Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 61. Bond Weaver

The balance changed. The bond between Sylvia and Rick didn’t take away Rick’s power.

Instead, it became what it was meant to be, which was a merger of equals, or as equal as a mortal and a Dragon Queen could be. Rick’s mind reached out and met Sylvia’s halfway, with the help of his other connections.

And all of a sudden, he could feel her. Not just her strength, but also her whole body and soul.

A thousand years of being alone, losing things, and being determined to keep going even though it hurts. He could tell she loved Therion and was sad that he was gone.

He could sense her fear of opening her heart again and her desperate hope that Rick might be worth the risk. He felt everything that made Sylvia who she was, and it was beautiful instead of hurting him.

Sylvia also felt for Rick at the same time. His death in his last life was shameful, and he is determined to do better in this one.

He fears that he may not be good enough, yet he bravely tries anyway. His true love for all of his partners and his complete refusal to pick one over the others. His strong will kept him getting back up no matter how many times he fell.

She felt the connection he had with Carmilla, Natasha, and Liora, and instead of being jealous, she was amazed. This man had somehow built a network of real love and support that went beyond normal Spirit Bonds.

He had done something that shouldn’t have been possible, and in doing so, he had saved both of their lives. The pain was still there, but it was easier to deal with now.

Rick opened his eyes without even knowing they were closed and saw Sylvia looking at him in amazement. "Did I...?"

She whispered, "Yes... You really did it."

Then Rick’s legs gave out, and he fell down. He vaguely heard Sylvia catch him, her frantic calls of his name, and dragon healers rushing to help, but his mind was already fading, and his body and mind were completely worn out from what had happened.

Sebastian’s voice was the last thing he heard. "He’s still alive. Almost, but he’s going to need a lot of recovery. And the bond... it’s strong... unprecedented, but stable."

Then he was completely taken by darkness.

...

Two days later, Rick woke up to the familiar feeling of Sylvia’s healing magic working through his body. He opened his eyes and saw her sitting next to his bed.

He was shocked to see that she had been crying. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were red and puffy.

"You’re awake," she said in a rough voice. "Thank the old fires that you’re awake."

"Did I... did we...?" Rick’s voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.

"The bond was made, yes... It stays the same."

"You really made it." Sylvia’s hands shook as she held his face in hers. "Rick, I almost killed you..."

"I could feel you dying, and I could feel your mind starting to break apart. You would have died if your other bonds hadn’t activated when they did. And it would have been my fault."

Rick was able to smile weakly. "But I didn’t die, that’s the most important thing! And we fucking did it."

"At what cost?" Sylvia’s tears started to flow again. "I might have lost you."

"The same way I lost Therion. And now I realize that losing you would have been just as terrible, if not worse, because I would have been the one who killed you."

"Hey, look at me." Rick made his voice sound strong. "Your stupid partner is still standing tall."

"I’m still here. And we have a bond that has never been there before."

"Sebastian says that we made something that has never been done before. That’s really cool, you know?!"

"You really are an idiot," Sylvia said, but she was crying and smiling at the same time.

"Yes, but I’m your idiot now. Officially."

She laughed, and the sound was real, even though it was wet. Then she leaned down and put her forehead against his.

Rick could feel everything she was feeling because of the new bond. Relief, happiness, lingering fear, overwhelming love, and a fierce protectiveness that matched his own.

After a moment, Sylvia said, "The Council has recognized you."

"All three trials are done. You are now officially my partner and friend of dragonkind, even the dragons who didn’t believe in you have to admit that what you did was amazing."

"How about the bond network thing? Has that ever happened before?"

"Never. Usually, Spirit Bonds are between two people."

"What you’ve made is something that has never been made before. A polyamorous bond network where all the connections help and make each other stronger, even the dragon scholars are going crazy trying to figure it out."

Rick thought about it. "So Carmilla, Natasha, and Liora all knew I was going to die?"

"Yes. And they all used their strength to help you. Your knight’s strength, your mage’s wisdom, and your priestess’s healing."

"Without them, the connection with me would have killed you." Sylvia’s face became serious. "Rick, you need to know what this means."

"Your ties to them are no longer just extra. They’re necessary for you to stay alive! If anything happened to one of them, your whole network would be thrown off balance."

"Then I’ll make sure they don’t get hurt."

"You can’t make that promise."

"Look at me."

[SPIRIT BOND MADE: SYLVIA FLAMEHEART]

[UNPRECEDENTED BOND NETWORK SET UP]

[ALL BONDS STRENGTHENED AND CONNECTED]

[+1000 EXP: PASSING AN IMPOSSIBLE TRIAL]

[+500 EXP: MAKING A NEW TYPE OF SPIRITUAL CONNECTION]

[LEVEL UP: 17 → 18 → 19]

[NEW NAME: BOND WEAVER]

[NEW SKILL: NETWORK RESONANCE LV.1]

[SYLVIA FLAMEHEART’S LOVE: 9 → 10 (MAX)]

Sebastian was on the bedpost and looked worn out. "Congratulations, you unpredictable gooner."

"You have officially done something that should have been impossible. The system had to make new categories just to record what you did."

"Can I finally go home to Valdris now?" Rick asked.

"Soon," Sylvia said. "You need to get better first."

"The bond is strong, but your body and mind went through a lot of pain."

"You can go back to your other partners after a few more days of rest." She smiled. "I bet they’re very worried about you." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Rick thought about Carmilla, Natasha, and Liora and felt them through the new bond network. They were scared, worried, and even relieved. They knew he was still alive in some way.

"Yes," Rick said in a soft voice. "I need to see them to make sure they’re okay after what they went through."

"They saved your life," Sylvia said. "Be sure to thank them the right way."

"I will, but first, I think I need to get some sleep for a week."

"You’ve earned it because..."

Rick immediately gets what she meant. "W-We can do it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, okay...?"

"Okay, I get it... don’t worry about it, besides you probably won’t last long if you don’t rest enough."

Thereafter, Rick closed his eyes and felt all of his bonds around him like a warm blanket. He had lived through three trials that should have killed him many times.

He had made a connection with a Dragon Queen that no one had ever made before. And somehow, against all odds, he had built a network of connections that made him stronger than he had ever been.

The Hero of Mature Hearts had finished his tests. Now it was time to do the even harder thing: save the world.

But that could wait until he had a long, deep sleep.