When I woke on morning twenty-five of the Time Slip, my chest was pinned beneath a very warm, very pleasant weight.
I cracked my eyes open to find Lilica’s sleeping face resting directly over my heart. Her moon-silver hair was spilled across my bare skin like liquid silk. I didn't pull away. Instead, a slow, appreciative smirk touched my lips. I ran my fingers through her soft hair, gently tracing the elegant curve of her obsidian horn, feeling a tiny, involuntary shiver of pleasure ripple through her sleeping frame.
I tried to sit up, but my hips were locked tight.
Peeling back the heavy bear pelt, I found her slender, silver-scaled tail coiled firmly twice around my waist, anchoring me flush against the mattress. Her small hands were bunched tightly into the cotton of my shirt. Despite her bone-crushing draconic grip, she looked completely at peace, a sweet little smile playing across her lips.
"Clingy little dragon, aren't you?" I chuckled under my breath.
Thanks to [Sensory Sensitivity (Lv. 1)], the tactile contrast was electric. I slid my palm along her hip, feeling the intoxicating difference between her soft, burning skin and the cool, glassy perfection of her silver scales. When my thumb stroked the smooth base of her tail, Lilica let out a soft, breathy moan in her sleep, her grip loosening just enough for me to slide free.
Leaning down, I pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead. "Sleep well, sweetheart. I'll make breakfast."
I tucked the furs snugly around her bare shoulders, stepped into the washroom to rinse off, and headed down the stone corridor toward the kitchen.
Midway down the hall, [Presence Detection (Lv. 1)] flared.
A foreign signature was inside my borders. Not hostile, but completely unexpected. My eyes cut to the timber weapon rack. The Sylvan Staff was missing.
Without breaking stride, my mind cooled to absolute zero. I gathered Water Magic into my right palm, condensing it into a silent, pressurized lance, and rounded the corner into the kitchen.
My eyebrows rose.
Standing at my stone stove, casually humming a melodic tune while stirring a ceramic pot, was a girl with flowing, emerald-green hair and long, pointed elven ears. She was breathtaking—tall, with a narrow waist and mature, generous curves filling out a fitted green tunic and an impossibly short travel skirt.
I didn't sneak. I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. "Smells good. Mind telling me who's cooking in my kitchen?"
She gasped, startled, and spun around on pure reflex—accidentally hurling the boiling pot of water straight at my chest.
SPLASH.
The scalding water hit my chest and instantly flash-evaporated against the Black Cape, venting into a cloud of harmless white steam. Between the mantle and my limit-broken Vitality, I didn't even feel the temperature change.
"Oh gods! I’m so sorry!" she panicked. Her pale face turned bright crimson as she snatched a clean towel and rushed forward to wipe down my chest.
"Easy," I said smoothly, catching her wrist in mid-air.
Rena froze.
She stared down at my fingers wrapped securely around her wrist. A sharp, trembling gasp caught in her throat, and I felt her entire frame shudder.
To an ordinary guy, it was just grabbing a wrist. But to a woman who had spent centuries sealed inside a lifeless piece of wood—deprived of light, sound, and the simple reality of physical touch—the heat of my bare palm against her pulse was an electric shock straight to her soul.
Her emerald eyes grew wide, glassy with unshed tears as she leaned minutely into the contact, terrified that if she blinked, the warmth would vanish and she'd wake up back in the cold, silent dark.
"Warm..." she whispered, her voice cracking softly. "You're... so warm."
Her pulse jumped erratically beneath my thumb.
I gave her an unbothered smirk, loosening my grip but not letting go. "I don't burn that easily. More importantly... Who are you, and how did a pretty elf walk into my locked cave without tripping an alarm?"
She swallowed hard, visibly flustered by our proximity, but stepped back with a graceful, formal bow. "My name is Rena. I am a High Elf... or rather, an exiled one."
"Pleasure, Rena. But that doesn't explain the locked door."
Her playful confidence returned, a radiant smile gracing her lips. "That part is simple, Yuki."
