He poured fifty mana potions onto the new land and evened it out. Then, he began sowing seeds across the fresh land.
He worked quickly but precisely, keeping track of each row and patch. By the time he was finished, his shirt was damp with sweat, and the sun was at peak.
He stepped inside the house, just in time for lunch.
Emily came downstairs, yawning and stretching. She looked drained, but her face lit up when she saw him.
“Isaac!” she said, rushing to him.
+0.6 AP
+0.6 AP
+0.4 AP
She hugged him tightly, and he smiled, returning the gesture.
At lunch, he fed her like usual. Her cheeks puffed as she chewed, and her happy little noises earned him more AP messages. +0.5 AP. +0.5 AP. +0.5 AP
Even with the Genetic Catalyst bought, he needed AP.
The Bloodline Upgrade Potion cost 2500 AP.
With only four days left, every interaction mattered if he wanted to buy the Potion.
He glanced at Emily between spoonfuls.
Now that he understood how awakening worked, he realized Emily would gain a huge power-up in form of Physique if he upgraded her bloodline.
’I need to buy the Bloodline Upgrade Potion at all costs.’
He wanted to help her improve. It wasn’t just for himself. Instead, the thought of Emily improving made him smile.
She looked up and returned the smile with her warm and bright eyes.
After lunch, Emily and Isaac settled under shade of the porch.
Emily sat between Isaac’s legs with her back pressed to his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
They had time before Emily’s combat training.
Until then, they talked about small things like random thoughts, silly jokes, nothing serious.
Isaac avoided mentioning yesterday’s mission, knowing how Emily’s temper flared whenever they talked about him getting hurt.
They laughed about a stray cat they’d seen earlier, arguing over what to name it.
Emily suggested “Fluffy,” and Isaac groaned, insisting it looked more like a “Bandit.”
The conversation drifted, light and easy, until Isaac leaned closer, his breath tickling her ear.
“Lady, can I ask you something?” whispered Isaac.
Emily giggled, squirming from the ticklish feeling.
“You can, sir,” she replied.
“I’ve been waiting for my Emily to ask for ’food,’ but she hasn’t. Tell me, fair lady, is my wife bored of me? Is she planning to toss me away like an old, broken toy?” teased Isaac.
“What are you talking about?” pouted Emily, nudging him playfully. “I didn’t take your energy because you were hurt yesterday. Healing takes a lot out of a person. You shouldn’t give away your life force right now.”
“Ho, injured? Me? I’m a healthy horse. Want to check?” grinned Isaac.
“Huh? How would—” began Emily.
Before she could finish, Isaac gently turned her head and kissed her lips.
The warmth caught her off guard.
It was soothing and addicting, but she tried to wiggle away. They were outside, and even though they were the only people in several mile radius, being intimate outdoors embarrassed Emily.
Emily pushed against his chest lightly, breaking the kiss.
“Isaac, stop. I’m not taking your life force until your body—”
He kissed her again, deeper this time, cutting her off.
“Mmh! Mmh!” she mumbled, pushing harder.
She understood it was his way of saying he wouldn’t stop teasing her until she took his life force.
The life force from the Life Stone tasted bland. It was like chewing paper.
Food was a bit better, but not by much.
She’d never told Isaac about this, afraid it’d worry him. But today at lunch, he’d figured it out.
Using his Phantom Emperor bloodline, he’d switched his taste to hers and tried the food. He wouldn’t eat that even if someone paid him, yet she ate it happily every day.
“Isaac… no…” panted Emily, pulling back again. He could see her gaze becoming hazy.
His hands slipped under her shirt. The touch was warm against her cool skin, and a shiver ran through her, and she gasped.
“Stop!” she said, wriggling to escape.
Waves of pleasure rolled over her, and it only made her more embarrassed.
Their position—her between his legs, his arms around her—made it impossible to move unless he let her. She realized he’d planned this, setting her up to trap her.
“Why… are you… doing this?” stammered Emily, her voice shaky as his touch sent sparks across her skin. “Isaac, I’m… saying this for you.”
Isaac smiled with mischievous eyes.
Truthfully, he had two reasons.
One was to make sure Emily took his life force. Even if she was full, he wanted her to eat something tastier than bland paper.
The other was simpler: teasing her was fun.
Seeing the pure and innocent Emily blush, pant, and twist in his arms felt like a immoral game, where he was tempting a fairy into doing something forbidden, and slowly corrupting her.
It stirred him in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
“Come on, a little life force won’t hurt,” urged Isaac.
