NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Penalty [2]
"Ah!" The young man extended his hand. "Lucien Ardent. Her betrothed."
Kai just stood there, frozen.
Silent.
Staring.
He wasn't able to—didn't want to—process what was happening in front of him.
Noticing his blank look, Lucien tilted his head.
"You, okay?"
His voice brought Kai out of his thoughts.
"O-Oh, yeah... I'm Kai," Kai shook his hand, forcing a smile.
Lucien raised a brow at his behavior but didn't press further, as if judging what it was all about.
Instead, he smirked and turned his head to Lira, "We're getting late, darling."
As the realization hit her, she covered her face, stifling a giggle.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."
Before walking away, Lucien turned to Kai, smiling.
"We were just going to have lunch. My family's nearby… Why don't you join us? It would be better to know each other."
Kai remained silent, letting his words sink in.
Then he looked to Lira.
She met his eyes, her gaze filled with soft encouragement.
"Come on. It's been so long." She insisted.
He hesitated… then nodded.
"Alright."
They began walking, Lucien and Lira ahead.
Kai trailing a step behind.
As they passed through the quiet street, Lucien leaned down, whispering something only Lira could hear.
She laughed—a real, bell-like sound that hit Kai like a gust to the chest.
"Stop," she whispered, nudging Darius's arm.
"What? I'm just admiring the way your nose scrunches when you smile."
Her cheeks flushed lightly.
Lucien chuckled.
Then. With practiced ease, his hand rose gently to her cheek.
He tucked a stray strand of her silver hair behind her ear, fingers lingering.
"You know, you're still just as beautiful when you blush."
Her gaze flicked up at him, briefly.
Slowly he leaned closer.
And.
She didn't move away.
She didn't stop him.
Then—softly—she closed her eyes.
Their faces were close.
Too close.
Their lips hovered—just inches apart, breath brushing skin.
Kai's gaze dropped.
He clenched his fists.
His footsteps slowed.
Something inside him folded, quietly.
As he saw—
Their breaths mingled—warm, close.
Lira's eyes were closed now, lips parting ever so slightly as Lucien leaned in.
Just a little closer...
Almost there, but—
[<Ding!>]
Kai blinked.
[<Penalty completed!>]
And in that moment—
The world stopped.
Literally.
Everything froze.
The sunlight that filtered through the leaves halted mid-flicker.
The wind stopped brushing against his skin.
The colors dimmed, as if the warmth of the world was being sucked away.
Lira didn't move.
Lucien's lips hovered.
Frozen.
Then, without warning—The entire world shattered like glass.
Blue fragments, like pieces of light, spiraled around him, and Kai felt the ground fall away beneath his feet.
Then—
"Haah!"
He jolted upright.
The wooden chair beneath him creaked.
His breathing was ragged.
Sweat clung to his brow. His heart pounded like he'd been running for hours.
His eyes scanned the dim room—the same wooden walls, the small table, the faint light leaking through the window.
The inn.
He was back.
He blinked.
Then again.
A soft blue glowing panel hovered in front of him.
[<Penalty Complete!>]
Kai blinked again. The words didn't make sense.
But they didn't have to.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, palms over his face.
It was over.
It wasn't real.
But it... felt real.
And somehow…That made it worse.
He ran a hand down his face.
For a long time, he didn't move.
The inn was quiet.
Vex and Elina still slept soundly.
Everything looked the same.
But something inside him didn't.
He leaned back, eyes to the ceiling.
"Just a dream…" he muttered.
His hand moved to his chest, not clutching—just resting there.
The feeling didn't go away.
He just closed his eyes for a second longer. Not because he was tired.
But because… He didn't want to forget how her smile looked.
Or rather... How he made her smile like that.
He opened his eyes, only to see the familiar blue panel hovering above him.
[<So, boy. How was your first-hand experience of— >]
"The fuck was that?"
[<Your penalty, of course.>]
Kai groaned, rubbing his face.
"What kind of—! Couldn't you have done anything else or at least told me earlier?"
[<Hehe! I told you, it's better if you don't know.>]
Kai's patience was at its limit.
Before he could lash out, his gaze flickered to the bed.
Elina was sitting upright, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
He had been so focused on himself and what had happened inside the dream that he hadn't even noticed her waking up.
He stood up from the chair, his eyes still locked on her.
Elina flinched and clutched the blanket closer.
And to Kai's surprise—
"Meow."
Vex stepped between them, as if to make sure Kai wouldn't hurt her.
He raised a brow at Vex's behavior.
But quickly brushed it off, knowing he'd ordered her to take care of the little girl.
He let out a deep sigh and softened his expression.
"You hungry?"
Elina shook her head without missing a beat, but—
Grrr!
Her body betrayed her.
Her cheeks flushed bright red from embarrassment.
Kai sighed and said before heading downstairs
"I'll get you something to eat. Stay here."
A few minutes later, he returned with a tray holding three plates.
He set the tray on the table and placed the plates in front of Elina and Vex.
Elina gulped but just kept staring at the food without taking a single bite.
