Chapter 17: He's Just a Little Cat!

...?

Are you polite?

What the hell god are you, using which pair of blind eyes, after a day's observation, you reached this conclusion??

Lifelong enemy…

Damn Cat!

If you say that because Bai Yan is a hero and he is the Demon King, they are lifelong enemies, he even bought that hackneyed reason, alright!

But ultimately it's just a cultivation Cat that only dares to silently flip the god off in its heart, quietly ranking "physical training" as the top priority.

Isn't she just a little Witch Miss?

He still can't handle her?

Hmph!

╭(╯^╰)╮！！

Suppressing the urge to flip the table, Cat continued to watch the subsequent system prompts.

【【Countdown】activated】

【Countdown 1】: Assist Bai Yan's cultivation

Assist Bai Yan, letting her awaken the Hero profession.

"Tip": Possess any condition that fits the word 'Hero'

【Time limit】: Three months and one day, i. e., before high school graduation.

【Task reward】: 100 attribute points (cannot be applied to attribute: Intelligence).

【Special reward】: If the task is completed early, the reward changes to remaining task time multiplied by base 【Task reward】.

【Failure penalty】: Level reset to zero, all personal attributes reduced by half.

"…"

No, no, no.

Bridge bean sack.

Why does this countdown still have a number?

—Countdown +10 (you will have a deadline, and unfortunately, failing the task means death!)

Heh—

(ΩДΩ)——

Careless.

Got played!

No place says that this so-called countdown is only one!!!

This ten… ten…

In his initial expectation, this countdown should be like a world‑level grand quest, such as "defeat the monster that plagues humanity within xx years" or "ascend to the divine rank within xx years", the kind of task that earns you for free.

On the road to being called the strongest in the world, you could just grind it along the way.

But…

It turns out it's numbered!

Doesn't that mean any size could appear at any time?!

Is the Damocles sword placed on his head constantly about to wobble and kill him?

(#`O′)#￥%……@~

Indeed, god, damn!

Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs!

Meow!

Cat violently vented on the pillow Bai Yan prepared for him, and seeing the pillow's white feathers exposed across the bed after he brutally gutted it, the Cat's inner rage finally eased a bit.

Indeed, destroying a house helps relieve emotional stress and is a good way to prolong life.

Cat feels that the lifespan lost due to the crappy system has returned.

ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

Now that reason has finally returned to Cat, it begins propping its chin with its tail, pondering how exactly to complete this task.

Three months… before high school graduation, evolve… ah no, awaken as a Hero.

Need to possess conditions that match the word 'Hero'.

Hero…

The feat of slaying the Demon King…

No, no, no, there must be many other methods and elements.

Why must a Hero always slay the Demon King?

Who set that rule!

Aren't there Heroes who resign and then take a job under the Demon King?

In the end, why is Witch Miss used as a stand‑in here?

Cat speculates that titles in this world aren't unique; as long as one meets a certain standard, one can be called xx.

Unyielding character?

Although Witch Miss has a bit of it, not much.

She persists in many things, holds many steadfast convictions, yet she also avoids many things.

This is not a Hero.

Is that an abnormal talent?

It should be.

Although she's a witch, it doesn't prevent her from having extraordinary talent.

Besides that…

Kindness, bravery, proactiveness, optimism, super luck, leadership, moldability, attractiveness…

Witch Miss seems to have a bit of each, but none are prominent, so that's why she's an unawakened hero.

Cat, whose understanding of this world is insufficient, analyzes it through their own effort.

Then what condition of the Demon King does he satisfy? It would be nice to know someday.

…

There are many confusing points, but Cat always feels their analysis is already very close to the core.

Thinking that way, things gradually become optimistic.

His current main goal in cultivating Witch Miss is to change her habits, making her more optimistic, cheerful and proactive, so she won't miss those wonderful lives and encounters in university.

After all, the youthful naivety and passion of student days, once gone, can never be compensated later.

