Professional Talent: Mana Echoes (S-Rank)

"Madly in love with each other… Wouldn't that be a great show to watch?"

"Don't even think about it. I would rather be a dead man than let you do whatever you want with my body," Alex replied with fierce annoyance.

However, he stopped his words halfway as he looked down the hallway.

The young man, who had been writhing and groaning on the carpet just a second ago, had suddenly stopped moving completely.

His limbs were sprawled out awkwardly amidst the scattered clothes.

Alex instantly became tense. "Fuck, did I kick him to death? I clearly held back at the last moment…"

"Don't worry he's not dead yet, this kid has a good talent. Alas… he was born in a low-level world!" the Empress suddenly noted, her voice dropping its teasing tone for a rare moment of genuine surprise.

Alex blinked, pausing his step. You must know the Empress possessed an ego larger than the sky.

She never once praised another living soul since awakening inside him.

Even the extremely talented awakeners who are frequently praised on the news were nothing more than "trash" or "dog manure" in her eyes.

For her to openly compliment a creepy kid was unheard of.

"Hey, what do you mean?" Alex questioned back, but the Empress didn't reply anymore, sinking back into the silent depths of his consciousness.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Alex focused his mind and activated his Appraisal Eye.

A transparent, pale blue screen immediately unfolded over the boy's limp body.

[ Name: Leo ]

[ Age: 19 ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Level: Rank D]

[ Profession: Spy / Information Broker, Psychic Observer ]

[ Professional Talent: Mana Echoes (S-Rank) ]

[ Description: The passive ability to read and visualize lingering sound vibrations, emotional residue, and conversation traces imprinted on physical objects. Currently untrained and restricted by low cultivation. ]

[ Professional Skills: ???]

Alex's jaw practically hit the floor.

"An S-rank potential talent?" he whispered in disbelief. "And a hidden profession Psychic Observer? What the hell is a guy with an S-rank observation talent doing working the front desk of a cheap love motel?"

"He must have realized something the moment he saw us, no wonder he realized we weren't just a regular couple," Alex thought, his anger cooling into sharp calculation.

He glanced down at the items scattered across the carpet around Leo. When the guy had flown backward, he had dropped two neatly folded bundles of clothing.

Alex's sharp eyes immediately noticed the sizes. There were two distinct sets of high-end, smooth synthetic clothes.

One set was a small, breathable dark tank top and shorts, an exact, flawless fit for Liria's frame.

The other set consisted of a pair of high-waisted denim jeans and a matching soft, dark blue denim top.

"He must have guessed these sizes," Alex nodded his head in approval, as for the young man.

Not wanting to leave an S-rank asset lying out in an open hallway, Alex stepped out, grabbed the unconscious Leo by the collar of his uniform, and dragged him effortlessly into Room 104.

He scooped up the scattered clothes with his free hand and kicked the heavy door shut behind him, locking it tight.

He dumped Leo onto the carpet near the foot of the bed.

Before dealing with the spy, Alex desperately needed to get out of the ruined, blood-stained shirt.

He tossed the bundle of Liria's new clothes onto the mattress beside her, then turned toward the wide bathroom mirror to change.

The fabric glided over his raw, shedding skin like cool water.

It hugged his torso perfectly, offering gentle support to his heavy breasts without crushing them like Lily's sports bra had, while the shirt he was wearing left just a teasing hint of his soft cleavage exposed.

Next, he pulled on the dark denim jeans. They slid smoothly over his black silk briefs, fitting snugly around his cinched waist and accentuating his hips.

Dressed and feeling infinitely more comfortable, Alex turned his attention back to the problem on the floor, while Liria slipped into the bathroom to freshen up.

He walked over to the nightstand, grabbed a complimentary bottle of ice-cold water, and uncapped it.

He tipped the bottle, pouring a freezing stream of water directly over Leo's face.

"Gasp! Pfft—what the?!" Leo jerked awake wildly, sputtering and wiping the ice water from his eyes.

He scrambled backward across the carpet until his back hit the wooden base of the desk, his hands thrown up defensively.

When his blurry vision cleared, his eyes locked onto Alex.

Even dressed in simple jeans and a denim shirt, Alex looked breathtakingly attractive.

The dark blue fabric made his pale skin literally glow, and the sweet, spiced-honey scent of his pheromones filled the enclosed room, making Leo's head spin with sudden arousal.

"Ahhh! My balls!" But then Leo remembered the crushing, lightning-fast kick to his groin. His lust instantly collided with absolute, trembling terror.

"P-Please don't kill me!" Leo squeaked, wrapping his arms around his stomach. "I swear I didn't mean to look! I just, the t-shirt was transparent, and I lost my mind for a second!"

Alex pulled up a wooden chair and sat down right in front of the shivering Leo.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and let a hint of his golden Feral Gaze slit open inside his dark pupils.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

"I don't care about the nosebleed right now," Alex said, his voice dropping into a cool, commanding tone layered with his natural hypnotic resonance.

"Leo? Is it? I want to know why a guy with your cultivation and an S-rank observation talent is working as a front desk clerk in a rundown motel. And why did you bring clothes that we didn't even ask for?"

Leo's eyes bulged in pure horror. The color drained completely from his face.

"How... how do you know about my name and my talent?!" Leo stammered, his body shaking violently. "Nobody knows about that! Not even my boss!"

"I'm the one asking questions here, Leo," Alex said coldly, letting a wave of his Rank C pressure wash over the room. "Talk. Now. What is this place, or else?"

"You seemed to have already guessed what I did before coming here, am I wrong?" Crushed by rank suppression and completely terrified by the mysterious beauty who seemed to see right through his soul, Leo's psychological defenses shattered completely.

He slumped against the desk, letting out a defeated, trembling breath.

"Alright! Alright, I'll tell you everything, don't kill me!" Leo groaned, rubbing his aching forehead.

"This place... it isn't just a love motel. The entire building is a secret front. We're a small, independent intelligence-gathering organization called Night Whisper."

Alex's eyebrows rose slightly. "An intelligence organization? Operating out of a cheap motel?"

"It's the perfect cover!" Leo explained desperately. "People bring their mistresses, corrupt merchants meet for shady deals, and low-level nobles come here to hide their affairs."

"Room 104 is our VIP wired suite. With my Mana Echoes talent, I can listen to every single word they whispered during their stay. We gather secrets, blackmail material, and trade routes, then sell them to the highest bidder in the commercial district."

"If you're making money selling noble secrets, why are you acting like a trembling rat?" Alex asked, crossing his legs.

Leo's face twisted into a look of sheer despair. "Because we're completely screwed! Our situation is an absolute disaster right now!"

"Why?"

"Three days ago, our branch leader got greedy," Leo admitted, his voice dropping into a bitter whisper. "He collected a packet of high-level intelligence regarding the recent Void Rift outbreak and sold that fake intel to a powerful client."

Alex narrowed his eyes at the mention of Lady Clara's name.

"However, the intel he sold was completely fabricated and caused huge losses to the client, they issued a blood order," Leo continued, shivering. "Our leader panicked. He emptied our entire vault, transferred all the credits, and fled Iron Creek City in the middle of the night! He left me and four other low-ranking informants trapped here as scapegoats!"

Leo looked up at Alex with pleading, desperate eyes. "He left us with nothing. Now the remaining spies are hiding, waiting for those underworld killers to show up and wipe us out to tie up loose ends."

"I only stayed behind today to try and raid the safe in the back office so I could afford a ticket out of the city!"

"However, through my talent, I suddenly saw a few glimpses of how powerful you were when you checked in, I.... I was hoping to get on your good side so I could beg you to protect us!"