Even the most clueless idiot would know what would follow Gris all night, insinuations, mood, responses, and most that others, drinking.

In truth, I was not hesitant to take the first step. Hell! I was restraining myself from taking it. Still, I was curious, would she do it herself if I did not? And should I stop her if she did?

While I loathe to admit it even to myself, I was unsure if such a development was the correct one. Indeed, there were, at least in my opinion, no real feelings between us besides some attraction. Thus, whatever happened would be casual and would probably be slightly uncomfortable to live with in the future.

And while this wasn't bad at all, I would have liked to pursue something different with Gris. I enjoyed her company, and she made me feel as if this world wasn't so alien to me.

So when she looked at me and said the words, "I think we should stop drinking." I stood up and nodded in place of doing anything else.

Probably this was just a bit out of her plans, as she looked at me with a strange expression. Still, if her plans did include something else, as I understood her character, she would not simply trash her intentions.

"Ah, there is no man to give a lady a helping hand, is there?" She suddenly said with an impish expression on her face, eyes half-closed and slightly shaking her head.

Her faked failure at standing up that followed made clear what she meant by helping hand, and so, I offered her a hand but could not resist slightly teasing, "I wonder where did the men go indeed."

"Oh, thank you, fair person." She continued in the same tone as she got a hold and stood up.

Only to immediately wobble on her feet and start falling forward. A surprisingly well-aimed fall, as it ended with my body stopping her from falling.

"I seem to have trouble standing." She looked at me with her chin on my chest.

"And I suppose that walking as well, right?" I could not resist continuing to tease, and so added right away, "Maybe I should lead you to your room?"

"Quite an interesting idea, but we are yet to be married, you know?" I could see how she was trying to hold back her laughter while saying this.

Barely resisting from doing something out of the game we were playing, I made my best attempt at a poker face and, with all the seriousness in the world, said, "Yes, that is indeed something that we will need to discuss. Your conduct is..." Adding a disappointed headshake to the trailing words was just the perfect soap opera detail.

"You know, Lindar, you are the truest example of a bastard. But somehow, it suits you just fine." She suddenly straightened, stopping our game, went for my lips.

The kiss was sudden, even if I did expect it inwardly, and I was taken aback for a moment. But I did respond, and from that moment, I knew that what would happen would indeed.

Her lips were moist and tasted like wine, and the slightly rough kiss went on for a minute, during which I could not help but notice her eyes closing and her leaning on me more and more.

"Gris? Gris?!" I felt that her body lost far more strength than it would be natural, and her head from being inclined forward as to kiss suddenly fell backward when I shook her lightly.

All the information that I usually hid flowed into my mind as I looked at her with [Status Screen].

Health 100% Stamina 0% Afflictions: Alcohol, Drug, Severe Intoxication.

Assasins Bloom Extract, Poison, Under Effect.

"Damn! What the hell is going on?!" I felt myself barking as I lowered her unconscious body back on the sofa-like seat she had been sitting before. A thought of danger crept into my mind, and I confirmed my status as well.

Health 100% Stamina 81% Afflictions: Alcohol, Drug, No Effect.

Assasins Bloom Extract, Poison, No Effect.

Thankfully, I did not freeze, and I was quick to realize that mixing sleeping drugs into someone's wine could only mean bad intentions, and a moment later, I was already using a spell, "Life Radar."

The manor was big, but its floors were only about two hundred and something meters each, so I concentrated only on a fifth of the map that appeared in my mind.

Two dots, both the size of a human but slightly dimmer, were present and dangerously close to us, only something about a hundred meters.

{The second or the third floor, as the basement was empty when we went in. Still, how the hell did they know we would drink the wine from this crate? Or they poisoned all of them?} I had no idea of Gris's usual routine, but she did like wine, and probably she would open a bottle when she returned to her house, alone or not.

_______

[What to do?] and [Who's the culprit?] the two classic, rhetorical and eternal questions appeared in my mind. And while I could discard the latter one, the former loomed over me. Not to mention that it immediately branched into a lot of questions.

Act right away?

Wait for developments?

Prepare for a fight?

Attempt something else?

And while I could create some thoughtful plan given the time, I had close to none. After all, my shouting couldn't have passed unheard, which meant that sooner or later, the owners of the two dots would come to look. And to act as well, as I doubt they randomly enter other's houses and add sleeping drugs to the wine as a pastime.

{If they are hostile, and I am sure they are, then my only option is to surprise them. After all, I doubt these unknown two decided to attempt putting Gris to sleep if they weren't sure of being able to deal with her if discovered.} A sound thought, and I decided to act on it. Surprising them should not be so hard, as the only threat they prepared for was Gris, right?

While [Mana Sense] wasn't the best skill in the world, it was by far the most useful for me right now. I had not sensed a single spell, which meant the uninvited guests had not used them.

Active magic items, like the [Light Orb], were easy to sense as well. And I was sure I hadn't noticed anything of the like. Thus, either they had no way to know the condition and movement of the people below, or they relied on a passive item.

Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on the feeling coming from [Mana Sense]. Passive magic items were hard to sense right away but manageable if concentrated. I had done so before, with Gris's belt, and I only had to repeat the same sensation.

{Six magic items in the range, but neither of them comes from upward, huh? So they will act on timing, intuition, sound, or a mix of all that.}

So with that confirmed, it was time to start preparing a surprise then.

_______

*Crash*

"What the..." I half-cried and knocked an empty bottle from the nearby table as I allowed my words to trail off.

And while they (most likely) could not see my actions, I still wavered in the most realistic way possible and fell forward, landing on top of Gris. I had zero thoughts unrelated to the plan. It was just the simplest way to make sure she would remain unharmed and that the villains would approach me.

