Alice, meanwhile, hadn't looked back at him. She was still hiding her face behind her hands, quiet but clearly trying to control her emotions.
A part of her was embarrassed for losing. Another part of her was grateful that he hadn't humiliated her. And yet another part—the biggest part—was simply happy. Happy that he hadn't rejected her, even after seeing the worst sides of her.
He didn't call her possessive. He didn't say she was suffocating. He didn't run away or try to comfort her with empty words.
His solution had been simple, almost too simple, but clever enough to make her love and hate him at the same time.
He had simply accepted all of her.
"You really are a bastard," she whispered again.
Isaac smiled.
She finally turned her head, peeking at him through the gaps in her fingers. "Don't think this is over. I'll challenge you again."
"I look forward to it."
She sat up, brushing the dust off her skirt. "Next time, I won't lose."
She still wasn't looking at him. But it wasn't hard to guess why. Her entire face was flushed red, her skin was visibly steaming.
A faint shimmer of heat warped the air around her.
Isaac chuckled. Even though she had learned to control her expression, she had yet to do something about her rising temperature whenever her emotions boiled over.
While still covering half her face with one hand, she murmured, "So if I win in our future spars… then you'll listen to me, right?"
"Yeah," Isaac said without hesitation. "But don't go around attacking others, okay?"
"Mhm." She nodded once, still avoiding eye contact.
Isaac didn't press her.
What she hadn't told him yet—what she still kept hidden—was the truth behind something she'd said earlier.
Back when she called him a "silver-tongued bastard" for trying to seduce Celia, she hadn't really been accusing Isaac of anything.
Deep down, she thought that with someone as perfect as Isaac, it was only natural to fall for him.
He was cunning, charming, and never panicked no matter the situation. Honestly, it made even her want to cling to him harder.
But just because he was impressive didn't mean other bitches could put their hands on him.
That part was non-negotiable.
"Hey," Alice muttered suddenly.
Her voice was low.
Isaac leaned slightly closer, trying to catch it. "What'd you say?"
The moment his head tilted closer, Alice's hand shot out. She grabbed his collar and yanked him forward. A quick movement later, and the world flipped.
He hit the ground with a quiet thud, and before he could move, she was already on top of him, straddling his abdomen.
Her hands pressed against his chest.
Her red eyes were focused on him, and for a moment, Isaac felt like he was being sized up by a predator.
Her tongue darted out, licking her lips just once. The expression in her eyes was impossible to misread.
"Uhm, Miss Alice?" Isaac said cautiously.
Her fingers were already unbuttoning his shirt.
"Miss Alice," he repeated, more firmly this time. "We're still outside. Can we… maybe wait until we get to a room?"
"No," she said bluntly. "Blame yourself. You seduced me."
'...When did I do that?'
Isaac genuinely didn't know what part of him overpowering her in a duel had counted as seduction, but clearly, Alice had a different interpretation of events.
Still, he needed to pull her back to reality somehow. "Wait. You still need to level up."
That finally made her pause.
She blinked. Her hands hovered over his half-unbuttoned shirt. She didn't go further, but she didn't move away either.
Isaac sighed inwardly, then pulled out a sealed vial from his spatial ring. It was filled with faintly glowing droplets.
Life Energy Droplets.
Before, he had 1,590 Life Energy droplets. He'd given fifteen to Professor Catherine for testing, which left him with 1,575.
Alice's current experience requirement per level had already passed the Master rank but hadn't yet reached the Champion rank. Based on his estimates, she'd need roughly four droplets for a single level-up.
He offered her a vial containing forty droplets.
Alice glanced down at the container in his hand.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Life Energy Potion," Isaac explained. "It's the new harvest from my crops. Take it. It can—"
Before he could finish, she grabbed the vial and downed it in one go.
Isaac stared. "You're not even gonna listen to what it does?"
Alice wiped her lips, then blinked once. Her body shivered as a low hum of power burst outward from her. A radiant pulse ran through her skin and into the ground below, causing the earth to subtly tremble.
She clenched her fists.
Then she said, "I leveled up. I'm level ten now."
Her voice was calm, but Isaac could see it.
The way her eyes gleamed ever so slightly. The faint lift at the corners of her mouth. The slight twitch in her fingers as if she wanted to punch something just to feel the strength.
She was happy.
Even if she didn't say it aloud, her entire presence was glowing with quiet satisfaction.
