Brandon is sitting on top of a car wreckage, looking at his palm as the ether surged above his palm, rotating in circles.

    His gaze narrowed slightly as he tried to condense the ether in his palm, but in the next instant, it dispersed.

    He flexed his fingers and looked down at his palm, still glowing faintly with residual ether.

    Beside him, Naevora sat casually on the torn frame of the car''s roof, one leg folded over the other.

    Her jacket fluttered lightly in the breeze, and her eyes were half-lidded, watching him.

    She had been quiet this entire time, simply letting him try again and again, offering no words that might shake his concentration.

    With a soft sigh, she patted his head, ruffling his hair "You can''t do everything in one day. Continue to learn it and you will get there."

    "This technique takes months even for natural talents. I didn''t learn it overnight either."

    Brandon smiled dryly "Hmm..."

    He isn''t discouraged, but he was definitely feeling the weight of the technique''s difficulty.

    She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer as she gave him a light squeeze like a teasing older sister "Now, now~ don''t get discouraged just from this. There is still a lot to learn."

    With a teasing smile, she asked "How about this? I will let you sleep on my lap if you can master this technique. if there is a reward at the end, you will surely feel motivated."

    He gave her an unamused look "I am already doing it. So it doesn''t feel like a reward."

    -_- Upon hearing this, she looked at him flatly "...Well, that''s true. What kind of reward will motivate you?"

    Her gaze condensed as she thought about it ''His Sister Charlotte is richer than me. So anything of monetary value won''t feel like a reward to him. What else can I give for this brat...''

    She suddenly remembered the incident from the party ''He talked about seeing my tits..''

    Looking at his face, she spoke "How about this, Brandon. I will wear a sexy dress like Florence wore to the party, just for you."

    Huh? Brandon was amused to hear this and Naevora blinked in surprise as this really got his attention.

    ''Bingo.''

    He leaned slightly toward her, looking at her suspiciously "The same dress?"

    Naevora nodded her head "Yeah, the same dress. The same style. Elegant, backless, high slit… everything."

    Brandon narrowed his gaze slightly "With half of your tits out?"

    -_-

    There was a silence.

    Naevora was dumbfounded and her confident smile faltered for a moment.

    But then she slowly nodded "... Y-Yeah, with half of my tits out."

    His eyes narrowed further looking at her.

    She looked away and her cheek flushed a slight red with embarrassment.

    She tried to cover it with a cough and looked back at him as she forced herself to be nonchalant "W-Well, don''t act like you wouldn''t enjoy it. You''re the one who brought it up that night, remember?"

    Brandon couldn''t help but chuckle "I was just joking back then. Didn''t think you''d actually offer that."

    Naevora huffed under her breath "So now you better take this training seriously. You want to see me in that dress, right? Then earn it."

    Brandon tilted his head, as if considering it "You''re not going to back out?"

    "I don''t back out on my words," she said, crossing her arms with pride.

    "If you manage to master this technique, I''ll dress up just like Florence. Hell, I''ll even strike a pose if you want."

    Brandon laughed softly "Now that sounds like a deal."

    He looked down at his hand again, where the ether was already starting to pulse softly Well... Can''t wait to see your tits, I guess."

    (┳◇┳) Naevora blinked "Y-Yeah..."

    Maybe I blurted out and fell into a trap?

    She watched him in silence for a few moments before muttering softly, "If this is what it takes to make you work harder, I might have to rethink my teaching methods…"

    Then, more quietly, with a fond little sigh, "You''re so annoying…"

    ---

    *THOOM*

    The impact shook the ground, rattling dust and loose debris from the ruins around them.

    Standing below a broken lamppost, Brandon looked at Yverine smashing the A rank aberrants easily.

    With a thoughtful tone, he muttered "She is really powerful. Even though she is a B rank, she is taking on A rank aberrants."

    naevora shrugged casually "It''s not a big deal. These are low-tier A ranks... If she wants to beat middle tier ones, she needs to use her skill."

    Brandon watched Yverine vault from the roof of a crumbling car, flip midair, and slam her floot down on the spine of a roaring beast. Sёar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The shockwave knocked back two others, and she spun without pause, kicking one square in the face and knocking it into a wall.

