The Witch Tamer, Book 1

by Naosu N R

  She sighed. "Fine. You can go. But just be careful. Its weird that Simone is voluntarily giving up her future to be with you. The trigger wouldn't activate on a conditional wishy washy response."

  I noticed she didn't give me any clues for special cards to acquire. She always keeps anything good close to her own hand to use.

  "Do you think maybe I was just her type all along maybe?" I asked. This I also secretly wondered.

  Like how far would mind control go? Was it only pushing things over the envelope's edge or filling the cup?

  "Possibly. Hm, that could be possible. But its unlikely. A lot of girls only truly love themselves over anyone else anyway, even going past their sex drive sometimes," mom said.

  Is she talking about herself?

  Her answer sounds too extreme to be credible after all. But it took a lot to even get her to answer me. So I should appreciate it for what it is.

  "So wait up, please tell me about secret skills," I said again begging.

  "When you come work for the company, then we'll tell you all you want about that," mom said with very good sneaky skill. She got up to get ready to go.

  "Mom you know I'm still growing up. I need time to figure things out. Its normal for someone my age to need time. Plus, I'm doing real training and not doing nothing. I wouldn't be any good yet for anyone without more skills and XP. So cut me some slack," I said.

  "We gave you Simone and let you have Melanie to be a man. Don't forget that. And take good care of them," Mom said.

  "Can I at least let Simone and Melanie wear swimsuits around the house? Diego is really perving out on them," I said.

  "I said no!" mom said.

  Then she kicked me out of her office.

  She's probably using some kind of mage skills to sneaky like watch my reaction after leaving. So I acted normal, going back to my room. I was careful to not show any anger reaction.

  She's too cunning.

  I think even dad is scared of her.

  That asshole Diego was in my room's hall again. But left when I came back.

  But the girls had locked themselves in the bathroom to avoid him. (Thank goodness.)

  "Get out of my room," I told him.

  "Fuck you," he said.

  But then the maid threw him out. He won't mess with her.

  Seriously...

  I need to build faster to get out of this. Its like I'm under siege!

  Damn it...

  ...

  I went back to my room.

  By 11 PM I'd gotten all 10 daggers to +2 enchants.

  Tomorrow I'll sell them for cash. Yes!

  But mom sent me a text allowing me to let me have Simone and Melanie wear bikini bottoms but no tops now. She wants me to earn it somehow, and prove I deserve it.

  I went to bed after more wife intimacy time with both Simone and Melanie, one at a time, but with both watching each other.

  Chapter 17

  6:47 AM

  I got up and had a quickie with Simone. Or rather, I think she initiated it.

  Yeah, this intense feeling...

  Simone is definitely the aggressive one in bed. She groans a lot in bed also, enjoying it a lot.

  Its for sure that, they've put some kind of 'horny' enchant on her status screen, that's making her like doing it a lot. But that's made her easier to get along with.

  7:12 AM

  Intimacy with Melanie.

  7:32 AM

  Shower with both girls. It started out I just went to the shower on my own.

  Then Melanie was trying to one up Simone. Simone had tried to start making out with me in the shower.

  "Let me wash your back," Melanie smiled big.

  "Fine. But I get to wash the front," Simone countered.

  "No way...I should have thought of that," Melanie groaned.

  "I can use my breasts instead of a wash cloth then," Melanie said.

  "I can do that too!" per Simone.

  Wow, mind control can truly be the only thing that will simulate those seemingly absurd impossible game like dating sim events in reality.

  8:01 AM

  I went to school.

  Things continued to progress.

  I had Melanie find me buyers on the underground to look for who I can sell the enhanced daggers to while I'm at school. This is a good idea also because with a nice face like Melanie's I'm more likely to get a good price, and reduce time it takes to sell.

  She texted me at 8:47 AM. I glanced at it during class.

  Wow, so early?

  'One buyer is asking if we can ship outside the US?' she sent.

  For enhanced and enchanted murim products, I don't know if that's a good idea yet. There might be no safety in it for us, since the murim underground isn't supposed to exist. (And what would happen if others started poking around at it, or asking questions?) I had her turn that one away for now saying we aren't ready to ship foreign yet, but to apologize for it and be nice.

  It turned out she was using eBay, while trying to help me.

  Then I found out there's an underground section for Murim and magitek users on eBay but only magitek and Murim types have access to it. Melanie had known about it before but thought I knew.

