NIKKE: Max Bonded but System Gone

"Every year brings its worries; today is no different." Green set down his glass, his tone light but laced with weariness. 

His days were always filled with troubles. 

Between counseling the Nikkes, navigating political schemes with Central Government officials, and being sent to the surface to battle the Raptures, his mercenary life was a constant storm of uncertainty. 

If he didn't have concerns, his heart might as well be made of steel. 

"My Lord, you're always helping others with their troubles. Occasionally, you should tend to your own heart. And so, why not take this chance to share your burdens?" 

Though Scarlet appeared drunk, her mind was clear—it was one of Nikke's unique traits. If she wanted to, she could metabolize the alcohol instantly. 

Green glanced at her and smiled. 

"My troubles boil down to one thing: strength. Compared to Nikkes and Raptures, this flesh-and-blood body of mine is just too fragile. If I stay like this, sooner or later, I'll become a liability." 

Green knew better than anyone that strength matters the most in this world. Sure, his Nikkes are there to protect him, but they aren't Gods. At the end of the day, it should be his strength and luck that can ensure his protection.

"I see. I think I understand your concern." Scarlet set her glass aside, staggered to his side with an air of determination, and said, "In that case, how about learning swordsmanship from me?" 

"Swordsmanship?" Green asked. Scarlet's sword seems to be specially modified. The Ark doesn't manufacture weapons like this anymore." 

He glanced at the sword strapped to Scarlet's waist. In the Ark's armory, close-combat weapons like swords were a rarity. And if there were any, they'd be ancient relics, most likely rusted beyond usability. 

Scarlet nodded in understanding. 

"Indeed. This blade of mine—there is only one like it left in the world. But if the My Lord desires a similar sword, it's not impossible. I have a friend, a master craftsman of unparalleled skill. If you ask her, she could forge one for you." Scarlet wobbled her empty glass suggestively. "Of course, hic... you'll need to trade her some wine." 

Green picked up the bottle of wine and poured her another glass. 

"Just wine? Drink as much as you want. I will fill it up!" 

A rosy flush deepened on Scarlet's tipsy face as she giggled, clearly drunk. 

"Ah, the My Lord truly knows the way~ Alright, I'll teach you a few sword techniques. But first, do 200 push-ups."

"Push-ups? What do they have to do with learning swordsmanship?" 

"Without a strong body, how can one wield a blade? Anyway, don't ask questions. Start now." 

"Two hundred isn't too bad…." 

Green took off his shirt, revealing his toned upper body, and effortlessly began his push-ups. After all, he was a military academy graduate. 

Two hundred push-ups were hardly a challenge. 

"All done. What's next?" 

Wiping the sweat dripping down his chin, Green turned his gaze toward Scarlet. 

The drunken swordswoman swayed slightly before suddenly smirking and leaping herself down on his back. 

"My Lord has some skill, but don't get too cocky. That was just a warm-up. Now, do another 200 while carrying me." 

"Scarlet, although I appreciate the gesture of blessing your tone butt to my back, you're heavy." 

"My Lord, it's unkind to comment on a lady's weight. You'll hurt my feelings. Besides, compared to this generation's Nikkes from the Ark, my body is as light as a feather." Scarlet chuckled, "By the way, thanks for complimenting my butt."

Although Scarlet didn't appear to be particularly large, Green felt as if he were carrying a steamroller. 

She was heavy as fuck, but she was still within the range of what he could endure. 

With his arms growing increasingly sore, Green slowly lowered himself, beginning push-ups with Scarlet on his back. 

"One, two, three, four..." 

"Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three..." 

"One hundred one, one hundred two..." 

By the time he reached one hundred, sweat was pouring off him, and his arms felt like lead. Both his body and mind were nearing their limits. 

However, the thought of needing his own strength to protect the Nikkes kept him going. Drawing on sheer willpower, he gritted his teeth and pressed on. 

"One hundred twenty, one hundred twenty-one... one hundred fifty, one hundred fifty-one... one hundred seventy, one hundred seventy-one..." 

"One hundred ninety-eight, one hundred ninety-nine, two hundred!"

After completing the 200 set, he fell onto the ground, defeated. It took a few minutes to get up again and talk with his future sword teacher.

"Scarlet, how about now? Will you teach me swordsmanship?" 

Green strained to lift his head and look up. 

