Natasha's New Ability

"Brother Jing Yan, want to head over to the Fight Club for some fun?"

Night had fallen, and the celebration party was entering its next phase. Some who couldn't hold their liquor had already retreated to rest or prepare for a romantic night, while the "night owls" were just beginning their revelry.

Jing Yan was walking along with Natasha at this moment.

Suddenly, a voice rang out beside him.

Jing Yan looked over to see that the speaker was none other than Seele.

Her voice was free-spirited and sharp—it suited her personality perfectly.

They had just passed a street where the Underworld's famous "Fight Club" was located.

Because the Underworld had been cut off from the Overworld for so long, the people here had fewer forms of entertainment, which led to the creation of this fighting venue.

There were no restrictions on age, gender, or race; as long as you were a person—or even a mechanical construct—you could participate.

The club was brightly lit, its warm yellow glow visible even from the street, and enthusiastic cheers and roars erupted from within from time to time.

Seele had been standing outside, observing the "Boulder Town Boxing Tournament" sign posted next to the club.

She spoke up the moment she caught sight of Jing Yan.

However, when she immediately noticed Natasha by his side, a look of astonishment crossed her face.

"Th-this is Natasha?"

"You..."

Seele looked surprised at the evening gown Natasha was wearing. Then, as if she realized something, her gaze toward Jing Yan took on a subtle meaning. She quickly changed her tone: "Sorry, I didn't know you were busy. Let's leave the boxing for another time."

Jing Yan smiled at her words, neither confirming nor denying anything.

He felt quite satisfied with Seele.

Originally, Jing Yan had assumed that after Natasha, March 7th held the highest favorability toward him.

To his surprise, Seele's favorability had also increased significantly.

[Seele's favorability increased by 7%. Current favorability: 77%]

At 77%, Seele's favorability was still a bit lower than March 7th's 80%, but she was the person whose favorability had increased the most since he resolved the Stellaron crisis.

Because he could see their favorability directly, Jing Yan knew that while her words didn't seem much different from before, the emotions behind them were distinct.

Hmm, Seele is also a talent worth cultivating.

Jing Yan mused.

Seeing Jing Yan's smile, Seele suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of embarrassment and couldn't help but reach up to scratch her head.

"Um, Brother Jing Yan, if you feel like you still have time tonight and want to step into the ring to stretch your muscles, that would be great too."

"No need, another time," Jing Yan replied.

"Who is the current champion, anyway?"

"Sampo," Seele answered.

"Yeah, mostly because Father Oleg won't let me participate."

Seele waved her hand dismissively.

"But if you were to come, Brother Jing Yan, I doubt Father would stop you, haha."

"We'll see when the time comes," Jing Yan replied.

Beside him, Natasha looked at Seele and offered a gentle smile.

After they had walked a bit further, she turned her head to Jing Yan and said, "Seele is a wonderful girl. Although she can be a bit blunt, she is incredibly hardworking. Whenever there is something that can benefit the people, she never drags her feet; she's always the first to step up."

"And it seems she has some thoughts about you, too?" Natasha winked.

Jing Yan interrupted her before she could continue.

"Shh!"

"Let's not talk about others tonight; let's just enjoy our own time."

Jing Yan said with a smile.

Natasha's pupils trembled at his words, and the light in her eyes seemed even more dazzling than before.

Under the shadows of the street, bathed in the warm yellow glow of the lights, they continued toward the clinic.

What followed was a night of passion, a moment of growth.

At dawn, as a Gem Lizard crawled past the metal pipes outside the clinic lounge window, making a soft clatter, Jing Yan and Natasha had just woken up.

Looking at the man before her, Natasha felt deeply satisfied.

Suddenly, Jing Yan seemed to sense something, and with a look of surprise, he turned to the beautiful woman beside him.

"Natasha, you really are a siren."

"And a genius, at that."

It had to be said that as the Aeon of "Eros," and having spent the night with Natasha—the only person he had reached 90% favorability with and someone he was already intimate with—it was a truly wonderful experience. Furthermore, after she had gained the power of "Eros," Jing Yan could inspect the abilities he had unlocked through her, receiving both inspiration and feedback.

Jing Yan felt that the Eros ability Natasha had awakened was quite excellent.

The Eros ability Natasha had awakened was: [Intense Love]

[Description: By locking eyes with her, the target's affection for her will continuously increase over a short period. Depending on the duration and the target's initial favorability, they will agree to the user's requests!]

In a sense, this ability could be considered a specialized branch of Jing Yan's [Emotion Manipulation] and a simplified version of [Verbal Domination], yet it remained highly practical.

Compared to using [Illusion Domain] to suspend a target's perception before manipulating them, this [Intense Love] allowed the Pathstrider to control others without needing to speak or construct illusions with divine power. Furthermore, at an advanced level, it should be possible to influence those nearby simply by radiating a presence, without even needing to make eye contact.

Although this was still very similar to the [Emotion Manipulation] Jing Yan already possessed, Natasha might even perform better within this specific sub-field.

Looking at it this way, she could certainly become a qualified follower, or perhaps an Emanator, though her current power was not yet up to standard since she had only just stepped onto this Path.

Furthermore, Natasha's original Path of The Abundance had not vanished but existed in a state of coexistence. Since these two Paths were not mutually exclusive, they could even be fused together, and Jing Yan had already foreseen the capabilities that would emerge from this fusion.

He estimated that she would be able to imbue other objects with healing properties by channeling the love within her.

In that light, it was truly unique.

So much so that even Jing Yan, as an Aeon, did not possess such power.

After all, he himself did not hold the power of The Abundance.

Even though he had consumed a Stellaron containing the power of Destruction, he still had to convert that destructive energy into the power of Eros before he could utilize it.

As an Aeon, one would not easily receive the blessings of another Aeon, but Natasha was different.

"Not bad."

At Jing Yan's words of praise, Natasha seemed to sense something herself.

"It seems a new power and ability have been born within me?!"

Natasha was somewhat startled.

"That is correct."