The city is quiet.
Midnight lights flicker outside Viktoria's penthouse windows, reflecting across polished marble floors.
She sits on the edge of her bed, robe loose, hair down, her goddess aura faintly shimmering in the dark.
But her mind?
It keeps drifting back to him.
His kiss on her forehead.
His smile in the elevator.
His voice in her thoughts.
And the way he felt when he told her to rest…
the way he said "good girl"—
her heart still hasn't recovered.
She presses a hand to her chest.
Viktoria (whispering):
"…I want to hear him again."
She hesitates only a second before grabbing her phone.
Her fingers tremble as she presses Zumi — Direct Line.
It rings once.
Twice.
Then—
Zumi (calm, warm):
"Viktoria."
Her breath catches.
Her reply comes out softer than she expected.
Viktoria:
"…Hi."
There's a silence between them—
not awkward, not empty…
intimate.
Zumi speaks again, voice lowered.
Zumi:
"You missed me."
She closes her eyes, smiling shyly.
Viktoria:
"…Yes.
I did."
She hears him exhale softly, almost amused.
Zumi:
"I sensed it."
Her cheeks heat.
Of course he did.
He always feels her now.
She tries to maintain composure, but her voice betrays her with a tremble.
Viktoria:
"I just… wanted to hear you. Even for a moment."
His reply is instantaneous.
Zumi:
"Are you free tonight?"
She sits straighter.
Viktoria:
"Yes."
He continues, gentle but firm.
Zumi:
"I want you to meet the others."
She freezes.
Others.
Other women.
Other goddesses.
A flicker of jealousy sparks deep in her chest, unexpected and sharp.
For a moment, her mind races:
He has other women.
Am I enough?
Do they mean more to him?
Will I be overshadowed?
But as quickly as the jealousy hits—
Her divine intellect catches it.
Her logic clarifies it.
Her heart answers honestly.
Zumi is not normal.
He is the Monkey King.
A divine king.
A man destined to have followers, lovers, goddess-level partners.
And she?
She is one of them now.
Chosens.
Elevated.
Loved in the only way a king like him can love.
Her jealousy dissolves into something warm and powerful:
Pride.
She smiles softly.
Viktoria (whispering to herself):
"As long as I stand beside him…
I don't need to be the only one."
She lifts the phone again, her voice brighter, happier:
Viktoria:
"Yes.
I want to meet them."
Zumi's tone grows pleased.
Zumi:
"Good.
They've all been informed of your ascension.
They're eager to meet their new sister goddess."
Her chest warms at the word:
"Sister."
She nods, even though he can't see it.
Viktoria:
"I'll be ready."
A small pause—
then Zumi speaks in a softer, deeper tone:
Zumi:
"I'm glad you called me.
I wanted to see you again tonight anyway."
Her entire soul lights up.
Viktoria:
"…Really…?"
Zumi:
"Yes.
You're mine now.
And I look after what is mine."
She nearly melts into the bed.
Her voice becomes airy, shy, sweet:
Viktoria:
"Then I'm honored, Zumi…
I'll meet you tonight."
She hangs up and just sits there, phone in her lap, face flushed, smiling like a woman truly in love.
Her thoughts swirl:
I'm his.
I'm a goddess now.
I'll meet the others… his women… his pantheon…
And I'm happy.
So, so happy.
She stands, moving to get ready—
choosing her clothes with more excitement than she's felt in a decade.
Her heart whispers:
"As long as I'm one of his… I'm complete."
Later that night, a sleek black car rolled through the gated entrance of Zumi's mansion estate, its headlights briefly illuminating rows of immaculate stone paths, fountains, and towering homes that stretched farther than the eye could comfortably track.
Inside the car, Viktoria Sergeyevna Volkov sat perfectly composed—until she truly registered where she was.
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she took in the scale.
"…This place," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Each of these houses alone would cost—"
She stopped the thought before finishing it.
For the first time since her ascension, Viktoria felt something dangerously close to genuine shock.
Author's Note (to readers):
Wait until she finds out Zumi owns all the mansions here.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of Zumi's residence—the largest of them all.
Viktoria stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the stone. The night air was cool, quiet, controlled. Too controlled. It reminded her of places where power lived.
Her elite bodyguards exited behind her out of instinct.
"That will be all," Viktoria said calmly. "You may leave."
There was a brief hesitation.
"Madam, protocol dictates—"
Viktoria turned.
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
Her gaze alone—cold, sharp, absolute—cut through them like a blade.
"I said," she repeated, softly, "you may leave. I will be staying the night."
The guards straightened instantly.
"Yes, Madam Volkov."
They returned to the vehicle and departed without another word.
Viktoria exhaled once, steadying herself, then approached the door and knocked.
A moment later, it opened.
