《The World seems Realistic but Why do I have a Leveling System?》 Chapter 1 - Suspicious And Unknown App Ring Ring Ring! Within a single and quiet room, an rm suddenly started ringing as the faint sunlight could be seen peeking from the covered window. As the rm continued ringing, the girl on the bed took a while to respond before twitching, and slowly, a listless soft-looking hand appears from underneath the nket as it grabbed onto the clock on the table near the bed and turned it off as silence returned to the room. The girl holding still onto the nket finally opened her beautiful eyelid that''s covering the normal-looking chocte brown eyes before gazing nkly in the air and finally stopped at the clock, which showed the time was 06:01 AM. The girl finally stood up but not before rubbing her sleepy eyes whileining the unfairness in her life on the way to the bathroom. "I''m still sleepy... I still didn''t have enough sleep. School should just disappear from Earth for all I care..." Her steps to the bathroom were very slow and sluggish, and when shees to her senses, she was already submerged half of her naked body into the warm bathtub. The girl seems to be enjoying her warm bath as one could see a satisfied expression on her face; she couldn''t help but release a sigh and said. "Ah~ This is the blessing of life." It didn''t take her long as the sleepiness was washed away along with the bit of dirtiness off her body. After about 20 minutes have passed, the girl left the bathroom with bathrobe covering her body from the chest to the upper thighs. As the girl walked toward the mirror, one could see bits of leftover waters that have not been wiped fully around her neck as it dripped down, slowly fell around the middle of the mountain, and disappeared. When the girl sat in front of the mirror, she immediately turned on the hairdryer and aimed it towards her wet silky ck hair. It took the girl around 10 minutes for her to fully prepared herself, and suddenly she could hear a shouting from downstairs. "She! Come eat your breakfast, or you will bete for school!" "I''ming, Mom!" She replied before picking up the bag on the floor near a table and unzip it as she looked inside the bag onest time, making sure she didn''t miss anything before heading downstairs. Tap Tap Tap! When She arrived in the kitchen, she saw a mature-looking woman with identical silky ck hair like her, wearing a pink apron putting the food on the dining table. When the woman noticed her presence, she smiled before opening her mouth and said. "You''re finally here, now hurry and go wash your hands." She nodded her head in response and headed toward the faucet to wash her hands clean before sitting on the chair at the dining table. Her eyes gleamed when She saw that today''s breakfast is actually pancakes covered in honey. If this had been a 2D world, She would have been drooling nonstop. In a hurry, She picked up the fork before slowly savoring the pancakes and the sweet honey taste in her mouth. "Yum! So delicious~." Sara couldn''t help but put a doting smile on her face at her daughter''s ttering words as she watched thetter eating in relish. Noticing that her mother was staring at her, She stopped for a moment and said. "Don''t just watch, you should eat too, Mom!" "Yes, yes, I will." Sara replied to her daughter as she followed up by eating, though she couldn''t stop herself from asionally staring at her daughter. Because Sara was eating slowly, She had already finished hers before getting up and headed to the faucet to wash her mouth. But before she left the house, She didn''t forget to bid farewell to her mother. "I''m leaving first, Mom!" "Sure, go on. Watch out on your way to school, okay?" "I got it!" ... Ding! While She was on the way to school, her stepse to a stop when she heard a notification sound from her phone as she pulled out the phone inside her pocket. After unlocking the phone by inserting the password, She immediately browses with the expectation to see a new unread message but only to frowned when she found nothing. She looked up before proceed to looked around her surroundings, searching for another presence, but no soul could be seen as she was the only one who walked along the peaceful street. Not finding what she was looking for, Sheil frowned deepen, but it turned into a shock when she looked at the screen on her phone. There was a new application with an icon that looks straight out of the RPG game sitting near the gallery app on the homescreen. As far as she remembers, She didn''t download any games yesternight before she went to sleep. She had spent most of her time tillte at night ying videogames, and so her mobile phone should have been sitting quietly at the table near her PC. Her finger unconsciously moved toward the icon, but She managed to control herself from pressing onto the unidentified app. She still didn''t know how it got into her phone; it''s also possible it was a virus that makes her cautious around it. But the curiosity gets to her as her finger slowly pressed onto the game-like icon. But before that, She was already prepared as she had backup all the important files to an online site, in case it ended up being a virus. Once her finger clicked on the app, the screen of the phone turned dark, and while she was feeling anxious as if the darkness from within the screen is trying to suck her into it, a sudden wall of texts appeared. ¡º Wee, NewUser. Please hold on for a few minutes... Eyes, Checked. Facial, Checked. Soul, Checked. Processing to binding the system to the host...10%¡­50%...80%...Completed. ¡» ¡º Wee to the Leveling System! ¡» "What?" Looking at the wee notification on the screen of her phone, She was left dumbfounded. ... While the teacher was busy teaching on the front, most of the students were ''earnestly'' listening to the subject, but not all of them could keep up with it. Among those groups, She was currently having headaches and couldn''t keep her eyes off the screen of her phone. After she was notified about the whole wee thing, she had put the phone in her pocket and walked toward the school while deep in thought. Is it a new type of promotion game? She thought inside her mind. When she reached the ssroom, She give her greeting to her best friend before moving on to her seat. When she saw that no one keep their eyes on her, She pulled out the phone from her pocket and hide it by leaving the book standing as she put her chin on the table and browse her phone, from the viewpoint of others, She looked like she was reading a book in azy manner. She knows not if the app was a new way of promotion of a game or something else entirely; the only thing she could is to check the app herself before figuring out what it is. But one thing that keeps her being on alert is that, She didn''t remember when did she ever install the app. She had never seen such app in her phone before, not until today that is. Before she clicked on the app, She went to the Mobile Store where it stored all sorts of apps in there and tried searching of anything with ''Leveling System,'' the end result was disappointment as nothinge up other than MMORPGs. But that will be exinter on. After her research ended up only wasting her time, She ended up clicking on the unknown app that has no name with an icon that seems straight out of RPGs. Again, she was greeted by the same wee message, but when she scroll up the screen with her finger, she finally saw something new. ¡º Wee to Leveling System! Host Status: Unlocked! Quest: Unlocked! Inventory: (Locked) Shop : (Locked) Lottery : (Locked) ¡» None of them make sense to her, but one thing that she knows is that the and function seems to be unlocked while the other is gray out as locked. As a gamer girl, She understood what the status, quest, well everything in there; she knows what it means. Although She was still on high alert, she still want to know what will show up when she clicked on the . The reality told her to not go further while her gaming sense was flickering intensely when her eyes saw it for the first time; She is conflicted about what should she do in this situation. But it didn''t take long before her gaming sense overwhelming everything as her finger clicked on the . What she saw next caused her to feel even more dumbfounded. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl(Self-proimed) Level: 0 EXP: 0/10 HP: 20/20 MP: 30/30 STR: 3 ( Even weaker than the average girl.) INT: 6 ( Pretty smart for an average girl.) AGI: 3 ( Even slower than a turtle.) VIT: 4 ( Average for an average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 0 Detail: An average useless girl who has weak stamina and strength but has a brain that is only used for gaming. ¡» Chapter 2 - Quest? (Currently Editing, I Think) "She, why are you not leaving yet? The school already over." The girl who was absentmindedly staring at the air suddenly twitched, and when she looked around, she noticed that it was just her and her best friend left. The others have already left. "O-Oh. Sorry, I''ll be going then." She cleans up her desk by putting everything into her bag and then walk away. But before she could get out of the ss, she was stopped by Ria at the doorstep. "Are you okay? You didn''t seem to be focusing on today''s studies at all." Ria asked worriedly. She had always asionally stared at others while the teacher was talking, and this time, she saw She acting weird. Although She was not the type to focus on a study like a particr ss Leader, She''s also didn''t just stares into the air while at the same time giggling like an idiot either. Perhaps, she was sick? Maybe she should get a check-up. "I-I''m fine! Really! I''ll be going then. See youter, Ria!" Cilia watched her best friend leaving silhouette as one thought appears in her mind. "She''s hiding something from me, huh." *** She looked back, and when she didn''t see anyone, she let out a relieved sigh before a strange expression appears on her face as she thought of her best friend, Cilia(Ria). Her best friend is smarter than her, which meant that her best friend knew she was hiding something. It was partly her fault for acting weird in ss. She knew that her best friend sometimes could be seen looking at others while listening to the teacher. Anyway, for now, she could only hide it from her best friend and family. She put her hand into her pocket before pulling out a smartphone from it. She input her lock screen password, and the phone was unlocked. She stares at the one particr icon on the home screen for a while before trying to uninstall it, but it was a wasted effort. No matter how she tried to uninstall it, she couldn''t do it. It''s like the app has be one of the system apps, which in turn make it impossible to uninstall it. Perhaps formatting it might work? But she doesn''t want to do that. It was not because of the precious games that she didn''t want to do it, Absolutely. When she has given up on uninstalling the app, she clicked on it, and the cause of her acting weird in ss appears. ¡º Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Finish Your Homework! (E) ¡» ¡º You should do your homework that was given by the Math Teacher. Deadline: Tomorrow Reward: <10 Experience & Inventory Unlocked> Punishment upon failure: <-1 INT> ¡» When she saw this window popping out in her phone in ss, she was speechless. When she was checking out the app, she also looked into the that was also unlocked. She thought what kind of absurd quest would appear in such a realistic world, is it killing wild animals? Or perhaps, beating the thugs like the old RPG? But both are not something that the current her could do, and her strength is even weaker than average girl after all. Hence, she didn''t expect to see such a quest popping out. The quest is not that particr hard or anything she could do it quickly. asionally, she did miss out her homework and get punished by the teacher. But that was because she was just like any teenage out there. She wants to have fun, which makes her forget about the homework. By the time she noticed it, it was already toote. She med her precious games. How could it be so much fun! Joking aside, She looks toward the reward and wholly ignored the punishment. It''s inventory, you know! In most RPG games, the inventory is limitless and the time is frozen in it. It was a godly item. She was imagining how her back wouldn''t be hurt anymore by carrying the bag to school or how she could put the console games inside it and bring it out to secretly y inside the ss. Oh! Such a heavenly dream! Of course, she didn''t miss out the ten experience that she would receive, which will result in levelling her up to Level 1 from 0. It means that she would officially enter the game. But before that, she had to do the homework. *** Inside She''s bedroom, there was a figure of a girl that seems listless as she rests her head on top of the table. In front of her head, there was a book that appears to be filled with answers and the pencil beside her right hand. "I''m finally done with this hellish.. work." ¡º Quest Completed! ¡» ¡º Host has levelled up! ¡» ¡º Inventory has been Unlocked! ¡» ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl(Self-proimed) Level: 1 EXP: 0/20 HP: 20/20 MP: 30/30 STR: 3 ( Even weaker than the average girl.) INT: 6 ( Pretty smart for an average girl.) AGI: 3 ( Even slower than a turtle.) VIT: 4 ( Average for an average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 5 Detail: An average useless girl who has weak stamina and strength but has a brain which is only used for gaming. ¡» Looking at the window screen on her phone, She seems to be lost in thought for a moment before exiting the status window and clicked on , and a new window pops up. ¡º Inventory: -Newbie Gift Pack ¡» What she saw was inventory storage like that of an RPG, and the only thing inside is something that looks like a gift pack with the word (Newbie Gift Pack) on it. A gift pack for a newbie huh? How nostalgic. I remembered the good old times when I was happy getting it once before. But when I opened it, what I got was a massive disappointment. She wonders what will she get from this gift pack, is it an ultimate skill? Or Super Freaking Overpowered Items? Perhaps, An automata that have a great butt?1 Just thinking about it already makes her heart beat faster and faster, but she soon calmed herself. A wise once said, Being excited wouldn''t get you an SSR. Before clicking on the gift pack, she walked toward her bathroom and washed her hands clean with the soap. But the ritual hasn''t ended yet, and there is still one more to do. She graciously sits on her chair as she put her phone on the table before taking a praying pose as she wishes silently in her mind. Oh Dear God RNG, Please give me your blessing. After making the praying pose for a few minutes with her eyes closed, She soon opened her eyes wide that is filled with determination. Without further due, she clicked on the gift pack. Cough 2B Cough Chapter 3 - Surprise ¡º You have acquired Photographic Memory Special Skill from the Newbie Gift Pack! ¡» ¡º Photographic Memory (MAX): the ability to remember information or visual images In great detail just by one look at it. ¡» She took a few moments before she realised that the gift already ended after only giving her one special skill. That''s it? She thought in her mind. As expected, it was a disappointment. Where is my OP Unique Skill? Where is my Heavenly Book?! She let out a sigh as she thought about how unlikely it would be for those skills to appear in such a realistic world. But even so, she thought that the Photographic Memory skill would be useless. She would rather have a supernatural kind of skill that she can show off, for example; Flight. Who doesn''t want to fly like a bird in the vast and full sky? Perhaps that might be too much of a wish, then how about Godly Hand? Such godly skill would be of great use to a gamer girl like her. No matter what she said and thought, the Leveling System never reply or anything. It''s already nighttime, but she had tried talking to the ''Leveling System'' but to no avail. Then again, the ''Leveling System'' never once ever spoke or anything. It only sends a message notification like those in games. She also did some research about it on the inte, but what she found was tons of trolls everywhere. It''s either that or advertisement for a novel which took a lot of her time she had to spend on reading it. It''s not her fault that the story is so good. She was expecting the story to be a flop so that she could give it a ''good word'', butter on she got hooked and forgot about it. She stares at the exam reference books at the side of the table for few seconds before a bolt shed through her mind. She straightens up her back and picks up one of the exam reference books and reads through everything in detail. After about 10 minutes passed, She closed the book and put it on the table before her whole body shivered. "Unreal¡­ This is totally unrealistic!" She shouted without minding the fact that her mother is downstairs watching Drama TV. It couldn''t be helped that she gave this kind of overreaction, that was because she found out that the special skill from the gift pack is actually more than she thought. She may seem smart from time to time, but most of the time, she can be pretty stupid. It''s not because she wants to have more time to y games that she thought of a way to pass the exam easily like using hacks. The mere thought was just a passing one just like any others, but when she tried it, she couldn''t believe that it works. If it were one or two words, then she would have shrugged it off, but she clearly remembers every single detail from the book that she has just read. If someone asked her the question from the book, she could quickly answer them within a second. "Hehehehe¡­" If someone were to see her right now, they would be surprised by looking at her expression. She looked like someone who wouldmit crime at any moment now from that evil smirk. When she identally saw her current appearance from the mirror next to her table, she was surprised. That was me? Holy heavens¡­ Even the person herself was shocked by it, not to mention the others. She blushed at the thought of someone seeing her making that kind of expression, and thankfully, her mother was still watching the drama as she still could hear the noise from the Television. Her mother likes to watch a show with a bit of loud volume even though her hearing is working just fine. She couldn''t understand how the show seemspelling from the way her mother said, but then again, she didn''t judge her or anything. She finds the show annoying. She picked up the phone from the bed and opened the Leveling System App. The first thing she did was to checked if there is any quest, but sadly, there were none. After that, she clicked on the , and the game-like window appears. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl(Self-proimed) Level: 1 EXP: 0/20 HP: 20/20 MP: 30/30 STR: 3 ( Even weaker than the average girl.) INT: 6 ( Pretty smart for an average girl.) AGI: 3 ( Even slower than a turtle.) VIT: 4 ( Average for an average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 5 Detail: An average useless girl who has weak stamina and strength but has a brain which is only used for gaming. ¡» When she had levelled up previously, she acquired 5 Attribute point. But since she was so disappointed by the gift, it passed through her mind. Now that she remembers, she had to consider where to put the point. One side of her said to allocate the point evenly and left with 1 point, but the other front of her reject that suggestion immediately. Only a dumb person would do something like that, and she remembered the time when she first yed MMORPG. She had allocated the attribute point evenly and be the jack of all but master of none. She could bully the amateur yers, but when she tried to fight against the pros, she lost miserably. It was one of her darkest secrets to be buried and never toe to light. After pondering for a few minutes, shees to a decision. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl(Self-imed)(+1) Level: 1 EXP: 0/20 HP: 20/20>25 MP: 30/30>50 STR: 3 ( Even weaker than the average girl.) INT: 6>10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader.) AGI: 3 ( Even slower than a turtle.) VIT: 4>5 ( An average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 5>0 Detail: An average girl who has a bit of stamina and strength with her brain finally been used other than gaming. ¡» Since her intelligence is already high, she might as well go for it. 4 points were for INT during thest one for VIT. Looking at the increase in MP and HP, she smiles in happiness. But still, she is at the level of that ss Leader, huh. The one who was called a Teacher''s Pet, aka Hard Working Student. After putting the attribute points, her mind suddenly feels refreshing, and the previous hard question seems like a piece of cake to the current her. As for vitality, she tried doing a push-up. It was not as apparent and evident as for INT, but she can tell that her staminasts a little bit longer than before, only a little bit. It makes sense, though, as she had only increased it by one. And onest thing, ¡ºDue to the sudden increased in your intelligence, you have acquired ? Little Smartypants ? Title!¡» ¡º Do you want to equip the title? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» Chapter 4 - Unexpected ¡º Do you want to equip the title? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» Her smooth white finger quickly clicked on the ''No'' option, and the window disappeared. Who would want such embarrassing title on them? She doesn''t wish to have such title, and she would instead leave it with the ''Gamer Girl'' title. Now that her intelligence has increased and with the Photographic Memory skill, she didn''t have to worry about her studies anymore. All she had to do was to read all the exam reference books, and she would likely pass with at least 80% from 100% result of the total score for one subject. She feels the invisible pressure that was on her body until now disappeared along with her worries of study. For now, she could put her focus more on this ''Leveling System''. She has done a countless experiment on it, such as if it''s possible for her to use it without the phone, or is it possible to acquire skills from a specific action of her with swinging wooden stick like a certain warrior of the game, but the result of both experimentse with a disappointing halt. She has to use her phone when using the ''Leveling System'' to check status or quests. She couldn''t just mutter a simple keyword such as ''Status Open'', and it will appear in front of her. She also swung the wooden stick like an idiot without getting any sort of skill like ''swordsmanship''. Perhaps, her level is not high enough for the Leveling System to aplish such a thing. In the end, all she had to do was to level up. But nowes another question, which is how does she level up when there''s no quest for her to do? She couldn''t beat up thugs since her strength still remains the same, which is still rtively weaker than an average girl of her ages. If only there is an instant dungeon where she could farm monsters to level up, but that''s probably an impossible wish. She let out a sigh before she rolled around on her bed due to the frustration of unable to think of anything for levelling up. After getting tired of rolling around her bed, she picked up her phone and decided to waste her time watching cat videos for tonight. Why about the dog? Come on; Cat is clearly superior. Do you even know the power of cutenessing from a cat? Especially kittens. Whenever she saw those little cuties, she always has the urge to pats and rubbed their fluffy body. She especially loves when they bite her fingers with their small teeth as it doesn''t hurt her at all, but instead, she found them absolutely adorable beyond anything. She was thinking about all that already brought a smile on her face. She immediately clicked on an icon that looked like a red pause button before searching for cat videos. *** "I''m going, Mom!" She shouted to her mother before leaving the house. Since today was her mother''s day off, she was currently still sleeping. Sara had bought home food when she gets off work the day before for She since she decided to have a full rest on her day off. On her way to school, she had to take a bus which would take around 10 minutes before she would see her school from the window of the bus. But there''s always one thing that troubles her on her way to school, and it was when she gets on the bus. She feels like a monkey at the zoo being stared at when she walked in. She hasn''t realised it, but her appearance is quite outstanding than normal girls. Ever since she was small, she grows up with good looking people around her. From what she knows, her mother works with people from the entertainment industry. She has sessfully brought the currentpany that was once a smallpany into one that is filled with many achievements due to her taking the front. She was not merely beautiful, and her management skills are the reason that she got into her current position. Due to her mother''s unique position in the entertainment industry, she had met quite a lot of good looking people. Whenever they saw her, they would praise the greatness of her mother nonstop in front of her. It''s not like she hates it but instead, happiness filled her heart whenever this happens. She was also proud to have such an excellent of a mother. Because of that, she only thought that her appearance is considered normal from looking at the people surrounding her mother. Due to her outstanding appearance and cold demeanour, no one ever had the courage to try and start a conversation with her. Once, someone who has tattoos on his upper hands tried to talk to her, but before he could open his mouth, he was pulled over by a strange group of men who wears a ck suit. When it happened, She just thought that these people really know how to act and simply shrugged it off with a clown who wanted to act in public to make quick cash. The acting feels real to her when the thugse out of the corner of the streets with bruises all over his body, and there was fear on his expression when he saw her after that. She never saw that man again. She pulled out her earphone and stuffing it back into her bags before walking out of the bus while being stares by others. When she reached the school front gate, she was greeted by someone. "She!" The girl who greeted her has cute short brown hair and beautiful chocte brown eyes. Her greeting voice seems to be filled with energy and just like the person herself who radiated the power of youth. The girl smiled when she returned her greeting. "Good morning, Ria." It was none other than her best friend, Cilia. "Did you do your homework?" Ria asked regardless when she knows that the girl beside her would always answer with negative and in the end, she had to give a helping hand. But to her dismay, the answer that she had expected didn''te but instead the opposite. "Yes." She became frozen like a rock and stopped her walked when she heard the reply. She looked at the sky and noticed that the sun is rising like any typical day, which calmed her down. "Did I hear it, right? Did you say yes?" "Of course. What''s wrong? Did you not get enough sleep or something?" "What date is today?" "13th April. Perhaps, you have a fever?" "No, I''m fine. It''s you that is sick." Ria answered back with a grim expression on her face. She was left confused as evidence of her appearance which if it were animated, a question mark would have shown itself above her head. "What do you mean by that?" "Are you sure you have done your homework?" Ria asked for onest time with a grave voice weirdly enoughing from her mouth. It couldn''t be helped that she finds it weird since She never did her homework at home. Her reason was, she couldn''t focus her attention and would feel sleepy whenever she tried it and ended up ying games all night instead. When she said that she had helped her do her homework at school, it was not a lie but a whole truth. "Of course! Wait¡­ did you expect me not to do it? What the hell." Looking at her best friend''s serious expression, she doesn''t know whether to cry orugh. Chapter 5 - System Is Updating "I didn''t mean to be rude¡­ but you have never done your homework at home. Did you forget it whenever that happens, I have to help you with it?" She didn''t take a moment to think about it as when Ria mentioned it, her Photographic Memory immediately took effect and bring her all the memories about it. Her face bes as red as an apple when she looked into all those memories. ''Did you forgot to do it again?'' ''This is already the fourth time, do I have to remind you every night?'' ''Even when I have reminded you, It still doesn''t work, huh.'' "So? If you were in my ce, would you believe it?" She keeps her silence and quick up her walking pace as if running away from talking about the topics. Looking at the retreating figure of her best friend, sheughed. *** In She''s ssroom. She can be seen ying her phone under the guise of reading book. It was an old trick that most students have tried it once in their life, except the diligent ones. Currently, She is not wasting her time like the other idle students. She was pondering on severe topics which were shown on her phone''s screen stated, ¡º Leveling System is Updating¡­¡» She was bewildered by the notification when she opened up the Leveling System this morning. She thoughts that she had to wait when the updating happens but from the look of it. She has to click on it since there is a small exmation mark beside the notification. Now that she was at school, she decided to finally click on it with the reason of if someone is managing the system are watching me, then I don''t think that person would let something terrible happens when I''m surrounded by meat-Cough, schoolmates. ¡º By listening to the Hostint, System has decided to upgrade the Quest System. ¡» ¡º Please do the following quests to receive the update of Quest System 0.2 ¡» ¡º Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Updating Quest(S) ¡» ¡º ¡ªHelping Sara with housework. (0/1) ¡ªFinish your homework. (0/1) ¡ªScore Legendary Kill in Games. (0/5) ¡ªExercise To Keep Your Body Healthy (0/1) ¡ª??? ( Requirement has not been met yet. ) Reward: < Quest System 0.2 > Punishment upon failure: < Losing Leveling System. > ¡» Now that the quests she had been desperately looking for have appeared before her, she was speechless. There was all kind of emotions running through inside her mind in these single moments. She was naturally happy seeing the quest, but when she looked at the punishment, her mood dropped to the bottom. She wanted to ask why would she lost the Leveling System if she didn''tplete the quest, but she could tell that this quest is definitely an important one for the system to act like this. She doesn''t even want to think for a moment of losing the system, which is why she will definitelyplete this quest. After seeing the effectiveness of Photographic Memory skill, she knew that this is the real deal. Sooner orter, she could gain the skills that she wanted, so long as she has the system. Her childish dreams of when she was a child could also potentiallye true. After pondering seriously, she decided to check out the detail of the quest one by one by clicking on it. ¡º Helping Sara with housework. (E) ¡» ¡º As a filial daughter, you have to help your mother with trivial housework. Reward: < Increased in Rtionship with Sara. Mother''s Happiness. > Punishment upon failure: < Decreased in Rtionship with Sara. Mother''s Disappointment. > ¡» She could finish this one as simple as walking to the park. Now that she thought about it, she had never helped her mother with anything at all. She feels kind of guilty about it, which is why she would help her mother with anything from now on. ¡º Finish Your Homework. (E) ¡» ¡º Finish the homework given to you by the Teachers. Deadline: Tomorrow Reward: < Your Teacher''s Happiness. > Punishment upon failure: < Depends on your teacher''s mood. > ¡» Pass. ¡º Score Legendary Kill in Games. (E) ¡» ¡º As a Gamer Girl(self-proimed), You have to practice your gaming skill at any time. Reward: < Removing the (self-proimed) on the title > Punishment upon failure: < Losing the Gamer Girl title > ¡» This is the type of quest that she would happily do it without any question. Even though it''s pretty tricky as she had to get the Legendary Kill five times in MOBA games but who is she? A self-proimed Gamer Girl! There is no way she would surrender under such a challenge! ¡º Exercise To Keep Body Healthy. (E) ¡» ¡º ¡ª30 squats. (0/30) ¡ª30 push-ups. (0/30) ¡ªRunning for 1km. (0/1000M) Reward: +1 VIT +1 STR Punishment upon failure: -1 VIT -1 STR ¡» Her early excitement was extinguished by the sudden appearing of hard difficulty quest. Even though her VIT has been increased by one, she is still considered as an average girl in stamina. If she were a normal girl, then it would be fine, but she''s a full shut-in girl. No, it''s wrong to call her a shut-in since she goes to school and also asionally hanging out with her best friend, but one thing different between she and the normal girl was that she never exercise ever since she had been into the games. Even if her stamina could stand when she''s exercising, it doesn''t mean that she could follow up with it. It''s like her hands'' movement is fast, but that doesn''t mean that she could shoot faster in the FPS games, you have to take the uracy in mind. ¡º Only bypleting all the above quests could the final quest be released. ¡» In the end, she had to do it. No matter how hard and difficult it is, she will endure and be done with it. At least, the reward seems better; the harder the difficulty goes. So long as shepletes the quest, she will be rewarded, and her dreams could be achieved. "Sigh... I''ll have to grit my teeth and do my best, huh..." "Yes, I believe you should do your best... to focus in ss!" The unexpected reply brings her back to to the reality that she was still currently in ss. The teacher that should be in front of the ss was now standing to her right. The teacher was smiling as the dark auraing out of her. She was sweating so much, and when she identally have eyes contact with her teacher, a chills run through her whole body. "Um... teacher.. you know... this is..." "Indeed, I wonder what it is. Did I just saw my student named She, under the guise of book, she was secretly ying on her phone while in my ss? I must be seeing things." "Yes! You just see things, Teacher! Maybe you should go to the restroom and get some rest?" "Yes yes... or so you thought I would say that? Meet meter after ss." "...yes." Unbelievable. The meat shield n against the system backfired at her. Chapter 6 - Mothers Happiness Inside the teacher''s office, She can be seen being lectured by a female teacher regarding ying smartphone inside her ss. She could do nothing but just endured it with her willpower. After 30 minutes passed, She walked away like a zombie out of the office. She could feel her ears were still ringing from the teacher''s ''kind'' lecture. Thankfully, the teacher didn''t take away her smartphone, or she won''t know what to do. Before going to ss, she decided to visit the restroom first. When she arrived at the girl''s bathroom, she immediately went inside one of the stalls and locked the door before fishing out her smartphone from her right pocket. ¡º The Quest issued by the System has been epted. ¡» ¡º Current progress: 0% ¡» If she remembers correctly, the message said something about the ''system'' listening to her, the host''sint and decided to upgrade the Quest System. Now, this answer one of her question from back then. The system could definitely listen to her speaking one way or another but ''it'' could not respond due to her being a low level which is why it decided to upgrade the quest system, or at least that''s what shees up with. She wonders what would happen if she gets her level high enough for the system to respond to her. But then again, she doesn''t know on what level does it ''unlocked'' or achieved the requirements. In the end, all these were what shees up with, not an actual thing but only from little clues. Looking at the time at the upper screen, she turned off her phone before putting it back in her pocket as she walked out the restroom. *** The next day. Ring Ring Ring! Sara slowly opened her eyes before moving her hands toward the clock and turned off the rm. She slides away from her bed before heading her way toward the kitchen downstairs. Like any other days, she woke up earlier to make the breakfast for her and She before both of them heading out to school/work. But today she seems happier than usual. Sara has been managing apany for a few years now, and so, she had picked up some skills from all the experience. One of the said skills involves her emotions. She has never shown her real emotion whenever she''s at thepany or outside. The only times that she let out her real feelings was when her daughter is involved, or she''s at home like right now. Yesterday, she was cleaning the house when her daughteres back home from school. When her daughter noticed the figure of her doing the housework, She put down her bag and decided to help Sara while still wearing her school uniform. Usually, her daughter would have already gone to her bedroom and waste her time on games like any other day, which is why she was happy when her daughter wants to help her with the housework. Because she was in a good mood, she decided to cook up a good breakfast for her daughter rather than heating the cold food that she bought from a convenience store. After putting the food on the dining table, she looked at the clock on the wall and decided it''s time to wake her daughter up. She would have woken up by herself if it wasn''t for the weekend since she got her rm set beforehand. Sara arrived in front of her daughter''s room, and she knocked on the door before calling out her daughter. "She~ Are you still asleep? It''s time to wake up, or your breakfast will get cold." Afterwards, she waits for a reply from her daughter, but after a few minutes, she opened the door and went inside and saw that She was still asleep. She sits beside her sleeping daughter and gives her a nudge on the shoulders before calling her again. "She~ Wake up, it''s morning, and your favourite breakfast will get cold." "¡­five more minutes." She muttered softly before going back to slumber as her mind is still muddled from the sleep. Looking at how tired her daughter is, she wonders if She ended up ying games all night long. That''s the only conclusion that shees up with, and it is considered half the truth. After about five or more minutes, She woke up. ¡º Updating Quest(S) ¡» ¡º ¡ªHelping Sara with housework. (Completed.) ¡ªFinish your homework. (Completed.) ¡ªScore Legendary Kill in Games. (Completed.) ¡ªExercise To Keep Your Body Healthy (0/1) ¡ª??? ( Requirement has not been met yet. ) Reward: < Quest System 0.2 > Punishment upon failure: < Losing Leveling System. > ¡» ¡º Current progress: 40% ¡» After filling up her hungry stomach with food, she went upstairs back to her room before picking up her phone at the table by the side of her bed. She had to spend all night topleted half of the quests. The only left now is to exercise, and the final one will be unlocked. She wonders what kind of quest would thest show up with. Thankfully, today is weekend, and she could definitely finish the quest by either today or tomorrow. She clicked on the exercise quest, and the window pops up. ¡º Exercise To Keep Body Healthy. (E) ¡» ¡º ¡ª30 squats. (10/30) ¡ª30 push-ups. (10/30) ¡ªRunning for 1km. (0/1000M) Reward: +1 VIT +1 STR Punishment upon failure: -1 VIT -1 STR ¡» Last night when she was ying games toplete the quest, she hade upon an idea and decided to do some little exercise while she''s at it. She felt out of breath after doing it ten times and stopped there before continued on the games untilte at night. She changed her outfit into a workout one before heading out, but she happens to meet her mother on the way to the front door. Her mother reaction was way obvious as the shocked expression was sttered all over her face. "Is the sun rising from the West today? Wearing that outfit¡­ are you really my daughter?" Sara asked her daughter while still in shocked at the sudden development. She, her daughter¡­ for the first time in her life decided to go out to jog? It was not her fault for thinking like that as her daughter never in her life does exercise as she won''t get fat even if she eats a lot, just like her. But from time to times, She did some exercise to keep her current body figure. It was not because she was afraid as the agee, her body will slowly wilt. Even if the worldes to an end, she wouldn''t agree on that. "That''s rude¡­ I also do exercise from time to times, okay?" "Alright, Let''s go with that. Fufufu." She departed from home while being watched by her mother, who was smiling in happiness at her. Chapter 7 - Trial Tower "I''m home!" She shouted as she entered the house with her body covered in sweats. She feels that she could fall at anytime soon due to how tired she is, but she endures it with her willpower. She arrived at the bathroom, and before long, she was naked, and the wet clothes have been put in theundry. "Ahh~ that feels good." She softly muttered as she enjoys the warm bath. People once said when you''re in the bathroom, your mind will wander around and She happens to be in that at the moment. She was so lost in thought that only when her motheres in due to her taking too long in the bath did she finally respond. After drying her wet hairs, shey down on the bed with the phone in hands. ¡º Exercise To Keep Body Healthy. (E) ¡» ¡º ¡ª30 squats. (Completed) ¡ª30 push-ups. (Completed) ¡ªRunning for 1km. (Completed) Reward: +1 VIT +1 STR Punishment upon failure: -1 VIT -1 STR ¡» ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 1 EXP: 0/20 HP: 25/25>30 MP: 50/50 STR: 3>4 ( a little weaker than the average girl.) INT: 10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader.) AGI: 3 ( Even slower than a turtle.) VIT: 5>6 ( An average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 0 Detail: An average girl who has a bit of stamina and strength with her brain finally been used other than gaming. ¡» ¡º The requirement has been met. ¡» ¡º The Final Quest is starting... ¡» "What¡ª hold on!" ¡º 3..2...1. ¡» She was panicking when the system doesn''t seem to be listening to her as indicated at the notification. Before she could say anything more, the surrounding of her was lit up as some kind of magic circle appears, and before long, She disappeared along with the phone and thest notification that she noticed was, ¡º The host was teleported forcefully by the system to Instant Dungeon. ¡» *** "It''s an unfamiliar ceiling..." She looked up and what she saw wasn''t a ceiling but a clear blue sky. She gazes down at her surrounding, and her conclusion was, I freaking don''t know! Where in the hell am I? This is not kidnapping, on the whole, another level, right? Before she knows it, she wasying on the grasnd filled with vitality. She tried searching for something in her pocket and what she founds was only one thing, a blue card. The moment she pulled it out of her pocket, it suddenly shines so brightly like that of the sun, which causes her to grimaced and closed her eyes. When the light subdued, the card was gone, and she heard a cold voice went through in her mind. ¡º Wee to the Trial Tower. ¡» ¡º Please say, ''Open Status''. ¡» She went silent when she heard the voice. She was wondering if she had gone crazy due to gaming too much, or perhaps, this was a dream? At the very least, she could tell it was not a dream due to the pain she felt when she tried to pinch on her thigh. Thest memory that she remembers before waking up to this grasnd was the notification of the final quest starting. Since she doesn''t have her phone in person, she couldn''t tell if this is the final quest or not. She would like to get up and move around to look for information, but she couldn''t move even a single finger on her hands now after picking up the card that just vanished into thin air after releasing light so intense like that of a sun. She could only look around with her eyes and spoke with her mouth. She let out a sigh of defeat and said. "Open Status." ¡º She LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP: 30/30 MP: 50/50 ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 6 ¡ªLUCK: 10 ¡» "My status... Nothing seems different apart from the title that is missing." She muttered as she stares at the game-like window in front of her. After a few seconds, the cold voice appears once again in her head. ¡º The final quest [ Monster yer ] has been created! ¡» ¡º Your body has been unfrozen. ¡» ¡º Please check the detail of the quest for further details. ¡» She tries to move her hand, and when she was able to, she immediately gets on her feet before groaning to herself. "How am I supposed to check the detail when I don''t have my phone with me..." But the moment she thought of the quest, a new window pops up in front of her face. ¡º Monster yer ¡» ¡º Kill 10 Slime. Reward: 50 EXP Punishment upon failure: Death ¡» "What?! If I fail this quest... I will die?!" She shouted when she saw the punishment. But upon taking a closer look, she calmed down and realised that she only needs to kill ten slimes. In most RPG games, slime is the weakest kind of monster that any newbie has to beat in the tutorial. But even so, how in the world is she going to beat ten slimes with nothing but bare hands? She looked around and noticed something shiny at the corner of her views. ¡º Rusted Sword ¡» ¡º A rusted sword that has been left behind by a certain adventurer. 2+ Attack Power. ¡» She holds the rusty sword on her hands, and she could feel how heavy it is. She tried swinging around and shing like in the game with one hand but failed due to the weakness of her strength. She could only wield it if she held the sword on both of her hands. After practicing and getting used to the rusty sword, she saw a bouncy water-like object jumping over to her location. "My first victim." ¡º Slime LV.0 ¡» ¡º HP: 50/50 MP: 0/0 ¡» The slime appears before her. Her health seems to be lower than the slime by 20 points. She gripped the rusty sword tightly in her hand and took a deep breath. She looked at the slime and noticed a stone-like object inside the slime as it moved around the jelly body. She locked her gaze onto it and shed the rusty sword toward the slime. The slime easily dodges it by jumping to the side. After seeing her failed attacked, She immediately tries to get away from it, but the slime jumped at her before she could. "It hurts!" She groaned at the pain on her stomach, which caused her to let go of the sword identally. She silently cursed at herself for looking down upon the slime and look what has happened to her due to it. The slime attacked her for the second time, but this time She managed to dodge it on hair breath before picking the rusty sword back. This time she took the slime seriously and waits for the slime to make a move, and when the slime attacked her, she shes her sword straight to the core. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» Chapter 8 - Slime, Slime, Slime. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º She LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 30/30 MP: 50/50 AP: 5 ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 6 ¡ªLUCK: 10 ¡» After killing the first slime with one sh of the sword, she figured the slime weakness, which was the core in their body. But even so, She didn''t put her guard down when fighting against them and she only fights when the slime was alone. Although the slime attacked didn''t decrease her health that much, which only at 1-2HP from one single attack, but that doesn''t mean she didn''t feel the pain. Another point is if they surround her, her fate could only be death. There was a saying, one ant could not do anything to an elephant but what if it was an entire army of ants? They could get inside the elephant''s ears and bit everything on their way to its brain before slowly killing it. "Even so, everywhere I go, there are only slimes, huh..." She looked at the slime bounce up and down in her views distant away from her current camp. If she gets close to a certain distance, the slime would immediately go into battle mode. Right now, she was one meter away apart from that specific distance. Currently, she was resting her tired body after ying three slimes. Her stamina could be considered as average, but due to swinging around such a heavy sword, her strength depleted as fast as water flows down the stream. Looking at the window in front of her, the girl was pondering on how to distribute her attribute point once again. Currently, she was in dire needed of strength and vitality. But she couldn''t let go of agility too. Five minutester, shees to a decision. ¡º She LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 30/30 MP: 50/50 AP: 5>0 ¡ªSTR: 4>7 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 3>5 ¡ªVIT: 6 ¡ªLUCK: 10 ¡» Looking at the changed of her status, she nodded her head. After she distributed three points into STR, she could feel her strength increasing. Now, she could swing her sword even more proficiently. While she was resting, she was also pondering on what is this ''Trial Tower'' about. She could only look for information by browsing her surrounding, but all she could see is simply grasnd that knows no end, also some slimes along the way. It doesn''t give off the feeling of an ''Instant Dungeon'', but instead, she feels like she was sent to another ce somewhere on Earth if not of the slime. "Quest..." She softly muttered, and the quest window appears in front of her. ¡º Monster yer ¡» ¡º Kill 10 Slime. (4/10) Reward: 50 EXP Punishment upon failure: Death ¡» She nodded her head when looking at the progress of the quest. She only needs to kill six more slimes, and the quest would bepleted. She looked at the sky and noticed that there was no sun, yet she could feel the heating from the sunlight on her skins. She didn''t know how long she had been in this ce, probably around 3-4 hours have passed. She''s also worried about what would have happened if her mother intrudes into her room and finds out that she was nowhere to be seen? She didn''t know if the time here passes the same as outside, she had read a novel about how one hour in the dungeon is equal to one day in real-time. She was wondering if this instant dungeon mechanism also works like that. She shakes her head at that thought, for now, it would just be a waste of time. It would be more appropriate to spend her time now onpleting the quest faster; the others could be deal with forter. Looking at the rusty sword by her side, she frowned and thought, it would be nice if the sword is not rusty but as sharp as new one instead. She encountered a bit of problem when ying the slimes due to the sword sharpness was so dull that she feels rather than a sword, its more like using a blunt weapon instead. But a blunt and rusty sword was way better than her weak bare hand. Only when her strength increased to a sufficient level would she have the confidence to beat the slime to death with just a punch. Although her strength has increased to 7, it was still on the level of a healthy adult man. Slime''s jelly-like body could be destroyed easily, but it would not kill the slime, only by destroying its core would the slime be killed. "I guess I had enough of resting and its time to hunt another slime." She swings the sword for a couple of times before assuring that she was ready and walked slowly toward the slime in her views. When she arrived approximately close to the slime''s location, she put on stance prepared to fight with the sword aimed to the front as the slime bouncing on its way to her. Byun! Byun! Byun! The slime makes such a cute noise whenever it jumped as its jelly-like body jiggled. If not for the slime trying to attack her on every single opportunity, she would have like to keep one as a pet. Well, if she acquired some kind of taming skill in the future, it might be possible. But that''s for the future; she could only kill the slime andplete her quest for now. When the slime arrived in front of her, it took no time before jumping like a fastball toward her. She dodged it easily to the side as if, she had known that the slime would make such move before shing the sword at the core of the slime. Crack! The sounds of the core of the slime shattered as the jelly-like body turns into normal water before the cold voice appears in her mind. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» That''s five on the count. Another five more and the quest would bepleted. She looked around and noticed a slime ahead and runs toward it. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» "Fuu... Haa~" ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.0! ¡» ¡º Monster yer ¡» ¡º Kill 10 Slime. (Completed) Reward: 50 EXP Punishment upon failure: Death ¡» ¡º You havepleted the quest. ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» "Finally, it''s finished." She fell t on her back to the ground as the invisible burden on her body vanished along with the fear of punishment of failure. Although she acts optimism, deep inside of her, she was still scared of the fault. What would have happened if she had not found the rusty sword? Could she kill the slime with only her bare fists? Possible but not without getting hurt. ¡º You could now exit from the Trial Tower. ¡» ¡º Do you wish to exit? ¡» ¡º Yes/No? ¡» She looked at her surrounding for a moment before clicking on the ''yes'', and like the previous experience, a magic circle suddenly appeared and lit up before her figure disappeared along with it. Chapter 9 - A Normal Morning Inside a quiet room, suddenly a magic circle appears and floated above the bed as it lightens up the whole room with its bright light while spinning around. Once the light subdued along with the disappearance of the magic circle, there stood a young figure of a female. The girl looked around her surrounding before leaving out a sigh from her mouth with her tense shoulders dropped. "I''m back." She muttered before picking up the phone by her side and looked at the time on the screen. It appears that only 30 minutes passed in the real world while she stays inside the dungeon for a whole 5-6 hours or possibly longer than that. She couldn''t tell how long exactly she had stay inside the dungeon but at the very least, around 5-6 hours. As she was about to put her phone on the bed, she noticed something particr on her bed. It was the rusty sword. "What? No way... does this mean that I could bring the stuff I picked to the real world?" To She, Instant Dungeon that she had stayed before feel like an entirely different world. The air, the skies, and thend, everything feels alive. She doesn''t know how to exin the feeling she had, but she was sure that she was close to it. At least, Instant Dungeon is different than the world she lives in. Not because of the slimes or endlessly grasnd, it was because the space inside has its limit. One particr time, she was sneaking up on the back of a slime. She hade to witness a scene she would never forget. The slime was regrly bouncing its way until ites onto stopped due to an invisible wall obstructing its path. The slime jelly-like body then twitches nonstop before it keeps jumping at the invisible wall as if trying to beat it, but in the end, it was to no avail. The slime eventually gave up and bounced away. "Pffft¡ª The slime was pretty cute with such a surreal scene." Sheughed when she remembered back to the scene of a slime fighting against the wall. When she had enough ofughing, she carefully picked up the rusty sword. Just by holding onto it, she could tell its the real sword that she had used to defeat the slime in the Trial Tower. She put back the sword on her bed before picking up her phone and opened the leveling system app on the home screen. ¡º Quest System has been Updated! ¡» ¡º Host Status ¡» ¡º Quest(Updated!) ¡» ¡º Inventory ¡» She clicked on the inventory option, and a new window appeared on the screen. Looking at this game-like inventory, she silently thought, is it possible to put the rusty sword inside? If it works, then she doesn''t have to worry about where to hide it from her mother. Just by imagining her mother finding out about it when she was cleaning her bedroom already brought her headaches. While holding onto the phone on her right hand, she picked up the rusty sword on the bed using her left hand and then shoved the sword ''into'' her smartphone and magically, it went inside as if sucked by into the void. Seeing the magical scene right in front of her two eyes, the girl was surprised before breathing out a relief sight. Thankfully, it could be put inside. ¡º Inventory: ¡ªRusty Sword ¡» The new item appears in the game-like inventory as the sword icon. She nodded her head before falling on her back onto the bed. What a long tiring day, She thought in her mind. The slime was also pretty cute if only she has her smartphone in hands at the time. Looking back at the memory of her hunting down the slime one by one, the time where she had to keep her breath in order to hide her presence from the group of slime in distance, or the time when she had to run when she identally triggered the slimebat mode when she was looking for a ce to rest. Everything that she had experience is definitely something that not every normal person could experience. The happiness thates afterpleting the quest was indeed something. She feels like she had aplished something great in her life, even though it was just ying slimes. As she thought back about everything, her eyelid eventually grows heavy, and within minutes, she had fallen asleep with the smile on her face. *** The next day, Morning. She was woken up to the delicious smelling from downstairs, the kitchen. When she opened her eyes, her stomach grumbled, urging her to move herzy ass to the kitchen and fill it with food in haste. She was surprised that she had fallen asleep and only woke up when the morning arrived. She must have been totally exhausted whenpleting the quest. She got up on her feet and picked her phone before walking out of the bedroom. When she arrived at the kitchen, her mother was just about to finish making breakfast and was surprised by her presence. It seems that her daughter really has changed; she smiles at the thought before opening her mouth and greets her daughter. "Good morning, She." "Morning, Mom. Is the food ready? I''m hungry." She greeted her Mother back and walked to the sink to wash her face and hands clean before sitting on the chair at the dining table. "Just wait for a minute, and it will be done." "Fuah~ Okay." She yawned before picking her phone in her pocket. ¡º Host Status ¡» ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 4 EXP: 10/50 HP: 30/30 MP: 50/50 STR: 7 ( the strengthparable to a healthy adult man. ) INT: 10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader.) AGI: 5 ( The speed improved to that of average.) VIT: 6 ( An average girl.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 10 Detail: A girl that has finally taken her first step outside the world. ¡» Her level has increased to 4 and gained 10 Attribute points. Looking at that many attribute points, she had the urge of putting it all on strength but eventually managed to hold it back. Although it is good to put it all in but without stamina, how could she able to handle her newfound strength? She came to a conclusion and distributed the points; the final result was. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 4 EXP: 10/50 HP: 30/30>45 MP: 50/50 STR: 7>12 ( a single punch could make an adult passed out. ) INT: 10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader.) AGI: 5>7 ( The speedparable to a healthy adult man.) VIT: 6>9 ( A stamina worth of a specialised athletic.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 0 Detail: A fearsome young girl that could put an adultpletely passed out from her single punch. ¡» "¡­" She wonders who wrote the detail about stats and below, she would like to talk with the person if possible. When her strength increased to 10, she could somehow faintly feel that her weight has grown to a certain amount. But her body shown no sign of changing, for example, having a muscr arm which is something she would rather not happening. Perhaps, within her thin and weak looking arm, the muscle inside of it had beenpressed and which was why her weight increased. That''s the only possible course that she came up with from her experience as a fanatic reader of a fantasy novel. She nodded her head at the increased in her stats before closing the status window and clicking on the Quest. She was shocked speechless by the window on the screen of her phone. Chapter 10 - Two Suspicious Individuals "I''m going out, Mom." "Be sure toe back home before dusk, okay?" "Okay!" She answered her mother before leaving the house. Because it''s Sunday, she could see kids running all around the neighbourhood as they were frolicking each other. She could also see a group of boys at her age hanging out at the park while chatting andughing from time to times. Looking at all the scenery as she was walking passed by each of them, she smiled and thought how peaceful the world is. She could take a deep breath of fresh air and rx all she wants, unlike the time when she had to focus on her sense for 24h in the Instant Dungeon. Perhaps, she was influenced by the novel she had read; she was more careful than an average person. Just like how when she was hunting the slime, she had topletely sure that the slime was all alone even as she waits in an ambush that takes a lot longer than the actual fight. She''s thankful for that though, as one single mistake from her could potentially cause her death. Due to her increasing in levels, her sense has be much sharper than before. She could hear the people talking from three meters away from her location if she put her focus on the ears. "Is that the target?" "Yes. follow her closely and once she was out of the public, capture her." "Alright." She''s beautiful face frowned when she identally heard an ominous talk while she was testing her strength. With her now sharp sense, she could tell that she was followed by two individual from behinds a certain distance from her. She slows down her walking pace and thought, did they found out about my secret? No way, it shouldn''t be as it has only been two-three days since I got the leveling system. But then, why was I followed by these two suspicious individuals? Sooner, she was out of the public''s sight as she walked right into the corner of the alleyways. The two suspicious individuals immediately run after her but when they got into the corner, She stood in front of the two with her eyes ring at them. Initially, she was scared and afraid of the situation that she hase across. But when she gripped her hands, she could feel the strength within her fist. It managed to calm her mind. It was just two adult man; she could definitely handle them just fine with her current strength, unlike her weak self three days ago. The two individual came to stopped and realised that they had been found out by their target. They were not specialised in stalking on people, but that doesn''t mean they didn''t do it seriously. In front of the real one, everything about them is just pure clumsy. But an average person wouldn''t have noticed that they were being followed unless they were highly alerted. She identally heard their conversation while she was testing on how far her hearing could go. She looked toward the two, one man with dyed hair and tattoos on his upper hands while the other man looks normalpared to the man beside him. "Why have you two been following me until now?" Since she has heard from the conversation that they were calling her as a target, perhaps, they had been following her for a while, and she only found them out today only because of her leveling up. Just thinking about it already brings the chills to run through her whole body. What would have happened if she didn''t have the leveling system? She shook her head to negate away that negative thought before ring back at them. Seeing the reing from her, the blond manughed. "Heh, would you look at that? She''s all scary ring at us like that." "..." The man beside him stood silent and didn''t give any response to the blonde. The blonde man clicked his tongue before opening his mouth and said with annoyance. "the target already found us, what are you keeping quiet about for? Let''s just capture her and be done with it." "...Fine." The blonde grinned at the man''s agreement. The man ignored the blond and said to She in a deep low voice. "If you don''t want to get hurt, you better follow us quietly." It was not a request but an order. "I refuse." She said as the determination filled her eyes. She was ready for a fight to break out as she holds her phone in the pocket, just in case. "Hahaha. Look, she refused your kind advice." Rick, the blonde man,ughed when She rejected the man''s advice. The man beside him didn''t get angry nor feel offence as he keeps his silence. Tsk, this fellow is really hateful, thought Rick in his mind. He grinned when he thought the time to show off hase. "Tsk tsk tsk, you better stop with your brave act, girl." Said Rick as he slowly walked toward her. "I''m not as kind as him, you know?" When Rick arrived approximately close to She, he stopped and grinned when he noticed that she was trembling on her legs. When he was about to put his hand on her shoulders, his stomach feels painful as if being hit by some kind of strong item, and along with the pain, he was sent flying. Looking at the unconscious blonde man, a sigh escaped from her mouth. The detail on the status was real, she thought. With just a single punch to the stomach, she had sent the man flying and passed out. The man was shocked at the scene in front of him. Although the blonde seems like an annoyance to him, he was not weak in the least. Rick''s strength isparable to him, which was why the shock he received was a huge one. If even the blonde was put unconscious by the girl''s single punch on the stomach, what could he do against it? Within seconds, the manes to a decision and decide to run away and report back the situation. When he turned his back at her and was about to spring away, She already rushed to him. "I won''t let you escape!" She shouted before throwing a punch at the man, ut the man managed to dodge it by the hair breath. Without any choice, the man counters with a kick to her right and the hit connected as she was slow to avoid it. "Ugh!" She groaned in pain from the kick she had received. The pain couldn''t bepared with the slime attack as theter only feel like a fastball hitting on her. She gritted her teeth hard and managed to endure the pain as she gets close to the man before punching him in the face. The punch was too fast as before the man could dodge; it was already an inch away from his face. When the punch hits his face, the strength that he thought would be weak was actually stronger than him and the blond, and thus, he was sent flying and crashed onto the wall. Thankfully, the two was unconscious by her punch. She didn''t have to bring her rusty sword and used it against them. She didn''t have the courage to sh them with it, after all. The human and slime were different from her view and opinion, as slime was seen as a monster but not the human. ¡º You have defeated the enemy! ¡» ¡º You have defeated the enemy! ¡» ¡º You have gained experience. ¡» ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 4 EXP: 30/50 HP: 40/45 MP: 50/50 STR: 12 ( a single punch could make an adult passed out. ) INT: 10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader.) AGI: 7 ( The agilityparable to a healthy adult man. ) VIT: 9 ( A stamina worth of a specialised athletic.) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 0 Detail: A fearsome young girl that could put an adultpletely passed out from her single punch. 1¡» I''m not scared! Not at all! Chapter 11 - Back To Slime Hunting Shocking News! A high school girl has defeated two adult man with only her raw strength, is what the reporters would title their article when they got this rare scene in their camera. But sadly, there''s only She and the two unconscious man. Looking at the two men who passed out with a foameding out of their mouth, she looked at her thin and feminine hands and thought how ridiculous that the two adults were put to the unconscious state by this small hands. If the two men have heard of her thought, they would havemit suicide right there in shame. She ponders for a moment before walking toward the blonde man. She makes sure that the blonde man was still unconscious before searching for something all over him. In the end, she only founds a pack of cigarette, lighter, and his wallet. She founds the blonde man''s ID and a meagre amount of cash in his wallet. She noted the blonde man''s identity before taking over all the cash, leaving none behind. But then she thought that merely this wouldn''t be enough for the guy to suffer, and so, she stripped the blonde until he was only left with underwear. Looking at the pathetic sight of the half-naked blonde man, she nodded her head before moving on to the next victim. She didn''t feel any shred of guilty or embarrassed when stripping both men to only underwear. She had seen plenty of models when her mother brings her to thepany. Another reason was that they hade to capture her, and if she didn''t have the strength to fight back, she would have been captured and who knows what happen afterwards. At the very least, she wanted them to suffer for a little bit. Like with the blonde, she took away all the cash in the wallet and then stripped the poor guy with only the underwear left. She makes sure to put them into an awkward situation by making their body pressed against each other and took a picture of it. With this picture as ckmail, if they hade back for her in the future, she would... She chuckled at the far ahead evil nning. "Who knows, this picture mighte in handy somewhere in the future." She said to herself before putting her phone back into the pocket and left. After few minutes when She left the scene, a group of men in ck walks in quietly and they were surprised seeing two perverts in their underwear but when they looked closer, they immediately know that it is the leader of the one who stopped them in the park. They decide to give a beating to the two guys who was currently unconscious and went away after they were satisfied. *** " I''m home!" "Wee back, my dear." Her mother greets her back when shees to the living room. Sara was sitting on the sofa while she was watching the drama on TV. She shrugged her shoulders at the normal sight in front of her before moving on to her bedroom upstairs. "I''m staying in my room and if you need me for anything, call me, okay?" "Yes, go on." When she arrived at her bedroom, she immediately jumped onto the bed andy down on it. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and clicked on the leveling system. ¡º Wee to the Leveling System! ¡» ¡º Host Status ¡» ¡º Quest(!) ¡» ¡º Inventory ¡» ¡º Daily Quest ¡» ¡º Complete one mission in the Trial Tower. Reward: 5 Attribute Points. Punishment upon failure: Penalty Dungeon. ¡» ¡º Trial Tower ¡» ¡º A mysterious tower. ¡» ¡º Daily ess: 0/3 ¡» "It''s real, huh..." She had thought the Trial Tower could only be entered when the system issued update quest and she couldn''t enter it anymore when she had left, but the windows on the screen prove her wrong. She was surprised in the morning before when she was checking on whether there are new things after the quest updating. "Does it means that she could enter three times in a day?" Or is it that, if she ''died'' in the Trial Tower, she could reenter again. For now, she doesn''t know, and she also didn''t have the courage to try it out. She had gone outside to test out her new strength but didn''t expect to meet up with such situation either. It was fortunate that she could test out her new strength on them as she had initially thought of visiting the gym for that. Now that she was sure of it, she pulled out the rusty sword from the inventory and gripped it in one of her hand before clicking on the [ Daily ess: 0/3 ]. ¡º You are about to enter Trial Tower. ¡» ¡º Do you wish to continue? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» She looked around her room before nodding her head and clicked on the yes option. She had thought that she would see the magic circle appearing around her but what happened was, in the blink of her eyes, her surrounding views were greeted with the vast of greennd filled with slimes everywhere from her initial neat bedroom. She was shocked once again at the teleportation method that the system used. She didn''t even feel any sort of dizziness when it all happened. ¡º New Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Monster yer(1) ¡» ¡º Kill 40 Slimes. Reward: 100 EXP Punishment upon failure: None ¡» "So this is the daily mission, huh..." Forty slimes seemed a lot, but she could manage it somehow with the increased of her vitality. She''s happy that it doesn''t have any punishment, but she could not take it easy either. If shepleted the quest, she would acquire the reward along with the daily one, aka kill two birds with one stone. But if she didn''t finish the quest, she would probably be sent to the [ Penalty Dungeon ]. "Penalty Dungeon... it already sounds bad." She didn''t know anything about it, neither what was inside of it or what it meant. But she knows one thing from her sharp sense that she would definitely suffer a lot in there. As she was lost in her thoughts, she hadn''t noticed the slime creeping in the right behind her. When the slime arrived just a few meters away from her, her sharp sense picked up the slime location and notified her. She swiftly turned her back and saw the slime was ready to attack her. "I almost forgot that I''m inside the instant dungeon." She ready her stance with the sword on the front, the slime then jumped forward at her like a fastball. Instead of dodging the slime attacked, She proficiently swings her sword at it. When she saw the slime, her sharp eyes has already locked onto the core, the slime only weakness. When slime jumped, the core stays in one ce instead of moving around like always. She had noticed this thest time she fight against them. Crack! ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» "One down. Thirty-nine more to go." She muttered softly at the sight of the slime core breaking and its body turning back to normal water which sshed onto the ground. She would probably have to stay for a while in this ce, and thankfully, she had it all prepared. ¡º Inventory: ¡ªA bottle of mineral water x6 ¡ªBread(All-Kind) x4 ¡ªSnack x3 ¡ªIce cream x2 ¡ªA box of Cookies ¡» After leaving the scene of two poor guys who were half-naked, she had gone to a convenience store to buy food and water with the money she had looted, precisely for this dungeon raid. She doesn''t want to suffer like in the past; it was tough to hunt down the slime when she was hungry and thirsty at the same time. "I wonder what happened after I left those two half-naked guys." She imagined one of them waking up, and when he noticed their awkward situation and the fact that he''s only left with nothing but underwear, she chuckled before removing the thought and continued on the hunt. Chapter 12 - Rodrick Jayson Inside the High-rise building¡­ A man in his prime could be seen to be eating in a refined manner when suddenly, a knock was heard from the door. The butler stood behind the man bows his head before immediately went to the door and was about to lecture the one who disturbed his master dining time but upon seeing the guy who knocked, the butler let him in and followed behind. If She were here she would definitely know the guy who just walked in; he was none other than the guy beside the blonde man and the second victim of her stripped prank, Rodrick Jayson. Somehow, the man managed to get new clothes instead of walking back here in his underwear. When he woke up from his unconscious state, Rodrick was shocked at his current poor state before a rage swelled inside him. He rudely pped the blonde and force him to find a cloth for him to wear. Although the blonde man was angry deep inside, he couldn''t do anything to him due to his position is lower than the man in front. The blonde man managed to find two delinquent guys hanging out near the right corner and smirked before slowly walking toward them. When the two delinquent saw the blonde maning over only with his underwear, both of themughed and sneered at him. The blonde man, Rick, without saying anything and went ahead to beat them until they are on the verge of dying with blood and bruises all over their body. Before the blood and bruises appeared on their body, Rick has already stripped them before continued beating the poor delinquents. After satisfying himself by releasing the stress upon the two, he picked up another set of cloth before walking back toward the corner. Rodrick Jayson, the son of XXX Company. His estimate to be worth around ten million. He was born with a gold spoon, but due to his strict and cold father, the man didn''t have the high ego and pride, unlike how most viewed him to be. It was not that he was humble or anything, but instead, he was even colder and ruthless than his father. He was someone who would be the sessor of the XXX Company from his father. But now that he got his taste on the first failure, Rodrick doesn''t know what would his father say on this. Rodrick looked over at his father, who has just finished dining as he wipes his mouth with the handkerchief in a refined manner before staring at him without saying anything. "You failed?" The deep voice of his father resounds inside the room, which causes him to flinch. It seemed that his father had known about his failure even before he had opened his mouth. As expected of¡­ He shook away the thought in his mind before replying to his father. "¡­yes." His father didn''t say anything back and just remained quiet while staring at him. He didn''t know what to say and simply stood there while sweating bucket. He thought of saying something but was interrupted by the deep voice once again. "Do you know the reason behind this failure?" His father asked. Rodrick nodded his head at his father question. He had thought that the mission would be easy and didn''t fully prepare in case the n spoiled. After all, he merely needs to kidnap a ''weak'' young girl. If the past him was in front of him, he would have pped him in the face. When he also remembered how pathetic the sight of him with only underwear and not even single cash left in his wallet, Rodrick be angrier but managed to cool down his anger upon the sight of his father. "Yes, Father." His father nodded at his word before he stood up and walked toward the door. Before he left, he left a couple of word to his son. "Next time, don''t make such a mistake once again or know the consequence." "¡­yes, Father." Rodrick bows his head at the departure figure of his father along with the butler and before long, he was the only one left in the room. When he looked up, his eyes burned with determination and a hint of anger could be seen deep within his eyes. "I wouldn''t forget the sight of how pathetic I am when I woke up¡­ and in return, I would gift back triple the amount in gratitude." Rodrick muttered to himself as he looked down at the street from the ss wall of the room. *** Trial Tower. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.2! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º She LV.6 ¡» ¡º HP: 38/45 MP: 50/50 ¡ªSTR: 12 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 7 ¡ªVIT: 9 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» "Fuh~ Finally leveled up." She muttered as she looked at the notification window in front of her. Without any hesitation, she immediately distributed the ten attribute points that received when leveling up. ¡º She LV.6 ¡» ¡º HP: 38/55 MP: 50/50 ¡ªSTR: 18 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 9 ¡ªVIT: 11 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 0 ¡» She nodded her head in happiness at the increased in her strength before muttering ''inventory'' and a new window pop up, recing the status. ¡º Inventory: ¡ªA bottle of mineral water x4 ¡ªBread(All-Kind) x3 ¡ªSnack x2 ¡ªIce cream x2 ¡ªA box of Cookies ¡» So far, she had drunk two bottles of mineral water and have eaten a single bread with a snack. She had leveled up by two from level 4 to 6. The slime she had killed has umted to 15. She looked at the de of the rusty sword that had gotten even duller, and there''s a lot of chip everywhere around it. This rusty sword won''tst any longer¡­ she thought in her mind and pondered for a moment while resting her body byying on the grasnd. In the end, she decided to use the rusty sword until it breaks before fighting with her bare fists. Her current strength is entirely different than the first time she came into the Trial Tower; she was confident that she could manage it somehow without the sword. "Before that¡­ let me eat up first." She said before pulling out a single bread from the inventory. Next time I came here, I''ll make sure to stock up some more food in inventory, She thought in her mind as she eats the bread while watching out her surrounding full of weariness with the sharp sense that has be even stronger than before. "I wonder why... but I feel like if I leveled up one more, something would happen. Is this also because my sense has gotten stronger? Nah, no way, right?" Chapter 13 - I Have Grown Taller "Ha!" ¡º You have killed Slime LV.2! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ¡º You have met the requirement for the skill! ¡» ¡º You have gained the skill: Swordsmanship LV.1! ¡» "What?" She wipes the sweat off her forehead with her hand before looking at the window in front of her once again. She didn''t see it wrong, she had acquired another skill, and it was the skill that she had wanted when she found the rusty sword. ¡º Swordsmanship LV.1 ¡» ¡º When equipped with a sword, the attack will increase by 10%. ¡» "Nice!" She tried swinging the rusty sword a couple of times, and with her sharp sense, she noticed a difference between before and after. Previously, the swing of her sword was just brute force her way with the rusty sword; she had no skill and were just an idiot swinging her stick around. But now, she feels like she had experience in swinging the sword for a few years due to some sword move that was imprinted in her mind the moment she acquired the skill. The difference between the past her and the current her is double. She could proficiently kill the slimes even faster than before. But sadly that didn''tst long. ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ¡º You have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» ... ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» After ying the 30th slimes, she had leveled up twice and straight to LV.8. She had only hunted the slimes when they were alone in the past, but now she could take them on 3vs1 and win easily. When her kill counts reached 20th, the rusty sword finally broke to the dust. She was saddened by the lost for a moment before putting back her emotion under control. She had long prepared since the moment she found the sword, it was already very rusty, after all. It was already impressive for it tost so long until now. It was a pity now that she had acquired the skill, but the sword is no more. She makes a small hole from digging using the half-broken sword and then, she put the broken sword inside and finally buried it. If only she had a big stone to be used as a gravestone for it, but sadly, there were none. ''If only I had something to mark its grave... sword-chan.'' She thought in her mind but could only make do with making a small wall of sands surrounding it. After that, she had to fight against ten more slimes with just her bare fists. She had managed to win all the fights due to the increased of her overall strength. ¡º Monster yer(1) ¡» ¡º Kill 40 Slimes. (30/40) Reward: 100 EXP Punishment upon failure: None ¡» "Ten remaining..." She muttered tiredly, she feels like giving up anytime now. After losing the sword, the fight bes tiresome, even with her increased in vitality. She required to move around much more than the time she had the sword in hands. And the only left in her inventory... ¡º Inventory: ¡ªA bottle of mineral water ¡ªSnack ¡ªIce cream x2 ¡ªA box of Cookies ¡» All her bread haspletely eaten up along with two more bottles of mineral water and a snack. Why did she buy ice cream instead of something more filing? She very much wanted to p the past her, but she could only sigh at the moment. I guess it is barely enough for the remaining ten slimes hunting; She thought as she calcted in her mind. "I''m only worried about being thirsty since I only have one bottle left." Perhaps, she should slowly hunt the slime one by one which wouldn''t take much of her energy than fighting against three slimes. She nodded her head at the idea and moved her body to the slime in the distance beforeing to a halt. "Oh, before that... Status." ¡º She LV.8 ¡» ¡º HP: 20/55 MP: 50/50 ¡ªSTR: 18 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 9 ¡ªVIT: 11 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» Her MP stood still since she didn''t have any skill that required it for now and the reason why she didn''t put points in INT. She wishes that she could unlock either shop or lottery function anytime soon, but she didn''t know what requirement does it needed for it to unlock. The shop probably sells some skill, and as for lottery, well, she had a bit of history with gacha. She wonders how was the drop rate goes, is it high or low? "But I could only dream for now, huh." She shrugged her shoulders before distributed half of the attribute points. The result was, ¡º She LV.8 ¡» ¡º HP: 20/70 MP: 50/50 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 9 ¡ªVIT: 14 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 5 ¡» ¡º Due to the increased in strength reaching 20, You have acquired the skill: Lesser Strength LV.1! ¡» ¡º Lesser Strength LV.1 ¡» ¡º Increased 5% in Attack & Reduce Damage Received by 5%. ¡» "Nice! I knew that putting the point into strength is not wrong!" She beamed in happiness as a smile crept on her face at the sudden gained of another new skill. Now, including photographic memory and sportsmanship skill, she had acquired three skills. All three of them is very useful to the current her. She was now confident in beating the remaining ten slimes to oblivion. She had wanted tough out loud but managed to hold it in. When she looked down, she noticed and feel like her legs have grown a bit longer, or was it her imagination? No, It has to be with the increased in strength and vitality, her body also took changed. She could even feel a bit of muscle in her upper arms. "Forget it. I''ll hunt the slime and finish the quest first." *** ¡º You havepleted the quest! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You can exit the Trial Tower, Do you wish to proceed? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» "Phew~ Finally done for today." She let out a sigh of relief before drinking the remaining water left from the bottle. Gulp! Haa~ "Now, let''s leave." She muttered as she clicked on the ''yes'' before disappearing entirely from the dungeon and appearing once again in her bedroom. She weaklyy down on the bed before rolling around while saying. "So tired! Ah~" Knock! Knock! "She, are you in there?" She immediately straight up her body and noticed that her mother was only knocking on the door and didn''te inside. Safe! "Yes, Mom?" "Your friend, Cilia and her mother havee for a visited. Aren''t you going toe out and greet her?" "Alright, Mom. But I need to take a bath first." "It''s okay, honey. Take your time but don''t take too long, okay?" "Okay!" I''ll put the problem aside, and for now, I''m going to take a warm bath before hanging out with Ria. Chapter 14 - Playing Together 3 PM, She''s Bedroom. "Taking a warm bath for all the sweats from ying the slimes in the dungeon really brings much happiness." She seemed to juste out of the bath as the water could still be seen lingering around her body that''s wrap up nicely by a towel. But her great figure could not be hidden from a small towel. The boobs that are as big as Mount Everest could be seen fiercely fighting against the restraint from the sheet. But sadly, the cloth is too durable, and it couldn''t escape its fate from being restraint. One day, Mount Everest will get its freedom. Aftering out of the bath, She dries her wet hair with a hairdryer before standing in front of the closet, searching for a cute outfit to wear for the day. About ten or so minutester, She leaves her bedroom and walked downstairs to the living room. She could already hear them talking the moment she walk out of the bedroom''s door due to the increased in her overall strength. "What? She actually went out so early in the morning to jog? Eyy, you can''t lie to me, Auntie~." "I also don''t believe your word, Sara. The girl who would rather stay at home unless Cilia brings her out from time to times, such a girl actually did what?" She could feel a piercing arrow painfully stabbed deep into her body one by one as she was trembling walking toward the living room. Her best friend is one thing, but she couldn''t believe that even Cilia''s mother, Celia, also thought of her like that. All she did was going outside to jog... for the quest! "Fufufu. since I knew you two wouldn''t believe me, let me show you the pictures." Sara said before standing up and picked up the camera that was put at the side of the cab and walked towards the two. She suddenly feels a lousy omen creeps in before speeding up her walking pace to quickly stop whatever her mother is trying to show. "Look at this, here." But she was already toote. "See, she''s sweating so much from the jog as you can see from her wet shirts." Said Sara as she showed one of the pictures of She justing home full of sweats from the jog, heading to the bedroom and not realising her mother secretly took her picture. "Woah~ unbelievable." The two muttered in amazement at the ridiculous sight of the picture as they pped their hands in unison. "MOTHER!" Suddenly an angry shriek was resounded in the living room. It was none other than the victim, She. "My, oh my, you were here already?" She''s shoulders were trembling while her face was fuming red as she red at the culprit. Sara seemed to be smiling at her raging daughter. "Cilia, why don''t you go with my daughter to chat in her bedroom?" "Oh well, I guess so." Said Cilia in defeat as she stood up from her seat before walking toward She as she tries to calm down theter anger. It takes a while for her to do so, and then they walked out, heading to her bedroom. But before she leaves, she stares dagger at her mother while her mother just smiled back at her. "Did you already did your homework?" "I had done it yesterday." "...you are so diligent that I thought someone else is using your skin instead." "Stop speaking nonsense and let''s y games instead." Said She as she gives the console to Ria before starting the game. Due to being her best friend, Ria was also influenced and quite the gamer herself. Most of the time, when shees for a visit, they would always end up ying games until dawn. But even though she''s also a gamer, she''s not as much as addicted like Shi. asionally, She would y it when she was bored and have nothing to do. She''s also not as good as the addict one, and she lost every single game against She. She didn''t really care whether she lost or win the game; the fun thing is spending the time together. "Hmm... was the game this boring before?" She muttered softly as she moves her character to y Monsters to level up before collecting the drop and sell it to the NPC. "Is it? I thought this is your favourite game." Ria said while moving her character all over the viges as if, to uncover every little secret it has. But all the secret or hidden quest has already beenpleted by She way ahead. "It is. I wonder why I find it boring now." She''s character was secretly following behind Ria''s character and noticed that a group of bandits had surrounded her. Her character was not prepared forbat as her level was also still one digit. She was about to give up before She cames in and ''save the damsel in distress''. "Perhaps, you have been ying it too much." "No way. Even when I have yed it many times, I have never felt this bored." She said as her character y the bandits one by one, and when she finished, she dropped the console andy down on her back. "Ah~ I wonder why~." Ria just stares at her friend''s antic before shaking her head at her. She stares nkly at the ceiling while listening to the sounds of Ria''s ythrough. Is it because of the leveling system that she finds the console game boring? She thought in her mind. The current game they were ying was an RPG; perhaps, her guess was right. Leveling up, quests, monster and the likes. Everything about it screams RPG. Her life has turned into a game. She shook her head and thoughts; it is not a game once life was involved. A game was only for entertainment and fun, never will it involved lives. She would rather y Dark Hell 3 on Abyss difficulty instead of ying a real-life version of the death game. Thankfully, her opponents so far are rtively weak. "Muu..." She got a headache just thinking about it. In the end, she decides to leave the future problem to the future her. She nodded her head at the genius idea before moving on and grabbed her phone from the side. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 9 EXP: 10/90 HP: 70/70 MP: 50/50 STR: 20 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 10 ( Be even smarter but only at the level of a hard-working ss Leader. ) AGI: 9 ( The agilityparable to a healthy adult man. ) VIT: 14 ( A stamina worth of a specialised athletic. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 15 Detail: A fearsome young girl that could put an adultpletely passed out from her single punch. ¡» She had gained five attribute points from the daily quest and ten more from leveling up. And due to her nature of forgetting stuff, she had forgotten to distribute it. She wonders for a moment when, suddenly, a sh of lightning passed through her mind. She thought the idea was ridiculous, but it won''t hurt to try it, her strength is already strong after all. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 9 EXP: 10/90 HP: 70/70 MP: 75/75 STR: 20 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 15 ( The teacher is awed at your intelligence. ) AGI: 9 ( The agilityparable to a healthy adult man. ) VIT: 14 ( A stamina worth of a specialised athletic. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 10 Detail: A fearsome young girl that could put an adultpletely passed out from her single punch. ¡» She nodded her head before rubbing her eyes and look at the INT once again. What was this detail? Whoever wrote it,e out. I promise I would only beat you until you turned green. She only used five while keeping the remaining ten attribute points. "What are you doing, She? Stop staring at the air and continue on the game." "...well, fine." Chapter 15 - Host Level Is Insufficient The next day. "What happened to you today?" Ria asked the girl in front of her while eating her lunch. The girl tilted her head to the side at her question. "What do you mean?" "You are not an athletic person as far as I know due to your stay-at-home personality." The girl nodded her head at her word, but she was still confused as to why was it got something to do with what she asked for. "But today in the Physical Activity ss, you were not like you on any other day." "...Do you mean that I didn''t get tired or sweat as much as I usually did?" "Yeah, that! and also usually you didn''t join the P.A ss." Ria looked at the girl in front of her once again. She sheepishlyughed at her word and continued eating the lunch food instead. I have leveled up and put the attribute points into strength and vitality which show the result that you have seen in P.A ss, Or so She thought in her mind as she couldn''t possibly tell and exin it to her friend. She identally exposed herself in the P.A ss and hoped that no one noticed it, but she didn''t know that everyone else in the ss already knows her personality well enough for them to see that she isn''t an athletic person. "Well... I have been exercising and jogging every day in this recent week." She nodded her head at her own words. Let''s go for this reason as it wasn''t a lie because she did, in fact, do exercise and jogging daily in order toplete the daily quest. ¡º Keep Your Body Healthy(E) ¡» ¡º ¡ª30 squats. (30/30) ¡ª30 push-ups. (30/30) ¡ªRunning for 1km. (1000/1000M) Reward: +1 VIT Punishment upon failure: -1 VIT ¡» It wasn''t as hard as the first time she did and finished it in no time before going to school. It''s sort of disappointing that she only gets one attribute point for Vitality, but she could do it daily. If she did it for a year, her vitality would reach 360+ which she thought was pretty absurd. With that much amount of vitality, she could be considered as supernatural being already. This didn''t include the Trial Tower daily quest. ¡º Trial Tower ¡» ¡º Complete one mission in the Trial Tower. Reward: 5 Attribute Points. Punishment upon failure: Penalty Dungeon. ¡» Once the school''s over, she would run back home and continue leveling up inside the Trial Tower. Since it was called as ''Tower'', does it mean that she could go higher like for example; Second Floor? The first floor is probably the slime one. If it''s possible, she wonders what kind of monster woulde out. Perhaps, there might be a dragon in the higher floor too! After all, ying dragon is a man romance; she''s a girl though. Suddenly, she feels the palm of hand covering her forehead. Her previous nk eyes were now focused and looked toward Ria, who was touching her forehead with her hands. Her expression appears to be that of worried. "¡­what are you doing? For your information, I''m not sick." "That''s impossible! If you''re not sick, how could you even do such a thing?" Ria shouted in disbelief at her words. There was a dark expression on She''s face when she looked at Ria''s reaction. Smack! "Can I hit you?" "Ouch! You already hit me before asking!" Ria was moaning in pain as she covered her forehead with her hands. She appears to be in so much pain from seeing her facial expression distorted into a grimace. She shrugged her shoulders before saying. "Geez, stop your overreacting. It''s just a flick." "That''s the problem! How can a flick be this painful!" After a few minutes, Ria calmed down as the pain went away. She stares at She while sulking. She let out a sigh before getting up and went to Ria and wrap her hand around her body. "Yes, yes, here''s the warm hug that you want." She said as she hugs while patting on Ria''s back. A smile appears on her face before she wraps her hand around her best friend back feeling the warmth from the hugs. "This is how you do it. You should give me a hug after bullying me!" "¡­what do you even mean by bullying you? Geez." She chuckled and smiled warmly at her friend''s antic. *** Inside the house of the family of two, She''s bedroom¡­ A girl could be seen ying a console game, but she doesn''t appear to be enjoying it, which was the expression on her face was that of bored. After a few minutes, she put the console down with a sigh. "...maybe I should try a different type of games, something like world-building maybe?" She looked at her phone on the side of the table and picked it up. She turns on her phone before looking at the small icon of the earth on the home screen and clicking on it. ¡º Wee to the Leveling System! ¡» She was greeted by the wee message before it vanished and reced by the menu that appears on the screen. Currently, the only function that was unlocked is a status, quest, and inventory function while the rest was grey out, which means it is unusable since nothing happened when she tried clicking on it. When she opened her status, she could see all the fine details of her status when suddenly she noticed that there was a chibi version of her beside her status window. The chibi looked so animated and was very cute; the outfit seemed to be the same as what she was currently wearing. "When did this appear here?" She remembers that when she opened her status, there was only the window of her status on the screen. Did the system listen to another one of myints about how it doesn''t feel like a game without seeing a characterand update again? She thought in her mind. In most RPGs, you can see the character of your game when you opened the status screen. It also shows what the character was currently equipped, such as a weapon, armour, ne, etc. When the first time she saw her status, she was secretly disappointed that she didn''t see any character aside from the status window. But it seems that the system heard her wish and gift her with the chibi She. "If that''s the case¡­ Can you tell me your origin, system? I know that you can hear me." A few minutes passed, yet there were no responses from the system. She sighed in defeat and said. "At least, give me some clues." After saying that, the screen on her phone suddenly changed from her status window into a loading screen. ¡º Loading¡­¡» ¡º Loading¡­¡» ¡º Loading¡­¡» ¡º Loading¡­¡» ¡º Loading¡­¡» After waiting for a few minutes, the loading finally ends. She can feel her heart beating fast as her breath be heavy while she waits for the notification. ¡º The host level is currently insufficient! ¡» ¡º Host is unable to ess the system information! ¡» "¡­I see." With this, she has another reason to get stronger. She was definitely curious about how she got this system which was why in the past she had done her research on the inte but came up with nothing but nonsense. She appeared to be calm back then, but deep down, she was also worried, and wonders were she the only one who has it? What if someone other than her also has it? What is the reason that this systemes to her? Is the worlding to an end? Or will someone, some kind of powerful being from either outer space or Other World was on its way to invade Earth? She didn''t know the answers to all these questions. For now, she could only level up until the information could be ess. Chapter 16 - Unable To Leave The Trial Tower Inside the Trial Tower. "Hup!" She punched at the slime jelly-like body, and it shivered for a moment before turning back into regr water as the force of the punch cracked the core inside it. ¡º You have killed the slime LV.5! ¡» ¡º You have gained experience! ¡» ¡º You havepleted the daily quest! ¡» ¡º You can exit the Trial Tower, Do you wish to proceed? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» "..." She looked around her surroundings and was about to proceed on leaving the Trial Tower bute to a halt. She decided to stay for a while and thought in her mind clicking on no, which make the window disappeared from in front of her face. She wonders why it always asks whenever she wanted to leave or not instead of just teleporting her out afterpleting the quest. She, as a gamer girl, she could feel her spider-sense tingling just like the moment when she had found clues for a hidden quest in RPG that she yed. She had always believed in her sense, and in the end, her spider-sense was right on the mark. But that was in the game, and of course, the game developers won''t make their game unbeatable unless they were sick in mind. But this is a reality, a world where science ruled, and the supernatural was merely a myth. Ghost or whatnot, she didn''t believe in such a spiritual existence and never seen any of them in her entire life. But that was her previous thoughts before she got this leveling system. The current her believes that supernatural did exist, as shown right in where she is. While she was pondering about all that, she was not wasting her time being idle either. She was cautiously moving around, looking for some clues. After a few minutes of going all over the ce, she didn''t find anything that could be a clue and decided to y all the slime that already respawn after being killed by her. Perhaps, that could be the clue. She wasn''t worried about not enough food or water to drink as she was well prepared beforeing in, even more than the past. The money came from the bank card given by her mother at her 16th birthdays. She had only used it to either buy games or dining outside with her best friend. She went to the supermarket and bought all kind of foods such as bread, snacks, frozen food, etc. Before getting inside the Trial Tower, she has done some little experiment on inventory. Although her culinary skill couldn''t be said to be the best, it was not bad either. She had learned it from her mother whenever she helped her with house chores. She tried putting the steaming hot food into the inventory and wait for a few minutes before pulling it back out and surprised, the food was still steaming hot. Her experiment was a sess as she had figured out that the time inside the inventory was frozen just as she had expected. "Hap!" The powerful force of her punch slews another slime. She wipes the sweats off from her forehead with the dirty shirts from the inventory. So useful, she thought. When she had killed a single slime afterpleting the daily quest, for some unknown reason, she didn''t gain any experience from it. Initially, she had thought due to her level is higher than the slimes, it makes perfect sense that she didn''t get any experience from lower-level now. But when the count reached 20, she was still unable to get any exp. From the experience that she had yed RPGs, even when her character level is higher than the monster, she could still gain exp from it, although just a little. Yes, that was a game, and this is not, She knows. But She couldn''t be helped but try topare everything with the games she has yed. It was not her fault that the system gives off the impression that makes her think that she was merely ying a virtual game. But of course, she could feel that everything is real, including the power she feels keep getting stronger the more she leveled up. "Hmm?" Maybe it was because of her sharp sense, but she could sense a powerful presence ahead of her. The mere presence already gives her cold sweats even from this far distance. She wanted to run away right away, but she''s also curious about what kind of being is letting out such a powerful presence. ¡º You can exit the Trial Tower, Do you wish to proceed? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» After pondering hard for a minute, she decided to continue on her path. Before going after that powerful presence, she distributed the point that she acquired from leveling up twice and keep the remaining five. ¡º She LV.10 ¡» ¡º HP: 80/80 MP: 100/100 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 20 ¡ªAGI: 13 ¡ªVIT: 16 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 5 ¡» ¡º Due to the increased in Intelligence reaching 20, You have acquired passive skill: Mana Sense! ¡» ¡º Mana Sense LV.Max ¡» ¡º You can feel the mana flowing through the air and all the surrounding. ¡» ¡º You have acquired the active skill: Presence Detection! ¡» ¡º Presence Detection LV.1 ¡» ¡º You can sense presence from the flow of mana of the surrounding. ¡» "Haha..ha... I knew I was going to get something when the stats increased to 20, but I didn''t expect this much at all." Sheughed sheepishly. After getting the passive skill Mana Sense, she really could sense something flows in the surrounding air of Trial Tower. She even feels the mana inside of her. What a jackpot! She didn''t expect to get presence detection skill too! Perhaps, due to her previously sharp sense, getting assimted with the mana that she could sense a presence even better. The scary presence ahead of her is giving off a danger rm to her as if telling her how dangerous it is; it is even more so after she acquired the skill. The scary presence diminished a little, but that''s it, she still didn''t think that she could beat it. "Well, I just wanted to check out what was that scary presence..." She carefully and cautiously walked ahead of her, but what she saw give her a surprise. A jelly-like body at the size bigger than human adults stood ahead of her gaze. She didn''t know if she was lucky or unlucky now because the slime in front of her has detected her presence when she gets close to it. "I want to leave!" She quickly shouted in a hurry, and a system notification appears in front of her. ¡º You are unable to exit the Trial Tower! ¡» "What¡ª why?!" She suddenly could feel a bad premonition creeps in after seeing that notification. What appears next assured her of it. ¡º Special Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Kill The Boss! ¡» ¡º Kill the Slime King that stood ahead of you. Reward: Lottery. Punishment upon failure: Death. ¡» Chapter 17 - Killing Boss ¡º You are unable to exit the Trial Tower! ¡» ¡º Special Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Kill The Boss! ¡» ¡º Kill the Slime King that stood ahead of you. Reward: Lottery. Punishment upon failure: Death. ¡» "What the poo!" She cursed inwardly upon seeing the quest in front of her. She thought of just checking out the powerful presence that she felt and after that, she would leave. But she didn''t expect for this system to suddenly make its move when it had been staying quiet at all time. How was she supposed to y the Slime King in front of her when she got no weapon on her? She cursed once again at the thought. If she had known that before she would have bought a baseball bat or something and used it as a weapon, but she didn''t because she can pass the daily quest easily without having one. But luckily, she found a kitchen knife in her inventory. Did I forget to put the knife back at the kitchen after cooking the food there? She thought back to when she was cooking. At the time, when she was preparing her food, she puts all the kitchen stuff inside her inventory for the sake of convenience. But only to forget to put it back to its ce due to receiving game notifications from her phone as she urgently runs back to her bedroom not to miss the event. "Kitchen knife... it should be fine." While She was in thought and looking for a weapon in her inventory, the slime was slowly moving toward her. When she found the kitchen knife, the Slime King was already right in front of her. She, in her battle-ready form with the knife in hands, stood and waits for the slime to attack her first before making her move. When she was looking at the slime, she saw a part of the jelly-like body stretch out long until it bes like tentacles beforeshing out at her at such fast speed. Boom! The sounds of the tentacles hitting the ground resound as the hit missed. If not for the increase in the agility stats, She would have been unable to dodge the tentacles attacked from the slime. After avoiding it to the side, she immediately makes her move by swinging the kitchen knife in her hands like a short sword, shing at the Slime King. But it appears the slime was fine from her attacked because as soon after her sh cut out a piece of its jelly-like body, the slime sent out a whip tentacle attack at her. Bam! It missed once again. The slime''s body jiggles as it was angry that its attack keeps getting dodge easily by the prey in front of it. It then keeps on sending a tentacle whip attack after it. Bam! Boom! Bam! After a few minutes of dodging the Slime King''s attacks, she finally figured out its pattern. Thanks to the swordsmanship skill and her agility stats, she was able to avoid all the strike from it. She locked her eyes onto the core that was at the size of a human''s palm swimming inside its body while dodging the slime''s attacked. When she saw the slime stopping its movement for a few seconds, It was enough she thought in her mind before immediately runs toward where the core is before sending out a sh at it. Crack! After being hits by her shed, the core cracked before turning into a fine dust. ¡º You have killed the Slime King LV.6! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You havepleted the quest! ¡» ¡º Lottery function is now unlocked! ¡» All the game-like notifications appeared in front of her. She wipes the sweat off her forehead before muttering ''status'' in her breath. ¡º She LV.11 ¡» ¡º HP: 80/80 MP: 100/100 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 20 ¡ªAGI: 13 ¡ªVIT: 16 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» A smile appears on her face at the two digits on her level. She put back the kitchen knife into her inventory before looking at the surrounding area of the fight. Many grounds have now be cracked due to the slime''s attacked. Thankfully it didn''t hit her or she will definitely suffer, a lot. It sents shiver to her whole body just by the thought. "Hmm? What''s this?" She picked up something shiny that sparkled off the ground where the Slime King died, leaving a puddle of water behind. ¡º You have obtained 200G! ¡» *** "Ah, I''m home." She muttered beforeying weakly on the bed. Why does this feel like deja vu? Well, whatever. All she wanted now was to rest her exhausted body and enter the blessed dream. But her curiosity keeps her awake, and she picked up the phone at the table by the bedside. ¡º Wee to Leveling System! ¡» ¡º Lottery(!) ¡» ¡º You have one free spin for today! Spin it now and win anything or nothing. ¡» When she clicked on the lottery, she was greeted with the message and a whole new window. It shows a lottery spin wheel like that in a game, and it has three different kinds of categories in it, such as Skills, Items and a nk one, probably nothing. "YES!" She''s gamer self inside her screams out after looking at the skills category and items category but soon calmed down herself when she saw the nk category. Once again, before she spins the lottery, she went ahead and did the luck ritual by worshipping the one and only RNG God. "Please give me something nice!" She said before spinning the wheel on the phone''s screen. When the spinning starting to slow down, she stares at it without blinking. The needle slowly passes the nk category and getting closer to the skills category, and her heartbeat harder and harder as the needle getting closer. But it went through and stopped at Items category instead. "Aww. I thought I could get some good skill, oh well." ¡º You have acquired the 10 Low-Grade Health Potions from the lottery draw! ¡» ¡º Low-Grade Health Potion ¡» ¡º Effect upon use: +50HP ¡» "...my luck sucks." It was not wrong to say that she was disappointed, very much. Just by looking at her crestfallen expression would tell you right away at how she felt. Where is Godly Sword? Deadly Saber? Or Heavenly Bricks?! Of all things, why do I get a health potion? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before opening it back after breathing out all the disappointment inside of her. She looked at the lottery window on the phone and noticed something. ¡º Lottery ¡» ¡º 1 Draw ¡ª 50G 10 Draw ¡ª 500G ¡» "So, this is where I should use the gold coins that I collected from killing the Slime King, huh." Chapter 18 - Psychopath Killer ¡º Lottery ¡» ¡º 1 Draw ¡ª 50G 10 Draw ¡ª 500G ¡» ¡º She LV.11 ¡» ¡º HP: 80/80 MP: 100/100 ¡ªGold: 200 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 20 ¡ªAGI: 13 ¡ªVIT: 16 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» "200G... enough for four lottery draws." But should she draw it now or wait until she has enough for ten draws? Suddenly, at the right side of her shoulder, there was a chibi angel with wings while on the left of her shoulder was an evil chibi with horns and tail. Both started their little antic show on her shoulders. The evil chibi told her to draw it now with its gesture while waving the pitchfork weapon on its hand, while the angel one told her to hold on her desire while pping its wing around her. It was weird looking at the chibi of her imagination, which seems precisely like her. ''Do it. Let your desire burn!'' ''Don''t do it!'' ''Do it!'' ''No!'' After pondering for a few moments, She shook her head and put down her phone. She decided to save up the gold until enough for ten draws. Her luck for today sucks anyway, might as well do it when she was lucky. *** "Gugagaga." It slowly walked toward the feeling that was calling it. It doesn''t know what was calling it nor what was it currently feel; it was an idiot after all. After walking for who knows how long and far, it stopped. "Guga?" It looked in front of it and titled its green head to the side. What it saw in front of its two eyes was... an opened spatial crack at the height of 5 meters. It didn''t know what is ''spatial crack'' is but it didn''t care. Beyond the space, it could smell a very delicate smell as it drools. "Gugagaa!" It shouted wildly while swinging the club around in its hand before rushing into the spatial crack. The moment it entered the space, the spatial crack disappeared as if nothing was there from the beginning. *** Lunch at School Cafeteria. "Hey, have you heard? there seems to be a psychopath killer who has murder two people with a blunt weapon, and their remains are in a horrible state... it was as if been bitten by something sharp like that of teeth on some part of the flesh." "Ew. what the poo! I''m eating right now, dude!" "I have the picture here on my phone, wanna see?" "Dude, get the hell away from me! I''m telling you now, or I will kill you!" She looked at the two students who were on the verge of fighting as she eats silently on her table. When the boy spoke of the incident, it was reasonably loud enough for everyone close to them to hear it. She and Cilia are one of them. "Do you hear that?" Ria asked. She answered with a nod as she gulps the food down her throat. "Did you believe such a thing?" "...I guess. I have been hearing people talking about that on my way here after all." She frowned after saying that. She wonders what kind of psychopath would do such a thing and why, if the incident happens somewhere far away, she probably won''t care about it. But it happens in the district she lives in. She has passed by the scene of the incident and saw the surrounding of it filled with cops on her way to school. She had tried using presence detection but didn''t find any kind of reaction from it on the scene. "The world these days is very dangerous isn''t?" She nodded at Ria''s words. She is not worried about herself getting caught in such incident but instead worry for her mother and the person by her side. Maybe she should investigate the incident around the district for the murderer and try to end the case. Although she doesn''t have any skill in investigating, she got a sharp sense which she thought is enough. Once she found the murderer, she should call the cops and secretly followed in case the person tried to run away. But she didn''t expect that the murderer was actually not human. *** "Guga!" In front of She stood the figure of the murder case that involved four people by now. The club stained with blood on its hand was the sore proof of it. A green skin, ugly face and with the height that of a child. Although it was as short as a child, it is definitely not one to be looked down upon. Even a child could kill someone if they were given a knife. The figure in front of her was none other than the most famous fantasy creature of all times, Goblin. She looked toward the beaten up figure with blood all over the body on the right side of the goblin; thankfully, the man was still breathing. This was the fourth victim that the goblin hase across. Fortunately, all the victim so far was a human male instead of female. Knowing the goblin lore, she knew that they would have met a fate worse than death. She let out a sigh as she ponders, she thought the murder case was just some psychopath running wild which was why she went ahead to try to catch the criminal and with her current strength, she was confident that she could beat whoever it is. But she didn''t expect that the culprit was a goblin. A freaking goblin.1 "Where did this green creature came from anyway?" Just thinking about it already brings her a sense of danger and headaches along the way. Is it as she thought of in the past, that the world is getting invaded by the creature from Other World? She shook her head at the trouble thoughts. Whatever the case is, she had to kill the green creature in front of her first before thinking about the danger following up after it. Thanks to the , she managed to find this green creature in no times with her current stats. Although goblin was known to be stupid with no intelligence, the one in front of her appears to be more cunning than the lore from the game. It was sneakily walking around the corner of the street, devoid of the human presence. It only attacks when it saw the prey was alone and sense that the human has merely little strength. But the human female standing in front of it now gives off a terrible feeling. It was rmed, its sixth sense was warning it to run away immediately. But the green creature ignored it. "Gugaga!" Human female! That was the only thought it has inside its head. The prey it has hunted so far was merely a food(human male). It''s been so long since it has got into some action for its little brother. It was hype with so much excitement that it decided to ignore the warning signal from its sixth sense. Without further due, It immediately rushed to her in no time with the club in its hand. Goblin yer, anyone? Chapter 19 - First Kill Looking at the goblins figure rushing idiotically straight at her, She shook her head. Even though it was cunning up until now, it bes idiot once it saw her. The cause of it must have been the lore; Goblin loves a female human. If She were an ordinary girl, her fate would have been worse than that of death.1 But the current her aren''t in any way can be said ''normal''. When the goblin swings its club at her, She avoids it by stepping to the side and sent out a kick afterwards. "Gugaa!" The goblin groaned from the kick it received which awoken it from its idiotic act. It realised how dumb its action had been when it saw the first human female in this weird ce. The prey it has hunted back then as food, all of them have never injured or hurt it with their little strength. It could tell this human female is no way weaker than it. The sixth sense that it had ignored before was still rming it to get away from her immediately. But it couldn''t; even when it regained itself, it couldn''t ignore the human female in front of it. The desire of making the strong human female in front of it into its ything actively burn inside it. It wonders what would this strong female do when it lost and what kind of expression would it make once that happened. "Gagaga!" The expression on the ugly goblin''s face was that of a sneer as itughed. She frowned and decided to head up to beat it. When she was in reality, she couldn''t summon anything from the inventory with just the thought. She had to open the app on her phone and clicked on the inventory function to browse or bring out the item from inside. If she was inside the Trial Dungeon, all she had to do was give it a thought, and a knife will be in her hand, ready to be a swing for ughter. She sent out another kick toward the goblin, as the goblin used the cub and managed to defend against it. Itughed when it safely defend against her kick. But the moment itughed, it let its guard down and was immediately punched by her on the face and blood sttered. "GUGA!" The goblin roared in pain as it swings its club around in madness as if hoping that one of its attacks would hit She. But it would be disappointed as She have already moved away the moment she punched. "One punch is not enough, huh." She had initially thought that the goblin strength was on the same page as an adult man, but she was wrong. If it were a normal adult man that getting her punched, they would have been out unconscious. It seemed that the goblin in front of her is stronger than an adult man, yet because of its cautious nature, it didn''t actively attack people, which makes her thought that it is weaker. "Gaga!" The goblin roared and rushed at her again. When the goblin swings the club, she dodges to the side and sent out a kick¡ª but before she could do that, she vomits a mouthful of blood. "Guh!" She immediately gets away from the goblin while wiping the blood on her mouth. The goblin had managed to agilely kick her in the stomach right after it swings the club. She could still feel her stomach grumble in pain from the kick. Thankfully, it was not as strong to the point her rib would break from it. "Thankfully, I saved one health potion in my pocket just in case of anything happening." She muttered and pulled out the health potion from her pocket before opening the seal and gulped it down her throat. She had thought the health potion would taste disgusting just like the novel she had read once, but it''s not. It tastes kind of sweet, and she would love to drink it anytime just for the taste. After drinking the health potion, she could feel the pain leaving her and wee the blissful feeling afterwards. But before she could fully enjoy the feeling of getting heal, the goblin attacks her by swinging its dirty cub at her. She agilely avoids it with the movement she learned from the Swordsmanship Skill before sending out a punch right back to its stomach. "Gagu!" Now it''s goblin turn to vomit a mouthful of blood which sttered onto the ground. Without waiting further, She sent out tons of punch onto the goblin''s ugly face. The goblin could do nothing but to take the hit without being able to defend due to how fast the punching right after. The club eventually slipped from its hand. Bam! Bam! Bam! When She pulled back after a countless amount of punch, she could see how terrible the goblin''s face had be. It was ugly but now with blood sttered all over including bruises. The current goblin state was unconscious, yet it is still softly moaning in pain. "I guess my bare fist is not enough, huh." She muttered when she looked at the goblin''s bloody face and the bruises all over its body. She had thought it was enough to kill the goblin after all of that. She shrugged her shoulders before taking out her phone from the pocket. "...I forgot to put this kitchen knife back to its ce. I will do thatter." She reminds herself as she held onto the kitchen knife. Stab! The kitchen knife stabbed right onto the goblin''s heart, and it stopped breathing once and for all. "Fuh~." She breathes out of relief and put the kitchen knife back into inventory. When she looked back at the corpse of a goblin, she feels an urge to puke swell inside her stomach. But thankfully she managed to endure it with her strong will. She''s pretty face grimaced as she looked at her two bloody hands which have been sttered from the goblin''s blood through the stab and countless punches. These two bloody hands had killed a living being. Although the goblin was categorised as a monster, it is nheless a living being just like her. But it couldn''t be helped. If she didn''t kill the goblin, she would face something more terrible than actual death. Although she didn''t know where this goblin came from, she still could feel a foreboding danger a miles away. "The corpse didn''t disappear, huh?" This is a reality, after all. She had thought the corpse would disappear like those in-game reced with loot dropped from it. Perhaps, putting it in inventory might work? "Oh! It entered!" The corpse disappeared the moment she put the phone in front of it. ¡º Inventory: ¡ª (Low Grade)Health Potion x9 ¡ª Goblin''s Corpse ¡» "Uhh..." Uh-oh, the man who was beaten up by the goblin is starting to wake up. She decided it''s time for her to take a leave. CoughGoblinyerCough Chapter 20 - Mana And Nightmare Thirty minutester, after She left the scene. "Do you remember what happened?" "Ugh... I only remember that I was going to go to grocery shop... to buy some milk but midway.. I don''t remember..anything other than waking up...with bruises over my bloody body." An officer asked the question to the man who was now covered with bandages all over his body. The man answered back while groaning in pain from time to times. The officer nodded his head as he listens to the man and noted it down on his notebook before excusing himself and walked away. "By the look of your face, it''s the same, huh?" His colleague said when the officer gets in the car. The officer, Max, could only sigh in defeat as he nodded his head. "It''s already the fourth victim, and we still didn''t find any clue of the culprit..." Just like what his colleague said, the previous three dead victims didn''t leave any clue behind. Now that they found a victim that survived against the pyschopath murder, Max had thought that he would finally manage to get on the tail, but Max and his colleagues were disappointed. The pyschopath is too cunning and ruthless. Max couldn''t let such dangerous criminal roaming around the street full of weak civilians. He has been taking quite a lot of his free time to resolve the case before it gets any worse than this, but with no clue, he couldn''t get anywhere. His family missed his presence in the house, and his cute daughter keeps on pestering his wife on his whereabouts. After a few weeks passed with no result, the case was put to close. Max let out a relieved sigh as he thought, I''ming home now, my little honey. But what he didn''t expect was for this ''psychopath murder'' case to not be thest one. When that happened, he could be seenining about how he didn''t have enough time to spend with his family, but that was for the future. *** "I''m home!" "Wee home, did you bought everything that I told you?" "Yes, I did." She slowly walks to the kitchen, and when she arrived, She left the bag of groceries on the dining table before going upstairs to her bedroom. ¡º Wee to the Leveling System! ¡» ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 11 EXP: 15/300 HP: 90/90 MP: 100/100 STR: 20 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 20 ( Wee to wizard world. ) AGI: 13 ( With this agility, she could debut as a pro gamer. ) VIT: 18 ( Vitality is very much healthy and strong, just like the person herself. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 10 Detail: Never make this girl mad, or you will be sorry. ¡» The experience gained from killing the goblin is apparently only amounted to 15. It''s pretty low even though it is stronger than a slime. ¡º SKILLS Passive: ¡ª Photographic Skill ¡ª Mana Sense Active: ¡ª Swordsmanship LV.1 ¡ª Presence Detection LV.1 ¡» She nodded her head when she looked at the skill window on her phone. With the skill, she noticed a few things that give her quite a shock. Mana, a supernatural power/force that people of modern often believes only to exist in a supernatural world such as a fantasy or their imagination. It is like Ki which exists somewhere inside the human''s body. She also believes as such, but the moment she left the Trial Tower right after the lottery, she was surprised to sense that there was mana in her surrounding albeit little. It was the world that she believes to be realistic! How could a supernatural force such as mana to exist?! Her worldview was overturned right at that moment. When she saw the green creature back then, she was very much surprised. She had thought she was suddenly getting ''isekai-ed'' to a fantasy world, but the same scenery(of the building of bricks) told her otherwise. She was currently restless and worried that perhaps, she had gotten into some kind of big wave along the way without any of her knowledge. The big wave that might potentially bring cmity to her world, She shuddered, and she could feel chills running through her whole body. A world filled with crimson fire. Everything burns and the only remain is ashes. Monster wreck havoc here and there, bloody and gruesome corpses could be seen everywhere around the street. People hide in the underground while despairing how cruel the world has be. The modern weapon is useless against the monster that is a league above. Dragons flew in the sky freely with no restraint and sometimes breath a mouthful of fire to the ground, leaving it ckened filled with ashes. Before long, a giant hand rush toward her and¡ª "No!" She shouted in despair at such world-ending scenery, only to realized it was just a dream. Before she knows it, she had fallen asleep and got such a nightmare which woke her up with covered in sweats all over her body. The dreams feel so real and lucid as if something is giving her a warning that this could perhaps be her future. After taking a few deep breaths and drinking a mouthful of cold water, She managed to calm down her furiously beating heart. "I have to level up!" Only by getting stronger could she protect herself against the dangerous future. The nightmare might be a dream caused by the fear inside of her running wild, but she couldn''tpletely ignore it either. But before she enters the Trial Tower, she needs to take a bath to clean off the sweat. *** Private Hotel, Fifth-Floor, Room 3. "...is this fine?" The woman muttered softly to no one but only herself in the room. Her beautiful outer appearance indicated her age to be in 3X. She has a pretty brownish eye with a smooth, silky ck hair and mature facial. "It''s fine. It''s the only path that I could take for a better future." The frown on her beautiful face diminished a little at the word, better future. Although her future is already bleak and white, that girl still has a chance to change the future. The raging power inside of her calmed at the thought. After calming down herself, the woman takes a sip of wine as she looked into the mirror in front of her. What was shown in the mirror was, a girl that has just woken up from some sort of nightmare which could be seen simply by gazing at her face. If someone doesn''t know who she is, they would have thought that the woman was the mother of the girl inside the mirror due to how their face shockingly almost looks identical like that of a copy. Chapter 21 - Second Floor Of Trial Tower ¡º Wee to the Trial Tower! ¡» ¡º The requirement has been met. ¡» ¡º Do you wish to ascend to the Second Floor? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» "What?" She nkly stares at the notification in front of her right after she entered the Trial Tower. Second Floor? You mean this grasnd filled with jelly creature bouncing off here and there is the First Floor then? And what do you even mean by ''the requirement has been met''?! I have just entered! "Fuh~" She took a mouthful of a deep breath to calm down her nerve. After calming herself, she begins to ponder what kind of ''requirement'' she had met/done before entering the Trial Tower. The only thing she did for half a day was going to school like always, and then went home before going out to look for the ''pyschopath killer'' but ended up with a green creature, the goblin. Beat it until unconscious and end its life with a knife in the heart. The cold corpse of it still resides inside the inventory. "Perhaps..." ¡º ¡ª Health Potion x9 ¡ª Consumable Food x10 ¡ª Consumable Bottle of Water x10 ¡ª Knife ¡» "I knew it!" The goblin''s corpse is gone from the inventory, which means it is one of the requirement. Does it also count that she''s level 10 now? Perhaps, both of the above is the requirement. She nodded her head before shrugging her shoulders and said. "Anyway, I''m not going to the Second Floor yet. Let''s kill up some slimes for now." A brand new knife suddenly materializes in her hand. She gripped it hard before giving it a couple of practice swing in order to get used to it. After she was done practicing, she starts to look for a slime to hunt. Stab! Crack! Stab! Crack! Stab! Crack! ... She frowned deepen after killing 40 slimes within 6 hours. She should have leveled up by now, but when she checks her status, it was still showing at level 11. Because she was in the Trial Tower, she couldn''t see the experience bar like the one she saw on the phone. She feels like she''s missing something. Since she could enter the Trial Tower again, maybe she should leave for a while and look up the experience bar on the phone to see if it increase or not. ¡º Do you want to exit the Trial Tower? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» Within the blink of an eye, she was already in her bedroom. She picked up the phone on her bed and opened up the leveling system. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 11 EXP: 15/300 HP: 90/90 MP: 100/100 STR: 20 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 20 ( Wee to wizard world. ) AGI: 13 ( With this agility, she could debut as a pro gamer. ) VIT: 18 ( Vitality is very much healthy and strong, just like the person herself. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 10 Detail: Never make this girl mad, or you will be sorry. ¡» "...it didn''t increase at all." She had spent 6 hours.. of killing slimes without getting a single experience¡ª It was truly a waste of time. She gritted her teeth at the thought. "Perhaps, my level is already higher than the slime, and so I couldn''t get any experience from them anymore?" That might be the correct assumption. She falls on her bed in exhaustion. Ugh, my six hours was waste for nothing! She rolled around in her bed as sheins in her mind. Before entering the Trial Tower, she had to go to the convenient store to refill the consumable food and water. She still had plenty of it stored inside her inventory, but the more she had it, the better. She has to be extra careful and cautious since she didn''t know what''s in store for her on the Second Floor. But since the goblin''s corpse was taken away from her, she could guess what kind of monster she had to fight; it was obvious isn''t? It has to be the wicked green creature that most would see in a fantasy world, the goblin. Huh, you thought the green creature was h*lk? I rmend you to watch the goblin yer get to know more about the goblin. The lore of the goblin is well exined in that anime, after all. But it''s not my fault if you get PTSD from it.1 Joke aside, after taking 20 minutes of replenishing her inventory, she decided to take a warm bath first. It''s essential to take a bath every day, you know? Especially a warm one. "Fuah~ It feels good~" She moans while submerging herself in the warm bathtub. She wonders, is it in Asian bloodline that she enjoys taking a warm bath so much? Probably not, she has seen the other who is not Asian also enjoys it as much as her. But some people didn''t enjoy the bath that much to the point that they would rather take a bath only once in three days. Maybe because they didn''t sweat or smell that easily, but still, if she didn''t take a shower for a day, she would already feel ufortable. After cleaning both the mind and body, She was ready to go. ¡º Wee to the Trial Tower! ¡» ¡º Do you wish to ascend to the Second Floor? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» "Yes." She immediately closes her eyes after saying it. From the brightness of sunlight that she could see even with her eyes closed, but now turned into pure darkness. She slowly opened her eyes. "This is..." In front of her stood a big hole deep in the mountain. The darkness inside of it was like that of an endless abyss, and she couldn''t see the end of it. She looked at her surroundings and noticed that a vast forest surrounded her. She tried walking toward it, but the invisible wall stopped her. "...I have to enter here, huh." She let out a sigh as she looks inside the dark abyss, Cave. When her gaze went inside it, she could feel her sixth sense warning her that it is very dangerous ahead. It was just like the feeling she got when she hade across the Slime King. ¡º Wee to the Second Floor! ¡» ¡º Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Goblin yer ¡» ¡º Kill all goblin inside the cave. (0/10) Reward: 5 Attribute Points Punishment upon failure: Fate worse than death ¡» ¡º Good luck! ¡» if you''re interested then go watch the anime Goblin yer then you will understand. Chapter 22 - Silent Kill "Guga!" ¡ºYou have killed Goblin LV. 7!¡» ¡º Goblin yer ¡» ¡º Kill all goblin inside the cave. (3/10) Reward: 5 Attribute Points Punishment upon failure: Fate worse than death ¡» After killing the goblin, She let out a breath of exhaustion and sits at the back of the wall. The goblin''s corpse in front of her turns into fragments before disappearing entirely into nothingness. She had gotten used to seeing such spectacr sight in front of her, which exin her calmness. She was surprised when the first time it happened and even considers that the Trial Tower was perhaps, a virtual game that she was ying. She had once considered on getting herself killed for the sake of testing if she could revive but vote against it in the end. She''s not so stupid as to try such thing on herself, especially when it involves her life. Was she possessed back then? If not, how could she evene to consider such a horrible thing? She shook her head to remove the thought away from her mind. "Gulp. Fuah~ Seven more to go." She put the bottle of mineral water back into her inventory after she was done drinking it. When she entered the cave, she hade across a single goblin walking around in one ce as if guarding the path ahead from intruders. After ying it, she only needs to walk for a couple of minutes before seeing another yet single goblin. Her wariness grew stronger as she dives deeper into the cave. It had been easy and smooth ride up until now, but she wouldn''t let her guard down. In fact, she grew even more cautious as she dives deeper. This kind of pattern, she had read it in the countless novel and knew what''sing ahead of it. Every time she had finished a fight, she would take a couple of minutes or possibly longer to rest. It wouldn''t be good if she were put into a dangerous situation yet unable to do anything due to exhaustion, right? After having enough rest, She gets up and slowly walk to the only path deeper in the cave. Even though it was so dark that one usually couldn''t see anything, but how is she fine you ask? She only needs to lead the mana inside of her and focus into one ce, which was the eyes. It sounds simple and easy, but it took her about 4 hours of trials and errors until she finally managed to acquire the Night Vision skill. She had almost given up, but because of Mana Sense skill, it helped her a lot with the effort of it. With the Night Vision skill, she could even see the corner of the wall inside the cave as it was bright as day. A pretty convenient skill. If not, she would need to use the torchlight which would expose her location to the goblin as an intruder. It was like a moth flying to the fire. "!! This is..." She quietly muttered to herself when Presence Detection skill picked up two signal ahead of her. She slows down her pace before crouching down and tries to walk as quietly as possible without being notified by them. Finally, the two goblins were in her sight. She stopped for a while and supervised her surrounding with her eyes and concluded that only the two goblins were around. She held the knife on her right hand while on the other hand, she picked up a rock before throwing it a certain distance from her. "Guga?" The two goblins noticed the noise the rock made when she threw it to the side. One goblin urges the other to walk ahead to check the cause of the noises. The goblin grumbles in itsnguage before picking up its blunt cub and heading toward the location of the throw. She waits quietly for the goblin to came close to her as she took a deep breath and gripped the knife tightly in her hands. When the goblin was a meter away from her, she throws another small stone while moving backward at the same pace as the goblin moving forward. The goblin idiotically walks toward the noises that were made by the small stone without any caution of its surrounding. It didn''t realize that it was baited by someone to get a distance away from its otherrade. The goblin arrived at the location and looked around, but it didn''t notice or find anything. It went into a rage as it realizes that it has wasted its time for absolutely nothing. It swings its club at the wall, wanting to release its anger at the innocent wall. But before it could hit the wall, it feels a throbbing pain in its back. It was about to yell in pain, but something blocks its mouth from making noise. She, who has stabbed right in the goblin''s heart from the back, covered the goblin mouth stopping it from making noise to attract the other goblin with her other hand. The goblin struggles wildly for a while, but she managed to keep her hold with her strength until the goblin struggle bes weak and eventually die due to the fatal strike in its heart. ¡º You have killed Goblin LV. 6! ¡» Once she was sure it has died, she pulled the corpse a distance away and left it there before going back to hunt the other goblin. When she came back to her previous location, she noticed that the other goblin was walking back and fro in the same ce. Perhaps, it feels that something happened or went wrong to itsrade since it didn''t return after waiting for a while. While the goblin was moving back and fro, She was pondering whenever she should attack it upfront or do the same n called, ''Baiting the Idiot''. If she strikes it upfront, that might make a lot of noise when she fights which would attract the other goblin, and in no time, she would be surrounded and face the cruel fate worse than death. She immediately rejects the idea and also thought, since when did she be a muscle brawn? This is not a game! I almost forget that this is real, and before I knew it, I was making a n that could literally kill me with the mindset that I''m just a ''character'' of a game. While she was pondering on such a thought, she identally makes a noise by stepping on a small stone. "Guga!" The goblin shriek brought her back to reality, and she immediately jumped forward, wanting to finish the goblin in front of her quickly before it causes a ruckus which would attract the other goblins. When she was close to it, the Presence Detection picked up two signal five meters away from her. The two signal was running straight at her location. It was at this moment that she realizes that she''s in deep trouble. She must kill the goblin in front of her immediately, or she would not survive when the two other goblins join in the fight, which would result in 3vs1. She took a deep breath for a few moments before dashing forward as quick as her agility could and swing the knife in her hands at the goblin. Chapter 23 - Flame Magic She dashes forward and swings her knife when she reaches approximately close to the goblin, but it deflected her attacks by putting the club in the front. She was not surprised by it and immediately afterward, sent out a kick to the goblin''s belly. "Gugaa!" The goblin howled painfully from her kick as it was sent flying a couple of feet away from her. She chases after it in a beat and swing her knife and managed to leave a cut in its belly as blood sttered to the ground. The goblin shriek in pain as it swings the club around it in madness. She agilely avoids getting hit as she paces back and forth. The goblin that was wildly swinging its club around gets even more angry as it saw the human female managed to dodge the strike agilely. When the club was about to hit her, she managed to avoid it in hair breath at thest second. The goblin roared when it saw such a scene happening over and over before it runs straight at her and readies the club to be swing at any moment. She, seeing the goblining at her immediately flees back. The goblin saw her reaction and thought that it managed to scare her with its wild charge, which makes it regain its confidence back. It continues on its wild charge, following right behind her. It wasn''t long until it noticed that the human female breath bes heavier and her running seems sluggish. "Guga!" The goblin roared as it quickly catches up to the tired human female. The female looks so scared as she was trembling nonstop, the idiot goblin grinned. At first, it thought of beating the human female before it could ''use'' her but now, it doesn''t seem to be a need for that. Its hand reaches to the trembling female, but before it could touch her, the blood-sttered to the ground. "Guga!" It howled in pain as the knife embeds deep into its heart. It looked at the human female who has been trembling is now looking at it with her cold eyes. That was thest thing it sees before the light from its eyes fade. She managed to trick the idiot goblin with her acting. ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV. 6! ¡» She was about to take a short break when she heard footsteps running ahead of her. It was the two goblins who have heard itsrade yelling anding to help. But the two werete by a tiny hair breath. She picked up the knife that was embedded deep in the goblin''s body and ready herself for the second round. "Guga!" "Guga!" She gripped the handle of the knife tightly in her hands. Could she handle both of the goblins in front of her by herself? She has definitely grown strong, stronger than the goblin she had first met. She had a feeling that she could beat the two, but her sixth sense warned her, which means that she would likely get hurt in the fights. The two goblins dash straight at her and the club which was already in the air swung at her, but she has already left the spot. She agilely moved at the center of the two to get behind one of them and sh at the goblin''s back. The goblin growl in response, and for the first time, She was surprised as she was kicked in the stomach and flew to the wall. "Guh!" It hurts! She shouted painfully in her mind. She was about to send another sh, but before she could, the goblin has already kicked her away. She immediately stabilized herself and jumped to the side, apart from the goblins before taking out a health potion and drink it. Soon, she stopped feeling the pain in her stomach and throw the empty health potion at the goblins. The empty health potion precisely arrived in the goblin face as the ss shattered and embedded deeply into its face. It painfully roared before rushing wildly at her. But before it could, it saw a bright light ahead and was engulfed by it. "Ha... Haa.. it works..." ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV. 6! ¡» ¡º You have acquired the skill: me Magic LV. 1! ¡» ¡º me Magic Lv.1 ¡ªFireball ¡» ... After throwing the empty potion to the goblin, She had a thought and decided to act on it. She feels the mana inside of her body with Mana Sense skill and then try to control the mana and makes it flow through her body and stopped it in front of her hand. Even though most of the mana spread to the surrounding, there were still some that stays. She closed her eyes and imagined the mana turning into a ball of me in her mind. When she could feel the heat in her hands, she immediately sent the blue-colored ball of me flew straight toward the goblin who was about to rush at her. When the goblin died from her magic attacks, She let out a relieved sigh from her mouth. But she was not done yet as there is still one goblin alive ahead. She immediatelyunches herself at the goblin who was frozen shocked by her sudden fireball and stabbed right in the heart. ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV. 6! ¡» "Fuh~ Thankfully, the magic works." At first, she had wanted to try out like how she did where she gained a night vision skill. But she had thought she would fail for the first try, but in the end, it works out. Perhaps, due to adrenaline rush, she was able to do it. Either way, now that she has the me magic, she wasn''t worried anymore aboutpleting the quest. And finally, She could use magic! It''s magic, you know? The infamous newbie magic called fireball at that! In a realistic world, there''s no way you could conjure actual spell such as a fireball. She had not heard or seen any news about someone using ''supernatural'' power after all. No, perhaps such people may exist, albeit little. Although the world was filled with realistic elements, there were also mana, a force of supernatural in the surrounding. Maybe because of mana influence that there exist supernatural being such as ghost, demon and the likes. She never met any of them in her life, but she had heard myth and a lot of legends about it. Some myth or legend in history might have been quite close to the whole truth. Suddenly She had a thought, what if the tale about demons was actually a monster like a goblin she had met? She immediately feels a chill running through her body. No way! Chapter 24 - Shop System A bottle of mineral water suddenly materialized in her hands. She opened up the cap and drank it in one gulp. Her thirst finally diminished a little bit. In just one thought, the status and quest window pops up next to each other. ¡º She LV.11 ¡» ¡º HP: 90/90 MP: 80/100 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 20 ¡ªAGI: 13 ¡ªVIT: 18 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» ¡º Goblin yer ¡» ¡º Kill all goblin inside the cave. (7/10) Reward: 5 Attribute Points Punishment upon failure: Fate worse than death ¡» It seemed that one cost of the fireball is 20MP, that means she could use it five times, but she didn''t know what will happen once her mana reaches zero. In some cases, her body will only get tired as if she had just run a marathon. But in the worst likely case, she could be put onto unconscious after using thest fireball which would endanger herself without a doubt. She couldn''t test it out here due to the danger still brew inside the cave and maybe, also on the outside. Perhaps once she gets out of the Trial Tower, she could test it out somewhere which is devoid of people. Although the mana outside is too littlepare in the Trial Tower, conjuring the fireball spell that she had acquired from the skill should be easy to do. She noted down what she was going to do when she left in her mind before a bread materialized in front of her. But before she eats, she checks up the status for a confirmation. ¡º She LV.11 ¡» ¡º HP: 90/90 MP: 85/100 ¡ªSTR: 20 ¡ªINT: 20 ¡ªAGI: 13 ¡ªVIT: 18 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» "Let me see..." It has been five minutes since the fireball she has cast. Does this mean that the mana regeneration is one per minute? Since she has got 100 MP, she had to rest for about 1h and 40minutes for it to fill up from zero. That''s pretty interesting, She thought as she nommed on the bread. She just needs to take a rest for about 15 minutes before her mana is all filled. While she was resting, she didn''t let her guard down as she would asionally use Presence Detection. The amount of mana used for it depends on how far she could reach. At the skill Lv.1, she could reach as far as five meters at the cost of 30MP. But the amount of mana could go down as low as 1MP if it was around a meter or so. That was what she did after every two minutes while she was resting. It took her for half an hour. ¡º Lottery ¡» ¡º 1 Draw ¡ª 50G 10 Draw ¡ª 500G ¡» ¡º Gold: 500 ¡» The lottery window suddenly pops up in front of her. After killing the goblins, some of them dropped a gold coin which she immediately picks it up. She didn''t check how much gold had umted, and when the lottery surface in her thought, the lottery window appears in front of her. She smile in happiness when she thought of the ten draws that she could do and wonders what she would get from it. Since she had managed to create two skills in the time she was here, she thought that perhaps, she could gain something nice from the lottery. Before giving a thought to click on the ten draws, She decided to give her prayer to the RNG God firsthand. She doesn''t know what''s ahead of this cave, but she could tell that it would be dangerous. And so, why not use lottery? Or so she thought. Maybe she might acquire something that could potentially be a trump card for the future. And with a thought, the lottery starts spinning and gaining the speed in no time. Now, all she had to do was to give it a thought for the spin to stop. She tried focusing on the lottery spins, but she couldn''t catch up with her slow eyesight. She desperately prays to God above or the underground, whenever it is, Please give me something good! The lottery spin starts to slow down, and before long, the result came out. *** ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV. 6! ¡» ¡º You havepleted the quest! ¡» ¡º Goblin yer ¡» ¡º Kill all goblin inside the cave. (10/10) Reward: 5 Attribute Points Punishment upon failure: Fate worse than death ¡» "I''m finally done with this." She let out a sigh before falling on her butt to the ground. Thest three goblins were actually grouped up together when she found them. But thanks to the me magic, she managed to beat them up with little injuries. Though the fight takes a lot longer than any match she had been into so far; It was a very exhausting fight for her. If she were given to choose between the fight or staying awake for 24h gaming, she would instead go with thetter choice. Or maybe she would even choose to go after 24h of anime girls shouting ''Ayaya''. That was how exhausting the fight was to her. No, wait. You can ignore thest one. I wouldn''t do that even if someone paid me. I had enough of PTSD from the goblin yer. ¡º Do you want to exit the Trial Tower? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» ... Aftering back to her home, She didn''t immediately go out to test the n she had. She picked up the phone before opening the leveling system app and went to the newly opened function, The Shop. It was not actually new since She had seen the function unlocked after the fight against the Slime King. No, to be exact it was because she had picked up the gold coins dropped. When she decided to keep the gold and exit the leveling system, she noticed the shop being unlocked after exiting the lottery windows. Of course, she was so surprised that she identally drops her phone. It was a relief that she was on her bed. After getting over the shock, she immediately opened up the shop function and was dazzled by the item inside of it. The shop has everything that she would need in all kind of situation such as weapons, all-type of the potion, skill books, etc. It was freaking amazing. But of course, the price was also deadly with the zeros right behind it. Imagine seeing a skill book called Fly Magic right in your face, but the price for such a book is tremendously huge. It''s blocking her path to be a Superwoman! Joke aside, anyone could tell how happy she is when she browse to the shop. But the only thing you could do is Buy and Sell. Even so, the items inside the shop were way too godly, and some are even unbelievable. She had to repeat it because of how important it is to her. She went to the potion section in the shop, and within minutes she had already found the potion she was looking for. It was none other than mana potion. Chapter 25 - Trial Towers Key 3 AM in the night, At the Park. "Fireball!" An orb of me suddenly materialized in front of her hand before it was sent flying toward the sky and explode in the air. The sight when the fireball is exploding was truly beautiful, like that of the art of fireworks. Too bad that the only person here was her, or rather she would be in deep trouble if someone else were to be here. She wouldn''t know how to exin, after all. Since it was 3 AM in the night, she''s sure that no one would be in the park. She took advantage of the Trial Tower''s time different than reality; She had already sleep inside at the First Floor. Apparently, the Trial Tower is like in a game where there would be a safe zone for the yer to rest. That was why whenever she entered, no monsterunches an attack at her. Is she not afraid of the ghost when she was all alone in the midnight of the park? If it appears right in front her, she will fire the fireball spell right in its face. How can a ghost be scary than a goblin? If it were an evil spirit, she would run away already. But then again, why would there be an evil spirit in the park? She never heard any haunting case happens in the park, after all. When she cast fireball, she doesn''t actually need to chant or anything the likes. All she had to do was to give a thought, and the fireball would manifest in front of her. But who cares about that. Doesn''t it seem cool when you chant, a fireball materialize out of nowhere and ready to be fire at yourmand? Do you ever dream of bing a sorcerer or wizard? I am a wizard. Joke aside, Sheing here to the park in the night was actually because she wanted to test out what''s going to happen when the mana is all spent. She also had the other experiment n to test; it was not only one. She tried to summon two and more fireball, but since nothing happened and her mana didn''t decrease, she guesses that it doesn''t work. It was likely because she doesn''t have the skill for it. "Fireball!" A second fireball manifest in front of her and she throw it in the sky just like the previous one. Suddenly a thought appears in her mind, Am I now a human firework or what? She shook her head at the thought before continue firing the spell to the sky. Thest fireball flew into the dark sky before exploding into a glittering star scattered to the surrounding. All of a sudden, She feel like her strength disappearing entirely from her body, which makes her feel extremely weak. Without any power left, She falls on her butt to the ground. And then sudden dizziness runs through her mind like a typhoon in the desert. It was the worst feeling she had ever felt; thankfully, she didn''t lose consciousness. She gritted her teeth hard and managed to pull out the phone from her pocket before clicking on the leveling system. Even with the massive dizziness and the loss of strength, She was able to move one of her hand with her strong will and opened the inventory. She immediately clicks on the blue potion icon on the screen, and the mana potion appears above the phone. She grabbed onto the potion before pulling the caps off and drink it altogether. The loss of strength and dizziness immediately disappeared when she finished her drink. "Ah~ seriously, I won''t ever do that again. It sucks." If not for the mana potion, she would likely wait for her mana to regenerate bit by bits. But she would not be such an idiot, which was why she only does it when she got the mana potion in the inventory. She got the mana potion from one of the results of her lottery. The ten draws could be considered as lucky since she gained something good from it, the first few that is. Theter were all trash¡ª I mean, I get nothing! It stopped at the nk category, after all! At least give me some gold! This is so unfair! I''m reporting the system. The first few prizes she got from the lottery was genuinely dazzling, which brought a smile on her face. She doesn''t need to exin the aftermath. ¡º Trial Tower''s Key ¡» ¡º Grade: A With this key, one could enter the Trial Tower. ¡» ¡º Disguise Skill Book ¡» ¡º Grade: A By touching the book, one could learn the said skill. ¡» These two were the only thing that caught her surprised. The others were merely mana potion and trash(literally nothing). First of all, why did she get the key to the Trial Tower? She doesn''t need it since she could enter it on her phone. She had tried using it once when she got it(put the key in the air as if unlocking an invisible door) and noticed a few things different than how she normally entered. The first thing she noticed was the card that she found in the pocket like the first time she entered didn''t disappear. When she pulled it out, she could see her status appearing on the card instead of in the air like some sort of game window. She could only see her status and the skill she had; there was no inventory option anywhere. Another thing was something vague. Unlike how she normally enter, with the key, she feels like if she dies in the Trial tower, she will die for real. That was what her sixth sense that has gotten sharp told her. She also tried to find if there were any quest she could do, but nothing was found on the card. But the quest option exists if she clicked on the ''Q'' icon at the upper corner of the card. The message shown was, [ No quest currently avable. ]. But whates next shocked her to the core. ¡º Do you wish to give a quest for the key''s yer? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» A notification window appeared in front of her face when she had the crazy thought. Could I give a quest? Such crazy thought suddenly passed through her mind before the system window pops up in front of her. It took her a while for her thought to reorganize into one before she calmly thought that she was clicking on the ''yes''. ¡º Quest System [Host] ¡» ¡º Quest avable: ¡ªFirst Floor Kill the Slime ( Insert the amount ) Kill the Slime King ( Level 10 requirement ) ¡ªSecond Floor Kill the Goblin ( insert the amount ) ¡» It seems that she could only create two quests for the one who entered using the key(her). The second-floor quest appears to be locked. After she was done and sent out the quest, she immediately checks on the card. ¡º Slime Killer I ¡» ¡º Kill the Slime (0/10) Reward: 10 EXP ¡» The minimum amount of reward she could give was ten experience, while as for the highest, it could only go until 100. But the more she increased the reward, the more slime she has to kill. Why is there no penalty?! I mean it''s understandable that they would die for real if they just let the slime hurt them but who would be such an idiot? And it appears that only level 1-5 could only ept the quest, which means she couldn''t abuse it. As for the Slime King, the yer has to be level 10 in order to ept the quest. She said by using the yer term is to make it easier for her to understand. And yes, the most important thing is, after the yer epts the quest, they need toplete it if they want to leave the Trial Tower. But they coulde and go if they didn''t take any quest and they could browse and walk all around the grasnd without worries of any slimeunching an attack on them. The monster only appears when they epted the quest, after all. She couldn''t ept the low-level quest, which was why she tried on Killing the Slime King. It doesn''t take much longer before the Slime King turned into regr water which sttered to the ground. She only managed to get ten experience, though. Of course, she tried sending out the same quest again, and it appears she could only ept three quests for a day. When she exited the Trial Tower, the key will return to her hand. Alright, I guess it''s time for me to face the truth. All of that seems nice, but why did she not feel happy at all? In fact, she feels terrible. Her current expression was like that of someone who identally swallowed a bitter bug. She somehow knows what the key was for when she got it. What else could it be other than meaning someone else could enter the Trial Tower?! Before it was the goblin but now a key. Her sixth sense could feel a bad omen near in the future. Ah~ all I wanted was to level up in peace! This is not what I asked for! The question is, who should be the owner of the key? Chapter 26 - A Wish Of Conquering The Sky In the midnight, At the Park. A lone female figure could be seen sitting on the bench while pondering about the key she was holding. The key doesn''t look like an ordinary key of anything ever seen, and it seems like something that involves stuff that ain''t normal. It''s colored in all ck as if being paint like that of the night sky. Aside from how unique it looks like, it also holds a mysterious origin. With this key in hands, one could enter a whole new world called the Trial Tower. In gaming term, it''s an Instant Dungeon''s Key. The Trial Tower that She entered via the phone was different from the key. Both are the same instant dungeon, but it is entirely different at the same time. The difference between entering via the key and the phone was, the instant dungeon would merely look like a natural grasnd somewhere on Earth. But if She entered the instant dungeon via her phone, she would be in the safe zone but outside there exist slimes that are waiting tounch at you at any time. Only when the key user epts any quest(be it ying slime or goblin) would the monster appear in the field. They have to fulfill the quest, or they won''t be able to exit the Trial Tower in any other way. And apparently, as the host of the leveling system, She could monitor when someone entered the Trial Tower via the key on her phone. It was akin to watching another yer in MMORPG. But for this one, she could switch the view or even move the invisible camera around the yer. She literally has eyes everywhere, and none could hide anything from her when intruding in her holy ground. She put the key back into her inventory before bringing out the skill book to her left without touching it just yet. She could click the icon of the book on her phone to summon it out without ended up learning it. The book materializes to her left, and she tries to analyze it from the cover. The front of the book was nothing different than the back aside from having a title on it. The size and thickness of the book could be considered just like one of the Japanese light novel. She doesn''t know how the book''s weight since she couldn''t touch it. "So, this is how the skill book looks like." To be honest, she was expecting it to be more¡ª you know, magical? Something like the grimoire in the fantasy world. But the skill book in front of her looks just like the one in the game. And the title on the book said, Disguise. One would think that it was an ordinary book about how to disguise or something. That was how she thought at first when she received it, and if not of the system notification alerting her what it was, she would not have concluded that it was a skill book. One shouldn''t judge a book by its cover. Anyway, from the name of the book, she could guess what the skill would be. It was an essential skill for one who has a job that requires them to hide their real identity. It was not a job where one would be proud of saying it in public; they would expose themselves otherwise. If it were before she got the key, she wouldn''t have any need for this skill. But now, she coulde up with a n where she could give the key to someone without exposing herself. That is if she finds someone worthy enough, she doesn''t want to ended up making a monster, after all. Her hand was about to touch the book when it came to a halt. Does it hurt when a memory of something was suddenly imprinted itself deep inside your brain? Most of the novel she has read regarding taking over the dead body; the protagonist would be in agony when the original owner''s memory suddenly rush to their mind. If it hurt, it wouldn''t be that bad right? Well, even if it hurt, it wouldn''t kill me anyway, right? Did I just raise a death g here? The moment She''s hand touched on the skill book, she could feel a warm sensation rushing from her hands to her whole body. She closed her eyes to enjoy the warm current in her body as if basking in a warm bath. Because she closed her eyes, she didn''t see the skill book disappearing like a flickering light to nothingness. After a few seconds that feel like an hour to her, She finally opened her eyes. "Surprisingly, it feels good." The know-how of using the disguise skill has already imprinted in her mind. With the skill at level 1, she could change how her facial looks, including changing her hair and pupils color. Silently, she pulled out a small mirror from the inventory in the phone. You would not be a woman if you didn''t carry at least one mirror with you. She changed her hair color from ck into a crimson red, followed by the brown pupils into beautiful golden eyes. She also changed a little bit around her facial and before long, an unknown beautiful red-haired girl with golden eyes appeared in the mirror. Even the person herself was surprised by the result. She feels like she was staring at someone else instead of herself. After that, she tried to make a lot of change in order to get used to the skill. From a beautiful girl into grumpy grandma, from grumpy grandma into an ugly girl before turning into a belle. It was a bizarre experience, yet she had a lot of fun doing it. She only needs to give a thought of turning the skill off and she would return back to her real look, it didn''t require any real cost(such as money for dyeing hair) whatsoever. It didn''t take long before she gets used to it. Apparently, changing the hair and eyes color only cost 5MP while to change any part of the facial requires 10MP. She also thought if she leveled up the skill, the cost would eventually go down along with more part of her body that she could customize. It''s also possible for her topletely disguise as an animal! She could spy someone by disguising herself as either cat or dog by making her target let their guard down, which could also give her a chance to send a deadly strike. If she couldn''t fly with magic, she could also fly by disguising herself as a bird! Anything work for the sake of her goal to conquering the sky! Now that she was done with her business here, she decided its time for her to leave. She decides to change her look to someone else before getting up and left. She doesn''t want any of her neighbors identally see her walking back from the park in midnight, after all. Although the chance is small, it was not zero. Chapter 27 - Unique Junior The next day. Just like any other day, the first thing She did when she wakes up early in the morning was to go outside and do a routine running. When she came home, she immediately went to the bathroom, and before taking a bath, she does the usual pushups and squats. Only when she finished it with sweats all over her body did she submerge herself in the bathtub filled with warm water. Even though it was hard to get used to such routine for a girl like her but she couldn''t do anything about it. If she didn''t do it, she would get the punishment of being sent to the Penalty Dungeon. She doesn''t want to be chased around by a massive scorpion in a hot desert, after all.1 Although she could gain tons of experience there if she could kill it, now it is not possible for the current her. That is if her enemy there was only a gigantic scorpion, what if there was another huge monster there? Or rather, does the penalty dungeon followed that notion? What if she would get tortured in there instead? Please, I am not a masochist. No matter how tempting it is, she could only hold it back for now. Once she has enough strength, she would take up the challenge. *** At school cafeteria during lunch. "Hey, did you hear the rumor about a goddess in the sophomore year?" "You mean, the girl who got a high score in academics and also good at sport?" "I also heard that her beauty rival that of the Top 10 Belle in this school!" "Man, seriously?! When did we get such a unique junior in our school?" Boys of the same culture club would always have a topic for them to talk. One of them tried to tone down his voice into a whisper, but the other guy gives no poo about it and speaks out loud. But they are not the only group that was talking about the ''unique junior''. The other tables were also whispering about it to one another. But only one table was quietly eating their lunch while disregarding the surrounding. "You really didn''t care about such rumor, aren''t you?" "..." She quietly eats her lunch. She doesn''t need to give her response to her childhood friend since she already knew the answer to that. While she didn''t say anything, she was still staring at the girl in front of her. Should she give the key to her? If she did, she doesn''t need to keep her secret anymore. The person she trusts the most is her, after all. They had gone through hell and dirt together ever since they were still a small little toddler. She even feels guilty for keeping a secret from her, but her rational thought stopped her. Even if Ria doesn''t betray her or anything like that, she won''t have a normal life anymore the moment the key was in her hands. Although She doesn''t mind herself, she doesn''t want to expose her childhood friend toward such a dangerous future. She had already lost her normal life the moments the app was on her phone, after all. She didn''t have a choice, but Ria does, and it was for her to make the decision. If, and only if in the future that her secret was exposed, only then would she tell everything. She was also not too confident of having enough strength to protect her closed one. At the end of it, power is everything. Only by bing so powerful would she able to proudly walk on her own two feet without worrying about her family and others getting hurt on her back. "Why are you staring at me while eating?" "...nothing." She resumed back to her lunch, and Ria just shrugged off her shoulders at her friend before joining in. Neither of the two notice that someone was actually starting at them somewhere in the distance. She could actually feel the gaze but decide to ignore it since she was used to it. The gaze moved to Ria for a while before it went back and stayed at She. "That is... the girl that I saw in the park." The girl gasps in surprise before quickly covering her mouth with her hands and look on her surrounding. Thankfully, no one heard her. She usually spent her time in the ss even at lunch since she bought a bento made by herself. But for the first time, she decides to visit the cafeteria secretly so that no one will notice since she was pretty famous at the moment. She was not being narcissistic here. The reason for her visited was to look out for a specific individual. She was not hoping to find that person in her school but merely trying to look for her. But what she didn''t expect was for the person to be also in the same school! Precisely, the person was actually her senior! Indeed, the world we live in is a small world for sure. And right now, she was secretly sneaking a peek at her while hiding in the corner like some sort of stalker. If one didn''t know of her gender, they would have thought and misunderstood that she was interested in her senior with her ncing toward the senior from time to times. "Hm? Is that the ''unique junior'' we were talking about?" "She does resemble her¡ª no, wait. That''s her, alright!" The girl panicked when she heard the people''s remark at the table closer to her. Without waiting further, she immediately runs away without looking back. "Wow, look at that girl running, she''s fast." She just simply nodded her head at her friend''s words. Even though the girl ran was indeed fast, she could see it in slow motion, the junior uniform that the girl wore. Because of her sense has been sharpened, She could hear the exim from the table close to the corner exit before the girl ran. She wonders what was that ''unique junior'' doing in the cafeteria since she doesn''t seem to be eating her lunch here. Was she looking for someone? Her friends, perhaps? Well, who cares. The girl''s business is her own; she won''t bother any of it. She could agree to the people''s remark when they said the junior was absolutely beautiful. She had seen a lot of models, and even plenty some who does stic surgery to be pretty. She didn''t have any problem against them or anything, and in fact, they are actually nicer than those who have natural beauty. Thetter was arrogant and have contempt in their eyes when they looked at the one who did stic surgery. If she had to say, that junior''s beauty isparable to the top model of her mother''spany. Basically, she could hit a sessful career if she decides to be a model in the future. But beauty usuallyes with poison, especially in the entertainment circle. She hopes that the junior won''t join in the entertainment world, and if she did, she would use her mother''s influence to help her if she gets in trouble. She doesn''t want to see the same tragedy happens again. I Alone Level Up reference Chapter 28 - Yuna And Magical Girl Yuna''s POV After running away from the trouble that might be bigger due to me being there, I let out a sigh without holding back. I don''t know when was it, but there will always be trouble when I''m at school. People that I talk to is either ended up joining my fan club(didn''t know I had one) or they would be sweep aside by my fans. Once, I wondered and asked them why they keep saying I''m their goddess or whatnot, but I have more or less given up on that now. They were too persistent. I was born into a loving family who loves and treasures me a lot. My parents are not poor but couldn''t be said to be rich either. They have enough money to spentvishly from time to times, after all. My mom is a housewife while my dad works as a manager of a Fashion Company. He earns enough to support a family of four without working day and night tirelessly. And since I''m the only daughter they have, they always spoil me. I didn''t be a person who is rotten in their core due to being spoiled too much is because of my mother''s teaching. When I entered high school, I was already a hardworking student who score top academics. Whenever I had free time, I would use it to study. But I was stopped by my mother when I went too far to the point that I have no hobby or such. Mother said that I should take a break from time to times in order to let my brain digest the studies fully. If I keep on doing it without a stop, eventually I might break, that was what she said. I asked my friends regarding how they spent their free time and learned a lot from them. Some of them spent their time submerge inziness, while some went outside to either y around or shopping with all their might. I had tried everything except thezy part since it was not in my nature. When I was in school, I identally overheard that someone was bad-mouthing their ssmate. It was something about how this girl could spend all the times in her hobby, and because of that, she fell behind in her grades. It seemed that the girl doesn''t have any friends in her ss. No one talks to her due to her hobby, and some even bully her for it. It was infuriating that such people have so much time that they use it to bully people instead of doing something productive. That girl didn''t do anything nor cause harm to the people who bully her; She did nothing wrong. It feels like they just bully her because she didn''t say anything and the fact that her hobby is disgusting in their respective. I tried talking to her once when I came across her on the streets. She was on her way to buy aic(or manga in her case) from the bookstore. At first, she was nervous that a pretty girl like me suddenly started talking to her. I''m not being narcissistic here; I know how my look could cause trouble because I have experienced it a lot. But once she knows that I''m a good person, her smile didn''t seem to be awkward anymore. She didn''t look as bad as what the others in her ss said. In fact, she was quite the natural beauty herself. But since she didn''t take care of herself nor even trying to put effort into it, no one noticed it until now. After getting to know her more, I found that we seem to have been clicked. And before long, she started to introduce me to her hobby. She seems to enjoy reading fiction about a fantasy world where a supernatural being exists. Even I had to agree that such a world is indeed cool after getting to know all sorts of stuff. Once my ssmates heard the rumor of me talking with her, they worriedly ask if something happened, but I just smiled at them in response. She seems to be conscious of being friends with me and tried to avoid talking to me in public, but I disregard it. And one day, someone actually dares to cause trouble to her by saying things like how ugly duckling trying to be a swan by getting to know a real swan. At first, I thought she was fine, but after a few days, I started to notice that she seems to be trying to put a distance of herself from me. When that one time that I identally heard she was muttering to herself how ugly she is, I couldn''t hold myself and went to her. And within a few weeks, her ssmates were surprised by her shocking transformation. In their conscious, the ugly duckling suddenly turned into a beautiful swan. That was how outrageous it is. But I was not surprised at all since it was because of me that such transformation possible. I only gave her the beauty n that I used and told her to follow it no matter what, and she unwillinglyplied. The girl was surprised when she looked at the mirror reflection of herself. To short it down, she became a belle. I don''t know when was it, but she started to worship meter after that. What did I do that it went wrong? I don''t know. Anyway, I think that''s enough of the backstory of my best friend. Let me tell you the reason why I brought it up. One night, I was depressed about the ending of a story that I followed. I was unable to sleep and decide to take a walk to the park to clear up my mind. On my way there, I didn''t meet anyone because it waste at midnight, obviously. Before I came near to the park, I could see a firework flying to the sky and explode as it paints the night with the glittering lights. I was surprised and thought who the weirdo that ys firework in midnight at the park was. But then I noticed something shocking when I was getting closer to the weirdo. The firework that I saw previously was actually not a firework. It was fireball! A real magician''s fireball! If I had my phone at that time, I would have been recording such a magical scene and save it in the deepest part of the folder. I would not be such idiots who post this type of thing online just to make money out of it. It would cause the public to be in the outrageous state while the government will likely try to ''ask'' the person who posted it ''nicely'' in a room. I had seen enough movie to know where it is going. Maybe I should get to know that magician¡ªno, wait. What would the magician do when someone identally saw him conjuring fireball in secret at midnight? I.. will be killed, right? The n was immediately flush down the drain as I watched while hiding in a bush. When the fireball was conjured, she could see the real figure of the magician. It was surprisingly a girl. I decided to walk away when the magical girl conjures the fourth fireball. Thankfully, I didn''t get exposed or else. But even so, I didn''t know that such magic exists in this materialistic world. If my best friend were in my ce, I bet she would immediately run recklessly to the magical girl and ask for a contract. I thought I would never see that magical girl anymore after that event. But that didn''t stop me from trying to look for her, though. And what a shocking development, that magical girl was actually my senior in high school. Her name is She. Chapter 29 - I Know Nothing, I See Nothing Three dayster. For the past three days, She had been feeling ufortable. She felt like someone was always watching her whenever she went outside in public. The feeling grew stronger when she was at school. She had thought the two guys who she stripped naked from before were stalking her for revenge, but since she wasn''t attacked or anything, so she just shrugged it off. Is it harassment that they are going for? If so, it is working. She tried to look for the source, but whenever she did, the ufortable feeling washes away as if didn''t exist at all. It seemed that whoever is watching her is also vignt that she might take notice of them. Although it feels ufortable, surprisingly, the gaze doesn''t seem to contain ill intent. Which was why she only feel ufortable and not danger from it. While she was searching for the source at the school, she heard the students speaking of rumor about the unique junior again. But this time it was about how she was acting strangely for the past few days. She was probably on her bad day at that time of the month. How could She imagine that the ufortable feeling actually came from this junior of her? There''s no way it crossed her mind at all. She has been focusing on training her skills whenever she could. After three days, all the active skills are now level 2. She could now send out a wind sh from her knife like the one from the anime, but that was a sword while she was using a knife. It could easily cut the goblin''s head off its body like a knife cutting butter. It would be much cooler if she has a sword instead of the kitchen knife. But who in the world would sell such dangerous weapon as a sword in the modern-day, right? It''s possible to finds gun though, but she doesn''t have any of such convenient skill like gunmanship. You also require a license to buy one which would be a pain in the neck to exin to her mother why she needs a gun. She could only wish that one day, the monster might drop a sword or getting one from lottery and shop. Both options require luck, but thetter is very costly. As long as she saves gold starting from now on, she would be getting one any time early in the future. With the me Magic at Level 2, she could now conjure fire arrow! She could conjure it up to three fire arrows at once at the cost of 20MP. It was costly, but she was okay with it since she could kill the slime with the fire arrow from a safe distance. Basically, she had acquired a long-distance attack spell. It was definitely worth the golds she used to buy the mana potion before firing the fireball spell repeatedly at the goblining straight to her, earning her a couple of golds back with the experience for her me magic. Hitting two bird with one stone or so they said. Did I say something about saving gold? You must be mistaken. When the disguise skill went up to level 2, she gained an ability to change her body structure, such as making herself taller or shorter. She could secretly raise her height slowly until everyone thought it was normal since she was still in her growing phase, and finally, she could earn the right to officially joining the tall club! That was a joke; she is not short by any means. She could now be lolita, old grandma or lolita, and lolita. But she was still unable to be a cat. The road is still long ahead nya. Andstly, the presence detection is now level 2. She could sense presence from the flow of mana in the surrounding air of 20 meters afar. Now, you must be curious.Did I finally found the culprit for the cause of feeling ufortable? The answer to that is... Yes. Unfortunately, yes, I saw her. How I wish I could go back in time and stopped myself from doing it. I would rather not know about this and stay oblivious, but I couldn''t help it now. Why.. Just why is that girl stalking me with the sparkling eyes. I have done nothing wrong in the past few days, I swear! What did I do to deserve this? Now, I understood and knew the rumor was actually true. She is, indeed a strange fellow. Where did the respectable student who scores top academics go? Why is she following me even to the bathroom? I''m starting to get scared now. This is even harder than trying to fight a group of goblins. Should I ask her? But I don''t want to know her answer! I know! Let''s just ignore it and be done with it, yes, let''s go with that. "She... I had been keeping my silence up until now but is that girl, someone you know?" "No." "But she is¡ª" "No." Ria finally quiets down, and both of them walk in silence while a particr junior was ''secretly'' tailing behind their back. She didn''t know how Ria could tell that her junior was stalking them when she was just a normal person. Perhaps, she has a strong intuition and couples it with a female''s instinct was the reason why. Whichever it is, she decides to ignore that junior of her entirely as she walks straight to home. But what was very funny is that the junior of her thought that she was still not exposed to her, which was why her tailing bes so apparent now. But the girl herself was still confident that she wouldn''t be found out. It was hard being a senior who was considered by her junior. She doesn''t have the heart nor will to speak to her. Maybe one day she will eventually stop? Please let it be so. I beg you, God. *** Yuna''s POV I don''t know why, but I have been tailing the magical girl for the past few days. I just couldn''t help it when I thought of that midnight at the park, and when I see her, my body unconsciously moves and sneakily follows her along. Perhaps, I''m simply curious about her identity. I only know about her name, after all. I tried asking the other students, and they said she was quite famous for a while now due to various reason. One of them was how she easily beat the senior who was known for his excellent record in the running. Another was merely a rumor from boys, but they mentioned that she appears to be more beautiful as the day passes. When I asked them how could they tell, they replied with something nonsense which makes her confused. From all these, I am now sure that she was hiding her ability from people. Doesn''t this plot seem familiar? I have read the novel about how the protagonist hides his/her power to protect his/her loved one from danger as he/she was still too weak. It was not wrong for them to do it since if I were in their ce, I would do the same. You need more information about the outside world, and who knows, maybe someone out there also have the same power as you? Just by thinking about all sorts of scenes in the novel she reads, the excitement within her explodes all at once. This is getting interesting! And so Yuna decides to keep on following(stalking) She. She didn''t care anymore if she was exposed or not, because her mind was already set on it. Chapter 30 - One Question "Ugh. What is her deal?" She asks that to herself many times over at her junior who was stalking her right behind whenever they came across each other. No matter how she thought over it, she couldn''te up the reason why she did it. If it was a male pervert that was stalking her, that was understandable. But what about a junior who was stalking you with her eyes sparkling like one would do when they see their idol? The junior didn''t cause any trouble to her and her friends. All she did was stalked right behind the pole, not even bothering of trying to hide from being seen. If she did cause trouble, all She needs to do was to warn her to drop it but she didn''t. Is this how it feels when the idol was being stalked every day by their fans? Ah~ Whatever! Now''s not the time to be thinking about this. She needs to level up more. The foreboding omen that she saw in her dream, if she didn''t want such a thing to happen, she has to level up. The higher her level goes, the better. She pulled out the phone from her pocket before opening the leveling system app and clicked on the status option, a status window pops up in her phone screen. ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 12 EXP: 15/500 HP: 110/110 MP: 100/100 STR: 20 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 20 ( Wee to wizard world. ) AGI: 13 ( With this agility, she could debut as a pro gamer. ) VIT: 21 ( Vitality is very much healthy and strong, just like the person herself. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 20 Detail: Never make this girl mad, or you will be sorry. ¡» For the past three days, she was only able to level up once. It couldn''t be helped since she was focusing on leveling up her skills. The passive skill couldn''t be level up since it was already maxed. She didn''t know that grinding in real life would be this long and torturous. It was the fault of the novel for making it seem easier from her perceptive as a reader, but she didn''t think of the conscious of the protagonist. More like, she doesn''t want to. But now she could experience it herself, unlucky for her. If only she could create a golem and let them fight for her while she could just stand back and y some handheld games. Well, she saw the skill book [ Golem Creation ] in the shop, but it was very pricey. Every good thing inside the shop is pricey as hell. The gold dropped from goblin sometimes vary; it could be a lot but also none at all. For every two goblins killed, a gold coin will definitely drop. She had used the gold gained from killing goblins to buy mana potion in order to level up her skills. She had 700 gold, but after spending some, she was only left with 550 gold. Anyway, when she has reached 20 attribute points in Vitality, she acquired a new active skill called [ Lesser Health ]. It increased health regeneration to 10% faster, which is quite excellent in her opinion. She also got quite a considerable amount of AP umted, should I distribute it now orter? ¡º Host: She Age: 17 Title: Gamer Girl (+1) Level: 12 EXP: 15/500 HP: 110/110 MP: 100/120 STR: 23 ( Hxlk would be proud of her. ) INT: 24 ( Wee to wizard world. ) AGI: 20 ( She''s so fast that only elites would be able to see her movement if she went all out. ) VIT: 21 ( Vitality is very much healthy and strong, just like the person herself. ) LUCK: 10 ( Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck.) AP: 6 Detail: Never make this girl mad, or you will be sorry. ¡» ¡º Due to the increased in agility reaching 20, You have acquired the skill: Lesser Speed LV.1! ¡» ¡º Lesser Speed LV.1 ¡» ¡º Increased agility and speed by 5%. ¡» She decides to use it and raise the agility; it was as she had expected, she acquired a pretty good skill. She put the remaining point in Strength and Vitality. She wanted to put all in INT at first but change her mind midway, and that was the result. It would have been great if she could increase Luck but she couldn''t for an unknown reason. Then why did it show up in the stats? Is it trying to tell me that I have luck yet I didn''t get an SSR at all from all the gacha rolls? It''s making fun of me for sure. Anyway, why does it feels like time moves much slower for me? No, wait. Is it because of the increase in my agility? It has to be. Her thoughts were also much quicker than before. She could even see a fly flying past her in much better details. Overall, it was a fascinating sight. ¡º Loading.. ¡» "Hm? What is this? As she was browsing on the leveling system, suddenly a new window pops up. ¡º The host has met the threshold of the requirement. ¡» ¡º The host could ask one question to the system. ¡» "What¡ª" Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth was left agape as she stares at the phone screen. That was how unbelievable she felt at the moment. She even did something idiotic by pinching herself to feel the pain. Her mind was currently restless, and it took a lot of time to stabilize herself. After a few minutes passed, she was back to normal and quickly pondered on what would she ask. She actually has tons of questions in her mind. She wanted to ask about this and that, most of them are important. There is a lot of stuff she wanted to know, such as The System Origin, Trial Tower, Her World, Dreams, and more. Regarding the system origin, she wanted to know why it appears in her phone or most importantly, why is it her? What is the background of the leveling system? Is there someone out there who also has a system with them? How many ''host'' has this leveling system experienced? She doesn''t believe that she was the first one seeing how it act and everything. And what is the cause of her world is filled with mana, although little it is still very rming. What if the evil or haunted spirit could use or control the mana of its surrounding? It could bring harm to ordinary citizens. She didn''t care about strangers, but what about her loved one? She definitely doesn''t want them to get hurt by the Phantom. She also wanted to know how could a fantasy creature such as goblin to appear in her world. How and where did ite from? What was its purpose? Even if it is only mindlessly killing people with no other intention, it was still dangerous. A world filled with monster... ¡º What question would the host like to ask? ¡» The system urged her by sending out the notification. She took a deep breath to calm her raging heart before finally opening her mouth. "I..." Chapter 31 - The System Origin When She opened her eyes, she could see that her surrounding was one hell of a messy room. It was not her room, and neither did she know whose it was. After surveying her surroundings, She tries to take a step forward but couldn''t. She looks down and realizes that there''s nothing down there and it was not just her legs; she is basically invisible. She was panicking on what''s going on when suddenly a figure emerged from a mountain of books on the ground. It was a beautiful woman with red hair and silver eyes. The scene would have been better if not for the messy hair like a person who had just woken up from their sleep. She could only silently stare at the beautiful stranger in front of her. The woman didn''t seem to be able to see her as she walks passed her when getting out of the room. She didn''t need to do anything before some unknown force pulled her to follow the strange woman. She was surprised seeing the fantastical scenery outside from the windows when she left the room. She didn''t know if she was not in her right mind at that moment, but she was sure that she saw a huge dragon flying in the distant sky. She was unable to discern whether it was real or not as she was unable to stop herself from being pulled by the mysterious force. My romance¡ª! She could only let out a resigned sigh as she follows the woman like a haunting ghost. It appears that she was in some kind of tower when she identally went through the wall before being pulled back when the woman was going upstairs. The woman was quiet when she walks so She couldn''t get any information from her. In the first ce, could she understand hernguage if she ever spoke? She has this weird feeling that this is not her world but an entirely different one. The dragon is one thing, but she also saw a book floating silently when the woman arrived in what appears to be a library. After going through from one book to another, the woman finally exits the library with tons of books floating by her side. It''s freaking psychokinesis magic! Her eyes sparkled and filled with respect when she looks at the woman. This woman is definitely a mage and an outstanding one at that. The world also seemed to be in a medieval era with magic since the light inside the tower was fromnterns, but it was not fueled with oil when she tried to put her head inside it. What she saw inside was a small stone filled with mana. A mana stone is a stone that was stored with mana thates from a living being. Yes, this mana stone is probably from some monster out there or possibly human of this world. She knew of it because she saw one in the system''s shop. And yes, it is also pricey as hell, darn it. Maybe the goblin that she killed in the alleyway from before also has mana stone inside its body, but oh well. " I have acquired sufficient knowledge for this moment. I could only do it once and no more. If it failed, I would just me it on my fate. " The woman muttered to herself. Weirdly enough, She could understand every word that she spoke. The woman then went on by making all sorts of stuff like an evil ritual by drawing a magic-like circle on the spacious ground. But from the look of her eyes which are filled with determination, it didn''t seem like she was doing an evil ceremony to summon a devil. Once she was done with the circle on the ground, she brings out all sorts of items from out of nowhere or probably inside spatial storage like one we see in the fantasy world. A huge bone, all sort of enchanted weapons, and all type of stuff was sort by putting it the small ring beside the huge circle. After she was done putting her things down, she went and sat at the center of the huge magic circle and started chanting. She didn''t know if the trantion from before didn''t work or it''s just normal not to understand the chant word, but either way, she was too mesmerized by the scene in front of her. The moment the woman started chanting, the magic circle slowly shine, and when she was almost done with the chant, suddenly a figure barged into the room. The woman eyes were wide open as she appears to be in shocked when a figure suddenly barged in her room in the middle of her experiment. But she couldn''t do anything and continue on her chant to finish it fast as possible. She was almost at thest word of her chant when the figure attacks her by throwing a huge fireball at her. She was about to stop the chant and use magic to defend against the attack when suddenly the space in her surrounding cracked. The crack in the space swallowed the fireball that was flying to her. But it was not just the fireball; she was also included. The woman and the fireball disappeared within the cracked space, the figure walks toward the scene and erases part of the magic circle which appears to have influenced to the cracking space as it slowly diminishes before disappearingpletely. That was thest scene She see before her world was filled with darkness, and when she opened her eyes once again, she was back in her room. "What... just happened?" She was nkly staring in the air for a few minutes before her mind quicklyes together, and she pulled out the phone from her pocket. She opened the leveling system app and immediately asked. "What was that just now?!" ¡º That was the first threshold of the System Origin. ¡» ¡º The host is unable to view more due to unknown requirement has not been met. ¡» That was the system Origin? Does it mean it came from Another World? Or perhaps, the system is from that red-haired woman? But who was the figure who suddenly barged in the room and immediately sent out a big fireball at the woman? The information is too little for her toe to a conclusion. Just thinking about all sort of stuff brings her a headache, she decides to stop thinking about it since she only has too little information and instead enters the Trial Tower to level up. *** "Did you say that someone''s been following my daughter, but you were stopped from taking action by their subordinates and when you were done with them and went to the ce, what you found was the two culprits, but they are unconscious in their underwear, is that right?" "Yes, Madam." "Then did you find out who helped her?" "No, Madam. They left no trace behind." "...did I hired you all for your ipetent?" "...No, Madam. We will be sure to do it thoroughly next time." "So you are saying that you have not been doing it thoroughly this whole time? Did you know what would happen to you guys if even a bug dare to hurt my daughter?" "We will make sure no such incident happen again, Madam." "Thankfully, she got out safe and sound by the helped of an unknown stranger. If not, you would not be talking with me right now." After saying her words, she immediately hangs up and put the phone down on the table. She let out a sigh while massaging her temple, people after people, more of them keep oning after her daughter. Did they think she would let them slide even if it failed? No. It was never in her dictionary to let her enemy go. Just because she has been keeping quiet for the past few weeks already makes them unable to sit tight, it seems that she needs to make her move. "Mom, is the food in the fridge still edible?" She was brought back to reality when her daughter called her. She smiles before answering to her daughter. "Of course, She." Chapter 32 - Mysterious Girl M International Airport Entrance. A girles out of the automatic door and walks outside toward the taxi car while pulling on her suitcase in hand. From her outer appearance, her body looks very alluring that would make any man going crazy, a model body. Her boobs are neither too big or too small but in the right size for the big-breast faction. Her look is very stunning that give off an aura of mature just by a single nce at her. The people''s at the entrance would like to so much have a chat with her about life and passion, but the chilling eyes from her stopped them. Couple with her chilling eyes and elegant walk-style, one would think that she was from an influential family. She smoothly gets in the car while the taxi driver was putting her luggage in the back of the car before getting in and ask her the direction of her destination. She smiles and answers it in a beat. "A District." When the taxi driver started driving the car, the girl pulled out the phone from her pocket and opened the chatting app on the screen. [ YourLovelyDaughter: I have arrived and was in a taxi, on my way there. ] Within seconds after she sends out the message, someone else immediately started typing out. [ MOTHER: Good. What was your objective going there again? ] The girl let out a sigh when she saw the message on the screen. Her mother had been asking the same question over and over, even when she was on an airne. She was tired of seeing it, but she held back her feeling and answer the question truthfully. [ YourLovelyDaughter: I''m here to take care of the ''monster'' from the Otherside from the spatial break once every month. ] She had been doing this kind of job after reaching adulthood andplete the Trial. Although it was tiring, she enjoys the perk of traveling to another ce as a tourist. Once she was done with her job, she could give a visit to the country famous attraction and have fun there. But she was unable to do that before due to her team leaving right away after they were done. She was not alone most of the time when she went toplete the job. After a few years, she finally could finish the job on her own. [ MOTHER: That''s right. It''s the first time that you ept the job on your own, so make sure youplete it without causing disturbance to the public. Don''t leave anything that could be evidence behind. No one could take care of that now that you''re on your own. ] [ YourLovelyDaughter: I know, and I will. Don''t worry. ] And finally, she could have fun and visit all sort of ces! The famous attraction of this country, here Ie! I''m going to y the monster quickly with the special gun from the family and don''t report just yet so that I could enjoy my time here. That sounds like a good n! The girl nodded her head at the thought with the smile beaming on her beautiful face. *** In the Trial Tower Second Floor. She was about to step forward in the goblin''s cave when a thought suddenly struck her mind. The Slime King is the boss of the First Floor, which were filled with slimes. Then, does it mean the boss of this floor is Goblin King? Or is it Hobgoblin, the higher advance race for goblin? This thought came to her mind when she was wondering what kind of boss would she met in the cave full of goblins. Goblin King is a King of goblins while Hobgoblin is an entity who has advanced from a mere goblin. Both are strong in their way. They have a powerful brute force and couldmand a group of goblins. There''s also Ogre as the most powerful of the three with its powerful physical strength. Basically, any of them are bad news to her. The goblin so far is just an average weak goblin. In most goblin lore, there exists goblin shaman who could use magic and goblin fighter who fights like an expert(for a goblin). She had met any of them yet, it''s either they didn''t exist in the Tower, or she was not there yet. To be honest, she prefers fighting the average and weak goblin. It was easy and smooth killing. It was hard at first, but she gets used to it by now. That was merely a jesting from her since fighting a new enemy means she could be more proficient in a fight. If she wanted to protect her loves one, she had to take the risk. Thankfully, she got a health potion now. Just a couple of sips and the slight injuries on her body would be healed in a beat. She had thought she was unlucky back then for getting a health potion from the lottery but in such a realistic world with a potion that could heal in a sh like in the game, is that even possible? What sickness, just drink this potion and it will be cured in no time. What she has in her inventory is just a low-grade HP potion, what about the high tier one? How about an elixir that was said to be God''s Blood, can she revive a dead person with it? But of course, the price for such heavenly potion is way beyond mortal. It was so dazzling and damaging at the same time. Why was it even there in the shop, anyway? She couldn''t possibly buy it even if she saved the gold for a hundred years. That''s how expensive it is. Is it making fun of me? Showing off such expensive and impossible-to-get-item is making her remember a painful memory that she would prefer forgetting. It was the memory of the past; at that time, she was a lone wolf who y games by herself. One of the games she was ying, there was an event where she could acquire her favorite character. It was an event that would bring many gamers like her to death. The game was known to be PayToWin type of game, but she didn''t care. She prayed a lot to gods and even bought a lucky charm from a suspicious store. The result of it was... devastating. She ended up being depressed the entire week. "If only I could burn down the gamepany with my fireball spell secretly..." There''s no suchw that one couldn''t burn down a building with a spell since, in general public''smon sense, no one was able to use real magic, not to mention to burn down a whole building with it. She shook her head to remove the useless thoughts in her mind before stepping forward inside the cave. It''s time to grind. Chapter 33 - The History Of Past Somewhere in the alleyway. "This is the ce, but where is the Outsider? Thepass didn''t react to my question regarding it... Either it is dead, or none came through the spatial crack." The girl muttered to herself while looking at thepass in her hands. Thepass ability is to show the ce when one asks for something in mind. It didn''t project the actual location in mind but instead shown where it is located somewhere on this. No matter what one asks for be it gold, a treasure from ruins, anything at all. As long as the thing you ask exists somewhere in the world, it will guide you to the ce. The Compass of Guidance. It was one of the precious treasures of her family. Apparently, her family''s ancestor met someone with great power back in the past and ended up helping that person which in return, that person gifted her ancestors a lot of stuff which was now stored in the family treasury. It was also that time that her ancestors found out about the existence of Outsider and spatial crack happening all around the world. To fight against them, that person gifted her ancestors a weapon suited for the mission. The staff of Mana. It was a staff that could fire out something called Mana from the surrounding atmosphere. By holding the staff and chant the keyword, it would suck off the Mana from the air before firing a shot. It''s a powerful artefact, even more powerful than the gun in the future. It was the time when her family went down the road of being the protector of the world behind the shadow. Eventually, it was passed down to the family when her ancestor left peacefully from this world. But the family finds it troublesome since they only got one weapon to fight and onepass to guide. They tried looking for that person but failed to see a glimpse of him/her. They decided to research the staff and thepass instead so that they could produce it themselvester on. But who are they kidding? They merely have little knowledge regarding mana and everything mystical. But it didn''t stop or hinder them from the n. The world passed in the blink of an eye, and the future generation of researchers finally aplish something worth to celebrate in the year 2000. It was a modified handgun that would fire out a mana bullet from the fuel of mana of the surrounding. But the shot was not as strong as the staff; it is barely enough to defeat some Outsiders. As for thepass of guidance, it was a failure and couldn''t get anywhere. As the saying goes, with sesses failure. The family decided to train the younger generations of the family when they were still small. It was said that the handgun could only be used and handled correctly by the age of the teen. It was because the older one became, the harder for the mana to flows through their body and went into the handgun. While the younger they are, the more powerful the shot be. But that doesn''t mean they could just simply hold the gun and fire; that would only injure themselves. And before long, an elite group of young trainers was born. The staff was kept hidden inside the treasury of the family, forever to be with the dust. It will only appear when the Outsider is way stronger for the young one to handle. And only the chief of the family could control it with ease. Due to that, a family fight broke out. Eventually, the family were split into three factions. Conflicts between the young be the norm when the girl grows up. No matter how much conflict the family have, they were still staying true to the goal, ying all Outsiders from ruining their world. Just their very existence could potentially bring chaos. Imagine the human of that sideing here with the knowledge of magic and then teach the resident of this world; it could bring the world into a new era, an era of chaos and magic for sure. But the faction of the family where she came from doesn''t want such a thing. They prefer the residents of the world, finding out about mana and learning to conjure fireball by their effort is the right thing to do. They don''t want the world advancement to involve Outsiders. The same goes for the human of this world going to the other side and exposing the existence of science; both are bad in their own way. When a spatial cracked, there was some human who was sucked and send to the other side. Have you ever heard of spirit away? Only certain people with some experience could survive in a world where dog eats dog. And to those that survived, you could see the remnant of them if you went to the other side such as the introduction of science and gun, or the improvement and the recipeing from the modern world. That is if you could go ande back from there, which is highly impossible. Even the genius mage from the other side made a mistake and was sucked into the void, leaving none of his name or anything behind and be forgotten in time. But one among them exist. That person survived from the sucking force of the void and arrived at this world thousands of years ago. It was all written in a book hidden in the family''s most secret hideout in the library. Only people that would be a protector of the world could read and know the whole truth. She has read it and knew about the cause of the spatial crack and who was ''that person''. She didn''t know the actual name of that person but only that the gender is a she. If it wasn''t written in the book, that means even her ancestor doesn''t know that person name or never ask. Apparently, the cause of the spatial cracked is because of a failed experiment in teleporting to another world. It seems that back in the distant past or probable future, the actual date is unknown, but there''s a relic of this world at the other side. Maybe, someone in this world somehow ended up going there in some kind of way, either natural spirit away or by a supernatural being. Either way, ''that person'' found the relic and some old dusty books, and in there it exined a tiny bit regarding space magic, perhaps the victim is finding a way to return to his/her home by researching space magic on his/her own. It took her a long time to finalise the n, and when she was doing her experiment, she was caught surprised by a sudden figure barge in and attacking her. She didn''t have a choice but to stop her chanting right in the critical part in order to defend against the attacks. But because of that, the spatial be unstable and immediately sucked everything in its surrounding, and she was included. She didn''t know what happened afterwards, but when she opened her eyes, she was already in our world. When she had firste to the new world, she noticed that the world is thin of the presence of mana. It was to the point that even firing a basic spell such as fireball would cost a tremendous amount of mana and a lot of effort to barely did it. If she weren''t a genius mage, it wouldn''t have worked out at all. You must have known by now, but this is the record of what she tells the family ancestor of her journey on this world. It was surprising that this world that''s already spreading with mana in the whole world but back in the days there was no such thing. In the word of the genius mage, the cause of mana spreading to this world is from the spatial crack. When it sucked everything, it also includes the mana of the surrounding. In a way, it was her failed experiment fault that our world is now having a crisis of Outsidering to this world anytime when space cracked open. That person also felt guilty and which was why until the end of her life, she travels and journey all around the world, protecting us from the Outsiders. That''s also the reason why she gifts the family ancestor with such artefact. It was all to protect ourself. It seems that the book ends when it tells how the ancestor got the gift. The girl wonders what happened to that person. Is she still alive? Or if she''s dead, did she got a family before that? Maybe, there''s someone out there who is the sessor of her power. If so, how powerful would that person be? The ''Outsider''st presence is here... which mean this is where it died? But who could have killed it? Or what was it? It seemed to be something with no intelligence as there was a news about a psychopath killer murdering two-three people around here. But weirdly enough, the cops didn''t figure out what it was and when they decided to put manpower in the case, the Outsider went and died. Whoever that did it didn''t leave any evidence on the scene; perhaps, it is someone from the family? Whatever it is, she will send a report... Later on, after she had her fun in the tourist spot! Meanwhile, inside the Trial Tower. "Achoo! Was someone talking behind my back?" She softly muttered while rubbing her nose and looked at the corpse on the ground before it turned into glittering light and disappeared entirely into nothingness. ¡º You have killed Goblin LV. 7! ¡» After killing the goblin, a bottle of mineral water materialise in front of her, and she took hold of it and opened the cap before drinking it. She had killed ten goblins now, and yet she didn''t find any boss around. Is there even a boss in this Second Floor? But there is one boss on the First Floor so it should be. Did she not venture deep enough in the cave? That''s possible since she hasn''t found an end to her path. It''s getting harder to level up now by killing the mobs since it only gives her little experience and gold. ¡º She LV.12 ¡» ¡º HP: 87/110 MP: 70/120 GOLD: 730 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 24 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 6 ¡» ¡º She LV.12 ¡» ¡º HP: 87/110 MP: 70/150 GOLD: 730 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 30 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 0 ¡» After distributing the leftovers into INT, she could tell the mana inside of her body is flowing more smoothly and getting thicker. If she fires out the me magic, she''s sure that it would be more potent than before. Or mayberger? Either way, it is good. After taking a good break for a full of ten minutes, she got up and went on to goblin hunting. And before long, she reached the end and was met with the boss of the Second Floor. Chapter 34 - Its Lottery Time ¡º Goblin LV.7 ¡» ¡º Goblin LV.6 ¡» ¡º Goblin LV.8 ¡» ¡º Goblin LV.7 ¡» ¡º Goblin LV.6 ¡» Within a spacious hall inside a cave before a huge door stood a group of goblins. By using the presence detection skill, the signal rm her the presence of the group of goblins ahead. It didn''t go through the door for some reason unknown to her so she couldn''t tell what was inside and the amount of monster in there. But by looking at how the door looks like, it must be the door to the boss room. She didn''t take action just yet and stay quietly behind a huge stone covering her whole body. A thought appears in her mind before a game-like window pops up in the air of her front view. ¡º Lottery ¡» ¡º 1 Draw ¡ª 50G 10 Draw ¡ª 500G ¡» ¡º Gold: 730 ¡» She wanted to save the gold to buy a weapon from the shop, but it would definitely take a long time to able to buy one. A standard weapon such as sword, spear or the modern gun, all of them is pretty cheap. What did people say whenever they see a low price? Buy it. But she feels like it would be a waste to do that and instead would like to buy an enchanted weapon. For example; heavenly bricks have the skill where if you knock the brick on someone head, they would be stunned for a while. It was not long but good enough for one to take care of them. Or imagine having an enchanted weapon such as spear that would burst me on the spearhead. That''s such a cool weapon that She wishes she could get on her hand. But the price for an enchanted weapon, even with the lowest price is amount to one thousand gold. The price depends on what kind of enchantment that was put on the weapon and the low the price, means that the weapon is likely useless. One example of that is an enchanted sabre that would grow stronger with the owner, but it was just for a short moment before the sabre will be shattered into a broken ss. If She hadn''t read the information of the sabre until the end, she would have ended up being trick and bought it then and there. It''s a weapon that grows stronger with the owner! It reminds of her one of the game that she ys. It was such a cliche weapon. Anyway, she couldn''t wait for the gold to save up and decide to rely on the lottery. Back then, she had acquired Trial Tower''s key and Disguise skill book, bothing from the item category, which seems weird to her since shouldn''t the skill book be in the skill category? Or is it that the skill that one gets from a skill category would immediately learn and could be used as soon as possible? Maybe that was why the skill book was in the item category since she needs to put her hand on top of the book in order to learn the skill. She had enough of sidetrack thought as she shakes her head off before sending her thought into the lottery screen in front of her view. From 730 gold into 230 gold in seconds as the lottery starts to spin round after round. All she has to do now was to send another thought to stop the spin. She didn''t pray to any God when she starts the lottery spin as she feels like it won''t matter. She nervously stares at the spinning lottery in her view for a while before gritting her teeth and sending the thought to stop the spin. The moment she sends out the thought, she immediately closed her eyes shut. A few seconds passed, yet she feels like an hour has gone by. It''s okay; It shouldn''t be that bad. I''m lucky. She started to brainwash herself by consoling her weak mind against the all-mighty gacha. She had too much trauma of it due to a specific game about fighting for the holy grail with a beautiful ve girl. The gacha system in that game was too wicked. She didn''t remember how many times has she punch her pillow in frustration of not getting her favourite girl from the gacha with all the money and time she had spent on it. But at the end of it, she was able to finally acquired it amidst all the unluckiness. It was probably because she had used up all of the bad luck inside her, which in turn giving her the good luck that she needed. After brainwa¡ªreassuring herself until it reaches beyond another realm, She finally acquires the courage to open her eyes to the view in front of her. Thankfully, it was not a goblin. The group of goblins were apparently guarding the entrance of the door without walking far away from it. Since she didn''t make a single noise during all her crisis, she is safe and sound. Though, even if the goblin decides to walk toward her, she would notice it when the presence detection skill kicks in. She won''t make the same mistake twice. One stalker is already painful both to the mind and body. Let it be a lesson to the naive her. ¡º You have acquired Low-grade Mana Potion! ¡» Of course. ¡º You have acquired The Most Delicious Ice cream! ¡» What? What is this system talking about? Is it bugging? Are you kidding me? ¡º You have acquired the figurine of Sxber from DGO! ¡» YES¡ªNo, wait. I mean, No! Why is the system giving me this rubbish? Let me put this on my showcaseter. These day figurines are very expensive. Although she doesn''t have any trouble in getting one or two, more than that is not possible. Her mother allowed her, but she won''t spend the money her mother working with sweats and hard work for a mere figurine. It was a total waste. She is secretly in despair due to this part of her, though. The otaku soul inside of her is dying slowly. ¡º You have acquired Heavenly Pillow! ¡» She rubbed her eyes a couple of times before looking back at the window in her front view. In the game-like window, it was showing a white pillow glowing in the bask of holy light. Above it were shown the name of the pillow, Heavenly Pillow. Excuse me, what? ¡º Heavenly Pillow ¡» ¡º Grade: S No matter where you are, be it the hard cold floor of a cave or uneven ground. You can peacefully sleep and went to dreand with this heavenly pillow. ¡» Should I feel sad or happy at this moment? My feeling isplicated right now. I''m pleased to acquired such godly item, but why am I not happy at all? The item is grade S but... I''m badly in need of a weapon. I don''t want my primary weapon to be a kitchen knife. How can you get respect from people when they know your weapon is a kitchen knife? I''m not a God of Cooking. After getting the Heavenly Pillow, the few rolls afterwards were only potions. But thest one gives her a delighted surprise. It was the thing that she desires the most, the figurine¡ªCough, No. Is it the news of her favourite anime finally getting a second season after ten years of waiting like an idiot? Or is it the day when the junior finally stopped stalking her like a creep? No, but I do wish both of the two came true.Especially thest one. Enough joking around, She calmed down her excitement by taking a deep breath before slowly breathing out warm air. ¡º You have acquired All-Purpose Weapon! ¡» Chapter 35 - Goblin Shaman ¡º You have acquired All-Purpose Weapon! ¡» ¡º All-Purpose Weapon ¡» ¡º Grade: F It''s an item that could transform into a weapon that the owner has experienced. (Only when the system recognizes one as a weapon.) Growth-type weapon. ¡» She stares at the inventory window, precisely at the bracelet among all items there. With a simple thought, a green bracelet disappeared from the inventory and materialized in front of her. She grabs the bracelet and inspects all around it, trying to find something. And after all that inspecting, she concludes that it is a bracelet; she didn''t see thing incorrectly. Yes, the so-called All-Purpose weapon is a beautiful natural green jade bracelet. She thought it was a swiss knife that she was getting at. Or maybe a long spear that could change its form into a short spear. But not this bracelet. She equips the green bracelet on her left hand, and it smoothly fit in her thin and feminine hand. She has an ufortable feeling the moment she wears it; it was because she has never wear essories in her life other than the gift from her mother on her birthday. And that''s also merely a short time before she stopped wearing it. But what she didn''t expect was when she feel ufortable for a moment before it disappearedpletely, as if she hasn''t worn anything on her hand. She looked at her left hand and was surprised that the bracelet is gone and immediately went into the inventory to check. But it wasn''t there. She checks all over the leveling system before finding it at an unexpected ce. It was in the status window; the chibi version of her was wearing a green bracelet on her left hand. So does this mean that she was still wearing the bracelet, but she could make it invisible to the naked eyes? Is this the system power, or is it from the bracelet? She tried to imagine the bracelet appearing in her left hand and not so surprisingly, it appears. She won''t say that she was unexpectedly excited when seeing such a magical scene, all thing considered when She herself could conjure fireball out of thin air. But how does this small bracelet can transform into a weapon that would bring death to life? The description said it could turn into a weapon that she had experienced, so does it also include the rusty sword from back then? Whatever it is, she shall give it a try. She closes her eyes and shut down any useless thought in her mind before imagining her bracelet turning into the rusty sword and gripped the handle hard. When she could feel the sensation of the cold hard handle in her hand, she opened her eyes wide only to see a sword that''s entirely different than the rusty one. The de seems very sharp, enough to cut someone with ease. It was like seeing a new sword, totally different than a rusty one. Well, of course. It is a new sword. This is weird, She thought in her mind. She had imagined it to be the rusty sword when she once used, but how did it turn like this? She tries to transform the sword into a kitchen knife, and without any surprise, it immediately went from a long de into a short looking de that of the knife. Although it has such a cool and useful function, the grade of the weapon is F, the lowest grade. But it did say in the description that it is a growth-type of weapon. So does that mean as it grows stronger, the higher the grade goes? There''s no durability in its description, unlike the saber in the shop that she had seen. Does it mean it is indestructible?! No way. She refuted her word within a second. If it''s indestructible, then the grade would have been higher even when it was a growth-type of weapon. Just that indestructible attribute alone could make anything into a mystical item. She remembered reading aic when the protagonist defeated a new monster in Instant Dungeon, and the drop was indestructible shorts that would protect a specific important region only known to man. She hopes that she wouldn''t get anything of that sort. No matter how powerful the attribute is, if it were just underwear, she wouldn''t take it. Either way, she could just test it out in actualbat and see if the sword gets chipped after ying a group of goblins in not so distance away from her. She checks out the inventory and makes sure she had enough potions for the battle ahead. One can''t look down on goblin, or you will be trash in no time like a particr anime. When she had firste across the group of goblins, she was unsure if she can safely fight with a small kitchen knife. At most, she could handle three goblins at once, and that still required her to use magic. It is also the reason why she decided to do the lottery moments ago. She prefers doing ten rolls at once instead of doing one roll. She didn''t know if the ten rolls bonus reward influenced her like in the game she yed, but she always goes for a ten if there''s such option. Anyway, that''s enough of getting sidetrack midway. It''s time to y all the goblins to theirst kind. That is if the boss in the room on the other side of the door is actually Goblin King. Without wasting any time further, She jumped toward the closest goblin to her location and swung her sword at it. "GAGA!" "Guga!" The goblin that was cut by her sword gives thest shriek before it died, which alert the other goblins. She didn''t wait for them to react and instead runs toward the next prey before pulling out a huge rock from the inventory on top of the goblin. The huge rock smashes the goblin apart from right above the head as the brain matter sttered on the ground. It couldn''t even shriek before dying from getting crushed. She never tried this out before and thankfully it works in the dungeon. "Gugaga!" It was not even a minute, but the two goblins were already dead. The three other finally came to their sense, and they rush to She with the club in hands. The first to arrive in front of her was greeted with a burning sensation on its whole body; a fireball hit it. It went mad and shrieked as it wildly attacks the surrounding with the club, hoping to catch the one who causes it to be in me, but She has already escaped. Once the me subdued, a goblin with a burning red skin appear. It was a horrific graphic that she wish she didn''t see it. But either way, it is still alive although how horrible its body hade to be. She provokes the goblin with her gesture, and in no time, it bit and charge at her like an idiot. She has this weird feeling of wondering how in the world does the goblin understand from a simple gesture from her. If she weren''t in the middle of the battle, she would have considered thinking deeply about what is life. Joking aside, it seems that she had grown stronger, considering how she was calm and could make a joke while amid the battle as she dodges the goblin attack with ease. While she was having her time avoiding the goblin attack, she didn''t notice that the door was slowly being open until it was wide, enough for a couple of goblins to walk out. But only one came out of the huge door. It was a goblin yet unlike themon who only wear dirty drag covering their most important part; this one is wearing a cloak covering its head while holding onto staff as it walks forward. When it sees the figure of She, it opened its mouth and mumbled something unintelligible, and before long an arrow made of me appear out of thin air and flew toward She. The Boss of the Second Floor is a Goblin Shaman. Chapter 36 - Coming Up With A Plan When the arrow of me was conjured behind her back, She''s sixth sense was rmed, and without any question, she knocks the goblin out of her way before jumping back away from her previous spot. If she were a little bit too slow, that me arrow would have been stabbed deep into her body. She looks toward the path from where the me arrow came from and finally noticed that the huge door was wide open. In front of the huge door stood a goblin with a hood from the cloak covering from the head to the whole body. That was not the only thing that stood out, the fact that the goblin was holding onto a staff was also included. No need for more exnation, it must be the goblin shaman, the Boss of the Second Floor. But the weird thing is, how does the Boss escape out of the room. In most games and novels that she reads and yed, the boss never left their room as if they were in prison, unable to escape from the fate of getting defeat by people who came in drove. Even if the boss ended up killing the people after its life, nothing would change. Unless a miracle happens which in the other people perceptive it would be a disaster. Either way, it was sort of underlying rule that the boss couldn''t escape from their room. But apparently, the goblin shaman on the front of the door, a distance away from her was not influenced by the rules. In some goblin lore, a goblin shaman could use curse magic. She doesn''t have any way to protect herself from curse magic nor having resistance for it, she has to be careful, and if it seems like it was going to chant, she must stop the spell by disturbing the chant. She tries provoking the Goblin Shaman to charge at her like the other goblin, but it didn''t seem to be working as it just stood there whilemanding the goblin left alive to attack her. So it also has a bit of intelligence, as expected of Goblin Shaman who could conjure magic. It knows that confronting her upfront would be deadly since, like most mages in the stories and games, they are pretty weak physically. She could be considered as an apprentice mage since she could use me Magic which is now level 2. But she was not weak; in fact, she is way stronger physically to the point that one would not expect her to be a mage and would think of her as a fighter instead. The Goblin Shaman probably also believed that the female human in front of it was a fighter and never did it cross the mind that she was also a mage. Goblin Shaman seems to be nning to make her tired out from all the fighting as it sent andmand all the goblins to her while staying back behind them. Another group of goblins came out of the room behind the door. Including three goblins from before, now she has to face eight normal goblins with the Boss of the Second Floor, Goblin Shaman. The difficulty just went up. But she was not a bit flustered at all now that she got a weapon in hands. A sword is different than a kitchen knife in all sort of ways, after all. Before charging head-on, She went back to pick up the huge rock and put it inside the inventory as the goblins are running straight at her. She couldn''t throw the huge rock with her current strength since it would require both of her hands and she would be unable to defend against their attack which prompts the goblin to be able tond a hit on her. If she has some sort of spell from Barrier Magic, it would have been great. Well, that would be too greedy for her to ask for more. It couldn''t be helped since she doesn''t want to get injured in the slightest if possible even when she has health potions in the inventory. She is not a masochist. She put up a guard as the goblin approaching closer before swinging the club at her. The sounds of the club hitting on her sword resound, She managed to block the attack and the impacting from her sword is no joke if she didn''t increase her strength back then. She sends out a sh at the goblin, and it was too slow to defend against it before getting split in half. A goblin to her right swing the small club at her which She avoids by bending herself over before stabbing the sword deep into its body. The blood sttered on the ground as the goblin howl in pain, but She didn''t care as she immediately moves to another prey to her right. Two goblins down, six more to go. The Goblin Shaman didn''t let She do as she please as it chants a me arrow while she was attacking the two goblins and when she was going to the next prey, the me arrow flew toward her. She managed to dodge it on hair breath by jumping back as fast as she could. The me arrow warns her that the Goblin Shaman is a lot more of a threat to be ignored. Without any choice, She decides to use magic in the battle. She wanted to fight without using magic and to see how far she could go, but with a group of six goblins and a Goblin Shaman, it is not possible if she didn''t take out the boss first. Talk is cheap, if not for the group of goblins stopping her from going after the boss, then she could have disturbed the chanting which would make it impossible for it to conjure a spell. This also makes her wonder on why she didn''t need to chant to conjure the spell while the Goblin Shaman require to do so or it won''t work. Did she have some sort oftent talent for magic? Or is it due to the system? Whatever it is, she couldn''te up with anything solid since she was in the middle of a battle. She needs to defeat the boss first, and to do that means she must give a surprise attack that it wouldn''t expecting from her. The only thing that could cause it a shock is that she could use magic. Thankfully she didn''t use magic when she battle against the group of goblins before the Goblin Shamaning out from the door. She has said this before, but the Goblin Shaman must have misunderstood her real job as physicalbat instead of a mage. As long as the Goblin Shaman was in her firing range, she was sure that the magic would hit right in the target. In the end, she needs to get close to the Goblin Shaman. But how could it let her get closer to it without making the goblins attacking her without a rest? While she was dodging the attack both from the goblins and Goblin Shaman, she was pondering on what kind of n will make it possible for her to execute. Because she was so focused on dodging the attack, she couldn''t use her brain that much toe up with a n in the meantime. When suddenly, a single thought crossed in her mind when she looked at the crushed corpse of a goblin at the side. Maybe, she could use the huge stone in the inventory? No matter, a n is still a n. If it works, great, but if it doesn''t, she will juste up with another n. Now, how will she go with the n? She couldn''t throw the rock obviously with her current strength; she needs more points in the strength attribute to do such a thing. "A head-on charge, huh?" Chapter 37 - The End Of Battle Again, talk is cheap. If She could charge head-on, she wouldn''t be having a problem now. She would like so much to use magic to open up a path straight to the Goblin Shaman, but she wants to keep her trump card a secret before the surprise attack. Maybe she could use the lottery¡­ Ah! The club almost hit me! This is no time for me to be deep in thought. I need to do something quick, or I might lose at this point. She gives up on thinking of a new n and instead charge ahead while swinging AWP sword around as the blood sttered on the ground and some even got on her shirts which dye it a little red. But she didn''t care as she was so focused on killing all the goblin as she went forward. When she moves forward, one by one, the goblins fall, and she starts taking damage as the injuries appear on her body. She gritted her teeth hard and endured the pain that was assaulting her until a blood slip from her mouth; she hadn''t noticed that she identally bit on her lips. The Goblin Shaman keep firing the me arrow at her, but she was able to avoid it by using the goblins and their corpse before itpletely disappearing as a meat shield. It went unexpectedly well and despite the Goblin Shaman keep warning the other goblins of her using them as a meat shield, they still couldn''t follow it due to their low intelligence and unable to understand themand. Very soon, she was getting closer and closer to the Goblin Shaman, and she couldn''t help but get some hit of the many me arrow thrown at her. The pain of her flesh burning inside out makes her feel like crying so hard at how painful it is; the tears start to gather in her eyes, yet the strong will of determination in her eyes stood still. It was saying that she hadn''t given up yet. When she reaches approximately close to the Goblin Shaman, the other goblins have already long disappeared into nothingness, and only a drop of gold was left shining on the ground of her path. Her current appearance was in no way can be considered good as the shirts were dyed red from the blood sshing onto her, and even the sword in her hands was covered in blood as it was still dripping it onto the ground. If the other human could see her current appearance, they would have been freak out at how scary she hase to be; one might mistake her as a psychopath with the murder aura covering her whole body. It was like the na?ve She had gone and reced with someone else with the intent to kill. But that was merely an illusion that She gives off when she had murdered a lot of goblins, she was still biting her lips hard while enduring the pain of the injuries she suffers around her whole body. Her current figure could only be said in one word, terrible. Her skin was scorched red from the burning, and the other part of her body was also in a terrible state from exchanging blow with the goblins. It was an amazing feat for her to still being able to stand up after all that she went through to get past the obstacle. But now that she was already in front of her target, all the pain that she suffered and thought were already numb by ite at her in full force. A health potion materializes in front of her, and she immediately drunk it in one gulp while gritting her teeth from the pain. When the health potion went down her throat, a light shone on her injuries as it starts to heal slowly, and she could feel the pain going away. ¡º She LV.12 ¡» ¡º HP: 40/110 MP: 150/150 GOLD: 550 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 30 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 0 ¡» She was surprised at how low her health point has gotten to, but it makes sense considering how many times she was hit, she could still remember the pain just by thinking about it. Thankfully she got many health potions in the inventory. Suddenly, she jumped back before the me could engulf her whole. It was an attacking from the Goblin Shaman. If she hadn''t drunk the potion, she would have been unable to avoid the attacks even with all her willpower alone as her body would be unable to take it. She should have leveled up by now, but she didn''t see the notification anywhere in her sight at all, is it because she was still currently in battle? There''s only one thing to figure out, defeating the Goblin Shaman. Without waiting further, a ball of me was conjured out of thin air, floating in front of her before it went and flew toward the Goblin Shaman and exploded. When the smoke dispersespletely, she could see the figure of Goblin Shaman was still standing while a transparent wall surrounded it. Tch, it uses Barrier Magic to protect itself. If she had such convenient magic, she would not have gotten severely injured from all the beating and me arrow flying toward her. Perhaps, by killing the Goblin Shaman, it would drop a magic skill book? That sure give her more motivation to end the life of the being in front of her. Just getting the staff from the Goblin Shaman is also fine. Since the magic attack doesn''t work, she will just do it physically. She would also like to see how weak the mage physical body is. Since in her case would be considered as abnormal, Yes, she knows. She charges toward the Goblin Shaman when the transparent shield is starting to disappear. Apparently, the Barrier Magic cost quite high amount of mana as she could tell the Goblin Shaman is weaker than before. This is a chance! When she was so close that she could hear its breathing, the transparent shield was already gone, and she swings the sword at it. The Goblin Shaman know that It is weak regarding closebat and so it decides to get away from her. But it couldn''tpletely dodge her attack as the blood sttered on the ground as it growls in pain. A small tear cut appears on the cloak that is covering its stomach as the blood immediately dye up the ck cloak into a ckish red. It stops from running away and instead chants some kind of spell that She didn''t know. If this is actually in a ssic novel, then doesn''t the protagonist usually let the viin finish their chanting while waiting like an idiot? Like hell would I do that. It was clearly shouting ''Hit me now'' ''it''s a chance!'', no way I would miss such good timing. Without saying anything, She dashes in her fastest speed toward the Goblin Shaman as it was trying to quickly finish the chanting when it realises it has made an idiot mistake in thinking that she would let it be. If it were just fireball or me arrow, it wouldn''t have taken this long to chant, but it was trying to chant curse magic which took a huge amount of focus and time from it. Basically, it is vulnerable to attack at the moment. It could only me itself for having such idiotic thought and didn''t consider otherwise in the heated moment of the battle. It helplessly stares at the de of the sword that''sing closer and closer before finally, it was cut in half, and the usual announcement rang. ¡º You have killed The Goblin Shaman LV. 10! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º Do you wish to ascend to the Third Floor? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» Chapter 38 - Goddess Blessing ¡º You have killed The Goblin Shaman LV. 10! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º Do you wish to ascend to the Third Floor? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» When the announcement rang, all the energy that she had up until now were gone down the drain as she flopped onto the ground. It was the most exhausting battle ever in her life. She had also thought that she might end up dead at one point amidst the battle but managed to get through it with sheer will. The pain that she suffers through all this makes her want to give up on everything. Why is she risking her life? Is it to save the world from the foreseeable danger in the future? Why would she even risk her life for the unknown strangers? Such depressing thoughts wash her all over before a thought emerged and consume them all. She is risking her life for the sake of protecting her loved ones. It was not for such a heroic sense of saving the world but merely protecting her life, and the loved ones from the danger of the future. For all she cares, the whole world should just get burn, and she would watch it from the sideline. She was not cruel, but just simply didn''t care about the strangers. Just like how in some part of the world that''s currently still in the war yet in the other part of the world, it was calm as the surface of ake on a windless day. Does thetter care about the war on the other side? No, because it was not their business. They would feel pity, anger, and all sort of feelings, but in the end, all those feeling will wash away in no time since it was far from their life and not their business. She has to repeat it because it is saddening to see how society did nothing and just watch from the sideline. People grow up and learn from Society. If society didn''t give two poo about the war, so does everyone. Unfortunately, she was also one of them. But again, just because one has power doesn''t mean they have to do this and that for others. Human is a greedy creature that knows no bound. If one could gain profit from the war, yes, war it is. In her case, she just wanted to live a normal life while protecting the people close to her. She neither dream to ever use the power she had to be a hero or gaining fame and wealth. She is very much a selfish person. If not for the warning sign from her dream, she would have taken her time slowly to level up and just do it for fun. A ck and unique key materialise in the air before falling onto her hand. By holding the key, one could enter a space from a different dimension called Trial Tower. Within the space, wherever the gaze goes, one could only see the greenery nature of the earth. Only the key holder is the sole living being in there. Only by epting the quest could the monster be spawn to the surrounding area, no more haven but purely survival of the fittest. When one defeated the enemy andpleted the quest, they could also gain experience to level up. They could also distribute the point received from leveled up by using the card that was given when one entered. Basically, it''s same as the leveling system but with only a few functions avable. While she was ying with the key on her hands, she was also deep in thought. If she gives the key to Ria, that means she will also be included in this whole danger fiesta. Of course, she knows that everythinges up with a price; there''s no free lunch in the world. She also doesn''t want to keep holding the secret anymore to her one and only friend. But is it really okay? Is this the right choice? She doesn''t know, but one thing is for sure that whatever the choice she made, it would open up to a whole new path of the future. ¡º She LV.14 ¡» ¡º HP: 69/110 MP: 137/150 GOLD: 1050 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 30 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10 AP: 10 ¡» "That''s quite an amount of gold. But still nowhere enough to get the proper gear." For now, she decides to keep the gold and use itter when the time came. As for the attribute points, that will be postponed. It''s better to save it and use it then. Basically, she wanted to save up both of them. After she was done checking her status, she looked over the ce where the Goblin Shaman died, hoping to see some kind of good drop from killing it. But all she saw was a single ne shinning on the ground. She went over and picked up, and the details were, ¡º Goddess Blessing ¡» ¡º Grade: D A ne made of silver. +2 LUCK ¡» "Jackpot!" An item that actually increases the luck attribute, this is a rare item. Is she considered lucky for getting such a good item? Then why couldn''t she get the stuff she wants in the lottery? All she gets from there is something she didn''t expect(even the trash). If it were just a standard silver ne with no sort of enchantment in them, She wouldn''t have worn it but now, yes. It''s also pretty so why should she reject it and let it rot in the inventory? ¡º She LV.14 ¡» ¡º HP: 69/110 MP: 137/150 GOLD: 1050 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 30 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 10 ¡» "Nice." It would be even better if there''s more item that could increase her luck attribute since she couldn''t raise it with attribute points from leveling up. But she should not be too greedy, or lightning would strike her. It is enough for now with just this ne. The silver ne also looks beautiful on her, while she was looking at the ne on her neck, a thought emerges. She wonders if one day when she got an armour or equipment, would it turn invisible when she wore them? The APW Bracelet did, but the ne is visible. Is it perhaps only to the unique item? The silver ne is rare but was it unique enough? APW Bracelet could be called a unique item with its ability and the fact that it is also a growth-type of weapon. Maybe there are other requirements for it, but she didn''t know. Either way, it''s time for her to leave. After all that bloodbath battle, she needs a warm bath to both heal and cleans her up. But first, she needs to make sure that her parent didn''t found out the shirt have gotten bloody, or the consequence will be dire. She has to wash it before anything else; the warm bath could wait although she wants to take the warm bath right here and now. Chapter 39 - Mother And Daughter "Woah, that is so cool!" "Look at that swan! So pretty~." "This is a suitable spot for a good picture; let me get one snap." Among the people here who visit famous attractions in every part of the world as a tourist, there''s one particr person who didn''t care about the surroundings gaze and attention she received from the people around. Her outer appearance could be said, very outstanding. Without no doubt, there''s a reason why she attracts attention just merely walking by. A lot of lone wolves had tried looking for a chance yet the chilling gaze from her stop them from nning anything. But of course, idiot still exists. There''s one particr idiot who didn''t listen to his friend and decided to talk to her even though she was giving warning at him. The guy thought that the girl was just shy, and if they talk, it would be fine. He was confident that with his look and skill, any girl would fall to him in no time. In a way, he has the confidant of himself from the fact that every girl that he chases after, all of them is nothing but an ordinary girl. If I tried a little harder, then any girl would be within my reach, this was what he thought inside his mind. But today, he was woken up to a cruel reality that not everything will work out just as it always been. Before he could even open his mouth to talk, he feels sudden dizziness and the paining from his neck. He didn''t know what had caused the dizziness at first, but when he looked at the girl with her chilling gaze staring at him, he realised that she is not prey but a hunter instead. He didn''t know how she did it, but the pain from his neck and the dizziness is real, and before he could even do anything, he fell unconscious right there on the spot. The surrounding people were surprised to see the idiot guy to suddenly fainted right when he was going to chat. They didn''t know what had happened, and the girl walks away while taking a picture from time to time. The reason why the guy fainted was simply; she gives a chop to his neck in a speed that no average person could see with their slow sight. She had no time to waste on idiots; she would rather use it to visit another tourist spot instead. After she had done her mission, she immediately went to visit all kind of tourist attractions, not wasting any time at all. And now, it was already dusk, and she had already visited enough to fill up her happiness-o-meter. She wants to visit more, but most of the attractions are closed at night. And she also has to do one crucial thing, that is to report back to her superior. If she keeps her silence and enjoys herself more, it could bring trouble to her even if the mother is on her side. Her mother could protect her if she stays in the family, but if she leaves the family premise, it was hard to say that she would be safe, which was why she had to even if she didn''t want to do it. Thankfully, her superior is someone close to her. When the girl arrived and got inside the room of the hotel, she brings out aptop from her bedroom to the living room and put it on the table before she goes to the kitchen to make a coffee. Once she was done, she put the coffee beside theptop and opened the video chatting program and click on a familiar name. Within seconds, the video call connected and a familiar appearance appears on the screen of herptop. "What''s the report? Is it done?" To be honest, she wanted to know exactly what happens too. But all the information she had was thest location from thepass said was in the alleyway she visited yet no figure of it could be seen. The only thing that could mean was it got defeat by someone else. Perhaps it was someone who knows about the Otherside. But she was not so sure since the one who knows about the information about the Otherside could be count in one hand. There''s no way it was one of her generations who came from the same family because by then, he/she would have spread the news, and she would be called to go back home and had no time to go full tourist mode. She didn''t want to point to other people since the rtionship within the family is entirely in a dangerous zone at the moment. A single slip could cause a war to broke out once again. She didn''t want such a thing to happen, and so she decides to tell the whole truth. "...I see. Good work." Her puzzle expression must have been evident as the person on the screen immediately answer back. "Do you want me to criticise you?" "No, of course not!" The woman smiled and chuckle at her daughter''s panic expression. "Even with the help of thepass of guidance you didn''t find out anything. It could only mean one thing." "But mother..." "Shush, I know. Only people with sufficient knowledge of Otherside could potentially do such a thing. But that person is definitely not from the family as I haven''t heard anything about it. And there''s also no information on the other ends; basically, it could only be someone who we didn''t know about their existence or a secret that not even the family know about such person." "Is there really such a person?" "Of course, Hun. Haven''t you read the history book?" "But that person should be dead already, right? It has been a thousand years after all." "You''re so naive. Just because the person is already dead doesn''t mean she couldn''t pass down her power to her children." "If that is so then howe we haven''t heard about it at all? Wasn''t there a time where the family was close to that person?" "Well, I heard our ancestor lost contact with that person after she sent her gift to the ancestor. Her existence disappearedpletely afterwards as if being wiped away by the world itself as no one know what happens or where she is.." "Anyway, that''s the only conclusion that I coulde up without any more information. Did you have fun there?" "Of course not!" "fufufu, alright. Make sure youe back home fast, or the other will beining that I spoil you too much." "I love you, mother! Take care!" Chapter 40 - A Call After exiting the Trial Tower, She immediately went ahead as fast as she possibly could while hiding her presence from her mother. When she arrived in the room where there''s aundry washing machine, she stripped her clothes off even with the underwear while wrapping herself with the towel from the side. She put the bloody clothes into the washing machine and went into the bathroom to finally take a long warm bath. An hourter, She came out of the bathroom with a refreshing face with towel wrapping around her seducing body. It was good timing on her part since the washing machine was also done doing its job the moment she left the bathroom after having her fill with a wonderful bath. She picked up the now clean clothes from the washing machine, and she hangs it to a rod to let it dry before leaving the room to her bedroom. After wearing a new set of clothes, shey down on the bed while pondering on one particr topic. It was about the key, Trial Tower''s Key. At first, she wanted to give to her junior secretly due to how she bes an annoyance to her life. It was merely to prank her and then she would take it backter on. She thought if her junior were busy with pondering on what happens to her, she wouldn''t have any time to stalk her then. It was a genius n, alright? That was also merely a jest thought, no way she would do that. Even as a prank, it would be too foolish to let out the secret about the existence of Trial Tower to other people. She still hasn''t figured out how does the green creature from back then came from when she killed it in alleyways. The corpse of the goblin didn''t disappear like in the Trial Tower. She has a few thoughts regarding this, but she couldn''t put her finger on particr stuff, and so she decides to keep it quiet for now and see how it goes and if she is right on the mark, great and also problematic. But one thing that she could say is that the monster that spawned in Trial Tower isn''t real. Obviously, a real living being wouldn''t disappear when they died like some sort of game. When one died, they left the corpse behind. A correct example is a goblin that she met in the alleyways. It didn''t break into a fragment of glittering light before disappearing entirely into the void like in the Trial Tower, the corpse of the goblin remained. It also makes sense that she felt an urge to vomit because she had killed a living being, a monster or not; it is still a living being who breathes life. And the reason she didn''t feel anything when she killed tons of it in the Trial Tower is due to how they didn''t feel like a real living being. It''s like they didn''t have any soul, a hollow living being. But if that was so for the goblin, then how about the slime? She had never seen or killed one before she even got the leveling system. This is one of the reason that she couldn''t understand the full picture of it. Is it merely a monster that was created by the system for her? A slime seems simple to create since it was just made of a mass of water that turned into jelly. But what was the core? She couldn''t figure it out no matter how hard she tried to think with all her brainpower. It''s like trying to understand the whole puzzle with just a piece of it. She also has this worry that one day the system would disappear out of nowhere like how it did when it appears on her phone, and she would just return to a normal and boring life. The system didn''t answer nor talk to her anymore after the time when she asked one question. She had also been wondering if the leveling system also has a ss like in ssic RPG games. In another RPG games, it was called a job. Either way, it is an essential thing. Maybe, like how she got a new skill when the attribute point reach 20, and perhaps if she leveled up until 20 and that''s when the ss change would make its appearance? Currently, she''s level 14; it was still six levels away to go. She kind of went stray from her original path, but what was it again? Oh yes, she was pondering on whether to give the key to Ria or not. She has toe to a conclusion now, or if it gets anyter, it would be more dangerous, or so her sixth sense warns her. She didn''t know what kind of ''dangerous'' it is but yes, it should be a sick one since she didn''t get this kind of warning when she fights against the Goblin Shaman. But she didn''t know how to go for this, should she randomly bring the subject to her in school or only talk to her in some secluded spot. Or rather, maybe she could call and invite her here instead? That sounds like something she would do; she nodded her head at her suggestion before picking up her phone on the table by the bedside and dial a familiar number. A familiar ringtone starts to y the moment the call went on, but it wasn''t long before Ria pick up. "She? How are you?" "Yes, it''s me, and I''m doing good. Thanks for asking and by the way, do you have something to do today?" "I''m just resting right now, so I don''t have anything particr to do at the moment. Why?" "Could youe to my ce then? I have something to say to you." "Something for me? Why don''t you just said it over the phone? I''ll tell you this; I won''te over just to y the game!" "It''s not about the game! It''s really important, so juste over! Or I''ll spread your embarrassing moment at school¡ª" "Alright, alright, I wille over now. Geez, No need to be hasty, She~." "Then I''ll be waiting. See youter." *** After hanging up the phone call from She, Ria went to her closet to find suitablefy clothes. Once she was done, she left her bedroom and went downstairs. Before she could open the front door, her mother shows up behind her. "Oh? Are you leaving? Where to?" "She told me toe over; she didn''t say what is it about though." "I see, have fun there then." While Ria was walking on the way to She''s home, she was also pondering on something. She didn''t know when, but she started to notice that something seem to have changed when she looked at She. She didn''t know what it was, but for sure, there''s something. But even so, why did she call her toe to her ce? She said it was something important and yet it couldn''t be exined over the phone. Oh? Is today that time of a month for her? No, she already checked the date, but it was not today. Hmm, is it about the reason behind her acting weird for some days now? Did she find herself a boyfriend?! No way! She can''t believe for that quiet girl to have already found a boy, no! She must have gotten trick! She needs to find a way to tell She that she is being tricked but how? While Ria was pondering over random nonsense that shees up with, she didn''t know that soon she''s going to find out a lot more important and vital information than she had expected. It was also the day where her ordinary life started going on a different path, a path where the only supernatural exists and trouble everywhere. Chapter 41 - Imagination She''s bedroom. "So? What is it that you want to tell that required me toe here in your bedroom?" Cilia said as she sat on the side of the bed and looked at She who was staring at her with serious expression, different from usual her when she invites her toe, it usually leads to ying games together all night, and she didn''t make such a serious expression or rather, she makes an idiotic expression who genuinely enjoy ying along with her. Perhaps, sensing the tense atmosphere, she didn''t make any funny remark nor joke around as she waits for She to open up her mouth and speak. And so, a silent spread to the surrounding for a short while until few minutes passed and She finally muster enough courage and tell the truth to Ria. She didn''t hide anything and told her everything she has experienced, of course, there are some that she decides not to since it was just a hypothesis for now. Anyway, She slowly exins it to RIa so that she could digest it fully. It took her twenty minutes, and once she was done, she keeps her head down due to feeling guilty since the two once promised that they wouldn''t hold any secret and instead rely on each other. They had known each other ever since they were a small spoiled brat, after all. People usually drift apart when growing up and bing adult, but not for the two of them as they are more closer to each other instead. In a way, they are more like a sister than just a simply best friend. Every secret and embarrassing things, all of them were known to each other. If one asks them what they hate about each other, they could keep talking for a very long time to the point that you didn''t even remember what your previous question was ¡ª basically, two peas in a pod. Ria didn''t say anything but keep her silence; She didn''t know whether she was digesting the full information or mad at her. She couldn''t tell what was on her expression since she keeps her head down. But it wasn''t long until she heard a burst ofughtering in front of her. She looked up and saw Riaughing while holding onto her stomach. She was puzzled with the reaction that she expects to receive something like getting mad at her, but that wasn''t it, and the result was an unexpected one instead. "Are you writing a novel or something? Is that the plot? Does that mean you''re asking me if anyone would read it with that kind of story?" It seemed that Ria didn''t think that what she was told is real but some nonsense fiction that shees up. So, she didn''t believe me, huh. I guess it makes sense if I was in her ce and she suddenly told me about all this random crap about getting an app that could make one stronger by killing the monster in different dimension thing. What else can she do other than showing proof of an example? Without saying anything, she picked up the phone from her side and unlocked it before showing Ria the app on the home screen. "So, this is the app called Leveling system was it? How did you learn to create an app?" I wish I did, but this isn''t. She didn''t reply to her remark and opened the app, clicked on the status icon and the window appear on the screen showing a chibi version of her with her stats at the side. She also shows this to Ria. "Wah~ So cute! The chibi looks precisely like you isn''t? Even the clothes! Its very details." Is this girl for real? She doesn''t seem to be in denial by the look of expression of awe on her face, so does that mean she still didn''t believe her after all that? She didn''t want to do this, but it''s the only thing that could make Ria believe in her ''story'', that it is real. She put the phone on the side of the bed before taking a deep breath in and out. It''s magic time. Since it was embarrassing to say the spell name, she decides to conjure the spell chantlessly. She calls out the spell name back then just for the fun sake, no, it is not chuunibyou. She feels that the spell is stronger when she did that, maybe. But when she was about to conjure the spell, a thought emerged in her mind. It would be dangerous if she did it in her room since everything here is mmable. She doesn''t want anything in her bedroom to get caught in the fireball spell. She was pondering on what to do when she suddenly remembers something. Isn''t this a chance?! She picked up her phone immediately and went to the inventory and clicked on the ck key icon before it materialises in front of her. Ria was shocked when suddenly a ck unique looking key appear out of thin air in front of her and She. As if it was normal from her expression, She grabbed it before handing it over to Ria''s hand. "W-What?" It couldn''t be helped for her to get stutter. She wants to know about what just happened, yet She gives the key to her without exining anything. And to make matter worse, she told her to put the key in the air as if unlocking an invisible door. Ria didn''t know what to say to She and her wild imagination, but as her best friend, Ria could only do so, even though it was a strange request. She follows precisely what She said and when she twists the key, her worldview suddenly turned dark, and in a blink of an eye, a vast Greend appears before her. From She''s bedroom to suddenly changed into a purend filled with green nature all over her view, it was so magically that she had gone nk for a whole minute. And when she looked around, she noticed that she was left all alone. She started to get panic attacks and try her best to look around, in search of her missing best friend. She also started searching in her pocket, looking for her phone but what she found was one single blue card. The moment she took hold of it, a text appears above the card which read as, ¡º Wee to the Trial Tower! ¡» The following up after the text was a status window that one usually sees in the game. If Ria didn''t know about the game in general from She, then she would not have known about it. It appears just like a status window that one sees in the ssic RPG games. But what she couldn''t understand was how her name was in there. ¡º Cilia LV.1 ¡»(!) ¡º HP: 25/25 MP: 25/25 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 5 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 0 ¡» Chapter 42 - Silver Sword ¡º Cilia LV.1 ¡»(!) ¡º HP: 25/25 MP: 25/25 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 5 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 0 ¡» The first thought thates through her mind was, Is this a game? Am I dreaming right now? It makes a perfect sense for her to arrived at such conclusion since she founds it absurd the moment She pulled a key out of thin air. Did she fall asleep right at that moment? But if this is a dream, then it is a perfect dream seeing how realistic it is from her sight, and Cilia could also tell how fresh the air is just by breathing. She didn''t know that the grass in the dream feels almost exactly like the real one; it was very smooth and little rough. And even when she pinches her thigh, she could feel a burning pain as if it was telling her that everything she experienced now is darn real. The lucid dream is terrific! Now, who am I kidding? Of course, she could feel pain in her thigh because it is real! Everything around her is real! Even the darn card that''s showing the status like in RPG games is also real! Fuh, I need to take a deep breath and calm down as it is not the time for me to be panicking. I''m sure there''s a way out somewhere. After taking a few deep breaths, her beating heart starts to slow down until it rhythm back and forth like how it usually did. Once she has calmed down, she starts to look around, surveying her whole surrounding and try not to miss any single detail that she could gain to figure out a way to escape from this ce. She tried walking around in search of the water source, but after walking for a few hours, she was halt by something invisible in front of her. She tried touching it and could feel that there''s an invisible wall that''s stopping her from going far ahead, or perhaps this is the limit? Because of how long she had walked around yet didn''t find anything, she put her tired body to rest by sitting on the ground. Even while she sat, she was still warily watching her surrounding in case any sort of ''animal''e to attack her. But after watching around for a whole minute, she moves on to the card inside her pocket. The card is colour in all blue and nothing is different aside from the fact that it''s only a smooth blue card, and nothing sort of word was on it. But when she put her fingers on it while having thought about the status that was shown previously and suddenly a window screen appears and float in the air like those seen in sci-fi. There''s no need to say what was written in the window. But she did notice something that stood out of them; Healer ss. If this were a game, then she would be the type who heal while supporting the tank with the support magic. But if it bes a real ss, she would prefer it to be more ofbat instead of support-type ss. Maybe something like a magician? She doesn''t like pain that much, so close-rangebat is not in her choice list, and instead prefer a long-range one. A Ranger could make do even when she''s not good with bow but Healer? She had indeed been supporting She up until now, no matter what it was, just like how a loving mom would do to their daughter. But that is that, while this is this. How is she going to get out of this ce with a ss like a Healer? By healing the whole area? Maybe she needs to treat some kind of monster who was injured in this ce somewhere? In the first ce, where the heck am I? Perhaps because she was kind of upset due to tiredness that she was thinking all those nonsense. It would be nice if there''s water¡ª A window suddenly pops up from the card right in front of her face. She has forgotten that she was still holding onto the blue card. ¡º inventory: ¡ª A bottle of cold mineral water ¡» "..." Due to how thirsty she was, she didn''t care about anything else but instead was trying hard to think of a way to bring out that bottle of water from the inventory. She holds onto the card while closing her eyes and imagining the bottle of cold mineral water inside the inventory materialising like in those anime that she once saw on TV. And it was not really surprising, but the bottle did, in fact, emerge in front of her. She didn''t do anything else but to quickly opened the cap and drank it down her throat like a thirsty man in the desert who had just found ake and ran to like a madman. When she was done drinking, the bottle was all empty. She wipes the leftover water on her lips before pushing the empty water bottle into the inventory, and it was sucked in just as she had expected. Now that was done filling her thirst; her brain was finally working as she starts to get worried. She shouldn''t have finish drinking it all in one go and save some forter, but she just couldn''t help herself. It was not her fault that she was so thirsty for all the walk she had done. She starts to look for any kind of ''secret'' function inside the card that could summon up free water and food for her. But it wasn''t like a particr robot who has everything in its small pocket. But she did found something on the status page; she noticed an exmation mark beside her name and level. It was not there before, or maybe she didn''t look closer and disregard it altogether. She was panicking at the time, after all. She didn''t know how to click on it and just imagined herself moving the mouse to click on it; a small page appears, ovepping the status page. The content on the new page was, ¡º Quest(!) ¡» So, there is a quest, after all. Cilia are starting to think that whoever behind all the thing that she had experienced in this ce must have loved the ssic old RPG. If there''s a quest, then there must be a way for her to exit from this ce. Maybe she needs to clear the quest to exit? With the newfound hope, Ria used her invisible mouse and clicked on the quest, and a small window appears before her. ¡º Slime Killer I ¡» ¡º Kill the Slime (0/10) Reward: 10 EXP ¡» ¡º Do you wish to ept the quest? ¡» ¡º Yes/No ¡» ¡º ALERT: If you epted the quest, the monster would start appearing to the whole surrounding area, there will be no more safety zone! ¡» That''s nice of you to give me a head up, but it would be even better if you could let me leave this ce without me having to do all these sorts of thing. I''m a healer, how do you expect a healer to kill a slime? And another thing, I got no weapon in hands, basically bare arm. It''s like I''m a poor naked girl in front of a group of horny perverts; I''m dead meat. Even if a slime was known for being the weakest monster among all fantasy creature, she doesn''t look down upon them. There''s also a game where the slime bes a powerful boss. This is an impossible game for her, after all. Maybe God had listened to her prayer when suddenly she noticed something getting closer to her when she was in despair as she looked up in the sky. She narrows her eyes, trying to see what the object falling from the sky was before her eyes turned wide open as she immediately jumped to the side as fast as she could while cursing back at the God. Thump! The sound of something sharp stabbing hard and right into the ground resound before her. In the ce close to her previous spot stood a beautiful silver sword. If she hadn''t moved from her spot, she would have been injured by it. At least look at the ce before throwing down the sword at me! You almost got me there, you know! Do you want me to die, you bastard?! No¡ªwait, maybe you did. Ria silently curses under her breath before slowly walking toward the sword. Once she was closer, she didn''t pick up the sword immediately but instead stare at it. She was worried that the sword might be cursed, it was not her fault for thinking like that since the Otaku She influenced her with Otaku culture. It was long ago; She used to watch anime after she was done ying her games untilte night which was why she ended up not doing her homework at all. No matter how many times she lectured She, she always ended up forgetting it right after she gets home. Cilia didn''t know how that brain of She works at all. But these days, she seemed to be doing well as her result was pretty highpared to the old her. Did that hopeless girl finally listen to my words? I hope so; Ria thought in her mind while she was staring at the sword. Finally, having gathered enough courage, Cilia put her both hands on the handle of the sword and gripped it hard to feel the weight of it before pulling it out slowly from the ground. Cilia have equipped Silver Sword! If this was a game that notification would have shown up by now. While she held the sword in one hand and the other holding onto the blue card, a new page appears. ¡º Silver Sword ¡» ¡º Grade: F A standard steel sword that is coated with silver to make it pretty. +2 Strength +1 Attack Power¡» "...It''s a weapon, right?" ¡º Cilia LV.1 ¡»(!) ¡º HP: 25/25 MP: 25/25 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4(+2) ¡ªINT: 5 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 0 ¡» With the silver sword in hands, it might be possible for her to kill the slime and leave this damn ce. She didn''t know how to wield a sword properly, but what do you expect from a modern girl like her? It would be a miracle if she could put a fight on her own. Without waiting further, she epts the quest. ¡º You have epted the quest. ¡» ¡º The monster will be spawned in 3.2..1. ¡» ¡º You can''t exit the Trial Tower beforepleting the quest! ¡» Chapter 43 - Overrule By Excitement The moment She see the figure of Ria disappeared entirely, she immediately went into the Trial Tower via her phone. She didn''t even need to do anything else because the moment her surrounding changed from the bedroom into that of grasnd and a new window pops up in front of her view; it was showing a familiar figure standing still, frozen in shock. She wasn''t worried that Ria would get hurt in this ce since there''s no monster in the surrounding unless Ria had already epted the quest. But seeing the current state she was in, she didn''t think that Ria would have done it. Even if Ria did take the quest, She could still protect her by teleporting to her ce. She has a special privilege as the host of Leveling System, after all. While she was watching Ria walking around in search of her, she feels quite quilty seeing such a scene. She also didn''t even exin much to her before Ria arrived into this tower. But its fine, this is the only way to make Ria believe in her word. But, a ss, huh? Ria acquired a healer ss the first time she entered, but why didn''t she receive any sort of ss? And even more, what is that Luck?! This is pure cheating! The Goddess of Luck is lying to me! Now it all makes sense to her; Ria always gets what she wanted to, be it against the wicked gacha or the lottery game, she will never lose against the two infamous monsters. Maybe she should let Ria suffer for a while in this ce? An evil thought emerged in her mind. She looked at the screen in front of her and saw Ria walking until she reaches the invisible wall, which halts her progress. It seems that Ria decides to rest her tired body there as she sat on the ground while warily looking at her surrounding. She didn''t need to though since She is watching for her, after all. It didn''tst long when Ria moves her attention to the blue card in her pocket. Seeing the status page appearing like what one would see in Sci-fi makes her fall into deep thought for a few moments while watching Ria. When she came out of her thought, she noticed that Ria seems to be looking for something. It didn''t take her long enough to understand what she was looking for; Ria has been walking for a few hours after all. It would be weird if she didn''t get thirsty after all that. She opened up the inventory and picked a bottle of cold mineral water before sending it into Ria''s card. This was also one of the privileges as the host of Leveling System. It is also one of the reasons why she wants to see Ria ''suffers'' for a while; she meant it. But of course, she won''t go too far with her prank, which was why she did this. And then, she saw Ria being surprised when the inventory page suddenly emerged in front of her. But from her expression, it was more like speechless since she probably didn''t expect it. When Ria figured a way to bring the bottle out of the inventory, she immediately drank it like someone who hasn''t seen any water for days. It must be because of how great life is as a modern person where you can get drink and food anytime by buying it at a convenience store not far away from home. As one of the modern people, She agreed to that. She did drink a lot of water because of hydration since she spent most of her time ying games. Health is more important, after all. Anyway, it seems that Ria realised what she had done was wrong as she appears to be in a panic for a second there. But not until she found a quest function beside her name in the status page. Oh, She was not surprised by it, I guess my n to transform her into a weeb works wonderfully. 