Chapter 15: Myau-chan, Super Evolution! |
"We are home, Myau-chan."
"Meow."
At the door of an east-facing room on the sixth floor of an old apartment building, nestled amidst the neon lights of the South Ward.
Yan Huan unlocked the door with his key, revealing a small, forty-square-meter apartment with one bedroom and a living room.
Flicking on the hallway light revealed a somewhat cramped but tidy space.
On one side of the entrance hallway was the kitchen counter, and on the other was a bathroom with separated wet and dry areas.
It was nearly ten o''clock. Since the bus didn''t go directly to his apartment, Yan Huan had to transfer to the subway along the way, making him arrive late.
Myau-chan ran around the living room with his tail held high, inspecting Yan Huan''s humble abode.
Yan Huan unpacked the luggage from his school bag, hanging up the clean clothes and tossing the dirty shirts into the laundry basket.
"Did you get home safely, Little Huan?"
Yan Huan smiled helplessly. Looking at the chat window with her Banana Milk profile picture, he typed a reply.
"I have arrived, Auntie."
"Good, then rest early."
"You too, Auntie."
Yan Huan put down his mobile phone and brought Myau-chan into the bedroom, packing the books, laptop, and other things he would need for tomorrow into his bag.
After tidying up the apartment, taking a quick shower, drying his hair, and changing into his pajamas, he finally lay down on his bed, completely relaxed.
By the time he finished all this, it was already past eleven o''clock.
"Creak, creak."
Unlike the high-end mattress at Ye Lan''s house, the mattress in his rented apartment felt rock-hard by comparison, offering little comfort or support.
Moreover, the bed frame squeaked with the slightest movement. If one were to engage in any vigorous activities on it, the thing would probably turn into a percussion instrument.
Fortunately, the soundproofing here was quite decent.
"There is truly no place like home."
Lying in his own bed, Yan Huan let out a sigh as his gaze grew unfocused. He plugged in his mobile phone to charge and casually opened a video-sharing site.
Nearby, having finished patrolling his new territory, Myau-chan trotted over to the edge of the bed and leaped up beside him.
Yan Huan rubbed the cat''s head and asked.
"So, Myau-chan, how is the new place?"
"Meow."
Myau-chan wasn''t picky at all. Instead, he raised his head, kept his tail straight up, and looked at Yan Huan with gleaming excitement.
"Yan Huan, you really are the best candidate to fight against those Modifiers."
Scrolling through his phone, Yan Huan blinked, not understanding why the cat was suddenly saying this.
"What is going on? Why the sudden praise?"
"I just consumed some of the Modifier Fragments that dropped from Ye Shiyu''s Modifier."
"Fragments?"
Yan Huan''s interest was piqued. He set down his phone and quickly asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember what I told you on Friday?"
Yan Huan thought back for a moment and replied.
"The Invasion of otherworldly Modifiers looking for a Host, and then you giving me a Modifier. Are you saying that the Modifier rewards you give me will grow stronger as I make progress to resolve the Modifier?"
"Exactly. The way to enhance the rewards is actually by letting me consume the fragments dropped by other Modifiers. It just so happens that once it passes twelve o''clock, it will be a new week. We will soon find out what enhancements we get. Are you looking forward to it?"
Yan Huan looked at Myau-chan. Rather than showing excitement, he stroked his chin in thought.
"Before we talk about rewards, tell me how this actually works. Why did Ye Shiyu''s Modifier drop fragments, and why does my Modifier get stronger when you eat them?"
Myau-chan gave Yan Huan an approving look, then sat down elegantly, raising one paw to imitate a lucky cat figurine as he explained.
"I mentioned before that the way to resolve the Modifier is to make the hosts willingly give them up. In other words, the Host''s intense desire to use the Modifier is the pillar that supports it, much like a castle in the air.
"Just now, because you successfully stirred up feelings of remorse within Ye Shiyu, you caused her to question whether using her Modifier was the right thing to do. That line of thought is undoubtedly harmful to her desire to use it. And once that castle in the air shakes from a weakened desire, fragments break off and fall.
