NOVEL WEB Chapter 23
Chapter 23: The Gray King, Snow Princess (Seeking Support, Seeking Evaluation)
“Who?! “
Returning to the Shadow World, Bai Luo appeared in the forest. Xue Ji perceived his presence and instinctively assumed a combat stance.
“Lord Bai Luo.”
Upon recognizing Bai Luo, Xue Ji sighed with relief: “You’ve returned?”
“Yes.”
Bai Luo said, “I caused you worry.” As he spoke, Bai Luo’s gaze fell upon Xue Ji, and once again, he experienced an overwhelming sense of enlightenment.
‘Could this feeling mean…?!’
Bai Luo quickly examined himself and discovered a faint glimmer within the Power of Authority, growing brighter and more radiant.
“Gray!”
After Asato Seiri, Bai Luo had once again encountered someone eligible to become part of his royal lineage. Indeed, this person was none other than Xue Ji.
“Lord Bai Luo? What do you mean by gray?”
Xue Ji didn’t understand what Bai Luo meant. She looked around but found no gray object.
“Is there dirt on my head?”
Thinking this, Xue Ji’s fluffy fox ears twitched cutely. At the same time, she took out a mirror to carefully examine her appearance.
The young girl, especially in front of her beloved, could not tolerate showing any embarrassing side to him.
“No, the gray I speak of means something else.”
Bai Luo smiled as he patted Xue Ji’s head. There was no denying that the hair and ears of a fox-eared girl were incredibly comfortable, making them irresistible.
As for Xue Ji, she closed her eyes contentedly, fully enjoying the moment.
“Just now, I left here and went to another world.”
Bai Luo did not hide the existence of the chat group. However, to make it easier to understand, Bai Luo described it as a platform connecting to another world.
“Another world?”
Xue Ji had no doubts, only increasing her admiration for Bai Luo.
“Yes,” Bai Luo said. “I named that world the Authority World.”
“Just now, I was invited to help a friend there and unexpectedly obtained a powerful force.”
“Boom!!”
Next, the Black King Sacred Domain unfolded, enveloping Xue Ji with unimaginable dignity and sanctity. Simultaneously, the Sword of Damocles, entirely black with stars subtly embedded, resembling a universe contained within, slowly manifested above Bai Luo’s head.
“This is!!”
Xue Ji’s pupils contracted, and her entire body trembled as if bristling with fear. Her instincts as a beast told her never, ever to offend the person before her!
Especially the massive sword hovering in the air, which gave Xue Ji a sense of despair capable of wiping out everything and ending the world.
‘What kind of power is this?’ ‘How mighty!’
Xue Ji trembled, but not out of fear—rather, out of endless infatuation with Bai Luo.
‘Ah, this is the man I vowed to follow, my lord.’
‘My Lord Bai Luo~~~’
If this were an anime world, two pink hearts would surely be shining brightly in Xue Ji’s eyes.
“Cough cough.”
Bai Luo interrupted Xue Ji’s daydreams. He retracted the Sword of Damocles and then explained the basic information about the Authority Holder to Xue Ji.
“In short, as the Black King, I can bestow seven worthy individuals with the ability to become royalty.”
To be precise, they should be called Princes, apostles who only obey Bai Luo’s commands.
“Your meaning is, I, I can become royalty?”
Xue Ji was somewhat nervous but felt more uncertain about her own abilities. She was just an insignificant beast-person from the Fox Clan. How could she deserve such favor from Lord Bai Luo?
“Believe in yourself, Xue Ji.”
Bai Luo saw the girl’s hesitation but remained resolute: “You’re no worse than anyone else, so don’t belittle yourself.”
“Besides, I think the Gray King suits you well.”
Bai Luo continued, “Gray signifies protection among the Authority Holders. You have the talent to wield this power.”
“Me, can I really?”
Happiness came too suddenly, causing Xue Ji to doubt whether she was dreaming. Yet, compared to the immense strength she was about to receive, what mattered more to Xue Ji was what Bai Luo referred to as ‘royalty.’ To become family with Bai Luo—this was simply Xue Ji’s long-cherished dream.
