Standstill Break

Alice’s POV:

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I pleasured my mate in every possible way, which naturally had its results. I was loved a lot~ After sleeping a good one, we left our world and went to the Zumn Reef to ask Aiko about something.

She was sitting there meditating, just like usually. After noticing us, she greeted us and questioned the reason for our visit. I put my hands behind my back and after leaning slightly forward, I said with a smile “Hi~ We came to ask you if there was a place where we can take… I don’t know. Quests with rewards?” I tilted my head to the side, questioning her.

Her ears twitched cutely. If only she would be young… “Hmm- In that case, you are looking for Babel. You can go there and take on quests. But be warned that most of them are in the Abyss. Even if only at the resting grounds. It’s the highest tower. I’m sure that you can find it,” She answered after a short moment of thinking.

“Could you tell us more about the Abyss?” I questioned her with a pitiful face and pleading eyes, but she only smirked as an answer and then said - “Heh, you can find out for yourselves. Work hard to fall deeper!”

The irony in your words… I thought unhappily. Facing the other way, I couldn’t help but start pouting. After turning back to look at her, I showed her my middle finger. Her eyes opened widely and before we could leave, I was still able to see from the corner of my right eye, that she started laughing while hitting the table. “Hahaha, I didn’t expect that. But you better not get used to that…” She sent her thoughts straight towards my mind.

Not answering, we used our mind powers. It rushed through the whole planet and we felt that huge tower she was talking about. Babel, it is. [Honestly, we should just ask Narihi… I’m sure that she has been to the deeper parts of the Abyss.] Hiro remarked while looking at me.

[I know. Let’s talk with them before going to the Babel.] I agreed with him with a smile on my face. Ugh… what came to me? I’m getting in the mood to love you, dear? I questioned Hiro, not knowing what was going on. We had sex just now…

[I’m sorry… It’s because your smile took my breath away. I want to hug you!] Hiro exclaimed. It couldn’t be helped. He coiled his strong arms around me and I felt wonderful. I started swaying my tail in my happiness, while his nature-like fragrance entered my nostrils. I sniffed his chest, which tickled him. His head was on the top of my head, while he was caressing my back. He wasn’t horny, yet. He was just loving me. I coiled my tail around his waist, while he has done the same.

After standing there in such a position for a few minutes, we realized that we didn’t want to separate. But then again… flying like that would be weird. In his embrace, I felt peaceful and home. The world felt like a standstill. Still, we separated with smiles on our faces, which soon turned into sadder ones. It felt cold without his arms and the standstill was also broken. Others would kill for this kind of pain… Our biggest problem was that we had to separate from our hug to live our lives. Such a tragic tale!

“Your self-ridiculing sarcasm is unfortunately accurate. Haha,” Hiro said with a laugh, and then put his hand on my face. His smile was so gentle and loving.

“Mmmmmh~” I screamed with my lips pressed against each other as I jumped on him. “Haha, stupid girl. Get off of my face, I can’t see anything!” Hiro shouted in his surprise. I turned around only to see a random woman in front of us. After crashing into her, all of us fell downward. She was weaker than us, so after everyone regained their controls, she apologized for getting in our way, and then left before we could say anything.

“Ehm… I’m sorry? Well, no. Not really,” I talked to myself and Hiro. After ruffling my hair, we looked for Narihi with our mind powers. There was an entrance to a cave and after entering it, we saw something we shouldn’t have… Luckily, they were too focused on each other to notice us.

[I guess we better ask her later…] I remarked through our bond as we silently left. We took our way towards Babel and a huge tower, reaching into the skies appeared in front of us. It was covered in long vines, also extending into the skies. That building looked to be really old, but it was visibly stable. Not even time took its effect on that tower. The entrance was on the ground and after entering through it, we found ourselves in a huge hall.

There were quite a lot of cultivators inside, but only a few of them were at the World Realm. I could say that seeing cultivators at the sixth realm was the norm here. I also got a few ‘curious’ looks, but no one made a move. Good for them. We found Elder Galen Parros and Jason Gold here. His shining golden hair was a trademark of his. Although Jason didn’t notice us, but Galen did.

Upon seeing us, he walked up to us, with a smile on his face. While being here, we have got to know that he was actually an elder with little to no authority. But we didn’t care about that. Authorities were only for humans and other races, not us. No one can command us, True Divine Beasts! We have no god!

[But while living among the humans, we should abide their laws.] Hiro remarked, startling me for a moment. But in the next second, he started chuckling, which turned into a silent laughter. Looking at it from an outsider’s point of view, he looked like an idiot… since he started laughing at nothing, out of nowhere.

