They didn’t see the city gates until well after dark.

It had been a long ride back.

Going in, they’d camped a full night just to hit the mission fresh. Coming out, nobody brought up stopping.

They wanted beds, walls, and safety.

Weston pulled the carriage to a stop just past the gate.

Getting down was slow. Everything had stiffened up on the ride. Alara came down leaning on Leo, her leg still giving her trouble despite what Weston had done for it.

She straightened up as best she could. "Good work today. Go home and sleep properly."

She glanced at each of them in turn. "We’ll report to the guild first thing tomorrow morning. Collect the reward then."

No one argued.

Leo nodded. "I’ll make sure she gets home."

Alara shot him a brief look but didn’t protest.

Mira stretched her arms, yawning. "I’m going to sleep for a week."

Kyle smirked faintly. "Try not to."

They parted ways soon after.

Leo supported Alara as they disappeared down one of the quieter streets, moving slowly but steadily. Weston headed toward the temple district, staff resting against his shoulder.

Mira waved once before heading off, humming lightly to herself.

Kyle watched them go—then turned toward his own lodging.

His room greeted him with silence.

Kyle shut the door behind him and didn’t bother lighting a lamp. He took three steps forward, then let himself fall onto the bed on his face.

"...What a day."

His body ached, muscles tight, and mind exhausted. But sleep would have to wait. There was something he needed to see.

Kyle rolled onto his back and raised his hand.

"Status."

The blue system screen flickered into view.

Kyle looked at the screen, and his eyes immediately widened.

[Name: Kyle]

[Class: Mind Controller]

[Strength: 13 | Intelligence: 23 | Endurance: 12 | Agility: 9 | Mana: 0]

[Unused Stats Points: 28]

[Skills: Mind Control - Thought Reading]

"Fuck yeah!" Kyle shouted happily.

He now had 28 Unused Stat Points. That’s the highest amount he’s ever had at one time.

`I should have gotten more, but in the middle of killing the goblins, they stopped giving me points.` He shook his head. `But it doesn’t matter... Now I have enough points to greatly increase my stats.`

Kyle exhaled slowly, staring at the numbers for a moment longer. Then he grinned.

"Alright... let’s do this."

He focused, and the Unused Stat Points responded instantly: +7 Strength, +7 Intelligence, +7 Endurance, +7 Agility.

Kyle realized after today’s mission that all stats are important, so for this reason he distributed them all evenly among his stats.

All twenty-eight points vanished at once.

He felt the change happening immediately.

Kyle’s muscles tensed sharply, his body twitching as if something inside him had shifted out of place—then settled again.

There was no pain. Just a strange, unfamiliar sensation spreading through him, like warmth beneath the skin.

He clenched his fist. And it felt... different. Stronger, lighter, and sharper.

Despite his fatigue, he got out of bed and took off his shirt, revealing the muscles of his chest and abdomen. He walked to the mirror beside the wardrobe and examined his body.

He couldn’t see much due to the darkness of the place, but he noticed the change in his body’s shape and the increase in his muscle size.

"Now I look like a real adventurer."

Kyle took a slow breath, letting the sensation wash over him before opening the status screen again.

[Name: Kyle]

[Class: Mind Controller]

[Strength: 20 | Intelligence: 30 | Endurance: 19 | Agility: 16 | Mana: 0]

[Unused Stat Points: 0]

[Skills: Mind Control - Thought Reading]

Kyle nodded in satisfaction.

He could feel it now—his body more responsive, his thoughts clearer, his breathing steadier.

He went back to the bed and threw himself onto it. Then, he opened the shop screen.

Rows of weapons, armor, and strange items filled his vision. His eyes went straight to the counter at the corner.

[Shop Points: 410]

Kyle whistled softly. "Four hundred and ten..."

He skimmed through the listings briefly—enchanted daggers, accessories, consumables, things far beyond what he could afford before.

Then he closed the screen.

`There’s no need to rush... I’ll see what I can buy with these later.`

His eyelids suddenly felt heavy.

Kyle let his arm drop to the side and turned onto his stomach again, burying his face into the pillow.

The system screens faded.

And within moments, Kyle fell into a deep, exhausted sleep—his body resting, his mind already preparing for what came tomorrow.

***

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The knocking pulled him out of sleep. He squinted, face half in the pillow, thin sunlight coming through the curtains. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

It was morning.

"...Who the hell," he muttered, voice still wrecked from sleep.

It knocked again. Harder.

Kyle groaned, sat up, and got his legs over the side. He rubbed his face. while walking to the door, then open it.

"Morning, Kyle!"

Mira. Smiling, hand mid-wave. But her smile froze as her eyes slid downward.

Mira was there, smiling and waving her hand. But her smile froze as her eyes slid downward.

Kyle hadn’t put a shirt on.

The light caught him straight on—chest, abdomen, everything more built than she’d have expected.

Mira’s eyes went just slightly wide. She didn’t say anything—just stared.

Kyle noticed that.

He raised an eyebrow. "...What? Never seen a man’s body before?"

Mira snapped back to herself instantly. Her face flushed red as she jerked her gaze up to his face. "W-What?! I wasn’t—!"

`Who would have thought the flirting Mira would blush like this.` Kyle enjoyed her current view. `Had she never really seen a man’s body before or what?`

She coughed lightly, crossing her arms beneath her big breasts. "Y-You should at least put a shirt on before opening the door!"

Kyle smirked. "You’re the one staring."

Her blush deepened. "T-That’s not the point!"

Kyle yawned, stretching his arms casually. "So, why are you here?"

Then he tilted his head slightly. "And how did you even know where I’m staying?"

Mira cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "I came to pick you up. The others are already at the guild."

She gestured vaguely behind her. "And... I saw you enter this inn before the mission. I just assumed you were staying here."

Kyle nodded slowly. "Makes sense."

He stepped back. "Go ahead. I’ll get dressed and come down."

Mira didn’t leave. Instead, she stepped past him and into the room, hands clasped behind her back.

"I’ll wait inside," she said lightly. "So we can go together~"

Kyle paused and looked at her. "...I will change all of my clothes."

Mira smiled when she saw his reaction. "Oh, no need to worry about me... there’s nothing about your body that would interest me~"

"So," she said slowly. "Don’t be embarrassed~"

She teased him as if she wanted to take revenge for what had happened a little while ago.

Something inside Kyle snapped the moment he heard her last words. `This bitch!`

He looked at her—that smile, easy and deliberate, like she already knew she’d won.

Mira tilted her head slightly, clearly enjoying herself.

He reached out and gently closed the door. His smile didn’t fade as he turned to face her.

`So that’s how you want to play it... huh?`