“What are you doing here?”
Luo Lin asked weakly.
She had only just escaped from Claire’s torturous grasp.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Claire raised a brow in return.
“Dare to fight me one-on-one in the same realm?”
Luo Lin curled a finger, eyes gleaming with hostility as she challenged Claire.
“Heh…”
Claire let out a cold laugh.
“Looks like you’ve reached the Fourth-Tier Mage now.”
“What? Are you scared?”
“When I return, I hope you’ll still be this fearless…”
“Bleh—whatever. You can’t come back right now anyway.”
Luo Lin shot back, completely forgetting how she’d just been groveling at Claire’s feet moments ago.
“This time, there’s an exchange event between the Holy City’s Magic Academy and our Blood Domain’s Advanced Mage Academy. You should consider joining.”
“Oh, and… a ‘good’ day is approaching. Once this year’s admissions results from the Holy City’s Magic Academy are out, I think you’ll be very interested.”
“That’s what you came to tell me?”
“Exactly.”
Claire nodded.
She didn’t know what kind of butterfly effect this information might cause by passing it on to Luo Lin—but that wasn’t her concern.
As long as Luo Lin followed the plan, things were bound to get fun.
“Then you can leave.”
Luo Lin waved a hand, ready to see her off—only to find Claire still standing in place.
In an instant, an ominous feeling crept over her.
“You… Mother dearest, don’t you think it’s time for you to take a break?”
Luo Lin forced a smile, her expression pitiful as she looked at Claire.
“No, no, no. How could spending time with my daughter ever be tiring?”
Claire froze her in place and slowly approached.
“Who the hell is your daughter?! Let me go!”
“Refuse a toast, and you’ll drink the forfeit…”
…
The next morning, Luo Lin opened her weary eyes—still caught in the aftershocks of a nightmare.
Claire had tortured her all night long.
The room was peaceful and warm.
Gentle morning light filtered through gauzy curtains, casting a soft glow on the ornate bed.
Luo Lin felt irritated by the movements of Phyllis, who was snuggled tightly in her arms, sound asleep.
Looking at the sleeping girl clinging to her, Luo Lin grew increasingly annoyed.
She furrowed her brow, puffed out her cheeks in frustration, and—eyes full of rage—didn’t hesitate to lift her leg and deliver a solid kick.
Thud!
A dull boom rang out like muffled thunder across the room.
“Ah!”
Phyllis cried out in pain, flying off the bed like a kite with its string cut and landing hard on the floor.
The wooden floor slammed into her body, sending a jolt of pain through her as she hissed sharply.
She instinctively propped herself up with her hands, curling into a ball, and only after a while did she manage to recover.
Phyllis jolted awake, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
She tried to recall what had just happened.
A second ago, she’d been catching up with big sister Claire in her dream—how had she ended up under the bed?
“What’s going on? Sis—wait, Luo Lin!”
As she gathered her senses, she spotted the culprit still sitting on the bed.
“You’ve got a death wish, don’t you?!”
“This is all your fault!”
Luo Lin yelled, fuming.
“Your lovely sister tormented me all night in my dreams!”
“All night!”
At that, Phyllis suddenly understood why Luo Lin had looked so exhausted the night before—clearly, her good sister had been missing her daughter too much…
“Oh… I see. Still, that’s no excuse for you to kick me!”
Phyllis puffed up, cheeks flushed with anger, lips pouting, clearly unwilling to accept the injustice.
Bracing her hands on the edge of the bed, she flipped herself back up in one swift move and lunged straight at Luo Lin.
“Hmph! Don’t act like I’m scared of you or something.”
Luo Lin scoffed, arms akimbo, chin raised defiantly, a glint of challenge flashing in her eyes.
Then, with a quick kick, she met Phyllis head-on, and the two wrestled into a chaotic mess.
In no time, the room became a disaster zone—pillows flying, blankets tangled and tossed everywhere.
The two girls pushed and shoved, refusing to back down.
Suddenly, Phyllis had a flash of inspiration.
Taking advantage of Luo Lin’s guard being down, she reached out and tickled her foot.
“Hey?! Don’t—don’t tickle my feet! Pffft—ahaha—Phyllis!!”
…
After enduring a dual assault from her two “sisters,” Luo Lin lay lifelessly on the bed, completely drained.
She even felt like her life was flashing before her eyes.
Was this karma from a previous life?
She didn’t understand…
“Sigh…”
Luo Lin let out a deep sigh, then grabbed Phyllis’s “service fee” from beside her and began to drink.
Said “service fee” was, of course, Phyllis’s blood—not that she’d ever admit it tasted better than average.
Still, it couldn’t quite compare to her mother’s…
Cough, cough!
A few dry coughs later, Luo Lin’s expression shifted.
Her casual demeanor vanished, replaced by sharp, focused eyes.
It was time to handle the one thing she had to accomplish.
With that in mind, she no longer concealed the powerful aura she had previously kept hidden.
She released it in full, unrestrained.
A Fourth-Tier Mage.
Now that she had achieved this rank, she no longer needed to rely on that humiliating method to perform transformation magic.
Back then, she’d been forced to use Phyllis’s blood as a medium—each cast had been a brutal cut across her pride.
But now, she had completely shed that shameful reliance through her own strength.
As the surge of magical energy burst forth, a radiant glow shimmered around her like a dreamscape.
And in the next instant, standing in the midst of the pink-themed room… was a boy in a silk short-sleeved shirt and casual pants.
“Hehe… This is the real me! That little vampire loli crap can go rot.”
Luo Lin burst into laughter.
“From now on, even if Claire shows up, she can forget about turning this boss back.”
But… something felt off.
Her face instantly paled.
Hands trembling, she slowly lowered her gaze.
“Why…?”
And right then, the door opened.
Phyllis appeared in the doorway.
“Hmm?”
She froze at the sight before her, completely stunned.
That boy—of course she recognized him.
Wasn’t that the appearance of her dear little niece from before?
But… what exactly was going on here?