When Cinti leaned in, she heard Kuro’s breathing pick up. He was actively trying not to look at her. Her throat clenched. Doubts surfaced again. He seemed to lose his senses around Nigris and even just walking down the streets surrounded by other elf women, yet now he wouldn't even look at her. Had she imagined that flustered reaction last night? But he had told her he wasn't repulsed by her muscle bound body.

  ‘Put your feelings aside,’ she thought. ‘Now is not the time to think about such things.’

  She had already thrust Kuro into more danger than he was fit to handle even before getting to Mistifa.

  And despite their low level, Muskrats were not to be underestimated either. Kuro had caught three. But Cinti knew he would be more effective if he understood his Contract Book. And what if he got seriously hurt out there because she hadn’t prepared him properly

  “So, which parts have you confused?” she said.

  “I-I um,” he said. “I want—”

  “Yes?”

  He took a deep breath and cleared his throat too loudly, before trying again.

  “To learn about stats!” he said. “Especially the ones involving Spirit…”

  He seemed to deflate, like he had just lost a battle with himself.

  “That’s going to take a while to explain. It’s the kind of thing we spend our whole childhood learning. Are you sure you want to get into it this late?” Cinti sighed.

  “Huh?”

  He stared blankly at her. The puzzle pieces were shifting behind his eyes.

  “I mean, we could be up all night. Then we’d be forced to lose a day of work sleeping in.”

  He broke into a sweat, face flushed like a dragon pepper.

  “If we’re doing this, let’s get into it straight away,” she said, sitting up suddenly.

  She turned away to pick up a pair of thin spectacles resting on the nightstand. She unfolded them and placed them neatly on her face. Kuro gaped at her like she’d grown a third eye.

  “You wear glasses?”

  She touched the silvery rim and blushed, wondering if he thought they looked silly.

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t think elves could have bad eyesight,” he admitted.

  “Well, they’re only for reading. During the day I’m fine, but in low light, the words start to look like little blackthorn ants. Besides, I’m only half elf, you know. My father wore spectacles too.”

  “Interesting… So does this mean you’re going to make an exception and read it with me?”

  Her skin went warm under his careful examination of her.

  “O-of course not. I’m just getting into the right mindset for teaching,” she said, quickly rerouting the topic.

  “Now let’s make sure we cover the basics so you can be more effective in battle,” she said, gesturing to his closed Contract Book. “Body and Mind are just that. Spirit is more like the power source, or driving energy for the Body and Mind. Looking at it another way, when we channel spirit energy with our Body or Mind, the results are skills and spells.”

  Kuro blinked and seemed to snap awake. He looked between her and the fleshy book, reorienting himself. She felt a bit sorry for bombarding him with so much information at once, but she really didn’t want to talk about her heritage or past if she could help it. After allowing him a moment, he finally nodded and said, “So, you’re saying, having a lot of Spirit means you can cast more spells and skills. But earlier today, I cast Capture about three times before I burned out. Sando warned me—”

  He cut himself off. Cinti noticed the way he looked at her. As if he knew the demon was a source of great annoyance. She appreciated the thoughtfulness, but perhaps she should let it go and enjoy this time alone.

  She sighed, knowing full well she had to admit it. For once that lying demon might have given some honest advice.

  “If you achieve a perfect balance between Body, Mind, and Spirit, it is possible. In theory. But no one is perfectly aligned. We all have a little more or less of this or that.”

  She gestured to her body, vaguely printed out against her sleepwear. “In my example, I have high Spirit, but it's much more than a female body can fully utilize. Remember the fainting problem? When my body calls for more than it can handle in moments of heightened stress, I stall out.”

  Kuro recalled passing out the first time he used Capture with the orb.

  “If a mage casts a spell using all his Spirit, or if he tries casting a spell beyond his mental abilities, the same thing happens.”

  “Even if he has enough mana to cast it?”

  Cinti nodded.

  “Aye. That is why all adventurers strive to achieve balance, why warriors focus on training their bodies, and wizards and mages train their minds.”

  Kuro was nodding along too. “Okay, I get the other two but, how do you train your spirit?”

  “That one is simple. Just live your life.”

  “What?”

  He made a face like that was simultaneously the most disappointing and absurd answer he could have hoped for.

