The dungeon boss had been defeated, and everyone else had left the dungeon as it was about to close down; all except Aiden.
You could see the nervousness in the eyes of everyone who had been watching that entrance and waiting for Aiden to pass through.
The dungeon’s outer structure rumbled again, and this time it was beginning to sink back into the ground.
Katherine looked like she was about to take a step forward when suddenly a portal with a bluish hue manifested outside of the dungeon itself.
Aiden stepped out through his own portal, and you could see the smiles returning to the faces of everyone who had been waiting for him.
And with that, the dungeon situation at Shinjin’s Pass came to an end.
....
Everyone returned to the Academy, including Alaric and the rest of his party.
Katherine had insisted and made sure it was that way because she wanted to have Alaric and his party given the best treatment within the Academy’s infirmary.
Soon after, the captain and the members of Ravens Grave had returned to the guild’s main room.
You could see the worried faces of the rest of the guild members turn into excitement as Katherine stepped in with Aiden and Laela.
Elena even walked right over to Laela to ask how she was doing. Kayden, who sat in one corner, had a little smile on his face that quickly disappeared right after.
It had been way past midnight at this time, but no one could find sleep until they all returned.
...
Later that night, when everyone had presumably gone to sleep, Aiden was standing at the balcony on the same floor where the rooms for guild members were located. He found it hard to sleep with everything that had happened.
He wasn’t in his guild uniform now; just a regular linen shirt and black pants. It looked like he was lost in thought as he stared out at the vast field of the Academy.
After a while, Laela stepped onto the balcony as well. Aiden already knew she was making her way toward the balcony since he had heard her footsteps and picked up her scent right before she entered.
"Can’t sleep either?" Laela said while joining him in staring out into the open field. The whole incident wasn’t one she could easily sleep over, especially given the people it affected.
Aiden then replied, "When I saw how badly hurt Ingrid was, I couldn’t help but think to myself, what could have happened if they had taken you captive? What if I didn’t have enough power to fight those creatures?"
Laela then moved her right hand to hold his, which startled him a bit. He turned toward her when she did.
They both stared at each other for a few moments, and at this point, it became intense between them both.
Without warning, Aiden lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. The force of the kiss stole her breath and her body was frozen in shock.
Aiden pulled his head back a bit seeing as he didn’t get the right reaction back, then said, "I’m sorry. Did I misread the signs?"
Without answering him, Laela pulled him back toward her and initiated another kiss. This time she responded fully and Aiden used this opportunity to tangle his tongue with hers.
She extended her arms around his neck and He gently roamed his fingers down her hips till both his hands were rubbing against her ass and grabbing onto it softly.
Laela gasped loudly as a shiver went through her entire body. And even then Aiden didn’t stop. His hands trailed all the way and slid underneath her short skirt till he could feel the skin of her rump.
Every touch sent shivers racing across her skin, igniting a fire that burned hotter every second. Her core pulsed with heat, growing slick with need.
This could have gone even further had that sound from the kitchen downstairs, not broken laela’s focus. It was the sound of pot’s cover clattering against the ground.
The sound jolted Laela back to her senses, and she pulled away slowly. Not because she didn’t want to continue, but because she had suddenly grown nervous that someone might walk in on them, since it seemed like they weren’t the only ones awake.
Aiden chuckled softly and said, "That’s Bernard in the kitchen. He’s been eating up the remainder of the food all night."
She chuckled back and then leaned forward into a hug with him. He moved his arms to hold her closer, and she said, "You did well today, Aiden. You did well."
He said nothing in reply but smiled warmly.
Soon after, Laela decided to go back inside, bidding Aiden goodnight.
A system notification screen popped up in front of him at that moment:
[Laela has been spotted as a good candidate to complete the permanent quest with]
Aiden chuckled softly at the message from the system and said, "Oh, shut up and show me the rewards from today."
The system replied, displaying various reward screens in front of him:
[Daily Missions x7: Complete At Least One Mission or Guild Request]
[Day 1 complete]
[Bonus Reward: +300 xp]
[Main Reward: To be awarded to host on the last day if all 7 days are completed]
[Side Quest: Clear The Dynamic Dungeon → Complete]
[+10 Available Stats Points]
[You have gained +4000xp]
[Bonus Reward +2000xp granted]
[You have gained a new Replication Authority Skill: Self-Duplication]
[You have gained a new Space Authority Skill: Switch]
[Special Quest: Protect The Elf, Laela → Complete]
[+5 Available Stats Points]
[You have gained +3000xp]
[Bonus Reward +1500xp granted]
[Outstanding Performance Reward For Rescuing Alaric, Rakan & Ingrid: +1500xp granted]
[You have gained XP Boost Badge: For the next 3 days, any XP gained will be doubled]
[Demonic Magic Technique copied: Exterminate Blast Shots(B)]
[Warning!: Demonic Magic is forbidden and is not to be practiced within Xathia]
Aiden looked at the new rewards in front of him with his usual excitement and said, "Alright, let’s get right to it, shall we?"
The system understood that he wanted descriptions of the new skills.