us blinked, taken aback by the intensity of the war goddess''s gaze. He had barely opened his eyes before she spoke staring daggers at him.


    "How did you do it?" she asked her voice firm, curiosity clear in her tone.


    "Huh?" us mumbled, caught off guard.


    "How did you know the arrows wereing? You''re not a Saint yet, so you don''t have divine sense. So how did you sense them?" she pressed, her eyes locked on his, demanding an answer.


    us chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, it wasn''t really about seeing or sensing them in the way you''re thinking."


    The war goddess raised an eyebrow, waiting for more.


    "It''s the ice," us continued. "I have a certain level of connection to the ice element, almost like feeling the air. When the mist spread, the arrows disturbed the ice particles. That''s how I knew."


    She crossed her arms, still not fully convinced. "But reacting that quickly... even with that connection, it shouldn''t be possible."


    us shrugged with a grin. "Guess I''m just built differently."


    The war goddess narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing us for a moment longer before a small, amused smile appeared on her lips. "You certainly are," she said. "I wouldn''t have called you ''Little Brother'' if you weren''t special."


    us raised an eyebrow, a yful smirk forming. "Oh, so I''ve earned the title, huh? Guess I really impressed the great war goddess."


    Her smile widened slightly, though her eyes remained sharp. "Don''t let it get to your head. Special or not, you''re still reckless. You''re not invincible."


    us chuckled. "Reckless is part of the charm, right? Besides, being invincible sounds boring. I''d rather keep pushing my limits."


    "Just don''t push too hard," the war goddess warned, though there was a teasing glint in her eyes. "You''ve really angered the legacies, you know." She chuckled softly, her tone yful. "Hehe, theing days are going to be fun."


    us grinned, his eyes shing with excitement. "Fun, huh? Well, I was starting to think things were getting a bit too quiet anyway. Max was just unfortunate for crossing me"


    She shook her head, still smiling. "You really have a knack for stirring up trouble. I hope you''re ready for the storm that''sing. Hehe, I look favorable on you, Little Brother."


    us shrugged nonchntly. "Let theme. I''ve already faced worse, and I''ll handle whatever they throw at me."


    The war goddess chuckled again. "Well, Little Brother, I hope you keep that confidence. You''ll need it."


    "So, what''s next?" the war goddess asked, her tone warmer now, clearly pleased and easing into the conversation with us.


    "I''m not sure yet," us replied, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "But I feel like I''m close to something… like a breakthrough. I think I''ll spend the next few days focusing on that."


    Since waking up from the virtual world, there was a strange sensation in his eyes, something he couldn''t quite ce. He knew he needed time to understand it better.


    "Then you won''t being for your reward anytime soon?" she asked with a yful pout, a surprising disy of emotion from someone with her stature and demeanor.


    us smiled, and without hesitation, he gently took her hand—a bold move that made her arch an eyebrow. In all her life, no one had dared to touch her so casually, yet here was this white-haired, golden-eyed boy doing just that. Oddly enough, she felt no irritation, only amusement.


    "Big Sister," us said with a charming grin, his grip soft but firm. "You can alwayse and spend some time with me. I''ve got plenty of rooms. And if you''re scared to sleep alone, my bed''s big enough for the both of us."


    Her lips twitched in amusement, though her eyes sparked with a hint of surprise. us''s audacity was refreshing, and his carefree nature was disarming in a way she hadn''t expected.


    "You really are something else, Little Brother," she said, a smile tugging at her lips, shaking her head lightly. "I will take you on the offer; I don''t particrly have anything better going on anyway."


    us''s grin widened at herment. "Then I''ll make sure your stay is unforgettable."


    "us, you really did it!" Danny was the first to blurt out as us and the War Goddess stepped out of the room.


    "Of course. I wouldn''t let you lose your money like that," us replied with a confident smile.


    "us, E, and Ethan Duncan just released a statement," Lily said, ncing up from her phone and showing him the screen. A video of Ethan and E yed.


    "us Hanson, you''ve crossed a line you shouldn''t have," Ethan''s voice was cold. "Just because you epted a challenge from a legacy doesn''t give you the right to insult all of us. You''ve gone too far, and for that, you''ll pay.


    Because of your arrogance, I''m using my status as a Legacy to ban you from Union City. The ban will remain in effect until you apologize to all legacies."


    us smirked, shaking his head. "Tsk, what a bunch of clowns."


