As soon as Azrael knelt and opened the big golden chest, a blinding light of the same color washed over him. Blinded, he could only listen to the red-haired woman's screams behind him.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he liked it. Not only because he'd seen her furious face, but because things were finally going his way.
Being so damn average wasn't as bad as being a complete loser, but Azrael still dreamed of big things.
The alien woman snapped free of gravity's chains a moment later and rushed at him, and she led with her black spear. Judging by her posture, she was aiming for his heart, trying to kill him with a single strike.
When she got within reach, she thrust forward, but instead of hitting him, she struck an invisible barrier.
It cracked in every direction, keeping her from reaching Azrael.
Gritting her teeth, she yanked her spear back and stabbed at the fractures a few more times. Each thrust widened them, the web spreading in a globe-like pattern.
By then, it was clear she'd been blocked by an orb-shaped barrier.
[You have obtained a new skill: Conditional Sphere (A)]
Azrael stood up and rolled his shoulders and neck. He turned and met the eyes of the woman trying to kill him.
This time, his smile turned smug. How could it not? He'd used her, stolen her reward, and even "punched" her once.
It hadn't been a punch, exactly. He'd slammed himself into her back to mark her with Checkpoint, then blinked to her, blinked back to the safe zone, and walked away victorious.
Knowing his skills, Mary had seen through his plan right away.
It went so well.
"You think she realizes I could have killed her?" Azrael asked Mary.
She floated to his side and shook her head. "No. I believe her temperament doesn't allow her to accept defeat so easily. That said, she'll soon break through your new skill. What's next?"
"Finale's next, isn't it?" Azrael chuckled, answering with a question of his own.
Taking a few bold steps, he walked closer to the alien woman. The nearer he got, the more her strength surged, forcing him to pause for a moment.
Then he went through with his plan.
His Conditional Sphere selectively let her spear slip through the barrier the moment she put her full weight into the thrust. She overcommitted, lost her balance, and stumbled into Azrael's safe zone.
He blinked in front of her, caught her wrists, and leaned in to steal a kiss.
The red-haired woman's strength evaporated for a few seconds. Azrael used the opening to rip her weapon away and throw it aside.
Then he went for what he'd been yearning for this whole time, to shove his tongue in and tangle with hers.
It didn't go so well when she bit down on his tongue.
Fucking bitch! Don't be so feisty! I'm doing my best here, and I'm a virgin!
The moment she forced his tongue out, the woman clenched her small fist and drove a punch into Azrael's face, breaking his nose. His vision spun as she followed with a second punch.
Azrael blinked out of his Conditional Sphere and covered his bloody nose.
She's way too strong! But she got weaker when I kissed her! And oh man, that felt fucking awesome!
"You regret your choice now?" Mary asked.
"Regret? I want more!" Azrael replied instantly, drawing a sigh from his guardian.
"At least you kept your head long enough to snatch her weapon," Mary said. "She's now locked in your Conditional Sphere. I already read its description. She'll run out of oxygen soon enough. Are you planning to knock her out and bring her home as a prisoner?"
"I know she can pass out from lack of oxygen, and that should finally make it clear I could kill her," Azrael replied. "But I haven't thought past that. For now, I want her to realize her situation and raise her hands in surrender."
"Mm. We may as well wait and see whether she's able to free herself from your Conditional Sphere. While we do, allow me to congratulate you on conquering the first dungeon. It's only an F-rank dungeon, but the reward you obtained and the way you cleared it are certainly promising."
"Mary! I also want to thank you so much! This Dungeon Cheater skill is so good!" Azrael said. "You're so amazing that I won't let you return to the Third Lord. You're mine!"
"You are a swine for what you've just done. You'll have to work hard for me to forget it."
"Yeah, I will work hard!"
"No conscience whatsoever. You're hopeless."
Before long, the red-haired woman realized her situation. Without her weapon, she couldn't free herself so easily, despite the cracks. Her lungs already ached, too.
Still, she was stubborn. She punched the fractures harder and harder until her knuckles split and blood splashed across the barrier.
Azrael got goosebumps watching her.
Damn… what a character.
It was only then that Azrael's conscience started to nag at him.
He'd chosen not to kill her because he wanted her. Going from enemy to ally sounded fun and exciting, but he realized there was more to her than a simple dungeon conqueror.
He decided not to push it further and just let her lose consciousness. Afterward, he'd leave her alone so she could return to her world.
He'd used her enough, and he'd already stolen a kiss.
"Sounds fine?" Azrael asked Mary.
She nodded. "Yes."
Once the woman passed out from lack of oxygen, Azrael turned off his Conditional Sphere. He pulled up his system window and let Mary glance at it, not like she needed the courtesy.
But when her eyes landed on the system window, she needed a long moment to swallow the truth.
[You have conquered the Death Seesaws Dungeon.]
[Would you like to take over the dungeon and imprint it onto your partial domain?]
"You really can steal dungeons from others…"