Chương 85: Chapter 82: Idk — Part 2

The room was a vast expanse of polished white marble and crimson obsidian, stretching toward a vaulted ceiling. The stark walls bathed in the neutral glow of white Aether-lamps, casting long shadows across the plush, blood-red rug that anchored the center of the floor.

"Careful, Vionette Crimvane. Careful," she whispered faintly.

"Don't even scratch it. I'm not that strong, so it won't… right?" On the far side of the chamber, Vionette perched on a white, fur-topped stool before her ivory vanity. Leaning toward the silver-rimmed mirror, her crimson eyes anchored entirely on her reflection. With a soft, metallic click, she finally unhooked the earring Noa had given her.

"Finally!" A breath of relief escaped her lips.

"Let's see… there's no scratch, right?" She held the piece up, letting the ambient light dance across its crimson facets. With deliberate care, she placed it onto a small velvet tray, isolating it from the expensive clutter of her other jewelry. Two hollow knocks echoed through the room—not from the door, but from the window. Vionette turned, her gaze narrowing as she spotted a silhouette standing on the ledge outside. [A Match Made in Hell] She could identify that profile with a mere glance.

Yet, just to ensure it wasn't some shapeshifting mimic, she flared her skill. Satisfied, she severed the connection, crossed the room, and unlatched the glass to let the cool night breeze sweep inside.

"Blackie? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, looking at Noa. She stared at him for several seconds, waiting for him to either get inside or offer a witty reply, but silence was her only answer. Noa remained frozen, his eyes locked on her body. Holy shit! Noa's mind momentarily short-circuited at the sight before him. My lover can't be this hot! Vionette wore a fitted white crop top that clung to her curves like a second skin, paired with tight black dolphin shorts.

She stood barefoot, her toes curling against the chill of the marble. Such clothes were impossible to find in the local markets, but she had placed specific orders with Nymira, even going so far as to command her to spread the fashion throughout Crimvane.

"Stop staring and get in here," she coaxed, her voice dropping into a playful lilt.

"The guards will think an assassin is here to kidnap me or something." Coughing once, Noa finally found his voice as he vaulted over the sill.

"Yeah. Long story short, those three rascals are fighting for the title of 'head babysitter'." Walking straight toward her bed, he undid the buttons of his loungewear and shrugged off the top before throwing himself onto the mattress.

"So I came here to sleep."

"At least they care enough to hold back—" Closing the window, Vionette turned around, but upon seeing him, a sudden blush painted her cheeks.

"Why are you getting naked?" Her gaze locked onto his torso, her crimson eyes softening into a hazy, appreciative glow. His body looks as good as ever. System, save a photo of this in your memory. [Effective path detected: The Host's mind is capable of remembering every frame she sees. Saving inside the Essence Fragment is unnecessary.] Just do it, goddammit! It's good to see it in other ways than just memory, too! she snapped internally. [Understood! Saving...]"I told you this before: I'm not naked, just shirtless!" Noa argued as he planted his feet on the mattress. Vionette strolled back to her vanity and picked up a black elastic band. Catching it between her teeth, she reached back with both hands to gather the white river of her hair. The pose arched her back and thrust her shoulders backward, enhancing her breathtaking silhouette while pulling the shorts even higher on her hips.

"Stay like that for a few more hours," Noa rasped, his voice straining. He felt as though his nose might start bleeding from the visual overload.

"Rhesgly? Hould I fohse fone mhore fur lu?" she teased, her words muffled by the elastic band, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. [Vionette Illustration] With a few deft twists, she made her hair into a messy, low bun, before she sauntered toward her bed—or rather, toward her Noa. As he watched, she crawled onto the mattress and settled over his lap, straddling his hips to face him directly.

"I said, 'Really? Should I pose some more for you?'" She pressed a hand flat against his abs, her skin cool against his radiating heat, while her other arm draped around his neck. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"If you can, I am more than pleased, My Lady." He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. Slowly, she leaned in, looking down at his lips with a smoldering gaze that could melt lead. Both arms wound fully around his neck, her fingers threading into the dark hair at the nape of his head. As the space between them vanished, she closed her eyes, surrendering to the magnetic pull. Their lips met in a deep kiss.

Noa pulled her closer, his hands pressing firmly into the small of her back. In that quiet enclave, there was only the shared warmth of the bed and the rhythmic thrum of two hearts beating in perfect sync. Finally, after a long, breathless minute, they parted. Noa crawled backward, before sinking into the plush luxury of the oversized pillows. He leaned back, letting his right arm drape casually across the mattress. Vionette followed him effortlessly.

As if anticipating his intent, she settled her head onto his arm, turning her face toward him.

"Your mouth is sweet~" She licked her lips, a playful glint dancing in her eyes, before draping a leg across his body.

"Blackie, I checked to see if there were any hidden events or conditions, but there weren't any."

"Guess we're not as lucky as Lucien then?" He placed his free hand on top of her head, his fingers gently stroking her hair.

