NOVEL NEXT chapter 2 - The First World (2)
From the original novel, Yun Mingchen was the most troublesome opponent the male lead encountered during his time at the Empire's top cultivation academy.
He was skilled at disguising himself, and his strength was formidable.
In a moment of desperation, Yu Tong lunged, expecting to miss completely, but to his surprise, Yun Mingchen didn’t dodge.
After reporting the error, the system cheerfully came over.
【I’ve reported your situation to the higher-ups. They responded that the reason for the error is unknown, and they can’t restore your human form for now, but they did send a large compensation. I used that money to buy you a small skill.】
Yu Tong stopped his milk-kneading action. "I can have a skill? That’s awesome."
【Mhm, what game doesn’t have skills…】
The system paused for two seconds. 【No, that analogy is inappropriate. This isn’t a game. Anyway, you have a skill now. Do you want it? There’s a seven-day no-reason return policy, just let me know if you don’t want it.】
‘Yes, I want it!’
As soon as Yu Tong replied, a small screen appeared in front of him, visible only to him and the system.
【Skill Name: Cat Pounce!】
【Skill Description: Within a certain range, you will 100% pounce on any person or object you aim for.】
【Skill Motto: Meow!】
Yu Tong: ...
What a simple introduction, useless skill.
The system, trying to prove itself as an industry expert, said, 【If it weren’t for this skill, how could you have pounced on the villain? You didn’t even fall to the ground, it’s all because I ordered it fast enough. How’s that? Pretty amazing, right?】
Yu Tong didn’t believe it at all. The system didn’t even look like a person, how could he trust it?
Yun Mingchen leaned down, his hand hovering above the little cat’s head, using his spiritual power to carefully check the cat's aura.
The cat didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts, its milk-kneading motion looking especially half-hearted.
After confirming that the mud-covered kitten was not a cat demon, Yun Mingchen fell into deep thought.
Why was he pounced on by this little cat? Was he too careless? Should he intensify his training?
Yu Tong was nudged by the system, and he looked up at the hand above him, then at the villain’s gentle gaze. He suddenly realized this was a good opportunity.
He tried to prop himself up, rubbing his head affectionately against Yun Mingchen’s palm, and let out a soft meow.
The system, watching from a distance, pulled out a cigarette with a complex expression.
The villain’s gaze showed a deep disgust, clearly uninterested in the kitten.
He scoffed, smiling coldly as he lowered his voice. “You’re filthy. You dirty thing. After I’m done, I’ll saw off your legs, then throw you off the building. I’ll make sure you die.”
Yu Tong: ?
System: ? Did your face and mouth not coordinate properly when you spoke?
Yun Mingchen finished speaking with a smile, then subtly adjusted his stance.
The system asked in confusion: 【What is he doing?】
‘Probably looking for a camera angle.’
【Camera? Where’s the camera?】
As the system was still pondering, it saw Yun Mingchen slightly turn his body, positioning himself so the wall monitor could clearly capture his perfect half-profile.
Then, Yun Mingchen displayed an extremely gentle smile.
He gently picked up the dazed kitten and sighed with concern. “Poor thing.”
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the weather seemed gloomy. The streetlights, which had turned on early, cast a warm light over Yun Mingchen, giving him a halo-like glow.
In that moment, he looked serene and holy, like a compassionate saint from a book.
Just as it was about to open the door to the space to move Yu Tong, it heard the villain preparing to carry him off to a corner without cameras.
【Sorry, little brother, I didn’t know he looked so human but would secretly abuse animals. It wasn’t mentioned in the original, I didn’t expect it.】
【You’re probably about to have your legs sawed off, though I can block your pain, but the scene will still be bloody. If you get thrown off the building, it counts as work injury, and I’ll change you back into a cat body for free.】
Yu Tong had only been in the world for less than half an hour, and he still couldn’t figure out the villain’s nature.
However, even though Yun Mingchen had his back to the camera, his actions of picking up the kitten were still gentle. Yu Tong felt it was worth taking a gamble.
He declined the system’s offer and, mimicking a cat from a short video, tilted his head and softly meowed at Yun Mingchen.
The man froze for a moment, then looked away, his brows furrowing in disgust. “Shut up, you damn thing.”
Yu Tong: …
Forget it, he should hide in the system space.
Yu Tong waited the whole time, but the villain didn’t saw his legs off.
Instead, he took him to the back door of the cafeteria and gently placed him on the ground.
Not far away were a few large garbage trucks filled with leftovers.
The Empire’s first cultivation academy had great food, and the stray cats that rummaged through the trash had all become as fat as pigs. At that moment, they were leisurely hiding under the trash trucks, eating chicken legs while avoiding the rain.
When the little cat remained at his feet, Yun Mingchen nudged him with his foot, pushing him towards the garbage bin. “What are you lying around here for? Go find food in the trash.”
With a casual flick of his hand, a half-eaten grilled fish flew out from the garbage truck, landing right in front of the kitten.
Yu Tong, seeing this, ran out from the system space and back into his cat form.
He looked at the grilled fish in front of him, then at Yun Mingchen who was walking away, feeling a bit confused.
The system didn’t respond either, 【What’s going on? He’s not abusing the cat anymore?】
‘Is it because I’m too cute that the deviation value increased, so he changed his mind temporarily?’
