"Get out! I don't need you!"

A piercing voice rang out from inside the bedroom, carrying a suppressed fury and pain twisted to the point of distortion.

Erik stood outside the door, one hand resting on the wooden frame, his gaze fixed on the interior of the room. On the large bed covered with white sheets, a blonde woman was curled up, both hands clutching her chest, her long slender legs drawn in tight, her body trembling in waves.

That was Saraya.

A rank S Succubus whom he had spent every bit of savings from several years to connect with just three months ago.

Her long blonde hair was now a tangled mess, a few strands sticking to her flushed face. Those beautiful amber eyes were now bloodshot, both enraged and miserable. Her lips were parted, her breathing ragged and scorching, and the thin nightgown on her body was already soaked through with sweat over a large area.

Even though her current state was wretched, pitiful, Erik only let out a long sigh, his voice utterly calm.

"I don't want to keep doing this anymore."

Hearing that, Saraya's gaze changed instantly. She gritted her teeth, lifted her head to look at him, her voice laced with indignation: "What is that supposed to mean?"

Erik didn't answer right away. He watched her pained figure for a few more seconds, then said: "Three months have passed. You're so starved you can barely hold on, and if you keep going like this, you'll be in danger."

"So what?" Saraya shouted, her voice trembling slightly from hunger and desire suppressed for far too long: "I just need more time to adjust!"

"Three months still isn't enough?" Erik asked back, his gaze without a ripple.

Saraya bit down hard on her lip, an ugly look surfacing on her face. She raised her voice, like someone forced into a corner: "You really are selfish! You and I were strangers to begin with. Do you think that just because we got paired I have to accept you immediately?"

Erik stayed silent.

Saraya seemed to have found her justification, and the more she spoke the louder she got: "I'm a Succubus, not some object you can bring home and touch as you please. I need time to get used to you, to trust you, to accept you. Is that wrong somehow?"

Hearing those words, Erik only felt exhausted.

If Saraya truly needed time to adjust, he wouldn't say another word. The problem was that over these past three months, she lived in his home, ate the food he prepared, wore the clothes he bought, and even every time the hunger struck hard enough to make her shake, she still lay on the bed he was paying off in installments, while he sat outside the door keeping watch all night.

She wanted to stay, wanted to enjoy his care, wanted him to treat her like a princess.

But at the same time, she wouldn't let him touch her even with the tip of a finger, wouldn't sign a trial contract, wouldn't take a single step forward in the connection.

Three months.

Three months was enough for any ordinary person to understand that the issue was no longer about adjusting.

The issue was that Saraya fundamentally had no desire to become his partner, yet also had no desire to leave this place.

Erik spoke up: "I gave you three months."

"Three months, so what?" Saraya immediately shot back, her tone so unreasonable that even she seemed unaware of it: "You're a man. What do you lose by holding out a while longer? But I'm different, I'm under enormous pressure. You should be the one understanding me!"

After hearing that, Erik almost wanted to laugh.

What did he lose by holding out a while longer?

That's right, the one starved to the point of shaking was her, the one constantly flaring up was also her, but the one who had to work day and night to pay the rent, the food money, the money for painkillers, the money for backup Energy Crystals, the one delayed from entering the Trial Gate for over three months, was him.

He looked at Saraya and asked a very simple question: "So how long do you intend to drag this out?"

Saraya opened her mouth, but couldn't answer.

Erik continued: "A month? Half a year? Or a year?"

"I…" Saraya choked up, then raised her voice: "No matter how long, that's my right!"

"Correct." Erik nodded: "It's your right."

The moment Saraya heard that, before she could even sigh in relief, she heard him go on.

"Which is why I also have the right to end it."

Her face instantly turned pale.

Erik pulled himself away from the door frame, his voice still as calm as before: "You're already too hungry. Before pairing, a Succubus can use the blood of a past life, use the blessing of the Goddess of Lust, or use Energy Crystals to hold it back. But after pairing, the Chains of Desire have been unlocked, and those things can only sustain you temporarily."

He looked straight into Saraya's amber eyes.

"If you keep going, you'll force yourself to the point of collapse."

Saraya gritted her teeth, her voice turning sharp: "Then all the more reason you can't abandon me right now! You know full well what state I'm in and you still want to return me. Don't you think you're being too heartless?"

Hearing that, a trace of coldness finally appeared in Erik's eyes.

Over these past three months, he had heard far too many words like that.

Every time he brought up signing a trial contract, Saraya would say she wasn't ready.

Every time he wanted to have a serious talk, she would say he wasn't patient enough.

Every time the hunger struck to an unbearable degree, she would blame him for not being understanding.

But from beginning to end, Saraya had never once thought of him even a little.

"I'm going to the Connection Center right now." Erik said.

"You dare?" Saraya shouted at once, her eyes going wide: "Erik, you dare abandon me at a time like this?"

Erik didn't answer.

Seeing that he really did turn to leave, Saraya finally grew truly flustered. She propped herself up with her hands to sit, but the fierce hunger in her body made her go limp again onto the bed the moment she moved.

"Erik!" Saraya screamed, her voice both furious and panicked: "You can't leave! You can't treat me like this! I just wasn't prepared, that's all!"

Erik paused for a second, but he didn't turn his head.

"It's been three months." That was the only line he said, then he closed the bedroom door.

Click.

The sound of the door shutting also cut off Saraya's unwilling cries of protest inside.

Erik stood still in the hallway for a few seconds, then exhaled slowly.

He returned to the living room, grabbed his coat, phone, and wallet, then left the apartment.

On the way to the Connection Center, Erik watched the stream of cars running along the wide road, his gaze slightly distant.

Five years ago, he did not belong to this world.

He came from Earth.

In his past life, he was just an ordinary man, working hard, saving hard, and in the end preparing to marry the woman he trusted. He once thought that his life, though simple, was still happy enough.

Until that night.

A fire burned his small house to the ground.

As the flames spread throughout the room, Erik learned that the arsonist was none other than his fiancée together with her new boyfriend.

The reason was very simple.

Insurance money.

As long as he was dead, they would get a sum large enough to start a new life.

As the thick smoke and flames swallowed him whole, Erik thought it was all over.

But he woke up again in this world.

A world where humans and Succubi coexisted.

One hundred years ago, the Dimensional Gate appeared, monsters poured out, and the old society collapsed. Humanity had to build new safe zones while finding ways to adapt to the world's power system.

And during that process, humanity discovered a truth.

To become a true Awakened, a man had to connect with a Succubus.

Succubi helped men unlock their energy, and men provided vital essence and life force to Succubi. The two sides used the System to pair, sign a contract, cultivate together, enter the Trial Gate together, and grow stronger together.

That was the best method of cultivation, and also the most common path.

In this world, everyone knew that Succubi were seductive, beautiful, and represented desire. But Erik also knew something that many people didn't fully understand.

Succubi were actually a very faithful race.

Once they identified the person they loved, they would remain bound to that person for nearly their entire lives.

It was precisely because of this that Erik had kept trying to be patient with Saraya over these three months.

He thought that perhaps she just needed time.

Perhaps she just hadn't accepted a stranger like him yet.

Perhaps one day she would change.

But now, Erik no longer wanted to deceive himself.

Five years living in this world, he had no parents, and no one to back him. Everything he had, he earned himself.

He worked all kinds of jobs, from hauling cargo, delivering goods, simple repairs, working the night shift, as long as it could earn money.

All of it was just to prepare for the day he awakened, found a suitable Succubus, and officially stepped onto the path of the Awakened.

Three months ago, he successfully paired with Saraya, a rank S Succubus.

At that time, he had thought that luck was finally smiling on him.

Because Erik too had successfully awakened, becoming an Awakened.

The only pity was that his System still hadn't fully activated. Up until now, Erik only knew that he had awakened successfully, while his specific talent and rank were both locked.

[Talent: Not activated.]

[Activation condition: Successfully connect with your first Succubus and possess at least a Trial Contract.]

As long as Saraya agreed to connect, even if only a trial contract, his System would fully open. By then, Erik would finally be able to learn what talent he possessed and its rank.

But Saraya wouldn't give him that chance.

Erik's footsteps came to a stop before a tall building of silvery white.

The Connection Center.

The place in charge of pairing Awakened men and Succubi.

Erik straightened his coat, then walked inside.

The great hall was bright and clean, surrounded by quite a few reception counters along with magic symbols glowing faintly on the walls. Behind the reception desk was a woman with wine-red hair and small horns on her head. One glance was enough to tell she was a Succubus.

When she saw Erik, that woman immediately recognized him.

"Mr. Erik?" She was a little surprised: "Why are you here at this hour?"

Erik didn't beat around the bush. He walked straight to the counter and set his phone down.

"I want to rebate Saraya."

That woman was startled.

Erik pressed play on a video he had just recorded moments ago. In the video, Saraya lay on the bed, both in pain and flaring with anger, her nearly unreasonable words ringing out clearly.

After the Succubus woman finished watching, her expression shifted again and again, until it finally became extremely ugly.

She stood up, bowed deeply to Erik, her voice full of remorse: "I'm sorry, truly sorry. This is a serious oversight on our part."

Erik waved his hand: "It has nothing to do with you. I just want the procedure to be quick."

He paused a moment, then went on: "I still haven't touched her, the contract hasn't been signed, not even a trial contract exists. I've just been delayed for far too long. It's been more than three months, I still haven't been able to enter the Trial Gate, and my money is nearly running out."

Hearing that, the Succubus woman grew even more ashamed.

For a man who had already awakened, three months of delay was truly an enormous loss.

"Please rest assured." She drew in a deep breath, quickly regaining her professionalism: "I'll check the records right away and handle this matter immediately."

Erik nodded.

At this very moment, a masculine laugh carrying a mocking tone came from behind.

"Oh? Isn't this Erik?"

Erik turned his head.

A blonde young man was walking into the hall, dressed in a well-tailored designer outfit, his face handsome but his smile the kind that made others uncomfortable. His arm was wrapped around the waist of a seductive black-haired Succubus, his posture extremely intimate.

Nathan.

Of course Erik knew him.

Not only because Nathan was a fairly famous Awakened in this safe zone, but also because he was the real reason Erik had made up his mind to rebate Saraya.

Over these three months, Saraya had never hidden the fact that she paid attention to Nathan.

Every time she watched news about him, her eyes would light up.

Every time she mentioned him, her tone would be completely different.

Saraya had even once coldly told Erik outright that if the one paired with her had been Nathan instead of him, perhaps everything would have been very different.

Erik had already been betrayed once in his past life.

In this life, he had no interest in waiting until it all repeated a second time.

Nathan stopped in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the reception counter, then broke into a smile as if he had understood something.

"So that's how it is." He sneered: "In the end you got rebated, huh?"

Hearing that, the Succubus woman at the counter frowned, but Nathan paid it no mind at all. He looked Erik up and down, the corner of his mouth curling up full of derision.

"I already said it, a Succubus like Saraya isn't the type who would take a liking to you."

Erik looked at him, his gaze calm to the point of indifference.

Nathan held the black-haired girl in his arms, leaning slightly toward Erik, and said with a smile: "Let me guess, she finally couldn't stand it anymore and told you to get lost, right?"

Erik's hand slowly clenched tight.

The great hall grew several degrees quieter.

