Chapter 3: Decoding Pleasure
Chapter 3: Decoding Pleasure
Kray, still shaky and slightly nauseous, helped Elara back to the bakery, assuring her, with a forced cheerfulness that felt hollow even to his own ears, that her ankle would be "right as rain in no time." He knew it was a lie, a pathetic attempt to salvage some dignity from the wreckage of his latest healing fiasco.
Back at the farm, he retreated to the relative solitude of the barn, seeking refuge amongst the familiar scent of hay and livestock. He slumped onto a bale, his mind still buzzing with the residual weirdness of his fainting spell. Skill… Pleasure… unlocked. The words echoed in his head, stubbornly refusing to be dismissed as mere hallucination.
With a sigh, he reached into his mind, hesitantly probing for… something. He focused on the strange notification, trying to recall the exact wording. And then, it was there, flickering at the edge of his awareness, like a translucent screen overlaid on his vision. It was his status, or at least, a part of it.
Name : Kray(18)
Class : Healer
Level : 1 (0/10)
LP (Love Points) : None
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Skills : [Pleasure : Lvl 1]
He stared at it, his brow furrowed in disbelief. It was real. The System… or whatever this strange interface was… was real. And it had bestowed upon him… Pleasure. The sheer absurdity of it almost made him laugh, a bitter, humorless chuckle. Of all the healing skills imaginable, why pleasure? It sounded more like a… well, a skill for a completely different profession altogether.
Hesitantly, he focused on the [Pleasure : Lvl 1] skill. The translucent screen shimmered, and the skill description materialized beneath it, filling his vision with text.
[Pleasure : Lvl 1] Type: Active Description: A massage technique that targets pressure points and energy pathways in the body. Channels a subtle, soothing energy through touch, promoting deep relaxation, pain relief, and accelerated natural healing. The recipient experiences pleasurable sensations during the massage. Effectiveness scales with skill level and Love Points (LP).
Kray read it again, and again, his initial disbelief slowly giving way to a bewildered curiosity. Massage-based healing? Relaxation? Pleasurable sensations? It was… unconventional, to say the least. Still, the description did mention healing, albeit intertwined with this bizarre concept of pleasure.
Could it actually be… healing? Or was it some elaborate cosmic joke, designed to further mock his already pathetic attempts at being a healer?
The only way to find out, he realized, was to try it. But on whom? He certainly wasn't going to volunteer himself on any more villagers after his recent… performance.
Then, a dull ache in his shoulder reminded him of his earlier overexertion, the strain of desperately trying to force healing that simply wasn't there. His own body, ironically, was his most readily available patient.
Hesitantly, he raised his hand, focusing on the [Pleasure] skill. He wasn't even sure how to activate it. Was it a mental command? A specific gesture? He simply… intended to use it, directing his will towards his aching shoulder.
Almost immediately, a faint tingling sensation bloomed in his fingertips, a subtle warmth that radiated outwards as he placed his hand on his sore muscle. He began to knead his shoulder, mimicking the massage techniques he'd vaguely observed in town – mostly womenfolk massaging each other's necks and shoulders after a long day's work.
And then, it happened. A wave of soothing warmth spread from his hand, seeping into his tense muscles. The ache began to melt away, replaced by a deep, relaxing sensation. It was… pleasant. More than pleasant, actually. A subtle, almost… tingling pleasure resonated through his shoulder, spreading outwards like ripples in a pond.
He massaged for a few more moments, experimenting with pressure and rhythm, surprised by the almost intuitive understanding he seemed to possess. The ache vanished completely, leaving behind a lingering sensation of blissful relaxation. He lowered his hand, staring at it in wonder. It had actually worked. Something had worked. His shoulder felt… amazing.
He flexed his arm, rotating his shoulder joint, testing for any lingering stiffness. Nothing. It was completely soothed, tension completely gone. And the faint, pleasurable tingle… it was still there, a subtle undercurrent of sensation that sent a curious shiver down his spine.
