Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 236. Power and Priorities
[EXP INTEGRATION COMMENCING]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 50]
[CALCULATING TOTAL EXPERIENCE GAINED...]
[SOURCE 1: Spirit Bond Consummation - Nerissa Abyssryn (Ocean Empress, 800+ years) - 150,000 EXP]
[SOURCE 2: Defeating The Cthulhu and saving the entire ocean from corruption - 300,000 EXP]
[SOURCE 3: Partner Emotional Breakthrough (50 years suppression released) - 250,000 EXP]
[TOTAL: 700,000 EXPERIENCE POINTS]
[LEVEL UP!]
The water around Rick started to swirl as the ocean’s energy flowed through him. As he climbed higher, small whirlpools formed and spun faster and faster.
[LEVEL 51... 52... 53...]
The whirlpools came together to form a huge vortex with Rick in the middle. Water rose in spiraling columns that reached dozens of meters into the air and glowed with blue-white energy that looked like Nerissa’s oceanic magic.
[LEVEL 54... 55... 56...]
Rick felt his mind expand and his awareness of the ocean grow until he could feel currents hundreds of kilometers away. Every drop of water became an extension of his will, responding to thoughts he didn’t even know he was having.
[LEVEL 57... 58... 59...]
The vortex got stronger and turned into a hurricane of pure ocean power. Rick raised his hands to the sky, and the water followed, shooting up in a column of liquid energy that went through the clouds above.
[LEVEL 60!]
[MILESTONE REACHED]
The pillar blew up in a flash of light that could probably be seen from Meridia. For a moment, water droplets hung in the air before falling back to the ocean in a light rain that sparkled with leftover magic.
Rick floated in the aftermath, breathing heavily as the energy settled into his body. He felt stronger, faster, and more in touch with his oceanic powers than ever before.
[CONGRATULATIONS! NEW LEVEL: 60]
[NEW SKILLS ACQUIRED (4)]
[REGENERATIVE ESSENCE]
[- Passive healing when in contact with Spirit Bond partners
- +5% HP recovery per minute
- Removes minor status effects over time
[TIDAL SOVEREIGNTY]
[- Advanced water manipulation
- Can create and control massive water constructs
- Ocean itself responds to your emotional state]
[DEPTH SENSE]
[- Awareness of all water-based life within 10 kilometer radius
- Can sense through water as if it were an extension of your body
- Underwater navigation becomes instinctive]
[BOND RESONANCE]
[- Amplifies all abilities when near Spirit Bond partners
- +20% to all stats per partner in proximity
- Can temporarily share skills between bonded partners]
"Oh my... FUCKING MILFS!!!" Rick was amazed by the skill descriptions. "These are crazy and overpowered!"
"The power scaling is just crazy."
"But... why is it only 10 levels up? Ain’t that a little cheap?"
"You fucking bitch! Leveling from 50 further is going to be hard, so you better accept what you get, or I’m taking all of it back!" Sebastian said while crashing out.
"Jeez, calm down! You really crashed out after I was being a little ungrateful...?"
Sebastian’s voice was dry when he said, "For all I know, your level cap limit is going to be 90, and I don’t know why, but hopefully in the future you can keep getting stronger."
"Oh, now I see what it is. Forty more until I reach max levels, huh? That’s actually neat; I’ll take that." Rex laughed with sarcasm.
"Having sex with your bonded partners won’t get you EXP other than comforting and seducing them!" Sebastian said. "So try not to fuck your partner just like how you fuck Nerissa!"
"Can we please stop talking about it?"
"Okay, enough yap for now."
"Go back to Meridia and practice your new skills. Try not to flood anything by accident."
"Also... think about giving your other bonded partners some attention before they start to feel neglected."
"You’ve been spending a lot of time on Nerissa lately."
"I didn’t though...? Yesterday I interacted with all of them, but yeah... fair enough. It seems I need to lock in more." Rex held his chin.
