"It was Elena."
Alex’s mouth fell open.
"My sister," Lena said. "She was there from beginning to end."
A pause.
"And when we finished, she left quickly. As if she were running away."
Alex sat very still. His first reaction was disbelief. His second was a slow, creeping heat across the back of his neck. Why would she do that? Why would a woman who served another master stand in a corridor and listen to someone else have sex?
Then he remembered the corridor outside the Grand Hall, when she had lied to him about needing a kiss to heal his arm.
’That’s true. She also voluntarily lied just to get a kiss from me. Is it normal to get a kiss on the lips just because you helped someone’s sister?’
’No, it’s not and what Lena just said helped me confirm the reason why she did that.’
Every piece clicked together, and every piece pointed the same way.
His lips curled.
It was not a gentle smile. It was crooked and more than a little wicked, a very clever idea had settled into his head.
Lena glanced at him, and her eyebrows rose.
"Young master? Why are you smiling like that?"
’Fuck, I let mt naughty ideas show on my face.’
"No reason."
He had an idea. A crazy one. And he wanted to try it very badly.
But first, there was the matter of two thousand points sitting in front of him.
He turned his attention back to Lena.
’Appraisal Eye.’
The blue ripple spread across his vision. Beside her, the window unfolded, and he skipped straight to the skills.
[WATER BULLET - D RANK: Compresses water into a small projectile and launches it at high speed.]
[AQUA BIND - D RANK: Creates a stream of water that wraps around a target’s limbs and restricts movement.]
[WATER BLADE - D RANK: Shapes water into a thin blade. Cutting power depends on the user’s mana output.]
[MANA SENSE - D RANK: Detects nearby mana signatures and estimates their general direction.]
[MYSTIC SIGHT - C RANK: Enhances perception, allowing the user to glimpse the presence of mana users, even those concealing their mana. Cannot reveal identity. Powerful concealment techniques are not detected.]
’Mystic Sight is the only C-rank she has and that’s how she caught Elena at the door.’
Even a woman who hid her presence well could not hide it from that. He felt a small thrill of admiration. It was clearly the best skill on the list.
He cleared his throat.
"System. How much does it cost to upgrade?"
[D RANK SKILLS: 1,000 POINTS]
[C RANK SKILLS: 2,000 POINTS]
[B RANK SKILLS: 3,000 POINTS]
[A RANK SKILLS: 4,000 POINTS]
[S RANK SKILLS: 5,000 POINTS]
[SS RANK SKILLS: 10,000 POINTS]
He frowned.
’If I upgrade Mystic Sight, that’s almost everything. One skill, and I’m left with five hundred.’
His fingers tapped against his knee.
’But for the price of one C-rank upgrade, I could take two D-rank ones.’
He looked at it from every side. It was a trade between a better tool now and a better foundation later. Mystic Sight could wait. It was powerful, but it was a luxury. Right now he needed things he could use.
It had to be Mana Sense and Water Blade.
He could already feel mana on his own. But that was only a glow with no direction or range.
It was a skill that kept him from being surprised. And in a house where every person had mana and one of them wanted to put him on the floor, that was worth more than it looked.
’Cutting power depends on the user’s mana output and I supposedly have a lot of it.’
’I have enough to make it cut.’
A sword for a man with twenty Strength was a poor idea. But a blade made of his own mana, shaped with his own will, was something that scaled with the one thing he had in excess.
And Daniel fought with a sword.
’It’s the only offensive tool that fits what I actually am.’
He nodded.
"System."
His voice was steady.
"Upgrade Mana Sense and Water Blade."
The screen pulsed.
[CONFIRMED]
[INVESTING 2,000 POINTS...]
[MANA SENSE: D RANK TO C RANK]
[WATER BLADE: D RANK TO C RANK]
[UPGRADE COMPLETE]
[RAZOR CURRENT - C RANK: A high-pressure water edge that cuts leather, light armor, and hide. Can extend into a short whip-like slash.]
[MANA PULSE - C RANK: Sends out a mana ripple to detect signatures at wide range. Passes through walls, but is weak against mana barriers. Repeated use reveals the user’s position.]
It was a clear step up from what she had before. A blade with a reach. A sense with a range. And both fit neatly beside the three skills he had already chosen.
’Wait.’
He thought back to the system’s own words. If a skill was upgraded through investment, the host would receive a better version of it.
’So where’s mine?’
He straightened.
"System. Where is the better version?"
The air shimmered.
[REWARDS FOR INVESTMENT HAVE BEEN CALCULATED]
[THE REWARDS ARE HERE]
Alex’s heart skipped.
Two new lines slid into the window, brighter than the rest.
[RAZOR CURRENT: C RANK TO B RANK]
[TIDAL SEVERANCE - B RANK: A compressed, spinning water blade that cuts steel and breaks ordinary mana barriers. Can also fire a crescent slash of high-pressure water.]
[MANA PULSE: C RANK TO B RANK]
[MANA RESONANCE - B RANK: Reads the signature strength of multiple people at once. Can track at least one individual through a mana barrier.]
Alex read it, sat back, and a breathless laugh escaped him.
"That’s mad."
Two B-rank skills. In a single morning. Not as a gift from some ancient inheritance. Just by pouring his points into the woman beside him.
Beside him, Lena had gone very still.
Her eyes were wide, and her lips were slightly parted. One hand rested against her chest, as though she were listening to something inside herself.
"Young master."
Her voice was hushed.
"My skills."
"Mm?"
"They have changed."
She looked up at him, and her eyes were full of wonder.
"Two of them. They rose a rank. Just now..." She shook her head slowly. "It is very hard to raise a skill. Some people train for years and never manage it. And two, in a single moment is..."
Her gaze searched his face.
"How did you do it?"
Alex looked at her.
"Call it a reward."
"A reward?"
"For serving me so well."
Lena blinked.
"But, young master, how..."
"Because I’m the young master."
He said it simply, as though that were the whole explanation, and then he said nothing else.
Lena stared at him. Then something in her expression changed.
The questions faded from her eyes. In their place came a soft, dazzled warmth, and her lips curved. She lowered her lashes and let out a small breath.
"Yes, young master."
He smiled, and leaned in, and kissed her.
It was long and unhurried, and she melted into it, her hand curling against his chest.
Then, in the middle of it, the air rang.
DING.
He froze.
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP.]
Alex sat still, his mouth hanging open, Lena blinking up at him in confusion.
"...What the fuck?"