Anastasia was amazed. To feel sothing like this from a mortal, at the first stage, at that? Even in her wildest dreams, she hadn't imagined it.
Everything about Christian was already out of the ordinary. But, she had thought she had seen everything he was capable of. That ti when his strength rose to an impossible level, she believed he would never be able to surprise her again. Yet this ti… she was far more shocked than before.
A special ability… he had just asked her about it earlier, and now he was obtaining one.
If it had been an ordinary special ability, she wouldn't have cared, let alone be surprised.
But the one he gained… was valuable enough for even soone of her stature to feel tempted.
Her gaze sharpened, as if she wanted to dissect him on the spot, to uncover how this was even possible.
Yet, she didn't move.
Despite her burning curiosity, aside from observing and sensing with her eyes, Anastasia didn't attempt to probe him with her power at all.
No… instead of probing him and unraveling the enigma called Christian, Anastasia was using her power elsewhere.
Two barriers. One around her and Christian, and another surrounding the house.
The first barrier was too strong. The world itself rejected it.
It struck back with its full force.
Yet, let alone shaking it, not even the slightest fluctuation passed through to the inside.
The clash between her and the world, if it could even be called a clash, as she paid it no real attention, spread outward in silent waves.
From that intensity alone, nearly everyone on Earth who had ever touched essence felt it.
Those who believed they had gained power ca to realize just how insignificant they truly were… even if they couldn't comprehend the scale of what they were sensing.
Only three people could truly grasp that scale.
And one of them tensed, quietly going over his plans for this world once again.
The barrier around the house was weaker, yet not nearly weak enough for anyone on Earth to even dream of penetrating it. And unlike the first, it was far more inconspicuous.
If the first existed to protect Christian, to ensure that nothing would disturb this precious mont.
Then the second… was for his won.
She may not have liked doing sothing like this. But Anastasia refused to let anyone interrupt this ti that belonged to her and Christian.
Ti passed in this protected stillness.
Unaware of everything unfolding in the background, when Christian finally opened his eyes, he could feel it, the world was subtly different.
But it wasn't only the outside that had changed. He had changed as well. No… the changes within him were far more significant.
Yet before any of that could fully register, sothing else drew his attention.
The girl in his lap.
Her eyes… had changed.
Even with her ethereal, otherworldly beauty, and her mismatched gaze, she had always felt sowhat approachable.
But now, those crimson, blood-colored eyes carried a dangerous allure. One that instinctively warned others not to co closer.
That wasn't all.
A mark had appeared beneath one of her eyes, a delicate, glowing tattoo, burning in the sa deep red, pulsing with equal intensity.
And yet, instead of feeling intimidated, Christian found himself fascinated.
Just how many transformations does she have?
The thought barely finished forming before his hands moved to her cheeks. He gently pulled her closer, studying her face with care. His fingers traced the glowing tattoo beneath her eye. It was slowly fading, but paused under his touch, as if responding to him.
He stayed like that, his breath mingling with Anastasia's, her lips curved in a quiet smile, for several long monts before he finally spoke.
"Beautiful."
The word felt painfully inadequate. It didn't co close to capturing how dangerously beautiful she looked right now. And yet, despite the vastness of his vocabulary, Christian found himself at a loss for anything better.
Anastasia, clearly in an unusually good mood, accepted the unoriginal complint with a soft chuckle.
"Done looking?" she asked.
"No. I'm not done admiring."
As he said those words, Christian leaned in even closer. Their noses were already touching, their lips now only a breath apart, as his gaze locked firmly onto hers.
Normally, Anastasia would have found this lack of restraint… annoying. He was always testing limits, always stepping over lines.
But this ti, she let it pass.
She was genuinely pleased for him. And perhaps… he deserved a reward.
So she allowed it… allowed him to linger, to look, to take this small liberty.
Yet even then, after several minutes, she couldn't help but feel how far he was pushing.
"You really are being cheeky."
Her voice carried a playful lilt, but beneath it, sothing sharper lingered.
As she spoke, her eyes gradually returned to normal, one vivid purple, the other molten gold. The faint tattoo beneath her eye disappeared along with it, and she finally pulled her face away from his.
Christian felt a trace of dissatisfaction. But Anastasia's usual eyes were just as captivating, and the feeling quickly faded.
Only then did he turn his attention inward, toward himself and his Idle System.
Once, he would have never accessed his status window in front of her. But now… he no longer cared.
The first thing he looked at was naturally the new skill he had gained.
[Reaching a state few can ever reach, where existence itself flows without a ripple, where nothing within wavers, the host stands beyond disturbance.]
[The skill Perfect Stillness has been created.]
[Perfect Stillness (Passive) Lv.-]
[Effects:]
- Eliminates all unnecessary internal fluctuation
- Greatly enhances clarity, control, and efficiency
- Grants strong resistance to ntal instability and external disturbance
Christian was pleasantly surprised.
It had been nearly two years since the Idle System last granted him a new skill, the last one being Danger Awareness. This ti, it seed to be making up for the long wait with sothing truly overpowered.
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