"What is?"
The voice was soft, probably the softest most seductive voice I've ever heard, yet all I could feel was a sense of dread.
'How did she sneak up on me? What the actual fuck is going on right now!'
"Are you not going to answer, young man?" The voice asked again, this time I felt the hot breath against my ear and I almost shivered.
I took a breath, turning to see who it was that snuck up on me.
And when I did, I almost fainted.
"Ah…"
"Ah?"
"Ermmm… um, I-I… who?"
The lady in front of me looked a bit confused, her brows arched slightly, then she asked.
"Are you scared of me?"
I averted my gaze.
"M-Me scared? N-No… no I'm not, that's ridiculous."
"You're shaking."
"I-Is that so?"
The lady blinked… then she laughed, a melodious sound that seemed to tug at my control.
My heart thumped loudly against my ribcage as I gazed upon the figure before me.
She was perfection's incarnate.
Her mere presence felt like the goddess of beauty descended herself to grace a lowly mortal the honor of staring at such a magnificent figure.
Sunlight reflected over the contours of her figure, sliding over skin as smooth as polished ivory as though it was carved from the essence of the moon itself.
Her eyes, a muted crimson held no flicker or haste as it traced over me and her expression…
Her expression remained composed and restrained to the point of austerity.
It wasn't cold or cruel, it was simply controlled… observant and effortlessly seductive.
Silver white hair spilled down her back in a long flowing cascade with each strand catching the light, her hair was gathered into a loose bun secured with dark ribbons that contrasted against the pale sheen of her lustrous hair.
The rest of her hair descended freely, swaying in light, unhurried motions as they framed her figure.
Her attire was easily as mesmerizing.
The upper part of her garment was a white kimono robe draped from her shoulders in elegant layers, slipping just enough to reveal the clean line of her collarbones.
The fabric of the dress was almost weightless as delicate florals adorned its seams.
Below though, the garment took on a deeper shade.
A black hakama flowed from her waist in wide pleats, cutting sharply against the white above. Fine details traced the hem of the hakama. A faint floral imprint and delicate patterns anyone would miss if they weren't looking close enough.
The waist area had thin cords and ornamental ties hanging from them, swaying with each move the lady made.
Her feet rested in elevated sandals which was fairly simple yet it seemed to further highlight her unmatched beauty, giving her a strange allure.
At that moment I had to resist slapping myself to keep my thoughts in check.
'Focus you idiot! What are you doing.' I thought harshly but something caught my eyes, derailing me away from my thoughts.
Within her grasp was a beautiful black katana, which she held without tension like she knew I wasn't even a threat to her.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
'Not yet! I'll get stronger… soon.' I thought to myself but seeing her calm expression only served to irk me further.
"You're bad at hiding your emotions."
I flinched, startled at how close she had gotten.
Now her face was a few inches away from mine and the only thing I could see were those beautiful eyes of hers, the delicate lashes and her soft… inviting lips.
'Oh no! No no no what the heck is happening to me?'
Ba-dump
Ba-dump
My heart danced in a wild rhythm even more intense than when I had activated the flow state.
Not to mention, I had already returned the fanged viper to my inventory.
She blinked, then her lips parted into a coy smile.
"~Oh my, your skin flushed pink… are you blushing?"
Ok… that did it.
That blasphemous accusation gave me the clarity I needed to snap out of whatever spell she put on me.
Yes spell.
I refused to believe that I would be flustered over a woman.
'It's not because I like her, yes! My heart is beating because I'm scared, that's right I'm scared, I'm totally not falling for a tower resident.'
"Me, blush? Woman have you gone mad?" I blurted out.
My voice sounded a bit louder than I intended, which seemed to startle the strange woman slightly.
She froze, then pulled back slowly with a small smile.
"My apologies, seems like I overstepped a bit."
"It's fine." I replied, ready to summon the fanged viper at a moment's notice even though I knew I had no chance of defeating her.
As much as I hated to admit, the drop dead gorgeous woman in front of me was dangerous.
'She's as strong as ash.'
The current demi-god version of him.
Even worse, I recognized her.
The lady in front of me was Lyn, who was also known as the Kitsune of ruin.
And she was the high level boss of the tenth floor.
I remembered her correctly because she was almost impossible to beat.
Even the twentieth floor boss couldn't come close in terms of destructive capabilities, not to mention her ridiculous life essence.
Her health bar was even more ridiculous but that wasn't what made her frightening, no…
What made her scary was the regen and shield effect she had after casting her ultimate skill.
'Why is a high level boss approaching me?'
I wasn't sure if she was actually the one since she looked different, but looking at the katana carefully in her hand, I recognized the same blade that cost me an arm and a few body parts during my playthrough.
The vixen wasn't someone I could solo, and certainly not at the level I was currently.
I thought about summoning Ash but after pondering on it for a bit, I decided not to.
"Say…" she began. "I came because I was curious."
I tilted my head.
"Curious? About what exactly… I don't think mere curiosity is enough to make someone of your status approach a person such as I."
She walked around me slowly causing every nerve in my body to tense up, my breath hitched when her dress brushed against my arm.
The corners of her lips twitched slightly into what might have been the ghost of a smile.
"You know about me?"
"I don't." I lied.
Though within those mesmerizing eyes of hers told me she clearly didn't buy whatever I had just said, instead her smile stretched becoming more apparent.
"You are a very interesting human."
I was about to take a step back but her next words caused every cell in my body to freeze.
"I wonder, why do you smell like a tainted god?"