Forge Goddesses to Rule the World

017

The steam from the hot shower had long since dissipated, leaving the air in Leo Shaw’s private suite crisp and smelling faintly of high-end sandalwood and ozone. He lay sprawled across the expansive, silk-covered mattress, his wet hair dampening the pillow, yet his mind was miles away from sleep. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, but he wasn't looking at the intricate plasterwork or the subtle glow of the Energy Screen recessed into the moldings. Instead, his focus was entirely internal, navigating the translucent blue interface of the Goddess Affection System that hovered within his field of vision.

The day had been a whirlwind, a chaotic sequence of events that would have broken a lesser man. From the chalk-on-forehead incident in Class 2-Spirit to the high-stakes confrontation in the night market, Leo’s life had been permanently redirected. He took a mental inventory of his assets, a tally that felt increasingly like the inventory of a god in the making.

Three Goddesses. Three perfect scores.

First, there was Yuna Lynch, the quiet "Fairy" whose pure-hearted devotion had been his anchor. Then May Lewis, the "Ice Queen" professor whose fire was reserved only for him. And finally, Monica Bailey, the "Leggy Goddess" who had surrendered her heart amidst the smell of charcoal and the threat of thugs. Because of their 100% Goddess Affection Points, Leo had already secured a "Top-Tier Starter Pack": the SSS-tier Nihility Divine Thunder, a Super Cultivation Booster that made his progress ten times faster than any genius, the Source of Spirit Stones which made him a living battery of energy, and the combat-shattering Nine Forms of Judgment.

He also had the Spirit-Forged Body, which felt like it was constantly refining his muscles and bone marrow, and a pair of "evolving" items: a C-tier ability and a rather pragmatic, if somewhat comical, Artifact Weapon in the form of The Sturdy Brick.

"I’m basically a walking cheat code," Leo whispered to the empty room, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But the system isn't finished with me yet."

He turned his attention to the pending rewards. He had three lucky draw opportunities earned from various achievements and a fresh Mystery Gift Box from his conquest of Monica. Then, of course, there was the crown jewel of his tactical inventory: the 99.9% discount coupon for the System Shop.

"Let’s see what fate has in store," Leo mused. "Do I open the box or spin the wheel first?"

He looked at the glowing icons. On the left, a massive, ornate Gacha wheel pulsed with a rainbow of lights, its golden needle pointing toward the heavens. On the right, a Seven-Colored Gift Box shimmered with an iridescent mist, looking like a treasure plucked from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

"We’ll start with the wheel," he decided. "Save the guaranteed mystery for the finale. Let’s see if my luck holds up when the odds are random."

System, he commanded. Initiate the Lucky Draw. One spin.

The high-pitched, sugary Loli Voice of the system chirped instantly, sounding even more enthusiastic than usual. [Right away, Master! Spinning the Wheel of Destiny for my wonderful, handsome Master! Wishing you the best of luck, tee-hee!]

Leo felt a strange sensation in his chest—a mixture of "cringe" and amusement. The system was becoming increasingly sentient, its personality seemingly designed to stroke his ego as much as his power level. The wheel began to turn, slowly at first, then accelerating into a blur of neon colors and ancient runes. The clicking sound of the needle echoed in his mind like the ticking of a cosmic clock.

"Stop!" Leo shouted after ten seconds.

The wheel jerked to a halt, the needle landing precisely on a small, unassuming yellow wedge. A tiny, mustard-yellow bean materialized in the air before him, floating in a soft, golden light.

[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have obtained a single Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans!]

Leo stared at the bean, his expression flat. "A bean? System, are you joking? I just spent my luck on a piece of candy? Is this a joke from the old world?"

[Oh, don't be so quick to judge, Master!] the system replied, sounding slightly offended. [This isn't just a snack. Check the description!]

Leo sighed and opened the item’s data panel.

Item: Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans (Invisibility Variant)

Description: Upon consumption, the Host will enter a state of Perfect Invisibility. This is not merely a visual illusion; it is a total concealment of heat, scent, sound, and Spirit Power fluctuations. For three hours, the Host will be a ghost in the world, undetectable by any Tier-9 sensor or Spirit Energy Screen.

Leo’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline. A three-hour total stealth duration? In a world filled with high-tech surveillance and powerful metahumans with sensory abilities, this was a strategic nuke. He could walk into the West Martial Military District's headquarters, sit in on a top-secret briefing, and walk out without a soul knowing he was there.

