SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100

The sting lingered long after his hand withdrew, her pride smoldering along with the heat in her skin—I can't believe he just did that… The echo of the slap still rang faintly in her ears, and her skin tingled beneath the faint brush of cool air.

Leon, seeing the look on her face, couldn't understand what was happening. Having so many cores to absorb—who wouldn't want that?

"Seraphine, why are you making such a face? Do you not want to absorb all the cores, or are you still upset about what happened?"

Yep, my Leon's a monster. He doesn't even know the struggles of a normal Awakener.

It seemed she had to be the one to make His Highness aware of the common reality of average Awakeners.

Her voice sharpened, each word cutting through the charged silence as she fixed him with a glare that shimmered with unspoken frustration.

"Do you really not know that normal Awakeners can never absorb cores like you do with your monstrous talent?"

Leon's ears perked up—thump—this was the first time he'd heard something like that.

Seraphine didn't stop and continued with the same intensity.

"...If I tried to absorb cores of different elements, more than 90% of the mana inside would be wasted." She flexed her fingers absently, recalling the numbing ache that always followed a failed attempt. crack

"So for me, only lightning-type mana cores would have a decent effect, as the other cores would just be a waste of precious resources."

"Do you understand now why I reacted that way? You offered me all the cores assuming I could absorb them like a monster—like you—who has affinity for all the elements."

Hmph!

"If I tried to absorb cores of different elements, more than 90% of the mana inside would be wasted. But if I focused hard enough and gave hours to absorb a single core, the most I could retain is 80%—if I'm lucky, maybe 75%. No more than that."

"It's better if you just absorb them all and leave only the lightning-affinity ones for me, and—"

Her voice became a murmur as she continued.

mumble mumble

She toyed with a loose strand of hair, fingers tightening with each muttered threat. twist.

Leon heard her mumbles clearly and knew she wasn't going to give up on getting back at him. Still, it didn't matter to him. He would welcome her with open arms and let her try whatever she wanted.

He could already imagine the next spanking—one of humiliation and pleasure—coming. And this time, he'd have much more time on his hands. He was going to enjoy it thoroughly—not like the baby trial he had done with her earlier.

A slow, predatory grin spread across his lips, his eyes glinting with anticipation. Seraphine felt a prickle race down her spine, goosebumps rising on her arms as she instinctively crossed them over her chest.

She knew he was planning something devious for her, but next time she would make her move at the right time so he'd have no chance to retaliate.

Then she'd be the one who had the last laugh.

Leon moved on to the next step. Mana surged inside his body and mixed with the very air, naturally lifting all the cores present inside the remaining seven chests. whirr

With his Rank 7 affinity with lightning, he easily separated the cores with lightning mana and put them into a chest.

It barely filled a chest—not completely, but 90% of it was filled.

Now, after separating the cores for Seraphine, he focused on the hundreds of mana cores of different colors, which reminded him of paint splashed on a black canvas—their presence in this filthy cage was rare in itself.

The mana moved with intensity, making the air vibrate with a low, humming buzz bzzzzz as the cores trembled. Burning energy poured into his limbs, muscles tightening until they ached, his breath coming faster with every pulse. huff huff

He was being filled with energy, and after three minutes of complete focus, the absorption of the cores finally ended.

A golden shimmering screen flickered into existence before his eyes, a faint chime ding ringing in his ears as the light danced across his vision.

[You have leveled up]

It was only one—just as he had expected.

These mana cores were clearly not enough now. He had barely leveled up once more. He would need cores from stronger monsters if he ever hoped to reach level 10 like Seraphine.

It won't be long. I'll be able to face monsters much, much stronger than anything I've encountered before.

Once he was done with this kingdom, and looted every other kingdom besides—while at the same time finding new laborers and talent for his world—he would leave for the Forbidden Mist right afterward.

Seraphine's low voice sounded again.

"How many?"

She was sure this would've at least made him level 10 by now. The amount he had just absorbed was at least four to five times more than the first batch. He only needed three levels to reach 10, so this should have been enough.

"One, just like before."

This time, even she felt it was too much. The amount of mana cores he had absorbed just now could have made a person reach Journeyman rank—she was sure of it.

Yet it only increased two levels for him.

Now, even she felt like having such a high-ranked class wasn't as advantageous as it seemed.

And this was only at the Apprentice rank. What about later stages in the future? The disparity would be even greater.

Still, she believed these things wouldn't stop her from seeing Leon.

Leon, now with just a thought—whoosh—stored all the empty chests inside his inventory, including the chests that were filled with platinum bars.

He only left two of the massive golden chests, which had platinum in them.

"You do know what you have to do while I'm gone, my lovely wife."

Hearing him call her lovely wife, her resolve wavered a bit.

Heat flushed beneath her cheeks. She hated how easily a single word from him could make her resolve waver.

"Don't try to act so sweet now. I'll get back to you. And you don't have to tell me twice—I'll make all the arrangements for the supplies before leaving for the Middle Domain. You'll have everything!"

Seeing her confidence, He didn't say anything and only leaned in, their lips meeting in a rush of warmth—soft, yielding, and electrified by the taste of her breath mingling with his. The faint trace of her perfume lingered between them, grounding him even as the portal's energy began to crackle crackle at his back.

After their lips parted, the silver portal was already ready to be entered.

Her lips tingled, still charged with the lingering static of his touch.

He stepped forward without looking back. His chest tightened as he stepped into the portal. whoom

The rocky ground crunched crunch beneath his boots, a sharp wind slicing across his face and carrying the scent of distant faith. The sudden cold pressed against his skin, snapping him into focus as his expression hardened.

This is going to be a much bigger problem than I had imagined.