Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Having gotten everything she wanted in every sense of the word, Syndra ruthlessly kicked Luke off the island of Fae'lor and went back to focusing entirely on protecting the Spirit Willow.
After five straight nights of strenuous exercise, both of them needed some time to recover.
For now, Syndra's task was to protect the Spirit Willow and help it grow strong.
Luke had no choice but to travel alone across the sea on a wooden plank.
With the midday sun overhead, he returned to the port town from before.
When he reached the small courtyard they had rented, he found Akali and Ahri playing five-in-a-row in the yard.
It was another habit he'd gotten them into.
The moment they heard his footsteps, both girls looked over.
"What have you been doing these past few days?" Akali asked. "You only sent a single letter back. We thought you'd disappeared."
That guy had said he was just going out for a walk that day, only for his little stroll to turn into a full-blown disappearance until today.
Fortunately, he'd sent back a recognizable letter midway through, which had put them somewhat at ease.
Luke looked rather sleepy at the moment. He yawned without much energy. "I went out to take care of something. The Hexgate issue is settled."
"I was just about to mention that. The Enlightened One came by a few days ago, but she's already left. Did you two already talk?"
Akali sounded quite curious.
"Yeah." Luke nodded. "She agreed without any hesitation. She's on her way back to the Lasting Altar now."
Akali grew even more curious. "So you've already met her. What kind of person is she?"
She had never met the current incarnation of Karma herself. Everything she'd heard had been secondhand.
"Very composed."
Luke thought for a moment before answering.
As he stepped into the courtyard, Ahri quickly caught his scent and froze slightly.
There was a woman's scent on him, and not the ordinary kind.
It was like the mingled scent of a man and woman had blended together and created something entirely new. Just catching the faintest trace of it made her heartbeat quicken and sent heat rushing through her blood.
By now, she was extraordinarily sensitive to Luke's scent above anyone else's. Catching that unmistakably masculine smell clinging to him seemed to rapidly awaken something inside her.
Ahri blinked, apparently realizing something.
Luke and Akali were still chatting and failed to notice anything strange about her.
Since it was already noon, Luke went into the kitchen and prepared a lavish lunch, partly as a small apology for disappearing for several days.
He had originally intended to leave much earlier, but once Syndra had gotten a taste, she became practically insatiable.
One delay led to another, and before he knew it, five days had passed.
"Now that the Hexgate issue is settled, what are we doing next?" Akali asked at the dining table.
She said "we," but in reality, Luke seemed to have been handling almost everything. They were mostly just following along, and managing not to cause him trouble was already an accomplishment.
"What next..." Luke thought for a moment. "For now, we'll wait for the people from Piltover to arrive. It shouldn't be more than another couple of days."
He had actually planned fairly far ahead. When they'd left the Placidium, he'd already sent word to Piltover asking them to send people over.
With so much time having passed since then, they should be arriving soon.
Once they did, construction of the Hexgate could begin immediately.
"And after that?" Akali asked.
"After that, I'll probably be heading somewhere else."
Luke didn't hide it from them. There were still many sights in Ionia he hadn't had the chance to see, but clearly there were more important matters at hand.
Remembering the Void encounter at Mistfall, he felt that sooner or later he needed to visit Shurima and see what was happening there.
At his words, the atmosphere around the dining table abruptly fell silent.
Akali shoveled down a couple mouthfuls of food before suddenly saying, "Why get all gloomy about it? Once the Hexgate is built, whether we want to go to Demacia or Piltover, it'll basically take no time at all."
Of course she'd miss him. After all, he was the teacher she'd personally acknowledged.
But thinking about it more carefully, parting now wouldn't be like it had been in the days before Hexgates.
Back then, even if they were only separating temporarily, there was no telling how long they'd have to wait before meeting again.
With a Hexgate, seeing each other again would only take a day or two at most.
Ahri thought the same way, and the reluctance in her heart immediately eased somewhat.
"Once the Hexgate is finished, I guarantee it'll blow your minds."
Luke smiled at Akali's words.
Maybe this was one of the reasons Hexgates should be spread across Runeterra.
They could turn longing that might otherwise last years into something that could be answered within a short time.
Countless faces separated by distance could meet again almost instantly.
Once Hexgates became commonplace, farewells would no longer feel quite so painful most of the time.