And Bai Luo even thought they suited each other!
Xue Ji: Being trusted by Lord Bai Luo, so happy (〃▽〃)!
“Do you accept?”
“Of course! Your humble servant will stay by your side until death!”
Xue Ji nodded firmly, then bowed gracefully to Bai Luo: “So, though unworthy, please kindly instruct me, Lord Bai Luo!”
“…”
Bai Luo felt something odd about her words but dismissed it. An oath of allegiance, sincere and without fault.
“Do not resist; calmly embrace the authority I bestow upon you.”
With that, Bai Luo placed his finger on Xue Ji’s forehead: “In the name of the Founder and the End, I grant you the power of Gray.”
“Boom!!!”
Following Bai Luo’s words, an unimaginable aura of dignity emerged from Xue Ji’s body, silver-gray light rising like a pillar into the sky.
In that light, a silver-gray Sword of Damocles slowly revealed itself.
This sword differed from the Gray King’s sword in the K World. Xue Ji’s Sword of Damocles was entirely gray, adorned with patterns of silver-white snowflakes.
The sky darkened with rolling clouds, and the temperature noticeably dropped.
“Is it snowing?”
Bai Luo observed Xue Ji, whose whole body radiated silver-gray light: “The Power of Authority, when mixed with magic power, indeed brings unexpected changes.”
Xue Ji’s magic power, although not high in rank, shared the same quality as Bai Luo’s—orange.
Chaos-symbolizing magic power colliding with the protective power of the Gray King created a brand-new Sword of Damocles.
“Grrrrla~~”
Xue Ji unconsciously flicked her sleeve to one side.
In an instant, the entire forest was covered in a layer of frost, completely frozen.
“What tremendous power.”
Xue Ji looked at her hands, feeling the surging magic power within her body—it all seemed so unreal.
Power does not exist independently. Just as strong physiques often come with great strength, similarly, with the emergence of the Gray King Sacred Domain, Xue Ji’s originally merely excellent magic power instantly increased significantly.
White fox tails sprouted from behind the girl, symbolizing the power of their Fox Clan.
Xue Ji initially had only one tail, and her mother was merely a three-tailed fox.
However, with the awakening of immense magic power, Xue Ji’s number of fox tails began to increase, reaching the limit of transformation for the Fox Clan in the blink of an eye—nine tails!
“Thank you, my Lord.”
Xue Ji respectfully bowed to Bai Luo, her eyes filled with devotion and adoration: ‘Ah~~ Lord Bai Luo~~ Your humble servant will not disappoint your affection~~’
[Xue Ji]
Gender: Female
Age: 13 years old
Race: Fox Beast Person
Abilities: Magic Growth (R), Magic Manipulation (N), Gray King Sacred Domain (SR)
Overall Evaluation: Early Seven-Digit Level (A single strike capable of erasing an entire mountain range)
Different from Adolf K. Wiesmann’s early seven-digit level, Xue Ji is a normal early seven-digit level.
However, due to the protection of the Sacred Domain, even attacks capable of destroying a nation are unlikely to harm her.
“Directly elevated to seven digits?”
Seven digits represent ground-level combat power ranging from city destruction to star explosions.
“According to the K World, the power of kings is proportional to the number of clan members.”
“When a large number of ability holders from the same clan gather, the overall strength increases geometrically.”
Like now, when Bai Luo stands with his prince, he can feel the resonance between them.
“Not only Xue Ji, but I also received considerable power feedback.”
If it were just the Power of Authority from the K World, Xue Ji’s enhancement wouldn’t have been so significant.
However, Bai Luo’s royal conversion did not originate from the K World but from himself.
In other words, with Bai Luo’s current strength sufficient to explode a star, the power he can bestow upon Xue Ji far exceeds the Drosston Tablet.
A six-digit Bai Luo developing a prince earning an early seven-digit evaluation is reasonable.
“How do you feel?”
Bai Luo helped Xue Ji up from the ground, his gaze drawn to the fox tails behind her.
“Very good!”
