“Until next time… lord Luke,” Anne whispered, soft as ever.

  “I’ll see you both someday,” he replied. “Maybe I’ll even drop by your kingdom for a visit.”

  The maids flanking Erza and Anne bowed in perfect sync, a carefully practiced motion. There was something in their posture, rigid and disciplined, that made it clear serving that clan wasn’t just a job but a cog in a much larger, harsher structure.

  Erza, however, wasn’t done. She took a few steps toward him, her gaze steady, as if preparing to deliver the last important warning of the night.

  “And don’t fool yourself, Luke,” she said. “Just because you saw a God or a Guide doesn’t mean those were their true selves. They were projections. You couldn’t stand near a real God without suffering consequences. Our bodies can’t endure the weight of their souls.”

  That was an important piece of information. The higher someone rose in rank, the worse it became for a weak person to get close to them.

  “The gods can’t kill us,” Erza continued, glancing upward before focusing on him again. “At least not here. They belong to another universe, and we, from this newly integrated one, have a special protection while we remain within our own. They can’t invade this place or cast some power from their universe to harm us here. Here we’re shielded, just like during the tutorial.”

  She moved closer, slow but resolute, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, as if she wanted the weight of her words to be felt physically.

  “So the only truly dangerous and powerful beings in this world, the ones who could come after you, who could actually hurt you, are this world’s kings and those who obey them. Draw the wrong kind of attention, annoy the wrong person, and they might come for you. And not even a God could save you. Here, we’re on our own.”

  She stepped back, releasing his shoulder. The absence of her touch made the air feel briefly colder.

  “Like venomous insects trapped in a box,” Luke muttered to himself.

  “Exactly,” Erza answered, watching him with an expression more serious than usual. “And in the end, the winner will be the one with the deadliest poison.”

  ***

  Luke remained inside the house that had become their temporary base, an improvised shelter that still smelled of damp wood and dust clinging to the corners. Sunlight slipped through uneven cracks in the window frames, catching the suspended particles in thin golden lines, but even that warmth couldn’t soften the tension lingering in the air.

  A few Haven members had wandered by earlier, driven by curiosity or some clumsy attempt at reconnecting. They never made it past the threshold. Luke had sent them away before any of them managed to speak. He wasn’t in the mood for patience, not today.

  Erza Grimhart had left about an hour ago. First she would head to the city, then continue toward her homeland. Her family wasn’t the kind to send elegant carriages to retrieve her. Returning on her own, with Anne in tow, was simply expected.

  On a worn out couch, Evangeline sprawled as if she were claiming a throne.

  “I’m seriously considering changing my name,” she announced, reclining in the most dramatic way possible. “Or maybe hiring a full time butler.”

  Beside her sat a messy pile of gold coins, glittering even in the dim light. She had thrown herself onto it a few minutes earlier, laughing like she had rediscovered her true calling. She was clearly itching to return to the modern world and spend every coin without hesitation.

  “Don’t go bankrupt,” Luke replied, his voice carrying only mild warning. “You may have become a millionaire, but you don’t know advanced math. You need to study so you’ll actually know how to invest and manage it.”

  “I can count to a thousand. That’s enough,” Evangeline shot back, perfectly confident in her own logic.

  Luke exhaled through his nose, already making a mental note that he’d eventually have to sit her down and explain finances, otherwise she would burn through half her fortune on impulse buys. He had discovered, to mild horror, that her command of mathematics barely covered the basics… the extremely basic.

  “What’s seven million minus three million?” he asked.

  Her smile vanished.

  “Look, I’m rich now. You throwing difficult equations at me doesn’t matter. I don’t need to study ever again.”

  “What’s the answer?” Luke pressed.

  “I don’t know, it’s too many zeros,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

  “Good grief…” he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. “You desperately need to go back to school.”

  “I’m rich, Cinderella. I can hire someone to do the math for me.”

  Luke decided that sooner or later he would force her to study, even if he had to drag her to a desk himself.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  He took a deep breath and opened Charlie’s system interface, but the screen wouldn’t stay open, it kept closing itself. She was still regenerating inside his soul. He wanted to tell her that they had finally returned to Earth. Another notification had been on his screen ever since he killed the archangel.

  [Warning: Your item Demonic Twin Kukris has been completely destroyed and is reconstructing inside your inventory. If this happens again, it will be permanently lost.]

  Both kukris were gone — truly gone. The first shattered by the archangel, the second obliterated when Luke tied it to the arrow and used its magnetic pull to force the shot toward the archangel.

  And now, if either weapon broke again, that would be it. Permanent loss. No more resurrections. No more second chances.

  They were on their last “lives.”

  Luke opened his interface.

