Chapter 52: Training…?

It was almost four when Melody and I entered the car. We decided to head back to the academy and just chill… or do whatever we end up doing… for the rest of the day, since our first day of classes would start tomorrow. As I exited the parking lot, Melody began talking about the upgrade choice she’d been presented with when I leveled.

“Two options, like usual,” Melody began, then shook her head. “I’m not even going to bother with the first, it’s a random ability. The second option however…”

Melody chuckled. “I didn’t know this was even possible. But it seems like most of the world has been understanding a couple aspects of the system incorrectly.”

“How so?” I asked. Melody really didn’t seem like the type of person to be surprised by things. System-related things at least, based on all that she’s been telling me.

“Well…” Melody said, stretching out the word, before continuing, saying, “This ability says, and I quote, ‘increase base combat experience gain for pet and Mistress.’”

So we would both earn more experience, I guess? “What’s so… weird?”

Other than the fact that it’s insanely overpowered, I suppose.

“Two reasons,” Melody answered, before elaborating. “First, have you ever heard of an ability that gives more experience?”

I mean… I haven’t heard of many abilities, just that they do magical crazy shit, so… “No…”

“Yeah… exactly. It’s never existed.” I guess that is… revelatory if nothing has ever changed the experience. “Everyone has always needed to kill the same amount of creatures, or like the same overall ‘value’ of creatures. No matter their tier.”

Which is why we all, excluding Melody, leveled up at basically the same time. Since none of us had killed anything before, we started from the same slate. But I didn’t start from the same place despite leveling up with everyone else. “What about the submission thing?”

“It’s separate, submission isn’t that crazy,” Melody shook her head. “It’s like two separate systems that each level on their own. The overall level is sort of adding them together. I have a secondary stat too, I think every S tier and up does.”

“You do? What is it?” Every S tier does? So I guess it’s not actually that special… just, you know… kinkier. I wonder what X tier’s have… there has to be something. Other than just better stat leveling… probably those points.

Melody chuckled. “Guess.”

Uh… probably something with whips. “Do you get rewarded when you whip people?”

“Yeah, my stat is whiplash.” Melody smirked. “Every time I whip a monster with the intent of causing damage, it increases. I can’t just whip it weakly fifty times, unfortunately.”

Would that work on me? I have a lot of health… Melody… hitting me with intent to harm… We can always heal right after… it might work. We could power level Melody through hot kinky sex. I bet it would work.

“No, Scarlet. I’m not testing it on you.” Melody called out, which caused me to glance at her for a moment, before refocusing on driving.

“How…?” There’s no way it was that obvious on my face? Right? Right?

“BDSysteM tattled.”

Fuck you, BDSysteM.

“Anyway, whiplash also isn’t linear like yours seems to be. Each threshold I need an increased amount of whips to reach the next,” Melody complained. At least you have a system that can function on its own. I can’t do anything. “But you can see why the submission, while unique, isn’t anything profound.”

Makes sense. But still, does nothing affect the core monster-killing experience? “Has there really never been an experience multiplier?”

“Not that we know of, which brings me to the second point,” Melody replied. “You know how the combat summary shows like… one hundred x for the boss slime, or two x for the fuschia?”

“Yeah?” It’s experience values… I assume…

“Well if this ability is multiplying base experience…” Melody explained, as if I was supposed to magically understand now.

Which I don’t. “I don’t get it.”

“Then one hundred x isn’t what everyone’s thought, one hundred individual pieces of experience, but rather, it’s one hundred times the base experience.” Melody elaborated. I took a glance at her and she seemed absolutely fascinated.

“Is that any different though?” I asked. One hundred points added compared to a number, one, multiplied by one hundred. It’s literally the same. The ability could just say ten percent extra and nothing would change.

“Yes! It’s insane!” Melody replied, exasperated. “If experience isn’t some integer value assigned to each monster, like’s been theorized, then we can redirect the whole research field, we might make new discoveries!”

“I… still don’t see it. What would change?” It’s the same thing.

“Okay, okay. Right now, people research ways to gain experience, ways to manipulate the system into giving more experience, to more people’s once. But with this idea, we could see if there’s some way to create an artifact that can raise this base experience value. It’s not that it’ll change anything anytime soon, but rather that it confirms how experience works, and gives us a direction to work towards, and an idea of what needs to be achieved. Even more than that, just the simple concept that experience doesn’t actually originate from monsters is revolutionary. Monsters are multipliers! They don’t create experience!” Melody took a deep breath. “You see?”

