What?
There was actually someone here who qualified for binding?!
Suzy was stunned.
She looked upâjust in time to meet a pair of deep, piercing eyes.
She couldnât make out the manâs full face. He wore a mask, revealing only his sharply defined brows and striking eyes.
But even from that alone, it was obviousâunderneath the mask, his looks were exceptional.
[Target detected: Liam Austen]
[Level: SSS]
[Affinity insufficient. Binding unavailable.]
Liam.
Liam Austen...
Suzy silently repeated the name twice. It felt familiarâjust on the edge of recognitionâbut before she could place it, he had already brushed past her.
Almost instinctively, she turned to look back.
Without slowing, Liam disappeared around the corner and out of sight.
Suzy pulled her thoughts back in and continued climbing.
But now, her mind was anything but quiet.
A binding-compatible targetâfine.
But an SSS-tier one?!
That was a jackpot practically delivered to her doorstep.
If she could bind with him, that meant another draw opportunity.
And SSS rewards... were no joke.
And if she could raise his affinity to sixtyâ
That would be yet another reward.
To Suzy, this was nothing short of incredible news.
I need to get on good terms with him,
she thought.
Still...
That name...
Why did it sound so familiar?
Before she could figure it out, she had already reached the twentieth floorâher door.
She paused.
Wait...
She was here already?
She didnât even feel out of breath.
Climbing twenty floors used to leave her exhaustedâheart racing, gasping for air, needing several minutes just to recover.
Now? Effortless.
Was it the effect of the spiritual spring water?
Or... something else?
Her time with Derek Martin?
Suzy couldnât help but feel that those few days had been more than worth it.
Her physical condition had improved dramaticallyâseveral times over.
At this rate, if she kept strengthening herself like this... Wouldnât she become unstoppable?
Her thoughts drifted until the door in front of her suddenly opened.
"Suzyâyouâre back!!" Leonard stood there, eyes lighting up with relief and joy.
Before she could react, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
She froze for a moment, then returned the hug, patting his broad back.
"Uncle, Iâm okay."
Leonard let her go, looking her over from head to toe, again and again, only relaxing once he was certain she was unharmed.
"Come inside first."
He led her in. Suzy slipped off her raincoat and changed into slippers.
"Uncle, how did you know I was at the door?" she asked.
She was pretty sure she hadnât knocked.
"The camera notified me someone was outside," Leonard said with a small laugh. "I came to checkâdidnât expect it to be you. You should at least open the door when you get home."
"I was thinking about something."
Even with the raincoat, her hair was damp.
Leonard gently ruffled it. "Go take a shower first. Are you hungry? Iâll make something for you."
"Okay," she replied.
Back in her room, everything looked just as she had left it.
She headed straight into the bathroom and turned on the water.
After everything, a proper bath was long overdue.
Thankfully, water wasnât a problem at home. And Suzy had no intention of depriving herself.
Once the tub had filled, Suzy sank into the warm water and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
After being drenched in the rain, nothing felt better than a hot bath.
Since Leonard was still cooking, she pulled a tablet from her space and opened a downloaded short film. Then she took out a plate of pre-cut frozen fruit and set it beside the tub.
Soaking in warmth, snacking, and watching something at the same timeâit was pure delight.
She popped a piece of fruit into her mouth, and suddenly rememberedâshe hadnât claimed Derek Martinâs 80-point reward yet.
That wouldnât do.
Even though she technically had a full day to decide, she was far too impatient to wait.
She immediately summoned the system.
A selection panel appeared before her.
[...Host may choose one of the following rewards.]
[Reward 1: Ten tons of supplies.]
[Reward 2: Physical combat enhancement card.]
[Reward 3: Temporary storage space.]
Three options again.
Compared to random draws, Suzy much preferred having control.
Her gaze went straight to the first one.
Ten tons of supplies.
Pass.
Instant pass.
She didnât even need to think about it.
Her space was already overflowing with resourcesâshe simply didnât need more.
And with the systemâs return mechanism, every bit of supplies she used on a bound target could multiply tenfold.
In a sense, she already had near-infinite resources.
Next.
The second rewardâcombat enhancement.
Now this had some appeal.
She tapped into the details.
It allowed her to learn three types of combat techniquesâand once selected, each would be mastered instantly, reaching 100% proficiency. Essentially, she would jump straight to expert level.
Suzy inhaled slightly.
That
was
impressive.
Three combat styles. Master-level.
If she chose this, her close-quarters combat ability would skyrocket.
In a world like this, strength mattered.
This reward was definitely worth considering.
Then... The third option.
Temporary storage space.
...What?
The moment she saw the word
space
, her attention sharpened.
She opened the details and practically shot upright in the bathtub, nearly knocking over her fruit.
Temporary space.
With this, she could grant others access to a portion of her storage space.
The size and duration would be entirely under her control.
Of course, it wasnât full accessâthey couldnât enter her space, nor interact with her personal storage. They would only have limited usage rights within an assigned area.
But even so, her eyes lit up.
If she gave Leonard access...
That meant he would effectively have his own portable storage.
They could split up when gathering supplies, cover more ground, and work far more efficiently.
And right now, this was the perfect window to collect resources.
This reward was exactly what she needed.
A timely blessing.
She already had her answer.
"System, I choose reward three."
[Host has selected Reward 3: Temporary Storage Space. Confirm?]
"Confirm. Confirm!"
[Congratulations. Reward successfully claimed. Please check.]