Four years later.
There were still three years until the protagonist would join the team.It was still four years since the protagonist had been kicked out of the team by the Star of the Morning.It was still four and a half years since Will System had been killed by the slime.
A morning with birds singing and flowers blooming.
"How do you feel?"
"Huh… Huh… Okay… It's okay… I can still… Continue… Master, please… Please increase your strength."
"Not bad. I managed to hold on for three more minutes today."
"Hmm… Yeah!! I… ha… I can still…"
Although the dialogue sounded terrible, it was actually just Yiel "training" in a sauna specially designed by Will System.
Will System glanced at the temperature on the outer panel of the sauna, nodded with satisfaction, and turned off the switch.
"Has it reached 500 degrees? A3-level Holy Shields can only withstand 400 degrees. It's a pity that Yiel isn't old enough to take the level exam."
The current Yiel was completely different from the skinny, disheveled Shield maid who only hid behind others as described in the original work.No, not just different—if Will System remembered correctly, her rating in the original work had been B3.Her potential was extraordinarily high.
"Master—I, I, I, I think it could be warmed up even more!"
puff—
Will System stretched out his hand to open the sauna room, and a rush of steam poured out.He pushed up his glasses, now fogged completely, and although he could see nothing, he still had to maintain his composed appearance.
"That's it for today. One small step every day… day after day… there will be progress."
In the thick fog, Will System's gaze fell on Yiel's body.
Yi'er, wrapped only in a bath towel, was sustained by her ice armor in such extreme heat. Her skin wasn't red from burning—it glowed with just the right amount of pink.
Yiel was fourteen years old. Girls often developed early. She was already curvy and beginning to blossom into beauty. The sight of her wet bare feet on the floor made the image all the more tempting.
She shook her body subconsciously, like an animal shaking off water after a bath. Her ears, which had drooped from the heat, perked back up.
And what she was unconsciously shaking… was a certain area far too well-developed.
Shake, shake, shake.
Will System couldn't help but wonder if his training had strayed from its proper path.
He remembered that Yiel had been described as thin, small-chested, and petite in the original work.Why did she now have breasts larger than D-cup?And what was going on with that plump backside, even wrapped in a bath towel?
Uh… maybe it was because he wanted Yiel to improve not just her magical defenses, but her physical defenses too—and so he had been feeding her excessively?Besides, the physical development of half-orcs seemed to progress faster than humans.Ah… so that's how cultivation works. Yes. Will System understood completely.
"Master, your left nostril is bleeding. Are you okay?"
"The steam was too hot just now. It's nothing."
Will System pulled out a roll of paper and stuffed it into his pocket. The fog on his glasses had almost cleared, and he glanced at his thick, red-covered notebook.
It read:
[Task: High-temperature orientation training: Train Yiel's ice armor to withstand ten minutes in a sauna at 500 degrees Celsius.]
He checked it off.
Then he looked at the reward written below:
[Reward: Yiel's new prop x1]
Compared to the word "task," the ink for "reward" was fresher, as if written only last night.
Of course, neither the task nor the reward had appeared as a void interface or a sudden voice in Will System's ears. He had written it himself.
A mature system planner must build his own system!
Forget it—why does that sound so pathetic?
He closed the notebook, on the cover of which were the words "Mission System" written by himself. Most of the tasks had been written years ago, taking him several weeks to plan.
Will System feared that, four years later, when he met these key heroines again, he might forget their most suitable training directions, equipment, lacking abilities, or even important plot points. After all, these were novels he had read in his previous life—it was normal to forget details after ten years, right?
Just like playing a game requires foresight and planning, he had written everything down in advance: divided into three chapters, multiple key nodes, and several must-get props. He had left the "reward" column blank, intending to fill it when appropriate.
"Not bad… not bad. Yi'er, the mission is complete. Now, it's time to receive your reward."
"Reward?"
Yiel's ears perked up immediately, fearful of mishearing the young master.
"Well… come on."
"But, Master… Yi'er hasn't put on her clothes yet…"
"Well, it's easier to deliver if you're not wearing clothes, right?"
"What?!"
The blush that had appeared on Yiel's face from the sauna faded momentarily, only to return even stronger at Will System's words.Could it be… the young master she had watched grow up was about to… kill her?
It was said that men of the System family were very good with women. And every one of them was rumored to be a pervert.Was the young master finally… awakening?
"Master… um… we're still young… and haven't reached that age yet… although… even though Yiel is your maid… if… if you want… I, I can't refuse…"
Then she felt something cold wrap around her neck.
It circled her throat, a little tight, with a leathery texture.
"This… is this a collar?"
Yi'er held the edge of her bath towel with one hand and touched the object around her neck with the other.
She looked in the mirror. Will System stepped forward.
A metal nameplate hung from the collar, her name engraved upon it. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with a wear-resistant edge.
Even when she was naked, looking at herself in the mirror, she felt as if she were one of those slaves rumored to be sold in the underground market.
This… this was Master Will System's… gift, specially prepared for her?
Master… he actually… he actually—was treating her like a dog?!
"Master…"
Yiel's chest tightened with emotion.
Being raised like a dog was not as perverted as she had feared. She had been an abandoned baby picked up by the System family and was also a half-orc. Already, being the young master's personal maid was a great honor.
What's more, Master Will System had always cared for her silently. Not only did he train her in her duties as a maid, but he also trained her as an adventurer. Especially her Holy Shield—so that she wouldn't be unemployed or unable to find a job in the future.
Even if she didn't fully understand Will System's words, "How can you withstand the 5,000-degree flame dragon's breath if you don't continue like this?", she felt the young master's desire to make her stronger.
And the young master would wear the collar himself.
Wonderful. From now on, she must prepare herself to be both the young master's servant and a loyal dog for life.
"Woof… woof!"
"Why are you barking like a dog again? Yi'er, you are a wolf! Alright, how do you feel with it on? Take a deep breath—exhale, inhale—and feel the indescribable power within your body…"
"Ah?"
She took a deep breath.
Where the collar pressed against the arteries in her neck, she felt a cold stream flow through her, spreading along her blood vessels and magical circuits.
Her body, just overheated from the sauna, now felt calm, but not intensely so. It was like discovering a hidden forest stream on a hot summer day—mouthfuls of crystal-clear water cooling off her heat and dryness.
"It's… so strange. My body temperature… has dropped? My skin doesn't feel hot anymore, and my mind doesn't feel scrambled…"