What Do You Mean I'm The King Now??

"Found it! They're over here!"

I wait for Candy to arrive, watching as she reaches down into the grass, grabbing something with her hands before standing back up. Then she holds her palms out to me. Initially, they appear to be empty, but after a second, two large bugbear fruits materialize, as if out of thin air. They resemble the goblin fruits, insofar as they too look like deformed strawberries. Unlike the goblin fruits however, the bugbear fruits are a much darker shade, bordering on black.

Candy gestures to me. "You should take these, King Ash. You need them more than I do."

I give her a frown in reply, my tone reprimanding. "You know very well that experience fruits are non-transferable, Candy. I can't even hold yours, let alone consume them. So stop trying to find excuses to avoid eating them. I'm not thrilled about the taste either, you know, but I'm still going to eat mine. See?" I hold out my own hands, revealing one large bugbear fruit and two smaller ones. The larger one I picked up from my solo kill, while the two smaller ones are from my assist with the smokescreen. "Now, go on. Eat your fruits, Candy, like a good girl."

Candy looks down at the two fruits in her hand dubiously before dropping them into her mouth. Her face instantly contorts into a grimace, and she swallows before sticking out a tongue. "Bleah! Gross! It's even worse than the goblin fruits."

I let out a laugh, but at the same time, I'm a bit disappointed that I don't see Candy leveling up. Given the bugbears' difficulty, I had estimated they must have been at least level fifty, or some otherwise absurd level, and thus been worth quite a lot of experience. But seeing that Candy didn't even level up once after consuming two of the fruits, I'm beginning to think my initial assumption is mistaken.

Will I even gain any levels from these? Only one way to find out, I suppose.

With one swift motion, I plop all three fruits into my mouth and swallow without chewing. Even then, however, I am still able to taste their slimy, mushy texture against my tongue, reminiscent of rotten eggs, and with a more pungent aftertaste than the goblin fruits. Fortunately at least, after swallowing, I feel the familiar warm sensation of a level up coursing through my body. As the pale yellow aura begins to emanate out, I close my eyes and pull up my stats screen.

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Level: 5 [Lvl. up +1!]

HP: 5/11 (+5 from crude leather armor) [+1]

Mana: 0/120 [+20]

--Strength: 2 [+0]

-Constitution: 4 [+1]

++Dexterity: 40 [+1]

~Intelligence: 6 [+1]

+Charisma: 6 [+1]

~Luck: 3 [+0]

Talents: Cosmic Insight (SS), Tactile Feedback (A), Cheat Code (SSS)

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I open my eyes again, a bit disappointed that it's only a single level up. But it's still better than nothing, I suppose. And at least my dexterity stat is progressing nicely from the bonus points I get from "Cheat Code".

Candy and I spend some more time picking up any interesting loot we can find from the bugbears. Then we retrace our steps through the forest, back towards where the centaur had been.

As we arrive at our destination, I spot the female centaur, still unconscious, lying on the grass beside a reddish-brown sequoia. I gesture to Candy, and together we walk towards her location. As I near, I once more catch sight of the centaur's beauty, which had captured my attention initially, and I feel my eyes staring, glued to her features. The way the sunlight shimmers off of her snow-white hair. Or her slim, toned torso, dotted with two small b.r.e.a.s.ts, which extends down into a horse-like body.

As my eyes trace the centaur's form, I see that the horse part of her body is lying flat on its side, the tan colored skin covering a taunt, muscular frame, with four powerful legs outstretched to the side and white featherings layered just above her hoofs. Everything about the centaur speaks of nobility and elegance. And then, I spot the injury.

It's a long gash, about three feet in length and two inches wide, extending across her white underbelly. The wound is obviously still open, and I can see dark, maroon-colored blood oozing out, painting the grass red. I feel my eyebrows furrow in dismay.

"Candy, give me the potion."

"You mean the super-secret-last-resort potion that we got from that extra rare loot box?" Candy asks. I nod my head, and I see Candy reach into the pouch by her waist, pulling out a glass vial filled with red liquid. I extend my hand out for it, and as she is passing it to me, she suddenly stops and points, saying, "Are you sure you want to give it to her, King Ash? You can you use it to treat your arm instead."

I look to see where Candy is pointing. It's the wound from the bugbear's hidden throwing knife, the one along my right upper arm. I had forgotten all about it. I shake my head. "It's fine, Candy. It doesn't even hurt anyways. Besides, she clearly needs it more than I do."

Candy nods, then hands me the potion. I uncork it, hold the glass up to my lips and take the liquid into my mouth before I kneel down towards the centaur's face, pressing my lips against hers in a tight kiss. Then slowly, I begin to transfer the potion between us, letting the red liquid drizzle into the female centaur's mouth.

As the potion begins to take its effect, I can see the wound on the centaur's underbelly begin to close. Her breathing also deepens, as the movements of her c.h.e.s.t stabilizes to an even rhythm.

Looks like it's working. Okay, let's check how her HP is doing.

I intend to active my talent, "Tactile Feedback", so I begin to slide my hands across the female centaur's body. I start with her exposed b.r.e.a.s.ts, kneading them with the tips of my fingers. Their small size, taut skin and lack of fat give them a completely different feeling than Candy's, which are much fuller and squishier.

Not that it's a bad thing. No, it's not bad thing at all.

I close my eyes, allowing my hands to continue roaming along the female centaur's body, exploring her every crevice and cranny. As I do so, I can feel the familiar sensation of my talent activating. Before any actual numbers or text begin to appear however, I suddenly hear a high-pitched shriek that shatters my concentration.

My eyes fly open, and I see that the centaur is now awake, an aghast expression across her face. As I follow her line of sight, I see that she is staring at my hands, which are currently clasped tightly around her two b.r.e.a.s.ts. Instantly, I let go, jumping back and holding my hands up, trying to explain. "Wait, this isn't what it looks like-"

Before I can finish my sentence however, the female centaur bolts up on all fours. Then without warning, she rears her hind legs, roundhouse kicking me in the c.h.e.s.t. The impact knocks the wind out of my lungs and sends me flying through the air. I land with a loud crack! sound, and for a moment, I see stars. But then I quickly blackout.

And for the first time since entering this world, my HP hits zero.