"I might not be able to have dinner with you today. I will be going out for a few hours." Inside the school library, Amanda was silently reading her book when suddenly her lover voiced something unexpected.
Resting the book on the table, she asked with a tilt of her head, "Skipping dinner to go to the brothel?"
Her question made him flustered and he instantly rebuked, "Nothing like that! Seriously, how can you suggest such things with a straight face?"
Amanda shrugged, "I mean, as a growing boy who has been restricted by his girlfriend to not take things beyond kissing, surely will look for carnal pleasure somewhere outside, no?" Amanda requested Edric to wait until they graduate and announce their relationship to her parents before taking the last step.
Edric heaved a weary sigh, "And you are cool with me cheating on you?"
Amanda darkly chuckled, "As I have told you before, I will chop it off the moment I catch you cheating." She made a scissor gesture with her fingers with a murderous glint in her eyes.
Edric gulped in dread before assuring her, "Don't worry, I won't let you taint your hands with blood."
Inching closer to her he confessed, "I am taking Alex for a raid tonight."
Amanda raised her brows, "Aren't you suddenly favouring him a lot? That sword you just donated him was worth two hundred gold coins, no?"
Edric was surprised, "How did you know that I gave him my sword?" His weapons always remain hidden at random and in strange spots in his room in case someone tries to attack him.
Amanda smirked, "I know everything about your room. From your inner garments to that handkerchief that Professor Vermillion gave you after you got injured, I know everything."
Edric's face adopted a red hue as he slowly uttered, "Hey...I have already told you that I had a crush on her, so-"
"Had? Or still have? I know you still admire her." Amanda teased to which Edric became more flustered.
He had already told Amanda back when they were friends how he liked this Professor who was always helpful and kind to him. Well, Jullie is good to every student and naturally, Edric isn't the only one who likes the violet-haired.
Amanda heaved a sigh, cupped her breast, and muttered under her breath, "Although I am not as big as her, I still got handfuls, you know."
Edric was now practically melting because of embarrassment as he pulled her hands away and said, "As I said, I am already over that phase and that handkerchief, I was about to return it to her."
Amanda chuckled, but behind that smile, there was a deep-seated fear she was hiding.
A fear of sharing this person she loves so much in the near future. She remains anxious that at some point his attention, which only remains on her now, will get divided.
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Alex remained inside his room for the afternoon, and only left once to get himself something to eat.
There is something he ascertained recently and that is a very advantageous discovery for him.
His body, which he needed to heat up before using his sword art, can now be recharged with the help of Soul Energy.
Soul Core is the refining point which allows the user to purify the foreign Soul Energy they absorb. However, the Soul Core can only purify the foreign energy to a certain point. That's why one cannot ingest soul stones directly.
One's Soul Core is situated on the other side of the heart, which explains that either side of one's chest is a vital spot and must be protected.
Damage of Soul Core means one's soul energy production and refinement slows down. Destruction of the soul core means death.
Soul energy is the supplier of energy for every enhanced movement, spell, and skill a soul energy user performs. And when Alex used his sword art back then he consumed thirty points of soul energy.
Not only that but to keep track of Aiden, he also had to spend a few bits of soul energy there.
If only Alex didn't have to spend anything in that battle he would have probably gained double of his actual gain. But, well, no battle can be won without sacrificing something.
'Let's see...' The old scrolls and manuals of sword arts, which the deity provided, summon any moment Alex wishes them to.
He initially learned his originals from a random man when he got injured while on a mission and had to stay there for about six months. After that, Alex kept training in between missions, and once he was adept at using Sword Arts, his success rate skyrocketed.
The reason he got surrounded by Parker's men in his last moments was because he was poisoned beforehand and also, no sword arts works when guns are introduced.
After all, in the end, his body was made of flesh and bones.
In the books he received there are ways of refining one's stance and the scrolls contained several advanced techniques which require a long time to remember and practice.
However, thanks to his elevated learning rate, he learned all the stances within a few hours. However, learning martial arts from a book was never an option or possible.
Heaving a sigh, Alex closed the book and started preparing for the raid.
He would only need a few fifth-grade soul stones in exchange for a decent amount and buy the soul refinement tools so he can hunt and gain Soul points without relying on anyone else.
There was not much time left, so he was planning on raiding as many labyrinths as he could in the next few months.
Taking glowing red stone, some medical supplies and the frozen food supplies he bought earlier from the shop, everything was packed inside the bag.
Naturally, he was carrying the sword Edric gifted him. Although he has yet to use it even once, anything can work until Alex has his reserve of soul energy.
*Knock*
Hearing the knock, Alex got up and unexpectedly, there stood the raven-haired protagonist, wearing a different set of clothes than the usual uniform. He was also carrying a bag and had a brown sac cloak in his hand which he threw at Alex and said,
"Wear this." Alex nodded before draping the cloak over his shoulders.
Once done, the two individuals left the room and advanced towards the entrance with hurried steps.
Just in case, Alex wore a mask over his face which the previous owner used during the festival last year. It was a white wolf mask that had two slits for eyes and a red marking on either side of his eyes.
"Stay behind me," Edric said before he went forward to talk to the security in charge.
Alex leisurely was looking around...when suddenly his eyes caught the figure of familiar redhead advancing towards them while holding her axe.
'For god sake...not her....'
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop some PS, and a review if you are enjoying the story so far. Trust me, it helps.