“Don't be so nervous.”
She spoke softly.
“They've just had too much to drink.”
Ryan stared at her coldly.
“What did you do?”
The woman gently swirled her wine glass.
The amber liquid swirled under the light.
“Just gave them a little nudge.
“People are naturally full of desires.
“Envy, impulse, anger...
“I merely made them a little more pronounced.”
As she spoke, the world in Ryan's eyes began to shift slightly once more.
The liquid in the wine glass was glowing.
It was a soft, warm, relaxing glow.
Like honey.
Like intoxication.
Like something that would make a person willingly sink into it.
Winona had already walked very close.
So close that Ryan could smell her fragrance.
“But compared to them—”
She tilted her head slightly, looking into Ryan's eyes.
“I'm far more interested in you.”
Ryan didn't speak.
He merely took a half-step back out of instinct.
But in that very instant, that strange sensation appeared once more.
His heart began to race.
His breathing grew hot.
It felt as though something in his mind was being coaxed and pulled.
It wasn't just desire.
There was also relaxation.
Infatuation.
A yearning to draw closer to her.
To keep smelling that scent.
Even to completely lower his guard.
A chill instantly ran down Ryan's spine.
Because he knew this wasn't a normal emotion.
It was the Grail aspect.
She was actively influencing him.
Seeing the change in him, Winona suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“Yes.
“Just like that.
“Don't look around blindly.
“If you gaze into certain things for too long, they will gaze back at you.”
Ryan took a step back.
His heart beat faster and faster.
Not from infatuation, but from danger.
True danger.
He was no longer the clueless person he had been during his first few days after transmigrating.
Though he hadn't come into contact with much during this time, he understood at least one thing—
In the extraordinary world, there was no such thing as “unprovoked interest.”
Especially this kind of active approach.
It was even less likely to be just because of looks or small talk.
Someone like Winona had already truly crossed the threshold of an aspect.
Whereas he was just a novice who had barely touched the edge of “Lantern” and hadn't even truly set foot on the path.
Her approaching him must have a purpose.
Ryan's mind raced.
The Grail aspect.
Desire.
Intoxication.
Allurement.
Control.
And those men who had just been influenced.
She was clearly already capable of basic control over “servants.”
Or rather—
“Drunkards.”
And the Lantern aspect on his own body was probably some kind of material to someone like her.
Something that could be used for sacrifice, transformation, or brewing a ritual.
At this thought, Ryan's stomach turned cold.
Winona drew close once more.
She looked into Ryan's eyes, her smile actually growing increasingly gentle.
“Are you wondering right now...
“...what I want to do to you?”
Ryan didn't speak.
He only stared at her intently.
Winona sighed softly.
“Don't be so afraid.
“I'm actually very gentle.”
As she spoke, her fingers slowly touched Ryan's chest.
The movement was very light, but Ryan's mind instantly buzzed.
A wave of intense emotion was pulled directly to the surface.
Loneliness.
Oppression.
Longing.
And that instinctive dependence on “warmth” after living on the edge of poverty and death for so long.
Even the dreamlike memories of his past life began to surface.
A warm home.
Home-cooked meals.
Glowing lights.
Laughter.
What the Grail excelled at was never violence.
It was making people willingly sink into it.
Ryan's breathing instantly fell into disarray.
But in the next second, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.
The sharp pain cleared his mind slightly.
And then, almost instinctively—
He looked up.
The Glory flared.
A faint golden shimmer flashed deep within his pupils.
A mental blast carrying the essence of “Lantern” stabbed violently toward Winona.
But the result?
Winona merely narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then, she smiled.
She was completely unharmed.
No.
That wasn't right.
Ryan suddenly noticed.
At the other end of the alley, without him realizing when, a drunken man was standing.
It was one of the patrons from the tavern earlier.
At this moment, the man suddenly clutched his head and shrieked in agony.
It was as if something had violently stabbed into his brain.
He collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud.
Ryan's heart sank straight to the bottom.
Redirection.
She had redirected the blast.
Winona gently licked her lips, as if savoring something.
“How beautiful.
“The taste of Lantern...
“You haven't even truly crossed the threshold,
“yet you already know how to ‘shine’ on people.”
The interest in her eyes grew increasingly intense, as if she had finally discovered a rare treasure.
Ryan's back was now completely drenched in cold sweat.
The gap was too vast.
She was someone who had truly completed the First Stage.
She could already manipulate her aspect with ease.
Meanwhile, he was just a minor character who had stumbled into the Glory by accident.
Let alone fight, he didn't even know how to truly use Lantern.
Winona took a slow step forward.
The sweet, cloying aroma of wine in the air grew heavier.
“Don't struggle anymore.
“You haven't even found your path yet.
“If you come with me—
“I can even teach you.”
Ryan, however, only felt his scalp go numb.
Because he had already seen it.
Behind Winona, two more figures had appeared at some point.
They were both people from the tavern earlier.
Their eyes were vacant, their expressions blank,
as if they had been soaked soft by something.
They were slowly drawing closer, like marionettes.
And Winona simply stood there, like a host holding a wine glass.
Ryan finally understood why so many in the occult world feared the “Grail.”
This path was all too suited for devouring people.
You could hardly even tell whether you were being controlled
or willingly sinking into it.
And right then, Ryan suddenly felt—
the Glory in his eyes began to grow slightly hot.
The air in the alley grew increasingly thick and viscous.
The two drunkards soaked in the “Grail” had already begun to slowly close in.
They even had smiles on their faces—a drunken, hollow sort of smile.
Winona remained standing where she was.
Red dress.
Wine glass.
And those eyes that seemed steeped in wine.
She looked at Ryan, as if looking at a glowing piece of material.
The Glory in Ryan's eyes grew hotter and hotter.
His temples throbbed with sharp pain.
But he didn't dare use that mental blast recklessly again.
The opponent could redirect it.
Furthermore, she could use the opportunity to confirm his “Lantern” characteristics.
If this continued, he would be drained dry sooner or later.
Winona had taken another step forward.
Her voice was as soft as a whisper in his ear.
“Don't be afraid.
“You're actually very suited for this path.
“Lantern and Grail are naturally drawn to each other, after all.”
As she spoke, Ryan could even feel
certain emotions of his being constantly drawn out.
Fatigue.
Loneliness.
And an urge to rely on someone else.
The Grail was not simple charm.
It was more like “fermenting” a person's desires,
soaking and softening the things originally hidden in their hearts bit by bit,
and then slowly drinking them down.
Ryan's back was already pressed against the wall.
Just then—
the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the entrance of the alley.
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