Chapter 182 - 2266X Returns

A few minutes later, Elias left Monica’s room and began walking toward the bath, his expression still carrying a faint smile from their conversation.

He had only taken a few steps when a familiar mechanical sound echoed inside his head, and several orange screens appeared before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Evaluating the host’s actions.]

Elias’s steps slowed as he glanced at the floating screens.

[Goodwill and care demonstrated toward the targets have been calculated.]

[Dressing up Monica Ragnar and making her feel seen and wanted.]

[Getting the Crown of Envy to leave Stella Crimson’s body.]

[Helping Natasha Sephila discover her preference for taking a gentle, dominant role.]

[Allowing Natasha Sephila to stop holding back her mischievous side.]

[Preparing for Stella Crimson’s limited awakening using the Mythical White Hellbreaker Sword.]

[Preparing for the advancement of Natasha Sephila’s Heavenly Demon Physique’s Stage II (Reformation).]

Elias read through each line, and by the time he reached the final one, he couldn’t help but sigh.

"I suppose I did quite a lot without realizing it," he mumbled inwardly.

He had certainly prepared for things going wrong, especially when it came to Stella and Natasha, but he had been completely oblivious to the actual methods required for awakening Stella’s Vanquisher and advancing Natasha’s physique.

Even so, the System had apparently decided that his actions deserved credit.

[The host’s current Affection Rate has reached 22.66.]

[2266X Returns have been applied.]

[Ding!]

[Rewards have been issued.]

[Reward 1: Skill acquired — Heart’s Crafter (SSS)]

[Reward 2: Skill acquired — Spirit Detection (SSS)]

[Reward 3: Skill acquired — Perfect Role (SSS)]

[Reward 4: Item acquired — Potion of Desire (SSS)]

[Reward 5: Skill acquired — Physique Appraisal (SSS)]

Elias stared at the five rewards for several seconds before raising an eyebrow.

"Four SSS-grade skills," he mumbled inwardly, then focused on the first one.

[Heart’s Crafter]

[Grade: SSS]

[Allows the host to perceive the attire most suited to an individual.]

[The host can create attire that reflects what lies within the wearer’s heart.]

[The result may vary according to the target’s nature, desires, and circumstances.]

Elias finished reading the description and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"What about armor?" he mumbled under his breath. "Is it also categorized as attire?"

If it was, then he could now create armor without really knowing how to do so.

He moved on to the next skill.

[Spirit Detection]

[Grade: SSS]

[Allows the host to perceive the presence of spirits and other existences residing within the bodies of others.]

[The host may leave a mark upon a detected existence.]

[Marked existences cannot escape the user’s perception.]

Elias’s brows furrowed as he read the description, but then his eyes shifted slightly, and an idea came to mind.

"If it can detect spirits residing inside others..."

His thoughts immediately turned toward his own sword.

He opened his Inventory, and his gaze settled upon Lastbane.

[Lastbane]

[Grade: S]

[A sword forged from an ore star melted by the Intent of a Sword Transcendent and shaped by the spirit of a Paragon monster. The spirit of the slain resides within it, waiting for its worthy master to call for it.]

[Current Master: Elias Crimson]

[Spirit Status: Dormant]

According to the description, a spirit resided within Lastbane.

If that was the case, his new skill should be able to detect it.

Elias took Lastbane out of his Inventory and held the sword in front of himself, examining its dark surface with a slight frown.

"Is it because the spirit is dormant?" he mumbled, as he wasn’t sensing anything unusual.

He concentrated again, and this time, he forcefully activated Spirit Detection.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Elias’s expression changed.

Something had appeared deep within Lastbane.

It wasn’t a voice or a physical presence, and he couldn’t understand it with his ordinary senses, but he could clearly perceive something sleeping within the sword, as if a faint existence had been buried beneath countless layers.

Elias’s lips slowly widened into a smile.

"It worked," he mumbled.

He hesitated for only a moment before adding inwardly, ’Mark.’

A strange sensation passed through his mind.

The invisible presence within Lastbane seemed to become clearer, and a connection of perception formed between them.

Elias deactivated Spirit Detection. However, the presence remained.

His smile widened, and he mumbled as he returned Lastbane to his Inventory, "This will be helpful."

The instant the sword disappeared, however, the sensation vanished with it.

He stood there for a moment before clicking his tongue.

"Tch."

He had hoped something extraordinary would happen after marking the spirit, but the Inventory had simply cut off his perception.

He shook his head and decided not to dwell on it.

His attention shifted to the third reward.

[Perfect Role]

[Grade: SSS]

[Allows the host to instinctively comprehend the role most suited to them in relation to another.]

[Upon assuming a role, the host’s actions and behavior will naturally conform to it.]

[The greater the compatibility between the role and the target, the greater the effect.]

Elias blinked twice.

"So this allows me to... act better?"

He tilted his head as he tried to understand the skill.

The concept itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but the usefulness of acting was foreign to him. He had spent most of his life simply doing whatever seemed necessary, and he had never needed to deliberately pretend to be someone else.

"If I assume a role, my actions naturally conform to it..."

He couldn’t gauge how useful that could become, so he moved on.

[Physique Appraisal]

[Grade: SSS]

[Allows the host to perceive the nature and condition of a physique.]

[The user can discern the requirements necessary for its awakening, advancement, or transformation.]

