Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Cosmic Question

Night silently cloaked Aurelius Academy. Most students had gone back to their dorms after evening lessons, leaving the halls peaceful.

Moonlight spilled across the stone walkways outside, while distant beast cries echoed from the forests beyond the walls.

Inside the Class A dormitory, Lina sat at her desk surrounded by open books—or rather—collapsed under them.

Her silver hair was now messy, and dark circles framed her tired eyes as she struggled through Beast Lore notes.

"...Why are there so many monster classifications..." she groaned.

Qhuin sat nearby on the desk, watching her suffer silently.

The black ribbon around his neck shifted as one ear twitched at the sound of pages turning. ’Pathetic. How could one human struggle so much with basic reading?’

Lina looked at him with exhausted eyes. "Snowy..." Qhuin ignored her.

"I think my brain is melting." Still silent. "...Can emotional support rabbits help with studying?"

Qhuin immediately turned away. ’Absolutely not, don’t even think about it’

Lina sighed dramatically and face-planted on the desk. After a few moments, her hand moved toward him.

Qhuin’s eyes narrowed instantly. ’Don’t you dare’— Too late. Her fingers gently scratched behind his ears.

His body relaxed against his will. ’Damn this traitor nerves’.

His back leg kicked weakly against the desk as his eyes half-closed from comfort. Qhuin cursed himself silently. One day, he would regain his true body. Then no one would know this humiliation had happened.

Eventually, Lina fell asleep on her notes. The room became quiet. Qhuin slowly hopped away and climbed onto the windowsill overlooking the grounds.

The night wind brushed his fur gently. He stared at the moon in silence, this was another world, another life, and a different body. Sometimes, everything still felt unreal.

His crimson eyes lowered to the academy below, where students trained beneath lanterns, guards patrolled the walls, and spirit beasts moved through courtyards and rooftops.

Solaria was truly different from his old world—no vampire courts, no underground syndicates, no Nightfall City, and no loyal subordinates awaiting his orders.

The thought made his chest tighten slightly.

Then Qhuin closed his eyes. ’System’, he thought.

A translucent blue screen appeared before him.

[System Active]

He stared at it quietly for several seconds before asking the question lingering in his mind since rebirth, "Can I return home?"

Silence followed, then— Ding!

A larger screen appeared.

[Sovereign Quest Progress: 2%]

[Primary Objective: Raise Host Contractor ’Lina Aurelis’ into the Strongest Beast Tamer in Solaria.]

[Reward Upon Completion: Dimensional Crosser Trait]

Qhuin’s eyes narrowed slightly. The screen continued.

[Dimensional Crosser: Allows Host to tear open dimensional boundaries and travel freely between worlds.]

[Estimated Requirement: 100% Sovereign Progress.]

For the first time in days, genuine surprise showed on Qhuin’s face.

It was possible.

The system wasn’t just helping him survive; it was planning to rebuild him, stronger than before.

A slow grin formed in his mind. Nightfall City. The Hunter factions. The syndicates that betrayed him—all still somewhere beyond this universe, waiting.

The system flashed again.

[Additional Notice:]

[Upon successful completion, Host will regain full Vampire Sovereign Authority.]

Qhuin’s crimson eyes glowed softly in the darkness. ’Good. Very good.’

His gaze then shifted to the sleeping Lina.

She sprawled over her books, one hand near his spot on the desk, messy, clumsy, and weak, but somehow connected to his future.

Thanks to her ridiculous Rank talent, their growth was linked.

To return home, he needed Lina to become the strongest Beast Tamer in Solaria.

Qhuin stared at her for several seconds before sighing quietly. "What an annoying fate." But at that moment, Lina moved in her sleep, her hand instinctively grabbing him.

Before he could react, she pulled him into her arms like a stuffed toy. His face was buried against her chest again—warm, soft, and suffocating.

Qhuin’s ears flattened in annoyance. ’Brat...’

Lina mumbled sleepily, hugging him tighter. "Snowy..." Qhuin tried to escape, but his rabbit instincts betrayed him. Her warmth relaxed his body against himself.

Disgusting. A Vampire King reduced to a cuddle pillow.

His back leg thumped lightly in frustration.

’Why does my body keep doing that?! ’

Suddenly— BOOOOOOM.

A massive bell rang across the academy. Lina woke with a scream.

"Huh?! What?!"

Qhuin nearly flew across the room. More bells rang outside.

Students hurried through the halls.

"What’s happening?"

"Emergency announcement?"

Lina rushed to the dorm window, still holding Qhuin. Outside, magical screens appeared above the courtyard, showing large golden letters:

[Mandatory First-Year Examination] [Location: Whispering Ravine]

[Objective: Wilderness Survival & Beast Tracking]

[Beginning In: Three Days]

The academy buzzed in chaos, students talking excitedly.

"The ravine?!",

"That place is full of monsters!",

"I heard upperclassmen die there every year!"

Lina’s face turned pale. "...We’re going there?".

Qhuin silently stared at the announcement. Whispering Ravine—an isolated wilderness zone far from supervision, perfect for accidents.

Elsewhere, Marcus watched the same announcement with a slow smile; ’finally, that rabbit’s going to die.’