Inside the thatched hut, Elena once again began performing a Divination.
Seeing this, Grace was stunned.
"Elena... how are you performing Divination again?" she asked in surprise. "Didn’t you already use today’s Divination? You clearly said you could only perform it once a day."
At that moment, a new Divination Leaf appeared in Elena’s hands.
She slowly opened it.
[2-Star Event: A Goblin squad will pass by this area. They appear to have obtained a treasure and are transporting it back to their Tribe. Stay on guard.]
"It’s a two-star event!" Ethan exclaimed excitedly. "With only a slight improvement, your Tier One Divination can already predict a two-star event!"
"Don’t celebrate too early," Elena said seriously. "The higher the star rating, the greater the danger. Since the Divination specifically tells us to stay on guard, it means this Goblin squad will most likely attack our Tribe."
After saying that, Elena predicts the outcome of the upcoming battle. The result was neutral.
Grace looked at Elena in astonishment.
"Elena... how were you able to perform Divination a second time today?"
Hearing the question, Elena blushed slightly.
She glanced at Ethan before looking back at Grace.
"Chief... Do you remember Ethan’s Blessing?"
Grace nodded.
"Of course. His SSS-Rank Talent is More Wife, More Blessings. He said that after becoming intimate with a woman, the system would grant a random blessing..."
Halfway through her sentence, Grace suddenly froze.
Her eyes slowly shifted between Ethan and Elena.
A thought flashed through her mind.
"...Don’t tell me..."
She looked at the two of them and asked in disbelief, "You two... really did it?"
Elena’s face instantly turned bright red.
However, after hesitating for a moment, she still nodded gently, confirming Grace’s guess.
Grace was about to ask for more details when Ethan interrupted her.
"We should focus on the upcoming danger first," he said firmly.
Everyone nodded, but Grace turned back to him with a serious expression. "Then how do we tackle it?"
Ethan paused. "How should I know? This is all new to me too."
Grace gave him a meaningful look. "Because you’re our strategist."
Ethan fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply. Finally, he spoke.
"There’s only one realistic way to overcome this threat, we need to increase the strength of our members by upgrading their Talents."
Grace immediately understood what he meant. Her expression grew complicated. "You’re talking about using your Talent through... intimacy."
Ethan nodded.
Grace hesitated for a second, then said firmly, "Even if it’s necessary, I won’t force anyone. If the girls don’t agree, we’ll find another way."
Ethan respected her stance and nodded in approval.
Grace then called out, "Sophie."
A few moments later, Sophie arrived, slightly out of breath. "What happened, Chief?"
Grace looked at her seriously. "You already know about Ethan’s Talent, right?"
Sophie nodded.
Grace continued, "Our shelter is about to face a goblin attack. We need every member to become stronger as quickly as possible. The fastest way is for you to become intimate with Ethan and upgrade your Talent."
Grace had expected hesitation or outright rejection. Instead, Sophie’s reaction surprised her.
Without any sign of reluctance, Sophie quickly agreed.
"I’ll do it," she said immediately. "For the sake of the tribe."
However, the faint blush on her cheeks and the subtle sparkle in her eyes revealed that her reasons weren’t purely for the tribe’s benefit.
Hearing Sophie’s quick agreement, Grace gave a small nod, though her expression remained complex. She exchanged glances with Elena and Emily, then gestured for them to follow her.
"Let’s give them some privacy," Grace said softly.
As the three women stepped out of the thatched hut, Elena turned her head and gave Ethan a mischievous, knowing smile before disappearing through the doorway. The smile carried a mix of teasing and lingering complicated emotions.
Once the door flap closed and they were finally alone, the atmosphere inside the hut instantly grew heavier.
Ethan gently took Sophie’s hand and pulled her into his arms. Her body was warm and tense against his chest. He looked down at her flushed face, his voice low and gentle.
"Are you a virgin?" he asked softly.
Sophie’s cheeks turned even redder. She hesitated for only a second before nodding shyly.
"Yes..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I am."
Ethan’s expression softened. He gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over her skin. "If you’re not comfortable, we don’t have to—"
"I want to," Sophie interrupted, her eyes meeting his with surprising determination. Though her voice trembled slightly, there was clear desire mixed with nervousness. "Not just for the tribe... I’ve been thinking about you for a while now."
Her honest confession stirred something deep inside Ethan. He leaned down and captured her lips in a slow, tender kiss. At first, Sophie was stiff with inexperience, but she gradually melted into him, her hands clutching his shirt as the kiss deepened.
Ethan’s hands roamed gently over her back, pulling her closer. He kissed her with patience and care, taking his time to explore her lips, then her neck, drawing soft, breathless sounds from her.
"You’re beautiful," he murmured against her skin. "We’ll go slow. I want you to feel good."
Sophie’s breathing grew heavier. She nodded, her body trembling with a mixture of anticipation and excitement.
Clothes were slowly shed between lingering kisses and soft whispers. Ethan laid her down carefully on the simple bedding, his hands and lips worshipping every inch of her body until she was moaning softly, lost in new sensations.
When he finally positioned himself and entered her, Sophie gasped sharply, her fingers digging into his back. Ethan paused, kissing her deeply and whispering soothing words until the pain faded and pleasure began to take over.
