"...let us train."

Jake spoke seriously, his voice low and resolute, even as his hands continued to squeeze and knead her juicy rear possessively.

Grace froze for a second.

She tilted her head, looking adorably confused.

"Train...?"

Grace blinked, processing the words for a moment.

Jake nodded.

"That’s right. I realized we’re still too vulnerable after what happened. We need to train and become stronger as fast as possible!"

He spoke with determination.

Grace stared at him for a moment, her golden eyes widening.

Then, as if realizing something, a cute blush spread across her cheeks.

Her golden eyes grew hazy with anticipation as she pressed her curvy body even tighter against him.

"O-Oh... if that’s what you wanted..." she murmured, her voice turning soft and breathy. "L-Let’s train really hard... all day today!"

Grace shouted excitedly and eagerly.

Jake smiled and nodded, though he couldn’t help but wonder why Grace seemed so enthusiastic about training.

He gave her soft rear another firm squeeze, feeling the plush flesh overflow between his fingers, before speaking in a low, serious tone.

"Yes. We need to train all day today!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

At the words, Grace’s expression became full of shy arousal.

She nodded firmly, though her cheeks remained pink as she closed her eyes expectantly, waiting for him to begin.

_

_

_

A few minutes later.

"..."

Grace stared at Jake with a completely blank and deadpan expression.

Her golden eyes lifeless... like a puppy who had been promised a delicious meat treat but was shown a vegetable instead.

In front of her, Jake was calmly demonstrating his new skill.

A small, steady orb of warm golden-white aura floated above his palm, gently pulsing as he explained.

"See? When I mix a small amount of my aura with your Light Manifestation, the light becomes more stable and brighter. The color also shifts from pure gold to this slightly white-gold mix. Not only that, I could feel the consumption drops significantly. This way, it should let us use it for much longer periods without tiring us out."

He made the orb spin slowly, then shaped it into a small shield-like disk.

"Pretty useful, right? Oh oh! And I can probably combine this with Slash skill later for even stronger attacks!" Jake said excitedly. "I wonder what the effect will look like...~"

Jake looked like a kid who had just discovered a fascinating new toy, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he continued explaining.

The new Aura Manipulation skill made controlling the strange energy feel much more natural.

He wasn’t sure if that was just his own talent or an advantage of the Aura Warrior class, but in the end, it saved him a ton of time trying to figure things out.

Meanwhile...

Grace continued staring at the floating aura orb with that blank, deadpan look.

She didn’t even blink.

Only after almost ten full seconds of silence, she finally spoke in a small, disappointed voice.

"...Ah. This kind of training."

The disappointment in her tone was so heavy it was almost audible as a sigh.

Grace looked down at her large breasts and lifted them up with both hands, unable to help but wonder if her body had lost its charm.

But then she saw Jake’s bright, genuinely happy expression... the way his eyes sparkled with excitement while he played with the new aura energy like it was the coolest thing in the world.

For some reason, seeing him so full of joy and passion made something warm bloom in her chest.

Grace’s sulky expression slowly melted away.

She smiled softly, her golden eyes filled with gentle affection.

’Well, this is okay too...’ she thought. ’As long as Jake is happy like this... I’m happy too.’

Jake finally noticed her earlier expression and paused mid-explanation, looking a little concerned.

"Grace? Are you okay?"

"It’s nothing," Grace shook her head with a warm smile, her voice soft and sincere.

Even though she was still a little disappointed deep down, her affection for Jake easily won over.

She stepped a little closer, watching the glowing orb with renewed interest.

"Ah, it seems you must still be at the early stage of the skill," Grace murmured, looking at the beautiful white-golden light.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Jake asked, tilting his head curiously while keeping the orb spinning.

Grace thought for a moment, trying to recall what little her family had taught her before they gave up on her.

Then,

She raised one delicate finger, trying to look like an experienced teacher instructing her student.

"At the first stage, like now, the light is mostly non-solid. It’s bright and can blind or burn, but it’s still more like energy than a physical thing."

"But the higher the stage, the more solid and real the light becomes. At higher levels, it can form actual weapons, armor, or even constructs that feel completely real."

She reached out and gently touched the edge of the small shield-like disk Jake had made.

Her finger passed through it with only slight resistance.

"See? Right now it’s still quite soft. But my father... at his peak, his golden light could form real swords and shields that could cut through mountains and block any attack. They said his light was as solid as divine steel."

She paused, smiling wryly.

"That’s just what I heard, though... I never witnessed it personally."

But then,

Grace hesitated for a moment, her expression turning thoughtful.

"I’ve also heard rumors that at even higher realms, the Light Manifestation can evolve further... but I don’t really know the details. My family stopped teaching me long ago, so everything beyond the basics is just hearsay to me."

Jake listened intently, his eyes shining with even greater interest.

The possibilities of this amazing skill seemed endless.

"So it has stages... and higher realms," he murmured. "That explains why it felt so limited when I used it before. I was only scratching the surface."

Jake’s eyes lit up with even more excitement as he realized such a potential.

It seem like he really hit a huge jackpot.