    He couldn''t help but whistle under his breath "That''s still a lot of strength, even without skill."

    Naevora nodded her head "True, if she wants to beat one high-ranking A rank, she needs to go all out."

    He was amused to hear this and Neavora continued "That girl in the party, Clarisse was her name?"

    Brandon looked at her and nodded "Yeah, the Student council president of the Academy."

    With a nod, Naevora replied "Yep, her. She is the strongest student in the Academy and she is training directly under an Empyrean."

    "Even though she is an A rank, she can take on some S rank aberrants..."

    "Maybe not the elite ones, but the fact she can survive a battle like that at her age is insane."

    But then a smile appeared on her face "But no one can match the achievements done by Elizabeth Fleurdys."

    Brandon''s gaze quivered and he spoke "Tell me more about it."

    With a nod, Naevora spoke "You know about dungeons and towers, right? How they''re scattered all over the world. Most are dangerous… but there are a few that are beyond human comprehension. The ''Skybound Citadel'' was one of them."

    "It was a Tower that reached above the clouds, said to twist time and space inside. Entire strike teams of SS-rank awakeners failed to clear it and some Empyreans couldn''t clear it. But Miss Elizabeth cleared it in one night..."

    Huh? Brandon was stunned "In one night?"

    Naevora nodded, her hair brushing against her cheeks as a breeze passed. "No one knows what she saw inside. No one knows how she did it."

    "But she walked in before sunset… and by sunrise, the entire tower began to collapse..."

    "Also during her prime, there was a large outbreak of Aberrants from towers, which we call the fourth war."

    "During that time, she contributed a lot, saving many people."

    "She was always there. Leading rescue missions into overrun zones. Fighting off high-tier S-rank aberrants like they were animals."

    "She was like a legend back then and many people were looking up to her."

    "But later, she was accused of treason against the government for killing the world leader at that time."

    "The public was stunned. Half refused to believe it. The other half turned on her overnight, saying she went rogue and is arrogant with her power, using it for personal reasons.."

    "She then broke her ether core and was stripped of her title."

    Brandon lowered his gaze and guilt settled in his heart again "I see..."

    Naevora glanced at him and must''ve sensed the heaviness in his silence.

    She raised her hand and patted his head "But with the way you are improving. I am sure you will surpass her one day..."

    Feeling her hand, he nodded his head "Hahaha, sure."

    She let out a chuckle and murmured "Also after this, we can go eat something. I know a good Japanese restaurant here."

    "Alright."

    ---

    "Haa…"

    A weary sigh slipped from Brandon''s lips as he pushed open the door to his hotel room.

    He shut the door behind him and stood there for a moment, as his eyes slowly swept across the space.

    He stretched his arms out with a faint grunt, his body still sore from the dungeon stuff earlier in the day.

    Rubbing the back of his neck, he walked toward the bathroom.

    Without even bothering to switch on the room lights, he pushed the bathroom door open.

    He turned the faucet on and splashed cold water over his face, watching the droplets fall into the sink.

    Then, he stepped into the shower.

    ---

    Some time later, dressed in a clean black T-shirt and casual pants, Brandon stood before the mirror, adjusting his collar and straightening the edges.

    Satisfied, he grabbed his phone from the desk and slipped it into his pocket before heading toward the door.

    The hotel floor was quiet at this hour, except for the distant hum of an elevator and the muffled sound of a TV from somewhere beyond.

    Stepping in front of the nearby room, Brandon raised his hand and knocked softly.

    "Naevora."

    "The door is open."

    He pressed the handle and stepped inside.

    Naevora stood by the dresser, slightly bent over as she tugged at the strap of her boots.

    She wore a casual black jacket over a dark crop top that ended just above her waist, paired with loose pants.

    Her long black hair was tied loosely behind her back, a few strands swaying as she moved.

    She glanced up at him without straightening. "Wait a minute. I''m ready."

    Brandon leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he watched her pull the final strap on her boots.

    She walked to him with a smile "Come on, let''s go have dinner."