Chapter 101: You Can Stay
Lukas decided to put one crystal at the center, and when the crystal touched the bow, it immediately consumed it.
SWOOSH!
"Well, it seems hungry enough..." Anna chuckled.
Instead of putting them in one by one, Lukas started placing them in batches, and the bow devoured everything that touched its surface. Soon, all the crystals had been consumed by it.
As Lukas and the others waited for the evolution of the bow, it trembled, and the starlight surrounding it deepened before swirling around it like a typhoon.
The bow began floating in the air and released a bright brilliance, different from its faint starlight. After the brilliance disappeared, the bow returned to the ground and became as calm as it was before.
"Wow, that was amazing..." Anna was truly stunned by the process.
Lukas held the bow and checked its information.
[Starry Bow — Bathed in the shimmering essence of stars for unknown years until it reached the Epic Tier. Each arrow released from this bow contains the heavy destructive essence of stars.
Stats — Core Attributes +25]
’So each level will increase the base stat by 5 too, cool.’
He put the bow away inside his inventory and lay down on the sheet while basking in the sun.
The silence was palpable before Leah broke it.
"Lukas..." Now that she had decided to accept it, her voice became calm.
Lukas opened his eyes and looked at her, and their eyes locked with each other. Lukas felt her determination and also the hidden bitterness within them.
He wondered if it was directed toward him or herself. ’Well, it doesn’t matter.’
He really didn’t care if she had contempt toward him or not, as in this world, his true loves were his sisters only. Even his aunt and the others fell short compared to them.
A woman like Leah — he just wanted her body. All he could promise was that he wouldn’t force her. The final decision was her own.
Leah didn’t break eye contact with Lukas and spoke what she wanted to say.
"I want that skill."
Lukas’ lips curled up slightly before he nodded.
"Alright."
He took out the skill orb and tossed it toward Leah. He didn’t mind giving it to her beforehand. In fact, if she used the skill orb, then she wouldn’t have second thoughts later and would have to accept him.
Leah’s hand trembled as she held the skill orb. She closed her eyes and, without thinking much, squeezed it.
Anna sighed when she saw that, as it meant there was no going back.
"I will wait behind that tree."
"I don’t think any of us would mind if you stay here, Miss Anna. I wouldn’t be able to protect you otherwise."
Lukas spoke with an innocent voice, as if what was going to happen here wasn’t a big deal. He was right about her safety, though. Who knew if he got lost in the fun and something happened to her?
Leah was looking at her status when she heard that. Her eyes weren’t shining with joy from finally getting a skill, but instead seemed soulless as she thought about what she was going to do.
The thing haunting her the most wasn’t having sex with Lukas, but cheating on Leon, who might have already been worried for her back at the base.
No matter how much thought she had put into this and accepted the fact that it was just a one-time trade, and beneficial even for Leon’s safety, now that she was actually going to face it, her mind was in turmoil.
So much so that she didn’t care if Anna stayed by her side or not while everything happened. Maybe it would even lessen her guilt, as she wouldn’t be alone with Lukas.
When Anna heard Lukas’ words, her ears turned slightly red. She would rather face the danger than stay here. Not to mention, it would be too embarrassing for Leah.
Although they talked about this stuff a lot as best friends, they wouldn’t want to see each other, right? She wasn’t sure herself. A small part of her felt that she should watch discreetly, but given the embarrassment Leah would go through, it wasn’t ideal. Not to mention, after not having sex for a long time, she might not be able to control herself from doing something stupid.
Leah wasn’t wrong when she used to say that she was getting frustrated over it. She was only twenty-five years old, and every day she felt immense loneliness. Maybe it really was time for her to let go of her past.
As Anna thought this, she was also waiting for Leah to deny Lukas and send her away, but nothing like that happened. When she looked at Leah, she seemed like a broken doll who didn’t care about her presence.
Anna sighed while shaking her head internally. In the end, she made the decision herself.
"I will stay behind this tree."
There was a single tree nearby, not wide enough, but it was better than nothing.
This time, Lukas didn’t stop her, as he didn’t want to wait any longer. He was eager to finally lay his hands on her body since she had been on his mind since yesterday, not to mention the special bundle he would get from this lovely endeavor.
As for the matter of hurting Leah emotionally, he didn’t care. It was her choice, and she had every right to reject him completely by not accepting the skill.
Anna stood up, patted Leah on the shoulder, and left without saying anything. She went behind the tree and sat down.
Lukas didn’t need any approval now, so he caught Leah’s hand and pulled her.
Leah didn’t show any resistance and fell beside him like a doll.
"Sigh, you are just trying to be stubborn now. I still remember how wet you got yesterday, so this unwillingness is just you being a hypocrite now. In fact, I can bet that later you’ll be moving your hips on your own."