Chapter 139: Alice Delivered to the Door

The man was tall and robust, the woman alluringly seductive; a passionate and enchanting drama was about to unfold.

Yet, the two protagonists seemed rather unengaged, and the words they exchanged swiftly left one speechless.

“Oh my, that thing on you is so hard! It’s really hurting me...”

“Hmph, if you dare bite me, I’ll blast you away!”

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry... Besides, the taste of your blood is getting sweeter and sweeter. I just couldn’t resist for a moment!”

Mary knelt on Grim’s half-reclining, half-sitting form in a suggestive pose. Her ruby lips had just left his shoulder, while her hand pressed against her own small, sharp teeth—throbbing with pain. Meanwhile, atop Grim’s shoulder, a small fiery shield suddenly flared up, its flames just beginning to subside.

Grim’s two hands moved differently—one gently caressed Mary’s back, the other pressed on her abdomen, faintly glowing red. With a mere thought, the explosive fire element could send Mary flying.

“Grim, the scent on you is becoming more delicious. Just let me take a tiny sip! Just a little one...” Mary licked her lips, unable to stop teasing him further.

Unfortunately, Grim was long immune to such tricks.

“Hmph, sorry, I can’t indulge you. You female vampires are terrifying! I’m afraid that after enduring your soul-stealing kiss, I’ll fall from apprentice wizard back to novice by the time I get off the bed! And at a time like this, you’re still causing trouble!”

“But I just can’t help it!”

“Uh... you vampires really have a deeply ingrained habit of biting when excited.”

“Enough with the nonsense. While there’s still some time, I need to boost my power too!” As she spoke, a pair of muscular, leathery bat wings suddenly unfurled from Mary’s back. With a gentle flap, she lightly took off, flying backward within the cramped space of the dwelling.

Flashing a coquettish smile at Grim, Mary turned and left.

Seeing Mary disappear, Grim finally exhaled softly.

He had no choice. Mary’s seductive power was growing ever stronger, and she was increasingly adept at using her charm talents. Though Grim was confident she wouldn’t harm him, the vampire’s habit of biting uncontrollably when aroused made his skin crawl.

Despite both being apprentice wizards, if Mary ever broke through his external flame protection, her sharp fangs would instantly release a terrifying hallucinogenic agent upon contact with his blood. Even Grim, a quasi-wizard, was not immune to this, so those with weaker bodies were often drained lifeless before they could resist.

And Grim himself wasn’t sure he could endure a soul-stirring kiss from a quasi-wizard level female vampire!

Though their recent playful tussle was lighthearted, Grim had already sent a message through their mental link. Mary might be hot-tempered, but when it came to matters of life and death, she was cautious. Her usual irritability stemmed from her belief that sharp teeth and claws could solve everything, so she rarely bothered with schemes or tricks.

But facing a wizard, her deep knowledge and life experience accumulated during her apprenticeship naturally guided her actions. This was a survival skill every wizard apprentice had to master!

When fists and fireballs could solve all problems, violence was the simplest solution. When they couldn’t, the clever mind of an apprentice was not to be underestimated!

Grim stepped down from the bed and slowly walked to the hall. After a brief incantation, a smooth water mirror was summoned. Standing before the mirror, he slowly turned several times, carefully examining his body.

After enduring the trials of the underground lava sea, his body had changed greatly from before. Draped in a simple robe, his tall and muscular frame displayed perfectly sculpted muscle lines with every slight movement. His dark red skin and hair, even the edges of his black pupils, were tinged with faint crimson speckles.

Beneath his solid muscles flowed an abundant physical power. By his standards, he could now rival an ironclad rhinoceros in strength. His physique and toughness were enough to resist piercing by small sharp weapons. Coupled with the high resistance granted by his fiery body and personal protection, he could now walk naked through the magical swamp with only a handful of monstrous creatures capable of harming him.

Of course, this was also due to the generally low rank of creatures in the magical swamp!

Though only seventeen, his towering two-meter-tall, well-built physique and glossy skin made it hard to believe he was still a minor. His toned muscles and dark red hue lent him an impressively sinister charm.

As Grim admired his near-perfect physique with sincere pride, a disruptive, playful laugh sounded nearby.

“Oh? Didn’t expect you to have this hobby! You’re turning into such a narcissist!”

It was Mary!

Grim rolled his eyes. The only person who could freely enter his dwelling without knocking was this ever-unannounced Mary! Agile and light on her feet, she often approached undetected even by his chip’s sensors.

Embarrassed, Grim dismissed the water mirror. With a slight shake of his arms, his scattered magical equipment flew up and quickly armed him.

“You were going to practice, weren’t you? Why are you back so soon?” Grim asked irritably.

Having just endured a painful ordeal in recent days, he had planned to give himself half a day off to savor the joy and happiness of his newfound strength.

