Ethan decided to check her stats to distract himself from her captivating presence. His eyes widened as the screen popped up.
[Freya
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Race: Human
Master: Ethan
Rank: SSS
Loyalty: 100%
Level: 1
[Strength: 6 | Vitality: 7 | Agility: 8 | Intelligence: 15| Charisma: 50| Luck: 10]
Perks:
Divine Radiance: Recovery speed +100%, attack power +100%.
Skills:
Freya's Blade Dance
Blessing of the Vanir
Special Attributes:
Goddess of Love and Beauty: Charisma +100%.
Norse Divine Lineage: All attributes +10%; summoning additional Norse deities grants +10%. If the full pantheon is summoned, attributes increase by +100%.
Unparalleled Charisma: Greatly boosts loyalty and morale of territory residents.]
______________
Ethan froze.
'Excuse me…what?!'
He reread the stats twice. Maybe three times. Compared to her, he was practically a walking potato. Her basic stats were TEN TIMES his, and that didn't even factor in her perks bonuses. 'And I thought she was just a vase! Turns out the joke's on me!'
He glanced at her charisma stat—50! The average person barely scraped 1. That level of charm could probably cause entire nation to riot just for a chance to glimpse her. And then there were the bonuses for summoning the other pantheon. Ethan's imagination ran wild with thoughts of unstoppable armies and divine beauty parades.
"Ha!" Ethan chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I hit the jackpot, huh?"
Freya tilted her head, looking genuinely curious. "Master?"
"Oh, nothing! Just…planning stuff. By the way, uh, are you scared of monsters?" Ethan asked, realizing her combat experience was still an unknown.
Freya straightened, her eyes flashing with determination. "This servant has studied divine arts. If monsters dare threaten our territory, I will defend it with my life!" Her voice rang with such resolve that Ethan was left blinking, utterly dumbfounded.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed, stepping forward and grabbing her hand again. "I don't want you dying on me, okay? Promise me you'll stay safe."
Freya's face flushed again, her expression a mix of embarrassment and joy. "This servant…understands," she murmured, looking away shyly.
Ethan let out a breath. "Phew. Alright. Let's get to work. We've got walls to build, food to stockpile, and monsters to crush. And who knows? Maybe I'll summon Aphrodite next."
He couldn't help but grin. His Sparrow Terrace had exceeded all expectations. As long as he kept developing his territory, the future looked brighter than ever. Well, as long as he didn't killed by those jealous at him. He is sure he will be male enemy number one if Freya appearance shown on public.
Ethan decided it was time to give Freya a grand tour of his territory—or what passed for one. The place didn't even have a fence. Why? Because fences required wood, and wood required chopping down trees or hauling in quarried stone. Neither of which Ethan was remotely equipped to handle right now.
Freya, on the other hand, was a powerhouse, both in terms of attributes and strength. Ethan had tested this firsthand—well, "tested" was putting it lightly. She had absolutely wiped the floor with him in every possible way. Accepting his position as the weaker of the two, Ethan presented her with his novice equipment and said with a sheepish grin, "This is all I've got for now. I promise I'll upgrade you when something better comes along."
"Thank you, Master," Freya replied gracefully, bowing slightly.
Ethan panicked. "Whoa, whoa, stop right there!" He darted forward, gently grabbing her hands. "Please, don't do that! I'm not into all this bowing-and-scraping stuff. It feels… weird. Way too formal."
Freya looked up at him, her cheeks dusted with pink. "Ah, I see. Yes, Master."
"There we go! Much better," he said, flashing her a grin. "And drop the Master thing altogether. Just call me Ethan."
Freya hesitated. "Are you sure? It doesn't feel very proper…"
"Proper, schroper," Ethan waved dismissively. "This is my territory. I make the rules, and the first rule is no calling me Master.'"
"Well, if you insist… Ethan."
"Perfect!" He gave her a thumbs-up, feeling unreasonably accomplished. "Now, let's talk about you. Do you remember anything from, you know, your past life? Like, back when you were living in the Valhalla?"
Freya shook her head softly, her expression thoughtful. "No… I don't have any memories of that time. It's like a blank slate."
"Well, that's convenient," Ethan said, relieved. "Less baggage to worry about. What about your skills? How do you know all these abilities?"
Freya tilted her head, as if the question hadn't occurred to her. "I don't know. They feel… natural, like breathing. They've always been there."
Ethan nodded, mulling it over. "Fair enough. Doesn't matter where they came from—what matters is the future. And speaking of the future…" He gestured dramatically at their surroundings, "We've got a lot of work to do."
The bamboo hut they sat in was cozy but painfully bare. No tables, no chairs—just the two of them sitting cross-legged on the floor. Thankfully, the room seemed to hum with a soothing aura that made Ethan feel like he'd just stepped out of a luxurious hot spring. Not bad for newbie accommodations.
After sharing a modest meal from Ethan's limited supplies, the duo spent the next eight hours exploring the territory. It was a humble 400 square meters of land surrounded by a dense fog that extended 50 meters out. Beyond that? Total mystery. Ethan knew exploring the fog was necessary, but it was also a gamble. Who knew what kind of monsters lurked out there, waiting to eat newbies for breakfast?
Still, the rules of the Pangea Continent were clear: everyone started from scratch. No handouts, no shortcuts. Sure, rich kids could buy better gear and cultivate their strength early, but everyone entered their territory as a level-zero scrub. Equality, but with a capitalist twist.
As the hours passed, Ethan found himself losing track of time. Freya's beauty had a way of doing that. But the spell was broken when Freya suddenly stiffened and raised her head. "Ethan," she said, her voice calm but firm. "I sense a monster approaching."
Ethan's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? You can feel that from inside the house?" A horrifying thought crossed his mind. 'Does this mean she'll always know what I'm up to? Even… private stuff?'
Shaking off the paranoia, he grabbed her hand dramatically and declared, "Freya, let's face this challenge together and protect our home!"
Freya's face turned pink, and she mumbled, "Mmhmm," barely audible. Despite her flustered state, she didn't pull her hand away, which Ethan took as a win.
Stepping outside, they were greeted by the sight of ten hulking black wolves bounding toward the territory. Each was two meters tall with glowing red eyes and jaws that promised only pain. Ethan's heart sank. "Ten? Are you kidding me?! Newbie are supposed to deal with, like, two or three monsters tops!"
He grimaced, realizing it must be because of his auxiliary Domain. Sure, the perks were nice, but apparently, they came with significantly higher stakes. "No way I'm letting them destroy my territory!" he muttered, his fists clenching. "This is my future, my dream, and—more importantly—my home! Freya, can you handle them?"