Alpha Realm (OP.MC.|Harem|NSFW)

Name: Aizel Kadashi | Age: 19 | Level: 15

Title: Bronze-rank Hunter (D+)

SE: 0 | HP: 261

Race: Crimson Were-Dragon

Bonded Souls: Lisa Kadashi

"~Aizeel! You ready!?" Vanessa called from a rough log bench a block away.

"This is going to be awkward, isn't it?" Aizel asked Lisa

"Yes, it will be. Like pulling a dagger, let's get it over with… By the way, why haven't you used (Restore) on your ear? Or on your almost-girlfriend's face over there? I love the faint one on your face, but the ear one…"

"I didn't get the chance to see if using (Restore) was a normal thing to do, ."

"It isn't. Good choice, but we will most find a commotion once we come back, so…"

Aizel let out a sigh and used (Restore) on his ear. That was strange. Using HP to heal himself. Healing, watching it go down, for it to go back up faster than normal, but Geas shenanigans were nothing new. He had gone from being a lone were-dragon in the morning to a high-ranking bronze in the afternoon. And now, he's also an ex-slut baddie who owns me. With personality quirks.

"And you don't System-talk…" Lisa said with a sigh while tying her hair in a ponytail. Going from fine to I want to pull that shit fine.

"Is that weird?" Aizel asked. 'I guess that's the spoken-out-loud version?'

"Is not normal for a bronze rank, level 15, or someone your age to do. It's pretty advanced."

"Good to know. The thing is, I don't know the chants. I never used them."

"I don't know what to tell you, ~Master. Your whole system seems to be different."

"Call me Aizel in public, please."

"Oh. So I can call you ~Master. In private?"

He ignored her and kept walking. She loved to tease him, and he liked to be teased by her. So far, they worked.

As they got closer to Vanessa, he could see her temperature drop; he was not only walking with the 'high priestess' by his side. But she was not wearing her veil, and dragging a lot of attention with her white clothes. Her tight apparel almost shone in the evening pinkish-orange light, and the mud did not stick to her clothes, similar to the clerk's. She now walked with pride, looking more like a yacht captain than a Priestess. It was crazy to see how her body language changed how he perceived her.

"H-High priestess… Hello. Why is she here, Aizel?"

"It's Lisa Kadashi now," Lisa replied

"W-What!?" Vanessa gawked.

"She got bound to me, is no longer a high priestess, is coming on the mission, and for some reason got my last name after the (Bind)… You can still stay if you want; I would fully understand your decision. But I would recommend that you come with us; this mission will probably benefit you and look good in your rank log."

"It's okay, I guess. I-I'm still coming. But don't glance at my stats, please. I don't like it."

"I can't cast it without system-talking the skill name anyway, not even whisper it," Lisa replied, and gave Aizel a knowing glance. Probably because Vanessa was still coming.

'She will probably learn how to do that after I teach her how I use the system, but I'm not telling that to Vanessa… though I would love for her to come. But I'm married? Now… How the fuck's that also not a bug?'

"We will leave through the north gate. And if I forget to retrieve my daggers from Vanessa's stalker, please remind me. Vanessa, we are relying on you for experience while camping and traveling. I will be doing the scouting and fighting of monsters; do not worry about that. Lis is mainly going to be using this trip as a training exercise, but she can also detect monsters, so stay close to her if I'm not around."

"Lis…" Vanessa murmured. 'Please do not make this harder, Vanessa,' Aizel thought.

"~And yet she's still coming…" Lisa said in a whisper so low that it would take a Were-person paying attention could probably hear. Since Vanessa did not react at all.

"What do you mean by not around?" Vanessa asked.

"I will tell you and show you after we leave town. Do we need anything else? I still have a large crystal, a small crystal, and some silver"

"Is she not carrying anything?" Vanessa asked. "And just say 'silver.' You don't need to specify in what capacity. It's pretty jarring seeing you lead, while still being lacking in common sense. No offense."

