Chapter 145: The Secrets Of Awakened Bodies
Chapter 145
Annie’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. She most likely hadn’t expected him to have the guts to unlock her cell, let alone step inside completely unprotected. Was he really that stupid?
But then her body instantly tensed, her instincts were practically screaming at her to seize this golden opportunity to snap his neck.
Even if she couldn’t use her ability for now and was a bit weak, she was still confident in her ability of taking him down unexpectedly, thanks to all the formidable and brutal training she had endured at the Heukryeon organization to become one of the best A level Assassin.
But the guy was still a vanguard Realm Awakened, same as her, who had not been affected by this annoying cell so her only chance of taking him down should be when he least expects it and drops his guard down.
Alex stepped over the threshold calmly with his hands lazily tucked into his pockets.
"If you are completely done with your empty threats, then I can finally talk," he said in a relaxed tone.
He then walked past her as if she were a harmless roommate, moving directly toward the small bed in the corner of the room. He took a seat right on the edge of the mattress, and casually patted the space next to him, telling her that she should come take a seat.
The utter lack of fear was the final straw for Annie. The exact moment he turned his head sideways, she lunged at him with remarkable speed and agility, her fingers curving into sharp talons aimed straight for his throat.
She wanted to choke that stupid smug grin right off his face.
Alex, however, had already long since anticipated what she might do, the moment he opened that door. He wasn’t some kind of fool who would just waltz in here without being prepared for any sort of attack.
Besides, did he even need to spell it out? For God sake, he was basically a C Rank Awakened, boosted by multiple system rewards. So his perception of time and movement was vastly superior to hers in both her current suppressed state and that of hers in her peak.
He didn’t even blink when she made her move. As her fingers came within inches of his neck, he smoothly executed a side-step, tilting his upper body backward just enough to let her own momentum carry her past him.
Before she could recover her balance and pivot to land another deadly attack, Alex reached out, his hand accurately locking around her slim waist with a firm, unyielding grip.
With a sudden twist of his wrist, he then used her own forward speed against her, pulling her right back down onto the bed next to him.
Thud.
Annie hit the mattress hard, her breath catching as Alex’s impressive body pinned her side against the wall for a brief second before he leaned back, giving her some space but still keeping her trapped within his immediate reach, so that she won’t try any funny business.
"Let go of me you b*stared!" She hissed, struggling against his arm, but she quickly realized that it was futile because his raw strength was immensely superior to hers.
She calmed down but her bountiful peaks heaved up and down as she glared at him from a few inches away.
But, Alex just smiled, maintaining his calm, relaxed demeanor. She could glare for all he wanted but his real plan was simple: he just needed to stall for time. He had to wait for the hidden effects of the Aura Of Seduction to finally do its job of slowly breaking down her psychological walls and making her aroused.
Once that was done, then all those sweet, sweet Desire Energy, Desire Points and a copy of her ability will be his once they become intimate with each other. But in the meantime, he just needed a realistic cover story to keep her engaged without raising suspicions.
He leaned in slightly, making sure his mouth wasn’t too far from her delicate ear, and said in a deep, serious voice.
"I’ll let you go when you start answering some questions. So let’s talk about that crazy man, Lee Joon woo."
The mention of that very specific name made Annie freeze. The fury in her eyes briefly flickered, and was replaced by a guarded caution.
"You know? The third boss of the Heukryeon, also known as the Dark Lotus Organization," Alex continued, watching her facial expressions closely to see how the Aura was beginning to affect her breathing.
"The guy who is completely obsessed with Nyx to a crazy. No... pathetic degree. Tell me all about him, his strength, weaknesses. Just whatever you know about him?"
Annie looked at him before letting out a harsh, mocking laugh, though her heart rate was secretly starting to accelerate without her knowing why.
She could feel this strange, unusual warmth blooming deep in her lower abdomen, one that absolutely had nothing to do with her anger.
Her skin felt hypersensitive, and the strangely pleasant scent of the man sitting next to her was suddenly invading her senses, making her mind feel slightly fuzzy.
[ +10 Desire Points Gained ]
[ +8 Desire Energy Gained ]
[ DESIRE METER ]
• Lust: 15.1%
• Attraction: 18.7%
• Resistance: 20.5%
Alex beamed internally, and then watched as she forcefully shook her head, most likely trying to clear the sudden, bizarre fog. She then glared at his lips, and said in a tight voice.
"You are wasting your breath, pretty boy. You’re only going to waste your precious time. Do you really think I would betray the organization just because you asked nicely?"