The smile on Nathan's face became even more pronounced.

"But then again, it makes sense." He shrugged, his tone brimming with implication: "After all… the one Saraya truly cared about, from beginning to end, was never you."

Erik looked straight at him, his gaze turning completely cold.

...

Erik hadn't wanted to bother with Nathan, but this guy had gone out of his way to plant himself right in front of him, making it hard to ignore even if he wanted to.

Seeing Erik stay silent, Nathan assumed his words had struck the man's weak point, and the corner of his mouth curled up even more distinctly.

"Actually, you don't need to be too disappointed." Nathan sighed, his voice as though sympathizing, yet his volume was just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear: "Saraya is a rank S Succubus, her background isn't low, and in the future she'll surely become a powerful Awakened. As for you…"

He deliberately paused, his gaze running over Erik from head to toe, then shook his head.

"No parents, no clan to back you, and even the money you used to connect had to be scraped together over several years of work. Even if the pairing System brought the two of you together, the gap between the two sides is still too large."

The people waiting to process their procedures nearby turned their heads to look over upon hearing that.

A few recognized Nathan, curiosity immediately surfacing in their eyes, and some began discussing Erik in low voices.

Nathan was very satisfied with that reaction.

He didn't just want to mock Erik, he also wanted everyone to know that Erik was nothing more than someone with no background, no money, and certainly not worthy of a rank S Succubus like Saraya.

The black-haired Succubus being held in Nathan's arms frowned slightly.

She didn't care that Nathan had one more Succubus. In this world, for a man with high talent and enough capacity to maintain multiple contracts, having multiple partners was a very normal thing.

She herself had already prepared for that mentally before signing the contract with Nathan.

However, what he had just said still made her feel uncomfortable.

Nathan hadn't asked for her opinion, and was even holding her in his arms while openly talking about another Succubus in front of many people. The way he was behaving gave her the feeling that she wasn't a partner, but merely an object he was carrying around to show off.

The black-haired Succubus wriggled slightly out of Nathan's arm, but he was focused on Erik and didn't notice her reaction at all.

Erik of course saw everything.

However, he had no interest in reminding Nathan, and even less desire to get involved in the two of their romantic affairs.

In his past life, Erik had lived to thirty-five years old. He had worked for others, had run a small business, had dealt with all kinds of people in society, and in the end was even killed in an arson set by his own fiancée in collusion with her lover, all for insurance money.

Compared to the things he had been through, a few provocations from a young man like Nathan who hadn't even fully grown his feathers really weren't worth mentioning.

Erik gave him a glance, then turned to the female staff member behind the counter.

"How long will the procedure take?"

The smile on Nathan's face stiffened slightly.

He had deliberately spoken so loudly, yet unexpectedly Erik wasn't angry at all, and didn't even want to respond to him.

The feeling was like he had thrown a punch with all his strength, only to land it on a pile of soft cotton, not only failing to injure the opponent but also making himself look stupid.

Nathan clicked his tongue, feeling even more annoyed inside.

"Pretending to be calm won't do you any good either." He sneered coldly: "Rejected by a Succubus for three whole months, and now having to come here in person to process a rebate. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have the face to show up in front of everyone."

Erik still didn't look at him.

The female staff member also sensed that the atmosphere was off, and hurriedly said: "Mr. Erik, the records are being reviewed. Please wait a little longer, we'll try to handle it as fast as possible."

"Alright."

Erik nodded and was about to head over to the waiting area.

Nathan watched his retreating back, and a strange thought suddenly popped into his head. He broke into a smile and loudly asked: "Erik, when will the rebate procedure be finished?"

Erik's footsteps came to a stop.

Nathan continued, his tone brimming with provocation: "Saraya doesn't accept you anyway, and letting her keep being paired with an incapable guy like you is just a waste of time. Once the Center reclaims her, I could try to connect with her."

Saying this, Nathan even gave a light squeeze to the arm holding the black-haired Succubus, as if deliberately wanting to show Erik just how much appeal he had.

"Maybe the problem doesn't lie with Saraya, but with the fact that the one paired with her wasn't good enough."

Hearing that, the black-haired Succubus's expression immediately turned ugly.

She lifted her head to look at Nathan, displeasure surfacing in her eyes, but Nathan didn't look at her at all. His entire attention was fixed on Erik.

Erik finally turned around.

He looked at Nathan for a few seconds, his brows knitting slightly, feeling that this young man really was so obsessed with one-upping him that he'd gone a little crazy.

There was no great enmity between the two of them to begin with.

From beginning to end, Nathan just wanted to prove that he was stronger than him, held a higher status than him, and was loved by more Succubi than him.

Erik didn't know where this strange mentality came from, and had no desire to waste time figuring it out.

He said in a soft voice: "If you like picking up what others have returned, go right ahead. I'm not a garbage collection center either."

The surroundings instantly went quiet.

The smile on Nathan's face vanished.

His face first flushed red, then gradually became contorted, his eyes glaring at Erik brimming with fury.

"What did you say?"

Erik looked at him and calmly asked back: "Didn't you hear clearly?"

"Damn it!"

Nathan instinctively took a step forward, the mana in his body immediately fluctuating, his hand also clenching tight into a fist.

However, an enormous magic symbol on the ceiling of the Connection Center suddenly lit up. An invisible pressure quickly enveloped Nathan's body, making him instantly sober up.

This place was the Connection Center.

Any act of aggression would be suppressed by the defensive system. Whoever made the first move would not only be detained but could also be stripped of the right to enter the Trial Gate for a long time.

Nathan gritted his teeth, and in the end still didn't dare throw that punch.

"Fine." He pointed at Erik, his voice icy: "I'll remember the words you just said."

Erik didn't answer.

The calmer Nathan saw him, the angrier he felt, but there was nothing else he could do. In the end, he could only give a cold snort, then wrap his arm around the black-haired Succubus and leave.

The black-haired Succubus didn't immediately follow along.

She gave Erik a glance, then looked at Nathan's retreating back, her eyes carrying a trace of disappointment. It wasn't until Nathan irritably called her name that she silently followed after him.

Erik watched the two of them leave the Center, only sighing inwardly.

He had known Nathan since three years ago.

Back then Erik had just finished his aptitude test, confirmed to have awakened and to be qualified to become an Awakened. However, because he hadn't connected with a Succubus, his talent and rank still couldn't be determined. Even so, he and the others who met the requirements were still brought into a simulated Trial Space to get familiar with danger.

That wasn't the real Trial Gate.

The monsters inside were all projections, but the sensations of pain, the exhaustion, and the mental pressure weren't too different from reality.

In the very first trial, a great many people panicked the moment they saw the monsters. Some fled, some forgot everything they had been instructed, and some even shoved and jostled, throwing the whole formation into chaos.

Erik was not like that.

He had died once, had been trapped in a sea of flames and watched with his own eyes the person he trusted most wanting him dead. A few simulated monsters, while frightening, weren't enough to make him lose his composure.

He quickly observed the terrain, made use of the surrounding obstacles, then directed a few people to cooperate and clear the trial.

Nathan had been in the group back then too.

He came from a well-off family, had been trained from a young age, and his aptitude wasn't low either, so he had originally assumed he would be the most outstanding one.

But in the end, the one the examiners praised the most turned out to be Erik.

From that day on, Nathan started treating him as a rival.

Even though Erik had never once intended to compete with him.

"So childish."

Erik shook his head, walked to the waiting area, and sat down.

Sometimes he felt that if everyone could just live and let live, not going out of their way to find others to cause trouble for, then perhaps this world would be a great deal more peaceful.

A pity that, whether on Earth or in this world, there were always people who couldn't stand seeing others live better than themselves.

...

About twenty-some minutes later, the female staff member who had taken in his records stepped out of the work area.

"Mr. Erik, the inspection results are in."

Erik stood up and followed her into a small room behind the counter.

The staff member invited him to sit down, then placed an information panel on the table. Her expression still carried a look of remorse, and even a bit of awkwardness.

"After reviewing all the data, we've confirmed that the pairing system did make an error."

Erik wasn't too surprised.

If the compatibility between him and Saraya had truly been high, she wouldn't have rejected him to that degree.

The staff member continued: "The true compatibility between you and Saraya is only nineteen point three percent, which doesn't reach the minimum recommended level to proceed with a connection."

Erik knitted his brows: "Then why did the system pair us together three months ago?"

"Your talent data is still in a locked state, and the System couldn't read your core attributes." The staff member explained: "During the pairing process, the System automatically used your basic awakening metrics to estimate compatibility, which led to the wrong result with Saraya."

Saying this, she stood up again and bowed to Erik.

"This is a fault on the Center's side. This matter has cost you three months, along with financial loss and a delay in entering the Trial Gate. We sincerely apologize."

Erik stayed silent for a few seconds, then asked: "How do you plan to resolve it?"

"First, the entire connection fee for Saraya will be refunded. In addition, the Center will take responsibility for finding a new match for you, and will raise your file's priority to the highest level."

The staff member pushed the information panel toward him.

"We'll do our best to pair you with a Succubus of good aptitude to make up for this loss."

Erik picked up the information panel and looked it over, then nodded.

He didn't have overly high demands.

Even if the next Succubus wasn't rank S, that was fine. As long as she truly wanted to connect with him, could help him open up the System, and wouldn't betray him, that was enough.

If the other side treated him sincerely, he too would use his whole heart to treat her well.

Erik set the information panel down and asked: "When will there be a result?"

"You can head home first." The staff member replied: "We'll start the pairing process immediately. Sometime today, the result will be sent to your email inbox."

"And Saraya?"

"The Succubus Management Council has already received the report." She said: "They'll soon send someone to reclaim her, check her physical condition, and take her back to the management area."

Erik nodded.

That was for the best too.

He didn't want to keep arguing with Saraya, and didn't want to see her go hungry to the point where something actually happened inside his apartment.

After confirming that the procedure was complete, Erik left the Connection Center.

About half an hour or so later, he returned to the apartment complex.

The moment Erik opened the door, his hand froze in midair.

The living room before him looked as if a storm had just swept through it.

The small table was flipped over, and two chairs lay sprawled across the floor. A drinking glass was shattered against the wall, the TV screen had a large crack in it, and several pieces of clothing along with various items had been thrown all over the place.

Even the decorative photo frame on the cabinet had been smashed.

A flare of anger immediately blazed up in Erik's heart.

The items in this house weren't all that expensive, but every one of them had been bought with money he'd earned through backbreaking work.

Over these three months, because he'd had to take care of Saraya, his savings had nearly run dry. And now she had wrecked the house as if none of it had anything to do with her.

Erik drew in a deep breath, trying to press down his anger.

He shut the door, then walked into the living room.

Saraya was sitting curled up on the sofa, both legs hugged tight against her chest. Her blonde hair hung loose and tangled around her, her face still flushed from hunger, but her eyes as she looked at Erik brimmed with hatred and indignation.

"So you finally know to come back?"

Erik took a sweep of the room, then asked: "Did you do all of this?"

Saraya didn't feel she was in the wrong at all, and instead sneered coldly: "So what? You left me all alone while I was in such pain. Was I supposed to just obediently sit and wait for you to come back?"

"That's not a reason for you to wreck my things."

"Your things?" Saraya raised her voice the moment she heard that: "I've lived here for three months. Isn't this place my home too?"

