Although the leader of the mercenaries initially kept his mouth shut, as he was aware that Lucy would kill him no matter how much useful information he would offer, and even if she spared him, the fact that he no longer had hands or feet made leaving the forest an impossible mission, eventually, after many broken bones, after pulling out many teeth, and after dozens of square centimeters of skin peeled off, Lucy managed to persuade him to talk, the leader of the mercenaries realizing that a swift death is not such a bad option.

Even if Lucy didn't discover what the ones who hired this group of mercenaries intended to do with the kidnapped lionkins, because the leader of the mercenaries hadn't been interested in such details when accepting the mission, she was able to find out how to reach the location of the lionkins' village and the fact that the next morning 2-3 individuals working for the one who ordered the abduction of the lionkins would come to meet the group of mercenaries at the camp's location, to lead them to the place where they were supposed to deliver the kidnapped individuals.

"Slash!"

[You have defeated a level 45 Berserker. You gained 6340 experience points and 6340 points for the Ninja Shop.]

[Your level has increased. Your level is now 22.]

'Well, he was quite stubborn at first and didn't want to tell me anything I wanted to find out. However, in the end, relying on my natural charm and communication skills, and appealing to his conscience, I managed to convince him to cooperate...', Lucy joked in her mind, looking at the corpse of the mercenaries' leader, or what was left of him, still sensing the smell of alcohol he had poured on his wounds to make him talk more freely. 'I guess I understand that expression now, the one that says you need to offer someone a drink to truly get to know him...'

Lucy didn't waste much time and started searching the camp for things that could be useful to her in the future, such as maps or books containing information about the new world she was in. However, aside from an old map she found in the leader of the mercenaries' tent, she didn't find anything important worth taking with her.

'I think I wasted my time in vain, rummaging through these foul-smelling tents. Apart from this map, which I don't even know how to decipher, I haven't found anything...', Lucy thought as she walked among the corpses and collected their heads to prove to the lionkins that she was their savior and they could trust her.

Looking at the sack containing 9 heads, now stained with blood, Lucy couldn't help but think that what she was doing now seemed more like an action fitting for the antagonist in a horror movie rather than a hero of justice.

'Have I ever imagined I would be capable of such acts of cruelty? To take so many human lives in such a brutal manner? To torture prisoners to extract the information I need? Often when we watch a movie or read a book where the main character embarks on a path of revenge, we tend to overlook the things they are capable of to achieve their goals, because we consider justice to be on their side. But in the end, can a person with the blood of dozens on their hands be considered a hero? Perhaps yes, considering that soldiers who survive wars and kill hundreds of people are welcomed back with applause and participate in ceremonies where they receive medals for their actions. Why is it a good thing to kill for the country and a bad thing to kill for your personal well-being? Anyway, perhaps in the end, the only thing that matters is how your actions make you feel. And as for me, when I think about the deeds I've just committed, I can't help but feel proud that I've rid the world of such scum. Could there have been good people among them in an unfortunate situation? Yes, it's possible. Do I regret killing them without giving them a chance to mend their ways? No, I don't regret a thing. Why? Because everyone must face the consequences of their actions. Yes, something similar to this was said in the second part of the movie 'John Wick' or in the third. Consequences... Will I also be obliged to face the consequences of my actions? Maybe yes, but I'll make sure I'm not caught unprepared...'

Although Lucy's mind was occupied with such questions to which she couldn't find a precise answer, she didn't waste time and within a few minutes, she filled another sack with mercenaries' heads and then headed towards the place where she had left her belongings, two hundred meters away.

'Maybe I should create a skill to help me store things, as it has become annoying to carry so many things around...', Lucy thought after placing the two sacks at the base of a large tree, intending to take a break to clean up and assess her status.

After buying a Ninja Cleansing Potion from the Ninja Shop, which she consumed immediately, along with an apple pie that she planned to eat while analyzing her status, Lucy climbed the large tree and settled on a branch twenty meters high, where there was a low chance of being disturbed, then she opened her status to see the situation.

