Chương 54: Perfect Assimilation

Ch 54 - Perfect Assimilation [Chaos Bound Investment Reward Calculated...] [Investment value exceeded expected return.] [Bonus reward granted.] [Chaos +525]"Damn!" Five hundred and twenty-five Chaos... just for giving Lucia a Legendary armor set? Lucia tilted her head slightly after hearing his outburst.

"Your Highness?" Jester immediately shook his head.

"No. It's nothing." The system wasn't finished yet. Another notification appeared before him. [Legendary Skill Acquired.] [Chaos Bound: Perfect Assimilation | Legendary] [Temporarily assimilate one Chaos Bound partner. For 600 seconds, gain 100% of the selected Chaos Bound partner's base attributes, class, active skills, and passive skills.] [Cost: 90% Total Mana, 70% Total Stamina.] Jester's eyes widened.

"Damn..." One hundred percent?! Not just Lucia's attributes. Not just her class. Not just a few of her skills. Everything. Her complete combat skills. No way... This was actually a Legendary-grade skill. The cost was undeniably steep. Losing ninety percent of his total mana wasn't impossible to deal with. Mana could be recovered through potions, and Lucia herself possessed mana regeneration abilities thanks to her Saintess class. The real problem was the stamina cost. Seventy percent of his total stamina.

Unlike mana, stamina couldn't simply be restored with items. He would have to rest after using the skill, meaning activating it almost guaranteed that he would retreat once the battle was over. Even so, if he used it at exactly the right moment, this skill could completely change the outcome of a fight. Just imagine it. Lucia, fighting at full strength as a Sword Saint. And beside her, Jester wielding exactly the same class, the same attributes, and the same set of skills. Two Sword Saints fighting together.

Jester swallowed hard. This was incredible. And he had obtained all of this simply by giving Lucia a single Legendary armor set.

"What if I gave her something even more valuable?" Something she truly needed. Like a sword destined to be wielded only by a genuine Sword Saint.

"Damn..." This investment alone had already returned 525 Chaos. That was an unbelievable amount. Who knew? Maybe an even greater investment would someday reward him with 5, 000 Chaos, along with an even more ridiculous ability. Then another thought crossed his mind. If one Chaos Bound partner could produce rewards like this... what would happen if he had several? A smile slowly formed on his face. He needed to move faster.

At the very least, the next Chaos Bound he should establish in the near future had to be with Elora. Jester was still standing there in stunned silence, staring at everything he had just received. He had spent a ridiculous amount upgrading that equipment. Ninety-five Chaos. It was insane. Even so, what he gained in return was far greater than what he had invested. Just imagining what would have happened if he had kept that armor set for himself made it even clearer.

In the end, he would have lost far more than he could ever have gained. Fortunately, he had not been greedy enough to do that. At the very least, he understood one thing with complete certainty now. From this moment on, whatever he spent and invested in Lucia would always find its way back to him in one form or another. While Jester was still lost in those thoughts, he suddenly froze. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Lucia, who had been quietly standing in front of him all this time, slowly stepped closer. Her movements were gentle as she lifted one hand and softly rested it against his cheek. Her warm touch lingered there, her beautiful eyes studying his face before she spoke in the softest voice.

"Your Highness... you seem so troubled today." Her fingers lightly brushed against his skin as if she wanted to comfort him.

"Is there something weighing on your mind? You don't have to carry everything alone. If there's anything you wish to share, I'll gladly listen. Even if I can't solve it for you, at least let me stay by your side while you face it." She offered him a small, tender smile.

"You've done so much for everyone else. It's alright if, just this once, you allow someone else to worry about you." For a brief moment, Jester simply stared at her. The countless thoughts racing through his mind gradually became quieter, fading beneath the warmth in her voice and the tenderness in her eyes. Somehow, just having her this close made everything else seem far less important. Almost without thinking, he lifted his hand and gently wrapped it around her waist.

Lucia let out a small, surprised breath but made no attempt to pull away. Instead, she looked up at him, her cheeks slowly turning a soft shade of pink. Jester carefully drew her closer until only a few inches remained between them. Neither of them spoke. Their eyes stayed locked together as the silence stretched comfortably between them. He could feel the warmth of her body. Time itself seemed to slow as the distance between their faces gradually disappeared. Lucia's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Her gaze lingered on his eyes before slowly falling to his lips, only to return to his eyes again. She didn't move away. She simply waited. Jester leaned forward ever so slightly, his forehead nearly touching hers as if silently asking for permission before closing the remaining distance. Knock. Knock. Knock. The sudden sound shattered the quiet atmosphere, and both of them instinctively paused. Lucia blinked before letting out a soft, embarrassed laugh.