But to his dismay, Scarlet, still seated on his back, had drunkenly dozed off, her eyes shut tight. 

This drunkard! 

Green couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. If she was an old man, he would have shaken the drunkard to a cliff or poured some cold water onto him, but cute girls can do anything and still look cute.

Shaking his head, he got up, lifted Scarlet off his back, and placed her on the sofa before he shook her awake. 

"Ugh... My Lord, why are you so close? Do you want to see me vomit rainbows?" Scarlet mumbled groggily as she woke up. She blinked her bleary eyes open and made a dramatic retching motion toward the sofa, startling Green into rushing to fetch a bag.

"Don't vomit on the sofa!"

"Hehe, just kidding, My Lord. I wouldn't dare ruin your sofa. And, My Lord, aren't you a little too close?"

Her tipsy, hazy eyes stared intently at Green's handsome face. Everyone said drunken men and women alone together often spelled trouble. If they ended up in a compromising position in the consultation room, he'd definitely be the one blamed.

After all, according to Rapunzel's tales, he was a notorious play boi who didn't discriminate. On the Ark, countless Nikkes were said to have been swept off their feet by him. Considering that, it wouldn't be surprising if even a Pilgrim fell victim to his charms!

"My Lord, this isn't the time to unleash your primal instincts. Help me up, and I'll teach you three moves."

"What are you even talking about, you drunkard? When did I ever show such intentions?"

Green chuckled in exasperation, grabbing Scarlet's arm to pull her up from the sofa.

The reason he had leaned in close was because she had looked like she was about to vomit on the newly aired-out sofa cushions. He wasn't about to have them back outside tomorrow.

Scarlet steadied herself and drew the sword strapped to her waist. Tossing it to Green, she picked up the sheath instead, taking a defensive stance.

"My Lord, attack me however you wish. Show me what you're capable of." Scarlet commanded.

"You're drunk and using just the sheath. Are you sure you want to spar like this?" Green tightened his grip on the sword.

The blade's sharpness was palpable as if it could cut through anything, even if he waved it. It felt like it could cleave a giant Rapture in half with a single swing.

"Hehe, you are underestimating me, My Lord." Scarlet adjusted her slightly crooked hat, her flushed face showing a confident smirk. "Show me what you've got."

"Alright."

Taking a deep breath, Green lowered his stance and slashed at Scarlet.

Clang!

The sharp blade struck the sheath, emitting a crisp ring.

Even though Green had put all his strength into the strike, Scarlet easily parried with a flick of her wrist, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

"Good momentum, but your footwork is too hasty, and your form is off." Scarlet instructed with a stern smile, cautious yet firm, "My Lord, you're wielding a sword, not an axe. Who swings straight for someone's head like that? Try again."

She gestured for him to attack once more, prompting the other to leap for a few more swings.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

For the next few hours, the sound of clashing metal echoed through the consultation room.

Sweat-soaked and exhausted, Green gripped the sword with trembling hands. His arms ached as though he'd fought a grueling battle.

Which, in reality, he had.

No matter how he attacked, Scarlet effortlessly deflected every strike with just her sheath. She even drank wine casually while sparring with him.

"As expected of a legendary Pilgrim. She can make me sweat bullets using nothing but a sheath," Green muttered.

"Hehe, giving up, My Lord? If you're not satisfied, keep going." Scarlet took another swig of wine, her flushed face glowing brighter. "As long as there's wine, I can spar with you till dawn."

"Alright..."

Catching his breath for a moment, Green gripped the sword and lunged at her again.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

This time, he noticed something different.

His movements seemed quicker, and Scarlet, instead of blocking with the sheath, began sidestepping to dodge his strikes.

"No longer blocking and now evading? In that case, I'll press the advantage." Green smirked, "Take this!"

Pouring all his strength into his next attack, Green swung the blade, which struck the sheath with a sharp clang.

But this time, he didn't get pushed back.

The slightly surprised look on Scarlet's face showed that she hadn't expected him to maintain his stance.

It was at that moment that Green seized the opening. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, then tackled her to the ground, attempting to pin her down and disarm her.

But to his shock, Scarlet's strength was way extraordinary. Not only did she break free of his hold, but she also reversed the situation, locking him in a firm grip by his throat and pinning him against her.

