Lana approached the bed and stared at Ari’s sleeping face.
“Are you really asleep? Or are you pretending?”
She placed her hand on his knee and shook him, but Ari did not stir.
Her heartbeat quickened as a certain thought crossed her mind.
Lana shook her head and took two steps back then stopped.
‘What am I doing?’
She found herself approaching the bed again, climbing on top, and sitting on her knees beside Ari’s face.
Lana did not fully understand why she got onto the bed.
Was it the lingering effects of their kiss, Ari’s boldness and provocation, or something else?
Whichever it was, Lana found herself staring at Ari’s lips, her face becoming more flushed the longer her eyes lingered.
She leaned over, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Her lips reached within an inch of his.
“I came to check up on your progress!” Maya said energetically as she entered the room.
Lana fell back in shock and quickly tried to get off the bed.
“H-he suddenly fell asleep, so I was checking to see if he was pretending.”
Maya grinned. “Oh? Is that what you were doing?”
“Yes. As you can see, he’s asleep, so I’ll be going now.”
Maya blocked the door.
“Wait a moment, I think you might be coming down with something. Your face is completely flushed,” she said.
“Come here, let me feel your forehead.”
“No, I’m fine. We should go before he wakes up.”
Maya grinned mischievously. “You didn’t seem to care if he was asleep before.”
“No, Mom. It’s a misunderstanding.”
“A word of advice from your mother, a kiss will feel much better if he is awake.”
“I-I know that.”
Maya raised her brow. “Is that so?”
Lana harrumphed.
Maya giggled, enjoying the flustered expressions of her daughter.
“May I please leave?”
Maya stepped aside and made her way to Ari’s bed, while Lana sprinted towards the door.
“Maybe let him rest for a while, he seems pretty tired,” Lana said before leaving the room.
Maya glanced at Ari’s face and smiled. She turned on her heel and left the room, closing the door behind her.
An ice-cold sensation enveloped Ari’s arm, jolting him awake.
“What the?”
“Did you sleep well?” Maya asked with a smile as she removed her hand from his arm.
“What was that?”
Maya giggled and displayed her palm. “My secret technique to wake my daughters.”
There were no visible changes, but when he placed his hand above hers, he felt a freezing chill radiating from it.
Upon feeling that sensation, a sudden thought struck.
‘Now would be the perfect time to test if I can use magic from this world...’
Ari had Actualisation to fall back on, but seeing as his magic affinity was maxed out, it stood to reason that he should have the capability to use magic from this world, even excel at it.
But there were a few things he had to confirm.
Would knowing the name of the spell be sufficient to cast it? Or would he need to have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the spell?
Since he had such an amazing opportunity, why not experiment with a magic expert present to guide him?
“What is the name of that spell?”
“The spell is called Cold Touch. It coats your hand in a thin layer of ice at negative five degrees.”
‘I see, the devil is in the details…’
He needed to test it out right away.
“Can I try to cast your spell?”
Maya smiled. “Just like that? Alright, go ahead and try.”
Ari used the information Maya gave him as well as the memory of the sensation he felt when waking up.
He cast the spell <Cold Touch>
Maya’s eyes widened briefly, but then she displayed a beautiful smile.
“That was…very impressive.”
‘It feels the same as when casting a spell from the game, but the mana consumption is less... Is it due to the spell being low level, or?’
There was a possibility that skills and spells not native to this world required more Mana and stamina, conversely, spells from this world may be easier to cast as they would consume less Mana.
It was a theory, but for some reason Ari couldn’t immediately dismiss it.
There was only one way to find out.
“I’m curious... Do you only have an affinity for ice magic?”
Ari smiled. “Actually, I have an affinity for all magic.”
Her eyes widened. “Show me.”
Maya provided the details for three more spells, which he cast perfectly on the first try.
He also created spells similar to the ones Maya taught him.
‘That proves it then, well, at least it confirms that spells from this world consume significantly less mana.’
Ari was grateful to have discovered this now.
He would have to be very mindful with his reserves when using skills and spells created via Actualisation.
He had other concerns regarding the level of Actualisation and how it affected his creations, but for now, he was happy to have more options at his disposal.
“...Original spells as well.. .It seems your claims about your outstanding potential were not unfounded. I can truly vouch for them now.”
Ari raised his brow, a playful smirk on his lips. “I thought you already believed my words.”
Maya shrugged. “I do, but people often overestimate their abilities until they’re put to the test.”
He chuckled. “Fair point.”
“By the way, Ari… What did you do to my daughter?”
Her tone was light, but her expression was firm.
“Which one?”
“Oh? You had time to seduce both of my daughters while I wasn’t looking?”
‘She knows something happened, but how? Cameras?’
Ari’s eyes drifted toward the corners of the room, but he didn’t see anything.
‘Fuck it. Let’s play along for now.’
“If I was that good, I would have seduced you first.”
Maya flashed an amused smile. “You’re admitting it then?”
He reached for her chin. “There’s nothing to admit, you know how much I want you, Maya.”
“That tongue of yours is dangerous.”
Ari grinned. “You have no idea.”
A faint blush dyed her cheeks.
She got off the bed. “You should more careful when going to bed.”
He smirked. “And if I’m not?”
The corners of her mouth curved slightly. “I may not be there to stop my daughter from assaulting you in your sleep.”
“Lana?”
Ari’s stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he had not eaten since entering this world.
He glanced at Maya’s grinning face
“Did I miss dinner?”
“Not at all. That is the reason I came to wake you,” she replied.
“Dinner is ready, please join us.”