MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

Chapter 505: Drained

"Admit it," Marcus said with a grin. "You missed me."

Willow looked up at him, still resting comfortably in his arms. Seeing the gentle expression on her face, Marcus couldn’t resist pulling her a little closer. "Come on," he teased. "Give your man a kiss." Before she could answer, he leaned in and kissed her.

Willow let out a muffled sound of protest that faded almost immediately as she relaxed against him. Their lips met softly before the kiss deepened, and she soon found herself returning it without thinking. Wrapped securely in his embrace, she could feel the warmth of his body through their clothes, and the familiar scent that surrounded him somehow made her feel even more at ease.

Marcus couldn’t help smiling to himself. Every time he held her, he was reminded of just how attractive she was. Her mature elegance, graceful figure, and gentle temperament combined into a charm that was impossible to ignore. Holding her close like this, feeling how naturally she fit in his arms, made it surprisingly difficult to let go.

’She’s incredible.’

He brushed his forehead lightly against hers and smiled. "You get more beautiful every time I see you."

His hands rested lightly on her slender waist as he traced the natural curve of her figure. Willow’s breathing grew just a little uneven, and she instinctively tightened her grip on his shoulders. The quiet atmosphere between them gradually warmed, but before either of them got carried away, Marcus gently loosened his embrace.

Looking into her flushed face, he spoke more seriously. "Willow, I’ve been so caught up with the game lately that I haven’t made enough time for you."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "I should’ve come to see you sooner. I’m sorry."

After a brief pause, he continued, "And... about what happened last time. I’m sorry I came on so strongly." He met her eyes without looking away. "But I wasn’t lying about how I felt. I wanted to be with you then, and I still do now. If I had another chance, I don’t think my feelings would change."

"Marcus..."

Her eyes gradually became misty. The sincerity in his voice reached her far more deeply than any sweet words could have. Before she realized what she was doing, she wrapped both arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest.

"Marcus..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I’ll always be yours."

Marcus let out a helpless smile. ’She’s really too soft-hearted.’ He simply held her quietly, gently rubbing her back until she calmed down. Once her emotions settled, he carefully brushed away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes.

"So," he said with an easy smile, "should we cook something together, or go out for dinner?"

Willow shook her head almost immediately. She wanted to stay home. Just the two of them, enjoying a quiet evening together.

"Works for me." Marcus smiled. "I’ve been looking forward to your cooking."

He had eaten Willow’s cooking countless times back when he was still dating Snow. She knew his tastes almost as well as he knew them himself. Thinking about it, he couldn’t help feeling a little amused. Between Willow and Professor Tina, I’m probably the only guy who’s had the chance to eat home-cooked meals from both of Crestwood University’s campus queens.

"I’ll give you a hand," he offered, standing up.

Willow immediately shook her head. "No." She gently pushed him back toward the living room with an amused smile. "A man doesn’t belong in the kitchen. Just sit down and relax. I’ll take care of dinner."

Although her family’s circumstances had changed over the years, some of the traditional values she’d grown up with still remained. As far as she was concerned, cooking for the man she loved wasn’t a chore. It was something she genuinely enjoyed.

Marcus didn’t argue. Instead, he settled comfortably onto the sofa with a satisfied grin. ’At this rate, I’m going to get completely spoiled.’

While Willow busied herself in the kitchen, Marcus called Lily to let her know he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner. As it turned out, Emily had already gone over to the house and was spending time with Lily and Amber. The moment Emily heard he wasn’t coming back that evening, she immediately sounded disappointed, and Marcus spent the next several minutes patiently coaxing and reassuring her before she finally cheered up enough to let him hang up.

Putting away his phone, Marcus reached into his pocket and took out the strange green bead. Something about it still bothered him. Eddie hadn’t been able to sense anything unusual from it. Neither had the old shopkeeper. Larry hadn’t noticed anything either, nor had Mr. Zahir. Even Willow, who had been standing right beside him before, hadn’t reacted to it at all.

Only Marcus could feel the strange energy hidden inside it. Ever since Human Rock had transformed his body, his senses had become unusually sensitive to this kind of energy, allowing him to detect it without consciously circulating his power. That meant one thing: whatever this bead was, it definitely wasn’t an ordinary piece of Green Quartz.

Marcus examined it again in silence. Nothing happened. After hesitating for a moment, he activated Human Rock and slowly guided a thread of his inner energy into the bead.

The instant his energy made contact, the bead reacted. Just like it had back in the antique shop. A faint green glow spread across its surface as wisps of emerald-colored mist drifted into the air, curling around it like smoke.

’So there really is something inside...’

Marcus carefully increased the flow of energy. About a minute later, the glow grew noticeably brighter. The green mist thickened, swirling faster and faster until it completely enveloped the bead. Before long, the bead itself disappeared from sight, hidden within a sphere of shimmering green light that looked almost liquid as it flowed and twisted around itself.

The energy radiating from it continued to rise, stronger and denser. Marcus stared at it without blinking. ’What exactly is this thing?’ An inexplicable feeling of anticipation rose in his chest.

Then everything changed.

Without the slightest warning, the bead suddenly began spinning at incredible speed. The swirling green mist erupted into a violent vortex. Marcus’s eyes widened. ’Oh, crap.’

An overwhelming force burst from the bead. Before he could react, his inner energy was violently ripped from his body, pouring into the bead like a river breaking through a collapsed dam. No matter how desperately he tried to stop it, the suction was completely beyond his control.

In less than ten seconds, nearly all the power he had painstakingly cultivated over the past several months had been drained away. His body felt as though it had been hollowed out from the inside as every last reserve of Human Rock energy disappeared into the emerald vortex.

Marcus knew exactly how much power he had possessed. Crystal had once told him that, in terms of raw cultivation, he had already reached a level roughly comparable to her father’s.

Her father had spent more than sixty years building that strength. And now, the equivalent of six decades of accumulated power had vanished in mere moments. The bead’s appetite was utterly terrifying.