CHAPTER 141: CHAPTER141-THE CATGIRL

Daniel didn’t pay much attention to the fact that he’d just been officially recorded in human history.

After briefly scanning the news trending across the communication network, he shut off his communicator and headed straight to Winterhold Castle’s warehouse.

To Daniel, even his newly granted title as King of the Northern Territories wasn’t a reason to shift focus. He had no intention of involving himself in domestic administration or governance. After all, the human race had, over the years, developed a comprehensive and self-sustaining political system.

For Daniel, the top priority remained the same—strengthening himself.

In fact, not only Daniel, but even the Human Emperor and other kings of the human realms shared this mindset. In this era of threats from beyond, especially the Abyss, personal power mattered more than ceremonial authority.

Inside the warehouse, piles of treasures and rare materials filled the space wall to wall.

These were the rewards he had requested from Odin—the Human Emperor—and each one was a rare component necessary for synthesizing God Rank Skills.

Yet even so, it still wasn’t enough.

Daniel looked over the mountain of resources with a sigh.

"Seems like it’s time... to recruit a new devotee."

Despite the impressive array of materials, the few he was missing were absurdly difficult to obtain. If he wanted to keep accelerating his strength, there was no doubt—the fastest way was to gain new powerful devotees.

Take [Starlight Flurry] for example—the skill he had obtained from Alice. It had now become one of his primary damage-dealing skills. With proper enhancement, a powerful devotee-exclusive skill could even rival God Rank Skills in raw effectiveness.

The key was pairing it with [Talent Specialization], which allowed Daniel to merge or improve skill effects far beyond their original limits.

Of course, even an SSS-tier innate skill didn’t start out at the level of a God Rank Skill.

But once enhanced to its maximum through Daniel’s specialization system, the difference narrowed significantly.

The challenge, however, was finding an Awakener with SSS-tier talent.

Such individuals were so rare that calling them "once in a millennium" was barely an exaggeration.

And even if he found one, persuading them to become his devotee was no easy feat. Trust, timing, and alignment of goals all had to fall perfectly into place.

If push came to shove, he could settle for an SS-tier Awakener. Their skills were still powerful—but not quite at the level Daniel was targeting.

As he weighed his options, Daniel continued cataloging the materials. The current stockpile would allow him to synthesize one more God Rank Skill.

But to push beyond that... he’d need more.

Mistveil Mountains

At the edge of a mist-shrouded valley, a petite cat-eared girl stood on a rocky ledge, a dagger glinting in her hand as she eyed the colossal being ahead of her—a figure so large it resembled a mountain itself.

The creature was still asleep, its massive body stretched out across the terrain like a slumbering hill.

Surrounding it was an elven military encampment, brimming with elite warriors.

"I didn’t expect so many elves to gather here... what are they up to?" she murmured. "Could they really be planning to take down the Fallen Mountain Giant?"

She bit her lip.

"What should I do? Do I follow Lady Luna’s orders and proceed? This might be too much, even for me."

As she hesitated, a faint rustle of leaves drew her attention. Moments later, several elven soldiers emerged from the fog, encircling her with weapons drawn.

"Orc-blooded intruder! Why are you here?"

"This region is under lockdown by the elven forces. You are to leave immediately."

"Okay, okay, I’ll go now, meow~" she said with a soft, innocent smile, raising her hands.

She then casually licked her palm—an oddly feline gesture.

But in the next second, her wide eyes flashed with cold killing intent.

Before the elves could react, she darted forward like a blur of shadows. With graceful, fluid movements and surgical precision, she plunged her dagger into their chests one after another.

"Sorry. I didn’t want to kill you," she whispered.

Then, without hesitation, the catgirl made a beeline toward the giant’s resting place.

She made no attempt to hide her approach. Her sprint across the terrain was direct and obvious, triggering shouts from the elves as dozens scrambled to intercept her.

"Intruder spotted!"

"Target confirmed: Beastblooded invader—feline type!"

"Capture her at all costs!"

Commands echoed throughout the forest as the elf warriors regrouped, forming defensive lines.

The catgirl watched their preparations with amusement rather than fear.

"These elves are so clumsy... They’re not going to stop me," she purred, tail flicking.

As she drew closer to the giant, the encirclement began to tighten.

These weren’t ordinary troops—each of these warriors had been specially selected for the campaign against the Silver Rank World Boss. Every one of them was at least a Tier 10 Awakener.

And yet, the girl remained calm.

"Lady Luna, I’ll try not to hurt your followers too badly."

She raised her dagger high.

[Slumberfang Dagger]!

In an instant, her blade shimmered and split into countless phantom daggers, raining down in every direction like a hypnotic mist.

Elves dropped to the ground one after another, some collapsing in mid-air. Every warrior who tried to subdue her fell into a deep sleep, their weapons slipping from their hands.

"Sleep well, everyone," she whispered sweetly.

"I really don’t get it. Why are you all trying to catch me? I’m here to help you, you know."

She giggled and pressed onward, blurring through the terrain at unnatural speed—covering hundreds of kilometers in a blink.

Along the way, she enchanted her dagger with a hypnotic enchantment that put everyone she touched into an irresistible slumber.

Wave after wave of elite elven guards fell before her blade—not dead, but thoroughly unconscious.

And before long, she reached the outer rim of the Fallen Mountain Giant’s domain—an area both sacred and forbidden to the elven race.

It was the most dangerous part of the Mistveil Mountains.

A step further brought her to the toxic mists—layers upon layers of fog saturated with deadly poisons. The source of these toxins lay in the surrounding flora, which in turn appeared to have a mysterious bond with the slumbering giant.

The catgirl gazed at the massive, mountain-like body.

Her playful expression finally faded, replaced by solemn reverence.

"Great Lady Luna... I now need your power."

Back at Winterhold Castle, inside the warehouse

A flicker of light sparked in the air as a glowing skill book materialized in Daniel’s hands.

[God Rank Skill: Phantom Slash]

Weapon Requirement: Sword-type weapons

Effect 1: +10,000 Agility

Effect 2: Phantom Flurry – Executes 100 strikes in a flash, each dealing damage equal to 100x Agility value.

Effect 3: Each slash delivers triple-hit damage.

Daniel’s eyes glinted with satisfaction.

Another God Rank Skill now belonged to him.

But even as he absorbed its details, his mind was elsewhere—focused on the next phase of his evolution.

And far away in the toxic fog of the mountains, a deadly yet mysterious catgirl invoked her divine patron’s power, preparing to awaken something ancient, something dangerous.

The convergence of powers—human, beastkin, elven, abyssal—was reaching its crescendo.

And the world was about to change again.