[Status]

Name: Lucy Everlynn

Race: Catkin

Classes: Magic Powered Ninja

Level: 22 (1270/18300)

Titles: Master in increasing attributes

Parameters

Health: 190/190

Mana: 247/275

Stamina: 158/170

Attributes

Strength: 14 (+4)

Defense: 8 (+2)

Vitality: 11 (+3)

Agility: 23 (+6)

Dexterity: 23 (+6)

Magic: 23 (+6)

Intelligence: 15 (+4)

Luck: 13 (+3)

[You can allocate 8 points to any attribute]

Skills:

Ninja Shop (S)

Nekohoshime (S)

Steps of Light (D)

Attributes Increase Level 2 (C)

Wind Blessing (D)

Bending of Light (D)

Substitute Creator (C)

[You can select or create two D-rank skills and one C-rank skill]

'Huh, it looks a bit different from what I expected. It seems that some of my similar skills have combined, resulting in higher-ranked skills. Moreover, it seems that the first E-rank skill I created has also increased in rank...'

Excited by the fact that her skills had evolved without costing her anything, Lucy immediately inspected the Steps of Light skill and the two skills that resulted from combining the attribute-boosting skills and those that allowed her to create various substitutes.

[Steps of Light (D): A movement skill that allows the user to move almost instantaneously up to a distance of 40 meters, with a speed close to that of light, provided there is an obstacle-free path between the original location and the target location that the user could traverse in a normal manner. This skill consumes 5 mana points and has a cooldown period of 4 seconds.]

[Attributes Increase Level 2 (C): A passive skill that increases all attribute values by 30 percent.]

[Substitute Creator (C): A skill that allows customization and creation of identical substitutes of the user that can be programmed to follow simple instructions at the time of their creation or after they have been created. Available templates for instant creation: Black Vines Substitute, Explosive Paper Substitute, Lightning Substitute, Ice Substitute, Fire Substitute, Poison Gas Substitute]

'This is truly amazing! Not only have I eliminated the stamina consumption when activating the Steps of Light skill, but the distance I can cover instantaneously has also doubled. Until now, I believed that in order to increase the rank of skills, I would have to recreate them when I have the opportunity to create higher-ranked skills. I didn't expect that after using them so frequently, they would evolve on their own... As for the other two skills, I believe the advantages they offer are evident. Now, attribute values will increase even more, and I'll have the ability to create a wide variety of substitutes suitable for any situation. However, I wonder what the asterisk (*) before their names means. System, could you provide me with more information?'

[Affirmative. Skills marked with an asterisk (*) indicate that they can only be obtained under certain conditions. For example, Attributes Increase Level 2 (C) can be obtained only if the user has a skill that increases the value of each attribute and has reached level 20.]

'At least it's willing to communicate about skills. It's a shame that the system can't provide me with other equally precise information...', Lucy thought after hearing the explanations provided by the system. 'Anyway, now that I've seen the situation, I think it's time to allocate the 8 points to the corresponding attributes and create some skills that I believe will be useful in the near future.'

After Lucy allocated one point to each attribute, she instructed the system to create a skill that would allow her to store her belongings in a space she could access anytime to retrieve them, and a skill that would make her body intangible for a short period, enabling her to pass through objects and allowing opponents' attacks to pass through her without affecting her.

[Ninja Spatial Pocket (D): A spatial skill that allows the user to access a 10-cubic meter space in which she can store lifeless objects, which will remain in the same condition as when they were stored. Using this skill to store or retrieve an object will consume 2 mana points.]

[Phantom Body (D): A spatial skill that allows the user to become intangible for a short period, including the objects she carries. The user is capable of passing through objects and magical barriers during this time, and physical or magical attacks can pass through the user's body without affecting her in any way. If, upon deactivating the skill, the user is in contact with a solid object, she will be transported to the nearest area where her body doesn't make contact with any object. This skill consumes 5 mana points per second while active, can't be activated for more than 10 seconds at a time, and has a cooldown period of 30 seconds.]

Satisfied with how the two skills turned out, Lucy accepted both of them and then began to think about a skill that would allow her to confront multiple opponents at the same time because the previous battle had shown her that sending instructions to more than 10 substitutes while actively participating in combat was almost impossible to achieve, the only reason her plan succeeded was that the opponents didn't know what they were dealing with and didn't attempt to avoid the substitutes until their time expired.

'Unfortunately, even though the substitutes were truly enticing, they didn't have much brainpower and behaved like a horde of zombies when I stopped sending them instructions. However, the idea of having more of me in a battle isn't bad. As far as I remember, when I was younger, I read a manga where the main character used a skill of this kind in battle, allowing him to create identical copies of himself, which have his personality and memories, enabling him to use strategies that required extraordinary teamwork. Yes, such a skill would be perfect. The only things I'd improve would be the durability of the clones and the information sharing between them, so the clones wouldn't need to disappear for the skill user to know exactly what they experienced. Tell me, System, could you create such a skill?'

