Chapter: 0.87: Spoils of Defeat

Spoils of Defeat

Jin leaned casually against the wall, his arms folded across his chest and one boot pressed flat behind him. The training room still carried the lingering echo of their duel—distant embers of mana flickering in the silence. His black coat, pristine and flowing, rustled gently as he pushed himself off the wall and walked toward Ethan, Knox, and Lilia.

His crimson eyes glinted with quiet amusement, and the ever-playful smirk returned to his lips.

**"Alright,"** he said, voice cool but warm around the edges. **"I promised, didn't I? I'll take you shopping."**

He paused, tilting his head slightly. **"Technically, I said I'd do it only if I lost. And I didn't. Not even close."** His grin widened. **"But the fight was fun. You're not bad, honestly. So I'll do it anyway."**

Lilia blinked, a bit stunned. **"Wait… really?"**

Jin chuckled. **"I don't say things I don't mean."**

Ethan looked away, cheeks slightly red from both exertion and faint embarrassment. **"We appreciate it. And the fight… it wasn't easy, but I learned something."**

Jin's eyes softened for a moment.

**"Good,"** he said. **"Don't take the loss personally. I've trained nearly twenty-four hours a day inside elite combat chambers back at the Roche estate. My diet is monitored, my training is relentless, and my tutors include veterans of wars you haven't even read about. So yes—experience and consistency matter."**

Then he added with a playful glance at Lilia:

**"Well, except Miss Leona here. When we sparred, she actually lasted longer than all three of you combined."**

Leona raised a brow, flipping her white hair behind her back. **"That was one time."**

Jin laughed. **"Still counts."**

He then turned toward the rest of the group. Rina stood with her arms crossed, golden eyes locked onto him with something between frustration and fascination.

He looked to her, then to Leona.

**"Well then—ladies, gentlemen,"** he said, raising a hand like a conductor preparing an orchestra. **"Take me to your shopping district. You can each get whatever you want. Don't hold back."**

Knox whistled low. **"Seriously? No limit?"**

**"I didn't stutter,"** Jin replied smoothly.

.... 

Emerald Plaza was a sprawling, high-end retail complex, lined with glass boutiques, glowing signs, and a constantly shifting sky-ceiling enchanted to resemble the weather of distant lands. The moment Jin stepped foot inside, he was a magnet for attention.

Every pair of eyes—especially female—locked onto him.

His obsidian-black outfit, the way his coat trailed behind him like a shadow, the way his blood-red eyes sparkled under the glass skylight—he looked like a prince from another realm. Whispers rippled across the crowds.

**"Who is that?"**

**"Is he a noble?"**

**"Look at his face… he's like someone out of a dream."**

Rina walked beside him, and for a moment, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of possessiveness. The way women were *looking* at him—it burned something deep in her chest.

But she kept her face composed.

Barely.

---

They entered the first boutique—**"Vermillion Steel,"** a weapons and enchantment accessory store.

**Ethan** picked out a beautifully-forged rapier enhanced with wind runes. It cost **12,800 gold coins**.

**Knox** went for a heavy gauntlet and armor set lined with obsidian, costing **21,000 gold**.

**Lilia** selected an enchanted quiver that produced self-reloading elemental arrows—**9,700 gold**.

When the cashier rang up the total—over **43,000 gold pieces**—Jin didn't blink.

He pulled out a **black, gleaming card** engraved with a silver crescent moon and the Roche crest.

The cashier gasped. **"S-Sir, this… this is a Black Diamond card—there's no spending limit on this one."**

**"I know,"** Jin said simply, tapping the terminal without even looking at the total.

Then came the clothing stores.

**Ethan** chose a midnight-blue tailored coat with silver trim—**4,000 gold.**

**Knox** bought three sets of leather armor for casual dueling—**6,800 gold.**

**Lilia** went wild—dresses, enchanted jewelry, boots, a moonstone necklace—**10,200 gold.**

**Leona** kept things modest—just one crimson scarf made from phoenix feathers, **3,500 gold**, and a white coat.

When it was Rina's turn, she remained silent at first.

**"Not getting anything?"** Jin asked, walking beside her as they exited the third shop.

Her golden eyes met his, and she said, **"I didn't come here to be spoiled."**

Jin smiled, his voice soft. **"I'm not spoiling you. I'm keeping my promise."**

She turned her head away. **"You're still not forgiven."**

He laughed gently, and said nothing more.

---

Shopping bags floated magically around them in levitation charms. The group was filled with laughter—Knox and Ethan were debating over sword lengths, Leona teased Lilia for buying so many dresses, and Rina walked in silence, deep in her thoughts.

**Her mind was a storm.**

Jin had driven her mad yesterday. That smugness, that teasing, the way he ignored her anger.

But today…

He fought three elites without breaking a sweat. Took them shopping without a second thought. Treated them kindly. Spoke to her softly. Smiled like he had nothing to prove but everything to hide.

And every time her eyes met his, something pulled at her chest.

He looked like a man born from fire and ice—dangerous and warm.

Her hand brushed against his once as they walked.

She pulled away immediately.

He noticed.

But he said nothing.

Instead, he just smiled.

That damned smile.

.................... 

Heat: I want to clarify some things so that no one comes and says that Jin's strength is exaggerated. 

1-Note: When Jin said that Leona fought better, he meant that she is good at direct combat and has combat experience

2- Ethan, Lilia, and Nox didn't know how to coordinate their attacks, as each person was attacking in their own way, so they were easily defeated, especially since they were a team that didn't work together. 

3- Jin has a lot of fighting experience because of Naoko and Sion's training, so he will know how to face and strike, and also because he used normal mana, not moon mana. 

4-Lilia, Knox, Ethan and Jin's fight wasn't real, it was just a game. He said in the previous chapter 0.85, "I want to play with you, if you remember."