【No, the deviation value is still 0.】
Yu Tong thought carefully and realized that the villain was just foul-mouthed and had been scaring him. He hadn’t really hurt him, and in fact, had sent him to the strays' “buffet.”
The system was right—at the moment, the villain wasn’t really a bad person.
After walking a short distance, Yun Mingchen heard some muffled sounds behind him.
He turned around and saw the little kitten, who had just been let go, tumbling and crawling after him.
Their eyes met, and the kitten suddenly meowed, leaping up from the ground and pouncing directly onto his calf.
Yun Mingchen shook his leg, deep in thought again.
Couldn’t even avoid a kitten—was he really that useless?
Although the villain didn’t adopt Yu Tong, he didn’t go after the male lead either.
After tossing the kitten back to the back door of the cafeteria, Yun Mingchen went straight to his single dorm.
Before leaving, he scared off a few aggressive fat cats, casually summoning a few boiled chicken legs and throwing them in front of the kitten.
If Yu Tong was really a stray, those boiled chicken legs would be enough for him to eat for several days.
Yu Tong didn’t want to eat leftovers. Using his cuteness, he got a fresh chicken sausage from a passing female student.
To allow him to keep eating human food, the system installed a MOD—“Attack of the Little Cat.”
As the “Attack of the Little Cat,” Yu Tong could now eat anything. He could chew on the tiles on the ground, or the iron bars on the roadside, whatever he liked.
Following the map provided by the system, Yu Tong leisurely made his way toward the villain’s dorm.
It was a big blow to the system to turn its human host into a cat.
It had been muttering in Yu Tong’s head, trying to prove it was a reliable expert, unlike the intern systems that turned their hosts into Xiaomi speakers.
When Yu Tong ignored it, the system sighed and decided to change the topic.
Yu Tong, munching on his chicken sausage, responded without hesitation. ‘He’s a swordsman. After being pounced on twice by such a little thing, he must be doubting himself. He probably thinks he’s not in good shape, so he plans to rest today and go find the male lead tomorrow.’
【Do you think it’s because his pants got dirty, and he’s embarrassed, so he went to change clothes?】
‘No way, is it really that careless? Wait, I just checked. The villain’s deviation value is still 0. He definitely hasn’t given up yet.’
The system had been a little disappointed after realizing it didn’t have a naive, pure, and obedient host.
Now, seeing how seriously Yu Tong took the task, it was feeling much better.
【Aren’t you tired from running so far? At your pace, it’ll take another hour to reach the villain’s dorm. Why don’t you sit down and rest? We’re not in a hurry.】
‘I’m fine. The sooner I approach the villain, the sooner I can complete the task and kill Chen Ge. Damn it, trash person. I was so good to him, and he stabbed me!’
As Yu Tong ran while cursing, the system sighed and took a puff of its cigarette.
Sigh, it still wanted a soft, cute little bunny of a host.
The kind who wouldn’t curse and would cry softly.
Yu Tong wasn’t used to his cat body, [N O V E L I G H T] so it was difficult to run. By 7 p.m., he had only reached the dorm area.
Though it wasn’t too late, all the dorms had lights on.
Students from various faculties, holding their own magical tools, were heading back to their dorms in groups.
Yu Tong weaved through their legs, occasionally bumping into someone’s shoes because he couldn’t control his limbs.
A crowd gathered around him, touching him like perverts while calling, “Kitten! Meow, meow—”
Yu Tong’s dirt was almost all rubbed off.
Two female students from the Alchemy Academy, dressed in black robes and holding small alchemy furnaces, were quietly talking.
As they passed by, Yu Tong overheard one of them whispering, “Why is class over so early today?”
“Didn’t you see the forum? Someone found two student corpses in the small woods near the teaching building. It looks like they were bitten to death by something, just like the news said.”
“Bitten by a monster?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know what the Cultivation Alliance is doing. It’s been over a year, and they still haven’t caught the monster.”
Not only them, but all the students were discussing this.
There was a plot like this in the original novel. According to the book, the monster was an evil creature that had escaped from a seal.
The male lead had entered the monster’s lair alone and wiped out the creatures, finally earning the respect of the students and becoming their new leader.
The monster plot hadn’t officially started yet, so there was no need to worry about it for now.
Yun Mingchen’s dorm door and windows were locked, with only one window on the second floor open. Yu Tong found a spot and started climbing the outer wall.
His body was too small and fragile, and after climbing for over half an hour, he hadn’t made much progress.
The system, worried, smoked its cigarette. 【You’re worrying me to death. Why aren’t you using the skill I bought for you?】
【See the tree on the left? Use the Cat Pounce skill to land on it, then turn around and pounce on the wall. With the skill’s range, you can hop left and right, slowly working your way up. Isn’t that better than what you’re doing now?】
Yu Tong’s eyes lit up.
‘That’s amazing.’
【Hehe!】
Following the system’s advice, Yu Tong leaped back and forth and soon reached the second-floor window.
He grabbed the tree trunk, aimed at the window, and meowed as he pounced.
In Yu Tong’s plan, he would either land inside the room or land on the window sill.
But the reality didn’t match his plan.
Yun Mingchen, now dressed in new clothes, had appeared at the window and was looking out in confusion.
Yu Tong crashed right into his arms with a loud thud.
System: 【...A princess carry, so romantic.】
Yu Tong: ...? Is this intentional?
Yun Mingchen: ...
This cat did it on purpose.