Erik looked at her, feeling utterly exhausted inside.

Saraya rose from the sofa, but the moment her body moved she staggered. She had to brace against the armrest to steady herself, then looked at Erik with reddened eyes.

"Do you have any idea how much pain I've been in?"

Erik didn't answer.

Saraya continued to interrogate him: "You know full well that my Chains of Desire have been unlocked, know full well that I can't use Energy Crystals to suppress it anymore, and yet you still left. If something happened to me, could you take responsibility for it?"

"I told you to sign a trial contract." Erik said: "You refused."

"Because I wasn't ready!"

"Then I'm taking you back to the Center."

"What gives you the right to decide on my behalf?" Saraya shouted: "I just need more time. Can't you be a little more patient?"

Erik looked at the pile of wrecked items on the floor, his voice going cold: "I've been patient for three months."

"Only three months!" Saraya immediately shot back: "I'm a rank S Succubus. Do you know how many men would be willing to wait for me? You were lucky the System paired me with you, and yet you can't even bear this little bit of sacrifice."

Hearing that, Erik broke into a laugh, but there wasn't the slightest joy in that laugh.

"You want me to keep feeding you, taking care of you, enduring your every fit of temper, and waiting for a day that even you yourself don't know when it'll come?"

Saraya bit her lip: "If you truly cared about me, you wouldn't calculate over things like that."

"And what about you?"

Saraya froze.

Erik looked straight at her: "Over these three months, have you ever once cared about me?"

"I…"

"Do you know how many jobs I have to work to pay the rent? Do you know that my money is nearly gone? Do you know that because of you I've been delayed from entering the Trial Gate for three months?"

Saraya's expression turned ugly, but she still gritted her teeth and said: "You're a man. Isn't doing those things exactly what you're supposed to do?"

Hearing that, the last bit of patience in Erik's heart also vanished.

Saraya seemed not to have realized it yet. She stepped toward him, her voice beginning to soften, but every sentence was still full of a binding pressure.

"Erik, I know you're angry, but you can't ruin the future of the two of us over a moment's anger. I'm a rank S Succubus. As long as you keep waiting, sooner or later I'll accept you."

"You've taken care of me for three months already. Do you really want all that effort from before to become meaningless now?"

"As long as you go back to the Center and tell them this was a misunderstanding, I can overlook what you did today."

She looked at Erik as if giving him a chance to correct his mistake was already an enormous act of charity.

Erik listened in silence to all of it.

Then, he took out his phone, opened the confirmation notice the Center had just sent him, and set the screen in front of her.

"There's no need anymore."

Saraya frowned and lowered her head to look at the words on the screen.

Erik withdrew the phone and calmly said:

"I've already completed the rebate on you."

Saraya's whole body went rigid.

She was like someone who had just been struck by a bolt of lightning, her eyes going wide as she stared at Erik, her face full of disbelief.

...

Saraya stared blankly at Erik, as if she still couldn't comprehend the words he had just said.

"You… already completed the rebate on me?"

Her voice trembled slightly, her amber eyes wide open, her face full of disbelief.

Erik put the phone into his pocket and calmly nodded.

"That's right."

Saraya stayed silent for a few seconds, then, as if just waking from a daze, hurriedly stepped up in front of him.

"Impossible!"

She said loudly, her expression both furious and panicked: "I'm a rank S Succubus! Do you even understand what rank S means?"

Erik didn't answer.

Saraya pointed at herself, her voice growing more and more urgent: "In this entire safe zone, the number of rank S Succubi can be counted on one hand. As long as I complete a contract, in the future I'll definitely become a powerful Awakened."

"How many men want to be paired with me but don't even have the qualification. You were lucky enough to meet me, so why won't you keep me even a little?"

Erik looked at her, and not the slightest ripple appeared in his heart.

Three months ago, had he heard these words, perhaps he would have worried, might even have asked himself whether he really was too lacking in patience.

But now, he only felt exhausted.

He had taken care of Saraya for three whole months, given her plenty of time, and had even taken the initiative to talk many times. In return, she had only grown more arrogant, treating everything he did as a matter of course.

Seeing that he still said nothing, Saraya immediately took another step forward.

"You really don't intend to keep me?"

The moment the question rang out, even she herself was slightly stunned.

Perhaps it was only at this point that Saraya truly realized that from the moment Erik returned, he had never once said a word about wanting her to stay.

He didn't beg her to change her decision, didn't keep compromising, and showed no sign of regret at all.

Erik glanced at the messy room, the smashed TV along with the shards of glass scattered all over the floor, and felt even more exhausted inside.

He said in a soft voice: "You said there are plenty of men willing to wait for you, so after you go back to the Center, you can choose one of them."

Saraya's expression immediately changed.

"You…"

Just as she was about to continue, a sweet voice suddenly rang out from behind Erik.

"Excuse me… may I ask, is this Erik's home?"

The voice was gentle and clear, carrying a bit of hesitation, completely at odds with the tense atmosphere in the living room.

Erik was slightly startled, then turned his head to look back.

Instantly, his gaze came to a stop.

Standing outside the door was a young woman with long silver hair. The soft strands fell down over both her shoulders, and under the light from the hallway they seemed to be draped in a faint glow.

She had a beautiful face, with soft features that had nevertheless fully matured. Her eyes were a clear jade green, her long lashes trembling faintly, and the pointed ears peeking out from within her hair showed her Elf blood clearly.

She wore a cream-white dress, simple in design but fitting her well-proportioned body, accentuating her slender waist along with the full curves of a mature woman.

Her aura was very gentle.

Not the kind of frailty that made others want to protect her, but rather like a neighborhood older sister who always greeted you with a smile, someone whose mere presence beside you put you at ease.

The moment Erik's gaze and hers met, the two of them were stunned at the same time.

Erik felt as though a very faint sound rang out in his mind.

All the noises around him quickly grew distant, his gaze completely captivated by the girl before him. A strange warm feeling appeared in his chest, then spread throughout his body, making his heartbeat quicken without his realizing.

The silver-haired girl fared no better.

Her jade-green eyes went wide, staring fixedly at Erik as if she had just found the very thing she had been waiting for for a very long time.

Her beautiful face gradually flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her breathing began to grow ragged, her full chest gently rising and falling with each breath.

The four eyes gazed at one another.

Neither of them said anything.

Erik could clearly see the astonishment in her eyes, but beneath that astonishment there was also a joy and a longing that was almost impossible to hide.

The silver-haired girl unconsciously stepped into the apartment.

One step.

Two steps.

The distance between the two of them quickly narrowed.

Erik knitted his brows slightly.

The sensation she brought was far too intense, completely different from any woman he had ever met. It wasn't just his body being drawn in, even his spirit naturally wanted to get closer to her.

The silver-haired girl seemed to have fallen into a similar state.

Her gaze rested on Erik's face, then slowly slid down to his lips. Her long lashes trembled, and the two hands placed before her unconsciously clenched tight as well.

"You…"

The moment Erik spoke up, the silver-haired girl took another step, practically walking straight into his arms.

A gentle fragrance like young grass after the rain flooded into his breath. Erik could clearly see each of her eyelashes, could even feel her warm breath softly brushing against his chin.

Her jade-green eyes had already turned hazy.

"It really… feels so nice."

She murmured, her originally sweet voice now carrying a hint of huskiness.

Erik immediately realized that her state wasn't normal.

He brought both hands up to hold her shoulders, stopping her from continuing to draw closer.

"Calm down a bit."

The soft body beneath his hands trembled faintly.

The silver-haired girl lifted her head to look at Erik. When the two of them made contact, the sensation of resonance not only didn't diminish but instead grew even stronger.

Her lips parted, her breathing more and more ragged.

"I… I'm sorry."

She said she was sorry, yet her two hands slowly lifted and pressed against Erik's chest.

Erik immediately felt the softness of her fingers along with the temperature clearly rising on her body.

"Step back first."

"But I don't want to."

Erik: "…"

Her voice was still very gentle, but her answer was so direct that he didn't know how to react.

CRASH!

The sound of glass shattering suddenly rang out, making both of them sober up a little.

Erik turned his head to look back.

Saraya was standing beside the table, her hand still in the posture of having just swung. Another glass had been smashed to the floor by her, the shards splattering all around.

She looked at Erik and the silver-haired woman standing right beside him, her face flushed red with anger.

"Pervert!"

Saraya pointed at Erik's face and yelled loudly: "The moment you see another woman you can't take your eyes off her? Can't you control your lower half?"

Erik knitted his brows.

"Can't you see I'm holding her back?"

Hearing that, Saraya grew even angrier.

"Holding her back?" She sneered coldly: "The two of you are practically glued together, and you still dare say you're holding her back?"

Hearing that final shout, the silver-haired girl finally regained a bit of clarity.

She turned her head to look at Saraya, then looked at her two hands resting on Erik's chest. Her already flushed face immediately grew even hotter.

Even so, she still didn't step back.

On the contrary, her fingers even unconsciously gripped Erik's shirt, as if afraid he would push her away.

Erik saw that movement, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly.

Saraya saw it too.

"Let go of him!"

She yelled, and immediately lunged forward, wanting to pull the silver-haired girl away from Erik.

Erik reacted very quickly.

One of his hands still held the silver-haired woman's shoulder, while the other reached out and grabbed Saraya's wrist.

"That's enough!"

Held back by him, Saraya's face was full of disbelief.

"You dare stop me?"

"She just got here, and her state isn't normal either. Don't keep making trouble."

"I'm making trouble?" Saraya gritted her teeth: "I've lived here for three months, and now you're protecting some woman who appeared out of nowhere?"

"She's not someone who appeared out of nowhere."

The silver-haired woman leaned close against Erik's side, forced herself to draw in a few deep breaths, then said in a soft voice: "My name is Elowen, an Elf Succubus. I was arranged by the Connection Center to come meet Mr. Erik."

Saraya was stunned.

Her gaze quickly shifted from Elowen to Erik, then looked back at Elowen again.

"What did you come here for?"

Elowen lowered her head slightly, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I came to replace you."

Saraya's expression suddenly turned pale.

But just a few seconds later, she had already knitted her brows and coldly asked:

"What's your rank?"

Elowen stayed silent for a moment, then honestly answered:

"Rank D."

Saraya was stunned.

Right after, she suddenly burst out laughing.

...

"Hahaha…"

Saraya's laughter rang out in the living room, carrying a relief along with an undisguised mockery.

"Rank D?"

She looked Elowen over from head to toe, the corner of her mouth curling up full of contempt: "And here I thought the Center had found some formidable Succubus. Turns out it's just a rank D piece of trash."

Hearing that, Elowen's jade-green eyes wavered slightly, but she showed no anger.

She only said in a soft voice: "My compatibility with Mr. Erik is ninety-six percent."

The smile on Saraya's face instantly stiffened.

"How much?"

"Ninety-six percent."

As Elowen answered, she lifted her head to look at Erik.

That single glance, and the state she had only just stabilized began to waver again. Her cheeks quickly flushed red, and the fingers gripping Erik's shirt clenched tighter too.

Saraya saw her reaction and immediately understood.

"You went into heat the moment you met him?"

Elowen pressed her lips together slightly, her face growing even redder, but she still earnestly corrected her: "This is an energy resonance caused by excessively high compatibility, not going into heat."

