Max raised an eyebrow. "Predictable, huh?"
Lumia smirked. "Yeah. You still start every fight the same way — calm face, same stance, same little grin like you already know how it'll end."
He chuckled. "And yet, you still fall for it."
She laughed, brushing her hair back. "Not for long. One day, I'll beat you for real."
Max grinned. "Looking forward to it."
The wind moved gently across the field, the last sparks of golden and green fading away. The air was calm again — quiet, peaceful.
Lumia walked closer and nudged his shoulder. "You've changed too, you know. Not just stronger — calmer."
Max shrugged. "Guess I had to. Too many things depending on me lately."
She gave him a small smile. "And yet, you still find time for this."
He looked at her, smiling softly. "Wouldn't miss it. You're family."
They stood in silence for a moment, both staring at the endless twilight sky above them.
Lumia finally said, "Let's head back. Peter's probably done with his patrol."
"Yeah," Max agreed. "He deserves the rest of the night off."
A soft shimmer of light appeared in front of them — the portal back to their world.
As they stepped through, the quiet field faded, replaced once more by the rooftop overlooking the glowing city.
New York stretched beneath them, bright and alive. The hum of traffic, the laughter from the streets, the distant sirens — all familiar. All home.
"I'm going to sleep," Lumia said, walking toward her room. "I'll make breakfast tomorrow."
Max rolled his eyes. "Ask your boyfriend to do it for once."
"He tried," Lumia said with a smirk, glancing over her shoulder. "And failed amazingly. That's why I'm back on kitchen duty."
Max chuckled softly as Lumia disappeared down the hall, her door closing with a quiet click. The apartment was peaceful now — the city noise faint behind the windows, the hum of the night settling in.
He stretched his arms, feeling the fatigue from their spar catch up with him. "She really has gotten stronger," he muttered with a small grin.
Yawning, he turned off the main lights and walked toward his room. The place was simple — clean, organized, with a few photos on the shelf: one of Aunt May, one of Peter and Lumia laughing at a café, and another of all three of them after one long, chaotic night.
He sat on his bed and took a deep breath. For a moment, everything felt still — no battles, no missions, no danger. Just quiet.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a soft golden interface appeared before him — his System. Transparent panels floated in the air, filled with numbers, icons, and faint pulsing light.
"Alright," Max said quietly, scrolling through the menu. "Let's see what's new."
His eyes moved down the list of available worlds, each one glowing faintly with unique colors and names. "Hmm… there are a lot of new worlds I haven't checked yet," he muttered, tapping through them one by one.
Then he paused at a new entry near the bottom.
"Battle Through the Heavens," he read aloud, raising an eyebrow. "Now that sounds interesting."
A small grin tugged at his lips. "Been a while since I visited an eastern world. Maybe I've been missing some of those legendary beauties too," he joked lightly to himself.
Without thinking twice, he pressed the glowing icon.
A soft hum filled the room, and golden light surrounded him. The air shimmered as the System's voice echoed faintly in his mind:
[Transferring Host: World – Dou Qi Continent. Synchronizing Template...]
Before he could finish his next breath, Max's body dissolved into streams of light — vanishing from the quiet apartment and reappearing somewhere far, far away.
—
The wind hit him first. Warm, dry, and carrying the scent of dust and open plains. Max opened his eyes and found himself standing on a rocky cliff overlooking a vast, sunlit desert. In the distance, he could see ancient mountain ranges and small towns scattered between rivers and canyons.
"Dou Qi Continent, huh?" he murmured, looking around with a curious smile. "Alright then. Let's see what kind of world you are."
He took a deep breath, feeling the air tingle with raw energy — dense, heavy, alive. His system interface flickered briefly beside him, scanning the surroundings.
[ All data collected. ]
A moment later, new lines of text appeared, glowing brighter than before.
[ Congratulations, Host, on activating a hidden condition. ]
[ A new system function is now available. ]
Max's brow lifted slightly. "A hidden function? That's new."
The golden panel shifted, forming new text.
[ Function Unlocked: TRADE ]
[ Description: The Host can trade anything or anyone for anything or anyone. ]
[ Example: The Host can exchange the rock beneath his feet for a powerful treasure… or just another piece of junk. The result is random. ]
[ Limitation: Usable 3 times per day. ]
Max blinked, then gave a low whistle. "Well, that's… insane."
He crouched down, picked up a small rock, and rolled it between his fingers. "So, I could trade this for a divine weapon or a potato?"
The System responded instantly.
[ Correct. Probability of valuable result: 22%. Probability of junk: 78%. ]
Max chuckled. "Figures. Still, that's better odds than most gacha systems."
He tossed the rock lightly in his hand, a mischievous grin forming on his face. "Alright then, System… let's see what kind of luck I've got today."
He held out his hand, the rock glowing faintly in his palm.
[ Trade initiated. ]
A flash of golden light filled the air.
[ Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: Queen Medusa's Underwear. ]
Max's smile froze instantly. He stared at the piece of purple silk in his hand for a full second — then his brain caught up.
"WHAT THE—?!"
He threw it away like it was radioactive and snapped his fingers. Flames flared from his hand, burning the thing into ashes instantly.
"Thank God no one saw that…" he muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He glared at the golden interface floating in front of him. "System, what the hell was that?! I'm in a child's body, and you're giving me— underwear?! Are you serious right now?!"
[ Based on Host's vitals, System detected an elevated heart rate and assumed Host was pleased. ]
Max blinked — then coughed, face turning red. "Pleased?! I'm mortified! I'm not some pervert! I've had plenty of women, I don't need—" He groaned, rubbing his temple. "Ugh, forget it. That's it. I'm going after Medusa herself — I'm getting even for this."
He turned, already walking off when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Xiao Tian!"
The voice was sharp and feminine — familiar to this body.
[ Host identity confirmed: Xiao Tian of the Xiao Clan. Current body: 12 years old. Incoming: Elder Sister. ]
***
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