Leonar exhaled deeply, watching the floating window in front of his eyes.

[Status Window]

Name: Leonar Hart

Level: 19

Class: None

HP: 416/124

MP: 135/21

[Attributes]

Strength: 38

Endurance: 46

Agility: 32

Intelligence: 24

Perception: 28

[Skills]

Soul Eyes Lv. 10 (9%)

Regeneration Lv. 1 (39%)

Water Control Lv. 2 (29%)

Soul Link with Eleonora Lv. 5 (14%)

Leonar frowned as he read the information displayed.

The first thing he noticed was the significant increase in synchronization level with Eleonora.

“Level five already…” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck as if trying to process the implications. “What the hell does this skill even mean?”

Eleonora, who had been silent in his mind, took a few seconds before responding. Her tone was nonchalant, almost as if she were yawning:

“What it’s for, you ask… Well, you’ll figure it out in time.”

Leonar rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

“What kind of answer is that? You could at least give me a hint, couldn’t you?”

Eleonora chuckled softly.

“And spoil the fun? Where’s the joy in that?”

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“Fun for you, maybe…” Leonar muttered, shifting his gaze back to the numbers on his window.

It was then that he noticed something else: the parentheses that used to modify certain attributes were gone. His strength, endurance, and agility now appeared without the adjustments that had been displayed before.

“What happened to those parentheses?” Leonar asked, mentally pointing at the figures.

“Oh, those… They were temporary buffs and debuffs,” Eleonora explained casually. “The buffs came from when I used your body to train. But since you rested, the effects wore off.”

Leonar gritted his teeth, visibly irritated.

“And you couldn’t have told me that earlier?”

“Because I didn’t know,” she replied with an air of innocence. “But thanks to the system, I’ve learned a lot of things that might be useful to you.”

Leonar snorted, crossing his arms as he processed what Eleonora had just said.

Wait—Eleonora… talked to the system?

“Hold on a second…” Leonar said, narrowing his eyes as he thought it over. “You can talk to the system too?”

Eleonora was silent for a moment before replying in a tone that sounded genuinely puzzled:

“Obviously?”

“Obviously…” Leonar repeated sarcastically. “Of course, because talking to a machine system is totally normal.”

“Oh, drop the theatrics. It’s just a system,” Eleonora replied, dismissing his concerns.

Leonar didn’t respond immediately, but his mind kept racing.

He remembered the time he had spent in that strange mental world, where the system had taken on Eleonora’s appearance.

There was something odd about its behavior. Sometimes it yawned, other times it laughed behind his back whenever he failed to master Eleonora’s skills, but…

That system… acted human.

“Eleonora,” Leonar said finally, his tone more serious. “Does the system have a consciousness?”

Eleonora paused for a few moments, as if considering how to respond.

Then she spoke in a lower, almost sleepy tone:

“Why does it matter to you?”

Leonar frowned, his jaw clenching.

“Because when I was in that mental world, the system didn’t just look human… It acted like one. That’s… not normal.”

Eleonora let out an audible yawn.

“I don’t know, Leonar. And honestly, I don’t think it’s something you should be worrying about right now.”

“And why not?” he pressed.

“Because, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re stuck in a hellish dimension filled with fire wolves trying to break through my ice barrier,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Leonar closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. His attention returned to the present, where the ice barrier, though sturdy, was beginning to show small cracks under the relentless attacks of the wolves.

The sound of teeth gnashing against the ice echoed in the hot air, and the first fractures began to appear.

Swallowing hard, Leonar rubbed his hands together, trying to calm himself.

“What do you suggest I do?”

Eleonora chuckled softly.

“You’re the strategist, aren’t you?”

Leonar clenched his fists and activated his skill again.

The yellow vision filled his field of view, highlighting the enemies as glowing silhouettes.

But then, when he looked down at the ground, he saw it again.

The golden color.

He immediately blinked and rubbed his eyes as if he were seeing an illusion. But the golden glow remained, faintly pulsing beneath his feet.

It was the same hue he had seen when he first met Eleonora.

Even though his HP and MP were dangerously low…

He didn’t want to lose her.

The risk was great, but without a doubt, the reward he might gain by getting closer to the source of that golden light…

Leonar’s heart began to race.

“What are you thinking about?” Eleonora asked, her tone more curious this time.

“About what I said earlier,” Leonar replied.

“You say a lot of things,” Eleonora quipped playfully.

And as if struck by lightning, an idea flashed through Leonar’s mind.

“Do you know any method to quickly restore my HP and MP?”