Both figures stiffened.
Their golden shadow-forms pulsed once then again, runic veins igniting across their chitin like molten sigils being carved directly into existence. The air around them warped as power settled into place. Wings flexed outward, heavy and deliberate, each movement stirring distorted shadows along the arena floor. Mandibles clicked louder now, not of hunger, or bloodlust-
Acknowledgment.
"Thank you, Master Terrence."
The words carried no hesitation. No artifice. The sincerity and gratitude in their voices was unmistakable as they slowly rose to their feet, towering beside him like ten foot tall sentinels of gold and shadow. They positioned themselves instinctively. Half a step behind and half a step apart. They were guards, weapons, and judgment incarnate.
Terrence nodded once.
Nothing more was needed.
The frozen world creaked as it began to move again. Time exhaled. Sound returned in fragments. Crackling flames, distant murmurs, and the groan of shattered stone were heard. Terrence's gaze drifted downward, settling on Surtur's broken form embedded in ruin.
And memory surfaced.
The words he'd spoken.
About Eiselle.
About Treasure.
"Killhim."
The command was merciless. Cold. Final.
Terrence could play all day, but there were lines no one crossed. No one threatened or talked shit about those he cared about. Especially his women.
Bob and Weave felt it instantly.
The hatred.
The absoluteness.
It flowed straight through their link like a verdict handed down by reality itself.
They didn't hesitate.
They didn't need confirmation.
The exact second time fully resumed, they vanished-
and reappeared above Surtur's downed form, claws already extended, shadow-gold energy screaming as it condensed around their limbs. Not to kill.
To erase.
CLING!!
The sound rang out sharp and absolute, metal meeting something impossibly dense. A shockwave rippled outward, hitting the protective shield and indenting minor cracks into it.
"Now, now..as interesting and unexpected as this fight has been so far, Terrence, I can't allow you or your..pets to kill one of the most powerful individuals in my guild."
The voice was calm. Amused. Unhurried.
And devastating.
Loud, shocked gasps rippled through the crowd. Not just at the interruption, but at the implication of what they were witnessing.
"Is that…?"
"No fucking way…"
"Wait, I thought he was still on an S-Ranked quest! What is he doing here?!"
A low chuckle followed, rolling through the arena with easy authority.
Master Drago.
He stood relaxed, claws loosely at his sides, as if he hadn't just stopped an execution mid-strike. At his flanks, Neumon's posture tightened instantly, instincts flaring, while even Phoebe's usual smiling composure cracked, eyes widening at the sudden arrival.
Drago glanced sideways, tone almost conversational. "Ah..Continuum. You've arrived early."
Terrence lifted his head.
His eyes met Continuum's glowing, void-white gaze.
For a fraction of a second..
Something recognized him.
Then everything broke.
[£+#%#*•¥ PRIME MEMORY FRAGMENT DETECTED]
[FORCED SUPPRESSION INITIATED]
[USER STATUS: UNSTABLE]
Terrence gasped as if struck.
Pain detonated behind his eyes, raw and violent, like something was being ripped free and shoved back into place at the same time. His knees buckled instantly, the arena tilting as his hands grasped at empty air.
This pressure..
It wasn't physical.
It was conceptual.
Too much.
Far too much.
The last thing he heard before darkness swallowed him whole was Eiselle's voice. Treasure's. Nya. Happy. Crank.
And his Eternal Shadows..
Calling his name.
Later
When Terrence opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was silence.
Not oppressive.
Not hostile.
Just..still.
He lay staring at the ceiling of a bedroom. The bedroom was simple, clean, almost untouched. Like this was the first time someone had ever actually slept in it.
[Its about damn time you've woken up.]
Before responding, Terrence extended his senses outward.
Nothing.
No hostile presence. No guards. No hidden threats.
He was alone.
"Where am I and what happened?" He questioned.
[Well you're in the guest bedroom of Nya, Happy, and Crank's place. They took Eiselle and Treasure out to explore around once they realized you were sleeping a little too comfortably. Bob and Weave secretly went with them to protect Eiselle and Treasure just in case.]
"Huh really? Well that was nice of them." Terrence said as he pushed himself upright, rolling his shoulders. "I remember before I passed out I seen a glitched word and Prime beside it..you know anything about that?"
