"Well... smack my cock and call me a bitch..."

Nik muttered as he felt his vision swim for a moment. It just wasn't him, but also Klas. In fact, in some manner, Klas was more affected by updates. It was good that all his partners, aside from Klas, were currently getting settled into the estate. Since the girls had grown too much in number, Shen Xiu just decided to put many empty rooms of the place to some use and restricted others from cramming Nik's suite.

"I can't smack your cock... but sure, you're a bitch," Asmodeus' voice echoed within his head when Ray's chat popped open in front of him.

[Are you fucking seeing this?]

Instantly, Brian's chat popped in front of him, too.

[Did the paradise get high?]

[Give me a minute, you two... we all need it.]

Nik swiped the messages away and focused on the tab describing the updates itself.

[Patience is always appreciated. The areas of updates are as follows:]

Before Nik went through the update log, he felt his codex disappear. Seeing Klas's scowl, her codex must have disappeared, too. 

[• The assistance provided by the core will be dissolved alongside all the materials created within the paradise with the same effects. Focus on this point to expand the clause.

• Host's rank-up quests will now take place within the war frontier. The longer the rank-up quest is delayed, the longer the time to survive within the frontier. Focus on this point to expand the clause. 

• All the respective guilds will effectively be dissolved and turned into a team with various levels based on the ranks. All these teams come under the regulation of the guild formed by the system and the missions will pay-out contribution points. Only contribution points can be used to access the guild store. The page for the guild and various missions will also be added to the interface of the paradise. Focus on this point to expand the clause.

• Promotion quests to increase the quality of talents would cease effective at this moment. Focus on this point to expand the clause.

• The pain reliever function while increasing the stats is henceforth removed. Focus on this point to expand the clause.

• To assist in completing the missions, a spatial transporter has been attached to the paradise space. The use of contribution points, CP, in short, is required. Focus on this point to expand the clause.

• Various points including— System Origin, Status Points, Skill Points, Contribution Points— can now act as an independent currency.

...

]

The list of updates was quite long but only these truly affected Nik. Aside from the last one, all the previous updates only pulled a bad taste from his mouth. With the removal of evolution codex, Nik could not hope to access his evolution atlas. This effectively cut away one path of improvement. The war-frontier was even worse... it was literally a layered battle space where all the hosts from different paradises fought against each other. The contribution points served to add the hassle of buying important items like [Pardon], good thing that he had already purchased another one before leaving. 

Nik didn't even know that [Talents] could be upgraded. Even so, another path of improvement had been cut off. He wasn't a power guy, but improvement served the basis of survival. He didn't have any profession that could act like a mission reliever where he only has to do specified things within the paradise to earn his keep. And finally, the removal of the pain reliever didn't directly affect Nik, but it still annoyed him greatly. 

"Lapis, Dia, Bort, Yellow... they all can't evolve..." Klas's pained voice rang beside him. Nik sighed deeply. To Klas, the rank-up quests also grew quite hard. After all, with the objective of completing the missions, Klas had already held her rank-up by quite a few travels. After a bit of deliberation, Nik had finally discussed the situation of Klas and her thoughts about continuing to travel. She, of course, wished to continue this sort of adventure. The benefits were great enough to bet one's life and Nik... felt himself agreeing internally. That day, Klas had discontinued her membership with the top guild— The Absolute— and became a rogue host. 

"Hey, it'll be fine... System isn't the only way we can evolve," Nik whispered as Klas slumped back on the bed and whispered, "Master, it isn't the solution, but the time. Anyway, I have long stopped stewing over things I cannot affect. Let's continue... we should probably share our secrets already. I don't want to hide anything from master."

As Nik and Klas showed each other their status screen and observed their strengths and weaknesses, the other hosts, including rank 9, could barely contain their rage.

***

"Damn it!" Man with a devilishly handsome face, flowing golden locks and an equally bright gold pair of eyes roared in indignation. His palm-sized wings on his back trembled in absolute rage as he looked at the order received from the... well, the existence. To lower level hosts, the changes were 'updates' but those who understood the reality of existence, these 'updates' were commands. None could reject it, not even the Supreme Seraphim. 

This kind of order would change the method of many paradises to an organized level and none of the rank 9 masters wished to see this. After all, they thrived in chaos. Not only the Supreme Seraphim but every single Rank 9 and Rank 8 expert, too.

"Uummmmgh, Lord, is something the matter?" 

A bewitching beauty pushed herself up, her dark-brown hair slightly disheveled and her modest breasts peeking through the thin sheet covering both of their bodies. Seeing her languid expression, Supreme Seraphim's expression softened slightly as he gently stroked the cheek of his commander's first wife and shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. Sleep more. Digest the energy from the session fully."

