Chapter 18: Serina Blackwood’s Tempting Offer

It was similar to the conventional meaning of enlightenment in one important way. It could grant Nero a sudden understanding of concepts he encountered.

However, the way it worked was completely different.

Enlightenment occurred randomly, depending on his surroundings and experiences. Nero could also actively absorb information from the world around him, potentially triggering enlightenment about whatever he was learning.

Once he gained enlightenment about a particular concept, he would be able to understand and replicate it.

It was a rather strange ability, but Nero could already imagine how useful it would be.

Just as he was thinking about its possibilities, the ability suddenly activated.

[Ding! By being near an incomplete High-Human, you’ve gained enlightenment on the concept of High Humans.]

"????"

"...Huh?"

Nero was completely confused by the notification.

He had never heard of a High-Human before. Judging by the name, it sounded like some kind of superior human being.

However, something else caught his attention.

’Incomplete High-Human?’

Nero turned toward Lucas, who had returned to practicing his Thunder abilities on the other side of the training area.

Golden sparks danced around his fists as he repeatedly struck the training dummy.

’Wait, is Lucas an incomplete High-Human?’

If that was the case, what did it make ordinary humans?

Low Humans?

Nero almost laughed at the thought.

He was now rather curious about what High-Humans actually were, but unfortunately, the enlightenment hadn’t given him enough information to fully understand the concept.

He had only obtained a basic understanding, and there was clearly much more to discover.

A few minutes later, Lucas jogged over.

"Hey, Nero!" he called out with a grin. "Add me to your contacts. We should train together more often!"

"Sure."

Nero took out his phone, and the two quickly exchanged contact information.

Lucas even saved Nero’s number with a ridiculous number of emojis beside his name.

"Perfect!" Lucas exclaimed. "I’ll message you later about our next training session!"

"Sounds good."

With their training finished for the day, Nero decided it was time to leave.

He said goodbye to Lucas before heading toward the exit.

While walking past the vending machines near the training facility, Nero suddenly remembered someone.

The girl, Serina whom he had taken to the hospital yesterday.

But what he remembered even more was the way she had clung to him, pressed herself against his body, and refused to let go.

’That was seriously awkward...’

He quickly shook his head.

It wasn’t his fault anyway. She had been sick and was the one who kept clinging to him.

He had only been trying to help her.

Nero then decided to approach the vending machine and buy himself a cola since he had stopped here.

Speaking of which, after hours of training, he was feeling rather exhausted, so he decided to use the Instant Fatigue Reliever he had received from the choice to train yesterday.

He didn’t use it yesterday since he didn’t get fatigued due to the simulation. Now he was exhausted and wanted to see it’s results.

[Instant Fatigue Reliever Used.]

A pleasant warmth spread throughout his body, and the exhaustion he had been feeling quickly disappeared.

Nero stretched his arms, feeling refreshed.

This was surprisingly useful.

"Nice."

Then, he slowly opened up his can of cola and drank it.

As he casually looked around, he wondered whether Serina might be nearby. He found here yesterday after all.

It’s not that he wanted to see her again. He was simply looking since there was nothing else to do.

Just then, a playful voice came from behind him.

"Looking for someone, Mr. Savior~?"

"Whoa!"

Nero flinched, nearly dropping his drink.

He quickly turned around and found a beautiful girl standing a few meters away, watching him with an amused smile.

She had long dark hair that fell past her shoulders and a pair of striking violet eyes. Her slender figure had curves in all the right places, and she carried herself with a natural confidence.

Nero recognized her immediately.

It was Serina.

She looked much healthier now, with no signs of the fever that had left her barely conscious.

"Savior?" Nero repeated her words with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Serina tilted her head playfully at his words. "You saved me when I was sick and helpless, didn’t you? So naturally, you’re my savior."

"Or perhaps you’d prefer being called my lover or boyfriend or hubby?" she asked with a mischievous smile forming on her face. "Considering how you let me cling to you yesterday without even resisting I believe that’s the most accurate way to call you."

Nero immediately became embarrassed.

"That wasn’t my fault!" he replied awkwardly. "You were the one clinging to me! I was just trying to help!"

The girl seemed rather pleased with his reaction.

"I’m just teasing you!" she said with a laugh. "You’re really fun to mess with."

"..." Nero wanted to curse. That was not a nice thing to say was it?

She then extended her hand toward him.

"I’m Serina Blackwood. And you’re Nero Martinez, right?"

Nero naturally knew her name.

More importantly, he also knew about the Blackwood family.

They were one of the most powerful military families in the Liberty Federation, with considerable influence in the military, political, and business sectors.

On that note, Serina herself was also considered one of Pride University’s geniuses, standing among talented students like Lilly and Richard.

’Wait, wasn’t there a bunch of military helicopters arriving at the hospital yesterday?’

Nero suddenly remembered the commotion he had witnessed after bringing Serina there.

’Could that have been General William coming to check on his daughter?’

It was certainly possible, considering how influential the Blackwood family was.

However, now wasn’t the time to think about that. Serina was still waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Yes," Nero replied somewhat awkwardly. "I’m Nero Martinez."

Serina smiled.

"Well, thank you for taking me to the hospital yesterday. That was very kind of you."

For a moment, her tone became more sincere.

However, her playful expression soon returned.

"Perhaps one of my friends would’ve done the same thing, but since you were the one who helped me, I suppose I should reward you."

She moved closer, leaving very little distance between them.

"So tell me, Mr. Savior. What would you like as a reward?"

Nero opened his mouth, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.

He already got his rewards from the Choice System so he didn’t really need anything.

But, Serina seemed to find his hesitation amusing.

"Hmm... I could give you my phone number. That sounds fair, doesn’t it?"

She placed a finger against her chin, pretending to consider her options.

"Or perhaps you’d prefer a nice, tight hug? You seemed to enjoy having me so close yesterday."

"..."

Nero didn’t know how to respond.

’Does she have to keep bringing that up?!’

However, Serina wasn’t finished teasing him.

She leaned forward slightly, placing a finger against her red lips.

"Or perhaps..." Her smile widened as she lowered her voice. "Would you like a kiss from me?"

Nero was completely caught off guard this time.

How could she say something like that so casually?!

Did this woman have no shame?

Are women in today’s society really this shameless?!

He was already having enough trouble dealing with her teasing, and now she was casually offering to kiss him!

Before he could come up with a response, the familiar system window appeared before him.

[Ultimate Choice System Activated!]

[Option 1: Ask Serina to give you a kiss.]

[Reward: Perfect Memory (Rare)]

[Option 2: Politely decline and say helping her was enough.]

[Reward: $5,000 Cash (Common)]

[Option 3: Ask for her phone number, home address, bank balance, and marriage availability.]

[Reward: Gold Digger Starter Pack (Uncommon)]