Elias’s eyes brightened almost instantly.

"This..."

A grin appeared across his face.

"This is probably the most useful one out of all of them."

He could already imagine its possibilities.

If he could inspect someone’s physique and determine what was needed to awaken or advance it, then he could potentially discover people with rare constitutions before anyone else realized their value.

He could find talented individuals, determine what they needed, and perhaps even help them awaken abilities that would otherwise remain dormant for their entire lives.

"Appraising someone’s physique and helping them awaken it..."

His grin deepened.

"I could use this to find useful subordinates."

The thought made him rather satisfied.

After all, the world was enormous, and he couldn’t personally do everything.

His gaze then shifted toward the final filled slot in his Inventory.

Inside was a glass vial shaped like a heart, and shimmering purple liquid moved slowly within it.

Elias focused on it, and an explanation tab appeared.

[Potion of Desire]

[Grade: SSS]

[Upon ingesting even a single drop of this potion, the target would lose all mental constraints and barriers and speak loudly of the desire in their heart.]

Elias stared at the description.

His expression gradually became more serious.

"This can be dangerous," he mumbled.

Very dangerous.

He could already think of several ways such a potion could be used, and every possibility made him increasingly aware of how troublesome the item could become.

It wasn’t simply a potion that made someone speak honestly.

It removed the mental barriers that normally kept a person’s deepest desires hidden.

That meant even someone with excellent self-control could suddenly reveal something they had spent years concealing.

Elias looked at the little heart-shaped vial for another moment before mumbling, "I should be careful with this."

He then closed the System screens, and his attention returned to the corridor.

A faint smile appeared on his face, and he mumbled, "She must be waiting for me."

The thought made him quicken his steps.

He walked through the manor’s quiet corridor, passed the familiar walls and lamps, and soon reached the bathroom.

Before opening the door, Elias paused for a moment.

[I am here,] he said through their mental connection.

He pushed the door open, stored everything except his briefs in his Inventory, and stepped inside.

The robe, the boots, and the bandages covering him vanished as though they had never been there.

Warm mist immediately brushed against his face, carrying a gentle perfume through the air.

Elias closed the door behind him, and then he froze.

His eyes widened as he stared forward.

Whatever words he had been about to say disappeared from his mind entirely.

He could only remain where he was, his expression frozen in complete surprise.

A few steps away, Natasha sat on a short wooden stool beside the tub filled with lukewarm water.

And she had nothing but a towel wrapped around her, allowing him to see most of her body and picture what he couldn’t.

Her curvaceous figure was barely contained within the towel, and he could see the darker skin around her nipples at the border.

Her legs were raised enough for him to see a portion of her white briefs.

[Hello, husband,] she said with a beautiful smile.

"...Glup." He swallowed and mindlessly took a step forward while still staring at his wife’s gorgeous figure.

Suddenly, an orange screen flickered before him, and his attention shifted to it.

[Perfect Role]

[The most suitable role for Natasha Sephila has been realized!]

[Does the host want to act like a husband who wants to be both physically and intimately spoiled?]

’This woman... what kind of preference does she have?’ Elias was once again left dumbfounded and completely confused about what he had heard and learned about women.

Perhaps she was simply an odd one. Which meant his first wife was even more extraordinary!

He couldn’t help but feel a bit proud, but as he soon realized what he was being proud of, he asked himself, ’Have I gone crazy?’

As he stood there, lost in thought, Natasha smiled mischievously and slowly, gracefully, rose to her feet.

She silently stepped over to him and held out her hand to him.

[What is wrong?] she asked with a tilted head, her eyes full of amusement and playfulness.

Elias looked at her hand and gently grabbed it.

[I was just stunned by how beautiful you are.]

Her mischievous smile faltered for a moment, and embarrassment climbed to her face. She responded, [Y-You cannot be the one to say that...]

He furrowed his brows.

[Why not?]

She pushed a finger against his chest and said, [Why? Because hearing it from an ordinary person and someone as handsome as you are two different things.]

Elias blinked a few times, and then he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Natasha watched him with furrowed brows.

A few moments later, he stopped laughing and said, [There is no need to say something like that to make me feel better.]

Her lips dropped into a frown, and she grabbed his face with both of her hands.

[What are you talking about? Do you think I am lying just to make you feel better?]

Confusion spread across Elias’s face, and he mumbled, [You are not?]

[Of course not,] she said, and then she added while tracing his facial features, [You must have a low opinion of yourself, but the way I see it, you are far more handsome than other men I have seen.]

Elias’s eyes trembled, and he mumbled in a low voice, as though finding it hard to accept, [I am...?]

[Yeah?] She tilted her head in confusion. [Why do you even think that you are not handsome?]

His face darkened as the old memories resurfaced, and after a brief hesitation, he answered, [My siblings used to call me ugly.]

Natasha blinked and came to a realization.

’So he is insecure about his looks... just like how I am about these scars.’

She pulled him into an embrace.

Elias froze as he felt her warmth and softness wrap around him, and then her sweet voice rang in his mind.

[You are not ugly, Elias. Not at all. In fact, you are incredibly handsome, so stop putting yourself down and have a little confidence.]

He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say. It was his first time hearing someone say that to him, and for him, that someone was the most beautiful woman in the world.

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, and she added as she brought her lips closer to his face.

[Do you want me to prove it by licking your face?]