“Hmph, you think I enjoy watching you twist around in front of a mirror? An old friend has arrived, so I came to inform you!”

“An old friend?”

“The one you’ve beaten twice—Alice. She’s waiting at the gate of the Swamp Tower, explicitly asking for you!”

Grim sucked in a cold breath. Just when life seemed beautiful, his headache returned.

***

At the gate of the Swamp Tower.

Dressed in a princess gown and petite in stature, Alice stood expressionless as if a larger-than-life doll. Though she showed no emotion, a heavy, oppressive pressure emanated from her slender frame, causing two senior apprentices present to furrow their brows deeply.

At her feet, Tony, a novice apprentice once quite “acquainted” with Grim, lay in agony, his arms twisted like a wrung cloth. It seemed without comprehensive treatment, recovery would be unlikely.

The fierce woman and sharp-eyed Crusader stood before Alice, yet neither showed any intention to strike. They sensed a quasi-wizard level mental fluctuation radiating from this “tiny and cute” Alice.

This was the kind of mental fluctuation they hated most!

Because within just half a year, they had repeatedly reviewed it three or four times.

Damn it, have quasi-wizards become so common nowadays? One after another, they keep emerging!

To be honest, the fierce woman and the sharp-eyed Crusader had no objection to outsiders becoming quasi-wizards. But familiar people around them suddenly reaching that level while they themselves struggled to make breakthroughs was what fueled their bitter envy!

As they barely held off Alice’s violent psychic assault, footsteps echoed from the tower behind. Grim and Mary emerged side by side.

Alice’s overwhelming psychic pressure abruptly retracted, her piercing gaze icy as it landed on Grim. The fiercely oppressed fierce woman and Crusader felt their burdens lift and hastily stepped back, clearing the way. Though seething with hatred, they couldn’t help but breathe easier at the sight of these two quasi-wizards.

The mental fluctuations between Alice and Grim brushed briefly in the void before withdrawing simultaneously.

She had become a quasi-wizard!

He had also advanced to quasi-wizard!

A complex shock stirred in their hearts.

Compared to before, both had undergone tremendous changes in appearance and personal aura, but mental fluctuations could not be faked. Just a slight contact revealed each other’s transformation. Still, the divide between the changed and unchanged remained stark and infuriating!

“Are you here to fight me again, or to fulfill your promise?” Grim crossed his arms, stroking his smooth chin thoughtfully. With his improved strength came growing confidence—and a significant boost to his personal charm.

“I came here, of course, to...” Alice’s once-mighty aura faltered slightly facing Grim, whose strength rivaled her own. “Last time was just an accident. This time, if you defeat me, I will truly accept it!”

“Are you sure this will be the last time? You won’t come back for a fourth or fifth time...” Grim leaned forward slightly, his presence more imposing.

“Stop... don’t talk nonsense! You only defeated me once... The first time was that bastard female vampire ambushing me—it doesn’t count...” Though her aura weakened, Alice clenched her fists, defending her honor. “And... after defeating you this time, I won’t kill you... I’ll spare you once, giving you a chance to take revenge in the future...”

She sneered haughtily at Grim again.

“You seemed to have already lost to me last time. Why would I bet myself again with my own items?” Grim smiled slyly, wearing the strange expression of a mischievous uncle teasing a little girl.

“Hmph, I knew you’d say that!” Alice scoffed dismissively, producing a magical scroll pulsing with powerful energy from thin air. “Last time you caused chaos in the territory of the Jubel family, nearly destroying all their resource points. If it weren’t for Grandma Endozu shielding you from disaster, do you think you could have escaped their revenge? Their second-rank wizards almost came to strangle you. Do you think they’re fools, unable to uncover your subterranean misdeeds?”

Grim’s expression stiffened slightly.

Indeed, his actions back then had been reckless—focused only on strengthening himself without considering the consequences. Digging up ancestral graves was definitely over the line!

“So what do you want?” Grim’s tone softened somewhat.

“As long as you agree to fight me again, we in the Northern Witch Division will cover for your misdeeds. Sign this magical scroll, and our oath will guarantee fulfillment!”

“Just for that? You’re eager to defeat me and escape your past vows? Are you from the Fate Witches faction?” Grim’s chip-assisted knowledge of the continent’s major powers gave him insight into Alice’s urgency.

“This isn’t your concern! I only ask if you’ll sign. Sign the contract, we duel again. If you win, I remain your slave, and we shoulder your troubles. If you lose, we still bear your burdens, but our previous oath is void. I won’t kill you either—giving you a chance to seek revenge later. So, will you sign?”

“Yes! Of course I will! Get ready to lose completely!” Grim laughed heartily.

As his words fell, the magical scroll suddenly ignited fiercely.