The light slowly faded.
Three items emerged from the glow and drifted down in front of Ronan.
The moment he saw them, his eyes lit up. A huge grin spread across his face.
"Holy shit! Hahaha! I really hit the jackpot! Three items! That's one more than last time! This is amazing!"
He nearly started dancing on the spot as he rushed to grab the treasures.
He recognized two of them right away.
One was a thick parchment book with fine binding. There was no doubt about it. It was a Grimoire containing an unknown spell.
The other was a black envelope sealed with the wax crest of the Tirtyborne Familia. A Familia Recruitment Letter.
"A recruitment letter and a Grimoire..."
Then his eyes moved to the third item.
As he focused on it, the item's information appeared.
[Name]: Recipe: Bacon Potato Rolls
[Origin]: System
[Type]: Knowledge
[Effect]: Records the recipe for the secret delicacy "Bacon Potato Rolls." After eating, temporarily increases all Abilities by 5% for 2 hours.
[Description]: A snack so good it'll make you cry! It's the onions! I added onions!
"A recipe? Is the system trying to turn me into a cook?"
But the moment he saw the Ability-boosting effect, Ronan gave up on the idea of treating it like a collectible.
"I have to learn this. I'm definitely learning it. Cooking... I think I'm decent at it, right?"
Smiling, he put the recipe away and turned to the Grimoire.
"Lady Demeter, Saint Jeanne, please bless me. Give me a strong attack spell with good damage and some flexibility. Preferably fire magic that works well with Cinder."
He put his hands together, closed his eyes, and prayed. In that moment, Ronan felt that he had never been more sincere.
After getting beaten up by the Orcs earlier, he was now painfully aware of one thing.
His firepower was not enough.
Just thinking about how little Cinder had done to those Orcs made his skin crawl.
"Open!"
[Name]: Grimoire: Fireball
[Origin]: World of Warcraft
[Type]: Knowledge
[Effect]: Ignites and expands fire to form a fireball. It is thrown at a target from a distance. Upon hitting, it causes a violent explosion and deals fire damage.
[Description]: Greatness needs no explanation!
"Holy shit!"
"It's here! It's finally here!"
Ronan got so excited he almost jumped.
The classic spell he had been hoping for was finally his.
He did not even need to study it closely to know that Fireball was far stronger than the weak Cinder. This was a real offensive spell.
And in the hands of someone like him, who could cast magic instantly, it would be even more dangerous.
Killing monsters would become much easier now.
At last, the Dungeon's monsters were going to learn what real firepower looked like.
Ronan could barely keep himself calm.
He no longer cared about the loot and equipment still lying around in a mess on the floor.
He had only one thought in his mind.
Learn Fireball as soon as possible and test it in the Dungeon.
Then another thought hit him.
Fireball together with the burning effect from Cinder.
That meant both steady damage and explosive damage.
Whether he was facing small monsters, large monsters, or even a Floor Boss, he now had a much better answer than before.
"Perfect!"
On the other side of the house.
Jeanne was wearing comfortable indoor clothes. Her wet blonde hair hung down as she carefully pushed open the bathroom door.
She looked around cautiously, making sure a certain scumbag was not waiting nearby again. When she saw that the way was clear, she quietly let out a breath.
Ronan's sudden attack earlier had really shaken her.
"Wait."
Jeanne's expression suddenly changed.
"What is he doing? He did that to me, and now he's acting like nothing happened?!"
She looked around for him angrily until her eyes found the courtyard through the window.
That jerk was holding a Grimoire with clear excitement on his face. He was completely lost in the joy of getting new magic and did not even notice her.
Seeing him so absorbed in that book made the irritation in her chest rise again.
"Hmph!"
She threw herself onto the sofa in a huff, grabbed a cat-shaped pillow, and squeezed and punched it over and over.
"Stupid Ronan! Go drown in your stupid magic book!"
Gurgle...
Her stomach chose that exact moment to make noise.
Jeanne's face turned red.
"Stupid Ronan, this is all your fault!!!"
The magic stone clock on the wall ticked steadily.
Jeanne stared at it. As the seconds passed, her face only grew hotter and hotter until it was completely red.
"Ronan!"
All the shame and anger she had been holding back finally burst out as a scream.
Ronan looked up from his precious new Grimoire, completely confused.
"Huh!?"
His eyes met the violet eyes on the sofa, now burning with fury.
Only then did he fully realize what kind of mess he had made.
Cold sweat instantly ran down his back.
"Je-Jeanne, listen to me. I can explain..."
"I'm not listening! I'm not listening!"
"..."
In the end, it took Ronan a full hour of apologizing and promising to make it up to her before Jeanne finally agreed to "temporarily" let the matter go.
"Come here, Jeanne."
Ronan forced out his most sincere smile.
"Let's update your Status. You must want to know how much you improved."
His intentions were obvious enough that Jeanne did not even bother pointing them out.
She gave him an annoyed look, but she could not resist her own curiosity.
Blushing, she hugged the pillow and lay face down on the sofa.
Looking at her back, Ronan swallowed hard. But remembering the trouble he had only just escaped, he pushed down every dangerous thought.
He pricked his finger, and a drop of blood fell onto her back. The Falna appeared at once.
As Ronan moved the characters, the final panel appeared before him.
Level: 1+
Strength: G299 → D552 | +253
Endurance: G284 → D555 | +271
Dexterity: F343 → C673 | +330
Agility: F355 → B706 | +351
Magic: F399 → C680 | +281
Looking at this increase, a total increase of 1,486 points in a single day of adventuring, even Ronan was stunned.
He had expected her improvement to be fast.
But these numbers were still ridiculous.
He improved quickly because he had a system.
Jeanne improved quickly because her talent was simply that absurd.
