Day 3 of the Growth Competition.
9:00 PM.
By now, Yuria no longer needs me to tell her what to do. At this time, she neatly folds her maid uniform and places it to the side. I let my gaze travel up and down her body.
'Is it the effect of the Super Vitamins? She's already gained a bit of weight in just three days.'
Still, I have the upper hand. She's grown 0.1 cm taller, while I've grown a whopping 0.2 cm—twice her growth. And as for body hair, mine is growing faster too. I can pinch mine with my nails, but Yuria's pubic hair is still too short to grasp.
'I'm winning.'
As I watch Yuria engage in her usual self-pleasure routine, I feel confident in my victory.
***
Day 10 of the Growth Competition.
"This… can't be…!"
I was shocked by her growth. She's grown 0.6 cm taller, twice my height gain. Even the hair down there is slightly longer on her now. The lean figure she had ten days ago is gone. Her body has filled out, her skin is clear and elastic, and her hips have gained enough flesh to give her a more defined figure. Even her flat chest is showing signs of growth.
"So, growth is also a talent…!"
Thinking about it, Yuria's genes are exceptional. Her mother was a knight from a good lineage, and her father is the head of the prestigious Helbrit family.
'…Maybe the Super Vitamins are more effective than I thought.'
I considered taking the Super Vitamins myself but decided against it. While physical growth is something I desire, I also feel a bit attached to this small body.
I've decided to enjoy it to the fullest. After all, the purpose of this play life is to have fun.
"You don't have to give me a reward."
"No, I can't do that. I usually keep my word once I've said something."
I suddenly looked at her face. Upon closer inspection, her complexion didn't look as good as her now healthier body. Her expression was as blank as ever, but if you looked closely at the area under her eyes, it was dark. There were signs of dark circles. I recalled Yuria's schedule.
'…A murderous schedule from dawn till night.'
I hadn't thought deeply about it until now. I hacked into the CCTV feed on the monitor on my desk. From Yuria's perspective, she wouldn't be able to see it. Just as there's a camera in my room, there's one in hers too.
'Wow. She's insane. She's not even sleeping at night and is still training.'
In her small room, she's practicing the Yeongcheon Style swordsmanship I taught her. On top of that, she's not skipping her pre-sleep mana breathing exercises.
'Is it because I told her that if she becomes an Aura Expert, I'd show her what real sex is like?'
I had said that, thinking it would take at least two years for her to become an Aura Expert. I figured that in 2-3 years, she'd grow into a woman more to my liking.
'…No, she's just working herself to the bone. Her goal is obviously revenge.'
Even in the original story, she must have put in a considerable amount of effort. Talent and hard work. Combined, those two things must have been enough to push the protagonist, Kyle, into a corner.
'Still, sleeping only two hours a day is too much. She's going to collapse at this rate.'
Mana isn't omnipotent. It has clear limits. Just looking at the dark circles under Yuria's eyes is proof of that. She's reaching her limit. I stared at Yuria intently. It was surprising that her body had grown more than mine despite her only sleeping for two hours.
"Master?"
I want Yuria to grow stronger as quickly as possible. But I don't want her to destroy her body and mind by pushing herself to the point of self-abuse.
"Come here. I'll give you a reward."
"Yes."
Yuria sat down right next to me. She probably thought I was going to kiss her. I've kissed her a few times under the guise of giving her a reward.
"Three days a week. You'll sleep with me. Got it?"
This is to make sure she gets proper rest. Sleeping together every day would be too much for her, so I settled on three days.
"…Yes."
Yuria seemed to have caught on to my intentions.
I pulled out the reward I was going to give her from my smartphone.
I was a bit surprised, but I felt proud of Yuria for training so hard, even cutting back on sleep. I was going to give her a Potential Potion, but I changed my mind.
"Open your mouth."
"Yes."
Yuria closed her eyes and opened her mouth. She must have thought I was going to kiss her.
I pulled out an Orb of Life from my inventory. I had originally planned to give it as a gift to Jin Se-young in the real world or use it to seduce my first love, Han Ha-rin.
'Who would've thought I'd end up using it in this play world.'
It felt like a waste to use the Orb of Life in this game world. No matter how strong I become here, it won't affect the real me.
'Since this isn't the Vampire Detective world, it won't have its original effects… but like the Illusiter, its effects might be even stronger here than in reality.'
I placed the Orb of Life on her tongue. It immediately melted and was absorbed into her body.
Yuria, feeling something strange, opened her eyes and looked at me.
"…Master?"
"…."
I couldn't answer her. I was witnessing Yuria's transformation.
Her bluish-silver hair gained a glossy sheen, and her eyes became clearer. The dark circles under her eyes were completely gone. Her body had also noticeably grown. Her once flat chest was now around an AA cup.
'…Was Yuria always this beautiful?'
I kissed her on the lips.
***
Three months had passed since Yuria became Seong Eugene's maid.
Yuria's daily life as a maid was highly regimented.
6:00 AM. The start of her day.
After waking up, she tidied her bedding, changed from her nightgown into her maid uniform, and headed to the washroom used by the servants. There, she washed up quickly.
Most servants woke up at different times, depending on their duties. As Eugene's personal maid, she could have slept until 8:00 AM, but she always woke up at 6:00 AM.
When she encountered other servants, they bowed to her first.
"You're up early again today, Yuria."
"Yes. Good morning, Mella."
