"Wake up, wake up." A gentle yet somewhat urgent voice calling out seemed to float in from afar and softly seeped into Kloeber's ears.
Kloeber's eyelids fluttered slightly a few times, and then he slowly opened his eyes. What greeted his eyes was a slightly dim room. The moonlight, as gentle as water, quietly spilled into the corner of the room through the gaps in the window.
Kloeber felt as if his body was bound by a powerful force and he couldn't move. With great effort, he turned his head and realized that he was tied up on the bed in a complicated way. His limbs were tightly wrapped by thick ropes. Every time he struggled, the ropes would dig deeply into his skin, bringing a piercing pain.
Right in front of him, Elise was sitting upright. Elise wore a small and delicate silver crown on her head. Under the illumination of the moonlight, the crown shimmered with a faint and mysterious light.
She was dressed in a magnificent white nightgown made of high-quality fabric that gave off a soft sheen in the moonlight. She had on a pair of snow-white gloves, which seemed to be woven from the purest snowflakes, spotlessly white.
The moonlight shone softly on her fingertips through the window, as if outlining a faint halo around her fingers, making her look like a fairy in a dream.
"You're awake?" Elise slightly raised her head and looked at Kloeber quietly. Her voice was soft and sweet, like a gentle breeze in spring caressing people's hearts. However, Kloeber could vaguely detect a trace of imperceptible coldness in her voice.
"Your Highness, what do you want to do to me?" Kloeber groaned inwardly. Recalling the experience of being knocked out by Elise before, he was filled with vigilance. He secretly admonished himself that he must never touch anything she gave him so easily again.
This time, luckily, she didn't give him poison. Otherwise, he would really have lost his life here.
"I want to make a deal with you," Elise leaned slightly forward and said, her eyes fixed intently on Kloeber.
"A deal? Do you think I can trust you now?" Kloeber said coldly, his eyes full of caution and suspicion. In his view, this Elise, nicknamed the "Little Devil," might well be plotting some underhanded scheme again.
"You must be thinking if I'm up to something, right?" Elise suddenly said. Her voice was clear and pleasant, but to Kloeber, it was like a cold glint of light stabbing straight into his heart.
She had actually fathomed Kloeber's thoughts, which made Kloeber feel a twinge of surprise in his heart.
But Kloeber just gave a cold snort in his heart. He was a psychologist with a doctorate degree, and he was all too familiar with this kind of rhetorical questioning trick of the "Little Devil" type. Such a tactic might deceive others, but not him.
"Funny enough, I'm thinking the same as you. You must also be wondering if I'm plotting something," Kloeber's lips curved into a sinister smile, and his eyes sparkled with confidence and cunning.
Upon hearing Kloeber's words, Elise's originally squinted eyes suddenly widened, and her gaze shot towards Kloeber like a sharp sword. However, her body remained still, and only her gaze shifted.
Kloeber keenly caught this subtle movement of hers, and he immediately knew that this Little Devil was angry.
"Don't be mad. I'm just curious about what deal you want to make with me," Kloeber deliberately put on a playful smile. His tone was somewhat teasing, as if he was deliberately testing Elise's patience.
Just then, the familiar prompt sound of the system rang out in Kloeber's mind: "A new task is released. Task requirement: Use the enchantment skill to increase the favorability of Princess Elise, the third princess of the royal family, towards you by 100 points."
"Task reward: Upgrade the identification skill. You will be able to see the names of all items, including their effects, and they will be highlighted."
"Upgrade the identification skill? Being able to see the names of all items along with their effects?" Kloeber's heart skipped a beat, and an idea flashed through his mind. Let's make an assumption. If Elise brings him poisoned food again, will it show that the food is poisonous? Thinking of this, Kloeber immediately came up with a plan.
He quickly opened the enchantment skill in the system interface and carefully read the introduction of the enchantment skill. The introduction of the enchantment skill was as follows:
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[Enchantment]
[Level: Beginner]
[Core Skill ①: Enchanting Eyes]
Skill effect: Can temporarily enchant the enemy for five seconds, and the enemy's level should not exceed yours by more than ten levels. The duration of the enchantment can be increased by collecting Demon Hearts. The cooldown time is five minutes. (This skill is not restricted by race.)
[Important reminder: If you attack the target during the enchantment period, it will surely wake up the enchanted person. The speed of waking up depends on the reaction level of the other party.]
"Only five seconds of enchantment for the first skill? Isn't that a bit of a letdown?" Kloeber muttered to himself in his heart. However, seeing that the introduction mentioned that Demon Hearts could be used to increase the duration, a glimmer of hope kindled in his heart. This showed that the skill still had room for growth.
