My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible - Chapter 298

Chapter 298: A Small Incident?
The sky above was calm, the moons shining softly, and the forest around him carried the same quiet rhythm as before he entered.

But the silence broke the moment he took a few steps forward.

Three shadows stood at the tree line. Three pairs of cat-like eyes stared at him without blinking. The trio of catkins who had followed him earlier now stood frozen, their faces stiff, their tails curled tight behind them.

Liam stopped walking and looked at them calmly.

“What do you want?” he asked.

The three catkins reacted at once. All of them took a step back. Their hands shook as they raised their weapons, but their fear was stronger than their anger. Their ears flattened and their breathing went unsteady. They looked one second away from bolting into the trees.

Liam couldn’t help but smile at their reaction. It wasn’t mocking. It was a curious smile. To them, he probably looked like something worse than a monster. He walked into the dungeon alone, and he came out clean, calm, and without a scratch on him.

He took one small step toward them and the catkins flinched.

Liam disappeared.

Their eyes widened and their ears shot up. For a moment their minds refused to accept what they saw. One heartbeat he was several steps away. The next, their vision lost him completely.

Every muscle in their bodies locked in place.

Then they felt him behind them.

The leader, the same one who had pointed daggers at him earlier, turned one inch. That was all she managed before a warm hand caught her tail.

She shrieked. Her whole body jumped and her knees buckled as if someone had pulled the strength right out of her spine. Her tail stiffened in his grasp, and her hands shook so hard that her blades rattled together.

Liam tilted his head as he studied the tail in his hand.

It was soft but firm, smooth to touch, black in color, and shaped exactly like the ones he had seen in anime and games back on Earth. His curiosity rose without any restraint.

He had wanted to observe beastkin more closely since he arrived in Velaris. And catkins were especially interesting. They were known for their speed, sharp senses, and their tails… which, in many stories, were extremely sensitive.

He wondered if this world followed the same rule.

While he was thinking, a sharp flash cut across his vision.

A dagger.

He reacted instantly, tilting his head aside, but even with his speed, the blade cut across his cheek. A thin line of blood appeared.

The catkin leader screamed at him, her entire face bright red.

“LET GO! LET GO OF MY TAIL!”

Her voice cracked in panic.

Liam blinked, then realized what he had done. He slowly released her tail.

She stumbled back several steps, wobbling as if her knees could no longer hold her. She pressed both hands between her legs, her entire face burning. Her tail curled tight behind her like it wanted to hide.

Her two companions rushed to her sides, glaring at Liam with full hostility. Their weapons were raised again, their stance sharp, their bodies trembling from the mix of fear and rage. They waited for one order from their leader to attack.

Liam sighed inside, understanding that he had definitely done something wrong. He rubbed his cheek, felt the small cut, then nodded in acceptance. Yes, he deserved that.

He looked back at the flushed catkin, who was still trying to steady her breathing.

“I’m sorry,” he said calmly. “I didn’t know touching your tail was rude. Or private. I acted too casually.”

The leader glared at him like her eyes wanted to cut him apart. Her face was so red that Liam wondered if she might faint.

“Shut up!” she shouted.

Liam paused. He wasn’t offended. But her reaction was surprising enough to make him blink.

He nodded once more, deciding to let her process her emotions.

He stepped toward them again, but this time slowly and without any aggressive intent. He kept his hands visible and relaxed his posture.

“I want information,” he said. “About this forest.”

The two catkins reacted instantly by moving in front of their leader, blocking him. Their tails stiffened and their ears pointed up. Their stances were tight and ready.

“No!” the catkin on the left snapped. “Our leader will not speak with someone as suspicious as you!”

“Leave,” the other one added. “We won’t cooperate with you!”

Liam exhaled and nodded. He couldn’t blame them. He had just walked out of a dungeon after killing a dungeon boss. He had also flew through the forest earlier, tossed their leader like she weighed nothing, touched something he shouldn’t have touched, and then stood here asking questions.

Suspicious was an understatement.

He raised a hand lightly. “Understood. Then I’m leaving.”

He glanced at the leader one more time, bowed his head slightly in apology, then shot into the sky with a burst of air.

The three catkins watched his figure vanish into the night, his form shrinking into the distance until it disappeared completely.

Silence settled over the forest.

For a long moment, none of them moved. Then the two catkins turned to look at their leader. Their expressions were strange.

“Miho… are you… okay?” one asked with careful tone.

The leader pressed her thighs together as she lowered her gaze. Her ears drooped. Her tail curled in tight circles behind her. Her face was still red, but this time the redness spread down her neck and across her shoulders.

“I… I feel strange…” she whispered.

The two catkins stiffened.

“Strange?” the right one asked. “Strange how?”

“I… I don’t know…” she mumbled. “My heart feels too fast. My legs feel weak… and…”

Her voice dropped lower and lower until it was barely audible.

The two catkins shared a slow, heavy look. Their expressions shifted into something close to panic.

Then, in perfect sync, they leaned closer to her and whispered:

“Miho… does this mean… you have to marry him?”

The leader froze and her entire face exploded in red.

“W-What!?” she squeaked, her voice breaking.

“It’s… the rule, isn’t it?” the left catkin said nervously. “If a man touches your tail… then…”

“He becomes your destined mate…” the other finished quietly.

Their leader covered her face with both hands.

“I… I didn’t… want… this…” she whispered in a small, mosquito-like voice. “But… I touched… no… he touched… no… I don’t know…”

Both catkins nodded with wide, serious eyes.

“It seems you have no choice,” one said.

“Yes,” the other agreed. “You must marry him.”

The leader lowered her hands and stared at the ground. Her tail curled into a tiny ring behind her. She did not deny it.

She only whispered, in a soft and trembling voice:

“I… don’t want this… but… but… it feels like…”

The left catkin whispered, “Miho… should we follow him?”

The right one whispered back, “Miho… should we prepare a marriage gift?”

Miho collapsed onto her knees as her heart raced.

“I… need time…” she croaked.