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.
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
