Leveling Endlessly with the Strongest System!

Delilah observed Roy as he walked past the monster without finishing it off, and she couldn't help but wonder about his strange behavior.

"You know, you could've ended it," she quipped, a tinge of amusement laced in her tone. "Playing with your prey isn't exactly a good habit to have."

Roy approached her, his severe and unyielding expression softening. "You've misunderstood my intentions again," he explained, emphasizing the last word as he spoke in a firm yet gentle voice. "I'm not a sadistic pervert who enjoys toying with the weak. I'm merely being considerate of you. That creature is on the cusp of becoming an aura monster, and eliminating it with your hands would be hugely advantageous for you."

"But I don't have the strength to take it down," Delilah replied, her voice tinged with defeat. The few exchanges she had with the monster had shown that she lacked the strength to pierce its defenses.

It was immobilized by Roy's aura pressure, but it didn't mean its defenses had disappeared. She couldn't harm it even if she wanted to.

"Why think you can't? I'm here."

Without hesitation, Roy drew out a black sword from his interspatial ring, the reddish lines running through it glimmering in the dark. Its presence affected the environment, causing the temperature to drop rapidly. A sword that could affect its surrounding just by being there was nothing short of a treasure.

Delilah rubbed her shoulders as she felt that it had suddenly become colder.

"With this, it would be a fish on the chopping board for even a kid," he assured her, placing the sword into her hands.

Delilah gratefully accepted the sword, whispering into Roy's ear, "Thank you, my Lord. I will cherish it as though it were a gift from a lover."

As her breath brushed against his ear, Roy's demeanor became serious once again. "You should be careful," he warned in a low, throaty voice, gazing deeply into her crimson eyes. "Playing with fire can be perilous."

The tips of his ears turned red, betraying his composure. Delilah noticed it and couldn't resist teasing him again, her finger circling his broad chest. "What can I say? I'm addicted to danger," she declared with a mischievous grin.

Her playful smile, combined with her youthful beauty, left Roy momentarily dazed as she walked past him.

He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Just make sure you don't get burned," he called after her, still trying to conceal the effect she had on him. He could swear something had hardened down there, but it was better kept hidden by his black coat than exposed.

The monster glared at Delilah. Despite its fear of Roy, it did not hesitate to show its contempt for her, a mere weakling in its eyes. She couldn't harm it even if it were sleeping, or so it thought.

"Grrrooarrr!"

Delilah stood her ground as the monster growled menacingly at her. She was unfazed by the monster's intimidation tactics. She was equipped with an unimaginably powerful sword. Her power level was no longer the same as before. She knew that the somewhat spiritual monster had underestimated her, and she was determined to prove it wrong.

"Let's see if you can handle this."

Without flinching, Delilah lunged forward and plunged the sword into the monster's thick hide.

The sharpness of the sword was unparalleled, and it easily pierced through its scales and thick hide. In a swift motion, the sword cut deeper into the monster and penetrated its heart.

"Aaaaaaarrrrrgh!!"

As the monster roared in pain, its voice seemed to grow in intensity, rising to a crescendo that threatened to shatter the very fabric of reality.

Delilah squinted as a result. Roy remained motionless as if what just reverberated wasn't a sound that filled the air with a palpable sense of danger, warning all those who heard it to stay away, but a gentle gust of wind that he couldn't bother to acknowledge.

He curled his fingers into a fist, looking at his reflection in the river with a lukewarm gaze. It wasn't his first time hearing the cries of the weak unwilling to submit to fate, and it won't be his last.

Despite the sheer force of the monster's roar, there was also a sense of deep sorrow that seemed to emanate from the creature. It was mourning the loss of its vitality, and it was that sense of loss that made the roar all the more poignant.

As the monster's blood spilled out onto the sword from its heart, it seemed to come alive in her hands. Its bloodlust surged, and killing intent bloomed out of it in the shape of a thousand red threads, slicing through the monster's flesh with ease and tearing it into thousands of pieces.

The monster's roar was cut short, leaving nothing but an eerie silence in its wake.

『Ding! Congratulation. Delilah has defeated a river monster on the cusps of becoming an aura monster!』

『She gained 5000 experience points』

『You have declined to accept your cut』

『5000 experience points have been used to strengthen her』

『Delilah's nascent energy nucleus has reached completion. She is one step away from reaching the aura master stage.』

『The conditions your subordinate needs to fulfill to reach the aura master stage are mentioned below』

1: Kill an aura monster. It has to be at least one year old.

2: Upgrade her class weapon.

3: Consume the Ascension Pill.

Roy silently went through the notification. He thought it wouldn't be hard to help her reach the aura master stage, but it would require time and preparations.

Meanwhile, Delilah's mouth hung open in disbelief, her brain struggling to process the impossible sight before her.

Thud!

The remains of the monster fell to the ground, its body reduced to nothing more than chunks of meat and a pool of blood.

After a brief moment, Delilah snapped back to reality and immediately noticed the stench of blood on her.

"Oh my, I'm covered in blood. That's just gross," she thought to herself.