He smiled. "Congrats."
She didn't say thank you, but her silence said enough.
Then, without any buildup, she turned her head and spoke.
"I unlocked my next skill."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "How are they?"
"Good."
She told him about her skills.
First Talent Skill: Voice of the Seraphim (Unlocked when user reaches Lv. 5 Initiate rank)
Skill Level: 1
Active Effect: The user releases a divine chant that compels enemies within a 50m radius to halt all aggressive actions for 5 seconds. Weak-minded enemies are stunned, while stronger enemies suffer reduced damage output and disrupted casting.
Passive Effect: Grants high-resistance to mind-control and fear effects.
Cost: 50 Mana
Cooldown: 10 minutes
…
Second Talent Skill: Miracle of Grace (Unlocked when user reaches Lv. 10 Initiate rank)
Skill Level: 1
Active Effect: Instantly restores full HP and removes all curses, poisons, and negative statuses from up to 5 allies within a 30m radius. If an ally is dead, this skill can resurrect one (cooldown: 1 month).
Passive Effect: When user's healing restores a target to full health, they gain 10% bonus defense and movement speed for 10 seconds.
Cost: 80 Mana (Scales according to target's health and condition) / 90% Mana + 1 Divine Stone Fragment (if resurrecting)
…
'Holy mother of…'
Isaac was stunned when he heard the skills.
He knew they would be overpowered since she was a Saintess, but never in his wildest dream did he imagine her skills would this overpowered.
Her first skill had a unique word in it
[Divine].
It was shocking. Divine chants weren't just enhanced versions of normal magic. They weren't even on the same scale.
The system recognized them as traces of higher authority. They were abilities that allowed one to borrow the power Gods.
For her to acquire something like that as her first Talent skill…
Isaac could already imagine the chaos if this ever became public knowledge.
Mind resistance was not any less good. It was one hell of a passive ability. It basically made her immune to the worst type of attacks.
The first Talent skill was already at the realm of impossible strength, but the second was straight up a 'cheat'.
If someone told Isaac that Alice was the 'chosen one' of this world, he wouldn't be surprised.
"Those are good skills. Very good skills."
He didn't notice that Alice's had already stopped thinking about the skills, and was focused on 'him.'
After everything that happened, it getting harder for her to hold herself back and not pounce on Isaac already.
Isaac, unaware of her thoughts, was trying to process the scale of what he just heard. The first skill was already powerful. It was a battlefield-level suppression tool that doubled as a mental defense system.
But the second one?
It was something else entirely.
The skill allowed her to instantly heal, purify, and buff multiple targets in a large radius, and this wasn't all.
It allowed her to use [Resurrection].
The ability of [Resurrection] was only heard in legends, and now Alice could use it.
Although the cooldown was long, and he had no idea what a Divine Stone fragment was, the skill was still exceptional.
He frowned slightly.
"You can't use it."
"What?"
Isaac looked her in the eyes. "Don't use Resurrection. At least not where anyone else can see."
Her brows furrowed. "Why?"
"Because the moment you use it… you're not just a person anymore. You'll become something else. Something everyone wants something from."
She understood his words without the need for an explanation.
"In a battlefield," Isaac continued, "if you save someone—just one person—what do you think happens next? You think they'll bow and thank you? Praise you?"
Alice waited for him to continue.
"No," Isaac said. "They'll hate you."
"They'll say you played favorites," he went on. "They'll say you chose one life over another. That if you really cared, you would've saved more. And if you try to explain it, they won't listen."
Alice didn't argue. But her frown deepened.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're not wrong for having the skill, and I'm not saying don't use it at all. I'm saying, only use it when no one else is watching. When it's safe. When you know it won't be used against you."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "But if someone important dies…"
"Then we weigh the consequences," Isaac said. "You're not responsible for the world. You're not a saint, even if your skill says otherwise."
Isaac softened his tone. "You understand why I'm asking this, right?"
Alice looked at him and nodded without hesitation.
"I do."
"Good."
They both remained silent for a few moments.
Isaac was firm in his stance. He knew what it meant to be in the spotlight, and to be relied upon. Once people started expecting miracles from you, they never stopped.
After a moment, Alice muttered, "So, no using my resurrection even if I can."
Isaac gave a firm nod. "Exactly. At least not unless we're cornered and alone."
She accepted his words without any questions.
Then she asked, "What about the other skill?"
