Magic: Reincarnate from high-voltage electricity at the start, level up independently.

Chu Hong learned of Chu Ge's tragic death the day after the disaster.

Chu Hong happened to be away from the school when the live broadcast of the disturbance took place.

He went alone to the mountains and forests outside the city, hunting monsters and collecting crystal cores all day long, intending to hand them all over to Chu Ge when they met again in the future.

When he returned to school fully loaded with crystal cores, he noticed the strange atmosphere on campus.

The students around him were all whispering among themselves, and whenever their eyes fell on him, all the conversations would suddenly stop.

Everyone deliberately avoided his gaze, taking detours, their subtle, prying eyes constantly looming over him.

Everything about it seemed strange and abnormal.

Seeing that Chu Hong was still completely unaware of what had happened, Kuroi Rina led him to the rooftop of the teaching building and slowly recounted the whole truth of what had occurred the previous day.

At first, Chu Hong was completely unwilling to believe it.

But when the other party pulled up the live stream replay from that day and played it on repeat in front of him, the boy was finally forced to accept the cruel fact that his sister had already passed away.

He instantly understood the strange and complex gazes directed at him by all the teachers and students in the school.

On the day he learned the truth, he did not break down in tears, nor did he show the slightest sadness.

They also did not go to the classroom for class.

He simply leaned against the corner of the rooftop wall and sat quietly for a day and a night. No one knew the emotions churning in his heart at that moment, and no one could pry into his inner thoughts.

That day, Rina Kuroi also missed all her classes.

The usually lively and playful gothic girl sat quietly beside the boy, remaining silent throughout and not uttering a single word to disturb him.

The only sound that could be heard on the entire rooftop was the empty rumbling of hunger from within.

"Coo coo meow~"

On the third day after Chu Ge's death, Chu Hong returned to his usual routine, attending classes on time, eating meals normally, and maintaining his usual daily schedule.

The gossip and whispers behind people's backs, the overwhelming cyberbullying, and the endless stream of harassing private messages and calls from strangers on my phone...

He ignored it all, as if this surging malice had nothing to do with him.

In fact, the teachers and students of No. 2 Middle School did not deliberately isolate or ostracize Chu Hong.

Chu Hong is usually mild-mannered and has always been popular at school, getting along well with most of his classmates.

However, this matter was too heavy and unusual, and it happened so suddenly that no one knew how to deal with him.

At first, everyone was secretly relieved to see that Chu Hong had adjusted his state so quickly.

But soon, everyone noticed a completely different change.

After this incident, Chu Hong became increasingly taciturn, cold and aloof, and almost never took the initiative to talk to or interact with others again.

He used to be gentle and kind, and he would always hold back in magical duels. But in every subsequent battle assessment, he became ruthless and decisive, killing his opponents in one move without showing any mercy.

Rina Kuroi witnessed all of this, her heart filled with unbearable sorrow and heartache, yet she didn't know how to offer any words of comfort.

The white-haired girl has passed away, and the two only met once, yet Kuroi Rina is still deeply saddened by it.

Whenever the image of that person appears in her mind, she would hide under the covers and secretly shed tears.

She really liked that girl.

However, even Rina Kuroi herself couldn't discern the true nature of this affection.

It's hard to tell whether it's romantic love between a man and a woman, or a pure and sincere friendship between young girls.

She herself leans more towards the latter.

There's very little she can do right now; she can only use the immense power of her family behind her to silently help the Chu family fend off the overwhelming and relentless online public opinion.

Days passed quietly by.

January arrived in the blink of an eye, marking the official end of the first semester for high school students and the beginning of the long winter break.

On the day she left school for the holidays, Kuroi Rina specially arranged to meet Chu Hong on the school rooftop.

Despite the biting cold of January, the girl was still wearing her signature black gothic dress.

Her dresses changed frequently, but they always looked exceptionally thin. For someone as slender and petite as her, this only added to the chill she seemed to feel.

Huhu——

The biting wind howled past like sharp blades. Rina Kuroi rubbed her icy hands together and gently breathed a puff of white mist into her palms.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked up at the calm-looking boy before her, who was waiting for her to speak.

"Chu Hongjun, I'd like to invite you to Hokkaido during winter break. It's where I grew up, and the snow scenery there is beautiful."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl vaguely felt that her words were too monotonous, so she quickly added a soft, sweet word in a low voice.

"Meow."

Her eyes were clear, filled with expectation and a touch of pity as she quietly gazed at Chu Hong, looking like a kitten eagerly waiting to be fed.

Chu Hong looked at Kuroi Rina in front of him, his heart filled with confusion.

You're an ice-type... why are you afraid of the cold?

He doesn't understand.

Chu Hong said calmly, "Lina, you are a very good person, but I cannot accept your invitation."

"So stop wasting your time on me, I'm not worth your effort at all."

His words were blunt and to the point, leaving no room for maneuver.

Rina Kuroi blinked her clear, large eyes and said softly, "But in my heart, Chu Hongjun has always been a good person, meow."

Even if she is rejected, she will not deliberately pester him in the slightest.

After all... it wasn't the first time.

The girl was already used to it.

"In that case, Lina will wait until next year to invite Chu Hongjun to Hokkaido to see the snow, meow meow meow."