Seeing that kind of increase in front of him again made him feel the difference between ordinary people and true geniuses all over again.
More importantly, a "+" sign had appeared next to her Level 1.
That meant Jeanne could already Level Up.
Her stats are high enough, so she can level up now. That makes sense... Even before coming to this world, Jeanne had already achieved enough in her life to count as a Great Feat. So it's not strange that she can rank up so quickly. At least, that seemed to be how the system treated Jeanne's past achievements.
Ronan thought silently.
And through this update, he noticed something else.
When Jeanne had been brought here by the Familia Recruitment Letter, the basic abilities she had built through training had been reset.
Her skills stayed.
Her fighting ability stayed.
But her visible stats had started from zero.
Even so, the Great Feats she had earned in her life had not disappeared.
Those remained completely intact.
At least, Ronan guessed that achievements tied to the soul could not simply be erased.
After organizing his thoughts, Ronan copied her Status onto parchment and handed it to Jeanne.
She looked at the astonishing numbers, and her eyes curved into a smile.
"I improved that much. So why are you making that face? Shouldn't you be smiling too?"
Ronan's face darkened.
Then, before Jeanne could react, he suddenly leaned over and looked down at her from close range.
"Let me ask you something. Who brought you here?"
Caught off guard, Jeanne froze for a moment.
Her violet eyes looked away. She bit her lip and refused to answer.
But the redness running across her ears and neck made her feelings obvious enough.
"Saint, why won't you say it out loud?"
Ronan placed one hand on the back of the sofa and lowered his voice teasingly.
"You've gotten bolder lately. You even dare mock me now."
"That kind of attitude needs correcting."
Feeling him lean closer, the blushing Jeanne finally snapped.
"Ugh, that is enough!"
She grabbed the pillow and swung it straight at his face.
"Too late!"
Ronan laughed and tried to dodge, but Jeanne was faster.
Ronan lowered his hand down the collar of Jeanne's shirt, feeling the heat burning under the fabric.
He slowly lowered his finger from her neck over the fabric of her chest.
His thumb reached the point of her nipple and began to move in circles with his finger.
Jeanne let out a gasp when he pressed his finger against her chest.
—Do you feel embarrassed?
—Ronan, we still can't… —she said, embarrassed.
Ronan wasted no time; he lowered his head to bite the fabric, wetting it with his tongue.
A thick sucking sound was heard as he began to lick her through the thin shirt.
SLURP!
Jeanne arched her back, clenching her teeth as she felt Ronan's saliva soaking the fabric.
He unbuttoned the top buttons and left her skin exposed, glistening with moisture.
Ronan wrapped his mouth around one of her breasts, sucking her nipple with a force that made Jeanne vibrate.
A wet, constant sound was heard, the rhythmic rubbing of his tongue.
SUCK! SUCK!
When Ronan pulled his mouth away, he lowered his hand to play with her cunt.
He took advantage of that moisture to massage her, sliding his fingers easily over her slippery cunt.
Ronan leaned in to observe her cunt in detail.
Her pubic hair was bristling after the bath and her lips were slightly stuck together.
He gently spread them, revealing the red, wet flesh inside.
It was incredible to see how her vagina contracted and relaxed with every breath she took.
Jeanne tried to close her legs, embarrassed. —Don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing...
Ronan ignored her; he was fascinated because she was already releasing a transparent flow.
He felt the scent was somewhat salty and slowly brought his face closer.
He pressed harder, pushing his tongue inside and tracing the muscular walls.
Jeanne began to tremble violently, letting out low moans she tried to stifle against the pillow.
Ronan noticed something amazing: Jeanne's clitoris was erect, peeking through the skin, pink and sensitive.
He concentrated on licking that small spot with enthusiasm, feeling her lose control.
—Mmm... ah... no hagas eso... —she said as her body jerked from the stimulation.
After licking her whole cunt once more, Ronan pulled away to let her breathe.
Jeanne remained with her eyes half-closed, panting, her chest rising and falling.
Ronan didn't stop there. He shoved three fingers into her cunt, stretching her as he moved them in and out without stopping.
The sound of the moisture was constant, a sticky splashing that filled the silence of the room.
She couldn't close her legs; Ronan held them open by force while he stared at her.
He enjoyed seeing how her flesh turned red and swollen from the punishment.
With the other hand, Ronan focused exclusively on her clitoris.
He squeezed it between his fingers and began to rub it hard, making fast, constant circles.
Jeanne let out a scream that she muffled against the pillow as her body gave violent jerks.
The rubbing was hard, direct, without any delicacy, seeking to make her lose her senses completely.
Her clitoris was so sensitive that every time Ronan pressed it, Jeanne felt a cramp through her entire spine.
She began to release a thicker flow that slid down her thighs and stained the sofa.
She was at her limit; her vaginal muscles tightened around Ronan's fingers, sucking them hard.
He picked up the pace, giving sharp, quick tugs as she desperately gasped for air.
Suddenly, Jeanne's body went stiff as a stone.
She let out a long, sharp moan as the orgasm hit her full on.
Her cunt began to contract violently over Ronan's hand, releasing streams of flow.
The spasms were so strong that her belly sank and rose without control.
She was left trembling, eyes rolling back and legs twitching.
Ronan pulled his hand out from between her legs.
Jeanne still lay there, panting hard, hair stuck to her red face and her gaze completely lost.
Neither said anything. The silence in the room was heavy, only Jeanne's breathing was heard.
Jeanne tried to get up from the sofa, but her legs failed her and she had to grab something to keep from falling.
She walked toward the bathroom wobbling, her knees buckling with every step and not daring to look at Ronan.
The click of the door closing was heard and, immediately after, the sound of the shower water turning on.