  Wow, cool, I thought. But I can't use it much yet, because I don't have much in the way of resources.

  She's now looking for buyers for me to sell to.

  A few minutes later I got another text, but was almost caught by my teacher trying to reply to it.

  'One potential customer is asking if we can do enhancements to +3 for the same material, and also for short swords?' Melanie sent with heart texts and XOXO. She also sent me a lewd selfie pic at 8:53 AM.

  Then I had to hide my cell phone a bit.

  My first class ends in a half hour. I had to delay responding to Melanie while working hard in my books.

  Then finally I saw a chance when the teacher went to get a drink. I hurriedly replied.

  'I'll test at lunch today if I can do +3 enhancements. Tell him we'll give him a response by the end of the day," I said.

  I'd been so worried about normal equipment I'd not done this. But I think we can get the 10 blade +2 throwing dagger set to sell well.

  Getting money will be more war potential. This is necessary to think about.

  By the time lunch rolled around I was too excited about trying a +3 enchant to even bother making love at lunch with Melanie. So when Melanie picked me up we went out to a park to avoid being seen.

  I tested the enhancement process. Lately I'd had much better success rates with it.

  Ping!

  [Enhancement skill → level 1 reached!]

  So before now it wasn't a for sure thing huh?

  [Weapon enhancement skill level 1 reached!]

  Hm...so does that mean its a different sub-skill also to enhance weapons compared to armor? And how far can it go?

  I'll have to play with this some more.

  But when I tried to enhance a dagger from +2 to +3, I got a status system warning!

  [Warning; insufficient skill level to enhance at current rate. Penalties will involve a lower than normal success rate.]

  Hm...

  So I can enhance to +3, but not with a good success rate. And it would be better for me to get more skill to secure a stronger success rate.

  And more than anything, that its possible is very cool.

  I think its possible it won't give me the penalty warning if I'm a higher level, I thought also during the day.

  Actually before a few days ago I'd been not doing too well at any enhancement rates. And it didn't tell me that. So getting a warning now on what will work well and what won't compared to now warning at all is an upgrade!

  I failed four times getting my hoodie's enhancement level to +3.

  But it feels different at +3, even though its the same thing. It feels like its harder to penetrate or damage. This is hard to comprehend at first, because its still thin like before, but acts stiffer, and stronger.

  "
Wait, isn't your mana bar much lower than it should be? You only tried four times right?" Melanie pointed at my screen. (While with her I don't need to have my status screen in stealth mode.)

  "Oh!" I exclaimed looking at it.

  Shit!

  I didn't realize that it would use 3 times more mana enhancing to +3 than it would going to +2!

  "Thanks M."

  "No problem. Glad I could help," she replied, sitting so close to me that she's touching me, and enjoying it.

  And then when I tried to use the skill again, it tells me at my current level enhancing the hoodie to +4 would only have a 10% success rate, and if the enhancement fails the chance for the item to break would be 60%!]

  "Damn," I frowned.

  "Don't give up. You are still building skills. You'll get there, but give it some time. Don't force it," she added.

  "Thanks babe."

  "Jay, this is actually really good. Don't be hard on yourself," Melanie put her arm around me. "Now why don't you have some sandwiches with me," she added.

  "Sandwiches huh?" I asked.

  "Err...well I don't know how to make a lot of things. But I can make really nice BLT on turkey meat sandwiches," she said.

  "This does taste pretty good actually," I said.

  "Right! See? I'm practicing another recipe, but its not ready yet," she smiled.

  I asked, but she wouldn't tell me which one.

  "OK. So we'll tell that buyer we're not doing +3 this quarter," I frowned.

  "That means I'll have to find another buyer," she warned.

  "That's OK. Keep at it. Someone will definitely buy our stuff. Also check what rival pricing is," I said while taking a bite out of my sandwich and with my other hand holding Melanie's hand.

  "Simone wants to help out. Can you give her something to do?" Melanie asked.

  "Let me think about it," I said.

  "Got it. But maybe you can have her study martial arts or something? Or some skill to both get and teach us?" she pressed.

  "You really want her to help?"

  "If you are in the dungeon solo I worry about you. And somehow she's on our side now. I don't know why I know that. But that's what it feels. So if she were to help you...I'd feel better about your chances of staying safe," Melanie shrugged.

  "I'll have to prep my parents. If they see her anywhere alone outside my room, they'll still freak out," I said.

  "I understand. But if she's your guard, that's good for them too," she said.

