Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

One strike pierced through the monster and also through Rhodes' house!

boom! ! !

When the energy burst forth, dust and sand rose up, and the door of the house collapsed instantly!

Everything turned to ashes, except for the endless energy beams that continued to fire their afterglow, erasing everything in their path.

Then, the shine gradually faded, and everything returned to normal.

but--

When the dust settled, the Abyss Troll was nowhere to be found, as if it had never been there.

Rhodes paused slightly, his Dragon Sword still poised to meet the attack, as he watched the Abyss Troll be annihilated by Lilith in a single blow…

He regained his composure and returned to his original posture, but he was also somewhat conflicted inside.

So, as I said... if Lilith, who has been promoted four times, really wanted to cling to him, he would have no chance to break free.

It's strange, really. Even though Lilith saved him, he felt more helpless than grateful.

After all, he absolutely did not want to owe Lilith a favor...

Rhodes felt helpless, but he still managed to come to his senses.

At this moment, Lilith withdrew all her power, and the artifact returned to her sleeve.

An inexplicable silence descended upon these ruins.

Lilith hesitated for a moment, then clenched her small, fair hands and pressed them against her breasts, seemingly conflicted and hesitant.

But in the end, he still spoke:

“…Hmm.” She paused for a moment. “So, Mr. Rhodes, we’ve saved each other once…right?”

Rod was slightly taken aback.

He didn't expect Lilith to say something like that.

It's as if the little girl is trying to take credit...

His eyes froze, and he remained silent for a long while, but finally spoke:

“Of course, thank you, Miss Lilith.”

but.

In a corner unnoticed by Rhodes and his companions, a tiny sea spider suddenly escaped from the dust and vanished from the spot…

……

...

The situation has stabilized.

In Rhodes's room, the dim light shone on Lilith's petite body, while Rhodes sat opposite her.

Neither side discussed or questioned Lilith's [power].

Because Lilith knew that Rhodes was aware of her strength.

After all, it was because Rhodes in the first playthrough could see through her true strength at a glance that Lilith got to know him.

Lilith, of course, would never forget how their acquaintance began.

She wasn't suspicious that Rhodes knew her strength; rather, she was the one who was shocked.

At this moment, the two of them sat facing each other.

Lilith sat demurely, watching Rhodes' breakthrough, yet she felt something was very strange.

Rhodes' aura was too strange. Despite being a divine being of the [God of Souls] type, he possessed an unusually aggressive nature, and what was worse, this nature inexplicably made her feel threatened.

just like……

It is the same as the [Dragon God Seed].

Lilith's eyes trembled slightly as she pondered her thoughts.

"Is this really just a breakthrough to the second level of Ascension? No, in fact, it's not right for Rhodes to have broken through to the second level of Ascension right now..."

Lilith murmured something, but in the end, she was still happy for Rhodes' breakthrough.

Because no matter what, she should be happy that he can progress faster and be stronger than before.

It's only natural to be happy when your loved one becomes stronger, right? Silently supporting, watching, and helping him is what she needs to do.

She was somewhat happy, or rather... she now felt that at least after saving Rhodes once, she had somewhat resolved those awkward and contradictory situations, and she could also appear slightly less "strange".

Want to be praised...? That's not necessary, not really... right?

Can I be praised...?

Although Lilith sat and looked at Rhodes with a serious expression, her inner thoughts had long since wandered off to who-knows-where.

but--

Suddenly, a figure hung in the sky, with the bright moon as its silhouette, instantly catching Lilith's attention;

When Lilith raised her head and looked at the figure, she was slightly taken aback.

That was an existence of utter contrast.

Her body appeared quite short, which contrasted sharply with her mature and aloof elven face.

Meanwhile, long, dark gold hair that reached past her thighs fluttered in the breeze, and dark brown eyes, revealing an air of arrogance, gazed at Rhodes and Lilith.

She hovered in the sky, her expression one of indifference, as if she disdained everything.

Although they looked like “enemies,” Lilith knew they weren’t.

This was nothing more than someone coming to the dormitory of the student she was in charge of in the middle of the night, filled with resentment and dissatisfaction, to find the student's tutor.

Merrick Sheffield

Phillips' strongest combat force, and the strongest professor at [Starson Holy Academy].

Of course, such a title alone is far from enough to describe her true strength.

Her former honorary title was—[Calamity Elf].

Hundreds of years ago, she was a killing god who slaughtered tens of thousands of demons and created thousands of pagodas, and she was also a monster who sat on the throne of the Rakshasa.

Similarly, she reached an even more terrifying level—ascending seven times, becoming a powerful being known as the [Eternal Sage] rank.

As a warlike elf, she cared nothing for so-called comfort and friendship; all she understood was [fight and destruction].

but,

Unfortunately, her power declined due to special circumstances decades ago, and now she only has the power of five upgrades left.

However, regardless of the circumstances, even after being promoted five times, she is still considered a noble being of the [Hero] rank, at least not as powerful as Lilith or Rhodes in any way.

At this moment, she stared at Rhodes with absolute indifference, as if she wanted to crush her unpunctual disciple.

Ok.

That's not what she really felt inside.

She was quite surprised, not only because Rhodes had killed the witch with his own hands, but also because he was about to break through to the second level of ascension.

So, were the reports from those students after they returned actually true...?

Rhodes, with the strength of a first-level ascension, defeated a second-level ascension... It feels absurd just thinking about it.

Chapter 14: Lilith, feeling wronged by not being praised...

Rhodes sat on the red sofa with its gilded edges, closed his eyes slightly, felt the changes in his body, and began to mobilize the remaining energy fluctuations in his body.

Soon, after being tempered by a thrilling battle, his body underwent a true upgrade.

At this moment, his control panel reappeared before his eyes—

[Rhodes]

[Upgrade Level: Second Time]

【property】:

Physical fitness: 11→19

Agility: 9→14

Physical condition: 11→17

Mental state: 12→22

[Faith Deity: Outer God (Unique) (Abnormal)]

[Talent: You can fuse the characteristics of all other divine species to create entirely new talent skills.]

[Currently possesses the following divine seeds: God of Souls, God of Soaring Dragons in the Sky]

[Current Skills - [Listen to the Dragon's Song LV.1], [Dragon's Heart LV.1], [Soul Amplification LV.1], [Dragon Sword LV.1]]

[Current number of God Seeds obtainable: 1]

Please choose a new faith to make your divine seed even more terrifying.

Congratulations! You have acquired a brand new skill – the Heavenly Eye.

【Sky Eye LV.1】: You can observe the panel of 【Individuals】 whose strength is no more than one upgrade from your own, and understand the basic data of the enemy.

Each word fell.

Rhodes felt a surge of power within his body, giving him a completely new tactile sensation.

Everything, including time and space, seemed compressed compared to the past.

With the slightest movement of the fingertips, one can feel a terrifying power gathering within them, blood surging, and by clenching a long fist, one can feel the muscles as hard as iron.

A powerful physique is the most basic requirement after promotion, and Rhodes was quite satisfied with it.

"That's right. The next divine seed I should choose is the [God of Life's Radiance], so that I can obtain the method to cure immortality."

Rhodes pondered the path for a moment, but didn't rush to mobilize it now. After all, Lilith was still in front of him, and it would be troublesome if the fusion of the third divine seed attracted Lilith's attention.