Vespara POV
Vespara moved swiftly.
Her green snake form slithered through the ruins at an incredible speed.
“Thank the Great Naga I survived…” she muttered internally, her tongue flicking the air.
That sword—Leora’s sword—had almost taken her life.
If not for the life-saving treasure hidden in one of her snake heads, she would have died right there.
A fragment of a spatial core, meant for one use only, had saved her at the last second by activating a substitution technique the moment her life force dipped below critical.
Her real body had been dragged away before death claimed it.
“I need to return,” she hissed softly as her body darted forward again.
She had to report back immediately.
“Eleanor Weiss… She’s dangerous. Far more dangerous than we thought. If she—”
Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop.
There was a swift sound followed by pain.
A long, gleaming sword came down like a flash of light and stabbed through her tail, pinning her violently to the cracked stone ground.
Her movement halted, her body writhed.
The pain wasn’t lethal, but it was enough to stop her from slithering further.
Vespara hissed in panic, thrashing, trying to break free.
Footsteps followed, and Catherine landed lightly a few meters away.
Her expression was relaxed, but her eyes were cold.
“Well,” Catherine said, “isn’t this rare? Not many people manage to fool master’s senses.”
She pulled the sword back slightly, only to press it down again—just enough to stop Vespara’s struggling.
“I suppose Isaac’s injuries must have shaken her a little more than expected. That’s the only reason you’re even alive right now.”
Catherine smiled faintly.
“I just came from outside the Akaza Ruin, by the way. It was a bit of trouble, but manageable.” Her tone was casual. “I found your fellow naga demihumans while I was out there. A few were very helpful.”
Vespara’s scales rippled. A chill ran through her spine.
If Catherine went there, then she must’ve seen ’it’.
“No wonder you and your little assassin group were so desperate to keep the Sanctum locked inside the ruin. I never imagined something like that was located outside. But now… it all makes sense.”
A visible shiver passed through Vespara’s snake-like body.
Her slit pupils dilated.
“You…” Vespara rasped, barely managing words in her half-shifted form. “You saw it?”
Catherine didn’t answer. She just watched.
The horror on Vespara’s face deepened. Her breathing became rapid, erratic.
Everything had gone wrong.
The plan, the traps, the distraction to isolate and kill Leora and Isaac—it had all fallen apart.
And now, Catherine had returned with the one piece of information they couldn’t afford to lose.
Vespara struggled again, her tail twitching violently under the sword pinning her down.
Catherine’s eyes glinted.
“Don’t bother.”
Then, with a simple movement, she shifted her grip, and swung her blade.
Vespara’s body stilled.
he light in her eyes flickered out, and her head slumped against the ground.
Catherine stood still for a moment.
She looked down at the corpse with a smile, and licked her lips.
“That was a nice expression she showed at the end.”
…
Isaac POV
Isaac woke up late thanks to the exhaustion from yesterday.
Recovering from the injuries took a lot out of him. He turned to the side, and noticed the bed beside him was cold. He blinked and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Alice?”
There was no response.
He glanced around and saw a folded note placed neatly on the table beside the bed. He picked it up.
I’m returning to home with Selene, and I will be back by evening.
Love you. Alice
Below the last line, there was a small scribble.
Flip the paper.
He flipped it.
You snore when you sleep — followed by a cute drawing of a round face with one eye closed and tongue sticking out.
Isaac smiled and shook his head. “This girl…”
He stood, stretched, and made his way to the bathroom.
After a quick shower, he returned dressed in simple clothes and towel-dried hair.
His mind shifted to more important matters, and he pulled up his AP panel.
AP Balance: 790.456 → 1278.82
“Damn…”
He blinked, then quickly did the math.
“So now I’m gaining 0.01 AP per second while I used to get 0.004 before.”
That meant just from passive generation, he’d gained almost 290 overnight.
“The rest must’ve come from last night with Alice.”
He leaned back slightly, still digesting the number.
His total AP was 1278.82, and it was finally enough.
He opened the shop interface and didn’t hesitate.
Tier 1 Sun Dragon-type Genetic Catalyst – Purchased
AP Balance: 1278.82 → 278.82
A golden orb materialized in his hand.
It radiated a warm, golden glow, and its surface shimmered with tiny sparks of light that gave off a subtle hum.
As he held it, a sense of vitality spread through his palm—calming and empowering at the same time.
“This is it.”
He stared at it for a long second, the warmth pulsing gently in his grip.
“With this… Alice can awaken.”
His excitement wasn’t only for her.
When she absorbed this, he would gain shared benefits and gain new bloodline, raised stat limits, and, hopefully, powerful dragon-themed skills.
He stored the orb away safely.
Then, he willed himself out of the Soulbind Pendant.
His surroundings shifted, and a moment later, he was standing in a small room.
At a table across the room, Professor Catherine sat with a pen in hand, working through a thick stack of documents.
She looked up.
“Oh,” she said, setting the pen down. “You’re out.”
Isaac’s gaze dropped to the desk in front of her. The Soulbind Pendant was resting there.
He frowned slightly.
“You had this?”
“Is that your tone toward your life’s savior?” Catherine arched an eyebrow.
She gave a dramatic sigh, placing a hand over her heart. “Not even a gift. Not even a ’thank you.’ Instead, I get interrogated. Everyone treats me like an object…”
Isaac rolled his eyes, but he knew she was right.
His disappearance last night must’ve caused a huge commotion. Since things seemed calmed now, it meant Professor Catherine had covered for him
“Thank you,” he said.
Catherine grinned. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Then she shrugged and added, “Alice gave it to me. She couldn’t take it with her while you were inside, so she asked me to guard it.”
Isaac nodded, picking up the pendant from the desk. It was warm to the touch, still linked to him.
Catherine leaned back in her chair and studied him.
“She trusts me, you know.”
“I can tell.”
“Can you blame her?” she asked, clearly proud of herself. “I’m the one who gave her advice when she was going crazy about her feelings. I’m the one who kept your little Soulbind excursions secret. And, most importantly, I’m the reason Emily is so supportive of your harem.”
Her supportive actions was why Alice trusted her quite a bit, and left the Soulbind pendant with her.
“…what do you want?” Isaac asked, understanding her intentions.
“Nothing.”
When she said nothing else, he sighed and slipped the pendant around his neck again.
Professor Catherine’s actions were dubious, but she always covered for him.
Without her help, he would have a lot of trouble on his hands.
He was thankful to her, and if she asked for something manageable, he would do it.