Murphy says Hello!~

After getting his school uniform on through his inventory function, John makes his way downstairs to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. As he walks down the steps and into the first floor hall, he gazes upon the family photo hanging across from the stairs he came down from as a wry smile comes to his face.

The photo has his mom, Brenda Newman, his father, Benjamin, and a three-year-old him held between them in a loving and caring embrace, smiling happily together, yet ignorant of the future tragedy that would rip their happy family apart in only a year's time. His father suddenly was attacked by a robber as the electronic repair and salvage shop he ran was broken into while he was working late at night. One of his coworkers recognized the burglar as an ex-boyfriend who they had broken up with and held a grudge against his father, blaming him for their break-up, despite the fact he was a violent and abusive asshole.

The bastard went to jail for his actions, but his father ended up paying the price for simply doing what was right. John grasps the ring he wears around his neck, a keepsake of his father's, and begins to wonder...

"...was your death really so simple?"

...he whispered under his breath, questioning everything he's known after the shocking discovery earlier in the morning. Making his way to the kitchen, he finds his breakfast laying on the table, along with a note from his mother. Sitting down to dig in, he reads the note and confirms what he already suspected. She worked late again, but still made the time to cook him some breakfast for the morning before heading back to school. He really worries about her health.

After his father died, his mom had begun to work extra shifts just to provide for him as a single mother, with his grandparents doing what they could to help lighten the load wherever they could. But they could only help so much. They weren't wealthy, nor were his parents. His mom's once brunette hair had begun to start prematurely graying from the stress and strain from overworking herself, wrinkles from the stress began to develop along her face, and John felt an immense sense of guilt at how much she suffered for his sake.

She's been working herself to the bone, trying to take care of him, and he hasn't done much to alleviate her burdens. He needs to find a way to help mitigate her troubles...

============================================================================================================

New Quest: A Son's Duty

The Gamer's mother is overworking herself to try and care for him. Help her by finding a job to lessen her burden.

Rewards: Increased REP with Brenda Newman, a source of income that doesn't rely on mommy, a rare unique item, $500 to your wallet

Penalty: Decreased REP with Brenda Newman, become an ungrateful bastard permanently

============================================================================================================

After seeing this latest window, John thought back to the message that seemed to accompany one of his earlier achievements. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he whispered under his breath. "...seriously? I'm starting to think there's someone or something behind these prompts..."

================================================================================================================

You have made a correct deduction through careful analysis and reasoning.

+1 INT and WIS

================================================================================================================

"..."

He was not even going to question the confirmation. Apparently, his video game powers are sentient, or there's someone powerful enough to give them to him behind them. And apparently, they are a slightly snarky bastard.

================================================================================================================

[That's a snarky bitch, to you.]

-1 INT and WIS

================================================================================================================

"...my apologies, ma'am. I'm just used to men being the snarky ones among those I meet."

================================================================================================================

[Apology accepted.]

+1 INT and WIS

================================================================================================================

...I wonder, does this lady have a name, or do I need to come up with one? Just so I can have an idea of what to call you without making it awkward when I need to speak with you about something.

================================================================================================================

New Quest: Speak my Name

The Gamer has figured out there is a sentient being behind his powers. Now he needs to figure out what their name is.

• Hint 1: The entity is a woman.
• Hint 2: She is a goddess you've heard of.
• Hint 3: She is a primordial one from mundane human's myths and legends.

Rewards: The right to contact her in emergencies, unlock the ??? and ??? Core System functions, Increased REP with ???

Penalties: ??? and ??? Core System functions become locked indefinitely, Decreased REP with all supernatural factions and ???

================================================================================================================

I actually paused a bit for this one. Simply looking at this, I realized I had a bonafide Goddess with a capital 'G' essentially speaking in my head with a thought. The hints make me think of a few goddesses I know of from video games I've played that were based on their real-life mythological counterparts. The fact that there are only a few primordial goddesses I know of from said games helps narrow it down greatly.

