The instant Viviana touched the young man’s body, she trembled ever so slightly.
The peculiar sensation from their lips meeting sent a tingling numbness throughout her body.
–(So this is what a boy’s lips feel like…)
–(My first kiss… No, this is all for the sake of victory in battle!)
Within the underground cavern, Viviana’s petite frame pressed against the young hunter. She could feel his warmth and heartbeat, as well as her own heart racing uncontrollably. A previously unexperienced affection was born in the depths of her heart. She couldn’t describe it, only knowing that this young hunter was beginning to feel “special.”
However, her battle-hardened instincts quickly reminded Viviana of her predicament: she needed to restore her magic energy by kissing this young man!
Oddly enough, though their lips had met, Viviana felt no magic energy flowing into her body.
(Is my posture wrong? But the book clearly said…)
.
On the other hand, Tyler, pinned beneath Viviana’s soft form, regained his senses from the suggestive atmosphere. He checked her inner thoughts and understood the reason behind her sudden action.
It turned out that after falling into magical exhaustion, one could not recover magic energy through sleep or potions, but instead could draw it from another person through kissing.
However, Viviana’s attempt seemed ineffective; Tyler checked their magic energy values and found no change.
At that moment, Tyler recalled a scene from the anime “Fate Stay Night” and thought there might be similarities. He decided to take the initiative and guide Viviana in drawing out his magic energy.
“To replenish magic energy in this way, you must do it like this.”
The young man’s sudden words startled Viviana, but what surprised her more was yet to come.
Caught off guard, Tyler flipped their positions, pressing Viviana beneath him before leaning down to kiss her lips. At first, she only felt his tender caress of her lips. A faint trace of magic energy seemed to course through her, leaving her feeling numb and tingly.
Then, something moist and warm, soft yet powerful, slipped past her unguarded teeth. It entwined with the softness within her mouth, as if it sought to take in all of her…
Viviana’s entire body went limp.
She inhaled the pleasant scent of the young man;
She felt the firmness of his physique;
Under the youth’s “tutelage,” she seemed to understand how to respond.
Then, a warm current of magic energy began to surge into her body.
.
For a long while, their lips parted.
Gazing at the young man before her, Viviana recalled the velvety caress of their tongues and the intimate brush of their faces just moments ago. Unable to meet the young man’s eyes any longer, she averted her gaze, her cheeks flushed with heat. 𝞸𝓋𝒍xt.𝐜𝒐𝔪
The youth disentangled himself from Viviana, sitting up without speaking.
Both of their breaths were still somewhat ragged.
“…I apologize, my supply of magic energy is limited, and this is all I can offer.”
“No, it’s—it’s more than enough, far beyond my expectations…”
Once they had regained their composure, Tyler was the first to break the silence, and Viviana’s tone was noticeably gentler than before.
Were it not for the fact that depleting his magic energy would leave Tyler incapacitated, he would have willingly given all of it to Viviana.
However, in order to ensure the smooth execution of their plan, Tyler had retained a small reserve of energy, breaking off their kiss. Now, Viviana had 145 points of magic energy at her disposal, while Tyler himself had 15 points remaining.
At that moment, the ground of the cave began to tremble slightly, and Tyler and Viviana rose to prepare for battle.
The outcome of this fight would be determined by their final gambit…!
.
“Kekekeke, you two know how to run, but why aren’t you running anymore?” (Evilkind language).
The voice of the Rogue Shadow Demon, Swarerock, approached slowly along with its summoned minions. Tyler scanned the formidable force comprised of five Granite Golems and three Granite Evil-Eyed Stone Serpents. Unable to spot Swarerock among them, he deduced that the demon must be hiding within a shadow.
“Because there’s nowhere left to run in this cave,” Tyler replied.
He and Viviana stood side by side, an air of determination to fight to the death emanating from them.
“Kekeke, you could keep using your little tricks to blind me. I, for one, am incredibly patient.”
Swarerock’s smugness was palpable, and as Tyler listened intently to its words, he formed a conclusion in his mind.
(Overconfident after a minor success…)
(Considering himself superior, delighting in dominating others…)
(All summoned creatures are enormous—compensation for its own diminutive size…)
Tyler surmised that Swarerock likely possessed a “narcissistic personality” in psychological terms.
Currently holding the advantage, Swarerock needed only a slight nudge from Tyler to launch into a torrent of self-praise.
—『 Combat Occupation skill “Deceiver – Lv2” has been activated and remains in effect…』
“We’ve given up on escaping, but as warriors, we’d rather die in combat… Before we meet our end, I have one question: Were you the cause of both landslides in the Sandrift Gorge?”
—『 Combat Occupation skill “Deceiver – Lv2” has been deactivated.』
“Kekekeke, such audacity… Indeed, I caused the landslides, but there’s something even more impressive that you don’t know, kekeke.”
Swarerock had always considered itself a genius but lacked an audience to boast to. Now presented with an opportunity, it relished the chance to gloat.
“Recently, there haven’t been many high-level individuals in Sandrift Gorge. Be it bandits or cavalrymen, I can’t grow stronger by killing only the weak, so I’ve been frustrated. However, this time, I’ve finally caught a big fish… And that’s you, young lady.”
“Little did you know, you’ve been under my watch since you entered the gorge. My adorable kin have drained quite a bit of your magic energy, kekekeke!”
“I’m well aware of the weaknesses of you humans, too. You’re depleted of magic energy now, aren’t you? It’ll be a long time before you have any magic energy to use again, kekekeke!”
“Enough, enough… That’s enough talk. It’s time to kill you.”
Swarerock had a tendency to babble on, and to avoid any further delay, it issued the order to kill.
At its command, the summoned creatures sprang into action. However, at that moment, two things happened simultaneously.
First, Viviana sprinted toward the demons, the Floating Crimson Sword appearing beside her, circling and guarding her as she ran.
Second, Tyler removed the hunting bow from his back, smoothly nocking an arrow and drawing the bowstring, ready to release.
The arrow sped straight toward the shadow where Swarerock was hiding. Through sound localization and his identification skills, Tyler had already pinpointed the demon’s location.
As soon as Viviana saw the arrow fly, she quickly adjusted her sprint and followed closely behind.
In the blink of an eye, the specially crafted arrow emitted a bright light, forcing Swarerock out of the shadow and revealing its position. The demon let out an infuriated screech as it was caught off guard!
