"As my personal maid… would you, perhaps, die for me?" Noah's voice was sweet—dangerously so. He spoke as if he hadn't just asked a gut-wrenching question. His eyes held no malice, only playful banter, yet that somehow scared Yuki even more.
Since when has he been like this? Yuki thought, reeling from the shock. Although Noah rarely paid attention to her, the same couldn't be said for her. As his personal maid since he was ten years old, she had been there for everything. Even if she remained in the shadows, it wouldn't be a stretch to say she knew him better than anyone.
"Clock's ticking," Noah said. He leaned in until his face was inches from hers, locking their gazes.
Gulp.
Yuki swallowed hard. Has he always been this handsome? She shook the thought away, pulling herself together to reply.
"Y-yes, Young Master." Her voice, usually mature and composed, trembled with a meek uncertainty.
Noah chuckled, releasing her face and taking a step back. "Just call me Noah. 'Young Master' is far too stiff for someone you'd die for." His grin widened, and his eyes sparkled with playful delight.
Yuki's face deepened into a dark crimson, her heart thumping against her ribs. "Okay... N-Noah," she finally managed, her confidence wavering.
Noah nodded in satisfaction before sauntering back to his chair. 'Hey Atlas, generate a quest for me. You know, something like 'Tame Your First Subject' or whatever.'
[Are you truly going to use your ability on a random maid?]
'Yep. Now, chop-chop.'
[Ugh!]
[Ding! A new quest has been generated.]
[Quest: Complete Your First Taming!]
[Description: Yuki, your personal maid, has declared she would die for you. Consequently, you have deemed her worthy of being tamed! Gain Yuki's permission and complete the Taming process.]
[Reward: 2,000 SP, a Talent remodel Ticket, and three Food Tickets.]
A talent remodel Ticket? He glanced at Yuki. That will be incredibly useful.
'Wait... three Food Tickets?.'
[You can purchase any three food items from the System.]
Noah's eyes widened, flashing with pure joy as memories of Earthly meals flooded his mind. What he craved most, however, was a large, greasy pepperoni pizza. He fell into small daze not realizing a small trail of drool escaped the corner of his mouth.
"U-um, Noah? Are you alright?" Yuki asked hesitantly, concerned by his sudden trance.
Noah snapped out of his reverie at the sound of her voice. He quickly swiped the drool away and stood up abruptly, taking on a facade of calm composure.
"Ahem! Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought. Anyway, next question," he said quickly, eager to change the subject.
Yuki smiled at the display. Cute, she thought, nodding for him to continue.
"So, I assume you've heard that I have Awakened?" he asked, his tone becoming neutral.
"Yes, N-Noah. Lord Victor informed me," Yuki replied softly.
Noah didn't find it strange that his father would disclose such matters to a "mere" maid. As his personal attendant, she was bound to his service for life; it was only natural for her to be privy to the family's deeper secrets.
"Yuki, do you trust me?" he asked. He reached out, cupping her face—now a deep shade of beet-red—within his palm. He felt the warmth of her skin before his fingers firmly clasped her cheek.
Nod. Nod.
She nodded with fervent enthusiasm. She would do anything to ensure Noah realized the sheer depth of the trust she placed in him.
"Alright, good. I plan to take you with me to the Academy," he stated matter-of-factly.
Yuki's eyes widened in genuine shock. A radiant, breathtaking smile broke across her face, momentarily catching Noah off guard before he quickly regained his composure.
"Do you want to come with me?" he pressed.
"YES!" she cried out. Tears began to well up in her eyes, shimmering with relief and joy.
Noah reached out and brushed the moisture away, clearing her eyes before continuing. "Okay… Yuki, I'm planning on using my talent on you. Don't worry—this will benefit both of us," he said, his voice dropping to a soothing, coaxing lilt.
Yuki paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her features before she nodded in agreement. She didn't truly understand the nature of his power, but she chose to trust him and hope for the best.
Noah's smile widened, flashing his pearly whites.
'Atlas, is that enough consent?'
[Yeah. Just say 'Tame' and I'll handle the rest.]
'Okay. Before that, though, make sure to use the ticket on her as well.'
[I'll execute both simultaneously.]
Noah looked deep into Yuki's eyes and took a measured step back. "You should be ready. This might hurt," he warned, concern evident in his tone.
Yuki nodded, bracing her body for the unknown.
Noah raised his hand, placing it firmly upon her head. Parting his lips, he spoke the command: "Tame."
