The grind resumed.
Night fell over the large mountain range in stages, the sky darkening as combat gave way to rhythm once more. One by one, the familiar sound echoed again and again through the bond they shared.
[Ding.]
Bastet reached it first.
Then Calypso.
The two monster ladies were a bit ahead of the Valkyries, but not by much.
By the time Kaiden looked around, all of them stood at the same invisible threshold.
Level 49.
49,000 out of 49,000 XP.
The second bottleneck loomed ahead of them all now.
And, evidenced by the expressions of his girls, a similar situation seemed to be going on with their bottleneck requirements as well.
Aria’s brows were drawn together, silver eyes distant and unfocused as if she were rereading something only she could see, worry bleeding through her usual composure. Luna stared ahead with her mouth slightly open, then scoffed under her breath, disbelief written all over her expression. Nyx, by contrast, wore a faint, intrigued smile, more amused than alarmed, as though she’d just been handed a particularly interesting puzzle. Bastet’s gaze was sharp and intent, curiosity burning behind her pupils like a sun studying an eclipse. Calypso merely shrugged, lips curling in a lazy, unconcerned smirk, as if to say ’Whatever. Darling will figure it out.’
None of them said a word.
One look at Kaiden was enough. Whatever was happening, he was aware and believed that this wasn’t something to dissect out in the open with the stream still watching and other contestants and overseers possibly listening.
They regrouped and withdrew for the day.
The journey back to the Runewoven guild hall passed in relative silence.
Waiting for them at the entrance of their private wing stood Alexandra.
She was immaculate, as always, with her abyssal maid uniform, which hugged her form perfectly.
"Welcome back, everyone!" she spoke happily, voice carrying that refined warmth that somehow made exhaustion feel less heavy. "Your quarters are prepared. Baths are drawn. Dinner is ready."
"I fucking love you," Nyx and Luna gasped together, looking like they were a mere moment away from declaring their boundless loyalty to her person.
But they managed to hold back.
As they stepped inside, something else shifted.
The dark halo that had hovered above Kaiden’s head all day wavered.
Then it descended.
Black light unraveled into a familiar shape, shadows folding inward until Alice stood there in her human form, swaying slightly on her feet. She looked... wrecked. Worse than the rest of them, honestly.
Her movements were sluggish, shoulders slumped, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion that no amount of pride could hide. She’d spent the entire day in Conduit mode, buffing Kaiden and healing the gang.
She had given it her everything.
The girls all watched Alice with tender eyes. It was safe to say that her presence in their group was an incredible boon. Alice not only saved their lives on a hundred occasions since the start of the competition, but she was also a silent presence that made them think that taking more risks in order to attain more rewards was something they should do.
Because Alice Ashborn was with them.
And without fault, the teen pulled through each and every time, protecting them all even at the cost of her own comfort.
The moment she was free of her duties for the day, she shuffled over to Kaiden, lifted her arms, and looked up with unmistakable intent.
"Headpats," she demanded.
Kaiden didn’t hesitate.
His hand settled on her head, fingers sinking into her lush hair, warm and familiar. The reaction was immediate. "Mmm!" Alice let out the tiniest, happiest sound, eyes fluttering shut as she leaned into the touch, swaying gently from side to side like a contented cat. Any trace of exhaustion seemed to vanish from her awareness entirely, replaced by pure, blissful satisfaction.
She practically purred.
"There we go," Kaiden murmured, a fond smile tugging at his lips as he continued the motion, slow and steady. "Thank you for everything, Alice. You’re the most amazing, badass little sister I could ever ask for."
"Yep! You’re great, little sis!"
"Good job out there, once again."
"Thank you!"
The girls were in full agreement with their lover, deciding to pamper the teen with praise even if it seemed she didn’t care about anything that came from their mouths instead of Kaiden’s.
Alice’s smile widened, radiant and unburdened, as if the entire world had reduced itself to her and her brother. Her big brother’s hand was on her head, and that was all she needed.
Her eyes fluttered open just as his hand pulled away.
For a heartbeat, she looked almost confused, like someone waking up from the best nap of their life and not quite ready to accept reality again. Then her gaze focused on him, and her face lit up in a bright, utterly genuine smile.
"Payment accepted~! Pleasure doing business, hehe!"
"... The pleasure is all mine."
Then, after nodding at Kaiden’s response, which the girl found more than acceptable - there would’ve been drama if he mispoke at this moment - without another word, she turned on her heel.
Alice marched straight over to Alexandra, grabbed the abyssal maid by the hand, and started dragging her down the hallway.
"Okay!" Alice announced cheerfully. "It’s time to continue the story of Kaiden’s childhood memory #5421."
Alexandra yelped.
"W-Wait! Alice, I can’t just leave! I still need to ensure everyone is comfortable! Baths, towels, refreshments... I am a proper maid, you know!"
Alice didn’t slow down.
Alexandra struggled for exactly two steps before realizing she was wrestling an S-tier awakened murder machine in the skin of a petite teen.
That was when it registered.
The looks.
Kaiden met her eyes first and inclined his head slightly. "Thank you, Alexandra. Truly. You’ve done more than enough for today. Please ensure Alice can relax properly tonight."
The girls echoed it immediately.
Warm smiles. Relaxed postures. No expectations. No demands.
’It’s fine.’
Alexandra blinked.
Then she straightened, clasped her hands together, and smiled brightly. "O–Okay! New task accepted!" she declared, a little too enthusiastically.
The pair has been warming up to each other more and more with each passing day. It usually came at the cost of Alexandra being able to conduct her maidly duties properly, as the group was only home for a limited time, but no one complained. Alexandra always did her due diligence ahead of time, and it wasn’t like the girls grew up in a posh household with servants running around, begging them to be given new tasks.
They were more than happy to do some household chores.
The strange duo’s voices faded down the corridor.
Soon after, steam filled the bath chamber, warm water lapping against stone as tired bodies eased themselves in with soft sighs and low groans of relief. Muscles finally unclenched. Fatigue seeped out into the water, leaving behind that heavy, pleasant numbness that only came after a day like this.
For a few moments, no one spoke.
Then Kaiden leaned back, closed his eyes, and exhaled.
"Alright," he said quietly. "We’re in privacy now."
He opened his eyes.
"Go ahead, my antisocial system. Tell me what’s going on."
The window that unfurled before his eyes was not something he ever could’ve predicted.