Two players dashed forward at incredible speed, their movements so light it looked as though they were running on the wind itself. They leaped effortlessly from tree to tree, crossing the forest in mere moments. Even the ground beneath them showed no sign that anyone had passed through, as if they had never been there at all.
Eventually, the two of them came to a stop when they spotted several other players gathered ahead. The area was already growing crowded, with people constantly arriving from different directions.
"So, why are we here, Windious?" the woman beside him asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Clover, look." He pointed toward the village ahead.
Nestled in the middle of the forest stood a small village surrounded by towering trees. Quite a few players had already gathered there, wandering through the narrow streets or speaking with the villagers as if they were searching for something.
Several voices suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"Hey, look over there! It's the Wind-Clover duo!"
"No way! They're members of the Vesperion Guild!"
"Oh my God... am I dreaming? They're actually here!"
Windious casually walked toward the small village with Clover following close behind. As soon as they stepped inside, even more players turned their attention toward them, whispering excitedly among themselves.
"Clover, according to the information I received, there's a good chance the person we're looking for is somewhere in this village."
"Isn't this the same village where Bullkin started the commotion earlier?"
"Yes. Exactly."
The surrounding players became even more excited. Some rushed over, hoping to get an autograph or simply greet them, but Clover showed no interest whatsoever. She narrowed her eyes and coldly waved them back.
"If anyone gets within one meter of me, you can say goodbye to your head."
The crowd instantly froze before hurriedly backing away, none of them daring to test whether she was joking.
Windious let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"Haha... sorry about that. We have a job to take care of first. Once we're done, I'll sign as many autographs as you want, okay? Just give us a little time."
The disappointed crowd could only nod while making way for the famous duo to pass through the village.
After that, Windious wandered off on his own, chatting with several villagers while Clover remained where she was, her arms folded across her chest. Every now and then, her cold gaze swept across the area whenever someone looked like they were about to approach her.
A single glance from her was enough to make the other players shiver and immediately change their minds.
A few minutes later, Windious returned with an elderly man who appeared to be the village chief. Despite his advanced age, the old man still had a sturdy build. Following behind him were three young women, all seemingly between twenty and twenty-five years old.
Windious stopped in front of Clover.
"Clover, these are the only three women in the village who match the age range we're looking for."
"Is one of them the person we're searching for?"
"No, I mean... I only asked the village chief to bring women around that age."
Clover's expression instantly darkened.
"Stop wasting my time. You've already wasted enough of it. Why couldn't you have asked the right questions before dragging everyone over here?"
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Windious immediately froze, raising both hands in surrender.
"Y-Yeah, sorry! I just wanted to make sure you understood the process so you wouldn't blame me again. Hehe... don't be so angry, Clover. It'll be fine. We'll figure everything out."
"Now!" She said firmly.
"R-Right. Right."
Windious stepped in front of the three women.
"Um... sorry, this is a little strange, but... have any of you never met your parents since you were little? Or... I mean... experienced anything unusual? Like... uh..."
His words suddenly trailed off as someone shoved him aside.
"Huh?"
He turned to see Clover already standing where he had been.
Without saying a word, she walked toward the first young woman until only inches separated their faces.
The woman instinctively stepped back, her face turning pale as her body trembled uncontrollably.
Clover stared into her eyes for several silent seconds before moving to the second woman.
The reaction was exactly the same. Terrified.
She repeated the process with the third woman, who nearly collapsed under the pressure of Clover's piercing gaze.
Even the elderly village chief felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the scene unfold.
After a long moment, Clover let out a quiet sigh before shaking her head at Windious.
"What? Did you find her?"
"Idiot."
"...What? Why?"
"The girl we're looking for is the same girl that Bullkin took from this village."
"What?!" Windious's eyes widened in disbelief. "The girl... the one who ran away? Wait... you chased after her, didn't you? Did you catch her? Did you save her? Where is she?"
He frantically looked around the village, his heartbeat racing.
"Did she come back here? No... no, she couldn't have just disappeared! We have to find her! She can't be far! She might be hiding nearby! How could we lose her? We've been chasing this lead for so long! If she gets away now, we'll have to start over from the beginning! Clover, say something! What do we do? Which direction did she go? Did anyone see her leave? We can't lose our target now!"
Before he could continue rambling, Clover had already started walking away without even looking back.
"Can I change partners already?" she muttered. "Idiot. Windious. Your parents have enough money to buy half the continent. Why don't you spend some of it filling that empty head of yours?"
"Clover!" Windious hurried after her in a panic. "What do we do now? We've lost our target!"
**
[A target has fulfilled the requirements to establish a Chaos Bound.]
[Establish a Chaos Bound with the target: Lucia?]
[Chaos Cost: 125]
"Chaos Bound?"
Jester repeated the words displayed before him.
Whatever this was, it seemed to confirm his suspicion. If an NPC placed enough trust in him, this kind of Bound system could appear.
The same thing had happened when he interacted with Fang. After winning over the beast by taking the appearance of its former master, Fang had willingly chosen to follow him, and the system had offered him a Bound as well.
Back then, however, it had only been a simple Monster Bound. The cost had been just 35 Chaos.
This one… 125 Chaos.
"Sir?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
"Is... is something wrong with me? Is there anything I can do? I've completely recovered now. I'll help however I can. I'm... I'm not as useless as I was before, if you'll allow me."
Jester nodded.
"Lucia."
"Yes..."
"I have something called a Chaos Bound. I can form one with you, but honestly... I don't know what will happen afterward. I don't know what it really does."
"Yes... Sir."
She lowered her head slightly, nervously clasping her hands together.
"You came to save me... even though you didn't know me. You healed me... and protected me."
She paused for a moment. "I don't know you very well yet... but I believe you're a good person."
A faint smile appeared on her face. "So... I don't mind serving you."
Her expression then became troubled.
"There's just..." She hesitated.
"I have a little sister. I can't leave her behind."
"You don't have to worry about that," Jester replied. "I'm not going to ask you to leave your sister."
Lucia slowly raised her head. The worry on her face disappeared, replaced by a bright smile as her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Yes, Sir." She nodded without hesitation. "I trust you completely."
[125 Chaos consumed.]
Jester swallowed hard as he watched that enormous amount of Chaos disappear in an instant.
[Chaos Bound initiated.]
[A Chaos Bound is a contract forged through mutual trust, shared resolve, and the willingness to stand together against the encroaching Chaos of the future.]
[Unlike ordinary contracts, a Chaos Bound cannot be established through force, coercion, or deception. Both parties must willingly accept the bond.]
[As the Contractee, Lucia will gain an increased affinity with Chaos, allowing her to draw out greater potential from its power. As the synchronization rate between Contractor and Contractee rises, additional abilities, passive effects, and hidden functions of the Chaos Bound will gradually unlock.]
[As the Contractor, you will gain deeper access to the Contractee's status and abilities. You may freely designate one of the Contractee's core skills as a Shared Skill, allowing you to use it as your own while the Chaos Bound remains active.]
[Current Synchronization Rate: 0%]
"...That doesn't sound bad," Jester muttered under his breath.
[The target, Lucia, has entrusted you completely. She is willing to place her life in your hands and will stand beside you without hesitation.]
[Current Synchronization Rate: 27%]
[The bond between Contractor and Contractee has surpassed the highest level of ordinary interpersonal relationships within the system. Additional interaction features have been unlocked.]
[Access to Marriage-exclusive features granted.]
[Intimacy between Contractor and Contractee is now permitted by the system, provided it is mutually consensual. Intimacy Cooldown: 30 Days.]
"Damn... what the hell is this?"
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