Steam curled from the surface of the bath, muted by the heavy silence that followed the streamâs abrupt end.
Bastet lay curled against Kaidenâs chest, her ears flattened, tail limp, golden eyes glassy with lingering pain.
Luna broke the silence first.
"...What just happened?"
Nyxâs eyes narrowed as she scanned Bastetâs trembling body. "I canât help but say that it looks like sheâs forbidden from remembering. Something embedded deep in her very being, something... I donât know, magical, is actively punishing her for trying to recall her time as a dungeon boss."
Hearing those grim words from her friends, Aria winced, moving closer.
"Thatâs cruel..." She reached out, gently placing a hand on Bastetâs shoulder. "Hey... I know youâre all about Kai, but if you ever need anything... Iâm here, okay?"
Bastetâs ears twitched. She didnât raise her head but let out a soft, fragile whimper entirely uncharacteristic of the carefree, nonchalant felinid.
"Thank you..."
Kaiden stroked her hair in long, slow motions, his other hand curled protectively around her waist.
"Weâll look into this at a later date."
The Valkyries all nodded.
But Kaidenâs mind was already moving elsewhere.
With a subtle shift of focus, he pulled up his system window, the private overlay only visible to him.
A smooth, blue interface greeted him, displaying his current stats and stream progress.
[System Rank-Up Requirements â Tier 2 ⢠Tier 3]
[Views: 100 million]
[Fangirls: 5,000]
[Income: 10,000]
Current Stats:
[Views: 343.8 million ⢠350 million]
[Income: 4,541 ⢠31,619]
[Fangirls: 458 ⢠511]
Kaiden exhaled quietly.
âViews? Crushed it. Income? Way more than enough.â
But his eyes narrowed at the third stat.
âFangirls... still only a tenth of the way there.â
That number was crawling upward at a glacial pace.
A serious bottleneck.
From what he could tell, the System didnât reward casual followers or shallow fame. It demanded full-on obsession. He needed 5,000 true fans, women who were not just viewers liking his content but diehard ones.
[New System Quest: Fangirl Bottleneck]
[Assessment]: Successorâs strategies for exponential growth in income and overall viewership have been exceptionally efficient. However, the progression of his fangirl metric remains disproportionately slow.
[Guidance]: To fully embody and potentially exceed the legacy of the Heavenly Demon, the Successor must cultivate a following whose devotion stems from genuine connection and profound inspiration. Superficial engagement, while boosting views and income, does not translate into the deep admiration required for this metric.
[Quest Objective]: Demonstrate the ability to cultivate deep, lasting admiration from those who are merely intrigued. The Successor must display proficiency in converting fleeting interest into genuine, unwavering devotion.
To complete this objective, the Successor must raise the Fangirl metric from 511 to 5,000 within 3 days.
Success will signify the Successorâs worthiness to receive further backing from his benefactor, affirming their potential to walk the dangerous path theyâd chosen for themselves.
[Rewards]:
+2 Upgrade Points
System Unlock: [Fangirl Management Interface]
[Fangirl Management Interface]:
Access Behavioral Analytics: Gain deeper insights into the content and actions that most effectively resonate with your female audience, identifying what truly inspires their loyalty.
Optimize Engagement Strategies: Learn to refine your approach, emphasizing the compelling aspects of your presence and relationships that naturally cultivate fervent devotion.
Identify Core Enthusiasts: Pinpoint and understand the characteristics of your most dedicated followers, allowing for more targeted content creation and community building.
Kaidenâs brow arched.
"Well... damn."
Three heads turned toward him in unison.
Luna, Aria, and Nyx all watched Kaiden with a spark of silent curiosity, but none of them said what they were clearly thinking. They knew better.
Their home, for all its comforts and protections, wasnât privacy-friendly one bit. Government surveillanceâor worseâwas almost guaranteed to be present.
Knowing that, Luna spoke carefully as she asked,
"Is everything alright?"
Kaiden turned to her with a grin that was just a little too easy to be genuine. "Oh, nothing serious. Just realizing that Bastetâs felinid tongue is... far more stimulating than expected." He gave a soft chuckle, fingers brushing idly through Bastetâs hair as her ears twitched. "You girls have some fierce competition now. Better pull up your sexy lacey panties."
A beat passed upon his rather poorly chosen words.
Lunaâs face visibly twitched. A sharp, offended breath escaped her as she scoffed hard enough to ripple the bathâs surface. Her golden eyes narrowed, jealousy bubbling just beneath her usually stern demeanor.
Aria, on the other hand, didnât react outwardly at first. But her eyesâusually calm and sweetâdarkened with quiet intensity. She stared at Bastet like a lioness watching another predator approach her den. Possessive. Competitive. The kind of look that promised retaliation.
Nyx, of course, just laughed. A smooth, sultry sound that rippled with amused confidence.
"Mm~ I donât mind a little competition. It just means Iâll have to remind any eager little newcomer exactly who reigns supreme on this peak," Nyx said smugly before her hand casually slid under her genetic lottery winner of a feminine chest, lifting her puppies up. The coconut bra, barely containing her bounty for the streamâs theme, strained visibly under the shift.
Kaidenâs eyes went momentarily wide and unblinking as a result, following the enticing movement as if completely hypnotized. Beside them, Lunaâs scoffing increased in intensity, a clear sign of her growing irritation at Kaidenâs predictable reaction.
Nyxâs smugness only increased as a result of her manâs fascination with her feminine assets before she stretched with lazy, carefree motions before adding, "Besides, I like having a little pressure. Some friendly competition has never hurt anybody."
She then giggled, "But Kai, I must say, you should probably try to choose your words a bit more carefully... From what my eyes are showing me, my chaos gremlin bestie is huffing and puffing with displeasure while my princess bestie might take the kitten out for a âchatâ in the middle of the night when you arenât watching..."
Kaiden chuckled nervously, having come to the exact realization Nyx had. "My bad, ladies. You know that I was just trying to ease the tension..."
Luna didnât look one bit impressed, and Ariaâs gaze lingered on Bastet a little longer than was comfortable. Only Nyx seemed entirely at peace, enjoying the situation greatly.
Still holding Bastet protectively, Kaiden let his wry smile fade, his eyes drifting back to the glowing overlay that only he could see.
The quest was clear.
And so was the bottleneck.
He needed to raise the fangirl stat fast. Three days.
It was matching his plans as well because he didnât plan to do any dungeon descents before getting his third sin stance that would allow him to keep up with the rising difficulty curve of more lucrative dungeons. His current toolkit wouldnât cut it anymore.
Focus on the mission. That came first.
But that required a strategy. Planning. Direction.
And right now, not even his own Valkyries could speak freely around him. Not with the threat of hidden ears.
They needed guidance. Or rather... assistance. He didnât like asking for it one bit... Especially from her. But he didnât know what else to do. Once again, he was in a bit of a bind.
There was no dancing around it.
His lips curled into a tight smirk.
"Guess itâs time we pay that woman a visit."