Meanwhile, Vex was already halfway through hers.
Kai raised a brow. "Why aren't you eating?"
Before Elina could answer, he added,
"What happened now? You weren't like this yesterday."
Her cheeks turned redder, and she lowered her gaze.
"Just stop pretending and eat already," Kai muttered, walking toward the bathroom.
"T-Thank you!" Elina said softly, then began nibbling on the sandwich.
After cleaning himself up, Kai returned to the room and quietly finished his own breakfast.
He noticed how quickly Vex had grown close to Elina.
Then, he stood up and walked to the door, glancing back at them.
"Vex, stay with her. I'll be back—then I'll figure out what to do with you next."
After slipping outside the inn, he began walking along the cobblestone road, hands tucked in his pockets.
But his mind still wandered to the dream he had.
'It was just a dream. Why the fuck did it hurt so much? And why do I even feel this way? Damn it.'
[<It wasn't just a dream.>]
Kai's eyes narrowed at the blue, hovering panel.
'What do you mean?'
[<It's one of the possibilities that might come true, haha!>]
[<You shouldn't neglect your training from now on, because next time, I won't be that lenient... if you know what I mean, Hehehe! So, start working your ass off.>]
Kai nodded.
Eventually, after walking for a few minutes, he found himself at the edge of town.
Then—
Whoosh!
He vanished and reappeared in the middle of a clearing in the forest.
And started doing push-ups.
--
{Daily Task}
Push-ups: 100 ✅
Pull-ups: 100 ✅
Running: 10 km ✅
Crunches: 100 ✅
Plank: 10 min ✅
[Ding!]
[You've completed your daily task.]
[Here are your rewards: 3 pts]
{Current Gacha Points: 15/100}
--
"Haa... Haa..."
He sat up, wiping the sweat from his face.
Then, the text on the blue panel shifted in front of his eyes.
[<Since this was your first time, and I went a little overboard... take this as compensation.>]
[<1x Gacha Coupon obtained!>]
Kai's lips curled into a smile.
"Now you're talking."
He stood up, dusting off his clothes.
[<Do you want to use your Gacha Coupon?>]
[<Yes!>] / [<No!>]
'Yes!'
[<Ding!>]
[<Congratulations! You got 1x Beast Summoning Coupon (Uncommon)!>]
Kai blinked. "Huh?"
[<Do you want to use 1x Beast Summoning Coupon (Uncommon)?>]
[<Yes!>] / [<No!>]
"Wait! What?"
[<Are you dumb or what? Can't read properly?>]
Kai's eyes widened in surprise.
'I'll get an Uncommon beast for free? Though it's lower ranked than Vex and Luna... still.'
'Yes!'
The blue panel shifted again as multiple spherical objects began to swirl around it.
And—
[<Ding!>]
[<Congratulations! You obtained: Uncommon Windsight Falcon!>]
[<The beast has been automatically transferred to your Soul Space!>]
[<Ding!>]
[<Congratulations! You obtained the skill: Falcon's Sight from Windsight Falcon!>]
[<Falcon's Sight: Provides the user with heightened vision, allowing them to spot movement, mana traces, or enemies up to 100–300 meters away.>]
'Damn! That's an awesome skill—perfect for my job!'
Kai grinned; all his previous worries seemed to vanish.
"Status!"
[Status]
{Basic Information}
Name: Kai
Race: Human
Age: 16
Class: Beast Tamer
Sub-Class: Rouge
Rank: Peak-Intermediate Core
Affinity: Dark, Poison
{Attributes}
Strength: E+
Agility: B
Endurance: D-
Charm: C+
Intelligence: C
Mana Capacity: C
Soul Essence Capacity: C
{Skills}
Active: Ghost Steps, Phantom Slash, Stealth, Beast Synchronisation, Falcon's Sight
Passive: Mana Regeneration
{Tamed Beasts}
-Phantom Lynx—Vex (Juvenile) Rare
Rank: Mid-Intermediate Core
Skills: Phantom slash, Ghost Steps, Stealth
-Dual-Heart Kitsune—Luna (Evolution stage) Mystic
Rank: Peak-Intermediate Core
Skills: Fireball, Ice spear, Icicle barrage, Illusionary Viel, Foxfire
-Windsight Falcon—(Unnamed) (Juvenile) Uncommon
Rank: Early-Lesser Core
Skills: Sonic Dive, Falcon's Sight
--
Kai smirked and closed the status window.
[<Falcon's Sight activated!>]
Suddenly, a sharp buzz rang through his head, not painful, but like a jolt of clarity striking his brain.
Kai froze.
His pupils narrowed, then began to glow faintly with a soft, silvery hue.
The world around him seemed to shift.
The thick veil of leaves and branches no longer blurred his vision.
He could see everything—every detail. The veins of the leaves fluttering in the breeze, the flowing water of the waterfall meters away.
It was like the forest had become glass, and his eyes could pierce through it all.
Then he shifted his gaze to the side.
A sly smirk tugged at his lips.
"Interesting!"
Whoosh—