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There are two illustrations for this chapter. You can see them in the paragraph comments. Hopefully, they'll show.
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The next day—early morning."Uh, I've looked for it." Said a bespectacled man, barely able to speak without stuttering. He was the real estate agent of Hari's apartment complex. "The building the young miss owns isn't for sale, but up for rent. Or shall I contact them and advise them to sell it?"
Yuhee placed a hand on the table. "No, forget that." She stared at the papers laid out in front of her. "When is the tenant leaving?" She hoped soon. The sooner, the better. She was antsy to talk to Leandro again, if only because their last conversation didn't end on a happy note.
The thought of him hating her in some form made her stomach churn.
"Oh… I think in about a month."
She smiled so brightly that flowers materialized all around her. "Please, tell them that if they leave right away, I'll give them the moving expenses and ten million won."
"E-Excuse me?!"
"Because I'm going to get into that place." Yuhee said determinedly, a bright smile on her face.
'Moving next door to Leandro.'
Isn't that the best way to stay close to him?
Yuhee was sure about one thing.
From now on… she must become an adult in Leandro's heart.
Her brain spun around her beautiful plan of action.
'And this new home will be my training grounds for getting closer to him.'
She giggled, licking her lips in anticipation.
...
Nari arranged a cute assortment of funny-shaped rice balls that vaguely resembled Leandro, a paw print, a bunny, and a character with cat ears.
A fruit board was artfully placed next to them, while colorful finger sandwiches with cute-looking veggies towered high over a platter of freshly baked cinnamon buns, served along with a kettle filled to the brim with freshly-brewed Earl Grey.
She picked up the rice ball she had put all of her artistic energy into making, taking a nibble. It was fluffy and plump. She stared at it, at Leandro's tasty, half-eaten face.
Delicious!
She sported a small smirk as she thought of that hateful Oppa of hers, always getting up to something stupid. With a pale, slender thumb, she wiped the corner of her mouth. The rice didn't quite taste like Leandro's tongue, but it did remind her of him a bit at least.
All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.
Her eyes twinkled in delight.
'It's him.'
She casually got up, not quite able to hide the smile on her face. Her clothes were strategically chosen as well—a snug, pink camisole, and shorts with dangling drawstrings. Her beautiful, toned legs were on full display.
"I told you to come back quickly, but you're already back~"
She walked up to the door to open it.
Leandro had gone to help Bada out pack her stuff; he shouldn't have been back this quick. Who else would visit the house so suddenly though?
"Hello~" A woman, dressed in a double-breasted trench coat stood at the doorstep. She exuded an air of sophistication and beauty that made Nari want to hurl; she knew who the damn bitch was. "Is your sister here~?"
And then she walked in, happily, as if she owned the place.
"What are you doing all of a sudden?" Nari called her, irritated, growling. "Get out before I call the police."
Yuhee daintily sat down on a chair, holding a folded piece of paper in her fingers. "I came here for a reason~" She smiled. "I had some business with the real estate agent of your house."
Nari sat on the opposite chair, her arms crossed. "You?" She didn't have a good feeling about it. Is that the reason why the real estate agent called Unnie? Usually, it's her Oppa who takes care of that stuff.
"In that case wait quietly since it's launchti—" Nari trailed off, startled.
Two fingers seized Nari's half-eaten rice ball. "Oh, this one kinda looks like Leandro, how cute~"
Nari stood up in alarm. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Not that one. Damn it. Not that one! Ah, she was too far. She couldn't save it.
Yuhee eagerly brought the rice ball towards her mouth, her tongue sticking out like a slimy, poisonous tentacle. "Thank you for the food."
That bitch just ate her Oppa!
"Mhh!♥"
A bundle of thick, foxy tails waved behind Yuhee. "As expected, it's delicious because it looks like Leandro." She swept her tongue out, to scoop up the grains of rice that stuck to the sides of her mouth.
"Ha…" Nari was about to burst in rage, but she knew that Yuhee was riling her up on purpose. "Even if you act like that, my Oppa won't look at you." She lazily looked away, a hand supporting her face. "You're too obsessed, Ajumma. What a simp."
Naturally, Yuhee wasn't too happy about that accusation. A vein bulged on her temple. "Are you talking about me?"
"Of course I'm talking to you." Nari leaned forward, one slender leg draped over the other. Her foot bobbed up and down. "Do you think I need to beat around the bush while talking to you? We're not even close."
Yuhee slammed a hand on the table. "Are you always this rude to your elders?" She'd have let her anger get the better of her—but not today. No. She smiled, laughing softly. "It's funny… you know, it was your Oppa that told me to come stay here. Do you want to know the reason why he asked me to move here, hmm?♥"
Yuhee smiled, staring deep into Nari's darkening eyes.
Nari grabbed a cup, ready to—
"It was to protect you."
A voice cut in.
Yuhee, surprised, turned around, only to see Hari behind her, a reproachful yet soft look in her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" Nari said, begrudgingly placing the cup down. "Is she going to live with us?"
"Hmhm. Leandro said it's going to get dangerous in the following days. He wants us all to be here." Hari said, and Nari could tell that her Unnie wasn't exactly too happy with Yuhee's inclusion.
But if it was really going to be dangerous, it seemed the right thing to do. Nari, despite her misgivings about the older woman, couldn't bring herself to kick her out in light of that. 'Damn you, Oppa. Making things difficult for everyone…'
Yuhee looked away, arms crossed. Her momentum was completely destroyed.
…
Bada popped open a can of beer. The foam slipped out right onto her fingers. She licked it off, secretly glimpsing at Leandro, sitting on the other side of the table, in deep concentration—eyes closed and everything.