Rena clasped her hands together. Her body dissolved into a blinding pillar of emerald light, condensing down until the floating, living wood of the Sylvan Staff hovered right in front of my nose.
I didn't yell or freak out. I just raised an amused eyebrow. "Well, that's a neat party trick."
The living timber drifted closer, and Rena's melodic voice echoed directly from the grain:
"In truth, Yuki, this staff is my vessel. I can only project my body because you slotted the Rope of Mistletoe and the Mana Cutter into my sockets. Those items gave me enough mana to sustain my physical form for about twenty-four hours at a time. If you fill all twelve sockets, I'll be permanently freed from this timber."
"And why were you sealed inside a walking stick to begin with?" I asked, stepping forward and running a hand along the polished grain.
"Because I was executed by the system," she answered. Her tone was casual, but a heavy, ancient sorrow bled through the magical link. "My clan tried to sacrifice our entire race to summon an abyssal god. I slaughtered every single one of them to stop it. As punishment for the massacre, the world system bound my soul to this relic. It is an honor to serve as your weapon, Master."
"Wiping out your own clan to save the world? Sounds like you did what had to be done," I said, my voice completely steady. "And drop the 'Master' crap. Call me Yuki."
Emerald light flashed, and Rena rematerialized in her stunning elven form, smoothing her skirt as she beamed at me, her eyes shining with relief. "As you wish, Yuki."
"Good girl," I smirked, tapping the stone stove. "Now let's see what you were cooking."
Rena flipped thick slices of seasoned bear meat over the stone skillet, casting a curious, appraising look over her shoulder at me.
"So, Yuki," she asked, long ears twitching beneath her green locks. "How does an ordinary human boy end up in the deepest, most lethal trench of the God-Forsaken Forest? With a Primordial Genesis Dragon sleeping like a kitten in his bed?"
I leaned against the counter, grabbing an apple from my inventory and taking a crisp bite. "A senile old deity snatched my high school class by mistake. I made him cry, hacked his terminal, and he threw starter gear at me and gave me a thirty-day head start just to get me out of his face. I’ve just been grinding and building a decent base."
Watching the fat sizzle, I asked, "Are there other humans in this world?"
"Of course," Rena nodded. "Humanity rules the continent. But under normal circumstances, no human could survive ten seconds out there. Even the basic goblins and kobolds roaming this mountain are around Level 900."
I stopped chewing.
"Level nine hundred?" I scoffed. "Every time I scan them, their status bars read between eight and twenty."
Rena froze. She turned slowly, her emerald eyes locking onto mine in pure disbelief.
Without warning, she stepped straight into my chest, her hands resting flat against my collarbone as her eyes flared with bright green mana. She scanned my internal circuits, her breath warm against my throat.
She pulled back with a sharp gasp.
"You didn't just take gear from that deity, Yuki... you received a permanent covenant from the forest itself. What did you do to that god?"
"I gave him the coldest resting bitch face in history, insulted his bloodline, hijacked his mainframe, and took what I wanted," I said smoothly, tossing the apple core into the bin. "He was trembling so hard his knees buckled."
Rena stared at me slack-jawed.
"You made a creator god cower? No wonder the ancient spirits love you. Because of your absolute defiance, this entire forest granted you a hidden world covenant that forcefully compresses all hostile entities down to your current player tier."
═════════════════════════════════════════
🍃 [HIDDEN COVENANT: BOON OF THE GOD-FORSAKEN FOREST]
• [Environmental Scaling]: Hostiles within the forest suppress their stats to mirror your active Player Level.
• [Primal Fortune]: Massively amplifies drop rates, rarity modifiers, and resource luck.
═════════════════════════════════════════
"So without the compression... what are the monsters outside?" I asked.
Rena's playful expression hardened. "A basic goblin scout is Level 900. A regional King is Level 1,200. A localized Goblin Emperor easily passes Level 1,500."
A slow, vicious grin spread across my face. "So I haven't been farming trash mobs... I've been casually slaughtering endgame nightmares. Good to know."
"To you, they are trash mobs because of the boon," Rena warned, stepping close and tapping my chest. "But elite monsters or dungeon bosses have enough conceptual weight to partially bypass that compression. Like the skeleton general you fought in the ruins."
