The magical device Disparaître was an extremely useful life-saving treasure. Its only drawback was that it couldn't be used in battle.
So, after activating the device, I returned to the forest to test it.
What I saw there nearly scared me half to death — my usually graceful master was torturing the species of beasts that had injured me. Her expression and the words that came out of her mouth almost made me run far, far away from her.
"Hehe… you dare to harm my student's skin?"
"His pure skin and his life cannot be tainted by trash like you."
"Ahhh… those innocent eyes of his, filled with love and affection for me… I can't stop staring."
"Umm… it seems I'm getting a little wet just thinking about it."
And before I could hear more things I absolutely didn't want to hear, I ran as far away as I could — unable to bear the cruel torture scene I had just witnessed. The next day, I had nightmares.
After doing some research and buying information from the system, I found the answer behind her twisted and overly protective love — and it left me confused.
Since a young age, Aprilia had never received love from her family. That was because of her low talent with the sword. Even during her adventuring days, she faced countless obstacles and dangers without support from anyone.
Only after becoming famous did she receive attention — but to her, that was not love. As a result, she never had a chance to give her love to anyone, and it remained buried deep inside her.
Then I appeared — someone who genuinely and wholeheartedly loved and admired her. She couldn't hold back what was called "love" anymore.
This wasn't entirely bad — it allowed me to control her more and make her mine. The only problem was whether she would accept me having other women besides her.
If not, I would face many problems in the future.
At that moment, the warning for the upcoming battle began.
"The trial will begin now. Please focus."
A flat, emotionless voice spoke — like a programmed AI.
"Because the contestant wishes to undergo the trial for three participants, the program has selected a suitable challenge."
"The contestants must survive the incoming attacks until the last enemy falls."
"Each enemy present will match the participants' power level — in this case, all enemies will have Low Silver Stage strength."
"The number of enemies will increase with each wave."
"There will be a 5-minute break after each round. If any participant dies, the test will be considered a failure."
"According to program calculations, your current survival rate is 0.0001%. Knowing this, do you still wish to proceed?"
Hearing all that information, my resolve wavered slightly. But as I thought about all my plans and the new family I had gained, I steeled my determination.
"Yes."
"Then I wish you the best of luck."
After that, the place where I stood began to change, and I found myself in a barren land with no end in sight. Turning around, I saw my two sisters not far from me — then I checked my status.
Name: Zeref Fernandez
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Species: Human
Appearance: 9/10 (Not bad — you could survive on looks alone)
Talent: 9/10 (Good — you're constantly improving)
Note: Hidden Bloodline (Locked)
Titles: The Manipulator, Women's Ideal Man, Yandere Collector, Young Master, Butt-Slapping Expert
Power: Low Silver Stage
Points: 250,000
Looks like I got a new title — Butt-Slapping Expert. I guess this one is from spanking Theresia. I chuckled a little, amused by it.
Then I searched for my spatial ring and pulled out a quiver filled with arrows. I could generate mana-based arrows, but the mana consumption would be much higher.
After placing the quiver on my back, I walked toward my two sisters, who were now looking at me.
As I approached them, I placed a small barrier device my master had given me and kept it close to them. Activating it, an invisible barrier surrounded them. This should be strong enough to stop attacks up to Grandmaster level.
"The trial will begin in 10 seconds. Please prepare yourselves."
Hearing that, I positioned myself in front of my sisters and then took out a pill and swallowed it.
Item: Painless Pill
Description: A pill created by the Rahe tribe to help their young endure brutal training.
Effect: Suppresses all forms of pain for 1 hour.
Cost: 1500
Well, I'm not a masochist. Considering this trial has an SSS-level difficulty, I'm pretty sure I'll be beaten up often.
I'm not like those protagonists who scream during battle without thinking — if I can avoid pain, why not?
A bell rang, and two figures began forming in front of me.
They looked humanoid but had no facial features. Both emitted Low Silver Stage auras.
The two humanoids started charging toward me. They seemed unarmed, but I didn't lower my guard. I grabbed an arrow from my quiver, nocked it on my bow, and quickly released it.
Channeling a bit of mana into it, I fired the first arrow — followed by two more right after. The humanoid in front dodged the first arrow, but that arrow suddenly changed direction toward the second humanoid.
The second humanoid barely avoided it, but the speed of my arrow was faster — it pierced straight into its heart.
The second and third arrows zigzagged unpredictably, too fast for the first humanoid to read. Finally, the third arrow struck its temple. After that, both humanoids crumbled into dust.
I retrieved my three arrows back into the quiver and turned around, flashing a wide smile at my two sisters, who were now staring at me in disbelief.
Meanwhile, in the system monitoring chamber, silence filled the room after witnessing the first battle. A large screen displayed what was happening inside the Chaos World.
They had seen Zeref place the barrier and easily defeat two Low Silver Stage soldiers. Everyone — except Shopia — was astonished.
"Z-Zeref… he's a Silver-level archer!"
The King was the first to speak, breaking the silence in the room. After that, heated discussions broke out among the gathered people.
"Did you know about this?"
Lidya spoke to Shopia with a serious tone. Shopia sighed and answered:
"Yes. Zeref actually awakened his mana foundation at the age of 10. At the same time, he was accepted as the personal disciple of a Saint-level Archer."
Every word spoken by Shopia brought tremendous shock to the people in the room. As Shopia continued speaking, the King fell silent, deep in thought.