’I almost crossed the river to the underworld there,’ Isaac thought, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
He adjusted his grip slightly.
Celia was asleep in his arms, breathing softly. Her expression was calm and almost innocent, her lips parted slightly as if she were in the middle of a pleasant dream. Anyone looking at her now would never guess how overwhelming she had been not long ago.
He let out a long breath.
’Who created that pill?’ he wondered. ’The aphrodisiac effect in it is much stronger than mine and Sis’ lust-enhancing ability combined.’
His brows creased with worry.
His mind drifted to the future.
He would have to go through something similar with Emily and Alice eventually.
Emily was not a problem. She tended to let him take the lead, and she rarely resisted his pace. With her, he could regulate things.
Alice, though...
He exhaled slowly.
’Forget it. I’ll cross that bridge when I reach it.’
For now, he had survived.
The only true relief in this entire situation was that Professor Catherine did not need to take the Heaven-Reversal Moon Elixir. She was already Champion rank. Her lifespan far exceeded his. If she had consumed that pill and things had escalated the same way...
He shuddered.
’She would’ve actually wrung me dry to death.’
A wry smile appeared on his face.
’I think I need to start looking for lifespan-boosting plants or pills. They might save my life one day.’
He shifted Celia slightly in his arms.
"Let’s go," he murmured. "I’m going to help you wash up."
She made a soft sound and nodded faintly, still half-asleep. Her arms looped loosely around his neck as he carried her toward the bathroom.
She was exhausted. Completely drained.
He set her down gently and began cleaning both of them in silence. The warm water helped wash away the lingering heat in the air. As he worked carefully, he noticed something.
A faint pink tattoo had appeared on Celia’s lower abdomen.
"..."
Isaac leaned closer, studying it.
It was subtle but intricate, composed of curved lines resembling crescent pink flames intertwined. The design was incomplete, like it was still forming.
He massaged his brows.
Even with his limited knowledge of elixirs, he was certain of one thing.
Increasing lust and leaving a visible brand were not required functions for Heaven-Reversal Moon Elixir.
Someone had purposefully added these things.
"Did a pervert create these elixirs?" he muttered under his breath.
He resumed washing her carefully, but his thoughts continued turning.
The tattoo was not decorative.
It was a mark of successful essence integration.
During the elixir’s digestion, Celia had absorbed enough of his Celestial Kitsune essence to anchor the reversal effect permanently. From now on, whenever she was intimate with him, the Physique Refinement would reverse in her favor.
And after the tattoo was completed and her compatibility was high enough with the tattoo, she could copy one or two of his skills or affinities.
How did he know all these things?
Catherine had explained it to him.
Halfway through the chaos earlier, Catherine had appeared in the Mirror Dimension. She had claimed that observing Celia and him had been "too much stimulation" for her, and so she had decided to participate.
Unlike Celia, who was now asleep in his arms, Catherine had not collapsed from exhaustion.
Not even close.
After everything ended, she had patted his head, called him a good boy and left.
Isaac’s jaw tightened slightly at the memory.
He wanted revenge.
He had already thought of a way.
Catherine was confident. Too confident. If he let her win a few more times and lower her guard, he could surprise her.
Taking a slow breath, he calmed himself.
After finishing the bath, he carried Celia back to the bed and tucked her in carefully.
He turned to leave.
Her hand grabbed his wrist.
Even asleep, she was holding him.
He looked down at her fingers wrapped around his hand, then sighed softly and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Fine. I’ll stay until you fall into deep sleep."
He leaned back slightly, letting her grip remain.
Instead of wasting time, he spoke in his mind,
’System. Show Celia’s Physiques’ progress.’
A translucent interface appeared before his eyes.
Infernal Monarch Physique (Level 0, Progress: 0% → 40%)
Sinbound Physique (Level 0, Progress: 0% → 40%)
Isaac stared at the numbers.
The Heaven-Reversal Moon Elixir had completely redirected the refinement benefits.
He had gained nothing.
Everything had gone to her.
A smile slowly formed on his face.
He leaned forward and gently pinched her nose.
"Looking at how you act most of the time, who would guess that you’re the only one in this house with two physiques? There’s a possibility I’m the War God’s son, and even I originally had only one physique."
Celia’s lips curved smugly in her sleep, as if she heard him. Her fingers tightened around his hand.
"I’m not praising you," he said with a small chuckle.
He shifted slightly and focused inward again.
’System, share Celia’s Physique progress!’ he smiled, knowing the reward would taste sweet after all the hard work he had gone through.
Infernal Monarch Physique (Level 0, Progress: 7% → 47%)
Sinbound Physique (Level 0, Progress: 7% → 47%)
He felt it immediately.
A faint surge in his body.
Then he continued.
’System, share Professor Catherine’s Physique!’
Celestial Tempter Body (Level 0, Progress: 7% → 100%)
Your Physique has reached 100% refinement! You can now level up your Physique!
Isaac blinked once.
Then he smiled slowly.
"So that’s why she left in such a hurry," he muttered.
Catherine had clearly been waiting for this threshold. She must have realized she was on the verge of a breakthrough and didn’t want distractions.
After a few more minutes, Celia’s fingers loosened completely. She shifted in her sleep and rolled slightly to her side.
Isaac stood carefully and moved to the mat on the ground.
