The sound of the door closing was soft. Yet it subtly changed the atmosphere throughout the room.
Leaning against the door, Irene’s cheeks had already turned crimson, but her pale green eyes never once avoided Asher’s gaze.
"I’m staying... not because of your ability."
She spoke softly.
"And not entirely because of Professor Lina either."
Asher looked at her.
But Irene offered no further explanation.
Some things the previous Asher had never noticed.
And now, there simply wasn’t enough time left for her to explain them slowly.
[Time remaining until midnight: 9 minutes.]
The crimson countdown appeared once again.
At the same time, Asher’s body finally began to change.
An overwhelming heat erupted from deep within his blood.
His heart pounded violently. Faint crimson patterns emerged beneath his skin, as though the overwhelming life force inside him had completely lost control and was preparing to tear his body apart from within.
Asher let out a muffled groan and braced himself against the windowsill with one hand.
"Asher!" Irene’s expression changed.
Unable to care about anything else, she rushed to his side.
"Don’t come—"
Before Asher could stop her, she had already wrapped both arms tightly around him.
Her soft body pressed firmly against his.
Irene could clearly feel Asher’s abnormally high body temperature. She could hear the heavy pounding of his heart.
The unique fragrance surrounding him became incomparably stronger at such close range, causing the strength to rapidly leave her body.
Yet even so, she never loosened her embrace.
"You already gave me a choice."
Irene raised her head, breathing unevenly.
"This... is my own decision."
Their eyes met at close range.
After a brief silence, Irene stood on her tiptoes and kissed him first.
Boom!
The instant their lips met, the raging life force violently crashing through Asher’s body finally seemed to find an outlet.
It began circulating in an entirely new manner.
At the same time, the crimson countdown that had been steadily decreasing came to an abrupt halt.
The lights inside the room went out.
Outside the window, Hunters still occasionally flew across the night sky.
None of them noticed that inside this ordinary dormitory in the lower district, a power capable of overturning the entire Hunter world had awakened for the very first time.
...
Some time later—
[Ding!]
[Beginner Emergency Mission completed.]
[Reward: 100 Lust Points.]
[Basic Control Authority over the Divine Aphrodisiac Body has been unlocked.]
[The Host has obtained a First Compatibility Bonus: Physical Strength increased.]
[The target has absorbed Secret Essence.]
[The target’s appearance and physical constitution have received their first enhancement.]
[The target’s mana capacity has increased.]
[The target’s hidden talent is awakening...]
[The target’s Skill "Mana Threads" is evolving.]
Buzz!
An extraordinarily powerful surge of mana suddenly erupted throughout the room.
Irene, who had been quietly lying on the bed, abruptly opened her eyes.
Countless pale blue threads extended automatically from her fingertips like living creatures, rapidly spreading throughout the room and even piercing effortlessly through the walls.
Looking at those mana threads, now several times tougher than before, Irene was completely stunned.
She could clearly feel it.
The mana that had remained trapped at the peak of D-Rank for more than half a year...
Had finally broken through its bottleneck.
More importantly, her original Skill, Mana Threads, which had previously been useful only for scouting and restraining enemies, seemed to have gained an entirely new ability.
Slowly, Irene turned her head and looked toward Asher, who was standing beside the bed.
"I advanced to C-Rank?"
"It looks that way."
Asher answered calmly, as though he had expected this outcome all along.
Irene, however, was nowhere near as composed.
She looked down at her own hands.
She carefully sensed the abundant mana now overflowing within her body.
Only then did she raise her eyes to look at Asher once more.
"Asher."
"Hm?"
"What exactly... is the ability you awakened?"
Irene sat beside the bed, several pale blue mana threads coiled around her fingertips. The shock in her eyes had not faded with the passage of time. Instead, as she became increasingly aware of the changes within her body, it only grew more intense.
She had truly advanced.
It was not because of a temporary enhancement potion, nor was it because of some relic capable of increasing mana. She had genuinely crossed the bottleneck that had trapped her for the past six months, advancing from a Hunter at the peak of D-Rank to C-Rank.
Although D-Rank and C-Rank appeared to be separated by only a single level, there was an enormous difference between them in terms of social status, mission authority, and accessible resources.
D-Rank Hunters could only enter low-level Spatial Gates, while most of the missions they accepted involved maintaining security, transporting supplies, and clearing out weaker magical beasts. After deducting equipment maintenance and potion expenses, they did not earn much each month.
However, advancing to C-Rank meant officially escaping the lowest ranks of the Hunter world. Not only could a C-Rank Hunter independently form a small Hunter team, but they were also qualified to enter Spatial Gates containing truly valuable resources.
However, Irene found something else even more unbelievable than her advancement.
Her skill had also changed.
Irene raised her right hand.
The mana threads coiled around her fingertips began to dance. One of them lightly swept across the table and sliced the metal cup resting there neatly in half without encountering the slightest resistance.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror.
It had not even produced the slightest unnecessary sound.
Irene stared at the severed cup, her pupils contracting slightly.
Her original Skill, "Mana Threads," had merely been a D-Rank support skill. Although it could be used to investigate her surroundings, restrain low-level magical beasts, and carry objects that were not particularly heavy, both its durability and offensive capability had been extremely limited. Whenever she encountered a magical beast with slightly stronger defenses, those seemingly flexible threads would easily snap.
However, she could now clearly sense that her mana threads had not only become several times tougher, but had also acquired the special ability to absorb and transfer life force.
This was no longer the same skill.
"Life Threads."
Irene subconsciously spoke the new name that had appeared within her mind.
The next moment, one of the pale blue threads gently wrapped itself around her wrist, and a warm stream of life energy flowed into her body, rapidly alleviating several hidden injuries she had suffered inside Spatial Gates in the past.
It could investigate.
It could restrain.
It could attack.
It could even heal.
This was definitely not an ordinary C-Rank skill.
If it continued growing, it might even reach B-Rank or the far more precious A-Rank.
With this thought, Irene raised her head once again and looked at Asher.
"Was this also because of you?"
"Most likely."
Asher did not deny it.
Even if he invented some other explanation now, Irene would not believe him. After all, her advancement had happened far too suddenly, and her skill had only evolved after she absorbed his Secret Essence. Anyone possessing normal judgment would recognize the connection between the two events.
Irene’s lips parted slightly.
"Do you understand what this means?"
"I do."
Asher’s expression remained extremely calm.
"An ability capable of permanently improving a Hunter’s physical attributes and mana, while potentially helping their skills evolve—if the outside world discovers it, the entire Federation will go mad trying to obtain me."
"It won’t be as simple as obtaining you."
Irene shook her head.
"Those great families would never permit such a power to remain in the hands of someone they couldn’t control. They would first attempt to recruit you. If you refused..."