Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Lexi's eyes fluttered open, but she wasn't interested in looking at anyone or anything other than herself. She scanned her own body with amazement in her eyes. She had been fully aware of her injuries and how serious they were.

"Woah…" She exclaimed softly as she moved her limbs and flexed her hands. However, after a few moments, she froze.

The state of her body wasn't the only thing that changed.

Her core, where her magical energy, martial energy, and domination aura rested when she didn't use them, was different. At first, she could only feel that something about the way her energies were arranged had changed. They were more stable.

Lexi didn't have an issue getting her energies to get along. They weren't as free-thinking as world essence energy, after all, and she had almost mastered them. They lived alongside each other in friendly stability.

She had been thinking about how to take that to the next level, though, and bring them to a state of equilibrium and harmony, where, instead of coexisting, they helped each other thrive.

She knew magical and martial energy could react explosively in certain conditions. She had tried to use that reaction to propel their strength by using the domination aura as a stabilizer, but she hadn't seen much success so far.

However, now it felt like her energies were just waiting for her to take that step. They wanted to advance.

At first, Lexi assumed it was due to the near-death experience, but that wasn't it. When she looked closer at the center of the swirling energies, she found something unfamiliar.

It was a tiny drop of world essence energy. She recognized it from the feeling Zach gave her. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she turned to Zach.

"You—Me—I—What—" She pointed at Zach, herself, and her core, unable to form a proper sentence. She couldn't believe what was going on, much less understand it. She thought she would never get the chance to possess world essence energy the same way Zach did.

But Zach shrugged nonchalantly.

"I healed you with my world essence energy. Your body took some when I was done."

"What?" Lexi's face scrunched up in confusion and disbelief. How did that make sense?

"What did you say your contract skill was?" He asked instead of trying to make Lexi just take his word for it and move on.

"Absorption…" Lexi realized before she even finished.

Her contract skill had triggered and absorbed some of Zach's world essence energy.

"Holy shit…!" She said, looking into her core again. She then grabbed Zach by the shoulders and looked him into the eyes.

"Can you give me more?!"

Zach shook his head.

"Why not?!" Lexi asked before he could explain.

"Because I'm pretty sure you'll explode. From what I know, world essence energy is either active or dormant. I don't know why it has different states. Maybe it doesn't need to be active when it's not doing anything special or connected to a world or something. Regardless, when I first acquired world essence energy, it was dormant. I couldn't use it even if I wanted to, and it stayed curled up in my core for months.

"Still, that was enough for my strength and recovery to soar. Even now, I keep it in a semi-active state since that's all I need. When it's active, it's too powerful for the human body.

"The first time I activated all of it fully, I became ridiculously strong. It felt like I could take over the world, and I'm pretty sure I would have defeated…Maybe not the First or someone like Dad. But the rest of the Children or our other siblings wouldn't have stood a chance."

Zach could tell that Lexi was waiting for him to get to the point.

"That was after I had used the world essence energy, my barriers, and Alzara's medicines to strengthen my body until I could bend steel bars barehanded. Here, touch." Zach held out an arm and flexed his bicep.

Lexi was hesitant but she was a little curious. She had seen how well-trained Zach was. His muscles were like carved from rock. She had also seen him fight the Fifth Child and overwhelm them with physical strength.

She poked Zach's bicep. She didn't even dent his skin. Lexi frowned and grabbed Zach's upper arm with her entire hand and squeezed.

It was like trying to squeeze a stone. It did not change shape.

Slowly, she turned to look at her younger brother with wide eyes.

He was a monster.

She could only imagine what kind of training gave muscles that hard and dense.

"But that sounds like it was a while ago, no? Haven't you trained since then?"

Zach shook his head.

"I mean, it was when I graduated from the Academy. That was, what, a couple of months ago?" He was about to glance at Nora for confirmation but caught himself and continued.

"And no, I haven't trained since then. The backlash almost killed me. It left my body crippled and in a state of weakness until I entered the Labyrinth. If it hadn't been for the Labyrinth rewarding me clearing the floors by gently healing me instead of giving me things, I wouldn't have been able to fight anyone other than the Ninth Child."

Lexi's eyes widened and softened as she once again realized how much Zach had suffered all alone due to their neglect.

"But what does that…?"

"Have to do with you?"

Lexi stopped herself from saying 'exactly.'

"That crumb you took is fully active. Before you learn how to control it, I don't think getting more is a good idea. You also have your other energies to think about. Don't rush, Lexi."

Lexi sighed and nodded. She knew Zach was right.

The energies in her core were currently maintaining a delicate balance. More world essence energy would break that balance. After what Zach had said, she was not curious about the consequences.

"Wait, couldn't your world essence energy have healed the injuries from the backlash?"

Zach shook his head.

"It's not omnipotent. It seems like it can't heal injuries it has caused."

Lexi nodded and closed her eyes. But Zach still had things to talk about.