Level Up Love Life System

Chapter 3: A Forced Alliance

The giant monster landed with a thud that rattled Saddam’s core. Asphalt dust and snow swirled into a thick, suffocating cloud. The Frost Goliath stood five meters tall. Its skin was made of rough, dark blue ice plates, and its muscles were formed from solid crystal chunks. Its eyes glowed a dim red, like embers in a blizzard.

"Saddam, stay back or you're dead!" Felisa barked. She lunged forward, her feet leaving cracks in the ground. Her Eisbrecher sword shimmered sharply, slicing through the air in a deadly circular motion.

Saddam didn't just sit still behind the car wreckage. The System's blue screen suddenly filled his vision with fast-moving data analysis. He saw the monster's internal skeleton. His heart raced, not from fear, but from the adrenaline the System pumped through him. He spotted a micro-crack on the giant's back-left knee. It was the only gap not shielded by thick crystal armor.

"Felisa, wait!" Saddam shouted hoarsely. He ran out from cover, ignoring the Valkyrie's warning shouts. "Don't attack the chest! It's a trap! Focus on the back-left knee! There’s a crack there!"

Felisa, mid-air, was momentarily stunned. She twisted her body, dodging the monster’s massive fist by only a few centimeters. She glanced at Saddam in disbelief, but somehow, her warrior instincts obeyed the courier’s command.

"If this is a joke, I’ll kill you later!" Felisa screamed. She drastically shifted her trajectory. With mana surging into her sword's tip, she dove sharply toward the monster’s leg.

The Frost Goliath let out a loud growl. It tried to stomp its foot to create a shockwave, but Felisa was faster. The ice sword struck the exact spot Saddam had indicated. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the streets. The mana crystals coating the giant’s knee exploded into shards.

The monster lost its balance. It stumbled and fell with a thud that made the ground feel as though it were shaking violently. Felisa didn't waste a second. She leapt onto the fallen monster's shoulder, raised her sword high, and plunged it straight into its neck. Thick black fluid sprayed out, followed by the monster's body disintegrating into shimmering ice crystals.

Saddam collapsed onto the asphalt, panting heavily. He felt an unusual heat in his chest. Suddenly, a mana core crystal left over from the monster's body floated up and entered his chest as if drawn by a magnet.

[Warning: Lovers' Share effect active. Absorbing mid-tier monster mana core. User's body restored.]

Saddam felt an incredible warmth spreading through his nerves. The physical exhaustion that had been crushing him vanished instantly. He felt stronger, refreshed, and far more aware of his surroundings. He stared at his hands in amazement.

Felisa landed gracefully in front of Saddam. Her beautiful but cold face showed a hint of surprise at how his exhaustion had vanished in the blink of an eye. She sheathed her sword with disciplined precision. She walked toward him, her footsteps firm against the street rubble.

"How did you know?" Felisa asked flatly. She looked down at Saddam, who was still sitting on the ground. "No one can see a Frost Goliath's weak point with the naked eye. Even military mana scanners need at least three minutes to analyze a target that strong."

Saddam tried to stand. His legs felt sturdier than ever. He looked at Felisa, trying to hide his own shock. "I just saw it, Captain. Maybe it’s an effect of that trauma I mentioned earlier. These eyes... sometimes they see things they shouldn't."

Felisa went quiet. She narrowed her eyes, studying every inch of Saddam’s face as if searching for a lie. Saddam could feel Felisa's heartbeat beginning to calm, but there was a deep curiosity buried behind that ice-cold gaze.

"You’re no ordinary civilian," Felisa said softly. "A delivery courier doesn't have the reflexes to identify an elite monster's weak point without years of training."

"I'm just a courier who wants to go home to my cheap apartment and sleep for two days without being bothered by monsters," Saddam replied with his typical sarcasm.

Felisa didn't answer. Instead, she stepped closer—so close that Saddam could smell the faint scent of winter roses from her tactical armor. Felisa gripped Saddam’s chin with her cold, armored glove, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"You absorbed that mana core," Felisa whispered. "That's impossible. A normal human would explode if they tried to absorb raw mana crystals. Who are you really, Saddam?"

Saddam swallowed hard. He felt the pressure of Felisa’s mana aura beginning to fill the space between them. Their proximity made Saddam’s heart race—not from danger, but from a strange emotional tension. The System in his mind flashed red, notifying him that their synchronization was increasing.

"I’m just a guy who’s lucky to still be alive in this dying city, Captain," Saddam answered, trying to maintain his composure even though his courage was wavering.

Suddenly, the silent street was filled with the rhythmic thud of military boots. Military helicopter searchlights swept the road, illuminating them both. Saddam and Felisa turned toward the source of the noise.

At the end of the street, a troop of soldiers in full black-and-gold armor marched forward. They weren't ordinary soldiers; they were an elite unit from the central defense division. At their head, a sturdy older man with an eye patch walked with an air of arrogance. He was General Hanz Kepler.

"Captain Felisa!" General Hanz shouted. His voice was heavy and authoritative. "Explain the situation. Why are you allowing a civilian to remain in an active combat zone?"

Felisa released her grip on Saddam’s chin and offered a perfect salute. Saddam could only stand frozen beside her. He felt like a mouse caught by a large, hungry cat. General Hanz stopped right in front of them, staring at Saddam with his single eye, which was as sharp as a dagger.

"Take him to headquarters," General Hanz ordered bluntly. "He needs to be examined. Something about this kid has been tripping our mana detectors since we were two kilometers away."

Felisa seemed hesitant for a moment, but she could only nod in obedience. "Yes, General."

Saddam looked around. He was surrounded. The soldiers began to close in, aiming their mana rifles at him. This was the end of his freedom—or perhaps the beginning of something much more dangerous. He turned to Felisa, hoping for a shred of help, but she only met his gaze with a cold, unreadable expression.

"Take him now," General Hanz repeated, his voice as cold as a Munich winter.

Two soldiers approached Saddam and grabbed his arms roughly. He could feel the mana-suppressant handcuffs ready in their hands. As they dragged him away from Felisa, General Hanz stopped in front of the young man and stared intently.

"You’re not just a civilian, kid," General Hanz whispered right into Saddam’s ear. "You’re an anomaly that could either destroy this city or save it. And I absolutely loathe anomalies I can’t control."

Saddam tried to pull his hand away, but the soldier's grip was too strong. He saw Felisa standing there, silent, frozen, as if she were weighing whether to help or let Saddam be dragged toward an interrogation that would certainly be unpleasant. The Munich sky turned dark again, and raindrops began to fall on them, carrying a premonition that something much larger was waiting behind the walls of the Valkyrie headquarters.