I know who Berdina is, but the other two aren't gods I've ever heard of. But based on their names, they must be from the far west. I hear there's some servant nation of the Eterna Empire that has people who control the sea and earth itself... and they always had weird names like those.
Hazel is a fan of Berdina at the very least; although he doesn't know who his mother is, it was definitely a succubus that gave him his cambion bloodline. Pink eyes were the tell-tale sign of someone's bloodline being dipped in the seducing god's heritage, albeit no one could really prove Berdina ever existed. Although he didn't remember everything, he recalled the system mentioning a different last name than the one he grew up with that was likely his connection to whoever that demon was. It was common for a cambion child to bear the name of the demon parent given the humans almost always were slaves to the demon.
But for now he didn't care about that line of thought, he ate while watching the screen continue.
So I guess the user guide must be a place to learn about this weird, blue-sign stuff. It probably all works based off my thoughts, too. That means whenever I think it, I should be able to get this thing to tell me what I want.
Okay, so trying to think back to last night...
It was difficult to remember too well, but he could always double check with once the tutorial was done; Hazel's statline basis was mentioned before and he at least recalled Magic and Mana being there at Low. An entire "category" was probably something like how things said Average, so most likely it would let him increase his Magic to Average or at least better, while only hindering his already High Recovery. It was somewhat childish thinking like this and didn't really fit with how the world should work, but the system did mention that he still followed the laws of the world somehow. All of this was a bit above his head since all he'd ever done was farm work and a lot of these words were a little too fancy for his liking.
This seemed a lot like something demons would have made, though, so it's only logical it'd be a bit too classy for him. Although Hazel prides himself on his intelligence, his knowledge about the world and the education one needs to stand amongst the elite far outweighed his farm lifestyle. Smart people like Agafya's husband were too busy making money to engage in things like helping him understand the DPP.
Not that I should tell anyone about it. If someone knew about it, then they could end up trying to manipulate me, right? The better question is how to know how much mana and damage I can deal with this stuff. One of them mentions numbers, but I don't even know how to see that...
The system explained a lot to him with a lot of words that made his head hurt. It also had weird symbols instead of numbers for a lot of this, but he somewhat had an idea of how this might work based on the symbols. His highest stat, Recovery, had three of the odd star symbols and was the only one at High; all of the Average were at two, while the Lows were at one. Based on his level having the weird symbol, it wasn't too far of a guess that these might be numbers he simply can't see.
In short: his total level at most is 10, his lowest stats are under 10, and the majority of his stats are between 10 and 99, and recover is over 100. It's a wide margin but it's the closest way he can guess to the power scale of this stuff without direct numbers. Hazel didn't mess with numbers much as a child but had picked up basics that were required for farm work, so this is something he can follow at a bare minimum.
Durability mentions damage... so maybe durability and damage are connected. If that's the case, then 10 damage from the example would be pretty strong against someone like me. Assuming I can cast it a few times with my current Mana, then wouldn't I be able to seduce someone pretty easily? This thing doesn't seem like it covers everything with just these "stats", though.
His food was mostly eaten and the drum of traffic within the tavern was starting to file out to start their various days working. Agafya was at the door talking to some as they passed, finally giving him a true moment alone.
Hazel isn't sure what to do with his newfound power besides use it on her and anyone else he finds. He could probably beat his father up somewhat easily using this stuff, especially if he used his Demon Form... but using the Demon Form would immediately make him ostracized within the village even by his old man. Just because they knew he was a cambion, after all, didn't mean they wanted to live with demons; the Demonic Fringe was mostly devoid of the namesake these days because they had withdrawn to the Demon Kingdom during the war to help subjugate the kobold rebellions.
But if he used this magic... would it go unnoticed? With the room clearing out leaving just him and Agafya, it's a perfect place and opportunity to test it. But could he really seduce another man's woman?
Hazel turns his head towards her as she passes, watching her walk and particularly drifting his gaze downward towards her wide hips and shapely ass. The same one he had come so close to bedding before that marriage threw him aside and gave her the money and status to open this place like she always wanted.
Yeah, fuck that loser for constantly travelling. Agafya deserves a better man than him, doesn't she? Now, thinking of how the DPP works, it shouldn't be too different to cast magic, right?
Hazel leans over the table, setting his free hand flat on the table before pointing at the now-distant woman as she reaches the many piled-up dishes. Pointing a finger is weird, sure, but it's how he identifies his target better than anything else; his old man said the first thing someone should do when picking a hard-to-spot prey is to ensure they see it, after all.
Seduce.
In the corner of his eye, one of the screens from before pops up almost transparent to the point of being invisible.
Hazel's eyes darken red and his body shivers as the unusual and alien sensation of his mana bleeds out of his God's Vessel. Two heartbeats pump louder in his mind and his finger glows pink... moments before the small of Agafya's back glows the same color. Agafya gasps and hunches over the counter, knocking one of the piles over.