[Hirooo~ Please… Just stop it.] I thought while shaking my head sideways and burying my face in my palms.

[Haha~ Okay. I was just kidding, though you know that.] I couldn’t help but shake my head, knowing that I wasn’t any different!

“H- Hello,” Elder Galen greeted ahead of us with a happy face. Upon eye contact, I saw it all. His fake happiness had no way to escape my eyes. Instead of happiness, his true feeling was hope. He was simply here to keep up a good relationship with us.

He was just a weak elder, who was worth even less than a lot of the stronger cultivators, who had a bright future to move ahead. We were also such people. He probably wanted to stay in a good relationship and increase his own status in the future. If we were to be average cultivators, then he would never even bother with looking at us, much less greet ahead of us.

Honestly, though, I never understood what they thought. It’s not like he is our teacher. So why would his status go up? It was a stupid way of thinking. But we didn’t mind it. Although he wouldn’t get too much out of this fake relationship, but we would!

“Good Morning Elder Galen,” I greeted back with a bright smile on my face. Usually, at least fifty percent of a person’s relationships were such kind. The kind which served mutual benefits. Nothing more. [And the other forty is for just spending and wasting time with people we don’t care about…] Hiro added sarcastically. Agreeing with him, I didn’t say anything.

“What brings you here?” Galen asked with a smile on his face. That feeling of fear of being refused also disappeared from the depths of his eyes. Laughable.

“Oh, we just want to gather information about this place and then take on a quest,” Hiro continued, while his sneaky tail was poking my butt. Pervert.

[I am.] Of course, he had to chime in and add his thoughts.

“Well, in that case, please follow me. I’ll tell you everything you have to know and I’ll even take care of the procedures. The line is really long…” He finished his sentence with a ‘winner’ face, while looking towards the long line of cultivators, who were ready to take on quests. This is why we also wanted to stay in a good relationship.

Truth be told, I’m more for the honest bonds. But I guess this one should be okay. After thanking him, we followed him into a private looking room. There were comfortable armchairs and sofas around a big table. Hiro sat down in one of them and I took my right place. On his lap. Galen blanked out for a moment while looking at us, but he soon returned and took his place as if nothing happened.

[This is gonna be interesting…] Hiro remarked and I naturally knew his meaning. The bulge under my butt was a proof of my belief in him.

“So let’s start,” Galen said, leaning forward with his fingers clasped. “As you know, this place is called the Babel. Why is it so tall? When Gaia founded the school and we came to join, this tower was already here. At that time, we too questioned her, asking why was it so tall, but she told us that it didn’t have a meaning. After exploring it, we realized that it was indeed the truth. You can go up, but above the ground floor, the whole place is empty…”

“Now enough of its history. You can take up quests here, which are tasks, given by the staff of the school and the elders. Usually, the tasks are subjugation missions be it in the abyss or in the surrounding planets.” He stopped for a moment, waiting for us to understand everything. Not like he had to since we weren't retarded… and yes, there were a few other planets besides this one, which were mostly infected by monsters.

Seeing that we were sitting there with unbothered faces, he scratched the back of his head and after an awkward laugh, he cleared his throat and finally continued. “So… Numerous people can take up the same quest, even if they are different groups. This is because these quests are a must. The elders are also training and working hard to advance and the classes are taking up enough time. We don’t have the time to even go as far as holding these tests weekly.”

“So the test you took part in, happens only each year, while you have to finish a set number of quests, depending on your level and talent, monthly. Determining the number of quests a student has to complete is actually one of my responsibilities. Unfortunately, I’m responsible only for the initial steps, but this means that I can help you out for now!” He said with a red face while scratching the back of his head. He seemed to be nervous, but upon reaching the end of his explanation, his face lit up with hope.

[Poor guy. He is trying to impress us, not knowing that we can see through him. He is completely unlike Aiko or Genotan. They are hard to see through…] I thought while looking at Galen pitifully. Before he could notice it, Hiro turned my face away and gave me a kiss.

[What are you doing? It would only make him feel worse if he was to see you pitying him.] Hiro rebuked me through our bond, while his tongue rolled inside my mouth. We quickly finished up, while Elder Galen was looking to the side. Our kiss didn’t take more than a second, so we were quick~

After coughing once, he continued with a slightly red face. He looked so innocent… “In case another group accepts the same quest as yours, the one who finishes it earlier will get the rewards. Which are none other than World Crystals, and that you have to finish one less mission. I know that this sounds weird, but these were Gaia’s rules, which weren’t changed for many years.”

