In the depth of the night, with the sea roaring and waves smashing against the ship, a sixteen-year-old boy stood bare-chested at the window of his private cabin, not caring about the cold air.
In his hand was a glass of white wine, pale like milk…
That boy… was Louis.
His hair was white with a hint of gray, and his calm red eyes were the clear mark of the ancient McLaine family.
He raised his gaze slightly toward the transparent system screen floating in front of him, where the time was displayed.
The digital numbers were slowly approaching midnight…
The time when the Multiverse Tower would open again.
Louis closed the time screen, then turned around slowly, looking toward his bed.
A twisted smile, half mockery and half satisfaction, appeared on his lips.
On the large bed, three beautiful girls were lying almost naked, covered by a gray blanket with small glowing magic symbols, made to give warmth and better sleep.
Their faces looked peaceful… but the signs of exhaustion and fatigue were very clear, as if they had fought a long battle against a stubborn monster not long ago.
And that wasn't far from the truth.
Tatsumaki…
Fubuki…
Psykos…
The three beauties of the One Punch Man world, who had now officially become part of Louis's future "harem," just as he had jokingly planned for himself in his mind.
Boros and Garou, however, had a different role.
Louis had entrusted them to Robert, to add them to his knight corps and start teaching them everything they needed to know about this world, its rules, and its powers.
With each of them wearing a mask that hid their real faces, Robert was the only one on the ship who knew who they truly were.
But…
Even so, none of the other knights complained or asked questions.
They knew very well that they didn't have the talent or status that would allow them to learn the secrets of their young lord…
or the secrets of the people around him.
When the digital clock hit midnight, Louis raised his hand and touched the glowing three-point symbol on his arm.
In the next moment, his body disappeared from the room, while the sound of the waves kept knocking against the ship's walls outside.
"Did he finally leave?" Tatsumaki opened her eyes and asked in a tired voice, before muttering angrily,
"Damn him… making all three of us do it with him at the same time."
When Fubuki heard her sister's tone, she buried her head under the blanket and didn't dare look into her eyes.
"But it was… kind of exciting, wasn't it?" Psykos said, licking her lips slightly.
Tatsumaki stared at her, not knowing what to do with this pervert.
*** *** ***
As soon as Louis entered the Tower's space, a new system screen appeared in front of his eyes:
[You have a new message]
["Ice Flower" is inviting you to a video call]
"Open the video," Louis said calmly.
A few seconds later, a video window appeared, floating in the air.
Inside it, he saw a masked girl. Half of her face was covered by a simple white mask, showing only her eyes — cold and sharp.
Louis smiled lightly.
"Good evening, Miss Ice Flower."
Ice Flower didn't bother replying with the same politeness.
She spoke directly, her voice short and cold:
"…L.K, come to the Trading Center. I'll be waiting for you there."
"Alright, no problem," Louis answered without hesitation.
In the next moment, Ice Flower closed the video call without another word.
Louis stared for a moment at the dark video window before it disappeared.
"Hooo…" he exhaled softly, a small smile on his lips. "Straightforward as always."
A few minutes later, Louis was standing in front of the Trading Center's entrance.
The distance from the main plaza wasn't far, so he arrived quickly.
The moment he entered the wide hall, he was greeted by a low but lively noise.
This was one of the "safest" places for trading inside the Tower.
"You finally came."
He heard a voice behind him.
He turned and saw the masked girl, Ice Flower, standing near the corner of the hall, leaning lightly against the wall as if she had been waiting for him.
"Come with me," she said with no extra words, then turned and walked toward a side corridor.
Louis followed her silently.
They entered one of the small side rooms together. These rooms were made for private trades — simple in design, but protected by barriers that blocked magical and technological spying.
As soon as Ice Flower closed the door, she went straight to the point:
"I've prepared the gold coins you asked for. With the trading fee… the total is 1,400 gold coins."
A trade window appeared in front of them, and the system showed the details of the amount.
Louis checked it calmly, then accepted the trade.
In return, he gave her a document containing the strategy to clear the Death Note main stage.
Ice Flower took it, glanced at it quickly, then stored it in her personal log.
"Alright, goodbye," Louis said as he turned to leave.
"Wait," she stopped him.
His steps paused, though he didn't fully turn back.
"What is it?"
Her voice was a bit less cold this time:
"You got an excellent SS rating in the One Punch world. If you're willing to—"
Louis cut her off quietly, with a tone that left no room for negotiation:
"Sorry. I'm not interested in trading information about main stages for now."
Her words froze in her throat for a moment.
She couldn't read his expression clearly… but he didn't even give her a chance to bargain.
Her mood shifted, and anger rose in her chest.
But before she could think of another way to convince him, Louis had already opened the door and left the room without looking back.
Her fist tightened for a second, then she whispered from behind the mask:
"Damn you… you have no idea who you're dealing with."
She fell silent, her eyes burning with cold anger.
"I'll make you regret that one day. Definitely."
A few seconds later, Ice Flower logged out of the Tower and returned to the real world.