Waking up in Alphox’s [Shadow Pet Space] after everything he’d just learned, Alex was surprised to find himself being the last one awake for the first time.
Usually, he was the early riser.
When he finally opened his eyes and climbed out of bed, the room was quiet.
All the girls were already up and about.
“Well, look who decided to join us,” Alera teased, her voice playful as always.
“Let him, probably tired from conquering the tower of destiny!” Alice retorted, eating her food.
“Mhm… Alex grumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he shuffled into the main room.
Lilith stayed quiet, barely reacting to the banter.
But Aurelia… her expression darkened the moment she saw Alex walk out of Alera’s room.
Her reaction was unusual.
Normally, Aurelia wasn’t one to get flustered, let alone upset.
But this time was different.
She stared at him, her jaw tight, her glare unwavering.
As said before, Alex was usually the first to wake up, meaning that Aurelia never saw him come out of the room.
But she was the first to wake up this time around, and seeing them all come out of the same room made her realize how stupid she had been.
“So I was the only one left out, huh?” she finally said, her voice low and bitter.
“Huh? What are you even talking about?” Alex asked, genuinely confused.
Everyone else looked at Aurelia in surprise, unsure of where this was coming from.
“I mean, it’s fine,” Aurelia continued, crossing her arms. “I just didn’t think I’d be excluded while everyone else… clearly wasn’t.”
Alex just thought that as an assassin and young lady with a cold personality, she wouldn’t enjoy doing that.
Plus, he didn’t need to take care of his urges anymore since the [Heart of Calamity] strengthened his soul.
He was only having sex with his three girlfriends for fun.
Alex blinked, “Wait. Are you jealous?”
Before anyone could respond, two daggers flew through the air toward Alex.
He caught them effortlessly, smirking as he held them in his hands.
“Relax, I was just joking!”
Aurelia didn’t seem amused, but Alice stepped in, wrapping her arms around her.
“It’s okay,” Alice said softly, her voice reassuring. “Nothing’s changed between us. You’re still important to me, to all of us.”
Enjoy new adventures from empire
“Yeah,” Alera added with a grin. “And besides, you’ll still be staying at my place, so we’ve got plenty of time to hang out.”
Aurelia’s stern demeanor cracked just slightly, her lips trembling as she wiped at her eyes.
“I don’t care about that,” she muttered.
Then, taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and looked directly at Alex. “I want to stay with you too.”
The room went silent.
“…Stay with me how?” Alex asked, tilting his head.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Aurelia shot back, stepping closer until they were face to face.
Her confidence was surprising, even to herself.
Aurelia wasn’t the type to make bold moves like this.
But now, standing in front of him, her determination overshadowed any nervousness she felt.
“…You’re serious?” Alex asked, still unsure how to process this sudden shift.
“I mean, my bed is big enough to handle even 8 people but… are you sure?” Alera scratched the back of her head, “Even if you’re experienced it should be fine, but I still think Alex is too extreme~”
Aurelia smirked, leaning in close enough that her chest pressed lightly against his.
“You heard me.”
The other girls exchanged glances, some amused, others surprised.
She didn’t know what was waiting, and she was kind of nervous since she had no experience, but even then, she didn’t want to be left out.
‘Father did call him son-in-law,’ she mumbled, blushing.
But eventually, they all shrugged it off.
“Well,” Alera said with a sly grin, “guess our little assassin’s full of surprises.”
“Alright, enough drama,” Alice declared, breaking the tension. “Let’s eat.”
The group sat down together, their usual banter filling the room as they enjoyed breakfast.
Later, Alex found himself sitting beneath the same tree he’d used before to read about the gods’ blessings.
This time, though, he wasn’t here to read.
Instead, he retrieved the two rewards he’d earned from completing his Tier-6 advancement task.
Using his [Digital Inventory Watch], he summoned the items before him.
[Talent Upgrade Scroll (Artifact)]
[Artifact Skill Book (Empty)]
The first item immediately caught his attention.
[Talent Upgrade Scroll (Artifact)]
[Description: Used to upgrade a talent by one rank. This scroll can be used on any talent and will always succeed, even on SS-level talents.]
“This… is exactly what I needed,” Alex muttered, his eyes lighting up.
The potential of this item was enormous.
He could use it to strengthen one of his talents immediately.
[Talents: Extraction (SSS); Undead Lord (B)]
His [Undead Lord] talent was still only at B-Rank, and its advancement task was far from finished.
[A-Level Advancement Task: Defeat 50,000 monsters with your undead.] (27,948/50,000)
If he used the scroll now, he could instantly push [Undead Lord] to A-Rank, skipping the tedious task of grinding out the remaining kills.
But…
“No,” Alex said aloud, shaking his head.
Using the scroll now would be wasteful.
He’d already invested so much time and effort into completing the advancement task.
To throw that progress away just to save time would be foolish.
Instead, Alex decided to wait until the talent naturally advanced to A-Rank.
Once it did, he could use the scroll to upgrade it to S-Rank instantly.
That way, he wouldn’t just save time, he’d maximize the scroll’s value.
And once [Undead Lord] reached S-Rank, his connection to the undead would deepen, unlocking more abilities and summoning options.
“Patience,” Alex reminded himself. “It’ll pay off.”
He was sure the [Undead King] would also feel grateful about his army growing so easily since he had been asking Alex to evolve them.
Without this evolution, his undead would also be pretty much useless.
Having an army was good, but if a single enemy he was fighting right now could kill them all, they were basically useless.
He stored the scroll back into his [Digital Inventory Watch] and turned his attention to the second item.
The [Artifact Skill Book] was unlike anything he’d seen before.
[Artifact Skill Book (Artifact)]
[Description: This book does not contain any skill. Instead, it allows a powerful NPC or user to transfer one of their artifact skills into the book. The skill is then permanently learned by the holder of the book. The original owner does not lose the skill.]
Alex stared at the description, letting the implications sink in.
“This means…” he murmured, “I can ask someone like Arceus to teach me one of his artifact skills.”
Arceus, his mentor and a [Grand Mage], likely possessed powerful skills capable of dealing hundreds of millions of damage in a single attack.
If Alex could convince him to transfer one of those skills into the book, it would be a game-changer.
Of course, gaining Arceus’s favor wouldn’t be easy.
Alex would need to complete more student tasks and prove his worth before making such a bold request.
Still, the potential was there. And knowing that gave Alex a clear goal to work toward.
He carefully stored the book alongside the scroll, his mind racing with plans.
With just under three months until the [Dragon Bloodline Trial], Alex knew he had his work cut out for him.
The timer Alphox had shown him earlier was a constant reminder of the looming deadline.
[Next Dragon Bloodline Trial: 2 Months 26 Days 12 Hours…]
To even qualify for the trial, Alex needed to reach Tier-7, meaning he’d have to hit level 700 and complete his next advancement task.
It was an enormous undertaking, especially considering how demanding the trial itself would be.
“Strongest warriors from every race,” Alex muttered, recalling Alphox’s words. “Only 1,000 participants allowed… and the rest get killed if they show up unqualified.”
The trial wasn’t just about power, it was about survival. Only the best could make it through.
And Alex wasn’t about to let himself fall short.
He stood up from under the tree, his fists clenched and his resolve stronger than ever.
“I’ll get there,” he said to himself. “No matter what it takes.”
With that, he activated his teleportation ability, ready to jump back into the grind.
The road ahead was long, but Alex knew one thing for sure, he wasn’t going to waste a single moment.
It was time to gain power.