  “The Spirit Stat always maxes out first because we are always training it through living life.”

  ‘That explains why mine is so high,’ Kuro thought. But did that mean he’d plateaued or was there the option to double the number with this second life? Surprisingly, he was starting to get into it despite Cinti’s thigh pressing against his. He pointed to the Substats section.

  “What about these? I can kind of guess what they refer to but I’m not sure I have it right with the frequency and polarity.”

  “Substats make every person unique. Don’t worry about that too much though; you’re probably neutral.”

  “Explain it anyway.”

  She hesitated for a second, and stood abruptly. Trailing toward the settee near the window, she began to pace the room, fully engrossed in her lecture. Kuro smirked.

  Pointing to herself, she said, “Take me for instance. I have a higher affinity for Plasma Spirit, which, combined with my superior 60-plus strength rating and my low under-20 intelligence rating, makes me more suited to be a warrior. But not just any warrior. Because of my plasma affinity, I lean toward the offensive type and deal high burst damage.

  “Those who have a Solid affinity make better defense-type warriors since their bodies are naturally slower but have higher durability. Water warriors heal faster, and well, nobody wants to have a Gas affinity as a warrior…”

  Kuro just shrugged and raised his brows in question.

  “They have lighter muscles, jump higher and have more stamina—not great if you’re aiming for the warrior class. But it’s not the worst thing ever. Combine Gas with high Dexterity and you have the makings of a great assassin or thief.”

  As she said this, she kneeled on the settee and poked her head out the window as if trying to spy out ruffians. The street lamps glowed softly below, illuminating the occasional passerby. No one malicious in sight. She sighed to herself. Privately, she wished that she’d been blessed with Gas or Water. At least then she wouldn’t have to look so bulky and unappealing.

  “And the Polarity?”

  Cinti popped back in and took a seat. “Yes, well, all you need to know is that generally, humans are Neutral, meaning you likely are too. Demons are Negative, Celestials are Positive, and all other races sway closer one way or the next. There’s a bit more to it, but it would only confuse you.”

  With one last glance outside, she adjusted herself to get comfortable. When she looked back however, Kuro stared at her strangely. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung partially open like his thoughts had been stolen.

  “Kuro? Did you understand that? Or are you just not listening?” she said. “If you're too tired to focus we can continue this tomorrow. Our rat hunt can wait until the day after.”

  He blinked and offered a slow nod. Confused, Cinti followed his gaze and came to stop between her legs. Her heart jumped in her chest, causing her cheeks to turn pink. She was about to readjust herself into a more modest position, when she paused to wonder what the point was. There was no way Kuro was interested in her anyway. Her mind was just playing tricks out of desperation.

  That had to be it.

  No man would give her panties the time of day even if she waved them in their face. She could feel her mood souring again and frowned.

  Seemingly without thinking, Kuro blurted, “Sorry. Are you still mad about last night?

  She jerked back. “What are you talking about?

  Kuro tore his eyes from her crotch to look her in the face.

  “It’s just that, after I summoned Sandoval, you guys really got into it and even today you’ve been kind of… different. It’s my bad. I should have sent Sando back the moment he started acting up.”

  Cinti stared at him dumbstruck before bursting into a laugh.

  “Is that what you thought? That I was upset? I suppose I was, but not at you. Between that lying demon-pest and the elves at the guild, my nerves are shot. We already have enough on our plates with that endless horde of rats.”

  Kuro started to come over. “You did do most of the work today. Is there anything I could do to help outside of work?”

  She shook her head. There was something. Although she couldn't say it to his face, maybe she could work it out of him another way. Looking at him standing there, what she really wanted was to revel in power the way the other elves did—it was why she had learned skills like Seduction, and Charm as a younger, more naive girl. Except, her muscles made them quite ineffective. Even weaker men could break free of her spells.

  She flushed a brighter shade as embarrassment squeezed her chest tight. What good was a female elf who couldn’t seduce?

  Of course, that was why she’d given up to focus on her strengths.

  Kuro’s shoulders drooped. Perhaps there was an opportunity here. He’d told her a few times that he didn’t find her body repulsive so it might work. She couldn’t help herself.

  Her eyes lit up emerald green as she stared into his.

