Chapter 63: Results
"Agh...!"
"Fucking exam... so damned difficult."
"Right? I almost died to those giant spiders. I begged our dear God Elohim not to let them appear in front of me, but of course they did!"
Complaints echoed around the hall as the students silently reappeared, their exhausted faces showing the struggle they had just gone through.
The cracked floor of the training hall glowed faintly before fading back to normal.
Flick...
Gray flicked the stub of his cigarette onto the ground and pressed it flat under his shoe.
’...Now, what can I do about this?’
His eyes lowered to his hand, flexing his fingers slightly. His muscles felt different, stiff, almost like they weren’t responding the way they used to.
’The other soul probably inherited most of my rage. So his goal for now should be destroying the D’Aurélion Family...’
He tapped his foot quietly against the stone floor.
’He wants to make them drown in despair. To do that, he started with Maelis, creating a fake persona to make her fall in love with him. A cruel move... but also a smart one.’
Gray’s lips curved faintly as he nodded to himself.
’And he has Jasmine’s help... that unknown Goddess. Hm. If she’s really close to the age of the Primordials, or worse, one of them, that makes her really dangerous.’ His eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint flashing within them.
For him, Jasmine’s actions were a little suspicious... but he forced the thought away for now.
’...And finally, this body.’
His brow furrowed as his mind drifted back to some old memories.
When he was younger, Alina used to drag him to the manor’s old library. Shelves of dusty tomes, scrolls, and forgotten records.
Most of them were complete nonsense, but one book... one theory had stayed with him.
It claimed that a person could possess not just one, but two dantian, one physical, one spiritual, both capable of gathering mana.
Back then, Gray had laughed it off, thinking it would be completely impossible for someone to possess two dantians.
But now...
’...It might be true.’
His body held two different cultivations, two different pools of mana, each feeding skills the other shouldn’t even have.
The only explanation was the existence of two dantian.
’And if the book was right... Then fusing them into one could create a supreme dantian. A dantian with no limits. A place that could store infinite mana.’
The idea made his chest tighten.
’If the other me takes the body again, he’ll realize I’m here. At that point, maybe I should tell him to wait... wait until he at least reaches the peak of the Advanced Stage before risking fusion.’
His thoughts paused, darkened.
’But... if he does it, what happens to me? What happens to my soul?’ He frowned... but pushed it aside.
’But for now... should I help him a little?’ Gray added.
His gaze swept across the hall until it remained on a familiar figure.
Selene.
Her cyan hair was matted, her pale skin lined with cuts and bruises. Her body swayed faintly, like it could collapse at any moment.
Gray’s lips curved again, though colder this time.
The other Gray had to rely on his [Beauty] authority and the body’s memories, but this Gray... who HAD actually been a playboy for over two years, knew exactly how to act and how to make a girl fall even harder.
Step...
His boots tapped softly against the ground as he began walking toward her.
"...Fuck... dammit," Selene muttered through clenched teeth, one hand pressed to her bleeding side.
Her whole body trembled, strands of cyan hair sticking to her damp cheeks.
Gray’s smile sharpened faintly when he heard her voice.
She looked miserable, exhausted, broken down to the bone. Her team was gone, her boyfriend nowhere in sight.
When he got closer to her, she didn’t even notice his presence, so Gray crouched down a little as he reached her, lowering himself so his eyes met hers.
"You look worse than I thought," he said ’kindly’.
Selene flinched at the familiar voice.
"...Why... why are you here?" Her eyes widened briefly before darting away.
Gray tilted his head slighly.
"Why wouldn’t I be? We’re still friends... aren’t we?"
"...W-we..." Her jaw tightened, her eyes twitching as she tried to avoid him. The guilt on her face was so clear it almost made him laugh.
His smile deepened.
Without warning, he caught her wrist and pulled.
"Ah—!" she gasped, stumbling forward. Her foot slipped off the ground, her body tipping... and then she froze.
"...Huh?"
Her eyes widened as she realized she was no longer standing, and instead, she was in Gray’s arms...
Cradled in a princess carry.
Heat rushed to her cheeks instantly.
"W-w-what are you doing?!" she stammered, her face burning as she squirmed against his hold.
But Gray increased the strength of his grip, not letting her get away from him.
"You’re injured," Gray replied calmly, smiling faintly while looking at her.
"So I’ll take you to the infirmary."
Hearing his words, Selene’s blush deepened as she half-buried her head onto his strong chest.
She was so close that she could practically inhale his scent... which, she did.
"...I’m sorry," she muttered suddenly, almost too low to hear.