"What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference."

"You dare talk back to me?"

Saraya stepped forward, but Erik immediately gave her wrist a light squeeze, stopping her from advancing further.

"I've said enough."

"Erik!" Saraya raged and yelled: "You're treating me like this over a rank D Succubus?"

"I just won't allow you to insult my guest."

"Guest?"

Saraya looked at the two of them practically embracing each other, so angry that her whole body trembled.

"Is this how you receive a guest?"

Erik lowered his head to look at Elowen.

She was still pressed close against him, both hands resting on his chest, her face flushed red, her gaze hazy yet with no intention of letting go at all.

The current posture really wasn't convincing.

Erik drew in a deep breath, then tried to push Elowen back.

"Stand off to the side first."

Elowen reluctantly stepped back half a pace, but her two hands still held onto his wrist.

Erik: "…"

Seeing this scene, the fury in Saraya's heart finally erupted.

"Fine!"

She yanked her wrist out of Erik's hand, her voice full of anger and resentment: "If you like this kind of trash, then keep her! I want to see just how far a rank D Succubus can help you go."

Having said that, Saraya turned and rushed out into the hallway.

BANG!

The door being slammed shut made the frame shudder.

The living room instantly fell quiet.

Erik looked at the tightly shut door, then looked at the mess all around him, and felt nothing but a headache inside.

He turned to Elowen.

"I'm sorry you had to see something like this the very first time we met."

Elowen didn't answer.

She was standing right in front of him, her head slightly lowered, her silver hair covering part of her face.

Erik felt the hand holding his wrist growing hotter and hotter.

"Miss Elowen?"

Elowen slowly lifted her head.

Her jade-green eyes had been covered by a thin layer of mist, and her gaze as she looked at him no longer held the calm it had before.

"Mr. Erik."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a bit of a tremble.

"What is it?"

"I don't think I can hold back any longer."

Erik immediately grew wary.

"Hold on, we can sign a Trial Contract first."

Elowen looked at him and gently shook her head.

"I don't want a trial."

"We only just met."

"But I've waited far too long for someone who could connect with me."

She stepped closer.

Erik instinctively took a step back, but right behind him was the wall.

Elowen stopped right in front of him.

The distance between their two bodies had almost vanished. The softness along with the warmth from her transmitted through the layer of clothing, making Erik's breathing grow heavier too.

He brought up his hands to hold her two shoulders.

"Elowen, calm down."

"I'm being very calm."

"You don't seem like someone who's calm."

"Because you're too close."

"You're the one who pinned me against the wall."

Elowen blinked, as if only now realizing the situation.

"I'm sorry."

She said she was sorry, but she didn't step back at all.

On the contrary, her soft hands slowly slid up Erik's chest, then wound around behind his neck.

Erik felt her body gently press close, her warm breath brushing against his lips.

"Elowen."

"I've been through seventeen failed pairings."

She looked straight into his eyes, her voice growing softer and softer.

"This is the first time I've felt my body truly want someone."

Erik knitted his brows slightly.

He understood that high compatibility could affect a Succubus, but Elowen's reaction was clearly stronger than what he had imagined.

"I'm not refusing to connect with you." Erik tried to keep his voice calm: "But at the very least we should start with a Trial Contract."

Hearing that, Elowen wasn't pleased in the slightest.

On the contrary, a bit of grievance even appeared in her jade-green eyes.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"I just want to be careful."

"Or are you still wanting to wait for Saraya?"

"It has nothing to do with her."

"Then why only sign a trial contract?"

For a moment Erik didn't know how to explain.

He had only just ended a failed pairing that dragged on for three months. No matter how high the compatibility between him and Elowen was, directly signing a formal contract at their very first meeting was still too hasty.

But Elowen seemed unable to keep waiting any longer.

The gentle fragrance on her body grew more and more distinct. Her originally clear eyes had turned hazy, her breath heating up, her soft body ceaselessly pressing against him.

Erik wanted to step back, but there was no more room behind him.

"Elowen, let's talk first."

"I'm listening."

"Then step back a little."

"I don't want to."

Erik: "…"

Elowen looked at the helplessness on his face, and a hint of amusement suddenly appeared in her eyes.

Even while losing control from the resonance, she still recognized that Erik hadn't taken advantage of her state at all.

He was still trying to restrain her, and had even persistently proposed signing a trial contract.

That didn't disappoint Elowen.

On the contrary, it made her feel all the more that she didn't want to miss the man in front of her.

Elowen slowly rose up onto her toes.

Erik immediately held her shoulders tight.

"Hold on."

"You said you wouldn't refuse to connect with me."

"I said a Trial Contract."

Elowen pressed her lips together, her voice very soft: "But I don't want you to test me."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then don't push me away."

Before Erik could even reply, Elowen had lifted her head, her soft lips touching against his.

Erik's eyes went wide.

The kiss was at first just a light touch, as if Elowen still held onto that last shred of reason.

But the moment their lips made contact, a surge of warm energy suddenly erupted between them.

Elowen's body trembled.

The two arms wound around Erik's neck immediately clenched tight, pulling him down. Her soft lips no longer stopped at a brief touch, but became scorching and full of longing.

The gentle fragrance on her body quickly enveloped Erik.

He could feel Elowen's racing heartbeat, feel her soft body pressing against him, and at the same time feel each surge of strange energy flowing from her over to him.

Erik had originally wanted to push her away.

But the moment his hand landed on her soft waist, his very soul seemed to be pulled in by that resonance too.

A comfort he had never known before spread throughout his body.

Like two portions of energy that had already been waiting for each other for a very long time, finally finding the right place to merge together.

Elowen let out a faint, choked sound in her throat.

Her kiss was still a bit clumsy, but the initiative along with the longing was not hidden at all. Her fingers threaded into Erik's hair, her body pressing closer, as if the moment she loosened her grip even a little he would instantly disappear.

Erik's mind was left blank by that unexpected fervor.

He had only intended to sign a Trial Contract.

At the very least they should get to know each other for a few days, confirm that the two sides could live together, and only then consider the next step.

But Elowen gave him no chance at all to say it.

Just as he was about to tilt his head and end the kiss, a pale blue mark suddenly appeared between the two of their chests.

The light passed through the layer of clothing, quickly connecting their bodies with thin threads of energy.

Erik was startled.

"Elowen…"

The moment he parted his lips a little, Elowen was already breathing rapidly, her jade-green eyes hazy as she looked at him.

"Don't stop."

Then she once again took the initiative to kiss his lips.

BOOM!

A surge of invisible energy erupted inside Erik's body.

The mark between the two of them instantly shone brilliantly. The threads of energy quickly wound around one another, then merged into a complete symbol.

Erik felt another existence appear within his soul.

Warm.

Gentle.

Incredibly close.

He could feel the joy, the satisfaction, along with the sense of security flooding Elowen's heart.

But right after, a thought made Erik's expression change instantly.

This wasn't a Trial Contract.

A Trial Contract couldn't create a soul link this clear.

Erik hurriedly separated Elowen from him, both hands holding her shoulders.

"What kind of contract did you just sign?"

Elowen panted, her face flushed red, her lips slightly swollen after the prolonged kiss.

She looked at the mark gradually fading from the two of their chests, a blank look appearing in her eyes as well.

"The contract…"

"What contract?"

Elowen stayed silent for a few seconds, then said in a small voice:

"It seems to be a formal contract."

Erik's eyes went wide.

"What did you say?"

At this very moment, a mechanical voice that had been silent for five whole years suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Contract established. Congratulations on successfully opening the Incubus System.]

[Congratulations on obtaining the rank SSS talent: Primordial Incubus.]

...

[Contract established. Congratulations on successfully opening the Incubus System.]

[Congratulations on obtaining the rank SSS talent: Primordial Incubus.]

Erik looked at the two lines of notification floating before his eyes, his pupils immediately contracting.

Rank SSS?

In this world, the lowest talent rank was F, followed in order by D, C, B, A, and S. Above rank S there were still ranks that only appeared in textbooks and legends, including Epic, Legendary, and Mythic.

But what on earth was rank SSS?

Throughout the five years he had lived in this world, Erik had never heard anyone mention that rank. Even in the materials an ordinary person could access, three S's placed next to one another had never once appeared.

Primordial Incubus.

The name alone was enough to make his heartbeat quicken.

Erik was so excited that he almost forgot his current situation. He immediately wanted to open the information panel and see just what abilities the first rank SSS talent he had ever known of actually had.

But at that very moment, the soft lips pressed against his suddenly grew more fervent.

Elowen seemed to have completely sunk into the sensation the contract brought. The arm wound around Erik's neck clenched tight, her soft body pressed close against him, her warm lips ceaselessly demanding a response.

Just as Erik was about to separate her, Elowen tilted her head slightly, the soft tip of her tongue probing at his lips in a tentative test.

The movement was a bit clumsy, but the longing was not hidden at all.

Erik's whole body stiffened slightly.

In his past life he had lived to thirty-five years old, and wasn't some young man who had never had contact with a woman. Although the current situation was completely outside his expectations, he wasn't so far gone as to panic over a mere kiss.

Besides, the contract had already been established.

Even if he pushed Elowen away right now, the matter couldn't go back to how it was before.

Erik looked at her half-closed jade-green eyes. Elowen had not the slightest intention of holding back, and on the contrary hugged him even tighter, as though afraid that the person she had just found would suddenly disappear.

Since it couldn't be changed, then he might as well enjoy it a little.

Erik no longer resisted.

The hand resting on Elowen's shoulder slowly slid down to her slender waist, pulling her body in close. At the same time, he lowered his head and took the initiative to respond to her clumsy yet scorching kiss.

Elowen's body immediately trembled.

A small, uncontrollable sound escaped from her throat, then was quickly swallowed up by the two of their lips.

The already fervent kiss instantly grew more intense.

Elowen's tongue timidly pushed in, beginning to explore the inside of Erik's mouth. At first she was still a bit awkward, but after receiving a response, that timidity quickly vanished.

A fragrance like young grass after the rain flooded into his breath.

Erik clearly felt each of her racing heartbeats, and at the same time felt the warm energy circulating between the two of them. Each time their lips and tongues touched, that energy grew a little stronger, making both his body and spirit turn comfortable to an unbelievable degree.

The two of them kissed for a very long time.

By the time their breath was nearly exhausted, and their lips along with their tongues both transmitted a stinging soreness, Elowen reluctantly separated.

A thin thread of moisture stretched between the two of their lips, then quickly broke apart.

Elowen panted, her jade-green eyes veiled with a layer of mist, her face flushed red all the way to her pointed ears. She didn't leave Erik at all, and on the contrary hugged him even tighter, her whole body practically plastered against his.

Her full chest was pressed against Erik's chest to the point of deforming. Her soft body pressed close bit by bit, as if wanting to inlay herself into his body.

Erik lowered his head to look at her, his breathing not yet fully steadied either.

Elowen noticed his gaze and immediately lowered her face in embarrassment. But although her face was flushed red, the arms holding him still refused to let go.

"I'm sorry…"

Her voice was very soft, carrying a bit of huskiness after the prolonged kiss.

Erik asked: "Sorry for what?"

"Just now I couldn't control myself."