Kasumi stood there.
She wasn't armored. She wasn't formal. She wore comfortable clothes, hair slightly loose, eyes bright.
Viktoria blinked.
"You must be Viktoria," Kasumi said immediately, genuinely happy, stepping aside. "We've been waiting for you."
"…Hello," Viktoria replied, a hint of nervousness slipping through despite herself.
Kasumi smiled wider. "I'm Kasumi. Come in."
As Viktoria stepped inside, the warmth of the mansion hit her—not just physical warmth, but presence. Life. Connection.
Kasumi walked beside her, introducing herself properly as they moved.
"It's really nice to finally meet you," Kasumi said. "Zumi and Gia have talked about you a lot."
"I… see," Viktoria replied, still taking everything in.
They entered the living room.
And Viktoria stopped.
Zumi sat at the center of the room, relaxed, grounded—anchored. Around him, the women of his household were gathered exactly as Kasumi had implied: close, comfortable, natural. Some sat beside him, some on the floor near his legs, some leaned against the couch. It wasn't possessive.
It was home.
The moment Viktoria stepped into view—
Every single one of them turned toward her.
And then, one by one, they stood.
"Welcome," Serafina said first, her voice calm but warm.
"We're really glad you're here," BIA added with an easy grin.
Gia, who had been there the entire time—from the first conversation to now—met Viktoria's eyes and gave her a reassuring nod.
"You did great," she said softly.
Viktoria felt her chest tighten unexpectedly.
They gestured for her to come closer, offering her a seat, space, presence.
"We've heard so much about you," Carmella said. "Honestly, we've been looking forward to meeting you all day."
"And we need details," another teased. "How was your first real talk with Zumi?"
Viktoria hesitated—then allowed herself a small, genuine smile.
"It was… thorough," she said carefully. "Direct. Disarming. And far more honest than I expected."
That earned a chorus of knowing reactions.
"Oh, that sounds like him," BIA laughed.
"Did you realize how deep you were in before or after?" someone else teased.
Kasumi leaned in slightly, playful. "Because you might've set a new record."
Viktoria raised an eyebrow. "A record?"
Gia chuckled. "Fastest submission to Zumi's system."
"Catherine still holds it," someone added. "Excluding the goddesses who were already bound through reincarnation, obviously."
Viktoria paused—then laughed softly.
"…I suppose inevitability moves quickly when you stop resisting it."
Zumi finally spoke, his tone gentle.
"You're safe here, Viktoria."
She looked at him then—really looked.
And for the first time in a long, long while…
She believed it.
The night continued not with interrogation or pressure, but conversation—warm, curious, sincere. Viktoria answered their questions, shared pieces of her experience, her thoughts, her calculations.
And slowly, quietly, without announcement—
The Red Empress stopped feeling alone.
The room went quiet the moment Viktoria took a step closer.
Zumi didn't command her.
He simply patted his thigh once.
For a woman who had stared down boards worth trillions, dismantled empires with a sentence, and never bowed to anyone—
She blushed.
Hard.
A soft, almost embarrassed laugh escaped her lips as she stood, smoothed her suit, and carefully sat down on his lap.
Zumi adjusted effortlessly, lifting her just enough to settle her sideways across him—her legs resting along the couch, her back supported by his arm. The girls naturally shifted closer, encircling them the way they always did, creating a warm, familiar gravity around him.
Zumi lifted a hand and gently cupped Viktoria's cheek.
His thumb brushed her skin.
"Beautiful," he said simply.
That single word hit harder than any compliment she'd ever received.
Her crimson eyes softened, her composure cracking just a little.
Then Zumi chuckled.
"If you had told me," he said, amused, "when I was living in the slums… that the hottest Russian CEO of a multi-hundred-billion-dollar company would one day be sitting on my lap as my woman—"
He laughed openly.
"I would've laughed right in your face."
The room erupted.
Soft laughter, teasing whistles, playful nudges.
Viktoria laughed too, flustered and genuinely stunned.
"You lived… in the slums?" she asked, disbelief mixing with curiosity.
Zumi smiled sideways.
"Right. Haven't told you that part yet."
He leaned back slightly, Reina seated near his right leg lifting her gaze as he gestured to her.
"I grew up with nothing. Orphanage. Streets. Gangs everywhere. You didn't plan for tomorrow—because tomorrow wasn't guaranteed."
The room stilled.
"The day I tried to leave… I would've died."
Reina met Viktoria's eyes calmly.
"She let me go," Zumi continued. "Protected me. Told the others to stand down. If not for her—"
He shook his head.
"I wouldn't be here. None of this would exist."
Viktoria's divine intellect absorbed everything instantly, but it was her heart that reacted first.
She reached up without thinking and rested her hand over his chest.
