It Had.

Reader read over his character sheet and breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the level up had done the trick. Reader debated how to spend his stat points, finally opting to bring his endurance back to the ten he'd started with and increase his luck by three. He felt an immediate sense of joy with the change, and began smiling again as the muscly Lamia slithered back into the room.

"Here you go," she said, handing Reader a heavy, tightly-bound sack. "Please stay around to let her open it" she said, as Reader saw a new quest notification appear. "You seem to be an adventurer, is it just you and um... sorry, what's your name again dear?" she asked, addressing Reader's bare-chested companion.

"That's up to Myaster!" the Nekotsune exclaimed cheerfully. "Catgirl? Fuckpet? Meowlody?" she suggested, looking to reader to guage his reaction.

"I like Meowlody. Let's call you that," reader said, scratching the small of her back and eliciting a happy purr from his pet. "Yes, so far it's just the two of us. I'm not sure how one goes about recruiting party members to be honest.

"Well, handsome guy like you, it's more a matter of being selective. Strong members you can grow with, good balance of skills and personalities... anyway, reason I bring it up is because I have a younger cousin who's practising to be a blade dancer. If you're looking for some muscle, it might be worth your while to pay her a visit. Most mornings she trains along the Killdy lake"

Reader nodded at the information, heading out into the bright street. A fresh-rain smell permeated the place, and the bustle of the city, suppressed by the rain, was picking up again.

"Myaster, look! A rainbow! Do you think it's a good omen?" Meowlody exclaimed as they walked.

"I'm sure it is my pretty fuckpet" Reader answered, pinching her loincloth-clad bottom and eliciting another purr. "I'm sure it is"