Elowen pressed together her slightly swollen, reddened lips, her gaze not daring to look straight at him.

"From the moment I saw you, the energy in my body completely lost control. After touching you, there was only one thought left in my mind…"

Erik raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What thought?"

Elowen stayed silent for a few seconds, then buried her flushed face into his chest.

"Wanting to sign a contract with you."

Erik broke into a helpless laugh.

"So you directly signed a formal contract?"

"I don't know why it turned into a formal contract either." Elowen explained in a small voice: "At that moment I only thought I couldn't let you get away."

"I already agreed to sign a Trial Contract."

"But a trial can still be ended."

Elowen lifted her head to look at him, her jade-green eyes still moist, but her expression extremely serious.

"A formal contract is safer."

For a moment Erik didn't know what to say.

Saraya had refused to sign a Trial Contract with him for three whole months, while Elowen, less than half an hour after meeting him, had directly skipped the trial stage and signed a formal contract outright.

The gap between one person and another was sometimes truly too large.

The strange thing was that Erik didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

On the contrary, a warm feeling that he hadn't felt in a very long time even appeared in his heart.

Saraya had never once taken the initiative to get close to him, much less ever shown that she was afraid of losing him. Over these three months, he had always been the one trying to preserve the relationship, while Saraya just stood on the other side, treating every sacrifice of his as a matter of course.

Elowen was completely different.

She had only just met him, yet the feeling of being desired, being cherished, and being chosen was incredibly clear.

Erik didn't reject that feeling.

He even found it a little enjoyable.

At this very moment, another information panel appeared before his eyes.

[Rank SSS talent detected: Primordial Incubus.]

[The talent is in an unaccepted state.]

[Do you wish to accept the talent inheritance right now?]

[Yes/No.]

Erik looked at the information panel, and an intense curiosity immediately rose in his heart.

He very much wanted to choose "Yes."

But when he glanced at the living room that looked as if it had just been swept through by a pack of monsters, Erik still had to press the curiosity down.

The floor was covered with shards of glass, the table and chairs were overturned, the TV screen was cracked, and clothing along with items lay scattered everywhere. No one knew what kind of commotion accepting a rank SSS talent would create.

If he passed out or fell into a state where he couldn't move, this place clearly wasn't a suitable spot.

Erik made his choice through thought.

[No.]

[The talent inheritance has been temporarily stored. You may accept it at any time.]

The information panel quickly shrank down.

Erik gave Elowen's back a light pat.

"First let go of me a little."

Elowen lifted her head, a bit of hesitation on her face.

"You won't push me out the door, will you?"

"No."

"And you won't break the contract either?"

Erik looked at her: "I still don't even understand what effect the contract has had, so why would I break it?"

Only after hearing that did Elowen let out a sigh of relief, but she still took a few more seconds before she was willing to release the two arms hugging his neck.

...

After Erik reassured Elowen, the two of them began to roughly clear away the dangerous shards of glass on the floor.

By the time they could barely find a place to sit, they sat down at the two ends of the sofa, facing each other in the middle of a room that was still terribly messy.

Elowen sat very properly, both hands resting on her knees.

It was just that her gaze occasionally stole a glance at Erik, then quickly darted away each time she was caught by him.

Erik leaned back against the sofa and asked: "You've been paired many times before?"

Elowen nodded.

"Seventeen times in total."

"But you said you've never had a partner."

"Because they all failed."

She explained: "Most of us only meet at the Connection Center. After the review, the compatibility isn't enough to proceed with a contract, so the two sides greet each other and then leave."

"No getting back in touch?"

"No."

"You've never even tried making contact?"

Elowen shook her head slightly.

"Not even holding hands."

Erik was a little surprised.

"So what was your previous compatibility?"

"Around forty to fifty percent." Elowen thought about it, then added: "The highest was fifty-three percent, but when we tried standing close to each other, the energy of both sides still had no clear reaction."

She looked at Erik, her jade-green eyes turning gentle again.

"This is the first time I've met someone with compatibility this high. The moment I saw you, my body reacted even before I had time to think."

Elowen lowered her head, her cheeks flushing red again.

"My actions just now really were far too improper. I'll try to restrain myself more from now on."

Erik looked at her slightly swollen lips and felt that this promise didn't hold too much persuasive power.

Elowen drew in a deep breath, then earnestly continued: "Mr. Erik, you can rest assured. After signing the contract, I'll hand over all my money for you to manage."

Erik was slightly stunned.

Elowen, as if afraid he hadn't fully understood her sincerity, hurriedly added: "I'll also take care of you and buy you the things you like. If you have any requests about daily life or spending, you can tell me directly."

"Hold on."

Erik raised a hand to stop her from continuing.

"You intend to hand over all your money to me?"

"That's right."

"Then what about you?"

"I can keep working."

Elowen answered as if that were a matter of course.

Erik looked at the serious expression on her face, and only now recalled that this world was not like Earth.

Here, the status of men was extremely special.

To say they were like kings wasn't entirely accurate either, because most of the kings in history still had to handle state affairs, defend their territory, and face countless schemes.

The men of this world sometimes lived even more comfortably than kings.

After a successful connection, a Succubus had to prepare a betrothal gift for her partner. Every month, they also had to provide a sum of living expenses according to the man's requests.

In most households, the primary breadwinner was also the female Succubus.

Not only did they earn money and handle household affairs, they were also the main combat force when entering the Trial Space. The most important tasks of a man were merely eating and drinking, resting, cultivating, supplying vital essence to the Succubus, and enjoying life.

Of course, a strong man could still fight directly, but that was a choice rather than a mandatory duty.

Erik came from Earth, so he had never truly gotten used to this kind of culture.

Over these three months, he had loved and cared for Saraya like a princess, not wanting her to do any heavy work. He earned money himself, cooked, cleaned, and even tried to meet her every request.

Thinking back on it now, perhaps it was precisely that kind of treatment that had made Saraya look down more and more on everything he did.

Seeing Erik stay silent, Elowen's gaze gradually turned anxious.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then took a small velvet box out of her handbag.

Elowen stood up, walked over in front of Erik, then respectfully lifted the box up with both hands.

"This is the betrothal gift I prepared."

Erik looked at her, then took the box.

When he opened the lid, inside appeared a black bank card along with a silver bracelet of simple design.

"What are these?"

Elowen pointed at the bracelet first.

"That's a space bracelet. The storage space inside is five meters wide, five meters long, and five meters high. It can hold most ordinary items, but it can't hold living creatures."

Erik had only intended to give it a passing glance, but when he heard the dimensions inside, the hand holding the box immediately came to a halt.

"Five meters… on each side?"

Elowen nodded gently.

"That's right."

Erik's gaze immediately changed.

Space items in this world were extremely rare and precious. Their creation not only required materials taken from deep within the Trial Space, but also demanded a Space Mage powerful enough to stabilize the internal structure.

A single space bracelet with interior dimensions of one meter by one meter by one meter already fetched a price of up to twenty million credit points on the market.

Twenty million.

Over these past five years, Erik had worked all sorts of jobs, from hauling cargo, delivering goods, and working the night shift to simple repairs. Even if he didn't eat, didn't sleep, and didn't spend a single credit point, the total amount he earned would only be about five million.

In other words, even the smallest space bracelet was worth four times the entire income he could earn in five years.

And the bracelet in front of him wasn't one cubic meter.

The space inside it was as large as five meters by five meters by five meters.

One hundred and twenty-five cubic meters.

The value of a space item couldn't simply be calculated by multiplying the volume, because the larger the space, the more the difficulty of creating it increased exponentially. Erik didn't know exactly how much this bracelet was worth, but there was one thing he could be certain of.

This was absolutely not something an ordinary Awakened could afford to buy.

Erik lifted his head to look at Elowen, unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.

"You intend to give this to me?"

Elowen didn't hesitate at all.

"That's right."

"Do you know how precious it is?"

"I know."

Her calm answer left Erik even more at a loss for what to say.

He had originally assumed Elowen was just preparing a symbolic gift according to custom, never expecting that she would directly take out a space item of enormous value.

The two of them had only just met.

The contract had also only been established not long ago.

And yet Elowen was willing to hand over to him an item that most Awakened might not be able to afford even after a lifetime of effort.

That was no longer simply generosity.

It showed that Elowen truly regarded the contract between them as a lifelong matter.

As if afraid Erik still hadn't fully understood her sincerity, Elowen pointed again at the bank card lying beside it.

"And this is all of my current assets."

Erik immediately lifted his head.

"All of it?"

Elowen nodded, her gaze gentle yet extremely serious.

"I've signed a formal contract with you. The things that belong to me can of course be handed over to you to manage as well."

Erik looked at the space bracelet, then looked at Elowen's sincere face.

At this point, he finally understood that she wasn't taking these things out on impulse.

She truly was serious about him.

Elowen nodded.

"The password is my birthday. I'll send you the information later."

"You just met me."

"But we've signed a formal contract."

Elowen looked at him, her voice growing softer and softer.

"This contract only binds the Succubus. I can't betray you, but you can actively break it."

Saying this, her hands unconsciously clenched.

"I know I'm only a rank D Succubus. Aside from high compatibility, I have no advantages compared to others."

"I bought a small apartment nearby. If you need it, I can immediately transfer it into your name."

She looked straight at Erik, an unconcealable unease surfacing in her jade-green eyes.

"I only hope you won't break the contract."

Erik looked at the box in his hand, then looked at Elowen's face, both sincere and anxious.

He could feel that she wasn't lying.

After the contract was established, a vague link had appeared between the two of them. He couldn't yet read Elowen's thoughts, but he could still feel the unease, the tension, along with the anticipation existing in her heart.

Erik set the box down on the table.

Then, he reached out and took Elowen's soft hand.

Her body trembled faintly, but she quickly held his hand back.

"I won't break the contract just because your rank is low."

Elowen lifted her head, her eyes immediately lighting up.

"However, I also won't accept all of your assets right now."

"But…"

"We still need time to get to know each other."

Erik smiled and gently squeezed her hand.

"I've learned enough from my past and from Saraya. I won't rush to trust anyone, but I also won't reject the sincerity of others just because of the people who once hurt me."

Elowen looked at him for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

"Alright."

Her voice was a great deal softer, and the unease in her eyes gradually faded away too.

Only then did Erik move on to the more important matter.

"Can you enter the Trial Space together with me?"

Elowen immediately answered: "I can."

"The sooner the better."

Erik explained: "Only after clearing the first trial and obtaining an Awakening Fruit can I open the Heaven Gate and officially begin cultivating."

"I'll set out tomorrow."

Elowen answered without the slightest hesitation.

Hearing that, Erik nodded in satisfaction.

He had already been delayed for three months and didn't want to keep wasting any more time. Only after opening the Heaven Gate could he accept the talent, check the abilities of the Primordial Incubus, and begin the path to becoming a true Awakened.

"Then tomorrow we'll go together."

Elowen was slightly stunned.

"We?"

Erik knitted his brows: "Of course."

Elowen stayed silent for a few seconds, then gently shook her head.

"You don't need to go."

"Why?"

"I'll enter the Trial Space, try to clear the first trial, and then bring the Awakening Fruit back for you."

She held Erik's hand, her face full of seriousness.

"You just need to stay home and rest, and wait for me to come back."

Erik: "…"

...

At the same time.

