My Unrestrained Lives-Chapter 43: Countdown
Silas had left, and now Ellis sat alone. The warmth of her body still lingered on the bed, and now specially after he had just broken through the final barrier between them, he found himself wanting more.
He had wanted to join her in the bath, to soak in her presence, to drown himself in her scent, her softness, her every reaction.
But right now, he needed time, just a moment alone, to think.
To think about his situation, and think through his future plans.
Today’s events, and what he had discovered, made him rethink many things, after all.
And so, he started by opening his status window, wanting to check it before doing anything else.
[Status]
Name: Adrian Reid Valemere (Ellis Miller)
Age: 4 (25)
Race: Human
Physique: **** Physique (Incomplete)
[Attributes]
Constitution: E
Soul: C+
Mana: D+
Blank points: 0
Ability: Ephemeral Soul Genesis (Passive/Dormant)
Skills:
Absorption Lv.2, Knife Mastery Lv.1, Mana Sense Lv.52, Meditation Lv.42, Mana Circulation Lv.50, Detection Lv.60, Mana Breathing Lv.58, Mana Refinement Lv.45, Basic Mana Manipulation Lv.51, Mana Bullet Lv.40, Mana Barrier Lv.48, Basic Body Tempering Lv.19, Swordsmanship Lv.12
Just looking at his status window, Ellis’s mood lifted. The results of his hard work were gratifying, after all.
His gaze first settled on his attributes. His soul was no longer injured. His mana had risen, from D- to D+.
And then, his eyes landed on his constitution. The stat that seemed to have increased the most... or had it really?
Hardly.
If he put aside his soul, which hadn’t changed aside from its natural recovery, the most substantial gain was actually in his Mana.
The growth of a stat in Rank D was nothing like in Rank G.
With each rank, the gap grew exponentially larger.
The difference escalates that much with every advancement!
To put it in easier terms, there was a theory he had, based on a conversation he once had with Aurora.
Most mages or knights who reached the ninth rank in their respective paths wouldn’t have stats above C.
No, most of them would hover around C-, and only those exceptional ones, like the founder of his kingdom, who stood above even other ninth rankers, could reach a true C.
So, for his Mana to be D+ and nearly advancing further, just how impressive was that?
And while mana capacity alone was never enough to determine the true strength of an individual, it still gave him an edge. A very sharp edge.
That aside, Ellis turned his attention to his skills.
It was here that he could truly see just how hard he had worked himself.
His gaze paused on Meditation, one of the most difficult skills to raise in level, aside from Absorption, of course.
What made it so special? He still didn’t know.
Then there were Detection and Mana Breathing, the two skills with the highest levels.
He had stopped deactivating them recently... he kept them running even while sleeping.
That was the reason behind their rapid growth.
Returning to his Absorption skill... a skill that had only gone up by one level despite constant effort. Why?
Because the food he was eating wasn’t nutrient-rich enough.
Even if he tried to increase the quantity, it simply wasn’t worth it.
He needed to eat the meat of powerful monsters. Rare medicine, precious ingredients...
But these weren’t things he had access to. Not yet.
And so, not dwelling on that, Ellis finally returned his focus to his ability, Ephemeral Soul Genesis, and opened its description.
[Ephemeral Soul Genesis]
I) Limitless Rebirth (Available In: 2m 18d)
Ephemeral Soul Genesis grants the individual the ability to reincarnate once every five years, either by choice or upon death.
II) Soul Preservation
While in the soul state during reincarnation, the individual is granted absolute protection against external attacks, ensuring the preservation of their soul essence and maintaining its resilience through each cycle of rebirth.
III) Flawless Memory Resonance
In each reincarnation, Ephemeral Soul Genesis ensures flawless memory retention.
IV) Basic Soul Evolution
With every rebirth, the soul absorbs and integrates the world’s elements and laws, becoming stronger and more refined.
V) Basic World’s Affinity
The evolving affinity within Ephemeral Soul Genesis extends beyond a single element. Over time, it forms a thin connection between the individual’s soul and the world itself, gradually amplifying their natural affinities.
Rather than rereading the entire description again, Ellis’s gaze lingered only on the first ability, Limitless Rebirth, and on the countdown that remained.
Two and a half months.
He didn’t know whether that should be considered long or short... but he knew one thing for certain: he wouldn’t allow anything to happen during that time.
And once those two and a half months passed, Ellis, whose thoughts had already started to shift, was beginning to consider it seriously, that perhaps it was time to leave this palace. To walk out of these royal grounds.
He could become a mercenary, or maybe just go to the places where monsters roamed and start hunting. He needed to collect blank points already, after all.
He would wait and see. But even now, he was already starting to lean in that direction.
While he was still absorbed in his thoughts, Silas finally came back.
And instead of her usual maid outfit, she was wearing just a sleeping gown, just one light, thin layer.
Her long black hair, though already dried, still held a trace of warmth from the bath, and her skin seemed to glow faintly, clean and smooth. Her expression was calm and refreshed.
"I’m back, Master, Sorry for taking so long." she said quietly, her voice soft as her eyes met his.
And Ellis, looking at her, had his own expression soften.
He gave a small nod and said, "Well, let’s get to sleep already... it’s been a long day."
Silas, who had already prepared herself for this moment, didn’t blush this time.
Instead, with her stoic features and soft expression, she simply replied, "Okay."
She climbed onto the bed and lay there, a small distance away from Ellis.
But how could he allow that?
Ellis immediately moved to her side and dove into her breasts.
What better pillow was there, after all?
And so, now lying close together, Ellis stared into Silas’s blue eyes for a quiet moment. Then he leaned in, and pressed his lips softly against hers.
He kissed her lightly... before flashing a small smile and whispering, "Good night."
Silas, who had still been spacing out while staring at the gentle smile her master had shown her, finally came back to her senses.
"Sweet dreams, Master," she murmured.
And hearing her say that, Ellis buried his head against her chest again... inhaling her calming scent.
Then, as he suddenly felt her arms move, felt them wrapping around him, he relaxed even further.
He had planned to ask her about her body, and how she felt...
But maybe, because of everything that had happened today, Ellis found himself more tired than usual. And so, before long, he drifted off to sleep.
Noticing that, Silas, who didn’t feel like she could catch even a wink of sleep tonight, took care not to make any sudden movements.
She remained still, just holding him.
And then, she simply kept watching Ellis...
Watching his beautiful features, bathed in the faint moonlight that crept into the room through the curtains.
