Through these 10 days of leveling I've successfully upgraded my Eternal Bond to LV.10 which is the maximum skill level. It took me 8 upgrade chances to do so.
[Eternal Bond LV.10]
Allows the user to form a permanent contract with any target of the opposite sex wether they are willing or not. Boosts loyalty and affection by 100% when contracted. Cannot be upgraded.
What did I do with the remaining two chances? you'd ask. I used them on Mirella's bloodline raising it from B to S. I did so because using it directly on my bloodline would've used more upgrade chances than using it on her's and then copying her bloodline itself after doing so.
We've reached LV.43 at present and have been feeling the leveling speed slow down. We need some alternative to level up to the LV.50 cap.
We decided to leave the village in the afternoon and grind levels on our way to the nearest town. The sun had barely broken the horizon when we left the gates behind. Morning mist clung to the hills, and the dirt path ahead wound like a serpent through a field of silvergrass.
Mirella had a rare, lingering smile on her face. The kind not forced by circumstance, but born of freedom.
"I hated that village," she murmured as we walked. "Felt like a cage after I married that asshole. This? This feels right."
As we neared the city the trail ahead wound between wooded ridges, and it wasn't long before the trees grew restless. A low, guttural growl echoed from the underbrush.
Suddenly one by one, goblins emerged from the brush twenty… no, thirty, maybe more. Their green and grey skins gleamed with war paint. Each one held a different kind of weapon: jagged axes, curved sickles, crude muskets, bone-tipped spears, even chains with hooks.
One goblin stepped forward larger, one eye missing, body decorated with what looked like stitched skin. It raised a jagged glaive and shrieked.
The goblin warband tightened their circle. Their snarls and war cries echoed across the rocky canyon. Bloodlust gleamed in their eyes every goblin was around LV.40 to LV.48, each of them ready to rip us apart.
I shifted into a defensive stance, besides me, Mirella lowered into a predator's crouch, her sword drawn out ready to attack.
"Ready?" I asked.
She smiled wild, exhilarated. "Always."
The first goblin lunged towards us soon followed by others.
"Clang...clank..."
Steel met bone and crude iron. My blade snapped upward, cleaving its rusted dagger and biting deep into its collarbone. Mirella flashed past me, her movements a blur. Two goblins dropped before they even realized she'd moved.
I ducked under a goblin axe and slammed my pommel into its jaw, spinning to cut down another behind me.
Mirella was a storm by the way ducking, weaving, blades flashing. Her movements left red trails in the air, her footwork elegant and brutal. Her fight was different than mine, more powerful and effective than mine. That's all her profession perks I thought.
"10 down!" she called out after leaving every goblin with some HP for me to have the last hit.
I panted even though she made it soo easy for me to steal her kills. "At least 20-30 more!" I said seeing many goblins still charging at us.
The remaining goblins howled and surged forward, charging at us faster and harder. One grazed my shoulder with a hooked blade slightly lowering my health. Together, we stormed the weakened side, cutting a brutal path straight through their center.
I took a hits to the ribs and abdomen but kept going, while Mirella used her sword shredding everything within 2 meters of her. Goblins fell here and there giving me chances to finish them. The goblin horde soon thinned. The fight was short and brutal.
Only one goblin remained crippled, whimpering as it tried to crawl away.
"Should we finish it?" I asked.
Mirella held up a hand. "Wait. Let it lead us."
We followed the limping creature at a distance through thickets and under low-hanging trees, until it stumbled into a clearing of makeshift tents and fire pits.
[Discovered: Goblin Camp – Rank B – Approximate Population: 100–300]
At the center stood a Goblin Shaman, larger than the rest, its skin a dark, mossy green. A LV.70 or above monster I guessed.
"Elite monsters drop better loot and XP, but it has already completed it's breakthrough mission surpassing our level. We better leave here quickly" Mirella suggested.
We've already leveled up to LV.48 after fighting the goblins some more and we'll reach LV.50. Moving on we made our way to Virelith. A fortified border town built around a dormant mana geyser, known for housing relic-hunters and elite guild recruiters.
Entering the city I decided to complete some NPC missions instead of leveling by grinding mob monsters. My decision of doing so stunned Mirella but she obeyed to it blindly due to her maxed out affection due to my skill.
We booked a hotel room for two days while we stayed at Virelith with the coins I amassed using Mirella in Cursed Canyon. I did so because I wanted to use my upgrade chances to raise Mirella's bloodline to SSS while reaching LV.50 cap slowly.
During our two day stay in Virelith I completed many NPC missions slowly leveling up while also fucking Mirella when I got the chance and logging out while sleeping. I used my daily upgrade chance and finally upgraded Mirella's bloodline to SSS level.
"Darling I've unlocked a racial skill just now after you upgraded my bloodline to SSS level." Mirella said jumping happily before me. I was surprised to know that after getting the bloodline level to SSS racial skills are obtainable.
Wanting to try it myself I opened Mirella's status and focused on her bloodline and used share function of my profession Harem Master. I felt a warm current flowing into me and soon the pain hit me like a crashing wave.
It started in my chest a tight, burning surge then it spread like wildfire through every nerve. My vision blurred, knees buckling as my body struggled to adapt to the overwhelming power of the SSS rank bloodline.
Mirella worried, turned to me instantly. "Adrian?! What's wrong?"
I gritted my teeth "Ugh..Nothing, just… wait a minute I'll be alright" I said gritting my teeth while trying to stay calm.
My heart felt like it was about to explode. My bones creaked. Muscles tore, reformed, and tore again. It wasn't just pain, it was evolution.
Then, everything went still.
The pain vanished, like a snapped string. My body stopped trembling, and a strange warmth remained in its place power humming just beneath the surface. But before I could focus on my status screen to see the change a notification sounded in my head.
[Congratulations to player Adrian White for successfully upgrading his bloodline to SSS level, breaking all previous records and securing first place on the bloodline Rankings!]
[Your achievement will be announced publicly three times. Do you want to reveal your identity?]
[Y/N]
I expected this to happen as I researched the ranking lists after what happened the last time. Soon enough I chose no on the screen before me and instantly the announcement with the same alias of HOMEWRECKER was announced publicly once again breaking a record.