Chapter 70: A Divine Gift & A Cruel Truth

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: A Divine Gift & A Cruel Truth

Sophia stood on the bed, looking cautiously at the blue interface floating before her. She had seen something similar once before—the status window of the Akashic Records.

However, while the Akashic Records possessed a light golden glow, this new screen was a distinct, sharp blue. To test if it shared a connection with her existing interface, she focused her mind and summoned the status window of the Akashic Records.

Instantly, it materialized, hovering right alongside the mysterious blue interface. Sophia narrowed her eyes, studying the blue anomaly.

"What are you?" she demanded, questioning both the screen and the voice she had heard moments ago.

Right on cue, the mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

[Greetings, Host.]

[You are one of the fortunate individuals chosen by the Harem System, a unique entity born within the vast cosmos.]

[The purpose of the Harem System is simple: to help its Host nurture love, strengthen bonds, grow alongside their chosen partners, and become more powerful together.]

Sophia’s gaze sharpened as she processed the explanation. "A Harem System? Is this some kind of prank?" She muttered, confused as to who would go through the trouble of pulling such a bizarre joke.

Before her thoughts could wander further, the system chimed again.

[Ding!]

[The Harem System has detected that the Host possesses deep affection for an individual. Potential Partner Detected: Aeon Astaraeas.]

[Warning: Analysis indicates that the detected individual is destined to have multiple romantic partners throughout his lifetime.]

[He is capable of loving multiple people deeply and sincerely. If you choose to pursue a relationship with him, you must accept the reality of sharing his heart with others who will hold an equally genuine place in his life.]

[The system will not urge you to accept this fate, nor will it ask you to abandon your feelings. This is simply a truth you deserve to know before making your choice.]

[Your feelings are your own. And your decision is your own. If this revelation causes your heart to waver, the Harem System will respect your choice to walk away.]

[However, if your love remains unchanged and you choose to walk beside him despite knowing you will not be his only partner, the Harem System will support you unconditionally.]

[What is your choice, Host?]

Every word struck Sophia’s heart like a heavy blow. She remembered Seraphina saying something incredibly similar before, but she had brushed it off, assuming Seraphina knew nothing about Aeon.

Yet now, this so called cosmic entity was repeating the exact same warning. It claimed Aeon was destined to have multiple partners, and that he would love each of them completely.

A surge of anger flared within her. Reaching into her space ring, she drew her sword and slashed violently at the blue interface.

"Shut up! You know nothing about Aeon!" she screamed. "He is mine alone!"

Shing! Slice!

The blade passed effortlessly through the projection, leaving it completely unscathed. Realizing simple physical attacks were useless, Sophia channeled her martial cosmic energy into the blade and struck again.

The result was the same. Frustrated, she glared at the screen and yelled, "It’s you, isn’t it, Seraphina?! You’re playing tricks on me, thinking you can scare me away from Aeon! Well, it won’t work!"

[Ding!]

[Incorrect. I am an entity born of the cosmos. Only the Host holds authority over me; no outside force can manipulate this system.]

The calm response only fueled Sophia’s frustration. Then, a sudden realization struck her. She forced herself to calm down, her eyes narrowing as a thought occurred to her.

"Wait... are you like those systems from fictional novels? The kind of power the main characters get?" she asked, wondering if she had stumbled into a similar phenomenon.

[Yes, Host. You may conceptualize my existence in that manner. However, I am a real cosmic entity, not a work of fiction.]

Refusing to be easily deceived, she pressed further. "How do I know you’re telling the truth? From what I know, those main characters always receive a starter gift package or something with rare items and abilities. Where is mine?"

The system responded instantly, granting her request without hesitation.

[Ding!]

[Starter Gift Package is available. Do you wish to open it?]

Shocked that the cliché actually held true, Sophia replied with growing anticipation. "Yes. Open it."

[Opening Gift Package...]

[You have received: 2x Divine Ascension Cards. (Allows the user to evolve any talent, special talent, physique, or bloodline of their choice to the Divine Rank.)]

[You have received: 5,000 Harem Points. (Points can be exchanged for any rank of physiques, bloodlines, special talents, cultivation techniques, or resources.)]

Sophia’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Is this... is this actually real? I can literally evolve my special talent and physique, or just buy new ones with these points? Am I really this lucky?"

[Yes, Host. It is entirely real. Do you wish to use one Divine Ascension Card on your special talent?]

[Warning: Evolving an EX-rank Special Talent to the Divine Rank involves an incredibly painful restructuring process.]

"....."

Gulp.

The sound of Sophia swallowing hard echoed through the quiet room. Her heart hammered against her ribs in pure excitement. After a brief moment of intense deliberation, she made her decision.

"Yes. Use the Divine Ascension Card on my special talent."

The moment the words left her lips, an agonizing sensation ripped through her body. It felt as though her very soul and existence were being violently torn apart and rebuilt from scratch.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

[Ding!]

[Utilizing 1x Divine Ascension Card. Evolving Special Talent: ’Absolute Combat Adaptation (EX)’ to Divine Rank.]

[Evolving... Evolving...]

"Aaaargh! Stop... it hurts...!"

Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs, her breath catching in her throat as she collapsed onto the bed. She writhed in agony, her limbs trembling violently as she struggled to find a pocket of relief.

For five agonizing minutes, she rolled across the sheets, crying out until the blinding pain finally began to recede, eventually vanishing entirely.

