Charm Training (3)

After calming down, Astrid went back to listening to Pervy Sage, who explained attraction further: "The reason seduction skills can raise attraction is that it isn't fixed, attraction is a perception! It can change inside a female's mind! Thus, by saying and doing various things, a charmer can raise attraction."

Astrid swallowed. "What kinds of things?"

The book smirked. "To put it in obvious terms, you have to do things females find attractive. There are hundreds of different techniques. Let's start with the basic layer of building attraction through speech, which is communicating attractive qualities about yourself that aren't clear on sight. That may include accomplishments, interesting stories, and things that show your high value. So Ben, tell me. What are some attractive things you've done?"

Astrid was deep in thought for a full minute...Then, he had it. "15-game win streak in Fork Knife? Oh! Also, I have every 5 star in Genshen Impact!"

"...We'll skip that. The entire section, we're skipping it. I'll ask you again in the distant future. You'll have to work on it, but it's okay…" Pervy Sage assured him.

[That is pretty amazing though, ngl a whale is a man who can entertain]

"Alright, how about this…" Pervy Sage said. "Astrid, do you know any good jokes?"

Astrid's face became full of confidence as he nodded and smiled. As an internet Otaku for so many years, how could he not know excellent jokes? He knew the best jokes!

It was his time to shine. Astrid saw a single girl sitting and reading a book nearby. He approached her.

"Excuse me miss…"

"Yes?" she responded.

"Is that the new Harry Pot?" Ben asked in a curious tone. This was one of the new openers Pervy Sage gave Astrid, to ask a basic question about an item of the girl's such as a book, a phone, a strange piece of clothing, etc. It was a simple opener to break the ice and was strong in its flexibility; You could adjust it to many situations.

[Target's current attraction level: indifferent]

Above her head, the system produced a small pop-up screen visible to Astrid only. It displayed on its own without Astrid having to request it.

As she responded to Astrid, he prepared his follow-up joke.

***

The system and the book watched on in support and anticipation, at least, only Pervy Sage, the system already started to cringe.

When the woman started cursing Astrid…the anticipation disappeared, but they still supported him!

When the shoe flew at Astrid's head and bounced off…their support also withered, sprouting shock in its place.

Astrid walked back to the system and Pervy Sage with a new bump on his head.

[Why the fuck did you use that joke, its for fucking kindergarteners!]

Pervy Sage questioned Astrid, "Astrid, what joke did you use?"

"Why did the chicken cross the road, to cuck your mo-"

"Stop!" Pervy Sage realized he should've been more specific about the jokes. "Try ones that aren't insulting." Then the book gave Astrid a joke to try on another woman.

Speaking with the last girl, Astrid had watched her attraction level change from indifferent to disinclined, and then to disgusted. The system had explained that levels of interest will be made based on what the girl is thinking, so "He is a pedo" will be turned into [Thinks your a pedofile]. So far, Astrid had started at indifferent, which he reasoned was because of his average looks.

Armed with better material, he spotted another woman and tried again. He opened her in a similar way to the last one, but when it came time to tell the joke, he stuttered because he wasn't used to telling it, and it failed.

Astrid went on to the next women in disappointment, but this time, it went better!

When he spoke to the woman, Astrid noticed a difference right away. The words flowed from his mouth like water, his voice sounded smoother, and even his body felt more comfortable!

As Astrid delivered the opener and the joke, the woman responded well. She giggled!

[Congratulations! You've unlocked the Achievement: I can bass boost any image at it will make yo- BOOM (common) - Use your trash humor to make a woman laugh]

[Distributing reward: 10 SP]

There was nothing better than points! Astrid didn't even mind the system's vague insult in the achievement title! He had enough to buy a ten pull in the limited gacha but he'd save that for later since his (Blessing of Luck) was on cooldown, just a couple more days. Now, he needed to focus on the present opportunity.

If he could raise this girl's attraction level to interested, then he might get her phone number!