"That explains why his blades cut me," I nodded, remembering the blood. "Good. A real challenge."
We sat down at the table to eat. Rena tore into her plate like a starving wolf, scarfing down the meat until she started violently choking.
"Easy there, beautiful," I laughed, sliding a goblet of ice-cold spring water into her hand. "I cooked plenty. Nobody’s taking it from you."
She gulped it down, her cheeks flaming pink as she caught her breath. "I couldn't help it! Centuries without food!"
"Glad you like it," I smiled, finishing my plate. "What about your combat specs?"
Rena puffed her chest out proudly. "Before my sealing, I was a master Spellsword. Dual-wielder of high-tier Lightning and Healing Magic."
═════════════════════════════════════════
⚔️ [RENA'S SPEC SHEET]
Class: High Elf Spellsword
⚡ [Lightning Magic (Lv. 10)] – Active Master
💚 [Healing Magic (Lv. 10)] – Active Master
═════════════════════════════════════════
"A speedster with master healing. You're going to make a great vanguard," I said, approving. "Keep your energy topped off. In four days, my useless classmates drop into this forest. I'll need you fighting beside me."
Rena’s expression softened, looking deep into my eyes. "Wherever you walk, I'll be right at your side."
After clearing the plates, Rena stretched her arms, giving me a teasing sidelong glance. "Yuki... would it be alright if I used your bath? It’s been centuries since I was clean."
"Way ahead of you."
I walked into the washroom, using Water and Earth magic to pull fresh spring water into the deep stone tub, heating it through geothermal conduits until thick, aromatic steam rolled off the surface.
"All set, Rena!" I called out.
I turned around to head back out—and stopped dead.
Rena was standing right in the doorway. She had already unzipped her green tunic and stepped completely out of her short skirt.
She was completely, stunningly naked.
Her pale, flawless skin glistened in the warm lantern light. Her breasts were full and heavy, resting high on her chest with flushed pink peaks, tapering down to a narrow waist, smooth hips, and long, toned elven thighs. She didn't fluster, and she didn't hide. She stretched with a satisfied sigh, totally comfortable in her own skin, and strolled right past me.
I didn't look at the ceiling like a bashful idiot. Thanks to [Sensory Sensitivity (Lv. 1)] and [Heightened Libido (Lv. 1)], my eyes raked over every single curve of her gorgeous body with open, masculine appreciation, drinking in the faint scent of forest rain radiating from her skin.
Catching my gaze, Rena paused at the edge of the tub, dipping one slender leg into the steaming water. She cast a playful, smoldering look over her shoulder. "Enjoying the view, Yuki?"
"Very much," I smirked, leaning against the doorway, completely unbothered. "You're stunning, Rena. Good to know my legendary staff comes with world-class perks."
Her long ears twitched, a sudden, delicious pink blush spreading across her cheeks as she realized I wasn't backing down. With a flustered squeak, she slipped into the deep water, submerging herself up to her collarbone with a soft, trembling sigh.
"Towel's on the rack," I chuckled, picking up her worn, dirty clothes from the floor. "Take your time."
"You know, Yuki... this tub is easily big enough for two~!" her voice drifted through the steam, half-teasing, half-hopeful.
"Keep tempting me, elf, and I just might take you up on that," I fired back with a wink, sliding the stone door shut.
In the living room, I used Water and Fire magic to quickly wash and dry her tunic. Then, checking on Lilica—who was still knocked out cold, tail twitching peacefully—I pulled up my 3D map. A major river basin cut through the valley ninety minutes west. Fresh fish was waiting.
Then, my mind drifted back to Rena's wardrobe. Her skirt was dangerously short, and during high-speed combat, it offered zero modesty. More importantly, when she stripped down, I saw she had zero undergarments.
Right on cue, [Corporate Proactiveness (Lv. 1)] fired in my skull.
[Target Identified: Resource Allocation Optimization required.]
In a split second, the corporate mimic skill calculated a flawless, three-dimensional spec sheet of her exact measurements down to the millimeter—bust, waist, and hip contours mapped out like an elite executive quarterly report.
