Lucian’s head was reeling.

First Myra... now Elira.

He shook his head hard, shoving the confusion aside.

Not now... I’ll think about it later.

Pushing himself off the ground, he got back to his feet.

Elira, who had been standing a few meters back, sidled up until she was shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Her voice remained its usual, detached flat tone as she spoke.

"Lucian... it seems the time has finally come for you to face your ’hidden master’ head-on."

Her eyes lingered on Lucian’s face for two seconds. Waiting for him to react.

though Lucian just stood there with an expression dark and unreadable.

For a few seconds, he said nothing. Then, staring at Myra, he murmured:

"She... is not my master."

What do you mean?" Elira asked, her brow shifting ever so slightly.

"Hmm... Myra, her hands... I know her hands could never be this cold. This... thing — it’s not her."

Elira’s face remained blank for a moment, her gaze fixed on him with a strange expression.

Then, her body language shifted, becoming completely cold as she grimaced in pure disgust.

"Pervert..."

"W-what... it’s not like I wanted it!" Lucian stammered.

"She is always trying to touch me, that’s the only reason I know for a fact how warm Myra’s hands usually are!"

He was over-explaining himself to Elira, trying a little too hard to justify the vague logic... despite knowing deep down that he had actually... Well, enjoyed those touches from Myra.

Quickly shaking it off, Lucian forced himself back into his composure.

[Villain’s Gaze — Activated]

Entity: Mimicking Gull SlimeRank: ACombat Power: 450Special Abilities: Mental Pressure, Perfect Image Disguise, Absorption...Weakness: Eyes

As soon as he saw the true identity of the monster, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle in his face twitched with the strain.

He knew if Elira hadn’t intervened, he would’ve kept hesitating out of sentiment... and that hesitation would have been his death sentence.

He clicked his tongue in irritation, then pointed his finger at the fake Myra in a bullet gesture.

A piercing fire bullet shot straight from his fingertip and struck "Myra’s" head, revealing the monster’s true form.

A purple gelatinous hole.

Myra’s body began to slough off, melting into a massive mound of purple slime.

Two eyes rolled erratically through the translucent mass — sometimes sinking beneath the glutinous surface, other times rising as the mass shifted

Both Elira and Lucian took their stances.

Wisps of cold air gathered around Elira’s hands, forming into ice frost. That frost hardened into a sharp sword.

Her eyes flickered toward Lucian. Neither spoke a word — they just lunged together.

Lucian fired fireball after fireball, targeting the exact spot — the right eye.

Simultaneously, Elira moved with speed, agility, and perfect precision, heading straight for the left eye.

Within minutes, both hit their targets and the slime was overkilled. Either one of their attacks alone probably would’ve been enough.

Ding.

[You have gained +500 FP]

[Current FP Balance: 3,736]

Lucian’s eye twitched as he stared at the mental notification.

[Should’ve soloed it if you wanted the full payout, pretty boy. Sharing is caring, but it’s terrible for the grind.]

He let out a long, weary sigh, standing amidst the carnage.

The clearing was a total disaster zone — a nauseating cocktail of mutilated goblin gore mixed with viscous, pulsing purple liquid.

Straightening his loosened shoulders, he turned toward Elira.

And his face immediately twisted — like he’d eaten some nasty street food and his stomach was about to revolt.

The scene in front of him was... a lot.

Elira’s academy uniform — those crisp black and golden threads — was absolutely wrecked.

The purple slime was everywhere. It clung to her shoulders, coated her boots, and trailed down her thighs beneath her skirt. Streaks of it were even matted into her hair and smeared across her face.

She looked like she’d just been through a deliberate slime-shower.

With her usual, unnervingly flat expression, She was picking it all off with her hands.

How can someone be that fast in a fight and yet so remarkably terrible at dodging the splash zone?

Lucian wrinkled his nose, shaking off the mental image as he walked over to her.

"Hey... you need a hand with that?"

Elira’s eyes shifted to him.

And how exactly do you plan on helping?

She continued cleaning the slime off her body without looking at him.

"Don’t worry, I won’t touch you..."

"I don’t mind. Touching is fine. Help however you want, just... Can you get this off my back? I can’t reach it myself..."

Why did I even bother to ask... when I know about her zero-boundaries habit...

Fshhhhhhh!

He stepped forward, walked around her, and sprayed water through with magic, all around like he was washing a car.

A moment later, he stopped at Elira’s signal. She was now completely drenched—hair, uniform, face... her pale skin glistened in the moonlight.

Even though her uniform only exposed her thighs and cleavage, Lucian — being a gentleman — turned away the moment he saw Elira casually starting to remove her bodice without a care.

Still facing away, his curiosity finally got the better of his confusion. He began to voice the questions that had been unsettling him.

So... Elira, I was wondering — how did you get here? I mean, you know it’s the Forbidden Forest. People don’t just take a stroll here. And even if this is just the edge, it’s still miles away from the academy. You shouldn’t have been able to get here in just a few hours, right?"

Elira had already removed her black robe and shoulder Mantle. Standing there in just her skirt and tight black bra, tying her hair back in a knot, she replied flatly to Lucian:

"I came with you... when you crossed through that portal..."

Lucian nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Isn’t that... creepy? A minute ago you were calling me a pervert, and yet you stalked me and followed me here?"

"Mmm... I wasn’t stalking. You didn’t know? Ever since you came to the academy, I’ve always been observing you. I thought you knew..."

What the hell is wrong with this girl?... does she have a few loose screws or something...

Lucian let out a tired sigh.

"Fine, since you’re being so honest about all this, why don’t you tell me also how long you were in my room tonight?"

Elira lowered her hands. She was about to reach for the belt of her skirt to finish undressing, but instead, she looked at Lucian’s back and murmured with a faint, uncharacteristic smile.

"Look this way, Lucian..."

Lucian shook his head quickly. He absolutely wasn’t going to look.

"If you don’t look, how am I supposed to show you?"

He hesitated for a few seconds, then clenching both fists tight... He turned just enough to catch a peek. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Elira had tilted her head down, ruffling her damp hair in the exact same motion he had used earlier on his bed.

From that angle, the view was... significant. The sheer, fluffy softness of her cleavage was on full display.

"You were sitting on your bed, ruffling your hair just like this... I was there the whole time."

"Ok, ok, I get it! Stop doing that... this is so damn embarrassing!" Lucian snapped his head back around, his face heating up.

After a moment, he regained a bit of composure and muttered.

"How can you be so calm? I mean... standing there with no clothes on... with a guy..."

The moment the question left his mouth, a heavy silence fell between them. It lasted only a second before a new sound gradually approached them.

Footsteps... many feet moving across the ground.

Lucian’s senses immediately clicked. He rushed over to Elira. He no longer had time to be embarrassed.

With a fully panicked expression, he grabbed her by the waist.

Elira flinched as his long hands touched her bare skin.

He was about to use his Gate skill... when suddenly the screen flashed.

[Moron, take it now]

[New Mission Unlocked...]

[GATE Ability Locked Until Mission Finished.]