  Then, with a stretch, she ventured a casual, “Actually, it’s been such a long day. Maybe I could bother you for a massa—”

  Before the sentence fully left her lips, Kuro was on bended knee at her feet.

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  “Yes, yes, yes. Of course.”

  “W-wait, I didn’t say where.”

  But he was already dutifully rubbing her feet like a dog given a bone. Cinti stared at him in mild surprise. The spell had worked better than she’d expected. To her, this kind of male attention was better than any amount of power and glory on the battlefield.

  Unprompted, he worked his way up her toned legs to her thick thighs. Her insides clenched and she shivered as he got close to her most private places. There was an undeniable thrill borne of the quality attention and the power she held over him. She was drunk on power, working herself into hot flush as she gave into her longings and he worked her like putty. Despite the draw, she wasn’t about to take advantage of him against his will. Just a little harmless fun. Breathless, she pushed him off with a bare foot, her nightgown slipping down her shoulders.

  “Could you fetch me a drink from the pitcher?”

  Kuro eagerly jumped to his feet to pour a mug for her. She eyed him head to toe standing with his back to her and gnawed her lower lip. He might have come to her as a creep in her barn, but at this point, Kuro was like a shining ray of hope. She could never have imagined a man would fall into her lap out of the blue.

  ‘Once the spell wears off, you’ll just go crawling right back to Nigris and all those more feminine elves,’ she thought, fighting back disappointment.

  In her mind, she was not a match for them. They would take away her one chance.

  Unless…

  Racking her mind for something that could bond them even more deeply, her gaze drifted over to the bed where his Adventurer’s Contract Book rested. There it was. A piece of him that no one else would see.

  As he started back over with the mug in hand, she looked him dead in the eyes and used her next skill: Charm.

  “Kuro, I’ve always been curious about the inner workings of Summoners. Would you let me read your Contract Book?”

  He hesitated as he passed her the drink. “I thought you said I should never show it to anyone under any circumstances.”

  ‘Hm. I need to give it a little more.’

  She pouted and lifted a leg onto the seat. As she pulled it to her chest, her boobs pressed out the top of her gown and she noted the way Kuro sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Don’t you trust me?” she said sweetly. “I thought we were close.”

  “Of course I do!”

  Cinti was taken aback at the burning enthusiasm of his reply, but she couldn’t hold in an amused laugh. It would be touching if it were wholly genuine.

  Kuro retrieved the book and handed it to her with a reassuring nod. Cinti patted the spot beside her, beckoning him with her eyes. Not taking his eyes off her, he sat. Having this effect on a man for the first time in her life put a wicked smile on her face. Quickly, she let her hair fall in front of her face to hide it.

  But the closer she cozied up to Kuro, the more she could practically see the steam rising off his head. She hugged his arm so close it was swallowed up into her cleavage and she swore he let out a tiny mewl. Cinti stifled an amused giggle. This was amazing. She wanted to push all his buttons tonight and see how far she could take it.

  As she nestled the book on her lap, Kuro cleared his throat.

  “To be honest, I wanted you to look it over with me. You’ve been a big help since the start. I’m lucky the Administrator sent me to you.”

  She didn’t know what “administrator” he was talking about, but his compliment made her swoon. At the same time, she knew he was merely under a spell. It would be better to put it out of her mind.

  “I’m glad,” she said, running her fingers along the strange cover of the Contract Book.

  In truth, she had never seen a Summoners Contract Book before, far less given thought to having the chance at reading one.

  “It’s got some girth to it, huh?” she said hefting it a few times.

  Kuro jerked slightly. Thumbing through the pages, Cinti pretended not to notice his reaction.

  Once she was in the Stats section, she came to an abrupt halt when she saw his horrible Body score of ten.

  With an awkward chuckle, she said, “Looks like we’ll have to get you in better shape, huh? Help you lose that last layer of baby fat.”

  She tapped his stomach area playfully and he stiffened. His dark skin darkened with embarrassment. But Cinti swiftly moved on.

  His Spirit number read one-hundred and twenty. Cinti gaped.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Kuro said.

  Slowly, she shook her head, wondering how something like that was possible.

  “I’m impressed…” she said. “You have double my Spirit and high Spirit regen too. This is far beyond the average, Kuro. I don’t even know how someone could use all of this.”

