It was an illusion.
It had to be.
Li Hao shook his head hard, trying to fling away the voice that didn't belong to him.
He'd been fishing for so long, he was probably going nuts.
But the mechanical voice sounded again, clear as day.
[System activated successfully.]
[Soul Beast Girl Raising System at your service.]
Li Hao: "..."
He froze in place, one hand still hovering over the rabbit. He didn't move an inch.
A system?
The cheat every transmigrator was supposed to get had arrived a full two weeks late. It had finally shown up?
But this name... Soul Beast Girl Raising System?
Why did it sound so improper?
This was...
He loved it!
[This system is dedicated to healing pure-souled Soul Beasts on the brink of death and providing them with the option of Bond Evolution, helping them transform into higher forms of life.]
The system's explanation was brief and clear, pouring straight into his mind.
Heal Soul Beasts? And they could evolve?
Like Digimon?
Li Hao's mind raced.
Did this mean he could become the super-dad of the Soul Beast Realm?
No, wait. The key part was Soul Beast girls!
Girls?
He lowered his gaze to the bloodied pink rabbit in his hands, barely clinging to life.
Was this thing going to turn into a girl?
[Target's vital signs are rapidly deteriorating. Complete expiration is estimated in 10 seconds.]
[10...]
[9...]
The cold countdown tolled in Li Hao's mind like a death knell.
His heart leaped into his throat.
Save it, or not?
His rational side told him this was bound to be a huge headache!
If it turned into a beautiful woman, that'd be fine.
But what if it turned into a little tank and ran him over?
A pure-hearted little tank could pack a serious punch. He might not even know what killed him.
The safest thing would be to toss it as far away as possible. Right now.
[7...]
[6...]
But...
Li Hao looked at the rabbit.
Its tiny body trembled faintly. The last glimmer in its once lively, ruby-red eyes was fading fast.
A wordless despair and plea reached him through the flame of life about to go out.
It still wanted to live.
[4...]
[3...]
"Damn it! What a pain!"
"This is my first time, and I'm already here. I might as well stop being picky."
Li Hao muttered a curse, aimed at his own damned, utterly ill-timed kindness.
"Save it! Save it, damn you!"
"Beautiful girl! Beautiful girl! Beautiful girl! Come on out!"
He screamed in his mind.
[Command confirmed.]
[Healing Program initiated.]
The instant the voice fell, a gentle green glow, brimming with vitality, surged from Li Hao's palm where it touched the rabbit.
Like a living stream of water, the green light instantly enveloped the tiny Soft Bone Rabbit.
A scene worthy of a big-budget game trailer unfolded.
The hideous wounds closed and healed beneath the green light, shrinking until they vanished completely.
Not even a scar remained.
Its once-dull fur turned sleek and glossy again, and its faint breaths quickly grew steady and strong.
It took no more than a few seconds.
A lively, perfectly healthy pink rabbit appeared before Li Hao.
Li Hao looked it over from side to side, top to bottom.
He checked its condition again and again.
"It didn't turn into a girl?"
[Healing complete.]
[Detected strong feelings of gratitude and attachment rising from deep within the target's soul.]
[The target has chosen Bond Evolution of its own free will. Do you agree?]
"Come on! Your affection level went up way too fast! Could it be a Tiger-Skin Tank?"
"Don't you girls always say you're slow to warm up?"
Li Hao was starting to panic!
He wondered if he should just leave it at that.
The pink rabbit seemed pretty nice too.
He could let it stay like this and just imagine it was Xiao Wu.
Let the moment stay perfect.
As he hesitated, the healed Soft Bone Rabbit seemed to sense the battle raging inside him.
It suddenly nuzzled his hand with eager affection.
Its furry little head pressed gently against his palm.
Warm, soft, trusting and dependent, like it had just been born.
Li Hao's fingers moved on instinct, stroking its smooth fur from the top of its head down its back.
This feel...
Incredible!
It was a hundred times softer than the smoothest silk in the village.
In two lifetimes, nothing Li Hao had ever petted had been this silky.
"So clingy? You keep begging for pets. Don't do that, I'm a respectable man."
He muttered, but his hand told a different story, stroking the rabbit over and over without stopping.
