Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 158. Hero Ascendant

Rick went to the mansion’s garden as the sun was setting to have some time to himself. The last twenty-four hours had been too much in the best way possible.

Zara’s passion, Liora’s comfort, Carmilla and Natasha’s devoted care, and Sylvia’s fierce loyalty. Five amazing women had loved him in five different ways, and he felt both worn out and full of energy.

"Quite a day you’ve had there, gooner." Sebastian’s voice said from behind him.

Rick looked at the chibi butler spirit, who had a very serious look on his face. "Oh, it’s you... well, yeah. What can I say? It’s been a lot going through."

"Good. You’ll need that emotional base for what’s coming next." Sebastian’s voice became more professional.

"What...?"

"Rick, I need you to go with me to a quiet place. We need to talk about something important."

"Why can’t we just talk about it here?"

"Nope. You need to be alone and focused for this, so come and move your ass now."

Rick was interested and a little worried, so he followed Sebastian’s directions to a quiet part of the mansion’s grounds, a small clearing surrounded by trees where no one would be able to hear or see them.

"Okay," Rick said when they were alone. "What’s this all about?"

Sebastian appeared in full, his small body hovering at eye level. "Rick, I’ve been hiding something from you."

"Something important about your system progression."

Rick’s eye narrowed. "What do you mean by holding something?"

"I’ve been hiding your experience gain notifications since you entered the demon realm. All the quests, fights, close calls, and other things you’ve done to strengthen your bond."

"I’m not using the experience right away, but I’m storing it for the right time, such as today."

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" Rick yelled, feeling a surge of anger. "No fucking wonder I didn’t get any level-up notification."

"I could have been getting better this whole time if you didn’t hide it like an asshole!"

"Do you know how many fights would have been easier if I had been stronger?"

Sebastian said, "Yes," in a calm voice. "I know exactly how many."

"I know you wouldn’t have gained the emotional and tactical skills you needed if you leveled up slowly."

"You would have relied on brute force instead of real connection."

He moved his monocle. "The Mature Affinity System isn’t meant to make a warrior too strong."

"It’s meant to make someone who knows that the real strength comes from the connections we make, not the number next to our name."

"You had to learn that lesson first."

Rick wanted to stay mad, but Sebastian’s reasoning was good. Would he have tried as hard to connect with people if he had been getting stronger the whole time he was in the demon realm?

Would he have made the deep, real connections he had now?

Most likely not.

"Okay," Rick said slowly. "I understand now... but why are you telling me this now?"

Sebastian said, "Because you’re ready now."

"You’ve shown that your bonds are real."

"You’ve learned to fight with strategy and teamwork instead of just brute force."

"You’ve taken on the duties that come with being a leader, and now you know what it means to love someone and have them love you back."

Sebastian smiled. "In short, you’ve become the man you were meant to be. Now it’s time to give you the power to match it all so you’re ready for what’s to come!"

"Wait, all at once?" Rick was both excited and nervous at the same time.

"All at once," Sebastian said. "Brace yourself."

"Rick Rolland, are you ready to get all the knowledge you’ve gained from every quest you’ve finished, every bond you’ve strengthened, and every act of bravery and kindness you’ve shown in the last few months?"

Rick took a deep breath. "Alright... hit me with everything you’ve got!"

Sebastian’s body was full of systemic energy. "Very well."

"In three, two, one, start the experience dump..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The world burst into light.

Rick felt a rush of power come over him, like a dam breaking.

Experience points flowed through his body in waves, each one making him stronger, faster, and better at what he did. His muscles got stronger with energy, his reflexes got sharper, and his magical power grew by a huge amount.

[LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!]

The alerts came in so quickly that they all looked the same. As Rick’s level went up, his mind opened up, giving him access to skills and information he had never had before.

[LEVEL 22 → LEVEL 30 → LEVEL 40 → LEVEL 50!]

As the change reached its peak, Rick screamed.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

A massive golden light burst out of his body and shot up into the sky like a beacon that could be seen from miles away. The aura of pure power that surrounded him was so strong that trees bent away from it.