[Analysis.......analysis.......skill creation.......]

'It seems to be working...', Lucy thought as she saw the system getting to work.

[Blood Clones (C): This skill allows the creation of identical clones of the user, possessing the same body and soul as the user. Although the clones generated by this skill are independent, they can communicate with each other and with the user through a soul connection. Through this connection, memories, emotions, and real-time sensations can be transmitted, as long as the clones are within 100 meters of another clone or the skill user with whom they want to initiate communication. This skill doesn't allow the existence of more than 3 clones simultaneously, and the lifespan of each clone is a maximum of 12 hours. The cost to create a single clone will be 80 mana points and 10 milliliters of blood from the user.]

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

'Seems alright. Although the skill description doesn't seem to cover everything, as it doesn't specify how capable the clone will be in using my unique skills or what parameters it will have when created, I don't think any unpleasant surprises will arise, like the clone not being able to access the Ninja Shop or having limited ocular abilities. Anyway, I'll accept it as is and I'll just have to test it to see all the skill's characteristics. The only unpleasant part will likely be that I'll probably have to cut my finger to obtain the required blood, but I can heal immediately with a health potion and I'm thinking of creating a skill that will help me heal faster and on my own in the future...'

After accepting the newly created skill, Lucy remembered that she is now capable of receiving two more ocular abilities, as another 10 levels have passed since her eyes underwent an upgrade.

'Hmm, considering that my level has increased and I've even been able to acquire C-rank skills, I don't think it will be a problem to obtain more powerful ocular abilities. Let's see now what to choose... I believe an ability that could induce an opponent into a dream controlled by me would be great for moments when I want to interrogate someone or take an opponent out of the game for a longer period, and a similar ability to X-ray vision would help me identify hidden dangers much more easily. Let's see if these abilities will be accepted...'

After Lucy decided which ocular abilities she wanted to obtain, the abilities "Dream Creation" and "Piercing Sight" appeared in the Nekohoshime skill list, indicating that she was successful and the abilities were accepted by the system.

'I think I've sorted out everything I needed to do. Now, let's see how the status looks with all the modifications...'

[Status]

Name: Lucy Everlynn

Race: Catkin

Classes: Magic Powered Ninja

Level: 22 (1270/18300)

Titles: Master in increasing attributes

Parameters

Health: 205/205

Mana: 278/300

Stamina: 163/185

Attributes

Strength: 15 (+4)

Defense: 9 (+2)

Vitality: 12 (+3)

Agility: 24 (+7)

Dexterity: 24 (+7)

Magic: 24 (+7)

Intelligence: 16 (+4)

Luck: 14 (+4)

Skills:

Ninja Shop (S)

Nekohoshime (S)

Steps of Light (D)

Attributes Increase Level 2 (C)

Wind Blessing (D)

Bending of Light (D)

Substitute Creator (C)

Ninja Spatial Pocket (D)

Phantom Body (D)

Blood Clones (C)

'I didn't expect to become so powerful in such a short amount of time. Considering that most of the experience points were obtained from eliminating the group of mercenaries, maybe I should be grateful and thank them for their sacrifices. Thank you, experience bags!... Anyway, let's see how well the newly acquired skills work now...'

After quickly testing the skills Ninja Spatial Pocket and Phantom Body and realizing that they worked as expected—Lucy had no problem storing a kunai in the storage space and passing her hand through the tree trunk she was perched on without feeling any resistance—she prepared to activate the "Blood Clone" skill to further investigate its capabilities.

'It seems I'll be the first one to shed my blood in this world...', thought Lucy as she pricked her finger with the kunai's tip and, simultaneously, she activated the Blood Clone skill to create a clone and learn more about its features.

Although the clone didn't appear instantly, as the blood from Lucy's finger gathered into a sphere, which then transformed into a tiny red version of her that began to grow, in less than 15 seconds, there stood an identical copy of herself in front of Lucy who during this time drank a health potion to immediately heal her wound.

"Wow!!"

"Wow!!

Looking at each other, both Lucys couldn't help but marvel at how efficiently the skill worked; they wouldn't have been able to tell which one was the original if they hadn't maintained their initial positions.

"The skill worked as expected, but I can't help but be amazed by what it's capable of. Anyway, new me, let's proceed as I thought before to differentiate between us. So, I'll be Lucy Alpha, and you will be..."

