When he felt something solid beneath him, he opened his eyes instantly as he sat up.
His breathing was fast and ragged; it took several seconds before he could calm down, only to realize that he was neither in a hospital nor in the apartment.
He was in an enormous room with stone walls and black marble, with peculiar designs that highlighted the place's aesthetic.
He looked down, noticing that he was on a bed… ridiculously large and soft.
'What the hell?' he thought, confused. 'Where am I?'
He looked around without understanding anything, then watched as the same screen from before appeared in front of him.
But for some reason, he didn't feel afraid when it appeared out of nowhere. 'This thing… it's similar to the ones that appear in the web novels I used to read…'
[Tamer System]
[Welcome Valen to X-XX!]
[Notice: As compensation for transferring you without your consent, we have kept your original name]
[Reason: Because coming up with a new name was too much work]
Valen blinked.
'Is this system… fucking with me?'
[Response: No. I am simply efficient.]
'CAN YOU READ MY MIND?'
[Response: Yes. And your thoughts are worryingly perverted. Continue.]
Valen sighed heavily when he read that; it would be a pain to get used to the idea of being called by another name.
'This… as new as it is, reading so many novels actually helps for something.' he thought, sighing as he adjusted himself on the bed.
"Let's see how this works."
[We are pleased that you have adapted quickly to your current situation!]
[It would be annoying if you were an idiot and didn't understand anything.]
[Basic Information:
Name: Valen Emberwolf.
Age: 19 years.
Height: 1.88 m.
Level: 1 ➔ EXP (0/100)]
Valen remained silent after reading, ignoring the insult…
One thing was reading it, another was living it firsthand.
'Am I taller?' He focused only on that part, having spent so long wishing to be tall and now it seemed he had achieved it.
"So level 1, huh?... I was expec—" he didn't finish speaking when his eyes went wide at the skill they had given him.
[Unique Skill: "Bond of Fate" ➔ Tame beasts… or humans.]
[Skill Report: You possess the power to tame any SSS/SSR legendary beast or any individual of the same rank.]
[Requirement: Form emotional or… intimate bonds with the beasts/humans so their affinity reaches a percentage higher than 298%.]
[Simple Translation: Make them trust you or fall in love with you. Or sleep with them. Whatever works first.]
[Once achieved, you will be able to form a tamer bond!]
The more he read, the more bullshit the skill seemed. 'What a piece of crap… what do you mean 298% affinity?'
At most, you could reach around 90% affinity when it came to love or something similar…
The system displayed another message, but Valen ignored it; he didn't want to read anymore. He focused on where he currently was.
He got out of bed and started looking around, walking through the enormous room. 'A house of high prestige…' it was easy to recognize just by looking at the construction materials.
He glanced at a huge window covered by curtains, so he approached and threw them open.
Instantly, the dawn light poured into the room, blinding him for a few seconds.
"Fuck… what incredible views," he murmured, surprised by the beautiful scenery. He could see part of the mansion where he was, along with a vast landscape.
Tock.
Tock.
Tock.
'Huh?' He turned his head toward the room's double doors. 'Who could it be?' he thought, somewhat wary.
"Your Excellency. May I come in?" the voice of a young woman reached Valen's ears.
He swallowed; she would be the first person he'd see in this new world, and he wondered whether she would be human or not.
'Could she be an… elf?' He had a peculiar fetish for the long ears of that race, which he found… irresistible.
"Come in," he replied, his voice somewhat hoarse, surprisingly deep in tone.
The massive door opened, revealing in full view a woman around twenty-two years old, wearing a maid's outfit and with ears that moved subtly.
Seeing this, Valen felt something stir inside him for a moment. 'She's an elf!' he thought, keeping a neutral expression outwardly.
The young woman, named Cassia, entered the room with firm, professional steps, keeping her gaze lowered at all times.
When she reached a few meters from Valen, she stopped abruptly and bowed even deeper.
"Your Excellency, I hope you had a night without inconveniences," she said politely, without allowing herself to lift her gaze.
'Such a professional way of working…' he thought, somewhat uncomfortable with so much courtesy.
He looked her up and down several times; now he could say for sure that she was a short woman.
[Report:
Name: Cassia Stormguard.
Age: 22 years.
Height: 1.56 m.
Profession: Assassin and contracted maid.
Affinity: -30% ➔ (Pure hatred)]
Valen's eyes widened when he saw that the girl in front of him hated him; he hadn't even sensed anything strange in her tone when she spoke.
'How the hell does she have such low affinity with me… no, it must be because of the previous owner, right?' he thought, analyzing Cassia.
'Also, what does contracted maid mean? I thought forming contracts with people was a unique ability of mine…'
[Contracts are divided into categories, but the one you need to know now:
➔ Total Control: invented solely to 'control' individuals with an extremely low social status (slaves) so they strictly obey rules without risk of betrayal.
Such a contract intertwines the individual's life with the contractor without placing the contractor at risk.]
Valen fell into thought over what he had read; it was something complicated to fully grasp, but he made a small summary of what he understood:
'Basically, that category is like… stripping someone of their right to live? Right? Since if Cassia hypothetically tries to kill me, the contract activates and ends her life without touching mine…'
He thought, placing a hand on his chin, glancing sideways at Cassia; without meaning to, his gaze ended up on her breasts.
***
Pov Cassia:
"Another morning working for that piece of… shit," she murmured as soon as she woke up.
She got out of the worn-out bed and walked straight to the bathroom all the maids used; unfortunately, she had to walk through the hallways with messy hair and a sleepy face.
'I'm grateful I'm the only one who wakes up this early,' she thought.
When she reached the bathroom, she began rinsing her face along with her sweat-soaked body from last night's heat.
After about thirty minutes of getting ready and dressed, she went straight to Valen's room.
"I can't even have breakfast before tending to that piece of shit," she muttered carefully so no one would hear her.
When she arrived in front of the door, she sighed heavily and straightened up, knocking firmly enough.
"Your Excellency. May I come in?" she said professionally, though inside she felt like throwing up.But nothing. No response.
'Is he still sleeping? Just my luck…' she thought irritably, waiting to speak again.
"Come in."
The instant she received the response, she entered the room, making sure to keep her gaze lowered.
When she got close to her master, she bowed as deeply as she could and spoke:
"Your Excellency, I hope you had a night without inconveniences."
Again, nothing.
But she remained motionless, waiting—unfortunately—for any order from him.
'Why is he staring at me? Fucking hell.' she thought.
She truly hated that man. He had put her through hell day after day, and the worst part was that she couldn't do anything about it.
She stayed like that for several minutes; silence flooded the room and Valen didn't seem to want to move.
'Should I ask if he's… okay?' The thought crossed her mind, but she didn't know whether to do it.
If she spoke without having received his previous response, she would end up offending him and being punished, and that was the last thing she wanted.
"Raise your gaze," Valen ordered in a cold tone.
Hearing those words, a chill ran through her entire body along with fear.
'W-what do you mean he wants me to look at him? Is this a trap?' she was terrified.
If she didn't obey, she would be punished; and if she obeyed, she might end up falling into a trap.
'Shit, shit, shit,' she thought, swallowing hard and tensing as she raised her gaze.
Locking eyes with Valen's serious, cold stare.
[Tamer System]
[Tutorial Mission Activated: Survive your first conversation with Cassia Stormguard without her suspecting that you are NOT the original Valen.]
[Difficulty: Medium.]
[Reward: +50 EXP, Additional information about the "original Valen".]
[Failure Penalty: Death.]
[Advice: Think before you speak. Or prepare for the consequences.]