MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

176 The Strength (7)

Leo’s senses gradually returned, and he became aware of his body once again. He blinked his eyes and attempted to sit up, but something was hindering his movements.

As the fragrance of rain wafted towards him, Leo hesitated to lift his gaze, feeling uneasy. The scent was overpowering, invading his nostrils and clouding his thoughts.

A sense of trouble swept over Leo, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in quite some time. It was so intense that it felt like even the mask covering his face couldn’t hide the strange smile that formed on his lips.

Leo’s immediate thought was to avoid any conversation with Ava, but he quickly realized that this would be impossible. After all, the person in question was literally holding him down to the ground.

Although Leo wished to log off, the Event made it impossible. It was as if everything had been orchestrated precisely to prevent him from avoiding the confrontation.

‘Shit...’

Leo kept his eyes shut, racking his brain for a solution, while Ava peered down at him, confused by his sudden lack of resistance.

“Leo?”

Observing that Leo had closed his eyes, Ava began to speak, but Leo remained silent, refusing to utter a single word. His mind felt like it was overheating.

.....

‘I believe my ego is still in charge of my emotions...’

Leo wasn’t particularly sociable, but he had never been so perturbed by the prospect of communicating with another person. Sure, he had never been pinned to the ground by a gorgeous angel before, but that wasn’t enough to rattle him. He had already lived a full life, and his mental fortitude was stronger than this.

At least, that’s what he had believed...

“Are you back to normal?”

Ava poked Leo’s neck, causing him to fight the urge to shudder. He decided to feign unconsciousness, as though he had either fallen asleep or fainted.

Ava grew concerned for a moment, thinking something might be wrong, and checked Leo’s pulse, which the game had the capability to simulate perfectly. She could sense his heart beating faster than usual and couldn’t resist a smirk.

“Leo~”

As Leo heard her voice, he felt goosebumps travel across his skin. There was something mischievous and dangerous in her tone that made him uneasy.

“You know... a sleeping person wouldn’t flinch, and their heartbeat wouldn’t skyrocket if someone were to touch their neck~”

She spoke while prodding Leo’s neck with her fingers, causing sweat to break out on Leo’s forehead.

Leo was at a loss. When had this girl gained so much confidence and become so daring? Suddenly, it all clicked.

‘The Ribbon!’

He realized, feeling her finger, still poking his neck.

Ava had received a reward, ‘The Bony Ribbon’ for being the top contributor in the second wave. The reward must have given her a significant confidence boost that transferred over to her character.

‘Just act normal...’

Leo tried to mentally prepare himself, telling himself to act normal as he was about to open his eyes, but his thoughts were cut short.

“I remember someone mentioning that demons have a weakness...”

Ava’s voice carried a lot of meaning, causing Leo to recall what had occurred in hell.

Leo’s entire body tensed up, causing Ava to giggle.

“Leo, wake up!”

Leo’s eyes reluctantly opened and were met with Ava’s stunning face adorned with a bewitching smile that was aimed towards him.

Leo’s mind went blank as he stared at Ava’s mesmerizing beauty. He couldn’t help but get lost in her delicate features and the depth of her ocean-blue eyes. His mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out.

Ava’s smile widened, and she leaned in closer, her face now just inches from his mask.

“Are you back to normal?”

Ava’s whisper made Leo feel both stunned and uncomfortable, especially with her close proximity. He couldn’t help but squirm a little, feeling troubled by the situation.

“Y..es”

Leo managed to croak out, trying to sound as normal as possible, but his voice betrayed him with a tremble.

He focused his gaze on Ava’s eyes, hoping that it would help him maintain his composure.

...

After several seconds of tension, Ava finally gave up and spoke, breaking the silence.

“It seems you’re back...”

Leo let out a sigh of relief as Ava got up from his chest, breaking the intense eye contact. He tried to calm his racing heart, taking deep breaths as he sat up.

‘That shitty Ribbon!’

He couldn’t help but curse the new item Ava had received, the Ribbon, for the whole exchange. Although it had helped Ava subdue him and prevented him from killing an entire crowd of players, he would rather tarnish his image than go through such an embarrassing event again.

Leo heard a voice inside him whispering that he somehow enjoyed the whole exchange, but he quickly shut it down.

He glanced at Ava and saw that she had a composed expression, which helped him to calm down. However, looking at her made his heart beat strangely fast.

‘She was just helping me... nothing else’

Leo took a deep breath and tried to push away the confusing feelings. He convinced himself that Ava was just helping him, and nothing more. With a mental effort, he locked away the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him and put the metaphorical key in a safe place in his mind.

Leo knew that those emotions were something he was not yet ready to confront...

Rustle...

Ava suddenly appeared before Leo, her figure illuminated by the moonlight. She gazed into his eyes, and her bright blue eyes shimmered in the darkness.

“Won’t you thank me?”

Ava’s smile sent Leo’s thoughts spinning, causing him to hesitate before responding.

‘Shit...’

Whether he wanted it or not, the emotions Leo had locked up were freed once again, swirling around in his mind. He couldn’t believe that the lock he thought was secure had a second key, and that key was Ava. Her smile had an unexplainable effect on him, making it difficult to keep his emotions in check.

“Thank you...”

Leo replied, his voice firm and resolute. Ava was momentarily taken aback, as she had assumed Leo was still flustered and overwhelmed by their earlier exchange.

Ava took an extra second to examine his eyes, but found them just as emotionless as before. However, there was a subtle difference now, they seemed to radiate a hint of warmth, though it could’ve just been her imagination.

...

As they walked back to the wall, Ava remained silent, lost in her thoughts. It wasn’t until they were halfway there that she realized how her actions might have looked. Despite managing to hide her emotions, her cheeks turned as red as tomatoes.

‘What did I do?!’

Ava covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t believe what she had just done, and yet a part of her was glad she did it. Despite the embarrassment she felt, she knew deep down that she would do it all over again if given the chance.

“It felt nice...”

Ava whispered to herself, her hands still covering her reddened cheeks. Her mind was protesting against the admission, but she couldn’t deny the warmth that had spread through her when she and Leo were wrestling.

She cast a quick glance at Leo’s back and noticed that his usual aloof and cold aura seemed to have wavered, making him appear more approachable and vulnerable.

Ava couldn’t quite decide whether it was a positive or negative development, but she couldn’t deny that Leo seemed more human than ever before. It was as if his usual persona, which was known for tackling challenging feats, had vanished, and he was just an average player.

...

While Ava was analyzing Leo’s behavior, he was preoccupied with organizing his thoughts in a way that would help him focus.

He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, aware of Ava’s gaze on his back, which inexplicably made him break out in a nervous sweat.

‘At least her anger seems to have subsided...’

Leo thought as he recalled the cold shoulder he received from Ava when they met near the wall. He let out a sigh of relief, glad that at least that problem had disappeared.

He had given up on trying to suppress his feelings and was examining them closely, trying to make sense of them. He was aware that he had never felt this way before about anyone.

“Do I... admire her?”

he questioned himself, but quickly dismissed the thought. Despite her current situation, she was still his idol in her past life as the strongest player, of course he couldn’t help but admire her.

‘What is this...’

As he continued to reflect, he couldn’t shake the troubled feeling he had when Ava was hovering over him, and the lust his ego felt.

...

“No way!”

Leo exclaimed aloud, catching Ava’s attention, who turned to look at him with a questioning expression.

“Is everything okay?”

She asked, her blue eyes showing a hint of concern.

.....