He was more fascinated with how it actually worked. A single command, spoken with genuine will, was enough to bend weaker minds to absolute obedience. Five minutes of perfect control where they would have neither the resistance nor the hesitation to do what he wanted. He exhaled slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, "this one was worth it."
The only downside was the limit. One use every forty-eight hours, and only on two people per cycle. A frustrating restriction, but manageable. He figured he would have to find a way to work around it eventually. Besides, this was the ability he had wanted from the start, the very reason he had pushed himself into that second round with Victoria earlier. He needed the extra SP, and earning it had paid off far beyond his expectations. To him, the power to control another person's actions sounded utterly broken, perhaps even too overpowered for a single ability.
With everything falling neatly into place, he could already imagine how much further he could push his limits. As for the sin he had committed with Victoria, the Book had graded it as a B-rank. That was expected. He had already noticed a pattern where repeating the same sin yielded diminishing returns, so the lack of bonus SP didn't catch him off guard. He was perfectly fine with it, considering he had obtained exactly what he wanted. Right now, his mind was occupied by a far more pressing discovery regarding his abilities.
Through his recent experiments, he had deduced that he could comfortably activate two abilities at the same time. Pushing beyond that threshold took a visible toll on his mind. Earlier, while channeling both [Voice of Absolute] and [Honey Whisper] simultaneously, a dull ache had started throbbing at the back of his skull. The moment he dropped [Honey Whisper], his thoughts cleared completely. His conclusion was straightforward: two active abilities at once resulted in a manageable mental strain, but attempting anything more than that was a risk he had no intention of taking.
As for why he had used [Honey Whisper] in the first place, the answer was simple. He wanted Jade to believe this entire encounter was nothing more than a dream. That had been his plan from the very beginning. If she woke up tomorrow convinced none of this had been real, the confusion would slowly consume her. Every strange sensation, every impossible command, every horrifying moment of lost control would be dismissed as a mere nightmare. Yet the physical memories would linger, and that contradiction would plant a seed of doubt so deep she would never be able to uproot it.
His gaze drifted to the empty soda can sitting on the desk. He wasn't the least bit surprised by her current physical reaction. After all, what he had slipped into her drink was the [Elixir of Eros]. If she truly believed she was trapped inside a dream, the drug's effects would only warp her perception further, blurring the line between illusion and reality until she couldn't tell which way was up.
This entire situation served a dual purpose. It was both revenge and research. He wanted to make her suffer for what she had done, for taking his money and leaking that video anyway, for humiliating him in front of everyone. But the worst part was how she had played the victim through it all, when she could have simply kept her mouth shut. On top of that, he needed a test subject. There were still far too many things about the Book he didn't fully understand, limits he hadn't mapped, and complex interactions he hadn't explored. Jade had essentially volunteered herself the moment she chose to break their deal. She brought this entirely on herself.
If he were being honest with himself, the old Isaac, the one from before the Book, would have never even conceived of doing something like this. The thought simply wouldn't have crossed his mind. He would have swallowed the humiliation, buried his anger deep inside, and moved on just like he always did. But ever since the Book came into his life, it was as if a switch had been flipped. His confidence had surged to unnatural heights, washing away his fears and replacing them with a cold, calculated boldness. It was a clear sign that the Book was changing him in ways he couldn't quite comprehend. Yet, he wasn't particularly worried. As long as he held the reins, he felt perfectly in control of the situation.
His eyes shifted toward the bedroom door. He wasn't concerned about anyone walking in on them. The [Voice of Absolute] allowed him to target two people per cycle, and he had used the second charge on Emma before even stepping foot in Emily's room, whispering a command to force her into a deep sleep. That was exactly why no one had come rushing in despite Jade's screaming. As for Victoria, she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
And as for Victoria's bizarre reaction earlier, the reason behind it was actually quite simple. The [Serpent Gift] ability had unexpectedly evolved. He hadn't even known such a thing was possible, but the Book seemed to function like a video game system. If an ability was utilized frequently enough, it could level up. In his case, [Serpent Gift] had just unlocked its third stage.
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SERPENT GIFT, Body Modification (LUST)
Stage 1 Effect:
⇏ Male: Enhancement by +3 inches
⇏ Female: Physical tightening regardless of experience
Stage 2 Effect: The Bearer's mark is set. If the Bearer's essence enters any being, memory of the Bearer riseth first when desire awakeneth. If they have been intimate with the Bearer before, longing multiplieth and the craving persisteth.
Stage 3 Effect: Any being the Bearer releaseth his essence into will, for that moment, see the Bearer as what they desired or wanted most, no matter their previous feelings. This effect lasteth only as long as the essence remaineth within the being.
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In the grand scheme of things, Stage 3 didn't offer any permanent benefits, but he was thoroughly intrigued by the way Victoria had looked at him during that moment. Whatever hallucination the ability had forced into her mind, it had been potent enough to make her act the way she did.
But that was in the past. It was best he focus on the present.
Jade was still frozen in place. Her breathing had grown even more erratic, her fingers curling into tight fists against her palms as though she were physically holding her body together by sheer willpower alone.
Honestly, he was surprised by how well she was holding up. He could still vividly remember how Victoria had completely unraveled after drinking the [Elixir of Eros]. The Book explicitly stated that the elixir worked much faster on individuals with lower intelligence. He already knew Jade's exact stats, having quietly used Sevenfold Inquest on her before even entering the room.
What he couldn't figure out, however, was why Jade was resisting the effects this strongly. Her mental fortitude was defying the numbers on her stat sheet. Just another mystery for him to unravel later.
He began to walk toward her, his footsteps slow and deliberate as he circled her trembling form.
"Quiet now, are we?"
She didn't say a word. She just glared at him with eyes full of defiance. From that look alone, Isaac could tell she was burning through every ounce of her willpower just to fight the unnatural arousal simmering beneath her skin.
He reached out and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek.
"Even if you are a bitch," he said softly, "I have to admit, you really do look beautiful."
The moment his skin made contact with hers, a violent shudder ripped through her body. Her breath hitched sharply in her throat.
"Get your hands off me, you creep!" she yelled.
But even as the words left her mouth, her voice cracked at the edges. Her chest continued to rise and fall in uneven, desperate waves.
Ba-dum! Ba-dum!
She could feel her heart slamming against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Isaac leaned in closer, bringing his lips right next to her ear.
"I didn't quite catch that," he whispered. "Could you repeat it?"
She didn't reply. She couldn't.
He blew a soft breath against the shell of her ear.
Nghnn!
A breathless moan slipped past her lips before she could even think to stop it.
Her eyes went wide with absolute horror at the sound that had just escaped her own mouth.
Isaac pulled back slightly, a small, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"There it is," he said.
"Shut up!" she snapped, her face burning a deep, shameful red. "That was nothing."
"Didn't sound like nothing to me."
"I said shut up, you disgusting bastard!"
Her words were as sharp as broken glass, but her body was telling an entirely different story. Her legs were pressed firmly together, her breathing had grown ragged and shallow, and a thin, glistening layer of sweat had formed along her collarbone.
Isaac took a step back to look at her fully, drinking in the sight before him. Her mind was on the verge of shattering, he could see it in her eyes. And yet, her spirit refused to bend.
He didn't know the absolute limits of the [Elixir of Eros], but watching her desperately clamp down on her own desires made him wonder why she hadn't completely surrendered to the drug yet. She just stood there, glaring at him with pure, unadulterated hatred, her jaw clenched so tightly he could see the muscles straining beneath her skin.
He had to admit, it was impressive. Irritating, but undeniably impressive.