"No, she practically ran away from the temple and left Morrico to deal with the aftermath. That's why I ask: do we need anything else? Some stalls have not closed yet."

"Morph." Lisa corrected him, and was ignored.

"I guess not? You said you would hunt regularly. Maybe get her a backpack so we can carry meat? And other supplies. The merchants that sold us the disgusting rations and dried soup already closed. And more loot. What about the tents? Is she going to sleep with you?"

"Yes, she is. My tent fits two people. But we can maybe see if the gatherers are still open for a backpack and another bedroll. As much as I want to stay in the same one, we won't fit. If I had known how my day would end, I would have bought a larger one."

Aizel said with more confidence than he felt; it took some practice not to show it. Lisa could probably still tell, but chose not to tease.

"See, your stinginess is biting back," Vanessa said

"But you said that you would ~make - us, fit," Lisa said. 'And there's the teasing.'

"That's not what I meant. Let's move."

Vanessa that got all red.

— — —

They managed to buy the backpack and bedroll. Lisa was still dragging her eyes, but in all honesty, it was her clothes, and not her looks; they were too perfect and ghostly. They looked nice inside the guild, but here it attracted a lot of attention. If they were a normal party, they would be the perfect bait. But they were not, as goblins would have a really hard time sneaking up on a Dragon and an Angel.

'But damn, I love how her ass looks in those pants. I wonder if they come in black.'

"Lis, is the cloth that those pants are made of available for purchase in other colors? I would love to see your ass in black ones."

"Aizel!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Nessa!" Aizel teased back, and it worked; she froze.

"Hmm. I don't know; we must ask the tailors for some. They probably have better contacts. I got these ones in the Duchy Capital. They are pretty expensive though. They are warded against mud and some water, and I can just cast (Clean) on them once for them to be all shiny and remove all the grime that does accumulate over time."

"The price of beauty, I guess." Aizel commented, "I need to teach you how to fly properly as soon as possible, in case we find a shit-show once we return."

"The temple is going to take a while to retaliate; it's the Guild Master I would worry about."

"Fly?" Vanessa asked.

"She's a seraphim angel. I'm a were-dragoon. Wait, you do have wings, right?" Aizel asked Lisa.

"Yes, I do have wings. I can show them to you later. What, you were going to abandon me if I didn't?"

"No, but it would make things a lot harder."

"Ow~" Lisa teased him with fake indignation.

"And what about the guild master? Were you fucking him?" Aizel asked plainly, ignoring Vanessa, who looked as if she would faint at any moment. 'Is tough love; I'm really sorry.'

"No, it's because he courted me since Redvelia's Temple of the Sun was inhabited, around two winters ago, and since I never let him, that he might get antsy."

"As long as he doesn't fuck with me too much."

— — —

They were getting closer to the gate when Vanessa stopped them.

"Aizel, I know you and High… Miss Lisa are a thing now. But could you—well, the two of you, I guess—do me a favor?"

"What's up?" Replied Aizel.

"I… Did not correct you when you called Marlo a stalker. Because he pretty much is. I don't like him like that and…"

"And you want Aizel to play boyfriend." Lisa finished for her.

"No! I mean, yes? Kind of. I just want him to stop trying to court me; I do not need you to 'play boyfriend,' just…"

"You do realize that if we do this, you might lose out on other prospects, right? Rumors spread, especially in small towns like this one, even more with how little hunters there are." Aizel said.

"Hey! Don't call them little. They're fun size." Lisa teased.

"You, are fun size. For me, that is. And you know I meant little 'quantity' of hunters, woman. I didn't even misspeak… I think. But I digressed."

"He's not wrong, Vanessa. Another man might think you are spoken for."

Vanessa looked dejected; she was taking this Lisa thing quite right, so Aizel wanted to at least help her out, but he did not want people talking badly about Vanessa; she was a nice girl.

— — —

The trio got close to the north gate. Stalker-man and another male guard saw them approaching. Stalker-man was staring daggers at him, and the other guard's eyes were glued to Lisa.

