CHAPTER 21: APOLOGIZING GIFT!

Radiant Elysian Starfruit!!!

Rarity: Legendary

Level restriction: None

Effect: Permanently increases one chosen stat by +20

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"Meow!"

Mimi meowed cheerfully, her tiny body vibrating like a ball of joy.

Draco reached out his hand again, and this time—she allowed him to pet her! Just a tiny bop on the head, though. Because, let’s be real—this Radiant Elysian Starfruit was literally the one thing she needed most right now!

For a mighty nine-star beast with tens of thousands of stats, this kind of flat boost would only be a drop in the ocean. Still precious, yes—because permanent stat increases were so rare they were practically miracles.

But for Mimi? Oh-ho-ho-ho, this would be a revolution!

Her current stats:

Strength: 0.3 (+0.33)Defense: 0.4 (+0.44)Magic: 0.02 (+0.02)Speed: 0.5 (+0.6)Perception: 1 (+1)

Her combined total wasn’t even 3. That’s right—barely 3!

So an extra +20? That’s nearly eight times extra stats! That would push her into a completely different league. From a helpless kitten that could barely swat at flies, she would leap straight into the ranks of a true little powerhouse who could hunt mice!

And best of all, it had no side effects, no level restrictions, and it bypassed her curse completely!

Because the Sixfold Sacred Suppression only blocked experience gain and evolution points. It didn’t restrict flat stat boosts at all.

Heck yeah!

The only catch was that a beast could only consume one of these Fruits per year. Any extras would just fizzle out with no effect.

But honestly? That was already more than enough.

Mimi’s eyes sparkled like stars as she looked up at Draco, tail swishing eagerly.

"Haha, alright." Draco chuckled, placing the fruit down in front of her.

The golden treasure sat there, glowing, its light reflecting in Mimi’s big round eyes.

Mimi circled the glowing plum-sized treasure.

Sniff, sniff~

"Mmmmmhhh..."

The aroma was intoxicating. It was fresh and rich, like a basket of fruits picked at dawn

Alright... but how do I eat this thing? It’s plum-sized for humans, but for me it’s still kinda like a whole melon! ...Bah, whatever. Bite first, think later!

CHOMP!

Mimi sank her fangs into the golden fruit. The instant her teeth touched it, the fruit dissolved into radiant liquid, flowing like molten light straight into her mouth!

It tasted... like orange juice! Except... not sweet. Because she couldn’t taste sweet!

So... just pure sour orange juice.

"MMMMMHHHHH!"

Mimi’s fur exploded outward like a spiky puffball as she trembled from the brutal sourness, eyes watering, tail thrashing.

FUUUUCCKKKK! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!! WHO INVENTED THIS TORTURE FRUIT?!

But then...

It hit her.

A gentle warmth bloomed in her throat, sliding down into her belly, then bursting outward like a sunrise. In mere seconds, golden light raced through her veins, filling her limbs, her paws, her claws—until her whole body shimmered like a tiny celestial furnace.

Her whiskers tingled. Her ears twitched with sparks of energy. Even her tail buzzed like it had been plugged straight into the heavens.

Mimi blinked, her pupils glowing faintly as she felt her body... changing.

Oh... ohhhhh yeahhh... this is the good stuff!

And as her body stopped glowing, the notifications came!

[Ding! Congratulations! You have consumed a legendary fruit: Radiant Elysian Starfruit!]

[+20 Free Stats gained!]

[You can only choose one specific stat to allocate all points into. Please select.]

Alright! Now came the hard part.

Alright!

Now came the hard part.

Hmmmm.... which stat should I pick now? Mimi pondered.

Literally any choice would be great, but at this stage... the most impactful stat would be...

STRENGTH!

That’s it! I’ll dump it all into Strength!

[Ding! Your stat has increased!]

[Strength 0.3 - 20.3]

Mimi’s new stat:

Strength: 20.3 (+22.33) Defense: 0.4 (+0.44)Magic: 0.02 (+0.02)Speed: 0.5 (+0.6)Perception: 1 (+1)

Instantly, Mimi felt the difference. Her body felt lighter, her paws tingled with power, and energy pumped through her tiny feline muscles.

For the first time ever, she could actually fight weak monsters! Even with that cursed 90% damage debuff holding her back!

Haha! Time to test this!

Mimi darted over to the couch.

SLASH!

SLASH!

A powerful and beautiful X-cross twin slashes!

Her claws tore through the fabric with ease! Stuffing burst out like snow.

"Oooooh! Wonderful!!! You’re so strong now, Mimi!" Emilia clapped and beamed.

Meanwhile, Mimi stood proudly before the shredded couch, tail swaying, chest puffed out in triumph.

"Wait! That couch was—" Draco began, horrified at the sight of this terrifying act of furniture murder.

But both his wife and daughter shot him a glare so sharp he froze mid-sentence.

Mimi then trotted back, giving Draco a cheerful meow as if to say, Thanks for the gift!

Draco shook his head with a faint smile and crouched down, gently petting Mimi on the head.

"Well, I’m glad this worked out. I’m truly sorry for what I did earlier. I mean it..."

"Meow!"

Apology accepted! Don’t worry about it, Clan Head!

Emilia, however, shifted the topic. Her brows drew tight as she asked, "Okay... but what did you mean by Lord Siamelumis summoning me? This... isn’t a joke, right?"

Draco’s face hardened. His voice dropped.

"No. It’s not a joke. It’s true," he said. "The Guardian Deity has awakened... and she called for you. I confirmed it myself through the communication amulet."

From his dimensional inventory, he pulled out an ornate pendant, absolutely beautiful. It was shaped like a teardrop of white crystal, shining bright light as if a star burned inside it. Six silver wings curved around the gem, as though cradling it in reverence. The very air seemed to grow heavier when it appeared.

"Hold it, Emilia. See for yourself," Lady Ariana urged softly.

"A-alright..."

Emilia reached out with trembling hands. The pendant felt warm, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The moment she focused her mind on it—

A voice roared inside her head. Not loud, but vast. It was ancient, resonant, layered with both authority and gentleness.

"Come, Emilia, my Silvervein child. Meet me in the Sacred Sanctuary... and bring that Noctifelis with you."

Her eyes flew open. Cold sweat rolled down her temples as her heart pounded in her chest.

"It... it’s really her!" she gasped, her voice trembling.

Though Emilia had never heard Siamelumis’ voice before, there was no mistaking it. That sheer pressure, that overwhelming weight carried within her words—there was simply no other explanation. Just hearing her was enough to fill Emilia’s heart with both indescribable joy and bone-deep fear... like a mortal listening to the decree of a god.

"And not only that," Lady Ariana added grimly, "she summoned your father as well."

"What? Father? Into the Sacred Sanctuary?" Emilia’s voice was thick with disbelief.

"Yes." Ariana confirmed with a nod.

Draco let out a long, weary sigh, his shoulders slumping under an invisible weight.

"If I had to guess," he said quietly, "it must be because of what I almost did to Mimi... I could feel it in her voice when she spoke to me. She was... really furious."