She looked at him, intently. There was something peculiar about him, hard to put to words, or even pinpoint. She might not be the brightest, but her instincts as a woman were always sharp, on point." → "But her instincts as a woman were always sharp and on point
Maybe that was why Bada could tell that there was an intense energy frothing underneath all of that perfect skin.
Did the temperature rise? She found herself sweating.
The light bulb flickered, buzzing slightly. A dense air settled over her, something prickling the back of her neck as chills crawled up her spine.
Bada was shocked. Leandro seemed so intense… as if the very air he was breathing had frozen with each exhale.
For a split second, he seemed so terrifyingly different from all she knew that she couldn't help but... crawl closer.
"Leandro...?"
She called out, cautiously, curiously. She paddled closer still, hands and knees down.
'The heat coming from him… is almost scorching!'
It was not her imagination—there were some faint, flickering lights under his skin. It looked beautiful, almost like constellations illuminating him from beneath. The light intensified for a moment, as did the temperature.
The light bulb flickered again, more frequently, on the verge of completely going out, until everything went back to normal, as if it were all a hazy hallucination.
Bada was drenched in sweat as Leandro's eyelids fluttered, slowly cracking open. His pupils flashed brightly. They resembled those of a beast in the dead of the night; clear but incredibly chilly.
They softened soon enough, though.
"Bada?"
She was so close he could see the glistening trails on her pale skin. Her hair was bundled in a ponytail, leaving her forehead exposed. Bada didn't even realize that she was an inch away from him.
"You're quite close." He said, lightly. She was posed on the floor, her cleavage visible due to her low-cut black top.
Bada blinked, pulling away with an adorable blush. "Sorry." She spread her arms on the floor, and, involuntarily or not, she stuck her backside up in the air in a very suggestive way.
Her shorts were tight, and curved perfectly around her ass.
He could see the illusion of a long, thick and scaly tail curving upward.
There was a gentle yet seductive smile on her face.
"You're so intriguing, Leandro."
He merely arched an eyebrow, amused. Bada had a hidden side to her—it was obvious to him. "Do you really think so?"
"Hm-hm~" She nodded energetically, staring at him without breaking eye-contact.
Leandro grabbed his can of beer. Ah, fuck. 'It's warm.'
Bada's fingers briefly grazed his hand, trailing over his knuckles before wrapping around the lid. "You've been meditating for a while, dummy~ let me get you another one."
He watched her walk, somewhat dazedly. There was a satisfied smile on her face; she had even turned around to smile at him. Her manners had shifted, seamlessly. She had this uncanny control over her persona—she was a two-faced woman, and Leandro found that he didn't mind this nuance to her.
Still…
Who'd have thought. Leandro turned to face the screens around him.
〔You accomplishment an incredible achievement!〕
〔You have successfully advanced to the 2★ realm.〕
〔Strength +1〕
〔Agility +1〕
〔Aura +2〕
'I reached the 2-Star.'
With his middle and forefinger, he swiped up and down.
╭╼|═════════|╾╮
〔Leandro Reyes〕
〔Rank: 2★〕
〔Title: None〕
〔Strength: 20〕
〔Agility: 17〕
〔Physique: 20〕
〔Mind: 50〕
〔Aura: 42〕
╰╼|═════════|╾╯
He thought it'd take him a few weeks still, at least until he cleared the 4th or 5th floor, but Abrais' appearance had sped up the process—now all it took was a bit of meditation to round up his Aura stat. Meditation. Even with it, getting where he was would have been nigh impossible for anyone else.
It was as if the stars had aligned exactly for him.
To be reborn with his memories.
To prepare himself ever since he was a child.
Then again, being a 2-Star wasn't exactly that big of a deal, not in the Monolith. The average Challenger could attain that rank by clearing the 19th floor. Talented ones could attain it even sooner. The higher the scope of one's talent, the faster they'd advance.
While the pace would slow down at the higher levels, it was a straightforward ranking system. You'd go up by one star for every ten floors you cleared.
—Beep. Beep.
His phone lit up.
Leandro was pulled out of his reverie. He checked his message notifications, heaving a sigh of relief when he saw who was the sender. 'She's safe.'
Mother: Just got to the airport, son. Sorry for having gone missing. I wish we could have a happy reunion but something happened, and there's a lot we have to talk about. It's urgent.
Mother: Please get here as fast as you can.
Good, his parents were fine.
His eyes were fixated on the last line.
Something happened. The tone of the message indicated that it wasn't anything trivial; his mother had also never texted him this seriously.
He promptly got up. He didn't have a good feeling about it. His gut was wrenching with a foreboding concern. 'At the very worst, there should still be one day left…'
Bada came back with two cold cans of beer, a smile on her face. "Here you—Leandro?" She saw the serious expression on his face and stopped dead in her tracks.
He took a step towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Bada, did you pack everything you need?"
She nodded, unsure. She didn't understand what was going on.
There was a big shift in Leandro's demeanor.
"In that case hurry up and let's go—"
A peal of thunder cracked outside, transforming day into night.
Dark and ominous clouds hung over the sky, converging and swirling into a hole.
A flash of light blinded the city. Leandro could feel the blood in his veins thrumming loudly in his ears. And then, an explosion shook the heavens.
Leandro, instinctively, shielded Bada.
The walls of her apartment burst open.
〔WARNING: An unidentified, unintegrated plane is invading 'Earth'. This is an unprecedented event outside the Monolith's control. For interfering with a plane under the system's jurisdiction, and indirectly going against the Monolith's guidelines and restrictions about plane wars, the 'invading plane' will receive a substantial penalty once the event is completed.〕
〔Rewards will be distributed according to your contributions.〕
〔Defend your territory.〕