Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

[Repairable Intelligent Life Core: The container that holds the intelligence of an alien life form, currently in a damaged state, recovery progress: 42%]

[Defeat the witch once, Victory Points +500, Specialization Tree unlocked]

The next morning, Bai Ze first took some time to check the new messages that appeared on the parchment scroll.

First, there's the octahedral core that I obtained because I forgot to turn off auto-pickup. It's probably related to the entity that Lin Tingwan defeated. The recovery progress is increasing at a slow rate, so we can leave it for now.

Secondly, there's this mechanism, which is like a skill tree in a game.

The parchment scroll, seemingly stretching infinitely, reveals crisscrossing branches at its end, with detailed descriptions near each section.

[Beast Sword Technique], [Spell Reflection], [Magic Release], [Regeneration]...

There are even ambiguous options like "Charming Humans," "Animal Affinity," and "Advanced Culinary Skills."

All the text is currently in a dark state, and it seems that it needs to be unlocked by spending so-called victory points.

However, his 500 points only gave him a very limited range of choices, so Bai Ze made a decision quickly.

[Regeneration: Accelerates the recovery efficiency of physical strength and injuries, and is a prerequisite for Super Regeneration and Immortality]

In short, get your health to 40 first.jpg

After he tried to cut his arm with a kitchen knife, the wound closed up at a visible speed soon after the blood flowed out, leaving only a shallow white mark.

He originally wanted to do some more experiments, but his childhood sweetheart was already urging him to go to school through the door.

Bai Ze also had questions he needed to confirm at the school, so he lowered his sleeve to cover the marks and went to open the door.

"So slow! Did you oversleep?"

Lin Tingwan seemed to have fully recovered her spirits.

"I forgot to set an alarm." Bai Ze had developed the habit of checking on her progress in becoming a witch whenever they met.

The current values ​​are very stable.

"Are you expecting me to wake you up every morning?"

She asked the question with a smile, showing no sign of being serious.

"Sure, the kind where we crawl into bed; preferably in winter, I'm afraid of the cold," Bai Ze retorted without changing his expression.

"That kind of service requires an additional payment."

She raised her crossed index fingers to indicate a no, saying, "The only free option is to open the door to your house and blast heavy metal rock music."

"This is illegal entry and noise pollution, I should be asking you for compensation."

Bai Ze confirmed that this level of conversation would not cause fluctuations in the witch transformation progress.

Today is a rare cloudy day, with sunlight streaming through the quietly split gaps in the clouds, cut into wispy shapes by the leaves of the roadside trees.

As the two walked towards the subway station, the sunlight cast dappled shadows on the girl's hair as they passed through the shade of the trees.

"I think it's about time."

Then, Lin Tingwan, who was walking next to him, blurted out a nonsensical remark.

Before Bai Ze could ask when, she revealed the answer herself: "You should hand over the spare key to the house by now."

"After you just posted the threat of unauthorized intrusion this morning?" he asked rhetorically.

"So having the key doesn't constitute a crime?"

She mumbled her opinion while munching on a sandwich she bought from the convenience store like a hamster.

"We usually call this 'inviting a wolf into the house'."

"What? Don't you also expect your cute childhood friend to sneak into bed in the morning, gently wake you from your dreams, and then personally drag you out of your lazy sleep?"

"How can you talk such a long paragraph without punctuation while you're eating...?"

Bai Ze looked at her with admiration. "Can you drill?"

"Yes, yes... Do you look down on me?"

The girl's body trembled slightly, and she straightened her chest, which resembled the Amazon Plain (*the world's largest plain, with an area of ​​approximately 560 million square kilometers).

If you were really that brave, you would have confessed to me a second time already.

If it weren't for the threat of becoming a witch, Bai Ze might have brought up what happened after school yesterday.

But perhaps it's better to put it on hold for now.

"Besides, having a key is more convenient for me! I don't have to ring the doorbell and wait for you anymore!"

"This is the first time I've ever heard of someone asking another person to hand over their house key just for their own convenience... But I'll give it to you."

Anyway, a spare key is unnecessary when your parents aren't around.

"It's a deal."

Lin Tingwan clenched her fists as if she had won a major victory, raising them to her chest.

...Yes, it was all part of her plan!

After reviewing yesterday's double failure in love and on the battlefield, Lin Tingwan finally realized something.

Confessing your feelings is a victory song, not a battle cry.

As childhood friends, she believed that her presence had permeated most of Bai Ze's life like air, with perhaps only their respective homes still retaining a relatively independent space.

So, as long as she gets the key, wouldn't she be able to subtly conquer the last untouched virgin territory and achieve 100% ownership?

Even if she doesn't confess directly, Bai Ze will definitely be unable to resist!

Upon closer inspection, there's absolutely no need to risk being rejected!

She chose to believe that taking the long way was the shortest shortcut—in short, someone had given up.

Thinking this, the girl took light steps, carefully checking the distance between herself and the boy next to her, and gently leaned her shoulder against him.

This is enough for now.

Anyway... there's still plenty of time, and she understands Bai Ze's interpersonal relationships quite well.

He couldn't possibly suddenly arrange to meet a beautiful girl who appeared out of nowhere and then crash his childhood sweetheart into him like a speed bump.

----------

After school, Bai Ze arranged to meet a beautiful girl in an empty first-grade classroom.

The twilight mercilessly invaded the room, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a thin red glow on the still-wet blackboard, while the drawn curtains swayed slowly in the breeze.

It reminds me of the girl in front of me with her smooth hair styled in a side ponytail.

"Senior, why did you decide to meet me today?"

She clasped her hands together, pressed her chest—evoking images of a bountiful autumn—onto the table, and looked on with curiosity.

"They clearly dumped me."

"—Could you please stop portraying yourself as someone like an ex-girlfriend?"

Bai Ze grabbed her ribbon-like bow tie and pulled hard.

"Cough cough cough, I'm dying, I can't breathe! I'm sorry, please let go!"

The other person struggled desperately like a jumping salted fish, and only breathed a big breath of fresh air after he let go.

"Then allow me to correct you, what made you give up the time to go home with Senior Lin, who has always been by your side, and secretly come to meet your dear junior on the Magpie Bridge?"

She asked as she straightened her tangled bow tie.

The number [66.6] above his head, just like its meaning in the Bible, fully reveals the demonic nature of this person.

The girl pursed her lips, forming a mischievous smile.

"...Could it be that they want to discuss yesterday's conflict with the Bureau of Spirit Disasters?"

She posed a question that caught Bai Ze completely off guard.

And as expected, new text appeared on the parchment scroll.

[List of Enemy Parties]

Lu Xingyao

[Witch Transformation Progress: 66.6%]

[Area of ​​Power: Destiny/Divination]