  ...

  By the end of lunch, I also checked on Valerie. She has two day offs now, which she's using to heal. (She must have predicted being bruised up.) She wants to take me out to eat as a reward tomorrow. I set the date also.

  I still had some mana left over, so I channeled some of it to enhance a ring.

  It worked!

  [Ring, registered as accessory. Defense +1 achieved!] registers on my screen.

  I can put it on with my equip gear tab. Nice.

  This means I'm able to create a lot of value that others would have to save for years to achieve. But I'm getting it much faster!

  That didn't take much mana, but I can feel the difficulty check on rings and necklaces is much higher than normal items. I'd almost failed that one.

  I tried to do a few more experiments and found that by enchanting rings, I can pick which stat to apply, though for now I only have the strength to add a single +1. I don't know if upgrading it to +2 is even possible. +2 strength, int, agility, wis, or even mana regeneration is possible also. Also +1 to charm or appearance is possible, but I'm not sure if by 'charm' its meaning my skill by the same name?

  I frowned.

  I ended up enhancing two rings each more.

  [Ring; +1 mana regeneration achieved!]

  [Ring; +1 to Charm skill achieved!]

  Wow, amazing. A skill up enchant item, would be worth a lot. But I want to keep them for myself.

  A +1 to the skills actually won't change the effect that much, I verified. But still interesting.

  I wonder what would happen if I had a bunch of those together?

  Oh wait will it even let me do that?

  It seems possible, I theorized as I'm working it out on paper.

  "Um, Jay...? You kind of zoned out there," Melanie told me while pulling me out of my discovery mode.

  Shit.

  She'd been driving me back to school and I got side tracked! She'd been pulled up against the curb for a full minute.

  Now she has a funny smirk on her face. "Don't worry. I like that about you, you're serious about working hard. Have a good day. I'll pick you up at 3 PM today," she kissed me.

  "Thanks."

  "Love you," she said.

  "L-love you too," I said.

  I really think I really love her. But if I can't make a ton of money and support her easily does that mean its not real love?

  I wonder about that too.

  Doesn't love have to be sustainable?

  But there's no way I was going to let Melanie or Simone go. I love it too much. I love the lifestyle living with them, and really want to be with them.

  I began walking back to class.

  But on the way there, I was a bit surprised that while playing with stuff I found out my cell phone is also enhance-able and enchant able. Both of which are important to me.

  I don't have the mana for it. But still its interesting.

  I need to figure out what else I can enhance beyond just armor and weapons then and if any special effects are unlocked.

  "Jay?" I stopped and looked up.

  "Stop playing with your phone and go to class," the janitor told me while mopping the floor. "You're like ten minutes late again."

  "Sorry."

  "Don't say sorry to me. Say it to your next class teacher," he said.

  I walked in late. Others were smirking and the teacher was giving me a hard time.

  I don't regret it. I found out a lot today.

  ...

  By 3 PM, I've found a buyer for the knives. We sell the set for $420 dollars. Not bad for very little time committed.

  Wow.

  I could do this everyday, I thought.

  But I have to work on leveling up also. So I can't have my mana only going to crafting. And I'd still need to know how to defend myself.

  Of course, if I do that it means I'll get less XP. So in the long run the best route is a fine balance between the two. Now also, I can see why my parents were giving me a hard time about working for them after finding I have the enchant skill.

  ...

  On the way home I get a call from my parents to meet Irina at a coffee shop and I'm given an address and to be there at 4 PM. She's the one they are trying to set me up with.

  "Damn," I said, after hanging up.

  "What is it?" Melanie asked while driving.

  So I explained it to her.

  "Its going to be OK. She won't love you as much as I do. So she's not a threat. I'll just love you more and have more sex with you than she will. She can't win," Melanie sounded aggressive, and almost upset but not quite. She looks fiercer, and risked pulling me closer to where she's sitting during the red traffic light, to secure her position possibly.

  "Babe, you are speeding. Best to not drive angry," I warned after a bit.

  "Oh right. Sorry about that," she braked.

  But when we went to the coffee shop date arranged by my parents, Irina didn't show. In fact, I don't even know what she's supposed to look like.

  I texted mom, just so she didn't blame me.

  'I'll take care of it. You can come home now. I'll have her parents cut off her allowance and take her cars away,' she sent.

  Eh...so this was some kind of faction issue possibly. I hope mom didn't threaten them to work with us.