Lucy Beta!", answered the clone in front of her, with a seductive smile on her lips.

"Cough! Yes, that's what we agreed on... From what I can see, the clones enjoy a lot of autonomy. If I didn't know you were my clone, I'd probably think you were my twin sister. Do you notice anything unusual?" Lucy Alpha asked Lucy Beta, who was about a meter away.

"No, I don't notice anything unusual. If I didn't know I was a clone, I would probably think I'm the same as I was an hour ago. Anyway, I'll open the status to see the changes... Hmmmm, even though the attribute values and skills are the same, it seems the parameters have undergone some changes. The maximum values for Health and Mana are only half of what I had—well, what you have now. Fortunately, the Stamina parameter remained unchanged..." Lucy Beta replied, then activated the Ninja Shop skill to buy an orange juice, proving she could use the skill without any issues.

"It seems that the points we use to buy from the Ninja Shop are shared. As soon as you bought the juice, I saw the number decrease..." Lucy Alpha commented, following suit and buying herself an orange juice because the two of them had the same cravings.

"Maybe it's better to refuel only when we're only one, otherwise we'll waste points unnecessarily..." Lucy Beta suggested, noticing that Lucy Alpha had followed her example and started drinking the freshly bought juice.

"Well, considering you can last up to 12 hours, I don't think I'd want to stay hungry for that long. Ugh, it's quite complicated to address each other this way. I think it's time to test the soul connection to avoid such issues..."

After the two Lucys decided to access the soul connection between them, they realized there were multiple levels through which they could communicate—the weakest being through simple thought and the strongest merging them back into a single person inhabiting two bodies simultaneously.

'This sensation is quite strange. I guess it will take some time to get used to...' Lucy Alpha transmitted through telepathy, reducing the intensity of the connection between them.

'You're right about that. But I think I know a few methods that will help us experiment with transmitting real-time sensations. I think you know what I'm thinking...' Lucy Beta replied through telepathy.

"Well, it's only natural that I know. I've been thinking about the pleasures this skill could bring me even before creating it..." Lucy Alpha said aloud after the soul connection between them was severed, while she approached Lucy Beta, who was looking at her with a teasing smile.

Given how attractive Lucy found her own body and the fact that her newly acquired animal instincts made her very easily sexually aroused, it's not hard to figure out what the two Lucys had in mind, with only a 5-centimeter distance between them.

"I told you since I laid eyes on you that you stole my heart, didn't I?" Lucy Alpha said to her own duplicate, her sweet breath making the latter even more excited.

"Oh, damn. We might share the same body, but right now, you seem much more enticing to me. Your smile, your scent... Sniff, sniff... they're driving me crazy, and I can't think straight...", Lucy Beta replied, immediately closing the gap between them to zero and she started kissing her duplicate without any hesitation, their breasts, trying to occupy the same space, being pressed between them, while their hands massaged each other's sexy asses.

Though Lucy hadn't kissed anyone before and didn't start very smoothly, thanks to the fact that the two Lucys could understand each other very well, they quickly transformed the wild kiss, where they tried to devour each other's lips and tongue and steal every breath from each other's chests, into a true dance of sensuality, in which their lips took the place of feet setting the rhythm, and their tongues took the place of hands shaping the emotions the two dancers wanted to convey.

If someone were to ask Lucy later how long this kiss lasted, she wouldn't be able to give a clear answer, as during the kiss, it seemed to her that it lasted for an eternity, and after their lips parted, it seemed to her that it didn't last more than a fraction of a second.

"Slurp! You're truly sweet...", Lucy Alpha told her duplicate after licking the saliva that was trickling down her chin, not wanting a single drop of this divine nectar to fall to the ground and be wasted.

"From what I remember, I believe you have even sweeter spots than that. How about we test this theory?" Lucy Beta whispered softly in her cat's ear, then began to lick the soft fur on her, trying to convince her counterpart not to stop there.

Although before activating the skill and creating a clone, Lucy wouldn't have wanted to go all the way with the intimate act, considering the time and place were not suitable for such things, both versions of her at that moment had nothing else in mind but the desire to make love to each other, so as they teased each other with their lips and tongues, their hands began to carefully undress each other as if they were participating in the unveiling of an ancient artwork that needed to be treated with adoration and respect.

"You're truly perfect! You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen..." Lucy Alpha told her counterpart, who was now only in her underwear.