"…You climbed from hell," she said quietly.
Zumi smiled.
"And now," he added lightly, "I apparently collect terrifyingly powerful women."
That earned another round of laughter.
But Viktoria didn't laugh this time.
She leaned in slightly, her voice low and sincere.
"No," she said. "You build them."
Her intellect hummed beneath her skin—already aligning, calculating, synchronizing with his empire.
And for the first time in her life…
Viktoria Sergeyevna Volkov felt something she had never needed before.
Belonging.
The room settles naturally.
Zumi exhales slowly, fingers brushing once through Viktoria's hair in a reassuring, absent-minded gesture before he speaks.
"Talk amongst yourselves for a bit," he says quietly. "I need a moment."
Every single woman there understands immediately.
Serafina is the first to notice it—not through words, but through the subtle shift in the air. The way Zumi's presence folds inward. The faint tightening of his aura, not aggressive, but focused.
She rises smoothly.
"He's speaking to the System," Serafina says calmly, already turning to the others. "Let him be."
No one protests. No one even questions it.
Serafina naturally gathers them, easing the room into quiet conversation. She guides Viktoria gently into understanding as well, her tone casual, almost fond.
"One of the ways he grows stronger," Serafina explains to her, "is by speaking to something called a System. And… another presence. An unseen goddess, in a way. She helps guide him."
Viktoria blinks once, processing.
Then, to everyone's mild amusement, she simply nods.
"…That tracks," she says quietly.
No fear. No disbelief. Just acceptance.
She stays seated on Zumi's lap, arms resting lightly against his chest, her posture relaxed—protective even—while the others talk softly among themselves.
Zumi closes his eyes.
The world goes quiet.
Not dark—quiet.
Then—
✨ Celestia ✨
Voice smooth, familiar, omnipresent.
Request Values detected.
Desire Fulfillment Protocol confirmed active.
Zumi's eyes remain closed as memory clicks into place.
"…Request Values," he murmurs. "Right. I unlocked that."
✨ Celestia ✨
Confirmed. Reviewing accumulated data.
The air hums.
Invisible numbers scroll past his mind like cascading stars.
✦ SYSTEM REVIEW — DESIRE & REQUEST SUMMARY ✦
Desires Fulfilled: 29
Major Desires Fulfilled: 17
Life-Altering / Existential Desires Fulfilled: 15
Total Attribute Points Earned:575
Request Values Accumulated:15
Request Thresholds:
• 10 Request Values = 1 Standard System Request
• 50 Request Values = Physics-Defying Request
✨ Celestia ✨
Available Requests:
🟢 1 Standard Request AVAILABLE
🟡 5 Request Values banked toward next Request
Zumi's brow lifts slightly.
"So I can make one request right now," he says quietly.
✨ CELestia ✨
Affirmative.
Unused requests may be stored indefinitely.
He nods once.
"…Good."
He doesn't rush it.
Instead, he lets the System continue.
"Show me my status."
The space before him unfolds.
Not projected outward—but engraved into his awareness.
✨ THE CHARISMA SYSTEM STATUS ✨
HOST: Zumi Gold
AGE: 24
ARMOR:
🛡️ Legendary Armor — The Veil of Ember
WEAPONS TAB: Accessible
TITLES:
👑 The Legendary Monkey King
🌌 PANTHEON STATUS
GODDESS WIVES FOUND:3 / 4
• Bia — Goddess of Force and Strength
• Serafina — Goddess of Darkness
• Thalassia (Leafa) — Goddess of Nature
FINAL GODDESS TO FIND:
⚔️ Athena — Supreme Goddess of War
📊 ATTRIBUTES (UPDATED)
STRENGTH: 239
DEXTERITY: 247
CHARISMA: 262
WISDOM: 241
INTELLIGENCE: 241
CONSTITUTION: 240
🔹 SUB-POINTS
CHARM: 240
DAMAGE POINTS: 245
LEGENDARY QI: Level 10
The screen fades into a slow, hovering stillness.
Zumi opens his eyes.
The room is exactly as he left it.
The girls are still seated close—some talking quietly, some listening. Viktoria remains curled comfortably on his lap, cheek resting lightly against his shoulder, eyes half-lidded and content.
She glances up at him.
"…Everything alright?" she asks softly.
He smiles faintly.
"Yeah," he says. "Just… a lot to think about."
His gaze drifts inward again—not to Celestia this time, but to the numbers.
575 unallocated attribute points.
1 request waiting.
Power, sitting patiently.
Not demanding.
Waiting for intent.
Zumi leans back slightly, one arm settling securely around Viktoria as his mind begins to turn—not rushing, not greedy.
Calculating.
Because for the first time since the System appeared…
He isn't just surviving anymore.
He's choosing how to grow.