CHAPTER 33 — Peaceful Morning
Elion — POV
I woke to warmth.
A soft weight pressed against my side, a faint floral scent—Alexiy—and the steady rise and fall of her breath. For a moment I couldn't remember when I'd fallen asleep, only that one second I'd been talking, and the next…
Gone.
Completely knocked out.
I exhaled slowly, letting my head fall back against the pillow.
My body felt heavy. Not sore—just drained. Yesterday had been too much. Too intense. Too emotional.
Then I felt something else.
A very distinct pressure beneath the blankets.
"…damn it," I muttered. I could feel her weight on me, her warmth seemed to seep into me... but I had one problem. My morning wood —of course.
And of course feeling Alexiy in bed next me, as she was curled up against my chest with her thigh draped over mine, It's like a temptation spell.
Any other day? I wouldn't have minded so much. I knew it was only a matter of time before we progresses in our relationship. But I didn't want to rush after all I've only known Alexiy for a few days, and I don't want to rush this... But my desire was clear.
Sadly today… wasn't that day.
Not when I still had things to do, routes to map, and a whole apocalyptic hell waiting outside these walls.
Alexiy shifted slightly, her soft hair brushing my jaw. Her face was peaceful, almost angelic. Seeing her like this tugged something in my chest that hadn't existed before all this.
I brushed my fingers lightly along her cheek, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Good morning," I whispered—even though she was still asleep.
There was something else I needed to do.
Right. Last night I'd meant to spend the rest of my free points, but instead I'd passed out like a corpse.
Good thing I remembered now.
I focused lightly, channeling mana through the system prompt, and dumped over 30 of my remaining points into my stats. I spend 5 points per stat, I was't sure if it would be wise to try to Min-Max my stats... From the skills I've awakened I don't know what kind of combat would be best.
So I just increased my overall strength by spending the stat points evenly, for now. The one good thing is that every day my spirit will increases by one, so that's one less stat I need to focus on, but I can't forget it completely.
A gentle hum rippled beneath my skin—heat, pressure, expansion.Not painful, but definitely real.
My strength tightened. My senses felt sharpened. My thoughts cleared like fog lifting off a lake.
A quiet chime sealed the update.
I opened my status screen.
[STATISTICS]
Name: Elion
Level: 4
Physique: 20 → 25
Mind: 15 → 20
Spirit: 15 → 22
Will: 25 → 30
Perception: 15 → 20
Charm: 16 → 21
Free Points Remaining: 41 → 11
[POINT ALLOCATION COMPLETE]
Yeah. That felt good.
I stretched carefully so I wouldn't wake the sleeping girl wrapped around me—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Elion?" Lily's voice came muffled through the door. "Breakfast is ready whenever you two want to join us!"
I cleared my throat. "Thanks, Lily. We'll be there soon."
There was a cheerful hum and her footsteps retreated down the hall.
I looked back at Alexiy.
Her lashes fluttered slightly. She'd definitely woken up somewhere around "soon."
She peeked up at me, still half buried against my chest, cheeks bright red.
"…Good morning," she whispered.
"Morning."
She hesitated. Then:
"Can I… get a good morning kiss?"
I couldn't help the small smile tugging at my mouth.
"Of course."
I leaned down and captured her lips—slow at first, gentle, letting her set the pace.
But she didn't stay gentle.
Alexiy pressed closer, fingers curling into my shirt, her body melting flush against mine. She kissed me like she'd been waiting all night for this. Like she needed reassurance, or connection, or maybe just me.
Her soft moan vibrated against my lips as I slid my hand down her waist—
And cupped her ass.
She let out a tiny yelp into my mouth—then immediately leaned in harder, practically forcing herself into my lap.
Her entire body felt warmed when pressed against me, her breath shaky, the kiss deepening until I had to pull back or forget breakfast entirely.
A thin bridge of clear saliva connected us for a heartbeat before it snapped.
"We should get ready," I murmured, brushing my thumb along her lower lip. "Today's gonna be a long day."
She nodded quickly—still flustered—and gave me one more fast kiss that barely landed before she scrambled out of the bed.
Then—
Her face went crimson.
Because she realized that while she'd been kissing me fully clothed, her hair was messy, her shirt twisted showing her belly, and the pajama shorts she was wearing were riding up in a way that would break weaker men.
She covered her face with both hands.
"Don't laugh," she mumbled.
I absolutely laughed. How could I not. She was just so cute.
She squeaked, grabbed her shoes, and bolted out the door—still pink from the roots of her hair to the tips of her ears.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Silence filled the room again.
I let the amusement settle in my chest, a soft warmth that refused to fade as I stood and stretched.
Today would be long. I wasn't sure about the plan. But I knew it involved recon. That ment preparing the teams, since we were heading out. Figuring out what the hell to do in this crazy world. Checking the surface and city. And the supplies—
Right. While we had enough foodstuff for about 10 people to feed for year, that wasn't enough. Food would only get more rare as I doubted farmers were still growing things. Meaning it will be at least a year for a harvest if we tried to plant a garden now.
A slow grin spread across my face as I headed for the door.
We'd get to that soon enough.
But for now?
Breakfast.
And maybe one more look at Alexiy trying not to stare at me across the table like she hadn't melted in my arms five minutes ago.
I chuckled again, low and amused.
"Yeah. This was going to be a good morning."