It's just that the originally relaxed plan was imposed with a deadline and harsh failure penalties.

…

Now Cat feels this God is deliberately causing trouble.

He seems to just want to see his own miserable state.

Clearly, psychological trauma needs years of nurturing and relief, but now a doctor is forced to give an extremely short deadline.

If the countdown drives him crazy, would he really not, under the pressure, do something that harms Witch Miss?

Cat carefully recorded all his current concerns and decided to execute the mission prudently and steadily.

In the end, it's just that the attribute points have become even more dreadful.

Magic power has halved, which doesn't affect the current stage, only lowers the doubled cap after leveling up, but it doesn't affect his ability to manually craft forbidden spells.

Anyway, he can't die.

Things are human‑made, I guess.

…

Baby!

Sure enough, it's still heartbreaking!

My attribute points!!!

Damn it!

If it's really, really, really deducted, he'll definitely have to harshly reclaim that debt from Witch Miss.

Just that over a hundred million MP points would require her to feed and pamper me for a lifetime!

(`へ´*)ノ No negotiation: every meal must be four dishes and a soup! Once a week seafood abalone! Once a month boiled cabbage! Once a year dragon spine phoenix marrow!

Thinking of Witch Miss in a maid outfit, diligently serving him, eases Cat's heartache a bit.

He sighed and kept scrolling down.

【Annoying God】 has posted a new bounty quest for you.

【God】 is very interested in your 'research'.

【He】 looks forward to your new modifications of magic, and also to the day they become widely spread.

【Task 1】: Develop ten new spells with a rating of at least A, and raise your own level to lv5.

【Note: God's magic rating system is now open】

【Evaluation Rules: Spells will be rated based on magic consumption, practicality, innovation, and transmissibility; the results do not directly correlate with spell rank.】

【Task Rewards】:

1. Innate skill 【Great Inventor】

When developing a new spell, it grants you 1 reputation point;

When the developed spell is used by others, it grants you 1 reputation point and 100 experience;

Using your own developed spell reduces mana cost by 50%;

For every five new spells developed, increase intelligence by 1 point.

2. Reputation obtainable after unlocking lv120 early

"Reputation is fame; your story will be passed from mouth to mouth, and your story begins here."

Hmm…?

Now that's a rather novel task.

In summary, it's a win‑win serving the people?

From that rating standard and skill feedback mechanism, it's clear that highly rated spells should more easily affect 'livelihood' aspects.

【Current Developed Skill Ratings】:

【Brain Pad Wave Communication】 F

【Communication】 B

【Despicable Eavesdropping】 C

【Despicable Peeking】 C

【Image Recording】 B

【Modified Fireball】 A

"…"

In the future, he will carefully name the skills he casually develops for himself.

He swore.

He swore on the honor of Black King Xiaohei.

Looking at this rating, Cat confirmed his analysis.

Fireball…… why is it an A?

He obviously just simplified this magic and reduced it to a form that even a useless Witch Miss could use and cast instantly……?

He didn't understand.

Brainwave and the Despicable series probably lost out on naming, mana cost, and utility.

Give it a mighty, imposing name, then simplify the conditions and mana cost, and the rating should be higher.

For example, call it telepathy, the Eye of Detection, the Ear of Detection.

He really knows how to be pompous!

Communication and image recording should be a matter of complexity. Because if we strictly divide according to this world's magic levels, the difficulty of these two magics is actually ohoho, reaching level nine!

Hmm…… wait, is level nine high?

Just get to level ninety, wouldn't that work? Then you could use it?

Teacher Liu Ge is over level sixty, and she has learned quite a few level‑six skills.

Fifteen years ago, the top combat power was level 127; even if the gap between genius and ordinary people is like a grand canyon, how could these fifteen years not allow one or two batches of teams to raise their average level to ninety?

Cat didn't understand, so Cat decided to go study tomorrow.

Although he has to go to school tomorrow, he can create a clone that doesn't go to school to study.