"Sorry? For what exactly?" Gray raised an eyebrow.
Selene’s lips pressed tight.
She refused to look at him, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the floor tiles rushing past beneath them.
"...It’s just..." Her voice broke faintly.
"...I have a boyfriend, and... and I still..." Her words trailed into a whisper, her blush deepening until even her ears burned.
Gray leaned closer, tilting his head so his breath brushed her hair.
"Still what?"
Selene’s fingers curled weakly against his shirt, her heart hammering as she muttered the rest.
"...I still slept with you..."
"Mmm. And you regret it?" Gray chuckled before adding casually.
Her throat bobbed, but she didn’t answer. She only bit her lip harder, eyes darting away.
Gray took the opportunity to tilt her chin up gently with one finger, forcing her to meet his gaze.
His smile softened into something maddeningly warm.
"Don’t look so guilty, Selene. You wouldn’t blush this much if you really hated it."
Her eyes widened, a soft gasp leaving her lips. She quickly turned her face away, but the flush on her cheeks betrayed her completely.
And just at that moment... they finally arrived at the infirmary.
BAAM!
Being the lazy guy he was, Gray kicked the door open, and strangely, there was no one present.
He approached one of the infirmary’s beds before lowering Selene gently onto one of them.
"There," Gray murmured, brushing off his hands as though nothing unusual had happened.
"Now that I’ve brought you here, I’ll go back."
He turned slightly, already stepping away.
"W-wait!" Selene’s voice trembled as she reached out, her hand grabbing hold of his sleeve.
Her grip was weak, but desperate.
"...P-please... stay with me..." Her head tilted down, unable to face him.
Those words made Gray’s lips curve into a faint smile.
"...If you say so," he said softly, suddenly leaning closer, causing his shadow to fall over her, "But don’t blame me if I can’t hold myself back..."
Her breath hitched when his hand tilted her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"Those lips of yours..." Gray whispered, his gaze blatantly gazing down at them. "They’re simply too enticing for me to resist."
His thumb brushed slowly across her bottom lip, the faintest pressure that made her tremble.
Her lips parted slightly under his touch, her blush deepening to crimson.
"Gray..." she muttered faintly, her voice breaking, but she didn’t pull away.
Instead, her fingers tightened around his sleeve, holding him in place.
"I... I have a b-boyfriend..." she suddenly stammered, voice barely above a whisper.
Gray’s smile didn’t falter.
His hand slid down from her waist, brushing over her hip before resting against the smooth curve of her thigh.
"And...?" he murmured, his breath brushing against her cheek. "You slept with me before, didn’t you?"
Selene swallowed hard, her throat tightening.
"T-that... that was because of the alcohol!" Her gaze darted away, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
"So?" Gray tilted his head slightly.
"Didn’t you like it?"
Her lips trembled at those exact words.
A deep blush rushed across her face as she remembered that night... his warmth, the way her body had melted against him that night.
She remembered the haze of alcohol, yes... but also the way her heart had raced, the pleasure that still burned when she thought of it.
"I-I..."
But before she could finish, Gray leaned in, closing the distance.
Smooch~♡
His lips pressed firmly against hers, silencing every thought. Her eyes widened, shimmering with shock, before slowly closing as the fight left her body.
Her arms, hesitant at first, lifted shakily and curled around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
At the same time, Gray’s eyes opened slighly.
’...Mhm, she’s still a little thoughtful about her boyfriend,’ he thought, looking at her nervous yet happy expression.
’...Should I kill him?’
He had initially thought about that, but if he did, he couldn’t use her guilt to his advantage.
But... just as the other Gray had thought, maybe it would be better to simply reset their relationship, although it would be a little difficult...
After all, he had taken her virginity.
Pop!~
"G-Gray..." Selene muttered hazily, her eyes fluttering lightly, as she gazed deeply into his black pools.
"I... w-want you..."
’...Oh?’
Gray was surprised by her words.
He didn’t expect Selene to utter those words, and that’s when he remembered that she was half-mermaid, and mermaids usually have a really high sex drive, meaning that Selene could potentially also have a high one.
’...Just great,’ his lips curled up.
And suddenly, he pushed Selene slighly.
"Gray...?" She looked like a lost puppy as she gazed into his eyes.
"Not today, I’m a little busy," he remarked casually before turning away towards the door.
"I’ll see you later~"
He waved his hand, and behind him, Selene’s eyes widened as she saw him leaving so casually.
"G-gray, wait!" she called out, but he didn’t reply.
Gray... had simply left her alone.
"...Why?"