Chapter 16: Primordial Bestowal
[Succubus with a formal Contract detected: Elowen.]
[Checking for hidden potential.]
[Target detected to possess an unawakened bloodline power.]
[Do you wish to activate ’Primordial Bestowal’ right now?]
[Yes/No.]
Erik looked at the notification panel before him, but didn’t make his choice right away.
The first effect of the Primordial Incubus talent could awaken a hidden power of rank S to SS inside a Succubus connected to him.
It could be a talent.
A skill.
Or a bloodline that had never been discovered.
Elowen was currently only a rank D Succubus. At least, that was what the information recorded in the Connection Center’s file said.
But the System had confirmed that a bloodline lay in deep slumber within her body.
That notification alone was enough to prove that Elowen’s true potential was not at all as simple as what everyone saw.
Of course Erik wanted to know what was sleeping inside her body.
However, he didn’t intend to activate it right now.
Elowen was currently at her family’s estate, while he was in his own small apartment. If the bloodline awakening created too great a commotion, her body transformed, or the energy suddenly lost control, Erik wouldn’t be able to be right beside her to handle it.
More importantly, Elowen wouldn’t know where that power had come from.
Her mother was a high-level Elf Healer. The moment any slight abnormality appeared in Elowen’s body, it was very likely the entire hospital along with the family’s specialists would immediately carry out an examination.
Erik didn’t yet want too many people to know about the abilities of the Primordial Incubus.
Tomorrow, he and Elowen would enter the Trial Space.
By then, the two of them would always be at each other’s side. Elowen could directly experience the awakening process, and would also know full well that the power had been bestowed by him.
If any variable arose, Erik also had enough items to protect her.
One hundred Diamond-grade Defensive Talismans.
One hundred Emergency Teleportation Talismans.
Along with one hundred Elite-grade Detonation Beads.
Thinking of all the items inside the space bracelet, Erik felt that even if Elowen’s bloodline awakened and summoned out some kind of monster, he could still throw a few Detonation Beads at it.
Of course, that was only the worst-case scenario.
Erik made his choice through thought.
[No.]
[Primordial Bestowal has been temporarily reserved.]
[The host can actively activate it at any time.]
The notification panel quickly shrank down.
Erik shifted his gaze to the third effect.
[Primordial Charm.]
As long as he turned on this effect, when he met a woman for the first time, the other party’s base Affection Points would immediately increase by an additional fifty points.
For women with a looks rating above eighty points, compatibility would be further increased by fifty percent.
In addition, there was also a chance of causing the other party’s Affection Points to exceed eighty on the very first meeting.
This ability really was very strong.
So strong, in fact, that it made Erik feel it was a little dangerous.
If he wanted, he could easily make a woman who was originally a stranger instantly develop a great deal of affection toward him. With this world’s culture, as long as he actively showed the intention to connect, there probably wouldn’t be many Succubi who could refuse.
But Erik didn’t like that.
He didn’t want a woman to treat him well only because her mind had been influenced by a talent.
After what had happened in his past life along with the three months living with Saraya, he especially didn’t want to build a relationship with someone whose feelings he couldn’t determine to be real or fake.
At least in ordinary situations, Erik wouldn’t use this ability.
"Turn off Primordial Charm."
[Primordial Charm has been turned off.]
[The effect will not automatically activate when the host meets a woman for the first time.]
Erik nodded in satisfaction.
Primordial Charm could be turned off or on at any time. If he ran into a situation that truly called for it later on, he could still use it.
But for now, he wanted to rely on himself.
Erik turned off the section of information about the talent, then began to inspect his body.
The effect that increased his physical strength fivefold didn’t just make his muscles stronger.
His eyesight, hearing, reflexes, endurance, along with his recovery speed had all been noticeably enhanced.
He could hear the footsteps out in the hallway.
The sound of water running through the pipes.
Even the sound of an insect’s wings beating against a window in an apartment not far away had become clearer than before.
Erik walked over to the old table, gripped the edge with one hand, and gently lifted it up.
The heavy wooden table immediately left the ground.
