A few more rounds dissolved the awkward atmosphere faster than I'd expected. By the seventh time — when she could barely move and her legs had gone completely limp—satisfaction finally settled over me.
And my cock finally demanded rest.
Instead of the exhaustion I'd been bracing for, energy flooded through me. Every minor ache from when I'd first woken had vanished completely. The difference shocked me.
'What the hell? I should be dead right now. Or at least close to it.'
During our marathon, I'd worried someone might walk in. Kept trying to stop, actually. But Lira insisted we were safe — practically demanded we continue.
Before the fifth round, I'd managed to ask her name. Fumbled over the words like an idiot, but I got there eventually.
Afterward, we talked.
Lira came from a distinguished family called Velan. In their glory days, her household had been legendary healers — the kind who could regenerate severed limbs. Rumors claimed they'd even raised the dead. But their prestige crumbled when summoners began contracting Spirit summons capable of healing anything. Turns out divine magic beats bloodline abilities every time. Her family's gift weakened with each generation, diluted by time and irrelevance.
Still, she'd found a way to strengthen her gifts: expanding her essence pool. It should have been impossible — everyone knew essence pools were fixed at birth. But she believed. Lira believed. With absolute conviction. Restoring her family's name was her only hope of mattering again.
No one had visited this clinic since the academy's founding, she explained. The Kingdom maintained it purely as a gesture to honor her fallen house.
'A pity prize,' I thought.
A far more advanced infirmary existed where Spirit summons healed wounds instantly — which explained her surprise when I'd been brought here instead of the real medical facility.
Our meeting, however it came about, was a blessing in disguise.
She certainly seemed to think so.
I had my own reasons to agree. My essence pool had grown beyond anything I'd imagined possible.
[SUMMONER STATUS]
Name: Cade Marlowe
Rank: F
Spirit Essence: 300/300
Active Spirits: 1/5
[MAIN ATTRIBUTES]
• Summoner's Touch (Basic) Lv. 1
• Infinite Vitality (Basic) Lv. 2
• Perfect Fit (Basic) Lv. 2
[EXTRA ATTRIBUTES]
• Emperor's Presence (Basic) Lv. 1
• Strategic Apex (Basic) Lv. 1
• Conqueror's Will (Basic) Lv. 1
• Warlord's Command (Basic) Lv. 1
'Holy shit.'
I stared at the numbers, then double-checked them. Triple-checked.
'I thought it was a fluke when I jacked off earlier, but I really can increase my essence pool through sex. This is... this changes everything.'
I dropped onto the bed, grinning at my status screen like it had just offered me the world.
'My essence pool is climbing but my rank isn't budging. Why? Is this another glitch? Or is there some rule I don't know about — some threshold I have to hit before the system acknowledges I'm not F-rank trash anymore?'
I sighed and leaned back against the pillows. At that moment, Lira emerged from her office into the ward, properly dressed now. Her black skirt hugged her curves, ending mid-thigh. Her hips swayed with each step, honey-brown skin glowing beneath the white light overhead.
She settled beside me on the bed, resting her chin on one hand. Her gaze drifted upward, distant with thought. Blonde hair framed her face, and despite the subtle lines that marked her as older — early thirties, maybe — she remained striking. The kind of beauty who could easily pass for my age at first glance if you weren't paying attention.
"Hey." I watched her stare at nothing. "Are you okay?"
She blinked, focus returning. That gentle smile curved her lips — the kind only older women seemed to master. The ones that made you feel like they knew something you didn't.
"I'm fine." The smile deepened. "Just thinking about what you told me. You've been through it."
I chuckled. "It's alright. I got rewarded for it anyway."
Her expression froze, surprise washing over her features. She pointed at herself, eyes wide.
"By reward, you mean... me?"
A grin spread across my face.
"Nope. I'm getting stronger. This nirvana you mentioned? It works just like dual cultivation."
She clicked her tongue, gaze sliding away.
"What a letdown." Her voice carried mock hurt. "It wouldn't have hurt to give this lady a compliment or two."
I studied her profile. "You didn't need compliments. You did it for the reward too, didn't you?"
A breath escaped her lips.
"You're right... but it's two people having sex. You're just going to brush that aside?"
"Of course not." I shifted slightly. "But don't tell me you're getting attached after fucking me once."
Her smile stretched tight, muscles fighting something beneath the surface.
"What do you mean… once? You were—" She stopped herself, jaw working. "Nevermind. I see you're the cocky type."
I leaned back against the headboard. "Not really. But you said it yourself — you searched everywhere for someone who could take you to nirvana and found no one. I did something no one else ever could." I met her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you got attached."
The forced smile grew more brittle.
"Well, y—you're not wrong. Not that I remember phrasing it like that."
I closed the distance between us, hands finding her hips, pulling her toward me.
"You didn't need to." My voice dropped. "Your desperation spoke a thousand times louder than your voice ever could."
Her expression froze. Color flooded her cheeks — a deep, spreading blush that made her look younger. Then she smirked, recovering.
"You seem to be REALLY getting into character for someone who just lost his virginity."
I pressed a hand to my chest with exaggerated solemnity. "I'm surprised myself. But I think you may have unleashed the Demon Emperor in me." I grinned. "You have my gratitude, Lira. If you want, I can make you—"
She yanked free and shot to her feet, hands on her hips.
"I have to go to the mercenary guild now." The words came fast, almost rushed. "You don't need to go back to that place. I can give you the clinic keys — you can stay here. But getting into the academy grounds at night is difficult. You'll have to be careful and—"
My stomach growled, cutting through her words like a saw through silence.
I laughed, pressing a hand to my belly.
"Ah, right... probably should've seen that coming."
She crossed her arms, gaze dropping to me with something between amusement and exasperation.
"After all that, I'm surprised you haven't passed out."
I grinned. "Different kind of stamina, I guess." Then I straightened slightly. "You mentioned the guild — is that a Summoner's Guild?"
She shook her head.
"No. I don't have business at the Summoner's Guild." Her expression darkened. "Besides, what happened between us demands secrecy. However effective nirvana proved to be, it's forbidden." Her voice dropped. "I could be arrested and executed for it."
I straightened fully now, the easy mood evaporating. "What? Executed for having sex? People fuck every day."
"You don't understand." Her voice went flat, serious in a way that made my stomach tighten. "Before and even after three thousand years ago, women across Ealdrim have felt pleasure during sex — but we've never been able to climax. That peak where it's supposed to reach paradise? That glimpse of transcendence everyone talks about?" She shook her head. "It doesn't exist for us. There are rumors about Giantkin, but not many are willing to be fucked by a giant."
Her stare intensified, boring into me.
"Your existence is both blessing and curse. If others who know the truth about nirvana — like me — hear about you, they'll hunt you for obvious reasons." She leaned closer, and her tone went cold. "But if the Church discovers what you can do?"
She let the words hang there for a moment.
"They'll eliminate you. They can't tolerate a human who can accomplish what no being — not even elves or dragonborn — can achieve. You'll be killed, Cade."
The silence that followed felt heavy enough to crush bones.
'Well,' I thought, staring at her serious expression. 'That's just fucking great.'