The clone doesn't need much thinking ability; just perfectly carrying out the tasks he assigns is enough.

After a simple round of edits, a fresh skill was born.

【Shadow Clone Technique】C

""

Trip!

The evolved S‑rank ninja technique has been ruined by you like this!

Trash system, do you even know what's good!

Sleep!

Feeling that he would sooner or later be angered to death by this system, Cat jumped onto Witch Miss's desk, swept everything off it onto the floor one by one, then happily returned to bed, found a comfortable spot, curled up, and went to sleep.

Next morning.

Drip drip drip drip drip.

Following the six‑o'clock alarm, Witch Miss got up on time, looked at the mess all over her room, and fell into a prolonged daze.

(￣△￣；)

I…… what happened to my room?

She glanced at Cat, still snoring away, then glanced at the feathers piled all over her……

「Xiaohei!!!!! 」"

(#`O′)!!!!

The deafening sound nearly startled everyone in the building.

They had never heard Bai Yan let out such a loud scream; for a moment everyone dropped what they were doing and ran together to the second‑floor room where Bai Yan was.

「Look at what you've done!!! 」"

(__)(-. -)(~O~)……(-. -)

What…… what?

Cat lifted his head, looked left and right, gave another yawn, and without even giving Witch Miss a glance, lay back down to sleep.

As everyone knows, Cat sleeps twenty‑seven hours a day, so if your cat is sleeping, please don't disturb him.

「You're still sleeping?! You can still fall asleep? 」"

She deliberately dragged her tired body to get Cat a pillow before bed, and this is how he ripped her heart out!

The books on the desk, one by one, are all collector's editions, and they've been shoved aside?! The pages are folded! There's even ink splashed on them!

Oh! Ink!

Her carpet!!!!!

Thus, when the head butler stormed in first, what he saw was Witch Miss covered in feathers, holding a pillow while running and hitting Xiaohei the cat.

Really lively~

Looking at this warm morning scene that once existed only in imagination, the old butler's eyes actually got a little moist.

His granddaughter has finally become cheerful!

What a wonderful morning.

Thinking that, he walked into the room, opened Bai Yan's window to ventilate, silently signaled the maids to tidy up the mess inside, and personally went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

￥￥￥￥￥￥

In the early morning courtyard, faint wet dew lingered, the nasal passages filled with the scent of grass and soil, greeting Witch Miss as she diligently carried out today's Daily Task under the sunlight.

Today, Witch Miss is still full of vigor.

Although today's task differs a bit from yesterday's, her time to rest and pet the cat has disappeared, and she has gained a task called 'Review', but……

What especially excites her is that today's task reward is a manual called 'Three‑Section' martial art, and there's also a double reward for 'Mana Expansion'!

Bai Yan! The path to strength lies beneath your feet! Charge, duck!!

After the school split into literary and martial tracks, the schedule for the martial side became very relaxed.

When there is no scheduled class, they do not force students to attend school, because they have more important things to do.

Even if there are classes, the school time is offset from that of regular‑class students.

Their requirement is to arrive at school at nine‑thirty.

Thus Bai Yan also gets a morning training slot like this.

This morning, her plan is to finish outdoor exercise while also completing the review material.

After doubling, it takes an hour, used to review the movements Grandpa Lin taught her yesterday.

To Bai Yan's surprise, this Growth Guard System even thoughtfully provides her with a "standard movement demonstration".

This lets her get correction opportunities each time she trains, which is extremely useful for someone with her obsessive doubt about whether her memory of the standard is correct—"Did I really do this right?", "Should I not move a bit more this way?", "I remember… maybe…"—the kind of messy newbie thoughts that constantly arise.

Being able to review training so smoothly is all thanks to the Cat!

Watching the number of corrections she receives gradually decrease and feeling her body develop muscle memory, Bai Yan can't help but start to space out a bit.

She recalls this morning, when she just got up, she chased the Cat around the house.

