Across the street, at Ivern's house.
"Nini, what did you say?"
Mr. Ivern looked at his precious daughter in astonishment. "The singing soul you mentioned is Levi?"
Ivern couldn't believe it. His daughter Seraphine was a genius musician. Who was Levi? Just a Zaunite apprentice who soldered circuit boards. Could he even understand music?
"It's him, it's really him." Seraphine, however, was so excited that she clenched her fists, biting her glossy, hydrated lips until they turned white. "It sounds so beautiful—"
"It's simply heavenly!"
Her reaction told her father that not only did Levi understand music, but his music was so exquisite that his precious daughter was completely unable to resist it.
While Levi stubbornly engaged in a brutal struggle with Aubrey, Seraphine cheered and prayed for him with an infatuated expression.
She was completely immersed in the musical world Levi had created, intoxicated and moved, even shedding tears of deep emotion.
Two trails of tears, crystal clear like strings of pearls, soon rolled down her fair, delicate cheeks.
"Oh no," Ivern muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
One look was all it took to know that his daughter's artistic temperament was acting up again. And this time, the "illness" was far more intense and exaggerated than ever before.
Seraphine stared blankly at Levi's resolute figure in combat, murmuring and humming along to some tune. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, leaving the corners of her eyes flushed red.
It wasn't until the battle ended, with Levi defeating Aubrey and preparing to limp away from the scene, that she finally snapped back to reality.
"Wait for me, Levi!"
Seraphine was so thrilled she nearly jumped straight out the window.
"Where are you going?!" Her father grabbed her, his eyes wide with panic.
"I'm going to find Levi!" Seraphine said, her face flushed. "To discuss music with him and sing together!"
Ivern was speechless.
Discuss music? With that brat?
"No, I won't allow it!" Ivern stomped his foot in anger. "He's a Zaunite!"
"Dad, you're from Zaun too."
"It's exactly because I'm from Zaun that I know how dangerous Zaunites are! You want to go see him? Don't even think about it!"
Ivern and his daughter engaged in an intense tug-of-war. Seraphine tried desperately to run, and even her own father's restraint could barely hold her back.
"Wait..."
At that moment, Ivern suddenly realized he didn't need to stop her anymore.
That Levi wouldn't have the chance to entangle himself with his daughter.
Because just as Levi was about to leave victorious, his enemy, the fat Aubrey, suddenly pulled out a vial of purple liquid.
"Shimmer potion..."
"That lunatic—he's actually using that contraband in Piltover!"
Ivern's expression turned incredibly grim.
He yanked the curtains shut, turning back to hold his daughter down with a stern look. "Seraphine, what happens next..."
"It's best if you don't watch."
Shimmer potion. This stuff was highly popular in Zaun.
It was a highly addictive psycho-stimulant and physical enhancer; drinking even a little could multiply one's combat power.
The substance was strictly prohibited in Piltover. If consumed by someone with a weak physique or fragile willpower, or if taken in large quantities, it would not only damage the body but also easily cause a mental breakdown. The user would lose their sanity, turning into a bloodthirsty beast that only knew destruction.
Therefore, the fat Aubrey didn't dare drink too much. Otherwise, if the situation blew up and attracted the Enforcers, it wouldn't end well for him either.
He only carefully took a tiny sip. Though it was a small amount, it was more than enough to deal with Levi.
"Levi—"
"Don't even think about leaving here alive!"
With a mouthful of Shimmer in his stomach, Aubrey's stout body instantly swelled up another size out of thin air.
His veins bulged and throbbed like slithering snakes, his blood surging relentlessly through them like a flood.
His eyes faintly glowed with a purple light.
In an instant, it felt as though an endless supply of power surged from within his body, making him forget his pain and cowardice, bringing him a courage and fighting spirit he had never possessed before.
"Run!" Janna urgently warned him through her thoughts.
She could tell that Levi couldn't beat this Shimmer-fueled fat man. The gap between them was no longer something that could be bridged by sheer willpower.
"But escaping doesn't seem that easy either," Levi muttered grimly.
Because he clearly saw that mountain of flesh, which had inexplicably grown a size larger, charging straight at him with a despair-inducing speed.
It was practically a humanoid chariot.
Facing an Aubrey who had suddenly become several times stronger, he couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
What should he do?
Anything was fine, as long as he didn't just stand there waiting to die.
More importantly, he couldn't be afraid. Fear was useless; it would only make his death more undignified.
"Then bring it on!" Absolute resolve surged in Levi's eyes once more.
He was going to do what the original owner of this body had done countless times in Zaun—gamble with his life and fight to the bitter end!
No matter how strong a Shimmer-fueled Aubrey was, he was still human.
And if a human was killed, they would die.
Perhaps he could risk his life to find an opening, strike a heavy blow to the opponent's vitals, and accomplish the feat of the weak defeating the strong.
If he failed, then it was GG for him.
"Mr. Summoner..."
Janna sighed softly in his mind. "Please, you must win!"
The goddess's blessing had never been so sincere, yet it had also never been so powerless.
The support was helplessly AFK, and her assists relied entirely on typing.
Levi could only buff himself—
Once again, he started playing music in his head.
This was probably a habit he had developed from long-distance running and working out in the past. He was used to listening to hype songs while running, as it kept his spirits high and made him forget his fatigue.
Gradually, whenever Levi encountered trouble in life, he would subconsciously hum a tune to himself. It made him feel like the protagonist of a movie or anime, invincible within his own BGM.
After all, everyone knew that only those who possessed a sound system were worthy of being called the strong.
If you didn't even have your own BGM, how could you possibly awaken your hidden potential or burst with aura?
And so, the music played.
The melodies and notes burned fiercely.
The terrifying, mountain-like Aubrey came crashing over, shaking the very ground.
He threw a heavy punch straight at Levi's face, the speed of his fist so fast it whipped up a phantom gust of wind.
Then...
Levi's figure flashed, and he casually sidestepped to dodge it.
"Huh?!" Aubrey froze, and the spectating bystanders were equally stunned.
Let alone them, even Levi himself was astonished.
What was going on?
How did he do that?
Where did he get the strength and speed to dodge that punch just now?
Not only did he dodge it, but he did so with effortless grace.
"I..." Levi felt his own body in disbelief. "I've gotten stronger?"
Yes, he had gotten stronger.
Without any warning, he had inexplicably become stronger.
A warm power had appeared within his body, uplifting his spirit, strengthening his physical shell, and even slowly helping to heal his injuries.
Although the extent wasn't massive, he had indeed grown stronger.
'What happened?'
'Did I get another cheat where I can gain power just by turning on my sound system?'
Levi was completely bewildered.
But Janna suddenly told him, "It's me, Mr. Summoner."
"It seems the 'contract' between us has allowed you to share my divine power."
"Your divine power?" Levi asked in surprise.
'Weren't you just a useless bird now? How did you suddenly get divine power?'
"Because just now, I suddenly gained a new 'believer'."
Janna flew out of Levi's pocket, flapping her wings to land on his shoulder.
She looked up at the distant sky. There was a 'thin thread' that only she could perceive, drawing closer from far away.
"Although I don't know why, Mr. Summoner..."
"The first believer of the new ideology seems to have been born."
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