"Where have you been all day, Vanessa?" Stalker-man asked, some anger flaring up in his tone.

"She's been on guild business; you should have sent a replacement at noon. I assume this is the one that completed her assignment?" Aizel replied for her and nodded at the new guard.

He was using a low but authoritative tone. Mar… Something. Was also bronze. So he could not outrank him since Aizel was at the last bronze sub-rank, whatever thingy; he still had seniority, but after seeing how he had jumped ranks. It clearly did not matter that much.

"Yes, Boss. Hunter Michel, low Bronze, E-. At your service!" The new guard said to Aizel as he straightened up. 'At least he did not call me 'Sir.' Still, brownie points for you, lad.'

They could easily tell their ranks by the metal they wore, but they sometimes said the sub-rank, so as not to have to get close to read it.

"At ease. Aizel Kadashi, D+." Aizel said. 'My tags are bronze; no need to say the whole thing, right?'

"D plus? I thought he was going to get a new ID, Vanessa?"

"And you thought right. Now, I need the three daggers I left in your care this morning, Hunter." Aizel told Stalker-man. Not even letting Vanessa respond.

'I'm probably pushing my boundaries, and being sexist, but she did ask for my help. This is the only way to do that; instead of faking a relationship, we can imply it, while leaving Vanessa plausible deniability.'

Stalker-man furrowed his brows but went inside a door in the stone wall. He quickly came back and offered them to him; they were wrapped in a piece of red cloth, but Aizel knew he should just take the daggers. He took them and stored them in his belt; he had already equipped it with sheathes for these three, and many more in case the gobos had some new toys for him.

"Where have you been all day, Vanessa?"

"She doesn't owe you an answer; her handler already spoke with her," Aizel told Stalker-man.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Stalker-man bit back, getting a bit angy.

"But - I was—talking to you. Now, if you excuse us, we are losing daylight. A pleasure to meet you, Hunter Michi. Be safe, and see you around." Aizel nodded towards the other guard whose name was already fading in his mind, and started walking without waiting for a reply from Stalker-man.

The other guard nodded and straightened up.

"There's barely any daylight left; where are you going?" Stalker-man kept pushing

"We are on a mission. And I hunt better at night; let's move." Aizel growled at Stalker-man and then ordered the girls.

They began walking, and Stalker-man was too shocked to reply. Once Aizel saw that he was not following them—but was still looking towards them—Aizel got a rush. He placed his hand around Vanessa's waist while looking at her. She flushed and seemed surprised.

They walked away without sparing Stalker-man a second glance. Only letting go once they were out of his line of sight.

"That was, fucking - hot!" Lisa exclaimed once they were outside the guards' line of sight.

"Maybe, but I'd rather not do that again; it felt weird. So if he keeps bothering you, please be firm with him, Vanessa," Aizel said.

"Yes. Sorry… But you have to admit that you got the hang of this quickly." Vanessa said, looking dejected.

"I've seen some movies." He replied.

"You've been to the Imperial Capital!?" Lisa asked.

"Is that the only place where you can see a movie?" Aizel asked, not forgetting for a second that she could tell if he lied, so he tried to dodge her inquiry.

"Hm. I'm not sure…" She started thinking.

"How can you hunt better at night?" Vanessa unknowingly came to the rescue.

"Thermal vision, night vision, sounds travel better, smells are less obnoxious, mana vapor— the 'mind's aura' or whatever the fuck is called, is more visible. Electroreception works better. Most goblins are sleeping and easy to ambush, with only a few that can move well in the dark… By the way, Lis. Which one of those traits do you share?"

"All of them, to a lesser degree. I can probably see the lightning fabric inside living beings better than you, and my wings are supposed to be more silent… but I can't fly, only glide." Lisa said the last bit with sadness.

Vanessa was staring at them.

"Well, let's keep moving, guide us, Vanessa, and find us a clearing, preferably on a hill. We will make camp there and begin testing how we will work."

"S-Sure, leave it to me."

