CHAPTER 68: THE HOLLOW CROWN BOND – SYSTEM UPDATE

Chapter 67 – The Hollow Crown Bond – System Update

The cobbled road to the village gates stretched ahead, the faint chatter of merchants and guards carried on the breeze. Ethan walked with Lirael at his side, his mind already turning toward their next destination—until the sound he had not heard in a long time echoed in his ears.

Ding!

A crisp, metallic chime that seemed to vibrate through his very bones.

System Update Successful.

Ethan’s steps faltered. His breath caught in his throat.

"...I... forgot about that."

His hand twitched slightly as the translucent interface unfolded before him, pale golden letters shimmering in the air. His eyes skimmed the words—and then widened. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Soul Link Established.

Subject: Lirael Vaerune

Type: Master–Servant

Ethan’s pulse quickened as line after line unraveled before him.

A master should always take care of its subject...

Stat points gained by system quests by the host are mirrored and distributed at the host’s will.

Servants must remain in the service of their master.

Servant’s talents, skills, and class perks are shared with the master. And the SP obtained by servant it also transferred to master.

Emotional stability, comfort, and heightened resonance are tethered to proximity with the host.

All servants are now under the Hollow Crown System.

The last words seemed to burn themselves into his vision.

Hollow Crown.

Ethan clenched his jaw, heart hammering.

"...This can’t be real."

At his side, Lirael noticed the sudden stiffness in his body. Her footsteps slowed, her silver hair brushing over her shoulder as she tilted her head at him.

"Ethan? What’s wrong?" Her voice carried a nervous lilt, soft but edged with worry.

Before he could answer, her own system flared.

The familiar blue sheen of her interface sputtered—glitching, breaking, lines of text scattering like shattered glass across her vision. Her breath hitched.

"W-what—?"

Her interface flickered violently, symbols scattering across her vision. Then the blue screen froze—cold, metallic words etched themselves into her sight.

System takeover... Hollow Crown.

Subject Lirael Vaerune bound by soul to Individual Ethan Cross.

Designation: Servant.

And then... nothing.

The screen blinked out, leaving her system eerily blank for a breath, before resetting—simpler, quieter, as if something else now held the reins.

"Wh-what the...?" Lirael’s eyes widened as she stared at the fading glow. Her heart hammered, but not from pain—just the shock of something completely outside her control. She spun toward Ethan, her voice sharp, edged with confusion.

"Ethan! My system—! It—it just changed! And it said your name in it! What’s going on?!"

Ethan had already stopped, fists clenching as he stared at his own interface. His face was taut, eyes wide, the golden text still hovering in front of him.

"...Damn" He muttered under his breath before glancing at her. "Lirael, it’s not just you. The same thing happened to me."

Her brows knitted tighter. "It called me... your servant. Why does my system even know your name? What is this Hollow Crown thing?!"

Ethan exhaled hard, forcing himself to keep his voice steady though his pulse raced. "I don’t know everything yet. All I got was... an update. It said a soul-link formed between us. Master and servant." His jaw clenched. "My system... acknowledged you."

Lirael’s lips parted, her breathing quick but even as she processed that. "Soul... link?" She shook her head. "So now my system answers to yours?"

"Not exactly," Ethan said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Mine’s still mine. But the Hollow Crown—it reached into yours. Like... it’s overriding parts of it. Binding them together."

Silence stretched between them for a beat, only broken by the distant voices of merchants near the gate.

Lirael pressed a hand lightly to her chest, the afterglow of the takeover still lingering in her senses. "It doesn’t feel bad... just strange. But still—why me?"

Ethan met her eyes, his expression grim but steady. "...Because you’re already mine. The system just decided to make it official."

Her breath caught, a flicker of color rising in her cheeks—not from shame, but from the weight of it. Her gaze lowered for a moment before she muttered, almost defensively, "Tch... system or not, don’t start getting arrogant about it."

Ethan smirked faintly, though his eyes were still clouded with unease. "Relax. I don’t even know what half of this means yet. But one thing’s clear—whatever this Hollow Crown is, it’s tied to me. And now... to you too."

The two of them stood there, uncertain but tethered by something larger than either could explain. The Hollow Crown had left its mark—an invisible chain neither asked for, but one they both now carried.

Ethan’s eyes still lingered on the fading glow of his interface when a sudden thought struck him. His brows lifted.

"...Wait." He muttered aloud, lips curling. "System! can I... buy stat points?"

The system answered at once, its crisp chime echoing in his mind.

Exchange confirmed.

2000 SP = 1 Unassigned Stat Point.

Ethan’s grin spread slowly across his face. "Ohhh... lets fucking goooo, why didn’t I thought of this before...this is so overpowered"

Without hesitation, he tapped the command.

