Cng!Cng!Cng!

  Early in the morning, loud and relentless noises echoed from inside a supermarket.

  Suo Gang and the others stood in a corner, half-asleep, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

  "What’s all this racket so early in the morning?" Yi Lai grumbled, daring to tempt fate. Before he could say another word, his companions sprang into action, their eyes snapping open as they each cmped a hand over his mouth.

  "Mmm! Mmm!"

  At that moment, Ye Lan appeared, broom in one hand and rag in the other, shooting them a sharp gre that instantly silenced them.

  "How can you sleep in such filth? It’s absolutely unacceptable!" she snapped, her gaze shifting toward their rooms.

  She had been cleaning for over half an hour, and yet the pce still wasn’t spotless. Filthy! If they kept living like this, weren’t they afraid cockroaches might take over?

  Suo Gang averted his eyes in embarrassment, scratching his cheek with a finger.

  "Ye Lan, I think you just don’t understand a man’s way of living. After all, you’re a girl…" he muttered hesitantly.

  "What!? How dare you say I wouldn’t understand? Do you think only you qualify as a man!?" Ye Lan instinctively shot back.

  But as soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.

  Wait… When I was still a guy, I liked keeping things neat too, but never to this obsessive extent. Could it be…?

  Ye Lan hesitated, her mind racing. Could it be that I’m being influenced by the ‘traits’ of being a beastkin girl?

  Wait!? Why did I just think 'when I was still a man'? I’m still a true alpha male!

  Ye Lan gripped the cloth in her hand so tightly it seemed like it might tear apart. Nearby, the three boys flinched and exchanged uneasy gnces, doing their best to avoid making eye contact with her.

  "Damn it! Just you wait, you’ll regret this!"

  With an irritated huff, she spun around and stormed back into the room. Armed with a broom in one hand and a rag in the other, she resumed her cleaning with such ferocity and precision that she moved like a machine. Her superhuman strength made her seem as though she had three heads and six arms, effortlessly tackling even the most unreachable corners.

  Ten minutes ter, the room was immacute. Everything sparkled, as if the entire space had been repced with a brand new version. The floor shone as though it had just been waxed, the windows were so clear they seemed to disappear, and the air itself felt sharper, as if the room’s resolution had been dialed to the max.

  "It’s clean, yeah… but doesn’t it feel like something’s missing?" Suo Gang muttered, staring at the now entirely empty table with a hint of mencholy. A sense of desotion washed over him.

  Ye Lan, standing with her hands on her hips, let out a satisfied breath. Then, frowning, she leaned down and sniffed her own arm.

  "Ugh, I stink! This won’t do. I need a bath!"

  Wrinkling her nose in discomfort, Ye Lan lowered her arm and marched toward the bathroom with determined steps.

  She pced her hand on the doorknob, but just as she was about to open it, a dark, malevolent creature scuttled out.

  Ye Lan looked down at the strange being, blinking in confusion. It took her three long seconds to process what she was seeing before she abruptly stepped back.

  "Crap! It’s a cockroach!"

  With a shriek, Ye Lan recoiled, trembling. It was her worst nightmares, a creature she utterly loathed. Whether before or after her transformation, her deep-seated phobia of these vile insects had remained unchanged.

  [Passive Skill Acquired: Fear]

  Fear: When facing what you fear, if the enemy has a lower level than you, your attack power increases by 150%.

  A system notification fshed briefly in her vision, but Ye Lan was far too preoccupied to notice it. Her eyes remained locked on the massive cockroach, and she swallowed nervously.

  This wasn’t just any cockroach, it was enormous, easily the size of a human palm. It seemed that, just like humans, animals had also started to mutate.

  At that moment, Suo Gang and the others rushed over. When their gazes fell on the giant insect, their eyes widened in disbelief. This was no common cockroach, its features resembled that of the legendary cockroach-rat.

  "Ye Lan, leave this to us. We’ll handle this like men-"

  Before Suo Gang could finish his sentence, Ye Lan raised her hand, cutting him off decisively.

  "No! Leave it to me!"

  She pressed her lips together and, trembling, raised a hand. A sphere of water began to form in her palm.

  "Magic?!"

