Luke had a plan. During the four months he’d spent apart from Charlie, he’d thought carefully about how to handle things when they met again. He knew she had feelings for him. His intention was to sit down with her and have a long, honest conversation, to explain that what she felt might be a kind of intense admiration, mixed with gratitude for having been saved.

  But in the very first seconds after their reunion, she managed to shatter every argument he’d prepared. Fresh from hibernation, she looked at him with unwavering resolve.

  “Master Luke, I want to marry you!”

  “Marry?” The word slipped out before he could stop it.

  “It seems all those long hours you spent practicing conversations with me were wasted,” Angie remarked calmly in his mind.

  The very first thing she says… is that she wants to marry me. I have no idea how to proceed.

  “Charlie, this is something very serious. We need to talk first,” Luke said.

  “That’s it, Charlie!” Artemis chimed in excitedly. “I fully support the marriage! That way Luke and I can have a bachelor party in Vegas, just like in The Hangover.”

  “Quiet,” Luke snapped. “This is serious.”

  “I’m sorry, Master Luke,” Charlie said softly. “I don’t know how much time has passed since the last time we spoke, but I promised myself I would say this.”

  She stood up and walked toward him without hesitation. Charlie placed both hands against the wall, effectively trapping Luke between her arms.

  “Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her, now’s the moment!” Artemis whispered enthusiastically in his head.

  “I want to marry you, Master Luke,” Charlie said firmly. “But…”

  She stepped back slightly, giving him space. “I understand that everything is still very recent, and your situation is complicated right now. So please know this: I’ll stay by your side and support you in everything.”

  “I appreciate that, Charlie,” Luke replied. “And I’ll support you in whatever you choose to do with your life as well. But about these feelings… I’ve never really thought about feeling that way for anyone.”

  “I know, Master Luke. You still have many things to do,” she said, her voice steady. “When you uncover the truth you’re searching for, will you promise that when we talk about this again, you’ll be truly honest with me about your feelings? Even if it hurts?”

  “I promise,” he said.

  Charlie relaxed her shoulders and sat down on the bed.

  Was that it? Resolved? Just like that?

  “No. You just pushed this problem into a future arc of your story,” Artemis commented dryly.

  “I don’t know where we are, Master Luke. And I don’t know why you took me out of your soul here… in this room,” Charlie said, glancing around.

  “In the end, Charlie’s basically in The Hangover, waking up in a room with zero memory of what went down.”

  “Oh, right. I need to explain that,” Luke replied. “We’re in the New World.”

  And then he began explaining everything to her. His plans. His next objectives. What lay ahead.

  Maybe by then Charlie will have time to really understand that what she feels for me is admiration. Or… to reinforce what she feels. Either way, she’s not a skeleton anymore. That’s new for both of us.

  “I have until then to make you fall in love with me, Master Luke,” she said with quiet determination. “And I promise I’ll give it my all.”

  She wasn’t confused. Not even a little.

  Luke could tell.

  ***

  The street was crowded, people moving back and forth in every direction. Some carried swords openly. Luke even spotted a man hauling a wooden cart down the road. It was night in Camlann, yet the city felt lively and awake. Despite its classic medieval style, the place wasn’t poorly lit at all. Magical torches lined the streets, bathing everything in warm light.

  Everywhere Luke looked, people were laughing. Taverns were everywhere, several of them clustered side by side. This was the starting city of the New World, so full of life that no one seemed to mind opening identical businesses right next to each other.

  “Master Luke… this is all so amazing,” Charlie said, wide-eyed as she took everything in.

  They were walking through a market, an enormous one that stretched across an entire street. A bard sang atop a wooden crate while passersby tossed coins into a hat at his feet. Luke had given Charlie a book the night before, when they stayed at an inn. Somehow, she already knew how to read. Luke suspected that fragments of knowledge from her previous life had remained, even if the memories themselves were gone. She could read his language naturally, and thanks to the system acting as a universal translator, she could read any language just as easily as she spoke with him.

