Exhausted, Elena melted into Ethan’s embrace. They lay spooning, their bodies still damp from the shower they’d shared after their fun, pressed tightly together.

His left hand slid beneath her, tenderly caressing the smooth plane of her slender belly.

His right rested on the soft swell of her breast, the warm, supple flesh molding perfectly to his palm, the full, pillowy weight of her breast jiggling gently against his palm with every tender squeeze, her dark nipples grazing the edge of his hand.

"Are you going to advance to the third stage now?" Elena murmured, her voice barely a whisper as she savored the warmth of his touch.

"Yes..." He brushed a stray lock of her short black hair from her eyes. "But I can sleep by your side and go later, if you want."

"No." Elena nestled her head against his chest. "Evelyn would be unhappy if she knew you were putting your advancement on hold for something so small... With her talent, her own advancement will be very fast."

"She’s not that petty," Ethan replied, resting his chin atop her head. "She seems tough on the outside, but inside, she’s full of love. Both for you and for Alice..."

Elena probably knew that better than he did himself. But in the end, she was right.

For now, his advancement was the priority.

With a bitter smile, Ethan leaned over her and pressed one last kiss to those sweet lips.

His hand slowly slid from the full, soft curve of her dark tits, his fingertips trailing along her warm skin in a reluctant final caress.

As he sat up, he couldn’t resist one final indulgence. His palm came down on her juicy ass with a sharp, resounding crack, the firm slap flattening the plump flesh beneath his hand.

A delicious wave rippled across the creamy cheek, the sweet jiggle traveling in slow, mesmerizing tremors that danced through her supple skin.

A loud, sweet little squeal escaped Elena’s lips, her body jolting from the impact. She turned her head, looking at him with provocative, half-lidded eyes as he walked away.

She smiled, her fingers absently massaging the creamy, silky skin of her stinging cheek, the warmth of his handprint still tingling beneath her touch.

"Good luck with your advance, love..."

***

Ethan closed the bedroom door behind him and a long sigh escaped his lips.

The night was late, and the world had fallen silent. Only the soft chorus of crickets and frogs in the garden drifted through the cool twilight.

All of Goldenveil was already asleep. Now, only a few points of golden light pierced the darkness: the walls where the guards patrolled, Ron’s shop, and the Lord’s mansion.

Ethan’s footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, his mind drifting to Theron.

The man hadn’t stayed in Goldenveil for long.

Shortly after saying goodbye to his son, and faced with Ethan’s repeated insistence that he didn’t need help, Theron had simply vanished.

He was strong.

A single glance had been enough for Ethan to be certain: That man was even more powerful than David Darkwall, his own father and the current Lord of the Darkwall family.

"Ah... what damn lucky bastard could’ve been blessed with a subordinate like that?" Ethan muttered, shaking his head.

He wanted Theron for himself. The man would probably fit in very well alongside Cain and Doran.

The problem, however, was that there was really no way to approach him.

Ethan had a vague idea of where the Howling Fire City lay, but beyond that, he had no clue how to even begin recruiting the man.

In the end, he simply pushed the greed from his mind. Opening his inventory, he counted his gacha tickets, both premium and common.

Twenty premium and seventy common. A decent amount, but he wouldn’t use any until he elevated Goldenveil to a barony and unlocked the system’s "luck" feature.

As for the free ones, he let them pile up, opening them only when he deemed it necessary.

The number of free tickets earned varied slightly depending on what he’d done that day, sometimes reaching four or five, so they accumulated quickly.

Lost in thought, Ethan didn’t notice how far he’d walked until he stopped in front of the training arena.

Two of the five doors to the meditation rooms were closed. Powerful fluctuations of aura and mana leaked out from within, a clear sign that all was going well with the progress of the two inside.

Without hesitation, he stepped through the third door.

The room was cramped, about three meters by three meters.

Thick black walls swallowed every trace of sound, isolating the interior from the outside world, while a few narrow pipes along the ceiling ensured proper ventilation.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Ethan was embraced by nothing but the most intense darkness and a total, suffocating silence.

Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closing as he centered his mind.

[Item: Advancement Pearl

Description: A powerful advancement pearl capable of increasing all attribute gains by 80% when advancing to the third stage, ensuring a solid foundation and a high chance of success.

Rank: S]

[Item: Sword Intent Stone

Description: A stone that carries, within it, the sword intent of an ancient sword master who died just before reaching the sixth stage. It is extremely useful for swordsmen who are advancing to the third stage and need to comprehend their own aura.

Rank: S]

A satisfied smile spread across Ethan’s face as he read through the information on both items.

Honestly, infernal level quests were well worth it.

Of course, he was exceptionally powerful, and the SS-Rank artifact in his possession allowed him to fight at levels his peers could never imagine.

Any other Golden Lord who dared tackle Infernal missions would have to be prepared to suffer greatly.

Ethan noticed the decrease in the advancement pearl’s multiplier, but it didn’t bother him much.

In practice, the gain was still much greater than at the previous level, since the attribute base upon which the bonus was calculated had grown far higher.

Shaking his head, he picked up the advancement pearl, opened his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

A slow, creeping heat began to spread through his body, sinking deep into his bones.

His eyes squeezed shut as a shudder ran through him, his mind already recalling the foundation of the advancement to the third stage.

In the second stage, an aura or mana heart was formed.

This heart would serve as a reliable reservoir of aura, and as a pump responsible for distributing that aura throughout the rest of the body.

In the third stage, the meridians fused with the blood vessels, ensuring the most efficient transport of aura throughout the body. But that wasn’t all.

Taking the Sword Intent Stone from his inventory, Ethan clenched his fingers around it. With a sharp pulse of force, the stone shattered between his fingers, releasing every drop of sword aura it had contained.