So…

This morning she might have been a bit heavy‑handed.

I've taken full advantage of the Cat's benefits, yet I still scold him for just grabbing a pillow or cleaning my desk.

TAT

Oops, looking at it like this I really am being unfair.

Finally calm, Bai Yan, recalling her earlier angry outburst, feels a moment of bewilderment.

Although the Cat cannot speak, it does have feelings.

A systematic Cat must be pretty smart! Even if it doesn't fully understand human speech!

Oh no, oh no.

The Cat surely doesn't think she's an ungrateful, abusive woman, does it?

No, no, no, no, that won't do.

So, after much deliberation, Bai Yan decides that after her bath she will give the little cat double kisses to make up for this morning's mistake!

Unfortunately magic lacks mind‑reading, otherwise the Cat could have used its own height to observe what the not‑so‑bright Witch Miss's brain is thinking.

And precisely because mind‑reading is something even magic cannot achieve, the Cat has no idea what suffering and torment await it next.

All I can say is that the Bai family's meals are never tasty; they're all paid for with the Cat's life.

This morning the Cat did not leisurely pat its paws as before.

It is now also very busy, even saying it's full of passion.

At this moment it mimics a groundhog, standing on two legs in front of an old tree, waving its claws at it.

And with each claw strike, the Cat earnestly shouts a line,

"Soul‑scattering Iron Claw!"

This isn't chūn‑zì nonsense, this is a prayer to the gods.

It wants to hone itself, it wants to become stronger, it wants to rebel.

Feeling the lingering ache in its rear, the Cat's angry emotions grow heavier.

It has recorded this grudge.

When it saves enough money, goes home, summons a Sea Demon, Infinity, and a Cannon, it will duel this Witch alone!!

((((ToT)†~~~

After repeatedly practicing "Soul‑scattering Iron Claw" a hundred times, the Cat, wanting to catch its breath, walks to another shade of a tree.

Now simple yet thinking it's still clever, the Cat suddenly decides to perform the 24‑form Simplified Tai Chi.

In this Magic Power Revival world, would this have any effect?

The two vigorously train in the morning; after the butler finished the main seasoning work last night, he handed the finishing work to the chef.

At this moment he stands by the floor‑to‑ceiling window in the living room, watching the energetic Bai Yan in the courtyard.

Dressed in sportswear, she has shed the frailty of her school uniform.

Her single ponytail swings behind her, her flushed cheeks and sweat on her forehead make her look much more spirited.

So nice.

The lingering knot in her heart that she could never tell anyone gradually loosens; the old butler again smiles at the man‑and‑beast in the courtyard.

His own granddaughter is reviewing the material he taught yesterday.

Ah… this movement, standard! Beautiful!

And that cat‑like but not‑cat Xiaohei?

He is…?

Hmm???

Tai Chi??

He doesn't dare admit it, because the complete Tai Chi has long been lost; the fragments they keep at home are only the first sixteen forms.

But now it seems this monster cat's Tai Chi, though different from his family's, appears to have some cuts…? Yet it also continues, fairly complete.

Hiss—

What on earth is this cat's background?!

Shock fills the old butler's heart, but due to his promise with the cat, he does not rush over now to ask,

Forget it, be patient.

He can wait until the cat fulfills its monthly promise to ask, perhaps then more of its hidden secrets will be discovered.

He is also very busy now! Time will surely fly by.

After learning that he actually had a chance of recovery, the Sword Saint scolded his past lazy self for self‑destruction in his heart, and decided that from today onward, within the limits his body can bear, he would begin rehabilitation training.

The sword had long merged with him.

One step, one sit, all are sword practice.

But…

Cold weapons really are more fun to swing!

Thinking that, while everyone at home was busy and no one needed caring for, the old steward silently slipped into the basement training hall and began practicing in quiet.

He, the Sword Saint, vanished for fifteen years; his return must be spectacular!