As Eugene's personal maid, Yuria held a relatively high position among the servants. Moreover, she was officially related to the head butler. None of the servants dared to disrespect her.
After washing up, she headed to the private training room assigned to Eugene. Only three people used this room: Eugene, Yuria, and Hassent. Of course, Yuria and Hassent used it unofficially.
8:00 AM. She headed to the kitchen. The kitchen was bustling. Breakfast preparations were in full swing.
The head chef, who had worked at the mansion for 20 years, greeted her.
"Oh, as punctual as ever."
"May I use the private kitchen?"
The Pruckus mansion had five kitchens in total.
One was for preparing meals for the servants, one for the knights, and one for the nobles. The remaining two were private kitchens for the head chef and the sous chef.
The kitchen was quiet. The servants and knights didn't eat breakfast, only lunch and dinner.
"Of course. I received some sugar, so I can't refuse. Ah, can I get some pepper next time?"
"I'll ask the young master."
"Please do."
In exchange for providing spices to the head chef, Yuria was allowed to use his private kitchen.
She was preparing Korean food for Eugene.
She entered the private kitchen with a somewhat happy heart. Ever since she unlocked her cooking talent with the Potential Potion Eugene gave her a month ago, she had found joy in cooking. Watching cooking videos on Eugene's laptop had become her hobby.
'For breakfast today… seaweed soup.'
The reason for the menu was simple. Yesterday, Eugene had given her the ingredients and said he wanted seaweed soup.
She took the seaweed out of the fridge.
9:00 AM.
Yuria headed to Eugene's room with a basin of warm water. Eugene was lying on his bed, staring blankly at his smartphone.
Eugene was steadily consuming novels, comics, and movies to expand the range of creative works available in the Play Life app.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, you're here?"
"Yes. Come here."
Eugene sat on the bed, familiar with the routine. Yuria washed him. There was no need to undress him since Eugene always slept naked. After dressing him, she brought him breakfast.
They ate together. Normally, sharing a meal wasn't allowed, but Eugene had ordered it.
10:00 PM. Eugene entered the ancient relic he possessed, the Warrior Training Ground, to train against combat dolls.
Yuria was currently at level 32, while Yujin hadn't even reached level 10. Yuria was a top-tier Aura User, while Eugene hadn't even awakened his mana yet.
Moreover, every 10 levels, the combat doll you face is a compilation of all your combat data up to that point. In other words, every 10 levels, you have to defeat a version of yourself.
The combat dolls use skills like Acceleration and Complete Recovery, which are part of Eugene's combat data.
"Ugh! Damn it."
As time passes, the growth penalty will lift, and his physical abilities will improve, so he'll naturally win. But his shattered pride will be completely dust by then.
Eugene felt he needed some kind of breakthrough. He realized that the Yeongcheon Style alone wasn't enough.
12:00 PM. Noon. Eugene ate the head chef's cooking and headed to the Flune Knight Order.
Yuria had a quick lunch and rested. She watched cooking videos on her laptop. She had already mastered Korean and English.
1:00 PM. She headed to Eugene's private training room.
Hassent, the butler, was there. As always, he was flawless, without a single hair out of place. Yuria was learning assassination techniques and shadow magic from him. Hassent was a top-tier mage.
Hassent placed a man bound in chains in front of Yuria. His hands and feet were tied, and a gag was in his mouth. The terrified man looked back and forth between Hassent and Yuria, trying to escape.
Thud!
Hassent kicked the man in the stomach.
"Ugh!"
"I understand that vermin like to squirm. But please don't irritate me and stay still. Don't you know it's already over for you? Ah, maybe you don't, since you're just a bug."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh…"
Hassent stopped after kicking the man's body and head a few times with his polished shoes. He looked at Yuria with his cold gray eyes.
"Today, I'll teach you the sensation of taking a life."
"I've killed living creatures before."
"They were probably beasts or monsters, right?"
"Yes."
"What I'm talking about is the sensation of killing a person. Monsters and beasts are different. Even a skilled hunter will hesitate when it comes to killing a person. So, you need to get used to it beforehand."
"Understood."
"Kill the vermin in front of you."
Yuria took out a pair of white gloves from her skirt pocket and put them on as she asked,
"What's the reason for his death?"
"A week ago, he insulted the Pruckus family at a tavern. He said that Pruckus does nothing and is nothing more than a toothless tiger."
"Was he drunk?"
"Being drunk doesn't absolve one of their crimes. Kill the vermin, Yuria."
"I am not the head butler's sword. I am not his dog, nor am I his puppet."
"The Pruckus family has been insulted, Yuria."
"My master is not the Pruckus family, but Eugene Pruckus."
"And Yujin is also a Pruckus."
"…."
Yuria lowered her gaze.
The bound man, perhaps seeing hope in her, reached out his tied hands toward her. A desperate gesture to save him.
Crunch!
Yuria mercilessly stepped on his hands with her shoe. Then, she took out a knife from her skirt and slowly stabbed him in the neck to prevent blood from splattering.
The squirming man soon stopped breathing.
"Well done, Yuria. How does it feel to kill a person?"
"I feel nothing."
"You're not lying. Impressive. But why did you suddenly decide to kill him?"
"Once I came here, I had to kill him. More importantly, you mentioned my master's name."
"Excellent, Yuria. You will become an even filthier blade than I. Today, I'll teach you how to dispose of a corpse using shadow magic."
***
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