Chapter 177: Extra Mission?

Her appearance was serene and calm, and when the veil fell, he realized... The veil was a magical item that completely hid her true appearance; despite keeping the hair, even the eye color was different beneath the veil...

'This must be expensive... But anyway, I found... an elf.' He thought, seeing the woman's pointed ears and her calm, serene gaze. She almost seemed like a Goddess to his eyes, but... only her face was really in good condition, as for her body... it was as deteriorated as it was when he healed her and released her mana points...

Then she laughed at his reaction and began: "I believe I don't have much time left." Evelyn said, as if expecting something from Strax, after all, he would know how to resolve this somehow, but... it wasn't exactly like that.

"I just wanted to ask you to be careful. Not for me, but for Lyana... I have a bad feeling about this, so please, just be careful." Evelyn said as she approached him, but suddenly a message appeared.

[Extra Mission: An Enchanting Elf has been initiated, dialogue must be precise to obtain the extra reward.]

Strax read the message without even realizing what it was about... It was something really strange to happen out of nowhere... It was the first time the word [Extra] was used in a mission...

He turned his attention to the woman, who was now getting closer to him, and he was starting to feel suffocated by the clear gaze of her amethyst eyes. There was something in her eyes, a shine that had never been there before... well, he couldn't really see her eyes, but he couldn't stop looking at her. It was a mix of desperation and... Desire?

As if she were about to enjoy the last moments of her life to do something she had always wanted but never had the courage to do or someone to do it with.

"Evelyn," Strax began, but the words got lost when she took another step forward, closing the distance between them even more.

"Strax..." She murmured, she seemed really surrendered to something he couldn't understand, it was a gentle and... loving tone. "I started to admire your strength, your determination with your wives... and now... I'm dying. I don't have time to hesitate or regret not having done something."

Those words were... wicked... and that made Strax's heart race. He understood where this was going, and every fiber of his being wanted to stop her, but he was also becoming even more cautious. The system message... required precision in the dialogue, and he couldn't fail.

Evelyn raised her hand and placed it gently on Strax's chest, feeling his heartbeat. "I want to feel... just once... what it is to be alive, completely alive."

Her voice was indeed wicked and malicious, with a gentle and calm charm of desire, and Strax felt his whole body tense, the tension growing inside him. The intentions had already become quite clear, but this behavior... was not something Evelyn would do, at least, he didn't see her like this... there was something behind it... he needed to find out what was going on...

"Evelyn, this is not how it should be done." Strax murmured, his hand moving to hold hers and try to push her away. "This isn't you. Don't let despair consume you, this won't help anyone right now." His words were on point, but...

"Of course, it was a test..." he muttered, beginning to understand why Evelyn had acted so out of character. At least she was a good actress. "She might even win an Oscar," he thought with a hint of sarcasm.

Evelyn smiled, a weak but genuine smile. "Yes... I needed to know if you were really the person I believed you to be. If you would give in to despair or remain strong. And you were... perfect. Now I know what will happen from here on," she said with a confident smile.

Strax was silent for a moment, absorbing what she said. "So, all of this was... for nothing?" he questioned, his eyes scanning her carefully.

"A test," Evelyn confirmed. "A test to see if you could resist impulse, desire... despair. Unfortunately, many people give in to these things during a crisis, and what's about to happen requires a strong mind. That's why I was testing you." She smiled, and he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"So... you revealed that you're an elf, flirted with me, even pretended to cry... just for that?" he questioned, still incredulous.

"Exactly," she replied, still smiling. "And you knew, didn't you? Your eyes are special." She laughed, and Strax felt a chill realizing she was aware of his abilities. "What? Did you think I wouldn't notice you reading the mana in the environment? It's obviously a great help," she said, laughing before she moved closer to him again.

[The mission reward will be delivered by: Evelyn Parker]

Strax read the message, confused. "What do they mean she'll deliver the reward?" he wondered, finding the system's behavior increasingly strange. But he didn't have time to process what it meant, as Evelyn was approaching him again.

This time, however, her expression was completely different. There was no more desperation in her eyes, only a deep calm and a sense of approval and kindness... along with something more.

She looked into his eyes, and Strax realized she wanted something. Evelyn was a bit shorter than him, so she gestured for him to lower himself. "And as a reward," she said softly, "I'd like to give you something... real." Not fully understanding, Strax leaned down, following her lead, and before he could react, Evelyn grabbed his collar, pulling him down abruptly, and then kissed him.

But this kiss was different.

There was no urgency, no desperation. It was a gentle kiss, full of gratitude and affection, something that transcended what she had tried before.

Strax was surprised at first, but he soon gave in to the moment, understanding that this was Evelyn's true gift, a sincere gesture of affection she wanted to share before it was too late.

When they finally parted, Evelyn looked at him with a soft smile. "Thank you, Strax. For taking my first kiss."