Kelly groaned, prying her eyes open to a room that was strange but annoyingly comfortable. The walls weren't normal—they kept shifting colors in sharp intervals, like the whole place couldn't decide what mood it wanted to be in. A pink, plush cushion was lazily rotating on a platform beside a thick glass table a few feet away, while soft morning light slipped in through half-open curtains.
She looked down at the massive bed—at herself—and froze. The duvet was wrapped around her, but it couldn't hide the fact that she was wearing clothes she didn't recognize.
"Wait… that bastard didn't undress me, right?" Her chest tightened as her heartbeat spiked. Even if her old clothes were torn to rags, she'd still rather have them than be in this situation. She grit her teeth, but her frustration boiled over anyway.
"Idiot. Jerk. Bastard. Son of a—ugh!"
Kelly forced herself to take a deep breath, but her thoughts slipped toward home.
By now, news of her disappearance must've spread. People would just brush it off as another one of those weird post-war incidents, but Carter and Lilith—her adoptive parents—would be out of their minds with worry. Her heart clenched imagining them like that. And Kelvin and Brian? Those two idiots had probably ditched school the second she went missing, running around the world like wannabe heroes. Hopefully, they weren't dumb enough to go sniffing around the gangs for clues.
…Actually, scratch that. They were probably already knee-deep in the criminal underworld, stirring up trouble in her name.
Kelly let out a long sigh. Thinking about it wouldn't help. What mattered was simple: she needed to get strong enough to kill Jayden. After that, she'd head back to Earth and live like a low-key Superman.
The thought tugged a grin onto her face, her eyes sparking with a sudden, fierce determination.
Yeah. By the time she was done with that bastard, there wouldn't be many people in the universe who could touch her. She didn't know exactly how strong Myrrhvalen had been, but if even the thought of him was enough to make Duke Arvon—a Nebula Sovereign—quietly swallow his daughter's death without seeking revenge, then that lizard must've been a monster.
And yet Jayden had swatted him down like a bug.
Kelly honestly couldn't tell if Jayden was just plain stupid or overly confident. Why else would he try to make her as strong as him, when all she ever dreamed of was slicing his head off? Still… there was no way she was passing up such a golden opportunity. And now, with her very own system backing her up, she had a whole new surge of confidence burning in her chest.
And speaking of the devil…
"Hey, system," Kelly called out, excitement creeping into her voice. "I think it's about time you gave me a tutorial. At the very least, I deserve to know your purpose. Oh, and while you're at it, be a sweetheart and show me my profile. I need to clear a few things up with you."
A familiar blue screen blinked into existence in front of her, glowing with her stats.
Level 1: Santient Dust.
Level 2: Sealed.
Level 3: Sealed…
Level 9: Sealed
Kelly's jaw dropped as she stared at the screen. For a moment, she just sat there stunned, then quickly recovered and narrowed her eyes, one brow arched.
"Wait a damn second… what's with this Dust Capacity jump?" she muttered, leaning against the bedframe. Then louder: "Hey, system. What exactly is Dust Capacity supposed to do? Is it like a limiter or something?"
Kelly frowned, her eyebrow twitching as she thought it over. She wasn't dumb—she'd already noticed there was something weird about her connection with Cosmic Dust. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out why it was so different for her. Not that she was complaining. Curiosity aside, who in their right mind would reject the kind of benefits her abnormal affinity was handing her?
"Alright, now for the big one," Kelly said, her heart thumping against her ribs. "How the hell did I just unlock an Astral Art? I mean, I know I'm a genius, but this feels a little too much, even for me. No—wait. Wrong question. What is an Astral Art? And how's it different from Astral Skills anyway?"
The blue panel flickered for a second as if it was hesitating, then blinked back into existence.
Kelly's eyebrow twitched again at the system's jab. "Wow. Since the moment we bonded, you've never once said anything good about me. Other systems hype their hosts up, but you? You just roast me nonstop. Seriously, are you sure you don't have a virus?"