There's the primordial Night Mother, Nyx, the mother of Thanatos, the God of Death and Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Cthonic pantheon of the ancient Greek version of Hell. Then there's Izanami, the wife of the Japanese Creator God Izanagi, the Father of the Japanese people in myth and Legend. She, however, is a Goddess of the Dead as a result of her effectively being betrayed and abandoned in a cruel fashion of dying from her own child's birth and then getting stuck in the Japanese version of Hell as a result of said betrayal and abandonment with only her son Susano'o no Mikoto ever bothering to visit her every now and then.

The only other primordial goddess I can think of off the top of my head would be the primordial Earth Mother and Titaness, Gaia-

================================================================================================================

Quest Complete: Speak my Name(Not really, but close enough)

You have figured out that you are receiving divine patronage by Gaia, the Primordial Titaness of Mother Earth.

Rewards: Emergency contact info with Gaia herself, Fast Travel and Call GM Core System Functions unlocked, Increased REP with Gaia

================================================================================================================

...huh. Checking the two new system functions, I grumble a bit as they are both currently locked right now. Apparently, the Call GM function requires an issue warranting Gaia's attention first before it can be activated. What constitutes an 'issue' is apparently something that would be up for debate right now. As for the Fast Travel function, it also requires I find a 'Fast Travel Point' first and needs me to expend a certain amount of both money and MP to use, with prices varying on the time and distance required for said travel. I don't have the requirements met for either one right now, so no use bothering with it yet.

Then looking at the name mentioned, I nodded in understanding. So it was Gaia. well it certainly would make sen-waitaminute...oh fuck me. Gods and Goddesses usually only ever take an interest in mortals when they're bored or need something done they can't or won't do themselves. This is going to suck, isn't it?

================================================================================================================

[Not entirely wrong about me being bored or sucking. Both for and from you. You're surprisingly cute when you figure these things out. Here's a little something for catching onto that.]

+3 CHR and +1 INT and WIS

================================================================================================================

...I'm going to be the personal entertainment for this woman now, aren't I? I sigh in the realization that I now have a voyeur behind my powers that seems intent on using me for her own entertainment, but it could be worse. Now to start considering how to investigate my father's family...

================================================================================================================

New Quest: Origins Found

The Gamer wishes to investigate his late father's background in order to learn of his bloodline. He's on the right track. Find clues to help point yourself in the right direction.

Clues found: 0/?

Rewards: A trail to follow, an Investigation-type Passive Skill, EXP based upon the usefulness and quality of clues found, ???

Penalty: Bloodline quest auto-fails, penalties for failing the Bloodline quest

================================================================================================================

Yep, I figured as much. I have an idea or two where to start, but that'll need to wait until after school is finished. Before John could continue his planning, however, a second prompt suddenly appeared that completely derailed his train of thought and nearly made him choke on his breakfast he was still eating when he read it.

================================================================================================================

New Quest: A Harem's Rise

The Gamer is of a bloodline that has few members left and needs to be rebuilt. Find, seduce, and impregnate multiple lovers, concubines, and/or wives. A minimum of 4 required. (If you're going to call me a voyeur, then I may as well make you my personal entertainment pleasure. Make it as steamy as it can be.)

Lovers claimed: 0/?

Concubines claimed: 0/?

Wives claimed: 0/?

Number of Women impregnated: 0/?

Rewards: A new Trait dependent upon quest performance, a harem of eager women for your carnal pleasures(and my entertainment), the means to continue your bloodline

Penalty: You will be incapable of sexually pleasing yourself and be blue-balled for a month without being allowed to cum no matter what, during which you cannot ejaculate through whatever method you may try until the one-month ban ends, you bloodline ends with you

================================================================================================================

John just stared gobsmacked by such a request...and the fact it was auto-accepted without his input. Again. A minimum of FOUR lovers? And he has to make each of them pregnant? He has a hard enough time just getting ONE girl to give him more than a passing glance of disgust. How in the ever-living fuck was he supposed to get FOUR? And that No-Nut November styled punishment just for failing to get girls? Just great. A new window popped up right after he finished eating.