Perfect for 'reconnaissance', he thought, his mind drifting toward a few less-than-noble uses for such an item before he shook the thought away. No, keep it as a trump card. If I ever need to vanish from a losing battle or infiltrate a Mystic Zone, this bean is worth its weight in Divine Artifacts.

"Not bad," he conceded. "Let’s keep the momentum. System, second spin!"

[Understood, Master! Here we go again!]

The wheel blurred once more. Leo watched it with a more focused intensity this time. He tried to track the symbols—the swords, the scrolls, the glowing orbs—but the speed was too great for even his Spirit-Forged Body's heightened reflexes.

"Stop!"

The wheel slowed, the needle clicking past a "Common" tier health potion, skipping over a "Rare" armor fragment, and finally settling on a deep, oceanic blue segment. A cold, damp mist filled the air around his bed as a small object fell from the virtual interface into his hand.

It was a key. About five inches long, carved from what looked like a single, massive sapphire. It felt unnervingly cold to the touch, and the surface was covered in moving, fluid carvings that looked like miniature waves.

[Congratulations, Master! You have obtained the Sea God Key!]

Leo turned the key over in his palm. Sea God? I haven't heard much about the oceans in the lectures.

[The oceans of The Grand Dominion are the last frontier, Master,] the system explained. [Ever since the Spirit Revival, the deep trenches have become home to Tier 10 aquatic Mutated Beasts. Even the West Martial Military District rarely ventures far from the coastline. Legends say the Sea God left a vault of Heavenly Treasures at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This key... is the only way in.]

"So it’s a treasure map that I can't use yet," Leo muttered, tucking the key into his Spatial Ring. "I’m not exactly equipped for deep-sea diving at the moment. But I’ll hold onto it. If the legend is true, that vault probably contains enough Spirit Stones to buy a whole country."

He sat up, his back against the headboard. "One spin left. Give me something I can use tomorrow at the Awakening Ceremony. Something that will make them regret ever calling a Shaw a 'slacker'."

[Third spin initiated! Come on, Master, bring home the gold!]

The wheel spun with a violent energy, sparks of purple and gold flying from the axis. Leo waited longer this time, letting the energy build. He could feel the Source of Spirit Stones in his core reacting to the system, his very blood beginning to hum with anticipation.

"Stop! Now!"

The wheel didn't just stop; it slammed into a halt with a sound like a thunderclap. The entire interface was suddenly engulfed in a blinding, prismatic light. Seven-colored clouds swirled within the system space, and a surge of killing intent so sharp it felt like a blade against his throat filled the room.

[DING! CRITICAL HIT! ULTIMATE LUCK DETECTED!]

[Master, oh my god! You’ve done it! You’ve pulled a Divine Artifact!]

A long, slender object descended from the light, floating horizontally before Leo. It was a spear.

The weapon was a masterpiece of lethal artistry. The shaft was made of a dark, obsidian-like metal that seemed to absorb the ambient light of the room, yet it was etched with silver veins that pulsed with a rhythmic, violet glow. The tip was a jagged, translucent blade of Spirit Ore that shimmered with an unstable energy, looking as if it could tear through the fabric of reality itself.

As Leo reached out to touch it, his vision suddenly blurred.

He wasn't in his bedroom anymore. He was standing on a vast, desolate plain under a sky the color of dried blood. Ahead of him, an army of tens of thousands—men in heavy armor, mounted on Steel-Fang Tigers and Iron-Armored Rhinos—charged toward him with a deafening roar.

Standing beside him was a figure that towered over the world, a warrior clad in Thunder God Armor that crackled with the power of a thousand storms. The figure raised a spear identical to the one in Leo’s hand and thrust it forward.

There was no sound. Only a sudden, horizontal line of white light that expanded across the horizon.

When the light faded, the army was gone. There were no corpses, no blood, no wreckage. The entire landscape had been erased, replaced by a perfectly smooth, glass-like crater that stretched for miles. The warrior looked up at the sky and swung the spear upward. A massive, jagged rift opened in the heavens—a literal tear in the firmament that swallowed the clouds.

The vision snapped shut. Leo was back on his bed, his hand trembling as it hovered inches from the spear.

