"Yeah~ that's right~ a little bigger~"
Paslo's fingertips moved lightly, as if playing a delicate instrument, brushing across the radiant light and sending faint, teasing ripples through it.
Kurose Akira froze where he stood, not daring to move an inch.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed as his gaze locked intensely onto Paslo, who stood mere centimeters away.
He could clearly feel it—
The holy radiance was rising.
It had reached an unprecedented brilliance!
And even—
Surpassed the one-meter threshold!
"Not bad~" Paslo glanced at the dazzling glow, then shifted her gaze back to him, her eyes brimming with teasing allure. "Only at this level~ can dozens of elemental motes be delivered in one go!"
"And only this… can satisfy me~"
"What do you think, little Akira?"
As her voice fell, Paslo slowly released her grip on the radiant light.
In that very instant, the surrounding elemental motes surged toward it like moths to a flame, clinging to its surface.
In the blink of an eye, the tip of the radiant light was coated in a dense layer of elemental motes—like a protective sheath shielding it.
"This… that's over a hundred already, isn't it?"
Paslo covered her lips, her voice tinged with astonishment.
Meanwhile, Akira didn't dare utter a word.
It was his first time pushing past his limits like this—he couldn't yet control such overwhelming power. All he could do was grit his teeth and maintain his balance.
Every muscle in his body tensed, heat surging through his mind, urging him to release the excess energy building inside.
"Look at how impatient you are~"
Noticing the strain in his expression, Paslo smiled with amusement.
"Then… please—enjoy~"
The moment her words fell, she slowly bent forward, positioning herself for him.
"I… excuse me!"
"Mm~"
...
After three convergences, Akira successfully delivered the hundreds of elemental motes Paslo had requested.
But those were elemental motes with 99.99% purity.
Even the holy radiance he was so proud of couldn't fully withstand them.
As different elemental forces clashed, waves of intense pain surged through him.
And yet—
For some reason, Akira found himself enjoying it.
Pain… and pleasure intertwined.
"Haa…"
After getting dressed, Akira let out a long breath, then turned his gaze toward Paslo.
Her starry-toned skin was now streaked with patches of pale white, her appearance somewhat disheveled—but her face was filled with a satisfied smile.
"This time…"
She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her skin, smiling as she said,
"Thank you, Guild Master Akira."
"Ahem… I should be thanking you too, Paslo."
Akira coughed awkwardly.
After all, during the process… he had also completed the progress requirement for the Elf Ruler.
And undeniably, the Elf Ruler had even helped… liven up the atmosphere.
After some time, Paslo finally finished cleaning herself, rewrapping the bandages around her body and draping her black cloak over her shoulders.
"Well then~ let's go."
"Mm."
Akira nodded, then asked,
"By the way, what are you planning to do with those elemental motes?"
"To seek an opportunity for breakthrough."
Paslo answered without hesitation.
"A breakthrough?"
Akira suddenly recalled—Paslo was already level 94, just one step away from becoming a demigod.
These elemental motes were one of the methods she was using to reach that threshold.
"If you need any help, just let me know."
Akira patted his chest confidently.
"I'd be happy to help you ascend to demigod."
The moment he said that, he suddenly remembered something.
He had a Radiant Crystal—one of the essential materials for demigod advancement.
"Oh, right! Paslo, I've got something!"
He quickly took out the Radiant Crystal from his inventory and handed it to her.
When Paslo saw the crystal, a flicker of light passed through her beautiful eyes.
But soon, she shook her head and smiled.
"This item is of no use to me. Guild Master Akira, you should give it to your guild members instead."
"No use?"
Akira froze for a moment.
But after thinking it through, it made sense—aside from guild members and pet units, he had no control permissions over other beings.
Leveling them up was impossible.
So as Paslo said, it wasn't that the Radiant Crystal itself was useless—
It was that alone, it couldn't be used on her.
Before long, the two of them exited the deep tree hollow.
The dark elves were still guarding outside. The moment they saw them emerge, they quickly gathered around.
But their gazes toward Akira were sharp—hostile, even.
It seemed… they had heard things they shouldn't have.
"Lady Paslo, are you alright?"
The dark elves surrounded her, concern evident in their voices.
"I'm fine."
Paslo shook her head gently, reassuring them.
Then she turned to Akira.
"Since everything is settled, Guild Master Akira, you should return to your companions."