He hadn’t used too much strength.
He even felt it was lighter than a chair had been before.
"Fivefold..."
Erik set the table down and looked at his own hand.
This strength wasn’t yet enough to let him go head-to-head with high-level Awakened, but at the very least it was enough to make him far surpass ordinary people.
If he ran into Nathan again now, Erik felt that with just a little more force, that guy’s wrist really could be crushed in his grip.
Erik’s body had also been adjusted to become more well-proportioned.
His shoulders had broadened a little, his waist had grown trim, and the muscle lines that had only been faintly visible from frequent heavy labor had now clearly emerged.
The calluses on his hands along with the traces of exhaustion accumulated over five years also gradually vanished.
Erik walked over to the mirror.
The man reflected inside was still him.
His face hadn’t changed to the point of becoming a stranger, but every feature had become more balanced and defined.
His hair was healthier.
His skin was clean.
His gaze was deeper and calmer than before.
Even his aura had taken on a strength that was very hard to explain.
"This is only the initial effect?"
Erik murmured.
The talent would continue to grow stronger along with his level.
Right now he hadn’t even opened the Heaven Gate or officially become an Awakened, and his physical strength had already risen this noticeably.
Once he began cultivating, the effect would be even more terrifying.
Erik looked at the time.
It was already fairly late.
Tomorrow he had to wake up early in the morning to enter the Trial Space together with Elowen.
He turned off the System panel, set the alarm for six o’clock, then lay down on the bed.
Even though he had just been through a day with far too much happening, Erik still quickly sank into sleep.
He had absolutely no idea that tonight, there were many Succubi who couldn’t sleep peacefully like he could.
...
"It hurts!"
"Go a little easier!"
In the private treatment room of a luxurious estate, Nathan was lying on the bed, one hand clutching half of his swollen red face, crying out over and over.
A female Healer standing beside him was using magic to treat his wounds.
The tooth that had fallen out could grow back.
The swelling on his face wasn’t a serious injury either.
With a bit more treatment, Nathan’s face would fully recover to how it had been.
However, even though the injuries on his body could be healed, the humiliation of being dragged across the ground by Erik and forced to kneel down and apologize to Elowen couldn’t so easily vanish.
Just recalling all the gazes around him at that moment made Nathan so furious that his whole body trembled.
"Erik!"
"I absolutely have to kill him!"
"I’ll make him kneel before me, so he knows what result offending me brings!"
Nathan gritted his teeth, and his face grew so agitated that the wound that had just been treated began to ache again.
He clutched his face, then continued to curse:
"And that silver-haired Succubus too!"
"I absolutely have to make her understand the consequences of looking down on a man!"
"Enough!"
An angry roar rang out from the side.
The one who had just spoken was a middle-aged man sitting on a dedicated electric wheelchair.
His name was Naron.
Nathan’s father.
Naron had originally been an Awakened too.
But from the time he awakened until now, he had never once entered a Trial Space.
In Naron’s eyes, fighting was the work of a Succubus.
A man only needed to stay at home, enjoy being cared for, and provide a bit of vital essence when he was in the mood, and that was enough.
Wielding a weapon, earning money, or facing danger himself did not belong to his sphere at all.
Many years of being pampered had made Naron’s body grow fatter and fatter.
His enormous frame spilled over both sides of the chair, his belly protruding like a large ball.
Just standing up and walking a few steps on his own left him gasping for breath, so most of the time he had to use the electric wheelchair to get around the estate.
At this moment, Naron’s obese face was flushed red with anger.
"My son was beaten into this state by someone, and the family’s bodyguards were all dead or something?"
No one in the room dared to answer.
Naron grew even angrier, his fat hand repeatedly slamming down on the armrest of the wheelchair.
"A man with no clan to back him actually dared to hit my son."
"If this got out, our entire family would become a laughingstock!"
Nathan immediately chimed in:
"Father is right!"
"He even forced me to kneel in front of a Succubus!"
"That’s the truly unacceptable part!"