"The Sky-Rending Spear," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Item: Sky-Rending Spear

Rank: Divine Artifact

Description: A weapon of pure s*******r. It was forged from the heart of a dying sun and tempered in the blood of a Tier-10 Three-Legged Golden Crow. The spear possesses the ability to ignore 100% of an enemy’s Spirit Shield and can unleash a localized Ruin s***h that collapses the surrounding spatial coordinates.

Note: Current Host level is insufficient to unlock the spear’s full 'God-Slayer' potential. Only basic physical strikes and the Air Cutter resonance are available until the Awakening Ceremony.

Leo grasped the shaft of the spear. The moment his skin made contact, a jolt of raw, unrefined power surged through his arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder. His Spirit-Forged Body groaned under the pressure, but he held on, his jaw set in a grim line of determination.

The spear didn't just feel heavy; it felt like he was holding a captive hurricane. It was a weapon designed for a king, for someone who didn't just want to win, but who wanted to redefine the battlefield.

"With this... and the Nihility Divine Thunder..." Leo smiled, a look of cold, predatory ambition in his eyes. "Tomorrow isn't going to be an Awakening Ceremony. It’s going to be a coronation."

He stowed the spear in the Dragon-Phoenix Ring, the weight of the weapon disappearing from his hand but remaining in his soul. He looked at his points balance: 260. Not much, but with that 0.1% discount coupon, it was a fortune.

He opened the System Shop.

The shop was a labyrinth of categories. There were sections for Precious Medicine, for Secret Technique manuals, and even for lifestyle improvements. He saw a Fire-Devouring Pill for 100 points, a Wraith Halberd for 50,000 points, and a map of the Netherlands for 1,000 points.

He scrolled down to the bottom, to the "f*******n" tab that only opened because of his 100% affection ratings.

Item: Supreme Spirit Energy Screen (Planetary Grade)

Price: 100,000,000 Points.

Discount Price: 100 Points.

Item: Astral Sword (Stellar Variant)

Price: 50,000,000 Points.

Discount Price: 50 Points.

Leo’s breath hitched. He had enough points to buy several world-ending items. But his eyes were drawn to a single, pulsing red icon that sat at the very center of the "f*******n" list.

Item: Nirvana Spirit Tower (Personal Pocket Dimension)

Description: A portable training facility that compresses time. One day spent inside the tower is equal to ten minutes in the real world. The tower is filled with a density of Spirit Air that is 1000% higher than the most sacred Mystic Zone.

Price: 500,000,000 Points.

Discount Price: 500 Points.

"I'm short by 240 points," Leo realized, a pang of frustration hitting him. "If I had known, I would have pushed Monica for that last 5% a bit more aggressively."

He closed the shop, his mind already calculating. He had one Mystery Gift Box left—the one from Monica’s 100% affection achievement.

"System," he said, his voice steady. "Open the last Mystery Gift Box. If there are no points in there, I’m going to have to find another Goddess before tomorrow morning."

[Opening the 'Leggy Goddess' Mystery Gift Box! Cross your fingers, Master!]

The box dissolved into a flurry of rose petals and violet sparks.

[Congratulations! You have obtained:]

1. 500 System Points!

2. One Spirit-Backlash Inhibitor (Supreme Grade).

3. A pair of Thunder Gauntlets (Artifact Weapon - Mid-Tier).

Leo let out a long, slow breath. Five hundred points. Added to his current balance, that gave him 760 points.

"System," Leo said, a look of absolute resolve on his face. "Use the coupon. Buy the Nirvana Spirit Tower."

[Deducting 500 Points... Purchase complete! The Nirvana Spirit Tower has been bound to your soul. You can enter the tower through the Dragon-Phoenix Ring at any time. It is recommended to enter after the Awakening Ceremony to maximize the refinement of your new power!]

Leo fell back against the pillows, his heart hammering in his chest. He was ready. He had the weapon, he had the technique, he had the body, and now he had a literal shortcut to godhood.

Tomorrow, he would walk into the Spirit Martial Academy as Leo Shaw, the billionaire's son. But by the time the sun set, the name "Shaw" wouldn't just be synonymous with money. It would be synonymous with the man who held the sky in his hands and the thunder in his veins.

He closed his eyes, the faint sound of his parents' argument still drifting up from the floor below, but for the first time in his life—both his old life and his new one—Leo Shaw felt a sense of absolute, unshakeable peace.

He was the King. And the world was his for the taking.