1Now, let''s give an alert to her in case Ria ept it without thinking further of the consequence since she didn''t tell her about the safe zone and monsters, after all. But then again, how do a healer attack? Bash their opponent to death with their wand? As far as she knows, there is no offence spell in Healing Magic. She ponders on what sort of weapon should she sent to Ria since her ss is not an offensive one. Is it a hammer? Or maybe an axe? No, she''s not a muscr guy with a powerful and strong arm. Is it a rapier? But it seems harder to wield than a normal sword. "A sword, I guess? Let''s take the silver one at the cost of 500 Gold in the shop. She should be happy with how pretty it is." She could get a lot of a different kind of weapon in the shop, but all of them is very expensive due to them being enchanted. The only weapon she could get is a normal one that is not enchanted; an example is a normal sword. There is also a gun in the shop, but it''s quite expensive even though it wasn''t an enchanted weapon. She could buy it, but Ria doesn''t know how to use it, and neither is she. Once she had a lot of gold, she might get herself a collection of guns just because, why not. Guns are cool and also romance to a specific type of people. It could also be useful to frighten up normal people in case they were trying to cause trouble to her, but she didn''t think that would happen since she could literally bitch p them to death if she wasn''t careful enough by holding back her strength. Enough of side distraction, its time for her to send the sword to Ria, but how should she do it? Should she do it like the previous one with the bottle of cold mineral water? But that sounds boring; it wouldn''t be a surprise anymore if it happens twice. Are there any other ways? Since she could teleport anywhere near the key holder, couldn''t she does the same to an item? When the thought came into her mind, she starts to see the probable of such things as possible. Feeling the excitement rushing through her body, She holds the silver sword in her hands before looking at the screen in front of her where it shows Ria still checking out the blue card. She waits for her chance since she doesn''t want it to end up as a misfortune incident, No way. She doesn''t know what had possessed her, but she thought it would be fine so long as Ria is safe. Again, she could teleport to Ria anytime and then make her drink health potion if she ever gets hurt. Or she could also send the sword into her inventory. While she was pondering on such thought, she noticed it in her view that Ria was staring up in the sky. This is a chance! She immediately teleports the silver sword¡ª but an incident happens as she identally chose the position to be above Ria instead of somewhere close to her where if the sword fall, it won''t hurt her. But due to her early excitement, she has just made a mistake. She was actually on the verge of teleporting herself to Ria to protect her from the falling sword, but before she could do anything, she saw Ria managed to avoid it by a hair''s breadth. She cursed herself for making a mistake that almost cost her best friend''s life. This is what happens whenever her excitement overrules herself. She remembers back when she was five years old; she invites Ria to follow her to climb a tree in the park. At that age, she was influenced by the cartoon shown on the TV, and because of it, she wanted to try it herself. And yes, as you have expected, an ident happens. She falls hard onto the ground when her hands be slippery while climbing the tree. She was then sent to the hospital when Ria runs back home, crying to her parent about the fall, and it was there that her parent lectured her to no end for the first time. All ording to Keikaku. AN: Keikaku mean n Chapter 44 - Luck Is On Her Side ¡º You have epted the quest. ¡» ¡º The monster will be spawned in 3.2..1. ¡» ¡º You can''t exit the Trial Tower beforepleting the quest! ¡» Ria was expecting to see a group of monsters to spawn right in front of her, but there''s nothing in her sight. I guess I was lucky? Even though there seems to be no visible monster in her surrounding, she didn''t put down her guard. She had never fought in her whole life, which was why she was more careful and wary in this ce where she could potentially lose her life. Of course, she is afraid but being afraid is not the right thing to do at the moment. What she needs to do the most is to leave this ce andter on give a good amount of scold to She. It was She that bring her here into this strange ce, after all. When she entered this ce, the key that was in her hand had disappeared. She didn''t know how and where did it go, but she thought that perhaps, by clearing the quest, she could leave this ce. Maybe the key would even appear the moment shepleted the quest. Ria slowly walk as she warily watches her surrounding, she didn''t know how the slime look like, is it small as a lump of water in the shape of a football? Or is it as small as ping pong ball? Either way, it never hurt to be wary and survey her surrounding as she might find them first before they couldunch a sneak attack on her. It''s very dangerous to her since she didn''t know how to fight even with the silver sword in hands, one sneak attack could lead to a fatal injury. With a small step one at the time, even slower than a turtle itself, Ria walks while she is surveying the area onward as not to miss anything. It was long until she came across a single slime bouncy away in the distance. The slime was coloured in blue, and she could see through the inside of it that there''s a small stone that keeps on moving around once she gets closer to it. She had wanted to make a sneak attack on the slime, but a beginner like Ria couldn''t possibly hide her presence against it. The moment she was close enough, within the range of the slime, it immediately bounces and heads toward her. Ria gripped hold of the silver sword in her hands and dash forward; the slime eagerly jumped at her when she arrives approximately close to it. But before it does, Ria swings her sword at it blindly. It was a stroke of luck as the slime jumped right in the direction of the swinging sword and it ended up shing the core inside of the slime into two. Her first fight has smoothly ended with luck on her side. Ria was quite shocked herself since she didn''t expect the fight to end that fast and very easily. Once she calms her mind, she just thought it was a lucky win, and the next time she fights such a stroke of luck wouldn''t possibly happen again. ¡º Cilia have killed Slime LV.1! ¡» Such an announcement didn''t appear or heard by Ria as the only thing that can be one of the evidence that the slime is dead is the water that sshed onto the ground. The other one is in the quest as the detail changed from 0/10 to 1/10. She didn''t stay in one ce too long before moving on in search of a solo slime. It was amon sense that one could fight against one opponent if their strength is weak, but if the weak gathered up together, even the strong could get beaten by them. It was especially so for someone as weak as Ria. Getting surrounded by slimes is no joke. This is also not an R18 game where such an incident would be a sore sight for the gentleman. Slime would just devour her rather than doing something pervert; this is not like in a game after all. Ria managed to find a single slime and in no time beaten it with the swing of her sword. She did get hit by the slime, but as her profession is that of a healer, she could heal the injury easily. The cost of one heal depends on the wound, if it''s a small one, then it wouldn''t cost much less than 5MP. The most she could do is healing one almost fatal injury at the cost of all her MP. How did she know? She tried it on herself and made her conclusion base on the experience. ¡º Healing Magic LV. 1 ¡» ¡º?Heal [ 5-25MP <30s> ] Heal small injuries (one almost fatal) ¡» Thankfully she didn''t need to recite a long chuunibyou-like chant that she saw in anime. It would be utterly embarrassing as an adult to do such a thing. All she needs to do was to say the spell name be it in a whisper or normal voice and imagine herself being enveloped by light. If she could see herself in the mirror, then she would have thought she was witnessing a Saint due to the light surrounding her whole body during the healing moment. Even She, who was currently watching, had such an impression when Ria healed herself. Too bad she didn''t have her phone in hands, or she would have snapped a picture by now. It was, indeed, a beautiful sight. Anyway, one heal cost 5MP, and she could only cast it once every 30 seconds. And she only needs to take a five minutes break to fill up the mana back to full. It took her about five hours to finally done with the quest. She was quite lucky that whenever she met a slime, it would always be alone for her to hunt. After the fourth slime, she had gotten used to wielding the silver sword. And whenever she took a break, she also finds out that there''s a portion of food in the inventory. She didn''t know where it came from, but it was a good thing so who cares. But after shepleted the quest and leveled up by one, she was not sent back to her world, nor the key appears before her. She was still inside the space called Trial Tower. She was going to panic again when suddenly a figure materialises in front of her. As once a normal person, she was obviously mesmerised by the magical sight in front of her. But that came to a stop when she saw the figure was apologetically bowing to her. A female figure could be seen bowing down to Ria on her feet and didn''t seem to care whenever the sight was unsightly or not. It was none other than She. ¡º Cilia LV.2 ¡»(!) ¡º HP: 23/25 MP: 20/25 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4(+2) ¡ªINT: 5 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 5 ¡» Chapter 45 - Love? While She was watching Ria hunting the slime one by one, she was also eating a snack with a cold fruit juice on top of the table as she sat on afy chair. The chair and the table set was the one she borrowed from her bedroom. She didn''t take it somewhere else, or she would be found out by her mother and get lectured by her which would ended up exposing the ''leveling system'';Basically all sorts of problem. She will definitely put it back to their right ceter. Ria''s luck is very frightening as she never met a slime more than one. If she had ever came across a group of slimes, then she would have been beaten by them. Whenever she was a distance away from more than one slime, she would unconsciously choose the other path as if being redirect by her luck. If She hadn''t been watching it via the system, then she wouldn''t have thought that luck attribute could be so sick. And just like that, Ria managed toplete the quest within 5 hours, including break time. It would have taken much longer or possibly impossible if She hadn''t supply food and drink to Ria''s inventory. That one fail prank is already enough and this time would really risk the life of Ria if she didn''t take care of Ria by watching her closely. But it doesn''t seem she need to since the Luck protects Ria from harm instead. It feels surreal seeing how Ria keep changing path whenever she came across a faraway group of slimes. The girl herself probably didn''t know about it and could put the me on her instinct instead. Luck attribute is pretty crucial since it could influence all other traits, which could also result in saving a dead man. What she saw on the screen floating in the air in front of her was exactly that. Once Riapleted the quest, She put back the table set and leftover snack into the inventory before proceed to teleport somewhere close to Ria. She didn''t even wait for Ria to react before bowing down to her in full power. She ignored any sort of embarrassing feeling swelling up to her face and keeps on bowing her head to Ria. This time she wasn''t joking around and was sincerely apologize by bowing down her head. While She was bowing her head down, neither of them was saying anything which caused silence to spread to the surrounding. Because Ria haspleted the quest, the slime has long disappeared, and the ce has turned into safe zone. Ria looked at the familiar figure in front of her while unsure of what to do. But she could tell that even without She exining; it was She''s fault all this entire time. Otherwise, she won''t be bowing down at this exact moment. Initially, she was angry at the person who sent the falling sword from the sky, which almost took her life there and then. She didn''t care if it was an incident or on purpose because all she wanted in the end was to give the culprit a good p on the face. But after fighting the slimes so far, the boiling feeling inside of her has slowly dispersed, and none remain behind. She might or might not have been putting all her anger onto the poor slime. She had realised one thing while taking a break from killing the slime that the person who sent the sword from the sky and a bottle of cold mineral water into the inventory was watching her the whole time she was here. It was too obvious that she ended up considering if it was a trap all along, but when nothing happened, she just shrugged it off the mind. And now that she saw She suddenly bowing down to her out of nowhere, the dot connected in her mind. It was the fault of the idiot in front of her for everything she had experienced so far. It makes sense since she was also the one who gives her the key, after all. A sigh of frustrated was release out of her mouth. "Exnation?" "Y-Yes!" She flinched when she heard one word from Ria and quickly exin everything from A to Z of her experience till now. It was the same as what she said from before in the bedroom, but there was more exnation regarding the key and this ce. "At that time, I was so excited that such an incident happen. It was my fault, and I didn''t mind at all if you beat me up ck and blues since you almost lost your life." She said as she continues bowing her head down to Ria. To be honest, she is scared of what sort of respond Ria would do. If someone asks her, do you have anyone important other than her family? She doesn''t need to take her time to answer as she did, in fact, have such a person. It''s Cilia. Ria had taken care of She ever since the day that that she fell from the tree incident. Both parents were relying on her to take care of She and her overexcitement. When Ria was told something like that by both parents when she was young, she didn''t know anything and simply nod her head like a good child she is. The only thing that she understood was she had to make sure that She won''t get in trouble again and if she is unsure, do give them a call. Basically, she was entrusted with taking care of She. And as she grows up, she eventually bes a figure like a big sister taking care of her naughty younger sister(She). To Ria, it was tiring since She is the type that wanted to try everything, didn''t matter if it''s dangerous or not. It''s like taking care of a child. Yes, that''s precisely it. Being entrusted with She''s matter was like a Mother(Ria) taking care of her daughter(She). No matter how tiring it is, she still could handle it. If it were someone else, they would have given up on She. Ria didn''t; she didn''t know why, but she feels like she had to be the one who did it. It was a very strange feeling, but among all the tiredness, there was also happiness within which she thought is enough. Is this how it feels when a mother taking care of their child? Ria walks toward She as she bent down and pick her up by the arm for her to stand. When Ria got close to her, She was trembling in fear, and if someone else were here to see this, they would have thought a child(She) was scared of getting scold from her mother(Ria) for bad behaviour. She was so scared that she didn''t notice what Ria did to her while shutting her eyes shut. She only responds when Ria give a flick to her forehead. "Ouch!" She moaned in pain as she slowly opens her eyes. In her front sight, she saw Ria looking at her with helpless expression spread on her face. Ria withdraws her hand after giving a flick to She''s forehead. She could only rub her forehead while giving a confused look at Ria. "I forgive you." "But..I-I.." "When you send the sword to me, did you have any murder intention?" "Of course not!" "Then isn''t it fine?" "But¡ªyou almost lose your life!" "It''s fine. You have caused all sort of trouble even before this and yet, I am still here right in front of you." "B¡ª" "Stop. I know, this and that are different, but to me, nothing is different. It was just you simply getting yourself done in by overexcitement." Ria softly muttered to She as she puts her hand on her cheeks. The warm gazeing from Ria''s eyes makes She look down instantly, and she could feel a blush working its way up her neck. If Ria were a man whispering to her with such word and gesture, by now, She would have been struck in love. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, and a warm feeling spread to her whole body before She immediately shut it deep inside her. She couldn''t believe that she had that kind of emotion in her when she thought of the person in front of her. How can I¡ª It was the emotion of love. Chapter 46 - Thoughts Love?! Love was it?! No way! I mean, Ria is a girl! How can I have these feeling on a person with the same gender as me! I must have gotten sick somewhere. But deep inside she had this one thought that said; it couldn''t be helped that Ria was too cool, right? She shook her head at such unbelievable thoughts before sealing it off inside of her. It was really ridiculous, no matter how she thought about it. There is no way that she has that kind of feeling toward the girl in front of her. No, maybe this is normal? She had never fallen in love before, so she didn''t know if this feeling is what you called love for friendship or is it in that direction. Hopefully, No, it must be the friendship love! "Are you okay, She?" "I-I''m fine, just a little dizzy." "Then why don''t we leave this ce and you could take a rest in your bedroom?" "Yes, that''s a good idea." Afterwards, She turns off the restriction that was set onto the key before handing it over to Ria again. Now, Ria could enter and leave the Trial Tower as she pleased, so long as she didn''t ept the quest that is. Like before, Ria has to use the key as if unlocking an invisible door and with a twist, her figure vanished from the Trial Tower. She didn''t wait much longer as the moment Ria disappeared, she immediately exits the Trial Tower with a simple thought. ... She''s bedroom. "I fthoufh fuo faid fuo forgafe fe aflreafy?"(I thought you said you forgave me already?) "I did, yes. But did I said anything about you not getting punished, no?" Ria smiled happily at She as she pinches the girl''s cheeks. She actually wanted to do this, but since they were in the Trial Tower, she didn''t feel safe there and asfortable as in right now. Anyway, She deserves a punishment so that she won''t make the same mistake ever again. The only way to give her a punishment that she would remember is something childish as pinching her cheeks. The girl herself is also childish, after all. A few minutester... "If ftill furt."(it still hurts.) She moaned in pain while rubbing her red cheeks softly as she red at the girl who was smiling at her in happiness. Although her re kind of contained a bit of tear which makes Shi appears to be pretty cute in Ria''s view. It was rare to see She in making that kind expression since most of the time; she only seems stoic in appearance from the other perception of her. Although she doesn''t have any friend in school, it doesn''t mean that no one wants to talk to her and in fact, many wanted to do so but couldn''t handle the gaze from the stoic She. She didn''t make such expression on purpose, but people misunderstood it as she didn''t want any business with them. If she smiles more often, she would be even more famous than she already is. As a childhood best friend, Ria knows She the most. She tried to help her with making a new friend, but the result was not so good. There''s this one period where she introduced a girl whose parent also work in the entertainment circle, same as She''s mother. Of course, She tried to help them by asking her mother when the girl asked her, but in the end, the girl and her family was never to be seen again. She asked her mother what had happened to her friend, but her mother keeps her silence. It was only a weekter than she saw the news on TV that said a family of three was caught in a car ident and passed away on the scene. It then showed the picture of the family and one little girl who appears to be familiar to She. It didn''t take that long enough for her to conclude that it is her friend. She didn''t remember what happened afterwards, but from what her mother and Ria said, she fell with a cold for an entire week. It was also at that time that She started to be introvert and slowly progress into the current her. Till now, She still doesn''t know what had actually happened to the girl and only thought as a misfortune in getting caught up in a car ident. But Ria knows the truth. As a mature kid, she notices thing different than She. She had her suspicion that the car ident is not a mere ident, but it was an ident created by someone. One night, she asked her mother, Celia, and it was then, she knew the truth. The car ident was caused by a rivalpany that She''s mother works. Somehow, they knew that the girl is a friend of She and to make her suffer, those cruel bastard make it happen. It did works as She''s mother be quiet for a few weeks before she makes another appearance which would bring a nightmare to those people. Ria doesn''t have the heart and courage to tell She the truth as she doesn''t want her to feel the pain which might escte her thought into something unimaginable. But thanks to her, the current She is way different than the one back then. It was really difficult and almost impossible to talk to her, but Ria didn''t give up. It didn''t need to be said as if Ria had given up; She won''t be here while rubbing her red cheeks with tears in the eyes. To be honest, She couldn''t really ept the thing that she had just experienced. The world that Ria thought unlikely to be linked to fantasy, but it actually is. As a modern person, she didn''t believe that ghost, God or anything supernatural exists. She didn''t mind to those who pray for God because they need such being to support their weak mentality and psyche. If they did not do as such, they are likely given up on life andmit suicide. Not all people are strong in both the mind and psychical. Most likely, if She had known the truth about the whole ident, she would have... Ria shook her head at such negative thought and instead focused more into her current situation. After exiting the Trial Tower via the key, she realised that the blue card had disappeared and nowhere in sight. Although it has disappeared, she can feel that the increased in her strength is not fake but actual reality. And if that is not enough, she was still holding onto the silver sword in her hands when her view changed from the Trial Tower to that of She''s bedroom which was now left on the side of the bed. The very proof of the silver sword told her that everything she had experienced in that ce is real. It''s not like she didn''t believe it; it was more like unconscious rejection. Living in a world where science and logic rules, it makes sense that such an illogical experienced make her feel like it was nothing but a dream. It is a normal reaction for a modern person like her to believe at such. If it were not for the otaku culture that she had been cultivated from She, then perhaps she would likely reject it even further. To be honest, she was kind of excited about this whole thing, pretty hard for her to disagree that magic is cool and all. She had been thoroughly brainwa¡ªlearned about Otaku culture from She, after all. But everythinges with a price; Nothing is free in the world. Ria believes that if she continued on this path, she would likely lose her ordinary life. But will she be happy with such life without She in it? After all, it was already toote for She to leave this dangerous life where life is at risk. The moment She had gotten the nightmare from her dream, which rmed her to this day, she had been continuously thinking all sort of things, be it to protect her loves one or getting stronger. She doesn''t have time to enjoy her ordinary life no more. This possibly influenced her in choosing who is going to be the owner of the key. The smarter choice was to choose someone who had the gift to be a hero like the one in the story. Ria for sure is not that the type of person who would risk herself to save others like an idiot. If She had done as such, she wouldn''t have to worry about the world and focused more on getting stronger while enjoying her ordinary life. Basically, leave the problem to the one who could handle it because She, for sure, is not the right person for that. Ria was woken up from the deep thought when her eyes identally came across She who was drinking something like a potion and the red mark on her cheeks magically disappeared. Health potion? "She." "Uh-Oh, this is not what it is! It''s just a normal drink, I swear!" She had thought of secretly drinking the health potion to heal her sore cheeks but wasn''t expecting to get exposed easily. She was flustered as she tried to give a reasonable exnation to Ria when she was called out. But it was already toote as a dark aura appears out of Ria''s back. Her best friend had gone alter! Chapter 47 - Status "Ugh. Beaft."(Beast.) "Peffert defmon."(Pervert Demon.) "Do you want to get more or stay silent?" "..." "That''s a good girl." Ria said while patting on She''s head. She couldn''t do anything but just re silently with her tearful eyes at Ria. Although her strength has grown even more than Ria, it doesn''t mean that she didn''t feel the pain of getting her cheeks squeezed. But of course, it wasn''t muchpared to the time She had battled against the Goblin Shaman where there are injuries in her whole body. She wasn''t joking when she said so, as the pain almost caused her to give up on everything. That was why she could handle it just fine. The reason she made it seem painful is that because it was her ''punishment''. She''s totally fine, drinking the health potion is not really because she feels it too painful, not at all. "So, how do I hide this sword from others? I''m pretty sure I don''t have the inventory as I did in the Trial Tower since the blue card doesn''t seem to be in my possession." "Actually, you do have it. The key is the blue card in the Trial Tower. It just changed to fit the ''theme'' that I had adjusted for some unknown reason that I will rather tell no one." "This key here? And how do I do it then?" "Like how you use it to enter the Trial Tower, do it by unlocking an invisible door but before you twist it, make sure to have a thought of inventory." "...like this? Whoa! It works!" A game-like menu appears in front of Ria. She picked up the silver sword at the side of the bed and tried to ''put'' it into the inventory; the sword disappeared as it went inside the inventory and an icon of a sword coloured in silver appear in the list of item. She breathes out a relief sigh after putting the sword into the inventory. "How is it? Cool, right?" She said while having a smug expression on her face as if proud of the masterpiece that had turned out from her modification to the key. As the host of the leveling system, she obviously could modify the key which required no cost whatsoever so long as she didn''t add anything that it didn''t possess. When she had first used the key herself, it didn''t have that many functions whichter on was added by her. It only cost gold, nothing much. Yes, it cost the gold she had saved up, Sniff. "Hmm, so-so. How about the status? Do I need to the same action while only changing the thought from inventory to status?" "Yes!" ¡º Cilia LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 25/25 MP: 25/25 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4(+2) ¡ªINT: 5 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 5 ¡» "Your luck is still highly ridiculous even though it''s the second time I see it." She heaved asigh and threw her hands into the air in defeat. If she was a person blessed by the Goddess of Luck, then Ria is the daughter of Goddess of luck.She was also still curious about why she didn''t have any ss, is it because she is unique due to being the host of the leveling system? Or is it because she didn''t reach the required level for the test to acquire the ss? Not having the information is really making her feeling stressed out since she didn''t know what kind of path should she walk forward. "What is this AP?"(Ria) "Attribute Point. Once leveled up, you will gain five attribute points which you can use it to distribute to any of your attribute other than luck." "STR or Strength, I don''t need to say much about this since you have experienced it yourself with the sword." "INT or Intelligence, by increasing this attribute, your brain will be much more active, and it will also increase mana point beside the health point. One attribute point is five mana points." "AGI or Agility, it increased your speed in everything, be it reaction speed or your thought process speed by a small amount for one attribute point." "VIT of Vitality, this is important as it will increase health point by five with only one attribute point, which is the same for INT. It also improves health regeneration rates by a small amount." "Health Point or HP for short, this is your lifeline turned into a digit. Make sure you always watch this whenever you''re in a battle and NEVER, ever let it reach lower than five." "Mana Point or MP for short, since you have already used your healer ss skill, then you know what it is, so I didn''t need to tell you more than that. Ah, but one warning, never let it goes down to zero since you won''t be able to move your body when the timees to it. Basically, you''re dead meat in a battle if you be immobilised." "As for gold, this is not important right now so you can ignore it. Do you understand what I''m saying so far?" After she was done exining everything that she knows about the status, She asked for a confirmation from Ria if she understood everything which was given a respond back by nodding her head as affirmation. "So, where do you think I should distribute by attribute point into?"(Ria) "As a healer, I guess it must be INT?" "You guess? You don''t know?"(Ria) "Well, I didn''t have any ss whatsoever, so I just distributed the point as I pleased ¡ª no regret since I gained a few good skill though. But I don''t know much about your case since you''re the first key holder." "Basically, I''m your first test experimental rat?" "No, no, no! How did youe to such a conclusion?! Just distribute your point into intelligence, since you only have one skill which also requires mana. It won''t be a loss; trust me." "Are you sure I can trust you on this?" "Of course! Ah, but you can''t me meter if it''s wrong, okay¡ªNo, wait! I''m just kidding, trust me! You can put all the me on meter." She reassured Ria with her word while patting her shoulders, followed by a nod from her. From Ria''s perspective, She doesn''t seem reliable at all, no matter how she thought about it. Even her word was not filled with confidence as She usually did when ying games with her. Ria could only let out a sigh before deciding to put her trust on She as she distributes the point. ¡º Cilia LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 25/25 MP: 25/50 ss: Healer GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 4(+2) ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 3 ¡ªVIT: 5 ¡ªLUCK: 20 AP: 0 ¡» After distributing the point into intelligence, she feels that she now understands the thing that she didn''t know in the past. It was like She said, her brain is more active than before. She guesses that this is the real reason behind She''s grades are getting better than before. Basically, she cheats her way out of it. "Hmm, this feels strangely weird." "You will get used to it." "I guess so, but how do I hide this key? I''m worried that I might lose it even putting it in my pocket." "Indeed, that''s a problem. I didn''t add such a useful function like the key teleporting back to you after a certain distance away, (it cost too much gold, so I didn''t add it)" "What did you say? I can''t hear yourst word properly." "It''s nothing, hmm, how about this?" She brought out her phone from the pocket before opening the app and went straight into the shop. She browses through all sort of things before finding the item she wanted and immediately buys it. The item was stored right away into inventory so Ria didn''t know what she bought since she was too slow to see it on the phone. But She didn''t let her wait as an item suddenly materialises in front of them. The item is..a silver ne. "Do you like something with silver?" "Hmm? Nope. I thought you might like it, though." Chapter 48 - Junior Ria looked at the silver ne in She''s hands while pondering why did She bring it out for. She didn''t say much but only ask her for the key. Ria didn''t know what She did as her figure disappeared entirely from her sight and five minutester, she appears with a key ne in hands. Did she entered and exiting the Trial Tower have something to do with the key now in a ne? "Here." She said while giving the key ne to her. She must have understood the confusion on Ria''s face as she exins everything. "Since you were worried about losing the key, I decide to make you a key ne. You don''t have to worry anymore about losing it, so long as you stop wearing it." "It will definitely look good on you too, so why don''t you try wearing it first?" "..." Ria didn''t mutter any word in response but simply stares at the key ne in her hands. To be honest, yes, it''s pretty. But doesn''t this make it stand out even more? Is this idiot even understand what she had done? Probably not from the oblivious expression on her face. But yes, it might work as no one will ever think that the key ne that she wore is actually a key to a whole new world. And even if someone ended up getting the key, they won''t be able to enter the Trial Tower without knowing the procedure of how to enter it unless they experiment it a lot. While Ria is trying to equip the key ne around her neck, she also asked She about another one of her worries. But She response back with a smug on her face. "Don''t worry. I had already patched it when I went inside the Trial Tower. No one else but you could use the key." She answered Ria with ease, but inside her mind, I have to hunt so many goblins in order to get enough gold for the patch. Thankfully, it didn''t take long for that with the time difference between inside and outside. It took her 3 hours of grinding until she had enough to add a new attribute to the key that only the key owner chosen by the Host could use it. Even with all the gold grinding, she hadn''t leveled up by one. It seems that she had to go for a higher floor to level up rather than grinding on the lower floor since the experience she gets is too little. But grinding on the lower floor did help in taking her mind off from thinking about stuff that she didn''t want to speak of. "It does look good on you more than I expected." She muttered in amazement at the sight in front of her. Ria looks very beautiful now with the silver ne around her neckline. The key pendant gives off a mysterious charm to those who gaze at her, that is if she was purposely showing it off. "Well, thank you." "But then, do I have to remove the ne off just so that I can enter the space?" "I got you covered. Just say the magic word, Link Start!1" "...are you serious?" "Of course, I am! Go on." She tried to make a serious expression on her face after saying that to Ria. But she didn''t know that Ria had gotten used to her tricks as one who has lived with her since young, which was why Ria just smiled at her with the eyes that don''t seem to be smiling at all. She serious face cramped under the invisible threat behind Ria smiling face. "I''m just kidding, haha! All you need to do is only thought about in your head, and you will be teleported right away." Such useful function didn''t require any gold since it was already there and she could adjust it freely as she pleased. Wait, doesn''t it feel like the key is bing like the app in her phone but better? It must have been her imagination since she could put a restriction on the key anytime, so long as the key holder enter the Trial Tower. Even if it''s true, it shouldn''t be a problem since it was in the hand of Ria, someone who never make an idiotic mistake like her. "Are you going to stay here for a while or going back home?" "Hmm, I''m going to stay since I want to know more about this." "Then, why don''t you ask and I answer while ying games? Hold on, let me get the console from downstairs." She said as she immediately left to pick up the game console downstairs in the living room. She didn''t even wait for Ria to give her response and went ahead. Ria could only shake her head at the addicted gamer. And just like that, they ended up ying the game until dusk while Ria was asking She from time to time. The next day. When She arrived in front of the school gate, she was immediately locked onto by a particr person that was hiding behind the pole. She knew who it was andpletely ignore it since she had gotten used to it by now. To be honest, She really wanted to know why that junior of her was stalking her, did her secret got exposed somewhere? She couldn''t help but have thought about it. But if that truly is, it would have caused a ruckus if shees to school. Or is it because that girl didn''t reveal her secret to no one, not even her friend? If so, that makes sense. She had this vague feeling that her secret was exposed to her junior, but she didn''t when and where. The only possibility thates across her mind is at that time she spent in midnight at the park. Oh, shoot! Did I get so focused on the magician acting that Ipletely forget to check my surrounding? It makes her sweat all over just thinking about it. Thanks to Photographic Memory skill, she remembers everything clearly that happened on that day. Ah~ I''m such a huge idiot! Who in the right mind actually conjure fireball spell into the dark sky right in the middle of the park?! No wonder I don''t feel so good for the past few days. And here I thought by increasing the intelligence attribute; I might get smarter but guess I was wrong. Or did I shut my brain off that night? Her eyes narrowed while pondering on such deep thoughts. The girl herself didn''t notice, but while she was deep in thought, the junior that was supposed to be hiding right behind her was now walking straight to her. It wasn''t long until she came close to She, but it took her a while before she starts to open her mouth. "Umm, senior?" She was rudely awakened from her deep thoughts as she looked at the girl in front of her. She was frozen shocked as she didn''t expect the girl toe and talk to her when she didn''t get her heart ready yet. She is not prepared for the truth just yet! She had even thought of escaping right away, but the junior next word stopped her in ce. "I saw you at the park, um, three days ago?" "Can we talk somewhere private?" Yuna muttered thest word softly, worried that the others might listen to her word. But her worry is for naught as the only person in the hallways were only both of them. She had wanted to talk to the senior in front of her for so long, but she didn''t have enough courage to do so. She was not just curious about that night in the park; she also wants to know more about the senior. It was only now that she finally gathered enough courage for her to act up. The senior didn''t respond to her word for a while as she only stares at her with the stoic expression on her face. Yuna was about to give up and leave when She opened her mouth and said. "Wait for me at the school gate when the school ends; we will talk about it in detailter." "Yes, then I''ll be going ahead." She silently stares at the departing figure of her junior until itpletely went out of her sight before walking forward to her ss. Sword Art Online reference Chapter 49 - Im A Magical Girl, Got A Problem? Yuna''s POV When I went to my ss, and as usual, it went silent the moment my steps get through the door. I have gotten used to it by now, but it still feels very ufortable. I still don''t understand the reason behind all the attention I''ve gotten from the moment I entered high school; I don''t mind being stared by people once but every day? Imagine this; you walk inside your ss, and the chaos immediately turn peaceful as they silently stare as you stroll to your seat. Now, tell me, how would you feel in that kind of situation? I''m going to be very honest; it''s definitely very much ufortable. I''m a good girl who hasn''t sworn in my entire life , but even so, the devil inside me keeps on insisting on making me swear because of how overwhelming the stress of being under such a circumstance is. Thankfully, it didn''t influence my studies as the grades stay the same. When I have sat on my seat, the ssroom went back to its chaotic nature. Of course, I didn''t forget to greet my ssmate. It''s too bad that my best friend and I aren''t in the same ss. Is she also experiencing the same thing I did when I entered the ss? She never mentioned it in the girls talk; I should try bringing the topicter on lunch. Anyway, the ss goes on as always. If it weren''t for my beauty, I would think that people would make fun of me by calling me as a nerd. It was because I was so focused on studies that I only woke up from it by the ringing bell that notified the students the school hase to an end for the day. I packed up and wore the bag before saying goodbyes to my ssmate as I walk away. While walking in the hallways filled with students that couldn''t wait to get home so that they could y orzing all day, I was pondering on whenever should I visit the senior ss or wait at the front gate like I was instructed earlier. To be honest, I would like to see how the senior ss looks like and how she act inside the ss. I never had time to stalk¡ªvisit her during sssince I''m a good student who always studies in my free time and only stopped when my best friend brings me out to lunch. Isn''t now my chance? But I don''t want to offend my senior; she''s a magical girl after all. Just think about it, what would a magical girl do to you if you offended them? I could imagine getting burned by them because of that time in the park. The magical girl in the anime show I had watched are all pretty.. powerful. I don''t dare to offend such powerful being in real life, which was why I would wait patiently on the front gate. I''m not scared of getting turned into meat paste by a magical girl, not at all. When I was waiting and looking for the figure of senior, my best friend asked me why I was waiting on the front gate, and I don''t know what to say other than telling the truth that I was waiting for senior. I think she misunderstood me as she gripped onto my shoulders while asking who was the ''senior'' name and whatsoever. I just replied that the senior is a girl, and the continuous shoulders shaking stopped. But she didn''t leave after that and decide to wait with me just to be sure. I.. don''t know what to say. It was about ten minutes or so that my ''senior-sensor'' rmed me. I started to look around, searching for a senior figure, but strangely I didn''t see her shadow at all. I thought I just imagined it, but the senior-sensor keep rming me which told me that it wasn''t a false rm. While I keep on looking around, I didn''t notice an unknown figure in senior uniform was walking toward me. My best friend pats my shoulders and point at the senior walking toward me and asked. "Is that the person you''re looking for?" My eyes narrowed as I look at the senior and noticed that she seem familiar, but I have never seen someone beautiful with red hair in the school before. But then, an image of senior was ovepping with the senior in front of me in my head, which brought me into a huge shock. They look shockingly identical other than the difference in hair colour! I was sure that in the senior family profile that she didn''t have any twins. Who is this person then? "You didn''t wait long, did you? If so, my apologies." "U-Uh, Ah¡ª no, I just arrived." It''s not my fault that I ended up lying due to how surprised I am. Please, who are you? That was what my gaze was saying while I was staring at the senior in front of me. I didn''t know how but she realised that I didn''t know who she was as she leans closer and whispers something to my ears. "I''m She. This is just a disguise." Oh wow. I didn''t know that magical girl has such useful skill in their arsenal! Maybe a real-life magical girl is more powerful than in the series? The thought did cross my mind that it was her, but my logic sense was telling me otherwise. I mean, aside from a little different in facial here and there, and the difference in hair colour, everything else looks just like senior! I didn''t know that if senior ever heard of my thought, then she would definitely be surprised as she thought her disguise was perfect. If her childhood friend found out her disguise, it does make sense, but it would be weird if it were from someone who wasn''t even close to her, aka someone like me. Of course, I never thought such a thing as I was currently impressive by her disguise. Senior give her greeting to my best friend before she asked me to follow her, which I did as I bid farewell to my best friend. While I was following behind senior, I noticed that she was looking around the ce. I wanted to ask her but decide to keep my silence and just follow her along until we reach the park. And before long, we sat on the bench near the ce where I saw senior at that night. I was going to open my mouth and apologise first, but senior interrupt before I could. "Um¡ª" "Have you told anyone else?" "No, I didn''t." "That''s good." And then senior went silent. Seeing the chance, I decide to apologise first for stalking on her since that wasn''t my actual intention. I was wanting to talk to her but not having enough courage; I ended up following her like a creep. After apologising to senior, I don''t know why, but suddenly I went excited and told her how amazing she was when I saw her that night in the park. I went on and say; this is a real magician! Not like those fake magician who could only trick people''s eyes with their petty tricks. The real magician didn''t use petty trick but actual power like her! "O-Oh, I see. Y-Yeah, I''m a real magician, yes." Senior nodded her head at my word, which makes me even more excited as evident from merely gazing at my sparkling eyes. I was so excited that I didn''t notice that the senior smile is actually cramped when she answered me. The image of senior in my mind has be a solid magical girl, more than ever. Afterwards, I ended up talking about my life as she listens carefully with interest. I think itsts for about three to four hours of me speaking about my life until she stopped me since it got kind ofte. She could tell that I was sort of sad that I couldn''t continue further as she said. "From now on you can call me She, no need for ''senior''. Here, why don''t I give you my phone number and maybe we could chat more?" Of course, I agree. Now, am I considered as her friend since she gives me her phone number and permission on calling her name? I think so. I bid my farewell to her after offering a phone number to each other. With this, I now have a second number on my phone other than my parent. The first one is, of course, my best friend! Anyway, senior is really a nice person, isn''t she? Although she is a magical girl, when I talk to her, she feels more like an ordinary girl. I should tell my best friend that I have got a new friend, not the fake one like in my ss. *** She watched the departing figure of Yuna while having a stoic expression on her face. It was not visible, but she was currently deep in thought on her current circumstance. She once had a thought of silencing the girl but didn''t have any way to do it without staining her hand with blood. Although she didnt care about strangers, she won''t go out of her way to kill innocent just for her secret. It wasn''t worth the problem thates with it. Her only choice was... to just let fate decide for her. If Yuna was someone who is closely linked to her, then if she ever gained another key... Chapter 50 - Im Not Idiot! On the Third Floor, inside the Trial Tower. ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV.7! ¡» "Hmm, this is weird. I don''t see any new monster so far on the Third Floor." She had also thought the Third Floor would be a different ce, but it was merely another cave. And she had only found goblin so far. But She did notice a difference between Second and Third Floor, and that is She met goblin way earlier. On the Second Floor, She didn''t just meet goblin the moment she entered, but here on the Third Floor, the goblin was already waiting for her right after she entered the cave. From when she had entered until now, she had already killed five goblins. Some of them were alone while there are some that group up with each other. But it was just a walk in the park for her now with APW in hands. Oh right, I didn''t show this weapon to Ria before. Maybe I should do itter just to see an expression of amazement on her face when APW transform from a bracelet into a sword. That sounds like a good n, but for now, She''s going for deep dive in the Third Floor. She wanted to know if there''s really no new monster for her to fight. She was slowly stepping forward while not making as much noise as possible. She could definitely break out of getting surrounded by a group of goblins by massacre her way out of it, but if a new monster pops in, she is not so sure anymore; there''s even the possibility of her losing if that happens. That was why she is careful and wary in this unknown territory. "Another Goblin, huh?" Like a ghost, She silently approaches the goblin ahead of her. But the goblin notices a small noise from her which resulted in the fight to end for one second more. Nothing will change even if the goblin noticed her far ahead; in the end, the goblin was just too weak for the current She. When She was going to pick up the gold dropped from killing the goblin, she jumped back from her previous location and saw a lump of jelly ahead. "Ah, that scared me. I thought it was a new monster for a second there." She breathes out a relief sigh when her eyes caught the slime in front of her. "Wait. Slime? In the Third Floor? Is the monster on this floor consist of goblins and slimes?" That''s hardly a challenge for her. It didn''t take her a minute to kill the slime in front of her before proceeding to pick up the gold on the ground. Maybe there''s more to it, a goblin variant like the previous floor boss? Either way, she had to be careful while diving deep into the cave. As She dive further, she only came across more goblins and slimes. Some of them are attacking separately while some were working together to defeat her, which was impossible for them. It wasn''t long until she heard a notification of her leveled up. ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º She LV.15 ¡» ¡º HP: 98/110 MP: 150/150 GOLD: 1150 ¡ªSTR: 23 ¡ªINT: 30 ¡ªAGI: 20 ¡ªVIT: 21 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 15 ¡» "I''m already halfway to level 20." She had been fighting with only APW and no magic in this floor since her opponent is just slimes and goblins. That was why sometimes she couldn''t wholly dodge and thus was hit by their attacks, but then again, it wasn''t much that of a fatal. Anyway, now that she had collected quite an amount of Attribute Points, it''s time to distribute them. ¡º She LV.15 ¡» ¡º HP: 98/115 MP: 200/200 GOLD: 1150 ¡ªSTR: 25 ¡ªINT: 40 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 23 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 0 ¡» "Nice. Now I can feel that the mana inside of me is increasing quite a lot." It wasn''t just that, she could also feel that mana flow smoothly through her body, and if she ever cast a spell, it would be double more powerful than before. Basically, her control in mana has gotten better. To be honest, she likes the feeling of her growing stronger. It was like a normal growth, but this one feels more of an aplishment to her than anything she ever did in life. It was just like the time she enjoys reading a novel where the character started up as weakling but only to slowly gets powerful as he advances. It was like seeing a child growing up from baby to kid and teenager. That was why she noticed a few changed that happened through her body. Her height has increased by ten centimeters from 177cm to 187cm! And it was not just that, her weight also¡ªno, it was not because of fat. It simply due to muscle growth. Muscle and fat are two different things, while the former is good if it grows and thetter is bad. Who needs useless fat? Even if you cry on me, I won''t give any of my pity on you, Fat. Your existence is not needed. The Gurgle-sensei said that the growth period stopped when you''re at 14-15 or more as a girl. So this could be exined that her current growth got something to do with her growing stronger. It seemed that the stronger she bes, the body will also following along to adapt to her strength. Hopefully, she won''t get too much muscle that it bes like someone who trains to be bodybuilder, nuh-uh. Even though the muscle is good, having too much is not an option for a girl. But then, why is she keep making a stupid mistake from time to time even though her intelligent attribute is so high? Due to Photographic Memory skill, she remembers every mistake she had done as clear as day. When she went through it, she thought this and that could go even better if she goes through that route. But it was already in the past; she could only hope that she won''t make the same mistake ever again. But is that even possible as a human? "Two goblins ahead." ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV.9! ¡» ¡º You have killed the Goblin LV.10! ¡» ¡º Swordsmanship skill has leveled up! ¡» "Oh?" She was surprised to see the Swordsmanship skill to leveled up. But it did make sense though since she had been using the sword and the skill ever since she had gotten APW. With the Swordsmanship skill now at level 3, She could tell that the sword movement that she learned could be improvised. It was as if she had gained new knowledge from the skill. Well, nothing was surprising anymore at this point to her. It was fine so long as it makes her stronger, that is all that matter. ¡º Cilia has entered the Trial Tower! ¡» "Oh? I guess she must have finished her homework. It''s time for this dive toe to an end, i have to go and teach her things." *** "What? A junior at our school know about your secret?" "Yes." "That''s not surprising; I mean knowing you, it was just about time." "What do you mean by that?!" "Sigh, I guess I still have to take care of you even after all that you went through as your stupidity is still there." "I''m not an idiot! You''re the idiot! Your whole family is the idiot!" Ria just shook her head at her best friend angry remark like a mother to her child. She must have been so offended that her eyes started tearing up, but there''s no way an adult like her would cry, which was why she held it in. It was simply a cute sight in Ria''s opinion. But she didn''t go too far with her tease as she immediately went over to She and gave her a warm hug while patting her back. "It''s okay, She. Being an idiot is not a sin." But her word ended up making She cry for real. It took a while to calm her down when she burst out like that. It was at a time like this that Ria always thought She is like a kid, but she won''t say that to the person herself, or it might cause even more trouble. Is this perhaps her payback against the previous incident? Who knows. "You promise you won''t say I''m idiot anymore?" "Yes, yes, of course." "You won''t even say it in a roundabout way?" "I won''t." Only then did She calmed down. It''s hard to calm down a kid when they started crying; Ria knows that feeling well. Chapter 51 - A Tease "So? What are you going to do?" "I don''t know." "Don''t you have any of these ''skill'' that can make people lost a part of their memory?" "No, I would have used it if I have it." "This is really tricky. The girl also didn''t have any bad intention and the fact that she knows about your secret¡ªyou can''t do anything, huh?" If Yuna actually has bad intention, then She won''t have this much trouble because she could just ''torture'' the girl until she was so scared that even by mentioning the secret will cause her whole body to tremble in fear. Of course, killing is also a choice, but She prefers the former torturing method. It was not like Yuna exactly followed behind her and found out her secret that way; it was purely an ident. If she wasn''t so stupid back then, it might not have happened. But She couldn''t agree to that since there might be more to it. What if, it was fate that the junior and Ria would eventually found out her secret? No matter whatever path she goes, her secret would be exposed to the two of them. If it''s really so then, it is more tricky than what Ria had thought of it. She didn''t want to involve other if possible. She wanted to be the one taking care of the problem while still being able to maintain ordinary life, but is that even possible? What if the spatial crack happened right in front of Ria one day? There''s no way a normal girl like her could protect herself from the unknown creature that might walk out of the space. And also, what if this happened around the world? If she''s the only one handling it, she has to travel from one ce to another without any rest. Game? That''s the relic of the past. How could she enjoy ying the game when she needs to hurry herself to solve the problem before it gets bigger. Trial Tower and The Key, the two of these is trying to imply something to her. It''s like an attempt from a system that''s telling her a way for her to aplish it. She had thought it was a ce only for her to level up and grow stronger but guess not. "Ria." "? What is it?" Ria looked over to She, who has a serious expression on her face, and her eyes appear to be determined. It was like seeing someone who has found their resolve. "Are you sure you wanted to follow me until the end?" "Of course." "Even if it will cost your life?" "So long as you''re safe, it''s my duty as your best friend." When She asked the question, Ria also answered it seriously. She feels like it was her job to be the one protecting the girl in front of her. That time when She''s parent gave the duty of taking care of She and the time when Ria noticed her ss as a healer; Everything seems to be making her into supporting She. To be honest, she didn''t like it. She feels like she was getting manipted by someone else. But if there''s really someone out there who could manipte She and her, then more reason for her to follow along this uncertain path. After all, she didn''t want to lose She. "Ria... actually, I have a n regarding the problem." "You do? What is it?" It took She 20 minutes to exin everything about her n. Ria took a few minutes of silence in order to digest everything while also pondering if there''s any hole in the n and how to fix it. She was also considering whether the n will work or not. But once she has digested everything, she was surprised that the n was actually... "Are you sure about this, She?" "Yes, It''s the only n that I coulde up with." "Well, it also fits your personality. Then I''ll also give you a hand on the individual part." "That''s plentiful enough; I don''t have much time on my hand, you see. I need to get stronger in order for my n to work out without any problem." "I know, that''s why I''ll be supporting you." Ria said as she leaned closer and wrapped her arms around She. The warm feeling was transmitted to She as she smiled while also covering her hands around Ria. To be honest, She was really happy to be having a best friend like Ria. Her very existence was important as she supports She in the ce that she needed. She didn''t want to think of a day that she might lose her, that was why, she would continue on getting stronger, faster but definitely. Only by bing stronger could she protect those who she cared for. "Don''t be hasty; you should take care of yourself too, alright?" "I promise." "Good." It was about five minutester before they part away from the hug. She was about to teleport to her Trial Tower when she came to a pause. "What''s wrong?" "...I should level you up first." She said as she turned back to Ria and gripped her shoulders. Ria didn''t know why, but she feels scared. It was like a warning that something is wrong here, but Ria couldn''t point it out where exactly. She tried to resist by trying to shake her shoulders and get away from She, but she couldn''t resist the strength of She. "U-Um... Can you let me go, She?" "No. It''s power leveling time." And just like that, the day passed(in the Trial Tower). She spent her time power leveling Ria until she reached level 7. Ria pulled out the white g in defeated when She bring out a potion from the inventory. She wanted to continue, but since Ria was tired mentally, she decides to end it there. It was a good power leveling, Ria''s ss-specific skill; Healing Magic went up to level 3. Now, she could heal small, medium injury and one fatal injury without running out of MP. It didn''t stop there; she also gained Swordsmanship skill. It was inevitable since she had been swinging the silver sword around the whole time. "Haa... Ha.. Haa.. this is insane." "Really? I want to do more, though." "You monster." Ria said while she was sprawl on the ground, breathing heavily like a person who had run a marathon. It couldn''t be helped for Ria to be like this since they have been doing nothing but hunting the slimes one after another. She was doing fine is due to her vitality attribute being so high, or she might have gotten used to the grinding since she had experienced it. "Here, have some cold water." She hand over a bottle of cold mineral water to Ria who was dying on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the bottle was already in the hands of Ria as she drunk it down her throat. A feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu rushed all over She who was watching at the side. Ria feels refreshed as if her tiredness has been wash away by the cold water that has flowed through her throat. She put the empty bottle to the side before opening her mouth and said. "Is this how you do in this space?" "..." "It''s much harder than this?" "Yes." "Masochist." "I''m not!" "Hardcore Masochist." "I told you I''m not!" "A pervert masochist girl who likes hardcore." "Ria! That''s going too far!" She was trembling all over as her face went deep red¡ª she is mad. Ria knows that she went too far, but she had to. "Then exin everything that you went through in this space. if not, I would still call you a hardcore masochist." "Fine! Then listen to this!" She is definitely an idiot to fall for such trick easily. She didn''t even need to take so much effort for She to pour out everything to her with just a word from her mouth. This is why it is worrisome to let her be alone. She''s the type that bes a pushover if the opponent is someone like Ria. Ria was pondering while listening to She''s experience as the girl tried her best to exin it in detail. She even describes how much pain she suffered when she had a battle with the Goblin Shaman. Thankfully, she was not panting like a certain pervert dragon.1 "There, I''m done! I''m totally not some kind of pervert who likes to enjoy pain." "That''s good, or I might have more concern pilled up onto my already heavy shoulders." "Hmph, I told you so." "I was just teasing you. It wasn''t my fault that I didn''t expect for you to react so strongly to that." "Wha¡ª" Tio rcle(us) from Arifureta. Chapter 52 - Level UP! On the next few days, She had been doing nothing but continuously grinding in the Trial Tower when she gets home after the school end. Sometimes she would also bring Ria along to level up together. It was not long before she met the boss of the Third Floor. It was the same as the Second Floor but with an addition of two Goblin Fighter on each of its side, protecting the Goblin Shaman. "Sword sh!" The goblin tried to avoid her attack, but it was too slow before getting cut in half as She went to other goblins. This time she wanted to go all out and see how she fare against them. She wanted to know how exactly strong she had be. Killing a mob couldn''t precisely pinpoint her full strength as they were simply too weak for her; that was why she wanted to test it on the boss instead. The goblin shaman silently chants while the two Goblin Fighter was protecting it from getting disturbed by She. After She had finished off all the mob, A ton of Fireball spell assaulted her, but she was able to stop it from exploding on her by sending out a wind sh from her sword. "My turn, Fire Arrow." An arrow made out of me materialise in front of She, and shortly, it flew toward the Goblin Shaman. But the Goblin Shaman hide in the back of two Goblin Fighter, the Fire Arrow couldn''t hit its initial target due to Goblin Fighter using its body as a meat shield. With a pretty big and robust body, the Goblin Fighter was able to defend against her magic strike with only getting burned skin. Seeing it with her two eyes, She didn''t say anything much but instead firing out another Fire Arrow at it but this time chantlessly(she never did, only mutter the word=chant to her). And it was again stopped but this time by the sword of the Goblin Fighter while Goblin Shaman was chanting on another spell. One of the Goblin Fighter rush toward her before shing the sword at her, but She used her sword to deflect it to the side before moving to another ce as another fireball soon assaulted her previous spot. "Fireball." Once again, She fire out her magic spell but this time with Fireball. A stronger ball of me at the size of her head materialise in front of her, She was shocked for a while seeing how big the fireball is. Was it due to her intelligence attribute getting higher? It has to since it wasn''t as big as this when she used it before. The Goblin Shaman was also quite rmed at the sight of her fireball and immediately instructed the two Goblin Fighter to disturb her chanting. But it was only sending its two minions to their death as She didn''t need to use any chant to conjure her spell. The two Goblin Fighter idiotically rushed toward She, and when they were closer, both of them swing their sword at each side of her as She was unable to defend herself since she was chanting her spell and she was cut in half by them¡ªthat was what the Goblin Shaman thought was supposed to happen. What actual transmits in the battle was the two Goblin Fighter was engulfed in the Fireball spell. And the aftermath was only one of the Goblin Fighter surviving as it wasn''t hit directly like the other one. ¡º You have killed the Goblin Fighter Lv.10! ¡» "It''s not just the size; it has also gotten stronger." She noticed a difference between the current Fireball than her previous one. It''s good to know that her magic spell also gotten a boost as she increases her intelligence. ¡º Fire Magic has leveled up! ¡» "Ooh? Nice!" She wasn''t expecting it to level up at this moment but since it did, good! But she didn''t sit back to check out the detail as she was currently still in the heated battle. While avoiding the attacksing from the Goblin Fighter and Goblin Shaman''s spell, She was trying to pull out the mana potion from her inventory. Once she found her chance, she immediately distances herself from the Goblin Fighter and quickly drinks the mana potion. The mana which was lost was being restored in no time and eventually, she fires out another Fireball at the Goblin Fighter who was running toward herself. ¡º You have killed the Goblin Fighter Lv.10! ¡» With the two meat shield gone, the Goblin Shaman couldn''t protect itself from getting cut in half by She''s sword. It desperately fires out a spell after another which She avoid it as she runs toward it. Thest thing it sees was a sh before it was slice into two. ¡º You have killed the Goblin Shaman Lv.12! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» "Fuh~ I''m stronger than I thought I am. Magic is cheating after all." Her strength was already powerful enough when she was only using a sword, but with magic included, her real strength twofold stronger. ¡º Disguise skill has leveled up! ¡» "Finally." She was wondering when this would level up since she had been using it ever since she entered the Trial Tower. Her current appearance was a long red hair and dark red eyes coupled with a new beautiful facial. It was the disguise that she once used when she walks out to meet Yuna at the front of the school gate. She had been using this appearance whenever she entered the Trial Tower afterwards. This skill is vital in one of her ns, after all. Now that it has gotten to level 3, she tried to see if there''s anything new. And the result is very shocking. She couldn''t just change her face and body structure better; she could also change her vocal cord to sounds like someone else. She doesn''t have any word to say other than freaking cheat. How is it not cheating when she could basically disguise as someone else followed with their voice, can someone tell what the difference between her and the original owner is? Unless someone knows the original owner, but to everyone else, she could trick them easily. Yes, it was just like the software that has been viral around the inte about how it could be used tobine and superimpose existing images and videos onto source images or videos using a machine learning technique known as generative adversarialwork. She hade across a lot of funny videos where they used the program to add the celebrity''s face onto the face of others. It was pretty hrious. But of course, there are also a group of people who used for their selfish desire. Her disguise skill is basically that program itself that manifests into a skill. Obviously, it was more powerful than a program created by human and machine. With this, she could go forth with the first part of her n. ¡º She LV.16 ¡» ¡º HP: 75/115 MP: 130/200 GOLD: 1530 ¡ªSTR: 25 ¡ªINT: 40 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 23 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 10 ¡» Should she go for mage route specifically? Or jack-of-all-trade? To be honest, she prefers the former, but after all that she went through, she thought that thetter was more of a better option. But should she really go toward that route? Her eyes narrowed as she ponders heavily on the topic. But soon she gives up and decides to keep the attribute points and leave it for the future. If she thought more about this issue, it would only bring headaches. And even more, the n is a lot more significant than this problem. ¡º Do you wish to exit the Trial Tower? ¡» ¡º Yes / No ¡» She could actually ascend to the Fourth Floor but decides to quit it for the day. She had to look for Ria to see whenever she has alreadypleted her work. The n wouldn''t be able to move forth if she hadn''t done it after all. *** The next day at school. "Good morning, Senior She!" A wild Yuna has appears at the front of the school gate! She used a greeting, and it was very effective! "...did I not tell you not to call me by senior? You can just use my name." "Can I have lunch with youter, Senior?!" "You didn''t even listen to me, sigh. Fine." What a headache, she had thought it wouldn''t be much of a problem when she hade to sort a deal with Yuna but Oh, how naive she is. She didn''t even notice how the other schoolmates were sending odd gaze at her and the stalker behind her who followed closely instead of hiding behind a pole or something. It wasn''t that she didn''t notice; it was more like she was used to it. But She could feel one gaze that harbours ill intent toward her for some unknown reason. She tried to look around her surrounding, but the gaze immediately vanished entirely. She muttered softly to herself in a confused manner. "What the hell just happened?" Chapter 53 - During Lunch At lunch, School cafeteria. Most of the day at school, the mostmotion that student make is usually at lunch. It''s because if they were anyter, their food at cafeteria might have alreadypletely devoured by others. It wasn''t like the cooker is cooking the food slowly, it''s more like there are too many students at once and that they eat a lot. And one reason why the students need to make a run to cafeteria fast is due to how lengthy the queueing could be. Again, if you''rete, then you could never get your hands on rice. Sometimes the students do also get in a quarrel with each other there. Basically, the cafeteria could get messy at all time. But for some reason today, it wasn''t as noisy as most had thought. It was actually quite loud at first, but suddenly the students started to calm down and gaze in a certain direction. It was in a table not far away from them, seating near the table was three feminine figure. To be honest, it''s normal for some boys to set their eyes on a beautiful girl when it''s at lunchtime because human needs to eat. Not many people actually brought a box of food and ate it in their ss. The only people who do is only amount to 10%. This time though, the male students weren''t starting at the girl because how beautiful they are. The sight is beautiful, yes but the reason why they stare without restriction today was due to the strange yet beautiful view. The male students at cafeteria have gotten used to seeing the two feminine figure eating together on the same table, but today there''s apparently another person seating next to them. "She, who is this?" "...this junior right here is Yuna, and this is my best friend, Cilia." "Hi, Senior Cilia! I have also heard a lot about you!" "Hm? I see, so you are.." Ria immediately picks up the situation they were in. She judges that this junior must be the one who was exposed to She''s secret and ended up with a misunderstanding that She is a magical girl. Yuna is not just pretty, but she''s also had quite a high grades and were known to others as a kind and friendly ''goddess''. Boys always gotta boys. Ria also knows that She was secretly dubbed as Frost Goddess due to how stoic she is yet beautiful appearance. Although Ria herself is also a beauty, not many actually notice her since she was always with She. She''s beauty and her stoic expression shine the most; it was to the point that if someone didn''t look closely, their eyes would only end up gazing at She but not Ria. She was thankful for that since she didn''t like to get any of the people''s attention, but there''s one thing that she couldn''t let it slide. It was a strange gaze that would asionally stare at She, and when she finds the source, it would always be a pervert male student. Some of them noticed Ria and her disgusted expression, which stop them from further thought. Of course, some of them didn''t notice her or actually didn''t care and continue staring at She with their perverted gaze. But Ria didn''t bother further since she knows that there''s a group of a bodyguard that''s been protecting She behind the scene. Thankfully the night when She went out in the park, the bodyguard didn''t notice her walking outside, or they would have followed her and found out about her secret. Even if they are bodyguard hired by She''s mother, that didn''t mean they won''t betray them. In the face of massive profit, most would show their true face due to greed. "Ria?" The call from She brought her back to reality. "Hmm? What is it?" "No, it''s nothing but just... It''s rare to see you lost in thought." "Is it? What are you two talking about anyway?" "Ah, no¡ª" "Senior! How about this one? I have tasted it, it''s good!" "Hmm, aren''t you two quite close now?" Seeing the two of them being ''intimate'' somehow make her feel jealous for some reason. She didn''t know why, but she ended up ring at Yuna which prompt the girl to stop as she immediately went quiet to the side and eat her lunch instead of bothering She. "Thanks, Ria." "No problem." Said Ria before sighing at the sight of She. To be honest, if She had been colder to Yuna, she wouldn''t have been swept away with the flow. She is the type to be a pushover when she didn''t know what to do or how to react in this situation. But it''s not her fault though, neither did Ria except for the junior to be this.. energise? She was trying to talk to She whenever possible, as if rather than scared of She and her ''magical power'', she appears to be more of respect and in awe. She''s definitely not an average person considering most people would not want to get in touch with the person who they found out to be someone who has supernatural power in their hands. "Why is she so interested in you anyway?" "I wanted to know it myself but.. this is just spection." "What is it?" While the two were secretly mumbling to each other, Yuna was eating her food silently while looking at the two with a curious gaze. She nce at her for a second before resuming her talk. "Maybe, just maybe, this girl is an otaku." "A what?" "Otaku. You know the people who watched anime and stuff? She''s one of them." "Aren''t you one of them yourself though?" "Yes, She concluded that I was a magical girl before, right?" "Yea, that''s what you told me." "Only an otaku woulde to such conclusion if they ever came across that scene." "A normal person would have freaked out at that time and try not to associate themselves with someone like that unlike this girl here who ended up following¡ªor rather fearlessly stalk the person." "And now she''s even bing friend with the person in question." (Ria) Ria took a nce at Yuna before whispering back to She. "Hmm, yeah, I agree on what you said." "So, what are you going to do about this?" "Can I even do something about it?" (She) "You can. Just tell her not to associate herself with you and be done with." "I could but.. Ugh. Ah~ I don''t care anymore! I''ll just focus more on getting stronger instead and ignored everything else." Ria giggled at She who was stressed out by her junior. "Well, good luck with that. I''m sure you will get harassed more by the girl, but it''s not my problem." The word said by Ria caused She to tremble as she thought about what''s going to happen in the future. She needs her backup! "How could you¡ª I thought we were friend?!" "Best friend, but this and that are two different things." "But best friend help each other out!" "And I did, I helped you with the n, remember?" "Ah, talking about the n. Have you found out the individual?" "I did but..." "What?" "I''ll message you the detailter." "Hmm, alright." The two stop whispering to each other and continue eating their lunch until the recess is over and went to their respective ss. Of course, She tried ignoring a certain junior who was following her until one of her ssmates called her out, which she immediately take the chance and make a run to her ss. Chapter 54 - Sylvia "Your hair is disgusting. Why don''t you go bald instead?" I don''t know when, but I have long used to hear someone saying that to me. I had always been bullied for the difference in my hair color. And as if the world is hating me, even my parent discriminate against me. Both of my parents have the same hair color, which is ck. At some point, they had a fight thinking that my existence was proof that one of them is cheating. As a child, I didn''t know anything and want nothing but love. But just that one thing, I will never have. When I was thirteen years old, I had been having suicidal thoughts. It was because even when I tried dyeing my hair, the discrimination is still there. And it wasn''t just that, my parent... they ended up divorced. None of them wanted to take me in, but eventually, I was handed to my mother. The next thing that happened to me is what escted me into having such thoughts. A mother who was used of cheating behind her husband''s back; I thought she wouldn''te to hate me since she was the mother who gives birth to me. But here she is, not just simply hating me but she also hits me for the reason that didn''t make any sense. Basically, it was child abuse. But even so, even after all that, I tried my best. I do everything I could, everything for the sake of one day to gain the affection that I so desired for so long. I guess you could say that I''m a positive type of person. But the world shows me how cruel it still is, because everything I had done, it was all for nothing. Even a positive person like me if faced in such situation many times, would eventually break down, you know? But again, I didn''t give up. I worked even harder than I could likely do. You could say, I was desperate. I don''t understand why am I hate, why does everyone hate me just for that one only reason, the difference of hair color. Friend? I don''t have any of those. I tried, again and again, but neither of themst. If I could remember the memory of when I was baby, then perhaps that might be the only good memories that I had. As I said, I was having suicidal thoughts. But I was still scared of death and the pain that follows. I thought that by dying, maybe I would not suffer anymore. But deep down, I was always wondering, what if I wasn''t born with different hair color? Would my parents not have gotten divorced and give me the affection that I so badly wanted? Such thoughts asionally run through my mind. I never ask for my hair color to be like this. How could I change something that I was born with? But I did, yet why am I still getting the hates? Have I ever wronged you? Why do I deserve this? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? I wonder why the sky is so dark today, did it knows that today would be the day that I finally decide to? It''s interesting. Yes, it''s really interesting to think that I would smile on my final day. Strangely enough, I haven''t gotten any bullying for the day, are they considerate to me? Isn''t it nice of them? But nothing will stop me. I have decided that today will be my final day. Even though the sky is so dark, it is still beautiful. I would have loved to stay here and just admire the sky, but I can''t do that. I have already decided. Oh? I thought I would be scared when seeing such height, but no such feelinge up. Do I even have any feeling now? Silly me. Anyway, with just a single step, I will finally be able to be free¡ª only one simple step. But again, the world didn''t want me to be released from this prison of hell as someonee up behind me and called out my name. I looked behind, but I didn''t know who the person was. But I don''t care. I didn''t care to notice that the girl''s hair is in red while having a mask covering their whole face. My only thought was.. to be free. But why, why is this person keep on calling out my name? Is this person crazy? Can''t you see that you''re disturbing me? Go away. But what that person said next stopped me. "Do you really want this?" "I ask you, do you really want this?" Seeing as I didn''t answer, the person walked forward and continue. "I will ask you again, do you really want this?" "..yes, yes I do!" "I want this to end, everything and everyone to stop! Why are you stopping me?!" Finally, I answered with a shout as I looked back at the person. "Then, do you mind telling me why are you crying right now?" What? What is this person talking about? Me? This me, of all things, are crying? Stop lying! I.. never in my life did I ever cry! Never! Even after all the abuse, I didn''t cry! Even after all that bullying, I still didn''t cry! And you said I was crying right now?! I put my hands on my cheeks and noticed that it was wet, but it was not from the rain. I... Am I crying? Why am I crying now of all times? Is it because I had been bottled up my emotion, and today it decides to burst out all at once? Don''t be kidding me! I! I! "Do you really want to end it like this?" "You don''t understand anything! I!" "Of course I don''t, so why don''t you tell me while we seat on the bench right there?" My name is Sylvia. It was a name given before the discrimination happened; it was before my hair have ever grown as a baby. I think it''s a beautiful name but never had anyone call me with it. My mother used to call me with that but since my hair has fully grown, which caused the quarrel and eventually she stopped using my name. From I was young, I try my best to make my mother and others happy; I really do my very best. But it never worked. The disdain look in their eyes continued; it was to the point that I''ve grown used to it. I don''t mind and don''t care about others, but what broke my heart the most is from my parent. Why give birth to me when you didn''t want me? Why am I even born? I ask this many times to myself. But no answer evere. I didn''t know why, but I ended up saying everything to that person. It''s like everything that had been bottled up inside me, once again poured out. And I...ended up crying my tears out on that person''s shoulders. And once I was done, that person said something that will change my life onward. *** Two days before the suicide, In the front gate of M School. "This is the ce, huh?" She looked in front of her before proceeding to walk inside. The guard didn''t stop her, and neither did anyone. That was because she was wearing the school uniform, the other thought that she was one of the students. Ria was the one who gave the student uniform to her; she also wonders where did Ria get her hands on this. But that''s not important; she needs to get more information about the individual before she could decide on whether to ept or not. But what she didn''t expect was to learn that human can be very disgusting and annoying. It was to the point that she wished she was not born human due to how ugly their nature is. She was almost on the verge of exploding when she learns the truth from investigating more into it. But it cooled down when She went to her house. That was where she found the source of everything that caused the child to suffer something unimaginable at a young age that no one deserves. It was... "An evil spirit, huh?" Chapter 55 - Message And Quest "Phew~ that girl didn''t follow me in the end, thank God." She breathes out a relieved sigh as she looked behind and didn''t see nor found any sight of a person before pulling out her phone to check if she received any message from Ria. She got one message, but it wasn''t from Ria''s number since it only shows up as number but not as her name. She remembers that she had already saved Ria''s number in her phone, so does this mean she used another number? But why would she do that? Did Ria use a new number for the sake of being careful? Well, either way, I''ll just look up for the individual myself before talking to Ria about this. By following the address given from the message, she had arrived at the front gate of M School. It was another school that exists in the district she lives in. But she had never known or heard that such a school exist. Anyway, the message very details. It shows any kind of information that I can''t get my hands on unless I do something that would break thew to obtain it. Did Ria secretly learn to hack on her back? Or is it that she has a friend who does the hacking? But if so, why she hasn''t introduced such a good friend to me?! Oh, well, she probably understands how I am, which was why she didn''t. "It was a girl by the name Sylvia, huh? It''s a beautiful name for a girl." The information also stated that the girl is pretty smart and hardworking, considering her grades is pretty high due to her hard work. Maybe she is pretty famous in her school? She decided to ask around for more information. But what she learned to knowter on make her blood boiling. Even though She didn''t know the girl at all, she wouldn''t care about a stranger, but she couldn''t help and feel her blood boiled over it. Because the information she learned at the girl''s school was, she had been bullied for apparently no valid reason whatsoever. They were jealousy at how good she is in studies and at the same time was envy that she was also good looking. But to went as far as bullying is just too low for a person. If you''re jealous or envious of someone, then work hard for yourself instead of going on this path because it only goes to show how shitty you are to went as far as bullying others. If She didn''t control her emotion, she would have pped them right in the face at that moment when she heard about it. But even that isn''t enough for her; maybe she would teach them a lesson once she was done with this. By using the disguise skill, I could act like a pervert and stalk them every day. I would only stop when they have gone so scared that even bullying would be a waste of time in their mind. She could be childish at a time like this. Anyway, that should be enough information, and now, she got to pay a visit to the girl''s house. But before that, She had to buy a skill in order to do that. If the disguise skill level was two-bit higher, perhaps she could disguise herself as a cat. It''s not like the skill She was going to buy is not needed, but it''s more for an assassin. One thing for sure is that she doesn''t have any job, is it still possible for her to learn such magic that''s technically for an assassin? ¡º Shadow Magic Skill book ¡» Yes, this is indeed the magic that most would ever wish for. It''s not just about how cool the magic is; it''s also very incredible. She would have bought it either way, but since the current situation required it, she just gets it earlier. Without waiting any further, She clicked on the icon buy and watch as her gold plummeted to merely 500 from the total amount of 1500. But it''s totally worth the price! A ck book suddenly materialised in front of her and She quickly took hold of it. The moment her hands touched the book, a torrent of memory rushed into her mind like a powerful wave as the book disappeared into shattering light. "So this is Shadow Magic, huh?" At level 1, she could hide and move her presence within the shadow itself. Is that not an incredible feat? With this, she could trail any person, and none would notice of her existence, it is truly a powerful skill for an assassin. Yet she could learn it easily. Maybe the perk of not having any ss means that she could learn any skill from that specific ss? That would mean she could also learn Healing Magic from Healer ss, but this is just her assumption. "Well, excuse me, but I''ming in." Even though she knows that no one is listening or could stop her from entering the house, she still gives her greeting even when she intrudes. She follows the sign that rmed her of another living being in the house from Presence Detection skill, and not too long until she arrived at the living room. But what she saw in front of her shocked her to the core. She almost yells in surprise but was able to take hold of herself by covering her mouth. She wasn''t expecting to see such a ghastly figure following the mother of the girl. Is that an evil spirit? But I don''t have any skill that could exorcise it! I need to go back and think again beforeing back here to exorcise this evil spirit, with that thought in mind, She decided to went back home. *** She''s Bedroom. "What do you mean by the message that I sent to you?" "Here, this is the one. It''s from your new number, right?" "What are you talking about?" Ria muttered in confusion as she looked at the screen of She''s phone. What was shown is indeed a message, but she was not familiar with that number and neither did she have another number. Ria''s eyes narrowed before she opens her mouth and said in all seriousness. "This is not me." "What do you mean, not you? Don''t joke around, Ria." "I''m not joking; I''m not familiar with this number either." "Wait, hold on. Then what about the uniform that was put on top of the table in my room with the note saying it was yours?" The wording out of She''s mouth caused Ria eyes to narrowed even further as she could feel the seriousness of the current situation. Was someone still in the room? Ria quickly looked around the room but didn''t notice anything different or disorder. And the fact that She, even with her skill, didn''t see anything different makes it the situation even graver. Ria took a deep breath as she calmed down before opening her mouth and said. "It wasn''t me." The moment the word register into She''s brain, the room was filled with a weird silence. She could not help but take a deep breath as she tries to calm her raging beating heart. What the hell is going on here? Who sent me this message then? And how did it knows my phone number?! Am I simply walking on the palm of someone else who I didn''t even know about?! And someone who I didn''t know had unknowingly entered my room and ced the uniform there?! "Calm down, She." When Ria saw She''s panic expression, she went over to her and wrapped her hands around her tightly in order to ease her anxiety. It took her a while before she calmed down. Even so, this is a serious problem, Ria thought in her mind. What was the motive behind the message? And how does it know that She was looking for an individual? Did it even know about her n all along? Last and most importantly, who is it? Even though she looks calm on the outside, Ria was also pretty anxious deep inside her heart. The suspicious feeling that she once had resurfaced once again. In the first ce, how did the so-called leveling system app got into She''s phone? Even with hacking, it didn''t exin how magical it is to be able to do all sort of things that no normal app could do. It is simply impossible to even with all the technology that we''ve had developed so far. Her suspicion goes for the app, who must have sent the message to She somehow and definitely know where she lives since the app is on her phone. After all, She just told her before that she got a quest to save a girl named Sylvia from her suffering aftering back from visiting the girl''s home. "Was the message and the school uniform sent by the app, after all?"(Ria) "I-I think so. No, I really hope it is." ¡º Free The Girl From Suffering(?) ¡» ¡º Save the girl named Sylvia from the suffering she suffered through her whole life. [ Exorcist the Evil Spirit: 0/1 ] [ The requirement has not met. ] Reward: Trial Tower ess ¡» "Look, this one here. It didn''t even mention what would the punishment be." Usually, if there''s a quest, there would definitely be a punishment for failure. The fact that it wasn''t there makes it even scarier since She didn''t know what would happen if she ended up failing toplete the quest. I also need to put a CCTV around the house somehow, but how do I exin to my mother if she asks why I wanted to do so. But even if she could, will a CCTV even able to capture the person behind all this? That''s definitely impossible. Who is behind all this? That was the only question that would forever remain and gued in both She''s and Ria''s mind. Chapter 56 - Exorcist "So? What are you going to do? Try toplete the quest anyway?" Ria said to She before she sipped on a coffee. It took both of them a few minutes to calm down their nerve, or rather they were still creeped out by the fact that someone has just entered She''s bedroom with a single girl uniform. Why would you go as far as to do that? No, maybe the app ''teleport'' the outfit? Ria hopes that was the case since it wouldn''t be that much creepy than an actual person breaking into a house, but still pretty scary nheless. After all, the n She had brought forward only to Ria was known to the person behind the system. But then again, is it really a person behind the system? What if it was actually an artificial intelligence? Either way, it''s the only possibility that the n was exposed to the system since they were talking about it in the Trial Tower. No one else should have known about it. "If I didn''t know about the girl, I would have said no, so I guess I have to." "And that''s how you will get caught in the future trouble. If the quest had appeared first and you could reject it, you would have done so right?" "Of course. I don''t have any sort of obligation to do so; why should I?" "Wait¡ªwhat do you mean by future trouble?" "Sigh, nevermind. So, how are you going to do about this whole exorcist evil spirit thingy?" She fell into deep pondering when she was asked this question from Ria. Do I have to buy a skill for that? But I don''t have enough gold for that, Nah scratch that, I just don''t want to use my gold for that. I only have about 500golds left! I had just bought Shadow Magic skill after all. I''d rather save the leftover gold for a just in case situation. This is an important quest, but she would rather find another way for it. Anyway, what was with the reward? She had already acquired the ess to enter the Trial Tower by either via her phone or the key on Ria. Is it a different kind of ess? If the system knows about her n, then was the ess actually for... Interesting. While She was deeply pondering on such a thought, her eyes nced over to the figure in front of her, and a thunderbolt suddenly struck her mind. Why had she never thought about this? The answer was right in front of her. "Ria." "Hmm? What is it? Did you figure out something?" "Yes, I found a way to exorcise the evil spirit." "Oh, is that so? Then mind telling me about it?" "Uh- actually, it got something to do with you so, yes, In fact, I wanted you to know about it." Ria confusion was evidence as She could see what kind of expression Ria was currently making since she was seated right in front of her. "What do you mean by that? What''s this got to do with me? For your information, I know nothing about exorcism." "You''re healer, right? I mean, your ss." "I am, what about it? ¡ªWait, are you going to say what I''m thinking right now?" "Yes. In most RPGs, the healer was also known to be the most powerful weapon against the undead. Their healing magic was deadly against such a creature." "But the evil spirit is not an undead right? Or let''s say it is, does my healing magic even works against it? This is not a game, you know? What work in the game might not actually work in real life." "Yes, that might be so, but my sixth sense was telling me that this is definitely going to work." "How reliably can your sixth sense be that could risk both of our life?" "It''s definitely reliable. Don''t worry; I got this far because I followed it." "Maybe you shouldn''t trust on such thing too much? You don''t know for sure." "Don''t worry, just believe in me who believes in you." "I''m getting even more worried now." *** In front of Sylvia''s house, two suspicious silhouettes could be seen walking around the corner of the street while looking around as if they didn''t want anyone to see them doing something illegal. Both had a feminine and slim figure of a girl. One of them had red hair with a mask covering his/her face while the other has blue hair with also another mask covering his/her face from being seen. It was a weird duo who dressed up in an odd mask covering their whole face. Of course, the figures were none than She and Ria. "The disguise skill you have is pretty convenient. I wish I had those instead of wearing this blue wig on me." "Maybe if you saved up enough gold for it and I might get you one." "Nice! That''s a promise then." "Anyway, I will enter first to make sure it''s safe before I give you a signal for you to get inside, okay?" "I don''t know how to feel about this, but okay." "Just don''t think about it, all right, I will go ahead." She said before jumping into her shadow, which caused a shocked from Ria since she hasn''t told her that she had acquired a new skill. As she moves forward in the shadow, she soon came onto the shadow of the girl''s mother. The evil spirit could still be seen floating around doing nothing but simply float in the air; She didn''t know if it was good or bad because there was no reaction from it even though Ria was approximately close to the house. Did it not feeling anything? Maybe some sort of racial danger as an evil spirit? I don''t know how it works, but if it didn''t notice Ria presence, then that would be good. But wait, will it make a reaction if I went ahead and knocked out the girl''s mother? I don''t want the scene to suddenly go into full horror due to the evil spirit possessing the body when the owner is unconscious. That''s a big no. Whatever it is, she had to do it. Please don''t do that, please God. She was praying to God as she slowly materialised herself from the shadow of the girl''s mother. But she didn''t wholly emerge herself before the evil spirit started to make a response to her sudden appearance as she immediately sent a chop to the neck before falling back into the shadow. Thud! The body falls to the ground as it makes a bit noise when it hits the floor. It was a sess, although now the evil spirit is causing a ruckus while it was floating in the air. I guess it''s time to bring Ria to exorcise this evil spirit, with that thought in mind, She jumped from one shadow to another until she saw the figure of Ria hiding behind a pole in an obvious manner for all to see. She smoothly ignores the fact that Ria is terrible at hiding because she was already used to it from the time when two of them yed hide and seek in childhood. "It''s safe now." "!!! You surprised me!" Ria eximed in shocked at the sudden appearance of Sheing out of the back her own shadow. Thankfully she didn''t lose herself and scream which would alert the neighbourhood. "So, is this a new skill that you learned?