Naron gritted his teeth, his voice full of contempt:
"A Succubus is just a tool used for fighting and serving men."
"For you to be able to touch her is her honor. What gives her the right to let another man hit you?"
The door of the room slowly opened just then.
A woman stepped in.
She had long, straight, sleek black hair, her bangs almost covering her dark red eyes. Her beautiful face carried a cold, mature air, and beneath the corners of her eyes there were two small moles that made her seductiveness all the more pronounced.
On her body was a black high-collared top along with matching long pants.
The clothing was simple in design, but the soft fabric hugged her full figure.
Her large chest was covered by the tightly stretched top, and her small waist along with her wide hips formed mature curves that made it hard for others to take their eyes off her.
That was Carmilla.
Nathan’s biological mother.
And at the same time a pureblood Succubus who had signed a formal Contract with Naron.
Most of the assets this family owned had been built up by Carmilla’s own hands before the marriage.
When she married Naron, she had used her entire enterprise as a betrothal gift.
According to the contract along with current law, Naron had the right to inherit that fortune, but the one who actually managed everything from beginning to end was still Carmilla.
The moment she stepped in, her gaze fell upon Nathan’s swollen red face.
A trace of heartache appeared in Carmilla’s eyes.
No matter how foolish Nathan was, he was still the only child she had given birth to.
But after hearing him and Naron ceaselessly cursing Erik and Elowen, that heartache quickly turned into exhaustion.
Carmilla walked over to the bedside and calmly asked:
"Do you even know who the woman you wanted to touch is?"
Nathan knitted his brows.
"Just some Elf Succubus."
"Her name is Elowen."
Carmilla looked straight at her son.
"She’s the only daughter of Meira, a high-level Elf Healer."
"Her family owns four commercial centers for Awakened, a high-class private hospital, along with a great many other enterprises."
Nathan faltered slightly.
But just a few seconds later, he gave a cold snort.
"So what if she has money?"
Sitting beside him, Naron also said contemptuously:
"No matter how much money she has, she’s still just a Succubus."
He turned to look at Carmilla, his tone like he was giving an order to a servant.
"You contact her mother and tell them to bring Elowen along with that Erik here to apologize."
Carmilla knitted her brows.
"Nathan was the one who actively harassed Elowen."
"So what?"
Naron immediately raised his voice.
"My son is a man, and moreover an Awakened!"
"And Elowen is just a Succubus. No matter how much greater her family standing is, being taken a liking to by my son is her good fortune."
Lying on the bed, Nathan immediately nodded.
"Father is right."
He gritted his teeth, his eyes full of resentment.
"Not only must Erik kneel down and apologize, I also want Elowen to personally come and take care of me until my wounds are completely healed."
Carmilla looked at the two of them before her and felt her head beginning to ache.
"Meira isn’t someone our family can afford to carelessly offend."
"Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
Naron asked coldly.
"I only want to remind yo—"
Before Carmilla could finish, Naron had already picked up the cup on the table and hurled it hard toward her.
CRASH!
The cup struck straight against Carmilla’s forehead, shattering into many pieces before falling to the floor.
A tear appeared on her fair, delicate skin.
Red blood slowly trickled down beside her eyes.
The room instantly went quiet.
Carmilla didn’t dodge.
With her current Silver-grade strength, she could easily have blocked that cup.
But Naron was the partner who had signed a formal Contract with her.
From a very long time ago, resisting him had become something that almost didn’t exist in Carmilla’s thoughts.
Naron looked at the bloodstain on her face, feeling no regret at all.
"Don’t forget your place."
He said coldly:
"You’re my Succubus."
"Your assets are also my assets."
"Whatever I tell you to do, you just do it."
Nathan didn’t care about his mother’s injury either.
He lay down on the bed and irritably urged:
"Mother, hurry up and handle it."
"I don’t want to still be seeing those videos online tomorrow."
Carmilla was silent for a few seconds.
Then, she lowered her head.
"I understand."
She turned and left the room.
The door slowly closed behind her.
But even after Carmilla had left, the sounds of Naron and Nathan cursing still continuously came from inside.