“Kinda?” So it won’t have any impact soon… but teaches the world more about the system’s functions… which could lead to further development and research now that researchers would at least have a better direction of what to research. “It improves understanding… and gives researchers a direction to head towards.”

“Exactly,” Melody leaned back in her seat.

But… “Why is that new? If monsters give equal experience to everyone who contributed, where’s the extra experience coming from?”

We all managed to level up when we killed a monster, like how I got a hundred experience for the giant slime, and Amane and Fara and Silvia probably did too. If a monster is only worth a hundred experience, why did it just give out four hundred?

“Uh…” Melody was stumped. “There was some paper about that… I don’t remember exactly how it justified it.”

What are these researchers doing? To be honest… I sort of thought it was a multiplier from the start. “I guess it confirms and debunks some stuff…”

“Pretty much…” Melody agreed. “Still, this could lead to some big things. I’m gonna have to let my father know… if that’s okay with you?”

“Yeah… why wouldn’t it be?” I questioned back.

“I don’t know, it’s your system…” And you’re my Mistress.

Even without that, if I recall correctly… “It applies to you too.”

“Still your system.” Melody shrugged.

After a little while, we arrived back at the campus and soon went into our dorm again. Once we entered our shared space, I immediately took off all of my clothes, which were still the dungeon clothes, and we both went toward the couches, where Melody spoke first. “Since we’re finally not driving, here.”

And the system popup appeared.

BDSysteM Level Up!

Having reached level 6, you have unlocked the following ability.

Core Ability: Training (Level 1)

When pet is intentionally bound/debilitated by Mistress in a way that causes pet unusual discomfort, increase base combat experience gain for both pet and Mistress.

Note: “Unusual discomfort” refers to any physical bindings/limitations that are unique enough to cause pet to frequently become distracted by them.

Modified Base Experience:

1.1

Condition:

Pet must be bound/debilitated by Mistress in some way.

Melody… I think you left out a few very important details during our earlier talk. Like… very important. How the fuck can we ever use this?! You’d have to constantly switch what I’m wearing and shit every few trips into dungeons… you can’t explain that away like a single collar!

Regardless… it did increase experience, and I mean… considering my system, it's not that crazy. We’d just need to get creative… with… tying me up… and… stuff… you know? As for the rest of my stats…

Scarlet Diamond

BDSysteM

Unique - X tier

Active Mistress Imposed Effects: Nudity

Level 6 (58%)

Credits: 6359.06

Health: 420/420

Mana: 420/420

Submission: 30

Strength: 420

Agility: 420

Points: 20

Nothing else happened until around five, when Melody said, “I’m going to order delivery. What do you want to eat?”

For whatever reason, I was craving shrimp… so… I naturally replied, “I don’t know.”

“Choose something,” Melody insisted, as she stared at my naked form from across the couch.

“Shrimp…” I mumbled.

“Okay,” Melody nodded. “I’ll find something.”

And we returned to silence for a couple minutes.

After this second session of silence, Melody ran upstairs, then strolled back down hiding something behind her back. It wasn’t hidden very well, considering I heard metal jingling… there’s not a whole lot of options after that.

Melody confirmed my suspicions when she stood in front of me, then commanded. “Stand up.”

I did, and stared straight at Melody's blue eyes.

She smirked. “Turn around.”

Once more, I did, getting a lovely view of the couch... and the door in the corner.

“Hands behind your back.”

Yet again, I did, and the instant I did so, I felt cold metal rings press against my wrists, tightening around them. They didn’t feel like sharp cuffs or anything… just metal, and once Melody stepped to the side, sitting back on the couch, I tried to shake my hands and bring them back to the front. I couldn’t. I was handcuffed with only an inch or so between my hands, there was no room to wiggle, touch myself, touch my phone… do anything.

Melody was back in her spot, doing whatever on her phone, and I… was a little confused. Isn’t something more supposed to happen? Like her commanding me to kneel and service her or something? Not just… leave me naked and chained up… I hesitantly asked, “Me-Melody?”

“Hmm?” She replied, looking up at me. “What’s up, kitty?”

“Uh… are you…” I blushed… very hesitant to ask this next question… considering it could lead to many different outcomes. Some of which would involve some punishment… kinky punishment… Somehow, I persisted, and squeaked out, “... are you gonna do anything?”

Melody shook her head. “It’s for later.”

Um… Okay… that’s cool and all… but… uh… what the fuck am I supposed to be doing right now?