Leveling Up by Defiling Milfs

Cinderela quickly grabbed the half-filled glass of water Daniel had left behind and splashed it across Zero’s face before giving his cheek a firm slap.

*SLAP!*

Something seemed to snap inside Zero’s mind. His ears rang for a brief moment before his vision stabilized, and thoughts tangled in a mess as confusion washed over him.

He slowly glanced around and found Daniel and Cinderela beside him, both staring at him.

”What... how did I... Cinderela? Daniel? What happened?” Zero asked, his voice filled with confusion.

Just then, the door swung open, and Cinderela’s son stepped inside, rubbing one of his sleepy eyes.

”Mom—”

The boy froze.

His gaze shifted between his mother, who was holding a glass of water, Zero sitting nearby, and Daniel, whom he recognized from earlier that afternoon when he had seen him standing at their doorstep.

”Son, what happened?” Cinderela asked, quickly hurrying over to him.

...

After escorting her son back to his room, Cinderela returned to the kitchen with a tired sigh and found Zero sitting on a chair, holding a glass of water in one hand while chewing on a strip of beef jerky.

*Nom-Nom-Nom*

”If Klaus can summon clones, then he must have somehow managed to make his way into the Abyssal Babel,” Zero said, his tone turning serious.

”Did you just say mimic summon?” Cinderela asked, her expression filled with confusion.

Zero gave her a firm nod.

”What’s wrong with summoning? Aren’t you able to summon fire spirits aswell?” Daniel asked, tilting his head slightly.

Zero shook his head.

”It’s different. Summoning things from nature, such as fire spirits, is part of elemental magic. Even you, in future, should be able to summon an electro spirit, but summoning other beings — or creating things like mimic summons and dark summons — is completely different.”

He paused, his expression becoming grim.

”Those are forms of forbidden magic. They’re strictly prohibited throughout the Kingdoms, and only the Royal Saints are permitted to enter the Babel.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

”Not even the royals?”

”Not even the royals. Not nobles. Not commoners.”

Zero took another bite of jerky. ”Only the Royal Saints.”

Cinderela swallowed hard as she listened carefully. ”A few days ago, there were rumors of Niharins being spotted in our town. But when I checked the next day, I found nothing unusual,” she added.

A brief silence settled over the room as everyone absorbed her words.

Then Zero broke it.

”You have another jerky?” Zero asked, glancing at Daniel.

Daniel shook his head. ”That was the last piece I had.”

”Well, you can stay here for tonight,” Cinderela said, her tone warm.

Zero took a sip of water from the glass and shook his head. ”Thanks, but I think it’s better if I return to Arcane Town and inform the commander about the situation. There’s still time.”

”You’re still the same idiot I’ve known for years,” she muttered. ”You need rest. And by rest, I mean proper rest.”

”Lady Cinderela is right. You should get some rest,” Daniel added. ”It’s been more than a week since you disappeared.”

”Mm~ nah, wait... Helen. Where’s Helen?” Zero asked, his eyes turning toward Daniel.

Daniel paused for a moment, lowering his eyes before answering.

”She’s dead.”

...

Half an hour passed as Daniel told Zero about the many many things they had gone through with Zane and what had happened to Helen.

Meanwhile, Cinderela kept her ears open, listening carefully as she stirred a pot of boiling eggs and potatoes.

”I see...” Zero murmured, his tone subdued. ”But why did she apologize to you?”

”I don’t know. Probably because she had done something...” Daniel trailed off.

Then his expression changed.

”Wait, wait... Zane told me you two went your separate ways in Raven Town. Did something happen to you that day? Anything?” Daniel asked, leaning closer with a serious expression.

Zero lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, scratching the back of his head. ”Nothing. I remember Helen and I were wandering around, and a few minutes later, Zane joined us. Then the three of us wandered—”

”Are you sure he was Zane?” Daniel interrupted, his tone suddenly sharp.

”Yes, of cour—”

Zero’s voice caught in his throat.

His brows slowly furrowed.

He froze.

”But after that, I don’t remember anything.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed at his words. ”You mean... nothing at all?”

”After that, I was with my wife, and now I’m here,” Zero said.

At the same time, Cinderela walked over with a cup of tea and placed it in front of them. ”I had a strange feeling that your memories had been tampered with,” she said.

Zero closed his eyes and pressed both palms against his temples, as though trying his best to recall what had happened.

*Sip~*

”I literally don’t have any memories after that,” said Zero.

...

As dusk settled over the town and the moon rose above the horizon, its orange glow spreading across the sky, Daniel left Cinderela’s house and sprinted toward the training ground.

Luckily, the path wasn’t empty. A few townsfolk were still out, making their way home for the night.

However, before he left, Daniel had asked Zero about the Abyssal Babel again, trying to extract every bit of information they knew about the place.

One thing in particular caught his interest.

According to the rumors, the Abyssal Babel held answers to the mysteries of all magic and other knowledge that was never meant to be known.

It wasn’t an exact account, since none of them had ever been there themselves.

But that was what the rumors claimed.

Soon, Daniel arrived at the training ground and stepped through the gate. He looked around and found his comrades gathered near the center, where Marco was arranging pieces of wood into a small pile and striking flint against them to start a fire.

”Where were you, mister?” Marco asked, his tone stern as he spotted him.

”I... uh, was just roaming around, Master,” Daniel replied, his tone hesitant.

Marco had been about to scold him for disappearing since the afternoon, but seeing that everyone was enjoying a relaxed moment around the fire, he decided not to press the matter and simply shrugged it off.