"You don't look bad either... Huh? It seems you're very attracted to my breasts. You can't even look me in the eyes anymore after seeing them? Don't blush.....don't be shy...come and taste it...", answered Lucy Beta, while with her left hand she started to lift her breasts, like a mother ready to feed her baby.

Could Lucy Alpha refuse such an offer? Of course not! So she immediately crouched down in front of Lucy Beta and dipped both hands into her duplicate's breasts and then began to kiss and lick them as if they were made of the sweetest jelly in the world.

'Mmmmm...good, baby. Eat Lucy, eat to your heart's content...from now on I will feed you this way whenever you want...', Lucy Beta telepathically told her duplicate, accessing the soul connection between the two of them to give Lucy Alpha a portion of the pleasure which she felt.

"Ahhh!!", moaned Lucy Alpha, entering a sensation of excitement she had never known before, her body being engulfed by a heat that threatened to melt her brain.

"It seems that the sudden pleasure I sent you has made it difficult for you to concentrate on your mission...", Lucy Beta told her duplicate, then helped her stand up and brought her back to her senses with a tender kiss. "Let me lighten your burden... let me throw you into a sea of pleasure...", she continued to seductively whisper in her ear, and then her lips slowly headed towards the place where she felt the heat was strongest, leaving behind a trail of kisses, like children venturing into the depths of the forest and leaving breadcrumbs behind, hoping it will show them the way back when they decide to return, unaware that by the time they finish their business in the forest, those breadcrumbs will have disappeared.

"So wet...and it smells so nice...", Lucy Beta said when she got her nose in Lucy Alpha's sexy panties.

Seeing that Lucy Alpha was beginning to lose her patience, Lucy Beta bit down on her duplicate's panties and pulled them down to knee level, then, kneeling in front of her, she buried her nose in the short, silky black hair between her legs and, using her skilled tongue, she started collecting all the nectar that was dripping from her duplicate, who, in order to remain upright, she pressed her back against the cold, hard trunk of the tree they were perched in and she dug her hands into the rich, silky hair of the one who had brought her to a state where she felt nothing but infinite pleasure...

"Ahh...so...a little more...", Lucy Alpha said between moans, without knowing exactly what she would like to happen next.

Fortunately, Lucy Beta hadn't completely given in to the pleasure, and remembering some theoretical knowledge about how to satisfy a partner, she penetrated with two fingers inside the wet cave in front of her, while her lips continued to tease the edges, not wanting to separate herself from the source of the sweetness she has tasted so far.

"Ah, ahh, yes..." Lucy Alpha began to moan, the new sensations seeming to hold the key that would eventually send her to the stars. Although it was the first time in both of her lives that Lucy had been penetrated so deeply, due to her heightened arousal reaching its peak, she felt almost no pain. Instead, she experienced immense pleasure that rendered her unable to control her body, which had started to convulse and, from her mouth, a stream of saliva began to flow, trickling between two white mounds and making its way toward the face that gazed upwards with eyes as blue as the sky after rain, thus providing another source of sweetness for the one possessing these eyes, helping her endure until her fingers would achieve their purpose, bringing her the elixir she needed like air.

"Ahhhh! Yessssss!!!" Lucy Alpha screamed as in front of her, all she could see was white and at that moment, Lucy Beta pressed her lips to the source of the long-awaited nectar, not letting a single drop go to waste. When she noticed that the source had ceased to flow, she began to lick her fingers, still covered in both nectar and a bit of blood, a testament that the task had been completed and, after finishing her feast, Lucy Beta stood up and passionately began to kiss her duplicate, who was still floating on a sea of pleasure.

"Mmmm, how is it? Do you like your own taste? I was right when I told you that you have some even sweeter spots..." Lucy Beta continued to tease her duplicate, noticing that reason had returned to her eyes.

"I think it's your turn now to make me feel good... What do you say, my little kitty?" Lucy Beta continued, while caressing her duplicate's tail, ready to experience the same sensations and be sent to cloud nine.

"Roarrr!!"

Unfortunately, Lucy Beta's plans couldn't be carried out anymore, as a giant bear came rushing towards the tree where the two Lucys were, most likely attracted by the blood dripping from the two sacks full of human heads, which Lucy had forgotten to store away immediately after obtaining the Ninja Spatial Pocket skill.

"Consequences..." the two Lucys said at the same time, looking at each other, trying to refrain from laughing at the situation they were in – having to fight the enormous bear while being naked and covered in their own fluids.