Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Interesting
The heavy wooden door closed behind Chenxi, shutting out the evening noise of Zero Town.
Chenxi secured the three thick door bolts one by one.
Only after confirming it was safe did he turn around.
It was a small courtyard. In this world where property prices were low, he had purchased the place without much effort.
It should be known that dungeons were not rare in this world. Almost every town had an entrance to one.
More precisely, wherever a dungeon entrance appeared, a town would gradually form around it.
So dungeon entrances were as common as stray dogs by the roadside.
The land was vast and the population sparse. Naturally, property prices never rose very high.
In one corner of the courtyard were piles of miscellaneous items. In another stood a water well.
Facing the yard was a single-story stone house.
Simple, but enough to shield one from the wind and rain.
Chenxi raised his hand and removed the hood that concealed his appearance.
Black hair fell loosely, revealing a youthful face beneath.
Because he spent so much time inside dungeons and rarely saw sunlight, his skin appeared somewhat pale.
The Oni girl stood stiffly by the door, her tall body blocking it behind her.
The oversized black robe draped over her concealed her striking pink skin and muscular form, yet it could not hide the wild, untamed aura surrounding her.
Her gaze stared through the shadow of the hood, locked firmly onto Chenxi.
Such a young human.
Her eyes were filled with vigilance—so thick it almost suffocated the air.
Humans were all villains!
Even handsome humans were villains!
Chenxi’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment. He said nothing and walked straight to the crude wooden table in the center of the room.
Several whetstones and weapon maintenance tools lay scattered across it.
“Sit wherever you like.”
Chenxi’s voice sounded youthful.
Wait… that voice sounded different from what she had heard earlier.
A large question mark practically appeared above her head.
Chenxi did not turn around. He had already picked up an oilstone and began spreading oil across a strip of black sharpening leather.
The Oni girl’s body grew even more tense.
What was he planning to do?!
Unease rose like a tide, heightening her vigilance.
To her, everything here felt unfamiliar and threatening.
And unfamiliar things meant danger.
A low growl escaped her throat as her heel pressed against the door behind her.
Her refusal was obvious.
The moment that thought of resistance appeared, an invisible force descended.
The slave contract rune on her temple suddenly became scorching hot, burning her skin like a branding iron.
Pain far worse than a whip instantly swept through her body.
She lifted her head and charged straight toward the young man in front of her.
Kill him!
That was her only thought. If she killed him, the pain would stop.
Then she froze.
That human… had appeared right in front of her?
Chenxi crouched down.
As she met his calm gaze, the anger raging within her heart seemed strangely suppressed.
“My first command is not difficult.
Sit.
If you sit down, the pain will stop.”
Her vein-filled hand rested against the young man’s neck.
With just a little force, she could snap his neck.
“You can kill me.
But you will die as well.”
His gaze remained calm.
Her courage faded at an astonishing speed.
She had never seen such an attitude before.
It unsettled her.
Chenxi slowly extended a hand.
“I have not harmed you, have I?”
His voice softened slightly.
“Now be obedient. Sit down.”
He gently removed the hand gripping his neck and issued the command once more.
Finally, she sat down on the ground.
“Good girl.”
Chenxi was just a little over 1.8 meters tall, yet he said those words to someone over two meters tall.
The scene looked undeniably strange.
Still, it was a good start.
…
Chenxi sat beside her, carefully maintaining his weapons.
The Oni girl curled up nearby. Every time she tried to move farther away, Chenxi would shift slightly closer.
Until she had nowhere left to retreat.
“H-Human… why did you buy me? What do you want?”
Chenxi did not respond. He continued calmly polishing his weapons and armor.
Time passed with the soft scraping sound of sharpening.
The sky outside gradually grew dark.
Finally, Chenxi placed the last short dagger—now gleaming with a cold, sharp light—into the sheath at his waist.
The maintenance work was finished.
The Oni girl’s head began to nod forward and back as if she were about to fall asleep.