He was still processing this bizarre revelation when the barn door creaked open, and Alice stepped inside, a playful smile on her face.
"What are you doing, moping in here, Dray?" she teased, her eyes scanning the barn before landing on him. "Come help me sort the apples. My shoulder's killing me from lugging those baskets all morning." She dramatically rubbed her shoulder, feigning exaggerated pain.
Kray's eyes widened. This was it. A perfect opportunity. But the thought of actually using pleasure on Alice… it made his palms sweat and his heart thump erratically. It was one thing to experiment on himself, another to use this… intimate sounding skill on his own sister.
"Um… maybe… I could… try something?" he stammered, his voice suddenly cracking.
Alice raised a playful eyebrow. "Try something? What, going to hit me with another one of your herbal poultices? No thanks, I'd rather suffer." She wrinkled her nose, playfully mimicking disgust.
"No, no, not a poultice," Kray rushed to explain, his cheeks flushing. "It's… a new technique. Massage based. For relaxation." He mumbled the last part, avoiding her gaze.
Alice's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Massage? You? Since when are you a masseur, Dray?"
"It's… part of my healer class now, I think," he mumbled, still hesitant. He couldn't bring himself to say the word "pleasure" out loud. Not yet. Not to Alice.
Alice, ever game for anything slightly unusual, shrugged. "Alright, alright, Mr. Healer-Masseur. Show me what you've got. But be gentle, you brute." She turned her back to him, presenting her shoulder, her playful demeanor masking a hint of genuine discomfort.
Kray swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. He hesitantly reached out, his fingers hovering over her tense shoulder muscle. He focused on the [Pleasure] skill again, channeling the faint tingling energy into his fingertips. And then, he began to massage.
He started gently, tentatively kneading her shoulder, his movements awkward and unsure. But as the subtle warmth of the skill flowed through him, his touch became more confident, more fluid. He mimicked the massage techniques he'd used on himself, guided by an instinctive understanding of pressure and rhythm.
And then, Alice reacted.
First, a soft giggle escaped her lips. Then, another, slightly louder. "Hehe… Dray… that… feels… kinda… ticklish!" she exclaimed, her voice breathy, almost shaky.
Kray's heart hammered in his chest. Ticklish? Was that… pleasure? Or was he just doing it wrong? He adjusted his pressure, trying to be gentler, more soothing.
"No, no, don't stop!" Alice protested quickly, her earlier playful tone replaced by something… different. Something softer, breathier, almost… excited? "It's… not ticklish anymore. It's… actually… really nice."
Her words sent a jolt through Kray. Nice? She found it nice? He continued to massage, his movements becoming more assured, more… sensual, though he didn't consciously intend it. The subtle energy of the [Pleasure] skill seemed to be guiding his hands, leading him to press on specific points, to knead in certain rhythms.
Alice's giggles dissolved into soft sighs, then into low, almost inaudible moans. Her shoulders relaxed visibly, her body leaning into his touch. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, her breathing grew shallow and rapid. She even closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted, a small smile playing on her face.
"Oh, Dray…" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "that feels… so good."
Kray's mind was a whirlwind of confusion and… something else. Something warm, tingling, and undeniably… perverted. Alice's reactions… her giggles, her blushes, her moans… they were intensely stimulating, igniting a fire in his belly he hadn't known existed. His healer's mind was fascinated by the skill's effectiveness, the obvious relaxation and pleasure it was inducing in Alice. But his… other mind… was fixated on her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, the soft sounds escaping her.
He was a healer, yes. But he was also… undeniably, thrillingly, a pervert. And this new skill, this skill of pleasure… it seemed to be unlocking both sides of himself in ways he was only just beginning to comprehend. A strange, unsettling, and undeniably exciting path was opening up before him, a path paved with healing… and pleasure. And Kray, despite his initial confusion and awkwardness, found himself strangely, dangerously, drawn to it.