I grinned. "Alright, maybe this middle-management skill has some perks... even if it did come from a monster chest."
Pulling fine linen and my starter crafting kit from my bag, I sat at the stone table. My fingers worked with lightning speed, cutting and stitching soft, form-fitting undergarments.
═════════════════════════════════════════
✨ [CRAFTING LOG]
NEW! [Sewing (Lv. 1)]
═════════════════════════════════════════
Walking back to the bath, I pushed the door open. Rena was leaning back against the smooth stone, water glistening on her bare shoulders.
I held out the soft, tailored linen. "Here. Made you some custom underwear."
Her pointed ears flushed scarlet. She sat up, covering her chest with her hands, water sloshing over the lip of the tub. "Y-Yuki! Thank you... but wait. How on earth do you know my exact size?!"
I stepped close to the water's edge, crouching down and looking directly into her wide emerald eyes with a teasing smirk. "That's for me to know, sweetheart. I know how to optimize every inch of my resources."
Rena ducked her face into the water up to her nose, blowing bubbles in pure, flustered defeat.
"Get dressed," I laughed, standing up. "We're going to the river."
When Rena finally walked out into the living room, the view was damn near lethal.
She was wearing only the white linen undergarments I had sewn. The fabric clung snugly to her curves, accentuating the swell of her hips and the generous curve of her bust. She held the shredded remnants of her old green tunic, biting her lower lip bashfully.
"The old seams ripped clean apart when I pulled them on, Yuki..." she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. "They were just too old."
"Don't worry about it," I said smoothly.
I stood up, walked directly into her personal space, and ran my hand gently through her damp green hair, tilting her chin up. "You look incredible like this, but we can't have you fighting outside in just your underwear. Stand still. I'll make you a fresh set."
Her breath hitched, her ears burning red.
Pulling extra bolts of neutral-toned travel cloth from my bag, I sat down and let my hands fly. I cut a sleek, form-fitting tunic and a combat skirt designed for high-mobility blade work.
═════════════════════════════════════════
✨ [SKILL UPGRADE]
[Sewing] ascended to Lv. 2!
═════════════════════════════════════════
"No green dye on hand, but this neutral tone fits you well," I said, handing the finished outfit over.
She slipped behind the stone partition, changing quickly, and stepped back out. The outfit hugged her athletic frame like a glove—practical, yet undeniably sexy.
She lightly ran her fingers over the fabric, looking down with a soft, vulnerable expression. "This... is the first time anyone has ever given me a gift."
Seeing this fierce, centuries-old warrior look so delicate tugged at something deep behind my ribs.
I didn't hesitate. I closed the distance between us, sliding one arm firmly around her slender waist and pulling her flush against my chest. Her breath caught in her throat, her emerald eyes widening as I slipped two fingers under her chin, tilting her face up.
Our lips were an inch apart. Thanks to [Sensory Sensitivity (Lv. 1)], I could feel the trembling heat radiating off her skin, the sweet, crisp scent of her breath washing over my mouth.
"If you keep looking at me with those big, beautiful eyes, Rena..." I murmured, my voice low and confident, "I'm not going to bother waiting for the bed to kiss you."
Rena's brain completely short-circuited.
FLASH!
A blinding burst of emerald light erupted from her frame. The soft, warm elf in my arms vanished, replaced instantly by the rigid, polished Sylvan Staff hovering stiffly in mid-air, vibrating with absolute panic.
I threw my head back and laughed, catching the wooden staff securely out of the air. "Cute. Run away into the wood all you want, Rena. You're only delaying the inevitable."
Strapping the humming weapon across my back, I unlocked the cave and stepped out into the wild.
Ten minutes into our trek through cathedral-sized roots, the silence from my back was deafening.
"Hey, Rena," I called out, tapping the smooth wood. "Still giving me the silent treatment? Or are you just hiding because you liked how close we were?"
"I am not hiding!" Rena’s voice squeaked defensively from the grain. Then, dropping to a tiny, muffled whisper: "...and I wouldn't have pushed you away if you did it, you smug jerk..."
