At the same time, inside a luxurious hospital room-
"Uhm..." Yilin slowly woke up, her expression dazed, clearly not understanding what had happened.
"Yilin, you're awake?"
A handsome young man with blond hair stood beside the bed, dressed in clothes so high-end they were probably worth a factory worker's entire yearly salary.
"Alderic?" Yilin said weakly. "Why are you here? Rover... where is he?"
The moment Yilin mentioned Rover, a surge of fury flared inside Alderic. His hands, hidden behind him, clenched so tightly the knuckles turned white.
But on the surface, he was like a seasoned actor. He forced a warm, gentle smile-sunlight-soft-his eyes full of worry.
"Yilin, I heard you fainted, so I canceled my entire performance schedule and rushed over immediately."
"As for Rover, I have no idea. Your staff said they couldn't reach him either. Yilin, you should stop caring about him. He's probably using your money to enjoy himself in some bar right now."
Yilin didn't hear a single word he said. She remembered why she fainted-and pain flooded her heart. Tears fell instantly.
Seeing her cry, Alderic hurried to her, gently reaching for her hand.
Suddenly-
Smash!
Yilin slapped his hand away with force, startling him.
"Yilin, you-"
She ignored his shocked face and frantically searched for her phone.
The moment she found it, she immediately called her secretary- but Alderic snatched the phone from her grasp.
"Yilin, are you crazy?" He tried desperately to maintain his warm, caring persona. "You just woke up. You need rest. If you want to do something, tell me. I'll help you."
"Give me my phone." Yilin's voice turned ice-cold-so cold it could freeze the room. "I need to find Rover."
Alderic felt his heart twist painfully, as if bleeding drop by drop.
"Yilin, can you please be rational for once?" His façade finally cracked-his warm demeanor vanished, and he shouted, tears slipping down his face.
If Rover were here, he would've given Alderic's acting a 10/10. Flawless performance. Textbook portrayal of anguish.
"Since you fainted, it's been almost a full day. Rover hasn't shown up. He hasn't called. And you're still thinking about him?"
"What about me? I care about you! I've been worried sick-my heart feels like it's burning. I even canceled an international performance to rush back and take care of you."
"But when you opened your eyes, the first name you said was Rover. You don't care about my feelings at all?"
Yilin frowned, her gaze turning razor-sharp-so sharp it made Alderic instinctively step back.
She spoke, her voice colder than frost forming on steel:
"Alderic, three years ago, you took money from my mother to run away overseas. Don't think I didn't know."
"And now you come back acting pitiful, pretending to care about me... because you know I'm the sole heiress of the family, isn't that right?"
Alderic trembled, shaking his head vigorously. "No! Yilin, your mother forced me to leave! Your family is too powerful-I was just a normal person."
"But now I have influence, status-power. I won't lose you again. Yilin, please... trust me."
He cried as he spoke, his expression tragic enough to win an award. Truly, he was wasting his talent by not acting in movies.
Yilin listened without changing her expression. Then, with a voice full of cold authority, she said:
"My phone..."
At that moment, Alderic clenched his teeth. But while hiding Yilin's phone behind his back, he discreetly plugged a USB device into it. After pressing the tiny button on the USB, he quickly pulled it out and handed the phone back to her.
His expression was full of forced grievance, tears still clinging to his lashes as he spoke hoarsely:
"Yilin, I know you still resent me for leaving the country three years ago... but I'll prove to you that I'm the one who loves you the most."
"Rover? He's not worthy of you. Right now he's probably sleeping with some rich old woman, that's why he doesn't care about you."
After saying that, he turned and left the room. The moment he stepped out, his expression twisted-dark, cold, terrifying.
'Find him?' Alderic sneered viciously. 'That machine can grind a body into pieces smaller than 2 centimeters. By now, all of him has already been burned to ash.'
'No body, no evidence, a perfect alibi... Yilin, in the end, you're just a caged songbird in my hands.'
....
Back in the Gloomy Forest
Rover stared at the blade hovering less than one centimeter from his skull- and then the Undead Fighter halted its strike.
It slowly withdrew the sword.
Then, gripping the hilt with both hands across its chest, blade pointed downward, it lowered its stance in a gesture unmistakably declaring its loyalty.
Rover collapsed onto the ground, gasping violently. "Ha... ha... ha..."
He raised his trembling hands in front of him. Huge beads of sweat rolled down his face like raindrops.
His heart hammered so wildly it felt like it would burst through his ribs.
