Chapter 19 : If only

Chapter 19 : If only

After Scarlett's question, Alex remained silent for several minutes, a heavy silence that hung in the room. Scarlett began to notice something was amiss and decided to press further.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Speak up! How do you get points?"

Seeing that he was still silent, she continued, her voice growing impatient. "Don't tell me you can't get any points?"

Alex finally sighed and replied in a calm tone, "No, it's not that."

Scarlett, growing more curious by the second, pressed on, "Then what's the issue?"

With another sigh, Alex decided to reveal the truth, "To earn points, I need to have intimate relations with women."

Scarlett's eyes widened slightly, and she responded with a simple, "Oh."

Following Alex's unexpected revelation, Scarlett was momentarily stunned. Her eyes, however, quickly regained their sparkle, and she looked at Alex with fascination.

"Is that all? This artifact is truly mysterious," she exclaimed.

Alex, slightly taken aback by her nonchalant response, asked, "What do you mean, 'is that all'?"

Scarlett, maintaining her cool demeanor, replied, "What? Were you expecting me to tell you it's wrong to earn points by being with women?"

Alex, emphasizing the distinction, retorted, "It's not about being with 'women,' it's about being with 'a woman.'" He referred to the fact that he could potentially earn points by being with Lilia alone, even though he wasn't obligated to do so. However, given the number of points required to copy a power, being with just one woman would be too time-consuming for too little gain.

"Do you have any points? If so, how many?" Scarlett asked.

"I have ten points," Alex replied, hoping she wouldn't inquire further about how he earned them.

Fortunately, Scarlett didn't press the issue and moved on to her next question.

"Most importantly, have you ever used the artifact to increase one of your abilities? If so, what were the results?"

"I've never used it," Alex admitted.

"I see... So come with me," Scarlett said.

"Where to?" Alex asked.

"What do you mean, 'where'? Let's test what effect the artifact will have on you if you increase your abilities," Scarlett replied.

"Now?" Alex inquired.

"Yes, right now. Come on, follow me," Scarlett said, heading towards a room in the library.

'I hope that increasing my abilities won't hurt,' Alex prayed as he followed Scarlett.

Alas, If only he knew.