I smirked, stepping over a thick briar patch. "I heard that."
"You heard nothing!" she snapped, the staff vibrating furiously against my shoulder blade.
Once she cooled down, she cleared her throat, shifting into guide mode. "Stay sharp, Yuki. Apex predators near the water can partially resist your forest boon. Keep your guard up."
"Always do. What do you make of my stats, anyway?"
I opened my profile, reading the values aloud:
═════════════════════════════════════════
STR: 64 (+50% Cape)
VIT: MAX (LIMIT BROKEN — ∞)
MIND: 97 (+80% Cape)
INT: 67
DEX: 87
LUK: MAX (LIMIT BROKEN — ∞)
═════════════════════════════════════════
The Sylvan Staff went completely dead in my hand.
For three seconds, nothing moved.
“...Yuki?” Her voice was hollow. “Is your Luck stat... literally sitting at absolute infinity?”
"Yeah. That a problem?"
The staff ripped free from my grip, flying into the air and frantically bobbing in front of my face like a hyperactive hummingbird.
“Is it a problem?! Yuki, listen to me! From this second forward, look for a glowing phantom hare! The [777 Rabbit]!”
"A rabbit?"
“In the entire history of this world, only six have ever been confirmed! Because your luck has broken reality, you have the math to force an encounter! Slaying it drops guaranteed God-class relics!”
My eyes narrowed. God-class loot in the starter woods?
"I like those odds," I grinned, snatching the vibrating staff back into my grip. "Let's hit the river first."
We reached the riverbank without breaking a sweat.
Looking back at the mile-long trail of jagged stone pillars—each one neatly skewering a Level 900 monster from my passive Earth Magic—Rena let out an astonished sigh.
"You really are ridiculous, Yuki..."
"Alright," I said, casually pulling out a simple wooden fishing rod and line from my spatial pouch. "Dinner time."
"Put that away," Rena’s voice chimed.
Emerald light flared, and she manifested beside me in her travel clothes, smirking proudly. She leveled her open palm at the rushing water. Golden sparks danced across her fingers before a blinding bolt of pure lightning slammed into the river.
KABOOM!
The water detonated, and dozens of massive, plump river fish floated belly-up to the surface.
"Now that's what I call fishing," I grinned. "Do that again."
"Like this?" Rena cupped her hands together, a compressed, crackling sphere of golden electricity hovering between her fingertips.
Hold it right there," I said, my gamer optimization triggering.
Deploying [Holding Magic], I snapped a rigid, translucent kinetic box directly around the crackling sphere of electricity, trapping the spell in mid-air. Isolated inside the containment field, the raw current slowed down, laying bare its structural matrix. My mana circuits mapped the flow within seconds. Replicating the pattern, I hurled a duplicate lightning orb into the rushing current.
Because I didn't bother using a ground circuit, the electrical feedback surged straight back into my right hand, singeing my fingers and numbing my forearm. My limit-broken Vitality swallowed the damage, but the stinging shock made me wince.
"Gah—note to self: ground the output next time."
KABOOM!
═════════════════════════════════════════
🎉 [ELEMENT MASTERED: LIGHTNING MAGIC (LV. 1)]
⚠️ [GRAND UNIFICATION ACHIEVED]
All four primary elements mastered (Earth, Water, Fire, Lightning).
✨ [Skill Evolution]: [Four Elements Sorcery (Lv. 5)] Unlocked!
═════════════════════════════════════════
"Hell yeah!" I pumped a fist at the canopy. "Full elemental tree unlocked!"
Rena lunged forward, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me frantically, her pointed ears practically vibrating in disbelief. "Yuki! What on earth did you just do?! You can't just copy an elemental matrix on sight! What kind of broken logic is that?!"
"I just copied your homework," I chuckled, casually brushing her hands off.
"What is your baseline job class?!" she shrieked, her emerald eyes wider than saucers.
"Hmm? Nothing special. It’s just Jack of All Trades."