Hearing this, the woman sighed internally. At their level, sex isn't just about big dick or duration? Not even the technique truly mattered. And, even the effect of using sex as a means to cultivation gradually waned. What the higher beauties truly desired was— rush. A rush that gets their blood pumping, make their skin flush and their heart thrum in excitement as their girly squirts continue to wet their thighs. For a few decades, cucking her philanderer husband was a rush this beauty reveled in.

Now, however...

It grew boring. She realized, the partner she cheated with also mattered greatly. After all, aside from pumps, the Seraphim Lord had nothing else to offer. He wouldn't announce their relationship and humiliate her husband, he wouldn't drag her filthy body through the streets while filling her until she is packed with the lord's cum... truly, it was just plain ol' sex. Well, added cultivation benefits. But, having sex with the Supreme only caused boredom, and refusing the act would cost her life. Realizing her options, she chose quite easily.

Boredom, it is.

***

"M-master..." Klas almost choked. Nik was disgustingly loaded. What's with these manipulation skills? Each of them would cause an uproar, and Nik had a collective Elemental Manipulation? Moreover, skills like Cure were slightly rare, but beneficial. And then came his innate skills and... well, Battle Arts was in a league of its own. Just what would a person need to go through to grow this strong? As if realizing the question running in her head, Nik smiled gently and stroked her head. However, the words that left his mouth almost made Klas lose a bit of herself.

"I just... fucked. Hardworking is all I am about, after all."

Nik smiled and then continued to go through Klas's status screen. He was already aware of her skills, but her status was quite oddly skewed. 

"Klas... your strength and vitality are way too high when compared to other stats."

While Nik only needed 15 points in charm to truly achieve his limits, Klas needed around 35 points to reach the peak stage allowed to rank 1 hosts. The two continued to discuss as Klas finally said something that caught his attention.

"Master, in our guild, there are a few members with the same situation... regarding their skills, at least. These hosts actually do their best to earn the least amount of world root so that they can continue to earn more skill points through various side quests and invest in balanced development. Sure, the loss of world root limits their growth, but overall..."

"They don't have Skill Palace," Nik countered. "And... I have something else. A little unsavory, but it can still bring the same benefits as traveling to another world frequently... a lonely world... but a world, nonetheless."

Nik smiled bitterly as he recalled the dastardly world that could turn anyone clinically insane. Unwilling to recall his memories, Nik breathed deeply and smiled. "Well, whatever this update will cause, we both already know that I'll visit your homeworld after this travel is concluded." Nik's hand reached down and caught Klas's chin in between his thumb and index as he leaned down to peck the sour servant of his.

"And then, I'll get your friends in my fold, too. After that, we'll figure something about the problem of evolution. Capiche?"

Klas frowned for a minute before inquiring with a hesitant expression, "Master... please enlighten me. What does 'Capiche' mean?"

Nodding, Nik continued to define the word and its application. Strangely, Klas took the entire evening just to learn the word while conveniently scooching up to Nik's lap and humming in agreement whenever Nik applied the word. Of course, Nik ignored the obvious. Klas had almost lost her hope, he could at least spend some time with her alone without pointing it out.

The rest of the day, however, was slightly more hectic. With the addition of cheerful and loud freeloaders, something that the estate needed, severely, none of the inhabitants could actually achieve their piece. Gin Jiu poked around— waking Gojira up, jump scaring Xue Yin as her talisman exploded into a pathetic poof, running away from Shen Xiu's annoyed flame claw. Xiao Xiaji was tame in comparison, well, walking around in recently gained tanktop, Nik's size at that, which she used it as a loose dress without the need of wearing anything to cover her panties. Pen Hua, meanwhile, entered the kitchen for quite some time but when the time for dinner came, everyone realized Pen Hua's hobby.

A ravishing cook. That night, Nik bestowed her an apron. A wonderful one at that. And he also made sure to share the 'benefits' of an apron while he was bestowing his masterful cock upon her raised butt and squishy, nectar-soaked pussy.

By now, Nik had already removed the giant bed and covered the entirety of his floor with a springy mattress, effectively allowing everyone to cramp in his room again. Not that Shen Xiu was conscious to grumble about it. However, still unaware of Ryu'er's... situation, Nik didn't get her all hyped up. Not tonight, at least. His day had been quite busy and he would only think of understanding his relationship with Ryu'er tomorrow. Today, instead of risking turning into a one-pump chump again, Nik allowed his fingers and mouth to take the stage when it came to Ryu'er.