— — —

Vanessa managed to lead them to a clear hill six clicks inside the forest.

"Okay, First things first. Show them to me," Aizel told Lisa.

She began to unbutton her top, but Aizel stopped her.

"Your wings, woman! That jacket clearly has slits for you to materialize them without removing your anything." Aizel said.

"~Own. Don't you love just how shy he is sometimes, Huntress Vanessa?" Lisa teased.

"That's new. He was behaving so bold with Kira, and even with me earlier in the day."

"Oh? I think it might be because—" Lisa tried to explain before Aizel intervened.

"Lisa! Just… materialize them."

"What's with that word? Is the second time you have said it. It's called Manifest. Not materialize…" Lisa said.

"Yeah, he uses weird words sometimes. I understand what he means, but still." Vanessa added.

"Can we please move on. Lis? Just stick them wings out or whatever."

Lisa stopped messing around and "manifested" Her wings. A flush of iridescent shine rushed from her back, condensate in the shape of white feathers and two large wings; they were shorter than Aizel, maybe the size his were at their shortest on his combat or high maneuver mode.

But they were beautiful, and she looked like a runway model for a luxury yacht or airline company about to do a catwalk. The sky was pink and reflected magnificently on them, giving them a slight pinkish hue.

"They are so pretty!" Vanessa said, mesmerized.

"I concur. Now try to fly"

She started moving her wings front and back; they moved some air, but it was nowhere near what his did. But that's not how he flew; he just moved his to adjust them, not to generate lift. She even got a little winded after a few tries.

"And that's your problem. You will never fly by batting them away like a drunk pigeon. Have you never been told that?"

"No? The only other angels I know are my father and the Grand Priest. My father just uses (Teleport) to appear high in the air and then glides away. And I only saw the Grand Priest a few times, never for long enough for a lesson … "

" … Other races with wings are the same; Wyvern-kin, Eagle, and the like. Glide more than fly. And Immortal races are too different; Fairies float more than fly, Phoenixes use fire skills, and I've never met a Succubus to see what they do, since they are the closest wing type… How… do you do it?"

That was all great information, but he had implied that he would teach her how to fly. So, he 'manifested' his wings with a burst of red flames that would have burned his T-shirt and jeans were it not for a quick (Barrier) aided with (Infuse) to protect them. With (Telekinesis) moving the wisps away, aided by (Infuse) and (Detect).

'I'm getting good.'

A pair of massive wings condensed from the red flames on his back. They were not as pretty as hers. Rather something a monster or demon would have. However, they carried his crimson color that shone with the light of the sunset. He did not even flap them; he did hop on the ground and started to (Infuse) the surrounding air. Aided by (Telekinesis), he hovered close to the ground.

The girls were in shock, so he began speaking. "You need to use a few skills, but the basic idea is to use the air, move it around your wings, not with your wings. They will carry you once the air lifts them."

They were still not talking, just gawking at him, so he decided to continue before they started to drool. "To not waste energy, I will go and scout around and see what I can find to plan our next move."

He flapped them once, and moved backwards. Then once more, and shot in an arc through the air. He was showing off a little, but he was not lying; they might not have spotted monsters nearby, but he wanted to be sure. He would find a place to camp and train for the night, and see if he could spot the returning party he was supposed to help.

— — —

Name: Vanessa | Age: 22 | Level: 20

Title: Bronze-rank Huntress (D-)

SE: 6 | HP: 115/115 | MP: 20

Race: Human

Vanessa just stared as Aizel manifested his wings. A short burst of red flames illuminated the forest for a moment before they converged into two massive wings. She had seen other races do something similar before, but never so dazzling, and never had she seen such large appendages outside the -Born or -Man races.

Then there was the way he moved; she, like ex-High Priestess Lisa, had seen other winged races fly and glide, but never like that. The closest she knew were Harpy-Born that had permanent wings for arms, but even they had to get a short run and flap their arms like crazy to fly.

