Enjoy your extra chapter for achieving the Power Stones goal!
***
Aston had not expected Tiona, who had been developing a relationship with him, to suddenly adopt such a direct approach, essentially taking things to a decisive point.
Although Aston was unsure why, he wasn't someone who abstained from such matters. Since Tiona was so proactive, Aston found no reason to refuse.
Despite this being his first experience in both his past and present life, it didn't mean Aston was naive. He was quite sensitive to matters of affection. Moreover, even though they had only adventured together for a week, Aston did have a favorable impression of Tiona. After all, she was the first to actively pursue him.
So, Aston didn't reject Tiona's advances.
"Aston, you're really intense!" After their intimate moment, Tiona, with a flushed face, sat on a large rock watching Aston tidy up the camp, occasionally teasing him.
"Aren't you satisfied?" Aston asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Tiona rolled her eyes. How could she not be satisfied? She was incredibly pleased. It was just overwhelming for her to handle alone. Aston seemed insatiable, which was a pity considering they didn't have enough time to continue. If they had more time, she would have loved to go on.
If Aston knew Tiona's thoughts at this moment, he would definitely be astounded. Despite being nearly worn out, she still thought of continuing, truly fitting for an Amazoness.
"Speaking of which, why haven't the others returned yet? It's been over an hour," Aston said, shaking his head amusedly as he continued to tidy up, curiously pondering.
"Ais said after bathing, she wanted to take Ryuu to the 51st floor's entrance to take a look. It's quite far, so they won't be back quickly. I made the excuse of feeling unwell and didn't agree to go with them, coming back here instead," Tiona explained.
"Ah, so you really came prepared," Aston remarked.
"Of course," Tiona responded confidently, hands in her hips, brimming with pride. As an Amazoness, she wasn't concerned about formalities in such matters, but when it came to intimacy, she preferred not to be overheard by others, unless she chose to be.
Observing Tiona, who despite her flushed face still radiated an innocent and youthful charm, Aston felt quite moved. If he hadn't been directly responsible for her transformation, he wouldn't have believed that the Tiona before him was now fully a woman.
"Speaking of which, if I've calculated the time correctly, Tione and the others should be almost back," Tiona suddenly stood up, peering towards the direction leading to the 51st floor's entrance. She looked for a while but then sat down again, saying, "It seems they might need a bit more time."
"Hey, Tiona, do you want to become stronger?" Aston paused his tidying up, looked at Tiona, and asked.
"Huh? Stronger? Of course," Tiona replied with a laugh. "Isn't that what adventurers enter the dungeon for? To improve through adventures and enhance their strength. I definitely want to become stronger."
"I have an opportunity for you to become stronger. Are you interested?" Aston nodded and then began to explain the concept of the Faction Cards to Tiona.
Now that they were in a relationship, Aston naturally wanted to offer Tiona the best. He planned to offer her the opportunity to sign a Faction Card. Even if she didn't sign, it wouldn't matter much, as those who heard about the Faction Cards and chose not to sign would have their memories of the conversation erased.
As Aston described the Faction Cards, Tiona's eyes lit up, growing brighter until they were almost shining. She quickly ran up to Aston, staring at him intently. "How about it? Do you want to sign?" Aston asked after he finished explaining.
"Yes, yes, yes, let me sign that Faction Card!" Tiona eagerly nodded her head, without a hint of hesitation.
Aston had made it very clear. Signing a Faction Card had no disadvantages, except that one would not act against Aston's interests. Given their current relationship, Tiona would not think of harming Aston – if anything, she would be more inclined to help him.
Seeing Tiona's eager response, Aston smiled and handed her the Faction Card to sign. After she signed, Tiona began to closely examine her own body.
"There's no change at all," Tiona said, looking disappointed after closely examining herself for a while.
"How could there be any change? To see any improvement after signing the Faction Card, you must kill monsters. Only by continually slaying monsters can your physical abilities improve," Aston explained with a wry smile, seeing Tiona's reaction.
"I see," Tiona nodded in understanding, then a bright smile spread across her face as she turned to Aston. "No wonder you've become so strong so quickly. It's because of this skill, right?"
"Yes, this ability is indeed why I've been able to grow stronger so fast," Aston admitted openly.
Having signed the Faction Card, even if Aston revealed all his secrets to Tiona, she wouldn't leak them. He had no concerns about that.
Tione and the others didn't make Aston and Tiona wait long. Within a few minutes, they were back at the campsite.
With everyone gathered, the group didn't delay and began their journey back. They moved quickly, but occasionally monsters would block their path, forcing them to engage.
The monsters posed no real challenge for the group, who dealt with them routinely before continuing on their way. While the others showed no change in expression, Tiona was visibly excited. She could feel her physical abilities strengthening, albeit slightly, with each monster she killed. The prospect of growing stronger and possibly reaching level 6 filled her with excitement and eagerness.
"Thank you so much, Aston," Tiona said, buzzing with excitement. Without considering the others around, she leaned over to Aston while on the move and kissed him.
Aston: "…"
Tione: "…"
Ais: "…"
Ryuu: "…"
"Have their relationship progressed this quickly?"
***
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