Rena froze, shaking her head frantically. "That is mechanically impossible! That is not how the world system functions! In the entire recorded history of the world, there has never been a job profile called 'Jack of All Trades'!"
"What do you mean it doesn't exist? It's literally on my—"
Before I could finish the sentence, my lenses let out a sharp, metallic DING.
A brilliant, gold-trimmed notification tore through my vision, shattering the blue status window into fragments of raw, corrupted code:
═════════════════════════════════════════
👑 [SYSTEM ALERT: HIDDEN ORIGIN UNVEILED]
Through the explicit structural recognition of an external legendary companion, dormant origin parameters have been parsed.
✨ [Camouflage Pierced]: 'Jack of All Trades' placeholder removed ➔ 👑 [Master of All Trades] initialized!
═════════════════════════════════════════
I blinked at the golden text floating in front of my nose.
"...Huh. Well, look at that. You called it out and the game updated." I rubbed the back of my neck, looking at Rena. "You said there's no Jack of All Trades, right? What about Master of All Trades?"
Rena’s face drained of all color.
"D-Did you just say... Master of All Trades?"
Her knees gave out. She dropped straight onto her butt in the grass, clutching her head in sheer, unadulterated terror. She sat there trembling in the dirt for a full minute, her brain visibly bluescreening.
Suddenly, she jumped back up, lunging forward to grip my collar with wild eyes.
"Just how badly did you terrify that god, Yuki?!" she yelled, her voice hitting a panicked pitch. "In the entire history of creation, only one person has ever possessed that class! The First Sovereign of the Human Race! The world system officially classifies it as an Immortal-Class origin!"
I let out a low whistle, a slow, predatory grin spreading across my face.
"Immortal-class, huh? Guess that old bastard really was terrified of me."
As the shock settled, Rena looked up at me, a profound, tender warmth softening her emerald gaze.
"I suppose I became the weapon of someone truly unbelievable," she murmured. "Knowing how terrifyingly strong you are... it gives me hope. Maybe I really will be freed from this wooden prison."
"I told you I'd free you, Rena," I said firmly, reaching down and pulling her up to her feet. "Executing your clan to stop an evil god was the right call. I would've done the exact same thing."
Rena’s cheeks burned crimson. She squeezed my hand, whispering softly, "Thank you, Yuki..."
We spent the next half-hour sweeping the river, safely storing hundreds of fresh fish into my spatial inventory. But just as I sealed the bag, [Presence Detection (Lv. 1)] screamed an alarm in my skull.
I tackled Rena to the turf.
FWOOSH!
A tree-sized wooden club tore through the air where her neck had been, the sonic displacement ripping the grass from the soil. We rolled cleanly, scrambling to our feet.
Towering over the bank was a mountain of muscle radiating suffocating malice: a Goblin Emperor.
Recognizing the threat, Rena dissolved into emerald light, snapping into my grip as the Sylvan Staff.
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👹 [APEX OVERLORD: GOBLIN EMPEROR (LV. 501)]
⚠️ Status: Soul Madness (Partially Resisting Forest Scaling)
═════════════════════════════════════════
"Yuki! It's Level 501! Disengage!" Rena's voice cried out in my mind.
Instead, a wide, predatory grin cut across my face.
"[Mana Infusion (Lv. 1)]!"
A blazing shroud of mana erupted from my core, wreathing my frame and pouring directly into the living grain of the staff.
"What is this power?!" Rena gasped. "I feel... unstoppable!"
Weaving Earth, Life, and Lightning into the tip of the weapon, I surged forward.
"[Life or Death (Lv. 1)]!"
We collided. The Emperor swung his iron-shod trunk, meeting my thrust head-on. The shockwave detonated the riverbank, hurling water and soil fifty feet into the air. We were blasted apart by the kinetic rebound.
I clicked my tongue. "A draw, huh?"
The Emperor roared, charging with wild, overhead smashes. Moving with fluid grace, I ducked beneath his swings, sliding through his guard.
It was so dark in the pitch black... Yuki, you were the only one to free me... treated me like a person and not just a weapon... Yuki, I...
Rena's raw, unshielded thoughts poured through the staff's link, echoing straight into my chest. Her desperate, pure-hearted devotion fueled my mana.
