Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 167: A Crush

Chapter 167: A Crush

Her status flickered in front of him.

{[Status]}

[Name: Celeste Chronos]

[Age: 20]

[Race: Vampire]

[Bloodline: Ancestor Vampire Bloodline]

[Talent: White Grade]

[Level: 43]

{[Classes]}:

[Blood Magic – Advanced Rank]

[Time Magic – ???]

[Grade 2 Alchemist]

Elion stared at the information. Now he was truly shocked.

Blood mage!

Time mage!

And a Grade 2 Alchemist?

At her age?

That was unheard of.

Second-grade alchemists were usually old monsters with half a foot in the grave. People who had spent decades refining pills and blowing up cauldrons.

And that wasn’t even mentioning her bloodline.

Ancestor Vampire Bloodline.

Her level was also 43.

That kind of level was usually seen among the most talented fourth and fifth years. Not second years. And not a twenty-year-old!

’Wait.’ He suddenly had a thought as he looked at the part with her time affinity. ’What do the question marks mean, system?’ He asked.

[Some affinities are abstract, and so classifying them using the same system is a terrible way to scale them.]

’So why not scale them using a separate system, something that isn’t…Question marks?’

[Well, there is definitely a classification system, but it just happens that Celeste’s mastery over her time magic affinity has not touched upon the surface of what could remotely be considered basic.]

[It could be possible she is not even aware of her own affinity with time magic.]

’Oh, that makes sense. But wow…’ he thought silently.

He couldn’t help but be very impressed.

Celeste was probably the most talented person he had ever seen. Apart from himself, of course. But in terms of pure, natural talent?

She was unmatched. Without the system, he wouldn’t even be claiming to be on the same level as her.

His interest in her rose immediately.

Someone like her by his side would be invaluable. Peerless talent combined with peerless beauty. The kind of woman everyone chased but never obtained.

He could already imagine the faces of those arrogant young masters if he managed to pluck the flower they had all been dreaming about for years.

If he managed to add those two affinities of hers, his baseline strength would rise by leaps and bounds.

A faint smile formed on his lips.

Just then, another waiter entered and cleared their dishes quietly.

A few moments later, he presented the bill to them. Elion glanced at it.

5 gold coins.

He almost grimaced. Five. He had never seen that much coin at once in his whole life. Up until now, of course.

If it weren’t for the system’s currency converter, today he would have embarrassed himself. But he kept his face calm, 500 system points vanished from his point total as he pretended to draw the coins from his pocket, and he handed them over without hesitation.

’This is an investment,’ he told himself firmly. ’Yes. An investment.’

He resisted the urge to wince.

’She’ll be your wife in the future. No man should feel pain spoiling his own wife.’

That thought made him feel slightly better.

The waiter refilled their wine glasses and left the bottle on the table before exiting quietly. The two of them were alone again.

Elion sighed softly as his thoughts drifted back to the quest waiting to be completed.

He didn’t want to use Sinful Touch or any underhanded tactics just to make her lose control here like he usually did.

He had been putting in quite a bit of effort to win her over slowly before finally making use of his overpowered skills.

Did he like the chase? Yeah, it definitely made things a tad bit more interesting. This playful side of him had disappeared after months of torture and self-doubt.

But he was starting to enjoy the little things in life that one desires as a young man. He had dozens of points to progress indefinitely until he ran out, so he didn’t need to rush things anymore.

If it wasn’t for the system’s warning to stabilize his foundation first and get used to his new power, as well as the pain involved, maybe he might already be knocking on the door to the next rank by now.

So he had a bit of freedom now when it came to winning over new partners. He could take his time, and he wasn’t expecting the likes of Celeste to be as easy as Mira and Aria.

But it seemed the system wasn’t having any of it. Now, there was a Divine-rank reward on the line.

And he hadn’t forgotten what the Love Meter showed — Celeste had a crush on him, even if she probably wasn’t aware of it herself.

[Lover meter Reading: 42%]

’Only a slight increase from last time. I can work with that.’

’Okay… take it slow.’

“So,” Elion began casually, “how long do you think it will take before we go to your ancestral land?”

As he spoke, he subtly released a small amount of pheromones into the air.

If mind-based attacks didn’t work on her, maybe her body would respond to being stimulated instead. He couldn’t just lean in and steal a kiss outright. That would backfire terribly.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Celeste’s face.

“Well,” she said calmly, “the Legacy World opens in about two months. Since both of us will be entering, I would have preferred to have you cleansed before then. But that’s unrealistic now. It will have to be after.”

She crossed her legs slightly.

“Time inside the Legacy World moves more slowly. Based on past records, we’ll be inside for about half a year. But in the real world, only two weeks will pass. So I can only take you to my ancestral land after we return.”

As she spoke, Elion noticed it.

A faint red tint crept onto her ears.

She shifted slightly in her seat.

Just a little.

She didn’t seem fully aware of it.

’It’s working.’

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Elion said smoothly as he stood up.

Celeste looked up at him. He walked around the table slowly.

“You know,” he continued softly, “I’ve said it before… and I don’t mind saying it again.”

By now, Celeste was starting to notice that something felt off.

’Why do I feel… warm?’ she wondered, her brows knitting slightly.

When she looked at him again, he somehow seemed more handsome than usual.

“I don’t mind,” Elion said gently as he stopped in front of her, “having you mark me. I don’t mind you claiming me as your man.”

Her blush deepened instantly.

She looked away.

Elion placed one hand on the couch beside her, leaning slightly closer. The cushion dipped under his weight as she was forced to shift sideways.

“But a mind…” she muttered softly, her voice lacking its usual firmness.

’Why am I not pushing him away?’ she thought.

He leaned closer. Since she had turned her head, his breath brushed lightly against her pointed ear.

Her breath hitched. She shrank slightly into the couch, her fingers tightening against the cushion.

Her squirming became more noticeable now.

’Checkmate,’ Elion thought with quiet triumph.

Slowly and carefully, he lifted his hand toward her chin.

His hand moved slowly, brushing along the line of her jaw before gently lifting her small, pale chin between his fingers. His grip was firm but careful as he turned her face toward him.

Up close, she smelled faintly of fresh roses.

And like this… she looked even cuter. Blushing, flustered, and their faces were only inches apart.

“You know,” Elion began softly, his voice low, “I asked you out for lunch the other day. And here we are, sharing dinner. My wish came true after all.”

Celeste shifted her gaze away, even though there was barely any space between them.

“I-I told you,” she stammered, “don’t flatter yourself. It was just convenient…”

Elion’s fingers tilted her chin slightly higher, drawing her closerto his face.

He chuckled softly. “Excuses, Celeste. You sound cute. Don’t lie to yourself.”

Her breath hitched.

“I already got the first thing I wanted,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “Do you know what I want next?”

She didn’t answer.

She made a small attempt to pull her chin from his hold, but it lacked strength. If she truly wanted to break free, she could have.

But she didn’t.

“I want…” he said slowly, leaning closer, their noses almost brushing, “…to kiss you.”

Her crimson eyes widened. He closed the distance just slightly.

Their lips brushed. Not a full kiss, just the faintest contact of their lips. But it was enough.

Celeste froze completely.