Then he felt awful, remembering what Sebastian just said was correct. Carmilla, Natasha, Liora, Sylvia, and Zara had all been patient and understanding, but they also needed some time from him.
"I’ll do that," Rick said, "starting today."
...
When Rick got back to his room, Nerissa was awake and reading his note with a smile on her face.
"Emergency power-up needed to stop the palace from flooding?" She said, "Is that what we’re calling it now?"
Rick was polite enough to look embarrassed. "Sebastian insisted... and it seems that leveling up ten times at once has very bad effects."
Nerissa put the note down and smiled at him with real warmth. "I’m just glad you came back."
"For a second, I thought you might have changed your mind about last night."
Rick crossed over to her and hugged her. "Changed my mind!?"
"Nerissa, last night was fucking amazing! I don’t regret anything at all, and I just didn’t want to accidentally damage the palace with uncontrolled magic."
Nerissa agreed, "That would have been hard to explain," and leaned her head against his chest.
"Though I guess we could have blamed it on enthusiastic consummation instead of side effects."
Rick laughed because he was pleased that she had gotten her sense of humor back. "Is it okay if I spend some time with my other partners today?"
"Of course," Nerissa said right away. "I have empire business to take care of anyway for today."
"Thalor is dealing with a trade dispute with the Western Shoals that needs my input, but... can we all have dinner together tonight?"
"It’s a date."
Both of them kissed after agreeing to the same thing.
After that, Rick spent the morning getting to know the parts of Meridia he hadn’t seen yet and using that time to decide which of his partners to spend time with first.
He wanted to give each of them personal attention and make them feel important and appreciated outside of their role in the bond network.
Carmilla and Natasha looked like partners to start with. Both had been very patient during the Cthulhu crisis and its aftermath, giving tactical support without needing to be the center of attention.
He found Carmilla first, practicing sword forms in one of the palace’s training rooms that had been built just for surface dwellers who needed to stay ready for battle. She moved with fluid grace, and her blade cut through the water with little resistance, even though it was in water.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Rick asked from the door.
Carmilla finished her current form and then smiled at him. "Always."
"But I should warn you that I’m working on advanced techniques today, so you might have trouble keeping up."
"Is that a problem?"
"Maybe," she said with a smile on her face. "What are you going to do now?"
Rick picked up a training sword from the weapons rack and got ready. "I guess I’ll have to give it a shot."
They fought for almost an hour, but it was kind of generous to call it sparring. Rick had to defend himself more often than not because Carmilla was so much better.
But the way they moved around each other, reading each other’s intentions and responding with trained instinct, made the dance of combat feel very personal.
"You’ve gotten better," Carmilla said after taking Rick’s gun away for the third time. "You’re not as obvious about your strikes, and your footwork is better."
"I have a good teacher." Rick picked up his sword and said, "Even though I’m starting to think you’re going easy on me."
"Only a little. If I went full strength, you’d be out cold in thirty seconds." She put down her sword and walked over to him. "But I’m glad you came to see me today."
"I’ve missed being alone with you."
Rick pulled her close, even though they were both sweaty from working out. "I’ve missed this too."
"The crisis that was going to end the world came first, but now that we have some time, I want to make sure you know how much you mean to me."
Carmilla’s face relaxed. "Rick, you don’t have to prove anything."
"I know that you had to focus on other things, but I... appreciate the thought."
"It’s not just feelings. I mean it," Rick said as he held her face in his hands. "You were the first person who made me feel like I deserved a second chance in this world."
"Before you, I was just getting through each day, trying not to die, and now... here you are... giving me more reason to live."
"That’s really nice," Carmilla said, her voice full of emotion. "I think you’re giving me too much credit."
"You found your own purpose, and I just happened to be there when you needed someone."
"You were exactly who I needed at the exact time I needed you."
"And that’s not a coincidence... but it’s a fate for both of us to live happily ever after~!"