"[Lightning Magic (Lv. 1)]!"
A point-blank discharge paralyzed the monster's colossal frame. Dropping into a low stance, I drew the staff back, channeling every drop of available mana into a spatial tear.
"[Dimensional Cleave (Lv. 1)]!"
A crescent arc of severed space cleaved through the air. The Emperor raised his club to block, but the spatial blade sheared cleanly through the iron-shod timber—and cleaved the monster in two.
The severed halves crashed into the boulder across the river, exploding into ash.
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✨ [GOBLIN EMPEROR TERMINATED]
• [Heightened Libido (Lv. 2)]
• [Dominant Presence (Lv. 2)]
• [Body Manipulation (Lv. 1)], [Magic Control (Lv. 1)]
• [Revival (Lv. 4)] ➔ Foundational recovery threshold. Gradually restores HP, MP, and stamina over time. Acquired
👑 [SYSTEM CRITICAL: RUNTIME GLITCH DETECTED]
Dimensional coordinate calculation collapsed due to Infinite Luck interference.
Dimensional Cleave warped through corrupted world space, terminating: [777 Rabbit]!
EXP: Banked into Cumulative Cap.
═════════════════════════════════════════
I blinked, lowering the staff. "The world code literally glitched out and warped the slash trajectory to kill the rabbit."
This realm wasn't stable. The physics and system architecture were actively cracking under the weight of broken parameters.
Before I could process the absurdity, the territory expanded to annex the riverbank.
Emerald light flashed, and Rena materialized before me. For a second, we just stared at each other through the settling dust—and then we both broke into triumphant laughter.
I caught her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and spinning her through the air. "We did it! Level 500 boss down, and an accidental mythic snipe!"
I lowered her back down, but I didn't let go. My arms locked around her waist, pulling her hips flush against mine. Her hands rested against my neck, her chest heaving against mine, her emerald eyes shining with raw adrenaline and something far deeper.
Centuries of cold, suffocating isolation inside a piece of wood had ended the moment I picked her up. I had fed her, clothed her, held her, and fought beside her. I could see the devotion blooming in her gaze—she was completely, irrevocably in love.
I didn't give her room to second-guess it.
My hand slid up from her narrow waist, fingers splaying across the small of her back and pulling her hips firmly against mine until there wasn't a millimeter of air left between us. With my other hand, I caught her jaw, tilting her face up as I brought my mouth down onto hers.
Rena let out a sharp, trembling gasp against my lips—and then surrendered entirely.
The hesitation melted out of her frame. Her arms wound desperately around my neck, her fingers tangling into my hair as she arched into me, pressing the full, heavy swell of her chest flush against my ribs. Her mouth parted beneath mine, hot and trembling, tasting faintly of sweet river mist and pure magic.
Thanks to [Sensory Sensitivity (Lv. 1)], every tiny detail was magnified. I deepened the kiss, my thumb tracing the sensitive, burning skin beneath her jawline while my tongue coaxed a helpless, muffled whimper from the back of her throat. Every shudder running through her athletic body transferred directly into mine. The centuries of cold, empty silence she had endured vanished utterly beneath the sheer heat of being held, claimed, and wanted.
When I finally broke the kiss to let her breathe, a thin, silver thread of saliva connected our parted lips before snapping in the river breeze.
Rena clung to my shoulders, her chest heaving wildly against mine, her pointed ears flushed a dark, feverish crimson. Her emerald eyes were hooded, glazed with a dazed, intoxicating mixture of raw desire and absolute devotion.
═════════════════════════════════════════
💞 [COVENANT MILESTONE REACHED]
• Target Bound: Rena Sol
• Roster Allocation: [Normal Wife Slot 1]
═════════════════════════════════════════
A silver band crowned with an emerald gem manifested onto Rena’s left ring finger.
Simultaneously, a searing, radiant warmth flared across my left hand. The Ring of the Maidenless fractured with light, reshaping into the ornate, silver-crested [Harem God's Wedding Band], an emerald gem socketing permanently into the first slot.