[Not going to lie to you and say I know nothing, I just can't tell you what it is yet honestly.]
"I respect that." Terrence exhaled. "Well while they're out, I can catch up on a couple of things." He stretched. "Pull up my Eternal Library."
Reality unfolded.
A cathedral of gold bloomed into existence before his eyes.
Endless shelves of radiant scripture rose into a horizonless expanse, each surface carved with divine runes that flowed like living light. The floor gleamed with auric marble, reflecting constellations of holy sigils suspended above. Books hovered freely, pages turning on their own, chiming softly with authority.
The Eternal Library.
[Access Granted.]
[Skills]
[Talents]
[Affinities]
[Bloodlines]
[Resistances]
[Memories]
[Experience]
[Potential]
[Slain Enemies]
[It's definitely a lot, but which would you like to look at first?]
"Just a few. Want to make this short because I do want to enter an Evo Rend. I choose Bloodlines first."
[Bloodlines:]
[Werewolf]
[Goblin]
[Demon]
"So with bloodlines I'm assuming I can be more than one at a time, but can I still be a human but have the strengths that comes with the bloodlines?"
[Good question and to answer it, you absolutely can. Just will have to pay a certain price.]
"As with all things. Are there rankings that come with the bloodlines? Like say a Primordial Werewolf bloodline, a Goblin Overlord, or even Demon God.."
[Comess with a certainn priice.]
The System sang that last line.
Terrence chuckled. "So how much would it be to have the highest rankings of each of those bloodlines?"
[Close to 25 billion Gold..at the most 20. 10 Billion for Demon. 5 for Werewolf and 2 for Goblin. More than 17 because of taxes haha.]
"Yeah I might have to reconsider that offer." Terrence chuckled.
[Really? Because from your match with Surtur you've earned 100 Billion Gold.]
That shut him up instantly.
Terrence's eyes widened. "For real? You're lying.."
[You beat an S-Ranked monster with a flick and wasn't damaged once..what did you expect?]
"When you put it that way.." Terrence chuckled again. "That does make sense."
[Was originally 10 million and then some but x10,000 that's 100 billion.]
"If only I had this much in my original world.."
[Yeah I feel you, but I assume you would like them now right?]
"Hell yeah. Wish I would've knew that earlier."
[Request Locked.]
[-20 Billion Gold.]
[Now for this update will take quite sometime, but I'll let yknow when it's done.]
"Alright bet. Only got time for something else, so for summo-"
[Oh trust me I was waiting to see when you'd ask that!]
A new interface snapped open. It was sleek, vibrant, unmistakably gacha-inspired. Reminding him of Genshin Impact but more..explicit.
[I got the perfect set up for you! Since you wanted to summon Monster girls, I figured the best way would be to introduce a smaller separate Gacha System. You can call it the Infinite Monster Harem Gacha.]
"For some reason that sounds familiar.. But sounds fun explain."
[With pleasure, so now you will earn Infinite Gacha Tokens and these you can use to spin at the Infinite Monster Harem Gacha to get a Monster Girl Summon. This will also be unaffected by the x10,000 multipler, but lucky for you, you get a free Infinite Gacha Token.]
"Gon ahead and use it. I'm excited to see what I get."
[Infinite Monster Harem Gacha]
[x1 Infinite Gacha Token used!]
The screen fractured into rotating rings of light, arcane symbols and bestial sigils spinning endlessly. Shadows flickered. Horns, wings, and tails could be seen phasing too fast to fully register.
Terrence watched with focused excitement.
[Rolling..]
The golden interface shimmered.
The Infinite Monster Harem Gacha spun—slow, deliberate.
No fireworks.
No countdown.
Just a soft chime.
[ROLL COMPLETE.]
Terrence blinked. "That's it?"
A single card drifted forward.
Plain.
Bronze-edged.
[RANK: R (Rare)]
"..Huh."
The card flipped.
Light condensed.
A small figure formed. She was shorter than expected, slim, almost fragile. Crimson red hair framed a pale face, dulled turquoise slit eyes lifting slowly. Faint red scales traced her skin, and a thin tail swayed behind her, its tip flicking back and forth.
She smiled gently, eyes locking onto his.
"Not the kind of woman you were expecting huh..Master Terrence."