Lilian's other hand gently brushed the corner of Alex's eye, wiping away his tears.
"It's okay, it's okay. Auntie's here. If you wanna cry, just cry."
Her brows knitted together, eyes soft with worry.
Alex couldn't hold back anymore. He shouted,
"Aunt Lilian!" and dove straight into her arms, burying his head against her soft chest, rubbing around like a spoiled kid.
So soft. So fragrant. So... huge!
How can anyone be this stacked?
She's gorgeous, treats me amazing—an angel! Please, marry me, Auntie!
Alex's lips curled into a grin as he hugged her slender waist tighter. In his mind, he already played out ten thousand different fantasies.
From today on, he swore—he'd never let his aunt suffer even the tiniest bit!
He'd pamper her, protect her, cherish her!
Lilian closed her eyes and held him close. The warmth of the boy in her arms made her cheeks flush.
Why's he acting so obedient today? Was the blow too much for him?
Well... makes sense. This kid grew up without parents.
Now he faced this kind of setback—just not completely breaking down was already incredible.
Maybe... maybe I should give him some extra allowance?
"No, no! I promised his mother—he must be raised strictly until he's eighteen! Just one more year, Lilian. Just hold on one more year!"
"But... he looks so pitiful. That look in his eyes... my heart's melting."
"Maybe just a little? Just a small reward? It's fine, won't hurt..."
She opened her eyes and saw Alex bumping against her chest like a puppy. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Alex?"
Alex lifted his head, hair messy, eyes dazed, face still carrying that childish sweetness.
"Huh? What is it, Auntie?"
Lilian helped him up and, like doing a magic trick, pulled out a black card. Hands on her waist, she announced proudly:
"To celebrate your first contract beast, Auntie decided to give you a little reward!"
Alex swallowed hard, trying to control his eyes but failing miserably.
His gaze kept slipping downward—till he caught sight of the snow-white, breathtaking valley between her curves.
His nose heated up. Blood trickled out.
He immediately tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling.
"Yes, Auntie!"
Lilian blinked. What kind of expression is that? Could it be... he doesn't like money?
"Alex? Are you... practicing some kind of acting?"
Alex kept breathing heavily, like trying to push the blood back in. But that scene he just witnessed—too shocking, burned into his brain.
"No! Not at all! I just... I like looking up like this! Good for training my jawline!"
Relieved, Lilian slipped the card into his hand.
"There's one million in this account. You can buy whatever you want. Just don't blow it too fast. A boy shouldn't be too reckless."
Alex's whole body trembled.
One million?
In his past life, he worked himself to death and still couldn't make that much. Even with his system, he'd need a year of grinding to get a million.
And his aunt just casually handed it over—just to celebrate his slime contract?!
Alex's nose stung again. His voice cracked.
"Thank you, Auntie..."
Lilian smiled, gently patting his hand.
"Life won't always go smooth. But every hardship you face will become the foundation for your future. Auntie believes in you."
Finally calming his nosebleed, Alex lowered his head and looked at her.
Her hair fell across her forehead, and her big watery eyes blinked up at Alex.
Taking the black card, Alex suddenly leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, Aunt Lilian."
Her face turned pink. She brushed her hair back, looked down, then up again.
"Auntie loves you too, little Alex."
Hand in hand, the two gazed into each other's eyes. Time seemed to freeze.
After a long silence, Lilian cleared her throat softly, pulled her hand away, cheeks burning even hotter.
She swayed her hips as she walked to the kitchen.
"Auntie will cook something for you. How about lobster? Or maybe king crab?"
Alex stared at her mesmerizing back, dreamy-eyed.
"I want oysters. And abalone!"
Her steps froze. She snapped her head back.
"...What?"
Starlight City – Mayor's Office
Several men in suits sat together, whispering.
"Did you feel it just now?"
"Yeah. That aura... beyond SSS, something higher."
"But it disappeared. Why?"
"Has anything like this happened before? A portal appearing, then vanishing?"
