A new screen appeared before , glowing faintly with a pulsing golden light.
Subclass Unlocked: Trait Holder
Grade: Ultra Rare
Description: You can now acquire, store, and utilize an unlimited number of traits. You may also copy traits from others—temporarily or permanently—and even evolve them.
I stared at it for a long mont, a slow grin spreading across my face.
"Now this is so good stuff."
With this... I could do anything.
This wasn’t just a subclass. It was freedom. Power. Potential beyond limits.
Just as I was beginning to enjoy the mont, I heard a soft giggle from behind .
Turning around, I saw Hui still clinging to my leg, her golden eyes staring up at with that familiar mix of mischief and devotion.
Right.
There was still that situation to deal with.
I scratched the back of my head. "Uh... Hui, before we head back, can we talk about your appearance?"
She blinked. "What about it, husband?"
I gave her a pointed look. "You have horns."
She looked confused for a second. "Yes, of course. I’m a demon, rember?"
I sighed. "Yeah, I get that. But we’re going back to Earth. The last thing I need is people freaking out because I’m walking around with a horned loli clinging to my leg."
Her expression shifted, then she burst out laughing. "Pfft—ahahaha! Oh, that’s what you ant?"
She released my leg, floating up slightly before spinning mid-air. With a snap of her fingers, golden light surrounded her body, rippling like a wave of heat.
Her small form shimred, stretching and reshaping before my eyes. In a matter of seconds, the little girl was gone—and in her place stood a tall, elegant woman with flawless skin, long black hair, and deep golden eyes that still held the sa playful glint.
She smiled at , tilting her head. "Better, husband?"
I blinked. Once. Twice.
My brain froze for a solid five seconds.
She was... beautiful.
Stunning, even. The kind of beauty that could topple empires and start wars. For a mont, I just stood there, caught off guard by how easily she had transford into sothing so enchanting.
My thoughts spiraled, then crashed when she stepped closer.
"W-What is this form...?" I managed to say, clearing my throat awkwardly.
She smirked. "My human form. I can shift between forms at will. This way, no one will suspect a thing."
I forced myself to look away, trying not to get distracted. "R-Right. That’s definitely better. Just keep it like that when we’re on Earth."
"Of course~" she said, smiling sweetly. "But no matter what form I take, I’m still yours."
I didn’t respond.
Not because I agreed.
But because the next second, everything around us began to ripple.
The space trembled. The challenge realm faded away like smoke in the wind.
[Challenge Completed. Returning to Earth.]
I took a deep breath, steeling myself.
Whatever ca next, I was no longer the sa man who had started this journey.
And I wasn’t returning alone.
With Hui beside and the Trait Holder subclass in hand...
Earth wasn’t ready.
As the light around faded, I felt the familiar sensation of gravity return. My feet touched solid ground.
I was back.
The mont I opened my eyes, I realized sothing strange—no ti had passed here at all. The flow of ti between Earth and the System realm was completely different. While I had gone through what felt like hours—no, days—in the System, here... everything was just as I had left it.
I stood in the center of my mansion’s main hall.
And waiting there—eyes wide and full of mixed emotions—were iyun and Ruxue.
Standing quietly beside was Hui, now in her stunning human form. Her golden eyes calmly observed everything, her presence radiating an unspoken dominance, though she said nothing.
iyun was the first to speak, her voice trembling slightly.
"Chen... are you okay? Were you... dragged to that place too?" Her brows were furrowed, concern plain on her face. "What’s happening? I... I’m afraid."
I took a deep breath and nodded. "I’m okay, iyun. Everything’s fine now."
Then I turned to Ruxue.
Her expression hadn’t changed much, but there was sothing different—off in a way that made my instincts tingle. Her aura felt stronger, more focused... almost dangerous.
"What about you, Ruxue?" I asked, carefully watching her.
She t my gaze with unusual calm. There was power in her eyes—controlled, but definitely awakened.
She had changed.
I stood there for a mont, stunned.
So this is what the system ant...
When I first t her, Ruxue had seed nothing more than a cold, greedy girl—selfish and blunt. At the ti, I had almost written her off completely.
But then, out of nowhere, the system had intervened.
[Notice: Keep this individual close. Potential: High.]
I didn’t understand it back then. I had kept her around only because the system insisted.
Now... everything was starting to make sense.
