Origin-Level Martial Soul-Void Chrono Dragon

"Once her affection reaches 50%, we can speed up our cultivation. That's a pretty nice effect."

Su Chen studied the note and raised an eyebrow, feeling even more delighted.

Of course, the biggest surprise was the system's reward.

He had no idea what an Origin-Level Martial Soul was, but it was definitely above God Rank.

Seeing Na'er happily eating, Su Chen didn't disturb her. He went straight to the draw.

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the Origin-Level Martial Soul—Void Chrono Dragon!]

[Void Chrono Dragon: Supreme ruler at the pinnacle of the universe, master of the laws of time and space, absolute ruler of the spacetime continuum...]

[Martial Soul Fusion beginning...]

As soon as the system's notification sounded, an immense power erupted from the depths of Su Chen's consciousness.

"So freaking powerful... No, that's not right. This feeling..."

Su Chen stared blankly, and before he could react, he fell unconscious.

"Mm...?"

Na'er, who was busy chowing down, saw Su Chen collapse stiffly to the floor and froze.

"Plop~"

The hamburger fell onto the table.

"Ah... What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Na'er hurried over and gently nudged Su Chen, who was lying on the floor, her face full of worry.

Although this was the first time she had met him, she had eaten his food, so she owed him a debt of gratitude.

Na'er's little mind struggled to work out what to do. She wanted to call for help, but was afraid people would get the wrong idea.

There were only the two of them here. What if someone else saw them and thought she had hurt him?

She carefully checked him over and confirmed that Su Chen didn't seem to be in any serious danger. All she could do was wait anxiously beside him.

Besides, for some reason, she noticed that there seemed to be a new aura inside Su Chen—one that felt extremely familiar to her.

That aura made her instinctively want to get closer.

She had felt this way about another little boy earlier that day.

But the aura on Su Chen, and the feeling that made her want to approach him, were incomparably stronger...

"He smells so nice..."

Na'er found that the aura around Su Chen was growing more and more pleasant...

After an unknown amount of time had passed,

Su Chen slowly woke up.

He felt as though his body had been completely rebuilt.

He instinctively tried to push himself up, but a strange sensation came from his left arm.

It was wet and warm, and a little... ticklish?

Su Chen turned his head in confusion.

The sight left him completely stunned.

Na'er was curled up beside him, fast asleep.

Her short silver hair lay softly against her cheeks, and her breathing was steady and deep. She looked utterly defenseless.

And Su Chen's left arm was held tightly against Na'er's chest—or, more accurately, she was nibbling on it with her little mouth...

"Hiss..."

"What is this? How can anyone get so hungry?"

Su Chen pressed a hand to his forehead.

He tried to gently pull his arm free.

Na'er seemed to stir at the movement.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

Her watery purple eyes looked at Su Chen, still a little dazed.

But the next second...

"Ah!"

Na'er sprang upright, her little face turning bright red in an instant.

"I'm... I'm... I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean to..."

She stammered with her head lowered, not daring to look at Su Chen.

She looked both pitiful and adorable.

Seeing her so embarrassed she looked ready to cry, Su Chen found himself wanting to laugh.

Su Chen sat up and reassured her. "It's fine, it's fine. I don't blame you. It was my fault. I should be thanking you for staying here to watch over me~"

Su Chen stood up and stretched. He felt refreshed, with sharp hearing and clear sight.

Clearly, all of his attributes had improved tremendously.

As for exactly how much they had improved, he'd have to find time to test them.

"By the way, I'm Su Chen. What's your name? Where's your family?"

Su Chen looked at Na'er, changing the subject even though he already knew the answer.

After all, he couldn't let anything slip.

He couldn't just call her by name.

When Na'er heard him ask, the worry faded from her little face, replaced by confusion and dejection.

She nodded, her voice small and helpless. "Mm... My name is Na'er... I don't think... I have any family..."

"All right. Since you don't have anywhere to go for now, you can stay with me. We'll figure things out when you remember. I'm probably older than you, so you can call me Big Brother from now on."

Su Chen patted Na'er's little head and smiled.

"Mm..."

"Then... sorry for the trouble, Big Brother Su Chen..."

The last two words came out incredibly softly, tinged with awkwardness and uncertainty, but she had managed to say them.

"Hm?"

Su Chen was a little surprised.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Na'er.

She'd agreed that easily?

That was completely unexpected.

According to the system's illustrated handbook, Na'er's affection for him had previously been a pitiful 5%.

That level of affection was just enough to show gratitude for giving her a meal and chasing off the bad guys. At most, she'd decided he was "not a bad person."

Su Chen's thoughts stirred.

He immediately summoned the Goddess Illustrated Handbook System in his mind.

The interface unfolded, with a photo of Na'er looking completely satisfied after eating displayed in the center.

Below the photo, the information appeared clearly:

[Character: Na'er]

[Evaluation: SSS Rank (Highest Tier)]

[Affection: 30%]

Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

Thirty percent!

A full twenty-five percentage points higher!

Had that huge leap happened while he was unconscious?

While he was fusing with the Void Chrono Dragon Martial Soul?

"So much higher... Could it be..."

Su Chen immediately realized the key.

"Is it because of the dragon-type Martial Soul?"

He had fused with the Origin-Level Void Chrono Dragon Martial Soul.

Although Su Chen had never heard of a Void Chrono Dragon, he was sure that its true form was at least as powerful as the Dragon God's, if not far stronger.

After all, one who controlled the two supreme laws of time and space couldn't possibly be weak.

Martial Souls in the Douluo World contained mysterious laws in their own right.

Martial Souls could also repel or attract one another.

For example, someone with an Angel Martial Soul would instinctively feel disgust and hostility toward a Soul Master with a Fallen Angel Martial Soul, and vice versa.

The same principle applied to top-tier dragon-type Martial Souls.

It wasn't love or familial affection, but a kind of instinctive attraction.

Especially with Na'er feeling so insecure at the moment, the attraction was even stronger.

"I see..."

Everything suddenly clicked for Su Chen.

An affection level of 30% meant that not only had he successfully taken Na'er in, but the two of them had also established a relatively stable initial bond.

More importantly, the handbook had mentioned that reaching 50% affection would allow them to cultivate together and speed up their cultivation.

At 30%, he was already more than halfway there.

Looking at the silver-haired girl in front of him, who had just called him "Big Brother" and was now looking down shyly, he felt wonderful.

This start had gone far more smoothly than he'd expected.

"Big Brother, what's that in your hand?"

Na'er had noticed the Camera in Su Chen's hand.

This world had such things too. The Camera that came with Su Chen's system was no different from an ordinary Camera-type Soul Tool.

The only difference was that Su Chen could summon it inside his body at any time, so he didn't need to store it.

"Mm, it's a camera-type Soul Tool that can record images..."

Su Chen explained patiently.

Na'er's memories had been sealed, and she knew almost nothing about the human world, so of course he needed to teach her properly.

Su Chen gave her a simple introduction to the Camera's functions, then took a photo of himself and Na'er together.

"Click—"

The shutter snapped, and a palm-sized photo developed right away.

In the picture, Su Chen and Na'er were pressed close together.

Su Chen wore a gentle smile.

Na'er, on the other hand, was staring at the lens in a daze, looking incredibly adorable.

"Ah, is that me? How am I inside a piece of paper? That's amazing..."

Na'er stared at the photo in front of her, utterly astonished.

"If you like it, you can have it. A Camera can record all sorts of wonderful moments in life. I'll buy you one sometime."

Su Chen smiled and slipped the photo into Na'er's hand.

"Mm, thank you, Big Brother~"

Na'er put the photo away and gave him a sweet smile.