Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The God of Ancient Greece Who Governs...

“Holy sh*t, are you serious? Zhou Bin’s face got drawn on without anyone noticing?”

“Totally! You heard his scream too, didn’t you? I almost died laughing. The entire teaching building must’ve heard it. No idea which genius did it or how they pulled it off.”

“I heard it was done with one of those pens that have a delayed color reaction while he was napping at noon. So satisfying... Oh, wait, wasn’t President Yan in that classroom too?”

The corridor buzzed with excitement. Mathematics, the final subject of the spring semester exam, had just ended. It was as if a tightly coiled spring was finally released. And now, with the prank on Zhou Bin’s face, the teaching building was brimming with even more laughter and energy.

Amid the clamor, Yan Huan, who had witnessed the entire event, quietly grabbed his bag and slipped away the moment the exam ended. Near dismissal time, he snuck into an empty classroom on one of the top floors, a place rarely visited.

With a soft click, he turned to shut the door, blocking out the noise from downstairs. Tossing his bag onto a nearby chair, he sat down and took a deep breath. Staring at the empty classroom, he tentatively asked, “Hey, that voice I heard in my head earlier... are you there? Whatever you are—system or cheat ability—shouldn’t you explain what’s going on?”

“Meow~”

As if in response, a clear and ethereal meow echoed through the empty classroom. Turning his head, Yan Huan saw a long-haired black cat standing in the aisle by the desk, its tail curling upwards and emerald-green eyes fixed on him.

A stray that snuck in?

Then, the same voice he’d heard earlier echoed in his mind again.

“Hello, Yan Huan.”

A talking black cat. Great. Another fantastical element in his life.

But after witnessing Bai Yi’s strange phenomenon earlier, Yan Huan found his tolerance for the bizarre unnervingly high. Leaning in to stare at the cat’s round face, he asked, “What exactly are you? And what was that earlier?”

“I am a god of this world. As for earlier... allow me to explain.”

The black cat raised its head adorably, and the voice continued in his mind, “In short, this world is under invasion, and I need your help.”

Yan Huan blinked, stunned by the cat’s serious tone. “What, are the Trisolarans really here?”

“No, it’s another world’s fantastical forces invading your current world.”

The black cat shook its head. A phantom glow burst before Yan Huan’s eyes, revealing a shadowy, clawed crab-like figure. It seemed to represent another world’s deity. The shadow faded, replaced by an influx of information about this invading world:

[Invasion World ID: 114514, Classification: Female-oriented Fantasy World, Name: Cruel Erotic Domination...]

“Stop! Just stop right there!”

Before the description could delve into dangerous territory, Yan Huan waved it away, dispelling the glowing text like smoke. Taking a deep breath, he recalled the strange aura he’d sensed from Bai Yi earlier. Something clicked in his mind—Bai Yi’s inexplicable power that made others ignore her actions.

“Lack of Attention”...

No wonder it sounded familiar! A flood of unsavory memories surged into his brain, assaulting his inner gentlemanly resolve. Damn, so it’s a god from ancient Greece, one who governs lust, that’s behind this?

The black cat gave another cute “meow,” speaking in his mind again, “The invading force is causing abnormalities in this once-ordinary world. It has created five extremely dangerous Modifiers. The thing affecting Bai Yi earlier was one of them. These entities attach to women blessed with great luck, feeding on their desires to grow stronger. Eventually, they’ll warp the worldline beyond repair and ruin your life in the process.”

Yan Huan blinked, hesitating to ask why that would ruin his

If Bai Yi had such a rule-breaking power like Lack of Attention, she probably wouldn’t just stick to pranks like drawing on Zhou Bin’s face. Reflecting on her earlier behavior, Yan Huan guessed she had only recently acquired the Modifier and was still experimenting with its abilities.

But given enough time...

The black cat, its emerald eyes gleaming, seemed to sense his confusion and frustration. While grooming its fur, it elaborated, “For the past decade, your self-discipline and hard work have granted you incredible physical beauty, exceptional intelligence, great interpersonal relationships, and, most importantly, the unique status of being the only transmigrator in this world. That makes you the only person I can communicate with. In short, you are a magnet for the invading power, perfectly aligned with its desires.”