Emily frowned, still upset he was pushing her.
She didn’t want to risk his health, not after yesterday’s injuries. But his stubbornness left her no choice.
As he leaned in again, she bit his lip with a bit of force to show her anger.
A sharp taste of iron hit their tongues as blood mixed with the kiss. Their lips moved together, tangled and warm, and Emily didn’t notice the blood at first.
“Ow,” muttered Isaac, surprised.
Constitution hadn’t defended him since he didn’t percieve – consciously and subconsciously – Emily’s kiss bite as an attack.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean—” started Emily, eyes wide.
“It’s fine,” reassured Isaac, wiping his lip.
He didn’t want her to panic.
To heal the small cut, he used Life Drain, pulling a tiny bit of her life force.
It wasn’t a problem since transfer was more about taste than filling her up.
They continued the kiss.
Curious, he flipped his taste buds to the ghost-like sense of his Netherborn Phantom Emperor bloodline, wanting to know how life force tasted to her.
A shudder ran through him.
The flavor exploded in his mouth. It was rich, and vibrant, like nothing he’d ever tasted.
No wonder she always asked for kisses.
This was a feast, and it was a double feast for her since the only other thing she ate were bland Life Stone or food.
The addicting taste made him want to keep kissing her.
The iron tang faded, replaced by the overwhelming flavor of their shared life force.
They lost themselves in it, forgetting that they were outside until a cough broke the spell.
“Emily, it’s time for combat training,” announced Leora, standing at the porch steps.
Emily jolted upright like she had been caught stealing cookies. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she quickly adjusted her clothes, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Isaac chuckled, leaning back, unbothered.
Next to Leora, Professor Catherine gave them both a knowing smile.
“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time tonight. For now, let’s focus on class,” teased Catherine.
Emily hid her face in her hands.
“You didn’t see anything,” she mumbled.
“Okay, we didn’t see two people clinging to each other like horny teenagers at all,” Professor Catherine said with a grin before turning toward the training field.
Emily, red as tomato, flew away without another word.
Only after a few meters in the air did she realize she could’ve just phased through Isaac’s arm earlier and escaped him easily.
She whimpered and kicked the air.
Isaac stood up, stretching. Then he turned to Professor Catherine. There was something he wanted to tell her.
“Tyr reached level 20.”
Professor Catherine’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh?”
She looked at Leora, who gave her a small nod.
With that confirmation, Catherine faced Isaac again. “Alright. Give me the list of materials you want for the evolution. I’ll submit the request to the Sanctum of Masters.”
Isaac called Tyr beside him and asked him to write down the materials he needed.
Current Race: Ironwood Sentinel of Life
Evolution Requirements: Crystallized Embercore. Ironbark Heart. Forgevine Husk. Obsidian Ashroot.
Evolution Race: Hellbloom Forgewalker
Professor Catherine whistled. “That’s a heavy list. Just these will push the budget over a billion.”
“Tyr already capable of kiting and fighting Champion-rank Awakeners if supported properly. Once he evolves, he’ll be able to fight them on equal footing. That’s more than worth it,” Isaac replied.
“True. One billion for a champion-rank companion is a bargain. I’ll prepare the requisition.” Professor Catherine nodded.
With that, she left to join Emily for training.
Isaac, Tyr, and Leora set off toward the market.
Construction was taking place in several area, and awakeners with guild badges were sighted more frequently.
As they drove, Isaac opened the system shop and searched for the evolution materials for Tirra.
Fragment of Phantom Root — 12,000 AP
Spirit Nectar — 9,500 AP
Nightbloom Feather — 11,500 AP
Core of a Lesser Wraith — 12,000 AP
The price tag in the system shop nearly made him puke blood.
“Forty-five thousand AP?”
He rubbed his temples.
“I need to earn more AP… a lot more AP.”
By the time they reached the market, a large crowd had already gathered.
Quite a few of them were ordinary Awakeners, others were merchants or local citizens hoping to get a glimpse of the now-infamous “rookie champion-slayer.”
Freya stood near one of the barricades, calming down a group of merchants pitching their own product to the awakeners.
Nero was at the gate entrance, checking documents. Kael, surprisingly, was trying to act serious as he directed traffic.
Leora noticed Isaac’s amused glance.
“Today is their market rotation,” she explained. “Students are given different duties throughout the week. Security detail, patrols, shop inspections, ruin exploration… it’s how they get real-world experience.”
“I see.” Isaac nodded, withholding his comment asking if this was real-world experience or free labor.