"These Modifier Fragments, infused with otherworldly power, fall within my domain of influence. Through my divine conversion, I can turn them into fertilizer for the Modifier bound to you, thereby enhancing its effects!"
''So basically, Myau-chan, you went through a super evolution!''
Looking at Myau-chan, whose black fur had become noticeably sleeker and glossier, Yan Huan felt as though he were playing a monster-taming game and had just watched his companion level up.
Yan Huan sat up straight, rubbing his hands together in sheer anticipation.
''Good, good, good. Let us see what wonderful surprises Consort Myau has brought His Majesty.''
However, since there was still some time before midnight, he had to wait a bit longer. This wait gave Yan Huan the chance to ask a question that had just crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute. If my Modifier gets stronger when you eat these fragments, does that mean their Modifiers get weaker after dropping them?"
"Hmm. Unfortunately, no."
"Why not? That violates the law of conservation of energy."
Myau-chan looked at him as if he were an idiot, but explained anyway.
"Do not forget, their Modifiers come from an erotic alternate world. The way they work is completely different from mine! Their effects are closely tied to the Host''s Desire. As long as the Host''s Desire does not fade, the Modifiers naturally will not weaken."
"So, even if they drop a ton of fragments, the effects of those Modifiers will not be diminished in the slightest?"
"Exactly."
"Never mind, then."
Speechless, Yan Huan lay back down. Myau-chan meowed and nudged him with his soft paws.
"Do not be discouraged! Dropping a lot of fragments means the Host has reached a point of severe doubt regarding their Modifier. When that happens, they will not be far from willingly abandoning it!"
''That makes sense.''
All things considered, it had only been two days. The first weekend wasn''t even over yet, and Myau-chan had already collected the first fragment. This progress was quite encouraging.
No wonder the cat had praised Yan Huan as the chosen one for resolving the Modifiers.
But Yan Huan didn''t care much about such empty titles. He was far more interested in the enhanced rewards.
Originally, he had planned to watch a few videos and go to sleep, since he had to wake up early for school tomorrow. But now that his curiosity was thoroughly piqued, he decided to stay up past midnight to claim his rewards before sleeping.
Petting the cat while watching videos, the time quickly ticked away until it reached midnight.
Seeing the clock on his mobile phone strike twelve, he sat up and looked at Myau-chan, who had also sat up beside him. He spoke with eager anticipation.
"It is time. Come on, let me see."
"Meow."
Myau-chan let out a meow and suddenly spat out a phantom-like stream of golden light from his mouth.
The stream of light expanded in front of Yan Huan, gradually forming lines of ethereal text.
[Modifier Level Changed: 1 → 2]
[Reward Pool Level Changed to 2. This means you will randomly unlock more powerful rewards.]
[Modifier Evolution Count +1, Random Attribute Fragment +1]
[Please select your preferred Evolution Route from the two branches below.]
''What is going on?''
''This Modifier even lets me choose an evolution route?''
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and continued reading.
[Evolution Route 1: Wholesale]
[The number of weekly rewards is increased by one, but two of the three rewards will come from a Reward Pool one level lower.]
[Evolution Route 2: Devil''s Contract]
[In your weekly three-choice selection, one reward will come from a Reward Pool one level lower, and one will come from a Reward Pool one level higher. Choosing the higher-level reward will come with a temporary minor curse.]
Yan Huan blinked, then grabbed Myau-chan''s chubby cheeks. With a darkened expression, he interrogated the cat.
"Seriously? I have to gamble on this too? What the hell is a Reward Pool? And what is with these evolution routes?"
"Once the Modifier was created, I lost the ability to directly interfere with its effects! Regardless of the format, it will still help you!"
Unable to extract a satisfactory answer from Myau-chan, Yan Huan had no choice but to turn his attention back to the two options before him.
It was obvious that the three rewards he had rolled on Friday had all come from the Level 1 Reward Pool.
Two of them were useless garbage, while the other was actually quite helpful.
