Chapter 1: The Adorable King Development System
Cynthia's consciousness was forcibly dragged out of the chaos.
“My king! Her Majesty Cynthia!”
A hoarse voice pierced through the cabin walls and the nutrient fluid, striking Cynthia’s ears directly.
Her heart felt as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
That voice...
“Long time no see, Azathoth...” Cynthia spoke, attempting to summon the name with the solemn authority befitting the Abyssal Demon Lord.
Yet, the sound that emerged from this fragile, youthful body was a string of painfully innocent childish tones.
That voice was like an ice-cold dagger, stabbing mercilessly into the last remnants of Cynthia’s pride, chilling her chest.
Cynthia fell silent.
She closed her eyes and tried to look inward. Deep within her consciousness, the once surging Abyssal power had dwindled into a void.
Her power—vanished.
She stared at her childish hands in bewilderment. Was her vast Abyssal might truly gone just like that?
【Ding!】
A crisp notification sounded abruptly in her mind.
Then, a blinding pink light exploded right in the center of her vision.
【The Universe’s Cutest Moe King Development System is at your service!】
Cynthia froze instantly.
What?!
【Host binding successful: Cynthia】
【Current form: Abyssal Infant (Apparent age: 9 years old; Actual age: 23,333 years)】
【Moe Power: 5/100 (barely detectable)】
【Moe King Level: Lv0】
【Ultimate goal: Become the universe’s cutest and most beloved Moe King, gather billions of moe power, and ascend the pinnacle of moe!】
【Newbie mission issued: Show an adorable smile to your guardian and say, “Azathoth, I am very cute” (Requirement: toothy smile lasting 5 seconds)】
【Mission reward: Moe power +10, Newbie gift pack x1. Failure penalty: random negative status (forced sneezing for one hour, rainbow-colored hair for one day)】
At the bottom of the pink interface, a huge pink arrow flashed constantly, pointing directly at Azathoth.
A bone-chilling cold instantly froze Cynthia’s entire body, quickly replaced by an overwhelming fury.
Humiliation!
This was a desecration of the Abyssal Demon Lord!
“You insolent wretch!” Extreme rage broke through the dam of reason, and Cynthia roared with the fury of her soul.
The terrifying aura of the Abyssal Demon Lord instinctively surged forth, ready to crush this reckless offender.
Yet, the only response she could muster was a feeble, childish shriek escaping her throat.
【Warning! Warning! Host detected generating intense hostility and attack intent, violating the core cute principles. Moe power -1; current moe power: 4/100. Please adjust your mindset immediately and complete the task positively, or face severe punishment!】
The system’s cold notification tone and the glaring red text marking the moe power deduction mercilessly flooded her mind again.
“...”
Cynthia’s mouth hung open, her small chest heaving violently, yet her throat felt as if blocked by something, unable to utter any meaningful syllables.
She stared at the outrageously pink interface before her, at the enormous arrow pointing to Azathoth, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of absurdity and helplessness that washed over her like a cold tide.
The dignity of the Abyssal Demon Lord was as fragile as a sheet of thin paper before this bizarre pink glow.
“Your Majesty? Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?” Azathoth was terrified by Cynthia’s shriek and sudden stiffness, his soul nearly shaken apart. He reached out anxiously but dared not touch her, helplessly grasping at the empty air.
“Is it the body? Or is the core will unstable? Damn it... I’ll perform a check immediately...”
Suddenly, Cynthia snapped back to reality.
She looked at Azathoth’s handsome face, etched with anxiety, at the loyalty and concern nearly overflowing from his golden slit pupils, then glanced at the pink countdown flashing incessantly in her mind, along with the glaring failure penalty description.
Forced sneezing for one hour?
Rainbow-colored hair?
By the Abyss above.
Cynthia took a deep breath and surrendered. She forced herself to suppress the fury deep within her soul and tried to activate the muscles of this unfamiliar face.
The corners of her mouth... needed to be pulled up, revealing... teeth?
She very slowly pulled the corners of her mouth upward.
The muscles in her cheeks were stiff as if carved from the stubborn stones at the Abyss’s bottom; every tiny movement met with tremendous resistance. She felt certain her expression must be twisted, like the ugliest demon in the Abyss.
Azathoth froze completely.
His face was full of shock and bewilderment.
His supreme sovereign’s mouth twitched upward at an extremely strange angle, revealing a few small baby teeth belonging to a child.
The pair of red eyes that should have held endless majesty now shimmered with a painful light Azathoth could not comprehend.
What was this?
Had the king suffered a stroke?
Or was there a terrifying rejection reaction in the core will?
Azathoth’s thoughts descended into a whirlpool of confusion and panic.
【Expression recognition failed! Please show a genuine cute smile from the heart. Countdown: 30 seconds.】
The system’s cold and merciless urging sounded again.
Cynthia closed her eyes in despair. Genuine from the heart? She only wished to utterly annihilate this damned system along with this pitiful body.
But thinking of the rainbow-colored hair, she opened her eyes again. Forcing herself to focus on Azathoth’s worried face, resigned, she summoned all the control she could muster in this body and strained even harder to lift the corners of her mouth, trying to hold the expression called a smile.
“Azathoth...” she said, voice trembling despite her efforts to suppress it, that childish tone now sounding incredibly dry.
Azathoth’s body trembled violently; his golden slit pupils widened, nearly popping out of their sockets. He held his breath as if listening to a divine oracle.
Cynthia felt the muscles in her cheeks twitch violently; the forcibly maintained smile was about to collapse.
With all her strength, she squeezed out the words from between her teeth, each syllable weighted like a thousand pounds, cold and stiff as Abyssal ice:
“I... am... very... cute.”