Misha has stumbled upon a much more difficult moral quandary. Her scenario found her staying with a group of merchants who had paid off an immense debt her family had left her, saving her from debt collectors.
She believes she has been paying them back for over a year now, with many more to go, when a Dark Apostle approaches her with a proposition to change her entire life. This servant of the Dark Gods promises her power and forbidden knowledge that will help her pay off her debts in no time at all. So long as she ditches the merchants and follows the Apostle on a mission. The woman promises it won't be long, but at first, Misha refuses, unwilling to go back on her word.
The Dark Apostle isn't offended, knowing that such a significant action needs appropriate motivation. Instead, she gives Misha a little more knowledge every time she visits the store. The tipping point is when she lets slip what the plan is.
The mission is to gain the favor of the local Lord and influence him to allow the potions made by the Dark Gods to be sold in town. They're mighty, in demand, and expensive but forbidden. In exchange, Misha will get knowledge of their creation and a profit cut, paying her debt off in a single day.
In the control room, Cain wipes tears of laughter from his eyes while the Elders look at him, confused. "Sorry, but she didn't stand a chance. That drawing of the local Lord, is it generated from her repressed memories?"
"Yes, it's supposed to be the most tempting appearance they've ever seen to see if the applicant will abandon duty and reason for a lover and power."
"In that case, I'm flattered. I thought you were using emotional bonds to sway her. You see, that picture is of me in human form."
The Seraphim all smile at the revelation, congratulating Cain on finding such a loyal lover. At the same time, in the Trials, Misha falls into a lust-filled path of wealth and power before being ejected to join Mythryll in the white room. A heavy blush fills her cheeks, and the Elf immediately realizes the Dark Apostle failed the test somehow. Meanwhile, Cain, who was watching from the control room, is making mental notes of all the things Misha likes and her inclination to put her desire to be with him before anything else.
He never knew the lovely Misha had such interesting repressed desires.
Where Human Cain would have been flattered and flustered, Ancient Cain has begun making plans to make her his in a much more permanent way. Now that he knows what she likes and how to give it to her, he has to help her accept that it's really what she needs in her life. Even without going through the trials, Cain has gained a precious gift today.
Another failure of the exam is Vala. Her trial seemed easy, an obstacle course with multiple choices along the way opening various paths. Easier for correct answers, harder for wrong answers. Unfortunately for her, the one asking the questions holds an open grudge against demons and slides snarky comments and backhanded insults into the questions.
To her credit, she made it halfway through before pummeling him unconscious and taking his remote to open the paths through the maze. It was immensely satisfying but not a successful test of her patience and tolerance levels.
Currently, the entire group is watching Nemu and what is supposed to be a test of her desire to do the right thing by others, even at the risk of harming herself and damaging her reputation. Only she seems to have picked an entirely different option.
She is halfway through the test and has rescued a lost Princess, kidnapped years ago and taken away from her family. The goal is to bring the princess to her father, the King, revealing that the Nemu in this scenario is, in fact, a bandit and relying on the King's mercy to set her free. Instead, they're cuddled up in an abandoned shack in the woods, snacking on wild fruit and playing card games, the Princess having almost forgotten about her desire to go home. They snack, they nap, they style each other's hair, and they share gossip. They're so content where they are that the actual completion of the test is in question.
Nemu still goes out and kills any patrols the enemy kingdom sends for the Princess, keeping her safe and the exam going, but the elders are getting concerned that she will not be returned to her birthright.
"Which is more morally important? Duty to the kingdom or the happiness of others around you? If they decide not to return, is it a fail or a draw? She did choose and manage to rescue the princess successfully, getting full points at the start of the examination." One Elder sighed, looking at the others.
Outside the examinations, only a few hours have passed. Inside the trials it has been most of a week, and everyone is nearly finished. Some with near-perfect scores, while some are coming very close to failing.
The Princess Nemu rescued decides she simply must see her older brother again, and Nemu fulfills her wishes, taking her back to the palace and her rightful place in it. It was an additional week before anyone noticed Nemu's presence; the song she was playing for her princess attracted the attention of the King as he passed by her quarters. The older man chooses to overlook Nemu's past as a bandit in reward for returning his daughter, and the scenario fades, bringing the Felian back to the white room with a grumpy expression.
"She's so soft, soft as angel wings. Couldn't they have given me one more nap before going?" The Felian complains as she appears back in the starting room, making Mythryll and Misha laugh. Of course, the cat woman is most upset about losing a good sleeping spot.
They all finish their trials, and the old Seraphim turns to Cain, who is still laughing at Laura's insistence she is allowed to fly a little longer.
"You have assembled a fine party, Ancient. One of the best we've seen so far. We have run this examination hundreds of times before, and rarely does more than one member meet the standards to join the Heavenly Host. Over half your group passed, and one only failed out of instinctive loyalty to you. We will be looking forward to your future endeavors."
Done with him, the Seraphim Elders eject Cain back to the waiting room type area of the dungeon to rejoin his group. He appears back in his human form, wearing the same jeans and tank top as he was earlier instead of the armored shorts and shirt he put on to enter the dungeon.
[Current Appearance] Human Trailer Park Thug
The notification startles him. He's still got the same armor equipped, but his appearance has different clothes. He didn't know he could do that; maybe it's a preset form? And who decided he looks like a trailer park gangster?
This must be part of the [Malleable Form] racial passive that Ancients get. The system has no description, but it was a requirement for the new Summoning skill. Cain thought that was all there was to it; changing his looks. The Seraphim changing his appearance has shown him an entirely new way to use the ability. Not just for his features, but how the system displays his equipped gear like clothing.
With a thought, Cain changes his clothing appearance to the black Dark Elven Suit, with the polished black shoes and a gray silk shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The golden necklace, bracelets, and rings he's wearing become visible, and he decides against hiding them, as he likes the look.
With the stylish haircut, trimmed short on the sides, and a deeply tanned skin tone that almost matches Misha, plus a variety of tattoos showing on his chest, down his arms, and onto his hands, Cain decides that this is a good look on him. But how to save it? Focusing on the desire to record the form is all it takes.
[Save Form: Human Mafia Don] Y/N
Yes, this look should serve many purposes. Plus, the outfit is exceptionally comfortable.
[Trial of the Seraphim Complete.]
[Calculating Rewards]
The first to see a change is Evangeline, whose underdeveloped the second set of wings has grown to match her first, bringing a whoop of joy from the Seraphim.
"I did it; I'm a fully-fledged adult now. No more jokes from my kin about being too young for my powers." The little one that was messing with the dungeon only had one set of wings, which confuses Cain until what Evangeline said sinks in. She must have smaller secondary wings because she's young. She was Legendary, so likely six wings in total, but only two that are fully grown.
"It gave me a pink hair ribbon as a consolation award. Bring that insufferable Seraphim back here so I can punch him some more." Vala mutters, making Laura giggle.
"Did anyone get something amazing?" Cain asks, realizing that awards given went straight to his summons instead of ending in his inventory as expected.
"I was given a purification spell that removes corruption from plant life. It's like the one I already had, but with a huge area of effect." Mythryll smiles.
Laura puffs a little dragon breath at the roof. "I learned a new breath trick. I can make the ice in the fog sharp, so it both cuts and freezes."
"Oh, very nice. That will be great when you run into things you can't freeze. Just slice and dice, then let the fog refrigerate the leftovers."
[Experience Calculated]
[Multiple Levels Gained]
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