"Yeah, right," Kelly scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Fine then, tell me about this Astral Class thing."
The most common ones include:
• Dust Mage
• Dust Knight
• Dust Beastmaster
• Dust Priest
• Dust Necromancer
…And many more.
However, this attribute can only be unlocked once you reach Level 5 of the Dust Wielder Stage, when your soul plane forms and the truth of your soul is revealed.>
Kelly let out the deep breath she'd been holding. For all her new strength, it was clear she still had a long way to go. "Alright then," she muttered, her tone softer. "How about you tell me about yourself—and what exactly you want from me."
The glowing texts on the panel shimmered, lines rearranging themselves.
Kelly's jaw tightened as she read. Sure, she was impressed by the Eternal Lord's resume—and the rewards sounded sweet—but there was one tiny problem. Actually, no. A huge problem.
"Wait a damn second." Her eyes narrowed. "System, aren't you supposed to give out free stat points after missions? You forgot that part. And where's the system inventory? Don't tell me I need to hit some weird criteria before you suddenly decide it's worth mentioning."
Kelly grimaced, dragging a hand down her face. "Ugh, whatever. Guess I was hoping for too much. Alchemy, maybe I could get behind. But blacksmithing? Really? Do I look like some burly dude with biceps the size of tree trunks? How the hell is someone as petite as me supposed to smelt iron swinging a hammer twice my size?"
The system stayed quiet. No reply, no smart remark—nothing. Kelly's frustration spiked so hard she felt like she might explode. Instead, she grabbed her pillow, buried her face in it, and screamed until her throat burned.
When she finally pulled away, she felt a little lighter. Not great, but better. With a groggy stretch and a yawn, she slid off the bed and wandered toward a section of the monochromatic wall that looked… off. Like it caved inward.
"Strange," she muttered, curiosity getting the better of her. She gave it a casual knock, not really expecting anything.
But the wall answered anyway.
With a mechanical hiss, the panels split open down the middle—one half sliding upward, the other sinking into the floor—revealing a hidden room. Kelly blinked at the sight: rows upon rows of neatly arranged clothes, each perfectly sized for her frame. Off to the side was another door, and at the far end stood a mirror and a polished table crowded with bottles and lotions, releasing a faint rosy perfume into the air.
Kelly drifted toward the mirror—then stopped dead.
Her face stared back at her, but it wasn't the face she remembered.
"Is that… me?"
Her breath hitched. If not for the faint resemblance to her old self, she might've believed she'd been swapped out with someone else entirely—or that she'd transmigrated into another body. Tentatively, she touched her reflection, tugging at her cheek just to confirm she wasn't hallucinating.
The truth was undeniable.
She was gorgeous. Ridiculously, unfairly gorgeous.
Her hair shimmered a glossy purple, cascading in perfect waves down her shoulders. Her eyes—violet and luminous—looked too ethereal, too otherworldly, like they belonged to some goddess in a painting. Her skin glowed with a smooth, jade-like luster, radiating a soft aura that practically begged the world not to stain it.
Kelly's chest tightened. It was absurd to think that this girl in the mirror was her, yet here she was, staring at proof she couldn't deny.
She sucked in a deep breath. Yeah, being beautiful was nice—it was every girl's dream. But the timing couldn't have been worse. If her old face already caused her enough trouble, this new one was going to be a nightmare.
"Great," she muttered under her breath.
With a resigned sigh, Kelly turned away from the mirror and headed for the door at the end of the room. When she pushed it open, she froze again.
Inside was a bathtub—massive, golden, and shaped like a dragon.
Still a bathtub though. And that was all Kelly needed to see.
Because if there was one thing she'd been missing these last few days, it was the simple joy of hot water running over her skin. Right now, she didn't just want a bath—she needed it. A thorough one. Because some of the scars she carried weren't physical, and she was desperate to wash at least a few of them away.