The first light of dawn spilled into the room, its golden glow radiant yet gentle.
Kael had been awake for some time, his gaze fixed absently on the crystal chandelier above as if lost in thought.
Beside him, Amelia lay curled against his side like a sleeping kitten. Her brows were faintly furrowed, yet a soft, contented smile played on her lips. Her long lashes fluttered occasionally, betraying the depth of her peaceful slumber.
I wonder what she's dreaming about...
Amelia slept soundly—last night's fervor had clearly drained the stamina of even this warrior-born woman. No, Kael corrected inwardly, not a woman until last night. Now, she's truly mine.
Time had flown since Kael arrived in this world. In these years, he'd gained friends, allies, a territory, an army—and now, the woman he loved.
Yet this world was far crueler than Earth. Here, only strength—absolute, unrivaled strength—guaranteed survival.
Shaking off his musings, Kael turned his attention back to Amelia.
Naturally, she was bare beneath the sheets, her skin impossibly soft against his. Unable to resist, he pulled her closer.
A drowsy murmur escaped her as she shifted, rolling to face him fully. But the movement made her wince slightly, her frown deepening—no doubt from the lingering soreness of their first night.
Kael smiled tenderly. As a novice to intimacy, Amelia had endured her share of discomfort.
His fingers traced the smooth curve of her cheek, then drifted lower, rediscovering the silken warmth of her body. Heat coiled low in his gut, but he swallowed hard and withdrew his hand. Best not wake her.
Quietly, he began to rise—only to freeze when a pair of obsidian-dark eyes blinked up at him. Amelia was awake.
Kael blinked. **"When did you wake up?"**
A blush crept across Amelia's cheeks. **"Right when you started getting handsy."**
Kael coughed, momentarily flustered—though his thick skin quickly reasserted itself. With a roguish grin, he pulled her closer, his palm sliding up the silken slope of her breast.
"N-not now..." Amelia gasped, catching his wandering hand, her face burning crimson. Clearly, the little beauty had reached her limit after last night's "battle."
Kael knew better than to push. He smiled tenderly, withdrawing his touch. **"Rest then. I'll take a walk outside."**
"No need. I'm getting up too—I need to improve my strength." Amelia might play the delicate maiden around Kael, but as a warrior forged through hardship, a little soreness meant nothing.
With the gap between their power levels widening, Amelia felt the urgency—she wouldn't let herself fall hopelessly behind.
"Alright." Kael didn't object.
Once dressed, they left the bedroom together.
In the hall, Grace had just arrived to handle administrative duties. Her gaze lingered on Amelia before she suddenly exclaimed, **"Amelia, you look... different today."**
"Do I?" Amelia feigned ignorance.
"You're glowing!" Grace sighed enviously.
And it was true. Overnight, Amelia's usual cool elegance had warmed into something softer, more womanly—a subtle shift Grace instantly noticed.
Amelia's blush deepened, her mind racing back to certain memories. **"Really?"**
"Absolutely!" Grace nodded emphatically.
Watching the two beauties chat, Kael found the scene delightful—but he had more pressing matters. With a shrug, he left them to their conversation and sought out Finn.
"Kael, everything you asked me to do yesterday has been taken care of," Finn said, then handed Kael a spatial ring and a crystal card.
Kael glanced at the spatial ring—it contained hundreds of magic cores from beasts of level eight or higher, which satisfied him. Beast cores weren't the same as magic gems; magic gems were essential for a mage's cultivation, while beast cores were far less valuable.
As for the crystal card, it held over three million gold coins—a staggering fortune, enough to raise a powerful army.
"Out of these three million, allocate one million to Lone Wolf for military training and recruitment. Keep an eye on him for me," Kael said, patting Finn on the shoulder.
"Yes, sir!" Finn immediately straightened up, his tone serious—a rare display of discipline from him.
"Oh, by the way, where's Vesper?" Kael asked, as if suddenly remembering something.
After careful consideration, Kael had concluded that the fastest way to improve his strength was to master certain methods. Vesper seemed particularly skilled at enhancing power—Finn was a product of his "training," after all. After some thought, Kael decided to ask Vesper if he knew any shortcuts to rapid breakthroughs.
"You mean that old pervert?" A flash of indignation crossed Finn's eyes. "Vesper and Toms spend all their time in the underground tavern, indulging in wine and women. If you want to find them, that's the place."
The underground tavern!
Kael frowned. The underground tavern was no respectable establishment—it was a den of vice, filled with drinking, gambling, and, of course, prostitutes.
The fact that Vesper and Toms spent their days wallowing in such a place, living it up at his expense, was infuriating.
"Still, those two old geezers are full of mysteries. They might actually have some useful methods." Kael nodded, instructing Finn to continue his work while he headed to the underground tavern to track them down.
Familiar with every corner of Rafay City, Kael soon found his way to the underground tavern.
The sign of the underground tavern was worn and shabby, yet a steady stream of people flowed in and out—among them, no shortage of scantily clad women. Their eyes lit up the moment they spotted Kael. These women were shrewd; they could tell at a glance whether a man had deep pockets based on his attire, and Kael was unmistakably a wealthy patron.
However, Kael had no interest in them. He strode straight into the tavern, where the noise was deafening—raucous laughter, drunken shouts, and the clatter of tankards. The crowd was so thick that spotting Vesper and Toms in this chaos would be nearly impossible.
Boom!
Kael slammed his staff against the wall with a resounding crash, instantly drawing every eye in the room. The sudden silence was palpable. He had done this deliberately—not just to command attention, but to force Vesper and Toms to take notice.
Sure enough, the two old rogues were here.
Vesper and Toms each had an arm wrapped around a woman, their faces twisted into lecherous grins. The women beside them wore revealing outfits and carried themselves with brazen familiarity—clearly, they were the tavern's working girls.
When Vesper saw Kael, his eyes gleamed with amusement. "Well, well, if it isn't our little brother! What brings you to a place like His tone was teasing, but there was something calculating in his gaze as he studied Kael.
Kael scoffed. "I'm here for you."
Vesper blinked, momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter. "For me? Don't tell me you've finally come around to sampling the pleasures of this fine establishment! Let me tell you, the women here are absolutely—"
"I don't care about any of that," Kael cut in, his brow furrowing. "I've inherited the Water Dragon's legacy and reached mid-tier Rank Nine. I need to break through further. Got any useful advice?"
"The Water Dragon's legacy? Mid-tier Rank Nine?" Vesper's expression shifted subtly, a sly smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "As a matter of fact… I do have a method."