Chapter 164: Roxana's Divine Mask (2)

Zeus arrived at Roxana's quarters, where she greeted him with a knowing smile, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "So, what's your decision?" she asked, her voice carrying both eagerness and curiosity, as if she already knew what his answer would be.

Zeus returned her smile, but a trace of caution lingered in his expression. "I can help you," he said, his tone measured. "But we can't do this in plain sight. You know as well as I do that it could draw the wrong kind of attention."

Roxana arched an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh? Afraid of prying eyes?" she teased, though she didn't press him further. "Fine. I have a more... discreet location."

With a swift, almost casual gesture, she tapped a part of her office wall. A hidden door slid open, revealing a dimly lit passageway leading down into the depths. "Follow me," she said, her voice low. "This leads to my private cultivation chamber, where no one will disturb us."

Zeus hesitated for a brief moment before following her, his steps cautious. As they descended into the hidden chamber, the air around them thickened with mana, each step they took deepening the sense of power in the atmosphere. The energy here was potent, almost overwhelming.

[Getting nervous, host?] the system chimed in, its voice laced with its usual arrogance. [If I didn't know better, I'd say you were about to back out. Not scared of a little mana pressure, are you?]

"Please," Zeus replied internally, rolling his eyes. "I've dealt with worse."

[Sure you have,] the system mocked, clearly enjoying the situation. [Though I have to admit, following a woman into her private chambers? Bold move. Maybe this won't be such a bad day after all.]

"You're impossible."

When they finally reached the cultivation chamber, Zeus paused, taking in the surroundings. The room was vast, filled with ancient carvings and intricate formations that hummed with power.

The mana here wasn't just dense—it was concentrated, pulsing in rhythm with the room itself. This place was designed for serious cultivation, a sanctuary far removed from the world above.

Roxana turned to face Zeus, her smirk widening with a hint of anticipation. "Alright, show me what you can do. Work your magic."

Zeus gave a small nod, and with a casual wave of his hand, the air around them crackled with energy as a red mask materialized in his grasp. Its surface gleamed with an ominous glow, pulsating faintly with the power he had meticulously infused into it.

Roxana's eyes narrowed, her gaze locked onto the mask with a spark of intrigue. "So, this is your cheat?" she asked, her voice dripping with curiosity and just the faintest hint of skepticism.

Zeus chuckled softly, a glimmer of amusement flickering in his eyes. "Yeah, something like that," he replied. Then, without missing a beat, he added, "Now, let me put this on you."

Without hesitation, Roxana moved to the center of the chamber, where a raised platform awaited her. She sat down gracefully, the dense mana in the room swirling around her like a living thing, amplifying the atmosphere of the chamber. seaʀᴄh thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Go ahead," Roxana said, her voice steady, calm, and radiating utter confidence. "Do it."

Zeus hesitated for a moment, raising an eyebrow as he studied her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "You're really going to let me put this mask on you without even a shred of suspicion? No second thoughts at all?" he asked, his tone laced with incredulity.

Roxana's smirk deepened, her eyes glowing with a fiery confidence that matched her volcanic aura. "I don't exactly have much of a choice, do I?" she replied, her voice a mix of playful teasing and deadly seriousness. "But make no mistake, if you try anything funny," she paused, letting her words hang in the air like a blade poised to strike, "you won't get a second chance."

As if to punctuate her warning, Roxana unleashed a sharp burst of her volcanic aura, the oppressive heat radiating outward, filling the chamber with an almost suffocating intensity.

Zeus, however, remained completely unfazed. He stood firm, his expression calm and collected, as if the heat rolling off her didn't affect him at all. He met her fiery gaze with a cool, almost amused smile. "Yeah, yeah," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "I get it. No funny business."

He stepped forward, carefully positioning the mask in his hands as he approached her. The energy from the mask flickered faintly, responding to the dense mana in the room. With a deliberate movement, he placed the red mask on Roxana's face, his hands steady.

The moment the mask touched Roxana's skin, it began to glow, a deep crimson light radiating outward as it fused seamlessly with her body.

Zeus watched as the energy surged through her, intertwining with her own power. The room seemed to hum in response, the dense mana swirling faster, as if acknowledging the shift in power.

Roxana's eyes fluttered shut, her body stiffening for a brief moment as she adjusted to the sudden influx of energy. Her chest rose and fell with slow, steady breaths as the mask's power began to settle inside her.

A subtle smile played on her lips, growing wider with each passing second as the new strength coursed through her veins, filling her with a sense of control and untapped potential.

When she finally opened her eyes, the fiery crimson glow from the mask had already faded into her skin, leaving no trace of its existence. The transformation was complete, and with it, something new had appeared in her mind—knowledge, techniques, power she had never possessed before.

She blinked, her gaze sharp yet filled with wonder. "I see…" she murmured, her smile widening into one of pure satisfaction. "So, this is your cheat." Her voice carried a note of understanding and awe. "It allows you to deduce, refine, and transfer martial arts... and bestow them upon others."

Zeus, standing a few feet away, kept his expression neutral, watching her closely. "Yes," he replied with calm assurance, though his mind was racing. "No need to tell her this is only a fraction of what I can do," he reminded himself.