"Your Highness," she said gently, though the faint blush on her cheeks had yet to disappear.

"Who's there?" he replied. The one who entered was Igrio. It was exactly as Jester had arranged earlier. When he had asked Lucia to come here, he had also instructed Igrio to follow after a short while so they could discuss several important matters together. Well, there would still be plenty of opportunities later. With that thought, Jester and Lucia turned their attention back to Igrio before the three of them continued discussing several important topics.

Once the conversation finally came to an end, Jester decided to log out of the game. After all, he had already promised to have lunch with Zetia. ** Toma climbed out of the game capsule, only to be greeted by the loud protest of his stomach. He was absolutely starving. It was only then that he realized just how much longer he had stayed inside the game than he had planned. Originally, he had intended to log out around lunchtime, somewhere around two in the afternoon.

Instead, his discussion with Igrio had lasted far longer than expected, and by the time everything was finally over, it was already three. He glanced around the house, instinctively searching for Zetia. For some reason, he expected to find her sitting on the sofa beside the game capsule, just like the last time he had logged out. But she wasn't there.

"Zetia?" he called. Receiving no answer, he walked toward his bedroom. He was about to knock before realizing how strange that was. This was his own room, after all. Even so, he knocked once, then waited. Silence. There wasn't a single response. He listened for a moment longer, but there wasn't even the sound of running water from the bathroom. Don't tell me she's sleeping in Lina's room... As he returned to the living room, his eyes landed on his smartphone resting on the table.

Several unread messages were waiting for him, but before he could unlock the screen, the front door opened. Two familiar voices drifted inside, and he looked up just as Lina and Zetia stepped into the house together.

"Toma." The moment Zetia saw him, she immediately quickened her pace until she was standing right in front of him.

"Lina invited me to go out. I wanted to ask your permission first, but you never came out."

"Toma, you're finally awake, huh?" Lina said, folding her arms.

"You left your wife all alone since this morning. Seriously, you're already a terrible husband."

"Yeah... sorry." Toma looked back at Zetia with an apologetic smile.

"I was late. I'm sorry. I couldn't keep my promise."

"No." Zetia shook her head with a small laugh.

"You never promised what time you'd come back. Lina took me around the neighborhood instead. We bought some snacks, a few things for the house, and she even bought several drinks. She said we're having a little party tonight."

"Lina?"

"What?" Lina shrugged.

"You two are married now. What's wrong with having a small drinking party? I'm paying for everything, so relax. Besides, I found another job. It's freelance this time, so I'll be home much more often." She carried the shopping bags toward the kitchen before turning back to glare at him.

"And another thing. Even after getting married, you still can't take responsibility, huh? Do you have any idea how many hours you left your wife alone today? She cleaned the living room, organized the kitchen, folded the laundry, and even cleaned your bedroom."

"Seriously, Toma, did you marry a wife or hire yourself a maid? She kept looking for things to do because she didn't want to sit around doing nothing. She was trying so hard to be useful." Toma blinked before looking at Zetia again.

"You cleaned the house?" Zetia laughed softly, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"I was only looking for something to keep myself busy. I'm still getting used to living as a human like this, so I wanted to do something helpful. And... Please don't worry about me."

"I never expected you to leave Yunatea just because of me. I know how important that world is to you, and I know there are people there who depend on you. So if you have to stay a little longer sometimes, that's alright." She smiled warmly at him.

"As long as you come home eventually, I'll be waiting." Toma looked at Zetia, who was now standing right in front of him, when Lina suddenly cleared her throat.

"Seriously, you two should start looking for a new place to live if you want more freedom to flirt with each other."

"Lina?" Zetia turned toward her before letting out a soft laugh.

"Didn't you just promise you'd keep me company whenever my... husband is away on his missions?" The word made Toma pause for a split second. Hearing Zetia call him "Husband" so naturally still felt strangely unreal. Lina rolled her eyes.

"See? She's already calling you that. You'd better start acting like one." Seriously... was he already considered a husband? They didn't even have a marriage certificate.