The moment Noah realized what he had done, regret came crashing down like a tidal wave. If he had known the provincial Demon-Hunting Institute would take his words so literally, he would never—absolutely never—have joked about wanting a bodyguard with big waves.
But what was said could not be unsaid.
Now standing before him, with a figure that could topple empires and a gaze dripping with charm, was Lin Qian—his newly assigned personal bodyguard.
"Relax," she said, winking playfully as her curves shifted with dangerous confidence. "I'm a professional. I'll only step in when your life is truly in danger. The rest of the time, I'll stay hidden in the shadows. I won't interfere with your daily life."
She leaned forward, voice low and teasing. "Of course… if you ever ask me to interfere, I'll happily make an exception~"
Noah's lips twitched. He wanted to protest, but instead he forced himself to exhale and let it go. At least the Demon-Hunting Institute had considered his daily routine. A protector who wouldn't constantly hover over his shoulder was exactly what he needed.
And if she insisted on being this flamboyant… well, he would just have to ignore it.
On the ride home, Noah took the school bus, while Lin Qian pulled a scroll from her pack. With a flick of her slender fingers, she shattered it. Her form shimmered and melted into the warm hues of the amber twilight, vanishing completely.
For Noah, the arrangement wasn't so bad. After all, Ethan Jiang's final words still echoed in his mind. The traitor had sworn that by offending the Anti-Alliance Organization, Noah had signed his own death sentence. Whether those threats were empty or not, Noah couldn't take chances.
At school, safety was guaranteed. High-level experts were always stationed there, and the old principal himself had sworn to protect him. But at home? It was a different story. His uncle and aunt were only around Level 50. If enemies struck while Noah was inside the Land of Divine Punishment, his real-world body would be defenseless.
Lin Qian, on the other hand, was over Level 700. In Jiangnan City, that level of strength was already overwhelming. She might just be exactly what he needed.
When Noah finally returned home, the house felt emptier. Snow had already gone back to Imperial Capital University, and the once-lively atmosphere of the guest room had turned silent.
"Two more months," Noah whispered to himself. "Just two more months. I can do this."
Dinner came and went. After a cold shower, Noah excused himself from his uncle and aunt, locked the door to his room, and sat at his desk. Knowing Lin Qian was lurking somewhere nearby made him oddly self-conscious—so instead of undressing, he stayed fully clothed and placed his hand on the crystal.
The familiar pulse of energy enveloped him. His consciousness sank.
The Land of Divine Punishment welcomed him back.
Demon-Slayer logged in.
His figure appeared within the fortress of Gale City. Not far away, the respawned Black Wolf Boss was in the middle of a massacre. Dozens of players were fighting desperately against it—but judging from the scene, "fighting" wasn't the right word.
It was a slaughter.
One wolf, dozens of victims.
Noah barely gave it a glance before pulling out a teleportation scroll and vanishing.
Meanwhile, the world chat was buzzing. His name—Demon-Slayer—was everywhere.
Apparently, the entire internet now knew about Ethan Jiang's betrayal. The scandal of him colluding with demons and wielding the forbidden Doom of Talent had exploded across the forums. The incident had made Noah famous.
But as usual, rumors grew wilder with every retelling.
"I heard Demon-Slayer didn't even attack! He just sneezed, and Ethan Jiang disintegrated on the spot!"
"Bullshit. I was there! I swear he only gave Jiang a single look—just one look—and Jiang turned to vapor!"
Reading the chat, Noah could only rub his forehead in exasperation. The more they exaggerate, the harder it is to show my face.
With another scroll, he teleported back to the Forest Capital. His five remaining explorations of the Elf Ancient Battlefield had already been completed earlier in the day, granting him 25,000 attribute pills and a staggering 10 billion experience points.
His total experience now exceeded 20 billion. His attributes had skyrocketed once again, every pill consumed without issue thanks to his Tenfold Absorption talent. Any other player would have burst apart from trying to consume that many at once.
He opened his panel:
[ID]: Demon-Slayer
[Level]: 1
[Class]: First Job Advancement · Divine Fury Mage (Sub-Class: Warrior)
[Talents]: Tenfold Absorption (S-rank), Otherworldly Hero (SSS), Chosen of Destiny (SSS)… Rift of the Void (SSS)
[HP]: 614,500 / 614,500
[MP]: 12,100 / 12,100
[Attack]: 2552
[Magic Power]: 3890
[Defense]: 31,076
[Magic Defense]: 1515
[Speed]: 1437
[Luck]: MAX
[Charm]: MAX
[Skills]: Judgment Lv2, Sanction Lv2, Purify Lv1, Asura Slash Lv1, Radiant Flash Lv1, Fireball Lv1… Flame Cataclysm Lv1, Divine Domain Lv1, Summon Deity Lv1, Twin Shadows Lv1, Skill Replica Lv1, Northern Starfire Lv1, Doom of Talent Lv1
His health pool alone had shot up by 370,000. His defense had climbed by another 25,000. With criticals guaranteed, his Sanction skill could now deal over 120 million damage per strike.
"Step by step," Noah muttered, lips curling. "I'm closing in on godhood."
And the rewards didn't stop there. His loot included not one, but two SSS-tier weapons.
[Wrath of the Dragon] (SSS): +888 Intelligence, +855 Spirit, +500% Spell Crit Damage
Type: Staff
Required Level: 200
Permanent Effect: Each attack adds 3 stacks of Dragon's Fury. At 100 stacks, your next skill deals damage equal to 1000% of your base.
[Heart of the Phoenix] (SSS): +955 Constitution, +811 Strength, +500% All Resistances
Type: Knight Sword
Required Level: 200
Exclusive Skill – Phoenix Rebirth: Instantly revive upon death, granting a shield equal to 1000% of your max HP. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
One weapon for offense. One weapon for survival.
Artifacts of this caliber were priceless.
Naturally, Noah had already made up his mind. Wrath of the Dragon would be his. The level requirement meant nothing—his Elemental Conversion talent easily altered the condition from Level 200 to "HP: 200." With that, he could equip it immediately.
And as always, he converted all Intelligence and Spirit bonuses into Constitution. His already insane health skyrocketed even further. With the staff in hand, his Sanction skill's critical multiplier leapt to five times its base damage. Once Dragon's Fury hit max stacks, that number ballooned to over six billion damage.
As for Heart of the Phoenix, Noah set it aside. That one wasn't for him. He would gift it to Snow once he returned to the Imperial Capital. It was the perfect repayment for the sword she had given him before.
Hours later, after crossing the sprawling Forest Capital, he finally reached the glowing boundary of the next map. The towering barrier shimmered with prismatic light.
And he wasn't alone.
Hundreds of players were already gathered there, hammering the wall of light with everything they had. Spells detonated in flashes of color, weapons clashed, and the barrier trembled under the assault.
Noah stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing. "Looks like I'm not the only one planning to break through."