"You can use that one," he said. "You can use everything just don't use [Resurrection]."
She seemed satisfied with that answer. "Got it."
They needed to test the skills.
Isaac made a mental note to run a few experiments with her. They'd need to know exactly what counted as "weak-minded" and how much the damage suppression affected stronger enemies. Even a two-second disruption could flip an entire fight.
After a few seconds, Isaac opened his mouth, "So… Miss Alice, can you move away?"
Alice stared at him without responding. That was enough of an answer.
Isaac looked around awkwardly.
Even if there was no one except them inside the Soulbind Pendant, they were still 'outside' of the house.
Unfortunately, it didn't look like Alice was the type to be bothered with the location.
…
Isaac woke up with a cold, wet sensation pulling him from sleep. It felt oddly familiar, like déjà vu.
He opened his eyes, blinking away grogginess, and sure enough, there was Emily, her lips wrapped around him, moving with a slow, deliberate care.
The sight sent a jolt through him, though his mind was still catching up, foggy from just waking up.
He glanced around, recalling the night before. He and Alice had done the deed outside in the open, then returned to the room to sleep.
Glancing around, his internal clock pegged the time at around 4 a.m.
'Did Emily wake up early, and when she didn't find me, come here?' he wondered.
His thoughts scattered as Emily noticed he was awake.
She pulled his shaft out with a soft pop. Her lips glistened, and she pouted up at him.
"Why did you and Alice leave me out of the fun last night?" she asked.
"You were asleep," he replied in a voice rough with sleep.
"You could've woken me up," she grumbled.
Before he could respond, she leaned down again, resuming her slow, sensual work.
Her pace wasn't rushed. Each movement was deliberate, and her cold mouth was a contrast to his warmth.
The sensation sent shivers through him.
Isaac closed his eyes, letting the pleasure wash over him.
It was almost too good. The soft, cool touch lulled him back toward sleep while thrilling him at the same time.
He felt like he was floating, caught in the best kind of dream.
As Emily continued, his thoughts wandered.
'Alice should be awake with all this movement. How is she still sleeping?' he thought.
Then he remembered her words from last night. Alice had admitted she hated sharing him, and threatened to "lock him away" if she won against him in a spar.
She'd made it clear she wasn't going to suppress her desires anymore, which probably included not watching him with another woman during their own intimate moments.
'No more threesomes, I guess,' he thought, sulking without realizing it. The memory of their past threesomes lingered in his mind.
'I wonder if I can tempt her for one again?' he mused, knowing it was a long shot but too tempting to dismiss entirely.
Over thirty minutes had passed since Emily started. Her high stats allowed her to keep going with only brief pauses to rest her jaw.
Each time her small, soft mouth returned, taking him fully in one smooth motion, Isaac felt like he was soaring.
She'd gotten better. Her technique was more confident, though she hadn't pushed him to climax yet.
The slow build was maddeningly good, keeping him in a haze of pleasure.
Isaac could feel himself reaching the limit when the alarm suddenly blared, shattering the moment.
His eyes snapped open, and Emily flinched like a startled cat, sitting up straight. His device, lying among his discarded clothes, flashed 5 a.m.
He stared at it, then at Emily.
Her eyes were hazy, and her breathing was uneven. He noticed she was bare below the waist, and her fingers were glistening.
She'd been touching herself while working on his with her mouth.
Her irregular breaths against him now made sense.
She ignored the alarm and came towards him on all fours like a cat, making her intent clear, but Isaac held up a hand.
"Let's stop here," he said despite his arousal.
"Why?" asked Emily, her tone disappointed, almost whining.
"I planned a date for today in the main city. We need to leave on time to hit everything without missing a thing," he explained.
The haze in Emily's eyes cleared instantly, replaced by excitement.
"A date?" she asked, her voice brightening.
"Yeah. So get ready. We'll leave in an hour or so," he replied.
"Okay!" she said, practically bouncing as she flew toward the bathroom.
Isaac caught a glimpse of her glistening 'holy land' from behind as she flew away. He lowered his head, staring at his still-hard length.
'I need to calm down,' he muttered, sighing.
'Today's date is important. It's how I'll collect enough AP for the shop items,' he reminded himself. Still, the frustration lingered. He really wanted to give in, to chase that release.
He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax.
'This reminds me, how much AP do I have? I should have a good amount saved after Alice's Affection reached 110 last night.'
'System, show me my total AP.'