We frowned upon hearing the first half of his last sentence. “Why would it be weird? Although it doesn’t have immediate rewards, but something much better! On one hand, it filters the lazy people and makes them work harder. Of course, there are still many who quickly finish their tasks and then go lazing around… but it’s still better. On the other hand, it creates the perfect mood for a competitive environment.”

Hiro told his opinion about Gaia’s method. Galen opened his eyes widely in his surprise upon finally understanding it. What… did he not know this? We looked at each other and chuckled.

“Hmm… I never thought of it like this before. What you are saying is indeed true,” He said, which was followed by his praise. Of course, he just had to do it. How surprising... he was a boot licker as well. [You are turning too sarcastic today, Alice.] Hiro remarked. Honestly, I don’t like them.

“So what about those missions?” Hiro questioned him while spreading his legs, causing my butt to slid down between them. Now I was sitting between his legs and his weapon was pressing against my back. Hopefully, Galen won’t use his mind power to sense his surroundings.

“Ah, I almost forgot it. Haha- The minimum number of missions that you have to do is five. Not even I can com- advise you to do less.” He clenched his fists nervously for a moment upon realizing that he almost slipped and said 'command'. This situation was quite interesting. We were just freshmen, yet an elder was afraid of us.

[Only one? I remember you can put off Elder Genotan quite easily as well…] Hiro remarked through our bond with a skeptical tone, which made me chuckle.

[But he isn’t afraid of us, he is just-]

[Yes, he just can’t say anything to you once you start talking about what he wanted to do with me. Haha.] Hiro cut into my thoughts and laughed at me. I shrugged my shoulders and admitted that there were two elders, who were afraid of us. I’ll get a kink for this if this continues…

“Five? That’s not much. Does it come with any perks if we complete more quests? I mean, even if we have to travel through days, completing five quests in a month is nothing,” I questioned him while leaning slightly forward, with a curious face.

“Like I said before, you get World Crystals after your quests. So as long as you are in need of them, you’ll have to take on more quests. Also, probably these missions are the only income for most of the cultivators in the school, other than their monthly salary, which hasn’t been decided for you either. Usually, the elders wait with it until the yearly Crazed Run. You will probably learn of the results the next day. I’m sure that you will get a lot of World Crystals, considering your performance.”

“You will have to come to Babel in case you want to receive your earnings. Actually, anything that is related to missions or World Crystals is here. I don’t have too much of a say in how many World Crystals you will get, but I’ll try to buff it up.” He finished his explanation with a smile and then said that he was going to bring in a few quests, which were at our levels. After telling him that he could bring quests which were for cultivators at the first stage of Temporary Law Realm, he left with a surprised face.

We didn’t really want to take on such quests, but at least seeing them should be fine. Those dinosaurs couldn’t teleport, but real monsters could! We wouldn’t overestimate our own abilities. It would be very dangerous to go on such quests at our level. But if we were to break through to the next stage…

[We should just use the souls. We don’t have to create even more such monsters in our own world either and the upcoming war is also a good place for us to gather new souls…] Hiro remarked, which made me think twice about taking harder quests. A few seconds later, Galen was already back with the usual, diamond shaped, Memory Crystal in his hands.

We touched it and the details of a few quests flooded our minds. There were subjugation quests, dungeon diving where we had to get specific items and bring back those. We also learned of two quests, which were for cultivators at the sixth level. Most of the quests were in the Abyss and we actually had to kill the overgrowing population of monsters on the same path we took. The path of the entrance exam. This meant that keeping it ‘safe’ for the newcomers was one of our responsibilities. In case a powerful monster appeared, we had to take care of it!

Now we understood what was going on. Out of curiosity, I couldn’t help but ask. “Could you tell us what are the high-level cultivators’ missions like?”

His face stiffened for a moment, and then after making a thoughtful face, he talked with his hand on his chin. “Hmm… We had to take an oath, so I can’t tell you too much about it, but the Abyss is divided up among many powers. For example, if a student of Angelwood Academy were to be noticed in our territory, then he or she would be killed on the spot. Naturally, the really powerful cultivators can come and go anywhere they want to. Not like anyone could stop them.”

“The cultivators at the sixth level are mostly responsible for defending our territory on the first level of the Abyss, while at the seventh level, they are responsible for the deeper levels. But I’m sure that you will get there, so you will learn more about it in the future,” He said while waving his hand. Well, he said that it wasn’t much, but it was more than enough to us for now. I imagine that they are having skirmishes, assaults and such. Probably.