Akali and Ahri couldn't help feeling a little excited. They had both been looking forward to seeing Hexgates for a long time.
After lunch, they settled the washing-up with rock-paper-scissors. Ahri narrowly lost and headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"If there's nothing else to do, let's go wander around the city this afternoon."
Akali began making plans. She and Ahri had gone into the city a few times over the past few days, but they'd never stayed out for very long.
Luke actually wanted to rest, but seeing the faint anticipation sparkling in Akali's eyes, he nodded anyway.
"Sure."
By the time Ahri finished washing the dishes, afternoon had arrived.
The three of them got ready and headed out onto the streets, wandering wherever they pleased and joining in whenever they came across something interesting.
"Look at the wall."
Akali suddenly noticed something and looked toward a stone wall covered with public notices.
Luke followed her gaze and immediately smiled.
The notice announced that Karma supported Irelia's efforts to establish an alliance with Piltover and construct a Hexgate.
The two of them had reached an agreement, and even the Kinkou Order had chosen to support it.
At that point, the matter was basically settled.
The area around the wall was quite lively, with a sizable crowd gathered there discussing the news.
The three only looked for a moment before leaving and continuing their stroll.
Akali noticed that Ahri seemed unusually quiet today.
She was normally a quiet beauty anyway, but after spending so much time together, Akali could still notice subtle differences.
She didn't think too deeply about it, assuming Luke's return was the reason.
And in fact, she wasn't wrong.
By the time the three of them finished wandering around and returned home, night had already fallen.
The city happened to be holding an evening street festival, and since Akali had never participated in anything like it before, she dragged the other two along.
She smiled happily throughout the whole thing.
After returning home and eating dinner, the day was nearly over.
Not long after dinner, Luke headed back to his room while yawning, planning to get a proper night's rest.
"We only walked around for one afternoon. I hope it wore that idiot out."
Akali grumbled while glaring at his back, then turned toward Ahri.
"It's still early. Want to play another game?"
"Mm."
Ahri nodded softly and looked into Akali's eyes.
A strange gleam flashed through them.
Akali froze for a moment as a powerful wave of sleepiness suddenly struck her. Her body immediately went limp.
"Sorry. I need you to fall asleep first."
Ahri caught her and spoke softly before helping her back into her room.
She had been gradually hypnotizing Akali throughout the entire afternoon, so activating her ability now took effect instantly.
Looking at the sleeping Akali on the bed, Ahri tucked the blanket around her before leaving the room.
She stood in the courtyard and stared toward Luke's room. It looked as though she were summoning every last bit of courage before finally stepping forward.
She crept quietly to his door.
Only after hearing the steady sound of breathing from inside did she gently push it open.
To her eyes, the pitch-black room was as clear as daylight.
Luke lay there asleep, completely defenseless.
Looking at his sleeping face, Ahri couldn't help swallowing. Then she carefully moved closer.
The nearer she got, the stronger the scent that had been tormenting her nerves all day became.
It was a scent that existed only on him, and it was intoxicating.
Normally, whenever she stayed beside him, she had to quietly endure it with great difficulty. But today she'd been stimulated again and again, and she truly couldn't hold back anymore.
Gradually, desire surfaced in Ahri's eyes, and a visible blush spread across her face.
"I'll only take one sip. Just one."
Her head slowly leaned closer, her gaze growing increasingly unfocused.
She looked exactly like a cat that had just discovered catnip.
Behind her, her tails rose one after another.
As her eyes lit up, wisps of crystalline life essence drifted from Luke's mouth and nose.
Ahri eagerly inhaled them.
Her body immediately began trembling uncontrollably, as though she'd been lifted into the clouds in an instant. At the same time, an intense sensation like electricity surged throughout her entire body, exciting her so much that she nearly cried out.
The next second, she could no longer restrain herself.
She lowered her head and kissed Luke directly on the lips.
The next day.
Luke climbed out of bed feeling remarkably energetic.
He looked back at the bed, where a large damp stain was mixed with faint spots of red, and the memories of last night immediately resurfaced.
He rubbed his temples.
Fortunately, he'd already helped Ahri stabilize and strengthen her abilities. Otherwise, she might genuinely have drained him dry.
Instead, he'd actually gained quite a few benefits.
Ahri had indeed absorbed his life essence, but she hadn't blindly devoured it after losing control.
