Our hands parted, and she still didn't look convinced. But at least now Hai-Min didn't have to worry about being taken against her will.

With her big sister's abilities, kidnapping—even from inside the guild building would be a piece of cake.

Not even I could stop the checkered sword maiden if she truly decided to act on impulse.

This was the fun part of a world filled with unique powers. There was no such thing as absolute.

No matter how much I told myself I was strong, all it took was one ability I was weak against to wipe away every advantage I had.

click!

She began eating her dessert—a soft velvet cake—and now that the tension between us had passed, I couldn't help noticing how small and delicate her lips were.

I found myself wondering if she had to eat a burger with a fork and knife instead of just biting into it.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, my system finally decided to make itself known again—though the timing and request was… less than ideal.

[New Mission: Get Hai-Yen into your guild - Reward: Avatar Card]

[New Mission: Make her fall for you - Reward: Avatar Card ]

Two cards in a row? That was unheard of.

I would be jumping for joy if it weren't for one problem—she was ridiculously hard to deal with. Not even money or charm would work on her, because she already got all of that herself.

Sadly, I had to at least try. Even if I didn't complete the mission right now, leaving a good impression would still count as a progress.

"You're staring too much," she called me out after spacing for so long.

I cleared my throat, searching for a way to break the ice between us even further.

"Sorry. I just find it hard not to stare." Instead of making excuses, I owned it.

"I'm sure plenty of men would do the same if they were sitting across from from someone of your caliber. Has anyone ever told you that you're extremely attractive?"

She rolled her eyes. "I hear that all the time. So if you think a few compliments will work, give up. I've grown tired of hearing the same lines over and over."

"Oh…" I trailed off, smiling. "Then… can you tell me what kind of man would move your heart?"

I tried using my ability to nudge her into talking. No white flashes.

Still, she answered on her own. "Maybe the strongest man in the world."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Are you talking about the official S-Ranks, or…"

"You're a guild leader—you should know the public S-Ranks are just the tip of the iceberg. And I'm not thinking of any specific person right now. So far, no man's been worth my attention."

Wow. She really got standards.

"Whoever move your heart will be a lucky man."

She didn't say a word and just kept eating her dessert. One thing I noted was that she liked sweet things—completely opposite to her strong, personality.

If I wanted to play the long game with her, information like this was vital.

After a while, the silence grew awkward—and that didn't look good on me. It meant I couldn't even hold a conversation with her, which, in dating terms, meant I was fucking boring.

Honestly, this would've been far easier if I stopped pretending to be just some rich guild leader and went back to my usual confident self—the one who knew he could mop the floor with any S-Rank in the city.

Downside of trying to stay humble and low-key, I guess.

"On another note, would you like to join my Degen Guild? I could cover the penalty for breaking your contract with your current Guild."

Her eyebrows lifted, and she paused mid-bite before slowly setting the fork down.

"Do you have any idea how much my current guild pays me to stay exclusive?" she asked, her tone and attitude carrying the confidence of someone who knew her worth—or maybe slightly overestimated it.

"If there's one thing I've got, it's money. So… how about you quote me a price?" I took a slow sip of my wine and waited. How expensive could she be?

"Five billion for two years."

"Guhhh!" I coughed violently, wine spraying across the table. "You're worth that much?"

She leaned back, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

"You think five billion is a lot? That's pocket change compared to what I bring in."

Her claim made me even more curious, so I stayed quiet, letting her continue.

"Between promotions, endorsements, appearances… my guild pulls in double that every year just from me being their face. And that's not counting the sponsors who pay extra just to be associated with me."

Her dark eyes met mine. She was clearly enjoying herself, bragging right in front of me.

"So tell me again—do you really think five billion for two years is unreasonable?"

I didn't like her tone, but she wasn't lying. Her endorsements spanned everything—technology, beauty products, you name it—and they weren't just popular in this city; they were nationwide.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, among all official S-Rank seekers, she generated the most money outside the tower—which also meant she paid the regular taxes, not the higher ones imposed on other Seekers.

Although I could afford her, it would put my guild under serious financial strain. Right now, we were burning through over 500 million every month just on salaries alone.

This was the result of overspending—practically handing out too much compensation to everyone—because I wasn't some greedy, profit-chasing capitalist.

"You got me. I can't afford you right now. But in the future, once your contract expires, I'll see if I can make it happen."

"You can try," she added, and that was the end of dinner.

I really couldn't tell if she had a good impression of me—or not.

Looks like I would have to postpone completing that mission and focus on slowly improving my standing in her eyes first.

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