In the most bustling central district of the safe zone, a club luxurious to the extreme was open under brilliant lights. The ceiling was inlaid with dark gold magic patterns, melodious music flowed throughout the great hall, and the aroma of fine wine along with the perfume of beautiful women blended together, creating a bewitching atmosphere that made it hard for anyone to take their eyes off it the moment they stepped inside.

Saraya was sitting in a private seating area on the second floor.

In her hand was a glass of red wine, but from beginning to end she had only taken two sips. Her beautiful face still carried a gloomy look, and her amber eyes brimmed with discomfort along with unwillingness.

Sitting beside her was a red-haired woman.

Her fiery red hair fell to her shoulders like burning flames, each lock slightly curled, standing out all the more under the lights. Her clear blue eyes carried a mature seductiveness very hard to describe, and the moment she smiled, the person across from her would naturally get the illusion that all the light in the room was converging onto her.

She wore a short black dress that hugged her body tight, revealing hot curves that were almost perfect. Her full chest, slender waist, and long, straight legs were all accentuated to the utmost by that dress. On that beautiful face there always hung a lazy smile, as if anyone who looked at her too long would be drawn into a sweet trap.

That was Vylana.

A Succubus whom Saraya had known from before.

At this moment, Vylana was resting her chin on her hand, her gaze looking gently at Saraya, her voice so soft it seemed it could melt.

"So, in the end he really did report you to the Connection Center?"

Saraya clenched the wine glass in her hand, her expression turning even uglier.

"That's right."

Just the mention of Erik immediately made an inexplicable anger rise in her heart.

"I just needed a little more time to adjust, that's all. And him? Not only did he refuse to understand me, he actually ran off to the Connection Center to process a rebate."

Saraya gritted her teeth, her voice growing colder and colder.

"A man like that really is selfish to the extreme."

Hearing that, a sly glint flashed in Vylana's eyes, but on the surface she still sighed, as if she were truly taking Saraya's side.

"A man like him really is too awful."

She shook her head, her plump red lips curling up slightly.

"No background, no clan, and I heard that before he even had to work all sorts of jobs to save up money just to go and connect. A man like that, even if he becomes an Awakened, will find it hard to go very far in the future."

Hearing that, Saraya's expression sure enough softened quite a bit.

Seeing that reaction, Vylana continued, her tone both like comforting and like putting Erik down.

"You're a rank S Succubus. With your aptitude, wanting to find someone better than him isn't that too easy?"

Saraya bit her lip lightly.

She wanted to nod in agreement, but in her mind an image unconsciously surfaced of Erik toiling away cooking in the kitchen, sitting outside her bedroom door at night keeping watch while she went into hunger, and every time she flew into a rage and smashed things, he still patiently cleaned everything back up.

Over these three months, Erik had never once raised his voice at her.

Even today, before he left, all he had said was that going hungry too long would put her life in danger.

Thinking of that, a very small trace of guilt suddenly rose in Saraya's heart.

"Actually…" She hesitated slightly. "He… isn't entirely useless like that either."

Vylana immediately grew wary.

But the smile on her face didn't change at all. She hurriedly cut in, her tone extremely skillful.

"I understand. After all, he did take care of you for a while, so it's normal for you to feel soft-hearted."

Hearing that, Saraya nodded, as if she had just found a reasonable justification for her own wavering.

Vylana continued to speak, every word deliberately dragging Erik's image lower in her eyes.

"But what use is taking care of you? In this world, what matters most is still ability, background, and future. If all someone knows is cooking and cleaning, then isn't that just a servant who's a little better at saying pleasant things?"

Saraya was stunned.

That sentence was like a small needle piercing through the sense of guilt that had only just formed in her heart.

That's right.

So what if Erik took care of her?

He had no clan to back him, nor was he the kind of lofty, high-and-mighty man that countless Succubi fought over.

Seeing Saraya's gaze gradually stabilize, Vylana immediately let out a sigh of relief inside, while on the surface she smiled even more gently.

"If you get returned, all the better."

Saraya lifted her head to look at her.

Vylana took a sip of wine, her tone extremely natural.

"I can introduce you to someone else a hundred times better than Erik."

Saraya was a little surprised.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Vylana smiled.

"Not only that, if you're short on a betrothal gift, I can even lend you a small sum first. We're friends after all, I can't just watch you suffer a loss."

Saraya's eyes immediately lit up.

The last bits of unease in her heart nearly dissolved away.

"Vylana, you're so good to me."

Vylana gave a light laugh, not the slightest bit of anything unusual showing in her gentle gaze.

"Do we really need to be so formal with each other?"

She set the wine glass down on the table, then stood up.

"Anyway, since things have already come to this, you don't need to go back and find Erik anymore. A man that awful, just leave him be."

Hearing that, Saraya nodded.

Right now she didn't want to go back and see that cold, indifferent face of Erik's either.

Vylana lightly snapped her fingers. A beautiful maid immediately bowed and walked over.

"Take Miss Saraya up to the VIP room on the upper floor to rest."

"Yes, Miss."

Saraya stood up, picked up her handbag, and before leaving turned to thank Vylana one more time.

"I really am lucky to have you as a friend."

Vylana smiled and watched her gradually walk away.

It wasn't until Saraya's figure had completely disappeared at the staircase that the smile on her face slowly changed.

In those beautiful blue eyes, the gentleness from a moment ago instantly dissolved, replaced by a joy taken to the extreme along with a trace of greed that was almost impossible to conceal.

"Finally it's my turn."

Vylana muttered a line, then, without delaying any longer, immediately stood up and left the private seating area.

She quickly went through a private corridor, stepped into a dedicated magic elevator, and headed straight up to the highest floor of the building.

The topmost floor was completely separated from the lively area below.

There was no more music, no more sounds of laughter and toasting. This place was quiet, luxurious, and guarded many times more strictly.

Vylana pushed open the door of the largest office.

Inside, a woman was sitting behind a desk, and only lifted her head upon hearing the sound of the door.

The moment she saw that person, even Vylana unconsciously slowed her steps a little.

That woman's appearance looked very much like her own.

Fiery red hair fell down behind her back like a soft flame, and her beautiful eyes were so deep that just looking into them gave the feeling of being dragged down into a bewitching abyss. Unlike Vylana's somewhat mischievous seductiveness, this woman carried a maturity and ripeness taken to the utmost.

A dark red dress hugging her body tight wrapped around her hot figure, accentuating her full curves without the slightest concealment. Just sitting there quietly, the aura she gave off was already enough to make others hold their breath.

That was Laviana.

The owner of the most famous bar in this city.

And at the same time, also Vylana's mother.

"Mother."

Vylana called out.

Laviana set down the pen in her hand, her gaze sweeping over her daughter's face.

"For you to be this worked up… it seems there's good news?"

Vylana couldn't hide her smile.

"That's right. Saraya has already been reported to the Connection Center by Erik."

Laviana's eyes immediately flashed.

"Really?"

"Completely accurate." Vylana walked over quickly, her voice faster than usual out of joy. "He's already completed the rebate on her. Saraya arrived here not long ago, still blaming Erik for being useless, saying he has no background and isn't worth caring about."

Hearing that, Laviana stopped all movement.

Then, a satisfied smile slowly bloomed on her lips.

"Good."

She said just one word, but her voice carried a satisfaction taken to the extreme.

"We've finally waited for this opportunity."

Vylana nodded, but very quickly knitted her brows again.

"But I heard Saraya say that Erik has very likely already been paired up again with another partner by the Connection Center."

Hearing that, Laviana only gave a light laugh.

"That's a normal thing."

She rose from her chair and walked step by step to stand before the large glass window, the brilliant lights of the entire city reflecting onto her seductive figure.

"After Erik was dragged out for three months, the Center will definitely want to compensate him. It's only natural for them to find a new partner for him."

"Then do we still have a chance?" Vylana asked.

Laviana turned around, her eyes carrying the calm confidence of a woman long accustomed to holding the initiative.

"Of course we do."

She smiled.

"I'll contact the Center, and under the pretext of making up for the loss Erik suffered, proactively offer up one more Succubus to connect with him alongside the other."

Hearing that, Vylana's eyes immediately lit up.

Laviana continued: "With a special case like Erik, the Center won't easily refuse. As long as the compatibility meets the standard and your file has no problems, the chance of success is very high."

Hearing that, Vylana finally let out a sigh of relief.

She had waited for this day far too long.

Before Erik connected with Saraya, the one Vylana had set her sights on was already him.

Not because of family standing, nor because of surface-level talent.

But because of the way he treated others.

In this world, far too many men were pampered from a young age, always treating it as a matter of course for Succubi to serve them. They liked to give orders, liked to make demands, liked to be doted on, yet rarely truly cared about how their partners felt.

Erik was different.

He knew how to cook, knew how to clean, knew how to take care of others, and also knew how to patiently listen. Over these three months, watching him treat Saraya like a princess, Vylana had been jealous to the point of nearly going mad.

A man like that, why was the one paired with him not her?

The more she looked, the more unwilling she felt.

That was why she had deliberately whispered in Saraya's ear, time and time again putting Erik down, making Saraya constantly feel that she deserved something better.

Vylana hadn't really wanted to do that either.

After all, in this world, a man marrying multiple Succubi was a very normal thing. If she waited a while longer, perhaps she could still openly and honestly enter the space beside Erik.

But Saraya was a rank S Succubus.

If Erik kept her, then to gain one more Succubus he would have to spend a great deal more time, and Vylana didn't want to wait that long.

She wanted it faster.

Fast to the point of not caring if she had to resort to schemes.

Thinking of this, Vylana no longer hid it. She looked at Laviana and said in a low voice: "The way I did that to Saraya… I actually do feel a bit guilty."

After hearing that, Laviana only broke into a laugh.

"You've gone soft-hearted?"

Vylana pressed her lips together.

"Just a little."

Laviana stepped closer and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. Compared to letting a good man like Erik keep wasting time beside someone who doesn't know how to cherish him, you pulling Saraya out of the picture actually helps him get free sooner."

Saying this, even Laviana had to let out a soft sigh.

"Actually, Erik really is a good man to the point where there isn't a single fault to criticize."

Vylana lifted her head to look at her mother.

Laviana gave a light laugh, her tone carrying a few parts of emotion.

"With a temperament as terrible as Saraya's, if it had been any other man, I'm afraid it would've been just three days before he threw her back to the Connection Center."

"And yet Erik endured it for three whole months."

Three months.

That number alone said a great deal.

Hearing that, the corner of Vylana's mouth curled up.

"That's why, a good man like that, I will definitely hold on to tightly."

In her blue eyes, there was no longer the shallow slyness from when she faced Saraya, but instead a very clear determination.

Laviana looked at her daughter for a while, then nodded.

"That's my daughter."

She returned to the desk, opened a drawer and took out a long black box made with exquisite craftsmanship, and placed it on the table.

"I prepared the betrothal gift in advance."

Vylana looked at the box, her heart unconsciously beating faster.

Laviana tapped the lid of the box lightly with her fingertip.

"Once the Center confirms the information is successful, you can bring this to meet Erik."

"I'll go myself."

"Of course." Laviana smiled. "This opportunity is yours."

Vylana walked over and carefully lifted the box up.

It was only a very small movement, but at this moment her heart felt as if it were being scorched by fire.

