"Rune…rune.. RUNE!"
Sera's voice echoed in my ear, starting faint and soft before it rose into a sharp ring that yanked me out of the dark. My eyes flew open.
The first thing I saw was the wide blue sky above, streaked with lazy white clouds drifting without a care.
For a moment, I lay there in a daze, trying to piece together what had happened.
I remembered cultivating with Sera deep into the night… and then…? My mind was blank.
I tried to push myself up, but my body felt like lead, Heavy and sluggish. Then I realized why. Something was pressing down on me.
I tilted my head slightly and froze.
Sera's head rested on my chest, her entire body draped over mine like a blanket. My breath caught in my throat. Her soft hair tickled against my chin as her shoulders rose and fell with steady breaths.
Carefully, I shifted, planting my forearms behind me to lift my upper body. The movement stirred her awake, and her half-lidded eyes looked at me.
"Rune!" she called again, her voice laced with worry. "What happened?"
"I… I don't know," I admitted, though a strange warmth was already beginning to ripple through me, spreading from the core of my body outward.
And then, a thought crossed my mind. Is this..!
[Congratulations.]
VoidEmbrace?
[VoidEmbrace.]
"Yoohoo!" I yelled, a wide grin breaking across my face.
Sera, who had been leaning on me, jerked back in surprise. She nearly toppled onto the grass, but instinct kicked in, I caught her around the waist with one hand, my other arm still struggling to hold us upright.
I tried to pull her closer to lessen the strain on my arm, but I misjudged the force. The next moment, my face sank straight into her chest.
"Ahnnn"
A soft, sweet moan slipped from her lips, vibrating against me. My entire body froze as the sensation overwhelmed me, my cheek pressed into her warmth. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
"Oh, shit!" I muttered under my breath and hastily pulled her away, though I still kept my grip around her waist so she wouldn't fall.
Her eyes widened, her cheeks burning bright pink.
"You… you pervert!" she stammered, pushing against me in a flustered panic.
But my anchoring arm gave out at the worst possible moment.
"W-Waaah!" I yelped as I fell flat onto my back.
Before I could register what happened, her lips brushed against mine. Soft. Warm.
Sera's face went crimson as she scrambled back in a hurry, her hands flying to her mouth. My own heart thundered in my chest, refusing to calm down.
She was still sitting across my abdomen, her knees planted firmly on either side of me. Her fists began thumping against my chest one after the other. The blows weren't heavy, but they stung just enough to make me wince.
"What are you doing this early in the morning?!" she snapped, her face still glowing red with embarrassment and fury.
"Hey!" I caught both her hands in mine before she could keep going. "I lost balance, alright? Besides.. it was you who was lying on top of me when I woke up."
Her lips pressed together in a pout, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel.
"Hmph! Whatever."
Before I could say anything else, Nexar's calm text shimmered into view beside me.
[Dude. At this point I feel like you want me to activate Soft Touch.]
Don't you dare, I muttered silently. We should be heading to Shadowfen Valley if I want to get my Bloodraven Sword.
[I still think it's a bit early to go there… you know... the valley's customs and all.]
It's fine, I replied silently. I might not yet have the same level of mana mastery as last time, but my battle force is strong enough. especially with Sera.
"It's your fault," Sera said suddenly, still perched stubbornly in the same spot over my stomach.
"Huh?" I blinked at her.
"You stopped cultivating after five hours. When I opened my eyes to check on you, there was this… black shade around you. It enveloped your whole body. And when I tried to reach for you, you just collapsed."
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Oh, that must've been my instincts kicking in and using Voidem—"
Before I could finish, she toppled forward again, her head pressing into my chest.
"Give me a heads-up next time if you're going to do something like that again, alright?" she murmured, her voice muffled against me. Her face rubbed gently against my shirt with the motion.
I couldn't help smiling. "Alright," I said softly, reaching up to pat her head. Her frost-colored hair slid smoothly through my fingers.
She pulled away quickly, standing with an almost forced nonchalance, brushing strands of her hair across my face as she moved. My vision blurred under the curtain of white. She bent down to fold her sleeping mat, pretending like nothing had happened.
"Shouldn't we keep moving?" she asked, her tone a little too casual, though I caught the faintest trace of pink still dusting her cheeks.
"Yes, ma'am," I said with mock obedience, pushing myself up and packing my own belongings. I carefully placed the etherium crystal into my bag.
Nexar, show me my MP stat.
The familiar window popped up before my eyes.
[MP: 29 / 103]
I frowned. Hmm. It went up from forty-five to a hundred and three, but I expected more, I admitted telepathically.
