"You did well," Aurelian muttered, his figure flickering right beneath Amber's collapsed form, a smile stretching across his lips as he crouched beside her. With a flick of his fingers, a small potion bottle appeared in his grasp. He lifted her head gently, placing the bottle to her lips before tilting it down her throat.
"Drink up," he whispered as he drained the contents into her. He watched her pale face slowly regain color, her drowsy eyes growing more spirited as the fatigue peeled away.
"Huh? What was that?" Amber asked, sitting up as streams of warm energy surged through her body, strength flooding back into her limbs.
"Stamina rejuvenation potion," he breathed — one of the items he had acquired from the pile of loot courtesy of the survivors from the Slime Grime dungeon.
Just a shame it was only useful to F-rank beings, he mused, straightening up and pulling Amber with him back to her feet.
"I suppose it's time for me to leave," Aurelian said, eyeing the swirling green portal. His abyssal crimson eyes lighting up in a swirling vortex, a yearning desire burning deep within him. The battlefield was calling.
"Uh… you're leaving me?" Amber whispered, the smile on her face fading as she clutched tightly at his arm. "D-don't leave me behind."
"Silly girl," Aurelian breathed, flicking her forehead gently. "You've grown strong enough to fend for yourself. I doubt there is any beast within E-rank capable of killing you after this battle. Besides, wasn't the whole point of you growing stronger so that you wouldn't need my help?"
"Uh… no… but…" Amber muttered, blinking rapidly, torn in conflict. Wasn't this what she wanted?
Her face scrunched as thoughts crashed through her, then she sighed softly. Fingers curled into fists, her purple eyes lit faintly. It all came down to her weakness. If she were already E-rank, would he still have left her behind? He had said he saw her as an equal, it was time she lived up to his vision. She exhaled, then nodded softly.
"Good," Aurelian said, nodding. "Take these." He pressed a pouch of gold into her hand. "This should grant you access to multiple F-rank dungeons — enough for you to evolve to E-rank." He watched amusedly as her expression dropped.
"What?" he breathed.
"It's… nothing… I just don't want to burden you," Amber muttered, staring at the pouch in her palm.
"You're my woman," he said quietly. "Not a burden. Besides—" he smiled faintly, "you can always repay me in other ways."
"Huh?" Amber blinked, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks as she caught the implication. She averted her gaze.
"Or maybe now, if the guilt is too much, you can repay me bow. I wouldn't want to burden you," Aurelian added with a shameless smile.
"Uh?" Amber gasped, eyes widening as the blush deepened across her face. She shook her head frantically. "No… no… I'll… take it… it's not a burden." She mumbled the words repeatedly, her grip tightening on the pouch as her thighs squirmed from the soreness left from last time.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Aurelian smirked. He inhaled sharply, then added, "You should also take this." With a flick of his hand, he tossed her an interdimensional storage ring, his gaze shifting to the pile of loot scattered around her from the corpses of dead beasts.
Catching it instinctively, Amber's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to refuse, but froze, snapping it shut as his earlier words rang in the back of her mind.
"I'll see you in the academy selections in a few days," Aurelian whispered as he stepped closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. He pulled her close and pressed his lips against her forehead.
He inhaled deeply, then released her and blinked away, darting into the swirling portal.
Leaving Amber behind , blinking, her purple eyes fixed on the distance, a longing desire already swelling inside her as she murmured softly. "E-rank...If that's what it takes to stay beside you, then so be it." She clenched her fists, before a puzzled look crossed her face.
"Huh?" Exhaling sharply, she lifted her hands and scanned them with her glowing eyes. Nestled within were three potion bottles.
"How did these get here?" she whispered, brows arching in surprise.
Her thoughts shifted back to Aurelian. The frown on her lips smoothed into determination as the glint in her eyes burned deeper.
"I'll definitely repay you for all of this," she muttered, before turning to the carnage spread before her. This was just the beginning. In three days, she would stand at the academy selections — with him.
Elsewhere, Aurelian's figure darted through Maelstrom City, his body blurring as a maniacal smile stretched across his lips.
It was time to finally release the pent-up energy burning within him. His eyes lit with curiosity. If Amber's talent was already that powerful at A-rank, what of his — one a thousand times the rebate of hers?
Time to see, he mused. His target came into sight, as he slowed before he entered an enclosed dome.
A portal swirled ahead, only this one didn't shimmer with a green hue but an icy blue.
The signature mark of all E-rank dungeons.
"One hundred gold coins for entry to the E-rank Raging Boar dungeon," a middle-aged woman in mage robes said, her gaze fixed on him.
"I'm Aurelian Draeogor. I believe the city lord gave me a free pass for all dungeons in Maelstrom City for the rest of the month."
"Huh?" The guard sputtered, her eyes widening as she finally focused on the youth before her. She grabbed a scroll and unfurled it, finding his likeness inscribed upon it.
"It's you…" she muttered absently, then nodded curtly, though her gaze lingered on him. "You speak the truth. You may pass."
"I'm starting to like you more and more, city lord," Aurelian mused as he strode toward the portal, battle spirit simmering beneath his skin. "Let's see how these boars handle my talent." With a faint grin, he stepped through and vanished into the blue light.
"Tsk! Handsome little brat," the guard whispered under her breath, watching him disappear from sight.