He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
"Let’s do this properly," he murmured.
Mana rippled from his core.
It flowed outward, filling his veins with a steady pulse. The energy was controlled and dense, responding to the new refinement threshold. He felt as if something fundamental inside him was reorganizing.
His bones felt lighter, yet stronger.
His muscles tightened and relaxed under his will with far greater precision.
There was no dramatic explosion, or storm of power tearing the room apart.
But the change was deep.
Celestial Tempter Body has reached Level 0 → Level 1.
He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled.
"I feel stronger."
He clenched his fist and released it. The mana flow through his arm was smoother, and more responsive.
"The mana circulation increased tremendously. I can control each muscle to a much finer degree than before. And... my additional abilities that aren’t mentioned in the status like the lust increasing ability were strengthened too."
He stood and immediately noticed the thin layer of grime on his skin.
"Of course."
Breakthroughs were never clean.
He went back to the bathroom.
When he looked into the mirror, he froze.
His eyes had changed.
They shone like a golden abyss. Within the gold, there was a spiraling motion, almost like a miniature tornado circling toward a tiny black hole at the center. The vortex seemed to pull at his focus.
For a moment, he felt as if he were being drawn into his own reflection.
He stepped back instinctively.
"What was that?"
He leaned forward again carefully.
As soon as his gaze locked with the mirror, that suction feeling returned.
"Those are Celestial Temptress Eyes—Celestial Tempter Eyes in your case."
He stiffened.
Catherine appeared behind him without sound and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin lightly on his shoulder.
"It’s your new ability," she continued calmly. "They will make others attracted to you more easily. You need to be careful."
He glanced at her reflection.
Her eyes had the same golden spiral with a black center.
And just like him, her appearance had subtly improved. There was a sharper elegance to her features now.
"It will affect people with weak willpower very quickly. If you leave them active carelessly, you might seduce half the city without meaning to," she said.
He swallowed.
"That sounds troublesome."
She giggled softly. "Alice might come after you with a chopping knife."
His expression changed immediately.
"Don’t joke like that."
"I’m not joking," she replied lightly. "But you can control them. Follow my mana."
Unlike Isaac, Catherine had only one dominant bloodline and physique. She didn’t have to split her attention between multiple inheritances. That gave her clarity in understanding her abilities.
She guided her hands upward.
"Focus on the spiral of mana. Don’t resist it. Redirect it."
"I’m dirty," he muttered. "Can I bathe first?"
"It’s fine. I don’t mind."
Her mana entered gently through his temples, flowing into his ocular nerves.
"Feel how it rotates inward. Instead of pulling others in, imagine it folding inward into yourself," she said softly.
He followed.
The golden spiral slowed.
The black center shrank.
Within seconds, his eyes returned to normal.
He blinked.
"That’s better."
Catherine didn’t let go. Her arms remained around his neck.
"You can change your appearance to my race, right? Do it once for me."
"Why?" he asked immediately.
She smiled. "Why not? Are you embarrassed by the tails?"
He stiffened.
She was correct.
Still, he refused to admit it.
Mana flowed through him.
His skeletal structure shifted subtly. His ears vanished and were replaced by fox-like ears atop his head. Five large tails manifested behind him. Unlike Catherine’s elegant, bushy tails, his were larger and more imposing, swaying with heavy presence.
She looked at him with open appreciation.
"You look good."
Her fingers reached up and gently played with his ears.
He flinched slightly.
She smiled wider.
"I didn’t know your ears would be this sensitive."
"They’re not sensitive," he replied quickly.
She raised a brow, and continued touching his ears.
"Stop that."
She laughed softly and continued playing with them anyway. For a moment, her usual composure melted into something simpler. Pure enjoyment.
After a while, she insisted he transform into a full fox form as well.
He refused.
"I’m not doing that."
"Why?"
"No."
She eventually relented.
They finished washing up, and he adjusted his appearance back to human before leaving the Mirror Dimension.
Catherine stayed behind to maintaining the mirror dimension for Celia, ensuring she continued resting peacefully.
The moment Isaac appeared in the living room, he heard a voice.
"Are you done?"
He turned.
Sword Empress stood near the window.
Her eyes scanned him once.
Then they narrowed slightly.
"Your appearance... improved. Did Catherine have a breakthrough in her physique?"
"Yes," Isaac replied.
She nodded once.
"Get ready and come outside in ten minutes."
She turned to leave.
Due to a sudden intrusive thought, Isaac decided to check her status.
[Status: Feels embarrassed due to what she saw inside the Mirror World.]
He froze.
’...She can see inside the Mirror World.’
A slow, awkward smile spread across his face.
Some knowledge was better left unconfirmed. He shouldn’t have tried to check her status.
He shook his head lightly.
"Focus," he muttered to himself.
He had more important things to confirm.
’System, show me all buildings that have been completed.’
The interface appeared.
Divine Doctrine has been completed. Lord EXP +50
Market (Level 1) has been completed. Lord EXP +50
Hundred-Mile Mortar has been completed. Lord EXP +15
Mana Cannon Emplacements completed. Lord EXP +20
Arcane Ballista Platform completed. Lord EXP +15
Air Purification Tower completed. Lord EXP +5
Watch Towers completed. Lord EXP +20
You have reached Lord Level 4
You have reached Lord Level 5
You have unlocked Lord Skill—