  The boys behind her stared in shock at the small orb of water floating above Ye Lan's hand. How could this be possible? She was only level 6, and yet she was using a magical ability, something humans couldn’t even begin to learn until reaching level 20!

  At first gnce, the sphere seemed insignificant, hardly threatening. It probably doesn’t have much power, Suo Gang and the others thought. At best, it might spsh a little water on your face.

  However, before they could fully process their thoughts, Ye Lan hurled the orb with a fierce, determined expression.

  [Water Cannon!]

  The water orb shot toward the cockroach at breakneck speed. Sensing danger, the insect trembled and darted to the side in an attempt to dodge. The projectile struck the front door instead.

  BOOM!

  The door exploded on impact, leaving a gaping hole in its center. Splinters of wood scattered across the room as a cloud of dust settled.

  What the hell?!

  Suo Gang and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Their faces twitched uncontrolbly as they stared at the wreckage. What kind of insane power was that?

  "Ye Lan" Suo Gang began, swallowing hard to steady himself. "This ability of yours... isn’t it a little op? It must have some serious limitations, right?"

  Without turning around, Ye Lan gave a slight nod. "Yes, I can only use it five more times"

  Hearing this, Suo Gang and the others exhaled in collective relief. At least such a devastating skill wasn’t something she could spam indefinitely. Surely, it must consume an enormous amount of magic... or so they hoped.

  Yes, the mana consumption was enormous, but only for Ye Lan. The beastkin race had incredibly low innate magic reserves, gaining just one mana point per level. For this reason, beastkin almost never learned magic.

  Still, magic was undeniably useful.

  "Just die already!"

  Ye Lan unched a flurry of water orbs with all her strength, one after another. However, the cockroach's speed was monstrous, and every shot missed its target.

  Meanwhile, the walls around her were becoming riddled with holes from the impacts. Horrified, Suo Gang covered his mouth, unable to contain his anguish. It hurt his soul!

  "That was my Illya collector’s figure worth 6,666 coins!" "And that... that’s my beloved Rem-chan!" "Damn it! Where’s Saber’s ahoge?!"

  As a professional gamer and seasoned otaku, Suo Gang had poured his heart into his collectibles. Even though the world's transformation had diminished their practical value, their emotional significance still left him devastated.

  "Just die already! Water Cannon! Cannon! Ca...nnon?"

  Ye Lan stared at her empty hand, realizing her mana was completely drained.

  As if sensing her helplessness, the cockroach stopped retreating. It paused for a moment before dashing toward her at full speed, a malicious glint in its many eyes.

  Ye Lan took a step back, trembling in terror. Touch that cockroach with her bare hands? No way! There was no way she’d defile herself by touching something so revolting.

  At that critical moment, Mu Xuetong appeared in the blink of an eye. Swiftly and gracefully, she wrapped an arm around Ye Lan and plunged her sword into the massive cockroach, killing it instantly.

  [+100 experience points][Mu Xuetong leveled up][Level 23 → Level 24]

  A glowing level-up symbol appeared above Mu Xuetong’s head. With a calm and reassuring smile, she turned to Ye Lan, who was still held securely in her arms. "Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to you" she said softly.

  Ye Lan’s face immediately flushed red as her heart began to race uncontrolbly. Her lips parted as she tried to stammer out a thank-you, but then she froze. She had just noticed where Mu Xuetong’s hand was resting.

  "Hey, you...! Why are you touching my chest?!"

  A vein bulged on Ye Lan’s forehead, and her embarrassment gave way to fury. Without a second thought, she swung her fist, nding a devastating punch.

  Bang!

  "Xiao Lan! I... I’m innocent!"

  Mu Xuetong was sent flying out of the supermarket, crashing into the middle of the street. She y there motionless for a moment, foam bubbling from her mouth.

  Mu Xuetong, RIP (joke).

  A few minutes ter, she groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing her head with one hand. But something was off.

  Everything around her was deathly silent. The usual bustling sounds of life had vanished. Mu Xuetong looked around, her brows furrowing as unease began to settle in.

  "What... what’s going on here?" she murmured, her voice echoing eerily in the empty street.

  Suvn