The princess!!

[A/N: Extremely sorry for the long delay guys, I swear it wasn't on purpose.

My body just recently learnt why dengue was called breakbone fever. My god, I feel like I have 612 bones instead of the usual 306. Anyway, I will upload regularly from now so please enjoy my silly characters.

Btw, don't forget to leave comments. They really help!]

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I hid behind a tree, eyeing a wind dove perched high on a branch. It was my target, something I had to hunt using my newly acquired skill, <Shadow Step>. Ever since I learned about the juicy pile of money waiting for me in the Trio Battle League, I'd been busy hunting as many beasts as possible to level up and perfect my skills.

'Alright, me, you can do this!'

I psyched myself up and activated <Lurk > to stay hidden, then focused on the bird's shadow. This was the perfect opportunity to test out <Shadow Step>. All I had to do was teleport from one shadow to the next, pop out behind the bird, and bam! Dinner.

Except, it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

There were way too many shadows in this forest, all crisscrossing thanks to the overlapping branches. Finding the shadow closest to the bird felt like trying to solve a puzzle where all the pieces hated me.

Still, I took a deep breath and activated <Shadow Step>, aiming for the bird's shadow. In an instant, I phased into the darkness—only to emerge from the wrong shadow and smack face-first into a tree.

"Oof!"

"NYAHAHA!" Systie's obnoxious laughter echoed from a branch above me. The little furball was up there, looking at me like I was the greatest clown of the year.

I showed the damn cat a middle finger while rubbing my sore forehead. Before I could even regain my dignity, Arya, my new self-appointed mentor, stepped in.

"Junior, seriously? Stop messing around!" she shouted while pointing her wand at the escaping bird. With a casual flick of her wrist, a <Flame Vortex> erupted from her wand and incinerated the bird mid-flight. The poor wind dove didn't stand a chance—it was roasted in an instant.

"I'm not messing around!" I protested, sulking. "Just… give me another target."

Arya sighed and closed her eyes to sense the next wind dove. After a moment, she pointed toward a tall tree in the distance. "There's a flying beast over there, but it's not a wind dove."

"Whatever it is, it's my next target," I grumbled, using <Lurk > and sprinting off before she could say anything else.

This time, I was going to get it right.

I reached the tree and used <Shadow Step> to emerge right behind my target. It was a giant, fist-sized bee.

My sudden appearance startled the bug. It buzzed loudly and tried to attack me but I managed to kill it before it could even move an inch.

Sweet, I'd finally used <Shadow Step> correctly! Just as I was doing a little victory dance, I heard the unmistakable buzzing of many more bees. Don't tell me there are more of these things!

"Run!" Arya screamed, but I was already moving.

Behind me, hundreds of massive bees swarmed into the air, angry as hell and headed straight for me. My survival instincts kicked in, and I used <Shadow Step> to bolt toward Arya.

The problem? The bees were fast enough to follow me.

"No! Stay away from me, Junior!" Arya screamed, and in her panic, pointed her wand at me. Without hesitation, she fired another <Flame Vortex>.

Time seemed to slow as the fiery tornado rushed toward me. My life flashed before my eyes—mostly the part where I stupidly charged at a bunch of angry bees—and I barely managed to use <Shadow Step> to avoid getting completely barbequed. Well, mostly.

A small part of my arm didn't quite make it out of the way, and I ended up with a painful burn.

"Ouch!" I winced, clutching my arm. Trying to play it cool, I grinned at Arya. "Wow, that's one hell of a skill. Maybe next time, try not to aim it directly at me?"

Arya's face turned bright red with guilt. "Oh no, Junior, I'm so sorry!" She rushed over, tearing a strip of fabric from her cloak to wrap around my arm. "I didn't mean to!"

Before she could finish bandaging me, a voice cut through the chaos.

"You two are a disaster."

I turned to see a silver-haired girl stepping out from the bushes. She looked about Arya's age, dressed in a flawless white gown with a staff in hand. She had the kind of expression that screamed, 'I have zero patience for this nonsense.'

Arya's eyes lit up in relief as she saw the girl. "Lily! Perfect timing! Help Junior, please!"

Lily shot Arya a sharp side-eye, then turned her staff towards me. She muttered <Solar Heal>, and a golden beam of light descended over me. The burn on my arm healed instantly, and I felt like I'd just walked out of a spa.

"Thanks," I began to say, but Lily wasn't even looking at me. Her attention was locked on Arya.

"You absolute moron! What were you thinking, firing a spell at a kid? Have you finally lost it?" Lily berated her, her voice rising with every word.

Arya shrank under the verbal assault, her eyes glued to the ground. I decided to step in before Arya completely melted from the scolding.

"Hey, it's not all her fault," I said, trying to sound heroic but probably just looking like an idiot. "I was the one who attracted the bees. Let's just call it even, okay?"

After a bit more scolding (mostly directed at Arya), the tension finally eased, and we made our way back to the guild.

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Inside the guildhall...

The tension hadn't completely disappeared, though. As we sat around a table, Lily continued to glare at Arya, who was doing her best impression of a sulking puppy.

I elbowed Arya, leaning in to whisper, "What's her deal?"

Arya sighed dramatically. "Junior, meet Lily Serene Aldoria, first princess of Aldoria… and my childhood friend."