"So we can just evolve the others normally, right?" System, give me a list of all the skills of the two of us. [Noa Ravel:] Aura Blade (Rare) Blink (Rare) Presence Override (Rare) Nihility Decree (Legendary) [Vionette Crimvane:] Hyper-calculation (Rare) Mind Fortress (Unique) Crown of Accumulation (Unique) Sovereign (Unique) Mindrift (Legendary) [Soul Linked:] A Match Made in Hell (Unique)"Look here, Noa." She placed a playful hand over his lips, preemptively silencing any interruptions.

"See who has more skills now."

"Hey…" Noa bit down on her finger, his teeth gently grazing the skin as a teasing grin broke across his face.

"It doesn't matter now. The match is already over."

"Anyway," she hummed, ignoring his tactics as she redirected her focus to the floating screen.

"We have Accumulation Points from you defeating a higher lifeform's will, from Viselle joining us, and some leftovers from your sacrificed skills."

"Fuck evolving [Aura Blade] and [Presence Override]. So there are only two left—[Nihility Decree] and [Blink]." He scrutinized the glowing list.

"Vio, if the highest class is Legendary, does that mean we can't evolve [Nihility Decree]?" Vionette gave him a skeptical look.

"Who the hell said Legendary-class is the highest? I've never seen anything above it, but I haven't heard of any limit either."

"Well… those dudes from Cyradis told us. Though, I also thought it wasn't the true limit. I'm a genius, aren't I?"

"Either way, I don't think we have enough points to evolve a Legendary-class skill." Vionette turned her gaze back to the glowing text.

"System, evolve [Blink]." [Failed! Accumulation Points for Blink evolution are not sufficient. Would you like to obtain new skills instead?]"So how many skills can we get?" Vionette asked, rolling her body fully atop Noa's and resting her cheek on his chest. [A Rare-class skill and a Unique-class skill are possible to obtain.]"Is it random?" Noa asked, watching as Vionette shifted over his torso like a restless cat, eventually settling securely against his left side.

"Like, can't we just choose, bro?" [It is random.] Noa gritted his teeth, a spark of degenerate joy he hadn't felt in four years suddenly flaring to life.

"Looks like my gacha game days are back."

"I have an idea." Vionette raised a finger toward the system window.

"From now on, quantify those Accumulation Points and display them as numbers." [Understood! Processing...] [Accumulation Points: 407. 479] [The general required number of Accumulation Points to obtain a Rare-class skill is approximately 70. 231, while a Unique-class skill typically requires around 266. 891.] [Warning! Please note that these values may vary depending on the skill.]"Hey, fuckass system, we can get three skills, not two! Can't you count?" Noa barked, his brows shooting up.

"Noa, you dummy-dummy," Vionette murmured, rolling back over his body and resting her forehead against his.

"Our skills are somewhat special, so cut it some slack." [Correct.]"Aha… okay then. Just get on with it already." Noa wasn't focused on the interface anymore. His attention had drifted downward, captivated by the way the soft curves of her breasts pressed against his chest, her weight a comfortable, familiar pressure. [Proceeding...] [Notice! User Noa Ravel has acquired Reserve (Rare); The Host, Vionette Crimvane, has acquired Vacant Eye (Unique)] [Accumulation Points remaining: 22. 609]"Give us the analysis for both of them," Noa commanded, watching fondly as Vionette finally stilled, using his arm as her personal pillow. [Reserve (Rare): Allows the user to store and retrieve non-living objects within a unique dimensional space. Items preserved inside remain suspended and unchanged over time. Objects extending a certain size cannot be stored.] [Vacant Eye (Unique): Allows the user to observe locations they have previously perceived. Within its field of view, weaknesses become apparent, and illusions or false appearances collapse.] [Both skills are shareable through A Match Made in Hell.]"Mmm… pretty useful, I must admit," Vionette added.

"By the way, system, how many points do we need to evolve Crown of Accumulation?" [Answer: The number of Accumulation Points required to evolve a skill cannot be quantified.]"Okay then. From now on, let's not spend Accumulation Points until we can evolve Crown of Accumulation."

"Vio, what are we going to do now? Are we going somewhere else again?" Noa asked, shifting his gaze toward her.

"Not really. We just need to chill here for a bit." She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him closer until there was no air between them.

"Though, there seems to be a new academy ceremony taking place in Gergrain, so we might get an invitation."

"Gergrain? What a weird-ass name. Where is that?"

"It's to our south, a few kingdoms away."

"…An academy, huh?" he murmured, his hand dropping to rest casually upon her hip.

"Will we finally be able to find that thing there, at least?"

"The chances are way higher than they were in Cirelith, so we just have to gamble on it." She flattened a palm against his forehead.

"Just sleep for now. That's a problem for tomorrow. And I want a cuddle too." The final request came out in a quick, quiet rush. Noa didn't hesitate, enveloping her in a tight embrace. He lowered his face, burying his nose into the soft crook of her neck. Inhaling her scent, a satisfied smile graced his lips.

"Damn… I could smell this forever." Vionette angled her eyes down toward the top of his head, a questioning look on her face.

"Why do you always smell me? I mean, I know I smell good, but it can't be that good." He pulled her even closer, shifting to breathe in the faint fragrance of her white hair.

"Because you have that 'I don't know how to explain' scent that I love."