Chaos Era, Year 1813.
Aina frowned deeply as she stared at the man before her.
Something was off. Very off.
She had already joined the hero’s party and embarked on adventures with them. Alongside Liyana, the three of them had successfully conquered an underground labyrinth.
But… she still couldn’t gauge this man’s true strength.
No matter what kind of monster they faced, without exception, he would slay them all with a single strike.
Of course, those monsters weren’t particularly high-tier—Aina could also dispatch them in an instant. But this meant she had no way to test Xia Lun’s limits.
As a result, she remained cautious around him, never daring to truly act against him.
She would have to keep biding her time…
Inside the tavern.
"Cheers!" Liyana raised her mug, trying to clink it against Xia Lun’s and Aina’s.
Xia Lun obliged, tapping his cup against hers, while Aina remained silent, taking a sip of her juice without reciprocating.
Liyana didn’t push it. After spending these past days together, she had already learned that Aina was the aloof type.
"Should we venture into more dangerous dungeons?" Aina proposed bluntly. "Given our strength, the monsters we’ve been facing are hardly worth our time…"
She said this, of course, in hopes of quickly uncovering Xia Lun’s true power so she could formulate a plan to deal with him.
But Xia Lun merely shook his head lightly. "Rushing headlong into danger isn’t wise, Aina. If you’re eager to hunt stronger monsters and gain renown, you could always join a more powerful adventurer party. They certainly wouldn’t refuse a mage of your caliber."
Aina’s voice turned icy. "Are you telling me to leave?"
Xia Lun met her gaze earnestly. "Of course not. I truly hope you’ll stay. Your strength is indispensable to me—you can accomplish things I cannot. I need you, Miss Aina."
He paused briefly before continuing, "But if our goals diverge, I have no right to keep you by my side."
If he wanted her to stay, why say such things?
What a strange man, Aina thought to herself.
She took another sip of juice. "As you wish. You’re the leader."
After all, her objective wasn’t yet fulfilled… If she were truly driven out of the party, things would only become more troublesome.
"You’re willing to stay? That’s wonderful." A hint of joy flickered visibly across Xia Lun’s face.
Liyana downed her mug of craft beer in one go. "Phew— Don’t mind him, Aina. Xia Lun’s just being honest. He really is thinking of your best interests, not trying to push you away."
"It’s fine." Aina’s replies to others remained as curt as ever.
Liyana then blurted out again, "Xia Lun, you know what? You act like you’re totally smitten with Aina."
"Do I?" Xia Lun mused before glancing at Aina. "Strong, elegant, beautiful… Miss Aina is indeed captivating. If I had to choose someone to court, she would undoubtedly be my first choice."
This guy… How could he say such shameless things so casually?
Aina’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t respond, continuing to sip her juice, her lips never leaving the rim as tiny bubbles formed on the surface.
"Hey! Xia Lun, what about me?" Liyana pointed at herself, puffing out her chest proudly. "I’m not any worse than Aina, am I?"
Aina’s eyes flickered briefly downward at her own figure.
"Ahem…" Xia Lun coughed as if choking. "Liyana… You’ll always be my best bro."
"Ugh— How boring." Liyana pouted. "Not that I’m interested in you like that, but if you begged me, I might grit my teeth and let you have some fun—"
"Disgusting." Aina, seated across from them, scoffed coldly.
"Hah, Xia Lun and I grew up together." Liyana slung an arm around Xia Lun’s shoulder, shooting Aina a challenging look. "Not like some random newcomer who just joined out of nowhere."
Thud!
Aina slammed her glass onto the table and stood up without another word, striding away.
"Ugh, what a rotten attitude." Liyana grumbled as she poured herself another beer. "Xia Lun, don’t spoil her. That arrogant look of hers… If she weren’t so strong, who’d want her as a teammate? We don’t have to act like her servants—"
Xia Lun sighed. "Liyana… You’re drunk."
"I’m not!" Liyana shouted. "Seriously, what’s her problem? The way she talks is so infuriating… And we don’t even know her background. I bet she’s up to no good—"
"Liyana." Xia Lun’s voice was calm and gentle, yet brooked no argument. "Calm down."
"Fine…" Liyana slumped onto the table, muttering like a scolded child.
"We haven’t known Aina for long. We can’t judge her based on first impressions. It’s natural for her to be wary of us." Xia Lun spoke softly. "She may be a bit solitary, but I don’t think she’s a bad person."
"Alright, I get it, it’s my fault. Stop lecturing me." Liyana waved a hand. "I shouldn’t have provoked her… It’s just the way you side with her that pisses me off. Feels like she’s stealing you away from me. Even if I’m your bro, I’m still a woman. I don’t want to lose to her…"
Xia Lun looked remorseful. "Sorry, I didn’t consider your feelings."
After a moment of thought, he added, "While I can’t see you as a romantic partner… I’m sure any other man would find you quite charming—"
"Whatever. I don’t need men drooling over me." Liyana pushed herself up from the table. "Alright, I’ll go apologize to our esteemed mage princess… I’m good at sweet-talking girls."
Unnoticed by any of them, a blood bat hanging from the tavern’s rafters silently flapped its wings and flew away.
Back at the inn, Liyana knocked gently on Aina’s door.
Xia Lun stood behind her.
The door opened slowly, revealing Aina no longer in her usual robes but a dark, form-fitting dress that accentuated her graceful figure.
"Yes?" Her expression remained as placid as an undisturbed lake.
"Uh… Sorry about earlier. I had a bit too much to drink and acted out of line." Liyana scratched her head. "Ahem, Xia Lun and I were just joking around. There’s no way I’d actually… you know, even if he begged."
"It’s fine." Aina gave a slight nod. "See you tomorrow."
"Uh… Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Aina closed the door softly behind her.
Liyana turned to Xia Lun. "Does that mean she forgave me?"
Xia Lun also seemed uncertain: "Probably."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