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you but yes. It''s a good skill, right?" "It is, but hmm..." "What?" "You won''t stalk someone with this right?" "What¡ªwhy would I do that? I''m not a stalker or anything like that." "And you won''t try to prank me by suddenly appearing behind my back?" "Wait, the thought just crossed my mind!" "Now that I know, you can''t do it." "Aww, what a bummer~." Ria giggled at the sight of She''s devasted face like a kid who has got his/her toy taken away before even y with it. But the devasted look was overwritten soon with a serious expression, and Ria also stopped giggling before both of them slowly walked inside the house. With the help of Shadow Magic, the unlocking door is as easy as a walk in the park. Door locked? Just get inside the house via the shadow before unlocking the door for Ria to enter. That''s how easy it is to break into a house. "Is it just me or the atmosphere started to feel cold?" "Is it? Oh, yeah, it did. I didn''t notice about this beforehand." "So, where''s the evil spirit? I don''t ever want to look at it, but I try looking around and don''t see anything." "Oh, it was in the living room. Just a bit of walk and here we are." The moment Ria and She walked into the living room, they started to feel the atmosphere around it was even colder than the outside. Ria could feel the chill creeping all over her body, and if not for She, she won''t evere here into this situation. Ria doesn''t like scary stuff, after all. That was why she was currently hiding behind She. "U-Uh, where is it, She? I didn''t see anything?" "What? But it was floating right there?" "Nothing is there, She. Perhaps, you could see it due to one of your skill?" "Ah, maybe. Then could you aim your healing spell above that unconscious body over there?" "I couldn''t reach it from here, need to be a little bit closer." "Is it close enough now?" "Hold on; I''ll give it a try." She nodded her head at Ria''s words as she watched over the evil spirit, just in case it attacks Ria, she could be her shield. It didn''t take her that long as Ria body started to lighten up until everything around her was shining brightly and she said. "Cure." And She watched the ghostly figure screaming unintelligible voice as smoke starteding out of its body. But it couldn''tpletely extinguish the evil spirit. She noticed the urgency of the situation and was about to warn Ria when suddenly, the evil spirit started to sprint at her with its red soaking eyes ring on the way. "Ria!" That was thest word from She before she was enveloped into the endless world of darkness. Chapter 57 - The Voice Within When she regained her conscious, all that she could is nothing but endless darkness. Everything surrounding her is all pitched ck; she couldn''t even see her own hands. She keeps on looking around, perhaps looking for a way to exit this dark world. But there''s nothing to be found. "Where am I? Thest thing I remember was... Am I being possessed right now?" "Ah, damn it. I didn''t expect to get so done just like that. I should have prepared myself a bit more, such as buying skills that would protect me against this kind of attack." But regretting is one thing, right now, she should be trying to find a way to escape from this ce instead. But how? Everything in her sight is nothing but endless darkness. She also tried touching her body and was relieved that it connected, she wonder does one can touch their soul if they are in a ce like this? If only she knows where she is. She didn''t know how long she had been here. All she did was flying around in her soul form in this endless world of darkness. She didn''t know how long she had spent doing it, but before long, she came across something or rather heard something. [ Do you remember the time when Ria introduce you to a friend? ] The voice is like a whisper; it was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. It has a smooth and feminine tone to its voice that would make others feel calm and rxed when they listen to. But She feels more crept out than being calm and rx right now. She didn''t know how or where it came from, but she could hear it as if someone was whispering next to her ears. If a soul can get scared, right now, she could be the proof. "Where did the voice came from? And what is it talking about?" Who is it? And why did it mentioned Ria? She didn''t know why, but she feels very ufortable right now. [ That was the first time that you feel happy about making a new friend, isn''t it? ] Again, it came whispering to her ears, and if She wasn''t imagined it, she could tell that the tone feels more like it wasughing at her. "Who is it?!" She couldn''t help but get rmed by the content of what was a whisper to her. It wasn''t a secret or anything but something that she wants it to be forgotten instead. [ You had a good time with her and Ria. You were really enjoying yourself a lot at that time; it was like what a naive kid like you would do. ] Slowly, she started to remember the memory of the past. It was the time before she gets to know about anime, games, and stuff. She was like any other kid at her age at the time, ying with toys and all. Anyway, she remembers that one day, Ria was introducing a new friend to her. Like any other kids, she was happy at gaining a new friend. She was really a happy kid who had fun ying around. [ But it ends the moment the girl asked for your help. ] Yes, apparently, the girl''s parent is also working in the same business as my mother. The girl said something about her parent telling her that maybe partner up or something. She, at that time, didn''t know anything, and so, she ended up discussing it with her mother. As a good kid, when someone depended on her, she feels like she has to do it. That''s why the small She tried her best to pull upplete nonsense to her mother. But Sara listened to everything and didn''t say anything until the end before nodding her head as she smiled at She before patting her head. [ She agreed to your unreasonable demand, and the girl was happy to hear that from you. ] [ But that was thest day you ever see the girl again. ] The small She didn''t know anything as she wonders why she never saw the girl anymore. She asked Ria, but even Ria didn''t know the reason, so they ended up just ying together like always. But it wasn''t long until she saw something that the small her didn''t expect to see. [ It was the news of the girl and her parents passing away in a car ident. ] At that time, she had already known what passing away means. Of course, she cried her heart out at such news. But she didn''t remember what happened afterward and were told that she caught terrible flu. [ And while you were bedridden, you wonder how such a thing happens. ] She wonders why the whispering voice feels familiar, but now she knows. It was her voice all along. She didn''t know how or why she was hearing her voice speaking to her about the past. She didn''t even know how long she had spent the entire time reminiscent of it. She should have been thinking of a way to escape this endless world of darkness. When such thought passed through her mind, she feels like her mind is feeling refresh. But the voice spoke once again. [ it was your fault, isn''t it? ] "...what is it talking about this time?" [ The car ident. You remember, right? The truth. ] "I don''t know what you''re talking about." [ You knew about it all along, yet you act as if not knowing anything and stay ignorance. ] She was about to say something but was interrupted by the voice. [ The car ident was not a real ident, but it was something that was made by someone else. ] [ it was your mother''s rivalpany. ] [ That''s what you overhear when you try to look for Ria and identally came across her talking to her mother about the topic, isn''t? ] It was then, the memory that she wished it would be sealed away forever deep inside her mind resurfaced. One by one, piece by piece, it all started toe together. "No, it was not my fault." [ It was all your fault. ] "No." [ If you didn''t be her friend, she would have been safe and perhaps, grow up and be a healthy teen. ] [ That''s what you thought isn''t? ] Silence crept in before the voice speaks once again, but this time with a scary tone. [ You killed the girl. ] "No!" She shouted to the voice. She desperately looked around, in search of a way to escape this ce. [ That''s a fact, and you know it. ] "No!" Desperately, She flew around and everywhere from one ce to another in the darkness, still looking for a door to exit. But it was in vain. [ You keep denying it, but deep down, you know it''s true. ] [ The fact that you are the reason that the girl and her family died. ] "I SAID, NO!" "...it wasn''t my fault. I-I didn''t do anything wrong. I didn''t..do anything...wrong." Like a broken recording, She keeps on repeating the same words over and over. If someone were looking at the current She, one would notice that there''s a shadow behind her, slowly crept around her. It was slow but surely, trying to envelop She as a whole. She did nothing to stop it as she was unable to do so with her current state of mind. As the shadow slowly doing it, the voice also said. [ You''re a murderer. ] [ How can you live happily while forgetting the fact that you have killed someone? ] [ You''re a murderer. ] [ The girl died at such a young age while here you are, having fun wasting your time in the game world. ] [ You''re a murderer. ] [ You''re such a cruel person, topletely forget your second friend. ] The voice went on regardless when She was only muttering the same words to herself, again and again. The shadow has already consumed all her body except the head. It was then; a light flickered in front of her. The dead and lifeless eyes began to regain their light. She looked at the flickering light in her sight as she tried to move her body, especially her hands, to hold onto that light. But she couldn''t do anything since her whole body was already enveloped with shadow, that didn''t mean she had given up though. She put all her strength into her body as she willed it to break through the shadow binding. But it was useless as the shadow slowly rise until it reaches her jaw. She was about to give up when she saw that everything she did could do nothing to stop it, but a voice resounds from within the flickering light. It was yet another familiar voice, but this time, it was a voice that she feels mostfortable with as it called out her name. Slowly, the flickering light starts to grow in size and eventually turned into one small sun in the endless world of darkness. And the sunlighting from the sun caused the shadow that was consuming She to slowly dispersed until her whole body was removed from the binding. [ In the end, it was she who saved you once again. ] The voice spoke once again, but this time in a calm and rxed manner. [ Even that time, she was the reason that you''re still here isn''t? ] "Yes, that''s why I love her." Yes, just like that time when she was depressed when knowing the truth, If it were not for Ria, she would have probably been worse than the current her or possibly given up on life. Ria''s very existence is like the star that shines upon the darkness of night. She''s the most important person to me, and I would do anything for her. [ You do, very much. If not, you would not have told her your secret and give the key to her. ] The voice halt for a few moments before it spoke once again. [ That''s why you need to be stronger. Stronger than anything that ever exists. That is the only way for you to protect her and your loved one. Protect them by only depending solely on your strength. ] "Sigh, I know. You don''t need to tell me that." The voice didn''t respond for a while, but she somehow could tell that if it ever has a face, then it would definitely be smiling right now. [ Until then, I''ll be watching over you. ] "What? Wait, who¡ª" [ I''ll see you again next time. ] Before she could do or say anything back, her eyes darkened, and her figure disappeared from the world of darkness. The endless world of darkness slowly melts away until none exists. But before anything could melt away, a feminine figure with identical look to She appears out of thin air and muttered something to herself before vanishing once again. When She opened her eyes for real this time, she saw Ria worriedly watching over her. She looked relieved when she saw She finally opening her eyes. "Are you okay?" She smiled at Ria before opening her mouth and said. "Yeah." "Are you sure?" "Really, I''m fine. I wanted to know what happened after I assumedly fainted." "I don''t know; you suddenly fall head-on the floor. I tried using healing magic on you too a couple of times until you finally opened your eyes." She looked around her surroundings and notice that the evil spirit has long gone. She didn''t know why, but she feels like she''s forgetting something important somewhere but didn''t know what exactly is. Thest thing she remembers was alerting Ria before her eyes turned dark, and when she opened her eyes once again, everything already ends. She shook her head from the ufortable feeling she had before opening her mouth and said. "I see, I only remember that much too. Seeing that no evil spirit around, I guess you must have exorcist it ultimately." "I guess so?" Chapter 58 - Another Way "How did you suddenly fainted?" "I don''t know, but thest thing I see was the evil spirit rushing toward me, so maybe I was possessed?" "If you were possessed, shouldn''t the evil spirit being able to control your body? But you stay copsed on the floor and only woke up when I use healing magic on you for a couple of times." "I don''t know, that was just my assumption anyway, I don''t know how the spiritual thing works. So, it hasn''t been an hour or anything?" "No, it only has been five minutes." She nodded her head at Ria affirmation words before pulling out the phone from her pocket to check about the quest. But what she saw next caused her to cried out in surprise. ¡º Free The Girl From Suffering(?) ¡» ¡º Save the girl named Sylvia from the suffering she suffered through her whole life. [ Exorcist the Evil Spirit: 1/1 ] [ The requirement has not met. ] Reward: Trial Tower ess ¡» ¡º The requirement has been fulfilled. ¡» ¡º The quest is updating...Complete. ¡» ¡º Free The Girl From Suffering(?) ¡» ¡º Save the girl named Sylvia from the suffering she suffered through her whole life. [ Exorcist the Evil Spirit: 1/1 ] [ Stop Sylvia from suiciding at M School: 00:29:59 ] Reward: Trial Tower ess ¡» [ 00:29:55 ] "There''s a timer?!" "What is it?" Ria looked toward She, who was visibly disturbed by what she saw on her phone. She didn''t wait for anything before putting the phone back into her pocket and was about to rush outside when she came to a halt and remember that Ria was still here with her. She turned back to look at Ria before opening her mouth and said. "Let''s leave the house first; I need to go somewhere quick, let''s hurry." "Alright." [ 00:29:48 ] Knowing She, Ria didn''t ask much and followed suit right behind her. If She weren''t in a hurry, she would have been told what it is about, that was why Ria didn''t worry much about She doing something stupid. After exiting the house, She bid her farewell to Ria before immediately rushing out as fast as she could, straight to the M School. While She was on her way there, she was pondering on why the girl would suicide now of all time. Is it because the girl couldn''t take it anymore and want everything to end? But why now? Or is it just a coincidence that today was actually the date she decides tomit suicide? "But from all thing to do, why go for suicide? " [ 00:28:57 ] In She''s opinion, the girl could stop everything by simply stepping forward. The bullying at school, she could just end it by simply telling the bully and if that didn''t work, beat them up. The abuse in her house, she can just leave the house and live alone somewhere or something. So, all the girl needs to do is training her body and get a part-time job, and everything will end after she had done enough of it. But that is if everything is normal, not including the movement of an evil spirit. Perhaps, the evil spirit might have something to do with the girl going to suicide today, like nting the idea in her mind or something. [ 00:26:35 ] There''s also the factor of will power, but so far the girl appears to be the type who has a strong will. Even when she was bullied at school, she kept quiet and didn''t say anything or cry about it, at least not that anyone see her doing it. The girl could be crying secretly; she didn''t know her much after all, with only the information she gathered unless she saw the girl with her own eyes and get to know her. [ 00:25:10 ] It took her five minutes until she arrived at the front gate of M School since it wasn''t far from the girl''s house when she used her full power. She didn''t wait any longer and went inside; no one could stop when she''s using Shadow Magic, moving to and fro until she reached the girl''s ssroom. But she didn''t see any shadow of the girl inside the ssroom, where did she go? If someone is going for suicide, what would the ce they chose for it? [ 00:24:27 ] She went into the girl''s restroom but didn''t see anyone in there. If it''s not here, then where is it? The animes that she had watched so far, and when ites to suicide, they would usually go for in the toilet. That was why when ites to a horror video game with a school setting, the bathroom is the scariest ce ever to go. There would definitely be a jumpscare or two in there. [ 00:23:49 ] With the urgency of the time, She could only go and check from ce to another while in the shadow. But the school is big enough for there to be a lot of rooms, including the storage room, etc. Obviously, it is a waste of time by checking the room after room, but she couldn''t think of anything else at the moment and just does the simple thing she could think of. Thankfully, the school is a four-story building. But it''s not the only building in the school, She didn''t have much time and only went for the building of where there is the girl''s ssroom. [ 00:21:38 ] It has been exactly 8 minutes, yet she didn''t find nor see any shadow of the girl. She started to feel anxious as she wonders where could the girl possibly be; she had already checked every room in the entire building. Is it the wrong building? If she had known that this would happen, she should have taken hold of the girl''s position before proceeding to exorcise the evil spirit. But now is not the time for regret as every second passed, it is getting closer to death. She didn''t waste any time as she went ahead to another building and started searching the room. But yet as if She was getting further, she didn''t find anything, not even any trace behind. The time is ticking; I need to move faster and faster! As she went through room after room, she was also pondering hard on where could the girl be. [ 00:16:41 ] "Ha..haa.. Ha.. Where.." She had spent half of her energy, searching another building yet didn''t find anything. Did the girl got spirited away? If not, why can''t she find the girl anywhere! Is she even in school?! But the information on the quest said so, it should be true that she is somewhere in this school. She breathes out a sigh as she looked up in the sky. And it was then, in her sight, she could see that there''s figure stood on top of the building. That is¡ª without saying anything, She immediately runs as fast as she could, toward the top of the building before it''s toote. Now that she thought about it, she had never checked the top of the building. Isn''t it a favourite ce where the most protagonist of a story would hang out? How could it not cross her mind at all? Is it because in reality, the door to the top of the building is usually locked, that is why she never think it was possible? Either way, it''s okay now that she had already found the girl. So, she was nning to suicide from the fall, huh? It would be a quick death if she falls head-on first, but if she somehow survived, it would be even more hell in her life. Once She arrived at the top of the building, she immediately called out her name, which halts the girl from advancing further. Of course, she had already equipped a mask to cover up her face while also configured her whole body with disguise skill beforehand. She had to take all kind of measure in any way possible. Seeing the girl didn''t respond, she called out her name once again. "Sylvia!" "Do you really want this?" She said in a tone which would make any person rxed when they listen to her voice. But the person in front of her is about who is already resolve herself for suicide, which is why she called her out again. "I ask you, do you really want this?" But the girl still didn''t respond to her question. Maybe I should move forward and try calling her out again. "I will ask you again, do you really want this?" And to her surprise, the girl responds as if everything busted open. "Yes, yes! I do!" "I want this to end, everything and everyone to stop! Why are you stopping me?!" The girl shouted back at her as tears slowly fall out of her eyes which caused her cheeks to get wet. Just by looking at the girl''s current expression, She could tell that the girl must have suffered a lot more than she thought. But the girl apparently didn''t notice that she was crying. "Then, do you mind telling me why are you crying right now?" The girl was stunned from her word as she reached her hand out toward her cheeks and could feel that it was wet from the tears. Perhaps, in the girl''s subconscious, she didn''t want it to end like this. "Do you really want to end it like this?" "You don''t understand anything! I!" The girl shouted back at her as if denying what She had said to her. "Of course I don''t, so why don''t you tell me while we seat and the bench right there?" She said as move closer before wrapping her arms around the girl. And at that moment, the girl ended up sobbing hard as she poured everything out. Sylvia started speaking while crying from when she was a child, and until now, every suffering she had suffered was slowlying out of her. Perhaps, she just needs someone who would listen to her; it doesn''t have to be anyone important. She didn''t say anything and just quietly listen to the girl while sometimes patting her in the back. Once the girl was done, She took a moment to think before deciding as she opened her mouth and said. "My name is Akane, what''s yours?" "I''m...Sylvia." "Sylvia, that''s a beautiful name." "You want this to end, right? Are you sure?" "Yes." "Rather than suicide which will end up with pain, why not follow me?" "Follow...you?" "Yes, I won''t tell you the detail yet, but if you believe and put your trust in me, I''ll show you another way. So, would you?" She said to the girl. To be honest, she also didn''t know how to recruit the girl; it was to the point that she sounds like someone suspicious, but that was the truth. She IS suspicious, with a mask covering her face and also using a fake name. But she couldn''t help it; she had to be sure before the girl agrees, only until then would she show her real identity. Sylvia appears to be deep in thought, but it didn''t take her long before her eyes were filled with flickering light as she slowly opened her mouth and said. "I...I will." Chapter 59 - Fourth Floor ¡º You havepleted the quest! ¡» That was the message that she saw on the phone after telling Sylvia to go to her ssroom first as she had something to do and wait behind. The moment she saw the message, a torrent of memory wash over her mind. From A to Z, it exined to She how she could give others ess to enter the Trial Tower in all sort of ways. For example; she could change the key that was in Ria''s hands into something else, a bracelet or anything at all, so long as it is something that would stick close to the user. After all, it is only used as a gate to enter the Trial Tower. With this, her n is finally ready to begin. To be honest, she didn''t expect to get a quest with the reward that she needs at the moment. The system was definitely listening to her. Just like what Ria concluded, the message and the school uniform, both of those must have been the work of the system. She feels ufortable knowing that she was walking on the palm of someone''s hands all this time. She did feel like she was being guided, after all. She would like to know who or what is behind the system, but as much as she wanted to, she need to grow stronger first. Just like previously where she learned a bit about the system, maybe once she leveled up high enough, she would know everything. Now that she was done with one part of the n, she could focus her time on leveling up. But not before she gives ess to enter the Trial Tower to Sylvia and telling her about it. Only then would she have the time to do some grinding. Once She hadpletely absorbed everything, she slowly gets up from the seat before walking downstairs toward Sylvia''s ssroom. Of course, by walking, she means moving to and fro within the shadow. When she arrived at the door of the ssroom, she heard amotion in the ss. "No way, right?" She softly muttered to herself before proceeding to enter the ss, and it was as she expected. Sylvia was being bullied again by the tan girl with thick makeup. Besides the tan girl, two other girls were also there, and they are in the group list of people who bullied Sylvia. "Hey, ugly. Give me your homework." Who''s the ugly one here? Have you seen a mirror? And wow, I have never seen someone so shameless while arrogantly asking for someone else homework to copy with. Jealousy and envy is one thing, but this isplete bullshit isn''t? Can''t you even do your homework? What are you? An idiot sandwich? Oh wait, wasn''t I in the same ce before? But I wasn''t this arrogant when I asked Ria for help. I was shameless, yes. Cough, Anyway, that''s beside the point here. "No." "Oh? What did you say?" "I said no. I think you need to pay a visit to the hospital and get your ear check." Ouch, the burn is too strong there. Look, the girl is already boiling red on her face from the anger. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" The tan girl shrieked. It was so loud that in the entire ssroom, only her voice exists. The tan girl didn''t say anything more before moving her hand back as if readying herself to p Sylvia. I guess it''s time for me to make a move, She thought in her mind before jumping into the shadow of the tan girl. She didn''t do much but simply ''grab'' the girl''s legs and pull it a bit before hiding back in the shadow. Sylvia was expecting the p to hit her, which was why she closed her eyes shut. But after a while, nothing happens. Slowly, Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at the tan girl who was currently seat on the floor with a frightening look on her face. Sylvia didn''t know what happen since she has her eyes closed, but to the ssmates who were watching, even they didn''t understand what actually happened. In their sight, they only saw the tan girl suddenly fell t to the ground as if someone was pulling her legs. But there''s no one on the floor beside her! But to the frightened tan girl, she definitely feels that something had grabbed her on the legs before pulling it. She was initially angry at who had the nerve to do such a thing to her, but when she looked around, she didn''t see anyone who could be the person behind it. That was why she feels so frightened right now, is it a ghost pulling her leg?! "What a scared cat." She muttered to herself before giggling at the sight. It seems that the tan girl didn''t have any more courage to bully Sylvia as she gets up and goes back to her seat. The two followers were feeling awkward as they didn''t know what to do; in the end, they just went to their seat too. If they had continued on their bullying, She would have frightened them just like the tan girl, too bad. After a while, the teacher arrived, and the lesson started. Seeing all the student focus on the teacher''s lesson, She moved to Sylvia''s shadow before slipping a paper on top of the girl''s legs. Once she saw Sylvia picking up the paper and read it, she nodded her head and headed back home. [ I''ll meet youter at the front of the school gate when school ends. -Akane ] *** She''s bedroom. "Hmm, I see. Then how are you going to introduce the Trial Tower to her?" "That''s a bit tricky, I mean, who would believe if someone told them that they could enter another world where they could grow stronger by defeating the monster?" "Speaking from the experience, yes, I don''t believe you at first, too." "That''s why I''ll give her ess and brought her there first before telling everything." "...are you sure you won''t make her go through the same thing I did?" "Err, yes? I mean, she looks even weaker than you at first nce, after all." "Since her mother abused her, does it mean she got scar or bruises around her body?" "I only saw a bruise on her neck, not sure about her whole body, but it is possible. God damn it, just thinking about it is making me mad." She remembers when she had hugged Sylvia, her eyesight caught the bruise on around her neck. Even though she knows that the evil spirit is at fault, she couldn''t help but still feeling angry about the whole thing. As far as she knows, the evil spirit shouldn''t be able to influence the living people that much aside from feeling something or someone whispering in their ears, but it shouldn''t have gone that bad. Perhaps, the rtionship between her parents was already bad, to begin with. It wasn''t entirely the evil spirit''s fault. "Is it possible for her to drink the healing potion? Or do I need to use my healing magic on her?" "Oh, right! I have those options!" "Are you for real?" "Oh well, I was busy thinking of some other stuff. That coulde in handy when I introduce the Trial Tower to her, yeah." Ria just shook her head at She. "So, what do you want to do in the meantime?" "Grind." "What?" "Grind." "You need to level up more too; your level is still low."(She) "...you go first, I''m going to take a rest before going in." "Alright, see youter." After she bid her farewell to Ria, She immediately teleported herself into the Trial Tower, and this time she didn''t even need to use her phone to do so. Yes, she could enter the Trial Tower at any time and anywhere, with just a single thought. But of course, to view her status and everything, she still needs to use the phone. She thought that once here level reached a high enough, she won''t just know the full truth, she would be likely able to use all functions without relying on her phone. Just thinking about it gives her the motivation to level up even more. Perhaps, there might be other secret function in the system that she didn''t even know yet; there''s also that possibility. And finally, the Fourth Floor of the Trial Tower. "I wonder if there''s any new monster on this floor? It should be, right? I hope so since I''m getting tired of fighting the same old goblins and slimes." She entered the cave with the expectation of looking forward to seeing a new monster. But what she saw a yet another green creature which caused a sigh to release out of her mouth. "Well, goblin it is." She rushed toward the goblin as the green bracelet on her hands turned into a sword, and she sent a sh at the goblin when she gets approximately close to it. But to her surprise, the goblin agilely dodged her attacks. And before she coulde to her sense, the goblin has already swung the club straight at her. So fast¡ª the blood sttered onto the ground. Chapter 60 - Speechless "Cough, damn it!" She vomits a mouthful of blood before wiping it with her hands while cursing at herself for letting down her guard again. She had been so used to fighting the goblins that her guard naturally went down until now, she didn''t even realise it until she experienced it today. The pain that she suffers from her stomach really woke her up from the reality that one shouldn''t look down on other even when one had already experienced fighting against them. ¡º She LV.16 ¡» ¡º HP: 100/115 MP: 200/200 GOLD: 530 ¡ªSTR: 25 ¡ªINT: 40 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 23 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 10 ¡» She actually loses fifteen health points from that blow. Is this really goblin? She was shocked that her health went down more than she had anticipated. Thest time she was hit by a goblin only amount to -3 or -5 health points, that was why she found it unbelievable at the moment. She didn''t know how the goblin in front of her could blow her with such force, and the only way to find out is by defeating it. With that in mind, She conjured a fireball and sent it to the goblin before rushing to it while brandishing her sword, ready to be swing. As she had expected, the goblin avoid the fireball agilely to the side but can it defend against the sword that has already swing straight at it after it dodges the fireball? Swoosh! The sounds of her sword cutting the air resound to the whole surrounding, but that stopped when the goblin managed to deflect her attack right on time before pulling back. But She didn''t let the chance slip as she immediately conjures fire arrow. Because it was in the close range, the goblin couldn''tpletely dodge it. "GAAA!" The goblin shrieks painfully when the fire arrow embeds into its body. She immediately swings her sword at it, promptly cut one of its hand, the one that was holding onto the club. To be honest, she was pondering on how in the world that a wooden club(she assumed) is deflecting her iron sword. What is it made of? That was why she cut the hand holding onto it before picking up the club on the ground while the goblin was moaning in pain at the side. She wanted to see if it''s possible to view the club information. But nothing pops up in front of her when she holds it. "Was it because it''s not a dropped item from dead monster since the goblin is still currently alive?" While she was having such thoughts, she didn''tpletely disregard the goblin at the side and her surrounding. Once she is sure that there''s no way to find out the information about the club, she went to the goblin and beheaded it, ending the goblin from the suffering. Although it appears strong at in first nce, that was merely due to She letting her guard down. At the end of it, She was still stronger than it, which was why she could overpower it. The goblin couldn''t fight back since one of its hand was cut off, and the weapon was in the hands of the enemy; it could only ept the uing demise. ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.10! ¡» "So that was it." It was an Elite monster. The overall strength of such monster will usually be double than their normal ones. She didn''t expect to see such a monster in the Trial Tower and was more inclined to seeing new monster instead. Regardless that was merely her wishful thought. Perhaps, she might see more of goblin variant in this floor. As the dead goblin shattered into the glittering light, she looked toward the spot where she left the weapon and saw that it followed right after and disappeared into nothingness. She shrugged her shoulders before picking up the gold that was dropped from it. ¡º She LV.16 ¡» ¡º HP: 100/115 MP: 200/200 GOLD: 600 ¡ªSTR: 25 ¡ªINT: 40 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 23 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 10 ¡» "That''s quite a lot of gold for a goblin. Ah well, it is still an elite monster, nheless." If the first monster she met is an Elite monster, does it mean somewhere deep inside the cave, there will be a lot more powerful monster? Her heart started beating rapidly as she imagined herself fighting stronger opponents. Although it sounds idiotic, she prefers fighting a stronger opponent. But of course, she is no way in hell a suicider. It''s never her wish to die in this ce, after all. By fighting a stronger opponent, one could grow even stronger once one survived against those. By fighting an opponent that is weaker than you will only make your sharp w gets duller. It is hard and sort of suicide to think of such thing, but that''s how she has to live from now on, just for the sake of protecting those who she loves and cares for. She could heal herself with potion too, so that is another reason why, and no, she is no masochist. She still hates the pain thates with it. She has a lot of time before Sylvia''s school ends. She decides to clear this floor as long as her opponent is beatable with her current strength. But before that, let''s distribute the stats. ¡º She LV.16 ¡» ¡º HP: 105/125 MP: 200/225 GOLD: 600 ¡ªSTR: 28 ¡ªINT: 45 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 25 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 0 ¡» She nodded her head at the updated stats. She didn''t know how to distribute the AP back then and only focus on her desire at the moment but now, she sort of know where to distribute her point. Intelligence>Strength>Vitality>Agility, That''s the choice that she will go with. With that done, She hides her figure into the endless darkness within the cave. She should use this to her advantage since the goblins so far didn''t carry any torch or any light source with them. As she moved within the shadow, she feels very at ease as if it was her real home. It couldn''t be helped since she didnt feel any threat that could potentially hurt her with her current state. If anything, she could sneak attack them instead. "Guga." "Gugugaga." Once she passed a certain distance, she came across two goblins talking animatedly to each other like a sibling. That is her assuming based on their outer appearance; if she could understand what they talk about, she won''t have thought they were sibling, but it didn''t matter since they would be dead anyway. "Guga!"(I wanted to fxck so bad!) "Gugagu."(Stop saying that, it''s making me feel excited too.) It''s a good thing that She didn''t understand their word. Silently, She creeps in closer to the two before beheading them both with a single swing of her sharp sword. ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.11! ¡» ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.10! ¡» Somehow, she feels like it was way easier doing it like this instead of fighting head-on. Because they didn''t notice her presence until she makes a move, they couldn''t defend against her attack at all. If I use my full power, doesn''t it mean it will go up to triple more? Am I already that powerful? It feels unbelievable to her since her level is still low, so she thought her strength is not yet that far ahead. But it is good; the result makes her happy that her hard work is not in vain. Onto the next victim, it was a group of three goblins; there were staying apart from each other on a certain distance, close enough to give a hand in case one of them were attacked. Of course, she beheaded them all, although she was noticed in the middle of the battle, it wasn''t much since it was just one goblin left. After ying them, she moved and dive further into the cave. The closer she is to the end, the more a warning signal she get from her sixth sense. It has been a while since her sixth sense rmed her of the danger ahead. She could tell that the danger level is more frightening than the previous floor boss, Goblin Shaman. But the current her is way stronger than that; she could still shrug off the intimidationing from the deep end cave. Yet she was still unsure whether she could beat it or not, it was clearly a boss''s intimidation. No way in hell it''sing from the normal mob. As she dives further, She move cautiously and slowly, not because she was afraid of the mob but because she didn''t want to get sneak attack by a boss. You never know, it''s better being careful and cautious. But she didn''t find anything on the way; it was not until she came across a huge open space with a torch on the side of the wall. "What...is this?" She was speechless by the scene in front of her. A green creature with a small crown on its head could be seen sitting on the throne, and each of its sides was two goblin fighters, overall four goblin fighters protecting it. Below, she could see two Goblin Shamans, and a considerable amount of normal goblins could be seen scattered around the ce. It was¡ª "Goblin Army¡ªno, Goblin King and its army." Chapter 61 - Hit-and-Run Strategy Now, what should she do? Attack? But she couldn''t handle them all by herself; It would just be a suicide. Hit and run? That might work, but she was worried that the Goblin King that was sitting on the throne might be able to know her presence which would wreck the n. She was pondering while watching them from afar within the shadow. If the Goblin King didn''t make a move, she might able to wipe out the other, but it would take a lot of time. The four Goblin Fighters stood to close to the Goblin King; she couldn''t take them out without notifying thetter of her presence. Should I risk it? If I won against them, how many experiences would I get? What would the drop item from Goblin King be? The saying about good things is always risky doesn''t seem like an untrue, after all. "I''ll just give it a go." She could exit from the Trial Tower anytime given that she has acquired ess from the previous quest reward. It was not possible to exit the Trial Tower unless she clears out her surrounding up until now, but after getting the reward, she could exit it even amid the battle with the boss. Oh, before that, let me check if there''s any new quest. There is only one quest avable which is Kill the Goblin King. The reward is ten attribute point and one skill book, but it didn''t exin what skill book it would be. But even so, the reward is very tempting; she couldn''t lie. She would not just get experiences and the drop item; she would also get ten AP with one skill book from the quest reward. The reward really outweighs the cons. Without any word, She used her invisible mouse in her mind and clicked on ept the quest. With that done, She charges ahead but still within the shadow. When she was close to the group of goblins, she immediately conjures fireball and fires out at them before pulling back. Thankfully, it seems that the Goblin King didn''t notice her presence since she was not so close to it. ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.10! ¡» ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.12! ¡» ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.11! ¡» ¡º You have killed the Elite Goblin Lv.13! ¡» One-shot four killed. The other goblins and Goblin Shaman were in disarray as they didn''t expect to get attacked suddenly. The Goblin Shaman tried to search for her presence in the area using magic, but She has already gone out of range. Once she saw them quieted down, she didn''t make a move yet but wait a few minutes more before attacking again with the fireball spell at the other spot where the goblins grouped up. Yes, her n was hit and run. It''s a lot nicer now that she has shadow magic which would help her escape even better. Her fireball swallowed the three goblins, and soon she heard a notification that she loves the most, level up. Finally, three more and she will get into twenty. Isn''t this a good grinding spot for level up? She could power leveling Ria on this floor, but Ria had to clear the First Floor beforehand. It won''t be long before Ria met the Slime King. After another yet sess attack, She thought that the Goblin Shaman would finally be wary of their surrounding, but she guesses wrong as they simply went back to their ce when they couldn''t find her with their magic. Are they thisx because of the goblin sitting on the throne? Possible, but she wonders what they will do once the goblins are all cleared out. "It''s much easier for me that they arex. Sorry, goblins. It seems that your life is not important to them." "But you don''t need to be that sad as I will appreciate you as an experience for me." She muttered to herself as she smirked. Her eyes now glimmer of greed as she stares at the group of goblins in her sight. It''s possible for her to level up again if she manages to clear this floor. The mob goblins have be warier of their surrounding after the second attacked from her, but obviously, they couldn''t do anything since she was hidden in the shadow. This is why assassin is scarier than a warrior who fights head-on. You can see and n it out when your opponent is a warrior, but if it''s an assassin, you have to be worried that you won''t get suddenly attacked from behind while in the midst of nning. She could act as an assassin with her AWP sword, but she prefers firing a fireball spell instead since it''s AOE(Area of Effect) rather than a single target. It will take a lot more time if she does that, after all. Magic is great! She repeated the hit and run strategy and eventually left with only two Goblin Shamans who stood next to each other while looking at their surroundings in wariness. The repeated hit and run attacked finally caught their attention, but by then, the goblins have already been wiped out. They wanted to warn their King but couldn''t gather enough courage in the end since they didn''t want to be punished for beingx, which caused this incident to happen. The only way to get out of this is by defeating whatever that is attacking them. After the one-sided massacre of the group of goblins, She still hasn''t acquired enough experience to level up. But she had a feeling that if she kills one of the two Goblin Shamans, she would have enough to level up. Actually, on her third hit-and-run round, Shadow magic went up to level 2, and it wasn''t just that, the fire magic had also gone up to level 4. The new spell that she had learned from the level up is called Inferno. Doesn''t it sound like some kind of ultimate fire magic? She didn''t expect the fire magic to level up since she had only used fireball, that is all she did, yet guess it doesn''t matter. She can''t wait to see how strong the new spell is. Just imagine herself conjuring such a spell already make her excited to no end. As for shadow magic, She couldn''t just hide her presence in the shadow better, she could also bind someone with their shadow, but it depends on her strength. If she''s stronger, she could bind them as much as she wants, but if she''s weaker, they would be able to break out of it with just their strength. What a total jackpot! This would definitely help her in the fight against the Goblin King. She looked at the two Goblin Shamans while she was hiding in the dark. A sword materialises before her, and she throws her arm toward it before grasping it in her hand. She won''t be using magic anymore since it would definitely attract the attention of the one sitting on the throne. With two of her magic level up, She had the confidence that she could clear this floor now. She silently creeps toward one of the Goblin Shaman on the left side while watching on the right side and the throne above. Her breathing bes slow and quiet as she gets closer to it. The mind that was hectic moments ago due to level up had gone by the wind and reced by a calming state of mind. She was already in their range yet they couldn''t detect her since she was still within the shadow. But if she ever attacks now, they would definitely notice her presence right away. She has to kill the two and retreat before the one above couldunch an attack on her. As She silently arrived on the left side, she took a stance, preparing herself for the battle. With her mind in the state of calm, she was ready. Without waiting any further, She swings her sword at the Goblin Shaman. sh! Not expecting an attack so close, the Goblin Shaman was beheaded on the spot without able to defend themselves. The other Goblin Shaman was obviously shocked by her attacks, but it quickly took hold of itself before shouting to alert the King of the unauthorised intruder. "Guaaaa!" ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» But it forgets to defend itself against her so, in no time, it followed the footsteps of its kin. After beheading the shaman, She was about to retreat when the roaring from the throne froze her. It was intimidating and fearsome roar, one that was unexpecteding from a goblin. But a King still a King. Even if the goblin was known as the weakest race, their King is not weak by any mean. She eyes narrowed as her body was unable to move when she heard the roar above. She pulled out all her strength onto moving her body, and when she could finally move her body, the Goblin King was already right in front of her. It was not just that; the four Goblin Fighters had also surrounded her. The path to escape has been sealed away; her only choice left is to fight out of it. Actually, she could escape from the Trial Tower, but due to the heat of the moment, the thought never crosses her mind. She gripped her sword in hands hard before resolving herself for the uing battle. "Come on then!" She shouted at the Goblin King before swinging her sword at it. Chapter 62 - Inferno "Come on then!" She shouted at the opponent who has her surrounded. Right after, she immediately jumped into her own shadow before trying to put distance from them. The fighter who has sent a punch to her, missed when her figure already blends within the shadow. She didn''t get far before the Goblin King uses its roar, which pulled her out of the shadow. But at least, she was not surrounded anymore, which is good. She conjures a fireball in her mind as a ball of me materialise in the air in front of her before it flew toward the Goblin Fighter and exploded. The spell didn''t kill it and only got minor injured of burned skin. She was not surprised at how robust and sturdy their body is and summon another fireball spell. The Goblin King obviously won''t let her attack the second time as itmands the other Goblin Fighter before rushing to her by itself. The fireball flew and hit another Goblin Fighter on the face. It shrieks from the pain before madly rush toward her like the others. Seeing the Goblin King and its fighters rushing straight at her, She didn''t back away but instead charged head-on with the sword in her hand. If Ria were here, she would have been angry and scold her for rushing toward the enemy like an idiot. In She''s mind, she only cares about defeating her enemy, no matter which way she goes for, even if it risked her life. She didn''t realise it herself, but she put other''s life more important than hers. That was why it never crosses her mind that her act was dangerous. That was her w. But it didn''t matter even if she knows about it since to her; the loved ones are more important than anything in the world. The Goblin King swung its long sword at her, and she somehow manages to deflect it with her sword, but the forceing from it caused her hands to feel numb. It seems that the Goblin King is more of a fighter-type than an all-rounder. She could tell it from the force of strength when her swordes in contact with the other long sword. The Goblin King strength is definitely fearsome to a certain extent. She couldn''t even take a moment to rest before Goblin Fighters started sending a punch one by one at her. She tried her best to dodge it, but two punches managed to hit her body as she flew far before rolling over to take hold of herself. Taking all of them at once is impossible, huh. Damn, my body hurts from being punched. She cursed under her breath before taking a potion from the inventory and drink it in one gulp. She wipes her mouth before throwing the empty potion to the Goblin Fighters who was charging ahead at her. Like in the game, the pain on her body slowly disappeared and were reced by a warm and refreshing feeling. Looking at the empty potion shattering when it hits the Goblin Fighter, She summons an arrow made of me. The Goblin Fighter didn''t avoid the fire arrow and boldly stood upfront as behind it was its King, the arrow made of me stabbed into it and the smell of flesh being burned spread to the air. But a ball of fire soon followed after and exploded right in its face. It howled in pain and didn''t notice that She was right in front of it and then, its head was ripped apart ruthlessly from the beheading of her sword. One Goblin Fighter killed, three left and one Goblin King. She sent out another sh to the Goblin King standing behind the dead Goblin Fighter before backing away. She knows that it could block her attack; that was why she returned. She didn''t want to get herself surrounded again. While she was backing away, she didn''t forget to fire out one spell after another to the Goblin Fighters that was chasing after her. Once she feels the mana in her body was on a low level, she immediately drinks the mana potion before tossing it to them. So far, the fight has been going smoothly for her. The four monsters in front of her still stood strong and imposing, but she was not discouraged at all. If anything, her blood was boiling even more as the heat getting into her head. If not for her mind still in the state of calm, she might have made a blunder. In the battle where life was a risk, one small blunder could potentially change the situation, like getting heavy injured after making a blunder. How would one continue the fight with heavy injuries in their body? Only by preserving their will could their continue on battling their way out of the tense situation. That''s why one needs to be cool, and their mind must stay calm and collected. One couldn''te up with a good n if their mind is chaotic after all. As the fight prolonged, She breathing started to be heavy, and her body slowly being filled with injuries all over. But it was not without a cost as she had also managed to kill her third Goblin Fighter, now there are only two monsters left, Goblin King and one Goblin Fighter. "Haa...ha..ha." She res at the monster in front of her while she panted heavily. Her body was covered in red of her blood; her messed figure look as bad as when she battled against Goblin Shaman for the first time. It was a tiring and hard battle. But it was totally worth it as she could feel that leveling up is not that far away now. From her fight, she had tried binding the Goblin Fighter with their shadow, but it didn''tst long enough before they break through it with brute force. She didn''t try it on the boss since she knew that it wouldn''t do much and only be wasting mana. While she was ring at the two, they were also ring deathly at her. They were also tired from the fight and somehow, both were now staring at each other while picking up their breath. She took the chance to drink the potions, which healed her wounds and refilling her mana. Should I use the new spell that I had just learned? From the name of it, it sounds powerful. But will it be enough to kill the Goblin King? She couldn''te to a decision when the Goblin King charges at her followed by Goblin Fighter. It couldn''t wait for any longer and decide to make its move, but She was well prepared. She fires out a fireball at it before backing away while preparing herself to conjure a powerful spell, inferno. When she got the information about it in her head, she could tell it was powerful, and it will take a bit of her time to conjure it. But a single fireball couldn''t stop the two monster in front of her from rushing straight at her. And so, she didn''t only need to focus her mind for the spell; she also needs to avoid the iing attack from the two of them. She steps to the side to avoids the punching from Goblin Fighter before lowering her body down, avoiding from getting cut into two by the long sword sent by Goblin King. It was hard but still manageable. But she couldn''t obviously keep dodging all the attacks, one time she almost lost her neck if she didn''t put her sword to her front. It didn''t take her long enough before she could feel the heat everywhere around her. She could feel the loss of quite a huge amount of mana before throwing her hands in front as she could feel the heat radiating and then, a zing inferno fire out of her hands. The temperature was so intense that she thought she was standing right next to a living magma. When the inferno finally died down, she was shocked at the sight of the aftermath. "Holy me..." She cursed under her breath as she stares at the result of Inferno spell. The Goblin King is no more, what only left there is nothing but burned and cked ground. Not even a flesh of it was left behind; it was incinerated into nothingness. Even the Goblin Fighter to the right has lost its left arm even though it didn''t stand that close to the range of the spell. There''s only one thing left she would say after gazing at the scene, it''s SUPER DAMN POWERFUL. ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» Chapter 63 - Shadow Bind Looking at the scorched ground, She was yet amazed by how powerful the spell is. Just like its name Inferno, it incinerated everything in its path. Even the Goblin King which she thought would take her a while to kill was extinguished into oblivion. But after firing the spell once, she was already exhausted. It must have drained a lot of mana from her. She moved her gaze to the Goblin Fighter shrieking painfully from losing one arm at the side. Seeing the opportunity, she charges toward it. The Goblin Fighter saw the powerful human girl charging at it, and it tried to hold her back by sending a punch at her. She easily dodges it to the side before sliced it into two. The Goblin Fighter alone couldn''t possibly defeat her; they appear frightening at first was only because they are in grouped and stood beside Goblin King. Otherwise, they were easy to deal with if She fights them one on one. ¡ºYou have killed Goblin Fighter Lv.13!¡» ¡ºYou havepleted the quest!¡» ¡ºYou have acquired Intimidation skill book!¡» ¡º She LV.18 ¡» ¡º HP: 113/125 MP: 50/225 GOLD: 6300 ¡ªSTR: 28 ¡ªINT: 45 ¡ªAGI: 21 ¡ªVIT: 25 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 20 ¡» "My mana is so low.. So I could only use Inferno for once, and I''ll be out." That is if she didn''t use mana potion, with all the gold she had collected from clearing this floor, She could buy tons of low-grade mana potion or even some higher-grade potions! And what a shocking, she didn''t expect for the skill book to be Intimidation. Of course, without wasting any time, she immediately materialises the skill book in front of her before she put her hands on it. Like always, after a torrent of memory wash over her mind, the skill book turned into glittering light and disappeared into oblivion. "So, this is one of the active skills, Intimidation, huh." But apparently, it only works against an opponent who is weaker than her. It was just like shadow binding, the stronger her opponent, the less likely it would work against them. But Intimidation would also grow stronger along with her level up, in the memory of the skill, she learned that when her level is high enough, she could kill her opponent by merely ring at them. Of course, that is for the weaker opponent. But even a strong opponent would freeze for a moment from her re which is absurd in her opinion. Now that she was done checking out the skill, it''s time to distribute the free attribute points. ¡º She LV.18 ¡» ¡º HP: 114/140 MP: 50/250 GOLD: 6300 ¡ªSTR: 32 ¡ªINT: 50 ¡ªAGI: 24 ¡ªVIT: 28 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 5 ¡» ¡º The requirement has been met. ¡» ¡º You have unlocked active skill: Mana Eyes! ¡» "?!" Suddenly, She could feel the change in her sight. Previously, she could only see a vague light of mana in the surrounding when she gets Mana Sense skill. But now, she could precisely see and tell from which spot has thick mana and which spot is low on mana. She didn''t realise it at the moment, but her pupils currently are coloured in blue light when Mana Eyes skill activated on its own. She was too mesmerised by the new sight everywhere around her; it was like a person who hade across a whole new world. Everything around her is colourful and beautiful to look at. Although she didn''t have enough of looking around, she needs to stop and thought about what sort of requirement has she met which unlocked the skill. She stares at the status window in front of her before quicklye to a conclusion. It must be due to her intelligence stats reaching 50. The skill itself is called ''Mana'' Eyes; she didn''t expect to gain something like this only by increasing her stats to a certain amount. She only cares about getting stronger, after all. Either way, it''s okay since it makes her even stronger. She looked at the calm and silent surrounding before deciding to exit the Trial Tower. She had spent a quite amount of time in here; if she ascends to the Fifth Floor, she might not want to exit until she figured out all her opponent on the floor. She had to do it now and also; she had something important to do outside. With the thought of exiting the Trial Tower in mind, her figure vanished before materialises in her bedroom. She pulled out her phone from the pocket and looked at the time before opening the app. She browses through it before finally came across what she wanted before clicking on it. A new window appears, and within it, it was showing a girl holding onto silver sword in hands fighting against a slime. She nodded her head before saying. "She''s diligently leveling up, that''s good." While she was watching Ria ying slimes, she wonders on whether to enter and assist her or just wait here and when the timees, she would go out to pick up Sylvia. That would just be wasting time isn''t? She put her phone back into the pocket before disappearing entirely and appear next to Ria in the Trial Tower. Ria was resting after she was done ying a couple of slimes. She didn''t expect for She to appear suddenly next to her, which caused her to scream in rmed. Even She was surprised by her screaming as both were silently staring at each other, one side was shocked by the sudden appearance while the other was stunned from the scream of her friend. It took Ria a while before she let out a defeated sigh and scold She for not warning her before appearing out of nowhere. She could only meekly ept the scolding as it was her fault for surprising Ria. "My bad, I forgot to warn you." "Make sure you do so the next time before you do it, alright?" "I will, for sure, yes." She nodded her head swiftly at Ria''s remark. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you want to grind before picking up the girl?" "Oh, I just cleared the Fourth Floor. I didn''t want to go up since I might not want to leave by then." Ria was shocked at how fast She clear a single floor. Even though she didn''t spend that much time in here, she could tell that it would take her a while until she met the so-called boss, Slime King. She hasn''t leveled up since then, and only her swordsmanship skill went to two. She''s now much more experienced in handling her silver sword and didn''t even break a sweat when killing a single slime like back then. That was why she went for two or three groups of slimes now instead of one. "That fast?" "Well, it wasn''t much, just goblins. I''m used to fighting against them by now." "I''m sure you could do the same." "No no, there''s no way I could do that. I haven''t even clear this floor yet, have I?" "Then how about I help you?" "No." "So fast in rejecting?! Why?!" "I don''t trust your ''help''." "I told you I''m reliable! Hold on." She said before running off somewhere. Ria couldn''t even say anything when She suddenly left before she could. Ria let out a sigh as she decides to wait for She and see what kind of ridiculous trick did shee up with. Five minutester, She jumped out of Ria''s shadow with a smile on her face and said. "It''s ready!" "What? What is ready? And could you stop scaring me by jumping out of my shadow?" "Give me your hand and follow me. I''ll show you." She ignored thest remarking from Ria and show her hand to Ria. "Huh, okay?" *** "What..is this?" "What do you mean? Of course, it''s for clearing this floor. Go on." In front of the two, there were a certain amount of slimes frozen in ces. Ria couldn''t tell the precise amount of it, but at least, it''s around 20. Yes, currently, 20 or so slimes were in ce and immobilised by something as they couldn''t do anything but simply frozen on the spot. "How is it? I''m currently using Shadow Magic to bind them in ce. You can just stab them to death one by one." "This is... just cheating." "What do you mean cheating? It''s called power leveling. Are you not going to do it?" "Sigh, alright. I don''t care anymore." After ying thest slime, Ria''s level has gone up by one. She was about to say something to She when the ground tremors as if something heavy was dropped onto the ground from quite a height. Ria almost loses her bnce if She was not by her side and wrapping her arms around her. "What''s going on?!" "Ah, nothing. It was just the boss has appeared. Look at that." She said as she points her finger at a specific ce in the distance. Ria narrowed her eyes, and she could see the jelly-like body that was known for a slime yet this one is not small but instead was a huge one. Yes, it was none other than the Slime King. Chapter 64 - Complicated Feeling "Isn''t that pretty huge size for a slime?" "It''s a King, after all. Are you confident in defeating it?" "Why are you asking me? Can''t you tell that I''m weaker than that?" "Well, if you''re confident, I was going to let you suffer for a bit, ¡ªno, I was just joking! I won''t let a single scar appear on your beautiful jade skin!" "Hmph, are you sure?" "Of course, why would I be here then?" "To watch me suffer?" "Ria, I was joking~." Ria ignored Shepletely while she narrowed her eyes at the huge figure in the distance. She didn''t think that she would able to defeat it with her current strength, it was just a feeling but better be cautious than overconfident. She could beat it with ease even with her eyes closed but to clear the floor, Ria had to be the one to kill it, or it won''t count as her clearing the floor to ascend. "Ria!" She shouting close to the ears, brought her back to reality. She was so focused on pondering about how to defeat the Slime King that she has forgotten about She. "What are you thinking deeply about?" "What else would I be thinking at this moment?" "How great I am?" "Pfft¡ª" "Hey, you can''tugh! I wasn''t joking!" "Pfft-hahaha!" It took a while for Ria to stop herself fromughing again whenever she looks at She. Thankfully they were far away from the Slime King, if not it would have rushed toward them when heard of herughing. "Are you doneughing at me?" Looking at the pouting She, Ria walks closer to her before wrapping her arm around the waist. She didn''t say anything and just stare at She by putting her jaw on her shoulders while hugging her back. She looked away when Ria was staring at her, and she could feel the warmth of Ria''s body when it touched her back. Although she was upset of Riaughing at her, she had forgiven her since she knew Ria was just ying with her. "So, are you going to kill it or not?" Ria went silent when asked by She. It wasn''t that she doesn''t want to do it, but she is not confident that she could take care of it as easy as the regr slimes. Just by looking at that huge jelly-like body, she could feel the threatening auraing from it. It was warning her of the danger, just like how the first time She had met it. But it was different for Ria, as her status is currently still weakpare to She back then. It was not just that; her ss is healer which means for support, not abat one. "You know that I''m here with you, right? I could assist you if you wanted to?" Looking at Ria''s expression, She couldn''t help but say that. "But I should be the one to kill for the clear requirement." "Did it ever mention anything about not having someone assisting you? No, right?" "It didn''t but.." "Don''t worry too much about it, if it didn''t mention it, that means we could do it, that''s all." After saying that, She removed the arms that were wrapped around her before running toward the Slime King. Ria was surprised but followed right behind, but since her agility is still low, she couldn''t catch up to She. When she arrived at the scene, She had already immobilised the Slime King as she did with the regr slimes. Although it was a boss, it''s overall strength isparable to Elite Goblin at most. She didn''t have that much trouble in restraining it from moving around with her Shadow Binding. "Sigh, as I said, this is just cheating." "Wait¡ª" She was toote to notify Ria before a part of the huge jelly-like body stretch into a long tentacle before whipping it toward Ria who was close to it. But perhaps because it was still not used in attacking while being restrained, the tentacle attack missed. Ria was shocked when a tentacle whipped passed her; she didn''t expect for slime to be able to do that. Boom! She could hear the sound of the ground being whack by the tentacle near her. It sounds so powerful and just imagines herself getting hit by it, she definitely wouldn''t survive in one piece. Her body trembled when she thought about it. Ria was too shocked and scared by the tentacle attacked that she couldn''t move and frozen on the spot when the second tentacle was already whipping at her. Seeing the iing attacks, she closed her eyes fearful and wait for the impact to arrive on her body. But nothing happened. Ria slowly opened her eyes and saw the tentacle that should have hit her by now was frozen mid-air from the swing. Not frozen due to frost but literally stood still on the spot. Her eyes narrowed, and she could see that the jelly-like body was currently trembling, she didn''t know why. "Are you not going to finish it? Oh wait, don''t look back! I''m currently using a skill, and you don''t want to get hit by it." Ria was going to look back when she came to a halt after listening to thetter part. Ria badly wants to know what sort of skill that She used to make this frightening jelly frozen on the spot, but that wille forter. Remembering the time she was frozen and unable to do anything when the tentacle was flying on her way, she couldn''t help but gritted her teeth at how powerless she is. She questions herself on how is she going to protect She when something like that already gives her a scare. In the end, it was She that protect her. She knows that she is weak, but didn''t expect for her to be this weak. Even She had once fought against this monster when she was still weak, notparable to the current her which could kill it easily with a single punch. But what about herself? She didn''t want topare herself with She, but she couldn''t help and think about it. Ria gripped the sword''s handle hard and walked forward to the core that was swimming inside the jelly-like body and cutting it in half with a single swing. Even though she had killed the boss, she feels empty, like it went too easy for her, different from the time she feels when killing the immobilised slimes. She could feel herself getting stronger, but something doesn''t feel right to her. "What''s wrong, Ria? You okay?" She suddenly appears next to Ria and worriedly ask her when she looked at Ria''s expression. Ria simply shook her head before telling She that she is fine. "Hmm, alright. Did you level up?" "I did, I''m level 9 now with 10 AP ready to be distributed." "Oh, then can you go up to Second Floor now?" "Yea, it''s possible." "That''s good, let''s take a break outside, then?" Ria nodded her head at She''s words. The two of them then disappeared from the grasnd before reappearing inside a room they were familiar with. Ria went to bed andy down before letting a sigh out her mouth. She looked at her before moving onto the phone and noticed that the time is close to when Sylvia''s schoole to an end. She decides to leave now because, by the time she arrived at the front gate of the school, the bell should have rung. But she had to walk normally and couldn''t use her shadow magic which wouldn''t take her a few minutes to get there. "Where are you going?" "To get the girl. Do you want to go too?" "No, I''m fine. I''ll just wait here." "Alright, up to you. See youter then." She bid a short farewell to Ria before leaving her room and went downstairs toward the exit. When she''s out of the room and already downstairs, she couldn''t hear Ria muttering something to herself. "I need to get stronger." It was the same word that She told herself over and over. *** A beautiful red hair girl could be seen standing at the side of the road while gazing at the sky, looking aloof. Not so distance away from her, a group of students walked out of the gate while chatting to each other. The boys were surprised when their gaze locked onto her. They wanted to walk toward her and ask her number, but they were afraid of getting a reject, which was why they wait to the side and continue staring at her. The beautiful red hair girl appears not to be disturbed by the gaze and attention of the students going toward her. She just silently wait there while looking at the flood of students slowlying out of the gate. When one of the boys finally gathered enough courage, the girl walks toward his group. The boys panicked, and when she was close, he was going to open his mouth when she walks passed him. It was his misunderstanding that she was walking toward him when actually, she was going behind him. He looked back and saw the beautiful red hair girl greets a girl with the same uniform as him but the hair of silver white. "You are Sylvia, right?" "I am, who are you?" "I''m Akane, didn''t I said I was going to wait for you at the front of the school gate?" "I see, you are..." "This is not a good ce to talk, follow me." Sylvia nodded her head at the girl in front of her. She was quite surprised to see how beautiful this girl named Akane is when the mask was not there on her face. She silently followed her while the students were sending weird gaze toward her. Chapter 65 - Pure And Innocent Smile Two beautiful girl with different hair color walked side by side, anywhere they go, everyone would always take a second nce at the two. One is burning red hair while the other is as beautiful as the moonlight, silver white hair. It was quite a sight simply by looking at their hair color, but when their gaze went down toward the face, they would be more surprised at how beautiful the two appearances are. Basically, the two girls stood out among the rest of the crowd that walks across the street. She didn''t say anything and only watched her surrounding from time to time while Sylvia was silently following not too far behind her. Sylvia looked around the road she was walking through and realise that the only ce ahead is a small hidden hill. She wonders why the girl in front of her is bringing her there. Is it tomit suicide by jumping off from the top of the hill? That''s possible, but if that is really so then, she would be disappointed. Sylvia thought when She mentioned another way; it means not for another suicide spot but another way to figure out how she could be free from her current circumstance. But of course, she wouldn''t know what she was going to experience soon will be something that will change her entire life. She had long lost the purpose and will to stay alive; if She hadn''te and stop her that day, she would havemit suicide to end her suffering. After about half an hour of walking, they finally arrived at the top of the hill. By standing at the top of the hill, one could see the beautiful scenery of the city down below. Sylvia was quite shocked at thendscape in her view; it was her first time seeing something so beautiful in her life. Looking at the girl who had her eyes wide open while looking at the city down below, She was pleased. Actually, when she was still a noisy little brat, she hade across this special spot when she was having fun ying around with Ria. Ever since then, they woulde and visit this ce whenever free and enjoy themselves of the beautiful scenery in silence. But by the time she had gotten the system, She didn''t have the time toe here and rx due to how busy her ordinary life had be. Not many people actually know such spot exists, otherwise it would have been a special tourist spot for this district. At first, she thought of bringing Sylvia to her house but then remember that she hadn''t told about her real identity. Even now, she is still in disguise; it wasn''t just her hair color that changed, her facial too. She didn''t want any chance of other people finding out her secret; just one stalker junior is enough. And because of that one mistake, whenever she wants to practice something, she always goes inside the Trial Tower. This way, she could level up at the same, two bird hit with one stone. The reason why She brought Sylvia here instead of teleporting the girl right into the Trial Tower is that she doesn''t want the girl to get so shocked that her mind might be even more unstable. Even now, the light in the girl''s eyes hasn''t fully restored. It means her determination to live is not there; if her mind bes unstable, things might get worse. Once She arrived at the top of the hill, she finds a good spot near a tree before pulling out a nket from the inventory and neatlyy it on the ground. To Sylvia, She pulled out her phone and browse it when suddenly a nket appear out of thin air. Her mouth was wide open; her face was filled with surprise. She looked at She''s face but didn''t see any sort of unnatural in her expression; it was as if everything is normal to her. She sat down on top of the nket before indicating Sylvia to sit by her side, once she had a seat, She pulled yet another trick of an object appearing out of thin air but this time is a two set of the lunch box. "Why don''t we eat first while enjoying the scenery?" "Mmm." Sylvia nodded her head and took a small bite from the lunch box while her eyes were having a second treat of beautiful scenery. For the first time in her life, she feels so rxing as she breathes the fresh air avable only on top of this hill. Sylvia was still wearing her school uniform, but it didn''t bother her, and neither did She. She should have been at home by now if not for following the girl to her right. Even though she knows that when she went home,ter on, her mother would give her a harsh scolding, she didn''t care. The two silently and slowly devoured the lunch box; once the two have finished emptying the whole box, She brings out a health potion from the inventory. At this time, Sylvia had long given up on the thought of how and where did all this came from. She wants to ask how did She do all that, is it a magic trick? But the word won''te out of her mouth. So, she ended up silently staring at the ss bottle in She''s hand before looking up at her, wondering why she brings it out. After bringing out the health potion, She tried to act normal by handing it to Sylvia and said. "You must be thirsty now, here." Sylvia didn''t say anything and ept the small bottle made of ss and examine it with her eyes. Usually, one would be suspicious and wary when someone who they didn''t know, handing them a bottle made of ss filled with what appears to be red juice. One would even question, is this red juice actually blood? But Sylvia is not one of them. She didn''t care whether she was being tricked or lied to. She was just curious about what She means when she told her in regards to another way. Sylvia pulled the cap open and put it on her lips before gulping the red juice down her throat. The taste was very sweet, and after she drank it, she started to feel warm around her whole body. She didn''t know how to describe the wonderful feeling she had at that time. Perhaps, it mighte closer to the sense of satisfaction when getting a good massage from a professional. Sylvia was closing her eyes when the warm feeling washes over her. That was why she didn''t notice that her body, the part where she had bruises and scars, the new skin started to grow and patched together within the blink of an eye. And before long, there were no longer bruises or scars on her body; it was just beautiful and fair skin. She secretly fist bump herself in her mind and wait silently at the side. She didn''t want to disturb Sylvia while the girl was enjoying the feeling of her body being reborn anew. It didn''t take that long though before Sylvia opened her eyes. "Is there something wrong with the drink?" She just smiled at Sylvia before she abruptly threw her arm at the girl and grabbed the bandages wrapped around her neck. Sylvia''s eyes went wide, and before she could ask She what she was doing, the bandages that were touched by She suddenly disappeared. Sylvia was shocked and immediately covered the spot where the bandages used to be with her hands. She didn''t want her ugly scars and bruises to be seen by someone. "Why are you covering that spot?" She asked, even though she already knows the answer. "it''s...because..." Sylvia said before her voice slowly be faint. It seems that she doesn''t want others to see it, it''s understandable since if someone asks her where did all thise from, she won''t know how to answer to that question. She''s the type to keep silence after all. When She''s hands touched the hand covering the neckline, her body trembles in response, She gently holds the hands before pulling it away and slowly said. "it''s fine, look. There''s nothing there." Sylvia didn''t believe her and looked down before trying to feel on her neck using her hands which She have now released it from her gripped. She slowly put her hands and have a feel around her neckline; the pain that she expects toe after being in touched didn''t happen. She tried putting strength in her hands, yet there was no pain. This caused her to widen her eyes, and when she looked at She, who was smiling at her, she moved her hands toward the other ce she''s familiar with. But she still didn''t feel satisfied. Looking around, there''s only her and She in this ce. Without saying anything, she pulled up her shirts until the chest before looking down at her waist. She''s so used to see a bruise or two on her waist but today, it''s unbelievable, but there were no bruises or any sort around her waist. Once she was sure it wasn''t a dream or the likes, she looked up and stare at She while aplicated feeling washes over her. "you may find this unbelievable, but the drink you just had is something like in the RPG called health potion." She smiled before starting her exnation. Of course, this further caused Sylvia to be in even more confused than she already is. Health potion? RPG? What are those? Is it a miracle drink? Looking at Sylvia''s confused expression, She awkwardlyughed while scratching her head. "If you don''t believe me¡ª" "I, believe you." "Should I¡ªwhat? You believe in my word?" "Mmm." "Oh, I see. That''s grea¡ª" She breathed out a sigh and said, but she was interrupted by Sylvia halfway. "umm, what is health potion?" "..what?" If Ria were here, she would haveughed out loud at how ridiculous She''s expression is the moment when Sylvia asked her. She was so shocked and felt like her world view was overturned without realising about it. There are still people out there who didn''t know about health potion? I mean, it''s in RPGs! Even those novel where it involved with something like leveling will have something like health potion. I have never met someone who didn''t know one or two about games so far! But then a single thought crosses her mind, is it possible that she never actually have fun? Either by ying games or reading a novel? Just to make sure, She opened her mouth and said. "Have you ever ying around, having fun?" "No, I.." Is it because she was focusing so much on her studies that she didn''t have any time for rxing and having fun? Or is it because her shitty mother didn''t allow her? She didn''t know, but she believes it''s possible for thetter. She sighed and said. "it''s medicine but way more powerful than any medicine in the entire world." "A single bottle of it could heal any injuries within seconds. If you didn''t close your eyes moments ago, you would have seen it happened with your naked eyes." "..." She was exining the details to Sylvia when she was caught off guard when Sylvia suddenly started crying her tears out. She didn''t know why the girl started to cry, but she wants to do something yet nothing appear in mind, so she ended up just sit there awkwardly while Sylvia''s cries spread to the surrounding hill. Perhaps, Sylvia still found it unbelievable even though she believes in She''s words, and when She started to exin the details, the reality started to kicks in. Sylvia started to calm down after crying her tears out for a whole ten minutes. After wiping the tears on her cheeks, she opened her mouth and said. "Thank you." And then, a beautiful smile appears on her face. It was a pure and innocent smile. She was stunned by how beautiful and innocent her smile is. Chapter 66 - Disguise "Before I show you something more, I have a question for you." "Have you ever y a game?" "No, I only focused on studies." "I was right, huh. Then, if you go home now, what would you do, of course if you don''t mind me asking." "Umm, I don''t mind. It''s just... As I said, I only focused on studies." "I see, is it okay if you didn''t do it for today?" "Umm, why?" "I''ll show you what a game is about!" After saying that, She followed Sylvia to her house. Once arrived, she waits outside while Sylvia went inside to change her outfit. It took quite a long time before Sylvia came out with an outfit that seems not too fashionable but good enough for an outing, and She noticed that there are five fingers printed on her face. Sylvia tried to act normal by smiling at her, but that caused She''s blood to boil even more. She cursed that woman in her mind while also imagining herself beating that woman until she was half death before feeling satisfied. She acted like she didn''t saw the hand-print on her face by handing over another health potion to Sylvia, but this time was a low grade one. It was good enough to heal small cuts and the likes. Sylvia''s eyes went wide for a second before she looked down and silently took the health potion off She''s hand. Should I learn curse magic? That way, I could curse that woman so that she suffers for all eternity. I''m not the type to get angry easily, but this girl''s mother really gets on my nerve. What a great mother she is! "Now that you''re ready, let''s go." "Umm, where to?" She grinned and showed her white teeth to Sylvia before saying. (She gives off the impression of tomboyish with that grinning expression on her face.) "Of course, the inte cafe!" *** "Oi, cover me. I''m going ahead!" "Come PK with me if you''re really pro at this!" "Do you want to y rank or just casual?" "Let''s just go casual. I don''t have the energy to y ranking." Inside a spacious room filled with manyputers line up side by side, many young teenage boys could be seen ying games when one looked at the screen of theirputer. Among a group of teenage boys, one was talking loudly on the mic of his headphones while angrily clicking on the mouse and narrowing his eyes to focus on the screen in front of him. The serious expression on his face was like a warrior battling someone in a life-death situation. Behind him, his friend who didn''t have any money, could only watch him ying while imagining themselves to be in his ce. While the boy was watching his friend getting their ass kicked by the yers in the games, the boy eventually feels bored and started to look around. But his gaze froze when it went toward the front door of the inte cafe. Inside the spacious room filled with nothing but the scent of young teenage boys, he didn''t expect to see two beautiful girls stepping into such a ce. Thest time he ever saw a girl in the inte cafe was only that one girl who can''t be called a girl at all due to how tomboyish she is. If anything, the girl was more manly and stronger than any boys in here. It was a good thing that the girl moved to another ce or so he heard. If not, the boys around here wouldn''t have any pride and dignity anymore as a man. That was just how bad that tomboy girl is. But one thing that this boy didn''t know and wouldn''t ever expect was that the tomboy girl he was talking about was the one he was currently staring at. "Umm, isn''t there too many boys in here?" "Don''t worry, if they ever dare to touch you, I''ll beat them up." She said while putting her hand on her chest before giving a pat on Sylvia''s back. She tried to ease down the girl''s tension since the moment this girl entered the ce; she started to tremble due to the ufortable feeling at how many boys that were inside the inte cafe. She had gotten used to it since she had visited this ce a lot when she was a kid. She didn''t visit this ce anymore when Sara bought aputer for her at home. Why go and waste money when you could y the game at home for free? Of course, there are bills and the likes, but she didn''t care about that since a kid like her couldn''t possibly have money. Anyways, it''s been a while since herst visit to the Inte Cafe. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, searching for an empty PC whilepletely ignoring the boys who were staring at her and Sylvia. Once she found one in the corner of her view, she immediately went to the cashier and asked for a two-hour session before handing the money over. She grabbed Sylvia''s hand before bringing her toward an empty seat. She told Sylvia to sit down first before she went to her seat, which was just by the right side. Not knowing anything, Sylvia simply follows everything that She told her from A to Z. And this is how she started to learn how fun ying a game could be. "Go there and kill that monster¡ªwait, that''s a boss!" "Use the skill¡ªI didn''t tell you to throw it at me! This game is friendly fire, you know?!" "Stop! That''s an NPC! You can''t beat him!" "I told you to kill a chicken, why are you getting caught by a guard for an attempted murder?!" And just like that, two hours passed. By now, Sylvia should have known quite a lot of information about RPG since She had put so much time by exining things like level, ss, status, etc. But of course, thate up with a price, It really drained a lot of her energy because of how this girl would always go on her way whether She looked away for a second. When she was done with her business and went back to look at Sylvia''s screen, she would see her character either dead or in a lot of trouble. Sylvia appears to be listening to her; that was why She couldn''t get angry at her whenever that happened. She walks toward the hill like a zombie beside Sylvia; it goes to show how tiring she was. By her side, Sylvia was smiling in happiness; she never knew that game could be so much fun. The stress that she got from her mother for the day seems to have disappeared from all the gaming that she had yed. But then, she wonders why She make her do and learn all that. Once the two arrived at the hill where there was no presence left except them, She immediately turns off her disguise. Sylvia widens her eyes in shock as she looked at She, who is red hair to suddenly turned into natural ck hair. It was such a magical sight. But it wasn''t just the hair color that has changed; the facial structure of She''s face has also gone through a change. It was just like the disguise magic that she saw in the game! "Sorry, I had to use disguise just in case." Sylvia could do nothing but nodded her head in response. "And my name is not Akane; it''s She." "Once again, I''m She, nice to meet you, Sylvia." She said before putting her hands to the front, waiting for the handshake. It took Sylvia a second before she went and gave She a handshake and said. "Umm, nice to meet you?" After their hands pulled apart, She smiled before opening her mouth and casually dropped a bomb toward Sylvia''s ordinary life. Basically, she told Sylvia something shocking that would make the girl went through tremendous change in her dull life. "Are you ready to experience a magical world?" Chapter 67 - The First Follower "What, do you mean?" "Hold my hand, and you''ll know it soon." Sylvia was perplexed, but she still took hold of She''s hand without saying anything. Thest thing she saw before her view went dark was She smiling at her. When she ''opened'' her eyes once again, the surrounding hills has turned into an endless grasnd. There was no end for it as far as her view could take her. She was utterly speechless. "How was it?" Sylvia looked onto her right and saw She still smiling at her when she asked. Sylvia was going to ask what does she mean by that but was interrupted by She before she could open her mouth. "Oh, nevermind. The traveling is not so magical since it was so fast and your sight went dark in the process which kills the charm." "Don''t mind about it. Anyways, check your pocket. I''m sure there''s something in there." Sylvia nodded her head before slipping her hand into the pocket and caught onto a single object she didn''t know she had. It was a blue card. The moment she pulled out the card out of the pocket, her view was suddenly obstructed by a wall of texts. ¡º Wee to the Trial Tower! ¡» ¡º Sylvia LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP: 45/45 MP: 25/25 ss: Assassin GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 6 ¡ªINT: 4 ¡ªAGI: 7 ¡ªVIT: 9 ¡ªLUCK: 5 AP: 0 ¡» She went through the system, and within seconds, she had found out Sylvia''s status. So her ss is an assassin, huh? Somehow, it does seem suitable for her. Her vitality is strangely high for an ordinary girl. Perhaps, because of the beating from the abuse, her body bes stronger? Her luck is even lower than me; no wonder she suffers a lot. "Have you seen your status?" She asked the girl once she had done browsing through the status. The girl''s body twitched in response, Sylvia was so shocked that she was like a character thatgged due to the loss of connection. If not for She asking, it would have taken her a while before she could snap out of it. Sylvia gazes at the weing message before moving on to the status screen. Since she had yed quite a bit of RPG at the Inte Cafe, she was not confused by the context of it. But assassin? When ites to ss, ording to the game information, if you can''t choose your ss, that means everything you did up until then will be in the reference of what your ss going to be. But an assassin is someone that walks through the path of death. A single step from them would result in the death of more people. They lurk in the dark and strike down when people''s guard is down. That is what it means of being an assassin. But what about her? Never in her life did she ever took the life another living being like her. But she did kill quite a ton of ants sometimes. Does that count? When she thought of what skill for a ss like an assassin would have, a new window pops up, ovepping the status window. No one else but the person could see their window. The exception to those is She since their system all origin from her, after all. Sylvia stares at the skill window in front of her and falls deep in thoughts. Overall, she got three skill, and all of them seem to be something you would expect to see from an assassin. All the skills didn''t require mana to use it, but she couldn''t use it many times over since it will drain all of her stamina. It was an active skill that would consume her stamina instead of mana. But it wasn''t that much a problem, all she needs was to take rest, and her stamina will be full by then. The knowledge of how to use her skill was already deeply imprinted in her brain. Sylvia never knew that she had such skill in her mind. Actually, no one was, it was all the result of getting ess to enter the Trial Tower. Everyone have their ss, even ordinary people. Some even have some innate skill, but because they couldn''t fully control it, it could only stay hidden deep in their sea of consciousness. Yes, She was surprised to find out that everyone around the world actually has a ss of their own. She learned it from the ''memory'' of when she got the reward of rescuing Sylvia. Only when people got ess to the Trial Tower from her could they see their status and use their skill freely as if it was their limb. That was why She wants to learn more about the origin behind the system. If what she thought was correct, she could potentially create an organisation made of people who have supernatural power into reality. All they need was simply ess from her before they could enter and level up their skill in the Trial Tower. She could potentially make that manga about heroes and viin into reality! But she won''t. Reality is not so easy that one might assume. What if she ended up creating a monster that has the power to end her life? If it were just her alone, that would be fine. But what if such power were used to obliterate the entire world? She is no saint, but she didn''t want the world to be destroyed. That''s why she would only give ess to those who she thought to deserve and worthy for it. Her requirement was not too strict, firstly, do not use your power against innocent civilians. Secondly, If possible, do not use your power in public. Andstly, loyalty. Now, her requirement does sound like something one would see from a secret organisation, but that was just a coincidence. She simply took some reference from the manga and novels she had read. One thing she knows about Sylvia after spending some time with her was this girl treasure those that she loves. The first item she got from ying monster is still in her inventory even though it was useless since her level is already so high. She had repeatedly told Sylvia to sell the weapon for some cheap gold, but the girl red at her with tears in her eyes without saying anything. She obviously didn''t want the girl to cry in public, so she gives in. That means if She helped her resolve her circumstance, Sylvia would definitely be grateful and unlikely to betray her. As for the first and second, it''s easy to know just by the fact that she would rathermit suicide than hurting others. Sylvia fulfilled all the not-so-strict requirements that she had set up. "Umm..." "You can just call me She." "Then... Um, She, could you tell me how was it possible for me to see the status?" "Oh, that''s because of the card you''re holding in your hands and the fact that you''re in the Trial Tower." "This card? Trial Tower?" "Just consider the card as something special and make sure you don''t lose it, not that it''s possible to lose it in this ce." "As for Trial Tower, the ce you''re currently standing is what the system called Trial Tower. Basically, this space is like an instant dungeon that you see in the game where one could enter via some sort of door or the likes." "I bought you here in my special way. Do you have anything else?" "You said this is an instant dungeon? But I don''t see any monster around..." "That''s because of the safety measure in ce, try to browse through the card." Sylvia nodded her head excitedly before moving all her focus onto the card in her hands. When she moves her hands away from the card, all the windows in front of her immediately vanished. Only by touching the card could she see the window again. Sylvia started browsing around the system in the card, and aside from the status and skill window, she also found a new window that she expects to see in a game called Quest. "Have you found it? Try clicking on it." Just as She told her, she immediately clicked on it, and a brand new window pops up in front of her view. And just like Ria, she got the same quest to kill the slimes. "Now, if you ept the quest, the monster aka slime will start to spawn all over the surrounding. There won''t be any safe zone for you anymore; it''s just endless battle until you finished your quest. You know what I''m saying right?" "Yes." "Good, then ept the quest. Don''t worry; I''ll be watching over you and here''s some weapon for you." She said before buying two brand-new ck daggers from the shop and handing it over to Sylvia. A weapon for assassin must be dagger! She wouldn''t ept it if it were something else! "A real weapon..." Sylvia muttered to herself while gripping onto two daggers with her hands. She didn''t know why, but the moment the daggers were in her hands; she started to feel a change. She tried practising in using the daggers and was surprised at how easily she could manage it; it was as if she gained another limb. "I..will ept the quest then." "Mmm, go on." ¡º Quest epted! ¡» ¡º Monster will start to spawn in 3...2...1! ¡» Chapter 68 - Sheila Is A God?! "Hmm, she''s really good at a sneak attack. As expected of an assassin, I guess?" She muttered while watching Sylvia''s figure disappeared before reappearing behind a slime andnd a few blows before backing away, the slime was too slow to catch up to her retreat figure and could only let her do as she pleased before dying and be a puddle on the ground. At first, Sylvia was quite awkward when she stabbed the dagger into the slime jelly-like body and make quite a few mistakes which resulted in her getting a few hits in the stomach. But after getting used to the slime movement speed, she eventually started to show a sign of getting better. It was also at that time that she''s finally getting used to using the skills. Her walking steps toward the slime didn''t make any single noise which makes it easy for her to n a sneak attack behind an oblivious slime. It was one of her skills, Silent Step. The skill drained quite a bit stamina from her the longer it was active, so she couldn''t possibly use it that often. And it is not as good as She''s Shadow Magic where she could literally hide within the shadow. But even so, it is still a good skill for a beginner like Sylvia. The reason she could easily kill slime is also due to her other skill, Fatal Strike. And this one is a passive skill for whenever her hits are fatal; the damage will increase by 10% at level 1. Yes, a passive skill that has a level. She also got some passive skill, but all of them is already maxed. She wonders what the reason behind the difference between her, the host of the system, and others who get ess to the Trial Tower is? All ordinary people have a ss of their own, but she didn''t. There''s a lot of things that she wanted to know, but the system has been silent since then. She could only keep her questions while aiming to get her level high up. "Umm, Master?" "...what did you say?" She feels like she heard things. It couldn''t be that the silver-haired girl in front of me is calling me as a master? Nah, no way. I must have been hearing things. Am I brainstorming too much now that the brain is changing the word that I heard into something else, like a ridiculous one like a master? I mean, who in the world called other as ''master'' in real life? This is not a Maid Cafe on a Holy Land. "What did you just call me? Sorry, I feel like I heard it wrong." "Master." "Umm, is this that, the thing where only kids at your age understood, and that''s how you call it for people older than you? And apparently, it pronounced the same as the ''master'' that I know." Sylvia shook her head at her remark. "I''m calling you as master as in the real meaning of it, Master." "...just why?" Like really, please stop it. My heart hurt so bad when I heard it. I don''t want my otaku soul to regain itself, I''m begging you. Please stop it. But her thoughts weren''t heard by Sylvia as she answered it as if it the normal thing to do. "In a way, you saved me. And it wasn''t just that; you also showed me that there''s still a world out there that is beautiful than the dull world that I know." "To show my appreciation, I think it''s right for me to call you as master, Master." Sylvia said and nodded her head before showing She her pure and innocent smile. For the first time, She feels like there''s a light surrounding the silver-haired girl in front of her. It was the holy light that shines upon Saintess. Of course, that was just her imagination as when she looked again; the so-called holy light has long disappeared along with the smile on Sylvia''s face. "Is it bad for me to do so?" Sylvia softly muttered while looking so sad. She feels like she could see the cat ear above Sylvia''s head flopped down in sadness. The otaku soul inside of her screamed at the illusion that she just saw. She tried to calm it down by taking a deep breath, but it didn''t work. In the end, She raises a white g in defeat. It was definitely not because the girl in front of her seems like going to cry the longer she kept her silence. "...nevermind, you can call me whatever you want." "Yes, master!" "So, what is it that you want to tell me beforehand?" "Ah! You see, I leveled up just now!" ¡º Sylvia LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 45/45 MP: 25/25 ss: Assassin GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 6 ¡ªINT: 4 ¡ªAGI: 7 ¡ªVIT: 9 ¡ªLUCK: 5 AP: 5 ¡» "So I was wondering, how should I spent the five free attribute points?" "Hmm, since your ss is assassin, strength and agility is definitely a priority. Without strength, your attack won''t do much. And if you don''t have speed, you can''t outrun your enemy." Sylvia nodded her head repeatedly at She''s precise opinion. "Then should I go with strength and agility?" "It''s just my opinion. In the end, it''s your choice to make the decision. I wouldn''t stop you if you chose otherwise." "Mmm, then..." ¡º Sylvia LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP: 45/45 MP: 25/25 ss: Assassin GOLD: 0 ¡ªSTR: 9 ¡ªINT: 4 ¡ªAGI: 9 ¡ªVIT: 9 ¡ªLUCK: 5 AP: 0 ¡» "Is this good enough, master?" "I told you, you decide on your choice. I''m not an assassin in the first ce so I wouldn''t know other than my experience in the game which wouldn''t be useful in this real situation." "But since you decide to follow my words, I''ll make sure to support you, and make you grow to be someone worthy of the assassin ss¡ª A Top-ss Assassin." She seriously said while she gives a pat on Sylvia''s head. Sylvia just smiled while enjoying the warmthing from She''s hands on top of her head. She didn''t say that as a joke or as encouragement, she meant it. Once she trained the girl and turned her into a specialised assassin, Sylvia would be a tremendous asset for the future. As for killing real people, that will have to wait. She thought that Sylvia is just like any ordinary girl out there where if they were told to kill someone, they would freak out. But Sylvia isn''t one of those. There''s a reason why her ss is an assassin, but She didn''t know about this at the moment. She didn''t know that if she told Sylvia to kill someone, she would do it for real with no question ask. It was not that the girl is crazy or insane; she simply trusts She very much. The girl herself didn''t know how and where did all this feeling came from, but she didn''t care. To Sylvia, She is an existence akin to God. After all, She could make something appears out of thin air. It wasn''t just that, She also introduced her into this magical world that she thought was just fantasy in the past to actually exist. If that is not enough, she could also be stronger by ying the monster inside this space to level up. How could an ordinary mortal have such power? But she didn''t want to freak She the hell out by calling her as her God or something like that, that''s why she went with ''master'' instead. It is her appreciation and also the awe she feels the moment she entered this ce. "You haven''t finished your quest yet right?" "Mm." "Then you should do so, if not you won''t be able to leave this ce." "Okay, master!" A sigh escaped from She''s mouth as she watched the girl figure slowly getting far into the distance. She didn''t know why, but she feels like something bad would happen in the future if she ignored the fact that Sylvia called her as a master. But She shook her head to erase the thought from her mind. She would rather put her mind to use for the n on getting stronger; the other side distraction can be ignored. ¡º Cilia has entered the Trial Tower! ¡» "Hmm?" Chapter 69 - Father Is Coming Home? ¡º Cilia has entered the Trial Tower! ¡» "Hmm?" While She was watching Sylvia hunting the slime one by one, an immediate notification caught her interest. With a swing of her hand, a new window appears in front of her. Looking at the screen, she could see Ria have just entered the Trial Tower and was about to ept the quest of killing slime. She had thought Ria would be busy with catching up to her studies since both of them had been spending a lot of time in the Trial Tower together, after all. The two didn''t neglect their study even after all the grinding, but Ria is the type to went and reviews all subject when the exam is near. She had been focusing on getting stronger that she ended up forgetting about the examing two weekster. Now that she has seen Ria, it suddenly dawned on her. Although she wants to level up more, She doesn''t want to fall behind in her study. That was why she used a bit of her free time to reviews the subject together with Ria sometimes. It''s a good thing that she had Photographic Memory, if not she would have been in a lot of trouble. All she has to do was reviewing the key point from the past exams for once, and she won''t forget it even when the exam is over. Basically, she didn''t have to worry about the exam due to her skill. But this is not the case for Ria. Although Ria''s intelligence stats are pretty lowpared to her, that doesn''t mean she is more stupid than She. If anything, She was more of an idiot than Ria, even with the high intelligence she had. It''s a wonder how is she still stupid after increasing her intelligence stats, or maybe God is fair. Joking aside, She wonder why Ria is here instead of focusing on reviewing her study. While She was pondering over this thought, Ria immediately went after the spawned slime after she had epted the quest. The reason why she is inside the Trial Tower instead of her room, reviewing the past exam is due to the unrest she felt for the past few days. She didn''t know why, but her heart is bing restless for no logical reason. Ria had initially thought she was sick, but after having a visited the hospital for a check-up, she was told to be as healthy as possible by the nurse. She thought that by killing slimes in here, it would help in distracting the restless feeling she had. After killing two slimes, her unsettled feeling subsides. Ria could feel her strength increased by a small amount after she had killed the slimes. It was different than the feeling of leveling up since this one is quite weakerpared to it. Ria didn''t know, but to She, she was used to this feeling. It was the feeling of gaining experience from the dead monster! After all, only She, as the host of the system, could check her overall status, which included the experience bar. But to Sylvia and Ria, they didn''t have such privilege. But even so, it is good enough to know that they could feel the experience flowing into their body from over the dead monster they have in. "Master, I havepleted the quest!" The sudden voice jolted She out of her deep thoughts. "...you still calling me that. Sigh." "Whatever, since you already finished the quest, let''s leave." "Um, how to..." Sylvia was about to ask how to exit when her sight engulfed in darkness, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the beautiful scenery of the city she lives. She was already back to the real world. "A simple thought is all you need to exit from it, but of course if you didn''tplete the quest, you won''t be able to exit it no matter what." "Now, you can enter and exit from that ce no matter where you are." "Look at your right forearm; you will see a strange looking tattoo there but don''t worry. Just know that it''s due to my power and it can be invisible if you ever wish for. You should do so as not to attract any attention." Sylvia nodded her head in response while staring at the strange tattoo on her right forearm, and the tattoo really disappeared entirely from her forearm when she thought of making it invisible. She had initially thought it was She''s power that pulled her out of that world to reality, but it was the ability given to her, in a way still considered as She''s power. "And make sure no one saw you, or rather don''t enter the ce unless you''re sure that no one else around." "Onest warning, if you ever break any of the rules I set up, I won''t show any mercy. Got it?" Sylvia''s whole body trembled from the intimidation that She sent to her. The chilling gazeing from She caused her to feel like she was standing in the cold snow of Antarctica. It was also a gaze that would kill her without any hesitation if she really did the opposite of what she was told. Ignoring the fact that she had scared off the girl in front of her, She continued exining the rules. Although Sylvia feels scared of her intimidation, she didn''t back down and carefully listen to everything that She said. "Lastly, I give you my power, that means I can also take it back from you whenever I want. You should take note of that." "Yes, Master." Sylvia nodded her head firmly. Ah, thank God. She actually falls for that bluff. I can revoke their ess to the Trial Tower, but that doesn''t mean I could take away their experience. At least she had no way to do it at the moment. Ordinary people had no way to stop such people if they went rampage in the real world after bing powerful unless she stepped in. But she would simply be asking for death if she went ahead while she is weaker than her opponent. To stop a monster, one needs to be a monster themselves. But then again, that was somewhere in the future. As of now, She would only take one person, and that is Sylvia. She hopes such future won''te or it will be troublesome, and to make sure of that; there''s only one way to do so. It is getting stronger. "As for your mother..." Sylvia flinched when her mother was mentioned. "W-Why are you bringing my mother here out of nowhere?" "Just to let you know in case, you didn''t know." "I have no idea what your mother did in the past, but there is one evil spirit haunting her." "...evil spirit?" "Someone who died unfair death and have a lingering grudge and resentment." "I don''t know why such an evil spirit was haunting your mother, but I have already exorcist it to nothingness, to where it belongs." "T-Then what is..." "My point is, even without the evil spirit''s influence, your family will end up divorcing sooner orter." "I would not say I understood your feeling, but if I were in your ce, I would me myself for it too. But it wasn''t your fault; you could even say that it was fated for their separation." Sylvia lower her head as she keeps her silence. Seeing her like that, She could do nothing but let out a sigh. She had told her the truth, what happened afterwards was all in her hands. Should the girl chose to leave the house where she was abused, She would find a shelter for her. Or if she decides to stay even after knowing the truth, She won''t do anything against her decision. To be honest, she didn''t want to tell Sylvia the truth, but if she keeps her silent, she would feel guilty whenever she saw her again. That wasn''t the only thing she was worried about. "Once you havee to a decision, give me a call." She gives a pat on the girl''s shoulders before walking away as her figure slowly disappeared in the distance. When She turned her back against her, she didn''t notice that the girl has already looked up to her as she walked away. Her expression is prettyplicated, but Sylvia didn''t wait to stand there any longer before following She''s path, heading down the hills. *** "I''m home!" She shouted as she entered the house and put her shoes aside before stepping inside and went straight upstairs. "Oh? Wee home, She." When She was walking on the hallways, her mother greeted her from the kitchen. She was surprised to know that her mother was home since she had thought Sara would be busy at work. Instead of heading upstairs to her room, she went toward the kitchen and saw her mother in a pink apron while she was cooking. "You''re home, Mom? I thought you would be busy with thepany." "Oh, that would be the case if it was any normal day." "???" Sara looked up and saw thetter confused expression and chuckled. "Your father... He got a day off for a week and decided to spend it at home." "But wasn''t Father out of the country for his business?" "Well, yes. He has just arrived at the airport 2 hours ago and was on his way home now." "Father is really..ing back home?" "Of course, it''s been a year since thest you saw him due to how busy his schedule is. Now that he got a day off, of course he would like to spend it with his lovely daughter at home." She didn''t respond and keep her silence. Although she missed her father, she didn''t know how to react to this. She was also worried if her father found out about her secret since she is never good at lying and keeping her secret. Because Sara is not always at home, she is somehow lucky up until now. But will it end here? Maybe she should give Ria a call. She needs back up! Chapter 70 - Class Restriction "The number you have dialed is not responding..." "Oh right, she was currently in that ce." She was desperate in looking for a backup that her brain stopped working and forget that Ria was still in the Trial Tower. It seems that Ria spent a lot of time in there since by now, 6 hours should have passed in there. She gets up from the chair before telling her mother that she will be in her room and headed upstairs. Click! Once she steps into her room, she immediately locked the door. Since She is going to visit Ria in the Trial Tower, she didn''t want her mother to suddenlye into her room and finds out that she has gone. Before teleporting into the Trial Tower, She used her detection skill to make sure that she was alone in her room, and no one else is here. She was still wary of her surroundings due to past events. She didn''t like the feeling of being someone''s puppet while not knowing anything and just followed the script that was given. Although that previous event told her the systems not just listening but also watching her the whole time, she still has her suspicions that someone else, a living being like her is actually the one behind the system. The reason is that at the time when Ria told her it was from someone else, She had used her skill to the maximum potential and she found a clue that shows someone did, in fact,e into her room. It wasn''t her mother nor herself but someone unknown. The fact that the Presence Detection skill level up to 3 showed that she is not wrong. Or maybe, the clue was left behind for her? After all, if there''s a person who managed the system, it should know how it works. She was conflicted on whether or not to believe the clue that was left behind. Because she is not sure about it, she didn''t tell Ria and kept it a secret for now. She didn''t want Ria to be worried unnecessarily. The heat sign she feels from her skill only showed one downstairs in the kitchen, which means no one else is here except mother and herself. She slowly opened her eyes after she turned off the detection skill before teleporting herself into the Trial Tower. "Hap!" She looked over when she heard the noise Ria made when she swung her silver sword. Ria was currently fighting against three slimes that have her surrounded. Although she was sweating, it doesn''t seem that she would fail here. Whenever the slime hit her, she would retreat to heal herself before jumping back into the battle and resume her fights. It sounds easy when said but to do so is very hard. When Ria was retreating, she has to make sure that she didn''t go to the wrong side. She also needs to heal faster since although the slime is slow, her healing also takes time. It wasn''t just that, she also needs to be on her guard for any possible sneak attack while she was healing. And that was why she was surprised to see She when she went back to heal herself while warily looking around her surroundings before the figure of She appears in her view. Thankfully it didn''t distract her from the battle as she resumes the fight to finish off thest slime. "What are you doing here?" Ria asked She while she was wiping the sweat on her forehead with the handkerchief she kept in the inventory. She had thought She would be busy teaching the girl about the Trial Tower and stuff, that was why she didn''t expect to see her here. "I have already finished my business with Sylvia and just get back home." She answered promptly, knowing that Ria would be asking her such a question. "Is that so, then are you here simply to watch me?" "Well, that is.." She slowly said while scratching her head. "You know, umm.." "Just get on it." "My father ising back home, so I need you to be my backup! Please!" She shouted, stating the reason behind her presence being here before proceeding to kneel in front of Ria. The second person that She is scared of is her father; of course, the first ce is her mother. But since she has been living with Sara a lot longer than her father, she has gotten used to Sara. Even up until now she never knew what kind of job her father worked for, and if asked, her father would dodge the question by saying it was a business but didn''t describe anything else. Sara seems to know about it, but she also keeps her mouth shut. She had long given up on asking about her father''s actual ''business''. "Really? Uncle ising back home?" "Yes, that''s why I need you there if anything untoward happens." "Well, knowing you, it''s possible." "But I have one condition." "Umm, what is it?" She had thought that Ria would agree right away but didn''t expect her to give a condition. That was why She was nervous when she asked Ria. "It''s nothing much, but you can buy skills or whatever is in the system shop, right?" "Yes, what about it?" "The one condition is I also want that disguise skill." When She had used the disguise skill in front of her, Ria was amazed by the scene. And she was even more awestruck when She mentioned that she could potentially ''disguise'' herself into an animal! There''s actually one secret about Ria that She didn''t know about, and that is, she is in love with the fluffiness of a cat! Whenever She shared cute videos about cats to Ria, she would always act like she didn''t care but secretly watched it while squealing like an ordinary girl. She didn''t tell She about it is because she finds it embarrassing to do so. Yes, the reason she wants a disguise skill book is that she simply wonders how it feels to be like the ball of fluff that she used to appreciate and admire at all time. "Why would you want it? I don''t think you have any use of it." "Don''t ask any questions! If you want me there, you must follow that one simple condition, or I won''t help you." Seeing Ria being persistent and didn''t want to exin further, She could only shake her head and agreed to it. Because She had learned the skill, the cost for the skill book in the shop is cheaper than the actual price. She didn''t expect to learn something new when she was going to buy the skill book. Once She had bought it with the gold she had saved up, she went ahead and transferred it to Ria''s inventory. To Ria, She was just staring in front of her(she couldn''t see the screen of system shop) for a moment before She told her that it has already been transferred to her inventory. Ria pulled out the card out of the pocket in anticipation before proceeding to check the inventory. Aside from all the consumable food and drink, she saw a new item in the inventory slot, which showed the icon as a small book. In her excitement, Ria immediately summons the skill book out of the inventory before cing her hands onto it. But the next thing happen was out of her expectation. ¡º You can''t learn this skill due to the difference in ss! ¡» A new window surfaced in front of her view while she was holding onto the skill book in her hands. "No..no way..." Ria crumbles down and falls on her knees in despair. Her hopes and dreams have been destroyed ruthlessly without any restraint! She couldn''t believe it! Not giving up, Ria let go of the book before cing her hands onto it once again, but the same window appears, notifying her that it is not possible no matter how she does it. Looking at the crestfallen Ria, She didn''t know what to say. To be honest, she also didn''t expect such a thing to happen. If she had known, she wouldn''t have bought it in the first ce. It would just be a waste of gold, after all! She picked up the skill book that was thrown away by Ria to the side before storing it back into her inventory. Since she had already learned it, she could freely touch it without any issue. Maybe she could give it to Sylvia? Her ss is an assassin, so it should be suitable for the disguise skill book isn''t? While having such thoughts, She went over to Ria before giving a pat onto thetter''s back. "Uhm, cheer up? I didn''t expect to see a ss restriction since I don''t have any ss and thought you could learn the skill too." "...just kill me." Ria slowly muttered with the eyes that have lost its shine; it was the same eyes of a dead fish. She feels like the world that she believed was once beautiful has be very dull now. She stood there awkwardly and didn''t know what to do, but after a few seconds passed, she went over and wrapped her arms around Ria. She thought that maybe by doing this, the crestfallen Ria would cheer up when she feels the warmth from being in contact with her body. As to how shees to such thought, it was because she had a feeling when she was sad, Ria would always give her a tight hug. The warm feeling from Ria''s body makes her feel like she was slowly healed. Maybe the hug works, or perhaps Ria hade back to her senses as she pulled the hug apart and told She that she woulde to her ce once she left the Trial Tower. "Once I had enough gold, I would definitely buy you something good from the shop!" "It''s fine; I don''t need it." She promised to herself that once she had enough gold, she would buy one skill that Ria could use. Actually, she had enough gold to buy one skill book from one of the four basic elements. But She thought that the healer Ria couldn''t use other elements aside from the light, which is the healing magic from her ss. That was why She didn''t get it for Ria; she would rather save up the gold and buy her a more powerful weapon instead. Maybe she could get a good staff for Ria that has useful abilities such as shortening the spell casting time or buffing her healing magic, something like godly staff in the novels. She had gone through the system''s shop when she was browsing on the weapon corner and noticed plentiful godly weapons there. But the price is, of course, mind-blowing. Chapter 71 - Anthony Ding Dong! "Ah, Mom, I''ll get that door!" She stood straight up from the sofa on the living room before notifying her mother and head toward the front door of the house. After exiting the Trial Tower, She had been waiting for Ria arrival anxiously while watching TV in the living room. She was worried that her father would arrive home first before Ria, that was why her hands were shaking while holding onto the doorknob. What if beyond this door was her father and not the one she was waiting for? She took a deep breath to regain her sense and calm down her nerve. After about dozens of praying to God, She turned the doorknob and was relieved to see Ria and her mother in front of her view. "Oh, Good to see you, Auntie!" "Mhm, good to see you too, She. Anyway, thank you for inviting us for dinner when your father is returning home after a year in oversea." "No no, it''s okay. Auntie is like my second family, after all!" "Oh my, it''s rare to hear apliment from you. You must have been nervous about your father, isn''t it?" "N-No way, that''s true. I was just¡ª" "Uhm, She, are you going to make us wait here outside?" "Ah, right! Come on in!" At Ria reminder, She gesture the two to enter the house before proceeding to walk ahead with the two following right behind her. When she brings the two to the living room, Sara, who has juste out of the kitchen, was surprised to see the two guests seating on the sofa of the living room. "Oh? I didn''t know you would visit us right at this time, Celia." "Me neither. But your daughter here, She invited us here. You don''t mind, do you?" "Of course I don''t mind; in fact, I was about to invite you myself. That man finallyes back home after a year abroad." "That is what I heard from Ria when she told me your daughter invited us for dinner." "Oh, I see. Then please sit and getfortable. I''ll get on to cooking." "How about I help you? Our daughter can chat with each other in the meantime." "Hmm, okay." The two then head toward the kitchen while they chat about their past regarding her father. She let out a sigh when she looked at the departed figure of her mother. She was not this nervous before, but after getting the news of her father, she started to feel nervous every time she''s around Sara. She was worried that her mother would notice anything different from her. Now that she thought about it, Sara is also as great as her father. The fact that she could manage the bigpany in father''s ce means she has the ability to do so¡ª Such a great person is definitely someone who is very sharp. It wouldn''t be weird if Sara noticed how strange it is for She''s grades to suddenly go way better than the previous record. But Sara never asks or mention anything regarding her grades. She wonders if her mother still doesn''t know about the improvement in her studies. Unknown to She, Sara had already known about it since the teacher had called her once to notified that her daughter grades have improved in a happy tone. "Let''s y a game instead of watching the lousy drama." "Sigh, you and your hate in dramas." "No. I never hated drama; I just find it lousy andme; that''s all." "And that''s what you said to every drama that you have watched. Not a single one was spared from your vicious tongue." "I can''t help it that the drama these days sucks. Same plot all over again, aren''t they tired of it?" "I can agree with that. But what do you expect? Supposedly, the plot was liked by many teenagers of this generation." "Hmph, the Normie should all just die out for all I care. I could never understand their taste and never will. Enough of that, let''s y this FPS game. I heard it received good reviews from countless gamers!" Ria could only smile helplessly while shaking her head when she looked at the girl to her side. When ites to games, her brain went on sleep mode and only used one or two brain cells to focus on the topics regarding the game. A total game freak. Few minutes passed as She and Ria spend their time ying games in the living room before Sara walks in and gesture them to stop ying and was told to sit in the kitchen. She also said that her father is already near the district and would arrive home in any minutes now. "Do you think my dad will saw through me?" "Absolutely." "What¡ªthen what if he found out about my secret?!" "Shh, keep it low, and I''m not done talking yet. Even if your dad saw through you, so long as you didn''t mention anything about your secret, everything is alright." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, just keep your mouth shut. I''ll do my best to answer it in your part if there''s a tricky question." "Okay!" "What are you two whispering about? Go wash your hand; your father is already at the front door." Told Celia when she saw her daughter and She whispering to each other. The two of them immediately get up from their seat and walk toward the sink to wash their hands clean before heading back to the dining table while they wait in their seat nervously, a good looking man that seems to be at the age of thirty walks by the side of Sara. Although his face seems stern, there appears to be a warm aura surrounding the man. He was wearing a clean suit in ck, befitting someone who works in a bigpany. He was none other than She''s father, Anthony. The moment She caught a glimpse of her father''s figure, she could feel a powerful aura emitting from her father. To Celia, She appears to be stunned after not seeing her father for a year-long, but She was actually surprised for a different reason. She didn''t know how, but she could tell it from her sixth sense that her father is truly emitting a powerful aura around him. But how could is it possible? To add to her confusion, her father is an ordinary person¡ª That is as far as she knows when living together up until now before she got the leveling system. But upon sensing such aura, she was left confused and start to question whether her father is normal or simply keep a secret that she as his daughter didn''t know about. While she was pondering deep in thoughts, Anthony has already seat on the chair before moving his gaze toward her. He was silently staring at her for a few seconds before opening his mouth and call her out of the deep thought. "She." "Y-Yes, dad?" "Mhm. Don''t you miss me? How did the exam go?" As expected, her father started to question about the exams she went through this week. Thankfully, she didn''t have any trouble with it since having Photographic Memory in her arsenal; she could memorise all the key point in the past exams easily like eating cake. "O-Of course I am! I also have no problem with my grade." "Really? I heard from Sara that you have been spending a lot of your time still on gaming." "This and that are two different things. I do spend some of my time to prepare for the exam too." "Mhm. That''s good to know." "That should be enough of small chitchat, right? Let''s eat then." Sara interrupted before Anthony could ask more questions. She secretly breathe out a sigh while making fist pump in her mind, if it continues, She feels like she might spill something she shouldn''t. Thank you, my honoured mother! While She was happily eating the dish in front of her, she didn''t notice that her father was staring at her and at the same time seems to be deep in thought. *** Anthony POV I have started feeling weird ever since a year ago. It was as if my body was filled with some sort of unknown power that I have never known about. I have gone abroad for this one reason yet none of my friends there know anything about this. But they did notice something weird, some kind of unknown maic field has started to appears all over the world. It only appears for short awhile before disappearing entirely as if it was not there in the first ce. This is also the reason why I came back home. A friend of mine working for the government found out that the unknown maic field had appeared once in the district my family lives, and he immediately notified me afterwards. I soon rush back home, but on my way, that friend told me it disappeared shortly after I got in the airne. Since I have taken a week off from work, I decide to visit my family and spend my time there for a short while until I resume my work. It''s also had been a year since I have met my daughter. I wonder how she''s doing now. When I arrived home, I was shocked to discover that my daughter is somehow emitting some kind of aura surrounding her. The aura appears to be harmful, but when he has the urge to ask his daughter about it, it suddenly started to turn into something frightening. It was like eyes from the deep abyss were staring straight at him, and every secret he has was exposed for all to see. But it went back to normal when he looked away with his forehead filled with sweats. Something had happened to his daughter! But looking at the girl who was happily eating the dish, he didn''t think that his daughter was taken away by something and reced by it. Instead, he thought that perhaps, his daughter also experienced the same thing he did. He had wanted to have a talk with She but decides against it. Chapter 72 - Trust After dinner, She told Sara that she''d be staying with Ria in her room before heading upstairs to the room and didn''t forget to lock the door. Her father appears to be deep in thought as he was not as talkative as She used to. She thought that her father, Anthony, must have been thinking about work even though he is at home on a day off. Before heading upstairs, She looked at her father for a few minutes in silence before Riaeback after washing her hands and urging her to go to her room. While She was walking on the way to her room, she wonders why and how did her father have such an aura around him. As far as she knows, only those who were influenced by the mana would be releasing such aura around them. She only has one such example which is Ria, and even though Ria is still weak, she could tell that there''s a powerful aura around She. She looked back in her memory and remembered the talk she had with Ria after asking for backup. I didn''t notice it before, but after a bit of leveling up, I could feel that there''s an aura surrounding you although it was faint, that was what Ria said. And if that was the case, then does it mean her father is also someone who is in the same circle as her? Let''s say it is, but why would her father keep it a secret from his family? What, afraid of the secret getting exposed to the public? That shouldn''t be the case, is it? After all, she had met a goblin back then, and it was not in the Trial Tower. And to be honest, she had wondered about it this entire time. Is my world actually fantasy? After all the stuff that I have experienced, it can''t be helped for me toe to such a conclusion. Is there other monsters out there in the world? Since I have seen goblin myself, isn''t it possible? But there was no news about such finding happening. Perhaps, it is possible that the government keep it confidential from the public''s eyes, and that was why she didn''t know. But there should at least be one or two who couldn''t keep their mouth shut and in the end, exposed it to the whole world because YOLO. She had really research hard about everything she could find on the inte back when she first got the leveling system on her phone. She also did it again after the battle with the goblin, yet the result was a massive disappointment. And the time when she could ask one question to the system, she had wanted to ask about how the goblines to existence in her world yet she managed to hold it back and instead asked about the system origin. What she learned from it was nothing, but that the red-haired girl was sucked into the void when space was falling apart due to the disturbance of a third party. Is it possible that the disturbance also influenced the world she lives?Having such thought crossing her mind, She feels a chill creeps all over her body as she shuddered. It was such scary thought that one would immediately vanquish it, but she couldn''tpletely ignore it because of how strangely weird that she finds it possible. If the world was already filled with mana, why is it that no one was able to use magic in the modern day? Although there is some miracle that happened to a certain group of people, she didn''t entirely believe such news because it was on one of the popr social media. Everything can be made up, especially when ites to a modern world in social media; one can get money from simply people viewing their contents. No matter how real their ''proof'' is, it is more believable when one experienced it themselves. Yes, just like how she did. "She? Are you thinking about something?" A sudden voice brought her back to reality as she looked up and saw Ria''s face on the front that was staring at her. She shook her head and opened up her mouth to speak. "It was nothing." She didn''t want Ria to needlessly worried about something that even she doesn''t understand it herself. She would rather shoulder the burdens herself instead of causing Ria to be concerned for no solid reason. But would Ria let it slide just like that when she saw how She appears to be in trouble with something? "it''s alright if you didn''t want to tell me. I''ll just share your embarrassing moment online¡ª" "Argh, fine!" "It''s good that you understood. Now,e and tell me what you have been thinking about this entire time after entering the room andpletely ignoring me who was right by your side. And when I asked, you simply¡ª" "I got it! Stop! I''ll tell you, alright!" Ria simply smiled in response to She, who is pouting. She let out a sigh before she started talking about the theory shees up with. "So, what you were saying is that the goblin is actually from another world? The world where you have seen in the origin system''s memory?" "Yes." "And you thought that perhaps, the red-haired girl who was sucked into the void was actually transferred or maybe teleported into our world somehow?" "Yes, yes." "And due to that, the mana that was sucked from that world was released into our world at the same time?" "As for the goblin, you thought that perhaps, the space in that world is still unstable due to disturbance of the third party and because of that, the resident from that world would asionally get sucked into the void and sent here?" "Or so I believe. I mean, is that even possible? My logical sense was telling me that I''m crazy, but my sixth sense is bugging me so hard that I don''t know what to do."(She) "...You mean to tell me that you shoulder this entire burdens on yourself?" "U-Umm, that''s not the point, as I was saying¡ª" "YOU IDIOT!" Shocked by the sudden shouted from Ria, She could only stare with her eyes wide open,pletely clueless on why the Ria is so upset to her. *** Ria POV "YOU IDIOT!" I couldn''t hold back and shouted at the clueless girl in front of me. After all this entire time, I had been there with her and yet, she always put the burdens on herself instead of asking for my help or assist. I could understand that she didn''t want me to get worried, but why must she keep it a secret from me? No matter how absurd the theory seems to be, if even this idiot thought it was possible, there''s no way someone like me would not understand the danger it poses. I had tried my best to level up faster so that I could catch up to her, only because I could see how her expression would be stern from time to time, probably thinking about this. But even so, I didn''t know it was this level of danger. If I hadn''t known about it, I might have gone easy after reaching a sufficient level. The reason I was so upset is simply because I feel like I was unneeded. I didn''t know why but a sudden ufortable feeling started to creeps in which caused me to shouted at her earlier. I don''t understand where this strange feeling came from, but I don''t like it. "Do you want me to tell you why am I upset at you, Idiot She?" "Cough, U-Umm, yes please, ma''am." Looking at the girl in front of her who was bowing her head down in earnest, Ria feels like it was a waste of time even to feel upset at She. She let out a sigh before opening her mouth and said. "Look up to me." She flinched in response before slowly raising her head to look up. When she saw Ria''s hands getting closer, she immediately shut her eyes and wait for the imminent pain. The pain she expected to feel dide, but it was not exactly the one that she had expected. "This is the cheeks that have the gal to keep a secret from me, isn''t it?" Ria muttered slowly while she was pinching on She''s cheeks. "If hufts, Fia!"(It hurts, Ria!) "You should be thankful that I only do this. Or do you prefer to go that route?" "Fno! Fhis is Finne!"(No! This is fine!) She tried her best to speak when she saw Ria making a creepy smile when Ria muttered such a scary word to her. She didn''t know why, but that smile caused the chill to spread to her whole body. It''s bad news! After having my time of squeezing She''s cheeks, I let it go and nodded my head at the artwork that I have aplished. She pout while she rubbed her hands on the red mark on her cheeks. "Now that you understood that it is bad for keeping such an important secret from me, what would you do?" "U-Umm, Err, I should tell you?" "Full mark. Yes, you do." After saying that, I get closer to She while thetter flinched and tried to move away but was stopped by my hands that is now wrapped around her waist. The distance was so close that I could feel her hot breath on my face. I looked at her with my most serious expression before opening my mouth and said. "No matter what, I''m still your best friend. We''re close, right?" "Mhm." "Then you should put more trust in me, can''t you? Although I''m still weak, I can at least help you with something you can''t do. I don''t need to say the rest, do I?" "...Mhm. I will try." Chapter 73 - The Church "What? What do you mean by that?" "It''s true! I''m not lying; I can feel it even now when I used detection skill." "...so, why would your father has that kind of aura then?" "That''s what I''d like to know. But just maybe.." "But what?" "Maybe my father has got the aura is due to living in an area where the mana there is very thick." "And how did youe to such a conclusion? Are you sure your father is not from some secret organisation that deals with the supernatural?" "As I be even stronger, my sixth sense also improved. My intuition probably did also, which was how I coulde to such a precise conclusion. As for your second questions, I don''t know. I would prefer the former since it would break my heart if the truth is thetter." "Mhm. Do you know that your family is actually quite prestigious?" "What''s with the sudden change of topic? But yes, I know that my mom and dad are pretty famous." "That''s not what I meant." Ria shakes her head at the clueless She before she opened her mouth to speak. "Even your grandparent is also pretty famous in their way, right?" "Or so I was told. I..I didn''t know much about them since when I was born, they have already left the world." "And then, I also heard from your mother once that your ancestor is also a great and formidable person." "...what''s all this got to do with the topic we''re talking about?" "Well, hear me out. I have this so-called theory that caused me to feel that it''s normal for your father to be special or sort." Ria said while shrugging her shoulders in response. "What is it?" Ria didn''t say anything and took a moment to take a deep breath before she opened her mouth and mutter. "Don''t you think your family tree is pretty weird?" "Excuse me? Ria, do you know what you''re saying now is pretty rude? My hand was about to move on instinct if I didn''t know any better but to hold it back." "Calm down for a second; I haven''t finished yet." She pouted and kept her silence, urging Ria to say her piece. "Don''t you find it strange that your family bloodline seems to be very good as most of them have aplished an amazing fit. Just look at your parent and grandparent examples." "Indeed, what you are saying does seem usible. But what about is strange about it?" "Sigh, you are really idio¡ªclueless." "were you about to say I''m an idiot?" Riapletely ignoring the re she received from She as she continued and said. "In short, your family''s bloodline is special. I mean even if your parent is just average, your family would still be one that deserves respect from the other influential family." "Huh, no wonder why when I met those people from another family on one of my birthdays, they keep on trying to talk to me. I thought they saw how pretty I am and decide to pursue me, guess not." "yes and no. If you know how pretty you are, then how could someone from an influential family didn''t notice you? They have multiple reasons when they decide to talk to you but let''s not go there. Anyways, I think your father probably inherited some gene that potentially makes him grow stronger by simply living in the surrounding where mana is the thickest. Do you understand now?" She pouted at Ria''sst remark. "I''m not that stupid, okay? Then is it possible that I have got this system also due to.." "There''s a possibility for that." She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes while deep in thought. Another small dot connected inside her mind thanks to Ria''s theory yet it wasn''tplete, and so she put it aside before pulling herself back to reality. Looking at Ria''s serious expression, She let out a stressed sigh before falling on her back onto the bed. Her brain feels like it has gotten so heated from overworking due to all the brainstorming that shees up with, which was why she rolled around her bed without any disregard. Her brain needs a rest! Looking at She''s antic, Ria smiled helplessly before shaking her head at the scene. *** Meanwhile, somewhere abroad in a private room of a secluded location... "I have heard that your mission is dangerous, but thankfully the God listens to my prayers. Che Dio vi benedica!" "Mhm. It''s not actually hard as the rumor said. But this time I encounter a problem." "Oh, Veramente? What really happen for you to include it in our talk?" "It''s not a problem per se; rather, it''s something troublesome." "Vai avanti. I will do my best to offer any help for anything but God''s favor." The girl grimace every time the person in front of her mentioned about God. She''s an atheist, but she is not so rude as to tell the girl to stop, knowing that was who the person really is. Even though she was quite close to the person sat in front of her, she couldn''t ignore the fact that her mother once told her to be careful around them. The rumors said that they believe in a mysterious Unknown God. The Church background dates back in the days; it was the time when her ancestor followed that person''s shadow. Just like her family, they were a force that known the truth that happened in the past. And once even could be considered as an ally, but not until that single day that changed everything. Even now, her family and The Church still didn''t stop their little conflict. If it were not for that, she would not have got a private room from a secluded location. "Well, actually.." The girl slowly summarises what she experienced when she had gone to M District for her mission only to found out that it has already been settled by an unknown means or possibly a third party. While she was summarising, she didn''t overlook the expression of the person in front of her. But to her surprise, the person didn''t show any reaction that she had expected. "Is that so, hmm. It seems that the wheel of fate has started to move once again. Non pensi cos¨¬, Angelica?" Angelica, the red-haired girl, shook her head at thetter remark. After all, she believes that the fate of a person is in their own hands. No one controls their fate, other than themselves. If there were someone else in this room with the same background as the person in front of her, they would have deemed her as a heretic and attack her without thinking of the consequence. But She just smiled at Angelica, bearing no ill will within the smile but instead it was filled with a pureness that one would see from an innocent girl. Both of them were enjoying each theirpany while they talk about the random things that they found funny before giggling like two ordinary girls. If one hadn''t known better, they would have thought the two were close friend spending their free time together, like any other ordinary girl. But not one of them can be considered as ''ordinary'' in the eyes of a mortal. Although the red-haired girl, Angelica''s appearance seems ordinary aside from her beautiful look and figure, she also has a special aura surrounding her, which can''t be seen by the naked eyes of ordinary people. Only people from the same circle will know that she is different from a mortal. In front of her sat a blonde hair girl equipping rare clothes that would make any person take a second nce at her whenever their eyes fall upon her. It was a Nun Outfit. The only person who wore such clothes is usually Sister in the Church or another extreme case, a cosyer. But from the special aura enveloped the blonde girl, there is no way that she can be considered any such examples. I understand that the outfit is because she is from The Church, but to still be wearing such an outfit when we are eating in a private room of a hotel is a bit... Angelica couldn''t help but think of this in her mind. But when her gaze arrives at one single object behind the blond, she immediately looked away. There were rumors that said whoever gaze at the object for a long time; they would be ''blessed'' by God. To those from The Church, they were happy to know that such rumors about their holy weapon were spreading to the world. But to those who know the frightening power reside within the object, it was an item¡ªartefact worth of their fear. Even Angelica also considered the huge cross-shaped artefact behind the blond as a dangerous weapon. And that dangerous weapon is currently floating in the air around the blond as if protecting her from something. The artefact is called¡ª Chapter 74 - Declaration In the Living Room... Sara slowly walked out of the kitchen before putting the tea she had prepared on the table next to Anthony. Thetter nodded his head in response before taking a sip and enjoy the excellent taste in blessed. Sara smiled before she went ahead and sat beside him. It would be a lie to say that she didn''t miss her husband after a year of not being able to see each other. She had initially been angry when the man decides to went abroad without consulting her first; she was left to take care of the business he left behind while at the same time, taking care of her daughter. Although thepany is from both of their hard work and sweats, that doesn''t mean she could handle it by herself¡ªthat was what she thought a week after her husband went abroad. But now, it seemed that Anthony had prepared everything in ce before he went overseas. She had thought he wants to have fun by himself there while here she is, busying herself with thepany''s work. That was her reason for being angry and not answering Anthony''s call. Only after two weeks of working in thepany that Sara realised about it, that was how she finally learned the reason why he went abroad by himself when she answered the persistent call. He was too hurried that he forgets to exin things clearly before making a decision to went abroad. If she had not known, she would have probably filed a divorce. While Sara was having such thoughts, Anthony was currently pondering about the scary aura he had just witnessed a moment''s ago. It was human nature to fear the unknown, that was also the reason why he went abroad when the moment he started feeling strange all over his body. Did my daughter go through something while I wasn''t here? Such thought passed through his mind as he looked up at Sara by his side. "How was She? Is she misbehaving in school?" "She''s doing well, exceptionally well. The teacher praised her a lot when noticing a huge improvement in her grades." Anthony nodded his head before furrowing his eyebrows, of course, it didn''t go unnoticed by Sara, who was by his side. "Why, did you know something on your side?" Surprised by the sudden weird question, Anthony ask back. "What do you mean?" "Hmm? I have thought you know about it, guess not." Anthony narrowed his eyes dangerously before opening his mouth and speak with a serious tone. "Did something happened while I was away?" "Something did happen, but it somehow resolved before I could put my hand on it. But again, I don''t think it will stop from happening again, so just in case; I''m prepared for such a situation." "Tell me." Sara slowly summarised about how a certainpany almost kidnapped She, and if She had been weak as an ordinary girl, she would have been taken away as a bargaining chip for the rivalpany to use to ckmail them. She didn''t mention anything about having a group of bodyguard protecting She behind the scene since they had failed at that time, after all. While listening to Sara, Anthony started to feel anger rising in his blood before his expression turned cold. "So, do you let them go just like that?" Sara chuckled at his remark, though her eyes don''t seem to be smiling, she opened her mouth and said. "Why would I do such a thing? Of course, I put pressure on them. It was to the point that they decide to shut down their business on this district. Ah, if only they didn''t escape abroad, I would have wanted to have more fun with them, too bad~." She ends her word with a chuckle and her hand covering her mouth. Since they dare trying to put their hands on her daughter, obviously she would be angry and retaliated after knowing about it. Because of how influential her prestige in the entertainment circle, she didn''t just have enemies but also allies. While she was fighting on the frontline, her allies backing her up behind the scene, it didn''t take that much effort before the son of the rivalpany retreat to overseas. Though she won''t have this easy win if her opponent is the real owner of the rivalpany, instead of the current ipetent son. Because that person didn''t make any move when she had test the water, Sara didn''t let him down as she fights without holding anything back. Although she won, it wasn''t a fight, to begin with. She didn''t go too far and let them go when they retreated, that was because she knows that her daughter kidnapping n was actually plotted by the son instead of that person. If that person makes a move, she might have the need to call her husband back for assistance. "Hmph, you should not have let them retreat." "Sigh, what can I do? If that someone didn''t leave me behind without any exnation and make me handle all his business, I might have done that. I wonder who is at fault here?" Her remark silenced Anthony as he went quiet in ce. He wants to say something more, but the re from Sara shut him down. Now that the mood has turned awkward, he didn''t know what to do. He only wanted to ask if She went through anything abnormal but didn''t expect it to backfire. "Cough, Did anything else happened to She?" "Hmm? Was something supposed to happen to her?" "Uhh, no. I was just asking." "And I have told you about the case. Are you hiding something from me?" It was at this moment did he realised that he fucked up. He always makes a mistake whenever he''s in hurried or rush; this part of him has also been passed down to She. "You will be sleeping on the couch tonight." "What?!" "Unless you tell me what you''re hiding. Otherwise, this will be your bed tonight." Sara said as she softly pats the couch, they were currently sitting. The woman''s intuition is a scary thing; she could figure out that he was hiding something simply by that one question that he just asked. But thinking seriously, maybe this is for the better. "Well, it was one year ago..." *** ¡º Sylvia has entered the Trial Tower! ¡» She was still rolling on the bed when sudden notification rmed in her mind, which caused her to pause. "What''s wrong? Are you tired already from all that rolling?" "Hmm, no. Ah, right! You haven''t met Sylvia yet, right?" "Yeah, what about it?" "Then let''s go!" "Where¡ª" Ria was interrupted by She when the girl suddenly went toward her before grabbing onto her hands, and her view went dark before it returns to normal. Looking around, she was familiar with the scenery of the vast grasnd. While Ria was looking at her surrounding, she saw a small figure in the distance. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Is that her?" "Who else would be here other than you and her?" "Well, I didn''t expect for her figure to be that small, rather she''s pretty short even at that age." "Now that you said it, yeah. But that shouldn''t be a problem, or rather, I think it actually fits with her ss." "What''s her ss?" "Assassin." "You mean that assassin?" She nodded her head in response before slowly walking toward the figure in the distance that''s currently fighting against a slime, Ria followed right behind her. When the two arrived at her location, Sylvia had already in the slime. Feeling the presence not far behind her, Sylvia turned back and was relieved that it was not a slime. She was about to call her master when she caught a glimpse of Ria by She''s side. "How was your training go?" "It has been smooth aside from some mistake, but overall I''m doing good, Master." She nodded, but before she could open her mouth, she was interrupted by Ria abrupt question. "Master? She called you a Master?" "Is there a problem?" Yet the question was answered back from Sylvia with another question. She didn''t know why, but suddenly she could feel the air around them turned cold? She looked at the two who seemed to be ring at each other and wonders what is going on. If she wasn''t hallucinating, she saw small lightning passed through from both of their re. She understood that Ria was stunned about the part where Sylvia called her master, but she didn''t understand why the two seems to be holding ill intent or possibly grudge against each other the moment their eyes met. She ignored the cold atmosphere and tried to introduce each other. "Umm, Sylvia, this is Ria, my best friend since childhood." "And Ria, this is Sylvia. The girl that I talked to you about." "..." The two didn''t say anything but simply stare at each other while She stood awkwardly at the side. Can someone tell me what''s going on here, please?! She silently prays inside her heart, looking for an answer that she desperately needs. She wonders if it was a wrong choice in introducing the two to each other. But it didn''t take long enough when Sylvia opened her mouth and said. "Master is mine." Or not, Sylvia dropped a straight bomb out of nowhere which knocked both, She and Ria''s mind into oblivion. Ria eyes were twitching as she stares at the silver hair little girl in front of her. She didn''t know why, but she feels like this little girl here is dangerous for an unknown reason. She thought for a moment, and after eyeing at the nk She, she looked back at the little girl and said. "What are you talking about? I have been living with her for so long, so¡ª" "Master is mine." Being interrupted by the little girl, Ria re at her and Sylvia re back without any fear. She, who was standing nkly at the aide, looked up into the sky and wondered once again, what in the world is going on here?! Chapter 75 - Tears Of Happiness "..." The two red at each other with spark sh from time to time. Sensing the cold atmosphere around the two, She decides to intervene before things could take the wrong turn. She steps forward, standing between the two before opening her mouth to speak. "Cough, excuse me, but I am no one but my own. I''d wish that you two don''t fight over something that didn''t make any sense." She''s word brought Ria back to her sense; she immediately looked away, trying to hide the blush that starts to crawls to her face. She was embarrassed at her act a while ago, which is not like her at all; she didn''t know why but feel provoked when Sylvia suddenly said such thing right to her face. She realised that she was about to ''fight'' with a girl younger than herself due to some unknown feeling inside of her. Sylvia didn''t say anything and just pouted. When she saw an unknown girl by She''s side, her possessive feeling starts to kick in. Sylvia feels a sense of danger when her gaze locked onto Ria, and due to that, she went ahead to provoke Ria. Although Sylvia didn''t know much about She, she still feels like She sudden appearance in her life is like a fate that only appears in the book. Just like a hero that shine brightly upon darkness, She appears when she was at her lowest and save her frommitting suicide. Afterwards, she was introduced into a whole new world, and she started to think that life is not so different than fantasy. Once she had pictured She as her hero deep into her mind, suddenly a new girl that she didn''t know exist, appears in front of her. It was Ria and were introduced by her hero as her best friend. She looked at Ria before moving her gaze to Sylvia. As a girl who has no experience in love life, she didn''t know that this is so-called jealousy at it''s finest. She had read and watched many animes and manga alike, but in reality, it''s hard to know what the other was feeling if one didn''t pay fixed attention to their facial expression. Although she couldn''t understand the reason behind Sylvia''s provocation, she did know that Sylvia is upset when her eyes caught a glimpse of Ria figure walking by her side a moments ago. Letting out a sigh, She pulled out a book which was painted all ck from the inventory. A title imprinted on the front of the book showed ''Disguise''. It was the skill book that she had purchased for Ria, but due to ss restriction, Ria couldn''t learn it. She didn''t want to let it rot in her inventory, which was why she brings it out and hope that Sylvia could learn it based on her ss. Seeing the skill book in She''s hands, Ria frowned when she remembers that she couldn''t learn it due to ss restriction. She was wondering why She bring it out, but when she looked at the little girl in front of her, an idea crossed in her mind. Since this girl ss is an assassin, perhaps? Looking at She, who was walking straight toward Sylvia, she nodded her head at her precise conclusion. Sylvia looked at her hero, who was walking toward her with a book in hands. When She present the book to her, she tilted her head to the side with a curious gaze. She knows that Sylvia was interested yet didn''t know what the book is about, so she opened her mouth start exnation. Once she was done, She could see Sylvia''s eyes sparkling whenever her gaze fall onto the skill book in her hands. "Can I... really learn this?" "Of course. Actually, I have bought this skill book before, but Ria can''t use it due to ss restriction. When ites to ss, I thought that perhaps, you could learn it. Give it a try, and it would be good if you can learn it." "Mhm, okay!" As her hands getting closer to the skill book, the excitement within her body explode further. Although she had seen a lot of fantastical sights, it wasn''t her power but She''s. Sylvia was amazed and awe, but at the same time, she wonders how wonderful it would be if she could also do such a thing with her power. All her strength so far is nothing as magical as She''s. Silent Step only makes her step cease from making noise and Presence Maniption, although she had used it a couple of times, the slime could still feel her presence the moment shee approximately close to them. When her hands were one inch closer from the skill book, it isn''t understatement that her heart is about to burst out due to how excited she is. Sylvia looked up at She, worrying that She would take back her words but the smile on her face make her feel at ease. The moment her handse in contact with the skill book, a wave of unknown memory rushed inside her mind unstoppable. It only stops when all the memories about the skill are imprinted permanently in her mind. Looking at Sylvia, who was holding tightly onto her head with sweat starts appearing on her forehead, She had a sudden thought, Doesn''t she look like she''s in pain? When She had learned a skill from the skill book, she didn''t feel any sort of pain and difort. In fact, it feels really pleasant. But the sight of Sylvia''s gritting her teeth with a frown on her face makes her think otherwise. Because She never has anyone else other than her using the skill book before, she didn''t know that they would go through a painful experience of unknown memory rushing through their brain. But now that she knows, She also wonder, is it one of the perks of having a system? Being able to learn a skill from all the sses avable is already insane, but now, she found out that she''s the only one who can use skill book without feeling any pain or difort along the way till the end though that isn''t a sure thing yet since Sylvia is the only example so far. "Haa... Ha..." "Are you okay?" After like ten minutes, Sylvia finally opened her eyes while breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon with sweats all over her body. Ria looked over while frowning from time to time as if she''s deep in thought. When she saw how Sylvia reacted when learning the skill, she wonders if she had enough will to hold down her mouth from making noise while being in pain. "I..I''m okay, master.." "Just in case, drink this." She said as she hands over the low-grade Vitality Restoration Potion to Sylvia. It''s quite costly even though it''s low-grade one, but it could heal the mind that was tired from overworking. Sylvia didn''t reject it before opening the cap to drink it. Slowly, she can feel her mind getting restored to its prim as the potion effect started to kick in. Once her mind stabilises, Sylvia didn''t feel any sort of difort and could use the skill right away. She looked from the side as Sylvia''s silver hair slowly changed into a fiery red hair. This was the first time she saw someone else using the disguise skill other than herself. No matter how she looked at it, this is indeed an essential skill for an assassin. After changing her hair color, Sylvia didn''t stop there and also changed her facial, and before long, a normal-looking red-haired girl stood in front of She. It was entirely different than the beautiful silver-haired beauty, and no one would ever think that the normal-looking girl in front of her is the same person. Looking at this sight, Ria could not help but let out a sigh. She is quite envious that she couldn''t learn such a useful skill. When Sylvia is almost done with her transformation, She brings out a small handheld mirror out of the inventory before giving it Sylvia, for her to see the result of her disguised. What she saw on the reflection of the small mirror caused Sylvia to freeze on the spot. "Sylvia? Are you okay?" But Sylvia didn''t give any response and stood silently while her gaze stays in the mirror that showed the reflection of her hair. The memories of her being bullied due to her silver-white hair shed through her mind. When shees to her sense, she saw the reflection of herself with tears pouring out of her eyes. She saw this and knows the reason behind it before she starts browsing over the shop and checks on the misceneous category¡ª after a while, she finds what she''s looking and buy it without hesitation before walking over to Sylvia to wipe her tears with the handkerchief she just bought. Not knowing what is going on, Ria stood awkwardly to the side as she stares at She wiping the little girl''s tears on her cheeks. She wanted to say something but didn''t want to make the situation worse, so she decides to wait and then ask She about itter on. Chapter 76 - Angelica Ernest The next day... Stepping into the ss, She walked straight to her seat without talking to any of her ssmates on the way there. When she had just sat on the chair, a familiar figure gives her a pat in the shoulder before giving her a greeting. "Good morning, She." She looked up with her sleepy gaze and met up with Ria smiling face before she nodded her head and was about to say something back, but a yawn escaped from her mouth as she answered the greeting. "Yawn~ Morning..." "Did you sleepte again?" Ria let out an exasperated sigh when she saw She yawning without covering her mouth at all. She had even specifically given her a callst night before going to bed and told She to sleep earlier, yet it appears that the word had gone through her ears. She wonders if She spends her night typically untilte night by ying games, or did she spend her time in the Trial Tower tillte night instead? She would like to inquire She but couldn''t due to where they are and decide to do soter after the school ends. "Well, I have been busy with various ''stuff'' as you know. I was about to go to sleep after your call, but not before I checked the inte and was shocked that the game that I''ve put on wish list has already been out for like three days!" "...so you ended up ying that new game tillte at night?" "Of course! I don''t want to fall behind! And so, I spend the entire night and finally finished it, but when I looked out of the window, I realised its already morning." "You didn''t sleep at all?!" "Wait, calm down. I haven''t finished my word." She leaned over to Ria before moving her eyes to the surrounding, and when she saw no one looking at them, she whispers to Ria that she sleeps in the Trial Tower. At first, she didn''t know what to do and was panicking that she didn''t have any sleep at all but when suddenly, She had the idea of taking advantage of the time dtion from the Trial Tower. "You mean to tell me that you sleep in such a dangerous ce?" Ria whispers back with an rming tone. She already knows about the time dtion of Trial Tower and the real world, but she didn''t expect for She to have that much courage to do that, especially when she was still suspicious with the system. "I have no choice, you know? I was so sleepy and tired, and when the idea went through my mind, I immediately went forward with the idea and slept in there." "But I remember you telling me that there''s no safe zone for you.." "Ah, you don''t need to worry about that as when I have the ability to give ess to other people to enter the ce, I could also ''created'' a safe zone for myself." "Due to the Time Dtion, you should have enough sleep yet it didn''t seem like it?" She flinched when Ria brought out the topic she didn''t want for her to know. The actual reason that she was tired is not because ofst night gaming but instead... "You..." The re and cold word from Ria caused She to break in a cold sweat. She was about to ask for forgiveness and tell the truth when the homeroom teacher steps into the ssroom. "Alright, quiet down and go back to your seat." Ria stares at her for a few seconds before she went back to her seat. A relieved sigh escaped from her mouth as she put her hands onto her chest and could feel her heartbeat finally calmed down. Although she is safe from being inquired by Ria at the moment, she could see the future where she gets scold badly by Ria while in dogeza right in front of her. That was what she thought when she saw the looking from Ria before she went toward her seat. While the teacher was calling out each student''s name one by one, She, with her sensitive sixth sense, overheard her ssmates whispering to each other about an interesting topic. "Hey, did you know about the news of a new student transferred to our school?" "Oh, of course! I heard its a beautiful girl!" "Hell yeah, man! But I wonder which ss did she get transferred to?" "Ah, it would be nice if it''s in our ss, but that''s just a wishful dream isn''t?" "But still! Even if she transferred to a different ss than ours, we could still pursue her! It''s not toote to give up!" "You''re right! We could¡ª" The ssmates were so into whispering to each other that they didn''t notice the teacher standing right behind them. One of them suddenly feels uneasy and looked back, what he saw caused him to break into a cold sweat and his body trembling unstoppable. His friend saw his reaction and wonder why he is acting so weird and decide to also look behind them. She giggled as quietly as possible with her hand covering her mouth while she was watching her ssmates getting scold harshly by the homeroom teacher. When the homeroom teacher has finished scolding her ssmates, he went back to the front before ring at the whole ssroom with menacing eyes. When the ss bes so quiet that one can hear their own breathing, the teacher finally opened his mouth and announced something that caused her ssmates to riled up with passion. "We have got a new transfer student in our ss." The sudden announcement makes the ss riled up in excitement, especially for the boys that have heard the news or rumors about the beautiful transfer girl. She had known about the presence waiting outside; that was why she was interested when she listened to her ssmates whispering about the transfer student. Creak! The door of the ssroom slowly opened, the gazes from the entire ss went toward it before a beautiful and thin legs step into the ss, which caused the boys to go silent in amazement. But it didn''t end there as slowly; the figure walks straight and proudly into the ss. A zing red hair that one could almost see the illusion of a real fire and within those blue marine eyes contained a strong will. Seeing such a beautiful girl walked into their ss, the boys that were silent a moments ago started to rile up with passion. The homeroom teacher tried to silence them with his frightening re, but the boyspletely ignored it as their eyes focused onto the red-haired girl to their front. She looked at the boys in her ss in amazement and thought in her mind,if only they have this much passion for their studies,before shaking her heads at their stupid antics. Her gaze moved from the boys to girls and saw them fiercely ring at the red-haired girl as if she was their hated nemesis. There are only two people in the whole ssroom that didn''t actually react much like them, which is She and Ria¡ª both of them were only mildly curious in the new transfer girl, unlike the other ssmates. She stared at the zing red hair and thought,I can''t disguise my hair red anymore, huh?Or the poor girl will likely be her meat shield without knowing anything since she''s the sole person with the attention-grabbing red hair. The teacher urged the girl to introduce herself to the ss, and she responds with a nod before opening her mouth to speak. "My name is Angelica Ernest, and I have been living abroad since I was a child. I didn''t know much about the culture around here, but please treat me well." While She was staring at the transfer student like the other ssmates, she secretly active her mana eyes. She would not have done this if she didn''t experience seeing the aura surrounded her father at home. Ever since that small surprise on dinner, She had tried to use mana eyes to look at her father, and what a shocking founding. With only her sixth sense, She could tell that there''s a special aura around her father. But when she looked at her father with mana eyes, she could see a chunk of mana ''leaking'' out of his body. It was there and then that she finally know the reason why her father, like a normal person, would be emitting such aura around him. Maybe in the past, Anthony has been living or visiting a ce where the mana is thick. But since his body couldn''t hold that much amount of mana, it ended up leaking out of his body which created a special aura that only a specific group of people could tell. She remembers that Ria once told her that she could also feel a special aura around her, maybe just like Anthony. Right after She had given the skill book to Sylvia, she immediately brings Ria back to reality, afraid that the two might start fighting again. After sending Ria to another room, She went back to her room and locked the door before she enters the Trial Tower again, but this time with a goal of experimenting if she could control the mana from leaking out of her body. Thanks to the passive skill Mana Sense, she could control and manage the mana inside of her without any problem. She tried to keep the mana from leaking out of her body, and it went very smoothly that she finds it unbelievable. And today, when She was walking together with Ria on the way to school, she had asked if Ria could feel that aura again and Ria shook her head in response, just like she had expected. After She had told Ria about what she found out, she tried using her mana eyes to check every person passing after them on the way to school. But she didn''t find anyone like her father. Back to the ssroom, after She active her mana eyes, she was surprised to see the same thing that she saw around her father, but this time on the transfer student, Angelica Ernest. Chapter 77 - Angelica Ernest II Angelica POV "My name is Angelica Ernest, and I have been living abroad since I was a child. I didn''t know much about the culture around here, but please treat me well." After introducing myself, I put up a smile on my face which caused the boys in the ssroom to get even more riled up. While the teacher was trying to calm down the boys, I let my gaze wander around the ssroom. Whenever my gazend on boys, they will blush and try not to get in contact with my eyes. As for the girls, they re at me as if trying to kill me with their eyes. I have long been used to this kind of chaotic atmosphere, one of the reasons why I don''t go to school. If you think that my grade is terrible due to not attending school, then you are wrong. Born from an influential family, I have gone over many private schools and even hired to teach me at home. Due to my special status in the family, I don''t have much freedom back then. I have to do this and learn that, I have to do everything so that I won''t shame the family. But ever since my mother has taken ce within the higher circle, I have gained a bit of freedom. And because of my mother''s influence, I have somehow got my hand on the artefact. I thought that I would be able to rx a bit when I get back home, butter on, I was sent back here to check if there''s anything abnormal around here. While I''m on my way here, I also visit my friend from The Church. I try to probe her, in case she knows something about my mission, but I get nothing and almost get purified by the girl instead. Although I have known her since little, I still feel wary of her due to the people around her. Whenever I looked into their eyes, my instinct rmed me repeatedly, as if I was not staring at human but monster. Because I was so scared up until now, I have never told anyone about that. No wonder my mother told me to be careful around them, I wonder if she knows? But it''s weird that I didn''t feel anything like that when I spend my time with that girl. Even now, I can only feel pureness and innocent whenever I looked into her eyes. Anyways, among the thing I have to do for the mission, one of them is transferring to this school. I don''t even know why I have to, but the mission told me so. I have also asked my mother, but she''s currently busy with something else, I couldn''t do anything but went along with it. While my eyes wandered around the ssroom, I came across a person who seems to have the same aura as someone in the same circle as me. My gaze stopped at her, and my hand subconsciously move toward my waist, but there was nothing there. I have forgotten that I didn''t bring the artefact to school because I couldn''t hide it anywhere. While I was staring at the ck-haired girl, the girl stares back at me without any hostility but pure curiosity. I wonder, did she not realise that I was in the same circle? Or did she simply act like she didn''t know? Either way, she''s too suspicious. Before I could let my gaze wander around more, the teacher finally gives up and gesture me toward an empty seat which I thought probably for me. I bow my head in gratitude to the teacher before I walk ahead toward my seat. While I was on the way to my seat, I passed through one particr girl and suddenly felt as if I was electrocuted my whole body. I didn''t look back but just walk forward and only when I sat do I look at the girl who I walk passed. It was another girl, yet this one didn''t have anything worth her attention other than her beauty, but there''s no mistaking the feeling she had at that moment. It wasn''t something like falling in love or anything but literally like getting electrocuted. No matter how she looks at the girl, she appears to be a regr student, nothing else. But it''s also possible that she hide her actual strength, it''s not really that unthinkable if you met a real expert in the same circle. Most of them prefer living normally in the mortal world without using their power. She knows about it because she had oncee across such weirdo. It was back when she didn''t have the artefact and was chasing after a monster when it dashes into the alleyways. She ran after it and saw something shocking; the monster was throwing its punch toward who she thought was a homeless old man. She panicked and ran toward it as fast as she could, but she knows it was already toote. But what happened next shocked her to this day. The homeless old man who she thought was weak and about to get crushed by the monster suddenly disappeared on his spot before reappearing back behind the monster. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the monster who has fallen and broke into pieces, she looked at the homeless old man but didn''t see any weapon in his hands to aplish such a thing. I thought I would be killed by that old man back then, but thankfully he is not like the other arrogant expert that I had heard about. I still remember how frightening the aura surrounding the old man when he slew the monster to pieces. Actually, I was unconscious when the aura hits me; it was too powerful for me who was still weak. When I woke up, I was already in my bed, and my mother told me that a kind expert sends me home. When the teacher was focused on his teaching, I asked the boy next to me, and while blushing, he told me everything. The girl that I feel that there''s aura surrounding her is Cilia. And the beautiful girl that I am still skeptical of whether she''s an expert goes by the name, She. Apparently, before I was transferred, the two were known as the duo belles of this ss. They always seemed to be together, no matter what the asion and ce. Heh, surprisingly, the two actually know each other, huh? This makes things easier. Maybe I could try to get to know them better at lunch? I wonder if any of the two got something to do with my current mission. But I can''t see any of them being powerful enough to beat the Outsiders, although Cilia have the aura, it''s still kind of weakpared to myself. As for She, Sigh, I guess I need to figure it out myself. Hmm? Does that mean I can stay longer? Hell yes! Now that I think about it, there is still some tourist spot that I haven''t visited yet! Just thinking about it already makes me feel excited! All hail hard mission! Oh, howpletely unexpected! Although the mission is quite hard, I can do a lot of stuff in the meantime! I bet those geezers didn''t expect this, did they? Since my mother is busy, they dare to take the chance by giving me a hard mission since they know I was going to rx at home, hmph. Since I can''t rx at home, I''ll do that while on a mission then! *** During lunchtime, in the cafeteria... "Did you know that transfer student?" "You ask such a strange question. I have been with you since childhood and do you ever seen me talking to others?" "Yes, a lot." "Sorry, I said it wrong. What I mean is, if I had known that transfer student, I would have greeted her by now won''t I? But that''s not the case; I didn''t know her at all." "But her gaze paused for a while when she saw you. So that''s why I thought..." She slowly muttered until thetter part couldn''t be understood due to how low her voice had be. She had a strange feeling when she saw Angelica staring at Ria for a short while. She couldn''t exin it, but her guts feeling is telling her that Angelica is a dangerous person for a reason unknown. And that was not the only things that she worried about; there''s also the fact that the girl also leaked mana out of her body. And first of all, why would there be a transfer student out of nowhere? This is not a novel or anime where such cliche trope is the norm. I''m pretty sure that it''s not possible to transfer to this school by normal means at this time of year. She couldn''t help but feel like another trouble going to happen anytime soon. But what she didn''t expect was, for Angelica to appears right in front her when she had wanted to avoid the girl if possible. "Can I sit next to you?" Angelica politely asked with a smile on her face while holding onto a tray of food in hands. Chapter 78 - School Festival? "Can I sit next to you?" The girl that she initially had wanted to avoid at all cost is now right in front of her and asking if she could have permission to sit next to her and Ria. If it''s not for the fact that She didn''t want her secret to expose, and the girl identity seems special, she would have use intimidation skill to push the girl away. She looked at Ria as thetter also stare back at her; both of them didn''t know what they should do. If they reject the offer, it would definitely be spread to the whole school since all the students were currently staring at them. But it would not be weird if She rejects it since she was known as a stoic and cold person. The problem is, Angelica actually went and asked Ria instead of her. Ria was known to be friendly towards everyone, that''s because she had wanted to help She in making a new friend. Ahh, damn it! If only that stalker junior is here and I would have to signal her to reject this girl! Why is she not here when I needed her, yet always right behind me when I don''t want to see her at all. She secretly winks at Ria with the meaning of rejecting the girl from seating with them, but Ria shook her head and smiled instead. Oh no, not this kind smile! Is she perhaps! "Sure, go ahead." "Thank you." Gaaaaah! I knew it! That smile, I have seen it a lot back in the days! Ria always had that smile whenever she wanted to help me in making friends, but who would want to befriend with such a dangerous person! I totally forgot to mention about it to Ria, and now it bites at me. She begrudgingly continued eating her food quietly while keeping her face stoic, but if one looks closer, they could see her eyebrows twitching. While she was eating, Angelica tried to talk to Ria, and thetterply. "What is your name?" "Hmm? Oh, I''m Cilia. And this girl next to me is She, my best friend." "I see, I don''t need to introduce myself again, am I?" "Hehe, that would be the case, as we have already heard your name in ss, after all." Angelica nodded her head in response before ncing toward She, who didn''t seem to want to talk at all while eating her food. Angelica wants to find out about her too, but it looks like the girl is not keen on chatting, that was also what she heard from the boys beforeing here. Ria noticed her staring at She; she smiled before opening her mouth to speak. "Oh, She is quite shy with a stranger. I hope she didn''t offend you?" "No no, I don''t mind. It''s partly my fault for intruding you two." If you know that then, why are you here? Shoo! Go to where you belong! She thought in mind when she heard Angelica''s words. She would like the girl to leave if possible, but Ria didn''t think so as she continued talking with the red-haired girl. "You are really from abroad? It''s kind of unbelievable since not many people like you go to this kind of school." "Mhm. I was born in Europe, but due to a certain reason, I was transferred here." "Heh~ Europe, huh? She! Isn''t that where your father went a year ago?" She grumpily stares at Ria before nodding her head in response while keeping her mouth shut. Ria just gives a wry smile before shaking her head and said. "What is it like to live there?" "Hmm. It''s quite good, my neighbour is pretty friendly, which I''m thankful for." "Huh, isn''t that the same everywhere?" Angelica giggled at Ria''s words. "Yes. What i meant is, anywhere is a good ce to live, as long as you find a good ce to be called home." Ria nodded her head in response. Although she had wanted to know if there''s anything good or bad when living there, this kind of answer is fine too. Some people alwaysined about how bad it is where they live for various reason, while certain some would say a nice thing such as beautiful scenery/weather, etc. It seemed that Angelica didn''t fall into any of the two factions. "What about you? You''re local here, right?" "Mmm. It''s not so bad, but there are still a few things that I don''t like, but that''s normal isn''t?" "Yes, I also have a few things that I don''t like when I''m living in Europe." Angelica answered with a giggle, and Ria also giggled in response. Looking at the two enjoying each otherpany as theyughed, She pouted in discontent. Although she didn''t want to talk due to the presence of Angelica, that doesn''t mean that she likes to get ignored. Her mouth went wide before closing back as she resumes her stoic ''acting''. But it wasn''t long before her eyes went wide as she looked at the figure running toward their table. "Senior! Senior She!" It was Yuna, the stalker junior. She had thought thetter was eating somewhere with her friends but seeing as she was alone, perhaps she was busy with something before she coulde here. Yuna quickly arrives on their table before taking the seat next to She. She put the food tray on the table before looking next to her to talk to her senior. She didn''t even notice that there''s a new presence sitting in front of her, to Yuna, She is the only one in her sight at the moment. "How are you today, senior?" She was thankful for Yuna''s presence since she didn''t need to stay quiet by herself now that she has someone to talk to. "I''m good, how about you? You''re quitete today, busy with something?" "Ah, yes! I was helping my friend cleaning the ssroom; that''s why it took a bit of my time there." Yuna was quite surprised at her senior suddenly being talkative, she didn''t know but was happy that her senior didn''t seem cold to her anymore. While the two were talking, Angelica stares at Yuna who suddenly intrude into the table before starting to speak to She like a friend. Her eyes were analysing the girl, and the result showed that she is just a normal student. "Hey, Yuna~." "?...Oh, sorry, Senior Cilia! I definitely didn''t forget about you!" "...your long pause already told me everything, Sigh, nevermind. Anyway, this red-haired girl here is Angelica Ernest; she just transferred into our ss today." Ria let out a sigh before introducing Angelica to the oblivious Yuna. Yuna''s eyes went wide as she looks at the red-haired girl seat in front of her. She had thought she imagined that someone else was seated with her senior but guess not. She bes flustered since she had disregarded the senior''s presence in front of her, which is quite a rude thing to do. She bows her head repeatedly before opening her mouth and ask for forgiveness; Angelica just smiled before waving her hand, a gesture that she doesn''t mind. "I''m Yuna, nice to meet you, senior!" "Nice to meet you too, Yuna. Though you can just call me by my name." "No, I don''t think that''s okay, Senior!" "Oh, Yuna, what would your ss do for the festival?" Ria interrupted the conversation before it could go on a loop since she knew that Yuna is quite a stubborn person. "Festival? Oh! My ss are going to do a maid cafe with cosy, what would your ss do, Senior?!" She frowned when she remembers the time when the homeroom teacher decides to do the voting, and the result was... "We''re going for Horror House, hehe. Your senior here didn''t seem to like the choice though." Ria said before giggling while pointing her finger next to her. "Oh?! Horror House sounds nice! I''d love to see Senior She as a ghost; i wonder how scary it would be, or would it?" "Fufufu, I''m sure you''d like it." *** On the way home... "Festival, huh?" "I know you don''t like it because of the crowd, but it can''t be helped. But don''t worry, I''ll be with you." "Mhm, thanks." While both of them were chatting with each other, She noticed someone following right behind them. She didn''t tell Ria since the stalker might hear it and she didn''t want any problem from urring since thetter seems to be only following them with no ill intent. She had gotten used to it because of Yuna, and the girl was busy with festival stuff which was why she isn''t the one stalking behind. She had tried using Presence Detection when Ria was talking and noticed a familiar ''aura''ing from the stalker. If She hadn''t use Mana Eyes when she looked at Angelica, she wouldn''t know about the identity of the stalker. Yes, The stalker was Angelica, the red-haired girl who She had marked as not a normal person. "She? Are you listening to me?" "Huh? Of course! You were saying about wanting to eat Ice cream due to hot weather, right? Let''s buy it then." "...that''s not what I said but whatever. Ice cream it is." Chapter 79 - Ring From afar, a slim figure with a noteworthy fiery red hair could be seen hiding beside a blockade. Looking at the two girls entering the house, the figure takes note of the address before turning back and walk away. "So she had left, huh?" "Huh? Who?" When the two steps inside the house, She suddenly muttered such words to herself, but Ria who was quite close to her overheard it and asked with a confused expression on her face. She smiled in response before opening her mouth to speak. "Nothing, it was just a ''sneaky cat'' finally run away after finish with their business, I guess?" "Don''t take me for an idiot. I heard your words precisely; there was no mentioning about a cat and the likes." Sheughed as she put her shoes to the side before stepping inside with Ria right behind her. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a word, Sara appeared from the living room and saw the two walking on the hallway before inviting the two for lunch. "You two must be hungry, right? The food''s ready,e on." Since the two was indeed hungry, Ria holds back her curiosity and decides to fill up her empty stomach first before asking She again in her roomter on. Even though they have eaten ice cream on the way home, a single dessert is not enough to fill one stomach, after all. "So, what is it about?" "Hmm, what are you talking about?" After they were done eating lunch, the two went upstairs straight to She''s bedroom. Ria sit cross-legged on the floor beside She who was putting her head on the table with a satisfied expression on her face, seeing such idiotic expression, Ria couldn''t help but ask about something she had been curious about the whole time. But She responded as if she didn''t remember about a thing. Ria had the urge of wanting to p She on the face, but she gripped her fist hard while grinding her teeth and took a deep breath to calm down her mind. Once her mind had cooled down, Ria ring deadly at She without saying anything. She had thought to joke around for a short while but seeing the re from Ria caused her to sweat before she shrugged it off withughing awkwardly. "Uh well, it''s like this, because I have Presence Detection, it''s obvious that I would know about it if anyone was stalking me." "Are you saying someone is stalking us on the way home?" "Yes, exactly that. But I wonder if your heart is ready to bear the truth~." "Just out with it." "Boo~ you''re no fun, Ria. All right! I''ll tell you, no need to look at me like that! The thing is, the one who was stalking us is...Angelica Ernest. Yes, the red-haired girl who just transferred to our ss." "What?" "As I said, the stalker is Angelica Ernest! See, you are quite shocked too, aren''t you?" Ria took a moment of silence before shaking her head and looked up to She and said. "You know something about her, don''t you?" "Ehh~ what do you mean?" "Again, with your terrible acting, you know it''s easy for me to tell whether you''re lying or not. So, what is it?" "...was my acting really that bad? Well, I do know something about her, but I''m not so sure just yet." Ria didn''t say anything but urge her with a gesture for her to continue. "You know I have Mana Eyes skill, right? I was simply curious, but during her introduction, I use the skill out of curiosity but didn''t expect to see the same thing again." "Again? What do you see with those special eyes of yours?" "Just like my father, Angelica''s body also leak a chunk of mana which caused people like us to feel a special aura surrounding them. You can''t feel it just yet since you''re still weak if that is what you''re going to ask." "But I can feel yours, though? Hmm? I can''t feel it anymore?" "That''s because your power is quite close to me, or so I believe. Or it''s also possible due to how you have been staying with me till now. Basically, I don''t know, but I believe the two theory could also be a possibility. As for the reason why you can''t feel it anymore, it''s because I''ve covered the leakage with my skill." "Doesn''t that mean she could feel the ''aura'' around me since I don''t have any mean to prevent or hide it like you?" As if Ria had said something shocking, She froze up on the spot by her words. Seeing her act like that, Ria couldn''t help but smile at her, but her eyes were dead serious! She noticed the re and sheepishlyugh before opening her mouth and said. "N-No way! Yeah, there''s no way that girl would know about it!" "Are you sure? Didn''t shee up and greeted us at the cafeteria? And didn''t you say that she was stalking us a while ago?" "Uhm...I''m sorry. I never know that there would be someone else¡ªno, I should have thought about it even if it''s nonexistent. Maybe because I have been too focused on trying to get stronger." Ria went next to her before patting She on the head and shook her head. "It''s okay, don''t me yourself too much. Even I never thought of that before. And now that we know, we should think of a way to somehow fix the problem; I don''t know how but try to find a way to hide my aura like you?" She nodded her head at Ria''s word before pulling her phone out of pocket and clicked on the leveling system to search if there''s any way it could help. She went over the shop and browse through all kind of category, and before long, she stopped at essory category. ¡º Mana Ring ¡» ¡º Grade: D A ring made by Apprentice Craftsman. Its sole purpose is to suck out mana that''s leaking from the owner and store it inside. ¡» "Hahaha, How ''convenient''." Without waiting further, She immediately bought it at the cost of 500 gold as the ring materialises right in front of her. Looking at the sudden appearance of a bluish ring, Ria stares at it with curiosity. She smiled before putting the ring on top of Ria''s palm and told her about the ring before urging her to equip it. Ria nodded her head and equipped the ring on the mid finger of her left hand. When she saw Ria putting the ring on her mid finger, She immediately active her Mana Eyes and could see that the mana that was leaking from Ria''s body is slowly being sucked into the ring and eventually, nothing remained. "So, how is it?" "It works just fine. But wouldn''t Angelica be more suspicious of you when the next day we go to school, and she didn''t feel any aura around you anymore?" "Hmm, It''s already toote for that. Let''s just hope that Angelica thought she imagined when she feels the aura around me and shrugs it off, but no way that would happen right?" "Haha, yeah." As the twoughed, the serious air drifted off along, and they continue chatting until Sara knocked on the door and told the two that dinner is ready. Chapter 80 - Fifth Floor ¡º Wee to the Fifth Floor of Trial Tower! ¡» The moment the announcement rang in her mind, She immediately looked around her in earnest, perhaps to see if her surrounding has changed to something new. But sadly, all she could ever see was a massive tall tree and some bushes all around her; it was a bountiful jungle. Looking behind her, She could see the ''cave'' that she''s so used to see whenever she entered the Fourth Floor. "What, it''s the same floor?" She couldn''t help but feel sort of disappointment as she looked at the cave before looking at the jungle around her. But the announcement really said that she''s currently on the Fifth Floor, there has to be something different. Her gaze moved to and fro between her surrounding jungle and the cave where goblins reside. Although hesitant, She walked toward the forest at a specific spot where previously she had pped right into the invisible wall, but surprisingly, this time she wasn''t met with any sort of resistance as she walks a meter ahead from the previous spot. "This is!" She could feel her heartbeat starts beating really hard and tried to cool it down by taking a deep breath. She didn''t expect for her to hit right on the spot, the Fifth Floor is not the cave, but instead, the whole jungle is actually the Fifth Floor! No wonder she couldn''t bypass it before and was met by an invisible wall! She had thought it was like the First Floor, but apparently, that might not be the case. After calming down herself, She turned back and walk toward the cave, not surprising; she could enter it and even feel the weak auraing from goblin ahead. "So that means I could still y some goblins in the cave even though it''s on the Fifth Floor. Just from the weak aura that I could feel from inside the cave, it doesn''t seem that much different than the goblins on the Fourth Floor." Rather than fighting the same opponents, she would rather find a new one for her to get used to fighting all sort of opponents and to hone herbat ability even further. She could feel that she would lose something in return for growing stronger, but that''s a small price for the safety of her loved one. "Guaaaaa!" The Elite Goblin shriek before falling onto the ground and turned into a sparkling light disappeared into oblivion. She steps forward before bending down her body to pick up the shining coins on the ground. When she had entered deep into the forest, the first monster she met was yet another goblin. Although the elite is quite agile and much cunning than the normal goblin, She''s stats are even more frightening. She avoids the attacks with ease, and it didn''t even take her long for the goblin to eventually killed by her sword. As the fight didn''t really make her sweat, it was like a practice before the real thing. She looked up before narrowing her eyes and re deep into the forest, where she could feel a powerful aura that makes her sixth sense ringing an rm in her mind. Even while fighting the Elite Goblin, she didn''t let her guard down as she didn''t want to get ambush by another monster or surround by them. The deep she goes into the forest, the more she could feel how dangerous that powerful aura is to the current her. "This aura... It''s even more frightening than the Goblin King. It must be a new type of monster, no kidding." Because of the frightening aura ahead, She jumped into her shadow and traveled through the forest via Shadow Magic. It didn''t take that much longer before she found a group of goblins which consists of Four Elite Goblins surrounding a Goblin Shaman. Because she was inside the forest, She couldn''t use her powerful fire magic, unless she wants to burn everything down. She slowly creeps within the shadow toward the lone Goblin Shaman. When she was right beside it, the Goblin Shaman still hasn''t noticed her existence, not to mention the Four Elites. The beautiful jade bracelet on her right wrist suddenly shattered before materialising as a sword in her hand. She didn''t say anything and quietly swung her sword horizontally toward the Goblin Shaman as it just nkly looks around the quiet surrounding as She''s figure still within the shadow. When the sword cleanly cut the head off from its body, She figure materialise right beside the Goblin Shaman. The sudden appearance of a female human caused the four Elites to be in shocked as they could only watch their leader getting beheaded by her. Before the four Elites could respond, She waves her sword, and the closer one was killed on the spot while the other three was mildly injured. "Grooooar!" The three Elites growls in anger due to the pain from their injuries and the loss of their leader before dashing toward She. But before they could swing their club at her, a ball of me materialised and flew toward them before exploding. That one poor elite which stood on the front of her magic was burned to a crisp as it couldn''t defend it due to how fast and close they are to She and her magic. She didn''t have to worry about identally burning the forest since her attack wouldn''t miss with such a close range. The other two couldn''t even leave any wound on her body before dying by her sword. ¡º Swordsmanship Skill has leveled up! ¡» "Oh? Nice!" She immediately opened her skill window and clicked on the Swordsmanship skill. It seems that on level 4, she could use a technique called Tornado Sweep. It didn''t need to be mention on how to use it as one could figure it out just by reading the name. With a thought, the skill window disappeared from her view, and she immediately jumped back into the shadow. As she gets deeper into the forest, She met some familiar monster on the way, such as yet another Elite Goblin, Goblin Shaman and even some rare one which is Slime King. By the time she had killed a group of Goblin Fighters, she had heard the notification that she leveled up. ¡º She LV.19 ¡» ¡º HP: 101/140 MP: 197/250 GOLD: 103500 ¡ªSTR: 32 ¡ªINT: 50 ¡ªAGI: 27 ¡ªVIT: 30 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 5 ¡» "One more and I''ll be in twenty." She smiled before nodding her head in content as she looks over her stats. She still remembers the time when she was having trouble killing a single slime, but now, not even a group of Goblin Fighters could pose a danger to her. As she advances deep into the Trial Tower, she starts to pick up a habit of using Presence Detection every 30 minutes. Although she had never gotten ambushed before, it is still better to be cautious. A wise human once said, "it''s wiser to be cautious and careful than to be hasty or rash, and so do something you mayter regret." ¡º Disguise Skill has leveled up! ¡» "Oh my, finally. I had been using it since I entered the Trial Tower, and after six hours, it leveled up. It might have gained experience from the various disguise I have tried while hiding within the shadow." When She check the Disguise skill window, her eyes went wide as she read the new info about it. After leveling up to 4, She now can mask her aura with another person. That''s already plenty remarkable, but she could also change her voice! Basically, She could now disguise as another person, and if someone didn''t know better, they would have thought it was the real person instead of She in disguise. She had tried changing her voice to Ria, and it''s pretty shocking when a different voice was spoken from her mouth. It seems that her dream of disguising as a cat is not that far ahead. She only needs to go even harder in practice and eventually, her goal will be within the grip of her hands! Thump! While She was pondering on such thoughts, she was suddenly woken back to reality when she heard a heavy footstep ahead. She looked up and could feel a powerful presence ten meters ahead even though she couldn''t see the figure. Cautiously, She went forward, and after five minutes, she finally saw her opponent. Green skin, ugly face, but overly huge bodypared to what she had seen so far. Yes, it wasn''t any goblin variant she was familiar with; it was a new monster¡ª a Hobgoblin. Chapter 81 - Fear Hobgoblin, it was known as an evolved creature from the goblin race. Its height wasparable to an adult human male, with a sturdy and bnced body, it is way stronger than the variant or Elite Goblin. In some lore, it was known to be a sentient being, unlike most where it was just another evolved monster. She wonders if the hobgoblin in front of her is in any of the two cases. Because of the sixth sense that rmed her for the danger of being noticed if she went way too close, She just watches over the Hobgoblin from a distance while hiding within the shadow. She would have thought that the Hobgoblin at the front was the boss if not for the fact that she could still feel the powerful aura in the center of the Forest. Although the evolved green creature in front of her gives off yet a sense of danger, she could tell it is notparable to the boss of this floor; she definitely has the strength to handle it. Since the hobgoblin was in the wide-open space where there is no tree close to it, She decides to use Fire Magic as an attack. Without any long chanting that would take a lot of time whatsoever, She conjures the spell easily by will it in her mind. She put her hand to the front as the atmosphere around her starts to get hotter while the spell took ce. Although she didn''t need to chant, just conjuring such a spell would take her a while before it could be fired out. Eventually, the hobgoblin starts to feel the change in its surrounding and look warily around it as the atmosphere steadily bes hotter. But obviously, it couldn''t see She as she was still within the shadow of a tree. It wasn''t long before a small ball of me materialises right in front of her as her figure also followed right behind, the hobgoblin noticed the sudden intruder appearing near a tree not so far away from it. Obviously, it won''t let her do as she pleased as it immediately sprints toward her with its frightening speed iparable to that of Goblin King. She could see the figure of the hobgoblin sprinting toward her, but she has no fear on her face at all as she focused on the spell. When the hobgoblin has gotten approximately close to She, it suddenlyes to a halt. She grinned in response before opening her mouth to speak. "You think I wasn''t prepared, did you? Sorry, but I have already decided to bind you with my shadow skill from the very beginning so that you could be a sitting duck for my spell! Inferno!" When her words approaching the end, the spell was ready to be fire and without waiting further, She st the hobgoblin to dust with the maximum power of Inferno. The hobgoblin tried to resist the binding with its strength from her shadow skill, but it didn''t have much time to evade as the st of Inferno finally reached it when it has broken through. Since she didn''t hear the notification of ying the hobgoblin, She believes that it still survived from such attacks. "GROOOAAAARRR!" And as she had expected, the hobgoblin roared before waving its robust arm to spread the smoke away, and the burned figure of the hobgoblin appeared. Although some part of its body has been burned ck by her spell, it seems that it still has enough vitality to continue the fight which she could see from its eyes that has changed to crimson red. It was apparent that the hobgoblin has now entered a frenzied state. She immediately equips the sword in hands as the hobgoblin dash toward her with speed a little bit lower than before due to injuries it received from her spell. When the hobgoblin was right in front of her, it immediately sent a powerful punch to her, but She evades it by stepping to the side and swing her sword horizontal to its stomach. "Roar!" The sword shes against the hobgoblin''s arm that was used to protect its stomach on thest second, but due to how strong it is, the sword only left a deep cut before She agilely jumped back to dodge another iing punch. "it''s annoyingly persistent, huh? I guess this is where I should try the technique I have just learned." She said before gripping both of her hand onto the sword hard, and make a stand with the sword before sprinting fast toward the hobgoblin. Although it didn''t expect for the female human to rush toward it, it angrily sent two powerful strikes which She dodge it by hair breath before gritting her teeth and shouted. "Sword Technique ¡ª Tornado Sweep!" The moment she said it, She could feel the wind slowly gathered before revolving around the sword. Noticing the strange wind surrounding the female human, the hobgoblin tried sending more strike in the hope of stopping whatever that the female human plotted on doing. But before it could do so, it was bound again by her shadow skill. Because of how close they are, She didn''t need to worry about the hobgoblin breaking out of the binding and sh horizontally with her sword. Her eyes went wide at the scene in front of her, a wind of tornado sweeps the hobgoblin upward, and if she looked closer, she could see cutting wound starts appearing around its body as it trashes around in anger. But it couldn''t do anything to relieve from its irritation and watch as its body getting wounded all over and when the tornado finally diminished, to its unhappiness, it could see another familiar st of Inferno flew toward it and exploded. While the hobgoblin was trashing around in the tornado, She pulled out a mana potion from the inventory before drinking it to replenish the low amount of mana in her body. After feeling the mana inside of her being filled to the brim, She immediately conjured the second Inferno and sent it toward the hobgoblin right after the tornado disappeared. ¡º You have killed the Hobgoblin Lv. 20! ¡» Finally, the announcement that she had been waiting is here. Surprisingly, the hobgoblin is actually level 20, no wonder it could defend once against the Inferno. Thump! "GROOOOAAAARRR!" Suddenly, she heard a loud and overbearing roar with heavy footsteps sprinting toward where she is. Just from the roar alone already brought chills all over her body, there''s no way she would stand here waiting for it like an idiot. Without wasting any more time, She jumped into the shadow before distance herself from the ce where she fought with the hobgoblin. In about five minutes, suddenly a huge figure broke out of the forest and crashed onto the wide-open space while leaving a deep spider-like crater on the ground. Just by that alone showed how strong this monster really is! When the dust settled around it, she could finally see the monster but not before gulping a mouthful of saliva down her throat as she broke into a cold sweat. This monster...is definitely way beyond what she had expected. The frightening aura around it already almost suffocated her, thankfully, she had hidden herself within the shadow. But to her surprise and fear, the monster''s crimson eyes somehow manage to find her even with it. Before the situation could get even worse, She immediately thought of exiting the Trial Tower in her mind, and her vision went dark. But thest thing she saw caused her nearly pissed in her pants on the spot, the damn Ogre was right in front of her and was halfway of striking her with its mighty first. When her vision return to normal, she was already in her bedroom. "That was...really scary. If I were a little bitter, I would have died there." Just thinking about it caused her to sweats even more. She didn''t expect for the boss of the Fifth Floor to be an Ogre, especially the speed; it was so darn fast! She looked up in the mirror and saw the paleplexion of herself in the reflection. Even now, She could hear her heart beating so loud without putting her hands on her chest. "I am still weak, huh?" A wry smile appears on her paleplexion after saying that. She had thought her strength had progressed very well, but guess not. She never bes conceited from her strength; that''s because she knew that there is still someone out there that is stronger than her, after all. She couldn''t help but sadden from the thoughts of all the effort she had wasted on getting stronger. I guess I need to put even more effort into this. Chapter 82 - Do You Know What Time It Is? ITS LOTTERY TIME! After exiting the Trial Tower, She ended up ying a game on her smartphone in order to ease her mind from the horrifying experience she just had. Initially, She had wanted to visit Ria in her room(Ria had been staying at She''s home for a few days now) but she didn''t want her to found out about the recent experience. "First Kill!" An announcement was heard from She''s smartphone, which alerted the allies and enemies alike that she had been the first to in her enemies. What She was ying currently was a pretty famous MOBA game called Mobile Myth. A MOBA game is where you chose one hero among all choices avable and battle against five enemies heroes with your team from whichever route you wanted, such as Top, middle, or bottomne. You could also kill the monsters in the jungle to gain a quite amount of experience and gold, or by killing the enemies mobs, although it was too little for someone like She. Among all heroes, She used the one she had been ustomed to and efficiently jungle her way out of everything. One of the enemies even fell under her trickery and ended up dying under her hands and bes the first one to die. After ying one of the heroes, She pulled back and hid in one of the bushes while waiting to assault any enemies heroes thate toward her surrounding area. When one was hidden between bushes, their character would be in an invisible state unless they attack or were under attack. But since She''s character had been creeping silently on the same spot, one hero in red sprint passed her without noticing her presence in the bushes. "Another prey hase. Hehehe~" Seeing the ignorant hero attacking the jungle monster on his own caused her to chuckled evilly. She didn''t attack just yet and let the monster slowly bringing down the hero''s health as it appears that the hero didn''t think that the jungle monster could potentially kill him. The real reason why the hero didn''t care about his surrounding is that he could see his team fighting the four enemies on eachne on the small map. The hero was worried about getting assaulted by She at first since her character was not on the map, but after attacking the jungle monster for a while, the hero thought that She probably AFK after not seeing her character appearing on the map after killing one of his team. But what he never expected was that She was currently stalking him between the bushes near him while he was attacking the jungle monster. "Oh, the jungle monster''s health is almost gone, I guess it''s time." She didn''t wait further before assaulting the hero with one of her skills which caused him to freeze on the spot for a few seconds. Right after, She immediately boosts her attack speed before sending arrow after arrows to the hero, and once the hero has broken out of the frozen state, She immediatelyunches her remaining active skill. When the hero broke open, he immediately retreated whileunching some attacks on his path while She was chasing after him. At this point, the hero''s health has gotten too low and although the hero hadnded a few attacks of his on She, his health is still much lower than her which he couldn''t do much but tried his best to retreat since his level is still low and hasn''t unlocked the ultimate skill just yet. "You can''t escape! Now, feel my Ultimate!" Because She has gotten the first kill, obviously her level is already high enough to unlock her ultimate. With a smile on her face, She active her ultimate, which result in boosting her damage and attack speed. It didn''t even take a minute before the hero fall, and another announcement resound which caused her enemies to halt on the spot since they were on their way to rescue one of their teammates, but it appears they have been toote. Fifteen minutester, she won the game with 24 kills and 0 death which result in her being the MVP of the game. Most people would be proud before showing off their result to either their friends or on the for some small vanity, but She had long used to having such score, in fact, there were days when she had score much higher than now. It''s also been a while sincest I yed a mobile game, maybe around two weeks? Before you say anything, I know that it''s not much but to someone like me who call myself a gamer and not ying game is just unBEARable. Because I had been using my phone for the leveling system, I didn''t even have the time to update the games. And even more, because of the time difference between the Trial Tower and the real world, I feel it even longer than two weeks! She put down her phone before stretching her arm a bit but not before she saw something spectacr. While she was stretching, She saw how ''fit'' her arms is and marvel at how her thin and weakly arm turned into that so rapidly within a month after leveling up and some bits of training. She had noticed it in the past that her height had increased somehow, but seeing it again how her body is changing to something ''suitable'' really amazed her. "Though I hope it stopped there as I don''t want to be a bodybuilder, just imagine it...Ugh, what a total nightmare." Now that her mind has calmed down, herplexion had also gotten better as her skin doesn''t look as pale as before. But she couldn''tpletely forget about the Ogre since she had to fight it in the future if she wanted to go further. That Ogre is definitely above level 20 with that sort of speed, strength, and that overbearing and murderous aura. "Now that I thought about it, it''s been a while sincest I used the lottery; I wonder if anything has changed?" Taking back the phone she had put to her right, She opened the app before clicking on the Lottery, and her eyes went wide in amazement. If it had been before, the only thing that showed on the lottery system would be something like this. ¡º Lottery ¡» ¡º 1 Draw ¡ª 50G 10 Draw ¡ª 500G ¡» But now, it haspletely changed that She had thought it was not a lottery but something much better than the previous one. Well, nothing much has changed actually aside from the price of 10 draws from 500 to 700G, and there''s also parentheses that said she would get one more draw which results in actual 11! And there were brackets next to it that said she would one hundred percentage get at least one special item from the eleven draws! Isn''t that amazing?! Previously, she had thought the lottery is nothing much; she even thought that the game gacha is even better than the system lottery. Did the system took offend to it and decided to change it without her knowledge? ¡º Gold: 13500 ¡» With this much, I could definitely do ten draws once to test my luck, but should I do it? She shook her head and thought, I was looking for something that would make myself even stronger, perhaps a rare skill book or protective armor might be good. Since I had already got a growth weapon, If I got a weapon from the lottery, maybe I should give it to either Ria or Sylvia since both of their weapons is merely a low-grade weapon. Well, without further do, roll the dice! After clicking on the ten draws, a spinning wheel appears ovepping the lottery system before starting to spin itself, and once spinning; it will only stop when she clicks anywhere near it anytime now. Because of the promised that said she would definitely get one special item, She didn''t need to do her usual prayer to RNG God for a stroke of good luck. Although her heart was beating nervously, She finally put her sweaty finger on the screen which caused the spinning wheel to start slowing down before one by one, until eleven items all showed up as a gift box on the screen and entered the inventory. "From all the gift boxes, I saw one that seemed unique, which stood out among them all. I wonder if I hit the jackpot?" She grinned when she thought of that before immediately closing down the lottery system and went toward the menu before clicking on the inventory category. From all the stuff in her inventory, she saw eleven items that had not been there before, which mean it is the result of her lottery draw. What makes her so excited was that among those, there''s actually a rare skill book! "Hmm~ I wonder what rare skill would I get~? Ahh~ I can''t wait anymore! I''m gonna see it now!" Chapter 83 - Lottery Loot A book in blue pattern adores around it suddenly materialise in front of She when she clicked on the book icon on the screen of her smartphone. Because she hadn''t learned the skill, she didn''t want to touch it just yet and let it fall onto her bed while her eyes were analysing the book. Aside from the beautiful blue pattern, there is nothing much differentpare to the other skill book She had seen. But the moment her gaze locked onto the title of the book, her body froze before it starts to tremble uncontrobly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening it again and look at the title once again, but the title stays the same, and her breathing starts to pick up. Ever since she gets to know a bit of history of the system''s origin, She had been looking forward to a specific skill and hopes that she would have the chance to learn it somewhere in the future. But she didn''t expect for that time toes so soon; she hadn''t prepared her heart yet! It couldn''t be helped that she get so excited that she couldn''t stop herself from grinning, it was just like the time when she had finally got her hands on one of the game in her wishlists. The gold she spends is definitely worth it, no waste at all! Without wasting any more time, She slowly put her hand on the book, and then, her brain was startled by a sudden wave of memory rushing into it before it gradually organised within it as She feel a bit of difort due to it. When the sense of unease slowly disappearing, She opened her eyes and saw the same scene of the skill book dispersed like a glittering star in the night sky. Once the skill imprinted in her brain, She took a mouthful of a deep breath in order to calm down her chaotic heart that starts to beat so hard due to excitement. Though she tried, she couldn''t help but to look at her phone at the side before staring at it and will it in her mind for it to float in the air. Shockingly, it slowly starts to rise magically in the air before staying afloat on the spot. Yes, the skill she had learned is called Psychokinesis or in other words, Telekinesis. With a level 1 Telekinesis, she could only move one small object that is not too heavy without straining her mind. That was already pretty good in her opinion, just imagine that one day when the skill is maxed, could she make a scene of meteor shower like in the movie about the purple guy with weird chin? That would be epic! "With this, I could watch Mytube even whileying down without using my hands to hold the phone! And it would also get experience so long as I keep using it, which means hit two birds with one stone! This is what you called profit! " Looking at her phone floating midair, She couldn''t help but have such thought while keep on grinning at the expectation of what she could do once this skill leveled up even more. Even flying in the sky is not a wishful dream no more! When she had seen the ability back in the system''s origin, she desperately wanted to learn it seeing how cool and useful it is, especially in daily life. While the phone was staying still midair, She tried using her mind to press on the home button on the left side of the phone. Fortunately, the phone didn''t fall as the dark screen immediately lighten up, although her mind is currently on fire. "I need to practice more to get used to this painful part in my mind. As of now, I couldn''t do anything but only making a small object like my phone floating, yet even so, I couldn''t move too fast, or it will be a painful experience." But even with that, it''s already incredible! She had to mention it many times because of how incredible such a thing is! Also, if she only gets this rare skill while others loot were trash, she doesn''t mind at all. But that doesn''t mean she won''t take a look, who knows, maybe there''s another jackpot hidden? While the phone was floating, She uses her finger to touch on the screen but rather than touching it; the phone was pushed away by her finger beforeing to a halt. "It''s not strong enough to stay still, huh?" With that said, She grabbed the phone before opening the leveling system and click on the inventory category on the menu. As She browse through her inventory, she came across a few things that she thought incredible; one of them is called Faceless Mask. It was a smooth mask without any hole for eyes or nose, but a full face mask of nothing as the name said. How would you see with that kind of mask? Won''t it be hard to breathe? Both is a good question, but if you know the actual use of the mask, then you won''t even care about it. After all, by wearing the mask, you could use disguise skill at level 1! The moment you wore it, it will change into your face, and you would hardly feel anything on your face. Even by touching the mask, what you feel would be your soft cheeks instead of the hard and cold mask. She had tried equipped the mask, and she could really change her face and hair to a different person without using the actual disguise skill within her. She needs to wear it fully before the mask took effect, though. "Ria would definitely like this mask, but I should check the other loot first before that." Among all the trash loot, three of them appears as an icon like a potion. The first one is called Boost Potion, where it will give you a boost of 5% in Agility and also increase your reaction speed for five minutes. It''s definitely a good potion, but she has no use of it at the moment. She couldn''t even test it since she only had one on her. The second potion is called Vitality Potion; it will give five to Vitality attribute permanently but for only one use. But isn''t that already amazing?! Without waiting further, She immediately opens the cap before drinking it in one gulp. She feels refreshed the moment the potion went down her throat, and when she checked her status, her vitality did increase by five! If she could drink it many times, Aiya! Too bad that it''s only one use per person. As for thest potion, this one is extremely valuable and precious. She''s eyes narrowed when it gazes upon the name of this unique ''potion'', which is Elixir. It doesn''t need much exnation as the name spoke for itself at how precious it could be in this scientific world other than health potion. I hope that there won''t be a day where I have to use it. "And for thest loot... It''s just an egg isn''t?" An egg covered in golden snake-like scale at the size ofrger than She''s head appeared on her bed. Aside from the noteworthy golden scale and it''s huge size, it still an egg. She tried analysing it, but this is the only thing that showed up. ¡º ??? Egg ¡» Yes, nothing else. Just egg. I was so excited when I saw it and thought it''s finally my time to have a pet, but what is this? Ignoring the golden snake-like scale and its size, how do I hatch it in the first ce? Should I warm it up, but with what? Crack it open? What a jest, this egg thing here even survived from my punch. I tried stabbing with my sword too, but nothing work. I have given up on hatching it. "...I will just leave it to rot in my inventory." Chapter 84 - Upset The next day early in the morning, She awoke and went to the toilet to wash her face before leaving the house to jog. After having leveling system in her life, she has gotten used to waking up early in the morning to do a ''simple'' daily quest. She remembers the first time she had gotten the quest and almost fail because she''s not really a morning type of person. If she were just a bitter by a few seconds, she would have been sent to the Penalty. That was also the first time she had ever feel so exhausted other than ying games all day long. (Yes, it''s a day, not night.) The morning jog has been very peaceful as most people who have woken up by now would probably ready to work or to go to school. She didn''t understand why some students go to school so early in the morning, is it because they wanted to copy their friend''s homework? They should be like her¡ª goes to schoolte yet still have the gal to copy Ria''s homework before the homeroom teacher steps into the ssroom. She didn''t remember how many times she was caught and scolded by the teacher, but who cares about that. When She steps inside the house, her nose was assaulted by a very delicious smell. She didn''t even need to look for the source as she could tell it came from the kitchen and as she expected, she walked in and saw her mother in a pink apron apanied by Celia next to her. Sara looked back and saw her daughter walking in with a in jogging outfit she had seen for the past week. "Jogging again this early in the morning? I thought you would have gotten tired of it by now. Anyways, go and take a bath. Once you''re done, bring Ria here with you." "Mhm." She nodded her head in response and went upstairs to her room for a bath. When She was on the way to her room, she walked passed the room Ria''s staying, and she could hear a noiseing from it, perhaps Ria is already awoken. Not wanting to disturb her only to waste time, she decides to head back first. Thirty minutester, once all dressed up and before she steps out of her room, She didn''t forget to check her bag just in case she might miss something. After everything is all ready, She walked out of her room and was about to head for Ria''s room but only to see Ria also getting out of her room. When the two met each other eyes, they awkwardlyughed before nodding to each other and went downstairs to the kitchen. "Did you y games all night again?" "So sudden? What do you mean?" "I mean, you look happy today, am I wrong?" "Well, you are right but wrong too. I''m indeed happy but not because gaming all night¡ªno, I did y, but I swear I didn''t stay all night! Don''t look at me with those eyes! I was happy about something else, okay?!" She feels like her heart getting pierced by a spear when she saw Ria''s weird gaze at her. After she did a lottery once, she DID end up gaming all night because of how happy she is with the results. Like any other days, the moment when her soul returned to her body, it''s already early in the morning. Since she still has some energy left, she decides to head out and do some daily quest and get some sleep right after. She is very much d about the time difference in the Trial Tower; she would probably end up sleeping in the ss like back in the days if she didn''t have it. When you''re exhausted, it''s easy to fall asleep right? That''s what happened to her right after she did the daily quest. Although she has a pretty high vitalitypared to ordinary people, it didn''t mean that she won''t get exhausted at all. Even so, she could technically stay awake for a whole day without any problem with that high amount of vitality, but she didn''t want to do that and decides to get some sleep instead, three hours should be enough for her. "So, what is it about?" "Hehehe~ I wonder if I should tell you~?" She couldn''t help but wanted to tease Ria when she thought about the mask that she got from the lottery. It was something that Ria wished for, after all. Oh God, I''m so bad, I think I might be making smug face right now seeing how Ria is staring weirdly at me. "Is that so? You don''t need to tell me if you don''t want to." Leaving such word behind, Ria walks faster ahead, leaving She stunned for a few seconds before she snapped back and went after her. "Wait! Ria! I was just teasing you!" But before she could exin further, Ria already arrived in the kitchen, and she has no choice but to went and sits beside the stoic Ria. Even while eating, She keeps on sending nce toward Ria, but thetter ignored her. Her family and Celia thought the two were just having their regr small fight, which was why they act like they didn''t see it. They were used to see such a scene because most of the times, it seemed that Ria was upset toward She regarding homework. They thought that today too was also like that, Sara couldn''t help but shook her head at her daughter helplessly. "Wait for me, Ria! I told you I was just teasing you a while ago!" Seeing Ria not waiting for her while she was wearing her shoes, She hastily donned her shoes before chasing after Ria. On their way to school, She tried her best to appease Ria, but thetter didn''t respond in any of her attempts. In the end, She gives up and silently followed right behind Ria. *** When the bell rang, the students immediately sprint as fast as they could to the ''battlefield''. If one were toote, they would be left behind with nothing more and could potentially end up dead. But to She and Ria, they didn''t care about the students who ran passed them toward the cafeteria in haste. In fact, She was more worried about the stoic girl next to her. Even till lunch, it appears that Ria was still upset with her. Even in ss, when the others greeted her, Ria responded normally and would still ignore She whenever she tried to interrupt in the conversation. It bes awkward when that happens, so She stopped and just stay silent next to her with her shoulders dropped. Thankfully Angelica didn''t disturb them and mind her own business, but that didn''t seem tost long as She could feel a familiar presence following right behind her. If the familiar presence didn''te from her ss, she would have thought it was Yuna. Looking at the overly long line waiting for them at the cafeteria, She went up to Ria and said. "Umm, why don''t you find a seat and I''ll get you food?" Ria stares at the long line before moving toward She and walks toward an empty seat without saying anything back. It took a while, but She finally got the meals on the trays and went toward where Ria is sitting. "Here." After putting the tray for Ria in front of her, She went and sat next to her. She picked up the spoon and was about to eat her food when suddenly, Ria let out a sigh before saying. "So, what was it?" Ria could see She''s eyes sparkling when she heard her speaking. But before she said anything, She looked around and frowned when she saw some people looking at them. Though it''s kind of obvious that she couldn''t show the faceless mask right in this ce, but she thought that Ria would believe in her word if the proof is right in front of her, that seems unlikely since there are eyes staring at them, especially the noteworthy red hair. Without a choice, She went closer to Ria before whispering in a voice that only the two of them could hear. When she finished her part, Ria suddenly got up and shouted. "Really?! Are you sure?! This is not a lie, right? I would be super pissed if you''re lying to me right now." "Shh! I''m not lying; it''s the truth. You should know that right now is not a good ce for that. I will show youter after school." Looking at her surroundings, Ria realised that she was currently in the cafeteria of her school and saw other students staring at their table due to her sudden squealed. Ria immediately gets down and sat with a blushed on her face due to embarrassed. She justughed at her before saying that she would definitely show itter for sure when Ria ''re'' at her. Chapter 85 - Faceless Mask Angelica''s POV The second day I went to school, I was surprised to find that the girl named Cilia didn''t have that sort of aura around her anymore, no matter how hard I looked at her, she just looks like a normal student now. Is it possible to control the ''aura'' to the point that one feels like an ordinary person? As far as I know, I have never met such a person before. Even the expert that had saved me back then also exposed his domineering aura for all to see. There has to be a reason behind this, if such thing is possible, then people like me could be taken by a surprise attack which could results in either grave injury or possible dying without knowing why and how it happened. I really just wanted to walk toward Cilia and enquire her until she spills the truth, but not having the knowledge about the girl''s ''real'' origin makes it hard for me to make a move. I had done a background check of the two girls and found out that both of them, although one is from an influential family, both of them is from the generation of ordinary families. They had no special bloodline, no connection to the circle, nothing abnormal at all. Everything about their origin told me that they are totally an ordinary two highschool girls. But there''s no way an ordinary person could have that kind of ''aura''. It''s also possible that Cilia had just entered into the supernatural world, but that''s merely one of the many hypotheses I hade with. There''s also the easy way to figure it out by using the first method, and that is to ''test'' her. But mother had told me that I shouldn''t put my hands on innocent people unless there''s proof that the person is actually from our circle. The ''proof'' that I required didn''t include the fact that I could feel the ''aura'' around Cilia since there''s also some group of ordinary people that ended up having such thing happened to them due to living in a ''special'' ce for a certain period of time. I didn''t know the exact reason why, but I had seen some that had experienced it. The father of She, Anthony, is also one of them. He was just an ordinarypetent businessman, but because he had once visited a site where it was known to be special, Anthony ended up staying there for too long which caused him to experience strange thing happening around him. I hade to know about it when I did some research on She''s family, though I would not have gotten much in the first ce if not for another person helping me getting that information. Ring! Ring! While Angelica was pondering deeply on such thoughts, the sudden ringing bell startled her, and her consciousness was brought back to reality. She looked around her only to realise that it''s already lunchtime, and when she saw the two girls getting up and heading toward the cafeteria, she immediately followed right behind while putting a bit of distance so that her presence wouldn''t get detected by them. But not knowing that She had Presence Detection skill, her cautiousness was a waste as She could tell she was being followed. It appears that Cilia is kind of upset at She for some unknown reason, Angelica had seen the awkward atmosphere around the two when they walked into the ss a while back. But because of the disappearance of the aura around Cilia bring a huge shock to her, Angelica let it slipped off her mind. When Cilia went off to find a seat while She would be the one buying their food, Angelica decides to get on the long line instead of walking to Cilia, while observing her surrounding. Although the two girls are her current suspects, there is still a possibility that it was actually someone else. Angelica wants to ask her mother if she knows anything about her mission, but her mother had been busy as ofte. Because she didn''t want to disturb while her mother is working, Angelica decides to investigate it herself. After getting her food on the tray, Angelica immediately searches for an empty seat and luckily found one not too far from the two. She initially wanted to get the seat on their table but veto against it since she is not that close to them. Angelica wasn''t in a hurry since there''s plenty of time for her to meet up and interact with the two since the festival event is happening soon. When Angelica sat down on her seat, she tried to eavesdrop their conversation, but she couldn''t hear anything since She was whispering to Cilia instead of talking normally like the other. But she was surprised when Cilia suddenly ''shrieked'' and still couldn''t understand the context of what they were talking about even after that. One thing she heard about is that She wants to show something to Cilia and that something caused Cilia to act out of character, perhaps due to excitement. But what Angelica finds even more suspicious is that She had told Cilia that school is not a good ce to show such a thing. What was it that required She to keep it hidden from the public''s view? If it''s not for the ''aura'' and the little incident back then, Angelica would have ignored them by now and thought it was simply not her business to meddle in other''s business. Could she possibly stalk them? But she won''t get anything if the two decides to do it at their house. Angelica didn''t know why, but she feels a sense of danger whenever she had thought of invading their house secretly. This was also the reason why Angelica decides to retreat after getting their address instead of moving forward. But this also showed her that the two is not normal! Why would she get a sense of danger when it involved Cilia and She? She won''t feel any threat if they were really a normal person since they wouldn''t be able to hurt her. It encourages her even more into investigating on Cilia and She. *** Ring! Ring! Ring! The final bell started ringing, signalling that the school hase to an end as the students quickly put the book into their bag before bidding farewell to the teacher and sprints out of their ssroom. The same goes to She and Ria, but they didn''t sprint like the other students and merely walked on their own pace. She noticed a familiar presence ended up trailing behind her right after she steps out of the ssroom, but she ignored it since she knows who it is. To be honest, she really wanted to know the background of Angelica Ernest because she appears to be someone who was also in the same world as her. She knows that it''s possible for someone like her exists out there, but she didn''t expect to meet such person so soon. Although she had gotten stronger, She didn''t think it was enough to protect herself since even though with her current agility she could easily dodge a bullet, that doesn''t mean she''spletely invincible and unkible. She could still get injured and possibly die too. When She was browsing over the shop in the system somewhere in the past, there is one item that stood among others, and it was something that she desperately needed. But the cost of such an item is very much expensive, even though she had saved up the gold up until now, it is still now enough. Only when she gets that item in her hands would she be able to breathe in relief. As the two walking side by side down the street, Ria without hiding her excitement opened her mouth and said. "Can you show it to me now?" Looking to her side, She could see a girl full of the energy of excitement, and she could also see Ria''s eyes gleamed when she looked into her eyes. She couldn''t help but release a sigh out of her mouth and said. "Calm down, I have it in my hands, so you don''t need to worry about it disappearing or anything like that. I swear I''ll show you once we reached home." Ria pouted in response but kept her silence since she knows it would be bad if someone found out about the mask, especially Angelica, that red-haired girl might have still trailing right behind them even now. She is just too delightful about it couldn''t keep her excitement on hold without seeing it with her own eyes, but She''s words brought a bit of her sense back which caused her to cooled down a bit. After walking for more than five minutes, the two finally arrived in front of She''s house. When Ria finally steps inside the house, she couldn''t wait no more and put both of her hands on She''s shoulders before shaking her while asking for the mask. She couldn''t do anything to stop Ria from shaking her unless she gives her what she wanted. Thankfully she was prepared for something like this happening and grabbed the side of her cheeks before pulling the mask off her. Yes, she had been wearing the mask ever since early in the morning. She had thought of surprising Ria in the morning but didn''t expect for thetter to get upset which she ended up going to school while wearing the mask. Ria was surprised when she saw She grabbing onto her cheeks before a white mask with no feature suddenly appeared in her hands, recing the supposed ''cheeks'' that she grabbed a second ago. It was the Faceless Mask. "So, this is..." (AN: SPARTA! Sorry, I had to.) Chapter 86 - Advancing Forward "So, this is Faceless Mask." Ria muttered as she let her finger wander around the front of the mask and noticed how smooth it feels to her touch. After analysing the mask with her eyes, Ria finally couldn''t hold herself and put the mask over her face. At first, she feels very ufortable putting the mask on her face, but that soon disappeared after it adapted to her face and Ria feels like her whole face was covered with anotheryer of skin on top of her actual skin. She didn''t say anything and brought the small mirror out of the inventory and gave it to Ria when thetter looked at her. epting the mirror in her hands, Ria brought the mirror to her face and was amazed that the reflection showed her actual face, the mask was nowhere to be found. Feeling the giddiness in her body, suddenly the reflection showed her hair color changed into that of a beautiful silver-white hair from her silky ck hair. "This is amazing; it looks so natural." Ria said in amazement while staring at her now silver-white hair closely from the mirror. While Ria was using the skill to change her face a couple of times, She stood by her side while silently looking at her best friend''s antic. But it didn''t take long before the mask turned back to normal as Ria almost fall over in exhaustion if not for She standing close to her and manage to catch the fall. There was a confusion on her face when she looked up to She; Sheughed before telling Ria that it cost mana for her to use the skill to maintain the change and since she keeps on using the mask, she ended up depleting all her mana. That was one thing that differs between acquiring real skill and the magic item, since having an actual skill won''t require mana to maintain the change as it will only cost once when one use the skill. Of course, if they used the skill repeatedly without rest like Ria would deplete their mana in no time. After she had finished exining things to Ria, She brought the mana potion and gave it to thetter for her to drink. But since Ria had no more energy even to lift her finger, She had to help Ria by feeding the girl with her own hands. After having her mana filled, Ria ''re'' at She before opening her mouth and said. "You should have told me that earlier." "You were so excited about it; I don''t think you will hear me out even if I do tell you." She said while shaking her head; Ria suddenly remembers how she acts as her face flushed red before shouting to She. "But still, you should have told me!" "Anyways, how was it? Do you like it?" Ria continues ring at She and only stopped when thetter didn''t respond as she expected. "I love it, though it would have been even better if the disguise skill is maxed instead of just level 1." "That won''t be a magic item anymore, it''s definitely on the level of a godly item, and such item would be as rare as seeing money falling from the sky. It''s impossible." "I know, you don''t need to tell me¡ª" "Oh? So you two were already home, why are you staying here too long for? Go and change your outfit, dinner will be ready soon." Sara interrupted in their conversation when she entered the hallway and saw the two were chatting with each other while still in their school uniform. After saying her part, Sara turned back and walked toward the kitchen to resume cooking for dinner. She and Ria looked at each other before walking upstairs toward their respective room. After eating dinner, the two went up and decided to get experience together in the Trial Tower in She''s bedroom. Only after the door is locked would they closed their eyes to enter the Trial Tower. When the two regain their vision, they were greeted with a dark cave in front of them while a huge forest on their back. Because Ria had finally cleared the First Floor, this would be her first time entering the Second Floor since she had been ying the slimes to earn even more experience before advancing. She was not that confident on her own; that was why she wanted She to be with her. "So, this is the cave where goblins reside? It''s pretty dark; I can''t even see anything. You have cleared this floor, so give me a hand." "Well, I have night vision like the goblins, but I don''t know how to help you with that. Hmm, hold on." She said before staring seriously in the air while also moving her hand from time to time, Ria didn''t make any noise and just stood silently to the side while watching She acting ''weird''. Ria knows that She was currently browsing through the system that only she could see, that was why She looks weird with moving her hands in the air from Ria''s perspective. After browsing through the system shop for a few minutes, She finally found what she was looking for and immediately buy it when the price appears to be affordable. Without waiting further, A familiar-looking ck book with a weird looking eye on the front suddenly materialises out of thin air before falling into She''s hands. Ria widens her eyes before narrowing her eyes and said. "Can I even learn this skill book?" "It should be, why don''t you give it a try? It won''t hurt anyway, and even if you can''t learn it, I could lend you a hand to clear the floor." "...if you say so, alright." With that said, Ria epted the skill book in her hands while still having a low expectation of learning it, but surprisingly, the book immediately shattered into dust as a torrent of new memory rushing to her head. Ria grimaces while holding tightly onto her head, perhaps feeling ufortable about the process. But the process didn''t take too long as Ria expression now turned into that of relieved. "So, It''s a Night Vision, huh? Did you get it from the shop? I remember you telling me that the skill that was sold in the shop is quite expensive." "It''s okay, that was one of the few skills that are considered cheap at 2500 gold. All the other skills are in the hundred of thousands, which is why I called it expensive." "So I will be able to see in the dark now?" Ria said before gazing deep into the cave and could see the wall of the cave but was unable to see far into the cave. It''s understandable as the skill is still on level 1 and Ria couldn''t see that far ahead with normal eyesight. And when Ria activated her night vision skill, She could see the light within her eyes, and if not for the fake sunlight, it would have shine even more in the dark. She didn''t know about this since she had never looked at herself in the mirror when she was so focused on grinding for experience. "Let''s go." She said as she gives a pat on Ria''s back, urging her to advance. But Ria took a couple of a deep breath before stepping forward into the cave as She followed behind her putting a certain amount of distance from Ria because she didn''t want the goblins to go after her, though she could handle these goblins easily with only brute strength alone. She didn''t say anything to Ria how she is going to ''help'' but knowing the girl; Ria thought that She would only make a move if she gets poorly injured; otherwise, she won''t lift a finger. Ria cautiously and slowly walks forward while her eyes are focusing on her surrounding, she had gotten sneak attacked once by a slime because she let her guard for a second right after ying the slime. Ria had thought that there was no slime left in her surrounding and was not expecting such a sneak attack and took a painful hit on her back. Thankfully she is a healer and could heal any wounds that she received by herself. It was about five minutes when Ria finally found her enemy ahead, which caused her toe to a halt. It was a single goblin walking to and fro on the same spot while having a nk look on its ugly face. Because Ria didn''t have any offensive magic, she gripped onto her silver sword and closed her eyes to ready herself beforeunching forward with a fast momentum. "Giga!" The goblin shrieked when it saw a female human rushing straight toward it. It didn''t take her seriously but wouldn''t let the prey escape, that''s why it also sprint toward Ria with the rough club in its hand. Ria was shaken for a second when she saw the ugly green creature rushing toward her while having a nasty grinned on its face, but shees to her sense when She tap on her shoulders as encouragement before putting back the distance between them. Ria thanks She in her mind before stepping to the side as the goblin swing its club at her before sending a horizontal sh with her sword. The blood spilled to the ground, and the goblin stepped backward as it howled in pain at the wound it received on its gut. Seeing her attack was more effective than she expected, Ria immediately sent another swing of her sword, chopping the hand that was holding the club before proceed to behead the goblin in one sweep. Although Ria doesn''t have much fighting against humanoid monsters, she still has the experience battling against the slimes; those were enough to kill a single goblin. Chapter 87 - *Spoiler* (Title At End) "Are you okay, Ria?" She worriedly asked while looking at the paleplexion on Ria''s face as she gives a pat in the back. Right after Ria had beheaded the goblin in one sweep, she suddenly vomited on the ground. The scene of goblin''s head rolling on the ground might have given her a huge impact than She had expected. It''s understandable as even She almost puked after looking at the aftermath in the alleyway back then. Even though the goblin in the Trial Tower seems real yet not due to how it would be shattered to dust after being in, it could still hurt you and potentially dying in their hand. When Ria looked back at the dead goblin turning to dust before disappearing, herplexion seems to get better, yet She could tell the impact was still hard for Ria to handle it on her own. It appears that She mindset is more firm than her. "I-I''m..fine... I just need a rest." "Alright, let''s take a rest outside for some fresh air." "Mhm, that sounds good." The two then retreated to the outside before propping down near a tree and sat on the nket that She hadid on the ground. She didn''t forget to bring a certain amount of food from the inventory out for them to eat while enjoying the calm breeze. Seeing the opportunity, She decides to bring the topic she had been waiting for as she opened her mouth and said. "Ria? You remember that I told you I got the Faceless Mask from the Lottery, right?" Although she didn''t expect for She to bring out such a random topic suddenly, Ria nodded her head in response. "Actually, among all the loot I had received from the lottery, there''s one that I didn''t know what should I do with it. Do you want to see?" "Hmm? But can''t you tell what it was by that analyse thing from the system?" "That''s the reason I was conflicted. I''ll show you and exin why." Suddenly, a golden snake-like scale egg at the size of bigger than their head materialise in front of the two before it wasid down by She. Ria was surprised at how big this weird looking egg is; she had thought She would bring out an item instead of an egg. When her finger touches the golden scale, Ria could feel how smooth the scale is from the touch than she had expected. After having touched all over the egg with her hands while analysing it with her eyes, Ria looked up and said. "So, what sort of egg is this?" "That''s what I wanted to know the most. The information on its name only showed as ''??? Egg'', even the further details was all question mark. No matter what I do, I can''t get any more information than that." "I thought the system you have is too convenient and powerful, but it has some weakness too, I see. But what is your opinion on this?" "I thought it would hatch whatever that was inside of it after I pulled it out of the inventory, but as you can see, nothing happened. And as far as I know, I can''t store a living being inside my inventory when I found out by having some experiment on the ants." "Does that mean that this is infertile egg?" "...I hope not. Maybe there''s some sort of requirement for hatching the egg like what I saw in games." "There''s such thing in the game? But would it really be like that? This is a reality which differs than the gaming world, which was all data. But then again, the status did show one strength as a digit." "Yes, or maybe it is not the time yet. Whatever it is, I couldn''t do anything right now and just let store it in my inventory until I found a way to hatch it." She said before putting the egg back into the inventory and resume eating the snack that was levitating to her front as Ria stares at it with a curious and exasperated look on her face. Couldn''t hold her curiosity, Ria tries to grab the floating snack, but it dodges her hand to the side as She looked at her. "Do you have some sort of telekinesis skill?" "I do, this skill is also one of the loot that I have gotten from the lottery. I couldn''t make use of it in actualbat just yet since it couldn''t carry an item that is too heavy and the fact that its movement is still restricted." She casually said while using her mind to grab the chip in the bag before it ''flew'' into her mouth. Because she could only move one object at a time, She holds onto the bag while she was using her mind to pick up the chips. If anything, it looks like the chips ''willingly'' flew into his mouth on their own from Ria''s perspective. Ria couldn''t help but feel envious, yet she knows that she definitely couldn''t learn it even if She could buy it in the system''s shop. Ria started to dislike the restriction that was imposed on ss, but she couldn''t do anything and onlyin about it internally. But one day, when Shee to know the origin of the system, she might be able to remove the restriction. At that time, Ria wonders what her future would be. "Let''s go." Ria suddenly said as she gets up on her feet with a determined look on her face. She nodded her head before putting everything back into the inventory and followed right behind Ria. After that, it seems that Ria has gotten better at controlling her urge from vomiting seeing the goblin she had in one by one, and finally getting used to it. While She was watching Ria fighting against the goblin, she appears to be deep in thought. The very reason she didn''t want Cilia to be included in her unordinary life is due to this exact thing that gued by all people once they experienced in killing something that looks the same as them, a ''humanoid'' being. She didn''t want Ria to get ''used'' to doing something like this; she would rather walk by herself in this path filled with death. She knows that she would likely have to fight against someone, perhaps a human into a kill or be killed situation. If what she saw in the nightmare hold some credible, then the world would have turned into a world where strong prey the weak which it would make it much harder for those who were just ordinary without any special ability. The only way to survive from such world is by getting stronger before the inevitable; this is the reason why she brings Cilia into this whole new world just in preparation for that. There''s no way She by herself could protect all her loves one; after all, she is just a single person. That''s why She aims to create an entire organisation that would listen to her and took her ce to minimise the damage that might happen to the world in the future. Although she only cares about her loves one, She also wanted to protect the current society no matter how corrupted it had be. In truth, she doesn''t want the entertainment that she enjoys so much to disappeared from the face of the earth. Although it looks like she put the problem aside for others to handle, she didn''t care much since it''s never her business to take care of the whole world just because she has the ability to do so. What with poweres responsibility, no way in hell did she believe in such hypocrite saying. She could only give them a hand and let those who wanted to do justice thing or be a hero by giving them the power they desired. Let those who wanted to do it willingly, while she would mind her own business. But to find such people that fits the requirement in this modern world is kind of hard. "She?" "Yes?" When she heard her name being called, She immediately went to Ria as thetter had just in another goblin with ease after getting used to their attack pattern. Ria put the sword back into inventory before saying. "I think I had enough for today." "Well, it''s already been three hours. Alright, you head back first, I''ve got something else to do in here." Ria raised her eyebrows, but she didn''t ask anything and closed her eyes to exit the Trial Tower. After seeing the figure of Ria disappearing, She immediately teleports a distance away from the silver-white haired girl who was currently battling against a group of slimes. Seeing that Sylvia didn''t have any problem in dealing with them, She nodded her head and decided to wait for the fights to end. Ten minutester, Sylvia finally ends by destroying the core of thest slime with her Fatal Strike. When She steps forward without hiding her presence, Sylvia turned back in a defensive position, but when she look who it was caused her shoulders to be at ease. "How are you doing so far, Sylvia?" "Umm, I...had leveled up to 5..just now." "Oh, that''s good. Then¡ª" She was about to continue when her eyes caught onto something which caused her to frown. Sylvia noticed her gaze, and when she followed it, she looked down before trying to make the excuse that she got the bruises from a fall. "Don''t lie to me; it was her right?" "No no, it''s not from my mother, I got it from the fall!" "I didn''t specifically say it was your mother, but from the looks of it..." She stopped in the middle of her sentence as she thought deeply for a few moments. Sylvia didn''t say anything after her excuse was seen through by She and went quiet in ce, but what She said next to her caused her to fill with shock. "Why don''t you live in with me?" Chapter 87 ¡ª Living Together? Chapter 88 - Permission "Living...Together?" Sylvia repeated the words in confusion, clearly stated on her face. She nodded her head in response before opening her mouth and said. "Yes, it''s very clear that if you keep staying at your current ce, your ''mother''s won''t stop her action even though now she has already out of reach from the evil spirit''s influence." Sylvia stares nkly in silence while slowly trying to process She''s words in her mind. To be honest, She didn''t expect her mother to abuse her daughter even after she had purified the evil spirit. She had thought the cause of it was from the evil spirit, but it didn''t seem as simple as she initially thought. When Sylvia finally understood that She is serious, she shook her head before saying. "But she''s still...my mother, the one who gave birth to me. No matter...what she did to me, I...could still handle it." "I know, but think about it. Currently, she''s abusing you with brute strength, but once she''s used to it, she would likely do something worse than this in the future. To be honest, I would have sent a report to the police if I didn''t care what happens to your mother. But I did tell you, I was going to show you the way, right? Believe in me." Sylvia furrowed her eyebrows while listening to She. Sylvia knows that the loving mother of the past has long disappeared after her parents divorced. But even so, she took the abuse silently while hoping that one day, her mother would open her eyes and became the loving mother that she used to be. But that hope slowly being chipped away as the day goes on while she suffers the abuse both at home and bullying at school. After the hope in her heart shattered into nothingness, she decides tomit suicide but ended up being saved by the girl in front of her. Looking up, she could see that there''s worry deep in She''s eyes. Should I believe in her? Believe in the girl in front of me to leave the house? The question repeatedly appears in her mind. She has a point in what she''s saying, but I still couldn''t help but worried about what''s going to happen to my mother if I leave her alone. She seems like she could understand what Sylvia is thinking as she smiled before putting her head on top of the small girl''s head. "Did I ever say that you couldn''t visit her? I didn''t, right? If you''re worried about her, you can still stop by from time to time." "Then...I.." *** After exiting the Trial Tower, She put her weight on the bed before a sigh escape from her mouth. "I don''t understand why the girl still worried about that woman even after what she had done to her. I don''t know if she''s too kind or idiot, but thankfully she agrees." Even though she had invited the girl on her own, she still needs to ask for permission from her parents. They will likely give their agreement if they know about the reason why she wants to bring her here. But the problem is... Ria. When She thought of that, she couldn''t help but feel her head aching from the headaches. She didn''t know why but it appears that the two didn''t get along well. Whenever the two met each other, there would be spark while ring at each other without saying anything. She remembers it all started when Sylvia said something ridiculous back then, which caused Ria to be on defensive mode for some reason. After giving the skill to Sylvia, Ria urged her to leave together right after She had finished exining the skill to the silver-white haired girl. She would likely get upset again when she heard the news of Sylviaing over, but She had to do it, or it would be troublesometer on if Sylvia continues staying at that hell hole only to be abuse. She had promised to the girl, after all. With that in mind, She gets off the bed and exits her bedroom before heading downstairs, towards the living room. As she had expected, her mother is currently sat on the couch while watching the drama on the Television as she took a sip on tea once in a while. Her father, Anthony, is currently reading a newspaper by her side. Feeling her presence, Sara turned back and saw her daughter walking toward her. "Oh? Are you not ying games in your room like always?" When Anthony heard Sara speaking to She, he looked up and only stares at his daughter for a few seconds before continuing reading the newspaper. She sat next to her mother before opening her mouth said. "I have something to tell you, Mom. Um..." "Hmm? What is it?" Feeling the staresing from both of her parents, She couldn''t help but gulped a mouthful of saliva while putting her hands together. Maybe her mother could feel that She was nervous as Sara put her hand onto hers with a smile on her face. "I invited a friend of mine..." "It''s just that? I don''t mind you inviting a friend; in fact, would love to when for you to spend more time with your friends." "Um, it''s not just that. Actually..." She slowly started to exin the information that she knows about Sylvia to her mother, although her father''s eyes were staring at the newspaper, his ears perk slightly, and listens to his daughter. It took 10 minutes to summarised everything, and after she was done, She keeps her silence as she looked down, afraid of seeing how her parents would react. Before Sara could say anything, Anthony suddenly voices out his opinion on the matter. "Why didn''t you just report the case to the police?" "It''s because the girl still cares about her mother, right?" Sara interrupted before She could answer, and thetter nodded her head in response to her mother. But Anthony shook his head and said. "How is she fit to be a mother with that kind of personality? If what She said to be true, that woman could be jail for a period amount of time. That should be enough time for her personality to undergo a change from living in jail for a couple of years." "Even so, that woman is still her mother, someone that suffered for nine whole months before giving birth to her. Although she might have disliked her mother, or hated at some point, she still couldn''t do something like that to her only parent left. I guess you don''t mind the girl staying in our house?" "Hmph, she can stay all she wants." Looking at the two talking to each other, She keeps her silence, in case the two might refuse. But when she heard her father not minding Sylvia staying in the house, She couldn''t help but put a brilliant smile on her face. The only one left is her mother; She gulped when her mother looked at her. But her mind was at ease when her mother smiled and said. "I don''t mind either, but you have to make sure to take care of her when she''s living here with us." "Mhm, I will. Thank you, Mom, and Dad." She said before bowing her head and stood up, walking to the stairs heading upstairs. She had gotten permission from both of her parents, now the only problem left...is Ria. When She arrived in front of the door of Ria''s room, she hesitated for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and knocked on the door a couple of times and said. "Ria, Can Ie in?" She could hear footsteps slowly walking inside the room until it stopped at the door before Ria opened the door and invite her in. She entered and saw a couple of books on top of the table and assumed that Ria was studying before she steps in the room. "So, what do you want now? As you can see, I''m currently studying." Ria said as she sat back at her chair while She went and sat on top of her bed. "I have something to say, but before that, I hope you don''t get upset about this. Would you promise me on that?" Ria raises her eyebrows while feeling something bad swelling inside her body, she didn''t know, but she feels like She is going to say something ridiculous. The fact that She wants Ria to promise that she won''t get upset over something she will say showed that it definitely isn''t anything good. But looking at She serious expression, Ria couldn''t help but release a sigh and said. "Alright, fine. Out with it." "Actually, Sylvia will be staying with us starting today." "...What?" Chapter 89 - Foreboding "Actually, Sylvia will be staying with us starting today." "...What?" "I have already got permission from my parents. Wait, now that I think about it, there''s no more room that''s ava¡ª" Before She could continue her words, Ria interrupted her with the question she wanted to know the most. "Hold up! First of all, what do you mean that white-haired girl is going to live with us?" She was caught off guard for a second when hearing the context of what She said. Ria was confused at how the situation suddenly be like this when she had just separated from She like 2-3 hours in reality. Did something happen in the Trial Tower while she was away? "It means exactly what I was saying. Did I not exin it to you properly?" "Isn''t that obvious?! I would not have been this much confusion if you had properly exined it to me in the first ce! Do you like to see me upset that much, Idiot She?" Ria shouted exasperatedly, but her words end with a cold monotone voice, and She could feel chills creeping over her body especially at the end. Now that her nervousness has been washed away by Ria''s cold words, She realised that she didn''t actually exin anything to thetter, which caused Ria to be confused at her ''sudden'' explosive announcement. She scratch at the side her head as she awkwardlyughed before starts to exin everything with Ria ring at her with her scary ''deadly'' eyes. Ten minutester... "In short, you decided to bring that girl to live with us because her mother keeps abusing her in their house?" "Yes. I have promised that girl, after all. I don''t want to break any of my promises." "Promise, you said?" "Well, I promised her that I''d show the way where she can find her own happiness." Ria couldn''t help but widen her eyes as pure shock written on her face. She was not expecting someone like She to make that kind of promise with a determined look on her face; after all, Ria knows that this girl is still quite an airhead. It seems that She had changed quite a bit ever since that unknown app entered her life. Ria doesn''t know if it was for better, but one thing that she knows is, no matter what choice She would have to make in the future, As her best friend, she will be supporting her. Although I don''t really like that white-haired girl, I still could tolerate her, maybe until She find a way about it. Just thinking about it, she couldn''t help but to sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Now that I know the reason behind it, obviously I couldn''t say no to this, you know that, right? If you had told me before the very beginning I would not have to get headaches for overthinking and wasting my time on this. Now that I think about it, I started to feel upset about it." She breathes out a relieved sigh when she heard the first few words from Ria, but when it gets to thetter part, she was about to make a run but was stopped by Ria as the ''demon'' gripped onto her shoulders with all her strength. Though She could escape by using at most half her strength, she didn''t do so and let herself get caught. It was her own fault for not exining it properly. After that, She and Ria ended up spending time together until Sara came up and knocked on the door and said that Sylvia has already arrived, and she''s currently in the living room. She was surprised as she had thought of visiting the girl before walking her home, also expecting her mother to have a say in this. She believes that her mother would definitely want to stop her daughter from leaving the house, yet here she is, sittingfortable on the couch and only moved her attention away from the TV when Sylvia noticed the presence she had been waiting for is here. But she narrowed her eyes when she saw Ria next to She, She ignored the obvious reaction and decided to ask the question that she had been thinking about. "Sylvia." "Yes, mas-" "Don''t call me that in here, call me She." "Uhm, Yes, She!" "Anyway, I hope you don''t mind me asking, but your mother didn''t stop you from leaving the house, I assume?" "Uhh, about that¡­Actually," After exiting the Trial Tower, Sylvia was wondering about how she should tell her mother without thetter making a huge problem out of it. It''s even possible that her mother would not let her leave the house. Although she hade to hate her mother to this day, she still didn''t want to leave her mother alone, if possible. Even if she was abused to the point that she had almostmitted suicide, she still couldn''t resent her mother after all the care she had done from birth until she was snobbish brat. She did, at some point, even hope her mother will return to normal, which had long given up on that. Sylvia had heard once that her father has gotten a new family and is living well, while Sylvia was beaten by her mother out of anger, thinking that while she was suffering, the man doesn''t seem to have any problem finding a new family at all. The day after they divorced, she had to follow one of the two, but neither of them wants to take of her for some reason. Sylvia still remembers her time as a kid; the two were always seen close together no matter where they are; they would always be clinging to each other. Her parents always spoiled her. How did it end up like this? Anyways, if she said it to her mother up-front, she would definitely get pped, right? Sylvia ended up writing a letter about her leaving the house and put it on top of the table in her bedroom. Her mother had likely found out by now and probably looking for her in anger when she just got home from part-time work, but it was already toote. Once she left the house and walking on the street, Sylvia suddenly remembers that She never tells her the address to her house, so the white-haired girl ended up walking around for the past twenty minutes until a red-haired girl appeared. "Hmm? You met Angelica Ernest?" "So she is really your friend! She was the one who told me your address; she''s so nice." I won''t ask how that girl knows since I know she was stalking me once in a while, just like a certain junior that I know. But seriously Sylvia, Howe you not feel any suspicious at all from that girl? You didn''t even wonder how that girl knew my address. She couldn''t help but sigh while massaging her head. "Anyway, since you will be living together with us, make sure you get along with Ria, alright? Ria, you too." The two didn''t say anything but res at each other for a few seconds before looking away as both nodded their heads. Looking at the two acting like that, She wonders how chaotic her life is going to be from now on. At school, she had to handle two stalkers, while now at home, she needs to watch out for the two, or they might break into a fight if she were to look away for a second. But even so, though Sylvia''s business is somehow taken care of for now, why? Why am I still feeling like something bad is going to happen? I had thought it was because of Sylvia, but guess not. This uneasy feeling, I wonder if something will happen on the day of the festival. I hope this feeling will go away by itself after grinding some experience in the Trial Towerter. Though I could protect my loved ones from ordinary people, I don''t think I could handle people from the supernatural world just yet, even though I don''t know if they actually exist. But it''s better to believe they do than not; I don''t want to get caught in unexpected attack, after all. *** "Is this everything?" "Yes, this is everything that we have regarding the information about the daughter of Sara." "Hmm, good. Go back now and prepared for the day. I''ll give you a call when that timees, but before that, make sure you and your group have prepared." "Yes!" When the unknown man left, the spacious room was once again filled with silence. Rodrick looked down at the file that was neatly put on his table while enjoying the wine on his other hand. But he bes angry when he saw the picture of She on the file before throwing his ss of wine on the ground, leaving it shattered to pieces. "Just you wait; I''ll teach you a lesson for the humiliation I have suffered, you damn brat!" Chapter 90 - Sudden The next day, She once again awoke early in the morning and immediately dressed up before exiting the room and headed downstairs. As she walked through the hallway, She could hear a noiseing from the kitchen and assumed it must have been her mother that woke up way early than her to make breakfast. She heads down and steps into the kitchen and made her presence known by calling out to her mother. "Good morning, Mom." "Oh, good morning, She. Are you heading out now?" "Mmm, not today. Do you need any help?" "I see. I don''t mind another hand, then could you cut this onion first?" "Okay." In the next ten minutes, She was helping her mother in the kitchen, cooking for their breakfast. Looking at her daughter cutting the onion, Sara couldn''t help but give apliment when she saw that She had gotten better at handling the knife, the onion was chopped precisely to small pieces. Although her current agility stats are lowpared to her other stats, it is still much higher than ordinary people. With such agility, as long as one knows how to use a knife, it would be a walk in the park to do such a thing. She smiled at her mother''spliment, although she is not strong enough to defeat the boss of the Fifth Floor, she is not weak by any mean. It was simply that the Ogre is stronger than her, but that would change once she leveled up more. After the introduction yesterday, She brings Sylvia to her room while Ria followed right behind. It was not long before Ria realised where they are heading to which caused her to frown, She noticed and awkwardlyughed while Sylvia was confused at the two silent interaction. "This is where you''ll be staying." She said once she opened the door and brought the two inside the room. Sylvia looked around and noticed that it doesn''t seem to be the guest room as she could see that the bed is messy as if someone had just sleep on it. Noticing her gaze, Ria snorted and said. "What do you mean that? Isn''t this your room? I''m pretty sure it is." Sylvia gasp in surprised before staring at the whole room with ''serious'' expression like that of a predator. If the two girls aren''t with her, Sylvia might have gone to try looking for a dirty magazine. Girls also have their needs, not that much different from boys. Though even if Sylvia went and inspect the whole room, she won''t find such a thing as every space in She''s room was filled with either many types of console games sttered across the room or a collection of books that She forget to put it back and left it on the floor. Overall, She''s room was a mess. Ria only looked around with deadpan eyes because she knows that She is not the type to clean her room unless she was suddenly in the mood. She blushed and looked away when Ria looked her into the eyes; she has forgotten to clean her room and even if she wanted to do it, it''s already toote for that. Thankfully, it seems that Sylvia didn''t care how messy the room is. "Yes, it was my room, but now that Sylvia is staying here, She can use my room since the guest room is already used. I guess I will be sleeping with you, Ria?" At first, Sylvia was ted but only to dropped her shoulders when she heard thetter part. Ria simply nodded her head while be confused when she could feel how happy she is when She said she''s going to sleep together, especially when she saw Sylvia dropped her shoulders in disappointment. After that, She, apanied by Ria, continue their home tour by visiting one room after another as Sylvia took note of everything that was said into her mind. It didn''t take that much time before the toure to an end as though the house was pretty spacious, it was notparable to that of a mansion. Of course, She didn''t forget to introduce Sylvia to her parent once they arrived in the living room. Although she was weed with open arm, Sylvia feels sort of ufortable at how kind Sara is. Even though Anthony appear stern from looking at his expression, Sylvia could tell that She''s father is also kind by looking directly into his eyes. When the breakfast was almost ready to be served, Sara urged her daughter to head upstairs to wake up the two girls who might be still dozing off. She nodded her head in response as she washed her hand before heading to Sylvia''s room since she knew that Ria would have woken up by now. Knock Knock! "Sylvia, are you awake?" She inquires right after she knocked on the door. Although she could just enter the room since it was hers, she didn''t do so. Sylvia goes to school in the afternoon, that was why She thought the girl was still asleep, but she could hear sounds of someone taking a shower, which means Sylvia was already up. After waiting for ten minutes, she could finally hear the door of the bathroom inside the room unlocked with her sharp hearing, She gives a knock on the door again, and as she expected, Sylvia opened the door with her body that''s wrapped up with towel is still wet from the shower. "Yes?" "I was just going to tell you that breakfast is ready, head down when you are dressed up." "Okay." "How was your sleep, by the way? Do you feel ufortable or anything like that?" "Mhm, it wasfortable, and the bed is very soft. I have a good sleep." "That''s good to hear, alright I''ll be off then." She said and walked to the guest room on the same floor, once arrived she didn''t forget to knock on the door twice before entering the room. Looking ahead, She saw an amazing sight that would make any gentleman breathe heavily; it was none other than the naked figure of Ria. Because the two are girls and they have known each other since small, they didn''t bother to cover up and get embarrassed over something like this. Even now, Ria didn''t bother hiding her sexy fair body from She prying eyes, though thetter only stares at her for a moment before heading off to the bathroom. *** When She and Ria arrived in the dining room, Sylvia was already seated by herself and could be seen having a conversation with Sara. The two greeted Sara and Sylvia before seating beside each other in front of Sylvia at the dining table. When the four started eating, She couldn''t help but ask about her father, Anthony. "Oh, Anthony? I didn''t know what''s going on, but he got a call a few minutes ago and immediately headed out before I could take hold of him." "Is there any problem?" "It''s nothing much; most likely, thepany needs his presence for something." She nodded her head in response while the two, Sylvia and Ria, were silently focused on eating and didn''t want to on their short discussion. She alsoes to the same conclusion as her mother, but what the two didn''t expect was that the reason why Anthony immediately runoff is that he was told that another powerful maic field had been found somewhere in their city. It was onlyter that the two would hear the news directly from Anthony when they visited him in the hospital. Chapter 91 - *Spoiler* (Title At End) The breakfast was pretty quiet as no one spoke while eating, and once She had finished, she immediately went off to take a bath. Following right behind her was Ria, and after the two all dressed up, they bid farewell to Sara and Sylvia before heading to school. While on the way to school, She didn''t know why, but feeling unease spreading to her whole body for some unknown reason. It all started when she heard her father, Anthony, leaving the house in a hurry due to a call, was what Sara told her. It feels like her heart was being squeezed tightly by someone or something; she couldn''t keep her focus and was almost run over by a fast car if not for Ria holding onto her neck. Of course, thetter had known that She had been distracted from the time at breakfast. Ria had told She many times that her father would be fine, and that he was called due to work stuff. She nodded her head in response, but it appears that she didn''t believe those words as Ria could see it from her obvious expression full of worried. When the two arrived at the school front gate, they were greeted by a particr junior stalker with overwhelming energy radiated from her body. Yuna has gotten so busy with school and stuff ever since the date of the festival is getting closer, that was why she kind of missed her senior. Though their ss was also nning for the festival, She didn''t have a problem giving a hand, and it didn''t take that much time from her as she finished it with ease. Having higher stats did y a part, and though the ssmates were surprised at how She could move heavy stuff easily, they didn''t say anything and were simply happy that things would finish up quicker than most sses. It''s definitely not because they were scared and fearful of She''s strength, not at all. The first time She had tried to help them, one particr gal stopped her and told She that she would just be a nuisance if she can''t do it properly, that was even before She do anything. But the gal shut her mouth when She picked up something that shouldn''t be possible onto her shoulders with ease, which caused Ria to chuckled when she saw such a funny scene. The ss was filled with harmonious as all of them work together for the festival that happened once in a while. But that changed when She received a phone call from her