My Appearance Is Maxed Out [52]

Damn it!

She really kicked me into the sea?! First time in nineteen years—utter humiliation.

Whatever. A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. The mission's complete, I got the points—that's all that matters.

Just you wait, proud little bunny. One day, the great Nao will make you confess to me!

And when that day comes, I'll act all shy and sweet... then kick you into the ocean too.

Grumbling bitterly to himself, Nao swam with practiced ease. It only took him a minute and thirty seconds to climb back onto the deck.

But now he was soaked—no way he could go train like this. A shower was necessary first.

The bath, of course, was communal. One of those massive ones that could hold over a hundred naked dudes at once. The only reason he'd had access to a private suite with a shower before was because of Gion. That luxury was long gone.

Nao stepped under the showerhead, turned the faucet, and closed his eyes as the warm water washed over him.

After a long moment, he silently opened his system panel and checked the notifications.

[Side Quest: Confession From a Superior – Completed]

[Rewards: 150,000 Points, +2 Random Attribute Points – Delivered]

[Note: Completing two quests in just half a month? Impressive progress. Perhaps this seaside kid is only one step away from becoming the King of the Sea.]

"Come on," Nao muttered, rolling his eyes at the note. "That's a stretch."

King of the Sea? That was a long way off. He was still the same old Nao—unchanged and unbothered.

Speaking of which...

That whole idea with the encrypted code? That had hit him during his morning routine, brushing his teeth while half-listening to Shiryu snoring in the background. Morse code suddenly popped into his head, and the plan just came together.

Originally, he'd planned to use the extra reward Gion had promised earlier, but that route had too many uncertainties—and it might've hurt her impression of him.

In hindsight, the coded-message trick had been much more effective. He didn't just get the result he wanted—he saved that favor for later too. A triple win.

This round goes to Vortex-Nao's divine strategy, with unexpected credit to Uchiha Shiryu for his snores of genius.

Returning to the system, Nao turned his attention to his Attribute Menu.

Sure enough, his points had jumped from a meager 18,001 to a fat 168,001.

It feels so good to be filthy rich again.

The two random attribute points were now sitting in his inventory, represented by an icon of a die with a question mark.

"Huh? I have to roll for it myself?"

Nao raised an eyebrow, but he didn't mind. "Okay, that's more interactive at least. Let's roll."

...Wait. Something clicked.

Just before he tapped the icon, Nao glanced back at his stat sheet.

At the moment, Strength and Agility were both still in the low-cost zone, requiring only 5,000 points per level. In contrast, Intelligence and Stamina needed 20,000 points, and Charm—a whopping 50,000.

If he used the random points now and got Strength or Agility, it'd be a huge waste.

Good thing he realized it in time.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back and promptly tapped Strength twice and Agility three times, raising both to 18 points.

Now they had leveled up into the next tier—meaning any further increase would cost 20,000 per point, just like Stamina.

[Current Points Remaining: 138,001]

"Even after blowing 25k, I've still got enough to clear out the whole weekly shop."

Having a fat bank of points is so satisfying.

Feeling pleased, Nao finally tapped the die icon for the random attribute roll.

[Rolling Random Attribute Points – Please wait...]

A glowing, blue, six-sided die appeared on screen, spinning rapidly. Each face was labeled with one stat:

Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Charm... and—

Luck.

"...Luck?"

Nao blinked.

He'd never seen Luck in his own attribute panel. Not in his own, not in anyone else's.

Is this a hidden stat?

He didn't think he needed it much, honestly.

He'd always been unusually lucky. Close calls, miraculous turnarounds—he was basically a walking good fortune charm. In this world, maybe only Buggy the Clown had better luck.

I mean, he did roll that ultra-rare Yone Blade, didn't he?

The die spun faster and faster, blurring the words together.

Nao remained calm. Strength and Agility were already handled, so no matter what he rolled, it was going to be profit.

[First roll complete]

[+1 to Charm]

[Second roll starting…]

[+1 to Charm]

[Roll complete. Enjoy your game!]

"…Huh?"

Nao's eyes went wide.

Both times—Charm?!

Am I actually a luck god?!

Out of all the stats, Charm had the highest point cost—50,000 per level. It was in a class of its own!

Even with 150,000 points from a side quest, he hadn't dared touch it.

And now he'd just leveled it up twice—for free?

"Honestly, I'd rather those had gone to Stamina..."

He stroked his freshly shaved chin, leaning into his classic "got lucky but still complains" routine.

"My Charm was already pretty high. What difference do one or two more points really make?"

Then he looked again.

Charm: 12

And he remembered—Gion, the so-called "number one beauty of Marine HQ," only had 11.

Aside from Stamina, was this his first time outclassing her in a core stat?

Now that he thought about it… yeah, a single point might not seem like much, but in Charm? That gap could be massive.

Just then, a new prompt flashed on screen, catching his eye.

[Your Charm has entered a new tier. Attribute upgrade cost is now 100,000 per point.]

[Charm reached 12 – New Skill Unlocked: Radiant Smile]

[Radiant Smile: When the player smiles wide enough to show exactly 8 teeth, they emit a warm, sunny charm that radiates masculinity and irresistibility. Anyone who sees it will temporarily perceive your Charm as 2 points higher.]

[Note: Usable once per day. Choose your moment wisely. You alone are responsible for any consequences.]

["Seven teeth? Doesn't count. Nine teeth? Still wrong. It has to be exactly eight!"]

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin