"and now. I need to obey you like a sve or what?" Ethan asked as he got up, he grabbed his sword and sighed.

  "No, we just can't hurt each other and I can be more persuasive to you, and I gain some benefits if you get stronger. Nothing you need to worry about." She patted Ethan's head before ughing and continuing.

  "I need to go, I used too much power to come for this pnet, bye bye." She blowed Ethan a kiss and disappeared.

  Ethan exhaled, gripping his newly strengthened body as the lingering sensation of Reyna’s presence faded into the air.

  The strange pull he felt toward her was still there, subtle but undeniable—like a whisper at the edge of his mind.

  And then, his vision was filled with a familiar blue glow.

  [Status]

  —

  Unique Ability: Fusion

  Patron Ability: Blood Infusion

  Level: 7

  Css: Blood Adaptive Marauder

  Titles: Not owned

  Rank: F

  Body Essence Rank: F++

  Mind Essence Rank: F+

  Vital Force: 1200/1200

  Blood Essence: 750/750

  Abilities: (…)

  —

  Ethan's jaw dropped.

  His Vital Force had more than doubled. His Body and Mind Essence had skyrocketed.

  Even without testing his strength, he could feel the difference. The slight strain in his muscles had vanished, his injuries had completely closed, and a warm energy pulsed through his veins—almost like a second heartbeat.

  ‘She was right… I’m way stronger now.’

  But at what cost?

  His fingers curled into a fist.

  A Patron ability.

  He had no idea what that truly meant. But something told him that this wasn’t just some ordinary skill.

  He forced a breath and turned to Lisa, who was stirring awake.

  Her face was pale, eyes flickering open with confusion before settling on Ethan.

  For a moment, she just stared at him.

  Then—

  Her gaze darkened.

  “You son of a bitch,” Lisa groaned, rubbing her head. “You let a crazy vampire dy kick my ass.”

  Ethan blinked. “I mean… yeah.”

  Lisa gred.

  Ethan grinned, extending a hand. “You alive?”

  She scoffed but took it, letting him pull her up.

  “Barely,” she muttered, dusting herself off. Her eyes then flicked to the bloodstained ground where Reyna had disappeared, her expression tensing.

  “Who was she?”

  Ethan hesitated.

  “Reyna,” he answered simply. “A… Crimson Ascendant.”

  Lisa stilled. “You mean a Vampire?”

  “Yeah.”

  “… And you’re not dead?”

  “Obviously.”

  Lisa narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharpening. “Ethan.”

  He sighed.

  “She made a Pact with me.”

  Lisa froze.

  Her hands curled into fists. “You what?”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his fingers lingering over the spot where Reyna’s fangs had pierced his skin.

  “She was too strong, Lisa.” He looked at her seriously. “If I refused, she could’ve killed us both.”

  Lisa’s lips pressed into a thin line.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Then—

  “Fine,” she exhaled. “Expin.”

  Ethan did.

  Everything.

  How Reyna drank his blood but somehow made him stronger. How he now had an ability called Blood Infusion. How she cimed she would benefit from him getting stronger.

  Lisa listened quietly, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

  When he finished, she let out a slow, measured breath.

  “… So, basically,” she muttered, “you’re her blood sugar daddy.”

  Ethan choked.

  Lisa shrugged. “She drinks your blood. You get stronger. She gets stronger. It’s like… a toxic, supernatural protein shake.”

  Ethan groaned. “Please never say that again.”

  Lisa smirked. “No promises.”

  Then her expression hardened.

  “But Ethan…” She met his eyes. “You realize what this means, right?”

  His jaw clenched.

  “Yeah.”

  Lisa didn’t say it out loud, but they both knew.

  He had just tied himself to a monster.

  And there was no way in hell that Reyna’s interest in him was purely benevolent.

  Lisa’s expression softened slightly.

  “… You’re really okay, though?”

  Ethan hesitated.

  He thought about Reyna’s fangs sinking into his neck. The way his blood had burned, the foreign power flooding his body.

  The lingering, unnatural pull he still felt toward her.

  “… I don’t know.”

  Lisa studied him for a long moment.

  Then, to his surprise.

  She punched his arm.

  Ethan winced. “The hell was that for?”

  Lisa huffed, crossing her arms. “You don’t get to mope, dumbass. You made a deal. Fine. Then you make sure you’re the one in control.”

  Her eyes fshed.

  “She made a Pact with you, not the other way around.”

  Ethan stared at her a slow grin spread across his face.

  “… Right.”

  Lisa smirked.

  “Now,” she exhaled, rolling her shoulders. “You got a crazy blood dy in your head, and we’re still in the middle of a nightmare world.” She shot him a look.

  “What’s the next move?”

  Ethan gnced around.

  The subway station they had been hiding in was crumbling, its walls cracked from the earlier fight. Staying here wasn’t an option.