================================================================================================================

A high-quality homemade breakfast meal has been consumed. A Temporary Buff has occurred.

HP and MP Regen rates increased by 3 HP/sec and 2 MP/sec for the next 5 hours

================================================================================================================

Huh. Well that's certainly convenient. If food and drinks can give me buffs, then adding cooking to the list of skills to learn is most certainly a must-have. It'll help me, and give my mom a much-needed break. As he got up, he suddenly noticed a pattern he'd been seeing, and immediately became concerned.

Games usually only give this many quality rewards if the difficulty is on the harder settings. Which means he's most likely playing on hard mode, at bare minimum. This just got even better. Note the dry sarcasm of previous statement.

Now, as John walks to the door after checking on his mother in her usual spare room on the first floor whenever she's too tired to go to her main bedroom on the second floor, I cast Observe on her to get an idea of her situation and how to best help her out, but the result is less than helpful, but a starting point.

================================================================================================================

Brenda Newman

Lvl 9 Housewife/Officeworker

MILF

37 years old

Mother of: the Gamer

================================================================================================================

Though it isn't much, my own game knowledge alone is all I need to know how much she's overworking herself. Multi-class builds take a lot of work to do right, and my mom is a dual-class. That's telling in and of itself. She's also only Lvl 9, which I don't yet know if it's average or low. I'll need more info to be sure.

Observe is still only Lvl 1, so of course it can't give much information yet. It also used so little MP just now to the point of being negligible. I could probably use it about 130 times in a row before completely running out of MP. And that's without my temporary buff taken into account. I'll just keep spamming it as I make my way to the bus stop for Ashcroft Academy as a way to grind Skill EXP for it as well as any other chance I can get.

But still, seriously? Mom's title is MILF? She's my mother. In the words of a certain fake British accented porn quote, 'I shan't bonk me mum'. She's certainly beautiful, well-endowed with large breasts, and attractive despite the clear signs of premature aging from overworking herself, but she's the reason I have a thing for large-breasted beauties.

That doesn't mean I'm going to fuck my own mother, Gaia. She's done too much for me to take advantage of her in such a manner. I respect her too much for that. So why is her title 'MILF'?

================================================================================================================

[I admit, that one was on me. I swing both ways, and even I find her attractive by mundane standards. Not many mundane mortals can claim the same. Plus, she reminds me somewhat of myself. Have these as an apology for the perceived insult.]

+ 2 CHR, Gained Skill: Empathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Empathy Lvl 1/20

You can sense the emotional states of those around you within a (10x Skill lvl) meter radius with yourself at the center. This effect can be toggled on or off. (Just to warn you, you CAN be overloaded by too much sensory information from this skill if you aren't careful. Take caution when using it.)

================================================================================================================

Seeing this prompt made me feel both better and worse at the same time. On the one hand, it meant that it was merely Gaia trying to mess with me a bit. On the other hand, given Gaia's mythological depictions of how her tenure as a mother went, it says a lot about how stressed my own mother was right now.

Moving to the front door, I grabbed my school bag from the dining room table, my phone off the charger, and fished my wallet out of the bowl on the table we keep our keys and other miscellaneous bits and bobs out of habit, before pausing and placing the wallet in my inventory and saw my money count go from '$0' to '$50.00' with a nod. Definitely going to need to find a job or something, both for my quest and to help pad my pocketbooks. Something tells me that 50 bucks won't last me very long.

After closing and locking up the door as I made my way through the morning sunrise towards the bus stop, I consider my next course of action before I recall the two skill books I got earlier sitting in my inventory. There's only one thing on my mind right now...