SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

47: Taking the Risk

(nsfw scene warning in the middle of the chapter)

47: Taking the Risk

Inside the tent, the previously lively atmosphere that had just begun to take shape seemed to shift abruptly when Clea's expression changed from cheerful to one that looked like someone had just forced her to eat an entire lemon.

In contrast, John's smile grew much brighter, in a way that few had witnessed since they had known him, causing several of the people present to be left completely perplexed.

"You..." Clea gritted her teeth. Her eyes narrowed with a dangerous intensity, as if she were trying to set him on fire with her gaze. However, she soon forced herself to swallow her bitterness, letting out a long, low sigh.

She wasn't truly angry at John—rather, she was angry at herself for not having been able to prevent this. If her teacher found out, she would surely be disappointed. After so much time, she had finally been entrusted with the freedom to go out into the world... and the first thing she did was fall into such a shameless trap. Just imagining the look she would give her when she found out what had happened almost made her want to die of shame.

'She's going to be so mad,' she thought, feeling the contract between them about to be fully sealed—just moments away from becoming effective. This brief instant, which almost seemed to stretch in time, was the kind of moment in which any other sorcerer in her place would resist and try to back out, to free themselves from an agreement that was clearly dangerous.

But she didn't.

What was done was done. She could accept this loss even if it seemed too risky. In the worst-case scenario, she would just have to forcefully break the contract in the future—which, of course, would mean paying a great price to do so, one that most sorcerers couldn't afford. Luckily, she wasn't like most sorcerers.

Even so, she hoped it wouldn't come to that—or rather, she believed it wouldn't be necessary. Though her teacher hadn't said much about John, and she herself barely knew a few things about him, that little was enough for her to 'trust' him to some extent, believing he wouldn't abuse this deal.

Despite her great power and mystical skill, Clea was still quite naïve in many ways. She thought that since her master 'believed' in John, by default that made him someone she could also trust.

As long as John didn't cross certain boundaries, it would be fine. But if he went beyond what Clea could tolerate doing for him, then she wouldn't hesitate to take action—no matter the consequences she'd have to pay.

With a tingling sensation running through their bodies, both of them could feel the connection between them being fully formed at last.

"I'm going to start drawing some of your cosmic energy," Clea said, though she didn't really need to. Due to the bond they now shared, John would instinctively know when she wanted to draw power from him, just as Clea would know when he needed her to do something for him.

Focusing, Clea let the power flow into her through their connection. Although she had access to 10% of his energy, she didn't draw that full amount right away. Instead, she only took about 1% to begin studying it tentatively.

It was potent, like a searing fire that threatened to consume everything, yet at the same time it was stable, controlled—two completely opposite properties perfectly combined into one in harmonious balance.

Carefully, she let the power permeate her body. Her originally violet irises took on a new emerald hue, almost identical to the color in John's own eyes.

'This feeling...' Clea had to swallow as a shiver ran through her body.

Though she had dealt with many types of unique energies from different dimensions, this was the first time she had felt such strong compatibility. It was almost like using the native energy of her homeland, but at the same time very different—without the inherent dark properties that constantly threatened to corrupt her psyche.