While I was finishing my bath under the waterfall, a sudden inspiration hit me. I couldn't help myself, and I started to sing:
—🎵Beautiful springtime, I'd give anything just to see you again🎵
🎵I'm going insane, with this feeling🎵
🎵I can't take it, my poet heart🎵
🎵Wants just one reason not to love you🎵
🎵But if you come close, I want to hold you🎵
🎵I can't stop thinking, you make me sigh🎵
🎵My life is sweeter if you're with me... if I'm with you🎵
The sound of water crashing onto the rocks and the melody of my own voice wrapped around me, creating an atmosphere so peaceful I could've stayed there forever.But suddenly, something shattered the moment's serenity.
Quincy alerted me—something was approaching.I looked back... and then I saw her.
A woman appeared between the trees, her presence so overwhelming that the very air seemed to grow heavier around her.There were no words strong enough to describe her beauty. Even "beautiful" felt insulting.
She was a woman whose very figure radiated perfection, as if sculpted by a divine artist.Her skin—so pale and pure it seemed to glow under the sunlight—reflected a softness I had never seen before. Her body was a spectacle of sublime proportions.
From her legs—clearly designed to walk among gods—to her perfectly shaped hips, every detail seemed engineered to capture attention.Her stomach was a symphony of elegant curves, and the proportions of her breasts... perfect, like a work of art carved with deliberate care.Her neck—structured, delicate—completed the portrait of a beauty that didn't seem real.
And her face...A masterpiece. Every feature seemed precisely shaped, as if perfection itself had chosen a mold.Her cheeks—soft, gently rounded. The length of her eyelashes suggested her gaze could pierce souls. Her skin was flawless, nearly ethereal.The color of her eyes: like pink diamonds, reflecting the deepest secrets of the universe.And her lips... they looked designed to provoke the pure desire to be kissed.
Her hair, long down to her lower back, fell in soft waves, a pale reddish hue like fire touched by moonlight.She wasn't the kind of woman who redefined beauty—she obliterated the entire concept.No painting, sculpture, or fresco could ever capture the magnitude of her divine presence.
I had never seen anything like this.A woman so aesthetically sublime.
I was frozen, unable to look away. I could tell from her attire, from the way her hair fell perfectly, and from the very air around her—She wasn't from this world. She was something else entirely.Definitely tied to Greek mythology.
Aphrodite?The doubt planted itself in my mind.I remembered all the obsessive research I'd done into mythology—thanks to a game called The Age of Myths.I'd spent entire nights studying Norse, Greek, Celtic, Chinese mythologies... all just to earn a few extra stat points in-game (which, of course, didn't help at all).
But I'd seen paintings, frescoes, statues of Aphrodite and Venus...And something in this woman matched those images.But there were tiny details that didn't quite align.Still, standing before her—those artworks weren't just left behind.They were light-years behind. Millions of light-years, honestly.
My suspicion was finally confirmed when I glanced at her status window.
NPC Status Window
Name: Aphrodite [Venus]
Race: God
Age: 4,100 years
Titles: Goddess of Love
Level: 4000°
Vitality: 450,000/450,000
Divine Power: 550,000/550,000
Unique Trait: Natural Intelligence
Job: Guardian of the Nymphs (A+)
Class: None
Subclass: Alchemist (SSS)
Strength: 3200
Agility: 4600
Speed: 3500
Vision: 4000
Endurance: 3500
Intelligence: 3000
Wisdom: 3500
Adaptability: 3800
Luck: 4300
Charm: 7000
Skills:Captivating Eyes (Ex), Divine Charm (Ex), Emotional Truth (SSS) [view more]
Condition: Virgin
Affection: 47 [+40]
Sexual Desire: 48
Stress: 44
Status: Intrigued.
(Virgin?! Are you kidding me? This is Aphrodite, programmers...)
She just stared at me in silence.That's when I remembered I was nearly naked.
I quickly grabbed my clothes from a nearby rock and started dressing in a rush, blurting out:
—"Show's over, pervert!"
Her face twisted in annoyance.But with surprising calm and authority, she replied:
—"You're the one bathing out in the open."
Her logic was flawless, but I couldn't let it go.
—"You're the one who snuck up on someone bathing."
She realized I was right and averted her gaze, muttering:
—"You're in Nymph territory."
After I finished getting dressed, she stepped forward again with elegant grace.
—"What are you doing in Nymph territory?"—she asked, her eyes shining with a curiosity so intense I could practically feel it.
Nymphs? Was she serious?My mind tried to process the word. Nymphs, feminine forest spirits—really?
I only knew them from mythology: beings like fairies, but with human form and deep elemental affinity.Some could turn into trees, shrubs, or even pools of water...
But then, it didn't make sense that Aphrodite would be connected to Nymphs.Did the writers of this game not know anything about mythology?