Never in his life had Rover felt death so close-not even during the torture that killed him. Back then, he didn't even have time to feel fear before finding himself in this cursed world.
He glanced at the two notifications floating before him, then at the Undead Fighter. After a short moment of thought, he spoke:
"Use the Rebate Application Ticket on my Pact creature!"
The moment he said it, the panic in his chest surged again-but now mixed with anticipation.
He used that precious card because he had zero combat ability right now. But he had successfully forced a Pact onto a Boss.
If he could boost this Boss's strength even further, his own safety would drastically improve.
WHOONG!!!
Suddenly, the Undead Fighter's entire body erupted with blinding light. Rover squinted, unable to look directly at it as a sound like ringing bells echoed through the forest.
He could clearly tell the Undead Fighter was evolving- his imagination conjured an image of a grotesque, hulking monster, something like a super-zombie on steroids.
"Alright... alright..." Rover muttered to himself, desperately trying to stay calm. "No matter how ugly it turns out, as long as it's strong and keeps me alive, I'm good with it."
Just then, a new System window appeared.
[Ding! Rebate Application on Pact creature successful. Undead Fighter (Rank D) has been Rebated at a 10,000× multiplier. You may choose one of the following options:]
Receive 10,000 Undead Fighters (Rank D)2. Fuse all into one Pact creature of Rank S
Rover frowned slightly and asked, "Between 10,000 Rank D Undead Fighters and one Rank S Pact creature, which is better?"
[Ding! A Rank S Pact creature's strength is not merely the sum of 10,000 Undead Fighters-it far surpasses that.]
Rover inhaled sharply. Excitement surged through him.
"I choose the second option."
[Ding! Choice confirmed. Initiating fusion to create a Rank S Pact creature.]
[Ding! Congratulations. You have obtained a Rank S Pact creature - The Thorned Seraph.]
The light slowly faded-
revealing a figure so astonishingly perfect that Rover's eyes widened and his face flushed instantly.
Towering at 210 cm, her body was sculpted to perfection-every curve both powerful and impossibly seductive, her skin so pale and luminous it seemed to glow.
Her face couldn't be described with the word beautiful- only one word could capture it:
Perfect.
Thick, shapely brows... long platinum hair shimmering like falling stars... proud, majestic eyes paired with an icy expression that radiated an oppressive, divine aura no one would dare approach.
Behind her, a pair of pure white angelic wings unfurled, stretching wide. Each feather shimmered softly, releasing gentle white light that drifted through the air like glowing petals.
But at this moment-
her entire body was completely exposed before Rover. Not a single piece of cloth covered her.
That flawless, breathtaking figure looked like it had stepped out of a divine painting- Rover's eyes went wide, completely transfixed.
She tilted her head slightly, her large eyes focusing on him. From icy and indifferent, a hint of warmth gently bloomed within them.
"You are my Master?" she asked. Her voice was soft and melodious, like silver bells-so beautiful it made Rover snap back to reality.
Beautiful...
So beautiful it was unimaginable someone like her could exist.
But his heart immediately tightened with caution.
'Wait! After the Pact was formed, her Loyalty is only 50%. That means she's standing right on the edge of betraying me.'
He sucked in a deep breath, instantly sobering up.
Rover really wanted to look at her a bit longer-who wouldn't? But with such a low Loyalty, if he angered her even slightly, she could betray him... or kill him on the spot.
'When she was still just an Undead Fighter, I was like an insect to her. Now that she's Rank S, in her eyes I'm probably nothing more than a dust mote.'
"Yes." Rover lowered his head slightly and answered softly.
The girl looked at him, an intrigued glint flickering in her eyes. She smiled. "I have no name. Master, could you grant me one?"
"Ah!" Rover blinked. The request was unexpected, but he didn't overthink it-he immediately began searching his mind for a suitable name.
While thinking, he couldn't resist stealing a glance at her.
But she was already looking at him. Her gaze was gentle-warm enough to melt him where he stood.
A soft smile curled her lips; even without makeup, they were a natural, alluring red.
Rover, who had spent his whole life studying and working with almost zero interaction with women, felt his face heat up. Being stared at like that by a heavenly beauty? Her eyes alone were enough to set his soul on fire.
He hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Then... how about Selviera?"
"Selviera... a wonderful name. Thank you, Master," she said with a warm smile.
At that moment, a System notification appeared:
[Ding! Congratulations. You have successfully named your Rank S Pact creature - The Thorned Seraph. Selviera's Loyalty has reached 100%.]
"Huh?! 100% Loyalty?!"