Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability
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chapter-790
790 Charm
Not only did Lumian avoid looking at Franca, but Jenna and Anthony also instinctively turned their heads, as if evading a temptation that could pierce their hearts.
"Dammit, my clothes almost got burned up!
"Just one step away from running around naked!
"Thankfully, thankfully..."Franca's cursing reached Lumian and the others' ears, bringing a sense of familiarity and dispelling the earlier temptations.
Franca then disappeared from sight, took out a set of clothes from the Traveler's Bag, and changed in a nearby secluded corner.
She then deactivated her invisibility, tied up her ponytail, and walked back to Lumian and the others.
"The beautifying effect is really impressive..." Franca took out a mirror, examined herself, and poked her cheek as if testing her skin's elasticity and smoothness.
Lumian chuckled and said, "Is that the only change the Affliction potion brought?"
Franca was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something and glanced at Lugano.
Lugano immediately said, "I need to go back and prepare dinner for Ludwig.""Okay." Lumian nodded.
After Lugano left, Franca felt the changes in her body and spoke slowly, "Enhancing appearance, figure, and charm is just one aspect, and it's the least important. No, it's not unimportant, but it has little to do with becoming stronger. No, I remember someone saying beauty is part of a woman's power, just like handsomeness is part of a man's. Anyway, you get the idea. The other changes include Charm becoming an active ability instead of a passive state."
As a Beyonder in the Demoness pathway, Jenna easily understood Franca's meaning.
"Before, you showcased your appearance, figure, and aura, naturally enchanting anyone who saw you. Now, a glance, a gesture, a word can completely charm someone?"
"Yes," Franca said with a smile, "But combined with showcasing my appearance, figure, and aura, the active Charm ability will be more effective. Charmed enemies will hesitate to harm us, unable to use their full strength. Some might even give up resisting just to get closer to us.
In daily interactions, if Charm is used repeatedly on someone, they will truly fall in love with us over time."
Franca glanced at Lumian, her eyes twinkling.
She wanted to test the effect of Charm and see how it compared to the endurance of an Ascetic.
Lumian suddenly felt Franca's lake-blue eyes deepen, as if hiding countless words, and her fair, smooth skin seemed delicate enough to break with a touch.
An indescribable feeling surged within Lumian, causing him to curse aloud, "Dammit! Stop experimenting with your abilities here!"
Charm works well if it can make an Ascetic curse... Franca thought to herself, then said seriously, "It's just that I've just advanced, and the potion's power is leaking out, making it hard to control."
"Do you think I'll believe that?" Lumian retorted, realizing he felt unusually agitated.
For a Provoker, staying calm while provoking others was crucial.
Franca withdrew her gaze and continued explaining the Affliction potion's abilities, "The core ability is Plague. It can create various pathogens within a 30-meter range. Once I get used to the Affliction potion and truly master its power, this range can expand beyond 40 meters and eventually to 50 meters as the potion is digested.
"A Demoness of Affliction can create multiple pathogens, accelerating their infection and the onset of diseases. The initial ten seconds are the incubation period, followed by mild symptoms like allergies, fever, cough, and sneezing. The symptoms quickly worsen, leading to severe illnesses like pneumonia. In two to three minutes, the disease will become critical, potentially causing sudden death or incapacitation."
Done with explaining Plague, Franca excitedly envisioned, "This pairs well with an Assassin.
"Stealthily get within a few dozen meters of the target, silently spread pathogens to cover the area. When the target shows mild symptoms and realizes something is wrong, strike as their strength decreases, their state affected, and many abilities disrupted. If the first strike fails, reposition and keep trying, dragging the target into severe illness.
"Plague should be something a Guardian's abilities can't defend against.
Their invisible barriers don't seem to block air. The people they protect can still breathe normally. I'm not sure if the barriers have a sterilizing function..."
"Heh heh, next time I face Admiral Deep Sea, I won't worry about his octopus mask. It seems to only protect the spirit and mind, maybe also making the body tougher and more resilient."
