My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

”Do you understand?”

Nova gulped down a mouthful of saliva and quickly replied, ”O-Of course. Don’t worry about it. I’d be an idiot to think too much about it. It was only an act.”

”Good.”

She stepped forward, and the large gates of the mansion opened on their own. Without looking back, she said,

”Follow me. This is my mansion.”

Nova followed behind Nyxara in silence. He had no intention of saying anything unnecessary and risking her anger. At the moment, staying obedient seemed like the safest choice — especially since he still considered her a little unstable.

As they stepped through the gates, the heavy doors closed behind them. A big garden stretched out in front of the mansion. Surprisingly, distinct and vibrant flowers were blooming all around, species Nova had never seen before.

Liya’s voice immediately echoed in his mind.

{ Those are mutated flowers. They don’t follow the biology you know from Earth. They grow by absorbing mana and demonic energy, so don’t be too surprised to see them here. }

Nova nodded slightly in understanding. The flowers really were beautiful — blooming in shades of deep blue, crimson red, and pure black.

Nyxara noticed where his attention had gone and asked,

”Do you like them?”

Nova turned toward her and answered honestly. ”Yeah... they’re beautiful. It’s my first time seeing flowers like these. We don’t have anything similar on the human continent.”

”Well, this is the Abyss,” she replied. ”These flowers only grow here. It seems Velena has been taking good care of them even during my hundred-year absence.”

Nova looked puzzled.

”Who is Velena?”

Just as Nyxara was about to answer, the grand doors of the mansion slowly opened. A feminine figure stepped out from inside, dressed in a maid outfit.

Her figure was every bit as breathtaking as Nyxara’s — if not more so in certain aspects. Her breasts were even more massive, and her soft, plump, wide hips and ass gave her an extremely mature silhouette.

She had long, beautiful purple hair and smooth, milky skin similar to Nyxara’s. Her eyes were a deep purple, and her face was stunning enough to stand on the same level as Asia’s.

Yet she carried an even more mature aura than Nyxara herself. Although her expression remained completely blank, that expressionlessness did not diminish her beauty. Instead, it gave her a different, quieter kind of charm.

She stepped forward, gracefully held the sides of her maid skirt, and bowed.

In a soft, beautiful, and soothing voice, she said,

”Welcome back, Princess.”

”Sigh...”

Nyxara let out a soft breath, and for the first time since Nova had met her, a genuinely tender smile appeared on her face.

”Come on, Velena. We haven’t seen each other for a hundred years, and you’re still giving me that expressionless welcome. At least try to smile a little.”

Hearing that, Velena actually attempted to force a smile. She used her hands to stretch the corners of her mouth, creating an awkward and rather funny expression. Nyxara immediately stopped her.

”Alright, alright... stop forcing yourself. I already understand that you’re happy to see me even without any expression.”

Nyxara stepped forward and pulled the maid into a warm hug. Velena did not resist. Instead, she gently patted Nyxara’s head like a mother would.

Nova found the scene quite amusing. From the way they interacted, it seemed Velena was Nyxara’s personal maid.

At the same time they seem to have special relationship, he could also sense a strong aura coming from her, so he quietly activated Absolute Appraisal Eyes to check her strength.

++++

Name: Velena Zarok

Race: Demon [Half-Succubus]

Rank: A

Level: 3

Realm: Emperor

Affinity: Darkness

Stats:

Strength: 18,238

Agility: 18,350

Endurance: 18,184

Intelligence: 18,906

+++++

Nova carefully read through her status and was genuinely shocked by the numbers. She could kill him in an instant.

This was the first time he had properly observed the stats of an Emperor Realm expert, so his reaction was only natural.

He also noticed that she carried the Zarok surname while being a half-succubus. That meant her mother must have been a succubus. She didn’t possess any extraordinary bloodline or physique, yet her strength was still extremely high.

Liya’s voice soon echoed in his mind.

{ When you go through your third evolution, it isn’t the same as the second one. As I told you before, once you become an Emperor, your stats roughly double. That’s why the third evolution gives such a massive power boost. }

{ However, the majority of people never reach this level. It requires an enormous amount of resources and experience points — things that can usually only be accumulated through an extremely long lifespan. }

Nova understood what she meant. The third evolution truly was special. That was why he had been able to fight King Realm warriors while still a Grandmaster, yet he still wouldn’t be able to face even a Level 1 Emperor head-on under normal circumstances.

Still, he felt that if he used his full power including his Demon Transformation and especially the Chaotic Dragonic-Demon Transformation — he might at least be able to contend with a Level 1 Emperor.

{ Yes, you could try that, } Liya replied. { But it would be very dangerous. That hybrid transformation is still locked. Forcing it open could cause you serious harm. }

Nyxara pulled back from the hug and turned toward Nova to introduce them properly.

”This is Velena, my personal maid... and she’s also like a mother to me.”

She then gestured toward him.

”And Velena, this is Nova... my husband.”

To Nova’s surprise, only a brief flicker of change passed across Velena’s expressionless face before it returned to normal. She politely bowed and said in her soft, calm voice,

”It is nice to meet you, Lord Nova.”

Nova nodded. ”Yeah... it’s nice to meet you too.”

He noticed that Velena was still staring at him with the same blank expression. For the first time, he couldn’t make a single assumption about what someone was thinking. She was truly an odd one.

What surprised him even more was that Nyxara had called her ”like a mother,” yet Velena looked more like an older sister. As if sensing his thoughts, Liya’s voice echoed in his mind.

{ As your strength grows, age becomes just a number, on top of that she is a demon. }

Nyxara turned back to Velena and asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice, ”Do you not have anything to say about this?”

She was slightly amazed by the complete lack of reaction from her maid. Even though she planned to reveal later that the marriage was only an act, she had at least expected some kind of response. She received none.

Velena simply looked at her and sighed softly.

”Why don’t we go inside first? It would be more appropriate to discuss personal matters indoors.”

Nyxara didn’t argue. With a small, cute pout, she walked into the mansion.

As she disappeared inside, Velena quietly muttered under her breath,

”That little girl... even after a hundred years and becoming a Sovereign, she’s still the same.”

She then turned to Nova, who had clearly heard her words, and said politely,

”Please, Lord Nova, enter inside.”

Nova nodded and stepped forward. Velena followed behind him, and the massive gates of the mansion closed quietly behind them.

....

At the same time, in another part of the Royal City, a grand black castle stood atop an elevated slope, overlooking the rest of Zarven like a silent overlord.

Inside the castle, within a vast and imposing hall, the atmosphere was heavy with authority.

The throne hall was magnificent. Towering black pillars carved with ancient demonic runes stretched toward a high vaulted ceiling.

Dark crimson banners bearing the emblem of the Zarok Clan hung from the walls, and the polished black stone floor reflected the dim glow of floating mana lights.

At the far end of the hall sat a massive obsidian throne, cold and imposing, clearly belonging to Demon Lord Kharos alone.

No one dared to sit upon it — not even his wives.

Ten beautiful and seductive women were seated on elegant chairs arranged along both sides of the hall. Although Demon Lord Kharos had more than fifty wives, these ten were his main consorts.

The original first wife had already passed away, and the former second wife now held the position of Head Wife.

They appeared to be in the middle of a private meeting. Standing in the center of the hall was Kael, his expression dark and ugly. His mother, Lily, looked at him and asked in a calm yet sharp voice,

”My son... what did you find out?”

**

Thanks for reading...