THAD

[A/N: As this serves as the prologue, the chapter might prove lengthy for some readers. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please, enjoy your reading.]

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"Urgh..."

"Ha..."

After a bit of tossing and turning on the bed, Levi finally opened his eyes. 

The first thing that caught his attention was the unfamiliar ceiling. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he mumbled, a mix of drowsiness and confusion evident in his voice. "Where am I?"

He attempted to recall the events leading up to his sleep, but his mind drew a blank.

"What the? Why can't I remember anything from last night?" 

"Wasn't I on my way to the dorm?"

"Damn! Was I drugged or kidnapped?" Recently, there was an ongoing serial rape case occurring in the neighboring city. According to the reports, the perpetrator didn't discriminate among victims, targeting men, women, grandmothers, and even kids!

The thought of him becoming one of its victims gave him extreme goosebumps.

He quickly inspected his body and let out a sigh of relief upon finding no signs of injury or discomfort.

In fact, he felt better than ever.

The only thing that bugged him was...

"Why am I naked?" Levi couldn't help but voice his suspicion.

If his friends were the ones who brought him to this room, they wouldn't have bothered to cover him with a blanket, let alone undress him. Even if, by some unlikely turn of events, they were sober enough to be considerate and decided to change his outer clothes, going all the way to leave him naked seemed highly improbable.

Unless they were planning to play a prank on him...

However, based on what he knew, his three roommates weren't the type to go to such lengths to pull off a prank like this.

So, can someone please explain why I'm lying here naked? 

Just then, he noticed neatly folded clothes placed on the side of the bed, almost as if they were intentionally arranged for him. 

With suspicion, he rose from the bed to inspect the clothing.

It was a set of black shirts with black leather pants and a pair of shoes. He couldn't help but notice the tags on each piece of clothing, discovering that each item surprisingly came from famous brands.

"LVV?!"

"Gucik?!"

"Chennel!?"

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Despite being a nerd who rarely paid attention to brands, Levi recognized these brand names. 

And if he's not mistaken, products from these brands are typically reserved for the upper class, with the cheapest items priced at a minimum of $200.

That's equivalent to two weeks' worth of his food budget!

"Now I'm becoming increasingly certain that it wasn't my friends who brought me here. Unless the world has come to an end or tomorrow is my funeral, there's no possible way they would have prepared these expensive and stylish clothes for me."

"So, what am I supposed to do with these clothes?"

"It can't be that these are all for me to wear, right? Would I find myself in debt once I put on these items?

Levi continues to mumble in uncertainty.

He found himself torn between donning the clothes or remaining naked with the blanket wrapped around him. After all, he had no idea whether these clothes were specifically assigned to him or not. 

"But..." Levi glanced around the room. "There's no one here other than me. So, they should be meant for me, right?"

He noticed the room he was in was exceptionally spacious and exuded luxury. At least, he could estimate that its size was three times that of his dorm room.

But the room he stayed in appeared to be a guest room, with no personal belongings in sight. Besides the air conditioner, a table and chair, a TV, and so on, there were no items that resembled someone's belongings.

"Tsk, I don't care anymore. If it's placed beside me, it should be mine to wear. If there's an issue, it's the person who left these clothes beside me who's in the wrong," Levi declared with conviction. 

Once dressed, he couldn't resist admiring himself in the mirror. "Not bad, not bad. Even though I'm short, these clothes make me look taller. Is this the 'buff' effect of expensive clothes? Surely, where there's a price, there's quality," he clicked his tongue enviously.

Throughout his life, he had been labeled as shorty or a dwarf due to his height. Unlike the average man standing at least 1.65 meters tall, he remained at 1.55 meters since middle school. His growth spurt seemed to halt during those years, and his stature became a source of long-standing insecurity.

However, now, as he stood before the mirror, he was pleasantly surprised to appear much taller. His skin looked fairer and smooth, his abs that had vanished during his college years reappeared, and when clad in the clothes, he exuded a cool and handsome vibe. Particularly his eyes. They appeared darker than before, and as he stared at them, he felt as though he was gazing into a black hole...

For a moment, a famous phrase flashed in his mind:

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you."

"What the hell? I must not have fully woken up to become this narcissistic."

He quickly shook his head to dispel his thoughts and hastily went outside the room to see what kind of wealthy person was bored enough to bring him inside their house.

Surprisingly, the moment his palm reached for the door's handle, something unexpected happened.

The metal, expensive-looking door handle suddenly fell off the door the moment he tried to push it down.

