NOVEL NEXT Chapter 200: Familiar Zone
"I should… put the rings on your fingers?" Azel asked, tilting his head slightly.
He didn't see what was so special about it.
The ring was simply a tool — a storage device that would make keeping items convenient.
Yet the moment he said it, all three women nodded in unison, their faces tinged with blushes.
Was something going on that he wasn't aware of?
Medusa stepped forward first, her eyes glimmering like molten fire.
She raised her hand delicately, her long pale fingers trembling ever so slightly as she extended it toward him.
"Master," she said softly, "can you put it on this finger?"
She pointed to her left hand's ring finger, the gesture deliberate.
Azel blinked at her choice, but she only averted her eyes.
Was there something special about that finger? Still he would oblige her.
Medusa on the other hand smiled, she had spent nights poring over books she had borrowed from the library.
In those pages, she had discovered the symbolism of rings — how, in human culture, the ring finger was reserved for those who were engaged or married.
And that was exactly what she wanted.
"Okay," Azel said simply, not thinking too deeply about it. He slid the ring onto her finger with steady hands.
The moment the silver band touched her skin, it shimmered faintly, the enchantments activating as if acknowledging its new owner.
Medusa raised her hand immediately, the polished surface catching the light, her lips turning into a radiant smile.
"Master, does it look good?" she asked, her tone hopeful and girlish, almost unlike her usual self.
"Yes, it totally does," Azel replied. "It's a storage ring, so you can store things like weapons or other important belongings in it. Just remember — it takes about five seconds to call an item out."
Medusa's smile grew brighter. "Thank you for the gift."
She turned toward the corner of the room where her enormous bone longsword rested, the weapon she had taken from the Winter Region.
With a simple thought, she willed it into the ring. The weapon vanished instantly, leaving her hand free and her heart fluttering with excitement.
She flexed her fingers and sighed dreamily.
'I love this,' she thought, her cheeks warming. 'It's like a promise… even if Master doesn't know it yet.'
Azel moved on, repeating the same gesture for Veyra and Anya.
He placed the rings carefully onto their fingers but their reactions mirrored Medusa's. Each of them admired the new jewelry with shining eyes.
'Why are they acting like it's more than what it is?' Azel wondered, scratching his cheek. 'Is there something about these rings I don't know?'
He was about to step back and give them space when Veyra suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt.
Her eyes gleamed with mischief, and before Azel could react, she leaned in and stole a quick kiss from his lips.
His brows rose slightly, but she only pulled back with puffed cheeks, her tone was prideful.
"I'm your wife. I deserve to be kissed too."
Azel chuckled softly and patted her head. "Fair enough."
He turned away then, leaving the women to admire their new gifts.
His footsteps echoed softly through the hall as he made his way outside.
The backyard was quiet, save for Feng who sat cross-legged in the middle, his body trembling as he cultivated.
His shirt strained against his back and arms, muscles bulging under the pressure of the refining pill he had swallowed earlier.
Sweat dripped from his brow, but his focus wasn't broken.
Azel stopped at the threshold, watching for a brief moment.
His eyes watched the young man's figure.
'He'll be fine,' Azel thought, 'As long as he doesn't push himself too hard.'
He turned back inside, the day's weight was beginning to press on his shoulders. By the time he reached his room, exhaustion tugged at every muscle.
He didn't even bother with a bath. Instead, he collapsed onto the bed, his body sinking into the mattress with a heavy sigh.
His eyelids fluttered shut, and before long, his consciousness slipped away.
[You are being transported to the Plane of the Goddesses.]
The familiar notification echoed in his mind.
His vision blurred, and when it cleared, he found himself standing not in the icy plains or on the shimmering beach or even the room where he usually arrived, but somewhere entirely different.
A forest.
Towering trees surrounded him, their leaves rustling softly in a cold breeze.
Shafts of pale light filtered through the canopy above, and the air carried the crisp, earthy scent of moss and soil.
Azel blinked, frowning slightly.
'When the hell did a forest get here?'
He remembered the Plane having three main areas: the endless ice plains and the pristine beach. But this?
This was new.
'And besides,' he thought, scanning his surroundings, 'don't I usually appear next to the bed?'
He focused and heard whispers...
"You really think Hubby will believe this is real?"
It was Nyala's voice, though it was distant, like it was drifting through the trees.
"Of course… it's necessary. He needs to spend more time with us, doesn't he?"
That was Kyone, her tone gentle but equally mischievous.
Azel exhaled through his nose.
'So that's how it is. They're sulking.'
He could almost picture them, lips pouting, waiting for him to stumble through whatever little test they had set up.
"Hey," he called out, his voice carrying through the forest. "I'm sorry."
Silence.
He waited, listening to the rustling leaves, but neither goddess answered. His frown deepened.
"Alright then… we can go and swim later," he tried again, his tone coaxing.
Still nothing.
Azel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. I'll do whatever you want."
The moment he said it, the forest around him dissolved like mist in sunlight.
The trees melted away, the ground shifting beneath his feet, and in their place, two familiar figures appeared.
Nyala and Kyone materialized at his sides, each slipping gracefully under his arms, their faces alight with satisfaction.
Nyala leaned close, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"You'll keep your promise, right?" she asked, her voice giddy.
"Because we're planning to head to the Familiar Zone," Kyone added, her tone was calm but her expression no less eager.
'Familiar Zone?' Azel's brows furrowed.
He had never heard of such a place, not even the game had it.
"Familiar Zone?" Azel asked.
"Yes, it's a smaller plane that's full of Familiars."