  She had read several books to learn how to adapt to life in the New World. It wasn’t that hard to believe. Even the embassy handed out beginner books for free to newcomers.

  They kept walking while Charlie enjoyed the sights. She already knew everything that had happened, and why Luke was there.

  Charlie stopped at a stall and pointed.

  “H-how much is it, sir?”

  She had been given her own wallet, which in this world meant a small leather pouch filled with coins.

  “One apple costs one crown,” the vendor replied. “But I’ll sell three apples for two crowns, or five for three. A small discount if you buy more.”

  Luke watched Charlie’s expression twist as her mind went into overdrive, trying to calculate.

  “Is this enough?” she asked, holding out a single copper coin.

  “For one apple, yes,” the vendor said.

  Charlie rummaged through her pouch and handed over three copper coins in exchange for five apples. She looked genuinely proud, delighted at having bought something on her own for the first time.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “H-here, one for you, Master Luke,” she said, offering him an apple.

  “Thank you, Charlie. I was curious to try one myself,” he replied as they continued walking.

  The apple was juicy, but he still preferred the ones he’d taken from the tutorial, the apples of the Midnight Universe. He had plenty stored in his pocket dimension, seeds he planned to plant someday.

  “Three for Artemis,” Charlie added, passing them to Luke.

  “Oh, thank you, Charlie. At least I know you care about your lovely and dear friend Artemis,” Artemis said sweetly. “Unlike a certain someone we know who sometimes forgets I exist.”

  Luke sent the apples into his pocket dimension. As they walked, he glanced at Charlie’s system interface.

  [Blood Core: 7/100]

  In his other hand, Luke held a copy of the Camlann newspaper, which he’d bought for one crown. The currency of this society was called Crowns. However, Crowns came in different metals: Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

  It had taken Luke some time to understand pricing, but things became much clearer once he learned to convert crowns into dollars in his head.

  Copper had three denominations: copper cent ($0.01), copper tenth ($0.10), and copper ($1).

  Silver also had three: silver cent ($10), silver tenth ($100), and silver ($1,000).

  Gold had two: gold tenth ($10,000) and gold ($100,000).

  Finally, there was platinum, a single high-value coin used only for massive transactions, worth $1,000,000 each.

  The New World operated under a single universal monetary system. Unlike the modern world, where Luke’s country used dollars and every nation had its own currency, this unified system was, in many ways, more advanced and far more practical.

  ***

  “Humans like buying things even when they don’t need them,” Angie remarked.

  They had already passed through several shops.

  Over the past few months, Luke had helped Angie by giving her access to books and the internet so she could understand how the world worked. What he discovered was unsettling and impressive at the same time. Her intellect surpassed that of most humans. She learned at an absurd pace, so fast that he sometimes found himself asking her for advice.

  Jonathan had truly vanished after leaving the tutorial.

  Eleanor had kept an eye out for him using her government contacts in the United States. Even if Jonathan could change his face, he might still have gone back to his old home, reached out to someone, left a trace somewhere. But nothing. Jonathan had disappeared completely.

  Still, Luke was calm. His family was safe.

  “Don’t worry, my lord. You won’t need to do anything if he shows up and tries something against you,” Angie said.

  Why?

  “Because by then I expect to have enough power to…” She paused for a moment. “To annihilate him. Or torture him so thoroughly that his organs spill out along with his own filth.”

  She wasn’t joking. Luke could feel it through their bond.

  Angie had developed a fascination with human anatomy and biology, often asking Luke to buy medical textbooks. Whenever possible, he let her manifest outside his soul, reading quietly in his room, careful not to let his family discover her.

  She researched everything. Which meant Luke knew she was completely serious about the torture part.

  ***

  When they returned to the inn room after walking through the city, Luke’s eyes went straight to Charlie’s system display.

