Those same red eyes were still glinting in the bushes...

Goblins.

Though... Elira and Lucian were now just ignoring them like some minor nuisance.

"You’re watching..."

Elira’s eyes were fixed only on Lucian’s two fingers as she gave a small nod.

"Okay then... I did something like this..."

Wind slowly began to coat his fingertips, forming a tight, high-pressure layer. With a sudden motion, he swung his fingers to the side.

Just like that, compressed air shot out in a sharp curved blade, slicing straight through the bushes and cleanly severing the heads of the hidden goblins behind them.

[You have gained +5 FP]

[You have gained +5 FP]

[You have gained +15 FP]

[You have gained +15 FP]

"See?"

Elira clapped excitedly.

"Ooh... so cool. Teach me!"

Lucian rubbed his temple sheepishly.

"Heh...you basically just need a Wind Affinity for it. After that, I guess anyone could pull it off.

"Okay, teach me..."

"You really want me to?"

Elira nodded eagerly.

Lucian frowned, his tone shifting as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"By the way, Elira... What elemental can you use? Any high affinities?"

Elira’s demeanor shifted to match his focus.

"Mm..."

She held out her palm.

"Wait, let me show you... these are my two strongest."

A jagged ice crystal and a miniature wind tornado materialized, spinning side-by-side just above her hand.

Lucian leaned in.

"So you’re advanced in both Ice and Wind... that’s really impressive."

Elira’s lips curved into a blushed smile...

Just then, where the goblins had been killed, dozens of more red eyes began glinting from all around them in the bushes.

"Guess we have guests..."

Then he turned to Elira and smiled.

"So why don’t you try it yourself? Look... extend your fingers forward. Slowly channel your mana, let the wind gather, and then... push!"

Looking genuinely excited, Elira pointed her fingers.

"Like this?"

"Yeah, exactly. Now slowly... and when you’re ready, swing it."

Elira focused. A second later, she flicked her wrist.

Swishhh!

The same compressed air wind blade shot out, slicing straight past the bushes.

A few seconds passed, then eight goblin heads rolled out from the bushes — tumbled onto the ground in front of them...

Lucian let out a low whistle.

"Damn... that was really impressive. You actually are a fast learner."

Just then—

Ding...

[Affection Increased: 104 -> 110]

[You have unlocked a free special skill: Fate Link.]

Lucian frowned, staring at the invisible screen.

Free skill? Fate Link...?

System, What is this skill?

[Are you an idiot? It’s right there in the name. Fate. Link. It means you can bind this skill to any partner whose Affection for you is 50+. There are two massive advantages. First, you get a deeper look at their stats, you can share your strength with them, and you can absorb their strength for a limited time. As you upgrade the skill, you can borrow even more stats for longer durations. Second, as long as the link is active, you leech off their kill progression. If Elira just got 8 kills, she gets the rewards for 4, and you get the rewards for the other 4. Watch your step, though boy be careful — if you use this skill on someone with weak stats, your partner might face some life-threatening problems.]

Hearing all of that, a wicked sneer slowly spread across his face... The villainous gears turning in his head were practically visible in his eyes.

Elira leaned in close, staring at his face. Her doll-like eyes widened in pure wonder.

Catching her gaze, Lucian quickly cleared his throat, wiping the sinister expression from his face.

Even though Elira didn’t understand what that sneer meant, something big and villainous was clearly cooking in Lucian’s mind.

He placed both hands firmly on her shoulders and leaned in, maintaining a perfectly blank, serious face.

"Say, Elira... how about you use this new technique a bit more? Just for practice. I really want to see it in action again..."

The poor girl just nodded with a sweet, pure smile. Her inner thoughts matched her eager reaction completely:

My darling asked me to do something, and I will do my absolute best to prove myself to him...

In the background, a few more red eyes glinted from the thickets. The remaining goblins were still watching them nervously.

"Perfect subjects," Elira muttered.

She shifted into her combat stance.

Lucian stepped back, positioning himself near the still-open rift like a makeshift gatekeeper.

’Fate Link.’

His eyes glinted crimson for a split second as the skill latched onto Elira.

[Target: Elira Frostviel]

[Age: 18]

[Title: Ice Princess]

[Mana: 6789/10000]

[Physical Strength: S+]

[Magical Aptitude: A]

[Charm: A]

[Affection: 110]

Reading over the translucent screen, Lucian couldn’t hold back another sneer.