The little rabbit contentedly narrowed its eyes. A faint purr rose in its throat, and it even rolled over, exposing its soft belly for Li Hao to do as he pleased.
That utterly defenseless pose shattered the last of Li Hao's misgivings in an instant.
A Tiger-Skin Tank?
If it really looked that bad, he could just order it to stay in rabbit form.
The ceiling was SSR, and even the worst-case scenario was a pink-and-white little bunny. What was there to fear?
Once he'd thought it through, Li Hao was afraid of nothing.
After smoothing the rabbit's fur, he slowly raised his hand.
His fingertip touched the rabbit's smooth forehead.
Come on, come on! Time to meet in person and open the mystery box!
The brave get to enjoy the world first!
"Evolve!"
Vmm—
A cocoon of pink light, a hundred times brighter than the green glow from before, burst from the rabbit and wrapped around its entire body.
The cocoon rapidly expanded, transforming into a thick pillar of pink light that shot skyward and pierced the clouds!
A powerful surge of energy spread out like a boulder dropped into a placid lake.
Boom!
Everyone in Holy Soul Village and the surrounding back hills was shaken by the astonishing sight.
"What's that?"
"Good heavens! The back hills are glowing!"
"A treasure's about to appear! Hurry, go take a look!"
Countless villagers dropped what they were doing. Staring in shock at the pillar of pink light that linked heaven and earth, they hurried toward it.
By the river.
At the center of the phenomenon, Li Hao could barely keep his eyes open against the dazzling pink light.
The effects were pinker and juicier than a magical-girl transformation.
He felt as if he were immersed in a warm sea of energy, pure power pouring into his body through some mysterious connection.
"Tell me, are you turning it into a girl or turning me into one?"
Just as Li Hao was feeling a little uneasy in all that pink, the notification sounded again!
[Bond Evolution successful!]
[Soul Beast Girl "Xiao Wu" pledges her loyalty to you and forms a Soul Contract.]
[Ability Sharing: Reverse Empowerment activated.]
[Congratulations, host. Soul Power Level increased to level 10!]
A string of system notifications exploded in his mind.
Soul Power... level 10?
Li Hao felt a power unlike anything he'd ever known fill every part of his body.
It was a thousand times greater than everything he'd gained from lying around and cultivating in the past!
From level one to level ten, in a single instant!
Just as he began to savor it, the pillar of light quickly drew back, and its dazzling glow softened.
The light faded.
The patch of grass where the rabbit had been lying was empty.
In its place stood a little girl who looked about three or four years old.
She wore a cute pink princess dress. Her skin was as pale as milk, and her long black hair was tied into a neat scorpion braid that fell down her back.
Most striking of all were her large, watery eyes, dark and bright with childlike innocence and curiosity.
The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking around in confusion.
When her gaze finally settled on the stunned Li Hao, that confusion instantly gave way to complete trust and affection.
She tilted her little head, took a couple of unsteady steps on her short legs toward Li Hao,
then called out in a timid voice so soft and sweet it could melt anyone's heart.
"Daddy?"
"...What?" Li Hao blinked.
"D...Daddy."
"What daddy?"
"Daddy!"
Rumble!
Li Hao's brain crashed completely.
He turned to stone, mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg, staring blankly at the adorable little girl before him.
D...Daddy?
This wasn't how the story was supposed to go!
Weren't Soul Beast girls the whole point? How had she turned into his daughter?
I wanted to be your sun. How did you become my little sun first?
And just as that earth-shattering "Daddy" rang out,
"Li Hao! Are you all right?"
"Good heavens, what is that...?"
A jumble of hurried footsteps and startled cries came from nearby.
Old Jack, the village chief, came running at the front, panting and leaning on his cane, with a large crowd of villagers following behind.
Among them, a black-haired boy in plain clothes but with a calm bearing was staring over in shock with a pair of deep eyes far too old for his age.
It was Tang San.
Every one of them happened to arrive just in time to witness the baffling scene by the river.
Li Hao, the laziest good-for-nothing in the village, stood beside a little girl who had appeared out of nowhere and was impossibly beautiful.
And the little girl had just called him "Dad."
It was as if the whole world had hit pause.
All the villagers who had rushed over at the news, including Old Jack and Tang San, stood frozen in place.
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