-10000 SP consumed.

Unassigned Stat Points +5.

His display shifted.

Unassigned Stat Points (Host): 15

Unassigned Stat Points (Servant — Lirael Vaerune): 5

His heart skipped. "Yes!"

The thought that followed made his grin turn positively wolfish. Doesn’t this mean... I can make her stronger too?

Eager, he opened the new icon that shimmered faintly at the edge of his interface. Servant — Lirael Vaerune. With a single tap, her full status unfolded before him.

---

[Status Window — Subject: Lirael Vaerune]

Designation — Servant

Age: 122

Race: Elf (Awakened) (Abyssal Oceania Sovereign High-Elf — Bloodline Dormant)

Title: — None

Talent: "Indomitable Tide" (Shared)

Level: 8 — (33,453 / 34,015)

Attributes

STR — 4.6 → 6.6

VIT — 9.0 → 13.0

CON — 4.8 → 8.8

AGI — 9.4 → 13.4

STA — 7.1 → 11.1

INT — 6.9 → 7.9

MANA — 9.2 → 10.2

Unassigned Stat Points: 32 → 12 (5).

---

Ethan let out a low whistle. "Hooh? So you’ve already spent some of your points yourself..." His grin sharpened. "But your strength is really lacking, huh?"

He glanced sidelong at her, eyes glinting mischievously.

Lirael felt the hairs on her neck rise. She caught his grin and shivered. "W-what?"

"You know..." His voice dropped, playful yet edged. "It’s dangerous keeping your strength so low. You never know when a predatory person..." his gaze flicked meaningfully to himself, "...might target you."

Her cheeks flushed scarlet. "Wh—?! H-how do you even know my strength?!"

Because I could already see it before, Ethan thought smugly. But now I can even assign stats too. No need to tell her that part yet.

He shrugged casually, lips twitching. "Since your system linked with mine... and you’re officially marked as my servant, I can view your status now." His eyes narrowed, deliberately dramatic. "And the most surprising part?"

Lirael’s jaw dropped. "Wait, wait—! You can see my status plate?!" She clutched her chest like he’d seen her naked. "That’s not fair! C-can others see it too? Or only you?"

"Relax." Ethan chuckled. "Only me. I told you already—my system isn’t normal."

Her pout deepened, her silver hair slipping across her face as she muttered, "Tsk... you and your cheat system." She exhaled sharply. "Fine. What’s this so-called surprising part?"

He smirked, voice lowering in mock secrecy. "Just keep looking at your status window."

Skeptical, she complied—her translucent interface reappearing before her.

Ethan tapped two of her stats.

INT: 7.9 → 10.9

MANA: 10.2 → 12.2

At once, her vision swam with clarity. Her mind sharpened, threads of thought weaving faster than before. Her perception expanded; even the hum of mana in the air around her felt richer, deeper.

Her breath caught as she watched the numbers tick upward in real time—while her unassigned points remained untouched.

Her eyes flew wide. "Y-you—! How?! What just happened?!"

Ethan laughed, the sound warm and smug all at once. "Simple. I can add stat points to you directly. Points generated by my system. Doesn’t cost you a thing."

Her mouth fell open, dumbfounded. "...You just gave me stats equal to a whole level-up... like it was nothing." She snapped her gaze back to him, suspicion and awe mingling. "Wait... is that how you’re so strong already? Even though you only just got your class?"

Ethan’s grin widened. "Yesss."

Lirael groaned, throwing up her hands. "Unbelievable. Now I’m jealous, you know."

"Don’t be." He waved it off lightly, though his eyes gleamed. "It’s not hurting us. If anything, it just means our enemies should be more careful. And don’t worry—when I boost your stats, I’ll take your opinion first. Fair?"

She crossed her arms, cheeks puffed slightly. "...Hmph. Fine. Just don’t go boasting about it. I don’t want to get a target on my back just because I’m stuck with you."

Ethan arched a brow. "Stuck?"

Her hand drifted up, fingers brushing against the collar at her throat. A wry little smile tugged at her lips. "...More like trapped."

Ethan chuckled lowly, eyes narrowing. "You make it sound like the worst prison in the world."

Her gaze flicked to him, lingering for a heartbeat before darting away. "...Maybe not the worst."

Lirael was still glaring at Ethan, cheeks faintly flushed from both the stat surge and his smug grin, when the steady clop-clop of hooves reached their ears.

The merchant pulled the reins, bringing the cart to a halt, and raised a hand in apology. "Sorry for being a bit late," he said with an easy grin. But as his eyes wandered past Ethan and Lirael, they lingered on the armored soldiers standing nearby—his smile faltered, curiosity flickering in his gaze.