The moment his spell ends, Hazel's body feels numb; it isn't as if he was tired, but akin to part of him falling asleep. The test looks like it worked, but the exact effects aren't inherently visible given his current access or visibility of Agafya. Despite this, though, it does look like basic effort seems to use a small amount of mana. In the future he just has to use similar amounts of effort and he should be able to cast this spell with relative ease and keep track of his mana.
But the better question is how fast his mana would recover. Recovery only talks about damage and neither Mana or Magic mention regeneration.
Alright, now I-
"Hazel!"
He flinches, quickly laying his finger flat and averting his gaze towards the nearby wall. He avoids speaking, too, hearing her walking back toward the table. The half-finished meal in front of him is shoved aside and she quickly sets one hand down where he can see it, using the other to turn his gaze toward her.
The flushed color of her cheeks is the first thing he sees... before he sees her pouting scowl.
"Why is it you showed up here without a shirt, wait until I'm alone, and now you're more quiet than I've seen you in years?"
Agafya's fingers curl along his jawline, the old memories of the two's flirting making his guilt fade into an uneasy smile.
"Maybe I was thinking of impressing you. How often do you get left alone?"
Her scowl hardens and her dislike momentarily shows, but he reaches up and grabs her arm.
Seduce.
The magic directly feeds into her, keeping it all-but-unnoticeable this time. It isn't what he intended but his brain makes a mental note of just how discreet the spell is when used on a touched target.
Agafya's good eye pulses pink before returning to its normal blue. Hazel lets go of her arm and instead reaches up toward her face, coasting his hand along her cheek and back to her ear. His fingers rest in her brown hair, feeling the familiar dryness that came from working around a stove all day.
Seduce works best when touching someone and that crit thing increased the damage. I know Agafya still cares for me, so I need to push her.
"What are you doing," she growls but stays still. "You know I'm married now."
"You think I believe he actually gave you what you need?"
His challenge makes her lean into his touch gently, making him bold enough to turn in his chair and grab the hand on his chin. He pushes it clear and goes a step further to grab the waist of her simple dress and her apron's string.
"That pipsqueak hung around guys more than he ever looked at you. And that relationship was cemented by your parents. You kept flirting with those soldiers... and when they burned you, he didn't even pursue it. But I did."
I punched that guy and got beaten half to death afterward... but she didn't see me until a few weeks later when I'd healed.
Agafya's scowl softens. Hazel lets his thumb glide back toward her face and over the toughened burn scar that kept her eye shut in its peaceful demeanor.
"This shirt definitely wasn't his, so you keeping it around means you were expecting someone else to need it. And I know no one in the entire village ever caught your eye but me. So just be honest."
Alright. Now to use my next gambit: Bargain.
The last feeling of his magic beats through his body, his eyes fixating on the now-still and attentive Agafya.
"So let's make a trade: my old man is looking for me. You hide me... and I'll give you what you've been needing ever since we broke up and your "man" couldn't provide despite all his family's money. Deal?"
She hesitates, the subtle magic in his body impacting the offer. He had her on the fence, but even Hazel knows that this is the little push he needs.
Her eye glances toward the door of the tavern, then back to him. She pries herself free of his touch... but lets him still hold the apron's string. The tavern's owner turns toward the door and lets his hand glide along her waist and back to her ass, just letting him linger a few seconds before pulling away. Hazel watches her walk over to the doors... and shut them with the most satisfying click of their latches. She even goes a step further to hang up the place's sign, telling the whole village she was busy with chores.
"Fine."
Agafya reaches back and unties her apron, hoisting it off her neck and hanging it up near the doorway.
Despite her clothing, Hazel could see exactly what any man wants: the back of a woman wanting out of a dress but needing someone to unfasten it if she wants it properly off. Normally she wore her apron to help the dress stay in position otherwise... but with it off, much of her upper back was already visible. The smooth skin that had seduced him during the harvest festival years ago was no different even now... but unlike back then, her frame had filled out more from her maturity and picking up a bit more weight.
It was the kind of body you'd find on the upper class' women, but her heart lacked their coldness and pomp. It was a woman anyone would want. Agafya turns her head just enough to look at him and Hazel takes the hint; he stands up and approaches her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Not a word to him," she whispers, making sure to meet his gaze. "Even if he doesn't give me what I want, I'm still married to-"
"Forget him."
The cambion's words make her stop in her tracks, instinctively leaning back into him. Now that they were standing so close, he could look over her shoulder at her ample and hardly-contained cleavage better than ever. His palms slip back over her hips and grab handfuls of the dress with a final, satisfied laugh.
"Now let's go hide before my dad shows up and ruins this. After all, a real man doesn't keep his woman waiting."