Looking down at her flushed, radiant face, I smirked, pulling her chin back up. "Told you you were only delaying the inevitable."
I claimed her lips a second time, slow and deep, sealing our bond.
When we finally caught our breath, we kept our fingers laced, checking the drops.
The Emperor had dropped an F-Tier Rank 20 Magic Stone. Rena explained it was worth enough to buy a localized kingdom.
When I pulled out an Ancient Gold Coin from the ruins, she almost fainted, warning me that the corrupt Holy Theocracy fanatically executed anyone carrying the "Coins of the Gods." I resolved to smelt them into untraceable bars later.
Using [Body Manipulation (Lv. 1)] and [Magic Control (Lv. 1)], I reshaped the Emperor's massive club into five balanced, lethal war clubs for my inventory.
Then, we crossed the shallow river to the shattered boulder. Resting in the crater were the two drops from the 777 Rabbit.
The first was a pulsing crimson jewel: the Genesis Dragon Heart-Scale.
The moment I picked it up, the staff pulled toward it. Slotted into the second tier, the crimson scale dissolved into the grain, evolving the living wood into a denser, petrified heartwood:
═════════════════════════════════════════
👑 [EVOLUTION: HEARTWOOD SPINE]
• Form: Secondary Relic Tier
• Stats: STR: +50% | INT: +120% | DEX: +250%
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"I've ascended to Tier Two!" Rena cheered. "Yuki, my physical manifestation timer has expanded to seven full days! And I can walk beside you in my body while you wield the spine!"
The second drop made my jaw drop: the Great Forest Estoc, a God-Class rapier boasting fifteen empty modification sockets, crowned with a flawless jade jewel. The universe had literally dropped the perfect signature weapon for my new wife.
Beaming, Rena clipped the magnificent blade to her belt, looking like an absolute goddess of the hunt.
On the walk back, our emerald rings glinted in the late afternoon sun. Rena leaned her head happily on my shoulder, wrapping both arms around my bicep.
"A handsome husband, a God-tier weapon, and a full week in this body," she sighed happily. "I am satisfied."
"I'm glad," I said, leaning down and kissing her temple. "I promise to make you and the rest of my girls the happiest they can be."
Rena stopped dead in her tracks.
She slowly tilted her head up, a terrifyingly sweet smile on her face. "Yuki... what do you mean by 'the rest of my girls'?"
I didn't fluster or apologize. I chuckled, tapping her silver ring. "Open the menu, sweetheart."
The golden Harem God Roster expanded before her eyes, showing the five remaining Legal slots and forty-nine Normal slots.
Calmly, with total confidence, I laid it out: the brutal reality of the summoned class, the need to protect the girls from Arashi Ren’s delinquent crew and the Level 900 wild, the massive mutual stat buffs, the safety of the fertility toggle, and the absolute protection safeguards against charm or assault.
"I won't tolerate toxicity or petty catfights," I said, stepping close and resting a firm hand on her hip. "I love you, Rena. And when the others arrive, I have the shoulders to carry and protect all of you. We are building a sanctuary where no one gets left behind. I am the man here."
A warm, golden resonance hummed from her ring, washing away any lingering doubts. The system proved that my words were anchored in pure devotion, not shallow lust.
Rena looked at the numbers, then looked up at me with deep admiration. "A Master of All Trades... fifty-six wives? You really are an ambitious man, Yuki."
She threw her arms around my neck with a proud, breathtaking smile. "Fine! I've seen the fire in you. You have more than enough heart to love us all. Just make sure you don't neglect your first wife!"
I pulled her tight against my chest, sealing the deal with another deep, passionate kiss.
We stepped across the threshold of our cave as night settled over the mountain.
Inside, the warm hearth flickered In the corner of my vision, the golden temporal banner pulsed with urgent clarity:
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⏳ [TIME SLIP BUFFER: SYNCHRONIZATION IMMINENT]
• Countdown: 4 Days Remaining
• Target Roster in Transit: 41 Classmates
• Designated Drop Zone: God-Forsaken Forest (Sector Alpha)
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Four days left.