Chapter 79: Borrowing From the Laundry (R-18)
There weren’t upgrades for every individual part of his body. His nose and tongue, for example, didn’t have any enhancement paths. His internal organs, however, were a different story. The heart, veins, blood, bladder, kidneys—almost every major organ had its own upgrade tree.
Max didn’t spend much time reading through all of them. He clicked through each one quickly.
The first level of every organ upgrade looked fairly straightforward. The heart pumped blood more efficiently, its tissues became slightly stronger, while the bladder, kidneys, and the rest simply became healthier and more resilient.
Nothing particularly flashy.
The bigger improvements seemed to start elsewhere.
His arteries, blood, bones, skin, and muscles all had far more noticeable enhancement paths waiting beyond the initial upgrades.
The muscle upgrades caught Max’s attention the most.
As he selected the option, the holographic model of his body inside the system panel changed.
Apparently, it wasn’t just there for decoration.
It actually showed what his body would look like after each upgrade.
Choosing the muscle enhancement made the hologram noticeably bulkier than before. His frame stayed proportionate, but his muscles became more defined and toned, giving him the appearance of someone who had spent years training instead of lying around reading rune books.
The bone upgrade surprised him too.
The hologram grew slightly taller.
Not by much.
But enough for the difference to be obvious.
The artery and blood upgrades didn’t change the hologram at all.
Instead, the system simply provided detailed descriptions of their effects, and from what Max read, they sounded useful enough to move much higher on his priority list.
Then his eyes landed on an option he’d somehow overlooked before.
Mana Veins.
He immediately opened it.
[Upgrade Mana Veins to increase the efficiency and quantity of mana they can carry: 5,000 Forbidden Points.]
The price alone was enough to dampen Max’s enthusiasm.
"...Yeah, not happening anytime soon."
With a small sigh, he backed out and returned to the list of ordinary organs, not even bothering to check the other metaphysical ones.
At least, not yet.
Until he could complete system tasks with more women than just Zerena—and assuming the system even listed new targets in the future—saving five thousand Forbidden Points felt wildly unrealistic.
His attention shifted back to the more affordable upgrades instead.
[Strengthen Bones: 1,500 Forbidden Points.]
[Strengthen Muscles: 1,500 Forbidden Points.]
Compared to the Mana Veins...
Those prices almost looked reasonable.
And he could actually afford one of them.
The others would have to wait. Most of them cost far more Forbidden Points than he currently had, leaving him with only two realistic choices.
Strengthen Bones.
Or...
Strengthen Muscles.
Unfortunately, he could only afford one.
And he wanted both.
Back in his previous life, years of being a shut-in had left him with a slightly soft stomach and nothing particularly impressive in the muscle department. His height hadn’t helped either. He’d only ever been average, which, in Max’s opinion, was an exceptionally boring thing to be.
Now the system was casually offering him the chance to fix both problems.
Without exercise.
Without years of training.
Without even leaving the house.
Choosing between them suddenly felt far more difficult than he’d expected.
He had to choose.
So, in the end, Max picked the one he had absolutely no control over.
His height.
The moment he confirmed the upgrade, his vision went black for a brief second.
When it returned, something immediately felt... different.
The room looked slightly lower than before.
The chair in front of him seemed just a little smaller, and even the workbench he’d spent hours standing beside no longer lined up with his usual eye level.
Max blinked.
Then slowly stood up.
The difference became even more obvious.
After spending the entire day surrounded by the same laboratory equipment, he’d subconsciously memorized where everything sat in his line of sight.
Now...
None of it quite matched anymore.
"...It actually works," he muttered in surprise.
He looked around again, quietly comparing everything to how he’d remembered it only moments earlier.
There was no mistake.
He’d grown taller.
If the system had been capable of having feelings, it probably would’ve been a little offended.
After all, it had already doubled the size of his penis, increased his girth, improved his body, and now had casually made him taller with a single upgrade.
Yet somehow...
Max still only trusted it after personally confirming the results with his own eyes.
Morning arrived far sooner than Max would’ve liked.
He didn’t even notice the pair of breasts he’d spent the night sleeping against had disappeared until he woke up hugging nothing but a pillow.
Blinking sleepily, he looked around the room.
Empty.
The owner had already escaped.
Only a small note remained on the bedside table.
"I’ll be back this evening. Going to the city."
Max let out a disappointed sigh.
He’d been seriously considering tempting Zerena into earning a few more Forbidden Points before she left.
Maybe even squeezing in one last panty task before the timer expired.
Unfortunately...
His business partner had apparently gone into town before business hours.
With another sigh, Max looked down at the unmistakable bulge stretching his underwear.
"...Well," he muttered, sounding surprisingly philosophical, "looks like my two old friends are holding another meeting."
His gaze shifted toward his own hands.
There really weren’t many volunteers available this early in the morning.
Resigning himself to fate, Max headed toward the bathroom.
Halfway there, however, he suddenly stopped.
His eyes drifted toward the laundry hamper.
A moment later, he casually reached inside, fished out a small piece of clothing, folded it without the slightest trace of shame, and slipped it into his pocket.
The mystery of what he’d stolen from the laundry hamper remained exactly that—a mystery.
Max, however, refused to call it stealing. Borrowing, on the other hand? That sounded much more accurate.
After all, he fully intended to put it back when he was done with it. As for what, exactly, he planned to use it for...
That was another mystery.