CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: IMPROVE TALENT!

Near the pool surrounded by the six Pillars of Desire, Elise was staring straight at Ethan, her eyes full of deep allure.

Her eyes had turned a gripping shade of red, and her hair looked like burning flames, hard to miss.

She wasn’t wearing anything. Moving her long, smooth legs, she slowly walked toward Ethan.

As she moved, he could faintly see black hair between her legs, with clear drops of liquid falling to the floor.

Ethan slowly looked away and kept watching the Pillars of Desire around them.

"Mm... mm... I feel so uncomfortable. I feel awful right now. Can you help me?"

Elise’s voice sounded softly in Ethan’s ear, with a breathy tone that made people restless.

But Ethan lowered his head to look at the whip in his hand, thinking.

Elise had said he could use this whip to break the anomalies on the Pillars of Desire.

But she hadn’t said whether he could use the whip on her if she became abnormal.

Ethan thought for a moment and decided not to act rashly.

The threads Elise had left earlier were still there, cutting her off from the outside.

Even if he wanted to use the whip on her, he probably couldn’t get past those threads that formed the semi-transparent red veil.

All he could do was try his best not to listen to what Elise was saying.

Ethan hadn’t expected Elise to act so out of line. When she saw he was ignoring her, she faced him, spread her legs, and started moaning.

Helpless, Ethan turned his body away. All he was thinking about was which item to pick after he finished Elise’s job.

Right then, the Pillars of Desire around him all changed at once!

This time the anomaly wasn’t a person. Thin red wisps of smoke drifted out of the pillars.

They gathered together, shifting shape again and again, and finally settled into a pale red viper.

Ethan was just about to swing his whip when the snake suddenly opened its huge mouth, showing its fangs. An invisible gas burst out from them.

The gas shot straight at Ethan, so fast he didn’t have time to react.

As soon as it touched him, his body grew even hotter, and his eyes lost their calm.

His face flushed, and his exposed skin started to bleed, dripping onto the floor.

At the same time, his senses felt blown wide open. He could hear his own heartbeat like a giant hammer pounding a huge drum—deafening.

And through that thunderous heartbeat, one sound was crystal clear: Elise’s moans.

Ethan slowly closed his eyes. He was badly affected and had to think about something else to break free.

Flowers, cake, warm music, kids playing, adults laughing—a very gentle voice saying, "Happy birthday, Ethan..."

Flames, corpses, sudden explosions, children wailing, adults begging—a harsh, ghost-like voice saying:

"Stay alive. Stay alive. You must stay alive!"

"Then get stronger. Take revenge!"

"Revenge!"

Ethan snapped his eyes open. His gaze was icy, sharp as the finest blade, locked on the pale red viper.

The next moment, he tightened his grip on the whip and struck at the snake.

Even though blood kept seeping from his skin.

Even though every muscle in his body ached for intimacy.

Even though he felt like his organs were melting.

Ethan’s long whip kept lashing the pale red viper again and again.

He didn’t stop until the viper fell to the ground and lay still.

Only then did Ethan pull back a step, panting hard.

Elise’s voice grew calm again. She said to Ethan, "It’s over. It’s all over."

Ethan looked back and saw Elise, still naked, slowly pulling the silk threads apart with her hands. Her face was calm, and her hair and eyes had returned to their normal color.

Seeing his gaze, Elise paused and said softly:

"It’s all over. Thank you. Can you come help me?"

Ethan walked toward her. As he came close, Elise spoke again:

"Good thing you were here..."

Noticing his eyes roaming over her, Elise gave a tempting smile and whispered:

"If you like, you can touch me. Even more intimate things are fine."

When she finished, Ethan nodded, glanced down, and said:

"No hands—using other parts should be okay too, right?"

Elise’s eyes went to a spot on Ethan’s thigh. She licked her lips and said, "Of course. If you want."

Ethan nodded. Under her expectant gaze, he suddenly kicked her and sent her into the pool.

Ethan said in a flat voice, "I want Purple-quality items. Give them to me when you’re clear-headed."

No one was going to make him fail this mission. He would finish Elise’s request.

The three Blue-quality items were crucial for his fight tomorrow.

So even if a woman more seductive and desirable than Elise showed up, he would still kick her away without a second thought.

From the pool, Elise shouted in anger:

"Why? Why! You were full of desire, wrapped in lust—how can you still refuse me?"

Ethan glanced at her and replied calmly:

"If you give me a Purple-quality weapon, item, gear, or something even higher, I won’t refuse."

Elise froze, mouth open, not knowing what to say. In that state, this human was thinking about high-grade weapons, gear, and items?

A moment later, her body began to tremble.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Ethan looking at her. She instinctively crossed her arms to cover herself.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief and said calmly, "Clear your head. What I just went through was even harder than what you said."

"Three Blue-quality items aren’t enough!"

With that, Ethan stepped down from the platform and found a place to rest.

Elise didn’t answer. She was trying to remember what had happened.

She had thought that even if the talent metamorphosis affected her, she would still recall everything once it was over.

Why couldn’t she remember anything?

As she kept thinking, a memory flickered: right before she blacked out, she seemed to feel a pale red viper staring straight at her.

Elise took a deep breath. The Serpent of Desire!

No wonder she blacked out.

She put on her clothes, stepped out of the pool, stood on the platform, looked at Ethan, and asked slowly:

"Did you see a pale red viper?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. The gas it spat almost made me lose my cool and my mind."

Elise’s expression grew complicated. "Now I believe you when you said you completed the [Berserk Blood War God] class change."

"You’re not an ordinary person."

Ethan realized she must know something about the snake and quickly asked, "You know that pale red viper?"

Elise nodded. She said there are many things Ethan isn’t ready to know yet, but that pale red viper is the legendary Serpent of Desire in the Dawn World—Hristelis·Lilith.

No one knows when Hristelis Lilith first appeared in this world.

But rumor has it she once used her powers and poison to lure gods into endless corruption.

Elise said slowly, "What you met wasn’t her true body, but a trace of her energy. Even so, staying clear-headed when facing her is unbelievable."

"I’ll think carefully about what to give you as a reward. But for now, as we agreed, it’s time to improve your talent."

Hearing this, Ethan stood up at once, walked to her side, and asked, "What do I do?"

Elise turned to the pool she’d been in and said:

"My talent metamorphosis was even harder than I expected. But because of that, you’ll be able to improve your talent even more soon."

"Just get into the pool, keep your mind calm, and feel the changes in your body."

Without hesitation, Ethan took off his gear and clothes, leaving only a pair of gray-quality cotton briefs.

He stepped into the pool.

There was still a faint, sweet scent in the air—it was Elise’s.

Ethan did as she said and waited for a while. Aside from an unusually comfortable feeling, nothing seemed to change.

He opened his watch without thinking to check, and his pupils tightened a little.

His Blue-quality talent [Pain Resistance] hadn’t gone up in grade, but it had changed!