As their up-and-down exercise continued, the life essence circulated through her body before returning to Luke, and each time it came back, it had been strengthened.
The process repeated again and again.
That was also why Luke felt so energetic first thing in the morning. He hadn't slept all night, yet his entire body was full of strength.
Likewise, Ahri had also been nourished by his life essence.
It could be said that both of them had gained tremendous benefits.
In the courtyard, Akali yawned as she pushed open her door and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
She couldn't remember anything about last night.
Apparently, she'd gotten sleepy and then simply fallen asleep.
Before long, she spotted Ahri and froze.
All nine of Ahri's tails were exposed, each as white as snow, giving her an almost sacred beauty.
Her face positively glowed. Her eyes were alluring, and her lips were a vivid crimson. She had already been breathtakingly beautiful before, but right now, even Akali found herself inexplicably captivated.
Akali quickly looked away.
She figured she'd probably fallen under Ahri's charm again without noticing.
It was clearly still the same beautiful face, so why did she suddenly feel so different?
Akali couldn't figure it out.
"How did I fall asleep last night again?"
After thinking for a moment, she asked about what had happened.
Ahri's tails trembled slightly.
She didn't quite dare look at Akali, and a lovely blush still colored her cheeks as she answered with inexplicable guilt.
"Last night, you said you were tired, and then you went back to your room."
"Really?" Akali scratched her head. "That's the first time I've ever slept that deeply. It felt like I closed my eyes, opened them again, and suddenly it was morning."
"Well, you definitely slept soundly."
Ahri smiled at her.
Akali suddenly remembered something else.
"That guy still hasn't woken up?"
The moment she finished speaking, Luke opened his door and stepped outside, looking noticeably different from yesterday.
The instant Ahri saw him, she shyly turned her gaze away.
Her tails swayed gently behind her, while her heart filled with sweetness like candy.
She had finally gotten to taste the delicacy she'd been craving for so long.
Luke headed toward the kitchen.
If there was one downside, it was that he currently felt absolutely ravenous, as though he hadn't eaten for several days and desperately needed to replenish himself.
Before long, a lavish breakfast filled the table.
Akali ate to her heart's content, because most of what Luke had prepared consisted of things she'd never tried before.
They didn't just look good, they tasted incredible too.
After breakfast, Akali began her daily training.
Ahri returned to her room to cultivate.
What happened last night had benefited her tremendously, and she vaguely sensed that she'd discovered additional ways to control her own abilities.
Luke, meanwhile, dragged out a chair and lazily reclined in it.
He casually thought, "Check in."
[Annual check-in detected. Automatically converting to a Special Check-In.]
[Check-in successful.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Realm Advancement Card x1.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Top-Tier Magic Comprehension.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Basic Skill Upgrade Card x3.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Intermediate Skill Card x5.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Advanced Skill Card x4.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Random Perfected Sword Intent.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained High-Tier Skill Max-Level Card x1.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained High-Tier Skill: Blink.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained item: Backlash Talisman.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Random Special Skill x1.]
[The rewards have been stored in the System Inventory. Please inspect and claim them yourself.]
A long series of system notifications rang through Luke's mind, immediately jolting him awake.
He sat upright in the chair and realized that it really was already time for his annual check-in.
As expected of an annual check-in, every reward looked good.
Luke skipped over the various Skill Upgrade Cards for the moment. The very first reward was a Realm Advancement Card.
Without the slightest hesitation, he chose to use it.
Waves of strengthening energy surged through his body, enhancing him once again.
At the same time, his stage advanced by another level.
[Congratulations, host. Your stage has broken through to late Glory stage.]
Luke's eyes flashed.
He knew he had probably reached the final stage currently known to him.
At this moment, he had nearly reached the limits of humanity.
If he got another Realm Advancement Card, what level would he reach next?
He was extremely curious and couldn't help looking forward to it.
The next reward was Top-Tier Magic Comprehension.
Luke immediately claimed it.
A profound and mysterious understanding flooded into his mind, and his comprehension of magic began undergoing a new transformation.
When the flood of insight finally faded, Luke opened his eyes, which now seemed to carry a mysterious magical depth.
"My understanding of magic should have reached the master level by now."
Luke couldn't help muttering to himself.
Top-Tier Magic Comprehension had given him a much broader understanding of magic, raising his knowledge to the level of a master.
