Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim - Chapter 116: Concept!

Chapter 116: Concept!

“So soft!”

This was the feeling he got the moment he touched the fruit in his hand, almost double the size of a normal apple.

Its surface was smooth and warm, like it held a faint pulse of life within.

Just like he had seen before, the fruit was purely golden in color, glowing subtly as if it carried a sacred aura.

Tiny, almost imperceptible veins of light ran across its skin, giving it the sense of being more than just an ordinary fruit.

A faint fragrance drifted from it, sweet but tinged with a hint of sharp energy, which Soren immediately stopped from spreading with the wave of his hand.

If some sensitive monsters sensed it and came barreling crazy like those in a C-rank dungeon, Soren would have nowhere to cry.

Although he was in the camp, and he seemed a bit paranoid, after what happened to him before, Soren stopped believing in Elite Hunter Academy at all.

So much for being the top academy that they couldn’t even notice their student being ambushed right outside.

Welp, not wanting to waste too much time, Soren focused his eyes on the Golden Fruit and used his artifact, Eye of Insight, with bated breath.

—

[Item: GoldenHeart Fruit (Unique-Consumable)]

[Rank: A]

[Origin: Formed from the essence of countless monsters’ life-and-death struggles, infused with traces of draconic bloodline. Its creation is very rare and impossible to replicate by anyone except the Ancient Sacred Tree, Eldarth.]

[Effect: When consumed, it permanently grants a Concept tailored to the person’s class.]

—

“What?”

The moment Soren saw the information on the fruit through his Eye of Insight, he was so shocked that he shot out loud in reflex.

“How is this possible?”

For a moment, his eyes went wide as he skimmed through the content again and again as if paranoid.

But no matter what, the detail didn’t change at all.

’Concept…god damn, is it the same thing I know?’

Surprisingly, though, Soren’s shock wasn’t related to the rank of the Golden Fruit nor to its origin.

After experiencing everything in the dungeon, he more or less guessed those and was even prepared.

But never in his dream did he think this fruit was something that could give ’Concept’ and that too permanently.

’How the heck is this only an A-rank item then?’

Soren quickly stored the Golden Fruit in his inventory while breathing deeply to calm himself down.

He had many things to think about now that he knew what treasure he got from that dungeon.

After all, the Concept wasn’t something that a low-level being like him could come into contact with.

Heck, he was sure that even Professor Lyra hadn’t known about it yet. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be stumped when it came to an instant dungeon with her Space Mage status.

In fact, if Soren weren’t a transmigrator, he would never know what it was.

Even Aurelia’s mother, Seraphina Flareborn, gained her Concept after reaching level 300, and she was hailed as a genius.

How high was that level? How long would it take him to reach there?

And yet, why…

’This doesn’t make sense.’

A Concept was a manifestation of a fundamental principle within their energy, allowing them to instinctively master their class’s core powers without relying on specific skills.

For example, the Concept that Seraphina awakened was Elemental Insight, which later allowed her to become an Archmage.

Even the protagonist, Evan, would later awaken his own Concept at level 200, called Sword Intent.

Unlike other skills, Concept was truly something earned by the hunters themselves with their years of mastery over their respective class.

It wasn’t something that was given by the system, gained from outside, or was something that appeared as soon as someone levels up.

At least Soren had never heard of anything that allowed someone to get one by simply eating a fruit.

’Sigh…that Sacred Tree, Eldarth, might be a higher-ranking being than I thought.’

Previously, although somewhat surprised, Soren just thought the fruit was a gift from the tree for completing the C-rank dungeon.

But now….

’It is a favour…’

But what prompted such a high-ranking being to give a favour to such a weakling?

What did it see in him?

There was also that mysterious person who shoved him into a C-rank dungeon to test him.

To be honest, Soren didn’t like this.

Of course, he had a hunch that it all happened because he entered the Unique Dungeon: Fallen King’s Cellar.

However, in the game, nothing happened after Evan entered that place. He just increased his class rank and forgot about it.

That’s why he went to snatch that opportunity in the first place.

’Forget it…it isn’t something bad for me anyway.’

At last, Soren simply stopped thinking about it. Instead, he took the Golden Fruit out of his inventory once again.

’Such a rare treasure, I cannot let it out in the open anymore.’

Previously, Soren first thought of buying a concealment array or artifact that could properly shield his presence from the outside.

That’s why he didn’t immediately use the Bloodline Awakening chance from the system.

After all, if some commotion happened during the awakening, everyone nearby might know about it.

But after looking at the effect of the GoldenHeart Fruit, Soren’s thinking immediately changed.

*Swoosh!*

Instead of leaving his tent, Soren directly wore the Whispering Gale Cloak to hide his presence slightly before taking a huge bite of the Golden Fruit in his hand.

“Mmm!”

In an instant, an euphoric warmth surged through him, spreading from his mouth to his entire body.

Unlike what he had expected, the fruit wasn’t sweet or particularly flavorful. Yet the sensation alone was enough to surpass the taste of the Golden Nectar he had eaten before.

For the first time ever, Soren felt so refreshed from eating a fruit that he couldn’t help but close his eyes and savor the strange yet addictive feeling.

Before he realized it, the large fruit in his hand had already been devoured.

*Swoosh!*

And the moment Soren digested it, he felt an incredible clarity wash over him.

His mind seemed to open completely as every thought sharpened, every sensation became clear.

Understanding flowed into him effortlessly, as if he could see the threads connecting everything around him.

A faint, almost invisible thread of energy appeared before his eyes, winding and twisting in patterns he instinctively recognized.

It pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and in that moment, Soren felt he seemed to be able to control it.

’Did I…already get the concept?’

Soren was a bit confused when suddenly he heard a prompt from his system,

—

Ding!

[Congratulations!]

[You have successfully awakened your Concept: Resonant String.]

[New side quests related to Heroines in the Harem Archive have been updated accordingly.]

[You can now conduct perverted acts in ways unimaginable before.]

—

From the system, Soren realized that he had really awakened his Concept, and it was named Resonant String.

Only…

“What do you mean, conduct perverted acts in ways unimaginable?”

The last prompt turned Soren’s face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Did he awaken his Concept just so he could do perverted stuff?

Such a rare and valuable talent, and his system made it vulgar so easily. For a moment, Soren wanted to curse his system in anger.

“Soren…are you inside?”

However, before he could say anything, he heard Sylvia’s faint voice from outside, snapping him out of his focus.