Astrid persisted in chatting with the girl for a few minutes, but the mood only turned awkward. Despite the higher communication stat, he was still too lacking in experience and conversation topics. After some time, she excused herself and walked away, leaving Astrid standing there frustrated.

He shook his head. 'It's fine. This is already a massive improvement.' He returned to the system who was lying on his back and the Pervy Sage, who was watching (Himawari Wa Yoru Ni Saku) on his tablet, know one knows where he got it from. This sparked an argument about if NTR hentai is fapable or no, then Pervy Sage enlightened him about how these characters only exist to be fapped on and that they don't exist in real life. Pervy Sage then patted Astrid on the back saying that he should accept reality, hentai isn't real.

After that topic, Astrid described to Pervy Sage how well the joke went, but he needed more material to raise attraction.

Pervy Sage said, "The best jokes are situation specific. Not only will they be the most relevant, but they'll display your intelligence in adapting to the situation. Females will pick up on that and become more attracted...I could give you a fish, but it's better to teach you how to fish. So rather than hand you a joke book, I recommend you try inventing teasing-style jokes on the spot to build attraction."

"Teasing?" Astrid questioned. He understood the word's general meaning, but not the specifics of doing it.

Pervy Sage answered, "Teasing is making a lighthearted joke targetting the female. You choose some item or attribute of hers: clothing, an accessory, a tattoo, something about her body or hair...Then you make a joke about that, poking fun at her in a subtle way."

"Hmmm...I understand. I'll give it a try," Astrid said. Despite his inexperience, he discovered the boost in communication improved his creative thinking ability. That made it easier to generate conversation ideas. He amped himself up to give it a go.

Astrid approached a woman stretching after a jog.

'Body part,' he reminded himself.

"Hey dickhead!"

***

As Astrid walked back to the duo with a dent in his forehead, Pervy Sage and the system shook their heads hard. Astrid knew it was no good. He moved to a new girl to try again.

'Clothing item,' he said to himself.

"Whats up bikini girl!"

…

He dodged a water bottle. 'Ok…That didn't work either…That's all right. Third time's a charm.' Astrid found a new target.

'Let's try a different accessory.' He adjusted his material.

"I like your skin tight sweatpants!"

…

He hiked back with his new hickey--the red slap mark on his face. "That was their cake!!! That was obvious!!! Why is nothing working!!!" Ben screamed at the heavens.

[Congratulations! You've unlocked the Achievement: Birthed Demon(common) - Make one woman a mortal enemy]

[Distributing reward: 10 SP]

'I even got points for that?' Astrid glanced back at that woman he just spoke to. Her strange brown hipster haircut framed her eyes, as they spat a venomous glare at him. Behind the malice...Astrid only saw more malice, and the desire for devilry.

He jogged back to Pervy Sage and the system, glimpsing over his shoulder every so often to confirm he wasn't tracked.

Upon Astrid's return, Pervy Sage gazed at him with newfound respect. He didn't know if this kid would ever make it as a charmer, but he was a damn prodigy at cursing and offending people. This was a talent!

Pervy Sage explained to Astrid where he went wrong. "You're doing too much. The point of teasing is to be playful and charming, not insulting. There's a spectrum between boring and abusive. Choose something the target won't be sensitive to. The teasing should be funny, which helps loosen things up."

He continued, "Your body language is also important for easing the tension. Enter with a relaxed joking tone and a light smirk so they know you're playing around...Ok, let's try something a little different. Approach some females and think of a famous person they have a vague resemblance to. Open them by jokingly asking them if they're that person.

"...Ok, I can do that," Astrid replied. He spotted another woman gazing at a lake in the distance.

As he got closer to her, he went over the plan. 'Famous person…I got it. Don't forget the light smirk.'

Astrid was a quick learner. His body language and tone aligned in perfect harmony. He remembered to speak with a carefree, playful attitude. He did everything Pervy Sage said. It was perfect. "Are you Doofenshmirtz?"