After deciding to take on both quests, which were for the cultivators at the Temporary Law Realm, we also selected another three.

“A- Are you sure? You should be more careful. What if-?” He started dissuading us with a worried face, but we stopped him and told him that we would be alright. He helplessly put down his hands on the table and sighed loudly. “But be careful…” He added with another sigh. If we were to die, his chance to gain some benefits would also swim away, so his worry was natural, and this wasn’t my delusion.

“Do we have to do anything else, or can we go?” Hiro asked while caressing the back of my head. His fingers brushed through my long and rich hair, which felt wonderful. I closed my eyes for a moment in bliss.

“No, you can leave,” Galen answered with a smile. Sadly, Hiro’s movements soon came to an end because he stopped his caressing and told me that we were leaving. But before standing up, he leaned close to my right ear and whispered into it.

His deep voice echoed and trembled in my ear. [I’ll caress your body all over the place soon enough.] A bolt of electricity rushed through my whole body. Suddenly, I felt so horny suddenly, that I was barely able to hold back myself. My eyes turned into slits and my heart started beating rapidly. We should leave…

We left the building almost running and after entering our own world, we made love. When we finished, we sat down back to back and started cultivating. We consumed tens of millions of World Crystals, along with quite a lot of souls. It happened four days later, that we stopped. We were at the late seventh stage of World Realm.

Our speed was literally ridiculous. Honestly… not even True Divine Beasts could be our match. And this was true even before we learned of Soul Eater. I don’t know the exact reason behind it, but our speed probably has something to do with our bond.

[Mh~ My dear is the best! We are even better than the other shitty gods. Haha-] I thought happily with a smile on my face, while rubbing my head on Hiro’s. He was embracing me from behind, with his arms coiled around my belly. His chin was on my shoulder. The rays of our sun penetrated our skins, filling us with a feeling of satisfaction. The gentle wind we made was only adding fuel to the blissful feeling.

“WAAA! I love you~” Hiro suddenly roared up and pushed me down on the ground in the grassy plain. His muscular figure loomed over me and his shadow fell on my face. I smiled as I put my right hand on his smooth face. Raising my hand, I sneaked my fingers into his hair, and then moved it downward to his neck, from the back of his head. His eyes and face looked serious, but I felt his love for me. It was more than anything I’ve ever felt. He moved his head towards me and kissed me deeply. We didn’t even use our tongues, we just stayed like that for a long time before separating.

Both of us breathed in long after it, and then sat up with happy faces. He hugged me into his embrace and ruffled my hair. We didn’t move. We just sat there and felt our stirring hearts. My heart was beating slower than ever. I felt peaceful and happy. “My-my… I really don’t need more than you,” I said in a low voice. He was caressing the back of my head in the same manner, which I enjoyed before. After giving a kiss on the top of my head, we stood up and prepared to leave.

Since this was our first month, we didn’t have to take on any quests, so time wasn’t pressuring us. This was the last day of the month anyway, so we still had thirty days left. “After so much love… let the feast begin!” Hiro exclaimed with an excited face. That was a sudden mood turn… though I couldn’t complain since I was affected by his excitement and I was kicked out of my blissful one… stupid Hiro. Mood killer!

“Don’t worry, once we come back, we will sit down here and look at the stars. I love you so much anyway, so returning to this mood won’t be hard,” Hiro said after feeling that I was slightly unhappy with the sudden mood change. His words melted my heart and I couldn’t feel annoyed anymore.

After leaving our world, we didn’t meet with Poirlion and Narihi and only told them that we were going to do quests.

“Wait- wait! But why don’t you come with us?” Narihi questioned through her mind power. Her voice sounded worried.

“Sorry, but we don’t want to rely on your strength. If you were to come, we would be filled with a feeling of comfort. With you beside us, we would never feel real danger and that is something we don’t want to. I swear that next time we will take you with us. Okay?” I told her honestly feeling happy that she felt worried because of us. It meant that she cared about us, which never hurt.

“*Sigh* Alright… but be careful. Don’t die or else we won’t have anyone to serve… haha,” Poirlion added jokingly, but I picked up on his last words. Although it sounded like a joke, but he meant it. They knew of our plans. We were going to build a kingdom of two halves! And we needed people to do that!

“Don’t worry. What do you think? Is there anyone who can kill us? The idiot couple?” Hiro answered to Poirlion, which was followed by their laughter.

“Well, Lord Hiro~ There is one more idiot couple now,” Narihi said playfully. We laughed at her words and after saying goodbye, we left towards the Abyss. It was time to finally explore the shallowest parts of it. Let’s see what does it hold in store for us!