The long struggle had already exhausted her.
Chenxi looked at her.
To be honest, the Oni girl did not feel particularly violent or difficult to control.
She resembled a cat that had been brought into an unfamiliar environment—its fur standing on end from stress.
Her skin had now returned to its original pink color.
Chenxi stroked his chin.
She kind of looked like something from those adult animations he used to watch…
Wait, what am I thinking?!
Where did that come from?
On the first day, it was enough that she no longer resisted him so strongly.
There was no need to expect too much.
Disobedient?
No problem. No problem.
First raise her affection level.
If the affection level was too low, of course she would not listen.
But once the affection level became high enough…
Maybe special CG scenes would unlock…
The corner of his mouth twitched.
What on earth was wrong with him?
I must be suppressing myself too much!
The Oni girl could never imagine that behind Chenxi’s calm, detached appearance, his inner thoughts were so chaotic.
He exhaled softly and leaned back against the chair, relaxing for a moment.
All right then.
Let us begin.
With a slight movement of his thoughts, the crude system interface appeared in his mind.
The familiar chibi character continued swinging a sword at a goblin model. Nothing floated above its head this time.
Apparently, no attribute points had dropped.
The idle treasure chest beside it was still filled with trash.
Chenxi ignored those things and focused on the glowing empty slot beside the chibi figure.
【Teammate Slot 1: Vacant】
When he concentrated his thoughts on it, new information appeared.
【Scan target for binding?】
【Yes / No】
Chenxi silently chose: Yes.
An invisible ripple of mental energy spread outward from him, subtly scanning the Oni girl in the corner.
Instantly, dense lines of information appeared beneath the empty slot.
【Compatible individual scan complete】
【Race】: Oni (Red Oni Subspecies)
【Status】: Minor injuries (multiple superficial wounds), Weakness (hunger, dehydration), Moderate mental pressure (residual slave contract), Anger, Vigilance.
【Core Attributes】
Strength: 84 (Potential Rating: A+) — Far above the human baseline (10). Extremely high potential.
Agility: 42 (Potential Rating: B-) — Moderately above average, affected by body size and injuries.
Constitution: 78 (Potential Rating: A) — Exceptionally resilient. Wound recovery speed far exceeds that of humans.
Spirit: 25 (Potential Rating: D) — Relatively low. Susceptible to mental shocks.
Mana: 0 (Potential Rating: H) — Extremely low. Almost incapable of guiding elemental energy.
Perception: 56 (Potential Rating: C+) — Beast-like intuition. Highly sensitive to hostility and danger.
Willpower: 70 (Potential Rating: A-) — Extremely resilient. Currently manifested as strong resistance against the slave contract.
【Innate Abilities】
1. Berserk (Racial Talent): Triggered when anger reaches a certain threshold. Strength, Constitution, and pain tolerance increase greatly, while Agility, Spirit, and Perception decrease.
After activation, the user enters a moderately weakened state.
2. Iron Skin (Passive): Naturally increases physical defense. Provides strong resistance against ordinary blades and blunt weapons.
3. Brute Strength (Passive): Improves the efficiency of raw strength, allowing physical destruction beyond numerical attributes.
Equipment: None
Affection Level: -70 (Disgust, fear, and a trace of curiosity toward a human she has never encountered before.)
Chenxi’s mouth twitched slightly.
Those were outrageous numbers.
He stood and walked toward her again.
The Oni girl immediately sensed his approach and stared at him warily.
“Do not fall asleep yet. Come eat first. You can sleep after dinner.”
“I… eat?”
“Yes.”
Chenxi stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
The Oni girl remained frozen in place, unsure whether she should follow him.
“Not coming?”
“I am only an ordinary human. Are you really that afraid of me?”
At Chenxi’s words, the Oni girl’s temper instantly flared.
“I am not afraid of you!”
Chenxi’s lips curved slightly as he walked ahead.
Such an easy person to deal with.