Chapter 198: [5,900]

[NEW PET UNLOCKED]

> Player has acquired SS-Class pet [Blackwater Leviathan]

> Player can use new pet in dangerous tasks and dungeon raids.

Eli blinked at the glowing screen, then slowly looked down at the worm-sized serpent curled happily in his palm.

“…You’re called a Blackwater Leviathan?” he said, voice caught between disbelief and exhaustion. The serpent lifted its tiny head proudly, as if confirming its title.

But then the realization hit him.

“I can… acquire monsters as pets?”

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

> Only selected few.

Eli narrowed his eyes. “Selected few…? What does that—actually, you know what? No. I need answers. All of them.”

He exhaled hard, dragging a hand down his face.

“First off—how is this serpent here? Is it connected to the Orion glitch? WHY do you have an Orion glitch? And who the hell is Orion to Elione?”

He knew he was asking too much.

He knew he was probably asking the system to give him the secrets of the universe.

But he still waited.

Hoping for a ding.

Five seconds passed.

Ten.

Nothing.

Eli groaned and slumped backward onto the floor. “Seriously? I pour my heart out, and not even a tiny beep? I’m supposed to figure this out on top of seducing—or whatever the hell this mission even is?”

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

> Yes.

Eli stared at the floating screen like it had personally offended him. “Motherfucker. So you answer that one?”

“Hiiisss shh!” the tiny Leviathan squeaked, glowing softly like it was trying to comfort him.

“No matter how cute you are,” Eli muttered, running both hands through his hair, “it won’t make me feel any less annoyed right now.”

The serpent nuzzled his thumb anyway.

Eli sighed. “Fine. Can you at least tell me my status? I did all my tasks except one. Doesn’t that mean I’m getting punished?”

Because there had to be a punishment.

There always was.

The system did not let things slide.

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

> No.

Eli sat up straight so fast he almost dropped the serpent. “No?”

Suspicion crept in immediately.

“You made Caelen and his team enter the dungeon just so I could finish all the tasks. And I only completed one. And now you’re not punishing me? Why?”

Silence.

Eli held his breath.

The Leviathan coiled against his palm, blinking up at him with curious eyes.

Then—

Ding.

[SYSTEM AFFECTION UPDATE]

> Affection with Target [CAELEN] has increased.

> Affection with Target [KAIRO] has increased.

Current Affection Points:

❖ Target 1: Caelen — 52/500

❖ Target 2: Kairo — 68/500

Eli choked on his own saliva.

He stared at the numbers.

Then stared harder.

“…Are you—serious?” he sputtered. “Fifty-two? SIXTY-EIGHT?!”

He slapped a hand over his mouth, horrified.

“I gained that many points from them? Seriously?! From what?!”

He leaned closer to the screen, squinting like it might change if he glared hard enough.

“Fifty-two points for Caelen?! How—how the hell did that even—?!”

His voice cracked.

His brain broke.

His soul left his body.

’What the actual fuck did I do to deserve that much affection gain—’

“Wait… one affection point is equivalent to fifty points, right? For the… core stats?” Eli asked, his heart pounding like it was trying to punch through his ribs.

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

> Yes.

Eli’s eyes widened. His breath hitched. “H-Holy shit.” He could barely swallow. “C-Can you show me my current core stats?”

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

Player’s current core stats:

– Strength: 10

– Agility: 30

– Speed: 40

– Endurance: 10

– Perception: 10

“I can allocate points now, right?” Eli whispered, voice trembling with excitement and disbelief. “I—I can actually enhance myself more.”

Ding.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE]

> Yes.

Eli sat down hard on the edge of his bed, practically dropping onto it. The tiny serpent wiggled beside his thigh, its glowing blue body curling against the sheets.

“Hiss?”

“Shh. Wormy, I need to think,” Eli muttered, staring intensely at the numbers like they were sacred scripture.

His mind raced.

’One affection point… equals fifty stats… I have one hundred and eighteen total… minus the two I used before…’

His breath stilled.

’Five thousand nine hundred…’

5,900 points to spend.

His fingers curled into the bedsheets.

This was more power than he had ever imagined having in his entire life.

“Okay… okay…” Eli exhaled shakily. “I need to be smart. I need to base it on what happened in the dungeon. I need speed—definitely speed. And endurance. Agility. I—”

He calculated quickly, running it all through his head.

And then, with sudden clarity—

“Add four hundred to strength,” he said, voice firm. “Add one thousand eight hundred to agility. Add two thousand two hundred to speed. Add one thousand two hundred to endurance. Then the rest… on perception.”

His pulse thumped in his ears.

That sounded right. Balanced. Strong.

Ding.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

> Once allocated, points cannot be retrieved.

Would you like to allocate your points now?

> YES

> NO

“Yes.” Eli answered without hesitation, even if inside he was screaming.