Xue Ji confidently declared, “If I encounter that little brat again, I’ll definitely defeat him effortlessly now.”
Saying this, Xue Ji noticed Bai Luo’s scrutinizing gaze.
The girl naturally swayed her fox tails, smiling: “Lord Bai Luo, you’re staring at my tails, aren’t you curious?”
“Um…”
Before Bai Luo could explain, Xue Ji brought one of her tails close to him: “It’s an honor to have your attention, my lord.”
“So, please feel free to play with them as you wish.”
Gratitude for saving her life, admiration for the strong, and now the intimate bond of being chosen by royalty.
Xue Ji had decided to dedicate her entire heart and soul to Bai Luo.
A mere fox tail…
Forget just touching it now; even cuddling with it at night, Xue Ji wouldn’t refuse.
In fact, she’d welcome it!
“Cough cough, then I won’t hesitate to accept your offer.”
Bai Luo, who loved cats and dogs in his previous life, couldn’t resist furry creatures.
As the snowy fox tail came into his hand, its indescribably comfortable texture made Bai Luo exclaim: “Furry girls are truly amazing!”
“Ying~~”
But alas, this was tough for Xue Ji.
Even though she claimed indifference, tails were always the most sensitive spot for foxes.
Therefore, beast people continuously nourish their tails with magic power, making them usable as weapons or armor during battles.
However, in front of their loved ones, beast people instinctively lower their guard.
Like now, how could Xue Ji reinforce her fox tails?
She allowed them to fluff up, becoming soft and cozy, even more comfortable than the finest bedding.
“Thank you.”
Bai Luo ended the delightful experience of petting the fox and resumed his composure: “Xue Ji, your current power has reached seven digits.”
“Seven digits?”
“This is the combat level I classified based on individual performance differences.”
Bai Luo explained: “Within the seven digits, there are three levels: city-scale, country-scale, and star-scale.”
“Currently, you stand roughly between city-scale and country-scale.”
With Xue Ji’s magic power and Sacred Domain, every move she makes feels like a nuclear explosion. With full force, destroying a small country would be no problem.
“True country-scale power is enough to sink continents and level everything on the surface.”
“At the star scale, it can cause substantial damage to the planet beneath our feet.”
“The peak of seven digits can shatter this planet.”
As for Bai Luo’s current six-digit level, even at its initial stage, it possesses near-stellar destructive power.
A sun 1.3 million times the volume of Earth isn’t something a mere seven-digit level can challenge.
“This…”
Xue Ji didn’t know what planets or stars meant.
But she understood clearly what Bai Luo said about sinking continents.
“Devastating power.”
Xue Ji marveled again at Bai Luo’s strength: ‘Yet this is just a negligible bit of Lord Bai Luo’s favor?!’
Through the bond of subordinates, Xue Ji could sense the vastness of Bai Luo’s power.
Compared to it, the strength she admired paled in comparison, akin to looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
“However, Xue Ji, your control over magic power is somewhat low.”
Bai Luo said, “So I plan to set some restrictions to prevent issues with power loss of control.”
Of course, these restrictions weren’t seals but psychological suggestions.
Whenever Xue Ji needed, a thought could remove all restrictions.
With the protection of the Sacred Domain, Bai Luo wasn’t worried about awkward situations arising because Xue Ji couldn’t release her power in time.
“As for the appearance of the limiter…”
“Ah, let’s use this.”
Bai Luo recalled the original version of Xue Ji and used magic power to create nine arcs.
“These are tail cuffs. Xue Ji, wear them on your fox tails. They can serve as accessories and help you better control your power.”
Bai Luo said, “Nine arcs, each time one is unlocked, your power doubles.”
If Xue Ji’s magic power under normal circumstances is considered as 1, then after unlocking all nine restrictions, her magic power would increase to 512 times.
Moreover, Xue Ji’s so-called ‘1’ isn’t simple.
According to Bai Luo’s estimation, even under complete restriction, Xue Ji’s usable power rivals that of the normal Shadow in the original work.
Such strength is sufficient for Xue Ji to handle most situations in this world.