Chapter 5: Serene’s Stats Are Off the Charts!
“Taking a shower? This late?”
Bai Yu shot him a look of pure skepticism.
“Yeah, just finished studying,” Bai Xuan replied, though his eyes flicked toward Serene, who stood silently in his room.
He couldn’t risk leaving Serene alone outside. After weighing his options, the safest plan was to let her stay in his bedroom.
Thankfully, Bai Yu never barged in, and the apartment’s soundproofing was decent enough that, as long as no one started yelling, whatever happened inside would stay private.
The only real obstacle was the awkwardness of sharing a roof.
“Studying?”
Bai Yu rolled her eyes the moment she heard the word.
Yeah, right. Bai Xuan never actually studied at home. He was probably gaming until midnight again, or binge-reading NovelBins on Qidian.
“Don’t stay up too late after your shower,” she reminded him.
“Got it. You should get some rest too.”
“Mm.”
Bai Yu retreated into her own room. After a long day, she was overdue for a hot bath herself.
Once the hallway was quiet, Bai Xuan lowered his voice and turned to Serene. “Serene, go ahead and take a bath. Wash the blood off.”
Serene nodded. “Understood.”
She leaned the Sword of No Light against the wall, then began removing her platinum armor, piece by piece, arranging it with an almost ceremonial care. When the last heavy plate came off, Bai Xuan’s eyebrows shot up at what she wore underneath.
Beneath all that imposing armor, Serene wore only a pure white bodysuit—snug as a second skin, a golden gem set into the chest. The fabric hugged her curves, accentuating every line of her body—the very image of a female knight.
Her physique wasn’t exaggerated or muscle-bound; instead, she was lush and graceful, with long, shapely limbs and flawless proportions—every curve perfectly in place, not a trace of excess.
But those two snowy peaks…
A stat of 97.5. That was just absurd.
Bai Xuan wasn’t exactly surprised, though.
After all, Serene was a succubus paladin. When it came to magic, science no longer applied.
“Oh, do you have a change of clothes?” he asked.
“My holy vestments are self-cleaning,” Serene replied, and with that, she walked into the bathroom.
“Self-cleaning?” Bai Xuan echoed, a little dumbfounded, mentally taking notes.
Before he could ponder further, Serene poked her head out of the bathroom. “I’ve never seen these devices before. Can you show me how to use them?”
“Oh, sure…”
After a quick demonstration, Bai Xuan left her to it.
His eyes fell on her armor, still streaked with blood.
“Guess I’ll clean it for her,” he muttered, heading over to the pile.
This was his top combat asset, after all.
But as soon as he reached for a gauntlet, he froze.
Holy crap—it was heavy.
Even just the wrist guard must have weighed dozens of kilos. The whole set? Easily several hundred.
Bai Xuan frowned. Serene wore armor weighing hundreds of kilos—just like that?
That’s hardcore.
Before long, Serene emerged from the bathroom.
She was still in that form-fitting white bodysuit. It covered her from neck to toe, but left little to the imagination. Wet golden hair clung to her flawless skin, and her sapphire eyes glimmered in the lamplight.
Alright, I admit it—you really are a succubus.
After her bath, Serene sat cross-legged on the floor while Bai Xuan pulled blankets out of the closet.
His bed was barely a meter and a half wide—just enough for one person. In the end, he could only let Serene sleep on the floor.
“Get some rest.”
“Mm.”
The moment Bai Xuan’s head hit the pillow, he was out cold. The blood loss had taken its toll—he slept straight through to 7:30 the next morning.
Stretching, he glanced to the side out of habit.
Serene was already awake, stretching languidly in the sunlight streaming through the window.
The gentle morning light traced every sculpted line of her body. For a moment, Bai Xuan just stood there, quietly appreciating the view.
Then Bai Yu’s voice rang out from the hallway. “Bai Xuan, are you up? Breakfast’s ready!”
“Coming!”
He answered at once, quickly washed up, and reminded Serene to stay put before leaving the room.
He wasn’t planning to mention Serene to Bai Yu yet—no need to make her worry.
In the living room, breakfast was set: steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk.
Bai Yu was already at the table, eyes glued to her tablet.
“What’re you watching?” Bai Xuan asked curiously.
But the moment he glanced at her screen, his heart skipped a beat.
She was watching footage of Serene fighting the ghoul last night!
“It’s a video,” Bai Yu explained, chewing a bun. “Last night, two of our squads ran into an Anomaly. We lost several constables, but a female knight showed up at the last minute and took it down.”
“A female knight?”
Bai Xuan feigned confusion. “Like, medieval Western style?”
“Yeah.” Bai Yu nodded, her tone tinged with regret. “But she was wearing a helmet—no way to see her face.”
“So, the Security Bureau’s investigating her?” Bai Xuan asked, grabbing a fried dough stick.
“If it’s related to Anomalies, the Bureau always investigates,” Bai Yu said, scarfing down the rest of her bun and standing up. “I’m off to work. Take your time with breakfast.”
“Alright.”
He watched her leave, then finally let Serene come out of his room.
“Want a bun?” he asked offhandedly.
Serene shook her head, clearly uninterested in human food.
Her gaze lingered on the fresh milk, then flicked to Bai Xuan.
He got the message, handed her the milk, and said, “I’m heading to school in a bit. Stay here and behave, alright?”
“Okay.” Serene nodded, sipping the milk.
After breakfast, Bai Xuan hurried off to school.
Before leaving, he handed Serene his prized manga collection—just in case she got bored.
In this world, with Anomalies running rampant, schools no longer divided students into high school or university. Their sole purpose was to funnel talent into the right jobs.
Once this year’s selection exams were over, Bai Xuan would get to choose his future.
He could join the fight against Anomalies—as an investigator or a constable—or pursue an ordinary career.
So technically, he was like a college senior about to start his internship—except you had to pass the selection first.
He’d barely warmed his seat at school when Zhao Fan, who sat in front, spun around, practically bouncing with excitement. “Bai Xuan, did you hear? There was an Anomaly at Baida Plaza last night!”
“Anomaly?”
“Yeah!” Zhao Fan shoved his phone at Bai Xuan. “Check it out!”
On Zhao Fan’s phone, someone had filmed Serene’s battle with Xu Yan from a bystander’s perspective.
“Dude, this is insane!” Zhao Fan was getting more hyped by the second. “A medieval lady knight fighting a flesh-eating monster—looks like a game cutscene! The action’s nuts!”
“Yeah, it’s pretty epic,” Bai Xuan agreed. He would know—he’d been right there.
“Seriously, it’s badass! Wait—what the hell?!” Zhao Fan cursed, swiping frantically at his screen. “The video’s been taken down? Damn, I didn’t even save it!”
“Shit!”