But inside his head though it was chaos. "Wait… wait… why did she stop? Did she just ask me something? Shit, shit, I wasn't listening. Did I miss it? Oh no…"
His heart was banging hard in his chest. His throat dry. "Do I nod? Do I talk? Do I act like I'm meditating? Please god, don't let her say "Well, Master?" right now, I swear I'll faint."
"Let's just nod."
Liu Yang nodded, slowly, simple, keeping his face calm.
But the moment his chin dipped, she started again.
"So, master, what do you think? Will you accept me as your servant? I swear, master, I will shed my blood for you."
"Master, I am your wall, use me as your shield, I am your blade, swing me and I will cut"
"Master, I am your shadow, follow you wherever you go, I am your breath, I will not stop even if the world burns, I am your chains, I will hold your enemies, I am your wings, I will lift you higher, master, I will—"
Liu Yang's eyes widened, his mouth twitched. Inside his head he was screaming. "What the fuck… why did I nod?!"
His head dropped a little lower, sweat sliding down his neck. "Fuck, asking questions is wrong. Nodding is wrong. What do I even do? Do I clap? Do I dance? What's the right answer here?!"
His lips stretched into a stiff smile, his face calm like stone, but inside his brain was rolling around on the ground, begging for mercy.
Liu Yang's eyes were fixed on her face.
He saw her chest lift as she took a breath. He saw her lips part, just a little, like the start of another long speech. For him it felt slow, too slow, like the world was dragging it out on purpose.
Inside his chest his heart was thumping wild. His throat was dry. His stomach was twisting. He was screaming inside, "not again, not another essay, stop her now, stop her before she starts."
His palms were wet. His fingers twitched like they wanted to grab his hair and pull. But he held them still. He held his body still.
Outside he kept his back straight. His jaw was tight. His eyes looked sharp, serious, cold, like he was calm.
The moment her lips started to move, he forced the words out. His voice came low, steady, commanding.
"Yes. Yes, I accept you. From now on, I am your master."
The sound echoed in the cave. He looked like a noble master, but inside his head was still shaking, a thought bouncing again and again. "If I didn't cut her now, she would still be talking three chapters later."
As soon as he accepted her as a slave, System screen popup in front of his eyes.
[System Notification]
[First Harem Member Added to Host's List]
[Title Acquired: Beginner Collector]
[Quest Reward Update: "Pervert Demon – Kill Bill & Brothers"]
[EXP Gained: 5000 → Level 1 → Level 5]
[Stat Points: 25 Unused]
[Sub Quest Completed: First Harem Member Added]
[Reward Granted]
[Skill Unlocked]
[Skill Name: Harem Resonance]
[Type: Passive]
[Effect: +5% Strength boost per pledged harem member within proximity]
[Secondary Effect: Host can faintly sense pledged harem members' emotions]
[Cost: None]
[Cooldown: None]
[Bonus Reward: First Harem Member]
[Reward: +10 Stat Points, +1 Passive Skill Slot Unlocked]
[Harem Tab Unlocked]
[Member #1: ??? (Codename: Blah Blah)]
[Loyalty: 80%]
[Affection: 70%]
[Status: Pledged Servant]
Liu Yang's mouth dropped open. "Blah Blah?! Are you serious?! This is what you call my first harem member?!"
[Host has not unlocked Name Recognition.]
[You must ask their name to register in Harem Tab]
[Until then, placeholder nicknames will be generated.]
Liu Yang covered his face with both hands, his shoulders shaking.
"System, if I ask her name, she won't just give me one word. She'll give me a whole damn essay. First the meaning of her name, then the story of her name, then her father's name, her mother's name, her great-grandfather's name… all the way back to Cang Ming himself. By the time she's done, I'll be dead again before I even reach level ten!"
Liu Yang rubbed his chin, his mouth twisting.
"Strength? Stamina? Agility? Defence? Damn it… why can't you just give me auto-assign like normal games, System?"
He rolled his eyes, then sighed.
"Fine, fine… ten in strength, ten in stamina, five in agility, and ten in defence. That should make me… not useless."
The System screen flashed in front of his eyes.
---
[System Status Window]
Name: Liu Yang
Race: Demon
Level: 5
HP: 200
MP: 300
Strength: 20
Stamina: 25
Agility: 25
Defence: 20
Unused Stat Points: 0
[Congratulations Host. You are now strong enough to punch slightly harder, run slightly faster, and still cry when stabbed.]
Liu Yang's mouth twitched. His fist shook. "System… I swear… one day I'll delete you."
[Error. Host doesn't have uninstall permission.]
His jaw dropped. "What the—?!"