Author’s Note: [One with Oneself] is the title Catherine received for reaching 5,000 points in every stat at Champion Rank. I accidentally forgot to include it in her Chapter. My apologies for the oversight.
**
Isaac used every bit of his willpower to pull himself back. He sat up on the edge of the bed while Selene lay there breathing hard with a deep flush across her face. Her eyes looked up at him.
"Isaac...?" Her voice came out soft and carried a clear hint of need.
He nearly leaned back down toward her but caught himself in time. The last thing he wanted was to push things too far when she had just finished her evolution.
"You just completed your evolution, and you haven’t recovered yet. So you should rest for now. Or is it that you liked the demonstration of the kiss too much and want to learn more things immediately?" Isaac teased.
Selene’s face turned even redder. She covered it with both hands and tried to hide against the pillow. The memories of how she had kissed him back flooded in, and embarrassment washed over her. She had been so open and eager that it left her wanting to disappear somewhere no one could see her.
Even so, her hand reached out on its own and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. She peeked out from behind her other hand while looking away.
"Later?" she asked in a small voice. As soon as the word left her mouth, she regretted how forward it sounded, yet she could not bring herself to let go of his sleeve.
"Later what?" Isaac asked, clearly enjoying the moment as he teased her with a warm smile.
"Later... continue..." Selene managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. Her neck and ears burned with heat from the intense blushing.
"So you want to continue? Did you like it?" Isaac asked.
Selene gave a small nod without looking directly at him. She felt completely exposed, but the honesty between them felt right. Isaac let out a soft chuckle that eased some of the tension in the room.
"Okay. We will continue later," he promised.
"Promise?" Selene asked, finally lowering her hands a little so she could see his face.
"Promise," Isaac said with a chuckle.
Although he was smiling, it was taking all of his willpower not to continue. Seeing her act so cute made it difficult to hold himself back. He had to repeatedly remind himself that Selene had only just completed her evolution and still needed time to recover.
If they continued now, she might not even be able to enjoy it properly. Isaac wanted their first time together to become a memory they could both cherish, not something that only he enjoyed while Selene was left exhausted and uncomfortable. Thinking about it that way made it easier to keep himself under control.
"I... I will get ready before we leave," Selene said.
Before he could reply, she hurried toward the bathroom. She nearly stumbled again on the way there, though this time it was less because of the exhaustion from her evolution and more because her entire body still felt like jelly after what she had just done with Isaac. Unable to meet his eyes, she quickly disappeared behind the door.
Once she was gone, Isaac was left alone in the room. He let out a slow breath and finally turned his full attention toward the screen floating before him.
[Marriage contract with Selene Calloway, Keeper of the Crescent Gate, formed.]
[Congratulations on gaining five wives.]
[You have received Random Gift Box (Legendary) x3.]
[Conditions for System upgrade met: Have five wives each with minimum affection of 100.]
[Bonded Blessing System has been upgraded.]
[Host can now share Dungeon Loot.]
[Host can now share bonded equipment.]
[Host can now share Buildings.]
[Host can now share similar Titles, and stack them.]
Isaac’s eyes paused on one particular line.
’The System is calling Selene the Keeper of the Crescent Gate. Is this related to her last life?’
That was the first possibility that came to mind. It had to be something connected to the Moon and whatever existed there in the past. Unfortunately, now that the Moon had fallen, he had no idea where this Crescent Gate could even be.
For now, there was no point dwelling on it. Isaac lowered his gaze and looked at the three Legendary Gift Boxes waiting in his inventory.
He was tempted to open them immediately. Legendary Gift Boxes were never something to ignore, and curiosity naturally pushed him toward them. However, he forced himself to focus on everything else first.
The System upgrade seemed much more important.
’I can now share the dungeon loot that my wives obtain, their bonded equipment, and even buildings they create in their cities,’ Isaac thought as he reviewed the notifications again. Then his eyes stopped on the final addition.
’I can finally stack Titles.’
Without hesitation, Isaac issued a command.
’System, share the Titles from all of my wives!’
The response appeared instantly.
[Extreme Mana Resonance Title has— Error!]
[Protocol 214AS214X-QQ is active on Isaac Hargrave’s World! Title stacking is not allowed. Current progress of the Sector is too low!]
[Conflict found between Isaac Hargrave’s Boon and Protocol 214AS214X-QQ.]
[Searching for a solution....]
[User’s Boon will take precedence over Protocol 214AS214X-QQ.]
[You can now stack Titles. We apologize for causing the delay.]
Isaac stared at the messages for several moments.
Then he read them again.
The information was far more important than it first appeared.
’Stacking Titles is something that only becomes possible after sufficient Sector progress. What exactly does Sector progress mean?’
Several possibilities immediately came to mind. Was it related to the development of Lords? Did it involve dealing with Catastrophes and the Apocalypse? Or was it connected to something else entirely?
Unfortunately, the messages provided no answers. They only revealed that Title stacking normally should not have been available yet.
Isaac’s attention shifted to another part of the notifications.
’My boon...’
The answer seemed obvious.
’It must be talking about the Bonded Blessing System.’
The message clearly showed that his boon had come into conflict with whatever Protocol 214AS214X-QQ was. More importantly, the conflict had been resolved in favor of his boon.
Isaac rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
’So my System takes priority over the World System that handles the Apocalypse.’
That conclusion carried significant implications. The World System had imposed a restriction, yet the Bonded Blessing System had bypassed it and forced an exception.
Isaac sat quietly for a few moments as he considered everything he had learned. The discovery raised more questions than answers, but it also revealed something important about the nature of his unique ability.
’Interesting.’
It made him wonder where his System had originally come from. Of course, he still remembered the message from the Goddess of War, Love, and Harvest that had appeared long ago when he formed a System Bond with Alice and helped awaken her potential. Even so, his instincts told him she was not the one who had given him the Bonded Blessing System.
The feeling was difficult to explain. It was simply a certainty that existed deep within him.
’Well, it’s not like I can find the answer now.’
’So let’s focus on what I can do.’
A grin slowly spread across his face.
’System, share the Titles!’
The response came instantly.
[Extreme Mana Resonance → Extreme Mana Resonance (3)]
[Extreme Formlock → Extreme Formlock (3)]
[Extreme Mind Echo → Extreme Mind Echo (3)]
[Extreme Mountainbreaker → Extreme Mountainbreaker (3)]
[Extreme Wind Kissed → Extreme Wind Kissed (3)]