"Right. I'll take my leave then!"
Akira clasped his hands in farewell before quickly heading back toward where Lucia and the others were.
After he left, Paslo gently rubbed her lower abdomen with a satisfied smile.
"We should return to the Dark Forbidden Forest as well~ let's go~"
"Yes!"
...
Soon, Akira returned to his guild members.
They were still waiting at the banquet site, quietly awaiting their guild master's return.
Even if he had abandoned them to "snack elsewhere," they remained patiently in place.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
Akira apologized immediately.
In response—
Lucia shot him a cold glare.
"You still remembered to come back?"
Her tone was filled with resentment.
"Ahem… had something to take care of."
Akira rubbed his nose, avoiding her burning, sun-like gaze.
"Something to take care of?"
Lucia sneered faintly.
"You've only got one kind of business, don't you?"
Ivsha immediately perked up at the topic.
She pounced onto Akira, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Mr. Akira~ what kind of business? Is it the kind I'm thinking of?"
As she spoke, her fingers brushed lightly against the radiant light, sensing a lingering warmth.
As a succubus, she instantly understood—
This was the aftermath of a holy battle.
And more importantly, she could clearly feel that the radiance had reached unprecedented heights earlier.
Her "food"… had evolved again!
"It's getting late. Let's head back to the guild."
Akira quickly changed the subject.
If this continued, things would spiral out of control.
"Where's the Elf Queen?"
Lucia suddenly asked.
"She was by the stream just now…"
Akira glanced around—but the Elf Queen hadn't returned.
Only Yuluci and the others remained, cleaning up after the banquet and bringing the celebration to a close.
"Why are you still here? The banquet's already over."
Elena skipped over to them, tilting her head curiously.
"We were just about to leave."
Akira turned to her.
"You—!"
Elena rolled her eyes, clearly still irritated about being struck earlier.
But as she stepped closer, she suddenly froze.
She sensed it—
A faint, dark, fallen aura lingering on Akira.
That aura… belonged to Paslo.
"Hmm~"
Elena leaned closer, her gray-blue eyes scanning him carefully.
Stare—
Smack!
"Ow!"
Before she could figure it out, she was struck on the forehead.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
"I'm heading back to sleep. You should get some rest too, Princess."
Akira casually opened a spatial ring.
After using it in real combat, his mastery over space magic had improved significantly.
Now, he could open a return portal to the guild with a simple motion.
At that point, teleportation arrays were practically obsolete.
"You—!"
"Bye."
Ignoring her protest, Akira stepped into the spatial ring.
"Akira!"
Elena nearly stomped in frustration.
Soon after, Lucia walked past her.
Then Mare Rhein, Vilora…
Everyone followed.
It was late—everyone just wanted to go home.
"Well then~ Miss Elena~ good night~"
Ivsha was the last, smiling sweetly as she waved before stepping through the portal.
The spatial ring vanished, leaving silence behind.
"..."
Elena stood there, stunned.
A long moment later, she snapped out of it, stomping angrily.
"You horrible man! Idiot! Moron! Jerk!"
...
Back at the guild—
Akira collapsed onto the sofa, completely drained.
His mind replayed everything that had happened beneath the World Tree.
As expected of someone on the verge of becoming a demigod…
Even though it was her first time, Paslo had surpassed Ivsha in intensity.
And despite Akira's experience—
Paslo had treated him like a big sister, taking care of him like a younger boy…
"Well then~ Mr. Akira, I'll be heading back~"
Ivsha bid him farewell, knowing there'd be no "late-night snack" tonight.
"Mm."
"See you tomorrow."
Lucia's goodbye was brief and to the point, stepping into the teleportation array ahead of Ivsha.
Akira: "..."
Soon, only Akira and the Dark Elf Queen remained in the hall.
He stood up, preparing to log out—
When her voice stopped him.
"I heard from Paslo… she gifted you the sapling of a second World Tree?"
"She did mention it, but I didn't take it."
Akira shrugged.
"Well, not exactly—I just left it in the Dark Forbidden Forest. I can retrieve it anytime."
"You didn't take it?"
The Dark Elf Queen seemed surprised.
After a moment of thought, she seemed to realize something.
"If she truly gave it to you… could you give it to me?"
"You want it?"
Akira paused—then smiled.
"That depends on your performance. If you do well, I might consider it."
"You!"
She glared at him.