At first. She thought that it was a trick; he must have been using (Telekinesis) or a pair of (Mana Hand) on his feet to hover in the air. Yet, the air was being drawn toward him from the top, and washing away at his feet, throwing some dust around.

Then, he said something about scouting and shot into the air in an arc, with so much speed that it was a little scary. He could probably just grab a rock and throw it or bump her in the head to kill her, or even just go high up in the sky and let go of a brick to cave her skull in.

Thankfully, she was not alone in her stupor; Lisa was also staring in the distance in shock. It had been surprising and confusing, seeing the supposed high priestess walking at his side, without her characteristic veil. She thought the worst, and the worst turned out to be even crazier than she assumed.

Somehow, they had been bonded and married in the little time it took her to go get her hunting gear.

She was still a little hurt that she never even had the chance to clear out her feelings for him before the creepy priestess stole away her chance with him.

But Aizel was right, and she was not so hurt as to let the opportunity to go on a hunt—and rise her rank—go away just because of a love that never bloomed.

'Love?… I just spent half a day with him. That wasn't love; no, that was simple infatuation, yes. A shallow feeling born out of lust and boredom. Right?'

"Do I even need to explain myself after that?" The creepy ex High Priestess Lisa said.

'Well, I guess she's not that bad… Still a little creepy, but just a girl like me in the end. Very, very far down.'

"It's still reckless. The temple is going to be mad at Aizel and blame him for what you both did." Vanessa stated.

"I know… And he seems to also have known that, even before binding me." Lisa replied.

"That's the part that I don't understand. You could have just quit the Temple, become a Huntress, and pursue him like a normal person. And then you also somehow got married? Who even officiated that at the moment? Or gave their approval!"

"No one. We performed the (Bind) spell and it just happened… He changed the wording of the spell. And I just repeated them."

"That's not enough to change a simple (Bind) from full slavery to getting married without witnesses. Or proper vows!" Vanessa said.

"Yes, but it's not like that. We are not 'married.' I just got his last name as a result of the spell. But I think you might be onto something; the spell did sound more like a marriage vow than a pledge of servitude. I just did not pay much attention at the moment… It was a little overwhelming. I gave him the spell, but since it was more like… a guide on what to say, he just said it weirdly."

Vanessa sighed and looked in the distance where they could see Aizel doing circles around them, increasingly going further away and higher in the sky. "How does he even do that? How much mana does he even have, blood, or whatever a blood-mage uses…"

"I have no Idea. I've never met a blood-mage in the past, only blood-shamans; the only thing that changes is that they use their HP instead of MP, their skills are stronger than normal, but they tire easily. Well, should…" Lisa replied.

"At least you seem a little less creepy this way. But you still stole him from me. I saw him first, and we had a nice little duo going on; it was enough to deal with the bitch of Clerk Kira to be so shameless. I thought you were just teasing us…" Vanessa said before thinking.

"I was just teasing at first… And stole? You had him for the entire day! And did not make a move… And I'm not creepy!"

"Yes, you are - were - very creepy; now you are just creepy. And an entire day!? I'm not a Skank! I won't just spread myself after just fooling around for a day!"

"It's your loss then. He knew I was used goods, and still wanted me."

"W-Well, of course! You are a— Beautiful woman!…" Vanessa declared. She could not deny that she had always been into women, so if the Priestess made a move on her… "And look at me, I have this ugly scar on my face, and I'm too tall for most men. T-That's also why I liked him." She finally admitted.

"~Oh, just liked?… But. Ask him to deal with that." The ex Priestess said as she pointed up and down at her scar. "You noticed his ear, right? He can use (Restore); just keep it a secret unless necessary to save a life. Tell people that you saved up for it or that a lover bought it for you if they even ask."

"I did notice, but I thought you had done that for him."

"Please. It would take me many seasons of study to turn my (Heal) to (Mend). And then some more to reach (Restore)… I can still. ~share him with you. Judging by how he's flying, I doubt I can satisfy him by myself."

