Chapter 17

They walked through the portal and out of the dungeon. Ulric noticed Jesse's eyes were closed slightly. He slung both bags over his shoulders and lifted Jesse into his arms. "Babe, close your eyes." "I'll take us home," he said. Ulric didn't mind the extra time it took to get to the dorms because he enjoyed the warmth of Jesse's body against his. Jesse's soft snores were heard when they reached the halfway point. When they arrived, Ulric changed his grip on Jesse and opened their dormitory door.

Ulric laid Jesse on his bed and gently undressed him. He leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, saying, "Sleep tight," and covering him up. He sat their bags on the table and laid down on his own bed. "Until his stamina improves, I should expect him to be tired after dungeon training," Ulric said quietly. Ulric yawned and closed his eyes because he felt tired as well. It was a long day for both of them.

The sun had set and the room was dark when they woke up. Ulric turned on the light and stepped over to the table. "Do you want to open these chests or eat first?" he asked.

"Let's eat," Jesse said. "I'm starving," he said, rubbing his growling tummy.

"The cafe will be closed, so let's grab a bite at the canteen," Ulric said. They dressed and went next door. They saw Mac at a table eating when they arrived.

"Hi there," Mac said, as they grabbed two trays of food and headed to the table.

"Hello," the boys said in unison.

Jesse and Ulric sat side by side across from Mac. Their hair was a mess. "Did you just wake up?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jesse said.

"How did it go?" Mac asked.

"It went well," Ulric said. "We found two low-grade boxes and one medium-grade box," he said.

"Have you opened them yet?" Mac asked.

"We will after we eat," Ulric said.

"I'm going to have to increase my stamina big time because I was exhausted," Jesse said.

Jesse and Ulric talked for about 30 minutes with Mac before returning to their room. They grabbed the bags and threw everything they found in the dungeon on the floor. They took a seat in front of the pile on the floor.

"Should I open these or should you?" Ulric inquired, indicating the three boxes.

"You do the honors," Jesse pointed out.

"Sure," Ulric replied.

Ulric moved one of the low-grade boxes closer and sat down in front of it. He took the lock in his hand, focused some of his chakra, and reduced the lock to ashes.

"Wow!" Jesse exclaimed. "You are so strong," he said, smiling widely.

"Let's see what we get from this one," Jesse said. Ulric opened the first box and found

[LOW GRADE BOX]

1200 coins

Low grade knee pads: +5 Agility points, +5 Stamina points, reduction of physical damage 5%

Ulric discarded the first box and opened the next one. There were 1500 coins and a low-grade ring with +80 soul force points. Jesse watched with excitement as Ulric opened the last box. 3600 coins, a medium-grade necklace with +200 soul force points and +10 perception points, and a medium-grade spear with +50 strength points and +20 agility points were all inside. Jesse put on the equipment and pulled up his stats.

[STATS]

1/22/2500

Name: Jesse #54591

Race: Human

Level 5

Exp: 40/140

Coins: 10,526

Strength: 71

Agility: 41

Stamina: 21

Soul Force: 944

Perception: 38

Equipment:

-High-Grade Ring: 500 soul force points + 30% magic resistance

-Low-Grade Ring: +80 soul force points

-Medium-Grade Necklace: +200 soul force points, +10 perception points

-Medium-Grade Spear: +50 strength points, +20 agility points

"You didn't receive anything," Jesse said sadly.

"It doesn't matter," Ulric said, kissing Jesse on the forehead. "What matters is that you get whatever you need," he said. Jesse got up and walked over to his bed. Ulric sat on the bed beside him.

"Ulric, when I become stronger, will you stay by my side?" Jesse asked.

"Jess, weak or strong, I'll remain by your side," the blonde said, placing a peck on his lips.

Jesse stared blankly at him when Ulric pulled away. "Ulric, I've never been in a relationship," Jesse admitted, lowering his eyes. "Especially in one like this," he said. Ulric lifted his chin and asked, "Do you want to end it?"

"No," Jesse said, shaking his head. "It does scare me some, though," he admitted. "Everyone I've cared for either left or hurt me," Jesse said. Ulric took Jesse's hands into his.

"Babe, I would never leave or hurt you," Ulric said. "I love you," he said.

The unexpected confession surprised Jesse. "Nobody ever said that to me," he explained.

"You're hearing it now," Ulric said. "I'll show you the love you deserve if you let me," he said. Jesse smiled and wiped a tear from his cheek. Ulric leaned in close, cupped Jesse's chin, and kissed him on the lips tenderly. Jesse wrapped his arms around Ulric's neck and kissed him back. Jesse let out a moan as Ulric gently laid him on the bed, deepening the kiss.

"Mmm," moaned Jesse as Ulric trailed light kisses down to the nape of his neck. Jesse's breath hitched when a lightbulb exploded above them.

Jesse straightened up and moved just as broken glass landed on the bed between them. Tears formed in his hazel eyes. "I did it again," Jesse said, sniffling. "I ruined everything," he said.

"You didn't ruin anything," Ulric said, cleaning up the mess. "We just need to take things a bit slower," he said.

"Will we ever be able to be together without accidentally activating my power?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, but we will take baby steps to achieve it," Ulric said.

Jesse laid on his side and watched while Ulric swept up the tiny pieces of the shattered lightbulb. Ulric tossed the fragments into the wastebasket and headed to his bed.

"Lay with me tonight," Jesse pleaded. Ulric crawled into bed beside Jesse and held him in his arms. Ulric felt Jesse's body shudder as he cried himself to sleep.

"I love you, and we'll rise above this together," Ulric whispered before closing his eyes.

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