Refusing My God’s Advances

After the awkward encounter with Shellimiara, we set off towards the east of the town to reach the Crystal Cavern. The floating islands and vibrant landscapes continued to captivate me, but I couldn't shake the annoyance that I felt.

I should have already been working on my first project, not following some silly-winged girl into a dangerous cave! 

As we approached said dangerous cave, the air became colder, and the luminous crystals that adorned the cavern walls illuminated our path. Shellimiara, despite her initial blunder, seemed genuinely excited about the adventure.

"Leon, this is thrilling! Facing monsters, exploring unknown territories—it's the stuff of legends!" she exclaimed, her wings fluttering with excitement.

I sighed, not sharing her enthusiasm for perilous adventures. "You act like this is your first time doing anything like this," I groaned, rubbing my arms, but then I stopped. "How am I supposed to fight monsters without any weapons?"

Shellimiara stopped and turned to me, and we both just stared at each other for a bit until her eyes went big. While I should have thought of this sooner, this damn woman was supposed to be my guide! Was she just going to lead me into a den of monsters to get eaten?!

"Umm, I don't know... I am sorry! Please take your frustrations out on my body!" Shellimiara declared, making a move to lift up her skirt, making me facepalm.

"Why is your first reaction to always give your body up to me?! Do I really look like I am that desperate?!" I demanded, but I didn't like the sorry look she was giving me.

"You have never had a girlfriend or anything close, right?" She asked, her look oozing with sympathy, making me roll my eyes.

The woman wasn't wrong, but I had a reason for that! Reasons that didn't need to be explained to this woman! But seriously...

"Just how do you know so much about me?" I asked, trying to switch the subject.

"It was my job to learn about you to better help Garland, and you. I learned about all the parts of your life, but you are always alone, and single," Shellimiara explained, and I groaned as she pushed the single part.

"I was single by choice, but that also doesn't mean I am some deprived hound that is looking for the next leg at each corner!" I growled, crossing my arms.

The truth was, I really didn't like people, and girls were people. I was sure there were good ones out there, but I hadn't run into anyone. This was mostly my fault, but in my mind, no girl is going to love a dude who loves 2D waifus.

Shellimiara looked genuinely saddened by my words, but I couldn't afford to dwell on that. We were on a mission to gather materials from the Crystal Cavern, not have a heart-to-heart about my love life.

"Let's focus on the task at hand. You know, the part where I have no weapon?" I asked, and Shellimiari dropped the dress she was lifting. Part of me wanted to see what kind of panties she had on, but with her attitude, I am sure time would give me my answer.

Shellimiara quickly nodded, realizing the urgency of the situation. "Right, right. Let me think... Oh, your quests!"

She pulled up a holographic screen, displaying the list of quests I needed to complete.

[Quest 1: Run from 10 monsters - 100 exp reward]

"Well, running seems like a valid option at the moment," I said, feeling a bit relieved.

Shellimiara nodded in agreement. "Yes, that should work. Let's find some monsters, and I'll guide you through the process."

We continued deeper into the Crystal Cavern, the luminous crystals casting an eerie glow on the cavern walls. It wasn't long before we encountered our first group of monsters. Strange, floating jelly-like creatures with glowing eyes.

"Okay, Leon, get ready to run!" Shellimiara exclaimed, and the creatures noticed us, beginning to move towards us.

I turned and started running, and the winged woman followed closely behind. The creatures pursued us, but their slow, floating movements made it easy to outpace them. After a short sprint, we had successfully evaded the first batch of monsters, giving my quest 3/10.

"That wasn't so bad," I commented, catching my breath.

Shellimiara smiled. "See? Running can be a valid strategy. Let's go back and try it again."

I put up my hand to stop her. "Wait. Your name, it has been bothering me," I explained and Shellimiara gave me a worried and almost hurt look.

"My name? What is wrong with it?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes.

I waved my hands and head at this. Geez, this girl was a basket case of emotions.

"It's not that I don't like it, but you have to admit it is a bit of a mouthful, right?" I asked, and she slowly nodded, wiping her tears away.

"I see, but then what do you want to call me?" She asked, and I gave her a flat look. 

Like there were a ton of variations to pick from!

"Shelli should be fine, right?" I asked, and her face lit up.

"Shelli?! I really like it! Thank you so much!" Shelli said suddenly and came over to give me a hug, catching me off guard.

I didn't return the hug but sue me if I was distracted by the pillow-soft talent pressing into me. I was not used to getting this close to girls, and my less-than-friendly demeanor usually prevented this type of thing from happening.

After a short moment, Shelli let go of me, but only took a short step back and bowed to me. "Sorry for hugging you without your permission, but I have never had someone give me a nickname before!"

I scratched my head, feeling a bit awkward. "Yeah, well, it's just a nickname. Let's focus on the task at hand. We still need to run from more monsters."

Shelli nodded, her wings fluttering with excitement. "Right, let's go!"