"Well, too bad. As you said, it is my loss. I don't like to share." Vanessa replied with a huff. 'I would like to share him, but I'm a salty bitch!'

"Then cover your ears at night. I plan on letting him knot me until the buildup from his cum forces him out." Lisa said. Without a hint of shame in her tone.

"How can you be so shameless!? Where is the High Priestess that looked at everyone as if they were sub-humans! And gave unsolicited advice every time she got?"

"She got tired of wearing that mask! And asked a Dragon to shatter it!"

"…" Vanessa paused; she had no reason to judge Lisa. She didn't 'steal' anything. Venting is all she wanted to do. But Lisa was not at fault, and she actually looked relaxed until she pushed too far.

"I'm sorry. It all just happened too fast. This morning I was bored out of my mind, and now I'm hunting with two humans of an Immortal race; one of them is a hottie, and the other a closet pervert." Vanessa said before adding in her mind. 'Who's also a hottie.'

Lucky, before things got even more awkward, Aizel returned.

Two heavy thumps sounded as he dropped the corpses of a couple of goblins.

— — —

Name: Aizel Kadashi | Age: 19 | Level: 15

Title: Bronze-rank Hunter (D+)

SE: 0 | HP: 261

Race: Crimson Were-Dragon

Bonded Souls: Lisa Kadashi

"What the fuck!?" Vanessa yelled as he dropped the bodies of two goblins he had just killed. There were others in the camp he found, but he was too lazy to tie them down to carry all four back with (Spectral Hand). So he just harvested the crystals and right ears of the other 2 he left behind.

'I should have taken their hands and feet too… meh, whatever, I did not want to waste HP to clean myself more.'

"Can you teach me how to harvest what we can take with us without rotting?" He said.

"Sure… Did you see any others?" Vanessa asked.

Lisa started to slowly creep closer to him with a shy walk and her hands behind her back. Ignoring the two corpses.

"Not for at least 4 clicks around. I found a better hill that we can reach in about two hours in that direction." He pointed northwest. "There are no monsters on the way, and it leads down to a river so we can get water in the morning. I think Lisa and I should train until midnight and then go to sleep."

He thought and then continued, "It's clear enough for us to hear anything that might get close, but maybe just normal predators; there are no monsters nearby in the way or there. So there will be no need to keep watch." He finished explaining

"Normal predators won't get close to you, ~Aizel. Only large ones like Dire Wolves, Bears, or Griffins, but you are right; we both can hear those coming from two clicks away, even in our sleep… Not that - I'm planning on doing much of that."

He knew what she meant, but it was payback time, so he just ignored her tease.

"Vanessa, are the spine or other organs bones not valuable? Lis showed me a list, but I did not see much that did not rot, only claws and fangs."

"Yes, they can be harvested and used by both herbalists and alchemists. But Redvelia is still short on those, so unless you have a place to store them, it's a waste of time and effort.

"Now come, It's pretty easy if you know how to cut and strike," Vanessa explained, and then pulled a dagger and put on thick gloves to begin teaching him how to harvest the non-perishables.

She was really adept at it; it was pretty simple: just cut around the skin of the claw, twist, pull, and break, then cut again, and it was free. And just like that, a silver or a single commoner's day's wage was harvested.

She went around the arms and feet to harvest the rest, then plunged her knife under the solar plexus, pushed her entire arm in, and pulled the small crystal, worth 50 silver. She cleanly cut the ear, with much more ease and finesse than he did; the ones he took before just looked pulled and mangled compared to this.

'Dears don't have ears… well, they do, just not like those, and you don't take them.'

Even Lisa was crouching, all ladylike, paying attention to what Vanessa was doing.

Then Vanessa took the pliers they bought earlier because she said that hers were rusty, clasped a fang, and in a single motion broke it off without damaging the tool or the fang.

"~Show me yours," Aizel said in a low, sultry way beside Vanessa's ear.

"E-Excuse me!?"

"Your pliers, depending on how badly rusted they are, I think I can clean them. These daggers were almost unusable when I found them; I'm just bad at sharpening with a river rock, but not cleaning."

