Liyara immediately replied,
"Yes. We saw how powerful it was, and we can use it to defeat our enemy tribe."
Because of that, Aether suddenly remembered something.
"Uh… Liyara, I just remembered. Didn't you give me something like water before? I drank it, and after that, I was suddenly able to understand your language. If that's the case, can't you use it to trade with the people on the surface?"
When Liyara heard this, she looked at Aether with an embarrassed expression.
"Ah… well, Aether… that thing came from my blood, mixed with a fragment of my soul. When you drank it, you gained part of my knowledge about this world and our tribe's traditions. In our culture, if someone does that… the person who receives it must become my… my life partner."
Aether froze and was completely shocked.
"W–What? What blood, Liyara?! And what do you mean by 'life partner'?!"
Seeing Aether's reaction, Liyara became even more embarrassed.
"Ahh… um… Aether, it means that in the future, we are destined to be together. In other words… you are now obligated to marry me."
Aether was left speechless. Inside his mind, he cursed,
"Damn it, Liyara… why did you do this to me?"
Liyara's face turned even redder.
"I–I'm sorry, Aether… I was just too attracted to your handsomeness when we first met."
Aether was even more stunned.
"W–Wait, Liyara… you're joking, right? I still want to leave this world someday. Please don't joke about something like this!"
Suddenly, Liyara grabbed Aether's hand.
"I–I'm serious, Aether. I'm not joking."
Aether could only stand there, completely stunned, with nothing left to say.
Inside his thoughts, he muttered,
"What kind of cursed life did I get myself into… being handsome is truly a sin."
---
Meanwhile, Rena was inside a five-star hotel, standing near a massive glass window. Silently, she stared at the city buildings below, clearly visible due to the hotel's extreme height.
"Young Lady Rena, I never expected you to act so recklessly. The people who died were children of wealthy families with powerful connections… especially Aether."
Hearing this, Rena felt her anger intensify.
"Shut up. Let me remind you—Aether is not dead. He's only missing. I clearly saw him fall into the ravine along with that damn Mika."
The subordinate behind her turned serious.
"But Young Lady Rena, we investigated the ravine you mentioned. There were no signs that anyone fell there. The ravine is shallow and small, and despite all our observations, we found no evidence that Young Master Aether or the person named Mika fell into it."
Rena grew even more irritated. She remembered the moment when Aether's body was surrounded by a blue light.
"And Young Lady Rena… almost all the parents of your classmates are pointing at you as the main suspect in their disappearance."
Rena looked at her phone and saw countless furious messages from Aether's mother. She understood her anger—Aether was Selene Silverhart's only child.
Rena then looked at her subordinate.
"In that case, find a way to cover up the accusations against me. I'm certain that the bodies were already buried by the three subordinates who went with me to the forest. Without evidence, they have no one to blame."
The subordinate immediately bowed.
"Yes, Young Lady. We will do everything to protect you."
Rena nodded.
"Good. You may leave. I'll handle Aether's mother myself."
After the subordinate left, Rena stared once more at the beautiful city lights outside the hotel window. She stood there silently until tears slowly fell from her eyes.
"Damn you, Aether… why did you do that? Why did you protect her? I did everything to make you love me… so why her? Why not me?"
Consumed by rage, Rena called the leader of the three subordinates who accompanied her to the forest.
"Oh, Miss Rena, why did you call?"
Hearing his voice made Rena even angrier.
"Lucien, are your subordinates idiots? I told them to give Aether the drug that would paralyze him for life once he fell asleep!"
Lucien was confused.
"Uh… Miss Rena, what do you mean?"
Rena slammed her fist.
"WHAT I MEAN IS—WHY IS AETHER NOT PARALYZED?!"
Lucien quickly tried to calm her down.
"Miss Rena, please calm down. I already spoke to my men. They said they followed your orders."
Rena frowned.
"Then why didn't it work?"
Lucien explained,
"We don't know either, Miss Rena. You provided the paralysis drug—it wasn't ours. The failure may not be my subordinates' fault. It's possible that the drug you bought was fake."
Hearing this, Rena immediately ended the call. She grabbed the small bottle of medicine and threw it in rage.
"DAMN IT! I got scammed by the black market! I paid 500,000 dollars for this trash!"
The sound of the bottle shattering caused several subordinates to rush in.
"Y–Young Lady Rena, are you alright?"
Rena glared at them.
"Clean up the broken glass. And find the man named Raxen—find him in the black market."
Still furious, Rena left the hotel. When she reached her car and sat down, something suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Rena froze.
System:
"You have been chosen…
Do you wish to become the successor of the Primordial God?"
Rena was stunned.
"Primordial God?"
She tried to touch the system, but her hand passed through it.
"What do you mean by becoming the successor of the Primordial God?"
The system responded.
System:
"The Primordial God is one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe. However, he perished due to possessing overwhelming power. Before his death, he created this system to find a successor… and you were chosen."
"Do you accept this power?"
[Y/N]
Rena's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she pressed [Yes].
System:
"By accepting the inheritance of the Primordial God, you are granted 0.5% of his power."
Ding.
System:
"You have obtained infinite mana."
Rena felt an overwhelming surge of mana within her body.
"W–What is happening?"
---
Several hours later.
Rena lay on her luxurious bed, wearing her nightwear, staring blankly at the system floating before her.
System:
"Task 1–10:
Kill people.
[0/10]"
Rena didn't know what to do. The case involving the deaths of her classmates was still too hot. Unable to decide, she fell asleep.
The next morning, she woke up early when a sound echoed.
Ding.
System:
"System update complete.
You have received 10 coins.
Coins can be used to purchase skills."
A shop-like interface appeared. Rena opened it and was shocked by the absurdly powerful skills displayed. However, most of them cost 1,000 to 7,000 coins.
She looked at the cheaper ones and found a skill.
Black Smoke Transformation
Info:
"Allows you to transform into black smoke for 40 seconds.
Cooldown: 5 minutes."
Price: 4 coins
[Buy Y/N]
She pressed Yes.
With 6 coins left, she bought two more skills.
Fake Emotions
Info:
"Allows you to alter your emotions to appear genuine."
Price: 2 coins
Acting
Info:
"Grants perfect acting ability."
Price: 2 coins
Rena checked the system rules and learned that she could earn coins by completing tasks. One task caught her attention.
Task 3:
"Obtain the artifact known as Oraculum Guard."
She researched it and discovered it was a Spartan-era shield scheduled for auction in New York.
She accepted the task and called her father.
"Dad, may I go to New York?"
"My dear princess, why New York?"
"I've become interested in artifacts. I keep seeing them on social media."
"Oh? Then it's good for you to stay in New York for now, away from those accusations."
Rena remembered Aether hugging Mika.
"Dad… do you also believe I killed them?"
She used Fake Emotions.
Her father panicked.
"No, my princess. I believe you. I'll prove your innocence. Use our private plane. Enjoy yourself."
Rena smiled.
"Thank you, Dad. I love you."
After the call, Rena prepared to leave for the United States.
As the car moved, she stared out the window, recalling everything—Aether's blue barrier, his disappearance, and the system.
"Aether… wait for me. Once I obtain all of the Primordial God's power, I will find you—no matter what world or dimension you're in."