"Hmph. I won’t tell you a single thing about Supreme Leader Joon woo. You can go to hell for all I care. Kill me if you want, but you won’t get a single piece of information from me."
Alex chuckled, his eyes scanning the subtle rise and fall of her ample chest. Her pupils were slightly dilated now, another good sign that the Aura Of Seduction was beginning to successfully weave its magic into her nervous system.
He knew that she was fighting it hard. The resistance stat was proof of that, but her biological response were already turning against her. It shouldn’t take too long for her to become horny.
"Hmm. Going to hell sounds a bit extreme, don’t you think?" Alex asked smoothly, shifting his position so his shoulder brushed against hers, sending a jolt of electricity through her body.
"Okay, since you’re so stubborn, how about we make a deal instead? I can offer you something you actually want. Like what if I heal all the severe injuries you sustained during our fight? Especially... the ones on your beautiful face."
He reached up, his fingers hovering just a millimeter away from the jagged burn marks on her cheek, intentionally testing her boundaries.
Annie flinched backward like a startled cat, with her back pressing hard against the wall. She scoffed loudly, her voice full of deep skepticism, though her breathing was turning noticeably shallow, and a small blush had appeared on her face.
"You expect me to believe that you would really bother to help an enemy heal her face, after all the threats she has given you? Don’t insult my intelligence."
She then turned her face away, trying to hide the ugly marks, but her heart was beating fast against her chest now. The strange, intoxicating feeling radiating from him was beginning to make her skin feel like it was on fire, melting away her icy resistance piece by piece.
[ +15 Desire Points Gained ]
[ +10 Desire Energy Gained ]
[ DESIRE METER ]
• Lust: 18.1%
• Attraction: 20.0%
• Resistance: 19.2%
"Besides," Annie suddenly added, her voice dropping as she tried to maintain her fierce, defensive appearance, "those injuries are not even permanent. For Awakened like us, our cellular regeneration is entirely different from that of ordinary humans."
"Even without any form of medical treatment whatsoever, my body can easily heal from injuries this severe in a couple of days... or at most, in a week. So keep your healing to yourself I don’t need it."
Alex blinked in surprise after hearing her words.
’Wait..’ That single statement about Awakeneds healing had caught his attention far more than he had expected.
So Awakeneds could basically recover from injuries that would leave ordinary humans hospitalized for months... in only a matter of days?
He frowned thoughtfully.
’So that’s how it works...’
It certainly explained a lot. During his fight with Annie, she had endured punishments, like the severe burns from her explosion, and Nyx’s repeated shot all aimed at the same spot on her leg, that should have left permanent damage, yet she spoke about recovering within a week as if it were something completely normal.
Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
’But... does that apply to me too?"
The question lingered in his mind. Technically speaking, he wasn’t an Awakened in the traditional sense. While everyone else used Primordial essence and advanced through the established realms, every ounce of his strength came from the system.
His power originated from Desire Energy like how the system had so patiently described last time. That made him a completely different breed of existence in this world.
Curious, he decided to ask the system.
’Hey System, I wanted to ask you something really important. Ok, so do I naturally recover from Injuries the same way Awakeneds do?’
The familiar chibi appeared before him, floating lazily with her hands behind her head.
[Of course you do, silly Host]
Alex raised an eyebrow.
’I do?’
[Not only do you heal naturally, but your recovery speed is actually on par with, if not slightly faster than, Awakened of the same rank]
His eyes widened slightly.
’Are you being serious?’
The chibi nodded proudly.
[Yep! I simply never bothered explaining it because you already had the Body Recovery Water available in the Desire Store. Compared to your natural regeneration, that item restores your condition much faster, making lengthy explanation totally unnecessary]
Alex absorbed the information quietly before another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
’Then what about the Training Realm? I get I was still a D Rank but it was still supposed to be faster than that of a normal human, right?’
After all, he still vividly remembered the countless days he had spent fighting monsters there. Back then, every bruise, broken bone, and deep cut had remained with him for what felt like forever.
’If I could heal naturally, why didn’t I recover much during that time?’
The system giggled.
[It is because you were never actually given the chance]
[Remember, later during your training every time one injury started healing, you were immediately faced with another new monster. So new wounds kept replacing the old ones faster than you could heal]
She spread her tiny hands helplessly.
[Your body was actually healing the entire time, even though it was slower than how it is now in your present level. You just kept accumulating fresh injuries every single day]
