“I believe I have it,” she said, after a moment, leaning forward again to stare into my eyes. “Should anyone harm your loved ones, would you warn them against ever doing the same again, prefer to kill them instantly, or have them suffer a slow and painful death?”

“That really depends,” I said. “Would I be free from any legal repercussions?”

“I’m not sure I understand your meaning.”

“Say someone did something really heinous to my aunt or uncle, and I could deliver some form of vengeance without the cops ever finding out about it. Is that possible in this scenario?”

“No one would know save for yourself,” she said. “And me, of course.” She smiled as she shuffled further down the bed so she could stare more intently into my eyes.

“Then I would mete out justice according to the crime,” I said. “If they did something horrific to my loved ones, I’d give them a slow and painful death. But if someone harmed my loved ones unintentionally, I’d probably just give the offender a warning not to do it ever again.”

“And a quick execution?” Kyrine asked, repeating the one option I hadn’t mentioned.

“I can’t think of any scenario where that would be relevant. Either the person intended to harm my loved ones, or they didn’t. A slow and painful death for the former, or a stern warning for the latter. Those are my answers.”

“A man of extremes,” Kyrine said. “I like that. Although, I must say, sometimes playing with your prey before feeding can make consumption all the more enjoyable.” She flashed me a devilish grin. “That is why I also like to construct traps where the effects are positive on my prey.”

“Like buffs?” I asked.

“Exactly. An increase in strength or speed, for example.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

Kyrine arched an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“Why would you want to buff the people you intend to kill?”

“Luring your prey into a false sense of security can be rather delectable.”

I felt my stomach coil. “You know, I was really starting to like you for a minute. Then I remembered that you’re a bloodthirsty dungeon core who tried to kill me.”

“It was necessary. You expended all your mana, which allowed me to read your various meridians. For this to work, we need to know each other… intimately.”

I couldn’t help but notice the way she’d spoken that last word. Either she was trying to throw me off balance, or she was actually alluding to physical intimacy.

Well, I wouldn’t say no, that was for sure.

“So, are we done now?” I asked. “Can I start trying my new abilities?”

“Why don’t you look and see what you have available?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Simply focus on your center and your desire to access your primary cultivation system.”