This meant that the contents of the Level 1 Reward Pool were highly inconsistent in quality. Trying to choose from it was basically just picking the best of a bad bunch.
The main issue was that he didn''t have a clear concept of what Level 2 or higher rewards entailed, so he couldn''t make an immediate judgment. But even if the level was high, it probably wouldn''t be anything too outrageous. He wouldn''t suddenly become Superman or Doctor Strange.
After all, Myau-chan''s original intention was to maintain the rational operation of the Worldline. These rewards were meant to help him complete his missions and live a better life afterward, not to turn him into another Homelander.
Having figured this out, Yan Huan actually felt much more confident.
He decided to enjoy a little appetizer before the main course.
So, instead of choosing an evolution route right away, he looked up at the [Random Attribute Fragment].
As the name implied, it didn''t need much explanation.
''Well then, let the gambling begin!''
[Charm Fragment — Slightly increases your attractiveness to your own kind.]
[Young man, this world judges by appearances.]
[Reproduction Fragment — Slightly increases your reproduction-related abilities.]
[A certain gentleman once used this as an excuse.]
[Stamina Fragment — Slightly increases your stamina.]
[Hmm, stopping your late-night habits might yield faster results.]
Yan Huan pursed his lips and decided to choose the first one.
There was no need to consider the third option. He didn''t want to waste a Modifier choice on something he could achieve through persistent exercise.
As for the second one...
How should he put it? In his current situation of walking a tightrope against Modifiers—where failure meant unlocking an explicit Battle Defeat CG—taking that thing felt like paying out of his own pocket to go to work.
The first and second options were somewhat similar, but the Charm Fragment was far more suitable in terms of versatility.
The golden light of the Charm Fragment slowly dissipated, pouring entirely into Yan Huan''s body. He pulled up his phone''s front camera to take a look but found no significant changes.
''Slightly...''
Yan Huan recalled the description of the Charm Fragment.
''Isn''t this a bit TOO slight?!''
''It is so slight that I cannot even tell if it worked!''
Yan Huan shook his head and finally focused his attention on the heavyweight decision: the evolution route.
He ultimately chose the latter.
He didn''t know what higher-level rewards would entail, but the lower-level rewards were almost unbearable. Getting more of them felt useless, so he might as well take a gamble.
''Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Time to turn this bicycle into a motorcycle.''
"Hum!"
As Yan Huan made his choice, the golden light surged rapidly. Finally, three glowing golden orbs of varying sizes emerged from Myau-chan''s body.
From left to right, their sizes increased sequentially, corresponding to the level of the Reward Pool they originated from.
The last one, which was slightly larger, had wisps of black mist clinging to it.
[Skill: Vocal Mimicry. Exactly as the name implies.]
[There was once a master of vocal mimicry in the capital.]
[Ability: Unbound Vitality. The recovery speed of your stamina, energy, and other physical metrics will be strengthened to a certain extent, but your appetite will also significantly increase.]
[With great power comes a great appetite.]
[Ability: Learning Conqueror. When engaged in learning-related activities, every half hour of focus grants one stack, up to a maximum of 10 stacks. If focus is broken for 10 minutes, the stacks reset to zero. Each stack increases learning efficiency by 15%. At maximum stacks, you will also receive a massive boost to intelligence.]
[I shall conquer all the unknown, even until I turn to bone.]
[Curse: When not focused, you will inevitably feel mild drowsiness. Lasts for 5 days.]
Looking at the text bursting from the third golden orb, Yan Huan couldn''t help but click his tongue in amazement.
Although it was expected that the granted abilities wouldn''t be world-shattering, the effects of a Level 3 Reward Pool were indeed no joke.
At max stacks, his learning efficiency would jump to 250% of its original rate, plus a massive intelligence boost. And it would only take five hours to fully stack it.
''And as for the mild drowsiness...''
It didn''t sound like something too difficult to overcome.
Yan Huan nodded repeatedly as he looked at the rewards before him. He decided to choose the curse-inflicted Learning Conqueror.
In terms of his daily life, this ability would drastically increase his study efficiency, which would be immensely helpful for his future development.