As an added measure, to increase my odds if the surprise did not work, my hands reached for Gris's belt. After unfastening the iron lock, I slowly, almost without moving, pulled it off her and put it on myself. Again, I had no other thoughts than the plan. Yes, that's what I will tell her if she discovers what I did.

{Oh, it's good that I wasn't wrong about the belt!} as I confirmed the [+10 Strenght] and [+10 Slashing] in my status screen, I inwardly released a breath of relief. After all, I could only sense the general location of passive items, so what if her enchanted item was not the belt but something else?!

The main problem that I faced was that any spell, except the two blessings from Sepyre, required the caster to utter their name. Thankfully, it did not matter how loud it was, as I had found previously that even a whisper was enough. Still, even a low-voice mumble may alert the two figures, so I used Gris's tunic as a muffle.

"Life Radar" Confirming that neither of the figures had moved, so probably remained unaware of the happenings in this room, I prepared myself to wait.

***

About ten minutes later, my tenth, by that moment, [Life Radar] spell showed that the dots began to move. I was close to considering going and asking them to come already.

Steeling myself for what would happen, I made myself relax and, hopefully, look as if I was senseless.

From that moment, and until I felt that someone was standing close, I did not move or do anything. Steadied breathing and a couple of unrelated thoughts allowed me to lay still, and seemingly it worked.

Considering how [Mana Sense] worked, I attempted to concentrate on [Danger Sense] now, and I wasn't wrong. Well, it was that or a kind of intuition, but I grew aware that a hand was extending towards my shoulder.

{Let's be about it!} Stealing a line from a novel I enjoyed in the past, I acted without stopping to think. After all, if I did, I would probably find some idiotic reason to wait until they did something (evil-tier) before acting.

"Shaped Mana." I murmured in the quietest manner possible, although it wasn't required anymore. After all, the half-meter spike I summoned, which extended from my right shoulder, had appeared instantly.

I felt something hot and sticky on my clothes, and then, "Gah!!" A man's pained groan entered my ears. A groan that was soon replaced by a pained cry as I drove back my elbow with all the speed and force I was able to. And considering the strength stat I had at the moment, I wasn't even surprised to hear how the shout turned into a scream, then followed by the sound of glass and wood crashing.

Still, it wasn't time for marveling at how well it worked, especially as there was a second assailant. Aware of that, I jumped on my feet and turned around. Right in time, for my [Danger Sense] to chime in my mind and me to duck right away.

*Swoosh*

A thin blade, something that looked like a fencing saber, slashed across the place where my head had been. The thought of what could have happened crossed my mind and slightly distracted me. But, blessed with the previous incidents, I took myself under control and, pushing myself with all fours, tackled ahead.

Because of the increase in strength, I failed to calculate the force behind the tackle. Something that I found a second too late, as I slammed into the legs of the masked person in front, and we both slid for a few meters before crashing into the mess that the other man had created.

A few moments before, I discovered that concentrating on my actions allowed me to ignore my other thoughts, so I did it. Neither the shards of glass and crystal nor the stress and worry in my head mattered. I had to deal with the two attackers, and everything did not matter indeed!

The first man was in reach as well, so while I used my left arm to grab at him, the right one clutched into a fist that landed somewhere on the second attacker. Honestly, I did not even look where.

The most important thing, and the only one I concentrated on, was to avoid them separating from me, as otherwise I could myself surrounded. Thus, I strengthened my grab at the wounded man's leg, as it turned it to be, and pulled him towards me.

We three rolled on the floor, with cuts from the glass, pieces of wood, and other trash piercing our skin, and while they attempted to break off, I was randomly throwing punches, kicks, and who knows what else as well. The increase in strength was truly impressive. So much that after my fist missed, I cracked the stone tile of Gris's mansion hall!

***

"Haa, haa, haaah." Panting, I stood up. And found myself unsure of how much time did pass. Or even what, where, and how many times I hit.

I wasn't thinking clearly, so while my memory should have registered every action, I did not know what to recall or connect to.

I had stood up because I felt no resistance from the two attackers, and a quick look at their status confirmed that they were dead. {I never checked their stats, huh? A shame that dead ones don't have any. Wait, dead ones?!}

Unnaturally bent extremities, blood, caved chests...

*Blergh*

As soon as the image registered and I understood it was me, the one that caused that, I barfed.

And then, my feet wobbled while my vision started darkening.

{Damn, if they are like that, what state I am?!} An alarming thought crossed my mind, and as I found myself falling on the ground, I checked my status,

Health 42% Stamina 17% Afflictions: Alcohol, Drug, No Effect.

Assasins Bloom Extract, Poison, No Effect.

Viper's Kiss, Poison, No Effect.

Demon's Blood, Poison, No Effect.

And then, the last thing that crossed my mind along with a list of injuries, one that I did not even manage to read entirely before everything dimmed, was, {Damn, I need to drink that healing potion, now!}

Wounds and Injuries Body, Bloodloss, Medium. Body, Poisoned, x3, Resisted. Head, Concussion. Chest, Laceration, Bleeding. Chest, Embedded Glass Shards, x14, Bleeding. Waist, Tear, Bleeding. Right Arm, Deep Cut, Poisoned, Bleeding. Right Hand, Deep Cut, Vein and Nerves damage, Severe Bleeding. Left Hand, Broken fingers, x2 (Index and Middle). Left Hand, Dislocated Wrist. Right Shin, Wooden Splinters Embedded, x4, Bleeding. Left Foot, Deep Slash, Poisoned, Bleeding.