Frenzied yet steady grinding allowed Jiang Ke’er to easily break through to Level 2 with her thievery skill, and she was now advancing toward Level 3.
When her “Sacred Thievery” skill reached Level 2, the system notified her that a new attribute, “Basic Stealth,” had been added.
This made her movements subtler, preventing detection by cultivators at or below the Four Symbols Realm.
The Four Symbols Realm was a cultivation stage in this world.
Jiang Ke’er found remembering these realm names cumbersome, so she simply treated them as levels: One Origin Realm as Level 10, Two Polarities Realm as Level 20, Three Talents Realm as Level 30, and so on.
At this moment, Jiang Ke’er was immensely relieved that she hadn’t gotten cocky and challenged the powerful warriors on the street when her skill was only at Level 1.
Otherwise, she might’ve been beaten to a pulp.
Calming herself, Jiang Ke’er continued to frantically grind her thievery skill.
Advancing from Level 2 to Level 3 required 200 proficiency points—not too much, but not insignificant either.
If she relied on legitimate theft, it would be incredibly troublesome and likely attract the attention of the authorities.
But now, with a few worn-out plush balls to steadily farm experience, it was much simpler.
After grinding for a while longer, a system prompt finally appeared before Jiang Ke’er.
[“Sacred Thievery” skill level increased!]
[New attribute acquired: “Intermediate Stealth.” Your thievery will no longer be detected by cultivators at or below the Seven Luminaries Realm!]
Jiang Ke’er wasn’t entirely sure what the Seven Luminaries Realm entailed.
She had only overheard the names of these realms while eavesdropping in a tavern.
She wanted to ask the system, but the two systems were currently in a cold war, and she didn’t want to disturb them.
She wondered if she should continue grinding her thievery skill to Level 4 for extra security.
Unfortunately, when she tried targeting the same worn-out stall owners, she found that her proficiency no longer increased.
It seemed their strength was too low to provide further training for her skill.
Now, she needed to practice on stronger targets.
Sure enough, when she targeted a warrior on the street carrying a sword, her proficiency began to rise again.
“Level 3 to Level 4 requires a whopping 2,000 proficiency points. How long will this take?” Jiang Ke’er groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
But an unexpected bonus came her way: every time she successfully stole from a warrior on the street, the system notified her that she earned 1 Villain Point—points that could be used to buy items or exchange for cultivation time in the Villain Store.
[Yes, just like that! Let these mortals feel the wrath of the Ancient Gods!] The Villain System let out a sinister laugh, brimming with malevolent energy.
[Do you desire power? Do you crave wealth beyond measure? Just steal more, kill more, and you’ll earn more points! Our entire Ancient God Arsenal will always be open to you! As long as you have enough points…]
Huh? It could work like that?
Jiang Ke’er was astonished.
The Villain System was truly living up to its name, dead set on leading her down the path of a great villain!
She smirked coldly and said, “Me? I don’t know what these Ancient Gods are, nor do I understand what you’re scheming or what you want to turn me into. But I can tell you this—In my entire life, I’ve always walked the righteous path and stood tall! I’ve never done anything against my conscience for wealth or glory, even if it meant a life of poverty!”
[Hmph, you…] The Villain System started to respond, but Jiang Ke’er cut it off.
“So!” Jiang Ke’er declared sharply, “When a system as rich and powerful as you throws me an olive branch…What choice do I have but to submit?!”
[…]
The Villain System fell silent for a long moment before muttering quietly, “You’re badass.”
The Hero System couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Host, don’t rush to conclusions! Doing good deeds will earn you Hero Points with me! Don’t let the Villain System sway you—follow me instead! Listen to me! Do some good deeds, act chivalrous, uphold justice, help an old lady cross the street… I guarantee I can offer everything the Villain System can, and I won’t be any worse!”
“Hmm, that does sound pretty good,” Jiang Ke’er said, feigning interest.
“Hey!” the Villain System taunted.
“The most precious treasures across all realms are in my hands. You sure you can match that?”
“Hmph!” the Hero System shot back, unwilling to back down.
“Have you forgotten the might of my Cosmic Star Array? The wisdom of the stars is something you’ll never catch up to!”
Ignoring the Villain System, it turned to Jiang Ke’er urgently.
“Don’t focus only on Villain Points, or you’ll become the heir to evil forces! You’ll be hunted like a rat on the streets! Listen to me—grind Hero Points instead. How great would it be to shine as a grand hero?”
“Hm,” Jiang Ke’er mused, rubbing her chin, appearing torn.
After a moment, she said, “I can’t decide yet. Right now, I’m just a lowly nobody without power. To survive, I might have to do some unorthodox things… but deep down, I naturally want to be a hero, a chivalrous warrior.”
Villain System: “Heh, trust me, and I’ll ensure your survival!”
Hero System: “You’ll regret it! Trust me, trust me!”
“So,” Jiang Ke’er said seriously, “it’s up to you two to prove yourselves. Your actions will decide which path I choose! For now, I’ll play both the good guy and the bad guy. In the end… whichever one of you sucks up to me better, I’ll follow. Got it?”
“Got it, got it!” both systems shouted in unison, practically transforming into fawning lapdogs.
“Hm~” Jiang Ke’er nodded in satisfaction.
“Now, I have a few questions, and you two better answer honestly…”
“Ask away, ask away!” ×2
“What’s the Seven Luminaries Realm?” Jiang Ke’er asked.
“The Seven Luminaries Realm is…” [$&*@(!#$…]
“Stop, stop, stop!” Jiang Ke’er hurriedly interrupted.
The two systems were so eager to show off that they shouted over each other, making her head throb while she couldn’t make out a single word.
“You two will take turns answering my questions! Villain System, you go first!”
“Hmph~” The Villain System’s sultry voice chuckled smugly.
“The Seven Luminaries Realm refers to powerful cultivators who can commune with the sun, moon, and stars. Not only in the Xiao Kingdom but across the entire Northern Continent, they’re among the top-tier existences. There are fewer than ten people in the entire Northern Continent who surpass the Seven Luminaries Realm, and those ten wouldn’t be wandering the streets, so you can steal to your heart’s content!”
Jiang Ke’er let out a sigh of relief.
So that’s how it was—she could relax!
“No stealing recklessly!” the Hero System’s loli voice suddenly cried out.
“Remember to do good deeds while stealing! Don’t let your Villain Points get too high! Look at your tail fur… it’s turning red!”
Prompted by the Hero System’s loli, Jiang Ke’er glanced at her fox tail.
Sure enough, a small tuft of fur at the tip had turned dark red, though it used to be golden yellow.
She was originally a little fox demon with golden yellow fur.
“If your Villain Points exceed your Hero Points by too much, your fur will lean toward dark red… If your Hero Points surpass your Villain Points, it’ll turn pure white!” the loli shouted.
“White is so pretty! So grind more Hero Points!”
“Bullshit! Your aesthetic is outdated!” the Villain System retorted.
“The world’s full of white foxes—how cliché is that? Fiery, sexy red is the way to go!”
“Everyone loves white fur, got it? Classics are popular for a reason!” the loli argued back.
“…”
Jiang Ke’er looked at her tail fur and thought her original color was best.
She didn’t want to be a rainbow fox, changing colors all the time like some kind of lightbulb.
That would be utterly ridiculous!