After sleeping for some time, Grace began to stir.
Her eyelids trembled slightly before slowly opening.
She blinked a few times, feeling strangely refreshed as if she had enjoyed the best sleep she'd had in years.
There were no nightmares, no endless anxiety gnawing at her heart.
In her dazed state, her eyes caught a familiar floating light.
And her eye widened.
"…F-Father!?"
She jolted awake and snapped her head to the side, only to realize it wasn't her father.
"O-Oh? You're awake?" Jake said, turning toward her with a gentle smile. "Sorry if I startled you."
Grace blinked in confusion.
'What is going on?'
The sight of that familiar floating light and seeing it was Jake make her mind momentary confused.
Then the memories came flooding back.
How she had cried uncontrollably.
How she had clung to him like a child.
How his hands had...
"!?"
Her face instantly turned bright red.
With a small yelp, she dove back under the blanket and pulled it over her head in complete embarrassment.
She remembered everything.... crying like a baby while hugging a man she had just met, and worse... how she had silently allowed his hands to mold and squeeze her rear.
"Ahhhh!"
A muffled scream came from under the blanket.
Jake couldn't help but smile at the sight.
'It seems she's alright. At least she's still getting flustered like this.'
He had been a little worried that his first crew member might break down emotionally, but it looked like she was stronger than he thought.
Smiling softly, he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge and began to speak.
"You must be wondering about this skill I used, right?"
Grace, who had been nervously thinking about what she would do if Jake wanted to continue where they left off, froze the moment she heard his words.
'That's right… How is he able to use that skill?'
Grace was curious as that was a skill that only someone from the Lightborn Household could use...
'Is he actually a distance relative of my clan?'
Grace blink and turn to look at Jake with question gaze.
Sensing her silent question, Jake continued gently.
"It's simple. And since we're crewmates now, I won't hide it from you."
He then began to explain his unique class... the very reason he wanted to become a pirate captain.
He told her how he could obtain skills from his crew members... and how he could even upgrade them.
Grace listened in silence at first.
But when she heard the last part, she suddenly threw the blanket aside, her eyes wide with shock.
"That... that's impossible!"
Her voice came out sharp, a mix of disbelief and astonishment as she stared at him.
Her mind was still a mess from earlier, but this.. this was on another level.
A class that could take skills from others… and even upgrade them?
Her fingers clenched tightly around the edge of the blanket.
"No… skills don't work like that," she muttered, almost trying to convince herself. "Even rare classes have limits… there's always a condition, a cost, or some kind of restriction…"
Learning a skill wasn't as simple as this.
They either have to trained under extreme condition or get some rare items from the depth of the sea.
The same applied for upgrading a skill.
So now hearing that there actually a unique class that could do both...
'Could it be it a Mythic Class? Or maybe even the legendary Transcendent Class?!'
Grace look almost like a frightened kitten when she thought of that.
Meanwhile Jake leaned back slightly, watching her reaction with a faint, amused smile.
"There is a condition," he said calmly, then pointed at her.
"You."
Grace froze and snap out of her wandering thought.
"...Me?"
Jake nodded, his gaze turning serious.
"My abilities revolve around my crew. The stronger the bond between us, the more I can draw from you… and the more I can give back."
He had thought long and hard about whether to reveal his class to Grace.
In the end, he decided to be honest with her.
Firstly, he wanted someone he could truly trust in this new world.
And if he couldn't even trust his first crew member, how could they journey together?
Secondly, his class had already judged her bond with him at 1 Star... that had to mean something.
And thirdly... he needed her help.
With a local who knew this world, she might be able to help him understand his skills and their conditions faster.
Plus with her, he also can learn more about the world itself.
Grace's heartbeat quickened as she listened.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
After all, Jake was revealing a massive secret to her... something most people would never dare to share.
Facing such genuine trust and goodwill for the first time in her life, Grace's face flushed red again.
This time, it wasn't from embarrassment... but from pure happiness.
"C-Captain! Don't worry, I will never tell anyone about this! I swear!"
In her excitement, she jumped forward and reached for his hand.
But she moved too quickly and lost her balance.
Jake's eyes widened.
He reacted on pure instinct, lunging forward to catch her before she could fall.
In that chaotic moment, his hand landed right on the full, generous swell of her breast.
He frozed as his fingers subconsciously gave a gentle squeeze.
Squish.
"Haa~"
Grace let out a soft, involuntary gasp as she felt a rough palm was pressing against her breast, and her eyes turned slightly watery from the sudden sensation.
Meanwhile, Jake felt like heaven had landed in his palm.
The squishy, overflowing warmth softness filled his hand perfectly.
For a heartbeat, he didn't pull away.
He simply savored it... the intimate warmth, the subtle quiver of her body against his and the faint, sweet scent of her skin so close now.
But then he froze the next second as a notification suddenly appeared.
[Ding!]
[+1 Upgrade Point!]
Jake blinked, his hand still cupping her breast, fingers still lightly sunk into that heavenly softness.
"What..?"