Oh, great. Reflecting on his past, Yan Huan couldn’t deny it. Despite starting out as an orphan without a prestigious family background, his discipline had set him apart.

He excelled academically in his previous life, but poor health had led to his untimely death. In this life, he’d focused on fitness early on, building a solid foundation. His dedication to daily exercise not only gave him a healthy body but also prevented hair loss, defying the “get bald to get strong” trope.

And now, all his efforts had made him a target for the invading force?

Yan Huan shivered. Vivid images from certain “desire-filled” literary works flooded his mind—beautiful top students, kind and voluptuous neighbors, proud and stunning heiresses...

All of them, whether through unfortunate coincidences or malicious tricks, ended up victims of fantastical forces. Some were corrupted outright, while others fell into traps of their own making.

Wait... does that make me the gender-swapped version of those characters?

His expression froze. All his hard work over the years had become the very reason he was now in danger. It felt like some cruel cosmic joke about “good people being targeted first.”

Leaning back against the chair, Yan Huan felt an overwhelming sense of futility. He wanted to ask his six-year-old self why he’d made that stupid birthday wish.

But then he straightened up slightly, “Hold on. Why do you need my help? You’re a god, aren’t you? Can’t you just deal with these Modifiers yourself?”

The black cat gave him a look that seemed to say, “Are you serious? Look at me—I’m a cat.”

Still, the cat patiently explained, “I cannot directly intervene in this world, nor can other gods. That’s why the Modifiers choose hosts within the world.”

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, sensing a loophole. Stroking his chin, he glanced at the cat. “So, can you give me something like those Modifiers?”

“Indeed, but unlike their corrupting powers, I can offer you two simple abilities.”

The black cat admired Yan Huan’s clear and logical thinking. Raising its left paw like a beckoning cat, it explained,

“First, I can grant you Resistance to Modifier Effects. This means that no matter what Modifier is used, its effects on you will only be partial. However, this resistance isn’t invincible. Modifiers grow stronger as they feed on desire, and eventually, your resistance will weaken and fail completely. When that happens, well... you’ll be doomed.”

It then lowered its left paw and raised its right, continuing,

“Second, I can provide you with one randomly selected permanent reward each week. These include abilities, attributes, or skills—usually, you’ll choose one out of three options. As you resolve the Modifiers, the rewards may be enhanced by absorbing their power. Even after eliminating all five Modifiers and restoring the worldline, these abilities will remain as your compensation.”

Yan Huan narrowed his eyes, unfazed by the tempting offer, and pressed for more details.

“Resolve Modifiers? How exactly?”

The black cat lowered its paw and resumed its composed sitting posture, answering solemnly,

“There is only one way to resolve a Modifier: convince the host to willingly give it up.

“And remember this: under no circumstances should you reveal that you know about the existence of Modifiers. Once a host realizes you’re aware of them, their desire to ‘overcome insecurity’ will grow exponentially, evolving the Modifier into its complete form, rendering your resistance useless. At that point, all hope is lost.”

Got it. The cheat ability must stay hidden.

Yan Huan imagined the disastrous scenario: someone acquires the Lack of Attention Modifier and uses it to do something awful to the school beauty. But just as they’re about to succeed, the Modifier suddenly fails, and they’re exposed in front of the entire class.

Dead silence. Dozens of phones raised to record.

That’s not a plot for a smutty film—that’s pure horror!

Smiling bitterly, Yan Huan muttered,

“So, I need to make them give up the Modifier without them realizing I know about it? You might as well kill me now. If I had Bai Yi’s Modifier, I’d never give it up. Not in a million years!”

“...”

The black cat blinked its round, innocent eyes, seemingly at a loss for words to comfort Yan Huan. After all, it was an undeniable truth.

Yan Huan loved watching Japanese anime, but the prospect of becoming the victim in one of those fantastical storylines was far from appealing—especially when the victim was himself.

After a long silence, Yan Huan gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and sat upright. Without a shred of enthusiasm, he stretched out his hand toward the black cat.

“Let’s get on with it.”

“...What?”

“This week’s random ability. Today’s Friday; you’re not going to make me wait until next week, are you?”

“...”

The black cat flicked its tail, impressed by Yan Huan’s ability to adapt so quickly.

