Chapter 123 123 Reuniting
[Lucy's POV: ]
-Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish!
This is the fifth day and thankfully, we are almost on schedule even though the unexpected things that have happened.
'Haaaa… this is pretty good atleast.'
I was still maintaining the first place but I knew it would soon be taken away by someone else since the people raining in the top rankings would start fighting between themselves and there was also AJ.
'That bastard would start moving pretty soon now so the whole of the rankings are going to get shaken up.'
Perhaps he would be in the top three by the end of this exam but, the two of us would be the first. That much was clear.
'But where's she though? She should have been here by now.'
I reached this place and rested for a while but she wasn't here so I started hunting around the area here.
'The monsters here are weaker than the ones I faced in the place I came from so dealing with them is a little easier. Though, it would have been nice if I could have the experience points for everything I have killed until now. It would certainly push my level by at least one or two.'
We were in a labyrinth and just like a dungeon, this labyrinth was a unique structure in the eyes of the Worldline with unique features and rules of its own.
We were basically in a closed-off environment here to prevent as much of the outside interference as possible so neither could we gain experience points inside this labyrinth, nor could we gain the Oz and world achievement rewards even if we had done something unique to deserve it.
All those EXP and stuff are awarded at the end of the test or more precisely when we are out of this labyrinth. That's how things worked in this labyrinth at the very least.
'Dungeons are the main unique structures in the Worldline, and they have set rules for them according to their characteristics and 'values'. For the other unique structures like labyrinths, important graveyards, old temples, monumental sites, or such, the rules and regulations are different.'
We could even change it if we had enough authority in the Worldline and over that unique structure, just like how the elder lich Malacus was able to turn the nest of an original dragoon into his own territory, or how that original dragon was able to claim this land as her own.
'The claiming and modifying of a territory is a complicated process but, we would have to have some of our own places by the time we are ready to establish our own 'state' to later do the stuff we wanted here and depart for the greater plains.'
Having places that belonged to us was an important task, especially if the place had a unique structure like this labyrinth or was a unique structure itself since they contributed to our strength in our ranks.
'We own one dungeon for now and some random lands that we obtained throughout the continents through Raz's help, but we are still only as strong as a Duke of some small kingdom in terms of geographical ownership.'
Still, though, it is good that we have invested a good amount of our income into purchasing cheaper but special places throughout the Worldline that would give us back many folds of what we have invested into it in the near future.
'Having Raz as our first exclusive merchant was the best decision we made. He truly is amazing.'
Through him we earned, and through him, we invested. We spent and obtained resources from him, and thanks to him, we were able to have a sturdy pace with the side plans involving capital and resources. He was truly the best guy.
'Still though… that fucking bastard is sometimes too much. He goes beyond what he should and does things… that even I haven't done with her yet! That little white pussy will receive a thorough beating if I ever get my hands-'
"Hello~ Lucy daring~. Wat yu doin'~? Cursing someone, I see~?"
I was killing the spider-like creature before me when she came out of nowhere and obliterated everything in this area with her magic.
And she appeared right behind me like an evil ghost of night. So…
"You're finally here, hunh you lazy bum. What were you doing?"
I had to pretend and change the topic, which didn't work this time.
"Awwww~. Do not change the topic mister~. You know, I know, we all know you are good with your acting~. It doesn't work on me though, remember~? We are closely connected~, hehe."
She wrapped her arms around me from behind and pulled me closer, too close actually. I could feel all of herself. All of it.
'Damn that link-'
"Awww~. Are you cursing the link now~? Does that mean you were actually cursing at someone when I came~? Who was it, hmmm~? Tell me, baby. Who. Was. It~?"
Her face was too close to my neck, her lips were almost touching one of my sensitive spots. She knew exactly what she was doing and, she was also pressing herself against my back so this stimulation was becoming increasingly difficult to bare.
'Now this is what I would call an emergency. Fuck that bastard-'
"Oh-ho~? What's this? Anger of a particular kind… ah~! It's jealousy! You were angry at someone you are jealous of for something~. And there's only my baby Raz you could be jealous of~. So you were cursing my little Raz, right~? Hehehe."
She figured it out in no time. This link really was a triple-edged sword, fuck!
'I'm in trouble-'
"Akhum!"
Her hands were around my shoulders but she suddenly grabbed my throat out of nowhere and choked me with serious strength!
"Listen here you piece of absolute trash."
And then, just after laughing cheerfully a moment ago, she was enraged. Like, seriously furious. Her voice was filled with anger and I didn't even need to look at her face to know just what kind of expression she must be making right now. It was obviously bad!
"Curse all you want at my little baby."
She increased the strength behind her grip and hugged me tighter at the same time… am I supposed to feel suffocated or excited?!
"I dare you to lay a single one of your sexy fingers on him."
Her mouth was right before my ears so even though she was saying all this in that horrifying whisper, the words rang in my mind like a midnight bell of a clocktower.
"They are good inside me so they are best with this hot sister of yours."
She loosened the grip a little… and I'm no masochist! That hurt like hell! Fuck!
So I was a little relived-
"If you hurt him, ever…"
But she suddenly increased her grip again and even more strongly than ever, almost choking my soul out of me.
"Remember, you will receive twelve times of all that plus the bonus."
And only after this, did she finally release me, or throw me to the ground would be better phrasing.
'She is serious… but she isn't serious at the same time.'
I could feel she was angry but she also wanted me to do what she said so that she could do what she said. Yeah, just the normal things that go on in her mind usually.
'Perhaps getting the signals from me is easier for her because they are so clear, and perhaps her ever-jumbled mind and ever-changing emotions make it complicated for me to catch onto the main things. But at least I can guess what was going on inside her. And it was nothing less than a blessing.'
El's inner self… well, if I say my inner self is like an endlessly tall and long wall, hers is like a dam that blocks a looooooooot of different, complicated, and jumbled-up emotions.
She has good control over them so she can filter out and let only the wanted one pass through usually, but, sometimes, it becomes out of control and she herself doesn't know what is going on inside her… and that, is when disaster strikes.
'She's strong, but at the same time, as fragile as dandelion seeds.'
Handling her is a more difficult task than conquering this world. But, it's also more fun than anything else in this world.
"Haaa… haaa… haaaaaa… it's good to see you again, El."
What can I do now? I had long been addicted to this mess of a disaster to even want anything else.
"Good to see you panting like a doggy too darling~."
She was crazy, but perhaps I am crazier to find this sudden shift in her behavior lovely.
"You know how much I missed you~? I was going to cry once~."
"I know. But I'm here now. Right here."
I was on the ground, so she also joined me and hugged me afterward, sharing her usual coolness with my heated body.
It has been a few days since we have been apart, at least in this space, it has been a few days.
Both of us knew it hadn't been more than five hours in the outside world where Eva was, so the time itself didn't matter. Instead, the fact that we were apart from each other for such a long time, the fact that ate us from the inside, was just as difficult for us even after knowing the reality.
"Oh, right. Why were you late though?"
Things like her choking me, throwing me down, and falling on me were normal, just like how it was normal when things were the other way around. But she arrived later then she told me the last time we talked, so this was unnatural.
We were time-sensitive, so she knew the best how long it would take her to join me even after taking all the hindrances into account.
There had to be a reason she was late, and from how there was a sudden burst of excitement inside her, I knew she had a fun time with whatever she had done before arriving here.
"Ohhhhh! Right~! I met Ras~!"
But I wasn't expecting this one. Certainly not…
"Hehehe."
And this laugh, this sweet giggly laugh…
"I think he likes you Lucy~!"
This was sinister. Far more than what she had just said.
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