No matter where he went now, he could be considered an archmage.
One immediate benefit was that his understanding of the World Runes suddenly became much smoother as well.
He had to admit, going from a magical beginner to a master of magic really could be that simple.
Luke then looked at the reward labeled "Perfected Sword Intent" and claimed it immediately.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Blazing Sun Sword Intent.]
In an instant, it felt as though he had been transported to an arena beneath a blazing sun, where he spent day after day comprehending its mysteries.
He didn't learn any corresponding swordsmanship, but he did master an extremely profound Sword Intent.
Blazing Sun Sword Intent.
Any sword swung with it would burn with the scorching heat of the sun.
"Not bad."
Luke praised it inwardly.
This Sword Intent was at least on the same level as Wind-Wielding Sword Intent and the others.
It would be even better if he could eventually check in and obtain a matching sword style.
His attention shifted to the next reward, a random advanced skill already at maximum level.
This was an excellent reward, and Luke couldn't help looking forward to it.
He immediately claimed it.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained High-Tier Skill: Sword Formation LV9.]
In an instant, a flood of information regarding Sword Formations poured into Luke's mind.
After quite some time, he slowly opened his eyes, which immediately lit up.
"Not bad. Really not bad."
He praised it repeatedly.
At first glance, Sword Formation sounded like a physical skill, but in reality it was a magical one.
Luke could use mana to establish a Sword Formation within a certain area. Once formed, it would automatically generate magic swords that attacked enemies.
It consumed a tremendous amount of mana, but its power was equally impressive.
More importantly, the generated magic swords could also carry Luke's Sword Intent.
This skill could be considered extremely useful.
And it started directly at LV9, meaning it was already maxed out.
He continued to the next reward.
It was another high-tier skill.
Luke immediately said, "Learn."
[Congratulations, host. You have learned High-Tier Skill: Blink LV3.]
Another flood of information entered his mind, and Luke quickly understood how the skill worked.
Just as the name implied, it allowed him to blink.
It could also be described as instantaneous teleportation, and it was likewise a magic-type skill.
Once activated, it allowed Luke to teleport across a certain distance at the cost of mana.
The more mana he expended, the farther he could travel, while the skill's level determined the maximum possible distance.
At its current level, even if Luke spent half of all his mana, he probably wouldn't be able to teleport more than a few dozen meters.
The skill was extremely useful, so Luke immediately raised it to LV9 without hesitation.
Its effective distance instantly increased to over a hundred meters, with a maximum teleportation range of three hundred meters.
Three hundred meters wasn't especially far, but the skill could be activated repeatedly.
Of course, the mana cost would increase with consecutive uses.
It also dealt no damage whatsoever and was purely a movement skill.
It was very similar to Destiny, except its range was far shorter.
The advantage was that Blink could activate instantly.
Destiny, by comparison, required a slow channel.
As expected of an annual check-in.
By this point, Luke was already extremely satisfied with the rewards.
He continued looking down.
The next reward was an item.
[Backlash Talisman: Usable once. Reflects all damage and attacks received, including mental attacks.]
The description was simple and direct.
Luke's eyes immediately lit up after reading it.
Unfortunately, it could only be used once.
Still, its effect was outstanding. It could reflect any single instance of damage, which made it something worth saving for a critical moment.
Only one reward remained.
It was a special skill.
Luke immediately thought of Cleanse.
This was probably going to be another skill of that sort.
He claimed it without hesitation.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Special Skill: Teleport.]
The moment the system finished speaking, Luke gave a look that said he'd expected as much.
It seemed these special skills really were being randomly selected from the familiar Summoner Spells.
This time, he'd gotten Teleport.
Luke inspected the system's description.
Teleport allowed him to teleport once regardless of distance, with a cooldown period of one month.
It could only be used once per month, but there was no distance limitation.
Luke thought about it for a moment before becoming curious.
How was he supposed to select his destination?
After a simple test, he immediately got his answer.
The moment he prepared to use Teleport, countless images flashed through his mind.
Every location was somewhere Luke personally knew.
Places he had no knowledge of did not appear.
Apparently, he could simply select one of those locations.
Luke then opened his eyes without actually activating the skill and silently considered its possibilities.
With this, traveling around would become much more convenient in the future.
That marked the end of all his rewards.
It had been an incredible haul.
As expected of an annual check-in.
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