"Huff... huff..."

Sophia lay flat on her back, her chest heaving heavily. "I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire life," she wheezed, cursing under her breath. "That was Fucking hell."

[Ding!]

[Evolution complete.]

[Congratulations! You have successfully evolved your special talent.]

[You have awakened: Transcendent Divine Combat Evolution (Divine Rank).]

As she lay catching her breath, the blue interface popped up right before her eyes, and the notification chimed smoothly in her mind. Sophia stared at the glowing text, still trying to comprehend the sheer scale of what had just happened.

"I can feel it..." she whispered, slowly closing her eyes. "My strength has skyrocketed. I can perfectly recall every single battle I’ve ever fought, the techniques I used, the moves of my opponents, and every mistake and errors I made."

Suddenly, a thick, crimson aura erupted from her body, exploding into the room as her martial cosmic energy flared wildly. The surrounding ambient cosmic energy began to violently rush into her pores, funneling directly into her core.

For the next thirty minutes, Sophia remained completely still, her eyes closed as her body processed the massive influx of power. Then, without warning, her energy detonated with terrifying intensity.

Boooom!

The sudden shockwave unleashed a thunderous sonic boom that rattled the walls of the room. Sophia’s eyes snapped open, a faint, radiant golden light gleaming within her pupils.

Whoosh!

Shifting quickly, Sophia crossed her legs and began to rhythmically pull the raging red martial cosmic energy back into her body, stabilizing her erratic aura.

"Fwooosh"

A long, controlled breath escaped her lips as she finally relaxed. She looked down at her hands to inspect her condition, only to freeze when she noticed a thick, dark liquid coating her skin. A foul odor immediately hit her nose.

"Eww... gross. Is this what people call toxic impurities? I didn’t think I had any, considering I’m a pure-blooded dragon," Sophia muttered in disgust, quickly sliding off the bed.

"This is nasty. I can’t believe this stuff was inside me."

She hurried straight into the bathroom to wash away the residue.

After a thorough shower, she emerged wrapping a fresh towel around herself. Once she changed into a clean nightgown, she glanced back at the ruined bed, wrinkled her nose, and decided to head down the hall to an adjacent room.

"I’ll just have the maids clean that up tomorrow."

Settling onto the fresh sheets of the new bed, Sophia assumed a cross-legged meditative posture once more.

"I can’t believe that process threw me straight into a trance state and granted me enlightenment. Not only have my combat techniques and experiences completely evolved, but I’ve actually broken through to C- rank cultivation."

Sophia exclaimed in delight. Normally, it would have taken her months to reach that level. However, thanks to the upgrade in her special talent, she was able to gain a profound enlightenment regarding her techniques and experience, which ultimately triggered her breakthrough.

With a thought, she summoned the status window of the Akashic Records system. There it was—her special talent had actually transformed into [Transcendent Divine Combat Evolution] (Divine-Rank).

"So, you really are the real thing. I actually have a Divine-rank special talent now," Sophia murmured, staring at the blue interface.

[Yes, Host.]

[I am real, and you can achieve even greater heights and rewards through this system.]

Sophia smiled happily, but her joy was short-lived as the system’s previous words about Aeon rushed back into her mind.

With a trembling voice, she looked at the interface and asked, "Now that I know you are real... is what you said about Aeon actually true?"

[Yes, Host.]

[It is the truth. While he will have many partners throughout his lifetime, he is capable of loving all of them unconditionally and equally.]

[So, Host, what do you intend to do?]

Sophia looked down, feeling a crushing heaviness settle deep within her chest. Tears began to well up in her eyes, spilling over and splashing onto the clean bedsheets.

"I don’t believe it... I will ask him myself right now," she whispered, her voice shaking as she fought back a sob.

Tapping the interface on her wrist guard, she dialed Aeon. The call rang for five agonizing seconds that felt like an eternity before it finally connected.

"Hello, Sophia. What’s up?" Aeon’s casual voice echoed from the line.

Hearing him only made Sophia more anxious and nervous as a flood of dark thoughts rushed through her mind.

’What if it’s the truth? What if he doesn’t actually like me at all? What am I supposed to do?’

Shaking the terrifying thoughts out of her head, she steeled her heart and forced herself to reply. "Hi, Aeon. I’m doing okay. I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh, yeah? Shoot. What is it?" Aeon asked as his face materialized over the holographic display.

Sophia swallowed hard, summoning every ounce of her remaining courage to ask the question that was tearing her apart. "Aeon... let’s say, in the future... do you think... you would ever want to have more than one partner?"

Silence stretched between them for a couple of seconds, making her heart race with agonizing anticipation. Finally, he replied.

"About that... yeah. I do wish to have many partners in my life, and I want to love them all unconditionally. Why do you ask?"

Boom!

The words hit like a physical explosion. Sophia sat frozen on the bed, completely motionless. A wave of unrecognizable emotions crashed over her, and tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

"I... It’s nothing," she choked out in a trembling whisper.

Before he could respond, she abruptly ended the call. Sophia collapsed onto the bed, burying her face deep into her pillow as heavy, choked sobs echoed throughout the empty room.

"Sob...sob..."

She cried her eyes out for a long time, weeping until her energy was entirely spent. Eventually, she drifted into an exhausted sleep, burying the painful truth deep within her heart.

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