[Ding! Do you wish to Tame the individual: Yuki?]
[Y/N]
Yes.
Instantly, both Noah and Yuki felt a searing agony bloom within them. It wasn't a physical sting; it was a raw, soul-level laceration. Noah merely groaned, having grown accustomed to various pains, though it didn't lessen the severity of the sensation.
Yuki, however, went deathly pale. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as her breath hitched.
"It will be over in a second," Noah lied.
Almost immediately after the words left his lips, a second rush of agony surged through her—worse than the first. The intensity was so great that her consciousness flickered out. Just as she began to slump toward the floor, her body froze mid-air. A golden cocoon, woven from ethereal threads, spiraled around her, sealing her within.
Meanwhile, Noah turned his internal attention to Atlas.
'Hm. I can feel her emotions… and I think if I wanted to, I could hear her thoughts. Can she do the same to me?'
[She can sense your emotional state. To read your mind, however, she would require your explicit permission.]
'Keep that permission locked. Now, show me her status with the new details,' he thought, slouching back onto his bed.
[Okay.]
[Status: Yuki Vale]
[Age: 29]
[Race: 50% human/50% Nivareth(Snow-born)]
[Rank: C]
[Talent: Supreme Frost maiden]
[Affinities: Ice(SSS)]
[Physique: N/A]
[Bloodline: Loved by frost(Mythic)]
[Skills: N/A]
"Hey, hey… isn't she OP?" Noah sat bolt upright, his voice incredulous. "What happened to her being 'merely a maid'?"
[...]
[Well, it seems the Talent Remodel Ticket was far more potent than I anticipated.]
"Hm? You didn't know?" Noah asked, surprised. He had assumed the System was omniscient regarding its own inventory.
[Bruh… the Shop holds everything between heaven, earth, and the beyond. How am I supposed to have every item description memorized?]
"That… makes sense."
[Well… actually, I kind of just picked something at random.]
Noah rolled his eyes before his gaze flicked back to the cocoon. The gold had faded into a crystalline white, radiating a frigid breeze that froze every surface it touched.
"How long until she's finished?"
[Around one hour.]
"Alright. Show me the System interface; I need to stuff for myself," he said excitedly. He definitely wasn't planning on browsing for high-end snacks… definitely not.
[Okay...]
A sleek, holographic blue panel materialized before him. It was categorized into: Skills, Talents, Bloodlines, Items, Food, Physiques, Beasts, and a seemingly infinite list of sub-options. It even featured a "Randomize" tab, a price filter, and a search bar.
"It's surprisingly futuristic," he mused, setting the price limit to 500 SP before clicking on Skills.
With a mental tap, he searched for: Teleportation.
[Skill: Shadow Teleport (B)] <500 SP>
[Description: Instantly move to any location where a shadow exists.]
[Skill: Teleport (B)] <500 SP>
[Description: Instantaneous relocation to any point within the user's line of sight.]
[Skill: Sunlight Teleport (B)] <500 SP>
[Description: Relocate to any area currently touched by natural sunlight.]
His eyes scanned the list before he settled on the standard B-Rank Teleport, leaving him with 1,500 SP. Instantly, he felt a fundamental shift within his perception. Everywhere he looked, he could see tiny, shimmering spatial nodes—points he instinctively knew he could occupy.
"Cool~" he whispered. He tested the skill by blinking to the opposite side of the room. He arrived instantly, but felt his E-Rank mana pool drain to zero in a single heartbeat.
[Why teleportation?] Atlas asked curiously.
"Why? Because on Earth, teleporting was the ultimate dream. Plus, it's a literal lifesaver in a fight."
[Ah. So, it was an impulse buy?]
"Basically. But speaking of fighting—I can't actually do it." He was a simple Earthling, and the previous Noah hadn't been much of a warrior either.
He opened a new search: Katana Techniques and Battle Experience.
After several minutes of filtering through thousands of entries, he made his final selection:
[Heavenly Splitting Sword Art] <1,000 SP>
[A technique forged by a vengeful cultivator in a distant universe who sought to cleave the heavens themselves to spite his lack of natural talent. He perished from a Qi blockage shortly after finishing the manuscript.]
[Novice Battle Experience] <500 SP>
[Description: The distilled combat intuition of a veteran warrior who survived a century of warfare.]
Noah let out a low whistle. "Ah… I love shopping," he muttered, clicking 'Buy.'
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