After speaking, Rina Kuroi picked up a pink Hello Kitty gift box that had been prepared in advance and gently handed it to Chu Hong.

"This is a gift prepared by Lina. Happy New Year in advance, Chu Hongjun, meow."

See you next year, meow.

She waved goodbye to Chu Hong gently, then turned and walked towards the entrance to the rooftop.

Chu Hong gazed silently at the girl's departing figure until she entered the door and completely disappeared from sight.

On the desolate rooftop, he was now all alone.

Chu Hong looked down at the exquisite gift box in his hand, his expression inscrutable, and ultimately decided not to open it.

"This young girl is truly sincere; aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

An old, hoarse voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"No need."

Chu Hong slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with cold indifference.

"She has given me so much like this, it's just some handmade stuff."

"It's of no use to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of flame suddenly ignited out of thin air, instantly engulfing the entire gift box.

The gift box was instantly burned to ashes, which were then scattered by the biting cold wind.

Throughout the entire process, Chu Hong's expression remained completely unchanged.

In fact, he knew from the beginning what was inside the gift box.

A pure white knitted scarf.

Rina Kuroi would always sneak off to the rooftop during her lunch break or dinner break, where she would watch video tutorials and clumsily knit a scarf.

She was always clumsy, often slipping from her needle and breaking the yarn while knitting, and easily getting the yarn tangled together and unable to untangle it.

She'll get angry if I can't solve it.

But she couldn't do anything to the innocent ball of yarn, so she could only lie on the ground, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, meowing incessantly.

After meowing, she had to continue unraveling the yarn, otherwise she wouldn't be able to knit the scarf.

If she can't untie it by hand, Rina Kuroi will bite it with her teeth.

That's a method only an idiot would use.

With each bite, on average, one out of every two bites will cause the gums to bleed.

Ironically, there was a pair of scissors in the box of yarn in front of her.

What an idiot.

That's why there are faint dark red bloodstains left on this originally pure white and clean scarf.

Just yesterday, Chu Hong came to this rooftop again.

From afar, he saw the girl finally finish knitting. Although the scarf was ugly, her eyes were full of joy, brighter than ever before.

Then he watched as the girl wrapped the scarf around her neck, trying to check if the size fit.

The scarf was much longer than her height, towering over her by two heads. When wrapped around her, it covered most of her face, leaving only her bright black eyes visible. The ends of the scarf hung straight down to her waist, making her figure appear even thinner and smaller.

The girl was overjoyed, like a "wolf-cat" crouching on a cliff top on a full moon night, meowing incessantly and taking selfies with her phone.

The scarf was too tight, and by the end of the shoot, her face was flushed red, and she almost suffocated on the spot.

After a long while, she slowly took off the scarf, carefully folded it neatly, and gently put it into the gift box in front of her.

My chaotic thoughts slowly came to a stop.

Chu Hong slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down.

Students were walking towards the school gate one after another, and the roadside was full of vehicles picking up and dropping off their children.

Some parents held bouquets of flowers, while others, reunited after a long separation, immediately embraced each other tightly.

Chu Hong stood quietly in place, watching silently for a long time.

He spoke slowly, his tone incredibly firm, after almost all the students had left the school.

"Master, I've thought it through. I want to practice the technique you mentioned."

"Have you really thought this through?"

The aged voice came again, carrying a solemn warning: "Once you embark on this path of cultivation, there will be no turning back for the rest of your life."

"Yes, I've thought it through very clearly."

Chu Hong nodded emphatically.

"Only by becoming the strongest in the world and standing alone for eternity can I reflect her back."

"Didn't you tell me all of this, Master?" he asked softly.

The aged voice in my mind fell into a long silence, and after a long while, only a long sigh remained.

"Very well, since you've made up your mind, then go ahead and do it."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient characters flooded into the depths of Chu Hong's mind.

"ah--!"

A tearing pain instantly swept over his head, as if his entire brain was about to explode.

The intense pain nearly caused him to lose his balance.

Chu Hong collapsed to his knees, his body convulsing uncontrollably, his eyes surging with a violent and insane rage, and he bit his arm hard with his teeth.

Sharp teeth marks tore through the flesh, and blood flowed out instantly.

After a long period of agonizing suffering, his convulsing body gradually calmed down, and the restless madness in his eyes slowly subsided.

Chu Hong slowly stood up.

His own cultivation level did not improve in the slightest, but the aura surrounding him became strange and profound, carrying a strange power that did not belong to this world.

At this moment, he seemed to have been reborn and was a completely different person.

"Hong'er."

The voice in my mind rang out again, sounding older and weaker than before.

"Just follow your heart. This 'Soul Manual' is the highest inheritance that your master can bestow upon you."

Chu Hong made no response.

He gazed at the distant horizon, her image echoing in his mind again and again.

His once indifferent lips slowly curved into a stubborn and morbid smile, shattering all his previous cool and calm demeanor.

"It's okay, it won't take long."

He murmured to himself, as if speaking softly to an unseen friend from the past. His eyes held an extreme tenderness, and a deep-seated, almost pathological, obsession.

"Imo-chan, Onii-chan will definitely make a world that belongs only to the two of us, and do it all by himself."

"For the rest of our lives, we will be together forever, never to be separated."