The girl clutched a small knife tightly in her hands—her only source of security. The oversized, deep green pants she wore, with their hems dragging on the ground, rustled noisily as her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Though she was technically a robber,
her unease and fear made her seem more like a tormented victim, utterly devoid of any intimidation.
“Stop… give me the bread!”
The girl was acutely aware of her shortcomings.
She tried her best to appear menacing, pointing the sharp blade at Xu Xi like a young beast baring its new teeth, while shouting hysterically for him to stop approaching her.
Her eyes were filled with longing, firmly fixed on the half-eaten white bread in Xu Xi’s hand, marked with bite marks.
Involuntarily,
her parched throat, long devoid of moisture,
struggled to swallow.
To be honest, the scene was bizarre, almost comically absurd.
In the early morning, the massive steam engines of Allenson City roared to life, their colossal plumes of steam shrouding the sky like a divine miracle, with the occasional figure of a mage darting through.
In a secluded alley unnoticed by anyone, a half-demon girl of mixed human and demon blood wielded a laughably small knife, attempting to rob one of Allenson City’s most prominent figures.
Xu Xi, who was publicly known as a formal mage but in reality, an elite mage.
Such a situation
was even more illogical than the mythical epics sung by bards.
Even disregarding Xu Xi’s status as a mage, the physical strength of an adult male alone would be enough to easily overpower this frail demon girl.
Yet, Xu Xi did not do so.
“Hungry?” Without casting a spell to punish the disrespectful demon girl or reprimanding her harshly, Xu Xi simply asked her calmly.
The girl paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“Here.”
Xu Xi tore off the top portion that he had bitten and handed the remaining bread to the girl. She didn’t immediately take it, instead eyeing Xu Xi warily from a distance.
Her eyes flickered with confusion and bewilderment.
It seemed she had never expected to obtain food so easily.
One step.
Two steps.
The girl cautiously inched forward, one hand gripping the knife while the other reached for the bread, approaching Xu Xi with extreme caution.
Once she grabbed the bread, she quickly retreated to the depths of the alley.
She huddled on a rotting wooden crate in the corner of the alley,
her feet stepping in a yellow, slimy puddle of mud.
Under Xu Xi’s gaze, she first nibbled at the bread, and after confirming it was safe, she began devouring it voraciously.
……
“I’ve heard that pure-blooded demons have exceptionally resilient organs, capable of enduring a year of starvation, surviving solely on their magical energy during that time.”
“If that’s the case, a half-demon like her should have inherited some of that ability to endure hunger.”
Watching the girl wolf down the bread,
Xu Xi shook his head.
He couldn’t imagine how long this girl had been wandering or what she had experienced to end up in such a pitiful state—filthy, covered in scars, and utterly destitute.
After a while, the demon girl finished the white bread.
She looked at Xu Xi again, or more accurately, her hollow, lifeless eyes fixated on the crumbs of bread in Xu Xi’s hand—the part he had torn off earlier, still bearing his bite marks.
Only then,
when she saw the food, did a glimmer of longing appear in her eyes.
“C-can… you… give it… to me…”
Perhaps Xu Xi’s act of giving her food had slightly raised his favorability in her eyes, as this time she didn’t threaten him with the knife but instead stuttered out a request.
Unconsciously,
there was a hint of pleading and ingratiation in her tone.
Her emaciated body rose from the rotten crate, her bare feet stepping in the mud and dirt as she staggered toward Xu Xi.
She wanted to grab the bread crumbs in his hand.
However—
Xu Xi didn’t even acknowledge her, simply tossing the bread crumbs into his mouth before turning and walking away without a glance, leaving the girl with only his retreating figure.
“Why… why…”
The girl was stunned.
The faint light that had briefly appeared in her eyes vanished, replaced once more by emptiness and gloom.
She lost her balance, falling to the ground, onto the slippery, foul-smelling alley floor. Pain shot through her, and blood began to flow from a wound on her forehead.
The girl didn’t cry out—she was used to it.
She didn’t get up either, remaining in the mud in a daze.
“Mom… did I do something wrong again…”
“Mom…”
“Why is this happening… I’m so hungry… I’m so hungry, Mom…”
The pangs of hunger struck again, the twisting, deadly cramps in her stomach far more intense than the pain from the bleeding wound on her forehead. The girl began to wail.
She curled up, clutching her stomach with both hands, rolling back and forth in the mud.
As if doing so could lessen the agony.
She wanted to cry, but that emotion had long been lost, utterly destroyed by countless moments of despair.
In the end, she lay there in the mud, broken and lifeless, staring blankly at the sky, waiting quietly for death to come.
If she died, she wouldn’t be hungry anymore…
Such a simple thought crossed her mind.
But just then, the sound of footsteps approached, growing louder until they stopped in front of the demon girl.
A warm, strong hand pulled her up. She saw that it belonged to the young man from before—he had not only returned but also brought new bread.
“Eat.”
“The bread I gave you earlier had my bite marks on it—it wasn’t clean. Eat this new one.”
Xu Xi spoke,
unbothered by the girl’s stench or the mud dripping from her body.
He extended his hand, casting a level 5 life magic spell, using vast amounts of life energy to heal the girl’s wounds.
Then he helped her up,
guiding her to sit in a cleaner spot to eat the bread.
“……”, the girl remained dazed throughout, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening.
It wasn’t until Xu Xi handed her the bread that she snapped out of it, mechanically taking bite after bite.
The bag of bread was soon devoured.
Xu Xi then used water magic, summoning a large water ball to hydrate the girl and wash away the filth covering her body.
Finally,
Xu Xi crouched down, bringing his eyes level with the girl’s.
He tried his best to appear gentle.
In the midst of the filthy, chaotic alley—a place even rats would avoid—he extended his hand to the girl, a living, breathing being just like him, and made a simple offer:
“Come with me.”
The girl, who had been as still as a doll, looked at Xu Xi with her empty eyes, her face devoid of any expression, like a puppet waiting to be controlled.
She still didn’t fully understand what was happening, but deep inside, there was an impulse, urging her, telling her.
So, she obeyed.
Her hands slowly grasped the man’s outstretched palm.
“Okay…”
Her voice trembled.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