[You are reaching the limit of circle-less MP reserves. You should consider forming a circle soon.]
Hmm... Show me Sera's progress.
The numbers appeared instantly.
[Sera's MP: 67 / 67]
My eyes widened. Wow… not bad. From five to sixty-seven in one night.
[Yep. She sure grasps fast.]
********
"Okay, Sera. Today's goal is two hundred silvers," I said, standing just behind her.
She turned her head slightly, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. "Isn't that… too much?"
"You can do it. Fighting!" I whispered encouragingly, crouched low behind the bushes with her.
"Huff…" She let out a slow breath, steadying herself as her gaze fixed on the goblin camp ahead.
From our hiding spot, we could see them clearly. Dozens of the little green creatures moved about, their beady eyes alert, their rough camps set up with surprising order.
Among monsters, goblins were considered some of the smartest. The adventurer guild ranked them under C-tier threats for a reason.
Sera's fingers tightened on the hilt of her C-rank sword. She drew it in one smooth motion, the blade catching a glint of light.
"Sera," I said quietly, leaning closer, "the best way to get familiar with your mana is to face enemies while using it. You've already mastered the basics of frost attribute, right?"
She nodded firmly.
"Good. Then put them to practice now. Goblins aren't like the beasts we fought before. They're smart, and they'll make you think during combat."
"I understand," she replied, her voice calm, though I could see the tension in her shoulders.
"Now then," I tapped her lightly on the back with a grin, "bring in those silvers."
Her lips curved into the faintest smile, her cheeks still tinged with nerves. "You are the worst…" she muttered softly, though her eyes glimmered with determination.
Sera moved.
A shimmering coat of blue mana wrapped around her body, faint wisps of frost trailing in her wake. Even the breeze brushing past me began to carry a chill.
One of the goblins, the one roasting meat over a fire of dried grass, spotted her. Its beady eyes widened, and it screeched, tongue lolling with saliva. Snatching up its crude wooden club, it charged straight at her.
It leapt high, snarling, and brought the club down in a vicious arc aimed for her skull.
But Sera was faster.
She rotated smoothly, slipping just past the weapon's path. Her grip shifted on the sword, and in the same motion she thrust the blade backward. The steel pierced straight through the goblin's chest, sliding through its heart and jutting out the front.
"Hwakk!" The goblin gagged, vomiting blood.
Sera pulled her sword free in a fluid motion. A spray of crimson arced across the dirt, and the goblin collapsed with a heavy thud, blood pooling fast beneath it.
The other goblins froze. They hadn't expected their kin to be dropped so quickly. For a moment, fear and hesitation gripped them… but only for a moment.
They snarled, baring jagged teeth, and scattered to grab weapons from their camp.
Sera darted forward, trying to reach the unarmed ones before they were ready. But an arrow shot across her path, forcing her to halt. Her momentum made her skid, her boots digging lines into the dirt.
In one clean slash, she cut the arrow in half. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the rest of the goblins now taking positions, armed and ready.
"Right," she murmured, a sharp glint in her eyes.
Blue light pulsed from her, and spears of ice formed in the air at her command.
The melee goblins roared and rushed toward her, while their archers pulled back and loosed volleys of arrows.
Sera opened her eyes fully and swung her blade. "Frost Wind," she said, her voice calm, almost serene.
A chilling whirlwind surged into existence before her, intercepting the goblins. Arrows twisted in its current, their deadly paths thrown off course. Sera's white hair turned silver-blue dancing wildly in the cold gale.
Her arm extended, finger pointing toward the archers. The ice spears whirled through the air, carried by the wind, and slammed into the ranged goblins. Screams cut short. Blood sprayed.
The whirlwind dispersed in a sudden flash, leaving only a soft breeze in its wake.
Sera stood tall, her skirt swaying in the fading gust.
The goblins faltered. A second ago they had charged with rage. Now, their faces twisted with fear. Some turned instinctively toward their dead archers… and by the time they looked back, Sera was already upon them.
Like an angel of death, her frost-colored hair streamed freely behind her. Her blade swung cleanly, severing the head of the nearest goblin in a single stroke.
The rest gripped their weapons tight, their instincts warning them that turning their back to her and running meant certain death. If they wanted to live, they would have to fight.
And Sera's carnage had only just begun.
What do you think, Nexar? I asked silently. She should be ready for the Valley's den, right?
[Her control over her attribute is good. Her reaction time has improved since using the C-rank sword. Her footwork is solid too. She might cut it.]
A grin tugged at my lips. "I told you, didn't I?"