  Was it just her imagination or did he look a bit smug now? There was no reason for him not to get big-headed about it, she supposed. It certainly was a feat.

  With an encouraging smile, she took a sip of her drink.

  ‘Let’s see. What’s the next one?’

  Cinti spat her water. His Mental score was an abysmal eight.

  “Oh my God…” she muttered.

  “Is it that bad?” Kuro said.

  She turned to him and held his eyes like a nurse about to deliver bad news. He cringed.

  “Please don’t…”

  “Kuro, I’m so sorry but… most of these numbers are horrible.”

  He made a face before putting a hand over his mouth.

  “Am I going to be able to live like this?” he said, choking up.

  Cinti patted him lightly on the shoulder and shot him a deadpan, “With these scores, you can forget about using your spells multiple times. You’re not much better than a teenager.”

  “Nooo~” he whimpered.

  “There, there. You’ve got me, remember? Why don’t we have a look at your spells and see if we can’t come up with a training plan?”

  She flipped to the relevant heading, where only five active spells were listed.

  With a sigh, she remarked, “Why am I not surprised? Even I have at least twenty, not including hundreds of skills, and I’m only a warrior class. Kuro, this is serious. You have your work cut out for you.”

  He hung his head.

  “Yes, mistress.”

  “What was that?” Cinti said, scrunching her brows.

  A switch had flipped on in her mind and now she was analysing Kuro’s spells with more seriousness than before. Perhaps, there was something special about them that could prove more effective than initially assumed?

  She began listing them off, reading aloud the details.

  “Your first is Capture: Cast to capture any living thing and bend it to your will. Cost: Five Spirit and two Intelligence.”

  Cinti did the calculations in her head.

  It was affordable enough, so on paper, he could cast Capture roughly four times a day.

  “Next is… Consumption?”

  She threw him a suspicious side-eye.

  “Consumption: Cast to convert any captured non-intelligent creature into additional Spirit capacity. Cost: Twenty Mana and eight intelligence.”

  “That seems like overkill considering how much Spirit I already have,” Kuro said.

  Cinti nodded along. “Not to mention, you try it just once and you’d stall out.”

  She trailed her forefinger down the list and stopped on the third spell.

  “Shared Power: Cast to imbue captured lifeforms with stored essence. I have no idea what this is, but it’s cheap… Only costs one Spirit and one Intelligence.”

  She tapped her chin but gave up after a minute. “I suppose it’s a Summoner thing…”

  “Fourth is, Swap,” she continued. “It allows the user to swap effects with a capture if the user is gravely injured or in the very moment of fatality.”

  “Whoa, that sounds—” he started, but cut himself off when she glanced at him. “—a little cowardly.”

  Kuro looked uncomfortable. Cinti was sure that wasn’t what he was really about to say. Though he tried to seem sombre, there was something else behind his eyes that made Cint’s skin prickle. Was it relief?

  She was sure it was nothing. Kuro wasn’t like those other Summoners. At least, so far as she had seen. Besides, there was already insurance.

  “Well, it costs one-hundred Spirit and ninety Intelligence, so you won’t be swapping with anyone or anything soon.”

  At his level, Cinti knew there was no reason to worry Kuro would be corrupted into abusing his powers.

  “The last one is Resurrection: Cast to recall a capture to the battlefield immediately after termination. This isn’t bad actually! It—oh, hold on…”

  Her shoulders dropped.

  “One-hundred Body, five-hundred Mind, one thousand Spirit,” she groaned. “Let’s be honest, you only really have three spells because these last two are impossible.”

  “This dreaded Summoner class isn’t sounding so hot, Cinti.”

  “Don’t worry; I have a few skills like that too,” she laughed.

  “If you say so. But are you sure Summoners are all that powerful?”

  When she looked over at him, he watched her so intently, as if his pride as a man was on the line. Choosing her words cautiously, she ventured forward, ensuring she considered all angles.

  “Nobody is very strong when they start out. Besides, some can be plenty dangerous with a single spell, so don’t let the numbers fool you or get you down.”

  His mood seemed to lighten. And then there was the way he stared at her like every word was a blessing. She blushed and tried to focus on the Contract Book.

  ‘It’s only a spell. A spell.’ she mentally reprimanded.

  As she flipped the page onto a list of passive skills, she said, “Look at this! You have few passives. These are great to have because they’re always active and don’t cost any Spirit.”

