Novem entered the shadow dimension and passed beneath the door, intending to open it from the other side.

I waited impatiently with Apophis for her action, but 30 seconds passed and nothing happened. Was the door really that difficult to open? That was impossible, and I became concerned. After a minute, I pressed my hand against the cold metal and prepared to blow the door open; I wasn't sure I could, but Apophis and I could. However, I wasn't sure if wind magic could muffle the sound. But, just as I was contemplating all of this, the door creaked open.

Novem stood against the light, but her breathing was choppy, indicating she was in pain. Did she come across anything unexpected? That's what I thought as I ascended the stairs into the hallway, only to be taken aback by what I saw. More than a dozen bodies lay in bloody pools behind her. Perhaps there were even more before the shadow dimension swallowed them up.

"The last one was a little strong." Novem stated plainly.

I raised an eyebrow and moved in closer to her. I examined her from head to toe, pausing briefly to examine the bandage smeared with dried blood on her waist. Her wound appeared to be healed completely, but her suit was still torn or burned in places. I mentally made a mental note to request that my mother make her a suit of armor that would not break so easily. Although I wasn't sure how she'd react to a request from me after what I'd done. I sighed, thinking about how much effort it would take to regain my mother's trust.

However, while looking at her, I noticed that where the suit had been torn, Novem was showing off her porcelain skin with no scars; was this the effect of the potion? I didn't know, but I did notice that instead of looking wounded, she now appeared quite erotic, with the scratches near her breast revealing a bit of her flesh near her nipple, and I took my gaze away from her. I was going off on a tangent, we needed to get out of here, and Apophis had stood up and was looking at me with narrowed eyes, and I could almost hear her say 'Pervert' even though it wasn't my fault, in near-death situations, the human body seeks the preservation of the race.

Novem appeared perplexed, but simply waited with a slightly curious expression. She didn't seem to notice my gaze as it moved around her curvaceous body, so I was safe.

‘You taste strange and it makes me feel funny'. Apophis said in her sharp but elegant voice.

I made a slight grimace and smiled at the small snake, who was staring at me with interest. "Don't worry, I'll show you what it is later; for now, sleep."

Apophis seemed to pause for a moment before closing her eyes and wrapping her cold body around my neck. As I watched her sleep, I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't prepared to give her the talk just yet, at least not right now.

I went ahead of Novem, entering the corridor with its gray floor and gray walls, which was now amazingly clean thanks to the shadow dimension, despite the fact that there were many corpses strewn about previously. "All right, let's get out of here." I ordered.

We walked silently down the corridor, Novem in front of us, holding a short sword. Magical pulses emitted from her from time to time, deactivating traps in the corridors. The winding corridors were full of guards, which Novem dealt with, but it was obvious that they were already aware that something was wrong, because they were more alert and there were many of them, and it was only a matter of time before they sent the heavy cavalry, so we had to leave as soon as possible.

As we moved forward, a squad better equipped than the rest stood guard in a corner; Novem appeared to want to fight right away, but I stopped her because I had a bad feeling, and when I activated the 'character information' skill after a brief hesitation, I discovered that they were purity level 6. I was confident that even Novem would struggle to deal with so many level 6s at once. So we'd have to find another route, but I'd memorized the map and knew it was the only way to go.

I moved back with Novem and Apophis to a corner away from the enemies and talk to her.

"Novem, they are level 6, all of them." I whispered, as low as I could.

She gave me a slightly curious look. "How do you know, Young Master?"

This was a problem because I didn't want to reveal my secrets to Novem, but I also didn't want to lie to her... "I have a power that allows me to see the level of my opponent." After some thought, I said something vaguely.

Novem looked at me for a moment longer with her usual emotionless gaze, but she said nothing else, which I appreciated.

Now that the subject had shifted, I leaned back against the stone wall and began to consider our next steps. My thoughts were immediately drawn to the small snake sleeping on my neck. Not even the cold wall could keep me from thinking about how I could use her.

I knew she had a wide range of attacks because I'd read about them, but I wasn't sure if she could use them in this form. However, because Apophis always used poison to attack, whether in the form of mist or simply biting, almost no one could survive her poison, except, of course, the protagonist. These men, however, were not the main characters.

While I was thinking about how I could use Apophis, Novem made a movement that caught my attention, and when I turned to look at her, she spoke. "I'll take over, young master; you wait here." She moved forward, but I caught her wrist.

I dragged her a little further back, where the light from the stone that lit the corridor barely reached. "What did I say about not dying, Novem? We're all in this together, and I've got a plan." Before Novem could back out, I gently stroked Apophis' cold scales. To be safe, I conjured up a small layer of wind that would dampen the noise as long as we didn't go overboard and I inquired "Apophis, can your poison be released as a mist?"

"Huh?" In my mind, I could hear her sleepy voice. The little cobra yawned as it opened its mouth. "I can, but I can't."

I took the little snake and she coiled around my wrist, putting a slight pressure on me as if she was afraid I would let go, which was not my intention. I brought Apophis up to my face and gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

Apophis moved forward slightly and began to climb my head up, tickling me with her cold skin. "I know how to use that technique," She said as I felt Apophis settle into my hair like a nest. Her little head then lowered in front of my eyes and caressed my nose. "However, I'm too weak to use it." She climbed back up and squirmed around until she was at ease.

