[15 mn 59sec]
Seeing that half the time had passed, Maria and Isaac looked at each other instinctively.
But Isaac looks from her and continued his experiments with Maria's blood and the high-ranking potions he had in his inventory.
"Do you only notice how much these high-ranking potions will cost in the future?"
"...This is meaningless if I don't get out of here alive," Isaac answers nonchalantly and continued his experiments.
He had explained the whole situation to Maria, making her aware of the danger that awaits them in the coming hours.
"..." She remains silent while looking at the thirty vials containing Isaac's experienced potions with casual eyes.
'According to his explanations, the sphinx test consists of asking dozens of enigmatic questions we must find the answer to. A single wrong answer will make us fail its test. But he still didn't tell me what will happen if we fail this test.' Her mind began to wander as she looked at the pond, which was as large and deep as a lake, a few meters from her.
Both were sitting side by side under the shadow of a palm tree.
As soon as they arrived, they understood that the pond was a safe area. This certainty was due to their statistics that were restored as soon as they arrived.
Their fatigue, magic points, and stamina have been replenished as before.
Isaac also noticed a strange anomaly with his stats.
||||||-STATS-||||||||
[Player: Jack]
[Lvl: 56] [XP: 300/5700]
[Race: Incubus]
[HP:100/100]
[LP: 147/150]
[Heritage: demon of lust]
[Class: Apostle of the God of lust(S+)]
[Titles: dominant lustful demon, slayer, monster hunter.]
[MP: 999/1000]
[STR: 40]
[AGI: 40]
[STA: 100]
[Skills: charm(lvl06) night vision(lvl07) Gluttony(Lvl06), Transformist(Lvl 05)]
[SP: 8]
[ IP: 60]
-
Passive skills: resistance to poisons; resistance to spiritual attacks, sword master (advanced).
--
This anomaly was his health points and magic points which didn't increase although he leveled up.
'I guess it's because of the irregularity between these two stats and my current level. Finally, the only good news is my passive skill has leveled up. I didn't know that my former experience would greatly contribute to the evolution of this skill.
-This means I'll have less problem leveling up my other masteries of arms as long as I get a parchment similar to the one Maria had offered me.' He mumbles in his mind, adding another vial to his collection of failed potions.
'Tss~, I have a way to bait the sphinx; but it would make this slutty goddess mad against me. Finally, I would improvise when the time came.' He said to himself taking out another empty vial in his inventory.
"You have something in mind, don't you?" This question of Maria awakens him out of his deep thoughts.
"Yes, but I prefer to try something else."
"Why? Because it's not...
"No, it's contrary to all my principles." He pronounces these words before Maria finishes her sentence.
"Contrary your principles? At the point where we are, I don't think it's the most worrying." She said, trying to make him spit the piece.
Guessing her intentions, Isaac stops his experiments and looks at her briefly. "The solution I have can only save me. But I prefer to try something other than to go back on my words." He then continues after noticing Maria's frowns.
"In the end, it may be hard to believe for someone, who knows my dark reputation. But if you know me so well, you should know that I only have one word. The people with whom I had dealt know how much I respect my commitments; at least,
He stops for a moment and looks at the lake with an ironic smile.
"At least?" Maria asks with curious eyes.
"...As long as my employer doesn't decide to betray me first." He mutters in a low voice as if he were unconsciously saying these words.
"..."
Silence sets in once again.
After a minute, Maria speaks in a sober voice. "In this case, you'd better get out of here."
"My word, are you deaf? I just told you that...
"I change the terms of our contract. You will leave here and take care of my plantation in my place." She interrupts Isaac before he finishes his sentence.
"..." Isaac looks at her with the same stupid look he's used before.
"I'm serious." She mutters with a smile that seemed to hide her true emotions.
She then continued. "From the beginning of this chaos, I knew that this world would end up engulfing the weak who have no place. I did my best to contribute as best I could; going so far as to dirty my hands to allow those under my control to have another sunny day.
-But no matter my efforts, and the strong woman's mask I wear constantly, I remain an ordinary person who had no history or anything special." She mutters in a sober voice as she watched the palm leaves shake because of the breeze.
But Isaac no longer paid attention to his environment or the vials he handled. 'This glow she has in her eyes...I know it very well.' He mutters in his mind with dark eyes.
Maria then takes out a blood-red ring in her inventory. "This ring will allow you to order the two knights who are under my command. Unlike me, you have more u-
"Sigh, you're annoying," Isaac growls these words and continued his experiments; ignoring her and her ring.
Maria frowns with discontent.
But before she spoke, Isaac got ahead of her. "If you still show me these eyes, I'll kill you before the countdown ends."
"What are you talking about!? Is it too much to ask you to save your butt!?"
