After succeeding in his heist mission, Nathan quickly left the group of confused people behind. He stretched his hand to riel, who jumped onto Fang's back. "Hold on tight, riel," he murmured.
riel hugged Nathan's waist tightly as Fang ran swiftly over the snow layer between the frozen ancient trees in the forest.
"So," riel inquired with a light chuckle, "how does it feel to be so successful at stealing the ga, Mr. Nathan?"
"It feels incredible," Nathan responded with a satisfied grin, "to be able to take the win in this manner is a huge accomplishnt."
He then looked at his status on his Hunter Device.
[Blue Bar (Mana): 60%]
[Green Bar (Energy): 50%]
[Yellow Bar (Will Power): 70%]
Nathan was shocked by what he had just discovered. "What? With such a short battle, I've already used up so much resources?"
riel nodded. "Your affinity with Lightning and Fog is still low, which is why your mana and stamina consumption was so high. But I'm amazed that you were able to execute the two elents so well, despite that."
"How do you know so much about the elents I have, riel?" Nathan was curious.
"Well, uhmm... because I tasted your blood." riel blushed. "I know that you have an affinity with all four basic elents. I'm sorry, did I just learn sothing I wasn't supposed to? I promise I won't tell anyone else."
Nathan slowly answered, "I think You're the first person to know the details of my affinity for elents. But that's alright..."
riel was quiet, taking in Nathan's words, which appeared to downplay the importance of what she had discovered about his affinity with the elents.
"You know, Mr. Nathan," riel began, "for soone so young, you have been blessed with so much. You are truly a very special person. I'm sure you will go on to achieve great things in the future. I feel truly lucky to know you at this stage of your life." riel said with a soft laugh. "I wonder where you will be going from here."
"Really? Have you heard of the saying 'with great blessing cos great disaster'? Haha... I think I'm in that kind of situation," Nathan joked in response.
"Are you interested in having an affinity with the dark elent, Mr. Nathan?" riel quietly asked.
Upon hearing riel's words, Nathan urgently asked Fang to stop running. Instantly, Fang ca to an abrupt halt, causing riel's body to abruptly jolt forward. Nathan then quickly spun his body around to be facing riel directly and asked with urgency, "Do you know of a way for to gain an affinity with the dark elent, riel?"
He recalled that riel had an affinity for the dark elent - she had inford him when she initially requested to be a part of his team. However, Nathan hadn't anticipated her to offer this to him. Of course, he wouldn't miss out on such a great opportunity. "Yes, I'm definitely keen on having an affinity with more elents, regardless of what they may be," he said.
ryl nodded slowly. "Yes, you can have affinity with the dark elent if you make a bond with ."
"Make a bond? What's a bond?" Nathan asked, looking confused.
"So, uhm.... I've seen you with a FaeBeast before, though you didn't have a contract with it at the ti. I'm doubting whether you're interested in this or not. But, it's so rare to find soone who misses out on the chance to form a contract with a Fae, especially when they have one right in front of them. The FaeBeast that was with you seed very respectful, and followed you even though you two weren't officially bound by a contract." riel explained slowly.
"Ah... Polly... haha yes, I found her when I saved Linda.... hehe," Nathan answered with a grin.
In fact, Nathan wanted to bind Polly with a contract right away, but he postponed it out of fear that soone, The Queen of Fae, the holder of Lust, would find out his whereabouts.
"So, uhmm," riel said a little hesitantly. Raising her head to look Nathan in the eyes, she continued, "A bond, for us dark elves, is essentially handing over our fate to the person we bond with. We will share resources with our partner, and both parties must fulfill the contract that has been agreed upon prior to the bond being made. In this case, I simply ask for the ability to follow you when I ask and for you to gain affinity for the elents I currently have. Furthermore, if our bond strengthens in the future, you will have access to the skills I have acquired."
Nathan considered this for a mont before nodding confidently. "If the rules set for this bond are that straightforward, I don't think I need to consider any further. Tell how this bond can be made, riel."