Finally.

Finally the opportunity had fallen into her hands.

Laviana looked at her daughter's appearance, unable to hide her joy, and slowly added one last line.

"Prepare well. Don't let any mistakes happen."

"Yes."

Vylana lightly squeezed the box in her hand, her plump red lips slowly curling up into a smile full of anticipation.

If everything went smoothly…

The next time they met, she would no longer be someone who could only stand on the outside and watch Erik take care of another woman.

But rather the one who brought a betrothal gift before him, officially stepping into his life.

...

The next morning.

Erik stood before a building over thirty stories tall, lifting his head to look at the emblem of a silver sword crossed with a blue spirit stone at the top of the building.

This was the Silver Moon Commercial Center, one of the largest shopping districts in the city dedicated to Awakened.

Unlike an ordinary shopping mall, most of the stores here sold items related to combat and cultivation. From weapons, armor, recovery potions, and Energy Crystals to materials brought out from the Trial Space, almost anything could be found.

Tomorrow, Erik and Elowen would enter their first Trial Space.

Although Elowen still persistently believed that he only needed to stay home and wait for her to bring the Awakening Fruit back, Erik had absolutely no intention of accepting that arrangement.

This was his path of cultivation.

He couldn't let a woman he had only just met enter a dangerous place alone to fight in his place.

Not to mention, the Incubus System along with the Primordial Incubus talent had both already been activated. As long as he cleared the first trial and opened the Heaven Gate, his future would surely be completely different from before.

Suffering a bit right now was fine.

As long as he prepared a few cheap pieces of equipment and managed to survive the early stage, later on he would surely have the chance to trade up for better things.

Erik lowered his head to look at the balance in his personal account.

After the Connection Center refunded the entire pairing fee for Saraya, plus the compensation, the amount of money in his account had finally passed one million credit points.

For an ordinary person, that was already no small sum.

But at a place that specialized in selling equipment for Awakened, one million credit points really wasn't worth much.

"Let's go in."

Elowen, standing beside him, said in a soft voice.

Today she wasn't wearing the cream-white dress from yesterday, but had changed into a light blue long dress that was simple in design yet extremely refined. The waist was cinched neatly, accentuating the full figure along with the gentle aura of a mature Elf woman.

Her long silver hair was tied low behind her back, her pointed ears peeking out from within the soft strands. On her wrist was a slender silver bracelet, without overly showy ornamentation, but on closer inspection one would see it was covered with magic lines so tiny they were nearly impossible to make out.

Erik nodded.

The moment the two of them stepped onto the first floor, he saw countless luxurious stores along with price tags that made the corner of his eye twitch slightly.

A rank F sword hung in the glass case on the left was priced at two hundred and eighty thousand credit points.

A set of leather armor made from Gray Wolf hide cost four hundred and fifty thousand.

Even a low-grade recovery potion required fifty thousand credit points.

Erik silently calculated for a moment.

With his current money, he could buy a rank F sword, a relatively cheap set of armor, along with a few potions.

If he economized a little more and chose used equipment, he could even prepare additional food and survival tools.

"Ordinary equipment on the first floor is enough."

As Erik spoke, he was about to head toward the store on the left.

But his hand was immediately grasped by Elowen.

"Not this way."

"Hm?"

Elowen pulled him toward the magic elevator in the middle of the great hall.

Erik was a little surprised but still followed her.

The two of them stepped into the elevator. Elowen touched her finger to the control panel and selected the twenty-sixth floor.

Erik looked at the glowing number, and a bad premonition immediately rose in his heart.

According to the introduction board outside, floors one through ten were the ordinary equipment zone. Floors eleven through twenty were the high-end zone for Awakened with stable incomes.

And from floor twenty-one and up…

That was the area for VIP customers.

The stores there didn't sell mass-produced equipment. Most of the items were custom-made, or rare spoils of war brought out from high-level Trial Spaces.

The prices, of course, went without saying.

"Elowen."

"Yes?"

"We only need to buy a few things for the first trial."

"I know."

"Then why go up to the twenty-sixth floor?"

Elowen tilted her head to look at him.

"Because the equipment there is better."

Erik was silent for two seconds, then lowered his voice: "The stuff there is also more expensive."

"It's fine."

"I've already looked at the price tags. Even a slightly good set of armor can go up to several million. Some items are even in the tens of millions."

Elowen nodded gently.

"That's right."

Erik looked at her calm appearance and felt that the two of them didn't seem to be talking about the same problem.

"What I mean is there's no need to buy anything that expensive." He patiently explained: "This is only the first Trial Space. Ordinary equipment is enough to use."

He had died once, and had also lived in poverty in this world for five whole years.

Erik didn't have the habit of spending money just for show.

Not to mention, he had awakened the Incubus System along with the rank SSS talent. As long as he stayed alive, his future would surely not be lacking in good equipment.

Toughing it out a bit now and using ordinary equipment to clear the first trial was enough.

Elowen looked at him for a while, then said in a soft voice:

"But I don't want you to suffer."

The sentence was so natural that it made Erik pause slightly.

Elowen continued: "Good equipment can reduce danger. Even if it can only add a little bit of survivability, the money spent isn't wasted."

"But…"

"Don't worry."

Elowen gently squeezed the hand holding his.

"I have enough money."

Ding!

The elevator door opened.

Before Erik was a spacious corridor paved with white stone, with only a few stores on either side, but each store was more luxurious than the entire first floor combined.

There were no calls hawking goods.

There was no crowd jostling.

Even the lighting was softer, and in the air there was a faint fragrance that helped relax the spirit.

Elowen led him to the largest store at the end of the corridor.

On the black sign above the door were only two simple silver characters.

Moonlight.

The two women in uniform standing before the door changed their expressions the moment they saw Elowen.

Both bowed deeply at the same time.

"Welcome, Miss Elowen."

The respectful voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Erik's steps hitched slightly.

Elowen only nodded gently, her expression so calm it was as if she had long grown used to this scene.

Another female staff member inside the store quickly walked over. She had brown hair pinned up neatly behind her head, and on her chest she wore a gold manager's badge.

When she saw Elowen, she immediately lowered her head.

"Miss, you came today without notice in advance. I'm truly sorry we haven't prepared to receive you."

"No need to trouble yourself."

Elowen pulled Erik inside.

"I've brought my partner to buy equipment."

The moment the two words "my partner" rang out, all the nearby staff unconsciously lifted their heads to look at Erik.

Their gazes were first astonished, then quickly became far more respectful.

The female manager immediately bowed to Erik.

"Welcome, sir."

Erik looked at everyone's respectful attitude and felt more and more that something was off.

He leaned in close to Elowen and lowered his voice to ask:

"Are you a regular customer here?"

Elowen blinked.

"You could put it that way."

Erik glanced at the staff still standing at attention around them.

An ordinary regular customer wouldn't be called Miss by all the staff.

But before he could ask further, Elowen had turned to the female manager.

"Bring out the best equipment suited to Erik."

The female manager immediately replied:

"Yes, Miss."

She turned to the two nearby female staff.

"Open reception room number one. Bring the entire catalog of the highest-grade personal equipment."

"Yes."

The two female staff quickly stepped over beside Erik, their attitude so respectful that it left him a bit unaccustomed to it.

"Sir, please follow us."

Erik didn't immediately move.

He turned to look at Elowen.

"Hold on."

Elowen stopped.

Erik leaned in a bit closer to her again and quietly asked: "Just what is your relationship with this store?"

Elowen calmly answered:

"This commercial center belongs to my family."

Erik's mouth fell open.

For a few seconds, he even thought he had misheard.

"The entire building?"

"That's right."

"Thirty-two floors?"

"That's right."

Erik looked at her gentle face that held no intention of showing off at all, and for a moment didn't know how to react.

From the time he met Elowen up until now, she had never once presented herself as someone wealthy.

Yesterday she had brought an extremely rare space bracelet, and Erik had assumed it was the most important asset she had saved up over many years to obtain.

Now it seemed he had greatly underestimated her circumstances.

"Your family… is very rich?"

Elowen thought for a moment, seeming to weigh how she should answer.

"My mother is a high-level Elf Healer."

Erik immediately understood part of it.

Elves were already a rare race to begin with, and a healing talent was even harder to find.

A low-level Healer only needed to join a team of Awakened to receive an extremely high level of compensation. A high-level Healer could not only treat ordinary wounds, but could also restore energy meridians, purify toxins from the Otherworld, and even handle injuries caused by skill backlash.

Every time they lent a hand, the treatment fee was a figure an ordinary person couldn't imagine.

Elowen continued:

"My mother currently owns four commercial centers for Awakened and one private hospital."

She paused slightly, then added:

"That hospital mainly serves high-level Awakened, so the treatment fees are quite expensive."

Erik: "…"

Four commercial centers.

One high-class hospital.

This was no longer "quite rich."

Elowen's family clearly belonged to a class that he had previously only been able to see on the news.

Erik suddenly recalled what had happened this morning.

Because he didn't want to spend money calling a magic car, he had led Elowen to squeeze onto a public bus packed full of people.

On the way, she had even been jostled by a few passengers to the point of almost being pressed against him. In the end Erik had to stand behind her, using his body to block the crowd so she could have a little breathing room.

At the time Elowen hadn't complained at all.

She had even smiled the whole way.

Erik grimaced.

"I'm sorry."

Elowen was slightly stunned.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Just now I even made you squeeze onto a bus with me."

Elowen looked at the awkward expression on his face, and the corner of her mouth immediately curled up.

She took the initiative to hold Erik's hand, her soft fingers interlacing with his.

"It's fine."

"But with your circumstances…"

"I've never ridden a bus before."

Erik looked at her.

Elowen smiled, her jade-green eyes gently curving.

"It was a rather interesting experience."

She squeezed his hand slightly.

"What's more, I got to understand a bit more about your life."

Erik was silent.

She didn't say that she was enduring it for his sake.

Nor did she make him feel inferior for not having money.

Elowen simply treated squeezing onto a crowded bus as an experience to understand him better.

That feeling made the awkwardness in Erik's heart quickly dissolve away.

He looked at the hand holding his, then suddenly remembered something else.

"Elowen."

"Yes?"

"That bank card you gave me yesterday…"

Elowen tilted her head.

"Is there some problem with it?"

"Just how much money is inside it?"

Yesterday he had only looked at the card but hadn't checked the balance.

At the time, the thing that had astonished him most was the space bracelet that was five meters on each side. Afterward Elowen had said that all the assets in the card were being handed over to him, which made him even less willing to use it carelessly.

Now that he knew her family circumstances, Erik felt he needed to ask clearly.

Elowen answered with a completely composed expression:

"Not much."

Erik secretly let out a sigh of relief.

At least she still had a concept of money.

"Specifically how much?"

"Only five hundred million credit points."

Erik: "…"

He felt that he might have misheard yet again.

"How much?"

"Five hundred million."

Elowen repeated, her voice still as gentle as if she were talking about five hundred credit points.

"That's my personal spending account. Every month I transfer another one hundred million into the card."

She thought for a moment, then earnestly added:

"If you use it all up, just tell me. I'll transfer more."

Erik looked at Elowen.

Then, he looked at the high-end equipment area before him.

Finally, he lowered his head to look at the cheap shoes he had worn for two whole years.