"Oh! Yes, they are in the front pocket; feel free to take them." Vanessa replied, all flustered.

"~Nasty, boy. You haven't even… Used your new toy… And are already looking for a new one. Poor little angel - to be - swayed by the Dragon Lies… He said he would not be selfish, and promised to be - Faithful. Just to steal her chastity away…" She whispered as she stood and looked away with her back towards Vanessa, knowing only Aizel would hear.

He chuckled as he went inside Vanessa's backpack to find the pliers. "Heh. ~Chastity, she says - I will have to use all my HP rinsing that angel cunt with (Purify) before going inside her…" He whispered back.

"~Use (Restore) while you are at it, and give me my first time back…" She whispered back.

'Maybe later… As nice as it would be… My dick is not on the "Maiden friendly" side. I overcompensated back wherever the Nerd and Assigner of- live. I'm pretty sure I made it just right, but I did base my dick-crafting on porn… the r34 hardcore type. So… I might have fucked up a little.'

"Oh! That's right! Aizel, you can help this pretty redhead with her scar!"

"I have a name…" Vanessa replied as she yanked the second goblin's fang.

"You're right, I was going to offer to do it anyway, before a certain angel messed with my head," Aizel said.

"I did no such thing," Lisa replied while pouting.

"I never said it was you. Maybe it was another angel in Redvelia that wanted to fuck me and distracted me from my plans."

"You don't have to do it… It's a really expensive thing to have done, and I can't pay you back. I really do not want to owe you." Vanessa said sadly.

"I was not going to charge you… But I have never used it on anyone but myself, so I don't really know how to do it. Help me figure out my skill by being my test subject as payment."

"…" She did not reply and kept working, storing the non-perishables and passing a thick needle through the goblin's ears and making a creepy-looking garland.

"Fine. I'm tired of this ugly and mangled face." Vanessa said as she stood and picked her up.

"You are far from ugly, woman. Have you even looked in a mirror? I'm pretty sure it feels worse than it looks." Aizel said.

"I'm not going to sleep with you. You can stop that." Vanessa declared and asked in a tired tone.

"First. Good to know. And I was just teasing you earlier, but I did not lie about your face. You are beautiful even with the scar. If anything, it made it easier to talk to you; you seemed approachable and reliable instead of being just a pretty huntress. It gives you character. I would like a scar like that on myself, but I'm not a masochist." Aizel said and grabbed her cheek while using (Infuse) on her.

"T-Thanks, it would look really good on you. Your… whatever that is, it feels warmer than the normal mana of (Heal)."

He did not reply and closed his eyes, calling up to the skill that did not want to cooperate. It did not want to leave his body.

"It's probably the Health Power inside the mana… Try to think as if she were part of your body, Aizel. Like a limb that has fallen asleep and can't feel." Lisa said to Vanessa and then instructed Aizel.

Aizel did as instructed; his Aura began seeping into her.

"Hng~" Vanessa moaned.

"Does it hurt?" Aizel asked

"No… It's just. Weird." She replied.

"Open your eyes, Aizel. Use your Dragon eyes," Lisa instructed.

Aizel opened his eyes. Vanessa had hers tightly shut. His aura was circulating inside of her the same way that it did him.

"That's it, don't just use the skill silently. That is an art for combat; it will use less mana… red mana, aura, or whatever it is you use. And you will have an easier time controlling it by doing three things. Say the skill name in system-talk, visualize, and order the skill, all at the same time." Lisa kept guiding him.

"I do not know the words," Aizel said.

"Its, Sanitas for (Heal)- Enmednde for (Mend) and Restoradis for (Restore)… Also, you could try the thing you did when you commanded me. Overcharge? (Infuse)." Lisa said, as she got closer to Vanessa to see with her own version of Dragon Eyes, Aura Eyes.

Aizel used (Focus) passively, did as instructed, and activated (Restore).

