"The effect of this fruit—!?"
Kurose Akira stared unblinkingly at the yellow fruit Vivora had handed him, a surge of inexplicable excitement welling up in his chest.
It could actually refresh the consumption of Life Mana!?
That was incredible.
Even more importantly, this yellow fruit was one of the Rainbow Fruits Vivora had gifted him. A rainbow contained seven distinct colors—which meant that, in theory, there should exist seven differently colored fruits, each corresponding to a different kind of power.
Akira also remembered that back in the Forest Birdcage, Vivora had once given the daughter of the Goddess of Nature a crimson-red fruit. That memory further confirmed his guess.
"Thank you."
Akira smiled as he accepted the yellow fruit from Vivora, keenly aware of the eager gaze fixed on him. Her delicate little deer tail swayed back and forth excitedly, clearly anticipating him eating the miraculous fruit.
Under Vivora's expectant stare, Akira didn't hesitate. He placed the yellow fruit into his mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue, the fruit melted into a warm current that slid down his throat and settled into his stomach.
That warmth spread rapidly throughout his body, filling him with indescribable comfort. Golden motes of light spilled out from within him, dancing over his skin like playful sprites, nourishing every single cell.
Akira could feel the Life Mana surging inside him—almost as if the Life Mana Ivsha had drained from him yesterday was being rapidly replenished by the nourishment of this yellow fruit. His mind sharpened instantly, and a more brilliant radiance emanated from his body.
I'm back in fighting condition again!
"Do you feel better now?"
Vivora couldn't help asking, her beautiful rainbow-colored pupils shimmering with anticipation.
"Much better!"
Akira lightly wiped the corner of his lips and broke into a warm smile.
Almost instinctively, he reached out and gently stroked Vivora's antlers.
Her antlers felt delicate and smooth to the touch, as if a single light caress was enough to convey warmth and vitality. They weren't particularly hard, yet not soft like cotton either. That unique texture was strangely addictive, as though it carried a mysterious power that drew one in and made it hard to let go.
"Mmm~"
Vivora let out a soft, gentle moan at Akira's touch—a contented, catlike purr. The pleasure from being stroked was so intense that she even closed her eyes, her four deer hooves lightly tapping the ground, as though expressing her joy in that way.
Seeing her reaction, a flicker of delight rose in Akira's heart. He tested the waters and asked, "You like it when I touch your antlers?"
"Mhm~"
Vivora nodded softly, her eyes brimming with pleasure and satisfaction.
Hearing her answer, Akira's smile widened even further.
At the same time, his gaze drifted toward Vivora's deer back, which was covered in a layer of faint purple downy fur that looked irresistibly soft.
It wasn't as spacious as the backs of other centaur folk, but it was more than enough for a single rider. That said, it probably wouldn't be able to support Akira after half-dragon transformation—only centaurs on Azkman's level might manage that.
Lost in thought, Akira reached out toward Vivora's back, his fingertips lightly tracing across it, wanting to feel that softness for himself.
"Ah—!"
His movement seemed to startle Vivora. She immediately took several steps back, hugging the tree branch in her arms tightly. She gently knocked Akira's hand away with it, clearly a warning.
"G-Guild Master… not here… not yet…" Vivora said shyly, her cheeks puffed out and flushed a rosy red.
"…Huh?"
Akira was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Vivora to be so averse to someone touching her deer back.
After all, for centaur races, the area humans most easily came into contact with was usually their backs.
"Alright, I won't touch it."
Akira gently ruffled Vivora's hair, offering an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Guild Master, I—"
"It's fine. If you don't like it, Vivora, I won't force it."
"Mhm~ thank you, Guild Master~"
Vivora happily nuzzled Akira's palm with her antlers, beaming brightly.
At that moment, Akira noticed that a fresh flower had suddenly bloomed at the tip of Vivora's hair out of nowhere. He found it unexpectedly amusing.
And as her mood continued to fluctuate, another flower blossomed, as if decorating her body.