I ignored Apophis' unexpectedly intimate contact and asked another question. "How lethal is your poison?"

"Very." Apophis said lazily.

I nodded lightly, trying not to move my head too much in case Apophis fell off. "Do you have any sort of stealth ability?"

She paused for a moment before responding. "I can become invisible."

I nodded again, eliciting a slight hiss from Apophis as I shifted her slightly from her position.

I nodded and apologized to her by caressing her small body. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do..." I stopped talking to make sure they were paying attention to me, Novem was watching me intently paying attention to me even though she couldn't hear my conversation with Apophis. So I was pleased. "There are five enemies, and Apophis can take care of two of them before they realize anything is wrong. Novem, you can fight two more, and I'll keep the last one busy while Apophis backs me up."

Novem listened intently until the end, when she frowned and took a step forward. "Young master," She began, her voice hesitant but strong enough to convey her dissatisfaction. "I cannot allow you to put yourself in such danger; I can take action against all three enemies." She declared, her black eyes locked on mine with determination.

Her words made me sigh in disappointment. Had she not learned anything? I knew she had a chance to win, but I didn't want her to get hurt.

On top of that, the pill I had taken was still working, and I was literally one small push away from purity level 7, this battle would be my springboard. And if something went wrong, I had overload. It wasn't advised, but it was preferable to death.

"Novem." I began by looking her in the eyes and expressing my determination. "I understand your concerns, but we both know that fighting them could result in injury, and it could even be fatal in the long run." Even if I exaggerated a little, I reasoned. "I, on the other hand, am confident that I can hold out for at least 30 seconds, giving anyone enough time to assist me."

Novem appeared to reconsider her decision, her gaze tracing the features of my face, and I could see her sink into deep thought. She shook her head in response after a while. "I can't let it happen, Young Master."

I let out a sigh of disappointment. I was certain my red eyes conveyed my thoughts, but I decided to say them anyway. "Novem..." Or, at least, I tried.

Novem interrupted me before I could reprimand her. "No need to respond, young master; I'm not going to die; you told me what would happen if I did, but I can't let you suffer, Young master." She refused, being even more obstinate than usual.

This time it was my turn to frown; I was perplexed by Novem's behavior; she seemed even more overprotective than before; but I couldn't let it go on, for my own and her sake. I stood up completely and faced Novem; Apophis had not noticed the movement because she was asleep, but she squirmed slightly. I examined Novem from head to toe, from her slender legs to her hourglass figure, which was a little disheveled from her ripped outfit. She was a little taller than me, but I didn't mind. I got as close as I could to our noses almost touching, and as I stared into her eyes, I could feel Novem's quiet breathing.

"Novem Umbra." I said quietly, but she straightened up as if a switch had been flipped, so I continued. "Remember what I said? Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger; I can handle this; trust me and follow my instructions. Do you understand what I'm saying? Or do my words and orders have no meaning for you?" I gave her a cold stare and infused every word with controlled rage.

Her slightly tangled black hair moved to follow her movements as she shuddered and shook her head. "Of course not, but-"

"But what, Novem?" I cut her off and moved in closer, causing her to back up slightly until her back hit the wall. I knew I couldn't beat her, but her training made me untouchable for her; I could... do whatever I wanted to her right now, which I didn't like, but I would take advantage of it for the time being; it was hypocrisy at its finest. "Do you think you're worthless, Novem?" I asked, Her face was shadowed, and the dim lighting of the hallway made her appear pitiful standing against the wall.

So strong, yet so helpless.

“I…”

She didn't know what to say, so she just stared at me with her black eyes, but there was almost recognition in them at my words... and I became enraged. I moved in closer and pressed her body against mine. My hands reached up to Novem's neck and lightly pressed it, my gaze filled with uncontrollable rage. I received no response, and she did not fight back.

"Novem... "I pronounced softly.

"Yes, young master?"

My grip on her neck tightened. "How would you react if I tried to murder you right now?"

Novem looked me in the eyes before placing one of her hands on my wrist. "I'd have to resist, Young Master, because I need to get you out of here first." She continued with a slight smile tugging at her pink lips. "Besides, I can't die, right?"

I genuine smiled at her comment; this was progress, but I was still unsatisfied. How could I prove to Novem that she, too, was valuable? That she couldn't live just because I told her to, and only one thing came to mind, and before I knew it, I was rushing forward.

Our lips made contact.

Novem opened her eyes wide and I saw emotions overwhelm her for the first time, from confusion to embarrassment, and finally she narrowed her eyes and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. It wasn't a lustful or hungry kiss, and it was even a little uncomfortable because our lips were parched, but it was a clash of lips in which I expressed my feelings for her.

Our bodies were pressed together, and our heat was transmitted through Novem's worn armor and my unkempt clothes. Novem's chest was rising and falling, her breathing a little faster now, and I could feel her chest pressing against mine, which was a pleasant sensation.

‘I’m fell funny again.’ apophis' voice rang in the back of my head.

I ignored Apophis' innocent voice and the system notifications because I just wanted to enjoy the moment a little more.