A mory from my previous life surfaced—a mysterious figure known only by the na Fire Witch. She was a reclusive S-rank existence, powerful beyond asure. No one ever uncovered her real identity, and she operated alone.
Could it be...?
Was Ruxue the Fire Witch in my past life?
It would explain her sudden change. Her rising aura. The fla-like energy I could now subtly feel emanating from her. And it would explain why the system had flagged her as soone to keep by my side.
If I was right... she wasn’t just another ally.
She was a sleeping giant.
I glanced at her again—Ruxue had returned to her usual expressionless deanor, but her energy was unmistakably different.
Inside, I felt a strange sense of relief.
I was right to trust her.
Even if I didn’t understand it at the ti, keeping her close was one of the smartest decisions I’d made. Now, with the power of my new subclass Trait Holder and soone like Ruxue awakening beside ...
I had more than just strength.
I had powerful allies too.
A slight smile tugged at my lips.
The world had no idea what was coming.
I turned.
Hui was staring at with a cold, piercing glare. Her golden eyes, usually calm and elegant, now shimred with sothing far more intense—jealousy. Her expression twisted slightly as she took a step forward, her voice laced with anger.
"...Who are they?" she asked, her tone icy and possessive.
I froze. My eyes darted toward iyun and Ruxue, who were already watching Hui with wary expressions.
"They’re..." I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly flustered. "They’re... both my girlfriends."
The mont the words left my mouth, both girls stiffened.
Their cheeks turned crimson in sync.
I had never said it out loud before. Not to anyone. And certainly not in front of a third party. Hearing openly call them my girlfriends caught them completely off guard.
But before I could process their reactions, Hui’s eyes narrowed further, her aura darkening.
"Oh?" she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "So... my husband has girlfriends too?"
The room turned still.
Husband...?
Then she took another step forward, a casual flick of her wrist releasing a subtle, yet nacing pressure.
"Well, if that’s the case... I’ll just kill them. Once they’re gone, you’ll be all mine."
Boom.
The emotional tension exploded in an instant.
iyun’s eyes widened in shock. "Wait—husband? What do you an husband?!"
Ruxue looked equally stunned, but her gaze stayed sharp, almost as if trying to assess whether Hui was serious or just bluffing.
"Chen... you need to explain," Ruxue said, her tone low. "Right now."
I quickly raised both hands and stepped between them, desperately trying to calm the storm.
"Okay! Everyone just—just take a deep breath!"
All three girls stared at .
Even Hui paused, though the glint in her eyes didn’t fade.
I exhaled and began to speak carefully. "Let explain everything. But first—no one’s dying. No killing, alright?"
Hui pouted slightly but stepped back. iyun and Ruxue nodded, though still clearly on edge.
"Look," I said. "I t Hui during a trial I went through. It was... different from anything else. She’s strong—insanely strong—and she helped . I... made a deal with her."
"A deal?" iyun repeated.
I nodded. "It’s called a Demon Contract. It’s a kind of bond. She agreed to help , and in return, well... she chose as her partner. Which is why she’s calling ’husband’ now."
I purposefully left out any ntion of the System. Or the mories of my previous life.
Those were secrets I couldn’t share yet—not even with them.
Ruxue narrowed her eyes. "A demon contract? You signed sothing like that willingly?"
"It was life or death," I replied. "And I judged it was worth the risk."
"And she calls you husband because of that?" iyun asked, half in disbelief, half trying to process the jealousy flickering in her gaze.
"I didn’t know it would be like that!" I quickly added. "At the ti, I just thought it was a power exchange kind of deal... I didn’t expect her to be this, uh, clingy."
"Clingy? You say it like I’m not standing right here." Hui’s voice was sweet, but her stare said otherwise.
I turned and gave her an apologetic smile.
"Look, Hui. They’re important to . I won’t let anything happen to them. Just like I wouldn’t let anything happen to you."
Her eyes flickered for a mont before she let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Hmph. Fine. But if they try to take you from , I won’t hold back."
iyun and Ruxue both looked like they had a dozen questions swirling in their minds. But for now, they said nothing more.
The tension had lessened... slightly.
I silently thanked the heavens no one had drawn blood.
Still, this wasn’t over.
Now that Hui had shown up like this—and with her possessive side revealed—it was only a matter of ti before things escalated again.
But for now... I had bought myself a mont of peace.
And that was more than I could ask for.
Reviews
All reviews (0)