At this moment, Erik suddenly realized a truth.

He hadn't just signed a contract with a Rank D Succubus who had ninety-six percent compatibility.

It seemed he had also inadvertently married a great young miss so rich that she had absolutely no concept of money.

Erik: "…"

...

About an hour or so later, Erik stood before the full-length mirror in the equipment fitting room, looking at the man reflected inside and for a moment not recognizing himself.

On his body was a black combat suit tailored to hug his frame, with a long silver-gray coat draped over the outside. It didn't look too heavy on the surface, but every thread of the fabric was woven from the silk of the Silver Demon Spider, cut-resistant, fire-resistant, and able to absorb part of any impact force.

Beneath the layer of clothing was also a suit of soft armor assembled from thousands of thin metal scales. Each scale was only about the size of a fingernail, layered over one another yet without hindering movement. According to the female staff member, even if he were struck head-on by a Silver-grade monster, this layer of armor could protect his vital parts.

The combat boots on his feet had the ability to resist slipping, cushion impact, and automatically adjust his center of gravity, and were also engraved with a magic array that helped boost his movement speed for a short period.

The gloves could protect his fingers from toxins and high temperatures.

The belt contained twelve small space compartments, specially used to retrieve potions, food, along with emergency items during combat.

Even the clear glasses worn over Erik's eyes weren't decorative items. They could detect heat sources, magnify his field of vision, and issue a warning when a creature bearing malice entered within a twenty-meter range.

It didn't stop there. By his ear was also a magic communication device that could maintain a connection with Elowen across the entire scope of a beginner Trial Space.

Erik silently looked at himself in the mirror.

He had the feeling that right now, even if he did nothing and just stood still in the forest, the pack of monsters that saw him would have to think about whether they should turn tail and flee.

The female manager standing behind him smiled and asked in a soft voice:

"How do you find it, sir?"

Erik tried raising his arm, then turned his body a few times.

The equipment hugged his body tight yet gave no sense of heaviness at all. On the contrary, each time he moved, the inner layers of material automatically stretched and contracted, making his movements feel lighter.

"Very comfortable."

The female manager immediately lowered her head.

"This is the best equipment currently suited to your body's condition."

She paused slightly, then explained further:

"Because you still haven't opened the Heaven Gate and can't yet circulate mana, higher-grade equipment would create too great a burden. Some equipment also requires the user to supply energy to keep it running."

"This set mainly uses self-operating magic arrays along with pre-installed Energy Crystals. Even without mana, sir, you can still use all of its functions."

Erik nodded.

In other words, this was only a starter set of equipment meant for someone who hadn't truly stepped onto the path of cultivation yet.

But when he looked at the number displayed on the price tag, the corner of his mouth immediately twitched.

Two hundred and eight million credit points.

The clothing on his body alone had already exceeded two hundred million.

Five years of working without eating or sleeping, and he could only earn about five million credit points. And yet right now, Elowen had spent a little over an hour to drape over him an amount of assets equal to more than two hundred years of labor income.

Erik turned his head to look at her.

Elowen was sitting on a sofa not far away, her legs pressed together, her spine straight, her two hands resting gently on her knees. From beginning to end she still kept that gentle expression, as if two hundred million was just a number not worth mentioning.

Erik lowered his voice and asked:

"Elowen, isn't this set a bit too expensive?"

"It's not expensive."

Elowen answered without the slightest hesitation.

"It's over two hundred million."

"Yes."

"That's over two hundred million credit points."

"I know."

Erik looked at her calm expression and finally understood that the phrase "not expensive" in the mouth of a rich person was completely different from the "not expensive" he had known.

For Erik, not expensive was a meal with a thirty percent discount.

For Elowen, not expensive seemed to mean not enough to make her pay attention to her account balance.

He lowered his head to look at the equipment once more, comforting himself inside.

They would be entering the Trial Space tomorrow anyway.

The better the equipment, the higher the chance of survival.

With the rank SSS Primordial Incubus talent along with the Incubus System, as long as he could smoothly open the Heaven Gate, his future would surely not be lacking in opportunities to earn money.

This sum could be regarded as an initial investment.

Later on he would definitely pay Elowen back many times over.

Thinking of that, Erik finally reluctantly accepted the equipment on his body.

He was just about to say it was enough when the door to the reception room opened again.

Two female staff members respectfully stepped in.

The one walking in front lifted a long tray with both hands. Spread across the tray was a layer of black velvet, and neatly arranged on top were one hundred small dark red beads.

Each one was only a little larger than a fingertip, its surface glossy like glass. Inside the bead, orange-red sparks continuously circulated, like a small fire trapped inside.

Erik looked at them, and an ominous premonition immediately rose in his heart.

The female staff member set the tray down in front of him and lowered her head.

"Sir, these are one hundred Elite-grade Detonation Beads."

Erik knitted his brows slightly.

"Detonation Beads?"

"That's right."

The female staff member gently picked one up and carefully introduced it:

"After completing the recognition binding, you only need to transmit a single thought into it, and you can activate it and throw it toward a target."

"Each bead contains power equivalent to a full-force attack from an Elite-grade Mage."

The room suddenly went quiet.

Erik looked at the small bead in her hand.

Then he looked at the remaining hundred on the tray.

Finally, he slowly lifted his head.

"A full-force strike from an Elite grade?"

"That's right."

"In each one?"

"That's right."

Erik's mouth fell open, but for a few seconds he couldn't produce a single sound.

The Awakened rank system in this world was divided into Black Iron, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Elite, King, and Emperor.

Elite wasn't the highest rank.

Above it there were still the King grade along with the Emperor grade, existences with enough power to hold down an entire vast region, and even to decide the survival of a city.

But that didn't mean the Elite grade was weak.

An Awakened who reached that level had already completely surpassed the scope of an ordinary human. As long as they truly erupted with full force, leveling a city block wasn't a difficult matter.

For an Elite-grade Mage specializing in offense, the strongest move had at least the destructive power equivalent to one-fifth of a standard-scale atomic bomb.

One-fifth of an atomic bomb.

And right now, before Erik, there were one hundred beads.

One hundred!

If he threw all of these Detonation Beads at the same spot, forget about clearing the first Trial Space.

Perhaps the entire Trial Space would be flattened by him before the mission even had time to appear.

Erik stared stiffly at the tray, feeling as if his mind had also stopped working.

Was this preparation to clear a trial?

Or preparation to launch a war on the world inside?

He turned to Elowen, intending to ask her whether she felt this quantity was a bit excessive.

But before Erik could speak up, the door opened once more.

Two other female staff members stepped in, each also carrying a tray.

The first tray was filled with pale yellow talismans. On each talisman were complex, interwoven silver magic lines, and one glance was enough to feel the powerful defensive energy circulating inside.

The female staff member respectfully explained:

"These are one hundred Diamond-grade Defensive Talismans."

"Each one can automatically activate when the user meets danger, with enough power to block the strongest attack from a Diamond-grade monster."

Erik: "…"

The strongest strike from a Diamond-grade monster.

One hundred talismans.

That meant that unless one hundred Diamond-grade monsters lined up and used their strongest moves on him one after another, it would be very hard to break through the entire layer of defense.

And the first Trial Space, meant for those who hadn't opened the Heaven Gate, forget about Diamond-grade monsters, for a Bronze-grade monster to appear was already something far beyond normal.

Erik felt that the equipment worth over two hundred million on his body suddenly became a lot more ordinary.

The remaining female staff member also set down her tray.

On it were one hundred sky-blue talismans, each one giving off a faint spatial fluctuation.

"These are one hundred Emergency Teleportation Talismans."

"After activation, they can instantly bring the user out of the Trial Space and back to the nearest safe zone."

"The talisman will automatically activate when it detects that the user's life is in fatal danger. You can also actively activate it with a thought, sir."

Erik looked at the blue talismans before him.

The Trial Space wasn't a place one could enter and leave as they pleased.

Normally, a participant could only leave after completing a mission, finding an exit gate, or using extremely rare teleportation items.

A single Teleportation Talisman was enough to become a life-saving trump card that countless Awakened fought over.

Many families were willing to sell their homes, take on debt, and even spend an entire lifetime of savings just to buy one for their children before their first entry into a Trial Space.

But here, before Erik, there were one hundred.

They were arranged neatly on the tray like a stack of discount flyers handed out at the entrance of a shopping mall.

Elite-grade Detonation Beads.

Diamond-grade Defensive Talismans.

Emergency Teleportation Talismans.

Any one of these, just casually taking out a single one, was already sky-high in value. For the majority of Awakened, they were all life-saving items they didn't dare use except in the very final moment.

But Elowen had prepared one hundred of each kind for him.

Erik sat still on the sofa, looking at the three trays in front of him, feeling his worldview being shattered bit by bit by money.

The female manager respectfully asked:

"Miss, is there any other item you'd like to add?"

Elowen didn't answer right away.

She stood up, walked over beside the three trays, then carefully inspected each type of item.

First the Detonation Beads.

Then the Defensive Talismans.

Finally the Teleportation Talismans.

Her expression was so serious that she looked like a doctor examining medicines before carrying out an important surgery.

Erik looked at her, still holding onto one last shred of hope inside.

Perhaps Elowen would feel that one hundred Detonation Beads was too dangerous.

Or she would realize that one hundred Teleportation Talismans was completely unnecessary.

After all, each entry into the Trial Space only required using one to flee. Unless Erik planned to enter and leave that place a hundred times, bringing that many really was too wasteful.

After finishing her inspection, Elowen gently nodded.

"This should be barely passable."

Erik: "…"

Barely passable?

Equipment worth over two hundred million credit points.

One hundred full-force Elite-grade attacks.

One hundred layers of defense that could resist Diamond-grade monsters.

One hundred chances to instantly teleport out of the Trial Space.

That only counted as barely passable?

Erik really couldn't comprehend the thinking of rich people.

The female manager seriously continued to ask:

"Do you need to prepare another hundred high-grade recovery potions?"

Elowen thought about it a little.

Erik immediately shot to his feet.

"No need!"

Every gaze in the room focused on him at the same time.

Erik drew in a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm.

"There really isn't any need. These things are already enough."

Elowen looked at him, worry surfacing in her eyes.

"But recovery potions are very important."

"I know."

"If you get hurt…"

"I have one hundred Defensive Talismans."

"But something unexpected could still happen."

"I also have one hundred Teleportation Talismans."

"What if the talismans get sealed?"

Erik pointed at the tray of Detonation Beads.

"Then I'll throw these."

Elowen looked at the one hundred Detonation Beads and silently thought for a few seconds.

Then she gently nodded.

"That's true too."

Erik finally let out a sigh of relief.

But right after, Elowen turned to the female manager again.

"Still prepare another ten recovery potions."

Erik: "…"

"Just ten bottles." Elowen gently took his hand, softly consoling him: "It won't cost much money."

Erik looked at her serious face, and in the end no longer had the strength to argue back.

He suddenly understood something.

Ordinary people used money to buy equipment and increase their chances of survival when facing danger.

Elowen, meanwhile, used money to prepare to the point where danger, upon seeing him, would have to go find its own way to stay far away.

Tomorrow, would he really be entering a Trial Space?

Or bringing an entire military arsenal along to bully a bunch of beginner monsters?