"This chaos cured me of a disease that threatened to grave me." Isaac ignored her questions and the dissatisfied tone she used with him.
"..."
"At the moment, I thought I saw the old me in a mirror through your eyes. Lastly, I don't care about all this. Unlike me, who had no hope or what to rely on, this isn't your case. So stop saying bullshit, we have a fucking divine monster to kill."
"..."
"You bring us bad luck when the final battle has not even begun yet." He continued after noticing her silence.
Isaac's words ignited flames of anger in Maria's heart. She stands on the ground and approaches Isaac closely while pointing her sword at Isaac's throat. "Who's talking bullshit!? I try to take my responsibilities and have at least one weight, and you look at me like an idiot! What the fuck is your problem!?" She shrieks with red eyes brighter than usual.
"Haha, your responsibilities?" Isaac looks up at her and looks at her anger with disgusted eyes. "You talk about responsibility as if you had to deal with a ten-year kid. Stop playing the saint, it doesn't suit you at all, Maria."
Maria's blade trembles slightly after hearing Isaac's words.
But the latter continued without worrying about having a blade against his throat. "All I see is a person trying to flee her responsibilities; people like you make me sick." He mutters after turning his eyes away from her and focusing on his concerns.
"...Tsk! Do what you want." Maria slams her tongue and walks out of the safe area.
Isaac only glances at her before sneering his tongue. "I hate people like her." He then mutters.
But at that moment, the notification he had been waiting for so long appeared before him.
[You have created a new potion.]
[The endurance potion (low rank).]
-Effects: the potion restores by thirty percent the stamina of the person who consumes it.
"Finally!" He immediately forgot his dire mood when he saw this notification.
He then looks at the vial with a smile going from one ear to the other when he sees the black mixture inside.
[You have obtained a new title.]
[Beginner alchemist.]
-Effects: allows you to create low-ranking potions. Practice to increase the level if you want to create high-ranking potions.
Isaac no longer continued his experiments; he returned all the vials and did some stretches after getting up on the ground.
He then looks around but didn't see the slightest trace of Maria in the vicinity.
'I expected her to use her hypnosis from one moment to the next, but not to try to force me to leave here. This girl is really stupid.' He mutters in his mind as he approaches the lake.
"Finally, since I have achieved my goal, I will get rid of this nauseating smell before the beginning of hostilities."
He then undresses before diving into the transparent lake.
After five minutes, Maria returned in her footsteps.
"Do you have time to take a bath?" She stops three meters from the lake glancing at Isaac who is relaxing in the lake.
"Already back? And I thought you left to commit suicide." Isaac responds in a sarcastic tone after taking a look at her.
"..."
"You were really planning to commit suicide!?"
"Stop saying nonsense!"
"Haha, if you still have time to get angry, it means that you have abandoned your idea."
"Do you have another plan?" She asks.
"...Sorry to disappoint you but I've no plan. We will improvise in case of failure." Isaac whispers these words before closing his eyes.
Maria clenches her fist when she hears his answer. "I see." She said, turning around.
"You should relax too. The water in this lake is really special."
"It's not a lake, but a pond."
"no matter; as long as it's clean and deep enough for a swim, then no one care," Isaac responds instantly without opening his eyes.
But contrary to what he believed, Maria didn't refuse his offer.
Hearing the sound of the water, he opened his eyes in half and saw Maria in underwear join him in the lake.
He closes his eyes, acting as if he saw nothing.
"Sometimes, I have doubts about your identity as Jack."
"Hm? What makes you think that? may not look like it, but I also have a gentlemanly side."
"A gentleman's side, huh? I don't have this impression. I understood two things about you during this mission."
Isaac raises his eyebrows toward her.
"The first is that you aren't as bad as you want people to believe. And secondly, you have nothing to do with a gentleman." Maria continues without changing her facial expression.
"...Well, it looks like you ended up discovering my heritage. Is that a problem for you?" Isaac frowns.
"..."
"Although...I don't think that's the case. Otherwise, you don't...
"Why do you refuse to leave? It's not like we're close or something like that." Maria suddenly interrupts him.
Her expression, which is usually cold and distant, was even more so when Isaac met her gaze.
"How is it important to you?"
"I need to know!" She speaks in a high-pitched voice that forced Isaac to take her seriously.
It was only at this moment Isaac saw an expression he had not yet seen before on Maria's face.
But he didn't know how to interpret her misty look and eyes burning with curiosity and other untranslatable feelings for him.
On the other hand, he didn't have the luxury of answering Maria'a question.
-Ding.
[You have accomplished the class quest.]
[You have received your reward.]
'...Why?' His neurons temporarily stopped working when he saw this information through his notification tab.