In terms of resolving the Modifiers, this ability would save him time on his coursework, allowing him to dedicate more time and energy to dealing with the Modifiers.
All in all, it was an incredibly useful reward.
The golden orb suddenly burst open. Both its golden light and the wisps of black mist immediately poured into Yan Huan''s body.
Yan Huan blinked. Before he could even experience the effects of the Learning Conqueror, the wave of drowsiness hit him first.
He felt his eyelids grow heavy. If he relaxed and didn''t force himself to stay alert, he would probably doze off in moments.
Yan Huan was fully willing to call this a "miracle cure for insomnia".
Stifling a yawn, Yan Huan, having wrapped up all his business, could finally go to sleep.
However, he felt a lingering sensation akin to staying up late to watch a Best-of-3 esports match, only to see the team he supported give it their all but still lose 1 to 2.
The match was thrilling, but the disappointment was unavoidable.
He set his alarm to wake up early for school the next morning, turned off the bedside lamp, and pulled Myau-chan into his arms.
"Meow."
Myau-chan obediently tucked his paws in and rested on Yan Huan''s chest. Yan Huan pulled the blanket over both of them, leaving only the cat''s head exposed in the darkness, its big emerald eyes staring right back at him.
"Myau-chan, I thought you were going to completely rise up, sweep away all the competition, and return to your former glory. But even after your super evolution, it feels like your effects still fall far short of the other Modifiers."
Yan Huan sighed, his eyes half-closed as he murmured.
Bai Yi''s Indifference, Ye Shiyu''s Hypnosis, and whatever superpower that blonde woman possessed...
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
"Meow?"
However, Myau-chan merely tilted his head.
Looking at the reclining Yan Huan, Myau-chan suddenly spoke directly into his mind.
"Yan Huan, do you truly believe that those Modifiers came here to help their Hosts fulfill their desires?"
"...I know they came to launch an Invasion and destroy the Worldline. But those Modifiers are so powerful that granting their wishes is probably just a secondary convenience for them, right? Even if those desires might be a bit dirty."
Myau-chan shook his head and addressed Yan Huan with absolute seriousness.
"I have always called those things Modifiers, rather than Cheats, hacks, or systems, precisely because they are not harmless cheat tools that bring nothing but benefits. On the contrary, they are malignant tumors that will ultimately destroy the Hosts themselves."
In the darkness, the cat''s crystal-clear emerald eyes locked onto Yan Huan, emphasizing every single word.
"Using those Modifiers comes at a catastrophic price, Yan Huan."
"..."
Yan Huan stroked Myau-chan''s warm and cozy body, speaking thoughtfully.
"Do not tell me this so-called price is divine retribution, the cycle of fate, or moral torture. I do not buy into that."
"No, Yan Huan. The price I speak of is something very real. Even if I do not know exactly what that price is right now, I know with absolute certainty that it exists."
Staring at Myau-chan in the gloom, Yan Huan blinked, then let out a long breath and completely closed his eyes.
A moment later, he smiled slightly and said,
"Well... regardless, hearing that makes me feel much more balanced mentally."
"Meow."
Myau-chan let out a soft hum, lying obediently in his arms.
The bedroom fell silent, as if setting the stage for sleep.
Yet, in the very next moment, Yan Huan suddenly thought of something. He quickly opened his eyes and looked down at the cat.
"So, does using your Modifier come with a price too? Even if it is not as severe as theirs..."
"Meow."
Myau-chan looked up at him, his expression seemingly saying, ''I am just a cat, how could I possibly speak human language?''
"Is there a price or not?"
"Meow."
Myau-chan blinked adorably. He truly looked like the most precious little kitten in the world.
But Yan Huan saw right through it. This little guy was sulking because Yan Huan had just complained about him being inferior to the other Modifiers, so now he was refusing to talk.
Yan Huan grabbed the cat''s chubby cheeks with a darkened expression and began shaking him.
"Myau-chan!"
"There isn''t! There isn''t! Stop squishing my face, meow!"
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