Coating her fingers in high-pressure wind once more, Elira raised her hand toward the thickets. With a taunting motion of her two fingers, she beckoned the hidden pricks to step out.

A mob of nearly forty goblins poured out from the shadows, fanning out to box them in from one side. It was the usual mix — Red Goblins gripping rusted daggers, Hobgoblins carrying spears and crude bats, and a handful of standard, weak twats. Their faces were twisted in pure rage at the sight of their slaughtered companions.

Elira didn’t even blink. She just gave a slight swing of her fingers.

Swish.

Four Red Goblins were instantly beheaded.

Ding!

[Your partner has killed 4 Red Goblins. You receive rewards for 2 kills: +32 FP]

[+8 Combat Power gained. All rewards sent to Inventory.]

Lucian’s eyes gleamed maniacally at the sight of the rewards.

Hehehe... this is the best skill I’ve gotten so far. With this, I can just sit back and grind my stats whenever and wherever I want. And all I have to do is give orders to my serv—I mean, my partners. Suck on that, you damn System, making me wait this long for a skill like this...

Enraged by the sight of their slaughtered kin, the rest of the goblin mob lunged at Elira all at once.

Elira remained perfectly calm. This time, she coated two fingers on both hands with high-pressure wind.

Slice... thud. Seven down on the right side.

Slice... thud. Four down on the left.

Slice, thud. Slice, thud. Slice, thud.

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[You get +16 FP]

[You get +24 FP]

Amidst the ruckus, two goblins managed to slip past her defensive line. They rushed toward the rift, raising their crude bats high and aiming a desperate strike straight at Lucian.

Without even dropping his manic grin, Lucian casually flicked his wrist.

He casually flicked his fingers without even changing his manic expression.

Two bodies dropped.

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

Ah, my very own FP farming machine... he muttered under his breath, watching her work.

Getting this skill had made him so euphoric he couldn’t even suppress his darker thoughts. Right now, he didn’t just see Elira as a person; he saw her like a stock trader managing a funded account, existing purely to generate endless profit for him.

Moving with swift, lethal precision, Elira cleared out the remaining goblins one after another. Within a few minutes, the entire mob was wiped clean.

Staring at his invisible screen, Lucian made a mental inquiry.

’System, what magical combat skills do I have right now that need upgrading?’

[Chain Lightning: Level 1 -> Level 2 requires 10,000 FP]

[Fire Bullet: Level 1 -> Level 2 requires 5,000 FP]

[Pyroclasm Surge: Level 1 -> Level 2 requires 20,000 FP]

[Finger Blade (New): Level 1 -> Level 2 requires 5,000 FP]

So many damn skills need fuel... what’s my current FP balance?

[Current FP: 7,950]

Hmm... I need more if I want to upgrade Chain Lightning. Alright, skip the upgrades for now. We’ll do it later.

He mentally dismissed the interface.

He looked down and saw Elira was standing right in front of him, leaning forward slightly with both hands clasped guiltless behind her back... completely drenched from head to toe in goblin blood.

He smiled.

Yes... this is exactly what I expected.

The girl took one more step forward, clearly about to hug him... though Lucian quickly stepped to the side.

"Ahh, how about you take a shower first, Elira? You know you need it, right...

I’ll open the rift for you right now..."

"Okay... hmph."

She didn’t object, simply turning toward the swirling portal.

But right as she took her first step, a system notification chimed in his head.

[Partner Thought Intercepted: Elira Frostviel]

"Ok, I’ll take a shower first... and then I’m going to force Lucian into my bed tonight. I’ll continue exactly where I left off that day... with Lucian and me doing that. Yes, I want to do that... I only want to be with Lucian... only Lucian... and tonight..."

Lucian’s eyes widened, scrunching up his full face as cold drops of sweat rolled down his temple rapidly.

’Haa... oh no no... wait, wait, Elira...’

She turned around.

’No no, stop right there. If this girl gets possessive again like last time, I won’t be able to control myself at all... then things will get even messier between Sera and me, and some bad fate correction will definitely hit me... or worse, my demise is guaranteed...’

Just then, Sera also stepped out of her own rift, bat in hand.

Her face instantly turned weirdly unreadable.

She took in the whole situation — Elira completely covered in blood, dozens of goblin corpses lying around, and another rift that made it look like Lucian was about to go inside with Elira.

And without warning, she stepped right between the two of them.

"What the hell is going on... and here—"

Before Sera could say anything more, the sound of countless feet pounding the ground suddenly erupted. The entire earth started thudding heavily.