They moved together, at first slow and gentle, then with growing passion. Sophie’s soft cries filled the hut as waves of pleasure built inside her. Ethan held her close, guiding her through her first time with care and intensity.
When she finally reached her climax, her entire body tensed and trembled beneath him.
Just when Ethan released inside her, a warm white light suddenly descended from the sky.
It gently enveloped both Ethan and Sophie.
The light was soft and comforting. Countless tiny particles of light drifted around them before gradually flowing into their bodies.
A moment later, the white glow slowly dispersed, as though it had never existed.
At the same time, a familiar mechanical voice echoed inside Ethan’s mind.
[SSS-Rank Talent: More Wives, More Blessings has been activated.]
[Target: Sophie. Blessing: Titan’s Strength. Effect: The target’s Strength Attribute has permanently increased by 100%.]
[Double Blessing activated. As the host, you have temporarily inherited the target’s A-Rank Talent: Great Strength. Remaining Duration: 24 Hours.]
Ethan stared at the series of notifications, momentarily speechless.
"So... not only can the blessing strengthen another person’s Talent, but I can also temporarily share one of their abilities?"
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"This SSS-Rank Talent... is much stronger than I imagined."
Panting and glistening with sweat, they lay tangled in each other’s arms afterward. Sophie rested her head on his chest, a shy but satisfied smile on her face.
"Thank you..." she whispered. "Not just for the power... but for making it feel so good."
Ethan smiled and gently rubbed her head.
"I’m the one who should thank you."
After resting for a while, Sophie left the hut with a flushed face and slightly unsteady steps.
A few moments later, Grace, Emily, and Elena walked back inside.
Grace immediately looked at Ethan and asked, "Did Sophie’s Talent improve?"
Ethan nodded.
"It did. Her Strength has doubled compared to before. Besides that, I also gained her Talent temporarily. I can use her A-Rank Great Strength for one day."
Hearing this, the three women looked at him in astonishment.
Emily was the first to speak.
"So your Talent doesn’t just strengthen others..."
"It also allows you to temporarily obtain one of their abilities?"
Ethan nodded.
"That’s right. The system said the temporary Talent will last for twenty-four hours."
Grace fell silent.
Only now did she truly understand why Ethan’s Talent had been evaluated as SSS-Rank.
If it could continuously strengthen companions while also allowing Ethan to temporarily acquire their abilities, its value was immeasurable.
After thinking for a moment, Grace asked, "How many times can you activate this Blessing?"
Ethan opened his system panel before answering.
"At my current Tier One, I can grant blessings three times."
Grace nodded thoughtfully, seemingly planning something.
"Then I’ll call someone else over..." Before she could finish, Ethan smiled bitterly and waved his hand.
"Chief, let’s stop for now. I’m feeling a little tired."
Grace looked at him for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. We won’t rush it."
She gathered everyone’s attention and spread a simple map of the surrounding area on the wooden table.
"Now, let’s discuss our next step."
The atmosphere inside the hut immediately became serious as everyone began planning how to prepare for the Goblin squad that Elena’s Divination had warned them about.
After some discussion, there was still some time before nightfall.
Grace arranged for Sophie to protect everyone working outside, since her Strength had greatly increased.
Elena had no combat ability, so she stayed by Ethan’s side. Emily also remained with them to protect her niece.
Meanwhile, Grace began inspecting the resources that the Tribe members had gathered.
The logging team had worked very efficiently and had already collected 323 units of wood.
The forest area to the west had almost been stripped bare.
The scavenging team’s harvest was also quite impressive.
They had found 22 Red Berries, 3 White Spirit Fruits, 30 units of Stone, and one Wooden Treasure Chest.
Grace immediately activated her SS-Rank Talent — Resource Doubling.
In an instant, the 323 units of wood became 646, the 22 Red Berries became 44, and the 30 units of Stone became 60.
However, the Wooden Treasure Chest and the White Spirit Fruits could not be doubled.
Looking at the pile of resources before her, Grace nodded with satisfaction.
After thinking for a moment, she calmly analyzed the current situation.
"Based on everything we’ve discovered so far, the mist contains monsters, scattered treasure chests, and various kinds of resources."
At the same time, Elena held the Tribe Deed while browsing through the Regional Chat with everyone.
Messages were constantly appearing on the screen.
[Cloud Peak Tribe (Level 1): Our Tribe found a Bronze Treasure Chest in the mist! It contained a lot of food and a knife. Awesome!]
[Ironfang Tribe (Level 1): "Red Spirit Fruit" Does anyone know what this is? It’s Common-grade, glows faintly, and looks quite valuable. How do I use it?]
[Demonfall Tribe (Level 1) "Give me 100 units of wood, and I’ll tell you what it’s used for.]
[Ironfang Tribe (Level 1): Get lost! That’s way too expensive!]
[Freedom Tribe (Level 1): Everyone, someone in our Tribe found a glowing white fruit called a White Spirit Fruit. It’s Excellent-grade. After eating it, I felt like my A-Rank Talent was about to break through, but for some reason, it still couldn’t advance to Tier Two.]
[Greenfield Tribe (Level 1): What? An Excellent-grade item? Do you have any more? Our Tribe is willing to buy it at a high price!]