Chapter 8 : Jina - Our Soulmates in Motion.

I smiled when I saw my 2000 star points. Without hesitation, I purchased a stat point in Mental Power.

[You spend 1000 star points to increase your stat: Mental Power +1. Mental Power: 3]

A sensation of coolness washed over my head. In a matter of seconds, my headache became minimal. Although it was still present, it was now bearable. I could finally control Mina while pursuing my own activities as Jina. Since my power had activated, my daily life, and especially my work, had become a real nightmare.

Mina continued to stabilize her runic circle while training with the Doll mask. As for me, for the first time in a month on Earth, I slept like a baby. This morning, I woke up refreshed. After getting up, I went to wash my face in the bathroom. Then, off to the kitchen for a champion's breakfast: pancakes! Lots of pancakes that I had prepared recently. I love pancakes!

After filling my stomach, I got ready and took the bus to my job as a video game programmer. Upon arriving, Nina looked at me, a bit surprised.

"Jina, you look happy and even healthier."

"Yeah! My headache is finally practically gone! I'll be able to regain my efficiency from before ~"

"I'm happy for you. It's been a while since you've dealt with that."

"Even the boss was starting to worry. After all, you're the best here."

"I know. She asked me a lot of questions. At one point, I thought she was going to send me straight to the hospital… or to a much darker and mysterious place."

We burst into laughter as we got to work. And as I suspected, without that constant headache, my efficiency returned… even improved. I made no typos or programming errors. With every line of code, the sequence came to me as if by magic. Increasing my points in Mental Power not only helped me with my mana-related powers and similar abilities, but also boosted my memory and cognitive skills. It makes sense: this kind of power is closely tied to the brain. For me, it's also excellent news for my job: an unexpected gain ~

My boss, Lane, even came to see me after finishing a task. I was surprised by my speed! The fact that I had increased my points by two allowed me to work much more efficiently. It sounds incredible, doesn't it? Well, it's not that impressive. Yes, the two points boosted my mental capabilities, but it's not much for a star traveler.

On Earth, there are several rank categories to evaluate powers. With numerous continents and global disparities, forces are generally balanced, though organized into different ranking systems according to continents worldwide. To harmonize this, the global government of superpowers has grouped these forces under a single universal classification to make it easier to navigate: Superpowers.

But there's also another category, the Star Travelers. This category is simply for travelers returning from different planets. For these individuals, the ranks vary from lowest to highest – from E to S.

Rank E is for those who become travelers with only 1 stat point. Yes, just one point! Incredible but true. How is that possible? Simple: these individuals are usually cowardly or physically weak, sometimes due to illness. It also happens that the world they are sent to is a true hell for beginners! Believe me, I've explored certain worlds to send my next characters, but some have been banned. I've been warned that characters sent there wouldn't be able to improve. I could force the passage, but if I had to do that, it would be when I'm much better. At this moment, it seems that the primordial star sends travelers back to Earth. Could it have realized that it made a mistake?

Rank D is assigned to those with 10 stat points in one of the four main categories. Rank C corresponds to 15 stat points in a category and an upgrade of the unique skill twice. Rank B is for those with 20 stat points and a unique skill upgraded four times. Rank A requires 25 stat points, with a unique skill increased six times. Finally, rank S is for those with 30 stat points and a unique skill improved ten times.

Although unique skills cost 100,000 star points initially, each subsequent purchase costs an additional 100,000 points. You can imagine how difficult it is to climb in rank.

Back to me… Well, I'm only rank E! Clearly, I'm not worth more than an ordinary human!

"Jina, you look much better today! You're even more efficient than before."

"I no longer have a headache. That's probably why. I can now concentrate 100%!"

"Good. Keep it up."

Lane, satisfied, walked away, giving me even more work… After a sigh, I continued to work. With Nina, we finally completed our tasks.

"Shall we go grab a drink, Nina? And maybe find some company ~"

"Hahaha! Good joke, Jina."

"I'm not joking! Tonight, I'm really going to find some good company that will last!"

"Okay, I believe you."

I could see that Nina didn't believe me! She was even trying not to laugh at that moment. We went out to a lesbian bar. We entered an alley illuminated by a sign with the name of the bar-café: Our Soulmates in Motion. It's a normal bar, blended with the ambiance of a café. They serve creative cocktails while offering what a café can provide. Some people don't necessarily want to get drunk in the evening. In the middle of the bar, there's a dance floor.

We arrived at the bar-café, plunged into darkness, with only the bar counter illuminated. There, we saw several glasses, alcoholic on one side and non-alcoholic on the other, with a sign indicating: ONE DRINK PER PERSON. Once we had our drinks in hand, we joined the other women, waiting for the start. The start of what? It's about to begin ~

With a bang, a light illuminated the dance floor, revealing the bar-café owner, Urah, in an extremely sexy evening outfit, posing with confidence. Then the music started, and Urah began to dance and sing, launching a festive and fun evening. During the show, Urah invited random people to dance with her, regardless of whether they could dance or not. Here, no one would mock anyone else. She chose women of various races and personalities: joyful, gothic, nerdy, etc. The show lasted about thirty minutes in total.

"Are you ready to keep having fun?!"

"Yes!"

Almost all the women shouted, whether they were there to relax after work or just to have a good time. Even Nina and I shouted with delight. Different people then took to the dance floor to dance and sing, no matter the music style. Urah went to the counter, smiling at her customers.

"Urah-chi!"

"Jina ~ How are you today? Nina told me you had a terrible headache."

"Mhmm. But it's better now."

"Good. But I won't give you any alcohol tonight, especially since you just came out of such a headache."

I sighed, but I accepted her kindness. I simply ordered a herbal tea with special calming properties.

"Urah, Jina thinks she can find some 'good company' that will last tonight!"

Urah chuckled softly while serving a group of elves and dwarves.

"Jina, you know that hoping too much will only make you suffer. Just have fun. I'm sure your destiny will come to you naturally."

The group of elves and dwarves, used to coming here, also teased me a little! Although I pouted, I enjoyed myself that night, making the most of the dance floor and singing. At closing time, I walked Nina home because she had drunk too much. It was safer. I helped her change, gave her a quick wash, and tucked her into bed. Since I only had one bed, I slept with her.

Today was a good day and evening. During the night, I felt a pressure on my body...