"Sanitas Enmednde Restoradis"

In a flash of red fire and with a yelp from Vanessa, her scar opened back as if she was going back in time all the way to the point her face was wounded, and then closed in an instant. Leaving her face as it was never scarred to begin with.

'Damn! She's fine as fuck!… But even if she was teasing, the angel slut is right. I did say I would not sleep around, and Vanessa seems to share that thought.'

"You can open your eyes. Good thing you closed them too; it was kind of violent." Aizel said.

"How do I look?" Vanessa asked.

'Like a face-fuckable sex toy with that ponytail,' was what he wanted to say. But he just looked at Lisa to ask for help; any compliment coming from him would only sound like praise or courtship.

"You were already beautiful, Vanessa, but I know what you are really asking. It looked like it was never there. The skill even exfoliated your face; the process was a little violent, so I got scared at first. But now I wanted to be performed on my whole body." She turned to Aizel and winked.

"Maybe later, before going to sleep, we are still in the wild, and need to administer our energy well. I want to try something."

He looked at the pliers and used the overcharged (Infuse).

'The human body already has iron and other minerals. And the words from both the skills and the system-talk incantation sound like they could be used in this… if it was a modern tool with weird alloys, maybe not, but these things have pretty simple chemical makeup. The advanced version of (Heal) is called (Mend) and the superior, (Restore), I wonder…'

"Enmednde Restoradis!"

In a flash of red flames, the pliers lost all rust, better than just using (Purify). In the brief moment that the skill was active, it looked like it was going back in time, and Aizel was getting excited.

He absentmindedly gave Vanessa the pliers and pulled out a dagger.

"Hey… Lis, what is the 'system-word?' For (Barrier), (Spark) and (Purify)?"

"B-Barrera, Fomes, a-and Purifica…" She stuttered.

Aizel was too focused to notice how Lisa was staring at him and Vanessa at the pliers.

He overcharged (Infuse) even more than normal, pushed his red aura inside the dagger, and formed a clear image in his mind of what he wanted.

"Purifíca, Enmédnde Restōradis, Fómes-Bárrera!"

Aizel said the words and pushed his HP to the limit.

He used and overcharged (Focus), the same one he used with the Orc Shaman. He saw how the dagger he had almost fully dulled while he tried to sharpen it started being restored before his very eyes. Furthermore, he used the altered perception to guide the cocktail of skills to sharpen the blade, not back to its best, but even more.

His Dragon Eyes zoomed in as if he was hunting from the air to the edge of the blade. With the hyper-charged (Barrier) aided by the heat from the hyper-charged (Spark), he molded it as he saw fit, removing whatever was not part of the blade, like grime and oils, with they hyper-charged purification skill.

Little by little, the blade was sharpened as if someone was trying to get the blade to zero on a sharpness-tester, molding every detail along the blade's length to be a perfect summit of metal.

For the girls, not even a second passed; just as they were looking, a sudden burst of purple flames engulfed the dagger before vanishing.

Aizel lost some HP from the effort; he still had plenty, but it was as if he had healed Vanessa while flying at top speed. Still within useful margins, and it was worth it.

'Unlike (Cook). Fuck that skill.'

〔 Notice: Complex skill usage detected.

► Active Complex Skill (Sharpen) acquired. 〕

〔 SE: 0 ► 1 〕

'Why did it give me Soul Energy?… Whatever.'

"Huh," Aizel said.

"What did you do?" Vanessa asked.

"I sharpened it," Aizel said.

Then with a wave of his hand, he used (Telekinesis) on the goblin corpse and raised one of its arms. Thankfully, it was still fresh enough to be moved with effort.

He used (Spectral Hand) on the sharpened dagger and cut the goblin's arm. He did not use a good technique while cutting, but the dagger was sharp enough to cut all the way to the bone. Probably already chipping.

Aizel stored the dagger after using a spoken (Purify). Using the word of the basic level of the skill 'Limpia' also made the skill lose some of its potency, not even using a single HP to (Clean) the dagger.