……

Thus, the three main members of this family, each harboring their own schemes, worked hard and reaped abundant results, spending a peaceful week.

The greatest gain belonged to Bai Yan.

Apart from a near‑doubling of all stats, her magic power finally reached 1,000 points!

Lv 1, MP 1,000!

Just thinking of that number kept Bai Yan awake; she wished she could hug Cat and kiss him a few more times.

In addition, she obtained five magic skill books adapted by Cat, plus a sword manual and a body‑forging technique that Cat bartered from the Sword Saint.

The amount of material to learn suddenly increased, and now Witch Miss feels a single day is simply not enough.

If the system didn't even set a minimum sleep time, she would stay up all night without hesitation!

Things that let her clearly feel progress and reward are just too intoxicating for her!

The boredom of practice is something Witch Miss doesn't feel at all.

From the tiny increments of her own improvement, she finally, for the first time, sensed her own worth.

So it turns out I can truly achieve something!

Throughout this week, every time Witch Miss looked at her attribute screen, she couldn't help exclaiming like this.

Secondly, the one with the fullest collection vault is the old steward.

After all, Witch Miss's system is actually Cat's magic; it can't grant her talents and skills like that so‑called god.

Therefore, to give Witch Miss enough benefits and make her train more actively and brightly, he has almost scratched his own brain bald.

He can't just stuff magic in, can he?

Considering Witch Miss's true talent, Cat can only go to the house's sole weapon‑drop "human‑pillar" to barter.

And because the Sword Saint, who has been slightly weakened from secret over‑training, finally has a target to squeeze.

Ah… if only there were a magic potion.

Sigh.

Unfortunately, I'm old now and not proficient in magic.

If a black Cat who masters magic could help me brew it, and I could drink a couple of sips, that would be great.

Huh, materials?

No problem, I've been roaming the jianghu… front‑line dungeons for years; I still have these little things.

Oops, I forgot, these items might still be useful for Bai Yan, who is currently undergoing physical training.

If it's her, she should be able to absorb the effects of this magic potion more fully!

Dragging this old fox's true‑face outfit, Cat even received a side‑job reminder.

【Detected: your effort and research in potion making】

【Awaken side‑job — Alchemist】

Awake??

I feel… stars… stars… stars…!

Only the working‑class Cat is the most miserable.

If he hadn't discovered that the potion could also enhance his physique through exercise, given his daily near‑death state, his three points of constitution are probably just one step away from zero.

【You have read extensively, expanding your knowledge】

【Your spiritual world begins to become abundant】

【Intelligence 233→250】

【You study diligently, even after entering the Magic Path Ultimate Realm you still grind yourself】

【Your magical attainment has further refined】

【MP 233,333,333→266,666,666】

【Your small body, resisted the foe's heavy strike】

【You have begun to grasp the power of resistance】

【Strength 3→23】

【You unleash your potential, repeatedly escaping death】

【You gradually become worthy of your race】

【Agility 13→33】

【Your body has undergone unprecedented training】

【The old self is gone, the new self descends】

【Now, you are a brand‑new Cat】

【Constitution 3→30】

Look at this mutation!

What torment did he endure this week!?

He is just a pitiful and helpless little cat!

Aaaa!!!

However, what makes the Cat feel relieved is that Witch Miss's capacity can no longer be washed, and he can finally consider taking a break for himself.

Hmm.

From now on, let's just do it this way.

No more Daily Task rewards.

Give penalties for unfinished Daily Tasks.

Reward settlement becomes weekly... no, monthly!

If you want to obtain the weekly reward, you must have that Witch Miss, who only knows how to enjoy the benefits she gives and then tortures him to death, serve you!

On Sunday night, lying in bed and tallying the torments the Cat had suffered all week, while viciously and despicably indulging in fantasies, finally fell into a comforting sleep.

In today's dream, there was no the deadly "Little kitten, mother kiss", but instead "Having seen the Cat, why not bow"!