Elion strolled through the corridor with a pleased smile tugging at the corner of his lips, the echo of Aria's shy expression still dancing in his mind.
Hah.
She was already wrapped around his finger.
Claws sunk deep. Hook, line, and sinker.
And Isolde… gods, she was just too fun to tease.
The way she sputtered, flailed, and short-circuited, he struggled not to laugh just thinking about her face.
He chuckled under his breath, remembering how red she got, how her voice cracked, how she sputtered like her entire system had crashed.
Then there was Lyra.
The feisty little catgirl who practically had "NEED TO DEFEND BEST FRIEND" written on her forehead.
Her twitchy ears, her sharp green eyes, the way her tail nearly puffed up when she glared at him.
"So cute…" he muttered with a snort.
He stretched his arms lazily, rolling his shoulders.
"Well then… time to get ready to eat Aria up tonight. And farm some system points from her."
He stepped out into the courtyard, sunlight washing over the stone tiles.
A gentle breeze rustled the trees in the academy gardens.
Then—
A sharp chime sounded in his mind.
[Skill: Discerning Eye — hostile intent detected.]
Elion stopped walking.
His head turned slightly.
His vision sharpened.
The world dimmed around the edges, shifting into crisp layers in his vision.
And then, heat signatures flared to life in the distance.
Six of them.
About one hundred meters away.
Deep in the garden pathway inside the courtyard.
All of them silhouettes he knew far, far too well.
Elion's smile evaporated.
His jaw tightened.
"…William."
He hissed the name like poison.
There they were.
William Dawncrest was leaning casually against a tree, hands in his pockets, smirking like he owned the world.
So the bastard finally decided to move.
His mind spun rapidly.Running wasn't an option, not because he couldn't, but because he refused to.
But he also wasn't stupid.
He checked their statuses
Jared Holt — Level 20. Tall, shaved head, meathead number one.
Ronan Gale — Level 18. Thin, twitchy.
Marcus Vell — Level 15. Broad shoulders, always cracking his knuckles.
Trevor Cain — Level 17. Coward. Fast runner. Good at holding someone down.
Felix Dorn — Level 16. Small, quiet, creepy. Carries rope for "pranks."
Elion's stomach twisted, not with fear, but with boiling contempt.
"They're really going to jump me…" he muttered. "Here of all places."
He could already imagine what they had in mind for him today for daring to defy William.
William would chase him.
He'd make a game of it.
Drag him behind a building.
Beat him until he couldn't walk.
Running wasn't an option.
William would chase him anyway, and Elion wasn't about to show his back to that arrogant pig.
And more importantly...
I refuse to let that bastard think he was prey.
But… realistically?
He couldn't fight them, not like this.
The current him was no match for William
[William Dawncrest - Level 25]
William alone was strong enough to wipe the floor with him.
Elion's eyes flicked to the status window mentally.
Level 14.
Pathetic.
Six against one.
And he was Level 14.
He couldn't win.
He knew that.
But he also knew he couldn't back down.
His pride wouldn't allow it.
His blood refused it.
His instincts screamed for him to stand.
He exhaled slowly.
Think.
He racked his brain, thinking of a way to get out of this situation on top.
Wait...I still have system points.
"…System," he murmured. "Use all my points. Raise my level."
A soft chime.
[Recommendation: Spend 300 SP to reach Level 20.]
[Forced breakthrough to Novice Mage stage (Lvl 21) requires seclusion.]
[The host's body will undergo changes and will be vulnerable for the duration of the breakthrough.]
"Oh." He blinked once. "Then do that."
[Ding! Converting system points to XP…]
The surge hit instantly.
A tidal surge of raw power exploded through his body.
Elion staggered, gripping the railing beside him as an invisible force rushed through every muscle fiber, tendon, nerve, and bone.
His breath escaped in a low groan, half pain, half exhilaration.
Heat rushed up his spine.
His vision blurred, then sharpened.
His entire body tensed, vibrating with new strength.
"Ghh—!"He groaned, gripping his shirt as mana throbbed within him.
It ended just as quickly.
He straightened, breath hitching.
He flexed his fists and body once, feeling the changes.
"…Only a little change physically…"But he could feel it, his frame felt denser, more solid, subtly strengthened, but also lighter.
It was an odd feeling.
"Status."
He called up his status.
[Name: Elion Nova]
[Race: Human / Incubus]
[Age: 18]
[Class: Water Mage (Apprentice Rank)]
[Talent: Bronze Grade]
[Level: 20 (0/200 XP)]
[Physical: 43 → 69]
[Mental: 75 → 99]
[Mana: 59 → 87]
Skills: [Water Bullet — Lv2] [Water Blade — Lv1] [Tidal Wave — Lv2] [Sinful Touch — Divine][Mind Control — Divine] [Harem Seal — Divine] [Irresistible Charm — Divine] [Discerning Eye — Divine, Lv1]
[Storage: Ink of Yearning]
[System Points: 290]
Elion sucked in a breath.
"Holy! that's a damn buff."
Like before, the stat growth was absurd, far beyond what normal people gained from leveling.
He still didn't know why exactly, but at this point, he didn't care.
At the same level?
He was probably 1.5× stronger. Maybe close to 2× in very specific stats.
"Probably not enough to completely topple William," he muttered. "But close."
His eyes hardened.
He wasn't afraid anymore.
Just focused. Cold.