling in the darkness, fumbling through trials, errors, and all manner of tedious setbacks if you hadn't so effortlessly accelerated our progress." His gray eyes sparkled as he looked at Rex—not with divine power, but raw, unfiltered greed. "You are an amazing man, Rex."
"Thank you, my lord." Rex nodded modestly, but surprisingly, the god didn't ask him to join the Dian Cecht Familia and continued;
"What do you think of it?" he asked, smiling as if presenting a treasure chest full of gold. "Why not pick it up and inspect it?"
"Okay." Rex leaned forward and carefully picked up the bottle.
He held it with great care, like he was holding an egg while inspecting it. Well, he was only looking at the bottle and acting like he was inspecting it since he had already seen the effect of the potion with Scavenger the moment Airmid opened the box.
[___: A Supreme Grade enhancement potion. When drunk, marginally ~ massively increase all Basic Abilities and stamina regeneration while simultaneously reducing pain, regenerative, and all healing effects marginally ~ greatly. Effect depends on how much is drunk.
Market Value: ~100,000,000]
"Ah," Rex mumbled. "It increases all basic abilities and stamina regeneration while also reducing pain." He glanced at the duo. "But I can't help but notice that it also reduces regeneration and healing effects?"
"You got that just from looking?" Dian Cecht's eyes were wide in surprise, mirroring the girl standing beside the table. "Impressive, impressive." He mumbled with a smile. "But we decided to lower its healing effect in favor of a greater boost in abilities. After all, if you drink it with the 'Healing Power Potion' the Panacea Familia created, it would offset the lowered regenerative effect."
"Wouldn't that give Panacea the advantage in sales…?" Rex asked, a bit shocked that the god would go down this route. He didn't seem like the kind to give his rival a huge advantage like that.
"FU-HA-HA!" Dian Cecht slapped his knee. "Normally, yes!" He leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "But we struck a deal. She will edit her potion so it will reduce basic abilities in exchange for even stronger healing capability. That way—" His grin turned predatory. "—buyers need both to function properly."
'Panacea agreed to this?' Rex had pegged her as too principled for such a scheme. Then again, this wasn't some common health potion—it was a luxury for elite Familias. More profit meant more low-grade potions for the masses. 'A twisted kind of charity, I guess.'
The god leaned back. "With both of them being sold for fifty million, it's guaranteed profit for both of us."
"Only fifty?" Rex raised a brow. "I mean, with its effect depending on how much is drunk, shouldn't it be…" He stopped as he noticed both god and healer were staring at him strangely.
"Can you… repeat that?" Airmid, standing at one head of the table while cutely tilting her head.
'Ah. They didn't know.' Rex realized. "The potion looks like its effect depends on how you drink. So a sip would only grant a minor boost to basic abilities and reduce healing by a bit, while a larger dosage would grant a larger effect."
He placed the bottle back in the box. "The Papilio Crystallinum made each part of the drink perfectly equal, so you don't need the entire thing for its effect."
There was a long silence. Then Dian Cecht turned the box to himself and picked up the potion to get a closer look. A moment later, he noticed what he had missed before and burst out laughing, louder than ever.
"You got that from a glance?" He laughed heartily. "What skill is that?!" He grinned as he extended his free arm. "How about you come join my Familia? I'll instantly grant you the spot of a captain."
Airmid nodded her head vigorously, even willing to give up her seat for him.
Rex opened his mouth, but before he could decline, the god lowered his hand with an "Ah," placing it on his lap.
Rex opened his mouth to refuse, but the god waved him off. "Ah, never mind—I won't force you." The girl looked visibly saddened.
Dian Cecht set the potion down, mumbling, "Still, this changes things. If it's reusable, fifty million is too cheap... I'll discuss it with Panacea later." He decided to himself then returned his attention to Rex. "Now, the important question—what will you name it?"
"Rexsplode." Rex instantly blurted out. "It makes your power explode and it was named by me, so instead of Explode we call it..." He paused, "Rexsplode."
"…" Dian Cecht and Airmid.
"What a bad naming sense," Airmid accidentally blurted before quickly covering her mouth, a slight blush rising when she noticed Rex's side glance.
"My girl is right," Dian Cecht nodded. "Why not name it something else?"
"Hmm…" Rex acted like he was thinking. "How about 'Rexsplode: The Inner Essence of Rex Magnus.'"
The room went dead silent. The duo glanced at each other, then back at Rex's deadpan expression.
"Another name…" Dian Cecht coughed.
"Rexsplode: The white inner essence of Rex Magnus that turned red due to food coloring."
Dian Cecht almost coughed out blood, while Airmid's face turned completely red like a tomato as she started fidgeting with her skirt in front of her.
"Uh…" the god was stunned. "Why not go with the first name?" He smiled.
"Oh, you prefer 'Rexsplode: The white inner essence from Rex Magnus' third leg that was turned red due to food coloring?'" Rex nodded, "I like that too." He smiled, forgetting he was talking to a god. "We have a similar naming sense. Cool."
Dian Cecht's eyes twitched.
The god was in a dilemma. He didn't want to make a needless enemy out of the mortal that supplied the dust that's growing into the backbone of his Familia by telling him to 'Get out' and name it himself. But he also didn't want his potion to be called 'Rexsplode.' It was...
So, he decided on something that would give him the right to name his potion while also making a stronger connection with Rex.
"…How about I speak to Panacea to give the Soma Familia royalties from the potion sales?"
[Author's Note: My boy Rex finally got some kind of win. These two chapters were originally a 5520 words long chapter, but I split it into two because of the 'Too Long; Won't Read' syndrome' myself and many others have. By the way, is 3200+ or 2800+ chapter too long for you guys?
Anyway, after some thinking, I have decided to do Arrow of Orion, since a lot of you guys voted for it. Will do it after the next arc of dungeon diving for missed skills in the Large Tree Labyrinth that will start next chapter. If you guys have any ideas, dump it on me so you can fuel my creative mind.
Sleep well. Don't let the bedbugs bite~\(￣︶￣*\))]