"I'm tired. Good night."
With that, she turned and left, slamming her door shut.
Akira chuckled helplessly.
Then, he logged out.
...
Back in reality—
He found Xu Feiyan sitting in his room, working on her laptop, earbuds in as she spoke with someone.
"…Why are you working in my room?"
"I needed to talk to you, but you were in-game, so I didn't interrupt."
She took a sip of coffee, eyes never leaving the screen.
"What are you working on?"
"Nothing important. Work."
Then she added casually,
"I'm hungry. Order me takeout."
"..."
Akira pulled out his phone.
"What do you want?"
"It's Thursday."
"You eat fried food too?"
"Occasionally."
"Alright, I'll get you some."
He placed the order, then went to shower.
...
Later—
After eating, she prepared to leave.
"By the way, when are you upgrading to an A-rank guild?"
"I've already taken the promotion quest. Probably tonight."
She smiled faintly, though worry lingered in her eyes.
"I'll handle it."
"We're friends. Ask if you need help."
"…I'll remember that."
She left.
...
After she was gone—
Akira immediately locked the door.
Then activated his "full state."
"Hiss—!"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
"It really passed 20… is the game actually affecting reality?"
A bold thought formed in his mind.
"…Guess I'll take a nap."
...
Later—
After waking and re-entering the game—
Ivsha nestled against his chest.
Her lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Space magic really was convenient.
He had directly pulled her from the church mid-sleep—for "breakfast."
And she had happily obliged.
"Mr. Akira~ may I clean the battlefield again?"
"…Huh?"
He smiled faintly, letting her continue—
While his attention shifted to the Elf Ruler.
Now—
Its progress had reached 1000/1000.
The quest was complete.
But he still couldn't see its full effects.
Only one thing was certain—
Its rarity was Mythical or higher.
"…This Elf Ruler…"
As he examined it—
Ivsha, still enjoying herself, began to change.
Her dark purple hair slowly turned crimson.
Her violet eyes deepened into blood-red.
In an instant—
Ivsha became Idis.
When Idis realized her current position, her expression darkened.
Then—
Seeing Akira completely absorbed in the Elf Ruler, ignoring everything else—
Her mood worsened further.
She released her grip—
And slapped the radiant light.
"Ah—Idis?"
Akira snapped back to reality.
"You?"
He stared in disbelief.
"I came to discuss something."
She glanced at him coolly.
"But first—congratulations. You helped the Elf Kingdom defeat the Undead Lord."
"From now on… you're one of them."
"I had help. Your potions made a big difference."
"I act for profit. I don't care about the Elf Kingdom."
She snapped her fingers—her body instantly wrapped in a white gown.
"Do you remember the wedding I mentioned?"
"Yes."
"Three days from now. Be at the Star Kingdom palace early."
"…Got it."
"And don't mess it up."
Akira grinned.
"What's my reward if I do it perfectly?"
"Reward?"
She smirked.
"If it's perfect… you can ask me to do anything."
"Anything?"
"Have I ever lied?"
"Deal."
His mind raced with possibilities.
Then she added—
"Have you heard about the Moon God Empire?"
"Something happened?"
"A divine oracle descended. No one knows what it said—but it's caused chaos."
Akira frowned.
The Moon God Empire…
He needed to go there—for Alice's breakthrough quest.
"…If you run into trouble, contact me. I have a friend there."
"Can they help me find the Moonlight Witch?"
"You wish."
She rolled her eyes.
"That's forbidden territory."
"…Figures."
"Anyway, I'm leaving."
Before going—
She handed him a small bottle.
"Give this to Ivsha."
"What is it?"
Before he could ask—
She vanished.
Ivsha returned.
"Huh… did I fall asleep?"
Then—
Her eyes lit up.
"Mr. Akira~ this is your…!"
"…Mine?"
Before he could react—
She swallowed it.
Golden light erupted from the markings on her abdomen.
"Mr. Akira~ this feels amazing~!"
"…I see…"
At that moment—
System notifications flooded his vision.
[Ivsha's Challenge Quest Completed!][Ivsha has reached Level 50!][All Attributes +50!][Overgrowth Unlocked! +20 extra stat points per level!][Select one of three Ultra-Rare Traits!][Note: Ultra-Rare Traits cannot be refreshed!]
[Mechanical Lifeform][Mystic Wonderland][Devout Pure Saint]