  Name: Luke

  Level: 50

  Race: Half-Demon

  Rank: E

  Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 60)]

  2nd Class: [Witch (Lvl 0)]

  Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 60)]

  Titles: [Dark Lord]

  Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]

  Health Points (HP): 4780/4780

  Mana Points (MP): 5630/(5630)

  Stamina: 3030/(3030)

  Soul Fragments: 303/1000

  Stats:

  Strength: 421

  Lethality: 760

  Agility: 550 (560)

  Dexterity: 324

  Endurance: 303

  Vitality: 478

  Toughness: 167

  Perception: 504 (514)

  Wisdom: 558 (563)

  Intelligence: 266

  Willpower: 600

  Free Points: 2

  Class Skills: [Advanced Blade Handling (Uncommon)], [Profane Knife Throwing (Uncommon)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)], [Basic Blood Regeneration (Rare)], [Predator’s Mark (Rare)], [Demonic Blade Dance (Rare)], [Wraith Form (Ultra-Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)], [Advanced Stealth (Rare)], [Assassin’s Tracking (Rare)], [Mana Infusion (Rare)], [Basic Archery (Common)], [Demonic Predator Hands (Epic)]

  Second Class Skills: [Basic Magic Conjuration (Common)], [Teleportation Pentagram (Legendary)]

  Profession Skills: [Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)], [Precise Extraction (Common)], [Basic Potion Crafting (Common)], [Corrupted Plant Growth (Rare)], [Plant Sensor (Uncommon)], [Botanical Bond of Mother Freya (Rare)], [Seed Conversion (Rare)], [Plant Manipulation of Mother Freya (Rare)], [Corrupted Blood of Mother Freya (Ultra-Rare)], [Thorn Mutation (Uncommon)], [Soil Analysis (Uncommon)], [Botanical Purification (Uncommon)], [Acid Blood Arrow (Epic)]

  Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)], [Dark Blood (Uncommon)], [Advanced Meditation (Uncommon)], [Demonic Endurance (Uncommon)]

  Rank Skill: [Soul Infiltration (Rank F)]

  Bloodline Skill: [Servant of the Dark Lord (Unique)]

  Servants: [Recovering], [Angie (Stone Angel) - Lvl 0]

  Familiar: [Unavailable]

  He still couldn’t believe the new skill he had gained, and he was dying to test it out.

  [Teleportation Pentagram (Legendary)]: Not even distance can limit a Witch. Using Spatial Magic, she creates two teleportation circles in the shape of pentagrams and places them wherever she wants. While active, she can move instantly between them, crossing any distance allowed by the spell. Only she can use them, and if either circle is destroyed, the link breaks immediately.

  Two free attribute points blinked at him. He had no idea where to put them. The new attributes felt like uncharted territory.

  How exactly did these new stats work? What was the real difference between Dexterity and Agility?

  He focused and activated Identify.

  [Dexterity]: This attribute defines precision and refined control of movement. Essential for manipulating thrown weapons, executing delicate maneuvers, and maintaining stability in combat. Increases the accuracy and damage of thrown weapons, ensuring more powerful and directed launches. Also improves fine motor coordination in complex tasks and instruments requiring delicate handling.

  It worked.

  Interesting. So this stat actually increased thrown-weapon damage. He could boost the damage of his throwing knives? That was… surprisingly good.

  And strangely complicated.

  Every class probably had perfect synergies with different attributes. But he had two classes sitting on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

  [Intelligence]: This attribute defines the potency of spells. Increases the damage and complexity of conjured magic, and enhances the user's understanding and manipulation of arcane forces.

  Magic damage, huh? Now that was nice.

  Wait… Dexterity increased arrow damage, and Intelligence increased magic damage. Did that mean Acid Blood Arrow would scale with both? That was some ridiculous synergy waiting to happen.

  Someone knocked at the door.

  “It’s Jack,” Luke told Evangeline, leaning to peek outside with the help of the raven.

  The hinges groaned as the door opened and Jack stepped in, composed as always.

  “Lunch will be served shortly,” he announced.

  “I just want to leave already,” Luke muttered.

  Footsteps moved down the wooden stairs. Eleanor appeared, drying her hair with a towel, still carrying the warmth and scent of a hot bath. Her calm expression was almost comical beside the chaos Evangeline generated just by existing.

  “How many are left for the interviews?” she asked.

  They would all leave together once everything was done, head toward the city and then to the teleport point.

  “Just me,” Luke said. “Jack just got here.”

  Jack locked the door with care and sat in a nearby armchair, settling in like someone preparing to witness the disaster Evangeline was guaranteed to unleash in the next few minutes.

  “Hey, Eleanor,” Evangeline chirped, way too excited. “Did you know we can sell our gold for dollars at the teleport site?”

  “Yes,” Eleanor replied. “They mentioned that during my interview too. Even items are accepted.”

  “Which means,” Evangeline said, her eyes sparkling, “that today I’ll finally get my dollars and buy a house, a supercar…”

  Luke stood and started toward the stairs.

  “That’s not how it works. You’ll need to open a bank account, come back from the dead in terms of paperwork, file taxes, hire an accountant. And you’ll need a good lawyer to handle some of the legal mess, especially when you’re buying property.”

  “Great. Thanks for killing the mood,” Evangeline muttered.

  “And you can’t do basic math. You would still need to study for the driver’s license exam and actually learn how to drive,” he added as he climbed.

  “Okay! You don’t have to humiliate me!” she yelled after him, but Luke was already disappearing down the hallway on the second floor.

  He walked along the narrow corridor, the floor creaking beneath each step, and stopped in front of one of the doors. He knocked gently, respectful.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  “You can,” came the reply.

  Even with permission, he opened the door slowly. The room was simple, curtains drawn, leaving only a soft half light. Allison sat on the edge of the bed, drying her long blond hair with a towel. She was in her female form, calm, composed, yet carrying a weight in her eyes that never fully left.

  “I’m heading to the interview,” Luke said, leaning on the doorframe for a moment. “Don’t even think about running off.”

  “I won’t. I have nowhere to go,” she answered with a small, almost shy laugh.

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