Contractor Lin Luo: Walker (LV3) Physical Strength: S Mental Strength: S Overall Strength: Peak Spirit Rank. Level Up Requirement: Eight more Pacts to be fulfilled.

Contractee: Gokudera Ruri Physical Strength: SS Mental Strength: SS Overall Strength: High Earth Rank. Mark of Constraint: True Vanishing Seal of Protection: Black and White Cats.

Heart of the World: Heart of Existence (No. 28, Form Ever-Changing, Heart Merge).

Ascending to LV3 brought no change to Lin Luo’s strength, which was normal; after all, he was no longer the person who could be dragged down by his level. Though he still couldn't escape the constraints of his rank, the level had become his fulcrum rather than the deciding factor.

Only his own consciousness could determine when to leverage it. The "power" he had accumulated so far was insufficient for a breakthrough.

So many Hosts resided in the Sky City. If he could reach his ideal LV, and then unleash all this accumulated strength in one go, reaching Quasi-Heaven Rank might even be possible.

What truly annoyed him was that after the revision of the Contract Book, the previously absorbed 'Mind Texts' only increased his attributes; they offered no help with leveling up. Previously, reaching LV3 required only three contracts, and LV4 only six.

Now, it demanded eight. Would reaching LV4 then require sixteen contractors to reach LV5?

This was outrageous! Lin Luo finally understood why Academy City's espers maxed out at LV5, yet no one ever reached LV6.

The situation was the same for him: since the required number of contractors scaled exponentially with each level, to reach LV6, he would need to sign contracts with $1+2+4+8+16+32=63$ Hosts! There were only 49 Hearts of the World in total, and one set had been taken by the Proxy God, leaving only 42.

Realistically, the maximum number of living Hosts was only 42. Damn it!

Even if his elementary school math teacher—a beautiful woman he was close to, making him excel at arithmetic—were a total idiot, he wouldn't be brain-dead enough to think $42 > 63$! Not enough Hosts meant no way to reach LV6.

What the heck, LV6 was clearly just a pipe dream! He himself had no hope of reaching LV6, and the esper system in Academy City must be the same.

Leveling up required experience beyond the scope of the world; Accelerator aiming for LV6 was simply daydreaming! “Oh my, I think I leveled up again.” While Lin Luo was feeling gloomy, Gokudera Ruri seemed quite excited.

After training three times in the illusory space, she was one thin membrane away from High Earth Rank when she emerged. Now, having signed the contract and evolved from Black Cat to Divine Cat, although the membrane between her legs remained, the membrane regarding her realm was pierced, instantly elevating her to High Earth Rank.

“Congratulations on breaking the membrane and leveling up.” Although Lin Luo was frustrated by his own predicament, as a boyfriend, he still had to fulfill his duty of sharing her joy. Of course, Lin Luo truly hoped to help Ruri pierce that other membrane soon; that would bring even greater happiness.

Speaking of which, her abilities were Existence and Vanishing. Could she make that membrane disappear?

“Mm, thank you.” Gokudera Ruri was unaware of Lin Luo's frivolous thoughts. Having achieved success in both power and love, a smile bloomed on her face, and her heart felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

“Further progress in strength, truly worthy of celebration, hmph hmph.” “……………, Very good, very powerful.” Two girlish voices sounded nearby; one was arrogant and evil, emanating villainous energy; the other was steady as still water, betraying no emotion. These two voices were identical to the ones that had guided Lin Luo before.

He had wanted to ask about them for a long time but never had the chance. Now, he glanced left and right of Gokudera Ruri, utterly bewildered, scratching his head in confusion, and couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly is going on here?” “Oh, you mean them?” Gokudera Ruri pointed to the two black and white figures beside her, stating matter-of-factly, “They are my Marks of Protection.

You can see them, can’t you?” “I know they are your Marks of Protection, but what I want to ask is—” “Welcome back.” Lin Luo had only managed to speak halfway when the small, dark-haired girl on the left bowed slightly to him. The white-haired girl on his other side shot him a wicked grin, “Long time no see, my original master, hmph hmph.” “……………” Lin Luo was momentarily speechless.

These two girls were none other than Kuroren and Shiroren, who had previously resided in his dreams. Ever since he died and was reborn, Kuroren and Shiroren had never reappeared in his dreams.

He had assumed they had fallen silent due to his death, but he never expected them to become Gokudera Ruri’s Marks of Protection! This was too much!

… Hmph hmph, we didn’t betray you. It’s just that you suddenly died and lost your dreams, so we could no longer reside within you.

Moreover, your death severely drained our vitality. At that moment, we discovered that the new Master’s attributes were very compatible with us, so naturally, we attached ourselves to her dreams,” Kuroren remained silent while Shiroren calmly explained to Lin Luo.