  She could sense Kuro still looking at her, not the book. Her ears were so hot she thought they would singe her hair.

  “Essence: Allows the user to collect essence from captures, granting access to the captured creature’s nature.”

  Though initially it was unclear what this meant, as she looked at the next passive skill, it dawned on her.

  Dark vision. Her eyes went to the next. Thermal resistance. And the next. Magic resistance.

  Cinti tensed up.

  “What’s wrong?” Kuro said quietly.

  “These are demonic traits.”

  Her throat had gone dry. Downing the last of the water, she took a moment to process.

  “You know what these mean, aye?”

  Kuro shook his head.

  “With my Intelligence, I can safely say I don’t.”

  He wore a half-grin, probably trying to lighten the mood.

  “This is clear confirmation that you absorb the traits of every creature to capture. You could gain all the wisdom you need by capturing a druid, or acquire complete fire resistance from a dragon.”

  She tried to swallow her rising nerves. This was it—the reason summoners were so feared. But her heart slowed once she looked upon Kuro’s naive face. It was a good thing he had not come from this world, and that she now had the opportunity to mould him, otherwise he might turn out to be just another menace to the freefolk.

  “I suspected as much. The connection between summoner and summon goes pretty deep.”

  While he contemplated his ability, Cinti pursued the other passives and spotted one called Resistance. The description said: Immunity to charms and bewitchment.

  ‘Hah?’

  Trying to be discreet, she lifted the pages to the back of the book at an angle Kuro couldn’t see. The user logs would show a real-time record of any skills and spells cast on him.

  She practically turned to stone when she saw the night’s activity.

  Weak Charm Spell Applied/Zero Effect/Charm Resistance: 100% Effective.

  Her jaw dropped and her heart skipped a beat. Cinti convinced herself there was no way she was seeing that right. She lifted a few more pages, searching for the Biography section.

  This gave information on the internal life much like a private journal. She knew this invasion of privacy was wrong, but she had to know what he thought of her.

  The book would sense exactly what she sought to know about the user, and so it revealed his most personal reflections from the moment they had met.

  Cinti gasped and let the pages fall back into place.

  “Cinti?” Kuro said, his eyes lidded. “Is there something wrong?”

  She couldn’t just say that she had spied on his inner life, especially not after seeing what she did.

  The page had bloomed with an image of Cinti herself. Except, it wasn't the person she saw in the mirror.

  Her painting had appeared as a radiant and golden armoured goddess. Her name was listed there in fine calligraphy and descriptions like beautiful, sexy, strong, smart, kind, perfect, sprang up beneath it.

  Cinti trembled as she saw herself in a good light for the first time in her life.

  Pursing her lips, she struggled to hold in tears. That confirmed what she had vaguely suspected when Kuro had bumped into her in her bathrobe. He was turned on at the sight of her body. Her body. He wasn’t being charmed into touching her brutish form. All doubts about his desire for her dissipated. She had finally found a man that was attracted to her.

  Her stomach fluttered. The urge to take another peek won out and she flipped to the Biography again. Instead of the resplendent angel poised for battle, her eyes went round as she saw herself, still gleaming and golden, but now engaged with him in his sexual fantasies.

  She snapped the book shut, but all those words and images followed her.

  Kuro stared at her, looking a bit surprised. Cinti’s pores raised as the picture of him exploring her with his tongue popped up. She turned beet red—ashamed to be so caught off guard and hit with a renewed spike of arousal.

  “Goodness!” she blurted. “W-we should end the lesson here. It’s well after midnight and we have to wake before the sun!”

  She shot to her feet and slapped the Contract Book into his arms.

  “Huh?” Kuro said, blindsided. “But I thought—?”

  She pushed him outside.

  “Goodnight!”

  The door shut with a firm thump and she whirled around. Burying her face in her hands, she stood behind the door, back pressed against the hardwood. She needed a moment to catch her breath. Could this really be happening? Not only did she have a shot, but considering the kinds of things Kuro wanted to do to her…

  Cinti jumped face-down onto the bed and squealed into the pillows. It was all too much to process.

  After a while of rolling around in the blankets like an excited child, a thought crossed her mind and she snapped up.

  “Wait. Did I just fumble my opportunity?”

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