Silence.
"...Yes."
The rugged figure standing at the window, unshaven, finally spoke. Everyone turned to him at once.
"Mayor, tell us! What's going on? How should we handle this?"
"Should we report it? This is national security!"
The mayor closed his eyes.
"Five hundred years ago, something similar happened."
"Back then, an X-rank rainbow portal appeared. But it didn't disappear suddenly."
With a flick of his mind, the mayor shut the doors tight.
"A man contracted the X-rank beast—a Blood Angel."
The officials around the table froze in horror.
"That's impossible! There's no such record in history!"
"Wait... come to think of it, there IS a blank space in history around that time..."
"Mayor, why close the door...?"
"Blood Angel? That sounds like some evil creature!"
The mayor turned, his shadow falling heavily across them.
"That man was a genius. At twenty-five, he was the strongest in the nation.
By twenty-seven, strongest in the world. No one could touch him. Monsters in the secret realms were like ants before him."
"We thought he'd lead humanity into a new age of prosperity. But then... he discovered the worlds beyond."
"A new continent. A new universe."
"And then... he changed."
"He went insane. Bloodthirsty. He started slaughtering humans across the world."
"No one knows why."
"In the end, the greatest fighters from every nation sacrificed themselves to drive him out of our planet. Only then did humanity survive."
"That century became known as the Dark Age.
With no top power to protect them, humans were slaughtered by beasts. Our numbers dropped drastically."
"But then... our hero was born. Skyan. Not X-rank, but still brilliant. He turned the tide, restored peace."
The mayor's voice was heavy, each word like a stone.
He stood there, back turned, shoulders broad like a mountain.
The officials stared at him, frozen.
Someone swallowed hard, sweat soaking his palms.
A fat man opened his mouth but only croaked.
"A genius... turned butcher?"
Another man's pen snapped in his hand, ink staining the papers black.
Someone shot to their feet, chair screeching against the floor—then quickly sat back down, stiff as a corpse.
"Mayor... do you mean—"
No one dared finish.
The mayor turned, eyes swallowed by shadow.
"That's right."
He paused.
"That aura just now... was almost identical to the one five hundred years ago."
The room froze.
A man's hands shook so bad he spilled his tea, scalding his skin—but he didn't dare make a sound.
Another clutched his chest, gasping for air like a stone was crushing him.
The secretary by the desk went ghost-pale, notebook slipping to the floor.
The mayor swept his gaze across them, voice cold.
"This matter... can only be reported directly to the highest level. Let them decide what to do with that young man."
"Kill him? Protect him? Whatever, we don't get to decide."
The mayor lowered his head, staring at the trembling men. "There's one more thing—this piece of history must never leak."
His lips curled into a grin as he pulled out a massive spiked club, the steel tips gleaming coldly.
The men instantly lost it. The old guy collapsed to the floor, the secretary fainted, the young dude pissed himself.
"Don't kill us, Mayor! We didn't do anything wrong!"
"Mayor, we didn't wanna hear it! You forced us to listen!"
"Please don't! I've got an 80-year-old mom and a 3-year-old kid! I can't die yet!"
The mayor froze for a second. Then the spiked club started twisting, transforming into a glowing device.
"What're you guys screaming about? This is a memory eraser. Kill you? Do I look like that kinda person?"
Everyone went blank.
The next second, the whole mayor's office shook violently.
"Don't make it look like a giant spiked club, Mayor!!"
"Damn you! My heart almost stopped!"
"Report! Report! I'm gonna report you for this!!"
The mayor gave an awkward smile and pressed the switch. A burst of blue light swept the room.
Silence.
The young man took a deep breath. "Mayor... so what should we do now?"
The mayor turned his back to them. "I'll report this to the higher-ups. You guys just go home."
"Yes, Mayor."
Watching them leave, the rugged mayor smacked his lips.
"Seriously... no sense of humor at all."
"A memory eraser shaped like a spiked club is cool, okay?"