Ding.

[SYSTEM PROMPT]

Point allocation confirmed.

Stat enhancement commencing…

It hit instantly.

A violent jolt tore up his spine, and Eli choked, curling forward. His entire body ignited—hot, blazing, unbearable.

“F-Fuck—!” His voice broke as his arms seized up. His muscles felt like they were being lit from the inside, pulled apart and rewoven in the same breath.

The serpent panicked, slithering frantically up his leg and onto his lap.

“Hss!? Hsss!!”

“I’m—fine—” Eli hissed between clenched teeth. “Don’t—don’t worry—just—FUCK—”

The pain worsened.

His veins pulsed with blue light.

His fingers shook violently as a brilliant sigil—the system’s glowing emblem—flared across the back of his hand, searing his skin without burning it.

“Fuck, fuck—!” He gasped, body arching as if electricity was ripping through every nerve.

His bones creaked.

His lungs stuttered.

His vision blurred.

’I didn’t think allocating this many points would hurt this much—holy shit—holy—’

But he gritted his teeth.

He endured.

Because this was power.

This was growth.

The pain ebbed slowly—agonizingly slowly—like molten metal retreating through his veins one scorching centimeter at a time.

Eli’s body finally loosened, and he collapsed backward onto his bed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

His limbs sprawled out uncontrollably, trembling from the aftershocks. Sweat clung to his skin, soaking the sheets beneath him.

His chest heaved, every breath sharp and uneven, scraping out of him like broken glass.

“Holy… shit…” he rasped, barely audible.

He lifted a shaking hand, watching the faint blue system-sigil pulse weakly once… twice… and then disappear, leaving his skin tingling.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Except the mattress dipped slightly.

Eli blinked hazily toward the movement—just in time to see the tiny serpent wiggling across the sheets in soft glowing arcs, its little body dragging a faint trail of blue light.

It curled right beside his cheek and let out the most cheerful sound he’d heard all day:

“Hsssss~”

A tired, breathless laugh broke out of him. “Yeah… yeah. I’m alive. Barely.”

The serpent nudged his hair, its tiny scales crackling with comforting static—like it was checking if he needed to be resuscitated.

Eli closed his eyes for a moment, breathing through the fading pain.

His body felt… different.

Completely different.

As if someone had replaced his blood with clean energy. As if his bones had been reinforced. As if every muscle fiber was humming quietly under his skin.

He raised an arm.

It moved effortlessly—light, responsive, powerful.

He flexed his fingers. Strength rippled through them in a way that startled him.

“…Damn,” he whispered. “I actually did it.”

He could feel the difference.

The surge of agility beneath his skin.

The new speed simmering like a coiled spring.

The enhanced endurance thrumming like a second heartbeat.

He wasn’t just stronger.

He was capable.

’Finally… capable.’

He sank deeper into the mattress, exhaustion washing over him like a tide. The serpent snuggled against his shoulder, tiny and warm.

He wanted sleep.

He wanted a shower.

He wanted the world to stop spinning for ten seconds.

If the system could just shut up—

If Kairo and Caelen could stop arguing in his face—

If no more monsters broke into his kitchen or his pants—

Maybe he could breathe.

But reality clawed its way back.

His mother.

Lucas.

The hospital bills.

The weight he carried before he ever woke up in this body.

They needed him.

They always needed him.

And he needed money. Stability. A way out of drowning in responsibilities that weren’t even his in the first place.

The serpent nudged him again, sensing something shift in his breathing.

“…I need to find a way to make sure they get money,” he whispered to the ceiling, his voice tight. “I need to make sure Lucas doesn’t have to worry anymore.”

His voice cracked—just slightly—at the end.

The serpent froze at the sound, its tiny head lifting. Then it scooted closer, pressing its warm, glowing snout gently against his temple, static crackling like a soft, electric comfort.

“Are you… trying to comfort me?” Eli asked softly.

The tiny serpent paused—then gave the cutest, most earnest little nod he’d ever seen.

Eli huffed out a weak laugh, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite everything. “You know what? Just for that, I should give you a name. Don’t you think?”

The serpent perked up immediately, sticking out its tiny tongue and bobbing its head so enthusiastically it almost fell over.

Eli snorted. “Okay, okay—calm down. Let me think.”

He lifted the glowing little creature closer, studying it. The serpent tilted its head from side to side, as if trying to pose for him.

“Hmm… what name should I give you?” Eli mused, tapping his chin. His eyes softened as he watched the serpent wiggle proudly.

“Honestly… every time I look at you now, there’s only one thing that comes to mind.”

“Hisss?” the serpent chirped, blinking wide blue eyes.

Eli sighed. “Yeah. What I already called you earlier.”

He cleared his throat dramatically.

“…Wormy.”

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