’Hmm... what to choose? Decisions, decisions.’

Kaizen was currently locked in deep, tactical thought as he and his "bestie" geared up for combat.

While Kaizen was checking his stats, Leo was fumbling with his armor, looking like a nervous wreck.

"S-Sera-chan does l-l-love me, right? I mean... she didn’t say it, but the way she looked at my lunchbox today... that was a look of pure devotion, right?!"

Leo was mumbling like a teenage girl who just got a text from her crush.

Honestly, Kaizen was starting to wonder if the Creator of this world had been sniffing glue when he designed the "Hero."

If this was the peak of masculinity in this game, the bar wasn’t just low, it was buried in the backyard.

But Kaizen quickly tossed his pity for Leo into the mental trash can.

He had much better things to focus on.

Namely, the mountain of loot he’d just scavenged from Hina-chan’s "treasure chest."

[Congratulations! You’ve officially reached ’Giga-Chad’ status by absolute-destructo-fucking a Main Heroine!]

Rewards:

$10,000 (Because being a villain is expensive.)

Protagonist’s Halo decreased by 5%

Level UP!

Level UP!

Level UP!

Level UP!

[Congratulations! on Cucking the Hero!]

Rewards:

Blade of Blood (D-Rank)

Effect: Protagonist’s Halo decreased by another 5%

Level UP!

Level UP!

Level UP!

[Congratulations on Losing Your Virginity!]

Rewards:

’Elite Club’ Cooling Sunglasses (F-Rank)

Level UP!

"..."

Kaizen stared at the screen, his eye twitching.

"Cooling glasses? Seriously? My first time was worth a pair of $5 gas station shades?"

He shoved the sunglasses into his pocket and turned his attention to the real prize: the Skill selection menu the SSS ranked skill Yin Extraction!

[Yin Extraction (Rank SSS) skill activated!]

[The ultimate biological tax. You can extract one permanent skill from any being you have successfully pounded into absolute, shivering oblivion. You aren’t just taking their dignity; you’re copying their talent and leaving them with nothing but a hazy memory and a need for a cigarette.]

Available Skills to Copy:

Ghost Vision (Rank SSS) (Compatible with Eyes of Truth.)

Wind Burst Palm (Rank C)

Pressure Palm (Rank C)

Silent Step (Rank F)

Kaizen was at a loss for words.

The combat skills were great, and honestly, much-needed if he didn’t want to get turned into a puddle in the next dungeon.

But his eyes kept drifting back to the lone SSS-Rank skill at the top of the list.

He wasn’t stupid.

You don’t just "gloss over" a triple-S rank skill, even if the name sounded like something out of a low-budget horror flick.

’Combat skills are cool.’

Kaizen thought, his inner anime villain grinning.

Pressure Palm (Rank C) — Palm strikes that damage the enemy’s mana points and internal body instead of outside wounds.

Wind Burst Palm (Rank C) — Fires compressed air from her palms to push enemies away or disrupt attacks.

Silent Step (Rank F) — Makes her movements light and nearly silent.

All of these skills were tempting as hell.

Especially that Pressure Palm.

In a world where everyone runs on mana, being able to block the mana points is basically a "Delete" button for your opponent.

What happens when your mana flow gets constipated?

You die. Simple as that.

"Damn!"

Kaizen muttered, feeling the internal struggle.

But as juicy as the combat stuff was, his eyes kept drifting back to the main event.

[Ghost Eyes (Rank SSS) (Compatible with Eyes of Truth)]

Description: A legendary bloodline skill of the Ayura Clan. Provides 360-degree vision, X-ray capabilities, and enhanced sight within a 50-meter radius. Warning: Excessive use leads to brain-scrambling headaches and dry eyes.

"..."

"..."

"DAMN!"

"Whoa! What’s the matter, Kaizen-kun? Did you see a ghost?"

Leo asked, jumping nearly a foot in the air.

"Ha! Nothing! I was just wondering how the hell you’re actually going to romance Sera-chan with that goofy look on your face."

"Na~ get out of here, Kaizen-kun! You’re making me feel all shy~~"

Leo actually giggled, blushing like a debutante at a ball, and skipped forward toward the dungeon entrance.

Kaizen watched him go and sighed.

"What a total moron... Now, back to this skill."

He scratched his chin, feeling the weight of the decision.

On paper, the skill was a bit of a pacifist.

It didn’t help him punch harder or throw fireballs.

It just gave him 360-degree vision and X-ray sight.

It was Rank SSS primarily because it was a "Members Only" bloodline trait that usually required a DNA test and a blood sacrifice to unlock.

One could argue: what’s the point of seeing an assassin sneaking up behind you at 50 meters if you’re too weak to do anything but watch him stab you?

It’s just a high-definition view of your own demise.

But Kaizen wasn’t some basic NPC.

He knew how these games worked.

A "One-of-One" bloodline skill is like a limited-edition legendary skin—you don’t pass that up!

If he missed this chance now, his only other option to get it would be to hunt down Hina-chan’s mother or her sister and "pounding" it out of them, too.

’And let’s be real...’

A dark grin spreading across his face.

X-ray vision in a world full of high-rank babes and tight armor?

That’s not just a utility skill, that’s a divine right.’

He was lucky Hina was a pure-blooded Ayura.

If her family tree had any "commoner" branches, this skill wouldn’t even be on the menu.

"System, give me the Ghost Eyes. I’ve got some ’investigating’ to do."

.

..

...

After locking in those legendary X-ray eyes, Kaizen and his "bestie" strutted toward the rest of their squad:

Sera-chan and the resident edge-lord, Kaito-kun.

The second Leo saw Sera, his brain clearly short-circuited.

He gave her a goofy, lovestruck smile that was about 40% drool, but then he panicked, avoided eye contact entirely, and pivoted toward the brooding Kaito instead.

"How’s everybody doing, buddy? Ready to slay some monsters?"

Leo asked, throwing a friendly arm around Kaito’s shoulder.

Kaito didn’t even blink.

He just stared into the middle distance like he was watching his own tragic backstory on repeat.

"The state of these people is of no consequence to me. I simply do not have the temporal capacity to track the trivial existence of mortals."

Leo’s smile vanished.

He slowly removed his hand from Kaito’s shoulder, looking like he’d just touched a wet refrigerator.

Kaizen, meanwhile, decided it was time to practice his new "Chad" energy.

He sauntered up to Sera and gave her a slow, scanning look that probably triggered her "creepy-trash-radar" instantly.

"Sera-chan, I gotta say... that armor looks incredible on you. It really highlights your... personality."

Sera’s face went from zero to "Death Threat" in 0.5 seconds.

"You dare let such words escape that filthy mouth of yours?! I’ll have your tongue for—"

"I mean, it obviously looks way better on you than it ever did on that bimbo Hina-chan."

Kaizen was a master of the conversation now.

He knew exactly which buttons to mash.

The moment he compared her favorably to her rival, Sera’s rage engine stalled.

Her face turned a shade of red that shouldn’t be biologically possible, and she started fidgeting like she was standing on a hot stove.

"Ng~ N-Nooo! You... you’re just saying that! I... I don’t care about that cow!"

BOOM!

In typical tsundere fashion, her brain couldn’t process the compliment, so her fist handled the talking.

She delivered a haymaker that sent Kaizen flying across the dungeon entrance like a discarded candy wrapper.

Kaizen tumbled through the dirt, coughing up dust but grinning like a maniac.

He had successfully manipulated her feelings, but apparently, he still hadn’t figured out how to dodge the inevitable "I-It’s not like I like you!" physical assault.

’Worth it.’