However, after finishing, she suddenly grinned wickedly, darted behind Lin Luo, wrapped her arms around his neck, and breathed suggestive air into his ear, “Of course, even though the new Master suits my attributes well, she is too dull. Compared to that, I still prefer your original master.

How about we have a naughty dream together? Hmm, if you wish, we can even do it with my original form, born from the dream—how about it?” “Ahem, cough, cough.” Shiroren’s words were utterly provocative, arguably quite explicit.

Even Lin Luo felt a blush creeping up his face, though inwardly, he desperately wanted to agree, but! “What an insolent, lewd cat!

Get away from him right now!” Gokudera Ruri exploded upon seeing someone openly seducing her boyfriend right in front of her, immediately unleashing a burst of Existence power toward Shiroren. Shiroren smiled coyly, dodging her attack, but simultaneously withdrawing from Lin Luo’s body.

“And you, reject her sternly!” Ruri was angered by Shiroren’s blatant NTR, but she was even angrier at Lin Luo’s silent acquiescence. After driving Shiroren away, she immediately aimed her firepower at Lin Luo.

“Heh heh.” Lin Luo grinned slyly, playing dumb. “Uwah!” Lin Luo’s attitude completely ignited Gokudera Ruri’s jealousy.

But before she could erupt, Shiroren flew back, smirking, “Although as a Mark of Protection, I shouldn't speak ill of the Master, you truly lack passion. But I am different; I can bring the original Master ten times the pleasure you can, and if we drag Kuroren in, we can have a threesome… How about it, want to give it a shot?” She directed the last sentence toward Lin Luo, teasing him intensely.

Kuroren, caught in the crossfire, blinked, indicating her innocence. As the embodiment of the sensual dream, Shiroren could easily stir a man’s desire with just a flicker of her eyes or a smile, even if she did nothing else.

Lin Luo was naturally drawn in by the prospect of a threesome, but outwardly, he maintained a serious refusal, as Gokudera Ruri was glaring at him with even greater intensity. He could have opportunities for a threesome with Kuroren and Shiroren later; but offending Gokudera Ruri here might cost him his life.

Furthermore, while Shiroren’s words were provocative, there was a greater element of jest in her tone. “You filthy, wanton temptress!

I don't want to become as unromantic as you, just go back where you belong!” Lin Luo’s declaration made Gokudera Ruri breathe a sigh of relief, and she redirected all her fire toward Shiroren. “That won’t do.

It’s rare to reunite with the original Master; I intend to spend more time with him, hmph hmph.” Shiroren flickered in and out of existence mid-air, deftly evading Ruri’s attacks, signaling that the pressure was minimal. “Tch!” Gokudera Ruri gritted her teeth, feeling a touch of helplessness.

The attachment of Kuroren and Shiroren to her wasn't just their own judgment; it was a mutual attraction. After all, Kuroren was the dream of reality, and Shiroren was the reality of the dream.

Gokudera Ruri, who controlled the power of existence, was, on one hand, the real Ruri, and on the other, the dream Black Cat. Their compatibility was even greater than the compatibility between Black and White Lotus and Lin Luo.

For a long time, Gokudera Ruri could not fully grasp her own abilities, but with the addition of the Black and White Lotus, her understanding of existence became much clearer. The reason she, an ordinary girl, could reach her current level in such a short time, besides her own efforts and Youyou’s training, was largely due to the indispensable role played by the Black and White Lotus.

Because of the synergy between their powers and their bond, upon Gokudera Ruri reaching Heart Merge, the Black and White Lotus existed directly as her Mark of Protection. Mikoto, Rei, and Sakagami Tomoyo’s Marks of Protection were born purely from materialized power, giving them absolute control over their Marks.

However, since the Black and White Lotus already possessed independent existence, Ruri’s control over them was relatively weaker; she couldn't summon and dismiss them as easily as a Pokémon. Furthermore, if the Black and White Lotus were killed in reality, although they wouldn't truly die, they would suffer a severe drain on their vitality, requiring a long time to recover.

This was the drawback of Marks of Protection derived from a semi-real, semi-powerful essence. Of course, they also possessed an advantage: autonomy.

Not only were they relatively free in their existence, but their growth in power did not rely entirely on the Host; their potential for growth far surpassed that of purely materialized Marks of Protection. In summary, the strength of the Black and White Lotus was not inferior to Gokudera Ruri’s.

Unless Shiroren agreed, forcing her back into the spiritual space would be extremely difficult. However, this did not imply any possibility of betrayal from the Black and White Lotus.

Regardless of the type of Mark of Protection, one thing remained absolutely consistent: the coexistence of life and spirit. Marks of Protection ultimately depend on the Host for survival; if the Host dies, the Mark of Protection will also vanish.

But then again, Marks of Protection possessing autonomous personalities occasionally teasing their Master was quite normal.