At the end of Fang Ye's third month of infancy, his life gradually settled back into a normal rhythm.
But soon, something major happened and shattered that fragile peace.
On the day before the end of the month, his father—who had been gone for half a month—finally returned, and he brought back a very special gift for him.
A girl stood at the doorway, quiet and obedient.
She had uneven pink hair, tied behind her head into two carefully braided pigtails wrapped with red ribbons. From the front, it almost looked like she had short hair.
Her jade-green eyes inspired an odd sense of calm. She stood perfectly still, exceptionally well-behaved. Until she received a command, she would remain in standby mode where she was.
"This will be your personal maid from now on. She'll be responsible for taking care of your daily life. Well, you're so little there's no way you can understand that. In any case, your mother and I are going somewhere very far away. Before then, Ikaros will stay with you and accompany you as you grow up."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng picked Fang Ye up from where he had been crawling across the tatami, then gently rubbed his unshaven beard—more than half a month grown out—against the baby's cheek.
Although the Nakiri family had agreed to help care for the child, Fang Ye would still, in the end, be somebody else's kid. That identity alone meant they could never devote themselves to him in every detail the same way they would to their own flesh and blood, much less stay by his side at all times.
Fang Zheng himself had once lived under another family's roof as a child, so he knew all too well what that felt like.
To ensure that Fang Ye could grow up healthy and happy, Fang Zheng had made a wish upon entering the Secret-Realm Gate. He wished to find someone who would care for Fang Ye wholeheartedly until he reached adulthood.
Putting up his own memories of those he treasured as the stake, he passed the trial of the Secret-Realm God through his superb culinary skill and brought back this entertainment-use omni-angel.
As for why it had taken more than half a month—
the reason was simple: he had needed to perfect every detail of the dish. Many of the ingredients he used had been handmade from scratch.
Only by going that far could he satisfy the taste demanded by the Secret-Realm God.
An entertainment-use omni-angel? Ikaros?! Isn't that from Heaven's Lost Property ? Where the hell have I been dropped now?! So that's what this so-called Secret-Realm Gate really is...?
His tiny heart began pounding rapidly as his brain connected one clue after another, and in the end Fang Ye reached a conclusion.
This so-called Gourmet Secret-Realm Gate was essentially a gigantic spatial portal. As long as you entered, took on the challenge, and succeeded, you could obtain the thing you wanted.
Wasn't that basically the same as one of those cheat systems?
Except this cheat wasn't personal. It was something everyone could access.
No—actually, that wasn't quite right.
Based on what Mana Nakiri had said earlier, one of the Nakiri ancestors had failed inside a secret realm, and the result had been the clothes-bursting curse that plagued their entire bloodline. That proved this secret realm was not just a simple reward stage, but a culinary gamble with both rewards and punishments.
Both sides laid down equivalent stakes and dueled upon the scales of cuisine. The victor took everything. The loser lost everything.
And wherever people existed, conflict would follow. Places with Secret-Realm Gates were no exception.
Some people would enter despite the danger, determined to seize everything they desired. Others feared what those people might do with the things obtained from within, and so sought to control those places.
And thus, conflict was born.
"There's a lot I want to say to you, but there isn't time anymore. I just hope you can grow up healthy and happy like an ordinary person, and never in your life have to come into contact with the other side of this world."
A warm, gentle hand softly ruffled Fang Ye's head, where only the faintest bit of hair had grown in. A trace of tenderness surfaced on Fang Zheng's rugged face before he turned to look at Su Wan.
"Don't listen to your father's nonsense. You need to work hard and grow strong. Only with power can you fear nothing.
"This is a safety charm I embroidered for you. Giving something like this in this day and age is a little old-fashioned, but your mother still hopes you'll grow up safe and sound."
She hung the charm around Fang Ye's neck with a red cord. As her fingers brushed against him, Fang Ye could clearly see that two of them were covered in bandages.
Plainly, Su Wan was not especially skilled at embroidery. She must have pricked her fingers again and again while sewing the charm.
That only made the weight of her love feel heavier.
"Let's go. Don't look back. If we look back, we won't be able to leave."
Looking at Fang Ye's somewhat dazed, half-understanding gaze, Su Wan clenched the hem of Fang Zheng's clothing tightly. Then she turned her head away with resolve, her voice carrying the faintest choke of tears.
"Ikaros, from now on, he is your master. Please take good care of his daily life."
"Command received. I will strictly comply."
Reluctantly handing Fang Ye over to the waiting Ikaros, Fang Zheng bowed deeply to her with utmost seriousness, then turned and left without hesitation.
At a time like this, if he didn't leave cleanly, then he truly wouldn't be able to leave at all.
...Sigh. Humans.
Though Fang Ye did not actually have that much emotional attachment to this pair of parents, seeing this scene still made his nose sting. He had to force himself not to cry.
In his previous life, he had never had parents.
He had grown up in an orphanage, dropped out at sixteen to work, and squeezed himself into a shabby little rented room.
At twenty-two, after scraping and saving with extreme care, he had managed to put together one hundred thousand yuan. He had planned to use that money to start a small business and finally get his life back on track.
But just when things were beginning to look up, he coughed up blood at work. Only after being taken to the hospital did he learn the truth: it was a terminal illness.
The good news was that the hospital was willing to cover his treatment in full.
The bad news was that the illness was named after him, and there wasn't a single person in the entire hospital who could treat it.
He had clung to life for a few more months on medication, but in the end he died on the operating table. The money he had saved, he donated in full to the orphanage that had raised him.
It was, in its own way, the last thing he could do for children like himself.
There's really nothing to be sad about. As long as I keep improving my cooking, I'll meet them again sooner or later. Isn't that exactly what the proficiency system is for?!
Taking a deep breath, he forced all his sorrow back down into his heart.
For the first time in a long while, the love of parents had let Fang Ye feel a trace of warmth.
And it only strengthened his resolve to become stronger.
"Ikaros, put me down."
With that thought, Fang Ye looked up at Ikaros.
"Yes, Master."
Upon hearing his command, Ikaros did not hesitate. She gently set him down, then quietly stood to the side and watched him.
And Fang Ye?
The moment he left Ikaros's arms, he began trotting little circles around the room, occasionally jumping as well.
He kept it up all the way until evening.
Dusk deepened. The last trace of daylight was swallowed up by the night.
[Congratulations, Host. Beginner Mission completed. All body-related foundational skills have been integrated. Skill obtained: Body Control (Gold).]
[Would you like to view your current proficiency panel?]
[View.]
[Name]: Fang Ye
[Age]: 0 years, 4 months
[Strength]: 0.4
[Mind]: 4
[Charm]: 8
[Skills]:
[Body Control (Gold)]: Grants free control over any part of the body. As this skill's proficiency level rises, the precision with which each part can be controlled increases.
[Proficiency]: Minor Mastery (588/5000)
[Japanese (Green)]: Proficient (24/1000)
[Chinese (Blue)]: Minor Mastery (91/5000)
As the system notification rang out in his mind, Fang Ye felt a warm current flow through his limbs and organs.
Nothing seemed to change on the surface, but he could clearly sense that something inside his body had shifted.
A look of wonder immediately spread across his face.
The sensation was like a pile of disconnected machine parts suddenly being assembled into a single high-precision instrument.
Its efficiency was far beyond anything as simple as 1 + 1 > 2.
Join here to read ahead.
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter75)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 57
From Junkman to Wasteland 35
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 26
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 27
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