"You've improved astonishingly, My Lord. Just hours ago, you were clueless about swordsmanship. Now, not only did you break through my defense, you even tried to subdue me. By human standards, you're already exceptional."

"Th-thank you for the compliment."

Leaning against Scarlet's soft frame, Green looked up and saw her white boots—seamless with her stockings.

The geta-shaped heels, paired with the draped white fabric, contrasted sharply with the strength she used to restrain him. Her long legs locked tightly around his, preventing any movement.

He struggled, but it was futile.

For someone who seemed like a drunken mess, Scarlet's strength was akin to that of a mechanical gorilla. No matter how much Green wriggled, he couldn't budge her.

"My Lord, do you concede?" Scarlet asked lazily, blowing softly into his ear. "If you surrender and fetch me another bottle of wine, I'll let you go."

"Scarlet, that's unfair!"

"There's no such thing as fairness in this world, My Lord. If you refuse, I'll... fall asleep here...zzz"

"Alright, alright, I surrender!"

"Ah, My Lord, such generosity. Fill my glass, then."

Scarlet finally released her grip.

Relieved, Green stood up and leaned against the sofa to catch his breath. After resting for a moment, he retrieved a bottle of fine wine from the cabinet.

Scarlet's bleary eyes lit up at the sight of the label.

"Wine made from grapes?"

Green nodded. "Yes, it was a gift from a client. It's a rare treat on the Ark."

"To think the My Lord had such a treasure hidden away. Well, enough chatter. Pour it already. Fill it up!"

Thunk!

The wineglass landed solidly on the table, and soon, the bottle's contents gurgled as it filled the glass.

Scarlet drank glass after glass, occasionally lifting Green's cup to toast with him.

"Another round. Fill it up."

As she drank to her heart's content, Scarlet began to feel the room grow warm.

Having spent so much time outdoors, she wasn't used to the air-conditioned indoors, and a light sheen of sweat formed on her skin.

"My Lord, why is it so warm in here?" Scarlet's eyes began to spin, "Hic... I think I'll crash on this sofa tonight. Surely, you don't mind, do you?"

After downing about seventy glasses, the tipsy Scarlet seemed ready to pass out entirely.

Muttering something vaguely, Scarlet lazily removed half of one long boot steaming with heat, revealing her fair and slender right foot. She reclined partially on the sofa, closing her eyes with a look of utter pleasure.

Green, feeling light-headed from the alcohol, glanced at Scarlet sprawled comfortably on the sofa before he also started feeling like the whole room was spinning.

"Ugh, I think I've drunk too much."

Scarlet, who was lying on the sofa, seemed to hear his mutterings and wobbled as she sat up again. "Heh, My Lord, your alcohol tolerance is quite poor... hic! Do you need some fruits to sober up?"

"Aren't all the fruits already gone?"

"I think I still have some berries on me." Scarlet began searching, "Here, My Lord, open your mouth. Say Ah~!"

Scarlet staggered toward Green, pulled a berry from her pocket, and placed it in his mouth. Before Green could react, with a loud thud, the completely inebriated Scarlet collapsed onto him, fast asleep.

"Scarlet, wake up... Ugh, you're so heavy!"

"Zzz~~~"

Scarlet was now fully stoned, completely wasted.

After gulping down more than seventy glasses of wine without letting her body process the alcohol, even the legendary Pilgrim was reduced to a drunken mess. She lay atop Green, fast asleep.

While it's true that a man and woman alone and drunk in the same room might lead to something happening after a whole night of training and downing more than ten glasses of wine, Green's only sensation now was pure exhaustion.

"I'm so tired... I need to sleep, too."

With some effort, he managed to lift Scarlet onto the soft sofa. Green then found a comfortable position, laying his head on her breasts before wrapping his arms around Scarlet like a kid hugging a teddy bear.

Originally, he had planned to train against simulated opponents to sharpen his skills against Rapture and order supplies from Yang. Yet, in the end, none of those plans came to fruition.

"Drinking really delays everything. Tomorrow, I definitely won't drink with this alcoholic again…."

With the resolve to work hard the next day, Green closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

…

The next day, around noon.

Still hungover from the previous night, Green had barely managed to pull himself off the sofa when Scarlet stormed into the consultation room with great energy.

"My Lord, I brought some venison back from the surface. I don't need to explain the rest. Bring out the wine, fill it up!"

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