Chapter 50. What should I call you...

Chapter 50: 50. What should I call you...

After that, I don’t need to tell you what happened. I started debating in my head what the reason could be for Remmy cheating. Which was unnecessary, but I couldn’t help myself.

I died and transmigrated into this other world with a death meter of 5 days. Time was taking its time, it doesn’t feel like 5 days.

Anyway, I’m once again on the verge of death at the bottom of a dungeon, my right leg missing and my right arm a leftover, half-chewed meat, hanging down.

There’s no way I’m surviving, right?

"Unfortunately, I only accepted death because I knew I wouldn’t be saved."

? Ohh, is that so? How are you going to save yourself, then? ?

A sickly grip from my left arm held my weight and I was able to sit up. Falling forward, I caught myself with effort, my eyes threatening that any more strain and they might lose vision.

My severed leg had left the soil around it moist, and my right arm swung limply, sending unnecessary pain signals to my brain.

"Holy shit...."

Ignoring everything wrong with my body, I reached for the panel, forcing myself to stand on my left leg. Standing, I was nearly a gory scarecrow, just letting the air tease my sweaty neck. It was cold, but it was the only thing making me feel alive, besides the pain.

"Well... I’ve figured one thing out for sure..."

I had to pause before the next big sentence, or my body might have given up.

"I don’t know what you are, Lilathea. But I do know you’re some divine being. And there’s this one main thing about this world..."

I straightened myself up before lifting my working arm, closing my eyes, thickening my voice.

"I... Mark Laplace, a human, pray to the maiden behind the system’s core, Lilathea. Make me your disciple and grant me the powers I need to defeat my enemy."

? ..... HAAHAHHAHAHA HAHAHAH!! ?

Thanks to 2 days of classes at the Greyclock Conservatory, one crucial fact about this world was engraved in my brain, though it had been covered by the moss of death for a moment.

If you don’t remember, in this world, praying to any supernatural being can grant you powers. Sister Maren is an example, I’d wanted to ask how she managed it, but we know how that went.

Since I was talking directly to a supernatural being, I could skip all the effort normal people go through when asking for power, and just ask directly. Sounding flashy was my personal choice, by the way.

? You mortals are such troublesome creatures. But unlike others, I see a rather amusing, entertaining side. And that coming from my favorite? Fine.... ?

Lilathea’s voice carried a sense of possessiveness and power toward me. But also excitement. And the silence afterward spoke for itself.

? I..... ?

The system turned blue again, the vines of calla lilies turning lively, spreading far past their usual range, surrounding the area. Then one vine grew outward, reaching Dr. Rhiannon and Wendel, who were under the magical shield.

? Lilathea Nyxaris Velvethorn. ?

Lilathea’s voice echoed in all four directions, deepening like a prophecy. The calla lily buds popped into flowers, showing the brightest shade of crimson possible and illuminating the floor. As the light pressed on me, all the pain was stripped away, and I felt the flames of life in me.

She was healing me, Wendel, Dr. Rhiannon, all of us.

? The 5th goddess of lust.... ?

? ..... answers the prayers of the mortal who dares to question rules and morality. I take Mark Laplace under my wing, fulfilling his hunger for power. ?

? But only under one condition. You must fulfill my hunger, a wish, too. Do we have a deal? ?

The goddess of lust, huh? I smiled at my fate. What did I do to get this lucky? I’d been thinking she was a demon or something. Well, the inner-demon trope is getting old.

"Yes."

The vines of calla lilies climbed up my body, impaling my skin and moving inside me, every penetration painless, nothing but warmth. The vines pumped power into me, a power that made me egoistic in the best way possible.

My body was rebuilt into a new me, and the new me wanted to jump out. To use this newfound power coursing through my veins. My eyes were closed and my body was warm, like it was in the depths of a hot spring.

I suddenly noticed my right arm and leg were functional, and that made me jump with no control at all.

? Carefully, darling!! ?

I jumped so hard, breaking free of the grasp of the calla lily vines was bad enough, and my body kept accelerating upward like a meteoroid. With speed so fast the air made a joke out of my cheeks, they flapped like balloons on impact, and I couldn’t see anything.

But then I began to slow down, until there was no acceleration. Before I could process it, gravity acted on my body, pulling me down. Luckily, I caught a thick, half-broken branch in time and prevented the fall. My grip strength was enhanced too, my fingers dug into the branch, and it left me wondering if I’d messed up or not. I hadn’t.

"Uff, that was too close."

Moving on to more minor details, a single living calla lily vine was still on me, inside me, passing through my chest and around my head.

Ignoring that, I climbed up to sit on the branch and looked at my right arm, the same as before, functioning, and somehow I felt I could catch the air in my hands if I tried.

Not long after, I noticed that the branch I was trusting my life with wasn’t from the forest on the ground, but from the forest on the ceiling.

"Wait, how far did I actually travel with that one jump!?"

I looked down and saw just a tunnel in the forest, fading into the void. But there was a new light below. It was my leg, and unlike my arm, which had come back fresh, my leg was now a prosthetic, made of gold and emerald?

"WHAT!? Is that real gold? More importantly, why does it feel like a real leg? I can feel an itch on my foot. Even though I don’t have one."

? You’re lucky I didn’t take your words as an insult. I’m a goddess, of course the gold is real. It’s a gift, and a mark of our contract. I could have given you a normal limb, but I didn’t want to spoil you and handle every single consequence of your actions. ?

Lifting my right leg gave me a better look. It didn’t look like a bar of gold molded into a frame, it was carved like a painting. With vines of calla lilies engraved, ruby or some other gem as the flower petals.

"Well... I love it. Thanks a lot. What else did you do?"

? See for yourself. ?

? Combat! ?

? Strength: level 50. ?

? Agility: level 50. ?

? Speed: level 50. ?

? Endurance: level 50. ?

? Vitality: level 50. ?

? Mana capacity and control: level 50. ?

? Perception: level 50. ?

? You have reached the maximum level a human body can achieve. To unlock more levels, upgrade your system core. ?

"... I’m the main character, aren’t I? I found a cheat code, chat!!"

? I even added two hours to your lifespan and healed your friends. You’d better start worshiping me. To make a goddess work like this, you are such a jerk. Hmp. ?

Lilathea being Lilathea, shifting between pride, lust, and tsundere? I suppose. I can’t believe I’m talking to the goddess of lust. And having a contract with her is even harder to believe.

Wait, what does she want from me? She mentioned a wish, right? No, she called it a hunger first. Is she going to suck the life out of me? Oh, and why did the combat section of the system suddenly start working? Should I be scared, happy, or erect?

"... Hmm, what should I call you, goddess of lust?"

? Hahaha. You’re a comedian, Mark. I do prefer the word "mommy," but you can call me by my name. In your language, I’m the chill goddess. ?

I breathed out. Thank God I have the habit of being polite, or I’d be in ashes right now.

"That’s a relief. I have one thing to say, though, you should have added more lifespan."

? Humans being greedy again. You didn’t ask for lifespan, darling. You asked for power, and I gave you that. ?

Fair enough, I can work with this. Anybody could work with this. There were still a lot of questions in my mind that needed serious answers. But again, time is a bitch.

"Alright! I’m guessing you healed both Dr. Rhiannon and Wendel completely, and they’re safe below?"

? Do I have to repeat myself? ?

Lilathea said it so casually, yet it scared me. The fact that she’s the goddess of lust would take time to get used to.

"Okay, enough chatting for now. I should move up and take part in the fight. I’ll show what I can do. Mandrisska, you don’t have to wait much longer."