"Fuck me! Is this door handle made of flimsy plastic? Why did it fall off so easily? The owner won't blame me for breaking this, right?" Levi panicked a bit before placing the door handle on the nearby table. "In any case, I'll notify the owner. Hopefully, it won't cost more than $20."

Luckily, the door had swung open when he nudged the handle earlier, so he wasn't stuck inside the room or anything.

As he stepped out of the room, he was momentarily dazzled by the sunlight.

It took him a few seconds to adapt to the sudden burst of brightness, and when his vision finally settled, a gentle voice reached him from a distance. "Have you awoken?"

Levi was startled for a moment before responded politely. "Yes."

Is the owner of this house a woman? Her voice is so pleasant, ah.

He wanted to inquire about his current location, but the other party was quicker to cut in. "Care to join me for breakfast?"

Her voice was exceptionally gentle, yet for some reason, he sensed an underlying authority that made it impossible for him to decline her invitation.

Levi nodded but quickly added, "Sure," fearing the other party hadn't seen his nod. He began to trot toward the direction of the person's voice, then lifted his head to finally look at the speaker.

However, he didn't anticipate that he would be instantly captivated by her appearance as soon as his eyes landed on her. 

She possessed long, flowing pink hair that cascaded down her back. As she sat with her face turned away, only her exquisite and elegant side profile was available for his eyes to feast upon.

Below, her legs were strikingly long, easily eliciting envy in any woman. Levi unconsciously counted that one of her strides might be equivalent to two or three of his own.

Her figure, on the other hand, was the kind that would make any actress or model pale in comparison, the type many men would drool over. Not overly ample in the chest, but just the right amount. A waist that looked soft and comfortable to wrap around.

As for her dress, she wore a long and innocent-looking, patterned white gown that reached her ankles.

At the moment, she appeared to be sipping her morning tea, her gaze fixed on the scenery outside through the glass window.

Opposite the glass window lay a captivating garden, adorned with an array of exquisite plants that seemingly originated from a different planet.

Together, they crafted a spectacle that defied verbal description.

Levi involuntarily paused in his steps, afraid he might ruin such a beautiful scenery.

"An angel in human form..."

"An angel that descends from heaven..."

Two comments resonated at the same time.

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"Eh?" I just said one sentence. Where did the other one come from?

He quickly looked beside him and was startled to find a purple-haired figure standing there, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. She appeared to be whole shorter than him. Considering his height was around 1.55 meters, this person should be around 1.2 meters, then?

"Whose child is this?" Levi subconsciously asked.

"..." The purple-haired woman. 

"Pfft!" The woman, inadvertently labeled 'Fairy' by Levi, stifled a laugh after choking on her drink.

"Child...?" the purple-haired woman mumbled slowly before lifting her head to Levi.

As her features came into focus, Levi immediately understood why he found the fairy from before so familiar.

This...

"E-eris Brooks?"

Isn't this woman precisely one of the famous goddesses of his university, Eris Brooks?

In his university, amid many beautiful belles and more, two women stood out the most, eventually crowned with the title of goddesses. The two goddesses seemed to share a close relationship, as if one's presence necessitated the other's. They were like a pair of chopsticks, inherently difficult to separate.

One of the goddesses was none other than Eris Brooks.

With her short striking purple hair, eyes brimming with mischief, and a trademark devilish smile that could light up any room, Eris Brooks was simply the dream girlfriend for many guys who appreciated a touch of mischief.

Her petite stature did nothing to diminish her charm; instead, it exuded an undeniable and unique allure that effortlessly captivated numerous individuals, particularly those inclined towards a fascination for 'lolis.'

For those who pursued the charm of lolis, Eris Brooks was truly the epitome of loli material. Moreover, she's the legal one! 

One of his roommates belonged to this category. During some nights, he faintly heard the guy constantly whispering, expressing a desire for Eris to step on him.

Naturally, being a good buddy, Levi never brought up the topic with his other roommates. Otherwise, the meticulously maintained image of this roommate as a study maniac would shatter in an instant.

Anyway, since Eris was here, then the previous pink-haired girl should be Eleanor Foster, right?

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Other guys could only dream of approaching these two goddesses, but now, he, a complete nerd, unexpectedly found himself sharing the same roof as these two beauties!

If this news got out, wouldn't he be instantly besieged by their crazy admirer or worse, get killed?!

"Looks like you've recognized us, then that would make the whole matter easier. Considering this is your first day, newborn, I won't take offense about your comment earlier. But be careful for the next time, otherwise..." Eris left her words hanging purposely, a devilish smile lingering on her lips.