    "What are you going to do, us? If you can''t enter Union City, you can''t participate in the Union Selection after the regional rounds," Anna said, her voiceced with concern.


    "Who cares? If the Academy doesn''t step in, then maybe it''s the wrong ce for me." us was unfazed. A ban didn''t matter much to him—he is a Paragon, and with his star qi, he had more than enough power to handle whatever came his way academy or not.


    "Don''t worry, little brother. I''ll talk to the Academy and have them take care of it," the War Goddess reassured him.


    "Thank you, big sister," us replied with a smile.


    "So, are you going to respond to them?" Daniel asked, clearly excited by the drama. us could sense the chaos brewing in his friend''s mind—they were simr in that way. He also craves chaos, and what better time than when the chicken came knocking?


    Without a second thought, us pulled out his phone, typed a single word, and tagged the video from Ethan and E: "Clowns."


    That one word ignited chaos online. His fans and haters shed online, blowing everything out of proportion. However, us, the instigator, is headed home with his friends and a big sister, ready to celebrate his victory.


    As soon as they arrived, us spotted his mother standing at the entrance, arms crossed over her chest. Although she wore a smile, he could tell she was mad.


    "Brat,e here," she called the moment he stepped out of the car.


    us obediently walked toward her, his head slightly bowed. he stopped in front of her not daring to raise his head. Suddenly, he felt her soft arms wrap around him.


    "My baby boy," his mother whispered, her voice gentle. us was caught off guard and froze for a moment. Then, without warning, a sharp pain shot through his left ear as she pinched it.


    "Brat, what did I tell you about taking unnecessary risks?" she scolded.


    "Mom!" us yelped in pain. Somehow, her pinches always hurt more than anything else.


    His mother gave him a pointed look. "Your friends are here, so I''ll spare you some face, but once they leave, I''ll deal with you properly."


    us could only grin sheepishly, rubbing his sore ear as he nced at his friends. "Mom, I have something to tell you. I''ve got a big sister now, and she''ll be staying with us for a while." He gestured towards the War Goddess, who watched the scene with an amused smile.


    "Hello, I''m Mariam," she introduced herself, her voice calm but warm. us and the others raised their eyebrows in surprise, hearing her name for the first time.


    "Big sister, your name is as beautiful as you," us quickly added, cutting off his mother before she could speak.


    His mother gave him a yful smack on the back of his head. "Brat, you''re not getting any ideas, are you?" she warned with a smirk before gesturing for everyone toe inside. She knew this no-good son of hers had no good intention of picking a sister off the road just like that.


    They all entered,ughing at us''s predicament. The same us who had just taken down a legacy was now getting smacked left, right, and center by his mother.


    "Big sister, now do you see why I need to share a room with you? This mother of mine is too cruel!" us whined dramatically, hiding behind Mariam.


    But he underestimated the power of women. With a sly smile, Mariam stepped aside, allowing his mother to grab his ear again and pull him forward.


    The whole scene became lively withughter. Even the maids watching couldn''t hold back their giggles, seeing the young master humbled by his mother.


    Once inside, us stood there, eyes slightly red from all the ear-pulling. His mother and the War Goddess exchanged amused smiles as they watched him. us turned to Anna and Lily, his face filled with mock sorrow.


    "Fairies, you wouldn''t let your handsome friend suffer such injustice, right? How about it—want to spend the night with me andfort me in my sleep?" us asked, giving them his best puppy eyes.


    Both girls blushed, ncing at each other before quickly running to hide behind his mother and Mariam. us could only sigh as they betrayed him without hesitation.


    "Don''t worry, us. I''ll spend the night with you," Danny chimed in, patting us on the shoulder.


    us immediately scoffed, shrugging him off. "Tsk, who wants to spend the night with you? Only thedies get that privilege!"


    The room was filled withughter, warmth, and a sense of togetherness. Soon, dinner was served, and they all ate, enjoying each other''spany. Afterward, Anna and the others left, leaving just us, his mother, and the War Goddess, Miriam.


    us spent some time chatting with them, but eventually, he excused himself to get some rest. He had a lot to do the next day, and he needed his beauty sleep.


    When he woke up the next morning, he found himself alone in his bed, making him sigh in mild disappointment. With a grin, he thought to himself, ''Another day, another chance. One way or another, I''ll manage to sleep with my face nestled between those mountains on Miriam''s chest.''


    With that amusing thought, us got up, ready to face whatever the day had in store for him.