Chapter 148: Using More Baits
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Maybe… he really didn't have a soul devil at first.
But ever since he broke through to Tier Four, a part of him subconsciously assumed he must have one—and started waiting for it to show up.
And just like that… he might've actually created a hidden one.
Veyron fell silent, deep in thought.
Yeah…That didn't sound impossible at all.
If he'd crossed over into the Terror Infinity world butt-naked, with no cheats, unlocking his gene lock purely through desperate life-and-death struggles… he definitely wouldn't be thinking about soul devils or future nonsense.
But that's not how it happened.
Since arriving here, he'd seen plenty of signs that he was far from ordinary.
Like that weird substance that flowed out of him during freefall—right after he crossed over.
That weird substance then formed into a "Trait System" that seemed to operate on an even higher level than the multiversal Chat Group. That alone said a lot.
Or the fact that anything—flesh, blood, bone, even hair—completely vanished three days after leaving his body.
And the only exception? A certain miraculous white thing his body produced…Which, after three days, didn't just persist—it evolved into a natural treasure. A universal super-drug that made panaceas look like cough syrup.
Even if he wanted to keep things simple, even if he told himself over and over that he was just a normal guy thrown into a crazy world, an Ordinary Human like he named himself—Veyron couldn't seriously believe that anymore.
So when he really thought about it calmly…
If a soul devil had formed inside him, he wouldn't be surprised.
And if, as Kaguya suggested, the reason he was stuck at early Tier Four was because he'd mentally looped himself into a corner…
Well, that wouldn't surprise him either.
"Your theory's… actually given me a new angle to explore."
Veyron smiled, lifted Kaguya into the air like a proud dad showing off his kid.
"I'll definitely try testing it out soon."
"Soon?" Kaguya shifted in his arms, clearly not used to being held like that. She planted a dainty foot on his chest to stabilize herself. "What, you've still got stuff to do?"
"Oh, tons." Veyron grinned. "For starters, I need to hand out the gene lock boosters Eirin made. Can't keep something that good to myself, right? Gotta share the love."
"Wow. Look at you being generous."
"What do you mean?" He snorted. "When have I ever been stingy with my own people?"
Princess Kaguya gave him a knowing look and nodded.
Generous, huh?
More like… trying to lock down people who weren't quite "his" yet and fully pull them into his harem using gene locks as bait. That was the real game here.
Because if Tier One through Three were already "ridiculous," then after actually experiencing the insane leap that came with Tier Four?
Yeah. Kaguya was confident: No one—human or not—would be able to resist this kind of power boost. Starting at 100x strength and scaling infinitely? That was the kind of cheat that rewrote destinies.
"You know too much."
Veyron put on a dramatic villain face, like his evil plot had just been exposed.
---
Outside of the crew at Eientei, Veyron hadn't shared the gene lock boosters with many others yet.
The first person he approached was, unsurprisingly, Yuuka Kazami—who could usually be found basking in her flower field.
"This lets anyone below Tier Four unlock their gene lock all the way to early Tier Four in one go?"
Yuuka tilted the vial gently, watching the shimmering liquid swirl inside.
With each ripple, it looked like stars were drifting through it—like galaxies bottled up in a tiny potion.
"Didn't think she'd actually manage to make something like this…"
"Wait—you already knew Eirin?" Veyron asked, surprised.
"I've heard of her," Yuuka replied casually."Never met her personally."
She twirled the vial between her fingers as she continued.
"That plan Yukari cooked up a while back… she's probably already told you everything, right?"
"Back then, she tried baiting me in with that famous pharmacist's name. But honestly, I wasn't interested in the goals she offered, so I never bit."
As she spoke, she popped the cork off the vial.
Veyron reached out with telekinesis to stop her hand.
"Just in case—you do remember what I told you, right? Once your gene lock hits Tier Four, your soul devil could awaken. It won't be immediate, but it will happen eventually."
Yuuka gave a calm nod.
Satisfied, Veyron released her wrist.
The green-haired youkai tipped her head back, her neck arching slightly, and downed the shimmering liquid in one smooth motion.
A few seconds passed.
Then—A regular magic blast soared into the sky.
Followed immediately by another blast, same energy cost, but a hundred times stronger. It tore through the clouds and vanished beyond the heavens.
"If anything feels off later, don't hesitate to contact me."
Veyron handed her a delicate bracelet, adorned with three sunflower-shaped charms—each one housing a small, gem-like orb at its center.
"These orbs are linked to me. If you activate one, I'll sense it no matter where I am in this world. If I'm not in this world, the orb will still automatically trigger a gateway to Eientei—my place. Eirin will be there and can help you out."
Yuuka reached out and accepted it without fuss.
"I've got a few more people to help unlock Tier Four today, so I won't stick around. Next time I'll stay longer and keep you company."
With those parting words, Veyron turned and stepped into the portal that led to Midoriko's location.
Left alone, Yuuka watched his back until the spatial door closed behind him.
Then, narrowing her eyes slightly, she slipped the bracelet around her wrist.
"Yuuka-chan~ What's this?"
A gap opened beside her, and the golden-haired yokai playfully leaned in, pretending to sniff at the bracelet.
"Hmm~ smells like our little Veyron, doesn't it?"
"You weren't here when he showed up?"
Yuuka tilted her head just slightly, shooting Yukari a sidelong glance.
"...Why are you asking?"
Yukari raised an eyebrow.
Truth be told, it was those two massive blasts—one ordinary, the other overwhelmingly powerful—that had caught her attention from hundreds of miles away. She'd opened a gap on the spot just in time to see Veyron handing Yuuka that bracelet.
"Just a thought," Yuuka said lightly. "If you'd been here from the beginning… you probably wouldn't be chatting with me right now."
She gave Yukari's shoulder a light tap—subtle, yet deliberate.
Then she sat back naturally. Around her, the sunflowers accelerated their growth, weaving together into a cozy flowerbed just large enough to nestle her as she lay down.
"..."
Raising a hand, Yukari sliced open a gap.
On the other side, she saw Midoriko—the shrine maiden—chugging down the same kind of potion Veyron had given Yuuka.
As she watched, Yukari noticed a sharp, concentrated light begin to gather on the blade of Midoriko's sword.
Yukari's usual playful smile slowly faded from her face.
.
.
.