Moreover, the final reminder that it was not restricted by race was really powerful. Since it was Core Skill ①, there should be a second one. Kloeber continued to look down at the skill descriptions, and sure enough:
[Core Skill ②: True Ancestor of Succubus]
[Skill effect: Can overdraw 50% of your vitality to forcibly control a target for 24 hours. The level of the charmed target should not exceed yours by more than ten levels. The cooldown time is one week.
[Important reminder: This skill is ineffective against those with strong beliefs, those immune to mental influence, those with a powerful soul, those with a strong will, the undead, and inanimate objects.]
"With so many situations where it's ineffective, what's the point of being the True Ancestor of Succubus? Being the True Ancestor of Succubus is really frustrating," Kloeber couldn't help complaining in his heart. But then he thought that sacrificing 50% of his vitality to be able to control a unit for a whole day didn't seem entirely unreasonable. It was just that the cooldown time was a bit too long, which was really inconvenient.
"Wait a minute, is there a third one?" Kloeber's eyes continued to move down, and indeed, he saw the third core skill:
[Core Skill ③: Infinite Charm]
Skill effect: This skill can be used on any living being except inanimate objects, including the undead, with no level limit and it won't be detected. You can establish a favorability system for the target you use this skill on. By gradually accumulating favorability points, you can make the target become your devoted servant in the end. The maximum favorability points are 1000.
[Important reminder: Once you use the Infinite Charm skill on a target, the host cannot use the Enchanting Eyes and True Ancestor of Succubus skills on that target anymore. Please use it with discretion.]
"This third skill is the key, isn't it? It's just like the favorability system in a game." Kloeber's eyes lit up, and a rush of excitement welled up in his heart. This skill was quite intuitive. He could clearly know the favorability value of the target, which would give him more motivation to increase it.
Although he couldn't use the first and second skills anymore, this skill could be used for long-term investment. And once the favorability value was fully filled, it would be equivalent to having a permanent servant. Thinking of this, Kloeber's gaze immediately turned to Elise.
For some reason, when Elise was stared at by Kloeber like this, her body couldn't help trembling slightly, as if she had been struck by an invisible force.
Kloeber silently chanted in his heart: Use Infinite Charm! In an instant, a soft sound rang in Kloeber's mind, as if a mysterious force surged out of his body and rushed towards Elise. Soon, he saw an additional favorability value bar beside Elise. It was divided into ten levels in total, with one level up for every 100 points:
(Level 0) Stranger → (Level 1) Friendly → (Level 2) Amicable
(Level 3) Familiar → (Level 4) Cordial → (Level 5) Concerned
(Level 6) Intimate → (Level 7) Admiring → (Level 8) Loving
(Level 9) Infatuated → (Level 10) Madly in Love
"It's indeed very intuitive. But I wonder how much time it will take to accumulate 1000 points," Kloeber thought to himself.
"Did you just enchant me?" Suddenly, as if she had sensed something, Elise stood up abruptly, her expression turning very serious. Her eyes were fixed on Kloeber, as if she wanted to see through him. Her action instantly interrupted Kloeber's train of thought.
"How did she notice it? The system clearly states that this skill won't be detected when in use. So how did she find out?" Kloeber was filled with confusion. His eyes rolled quickly as he tried to find a reasonable explanation.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened. He realized that Elise was bluffing him! After the incident of being drugged, Kloeber knew that what the system described was absolutely accurate. In other words, this cunning little princess, Elise, was probably just suspicious.
So, Kloeber looked at her leisurely, with a faint smile on his face and his eyes full of confidence and composure, without the slightest sign of wavering.
"You're just a Magic Apprentice now, while I'm an Archmage. My magic resistance is much higher than yours, so don't even think about having any ill intentions," Elise said, and then slowly sat down beside Kloeber.
As she moved, her skirt gently draped over Kloeber's body. The soft touch sent a tingling sensation through Kloeber's skin, making him feel extremely comfortable. Moreover, as a royal princess, her clothes were made of top-quality fabrics. The delicate touch made Kloeber couldn't help closing his eyes and savoring it quietly.
"If only this princess were really as she appears on the outside. It's a pity that she's a complete Little Devil inside. If I hadn't been blinded by hunger at that time, I wouldn't have fallen for her trick," Kloeber secretly regretted in his heart.
Thinking of this, Kloeber said, "That's because I'm still weak now. But if I grow stronger, even you will become my prey."
"Interesting. Now that you're in my hands, a prisoner, you can still threaten me," Elise was immediately amused. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she had found an interesting toy. She stretched out her finger and gently poked Kloeber's face, the gesture full of playfulness and mockery.
Kloeber smiled faintly, his smile carrying a hint of mystery and confidence. He didn't provoke her casually. It was because there was a psychological phenomenon called the attack-defense interchange effect. Now it seemed that he was the one being hunted, but in fact, it was the hunter who really needed something from him.