Seeing her walk gracefully in front of me, I greeted her with a bow and a smile.
"My Lady, I didn't think you would visit here. May this humble servant know why you are here?"
My voice was calm, but a hint of nervousness betrayed me.
Not only had she grown much stronger, but she also looked even more beautiful.
She ignored me and continued walking, looking at the letter I had written.
She smiled mischievously.
"Hmm… you expect me to reward you even after seducing someone on your first day?"
Her voice was cold and dark. My smile faltered a bit, and sweat trickled down my forehead.
"My Lady… I don't understand what you mean."
My voice was genuinely confused, the nervousness now palpable.
She didn't respond immediately and continued,
"Now, let me reward you... and punish you."
She smiled — alluring and seductive — but there was a deeper meaning behind it.
She continued,
"First, choose. What do you want? The Talisman or the Storage Bag?"
My eye twitched as I pondered. I'd need a Talisman in the future, but right now, I should abandon being a fortune teller.
I had gathered too much attention in just one day. My first goal was to get a Storage Bag.
I spoke with sincerity,
"I would like the Storage Bag, My Lady. Is that okay?"
She nodded and opened her storage ring, revealing a medium-sized Storage Bag that could easily store cars.
She handed it to me. I smiled and praised her the best I could, but my flattery didn't work — she only scoffed coldly.
"Now, the punishment. You'll still get a reward from it, so don't worry,"
she said, her cold eyes growing darker as she leaned in for a kiss.
My eye twitched, but I nodded. My face flushed.
The mark she had given me intensified the moment our tongues barely touched.
I felt indescribable pain in my tongue. She immediately smiled, satisfied, and muttered,
"That should be enough."
She stretched her beautiful body provocatively and left — just like that, as if nothing had happened.
I couldn't care less what she did — the pain in my tongue was unbearable, like it was burning.
Slowly, the pain spread to my esophagus and into my stomach.
I gripped the closest thing — the bed — and clenched it tightly until blood seeped from my hands.
For the next few minutes, I thought that was the worst of it. I was wrong.
Just as I started to calm down, the pain surged again.
I felt every organ in my body burn. Even my dantian struggled to absorb the energy — it was too slow.
It couldn't keep up with the surging energy. My bones, my skin — everything felt like it was on fire.
The pain was unbearable. Having just transmigrated into this body on Earth, my pain tolerance was low.
Even small cuts annoyed me, and a little sickness weakened me.
As the pain continued, I couldn't help but scream. The scream was so loud it echoed outside.
Those training late at night were startled and looked toward the building the sound came from.
The pain didn't stop. All night, it robbed me of sleep.
---
The Empress watched with satisfaction — and a hint of guilt.
Did I go too far punishing him? she wondered. But she dismissed the thought.
He had already caught someone's interest in just one day at the academy.
That alone warranted a warning.
---
As sunlight poured through my window, the pain finally vanished.
My eyes were dark, my skin pale — like the dead had returned to life.
My gaze was hollow as I looked in the mirror.
I sighed in frustration. "Saminah is really crazy…"
It was a miracle I still had my sanity. Just thinking about the pain gave me goosebumps.
I sighed helplessly. Was it because I got too close to Iris?
If she knew, then she must be monitoring me — even if her chosen spy hadn't arrived yet.
I sighed again, frustrated. She might be watching me right now.
I couldn't keep interacting with women too freely… or she might actually kill me.
Why does the Empress seem so obsessed? She might as well be a Yandere,
if not for her cold, aloof gaze.
Still, what she said was true — even if it was punishment, it was also a reward.
Thanks to it, my organs and skin had become much stronger.
But the pain… that pain traumatized me.
I sighed again. Maybe my pain tolerance was decent now — probably thanks to Clara's beatings.
Dark lines formed under my eyes as I prepared to go to class.
Minutes passed. I showered and put on proper clothes.
My face darkened the moment I stepped into the classroom.
Iris, about to greet me, hesitated — sensing I wasn't in the mood.
Fiona and Gab, who had been chatting, abruptly stopped and looked at me as I walked to my seat.
Gab, having trained for a long time, had stepped into the 2nd Star of being a Knight.
I didn't care. Eventually, we would fight.
But if I couldn't keep up, I'd steal his fortuitous encounters instead.
I yawned, exhaustion clear in my eyes. Fiona's gaze was complex — there was concern.
But since we weren't close, she stayed silent.
She was also a 2nd Star — but a Mage.
She had trained since childhood, so it made sense.
Gab, on the other hand, reached 2nd Star in just over a month.
A peerless genius like that was rare.
Looking at the storage bag in my hand, I couldn't help but smile. My mood lightened.
Even if the pain was unbearable, my pain tolerance had grown drastically.
Who wouldn't toughen up after that torment?
Now, I was sure of one thing
The Empress was crazy about me
in The Blink of an Eye The Class ended and Launch Break came and Irish Concern Approach me
Her eyes so sincere and innocent as she asked"Hey are you alright? did you even sleep"She said as she Caress my Face