At that exact mont, Luna appeared near Nathan, emitting her trademark light chuckle. "Master Nathan," she began, "did you know that forming a bond with a dark elf has greater implications than marriage? Their life will be completely devoted to that person, and this relationship is more powerful than marriage itself. However, for soone like riel to offer this to you, it's not sothing you should take lightly. You might even take control of her tribe once power falls into her hands."
"Will this cause problems in the future, riel?" Nathan asked with an innocent face. "I heard that making a bond with a dark elf is the sa as marriage. Does this an I will marry you?"
riel imdiately chuckled lightly at Nathan's question. She then shook her head. "No, making a bond with a human doesn't an marriage. I can still marry anyone, if you let . However, you will have more rights over . You can even take over whatever rights I have. But, there is a benefit for dark elves who make this contract. It will open up a seal which allows them to progress faster. Though, this practice is rarely done nowadays as dark elves feel deaned by making contracts with humans. But, this practice was actually passed down by the Fae, as we have a common ancestor."
"I see," Nathan said, smiling broadly and nodding. "This offer is still interesting. I think I need so ti to consider it further. Perhaps you should take so ti to reconsider your decision too."
Fang gave a soft howl, and Nathan quickly surveyed the area. Activating Magic Detection, he detected monsters approaching from various directions.
"It looks like we have so unexpected guests," Nathan said to riel with a smile. "Night! Silver!" he muttered, and Golem Night and Silver appeared around him.
riel nodded slowly. "Do you want to fight, Mr. Nathan? I can help restore your Mana and Stamina if you need it."
"That would be a great idea." Nathan replied.
"Alright," riel responded. She then proceeded to lean in closer to him, her face close to his right neck.
"Oh wait, riel," Nathan said quietly. "Could you do it on the left? I'm afraid if you bite on the right, it won't heal as quickly. Also, it's a bit ticklish."
"Don't worry Mr. Nathan." riel chuckled softly, "I'm sure you'll enjoy the feeling if you experience it for yourself."
"Really? Okay then," Nathan nodded.
riel then pressed her teeth into his right neck, and as soon as her lips and teeth touched his skin, Nathan felt a rush of energy that imdiately revitalized his whole body. It was a feeling he had never experienced before due to being in a golem body, but it was so pleasant and comforting that he wanted to experience it for a little longer. He closed his eyes, and his body seed to recover quickly as his stamina was restored.
As riel pulled herself away, Nathan opened his eyes and braced himself. Night and Silver were already sprinting toward their adversaries.
The monsters were closing in on them from all sides, and it looked like they were almost within range to attack.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night," Nathan exclaid, leaping off Fang's back and readying himself to greet the rapidly approaching monsters.
***
As the sun was rising, Nathan and riel had made their way back to their shelter. After his battle with Elite monsters, he had gained enough experience to level up again.
[Na: Nathan Gardner]
[Level: Beginner Lv. 58]
[Exp: 524/20,285]
"Hi, Nathan Oppa...." Linda cheerfully greeted Nathan as she helped him get down from Fang. It had been a long night of hunting and Nathan was tired and sleepy. Although he had changed quite a lot in the past month, he was still a human who needed rest.
As he walked closer to the fireplace, Nathan noticed that his friends had tidied up their shelter. He quickly grabbed the food Yudan had prepared for him.
"I see you have finished tidying up this place," Nathan said softly with a smile. "It looks like every ti I co here, you all have already done the cleaning," he added jokingly.
"Ahaha, there's no need to worry, Oppa," Linda replied. "Yudan did most of the work," she added, glancing at Yudan.
Nathan slowly smiled at Yudan, although he remained silent. "Thank you for all your help, Yudan," he said gratefully.
"So, we're going to adventure further today, Nathan-san?" Muramoto asked Nathan enthusiastically.
Nathan slowly nodded. "Sure, I'll sleep on Fang's back while you guys hunt. Afterwards we can try hunting at night and rest during the day, if that's okay with you?"
"As long as I'm able to fight anything, it's not a problem for ," Linda said with a chuckle.
"We dwarves also have better eyesight, so I'm all set, Nathan," Yudan added.
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to follow," Muramoto replied resignedly.
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