Levi instinctively nodded swiftly, but soon, he caught a peculiar word from Eris's mouth. "Newborn?"

"Heh, don't tell me you haven't noticed your changes since you've awoken."

"Changes?" Levi pondered her words for a moment before recalling his dashing appearance in the mirror. "I'm getting more handsome?"

"Ptui! You wish!" Eris made a spitting face and jabbed Levi's chest. "You blockhead, do you think if you were your old self, you could talk to me by looking down?"

Levi took a moment to let Eris' words sink in before something clicked in his mind. Right, he had encountered Eris in the past. But back then, when they passed by each other, there was no significant difference in their heights. So, how was it that her current state only reached the part below his chest?

"Did I grow taller?" Levi exclaimed in surprise.

But how is that possible? If she only reaches below his chest, then he's gained at least 40 centimeters in height, right?!

"Took you ages to figure that out," Eris sneered, brushing past him. "Young miss, are you for real not regretting your choice in transforming this blockhead as one of us?" she pouted.

Eleanor shot Eris a glance. "Eris, how many times have I asked you not to bring up this topic? You, of all people, should understand me the best. I'm not the type to abandon those implicated in my troubles," she said, then turned her gaze to Levi. "Besides, his reaction is entirely human. Imagine waking up to suddenly find yourself growing significantly taller. Unless you're someone who has been exposed to supernatural phenomena from an earlier time, finding yourself unable to think clearly and confused undoubtedly falls into the normal category

"But-"

Before Eris could interject, Eleanor cut her off, motioning towards Levi, who stood there with a perplexed expression. "Please take a seat. I'm sure you're brimming with questions."

Without hesitation, Levi went on the opposite side of her. Indeed, as she suggested, a multitude of questions filled his mind, though he held back on voicing his speculations for now.

But the moment he laid hand on the chair, the part he touched crumpled. When he lifted his palm, there were imprints of his fingers left on the chair.

"What the heck?" I barely applied any force with my palm. Why did it happen again?! 

"Ah!! You demon! That's one of the expensive chairs from the set my young miss carefully chose herself! And now you've broken it! Do you have any idea how much this chair costs?" Eris cried out in dismay.

"Well... how much is it?" Levi instantly regretted asking the question, because deep in his heart, he was aware that everything in this house was an extravagance he wouldn't dream of affording in his lifetime.

"$100?" Levi guessed, observing her finger gesture.

But Eris promptly shook her head.

"$1,000?" Levi made another guess.

Again, Eris shook her head.

"$10,000?" This time, Levi couldn't help but twitch his lips. What kind of chair could cost that much? It's almost the same as a car!

However, he nearly lost his mind when Eris shook her head once again.

"$100,000?" Levi uttered the words tremblingly. If Eris denied it once more, he might just lose his mind.

To his relief, Eris hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

"So, it's $100,000," Levi patted his chest in relief before sensing something amiss.

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Like hell I'm relieved! What kind of chair costs as much as a down payment on a house? 

I could've sworn chairs were for sitting, not sending my savings into oblivion.

Anyway, my savings don't even reach $1,000, let alone $100,000.

If I had to pay for that chair, wouldn't I need to work for at least a few years to settle the debt?! 

"Eris, quiet down. You scared our guest."

"But, young mis-"

"Eris," Eleanor said calmly, but her tone was full of warning.

"Fine..." Eris murmured lowly. If she were a dog, her ears would likely be drooping at the moment.

Eleanor cleared her throat before gesturing for the flabbergasted Levi to take a seat in another chair.

This time, Levi handled it with utmost care, treating the chair as if it were a fragile egg. As he settled into the seat, a sigh of relief escaped him.

In an attempt to ease his nerves and soothe his throat, Levi subconsciously reached for the prepared glass of water placed earlier by Eleanor. 

However, perhaps due to his heightened nervousness, when he grasped the glass, it immediately shattered as if it were a delicate balloon. 

Levi was speechless. 

This is already the third time.

If he still thinks there's nothing wrong with his body, he might as well add the word 'dumb' to his name.

"Ahh!! You've broken something again!" Eris exclaimed in frustration.

Eleanor released a weary sigh before flashing Levi a reassuring smile. "There's no need to worry about it. It's normal for someone who's just undergone a transformation to be unable to control their strength properly."

"You know what's happening to my body?" Levi inquired in a grave tone.

"Hmmm," Eleanor hummed in agreement. "But before I answer, let me ask you a question first. Rest assured, this question is related to your abnormal condition."

"Go ahead," Levi earnestly listened.

"What are your thoughts on demons?" Eleanor suddenly asked.