Chapter 420: The Devil’s Perfect Pet
"Lily, you know them?"
At Lily’s voice, Amber and Jade both turned toward her in surprise. Marcus immediately realized what she was doing. She was stepping in to save him from an awkward explanation before things spiraled out of control, and despite the glare she shot him right after, sharp enough to stab holes through him, he still felt an undeniable warmth in his chest.
"Yeah."
Lily nodded once, though her expression remained sour.
Willow, however, looked confused. Her eyes moved between Marcus and Lily before she finally spoke.
"Anya Lynn. One of Crestwood University’s four campus queens. She’s not just beautiful either. Her family is incredibly wealthy and influential, and she even comes to school with a personal maid. She’s the most mysterious out of the four because she rarely interacts with people. Hardly anyone can get close to her."
"That impressive?"
Crystal and Jade didn’t react much, but Amber looked genuinely shocked as she turned toward Marcus.
"You know her, Marcus? How come you’ve never mentioned her before?"
"College friend."
Marcus answered awkwardly, instantly regretting how suspicious that sounded.
The truth was, he had only ever told Lily about his feelings for Anya. Nobody else knew. After that painful first love, he’d never wanted to openly talk about their relationship or let anyone pry into it, so Amber had naturally never heard about Anya or Chloe before.
Willow, clever as always, immediately sensed there was more beneath the surface. She looked at Marcus with growing curiosity, silently wondering what exactly his relationship with Anya really was. Back at Crestwood University, there had always been rumors surrounding the two of them. After all, Marcus was practically the only man Anya willingly treated as a friend.
Sensing danger, Marcus decisively changed the subject before anyone could continue digging.
"Hey, ladies. Want to see what I got from the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb?"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone’s attention shifted instantly. Even Crystal’s cold eyes locked onto him without blinking.
’Success.’
"Marcus, what did you get?"
"And Marcus, where’s my Mythic Mount? The Violet Thunderwing Steed. I want to fly around with Jade."
Amber’s eyes sparkled with excitement while Jade immediately nodded enthusiastically beside her.
"Marcus, I want to see your divine mount too. The Nightmare Dragon Steed, the Wyvern Saint Knight’s dragon, and that cute little fox."
"Little fox?"
Marcus nearly choked.
She was talking about Camillo, the Vixen Queen, ranked as the third most beautiful woman on Dreamland Continent, and Jade had casually reduced her to "that cute little fox." Absolutely ruthless. One day she’d learn exactly how terrifying that so-called little fox could be.
Still, Marcus decided to deal with Amber first.
"Violet Thunderwing Steed."
A flash of light appeared as he summoned the mount and transferred ownership back to Amber.
Neigh!
The Violet Thunderwing Steed let out a proud cry the moment it appeared. It circled Marcus gracefully with light, elegant steps, clearly happy to be summoned again after so long, then affectionately rubbed its head against him.
"So beautiful..."
Even though Amber had already described the mount countless times to Jade and Crystal, actually seeing it in person was something else entirely. The elegant body glowing with purple-red radiance, the silky flowing mane, the enormous wings filled with power and nobility, every detail looked breathtaking enough to leave the girls stunned.
"Amethyst, you’ll be fighting alongside my sister from now on. Behave yourself."
Marcus gently patted the steed’s head before officially transferring ownership to Amber. Honestly, keeping Amethyst with him was a waste. Amber possessed the hidden class Elven Archer, and with her talent, the mount would shine far brighter at her side.
Neigh!
Amethyst gave a soft cry in response, clearly without objection.
"Amethyst!"
Amber happily climbed onto the Violet Thunderwing Steed, her face overflowing with excitement. Unfortunately, flying inside the city was prohibited. Otherwise, she probably would’ve dragged Jade up with her immediately and taken off into the sky.
The sight before them was honestly dazzling. Amber’s stunning appearance, paired with her purple-red Mythic equipment set Spirit of the Maple Leaf and the majestic Violet Thunderwing Steed beneath her, created a scene so beautiful it almost felt unreal.
"Marcus, I want a beautiful pet too!"
After seeing the mount up close, Jade could no longer hold herself back. She immediately grabbed Marcus’s arm and looked at him with eager, shining eyes.
"No problem."
Marcus answered proudly while looking at the adorable woman beside him.
Honestly, asking men for things was practically a girl’s natural right. And being able to fulfill those wishes? That was proof of a man’s capability.
Then an idea suddenly struck him.
"Jade, what do you think about this one?"
He took out the Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat’s pet egg.
"Marcus, that’s amazing. It’s Divine Beast level!"
Jade immediately gasped after reading the pet information, her eyes practically glowing with admiration.
Marcus almost coughed.
Clearly she’d only read the first half and completely missed the part explaining that the egg couldn’t hatch yet and would currently only produce a Grade 8 pet. Still, Marcus wasn’t worried. The Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat hadn’t degraded naturally. It was injured. Once the damage healed, its true strength would recover.
It was similar to Camillo. Because of her injuries, she could only grow to Level 60 right now, but once restored, she’d immediately regain her Divine Beast status. Ordinary pets had to slowly evolve upward through impossibly small probabilities. This cat simply needed recovery.
And considering how seriously the Mist Veil Palace had protected it a thousand years ago, Marcus was convinced the creature’s true power would be terrifying.
"Oh... Marcus, the kitten can’t hatch yet."
Jade had finally reached the end of the description.
"Yeah. We just need a monster soul to complete the process. It shouldn’t take too long."
Marcus sounded confident. He was already approaching Level 50. With his current strength, obtaining a Grade 7 monster soul wasn’t impossible anymore.
"Too bad I can’t see what the kitten looks like."