"It's indeed well-suited for assassination and prolonged fights," Lumian evaluated from a Hunter's perspective.
He pondered and asked, "Does the infection and onset time of Plague vary based on the target's constitution? Can the pathogens you create be burned by a Hunter's flames?"
He was recalling his battle with a bestowed from the Order of All Extinction.
"Of course, there's a difference. Undead creatures won't be infected unless I become a Demoness of Despair," Franca said introspectively. "I'm not sure if the pathogens can be burned by a Hunter's flames. Want to test it?"
"Sure." Lumian also wanted to confirm.
This could be useful if he ever faced a Demoness of Affliction.
Jenna and Anthony immediately distanced themselves, moving to the edge of the Rois Comprehensive Execution Ground.
In the early winter night, Lumian's body suddenly ignited with brilliant white flames, spreading around and burning the air within a seven-to-eight-meter radius.
Franca stood over ten meters away, her lake-blue eyes deepening.
As the flames crackled, time passed, and Lumian gradually felt a discomfort in his throat, as if swallowing a foreign object, making him want to cough it out. His nose also felt sore and itchy.
Franca stopped the experiment and concluded, "Hunter's flames can indeed kill many pathogens created by a Demoness of Affliction, reducing the disease's impact. It took me about a minute to give you mild symptoms."
Lumian sneezed, coughed twice, and the white flames quickly dissipated.
When Jenna and Anthony returned, Franca continued, "A Demoness's webs have also been significantly enhanced. As a Demoness of Pleasure, I could only roughly control them to entangle and bind targets. Now, they're like extensions of my arms, capable of more precise actions, like..."
Franca suddenly smiled.
"Tickling you!"
As she spoke, Lumian and Jenna felt something soft and invisible tickling their waists, causing a tingling sensation.
"Immature, haven't you grown up?" Lumian mocked, then added, "But it's useful in combat."
Franca withdrew the invisible webs, untied her ponytail, and let her hair fall.
Her flaxen-colored hair didn't drop but floated, each strand distinct and lively.
"Now, my hair is also a weapon," Franca proudly announced, "It can pierce skin, inject black flames, and cause stiffness in the contacted area, effective in close combat."
She let her hair down, tied it again, and took out a mirror.
"My curses are also stronger and more targeted. Before, I had to reflect the target's full image in a mirror to curse them with black flames. Now, I can reflect just a part of the body, affecting the corresponding area.
"My other abilities have also been enhanced, including black magic and mirror magic."
Jenna listened quietly and sincerely remarked, "Compared to a Demoness of Pleasure, this is a significant improvement."
"After all, it's Sequence 5," Franca said, feeling extremely pleased.
Seeing this, Lumian nodded slightly. "I won't be participating in the Mirror People investigation for now. I plan to leave for Lenburg tomorrow."
To find the City of Exiles, Morora!
He had been studying the Lenburg language and discovered it was essentially the same as the Feynapotter Kingdom's Highlander, with some dialectal differences-Lenburg split from Feynapotter after the Battle of the Violated Oath in the Fifth Epoch.
So, having learned Highlander, Lumian quickly mastered the Lenburg language in a few days.
"So soon? Well, you've digested the Reaper potion and need to consider advancing to demigod." Franca suddenly felt wistful.
Lumian glanced outside the Rois Comprehensive Execution Ground and said to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "Take care of Ludwig for me and keep an eye on Lugano."
Based on the information from 0-01 and Madam Magician's hints, it was best for Lumian to go to Morora alone.
Initially, he considered taking Ludwig, his godson, but given his angelic nature and divinity, he might cause unnecessary changes in Morora. So, he abandoned the idea.
In comparison, Termiboros, sealed by Mr. Fool, could be temporarily ignored. Theoretically, He wouldn't trigger 0-01.
"Okay," Franca and the others responded to Lumian.
