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[Ding! Congratulations, Host! All chained hunting missions have been successfully completed!]
[Mission 1 (Eliminate Wanderers) rewards have been issued: Congratulations, you've obtained a rare special item—[Ox Talisman]!]
"Huh? The Guardian Spirit System can give out talismans too?"
[If that trash system can give them, of course this system can as well.]
Even though the system's voice was emotionless, Lucian could still hear a faint hint of smug pride in it.
[Ding! Would you like to fuse it?]
"Fuse."
[Ding!]
As the prompt sounded, an octagonal stone engraved with an ancient ox totem appeared out of thin air in Lucian's palm. It immediately transformed into a heavy stream of dark golden light and merged into his body.
In that instant, his muscles and bones let out a deep, satisfying roar.
It was the terrifying essence of absolute strength and limitless power.
With the Ox Talisman boosting him, combined with the explosive flames of the Dragon Talisman, Lucian's close-combat ability had reached a level comparable to a humanoid dragon.
And yet… this was just the appetizer.
[Ding! Mission 2 (Eradicate the Nest) ultimate reward has been issued!]
[Detected: Bronze Tree and Jiushengtian core strongholds have been completely destroyed!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have unlocked and summoned your second plant-type guardian spirit—Sunflower!]
Boom!
A brilliant burst of golden light exploded across the balcony.
A warm, pure, almost sacred life force instantly filled the entire space, as if it could sweep away all fatigue and darkness in the world.
As the light gradually faded, a stunning figure slowly took shape before Lucian.
If Himan, the Peashooter-turned-Devourer, embodied seductive danger and predatory allure…
Then the Sunflower girl before him represented pure holiness, warmth, and overflowing life.
Her long golden hair shone like sunlight, cascading smoothly down to her waist.
She wore a pristine white-and-gold nun's outfit. Despite its conservative design, it did absolutely nothing to hide her exaggerated, almost bursting curves—even more striking than Himan's.
Her amber-like eyes radiated warmth, carrying the gentle, nurturing aura of an older sister.
But the most shocking part—
Just standing near her, Lucian could feel his drained stamina and energy recovering at an unbelievable rate.
In Plants vs. Zombies, Sunflowers produced "sun."
In this world, she was the ultimate support unit—granting infinite stamina and supreme solar healing.
"Sunflower Guardian Spirit, Alice, has answered your call."
The Sunflower girl named Alice gently lifted the hem of her white-gold dress and gave Lucian a graceful bow.
"Master, from now on, no matter how exhausting the battle or how severe the injury, Alice's sunlight will always support you without end."
Her voice was soft and soothing, like spring rain.
As she spoke, a warm current surged through Lucian's body.
The bit of energy he had lost from drawing talismans and using the Dragon Talisman instantly refilled—like a withered tree bursting back to life.
Even his mental fatigue was completely wiped away.
He felt like he had returned to his absolute peak condition.
"This support ability… is completely broken."
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Lucian opened the Guardian Spirit interface in his mind.
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
Name: Alice Species: Sunflower Level: LV.8
Active Skill 1: Healing Emits pure sacred life energy, instantly restoring the host's stamina. As the level increases, it can regenerate limbs, remove toxins, and heal all forms of physical and spiritual damage.
Active Skill 2: Power of the Sun Condenses pure solar energy, releasing blinding light and extreme heat to instantly disable enemies. In this form, Alice also gains powerful close-combat capabilities.
Exclusive Passive: Vital Feedback (Unlocked)All of Alice's life force and healing abilities are passively fed back to the host, continuously strengthening physical constitution and recovery speed with no upper limit.
Lucian sucked in a sharp breath.
Level 8 right from the start.
Not just a god-tier support—she could fight too.
After admiring Alice's insane stats, he casually opened Himan's panel to check her growth after devouring powerful enemies.
Name: Himan Species: Devourer Plant Level: LV.7
Active Skill 1: Devour Consumes any energy-containing flesh or soul to fuel her evolution.
Active Skill 2: Thorn Vines Controls tough, poisonous vines with devouring properties to strangle enemies.
Exclusive Passive: Locked (Requires higher level or special essence)
"Himan's at LV.7 now. Her passive isn't unlocked yet, but in terms of single-target kills and mob clearing, she's still top-tier. Honestly, she might not even be weaker than Alice."
One attacker, one healer.
His plant spirit lineup was finally taking shape.
But as Lucian happily reviewed his system…
The atmosphere on the balcony shifted.
Himan, who had been in a good mood after devouring two high-level enemies, was now standing with her arms crossed. Her fox-like eyes narrowed as she stared at Alice with clear hostility.
A sense of crisis.
A very strong sense of crisis.
As Lucian's first guardian spirit, Himan had always considered him hers alone.
But now this newcomer—
Not only started one level higher than her…
She also had that gentle, mature, big-sister aura.
Worst of all, beneath that saintly nun outfit, her figure was even more exaggerated than Himan's.
That was unforgivable.
"Hey, you glowing thing…"
Himan strutted forward with a seductive sway, licking her lips with her pink tongue.
"Who are you putting on that pitiful, fake gentle act for? Don't tell me you're here to steal my master?"
Alice didn't get angry.
She turned, her warm amber eyes calmly meeting Himan's gaze.
Then she smiled—a perfect, elegant smile.
"Himan, why would you think that?"
Her voice was still soft, but her eyes carried a quiet, unshakable confidence only women could read.
"I just think Master works far too hard. He needs a mature woman who knows how to take care of him properly. As for 'stealing'…"
She stepped slightly closer to Lucian, her golden hair swaying gently.
"Master's affection naturally belongs to whoever is the most useful… and the most considerate. Wouldn't you agree?"
Boom.
Himan's sanity snapped instantly.
"You scheming white lotus!"
Her teeth clenched as dark purple thorn vines lashed wildly behind her.
"Master is mine! I was the first! Tonight I'll show you who's really in charge here!"
"Oh my, Himan, your temper is quite fierce," Alice replied with the same gentle smile.
"If we must spar, then as your senior, I suppose I can use a bit of solar power to correct that habit."
A terrifying holy energy began gathering beneath her nun's robes.
Purple and gold energy clashed violently across the balcony.
A full-blown "guardian spirit showdown" was about to erupt.
Caught in the middle, Lucian rubbed his temples in annoyance.
"Enough. Both of you, stop."
He flicked each of them on the forehead without hesitation.
"Do you want to wake up the neighbors in the middle of the night?"
"Put your powers away and get back into the spirit space. I still have work at school tomorrow."
Under their master's absolute authority, the two stunning but fiery spirits shot each other one last glare.
Then, unwillingly, they turned into streaks of purple and gold light and disappeared back into the Guardian Spirit space.
"....."