Chapter 194: Do You Have A Boyfriend?

"Oh... I see."

That was all Sophia could say, staring blankly at Rose who was making her feel worthless without even trying to be condescending!

There was truly nothing more humiliating than that.

If Rose was standing here, gloating over the win or mocking Sophia for her weakness, Sophia would’ve easily brushed it off.

After all, there were still cards that she had wisely decided to withhold considering how keenly both Rose and Fredrinn were studying her skills and abilities.

It was always better to have some sort of reliance or a trump card backing you up, rather than going in completely naked.

Confidence is good, but overconfidence is not.

Understanding that fundamental truth of life, Sophia would’ve consoled her subconscious and retained her confidence by believing in a simple thing: that she could’ve beaten Rose if she had really, genuinely tried to.

Whether it was sheer denial or objective reality, it wouldn’t have mattered. The important part was that Sophia could still hold onto that inner pride and walk away with her head held high.

Except it didn’t matter anymore.

Rose didn’t even mock her for the weakness or for losing.

Nuh-uh. She didn’t boast, laugh, or puff out her chest.

She just KILLED HER WITH THE WORDS!

’Haah... No wonder mom used to say that the strongest weapon isn’t the sword or a gun... It’s the tongue,’ Sophia sighed bitterly, feeling a strange sense of crushing defeat welling up within her. ’I always used to believe she was talking about dad’s tongue skills... But now I finally understand.’

Hearing Sophia’s bitter, defeated voice echo through the tense, dust-filled corridor, Max and Ash felt a sudden surge of protective instincts for the poor angelic beauty.

(I’m are talking about her "Oh I see")

She looked so downcast, leaning against the cracked wall with her arms crossed, that any normal young man would want to step forward and shield her from harm.

Yet, a single glance at Rose vanished those brave thoughts immediately.

Throughout the entire clash, Rose had been a lethal sight to behold. Due to the tight cotton t-shirt that was barely clinging onto her body, she appeared far too mesmerizing with every slight move she made.

Her body swayed with predatory grace, and her bountiful assets followed each breath, jiggling slightly beneath the thin white fabric.

Combined with the razor-sharp black claws still glistening with traces of mana, she looked like a walking death sentence wrapped in sheer temptation.

The two boys quickly glued their feet to the carpet and kept their mouths shut tight.

"So, how do you want to compensate me for my lost time and comfort with my hubby?" Rose tilted her head and asked, completely uncaring about the myriad complex emotions churning within Sophia. "Considering that the time I had to waste fighting you could’ve been spent with him... You are under a heavy debt, Sophia."

Her voice was dangerously clear. The adorable, playful third-person talking style she usually used around Fredrinn was nowhere to be found, and there wasn’t an ounce of mercy in her cold, hard gaze.

Sophia’s lips parted open at Rose’s words, but there wasn’t anything she could speak in return.

Compensate for the lost time? How could something like that even be measured in the middle of a zombie apocalypse?

In addition, it was nearly twelve o’clock by now! The sun was blazing high in the sky outside!

Even SHE was awake and walking around! How could these people still be complaining about getting disturbed at noon?!

In hindsight, Sophia did realize that she was in the wrong to choose that heavy-handed approach that would’ve worked against most people that weren’t Rose.

With normal survivors, putting a fist through a bathroom wall was just a flashy, slightly playful and little forced way to wake them up.

Unfortunately for Sophia though, inside that specific suite was Rose... and the demoness certainly didn’t think punching through her bathroom and disturbing them forcefully was a joking matter in the slightest.

"What do you even want..." Sophia deadpanned, murmuring speechlessly while crossing her arms over her chest. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Rose let out an exaggerated hum, bringing a slender, dark-tipped finger to her jaw as she stroked her chin like a scholar pondering the solution to a notoriously difficult maths problem.

She tapped her foot rhythmically against the blood-stained carpet, letting the heavy silence stretch out until everyone in the hallway held their breath.

And after a few seconds, Rose nodded to herself in sudden realization, refocusing onto Sophia as she spoke in a sweet, calm voice, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Sophia’s eyelids twitched violently at the abrupt question. The sheer absurdity of the inquiry in the middle of a post-apocalyptic standoff caught her entirely off guard.

A part of her desperately wanted to fabricate a charming, handsome suitor back home just to save face, but she realized it would be even more pathetic to lie about something so trivial.

She let out a dry sigh. "No."

"Oh..." Rose awed, her lips rounding into a soft shape as she looked at Sophia with pure, unadulterated pity. "I guess there’s nothing you can give me then... I will consider that your debt is paid, don’t worry about it."

She spoke in such a sweet, honeyed baby voice, sounding exactly like a mother consoling a heartbroken child who had dropped her ice cream, not an adult, strong awakened woman who could punch through the reinforced buildings!

Sophia smiled... her lips twitching uncontrollably as she struggled with every fiber of her being to maintain her composure in the face of Rose’s supreme ragebaiting techniques.

It was an absolute masterclass in psychological warfare. Even the most playful, carefree, and thick-skinned person on earth wouldn’t be able to easily resist that level of casual, pitying trash talk. It cut deeper than any physical claw strike ever could.

However, taking a deep, steadying breath, Sophia suppressed the raging irritation threatening to explode from her throat as she faked a twitching, forced smile.

"Oh, that’s very kind of you but I don’t take favors. And I am enjoying my single life very much."