Curves, Courage, and Combat EXP

I woke up the next morning alone in my tent. Sadly Lyssa interrupted last night before I could make my dreams come true. How could she come in between a man and his dreams? She now seemed more like a devil than a goddess.

I smelled the aroma of a delicious breakfast being cooked. Kinda like the one you get at dinners. As I stepped out of my tent I saw Vanni preparing a big breakfast over the campfire. There were eggs, meat, bread, vegetables and it looked like a feast. Maybe this old geezer wasn’t so bad after all

“Hey Ren, I prepared breakfast for you all! We have a long journey ahead”

Luffy barked at me already while eating a plate of cooked meat and eggs.

“ Thank you Vanni, this looks delicious! Did lyssa and Naomi already eat?”

“Actually Ren your companions haven’t come out yet I don’t think they’ve woken up”

This was regular for lyssa since she was a former shut in but Naomi seemed like the more responsible one. I decided to go check on them because I was worried and definitely not to see if they slept in their underwear. I mean of course I’m just trying to make sure my party members are okay. I'm not trying to peek at Naomi although if it happens then who am I to get in the way of God's plan on this wonderful world of ours.

I tiptoed over to Naomi’s tent.

Unzipped it just a little.

Whispered, “Naomi?”

No answer.

I opened it fully…

Empty.

Weird. Maybe she went for a walk. Or was training in secret again. She did seem determined.

I turned to Lyssa’s tent.

I approached with caution.

Knelt by the flap.

And whispered, “Lyssa?”

Nothing.

She was probably curled up in her usual hoodie burrito. No danger here. Probably drooling on her pillow or mumbling in her sleep about mana theory.

Still, as leader, it was my duty to check and wake up this lazy goddess.

I unzipped her tent.

And saw…

CURVES. SO. MANY. CURVES.

Naomi and Lyssa were cuddled together, both in their underwear, tangled under a blanket like a yuri manga cover.

Naomi’s back was facing me, but even that was a show. Her lacy bra was barely clinging on.

Lyssa? She wasn’t even in her hoodie—just a tight tank top, hugging every curve like the gods designed this moment specifically to punish me for my sins.

I blinked.

My brain short-circuited.

Blood. Nose. Everywhere.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

Ren.exe has stopped responding.

Then Naomi, still half-asleep, opened one eye…

And smiled.

“Good morning~ Leader-kun,” she whispered seductively.

“WAIT WAIT WAIT—IT’S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!”

Too late.

Lyssa stirred.

Sat up slowly.

Blinking.

Stretching.

Then froze.

Her sleepy, confused eyes locked onto mine.

Then followed my gaze downward.

To her tank top.

To my bleeding nose.

To Naomi’s smug smile.

“…REN.”

“Let me explain—”

“GET OUT!”

A giant foot suddenly filled my entire field of vision.

WHAM.

“YOU TOO NAOMI WHEN DID YOU GET IN HERE!!”

I flew backward like a rejected ragdoll, crashing through a bush, a rock, and possibly another dimension. While Naomi put on her robe and ran out giggling.

By the time I stumbled back to camp, I had five oversized lumps, a black eye, and a new fear of cute girls with magic.

Naomi came skipping out a few minutes later, hair messy, still glowing.

She took one look at me and burst out laughing.

“Aww, did little Ren-kun try to peek and get smacked like a hentai protagonist?”

“Did you have to cuddle her like that!? I’m starting to see why lyssa gets angry at you”

“Don’t be so sour Ren. She was warm. And I’m clingy~ Besides, you looked like you enjoyed the show.”

“I ALMOST DIED.”

Luffy licked my hand in sympathy.

We resumed our journey with sore backs, weird dreams, my sustained injuries. I had a sneaking suspicion Naomi was playing around with us and without any shame I was all for it too.

We hit the trail early, Vanni humming an old merchant tune as he snapped the reins of his slightly overworked mule. Lyssa walked up front with her hood pulled low, Naomi drifted between humming and healing Luffy for no reason, and I… I was trying not to step in slime poo.

“Any idea how long until the next checkpoint?” I asked.

Vanni checked a map so old it looked like it belonged in a museum exhibit titled Before GPS.

“Well, assuming we don’t encounter anything nasty—maybe a day and a half to the forest village. You can rest at the inn where the village is also known for its wonderful Hot springs .”

Naomi clapped her hands together. “A hot spring? Do they have shared baths?”

Lyssa didn’t even look up. “If you try crawling into my bath, I’ll freeze the water solid and leave you in it.”

“Eep. Ice queen~” Naomi giggled, winking at me. “Guess that means I’ll sneak into yours instead, Ren.”

“I-I’d like to make a formal protest—”

But my words were cut off by a sudden snarl from the bushes.

Luffy froze, tail stiff, hackles raised.

“Ambush,” Lyssa said flatly, unslinging her staff.

A group of armored slimes bounced out from behind the brush, clinking with poorly fitted scrap metal and dripping with acidic goo. One had a helmet. Another had…a spoon?

“Who gave these things gear!? And crappy one at that, a spoon seriously” I yelled, stepping in front of Vanni’s cart.

“Protect the merchant!” Naomi shouted, casting Sanctified Barrier around the horses and carriage.

Lyssa’s spell lit the ground with a pulsing rune. “Zone of Slow – Ice Variant!”

Slimes staggered forward. Luffy launched.

He tore into the first with a blur of motion, but then yelped as a second slime bounced toward me, aiming for my legs.

Before I could react, Luffy slammed into it.

“Luffy—!”

The impact knocked him back, and I saw red.

Something in me snapped.

Like an instinct honed over thousands of years — something ancient, primal, bonded.

A white light pulsed from my chest.

My body moved before my mind caught up. I stepped forward and slashed through the air with my short sword — and this time, it felt different.

It hummed. I felt stronger. Faster. Sharper.

“Try touching my dog again!” I roared, kicking a slime clean into the trees.

Naomi cast a Holy Lance, obliterating a third slime.

Lyssa blinked. “Was that…a real sword swing?”

“I’m ascending,” I muttered. “Fear me.”

That’s when out of nowhere a system notification popped up.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Ren – Level Up! – Level 8 achieved!

+2 STR, +2 DEX, +1 LUCK

New Skill Unlocked: Focused Slash – Lv. 1

Your blade strikes faster when defending allies.

Cooldown: 10 seconds.

I grinned, and that’s when it happened again.

[FAMILIAR BOND – SYNC ACTIVE]

Luffy has leveled up alongside the Master.

Luffy – Level 8 achieved!

New Passive Unlocked: Soulbound Mimicry – Lv. 1

When bonded Master levels up, familiar mimics stats and abilities at 50% efficiency.

Luffy barked, bounding up beside me. I swore his fur looked shinier. More regal. Like he felt it too.

We dispatched the rest with precision. The final slime popped in a tiny explosion of goo and coins.

We collapsed at the next campsite, fire crackling once again.

I couldn’t believe I was level 8 already. I was so busy paying attention to the fan service I barely even saw anything with my level. The previous boss battles probably helped a lot and we were getting stronger too.

Vanni passed out dry rations and poured some kind of herb soup into tin bowls. “Impressive work today. That bond between you two… it’s rare. Treasure it.”

Luffy curled up against my lap. Naomi leaned on my other shoulder.

Lyssa kept her distance, pretending to sharpen her staff.

Vanni leaned back, puffing on a wooden pipe. “Rest easy tonight. The woods ahead should be empty, hopefully there’s no monsters there our luck would be terrible if anything happened”