  [Blood Core: 4/100]

  “We should take care of this soon,” Luke said.

  He sat on the bed and loosened the collar around his neck.

  “I-I’m sorry for making you go through this, Master Luke,” Charlie said. Her canines were sharper now as she fully activated [Vampire Bite I].

  “That’s why I spent all that time making healing potions,” he replied.

  Charlie sank her fangs into his neck. He could tell immediately just how hungry she was. When she finally pulled away, the interface updated.

  [Blood Core: 24/100]

  Luke had lost two thousand HP. He drank a potion, recovering one thousand HP.

  It’ll take a while before I can drink another one. Luke glanced back at his interface, already calculating the next steps.

  Name: Luke

  Level: 57

  Race: Half-Demon

  Rank: E

  Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 60)]

  2nd Class: [Witch (Lvl 0)]

  Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 71)]

  Titles: [Dark Lord]

  Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]

  Health Points (HP): 3420/5420

  Mana Points (MP): 5790/(5790)

  Stamina: 3190/3190

  Soul Fragments: 303/1000

  Stats:

  Strength: 497

  Lethality: 775

  Agility: 601 (611)

  Dexterity: 339

  Endurance: 319

  Vitality: 542

  Toughness: 182

  Perception: 520 (530)

  Wisdom: 574 (579)

  Intelligence: 330

  Willpower: 616

  Free Points: 169

  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)], [Soil Guardian I (Ancient)], [Vegetal Respiration (Common)]

  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: [Charlotte Vespertilio (Vampire) - Lvl 50], [Angie (Stone Angel) - Lvl 0]

  Familiar: [Ancient Wyvern (Rank F)]

  In that time, I managed to gain eleven levels in my profession, which granted me seven racial levels.

  Luke stared at it for a moment, at the meaning behind those seven levels he had gained.

  Seventy extra years of life, earned in just four months of tending plants and brewing potions.

  It was absurd how much power a single race level could represent at Rank E. He had extended his lifespan by decades simply by focusing on healing potions. No combat. No bloodshed. Just quiet, methodical growth. What surprised him just as much was what had happened at profession level 65. The system had notified him of a new skill selection. At the time, Luke had been genuinely confused. He’d assumed new skills only unlocked at level 70.

  Apparently, advancing to Rank E had changed that rule.

  The system had allowed him to choose a new skill at profession level 65, and the option he picked was of Ancient rarity.

  [Soil Guardian I (Ancient)]: The Guardian Botanist transforms a single plant with which they share a bond of friendship into a Guardian Plant. The plant gains offensive and carnivorous capabilities. It can consume organic matter appropriate to its size, ranging from small beasts and insects to corpses. By absorbing matter and the mana contained within it, the plant strengthens its own body. With proper nourishment, the plant may one day assist its Botanist friend in battle.

  I need to find a plant with at least some level of sentience.

  The skill wasn’t especially useful in combat, but among the available options at the time, it had been the best choice. Luke had considered leaving a guardian plant back at his house, but he hadn’t found any sentient plants yet. They were rare.

  And at level seventy, he’d gained another skill.

  [Vegetal Respiration (Common)]: You begin exchanging gases through your skin and external tissues, similar to plants. While remaining still or under natural light, your oxygen consumption drops drastically, allowing your body to sustain itself with minimal respiratory effort.

  “I think I’m used to it now,” Angie said.

  She was in the bedroom, practicing with the spear Luke had bought for her. As a Valkyrie, it was her class weapon.

  “I’m meeting Eleanor in a few hours, and I’ve already bought the ship ticket. That’s it, everyone. We’re heading to Sirius,” Luke announced.

  There was one last thing he had, something peculiar. A strange item he’d received as a reward, something he hadn’t even known the system was capable of granting. Reaching into his system inventory, Luke pulled out the reward he’d obtained after killing the Midnight King and held it in his hand.

  https://discord.gg/znGSjCxhkR