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT: HERO ASCENDANT - Reached Level 50 through genuine bonds and dedicated growth]

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT: MASTER OF HEARTS - Maintained maximum affection with five Spirit Bonded partners simultaneously]

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT: DEMON KING WORTHY - Earned respect and loyalty of an entire realm]

[SPECIAL REWARD FROM ZARA BLOODTHORN’S BOND: Four Combat Skills Unlocked!]

[NEW SKILL: DEMON QUEEN’S WRATH - Channel demonic energy into devastating area attacks]

[NEW SKILL: BLOOD PRICE - Sacrifice health to massively boost attack power temporarily]

[NEW SKILL: SOVEREIGN’S COMMAND - Force enemies within range to obey a single order]

[NEW SKILL: CRIMSON DEVASTATION - Ultimate attack combining demonic and draconic power]

The light finally went out, and Rick was left standing in the middle of a crater that his power had made. "Hah... hah... hah..." he starts letting out all of his rough breathing.

He looked down at his hands and felt the raw power flowing through his veins. He was faster, stronger, and more powerful than he had ever thought he could be.

"Holy fucking shit," he said.

Sebastian floated down and sat on his shoulder, looking pleased. "Not bad for a gooner who died while watching MILF videos."

"You’re now level 50, with combat skills that are as good as those of experienced warriors and abilities that most people would kill for."

"And all of the experience you get was from defeating the demon king while he was corrupted, and of course when you destroy all the corruption networks in this entire world. That’s a fucking good feat, not going to lie."

Rick clenched his fists and felt the power respond to what he wanted. "This is crazy."

"I feel like I could fight an army."

Sebastian said, "You probably could, but don’t forget, Rick, power is just a tool."

"It’s important to know how to use it and why."

Rick nodded, already knowing that was true. It wasn’t about getting stronger in the last few months.

They were about getting better. The power was just a bonus, a reward for the journey instead of the goal itself.

Rick said, "I’m ready," his voice full of quiet confidence.

"Ready for the Ocean Empress mission, ready for the Archon, and ready for whatever comes next."

"For now I’ll remove the EXP notification you get, and it’s just a simple if you wanted more EXP, now you have five partners that can give you unlimited amounts of EXP if you can use that comfort and seduce thing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."

Sebastian’s face looked almost proud. "Look, Rick... I trust you."

"When I first became your system administrator, I thought I had to deal with the worst user ever. A college dropout who died because of his own sick habits."

Rick said, "Thanks for the reminder."

"But you’ve proven to me that I was wrong," Sebastian said. "You’ve changed in ways I never thought you would."

"You’ve made real connections with amazing women."

"You’ve saved many races, brought enemies together, and become a leader people want to follow."

"In every way that matters, you’ve earned the title of Hero of Mature Hearts."

Rick’s throat felt tight with emotion. That meant a lot to him coming from Sebastian, who spent most of his time making fun of him and roasting him.

"Sebastian, thank you...for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, and also for making me want to be better."

"Thanks for being there for all of this."

"Don’t get all mushy on me now," Sebastian said, but his voice was softer than usual. "We still have work to do."

"You need to find an Ocean Empress, save the oceans, and beat the asshole of an Archon."

"Your journey as the Hero of Mature Hearts is far from over."

"But you’re ready for it now," Sebastian said, and for once, he wasn’t being sarcastic. "More ready than ever."

"Yeah... I know..." Rick smiled and looked up at the stars that were starting to show up in the darkening sky.

He felt the weight of his new power and the strength of his ties. The Ocean Empress was waiting somewhere out there.

The Archon was plotting behind her. Beyond all of that, there lay an unknown future filled with problems and adventures.

But Rick was no longer scared.

Five amazing women loved him. He had power that came from real growth.

He had chosen to take on responsibilities instead of having them forced on him.

And most importantly, he had become a person worth being. Despite his imperfections, he was a person who deeply cared for those around him and consistently gave his best effort.

Rick told the universe, "Bring it on!"

"I’m ready for whatever comes next."

And for the first time since coming back to life in this world, he really believed it.