A flower-blooming Vivora was overflowing with vitality!
"Guild Master's scent~ it smells so nice~"
Vivora leaned in closer, gently sniffing Akira, her expression filled with infatuation.
Akira understood immediately—what she called "fragrance" was likely the strength of his Life Mana. After all, he had once received the blessing of the World Tree; his Life Mana was naturally far stronger than that of ordinary people.
"Oh, right—Guild Master, come with me."
Vivora took Akira by the hand and led him over to the Snow Porpoise Egg.
The moment Akira saw its current state, he froze.
Around the Snow Porpoise Egg, a large number of green branches and leaves had been arranged, as if someone had carefully made a small bed for it.
At the same time, a line of information suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
[Snow Porpoise Egg (Incubating…)]
"It's really… showing signs of life!"
Akira was stunned.
Vivora's arrival had actually given life to the Snow Porpoise Egg!?
"You did an excellent job, Vivora!"
Akira smiled as he gently patted her head in praise.
"Mmm~"
Vivora obediently tilted her head up, eyes closed, completely immersed in Akira's gentle touch.
Just then, the teleportation array flashed with dazzling white light.
A moment later, Lucia stepped gracefully into the guild hall atop rippling golden light.
When she saw Akira happily interacting with Vivora, she cast them a sidelong glance and asked coldly, "What are you doing?"
"You came at the perfect time, Lucia. Come take a look! Vivora has caused the Snow Porpoise Egg to show signs of life!"
Akira enthusiastically invited her over, sharing the good news.
"Signs of life?"
Lucia approached the Snow Porpoise Egg with a hint of doubt. When she personally sensed the faint life within the egg, surprise surfaced on her face.
But recalling that Vivora possessed authority over the domain of nature—and even the terrifying power to resurrect the dead—she quickly found it no longer so strange.
The trace of surprise on Lucia's face faded just as quickly.
"Although the life ripple is still extremely weak, with time, it will surely hatch into new life."
Lucia looked at Vivora and nodded in affirmation.
"You did well."
"Thank you for the praise, Sister Lucia~"
Vivora replied sweetly.
"Oh, right."
At that moment, Akira took out the Saint Maiden Fruit and handed it to Lucia.
"Lucia, this is for you."
"This is…?"
When Lucia saw the fruit in Akira's hand, the golden-red eyes beneath her white veil trembled slightly.
She looked at Akira in disbelief. "This… is for me?"
"Yes."
Akira nodded firmly.
A complex mix of emotions crossed Lucia's face—surprise and joy interwoven with a faint trace of confusion.
"Thank you!"
She gently reached out and accepted the Saint Maiden Fruit. The corners of her lips lifted into a brilliant smile—one that appeared only for a fleeting instant before she carefully concealed it.
At the same time, a series of system notifications burst into Akira's vision!
[You have given Adventurer Lucia an Ascension Material.][Lucia's level has increased to Lv.38!][All attributes +20.][Bond Skill Unlocked: Saint Maiden's Forbidden Love!]
[Saint Maiden's Forbidden Love: Your combat power and Lucia's combat power are enhanced. The magnitude of the boost depends on the distance between you. The closer the distance, the greater the increase! (0–200%)]
"A bond skill that directly boosts combat power?"
Akira couldn't hide his surprise when he saw Lucia's bond skill.
What shocked him even more was that this bond skill didn't just enhance Lucia—it also granted him the combat power boost from Saint Maiden's Forbidden Love.
However, there was one thing he needed to investigate further: the relationship between the bond skill's amplification value and the distance between them.
Akira glanced at his own status panel and fell into thought.
[Saint Maiden's Forbidden Love (80%)]
They were only about half a meter apart, yet the boost was just 80%.So how close did they need to be to reach 200%?
Was this… a fusion skill?
Nice. That makes two fusion skills now.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, another prompt appeared.
[Lucia has obtained a new trait!][Please choose one of the following three traits!]
[Hates Singing][Single Mother][Magical Girl]
"..."