Moments later, three glowing golden orbs materialized before Yan Huan, spinning and shimmering with text descriptions.

[Ability: Perfect Expression Control—Your face is no longer the window to your emotions; it’s your ultimate mask.]

[Skill: Catching Blades Barehanded—Works on one blade at a time. For more, you’ll need four hands!]

[Skill: 100% Successful Backflip—Hey, wanna see me do a backflip?]

Yan Huan’s face darkened. Pinching the fat cheeks of the black cat, he demanded,

“What kind of useless crap is this? How are these supposed to help with the Modifiers?!”

The cat meowed pitifully, its voice echoing in his mind,

“It’s not up to me! I told you—it’s random! Random!”

“You’d better watch out. If I ever end up screwed over, I’ll make sure to take you down with me!”

As Yan Huan vented his frustration by squishing the cat’s face, a sudden knock echoed from the empty classroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Both Yan Huan and the black cat froze, turning toward the sound.

The door handle twisted, and the door creaked open to reveal a boy wearing the gray Yuanyue school uniform and black-rimmed glasses.

Seeing that it was a male student, both Yan Huan and the black cat visibly relaxed. Even better, Yan Huan recognized him—it was Yatsuhashi Ki, the Student Council’s accountant and tech support.

With thick bangs, slightly pale skin, and reflective glasses hiding anxious eyes, Yatsuhashi exclaimed,

“President, why haven’t you been answering your messages? We’ve been tagging you nonstop in the group chat, and your phone’s off too. What are you doing up here all alone? If the proctors hadn’t told me you headed upstairs... Wait, a cat? Where’d that come from?”

As Yatsuhashi’s attention shifted to the chubby black cat, Yan Huan sighed, selecting the least useless option from the three glowing orbs:

[Ability: Perfect Expression Control]

Immediately, his facial muscles felt like they’d been upgraded. It was as if the basic controls for his expressions had expanded from a piano’s 61 keys to a full 107-key grand piano. Every micro-movement became effortlessly precise, and Yan Huan couldn’t help but marvel at the newfound flexibility of his face.

After briefly experimenting with his newfound control, he composed a polite smile and held up the black cat.

“A stray cat I just found. Cute, isn’t it?”

“Meow~”

“So cute! Have you named it yet? But it’s so chubby—are you sure it’s a stray?”

“Meow!”

“I’m calling it Meow-chan.”

“Meow?”

“Meow-chan... That’s such a nice—wait a second! President, this isn’t the time for that! Check your phone! Yulana’s been worried sick!”

Sighing, Yan Huan tucked the cat under his arm and pulled his phone out of his bag. It had been in airplane mode during the exam.

As soon as he connected to the school network, his phone exploded with notifications.

The most-used app at school, called Plane, was a hybrid of social media, payments, and short videos—like a local equivalent of WeChat.

“Ding ding ding!”

In the Student Council group chat, countless messages from Yulana filled the feed:

Secretary Yulana: “Has anyone seen the president? It’s urgent!”

Accountant Yatsuhashi: “Nope. None of us shared the same exam room, but he should still be on campus...”

Secretary Yulana: “Exactly! That’s why I’m trying to find him! Someone please get in touch with him—it’s the principal!”

Vice President Sakura Miyako: “He’s not in the Student Council office.”

Accountant Yatsuhashi: “Tried calling him, but no luck. He’s probably off on a secret date, ignoring his phone.”

Vice President Sakura Miyako: “Yatsuhashi, please refrain from making inappropriate jokes about your fellow students’ personal lives.”

Accountant Yatsuhashi: “Sorry, my bad, Vice President.”

Good old Sakura, always the strict one.

Skimming through the rest of the overly long messages, Yan Huan sighed and turned to Yatsuhashi.

“Too much to read. What’s going on? Why does the principal need me?”

Taking a deep breath, Yatsuhashi replied,

“The principal said... your mom is here at school to see you. She wants you to head over immediately!”

Yan Huan froze mid-motion, holding the cat like a statue.

A parent visiting their child at school wasn’t unusual. The problem was...

His parents had died in a plane crash shortly after he transmigrated to this world. He had grown up in an orphanage.

So where did this “mom” come from?!