"Fiona showed me once and I got the hang of it. What do you reckon? Pretty clever, eh?" Madison declared proudly.
"Quite impressive indeed," Ruboo nodded at first, then frowned. "So your talent has been revealed to Fiona."
"It doesn't matter," Madison waved dismissively.
Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly smiled. "You should have seen Fiona's expression when she witnessed me successfully perform mind control on my first attempt. It was quite something."
"Of course, with your prompting, I did mention afterwards that I suffer from a heart murmur. Little did I expect that this condition, which has troubled me since childhood, would prove to be my lifeline."
"Still, getting a free private lesson from the Supreme Witch isn't too shabby either."
Madison consoled herself at last.
"That's good then."
Ruboo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Fiona was well aware of the Supreme Witch's selection criteria and would likely cease her interest in Madison henceforth.
It was the younger witches—Zoe, Queenie, Nan—who would likely draw more of Fiona's scrutiny from now on.
Troubles truly came one after another.
Ruboo sighed.
Just then, an alluring fragrance wafted through the air.
Madison, dressed in a sexy, breezy outfit, pressed close, her eyes brimming with affection:
"Ruboo, you must have been waiting impatiently for my news today. I'm delighted—this is the first time anyone has shown such concern for me. Not even my dreadful parents ever did this; they only ever took money from me."
"Now, let me repay you properly. Just relax and enjoy yourself."
"I—"
Ruboo was about to suggest it was too late and everyone should retire for the night, but Madison had already crouched down before he could finish.
He sucked in a sharp breath, forced to halt his protest.
It had happened. So be it.
He wasn't sure if his body could handle it.
Tonight was simply too exhausting—he wasn't in the right frame of mind!
Or perhaps... add a point?
After all, new containment points would be added after the minotaur was secured.
No!
Shelter points are hard-earned; I must plan carefully and use every single one wisely.
We can't just add them haphazardly like before.
But...
Madison must have had some dodgy booze tonight—he's been relentless!
With the enemy's firepower growing fierce, they were on the verge of collapse.
Ruboo's eyes widened.
Enough!
[Physical Constitution: 1.4]→[Physical Constitution: 1.5]
Ah~~
Madison! Who's the better player!
...
...
[ID: 003]
[Name: Bastian]
[Type: Minotaur Chimera]
[Status: Contained]
[Abilities: Strength; Suturing]
[Description: A wretched valet lured by his master's daughter, only to be discovered and brutally abused by his employer. He was even sewn alive with a bull's head. Though his beloved Voodoo Queen punished the master, Delphi Lalaurie, she could not save his life. Ultimately, she resorted to voodoo sorcery to transform him into a monstrous hybrid—neither fully human nor ghost—condemned to remain eternally by her side.]
"The Voodoo Queen certainly has a taste for the macabre."
The following morning, having spent most of the night in battle and lacking the energy for further Ruboo, he awoke and flipped open the updated Book of Containment, commenting.
Though his rest had been brief, his 1.5 Constitution allowed for rapid recovery.
After swiftly reviewing the new arrival's details in the Containment Log, a revitalised Ruboo turned the pages to his own entry.
Under the [Containment Points] entry, the initial 0 had now changed to 50.
Add to that the 10 points expended on his physique last night.
The minotaur Bastien had brought him a total of 60 containment points.
This was considerably less than the 100 points previously granted by the golden-armed Heather.
Shifting his gaze from the 50 unallocated containment points, Ruboo looked at the [Abilities] column.
Among the options available for awakening, besides [Mind Control], two new abilities had appeared: [Sturdy] and [Psychic Manipulation].
[Fortitude] was one of Bastien's innate abilities. Awakening it granted a passive attribute, increasing physical constitution by 0.5.
It seemed decent enough, but he knew that awakening a second ability now required 80 containment points.
Ruboo realised that the containment points required for awakening abilities weren't determined by their strength, but by their quantity.
The first awakened ability cost 50 points, the second 80 points, and subsequent abilities would only increase further.
This made him far more cautious in his subsequent ability selections.
Abilities like [Robustness], which could have boosted his Constitution by 0.5 for a mere 50 points, now required 80 points to achieve the same effect. For Ruboo, such abilities were naturally useless.
Bastian possessed another ability: [Suture].
No matter how severe the injury, a simple or even crude stitching of the wound allows for rapid recovery.
Yet, much like Heather's spirit abilities, this skill only applied to stitched creatures.
Ruboo cannot learn it.
Madison, however, kept surprising him time and again.
Following their intimate union last night, Madison's newly awakened [Mind Control] ability had also appeared on his awakening menu.
Combined with [Telekinesis], [Fire Manipulation], and the myriad abilities she would master in the future.
It could be said Madison sustained herself entirely through her own efforts.
Not only did it guarantee quantity, but the quality was far superior to that of 'robust' and similar products.
Indirectly accommodating Madison was undoubtedly the most correct decision Ruboo had ever made.
He glanced at the still-warm indentation in the mattress beside him, thinking that he would need to properly reward her with both body and soul later on.
Putting away the Containment Book, Ruboo did not rush to allocate points.
Given that more abilities meant greater point expenditure, he needed to carefully consider his next choices.
Moreover, more abilities weren't always better, especially when one's spiritual energy was low.
Take [Control of Fire], for instance. While he could now conjure a ball of flame, it fell far short of Fiona's ability to engulf an entire corpse in flames, and its duration was exceedingly brief.
The fundamental attributes of Spirituality and Constitution were absolutely not to be overlooked.
He needed to give careful thought to how exactly to allocate them.
Indeed, yesterday's predicament must not be repeated.
Of course, should unexpected circumstances arise, allocating points based on the situation remains a sound approach.
"Dear Ruboo! Time to set off!"
"I can't wait to see the crocodiles."
"Delphi! Are my snacks ready yet?"
At that moment, the girls' cheerful voices echoed from outside the door.
Remembering today's event, Ruboo replied:
"Coming!"
With that, he hurried off.
A quarter of an hour later, Ruboo, having gathered everything, drove his Chevrolet, ferrying the girls to the nearby marshland for a holiday.
From the second-floor window, Fiona watched the car disappear into the distance. Turning to glance at the minotaur head resting on the table, a faint smile touched her lips.
"Time to return the favour to an old friend."