Did she just say princess? Oh, sweet gold coins, I was sitting across from royalty. I immediately straightened up, trying to act all formal and dignified. "Your Highness, it's an honour to meet you. By the way, might I add that you are absolutely gorgeous?"

Both Arya and Lily stared at me like I'd just sprouted horns. Arya was the first to break the silence.

"Junior… that was so cringe."

"Shut up! I'm trying to make a good impression!" I shot back, trying (and failing) to hide my embarrassment.

Lily smirked. "Well, congrats, kiddo. You've made an impression—just not the one you were aiming for."

Wonderful. Just what I needed: a royal calling me cringe. Kill me now.

But Lily wasn't done. She turned to Arya, her expression serious again. "Now, care to explain why you went into that dungeon alone when I specifically told you I'd roast you alive if you didn't wait for backup?"

Arya's eyes darted around, looking for an excuse. "Um, I went out for a walk, and my legs kind of… slipped into the dungeon."

No one with half a brain cell would ever believe that, and Lily definitely wasn't buying it. She raised a fist and bonked Arya on the head. "At least come up with a better lie next time."

"Ow! Sorry!" Arya yelped, ducking behind me.

Lily sighed, shaking her head. "I came all the way from the capital to help you clear that dungeon. Now that it's done, this trip feels like a waste of time."

Well, that's unfortunate. But wait… she's a healer, right? We needed one of those. Sensing an opportunity, I jumped in. "Hey, since you're already here, why not join our party? We're entering the Trio Battle League, and we need a healer."

Arya perked up. "Yes! Please, Lily, join us!"

Lily crossed her arms, clearly reluctant, but after seeing Arya's pleading face, she gave in. "Fine. But on one condition: we share each other's stats and make a plan before every mission. I'm not joining a reckless team."

"Deal," we both said, though we were clearly embarrassed at being called reckless.

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Meanwhile, while all this was happening, Systie was out on her own little adventure.

The black cat snuck into an old church on the outskirts of the city, known as the Hundred Pillar Church. The place was quiet, with rows of statues lining the walls, each holding a book titled 'Divine Knowledge'. Systie stealthily moved behind the statues, heading toward the center of the church.

In the center of the church stood a small, crystalline statue of the goddess. A group of priests and priestesses knelt before it, deep in prayer. Systie waited until they dispersed, then crept closer to the statue.

Her blue eyes glowed, projecting a beam of light onto the crystal. Moments later, the statue shimmered, and a familiar figure appeared—Terra, the goddess, lounging on a sofa with a magazine in hand.

Feeling someone stare at her, Terra looked up and saw Systie curiously eyeing the magazine, which read 'Shonin Jump'. It had a cover featuring kids in weird clothes, some holding weapons, all with big smiles on their faces.

Terra hurriedly hid the magazine behind her back and greeted the cat, "Hello, my dear Systie. What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

Systie's gaze snapped back to the goddess. After a brief hesitation, she asked, "Terra-sama, is it possible for me to talk with people around me without them suspecting I'm some kind of sacred beast?"

The question had been on the cat's mind for a while. She often watched how the people around her expressed themselves—talking, scolding, laughing, and even annoying each other—yet she couldn't do any of that in public. She wanted to do those things too, it was a selfish thing to ask in her opinion but she just couldn't bear the thought of remaining mute in front of humans forever. It just didn't sit well with her.

The goddess smiled knowingly. "Feeling jealous, are we?"

Systie huffed, turning her face away in denial, though her ears twitched. Terra chuckled before responding, "I can't think of a way for you to talk to humans without drawing attention. But I can create a skill that will allow you to talk, scold, cackle, and annoy Ervin, even in public."

The cat's ears perked up in joy, but she tried to hide it with another huff.

After some contemplation, Terra asked, "You'll need to delete one of your current skills. Which will you give up?"

The cat looked at her status, not knowing which skill to delete.

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Name: Systie

Age: 300 years old

Gender: Female

Level: 70

Evolution and human form (Sacrificed to gain a system skill)

Class: Administrator

Ability: Energy Flow

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Stats: (Sacrificed to gain a system skill)

- HP: 10

- MP: 10

- Physical Attack: 10

- Physical Defense: 10

- Magic Attack: 10

- Magic Defense: 10

- Agility: 10

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Skills:

Slot 1— Divine Skill: Bless (Allows the user to activate the system in children aged 12 or older)

Slot 2— Divine Skill: Relife (Allows the user to be reborn after death. The process takes one day)

Slot 3— System Skill: Balance Call (Allows the user to adjust overpowered skills that disrupt the world, including divine skills)

Slot 4— Divine Projector (Allows the user to project the image of the goddess, enabling the goddess to interact with the world's inhabitants)

Skill Points: 20

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Each of these skills was incredibly powerful, and Systie had no idea which one to give up.

If she deleted <Bless >, all the cat statues scattered across the human continent—like the one in the guildhall—would lose their ability to activate the system. No human would ever be able to use the system again, leaving them extremely vulnerable to wild beasts. That wasn't something Systie could allow.

Deleting <Relife > would mean that after her death, all of her skills, including <Bless >, would cease to function, once again leading to the possible annihilation of humanity.

<Balance Call> was crucial for correcting errors in the system, and <Divine Projector> was necessary for communication with the goddess.

While she was deliberating on which skill to delete, Systie's eyes fell on the many statues of the goddess around her. An evil but brilliant thought popped into the cat's head as it finally said, "I'll delete <Divine Projector>."