Jade sounded genuinely disappointed before immediately adding her condition.
"Marcus, I only likes cute and pretty pets."
Her tone was extremely firm. Stats meant nothing to her. Appearance was everything.
"Don’t worry."
Marcus pulled out his recorder with a grin.
"I can show you right now."
He activated the recording from inside the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb, replaying the image that had appeared above the egg when it absorbed the Corpse Demon Nether Soul. The black cat silhouette shown there should have been the Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat’s true form.
A projection slowly appeared before them.
A sleek black demon cat emerged from the darkness, surrounded by drifting gray souls while eerie black mist curled around its body. Its blue eyes glowed with an unnatural light that gave it an unsettling yet mesmerizing presence.
Admittedly, the creature looked a little creepy.
But at the same time, it was strangely elegant and fantastical. The eerie atmosphere surrounding it didn’t make it ugly. If anything, it made the cat feel mysterious and dangerously beautiful, the kind of creature people couldn’t stop staring at even while knowing they probably should.
"So cool..."
"Marcus, this gift is perfect. I love it."
Approval granted instantly. Jade excitedly hugged him and kissed his cheek before smiling brightly at him.
Marcus couldn’t help grinning smugly. Of course he knew what he was doing.
The Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat carried an eerie aura, but that feeling was directed toward enemies, not its owner. And honestly, the more he imagined this little devil Jade paired together with that enchanting black demon cat, the more fitting it seemed.
’A devil and a demon. Perfect match.’
Jade hugged the pet egg carefully, already imagining the future, before suddenly looking up at Marcus with anticipation sparkling in her eyes.
"Marcus, do you think I’ll be able to hold it in my arms after it hatches?"
Marcus hesitated. Based on the image, the Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat didn’t exactly look small.
Still, the image of Jade holding a sleek black demon cat slowly formed in his mind, and honestly...
Yeah. He really wanted to see that.
After everyone finished admiring both the Violet Thunderwing Steed and the Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat egg, Marcus finally looked toward Crystal and Willow with visible guilt.
"Crystal, Willow... I don’t have suitable pets for you two right now. I’ll definitely find some later."
It honestly felt embarrassing.
For someone constantly praised as Dominion’s six-leaderboard champion, he still couldn’t provide pets for everyone around him. He really needed to work harder.
Willow simply smiled softly, immediately easing the awkward atmosphere.
"Don’t worry about it, Marcus. Show us what else you got from the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb."
Truthfully, neither she nor Crystal cared much about pets. If Marcus hadn’t been playing Dominion, they probably wouldn’t have touched the game at all.
And honestly, Marcus himself was already terrifying enough.
"Yeah, Marcus. What else did you get?"
Amber immediately ran back over after putting away the Violet Thunderwing Steed, while Jade reluctantly handed the Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat egg back to Marcus so he could hatch it later.
"Take a look at this."
Marcus activated Dancing Colorful Eagle and summoned one of his greatest rewards from the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.
The Seven-Colored Divine Eagle appeared in a burst of radiant light.
"So beautiful!"
Another round of shocked gasps filled the courtyard.
There was simply no helping it. The Seven-Colored Divine Eagle already possessed an elegant form to begin with, but combined with the dazzling seven-colored radiance flowing around its body, it looked absolutely stunning.
Chirp chirp chirp!
The little eagle happily fluttered around Marcus before finally landing on his shoulder.
"Marcus, you got this from the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb?"
Amber stared at it in disbelief before carefully reaching out to touch it.
Chirp!
The eagle instantly flapped away in rejection. Marcus almost laughed.
Seriously? It was refusing even Amber?
Divine Beasts truly were stubborn creatures. Just like Blackie, they naturally resisted outsiders touching them.
"Little Eagle, she’s family. Let my sister pet you."
Only after Marcus personally ordered it did the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle reluctantly allow the girls to touch it, though it still looked mildly unwilling the entire time.
"Marcus, it can understand you? Is Little Eagle really a Divine Beast?"
Amber gently stroked the bird while staring at Marcus in disbelief. Marcus immediately puffed up with pride.
"Heh."
He was just about to explain the eagle’s origins when a voice suddenly echoed from inside the house.
"Marcus, we’re back! Where are you?"
A second later, hurried footsteps followed. Anya and Chloe had arrived.
Marcus instinctively glanced at the girls around him. Lily looked calm, probably because she’d already guessed this would happen sooner or later. But Amber, the Nance sisters, and Willow were all staring at him curiously now.
His smug expression instantly collapsed into awkwardness.
"Heh... It’s Anya Lynn and Chloe Keyes. I’ll go see them."
Unable to endure everyone’s gazes any longer, Marcus quickly escaped toward the living room.
"I’m in the courtyard!"
He called back while walking forward. A moment later, Anya appeared.
"Marcus!"
The instant she saw him, she hurried toward him without hesitation.
Ever since Marcus entered the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb, they’d only been able to communicate through Dominion’s chat system. They hadn’t actually seen each other in over two weeks.
"Marcus, it’s been eighteen days. I..."
Anya had clearly been about to throw herself into his arms and tell him how much she’d missed him, but the moment she noticed the five stunning girls standing behind him watching everything, she abruptly stopped in embarrassment.
"Marcus... who are they?"
Her eyes swept across the group before pausing briefly on Lily and Willow. The moment she saw Lily, Anya immediately understood.
Everyone at Crestwood University knew Marcus and Lily were together. The collision had finally arrived.
And honestly, this outcome had probably been inevitable from the very beginning.
"Anya, let me introduce everyone."
Marcus forced himself to remain calm while secretly glancing past her shoulder toward Chloe.
Sure enough, Chloe’s usually flawless expression had already turned ice-cold.
