The items and system messages didn't matter to Julian.
When combat ended, he bit his lower lip and forced himself to his feet and rushed towards Sena on the ground. He couldn't help but cough a mouthful of blood while his chest ached.
'Sena!'
Julian couldn't help but realise how important she was, even if all that remained were fragmented memories and regrets from his past lives.
Sena was something special, someone essential to him in this life.
"Sena, are you alright?!"
He grabbed her shoulders, able to see the blood dripping from her nose and her wounded chest.
Thankfully, the game hadn't fused with reality fully and his Shadow Bolt that caused Dreadpaw's last attack to become weaker due to losing momentum.
'We avoided fatal damage…'
"Julian? Why do you look so distressed, hehe? Are you worried I might die in the game?"
Sena spoke in a soft, but weak voice, while grasping his wrists, rubbing them with her thumb.
The way Sena looked at him made his chest throb.
"Did it hurt?"
"Mm, a little bit… but Julian, I've never felt so alive in my life."
The moment she spoke, he noticed the sparkle in Sena's eyes.
He understood her now, and knew that she said the same thing in the past, but back then he didn't take the time to understand her.
"Is it because I am with you, that the game feels so vivid and thrilling?"
"Do you prefer playing with me, what about Maria?"
Julian's hand gently massaged her bruised shoulder while watching her health regenerating slowly. Now that they defeated the rare boss, monsters would spawn around them slower.
"J-Julian, of course I prefer it with you, idiot…"
Sena turned to the side with red cheeks, her lips curled into a smile while sitting up and wiping the dirt and leaves from her body.
"I am only an idiot when it comes to you."
"W-What?"
Her eyes looked stunned as his hand stroked her cheek and looked at her with a tender gaze.
"Julian, when did you become so… so."
"Charming?"
"Hah. Don't get cocky, hmph!"
Julian couldn't help but find her lovely. The way she showed her emotions and feelings so clearly was something that he hadn't noticed in the past. Her red cheeks, the slight stutter or cute voice she makes when shy.
"Shall we have a look at what we got from the boss? I think the roll is still counting down."
There was a countdown bar with ten circles that faded every ten seconds, with two items listed, one with a blue border and the other with a green border.
[●●●●●●●◌◌◌]
◊ Wand of Shadows (Uncommon)
◊ Dreadhide Jerkin (Rare)
"Oh, that jerkin is something I cannot wear, do you want it?"
"Can I really take it?"
He didn't mind her taking items and loot, which would help her grow stronger.
Now that he realised the game world was already fusing with the real-world, Julian needed to help her quickly.
'Last time there was a month before it reached this point. I cannot take risks.'
◊ You passed on Dreadhide Jerkin!
◊ You rolled a 69 on the Wand of Shadows!
◊ Sena passed on the Wand of Shadows!
◊ Sena rolled a 96 on Dreadhide Jerkin!
Julian's inventory shone with the appearance of another item, and it caused his lips to curl into a wide grin. The wand was a powerful tool for all casters.
Unlike the staff, which normally helped the Evoker who wanted higher attribute pools and a large Mana pool. But the wand was a weapon that could help in combat, due to its long range and the damage, which increased with a user's Magic attribute.
"Ah~ it's such a good item, can you really not use it?" Sena seemed to feel guilty about taking the best item, though her game knowledge was low, it was enough to understand the worth of the item in her hands.
"I can only use cloth, or wands, so let's divide the loot this way in the future."
"Understood~ then, I'll make dinner to make it up for you, hehe."
Sena's face beamed as she suddenly unequipped her tunic.
"Eh?"
"Wow!"
The mistake that Julian made repeated itself, as her muscular abdomen and round, heavy breasts were in full view. Even her light pink cherries showed themselves proudly.Sena glanced at Julian with pale cheeks, her face gradually turning deep red.
'Sena's avatar is superior to the goddess.' Julian thought, while wondering if it was due to the lover's unit that he could see her naked body, or if there was some issue because of him.
Normally, in Avalon's Fall the female characters wore a range of cute underwear, while the males had black boxers.
"Did you see?"
"I saw, it was wonderful."
Sena's eyes opened wide the moment Julian answered honestly. She could only huff as she finally equipped the Dreadhide Jerkin.
"Hmph!"
The Dreadhide Jerkin clung to her body like a second skin, its black leather sleek and smooth, while the flecks of golden fur glimmered like faint embers. A dark blue inner layer peeked from beneath the armour, wrapping tightly around her chest and shoulders, but exposing her toned stomach with a streamlined look.
However, because of Sena's bountiful figure, the jerkin stretched to its limits. The lace strained tight against her chest, barely held together, as if her breasts were challenging the durability of the piece.
Despite its snug fit, the armour radiated a primal and sexy aura, with a savage spirit like that of the Dreadpaw it came from.
'She looks quite erotic, though her skin is covered, that cleavage is explosive.'
"How do I look?" Sena took a pose with her wounds now mostly healed, and a smile on her face.
"You know the answer, so why don't you stop showing off."
The pair gathered the items and prepared to return.
Although Julian wanted to fight a little more, he agreed with Sena that they should leave the forest, and take a break instead.
'Well, although the nutrient gel can feed us with the needed minerals and vitamins, because of the way this lover's unit works, a sense of hunger will remain after intense workouts.'
This was a key factor in the units getting banned after a short time after several people died in the game with heart issues. Because the ones who could afford them were usually older males with lots of money.
'Well, it might be worse this time because the game is so far ahead compared to last time.'
Julian and Sena stood near the first village, and sat on a bench together, both holding hands as they smiled at each other.
[Logging out in 10 seconds]
"This was really fun, Julian."
"I know, but seeing you die even in a game made me so anxious."
"Hehe~ so you care about me, that's good."
"Yeah, maybe I was wrong."
"Eh?"
Their characters logged out as Sena watched him vanish, confused about the meaning of his last words.
Darkness.
The pair awoke from the deep sleep, a feeling of calm as their bodies were maintained at the perfect state during their session.
Despite the slight hunger and another sensation that caused the young heiress to blush, everything was fine. Sena closed her eyes, while the pair waited for the used gel to be filtered into the waste and converted into the fuel that powers the secondary engine in emergencies.
However, during this period, the two were forced to remain still, and due to their movements in the game, their bodies were pressed against each other. This allowed Julian to notice the differences between the Sena who entered the game once and twice.
'It seems my theory about the world already starting to synchronise was right.'
Soon after the pair left the machine, Julian found his clothes cleaned and ironed on the shelf, likely done by one of Sena's maids.
But he saw an amusing sight after getting dressed.
"Ah… what's going on? Did I get fat?"
Sena's body had already adjusted and transformed after entering the world twice. She was struggling to wear her old bra. The fastener made a loud twang as it flicked off her body and shot across the room, leaving her breasts to bounce seductively.
"These cheap companies!"
She complained in a low voice about the bra, before huffing and grabbing her jeans, only to struggle as they wouldn't slide over her plump buttocks.
This sight was an amusing situation for Julian. Because it reminded him of the upgrade Sena made in the game. She only changed her buttocks and boobs, making them bigger and enhancing the muscles in her body.
'I cannot laugh, if she knows I am watching, I will die.'
In the end, she returned to the room with a packet, and a branded logo that even Julian recognised, before she took out the item, and wore the black thong, with a bitter face.
"I don't always wear them… you saw it was from an unopened packet!"
"Yeah, sure."
"Y-You don't believe me? I only bought them to seduce you!"
'Would you normally admit that?' He wondered to himself while watching her wear a dark green dress with white frills.