According to the myths, Aphrodite was born from sea foam when Cronos castrated his father and his remains fell into the ocean...(Yeah, deeply disturbing... Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess of Olympus—the inspiration for Venus—literally came from...)
As I recalled Aphrodite's origin myth, I reflected on a lot of things...I looked at her and thought:
"Please. Like in every video game and light novel ever—Please. NO... Don't give this woman that origin."
I was still lost in thought...Until she spoke to me again.
—"Hey, are you alright? You looked panicked for a second."There was real curiosity in her gaze.
—"R-really!?"—I answered instinctively, thinking—"Damn... she's beautiful. Who the hell decided that would be the best origin for this divine woman?"
She smiled at me, just subtly...But in my mind, it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.
—"Would you like to come with me?"
Before I even realized, I was nodding like a complete idiot.
Until...
[Basic Skill «Absolute Resistance» completely nullifies the effect of «Divine Charm»]
When I saw the notification, I knew this woman had just tried to manipulate me with her beauty.That pissed me off... and my tone became harsher.
—"Why do you want me to come with you?"
She fixed her eyes on me, in an almost dangerously charming way, and said:
—"You're the third mortal to ever interest me."
—"I don't have time for this... I need to get to the city of Atris."That's what he said—cynical, defiant.
—"Do you know who I am?"—she asked, raising her head and arching her back with pride, assuming this mortal recognized her.
—"I do. But I don't care. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know?"—he snapped back, unapologetic.
—"How can you be so disrespectful in front of a superior being like me?!"—she reacted, offended by his smug attitude.
—"If you're so superior... then why are you here?"His question was sharp.
—"W-well... th-that's..."—She was speechless. Unacceptable.
—"Doesn't matter. I'm leaving."The boy turned around, until...
She grabbed my arm and exclaimed:
—"Wait!"
—"Let go of me..."
Aphrodite looked at me, deadly serious. Her next question stunned me.
—"Did... Mother create you?"
—"What? Do I look like your brother or something?"
Her expression twisted into disdain, anger brimming in her eyes.
—"TELL ME... WHERE IS MOTHER?!"
I thought it might be fun to mess with her a bit.So I answered:
—"With your grandfather."And I thought to myself—"XD hahaha"
She got so pissed, she shouted:
—"Nymphs! I want this idiot taken prisoner!"
From the bushes and trees near the river, dozens of Nymphs emerged. Gorgeous. So many of them.When I saw the spectacle, shame flooded me and I thought:
"I can't believe this many watched me almost naked... damn perverts."
I was surrounded.The water Nymphs wore semi-transparent clothing made of water itself.The forest ones, barely covered with strategically placed leaves.
A drop of blood ran from my nose. I knew it because I touched it—looked at the blood on my fingers. I thought:
"This trait is bullshit... how the hell am I nosebleeding like some anime cliché?"
But the sight of the Nymphs and Aphrodite was too much to shut my eyes to.And I thought:
"Sorry, Lilia... but if I close my eyes to this... I wouldn't consider myself a man anymore."
Aphrodite stepped forward again.
—"I'll ask you once more. Where is Mother?"
—"I don't know who your mother is or where she is... But seriously, I have to get to Atris."
—"She didn't create you... Then how can a simple mortal be worthy of a goddess sculpted by Mother?"
—"Ah... so that's what this is? Quincy, drop to 1%."
[Full adjustment, Master]
At that moment, all the Nymphs started murmuring.
—"What happened?" —asked Ducaela.
—"He's not that attractive anymore..." —said Trusil.
—"He's actually kinda ugly now..." —added Yigni.
—"I'd still eat him though..." —whispered Daisy.
—"DAISY!!" —they all shouted.
Aphrodite stared at him, confused and stunned.
—"What are you?"—She was thinking—"This is unusual... how did he go from irresistible to so... ugly?"
—"I don't know. But my name's Sam."And as he said it, his mind added—"It's actually Brian, but that's in the real world."
—"Sam... I'll remember you. Don't you want to come with me?"She was thinking—"He's... different... Wait, why does my heart sense it...? What is this, why does he remind me of him...? No, wait... could he be...?"
—"Sorry, I can't. Maybe some other time."That was the last thing he said, as he walked out of the river and into the forest.
—"Okay..." —she whispered, while her thoughts added—"I have to tell Lilith about this... this interesting case."
And just like that, I left the place—leaving them all confused and stunned. (Thanks, Quincy.)But that's when it hit me:
"Shit! I forgot to ask how to get to the city..."
But after walking a few minutes, and maxing out a few stats to 100%, I saw a city in the distance.It was Atris. That's what the system map indicated.
—"Well... the journey begins now."And I thought, resigned—"Even though I still haven't come up with a damn thing..."