mother. Ria was surprised when She suddenly sprint off after answering the call, and it took her a moment for Ria toe to her senses and told the ss leader about their leave before running off, trying to catch up to She. But she couldn''t possibly catch up when She used her full strength to run, and only when she gives a call to Sara did she knew the reason. It only took five minutes when She arrived in front of the hospital simply by running on full power, the surrounding people look at her with amazement and awe, as if they saw some kind of monster in human form. After all, She had run around 30KM, and she didn''t even sweat much. She steps inside and walks toward the reception. "Yes, what do you need?" "I want to see a patient by the name Anthony; he was recently hospitalized." "Alright, Let me see¡­" The receptionist took a few minutes browsing through theputer and eventually found the one she was looking for. "Yes, there is such a patient. May I know who you are to the patient?" "I''m his daughter, She. Here''s my ID card." She pulled out an ID card from her pocket before giving it to the receptionist to check, the ID card was actually in her inventory, but she makes it appear as if it was in her pocket all along. But it was not needed as the receptionist give it back to her before saying. "Ah, you don''t need to. You can see the patient now; it''s in room 5-A on the Second Floor." "Thank you." Even after She entered the elevator, she still couldn''t stop herself from worrying. She tried to calm herself by taking a couple of deep breaths, but it didn''t work unless she sees her father''s state with her own two eyes, and though she feels like an hour had passed before the elevator reached the Second Floor, in reality, it only took a minute. The closer she is to the room, the more she feels like her foot getting heavy as her legs trembling. She is scared, scared of seeing her father. Because her mother didn''t tell how badly her father was injured, she didn''t know what Anthony''s current state is other than he was hospitalized. Perhaps, her mother would have told her if not for the fact that she immediately hangs up the call to run to the hospital. Now that she thought about school, she left Ria behind and didn''t exin anything to her ssmates before running off on her own. Ria likely take care of the mess she left behind, just like always. I would have to apologize to herter, huh. Knock Knock! "Come in." Hearing her mother answered, She slowly opened the door as her heart started beating hard. She steps inside, and her gaze caught onto the figure rest on the bed, covered with bandages over his upper body. She couldn''t help, but her eyes started to moisten as she caught the sight of Anthony before running into her mother''s embrace and cry. Even after everything that She had experienced in the Trial Tower, she had never cried, not a single tear even while her body was covered by her own blood as the pain wreak havoc in her mind, never did she drop any tear. But just by ncing at her father''s sad figure on top of the bed, her tears be unstoppable as it poured along with her feeling. It was at this moment that she feels so powerless and helpless. While Sara was patting on her daughter''s back, trying to soothe the girl, she''s also unable to stop her eyes from pilling another tears that had been emptied a moment ago. Sara herself wants to know how did Anthony gets hospitalized; the only thing she knows was that he was caught in a sudden earthquake at the mountain. Anthony was not the only one; among them, she also knows a few people, which is a friend of his. Anthony is among the lucky group which only gets a few of his ribs broke, the casualty of the earthquake was four dead and seven that''s still ina state like him. The only way for Sara and her daughter to know about the incident was to wait for Anthony to wake up from hisa, which might take a while. After about ten minutes, there was a knock on the door as familiar figures walked into the room. She had stopped crying by now, even though her eyes are still red and puffed up from all the crying she had. She looked toward the door and saw Ria with a worried expression on her face, and right by her side was her mother, Celia. Sara stood up, leaving the two behind as she brought Celia with her outside. She didn''t say anything and simply stared at the sleeping Anthony on the bed while Ria sat on the chair next to her. "Umm, She?" "¡­what is it?" "I understand that you''re hurt and sad right now, but I just want to let you know of something important. Don''t you have those potion where it could heal just by taking a sip? In fact, I think I could heal your father myself but-¡ª" Before Ria could finish her words, she was assaulted by a sudden tight hug from She. "Thank you¡­for reminding me of that. I..havepletely forgotten about that because I was really¡­" "It''s fine, I know." Ria said while patting She''s back until thetter release the hug. Without waiting further, She brought out Health Potion from her inventory instead of purchasing another one from the shop, after she was sure that there''s no survince camera in the room. Since her father was still ina, She could only pour the health potion over the bandages that covered up his upper body as it painted the already red bandages into a deeper blood-red. But the blood-red potion slowly diminishes as it magically entered into Anthony''s body and lightens up all over. When the light has disappeared, She wants to remove the bandages to see whether the wound has truly healed, but Ria stopped her before she could. When She was about to breathe a relieved sigh, a sudden and familiar ringtone rmed from within her pocket, she pulled out the phone from her pocket and was surprised to see an announcement from the system. ¡º Quest has been created! ¡» ¡º Investigation (S) ¡» ¡º Investigate the real reason behind Anthony''s injury. Visit M Mountain: (0/1) ???: (???) Reward: ??? Punishment upon failure: - ¡» Chapter 91 - S-Rank Quest Chapter 92 - Family Bonding Just as She was surprised by the sudden quest, Sara and Celia walked into the room right after they were done with their conversation outside, only to get surprised that Anthony is slowly waking up from hisa. Sara immediately runs to his side and holds onto his hands when she noticed the movement from his hand. Knowing that her father has been healed sessfully, She put her phone back into her pocket and stood beside her mother; the quest can wait, now she needs information regarding the incident directly from her father if possible. Though she wanted to inquire, but seeing how her mother reacts, She decides to keep her mouth shut. "Anthony!" As his eyelids slowly pulled open, Sara couldn''t help but cry out his name while holding tightly onto his hands. When Anthony awoke, he looked around with clear confusion on his expression before saying. "Where...am I?" While he was speaking, his eyes were analysing his surroundings and noticed that his wife, Sara has worried painted on her expression, and he could also see that his daughter was relieved just by merely looking at her face. "You''re in hospital right now; you don''t remember what had happened to you?" Sara answered while also asking back the question that She wanted to know the most. Anthony nodded his head in response and tried his best to recalling everything, but the only thing that he remembers was panicking when he experienced a sudden earthquake at the mountain before falling unconscious, only to woke up now in the hospital''s bed. He had gone to investigate the mountain because one of his colleagues has told him about the sudden appearance of a powerful maic field within the M Mountain. Nothing strange happened when he arrived below the mountain, but once he started climbing and reached a certain height, he was caught off-guard in the middle of the sudden earthquake. "That was everything that I remembered. But, I was supposed to be injured, right? I remember hearing a crack on my body before I fall unconscious..." Anthony said with confusion as he could tell that his body right now ispletely ''healthy'', which was strange considered there are bandages covered all over his upper body. And from the worried look on Sara, he could tell the injuries were quite serious, yet he was stillpletely healthy as he could get. He tried to straighten up, but Sara stopped him from he could. "Don''t move! Your body is still injured, so just rest properly on the bed for now." "But Sara, I''m perfectly fine. Here, let me show you." Right after he said that Anthony immediately put his hand on the bandages before attempting to remove it, but he was stopped once again by Sara as thetter put all her strength on her grip when she grabbed his hands. He looked up and saw a frightening smileing from Sara as she opened her mouth to give him an ''advice''. "Stop it. Do you want to get more injured on your body?" He decides to drop it, seeing the smile from Sara that gives him a sense of danger to his life; it would be better to listen to her for now. Though She didn''t seem satisfied with the information received from her father, she determined to visit the mountain by herselfter. When the doctor heard Anthony has awakened from hisa, the man immediately came into their room before finding a seat to his side to have a check-up. When Anthony saw a doctoring through, he started insisting that he was perfectly fine, although the doctor was skeptical and didn''t believe his word, the doctor decides to do CT Scan, and the result was surprisingly good which brought relief to Sara''s worry. He was discharged soon after, and She''s family decides to eat outside in a restaurant instead of their home, apanied by Celia and Ria. "I told you I''m fine, though it is unbelievable even to me, it''s good that everything works out well now." "but that should be impossible, at least it should have taken a month for you to be able to move around. Did anything happened when I left the room, She?" "I don''t know, Mom. I was just looking after Dad while chatting with Ria, and if you hadn''te in at that time, I would have call for you when Dad woke up from hisa." Although She answered with ease and appeared to be calm, internally she was sweating bucket. She was able to keep her calm with Ria by her side; if she had been alone, everything might have been exposed by now. It took quite an effort for her not to give in while staring back at her mother in the eyes, She didn''t know if Sara actually believes in her lie, but thetter looked away after like three seconds of staring contest before resume eating in silence.With a chibi version of her inside her head doing fist pump, She also resumed eating while asionally would think about the quest she had received a while ago. From what Anthony said, he was injured by the sudden earthquake. But the detail of the quest said ''find the real reason behind Anthony''s injuries,'' which means the earthquake must have been the result of something else instead of a natural one. If what her father said was right, that earthquake must have something to do with the sign of powerful maic field that they noticed before going there to investigate, which result in the unfortunate incident. But strangely, she feels like this incident is familiar like she had experienced this before. She tried to recall everything she had experienced until now, and the strange feeling bes stronger when she recalled her fight against the first goblin in the alleyways. Is it possible that the two incidents have some kind of connection to each other? She couldn''t help but take a deep breath when this realisation hits her. "Dad, you mentioned about the maic field or something back then, but what does it even mean? I know what the word means, but I could not understand it fully as why you went as far as to investigate the ce." When She had asked this question, it feels like Anthony has been caught off guard by her question as he was almost slipped while walking toward their car in the parking lot. Sara''s eyes also gleamed when she heard the question but remained silent while staring at his back, waiting for his answer.Anthony feels like he''s going to be killed by Sara if he keeps his silence, heughed awkwardly before opening his mouth and said. "Ahahaha, that, huh? You do have a good memory, that''s good(bad!). What, it''s nothing important, I was just helping my friend with his job." "Is that so? So you still prefer the work over family even when you''re on break for a week." "No no! You got me wrong! Family is still my priority! It''s true! This is just a one-time thing, I promise!" Looking at her father be flustered while answering her mother''s cold and monotone words, She slows down her walking pace before pulling the phone out of her pocket. When the family of three, apanied by Ria and Celia, were done celebrating Anthony discharged from the hospital, Celia decided to part from them while bringing Ria away with her to somewhere else. Because of that, She is now with her family, and they were on their way to the Amusement Park even though she would rather stay at home. Although she loves to y around and have fun, she dislike the ce like Amusement Park due to how crowd it could be. It''s already part of her nature after having be a shut-in a couple of years ago.Though She doesn''t mind spending time with her family, she didn''t expect to met her ssmate, Angelica, inside the Amusement Parkter on. Chapter 93 - Real Magician? "Oh, I didn''t expect to see a ssmate here." While She was ying games on her phone as she waits together with her mother for Anthony to buy tickets, suddenly a familiar voice called out to her. She looked behind in surprise and saw the noteworthy red-haired girl wearing a casual outfit with a smile on her face as she walked straight to her ce. Though She didn''t know why Angelica is here, it must have been a pure coincidence as just by looking at thetter outfit, one could tell she came here just like many others, only to have fun or relieved their stress. "Yes, I also didn''t expect to see you here, Angelica Ernest." "I told you to call me with only Angelica, I don''t really mind, you know?" Because She has grown ustomed to being followed by some kind of people who didn''t seem to harbor any sort of ill intent to her, she had assumed that even if someone did follow her here, it wouldn''t be that much of a problem with such a huge crowd of people in her surrounding. If not for the fact that she also wants to get some rx time with her family, She wouldn''t have let the red-haired girl in front to get close to her just by sensing her aura. Even if She wanted to ignore this girl, a mature woman to her side didn''t seem to hold the same intention as her with her eyes gleamed. "Oh my, who are you?" "Good afternoon, Auntie. I''m Angelica Ernest, a ssmate of your daughter." "My, you are a very polite person. And if you didn''t know, I''m her mother, Sara." "Ah, no wonder. Now I know where She got her stunning look from." Angelica said with a nod while her eyes were inspecting the mature woman at She''s side. Sara giggled in response, and it was then that Anthony finally came back with tickets in his hands. She couldn''t help but release a relieved sigh as they will now part away from here. If possible, She didn''t want to have her rtionship with Angelica to develop further, simply because of how the ''aura'' around her is entirely different than that of her father after she had looked closer into it. When She was at the hospital, waiting for her father to be discharged, she had gone through another lottery spin. Among the eleven loots, one of them is a skill book with Analyse Skill that She decides to learn it immediately after she saw it in her inventory. After learning the skill and used it to analyse the aura around her father, it exined that if Anthony continues visiting a ce where mana is thick, it will be harmful to his body. The reason is simple; it was like if you keep on pouring water in a ss container, eventually it would leak out, right? But if it goes on, the ss container would at one point give In to the pressure, shattered to pieces. One of the reasons why her father injuries are healing too slowpared to others is also because of this, but after She sprayed the health potion over his body¡ªit does not only help in healing the wounds, it also improved the cell within his body to slowly adapted to the mana of the surrounding. When she had known about it, she was surprised and also terrified knowing that her father would likely suffer even worse if she hadn''t used the health potion back then. As of now, her father wouldn''t have much problem living a healthy life, that is if he stopped visiting the ''special'' ces once for all. She wants to tell her father about it but because she didn''t know how to keep the system a secret, the idea was scrapped away whening upon realisation. The only way she can do is to figure out a way to somehow get the mana out of his body, maybe like the ring she had once gifted to Ria. To people who live in a supernatural world like her, Mana is power by itself, but to the ordinary people, it is a virus that could slowly kill them without them knowing why. Back on topics, the ''aura'' around Angelica is the same in the meaning that the mana leaked out of her body, but she is not an ordinary person by any means. She had looked into it properly this time, and it was simr to the ''aura'' around Ria who actually use the mana within her, that is before she got the ring covered for her. Basically, She now hase to know that Angelica is also someone from the same world as her, a real magician of the modern world. "Oh, is this someone you knew, She?" "Good afternoon to you, Uncle. Yes, I''m Angelica Ernest, a ssmate of She." "Hmm, I see." Anthony nodded his head before gesturing the two to enter the Amusement Park, She was going to bid farewell to Angelica and move on to have some fun, but her mother went forward and invited the red-haired girl to enter with them. She was going to reject by making an excuse for not having a ticket but surprisingly, Angelica bought a ticket out of her pocket and said that she received it from winning a lottery. With a smile on her face, Angelica walked next to a devastated She as they entered the Amusement Park, following behind the long line crowd. Meanwhile¡­Sylvia at home was wondering why She and her mother have note home yet even though thetter only said about going shopping while as for She, School should have already ended by now. It has been three hours since Sara left the house with only Sylvia alone, watching the anime in She''s room this entire time while waiting for them. She had even begun to wonders if they have forgotten about her. Sylvia was so bored that she would rather spend more time in the Trial Tower to be even stronger instead so that maybe one day, she could be of use to She. Though She promised to her that one day she will show her a path where there''s happiness at the end of the road, but Sylvia knows that She was more focused on getting stronger instead. Because Sylvia herself doesn''t know what sort of ''happiness'' is she looking for, she would rather look into the ''happiness'' that she had as of now which was staying by She''s side. Although she couldn''t be of use just yet with her current weak stats, Sylvia believes that if she didn''t give up and continue leveling up, that day wille when She would ask for her assistance. Feeling fired up by her own thoughts, Sylvia stood up from her seat and decides to enter the Trial Tower. Since she didn''t know when they would being home, might as well get some ''training'' in there, She might evene to visit her like she had done before once in a while. Closing her eyes shut, Sylvia imagined herself being surrounded in a whole new world and when she regained her sight, her whole surroundings have changed entirely. It still feels so magical every time she entered the Trial Tower, it always amazed her to the core at how amazing the real ''teleportation'' is. It would be nice if she had such a convenient ability in the real world, she could use it to travel all around the world! That might not be that bad of a dream. Sylvia brought out a small mirror out of the inventory before looking into the reflection of herself. The silver-white hair that had caused her tons of trouble has now turned into that of a normal silky ck hair, the corner of her mouth raised naturally before she put the mirror back into the inventory as she ready herself for another ''training'' with her hands gripped on the hilt of the dagger. Without waiting further, Sylvia epted a new quest and her ''training'' started! Chapter 94 - Level Up! As she walked progressively further, Sylvia eventually came upon a group of three slimes with no particr path as they jumped here and there without a care of the world. She didn''t immediately sprint to them but instead, took a deep breath to regte her breathing before slowly and cautiously steps toward them without leaving any noise in her path. The group of three slimes didn''t even notice her presence at all as she slowly gets closer to them, it was stark different than her first time sneaking behind an enemy. After many attempt ended up with failures, Sylvia have gotten better at sneaking behind them while making her presence as thin as possible before moving in a certain pattern where she won''t make any noise to alert the enemy which would exposed her in return. Though She is not an assassin, she could still give an advice or two to Sylvia about her experience of jumping to and fro within the shadow. Within the dark world, even if she shouted as loud as possible, the sound won''t pass through the shadow''s barrier, unless she wanted to. Whenever She came to visit Sylvia in the Trial Tower, she would always leave an advice or two to help her improve further, an example of that was teaching Sylvia how to handle her dagger better. Even though she had never use dagger as a weapon before, the experience she gained from swordsmanship skill was helpful in this situation. When Sylvia has gotten near one of the three slimes without having her presence known, she swiftly cut the small core within the slime before she jumped forward to the second slime without looking back. The second slime that has now noticed her presence immediatelyunched itself toward her, Sylvia side-stepping to the side and sh her dagger to the core of the slime split into two before it could reach the ground. It only took a minute for Sylvia to y the two slimes before finishing thest slime with ease as it idioticallyunched itself to her without a care that its kin had done that once before which ended up dead. The first few fights had ended quite a few wounds on her body, but now, the slimes didn''t even have the chance to hit her before their core got split into two. And since Sylvia and Ria couldn''t use the system''s shop, She had used the gold they earned to buy the potions for them which thetter warned them to only use it in the Trial Tower instead of real world. If the situation called for it, they need to inform She beforehand, and she would ''handle'' the rest for them. It would be problematic if the world gets to know such ''magical'' medicine exists, after all. "I need to kill a few more slimes before leveling up to six. I think I''ll do just that before turning back, She and her mother probably still isn''t home yet anyway." With that thought in mind, Sylvia sprint forward while gazing at the surroundings grasnd, searching for another group of slimes for the experience. It didn''t take her long before she finds a group of four slimes jumping next to each other and when looked closer, the four of them is just normal slimes, no variant of sort. Though She had never met a variant slime in the Trial Tower, she had told Sylvia to be careful just in case that she might find one if she''s ''lucky''. After all, She had met a lot of variant from goblin race and she thought that slime was also the case, but a lot rarer than the goblin. Even if she was wrong, it''s better to be careful than sorry when it''s toote. It took Sylvia an hour and half before she leveled up to six, but before she could exit the Trial Tower, She appeared next to her. Just as she had always done, Sylvia went closer to She with her eyes filled with a sudden vigor as she greeted thetter. "Master!" A wry smile appeared on her face, though she don''t mind about how Sylvia call her, She still finds it ufortable and having a strange kind of feeling went through her body whether she was called as such by the little silver-white haired girl in front of her. She shook her head to remove the thought before answering the greeting and told her purpose of being here. "I actually juste here for short while just to check on you before going on with my business. So, did you have any problem now that we''re living together?" "No. I have no problem at all! ¡­though I do feel somehow envious sometimes when I saw how close you are with your family, it just reminds me of the past a bit." When her words reached thetter part, a sad smile appeared on her face and Sylvia shook her head when She was about to say something. "It''s fine, Though I feel envious, overall I''m happy that I could live within the warmth of your family, which was why I can''t help but wanted to be stronger so that one day I could be of help to you." Feeling a hand touching her head, Sylvia looked up and saw She smiling at her. "I wanted to say that you don''t need to go that far, but it would be a lie that I don''t need your help. After all, I won''t have shown you this side of the world if I just want you to live happily in ordinary life. Let''s see, though you might experience something even worse than living with your mother, would you still want to follow me? Before youe to conclusion, think it thoroughly so as to not regret your decision when it''s toote. I''ll give you a day or two, as long as you need and when you havee to decision, just let me know." She said while she was messing with the beautiful silver-white hair with her hands as Sylvia listens closely, though the happy smile on her face might seem that she wasn''t listen to the conversation at all. After She is sure that Sylvia took her words seriously, she bid farewell before leaving the girl alone, though from the look of her face, She believes it won''t take that much time before Sylviae to her decision which caused her to sigh internally. Chapter 95 - *Spoiler* (Title At End) After exiting the Trial Tower, She walked out of the toilet, heading back toward her parent that was waiting near the entrance of the Amusement Park. It was supposed to be the time where she could have fun and spend some time with her family, but the sudden intrude by a red-haired girl caused She to feel mentally weary of the former presence. Although Sara and Anthony seemed to be enjoying and didn''t mind having her as apany. She had been wary and suspicious of Angelica at first, though thetter was wearing a very casual outfit, She didn''t let her guard down, especially with her parent with her. The fact that She still didn''t know her background and that Angelica also hailed from the same magical world was enough reason to be on guard for. Having been on guard this entire time even though Angelica didn''t do anything that would bring danger to both her parent and herself, She feels so very tired mentally, as if her head was being gripped so tightly by powerful hands. And if not for the potion she had just drunk, she would have fainted on the solid ground a moment ago. Even before Angelica''s departure, Sara had wanted to bring thetter to their house while ignoring her actual daughter at her side. Thankfully, Anthony was on her side and She sessfully stopped the potential danger from visiting her home, although Angelica already knew her address. When She and her family were on the way home, she told her father to drop her somewhere on the way with the excuse of she was going to meet with her friends. Not knowing that his daughter going to risk her life for the quest, Anthony nodded his head at her request while Sara was reminding her to get home early before they drove off. Looking at the moving car slowly getting smaller, She took a couple of deep breaths and walked forward before turning into the corner. Feeling no presence following after her, She jumped into her own shadow before heading toward the only mountain ahead. If not for the fact that it''s an S-Rank Quest, She would have brought Ria with her to enjoy the sight of how beautiful nature is as they climbed till the top of the mountain. As she climbed further upward, She didn''t find anything abnormal around her surroundings as of yet. But the more She goes further higher, the stronger her sixth sense rming her to turn on her back and run as if her life on the line. Yet She didn''t stop, and though she was scared, She also wanted to know whether her guess is correct. But she was forced to a halt at a certain spot where the surrounding tree seemed to have been uprooted everywhere, it appears she has arrived at the scene where the supposed earthquake happened. Thankfully, there doesn''t seem to be anyone, she has expected to see a few cops or something, trying to investigate the cause of the sudden earthquake. After all, the earthquake has not only taken a few lives, some also got hospitalized for a few months, Anthony included if not for the potion. While She was pondering on whether to steps forward, her forehead was already soaked with sweats due to a frightening aura ahead. It was a monstrous aura that''s filled with destruction, her sixth sense was also warning her if She ever steps a foot beyond a certain line, her life would be forfeited. That was how scary and fearsome whatever the thing ahead of her is. While She stood on the spot within the shadow as she ponders, a sudden tremor brought her to reality as she looked up in alert. Her eyes went wide as every fiber of body was screaming for her to run as fast as possible from the thing in front, but her legs seemed to be glued on the ground as no matter how many times she tried to make it move, it was futile. She gritted her teeth hard and right before the monstrosity ahead was about to do something, her legs finally were able to move, and without waiting further, She immediately sprints back down the mountain without looking back. Just as she was 20 meters far from her previous spot, she could feel another powerful tremor from her feet and even without looking back, she knows that the ''monstrosity'' must have used the earthquake attack just like what it had done to her father when he came to investigate. Once she was far enough and was sure that no more tremor following right behind her, a relieved sigh escaped out of her mouth as she slows down running pace before falling her butt on the ground as exhaustion washed over her whole body. She tried to take a deep breath to calm down her frightening heart and mind, but the fear she has experienced a while ago is not something she had ever experience in her whole life. Just the mere gaze from ''that'' would make any strong-mind person to break in cold sweats or some would even faint, if She didn''t have the sudden strength to move her legs, her fate would have been decided right there and then. She already know that Ogre could see right through her even though she was hiding within the shadow back then, that was why she was not surprised that the ''monstrosity'' noticed her presence way before she did. She didn''t know how and why such monstrosity was there, she even thoughts that she was hallucination if not for her whole body still trembling from the fear. She remembers that her father came to investigate when his colleagues told him about a powerful maic field suddenly appearing somewhere in the mountain, but to think that something like that to appear... She couldn''t help but started to feel anxious. The monstrosity was huge with a body like that of crocodile, if She didn''t have the Analyse skill, she would have thought it was a variant of a crocodile. If what she saw was right, that was... something that the current her couldn''t think of doing anything to it, even if she went all out. ¡º Earth Dragon Lv. 53 ¡» Chapter 96 - Trouble Though she only gets to know about the level of that Earth Dragon from the Analyse skill, it is enough for her to understand how strong it ispared to her own level. And also, even though She was already far away from that ce, she was still scared that the dragon might have still chasing right behind her. After drinking a fair amount of mineral water from the bottle she had stored in the inventory to ease her thirst, she still didn''t feel any sort of tremor on the ground nor the frightening aura closing in. It was safe to say that she is fine now, which caused her to released another sigh. "As expected of ''S-Rank Quest'', huh? A dragon out of nowhere... If I was a little bit slower to act, I would have been a goner by then." Though she understood that it''s dangerous and the risk is high the higher the rank for the quest, but it went beyond her expectation. She had thought that it would be something like investigation, like looking for information and stuff, that kind of hard stuff. That was why she was surprised to suddenly find herself staring at the huge ''crocodile'' that could summon earthquake at will which almost took her life if she was anyter. Looking behind her, she didn''t see any sight of the huge dragon anywhere in the distance. She wonders why it doesn''t chase after her, and why did it attack her at that time. Is it because of her trespassing into its territory? It''s possible, if not it would still be chasing after her. There''s also another possibility that it didn''t do so because of some other reason that she didn''t know.Either way, now that I am safe, I should try checking up if there''s any update for the quest,with that thought in mind, She pulled out the phone from her pocket. ¡º Investigation (S) ¡» ¡º Investigate the real reason behind Anthony''s injury. Visit M Mountain: (1/1) Find the monstrosity: (1/1) Reward: 13,632 EXP, 1000 Gold, APW Upgrade. Punishment upon failure: - ¡» ¡º Quest has been Updated! ¡» ¡º Dragon yer (-) ¡» ¡º Kill the Earth Dragon that''s upying within the mountain. Reward: 500,000 Gold, Flight Skill Book, System Upgrade. ¡» "...you have got to be kidding me." Looking at the updated quest, She couldn''t help but took a mouthful of a deep breath while cursing in her mind. How could a mere level 19 her be able to defeat something as huge and powerful as that Earth Dragon, which is way higher level than her at solid 53!It''s absolutely impossible!Even with fire magic, Inferno, She didn''t think that it would work on that considering it has a dragon in its name. Even if it hits, it probably won''t be much as with that high of a level, its endurance must have been high, and rather than trying to kill it, the attack might have made it angrier instead. Though the reward is very tempting, especially the system upgrade, but the current her is not an opponent to the dragon.The only way that I could have a chance is by bing even stronger than the current me, leveling up to the point that I''m on the same level as the Earth Dragon.But that will take a while seeing how slow it takes for me to level up the higher my level goes, and by the time I''m on the same level, the Earth Dragon would have probably been made known to the whole world. And She could even see that there might be many deaths due to a lot of people trespassing into its territory, including those from the government. She even wonders on how the government would try to conceal the existence of Earth Dragon when it upied the mountain and would not move elsewhere, even if they seed in that, the public would eventually know about it when they tried to mess with it which would result in a couple of earthquakes. As this is not Japan, where having a couple of earthquakes in their life is the norm, the civilians would obviously find that something is wrong. Though She didn''t think that the government would make such a mistake, it is not zero. "Sigh, I''m still weak. I wanted to just stay coop in the Trial Tower and focused on leveling at all times, but that''s not going to happen, huh?" If not for the fact that she has school to attend, She would definitely shut herself in the Trial Tower the whole time, and only leave when her presence is required; an actual Shut-in. Now that she had known the cause of the earthquake and unable to do anything about it, She decides to head home and think about the issue together with Ria. *** With her current speed while submerged within the shadow, it only takes five minutes when she arrived at home. Though she would like to do the cool rooftop-jumping thing like in the movie and all, it''s impossible to do it without having people looking at her like some sort ninja and some might even record it and post it on the inte which would bring many problems to her. She might even alert some sort of slumber old dragon from the supernatural world to her ce which would not only cause a problem to her but also the surrounding. Thest thing She wants was the innocent in her town getting caught up in her problem, no matter how selfish she is, she still couldn''t ignore the people that might be involved in her case. Otherwise, that guiltiness will be following till her death. Just the existence of Angelica showed that there are people out there that didn''t live like the other ordinary people, there were living in the same world as her, a world where one could bring a small miracle if one is knowledgable enough to use their power. But the fact that the public doesn''t know such a world exists likely meant that only a certain group of people knows about it, which is something She is thankful for. And as the days passed, She has started to notice that the surrounding mana in the air is getting thicker slowly but surely. She had thought it was just her imagined at first, but as the day goes on, even Ria had stated that she feels that the air has be more fortable'' somehow. Though it is a good thing for people like her who actually use mana, it is not a good thing for ordinary people getting exposed to mana for a long period of time. She had seen an example of that from her father as the more they were exposed to mana, either their body tries to adapt to it or death will be their fate. Though she was worried at first about her parents, surprisingly, her father''s body had started to adapt to the mana within when she looked into it with both Analyse and Mana Eyes skill. She didn''t know how it was possible, but she didn''t care so long as it''s a good thing. She also didn''t have to worry about her mother since she had quite the amount of potions in her inventory and if that is not enough, she also still has one Elixir from the lottery. But that''s not important, the most important thing right is that when the festival day has arrived, She was informed that Yuna was kidnapped by a group of unknown men into a van on her way to school. It was from a letter she received from a student who was apparently paid to send it to her, and that another student saw the incident happened right in front of him, unable to do anything other than calling the cops. The word written on letter caused her blood to boil as she gritted her teeth and promised that she will tear everything down when she figured out who''s the culprit, but first, She had to go the promise location without informing the cops. Without waiting any further, She immediately departed to the location with the rage boiling inside of her like a sleeping volcano. Chapter 97 - Avenge Just like any other day, She awoke early in the morning and go out for some daily jogging before eating breakfast and all dressed up, ready to go school. On the way to school, walking next to Ria, She was feeling quite uneasy for some unknown reason. After the incident in the mountain when she was investigating, She had a bit of discussion with Ria when she got home. She got lectured quite a bit from Ria when thetter get to know about her reckless action, but that''s not the point. Though they talked about the problem, in the end, none of the two have any idea how to resolve it at the moment. At the end of the discussion, She went back to her room before entering the Trial Tower to grind for EXP. Because of her previous mistake, this time She keeps her distance from the boss, Ogre, at the center of the Forest. After she had experienced the aura of the Earth Dragon, the Ogre''s seemed to be not so scary after that fact. Although she almost got in trouble once again right after leveled up, thankfully she could escape right on time. Back on the topic, while She was walking right next to Ria on their way to school, she suddenly frowned as unease feeling washed over her. Of course, Ria had noticed it when she suddenly stopped walking and worriedly asked if something wrong. But since She herself doesn''t know the reason why she feels uneasy, she could only shake her head in response before the two proceed towards the school. When the two arrived on the front gate of the school, they were met with a crowd of students chattering out loud in their perspective group. Filled with curiosity, Ria went to one of the groups of students and asked, ''Did anything happen?'' which they answered with something that caused the two girls, She and Ria to feel as if their heart stopped beating for a moment right then. "Actually, we heard that a student saw a group of men pulling a highschool girl from our school into the van, possibly kidnapping. Some of us thought it was just a joke at first, but we know that it''s real when the cops arrived just a while ago." "The world is a scary ce, isn''t it? Getting kidnapped out in public, in the morning at that!" "More importantly, I wonder who the high school girl is, someone did say she''s a junior based on her uniform but-" But before the student could continue his word, he was interrupted by She who suddenly grabbed his cor and said. "Where''s that student who saw it?" "E-Eh, W-Who are you? umm, I think she was taken to Teacher''s Office..." After getting her answer, She released the boy before proceed to walk toward the Teacher''s Office. Although Ria was surprised at She''s reaction, she apologized to the students who were grabbed by the cor by She before running toward the figure ahead. When Ria finally caught up to her, she saw a girl saying something to She while crying as She listens quietly, it didn''t take a genius to know that girl must have been the one who ''saw'' the kidnapping case, and from the look of it, she didn''t seem to be someone who merely saw the incident. The girl in front of She who is in tears, Lily, is actually Yuna''s best friend. They have known each other for years now, and if not for Yuna''s ''teaching'', Lily would have not be a person that has confidence aura like the current her, though, at the moment, there''s only the feeling of helpless around her instead of confidence. After all, when Yuna was kidnapped, Lily has juste out of the convenient store with ice cream in her hands, and her best friend was supposed to be waiting near the door. But when she steps outside, she saw Yuna being taken away by a group of men with thetter not being able to resist, and unable to process what she had just witness, Lily stood frozen on the spot and could only helplessly stare as the van fade away into the distance. It was only a few minutester that the reality finally hits her that she ended up burst crying before calling on cops. Even so, that still couldn''t stop the guilty to pressured her, if at that time she had not frozen in ce and, instead, tried to help Yuna even though she will likely get taken too as it was a futile effort, it is still much better than not doing anything at all. After hearing everything from Lily, She pats the girl in the back and told her,''everything is going to be okay, for now, just go to your ss, I''ll take care of it.''and without waiting for a reply, She turned back and headed to her homeroom teacher before interrupted their conversation to ask for a leave. If not for She''s grades has improved beyond the old her, the teacher would have rejected her request on the spot. Afterward, She went upstairs to the rooftop in silent, followed by Ria, and while She was looking down from the rooftop, Ria opened her mouth and asked. "So, what are you going to do? Are you not going to look for her?" But She didn''t respond and stay silent while staring at the school below, that''s what Ria thought when she looked at her, but actually, She was currently using all her power for Presence Detection skill, trying to find the familiar presence within the surrounding area. As she had expected, though it was a futile effort as there''s no way the kidnapper would stay around the area of the kidnapping scene, because there are still 0.00001% among many possibilities, She decided to do it anyway. Once she had locked the presence in her mind, She was about to head down but not before she was stopped by a student on the stair. "Can you step aside? You''re in the way." "U-Umm... actually, I was told to give this to you." Right after that, the student gives an envelope to She before bowing her head and running away immediately. Though She finds the student suspicious, the envelope in her hands seems to be more of a priority. Looking into the envelope, there was a letter inside. Ria went closer as She slowly reveal the content in the letter. [ Yo, you must have been pretty angry right now. I wish I could have seen the look in your face but sadly, I have to let this opportunity go. Although that was what I said, I still have the opportunity to enjoy your suffering. You must be wondering who I am, no need to research as I''ll tell you right now. My name is Rodrick Jayson, the son of Albert Jayson, the CEO of Albert Entertainment. I''m sure you know about thepany but that''s not the reason why I kidnapped the girl, actually, though it is petty, I still remembered the humiliation and defeated that I have suffered back then at the alleyways very clearly to this day. It even appeared in my sleep, not a day could I rest peacefully without remembering that day! That''s why, if you want to save the girl,e to this ce. I''ll be waiting, of course with a group of my men. Ah, if you ever thought of calling the cops, go on ahead, it would just escte thing further which I assumed you don''t want, right? This time for sure, I''ll thoroughly enjoy your suffering! ] After reading to the end, She immediately ripped the letter to pieces as she could feel the rage boiling inside of her. At that time, She had thought the punishment he went through was enough to make him back down, now she realized that she was still naive back then. It''s already toote to regret, even without this letter, she already know where their hiding spot is when she used all her power a while ago, though she now also knows the most important thing, which was the culprit identity and the reason behind the kidnapping. "Are you going? I''m sure this is a trap they set up to bait you." "Trap or not, I''ll still go. Let''s see what sort of ''trap'' can stop the current me. Especially when I''m very angry." Chapter 98 - Let Her Go While the two girls were running towards the promise location, She was pondering on whether to disguise herself since she didn''t think that she could hold back her strength with the people like this. Though she would rather not go through the bloody path, if that is what it takes to protect her loved ones, she wouldn''t mind. If it was the old her, she would not have such extreme thought of killing a human being like her. But after everything she had experienced up until now as she fights every battle with the intention of kill or be killed, there''s no way her mentality won''t change after that fact. That was why She feels like she had lost something important within her, some part of her, every time she bes stronger. Just like all the stories and legends that she had read, only with power would one be able to shape their own future to their will instead of leaving to the whim of fate. But as the saying goes, ''with great power,es great responsibility'' which She thought is still pretty absurd and though she didn''t want to admit, it does make sense. If she saw a person in need of help within her sight and she had the ability to give a hand, would she do it? Logically, no. Why would she go as far as helping a stranger, someone she didn''t know exists if nothing was gained from it other than getting a problem instead? But if she had followed the logic and ignore it, she would have felt some sort of guilt in a corner of her heart even though it is not her fault. And if she did help, although she will feel happy and fulfilling for a moment, there might be some people out there who would take advantage of your kind nature for their selfishness. It''s saddened but such human exists. Anyways, since Rodrick kidnapped Yuna because of the humiliation he suffered from her hands, She didn''t think that using disguise would be a good move as it would only expose herself that she''s ain''t normal. They already know about her anyway, why would the need for disguise? Now that She thought about it, all the pondering is just a waste of time. This is not like her to wondering about useless thoughts, she must have taken quite a hit than she had expected. Though her rtionship with Yuna could only be considered as that of friend between senior and junior, She had grown quite fond of this ''unique'' junior of hers. Sometimes she even finds the way the girl stalked seemed cute and adorable rather than troublesome like in the past. If they were just stranger to each other, this would not have happened and neither would she went as far as going to rescue the girl. She also feels partly guilty as if she stopped Yuna from getting closer to her, the girl would not have been the target for kidnapping. This kidnapping case reminds her of the thing she didn''t want to remember at any cost. If she had kept her distance at that time, there would have never been a tragedy. But because of Ria being persistent regarding it, she ended up opening her heart to a new friend, only to get cold water poured over her.But...this time, It won''t be the same!With that thought in mind, She gripped her hands into a fist as she resolved her will before picking up her pace while not moving too fast or Ria would be left behind. It takes a bit longer of running than She had expected due to going at the pace where Ria could follow, and though she is worried about Yuna, judging by the presence, it doesn''t seem that they are doing anything to her just yet. She couldn''t help but breath a relieved sigh, if they had done something to Yuna, She doesn''t know how far she would go if she went on a rampage. When she arrived in front of the rusty old gate, two men walked toward her without hiding their disgusting grinned when their eyes met her and Ria. If not for the fact that she wants to secure Yuna to safety firstly, She would have no doubt kill the two disgusting freak with how their eyes were looking at Ria. "Hehehe, so you are that girl, huh? Oh. who is this next to you? Though the boss probably won''t mind since she''s also a beauty, you should know your ce. Didn''t the boss said don''t bring anyone else with you?" "A pawn should just do their job properly, be quiet and lead the way." "YOU-" "Yo, chill. Why are you getting so triggered by a wording from a girl? Let''s just lead her, she will get to know her lesson soon anyway." Before the guy with a punk hairstyle couldsh out to her, the man next to him put his hand on thetter shoulders and brought the angry punk to sense by his words. "Hmph! just you wait, bxtch. Soon, you will know your ce." When the two men turned their back and lead the way, her eyes suddenly started to shine, from brown pupils to that of bluish like a deep ocean as she stares at their back. It brought her a relief when She saw nothing abnormal going on around them, though the words writing on the letter said the kidnapping case was an act of revenge for the humiliation Rodrick suffered, it''s never wrong to be on the cautious side. Moving on, She looked around her surroundings and other than the mana in the air, there doesn''t seem to be anything that caught her attention. The more her surroundings look normal, the more she finds it strange which caused her to frown. Is it really because of the humiliation that he kidnapped Yuna? I had thought that someone from the same world as me hase to know about my existence, maybe from Angelica, or from other means that I didn''t know about. I came with the preparation to fight against those kinds of people, but it seems to me that what was written in the letter was actually the truth, it was not meant to deceive me or anything that I imagined. Though she was relieved, She didn''t let her guard down even after knowing that everyone involved in the kidnapping case was only a group of normal people as that doesn''t mean she be unkible or immortal, and if the bullet pierced through her head, she would be dead anyway. There''s also the fact that Yuna was still being kept as a hostage, if She makes a single mistake, life could be lost.In the end, I have to use my power against normal people, huh? So be it. If that is what it takes, I''ll do so with no hesitation. When She steps into the spacious room filled with many people as disgusting as the two men that had lead her the way, and when they saw her figure and Ria''s, their eyes would be locked onto them with a gaze filled with lust. She frowned when she feels the gaze from everyone in the room other than the one seated on the chair. Though she knew that they didn''t hurt the girl just yet, just seeing Yuna being chained on the chair with a blindfold covering her eyes already makes her blood went cold as her gaze swept across the room. p! p! p! A sudden pping noise resounds behind her, She turned around and could finally see the culprit for this whole mess, Rodrick Jayson, as he slowly steps inside the room with another group of men followed right behind. Though she was surrounded, She was not scared as her stoic expression never changed even knowing that which was noticed by Rodrick. "You''re finally here, though I was expecting to wait for another half minutes, you were a lot faster than I thought. Good, good. Oh? Is the girl next to you is Cilia, the daughter of Celia? That''s not good, She. You shouldn''t bring your friend to a dangerous situation as you might get her killed, you know?" Rodrick stated as if trying to frighten the two girls in front of him with his threat, but looking at each of their expressions, not even Ria was scared by it. Although her level is lowpared to She, she could still handle this many people easily with her current strength, breaking a bone or two won''t be a problem. Rodrick couldn''t help but clicked his tongue when he saw that the two weren''t affected by his threat at all. Without saying anything, Rodrick gesture the man standing beside the chained Yuna, the man nodded his head in response before pulling out a knife and put around her neck. "Both of you are quite brave, but how long will thatst? Now that I have that girl as my hostage, you should listen to my word properly or, hmm, blood would be shed? Hahaha, just look at that girl, she''s trembling so bad-" "Let her go now and I will let you live." Before Rodrick could finish his word, he was interrupted by She''s cold and monotone voice. "Hah, big word. Maybe I should show you the reality you''re in? Hey you, why don''t you give a stab somewhere on that girl, don''t let her die though or that will be your fateter." Yuna''s body flinched when she heard his decision and no matter how many times she tried to stop herself from trembling from the fear, it couldn''t be done. The man nodded his head and as he was about to stab on her thigh, he suddenly finds himself unable to move,as if restricted on the spot by some unknown and invisible power. Chapter 99 - You Are Still Surrounded "I have given a chance for you to live, but I guess idiot will always be idiot, huh?" She couldn''t help but let out an exasperated sigh as she immediately used the shadow to bind the guy holding the knife in ce as he halted in progress of stabbing Yuna. Seeing his subordinate frozen on the spot gives him a strange feeling and though he finds that weird, Rodrick believes that his subordinate is going against his order which caused him to frown, and after hearing She''s remark, his eyes turned cold for a moment before it went back to normal as he gestured the man next to him. But before the man could slip his hands into his jacket to pull out a pistol hidden within, he was send flying and hits the wall hard before coughing a mouthful of blood. He couldn''tprehend what had just happened and before he knew it, he was sent flying. One thing that he knows for sure is that his ribs are broken by the sudden hits from a powerful shockwave like that of being hit by a truck. Though the pain is assaulting him so hard, the man tried to get up on his feet and looked up, only for his mind to go nk. On his previous spot now stood She with her arm gripped into a fist in a thrust motion, it was obvious that what sent him flying was from a punch he received from She, and as he was unable to see the attack, it was impossible to defend. Though the truth was right in front of them, everyone in the room except Ria couldn''t believe what they had witnessed. Even with the pain in his guts, the man still tried slipping his hand into his jacket but the pistol that was supposed to be in there is now missing. "Are you looking for this?" With their eyes still locked on her, She swiftly brings out a pistol out of thin air(from their perspective) and aim toward the man in question. The man couldn''t even mutter a word before a gunshot resounds, with an iprehensible look on his face, the man looked down and saw his left arm now bore a small hole where the bullet had pierced through as blood started pouring from his injured arms. Once it registered into his mind, the man grabbed onto the injured spot with his other hand before shrieking at the pain assaulting his body. "AHHHH! My Arm! W-What just happened?" "What else, I simply just fire a test shot on you. Next time, it won''t be just your arm, you know?" "W-What!" The man couldn''t understand how the pistol that was supposed to be in his jacket is now in the hands of the girl he had looked down upon the first meeting. When She had punched him in the guts, she had sneakily stolen the gun from him before sending the man flying straight to the wall at the speed that no one in the whole room could see with their slow eyes. Even then, that was still her holding back her strength, if she had used all her strength, the man''s body would have exploded to pieces when her fist hits him. Though She could have just use Intimidation on everyone in the room to make them scared shitless, that would not stop them from plotting against her again once she left the room. There are many ways she could traumatize them, but trying to keep her power conceal gives her only a few choices left avable. She would be an idiot if she used all her power to destroy this many scums in the room, although none of them wouldn''t be able to tell a soul as they would be dead by then, that doesn''t mean that the ''old monster'' from the supernatural side of the world won''t be able to sense that the mana in the air has thickened much more than in the other ces. Though the chances of that happening are slim, it is not zero. "W-What just happened?" Seeing the absurd scene urring in front of him, Rodrick couldn''t understand how a ''normal'' girl suddenly appeared next to his side without him being able to see nor sensing her passing, and the most unbelievable thing that he saw was the man who was standing next to him send flying by a simple ''punch'' to the guts from that very same ''normal'' girl! Just that already caused his brain to overdrive, but the next thing he saw caused him to broke downpletely as She pulled out a pistol from thin air and fired at the man on his back against the wall. "Ugh..." And when Rodrick finally came to his sense, Ria has already defeated many of his men standing guard near Yuna as theyid on the ground groaning at the pain they suffered from Ria''s hands. It seemed that when he was focused on She, at a corner of his view, Ria had already made a move on her own when She gives her the signal only the two knows. Rodrick couldn''tprehend how in just a short amount of time that half of the thugs he had hired were already defeated by someone else without being able to put a fight. Without answering his question, She aims the gun in her hands toward him. Rodrick flinched as he steps back from being pointed closely from a gun, but when he realized that he had just cowered from her, Rodrick steps forward without fear this time and said. "I apud how both of you were able to finished half of the thugs I have hired, but you don''t possibly think you already win, right? Even if you defeated all these people in the room, I still have my men outside waiting for my call with weapons equipped. If they didn''t receive any message or signal from me, they would rush inside and even if you''re strong more than I expected, you can''t possibly dodge a rain of bullet right?" Chapter 100 - Rescue "Oh, about that, I know. I know that you only bought this group of people while keeping your men waiting outside. Yes, I have known about it ever since I entered this room, this entire time. If anything, I have been waiting for you to bring those men inside but since they will be waiting outside, maybe I should finish up here first." She slowly said before moving the pistol and fire a shot at the people beside Rodrick, all aimed precisely at one of their limbs, whenever the gun moved, there will be men groaning on the floor while holding onto their injured and bloody limbs. Even if they tried to dodge it or sprint at her to attack, but it was in vain as no matter how hard they tried, in She''s eyes, their movement was too slow as if the time had stopped in her sight. Since she only has a few bullets left, she only shot a few of them and the other remaining were for Ria to take care of. In the end, the only one left was Rodrick who falls on his butt on the floor, shaken by the ruthless action from the girl in front of him. Although Rodrick has his fair share in the ''dirty'' part of the world, everything had gone so well to him as whoever messed with him would always end up bing ''obedient'' to him, or disappeared from the world when his subordinates took ''care'' of them with just a call from him. This was the second time things had not gone ording to his n, the first obviously was She''s kidnapping and now that he goes with the second n, it still didn''t work. Though he finds the words by She hold some truth in it, he still didn''t believe that she could survive against a torrent rain of bullet all at once. Without waiting further, Rodrick put his arm on his pocket and alert his men standing guard outside with the switch. And right after he active the switch, onest shot resounds and he could feel piercing pain on his upper left arms and when the pain assaulting his sense, Rodrick couldn''t help but shrieked in pain while grabbing onto his injured arms with his other hands. "AAAAH! MY ARM! Damn it! Y-You!" But before he could finish his word, She suddenly vanished from her previous spot before reappearing in front of him, though it looks like she just ''teleported'', it''s actually just moving at high speed that no ordinary could follow her movement with their slow eyes. "If the girls weren''t here and I was alone, you would have died by now, you know that right? And I also didn''t want to get my hand dirty for just someone like you, but obviously, I can''t let you go like this, so..." It was just in a blink of an eye, Rodrick couldn''t follow what She did with his eyes, but the pain followed right after makes him realized what she had done. Crack! "!! It hurts! My Leg!" Rodrick shrieked as his right leg went off in the wrong direction, no doubt that his leg is now broken. Among all his limbs, two of them are now broken. But what She said afterward caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood, and wish that he could strangle her to death due to the amount of anger he had umted just from her words alone. "It''s just your leg''s broken, why the need to shriek so loud? Aren''t you a man? Clench your teeth and butt, Be a man and take the pain with guts. And I''m not even done yet with you..." Right after, She slowly walks toward Rodrick while thetter was trying to get away from the crazy girling after him by crawling as fast as he could, but in the end, his speed was simply too slow as She had already caught up to him. "Stop! Don''te here! Youe closer, I will-" Rodrick looked up with fear overwhelming his body, although he didn''t know what She was nning to do to him next, his instinct is telling him that it''s not anything good and by the look of her face, he was right on the dot. Before he could warn her further, he was assaulted by another powerful pain in the ce he would never expect, it was on theher region. "AAAAAAH! YOU! S-Stop it!" But She didn''t say anything in response, just smiled at him before continuing in stepping repeatedly on hisher region without any particr care. When the thugs who were groaning on the floor saw this scene, rather than nning for a sneak attack, they ying dead instead. Just getting beaten by a girl much younger than them is already embarrassing enough, they didn''t want to be the second eunuch. While the thugs were ying dead on the floor, Ria shook her head with a wry smile on her face at She, but she didn''t stop her so this continues until Rodrick eventually loss unconsciousness with foam over his mouth. "Ahh~ that makes me feel much better." She muttered in happiness while wiping invisible sweats on her forehead with her hands. But before she went toward Yuna who was still chained on the chair, She used intimidation on full force for the one who was ying dead on the floor and without any resistance, all of them followed right after Rodrick. When She steps closer to Yuna, thetter couldn''t help but flinched in response, though She wants to hug her to makes her feel better, she chose to pull down the blindfold first. "It''s okay, It''s me, Yuna. I won''t hurt you, in fact, I came here to rescue you." "You are...Senior She?" "Yes, it''s me, the real and still living Senior She. You''re good now, see, they are beaten up by me and Ria over there." She said before pointing toward the group of unconscious people on the floor before moving to Ria who was standing near Rodrick in guard when the two looked over, she waved her hand in response. Though Yuna still feels scared and traumatized by the kidnapping, her heart managed to calm down a bit after seeing She and Ria in the room, but she still feels uneasy deep down, the only way she could feelpletely at ease is by sending her back home safely. She understood this, which was she nodded her head before opening her mouth and said. "Though I want to bring you home, I need to take care of business outside first. Don''t worry, just stay here for a while and I''ll be back. You can put your trust in me and Ria over there, we''re actually quite strong, you know?" Yuna wanted to stop She from leaving the room as though she was scared before, she did overhear Rodrick mentioned that his men were equipped with weapons. And like Rodrick, Yuna didn''t believe that She could survive against that kind of thing, but after seeing the resolute look on She''s face and the eyes that are filled with trust from Ria, she ended up nodding her head in response.With that taken care of, it''s time for the ''real'' business, Rodrick''s men should have entered by now but due to my interference by binding them in ce, they were frozen on the spot outside. It was only when She entered their room that they finally were able to move, but that also meant their ends ising. Chapter 101 - The Tragedy Of Men 10 minutes ago before the tragedy, Herry, the leader of his gang was told to wait in the room next door with guns in their hands while his ''boss'' brings another group of thugs that he hired inside the other room. Since he had done this type of ''business'' a lot of times and all of them were a huge sess, Herry is not worried about his boss and in fact, the man and his gang were drinking while discussing where they would spend the money earned for today. To them, the deal is already on the seal as no matter how ''fierce'' the tiger is, a single or two bullets is enough to silence it for eternity. When they heard the gunshots resound the room next to them, they justughed and continue drinking to their heart content, some even thought of joining them the ''fun'' but decides against it and resume drinking. While Herry was having an arm wrestle with one of his gang, the device next to him suddenly rang which brought all the attention to it. "Hoh? It appears that this time, the tigress is pretty ''fierce''. Alright, y''all stop drinking and pick up your weapon. It''s our time to have fun with another yet ''fierce'' tigress!" "OOOOH!" But just when they were about to head out of the room, all of theme to a halt in one spot before one by one, they fall t onto the floor. No matter how hard they tried to get on their feet with all their strength, none could actually move at all. Even Herry, the man who was known for his strength simply couldn''t do anything and just stood on the spot, it feels like he was shouldering a heavy mountain on his back. It would be something if one of them could actually move in such a situation, but all of them are undoubtedly ordinary people. "Ugh! What''s going on here?!" No matter how he thought about it, everything happened so suddenly and before he knows it, he was already caught frozen on the spot. But it was not just Herry who want to know the truth as everyone started inquiring each other with doubts in their face, believing that one of them was actually a betrayal that caused them to be caught in the trap. Just as things start to get heated up, Herry was about to shout and silence them only to get his face to tten to the floor by an invisible force. Just as the man started to get riled up from anger, the door of their room was suddenly opened from the outside and a feminine figure steps inside the room. "W-Who are you! Are you the one who did this?!" "I certainly the one who did this to you all, well, let me take care of this first." She said with a nodded before moving on from a person to another, taking the guns from them and storing inside the inventory, but to others, it looks like the weapon disappeared when it got into her hands. Though the guns are useless when fighting an enemy that has a protection spell around them, it still can be used to either scare off ordinary people who tried to make trouble for her or maybe she could just sell it to the system''s shop, either way, it will stay rot in the inventory for now. After She was done unequip their weapons, they were finally able to move as She has removed the restraint she put them through, it was a powerful restraint with thebination from Shadow Magic and Intimidation skill. The moment Herry could move, he immediately unsheathed the knife in his jacket before sprinting towards She like a cheetah hunting for its prey. Though his speed looks fast from his gang''s perspective, if She could see his status, his Agility stats would probably be around 10 or so which is quite high for a normal person. But She''s agility stats is even more monstrous than him, and with a minimum movement, She easily evades the attacks before counterattacking with a kick of her own to his guts which send the man flying and crashed to the wall. His gang was also about to make a move by nning to surround She, but when they saw their leader get his ass kicked just like that from those thin and weak legs of a girl, they immediately give up as those who were stillying on the floor went and did the same action like those hired thugs, which was ying dead. But no matter how ''real'' their act seems to be, She only believes after she went through them one by one, and knocking them up by her own hands. Realizing even that didn''t work against the ruthless girl, though they knew it was futile to fight against her, some still rush toward her as they didn''t like the feeling of getting cornered by her. And while the stupid morons were rushing toward her, the remaining smart ones use the opportunity created by those and tried to escape by leaving the room, but when they reached near the door, their body was enveloped by the restraint created from She. Basically, all of them were unable to escape their fate from getting one their limbs broken by She, it took exactly ten minutes for her to finish the deal and by then, she could hear a knock on the door. "Umm, She? Are you done yet?" "Ah yes, wait up." When She opened the door, she saw Yuna with a worried look on her face, perhaps because she couldn''t hear anything from their room that she decides to leave the room with Ria. She could already tell since she could sense their presence even while she was focusing on beating the mercenary to a pulp. Though She knows that it''s wrong, she couldn''t help but feel great when beating a man that''s many times bigger than herself. It was like the feeling of aplishment when she had clear the boss in the game after staying upte at night. With a smile on her face, She opened her mouth and said. "Shall we head home?" Chapter 102 - Killing Off The Roots After the three girls departed from the old building, She came back five minutester with the intent of burying all of them under the fall of the old building. Though She went easy on them a moment ago by only breaking their limbs, she still didn''t want to let them go with just that as she could see theming back for revenge in the near future. By killing off the root, she would be able to breathe a peaceful fresh of air and focus on leveling up, After all, She wouldn''t have to worry about getting into machination of others if she had absolute strength that would strike fear to the core. That''s why She didn''t mind killing off a fellow human even though it makes her feels ufortable, she would eventually get used to it. How is she going to protect her loves one if she can''t handle this type of thing as in the future, the world wouldn''t be as nice as today. If she''s going to meet all sorts of monstrosity like that of Earth Dragon, she also needs to have a strong will. She could tell that the future would be a world where the weak would get trampled by those stronger than them, and no matter what she did to stop the world from changing, she knew it wasn''t possible even with the organization she was going to create. At most, she could only make a certain region free from the influence of the strong prey the weak world. But that''s the only conclusion she coulde up with as of now, and since she had the ''Leveling system'' with her, there might be a way that would only be avable in the future that could help her deal with it. When She arrived in front of the old building, she could sense the presence of the people inside were beginning waking up. If she wants to destroy the building, now is the time, though She knows that this will likely attract attention, it would only be for short while as eventually the other news like a celebrity was exposed doing this or that would overshadow it in no time. But before she makes her move, She makes sure that there''s no one else in the surrounding area as she didn''t the innocent to get caught when the building starts to fall. "me yourself for seeking revenge against me as I would have forgotten about you otherwise." With that said, She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she slowly channels the mana in her body to flow through until it stopped andpressed within the palm of her hands. As the mana slowly flows through her body, She could feel the heat in the air started to rise up until it reached the point where it feels like she was in a sauna with her body soaked with sweats. Once the spell was ready, She prays that those that die here will be reborn into a new life and do good deeds instead of their current one. No matter how corrupt and evil they are, they are still human, the humans that she will remember for the rest of her life as this was the first step she took in taking other lives. "Inferno." The moment she mutters those words, a zing me flew straight at the old building at an unbelievable speed and, in the blink of an eye, it exploded as everything within the area experience a tremor from the ground which alerted some people that thought it was an earthquake. But it was only for a few short seconds as the moment it stopped, the old building has now be a ruin with debris all over the ce. And within the debris, there''s a group of people who were buried to death, even to theirst breath they couldn''t escape the fate of dying under the concrete when the building starts to break down. But at thest second, before the spell could hit the building, She is sure that she could sense that there''s a new presence suddenly appeared within the building and escape the moment it has taken hold onto another presence with it. Thankfully she was smart enough to immediately hide into the shadow right after firing Inferno, and even if the unknown presence saw her, they won''t know who she is as she''s currently under the disguise of someone else instead. She didn''t know who has been taken away with it, but among all the identities, the only important person was Rodrick Jayson. The mere thought of him being saved caused She to frown, she could tell that man wille back again in the future for another revenge.Ahh, what a headache! I was going to kill off the root once and for all but only for someone else to intrude and save that asshole. Now every time I wake up, I will have to worry about everything and it''s also possible that he will once again abduct Yuna... that''s the only choice left, huh.With that thought in mind, She went back to where the girls were waiting for near the convenient store, she did say she was going to take a while to buy ''something'' to them, after all. "So, where did you exactly go?" As expected of Ria, she knows me. Even so, I can''t tell her that I just went and actually killed those people. Though I know that she won''t leave me, I still feel insecure that otherwise could happen. She will likely find out about it when it appeared on the news anyway and if she asked, I will rify it to her but otherwise, I will keep my silence. "Ah well, I didn''t find what I was looking for but I did get ice cream for you two." With that said, She pulled out three ice cream out of her small pocket without any problem before giving the other two to Ria and Yuna. Though Ria is giving her a suspicious look, she didn''t inquire anything and took the ice cream silently. And although Yuna wanted to know how was it possible that three ice cream could fit in such a small pocket, she also keeps her silence and instead enjoys her ice cream. just like the time when her blindfold was removed, although she was relieved, she still finds it unbelievable how the two girls next to her could actually beat the scary grown-up man into a pulp. And she also heard gunshots before yet, when Yuna looked around, she didn''t see any guns in person or on the floor. Either Ria or She may have taken over but she didn''t see them holding a gun or anywhere in person which was why she finds it strange. There''s a lot of things she wanted to ask, but knowing She as an actual magician, she wasn''t sure whether to give it a go or not. She understood this simply when she noticed a few ncesing from Yuna, and although she was reluctant, now that she knows that Rodrick was saved by someone, she has to bring Yuna to her side and get her level up soon or she might get caught again with no ability to fight back. Chapter 103 - Lucky Charm When She and Ria were about to part ways with Yuna and walk through a different road, She stopped in front of thetter before pulling out a beautiful silver ne from her small pocket and giving it to the hands of the stunned Yuna while saying,''this is just a good luck charm that will protect you, so I''ll like it if you wear it at all time.'' Yuna wants to reject it seeing how expensive it looks, but when shees to her sense, she was already wearing it around her neck and was heading back home. Since it was a gift from her senior and someone who she knows as a magician, the ne must be the real thing of what it was imed to be. I guess it''s not just my imagination that the moment I wore the ne, I feel like something deep within me has just snapped open. I don''t know what exactly had happened but there''s no way that senior would do anything bad to me so I''ll just ask herter next time I see her. To be honest, She prefers the method like what she had done to Sylvia but that would eat up too much time as, at the moment, her parents must have been worried about her so Yuna didn''t have the time for that. Once Yuna makes her parents known about her wellbeing, by then would She introduces her to the whole new world. Though Ria knows the reason why She had given the ne to Yuna for one simple reason, she still asked thetter about it anyway when they were in their room after having a wonderful dinner. "Well, what I previously said to Yuna was not wrong as the moment she''s in great danger, the ne could sense it and immediately deploy a small barrier around her. This will protect her from the harm that will befall her somewhere in the future." "What do you mean by ''harm will befall her''?" "Though I have broken their arms and legs while also giving some a trauma that they would remember for the rest of their lives, I''m sure that some of them would want to get another revenge and, they definitely won''t let Yuna go just like what had happened today." "Hmm, that''s true." "I had no choice but this, I don''t want to use the gold that I saved up since there''s something that I need to buy from the shop. Plus, if the barrier is deployed, the ne would then sent a signal to me and I could immediately rush there. The barrier should be enough to held on until I arrive on the scene." Ria nodded her head in agreement and thought she could not bepared to She in all aspect of stats, she was still able to defeat a group of thugs easily even with only her fist. She could easily avoid the bullet with either submerged within the shadow and sneak attack them, or simply steal the guns from them before they could fire it as she did back then. It was a feat that Ria could not do with her current stats. When the unknown presence suddenly intrude before her spell hit the old building, She was quite surprised as rather than saying she didn''t notice the presence, it was more like it literally ''appeared'' next to Rodrick before the two escaped from getting crushed to death by the concrete. Though that presence is not as scary as the Earth Dragon, it stillparable to the Ogre, whoever it is must have been a little stronger than the current her.Is it really the ''old monster'' that was said in many stories I have read? After all, they did escape by teleporting away from the scene. Why does the stronger I have be, the more troubleing to my doorstep? Seriously, give me a break. She shook her head before deciding to head into the Trial Tower to level up instead of getting headaches for thinking all this problem. "I''m going, I''ll see again in a few minutester then." "Alright, battle junkie. I''d also be going there but for now, I will take a rest first. Don''t let your guard down in there, okay?" "B-Battle junkie? Are you talking about me? I don''t really like battlingthat much,you know? If possible, I would rather y games all-" "Yes yes, I know. I was simply joking, go ahead." She pouted at Ria''s words, though she wanted to retort, that would only be a waste of time. After taking a couple of breaths to calm her beating heart, She closed her eyes and in a sh, her figure disappeared from the real world before her body materialize again in the Trial Tower.It''s time to grind some EXP and maybe visit Sylvia after that? *** Meanwhile in a High Rise Apartment, Fifth Floor, Room 13. Within an empty room devoid of any presence and noise, suddenly two figures magically appeared in the living room. Though Rodrick had just been saved by the figure next to him, he was still unconscious on the floor, if he was left alone back in the old building, he won''t even know that he was already in hell after dying of getting crushed under debris. The figure looked down in contempt at how pathetic Rodrick is, it even considered of just killing him off right here as if Rodrick had listened to its warning, he would have not gotten caught in this whole mess. "Though he would be d of sacrificing himself to God, the man still has its use. I should use this chance to experiment on him, but the man would refuse outright if there''s no benefit for him other than the extreme pain he will suffer. Hmm, maybe he would agree if I told him I could give him the ''power'' he needs for his revenge? Hahaha, Indeed, that would work! Things have started to get interesting, isn''t it? I look forward to the future, Ahahaha!" Chapter 104 - Preparation Even before the rm started ringing, Sylvia suddenly opened her eyes wide before getting up from her bed. Looking at her surroundings, Sylvia still can''t get used to the room that''s unfamiliar to her even though she had been living here for the past few days. Sylvia remembers back when she''s living with her mother, whenever the rm started ringing, her mother sleeping next door would get woken up to the rm and ended up getting mad at her. Her mother works from night till the morning of the day, it''s understandable that she wants to get some sleep. But in She''s household, most of them would awaken right in the morning either for work or school at the same time so she didn''t have the trouble of disturbing anyone. If this keeps up, she might lose those habits that she learned back at home. After getting up on her feet, Sylvia went to the bathroom and refresh herself in the warm bathtub once she had removed all her clothes. The bathroom always has been a ce where Sylvia could truly let down the inhibitions she had put up in her ordinary life, though her current situation is no more but ordinary. Twenty minutester, Sylvia walks out of the bathroom with a towel covering her body to prepare for school. Most girls would usually take longer to prepare themselves but Sylvia is not of them as after drying her silky silver-white hair, she only needs a few minutes to wear the school uniform before exiting the room, there''s no need for makeup. Even without any of it, her natural beauty is already plentiful enough to make girls in her ss to be envious. That was why some of them would bully her to regain their already small dignity against her, girls can also be petty like that. While she was on the way to the dining room, she came across a wild She walking upstairs covered in sweats, she must have just finished her daily jogging and was on the way to clean her sweats off. "Good morning, Mas- She." "Mhm, morning. You are early today too I see." "Umm.. you too, do you always go jogging early in the morning?" "Well, for the past few weeks, yes. I don''t really exercise much back in the days, but now that I realized that it helps in keeping me both healthy and in shape, I don''t mind waking up early for that. Though I doin a lot when I first started, I''m used to it by now." She let out an awkwardugh when she remembers the time when she had started doing the daily quest, her body had never felt so tired and sore in her entire life. It took her quite an experience when she had to take a walk to school with that kind state, and when she arrived on her seat, all the energy she had used till then evaporated from her body as she leaned her face down on the table exhausted. That was one hell of a tiring day for sure. After having a small chat, She took a leave as she needs to take a bath before heading downstairs for breakfast while Sylvia will be going ahead and waits for the other to get ready. "Oh? You''re early today too, Sylvia." When Sylvia arrived and found her seat near the dining table, she was greeted by Sara who wasing out from the kitchen with dishes in her hands. Sylvia gives a curt nod in response, though she had been living here for a while now, Sylvia was still quite shy around She''s family. It was especially the case for Sara, to Sylvia, Sara is a kind and warming figure of a mother. Whenever she was greeted warmly by Sara, she would always reminiscent of her childhood where her actual mother was once used to treat her the same. That was why sometimes Sylvia doesn''t know how to respond when she was faced in such a situation again, all she could do was just nodding her head in response. Sylvia even wonders why and how She''s parent is too kind and weing to her presence in their household. Sylvia didn''t expect them to be upset or anything like that, but getting ignored for a bit is within her expectation as she was, after all, a stranger to the household. Or maybe this was actually normal in every household out there? After filling herself with a delicious breakfast, Sylvia was discussing a bit about her current life with She before thetter went to school with Ria by her side. Since her ss started in the afternoon, Sylvia decides to ''grind'' a bit in the Trial Tower, a phrase that she learned from She. After making sure that the door is locked, Sylvia closed her eyes and when she regained her sight, she was back into a world filled with nothing but an endless grasnd, First Floor of the Trial Tower. ¡º Sylvia LV.7 ¡» ¡º HP: 60/60 MP: 45/45 ss: Assassin GOLD: 362 ¡ªSTR: 13 ¡ªINT: 9 ¡ªAGI: 22 ¡ªVIT: 12 ¡ªLUCK: 5 AP: 0 ¡» "For the past few days of grinding, my level is now at 7. Maybe this time I could beat that huge slime?" When she was killing off the slimes in the past, she also came across the boss of the First Floor but since she couldn''t fight it with her low stats, She intervened right before the slime couldnd a hit on her or her fate would likely be decided by then. With her current stats, including all her skills went up to level 2, she has the confidence that it will work out if she didn''t let her guard down and recklessly charge in. With a determined look on her face, Sylvia sneakily and silently move forward while looking at her surrounding, searching for slime to kill. After killing too many slimes that she had lost count of it, Sylvia suddenly feels a tremor on her feet and without even looking ahead she already knows what was the thing in front of her that caused the small earthquake, it was none other than the Slime King, the Boss of the First Floor. Chapter 105 - The Church Is Making A Move The day passed yet her investigation for the mission didn''t amount to anything. Even though she finds She and her friends suspicious, after a bit of stalk-Cough, investigating, Angelica didn''t find anything abnormal that stood out from their ordinary life. In the end, she removed She and her friends from the list and look for another suspect instead. One day when Angelica was following behind one student who seemed suspicious, she witnessed the junior who seemed close to She getting taken away by a group of men into a van without the girl being able to put up any resistance against them. Before she knows it, her gun was already in her hands and as she was about to rush to them following her instinct, she came to a halt and remember the warning that her mother told her before she left the mansion. With a helpless expression on her face, Angelica put her gun back and watch the van moving away into a distance. Remember, the first thing you must do is to never show your gun in public. If the ''Outsider'' were attacking ordinary people, you should attract it and bait it away to somewhere else before using the gun to eliminate it. This is not just for protecting you, we don''t want our enemy to know that such a gun exists as unlike the others, the gun in your hand is unique. It could stay hidden as a normal ring and when materialize, it would turn into a deadly weapon that could pierce even the toughest metal so long as you have the ''ability'' for it. Even without me saying this, you should already know since the gun ''choose'' you, after all. Although she could handle the group of men with only her bare fist, Angelica noticed that one of the men, the driver was holding onto a gun. No matter how strong she ispared to normal people, there''s no way she could dodge a bullet with her speed. This is not what I trained very hard for! Though fighting against the Outsider is considered as a heroic act, if no one is there to witness it, it all amounts to nothing! I want to be like that person, yet I also want the people to hear and talk about my heroic deed!thought Angelica in her mind while she walking on the way to school. When she arrived at school, as expected the news about a fellow high school girl getting kidnapped spread to the whole school. Angelica ignored most of the students who were gossiping on the side while she was heading to her ss. After greeting her ssmates and chat a bit with others on her seat, a ssmate ran over before quickly opened the door of the room and entered the ss before mentioning how the teacher let She go when thetter asked for a leave. The ssmates feel envious that She could skip ss today yet, they couldn''t do anything about it unless they could score the same as her or higher which is impossible. Since She was quite close to the girl who had just been kidnapped, Angelica wonders if she had any connection regarding the case this time. If she could take a leave, Angelica would have followed right behind, but her reputation would take a hit if she did that as it hasn''t been that long since she had just transferred to this school. It was only when she goes to school the next day that Angelica found out the junior was fine as she didn''t have any bruises on her body. When her ssmate couldn''t keep their curiosity and asked about the case, she won''t say any word no matter how stubborn some students could be. Angelica would like to inquire about the girl too, but before she could walk toward Yuna who was seat together with She and Ria, the phone in her pocket vibrates. She excused herself and went to the toilet before pulling her phone out of her pocket. [ Where are you now? -Mother. ] [ I''m on my mission at school. -YourLovelyDaughter. ] [ Mission? Sigh, did those old geezers did it again? I really need to teach them a lesson when I''m avable, but that''s not the reason why I''m notifying you. Anyways, since you were there, I want you to investigate if there''s any member from The Church in the region you''re staying. I got some information that they are making a suspicious movement. -Mother. ] [ The Church is making a move? But What about my current mission? -YourLovelyDaughter. ] [ You can put it off, for now, do the mission I have given you. This is much more important than that side-mission. With that said, I''ll be waiting for the news. Just don''t do anything dangerous, okay? -Mother. ] [ Yes! Leave it to me! -YourLovelyDaughter. ] "The Church, huh? I wonder if that girl knows anything about this." Angelica muttered softly to herself while pondering on one familiar blond-haired girl who has a huge cross floating around as if protecting something precious from the harm that might befall her one day. Though the girl certainly holds an important position within the church, and though she didn''t have much power in her word, her position was unshakable below the Pope himself. She was a Saintess, after all. Though the two were quite close, Angelica didn''t believe that she would outright tell her even if asked, it''s also possible that the forces within the Church might have already gone and been protecting her from the shadow. They should have investigated my background already so it''s unlikely that they would let me go if I ask such sensitive question to her, in fact, even being the Saintess''s ''friend'' won''t save me from their de. Though it is unbelievable, the Saintess were so kind and pure that would make any person to immediately confess their sin after locking their eyes with her for more than an hour long. And one won''t be influenced by her ''power'' simply by not locking their eyes with her. That was the girl known as Saintess, it was the very reason why the Church ''keep'' her in the dark. If she had known what the Church had secretly been doing behind her back, she would havemit suicide right there and then. Maybe if I can get away from those ''protecting'' her, and was alone with her could I finally discuss with her about many of the Church''s heinous crimes. Chapter 106 - Appetizing Reward When Sylvia saw the huge slime appeared in a distance, she immediately hides her presence as low as possible while sneakily and swiftly steps forward toward it. When she reached approximately ten meters away from it, her breathing bes quiet as her body gradually started to rx. Once her preparation is ready, Sylvia gripped the dagger in her hard before silently sprinting ahead, it was only she reached close to three meters that the Slime King finally noticed her presence as, without any hesitation, it sends out a tentacle swipe at her with such fast speed that not even an expert in martial arts could avoid itpletely. But with her current agility, Sylvia easily dodged it by sidestepping as the tentacle hits her previous location with a loud thumping noise. If that kind of attack hadnded a single hit on her, she could only see her own body turning to meat paste without any resistance. Knowing this, Sylvia bes even more focused on avoiding such a critical attack, and once in a while, she wouldnd a few hits on the slime before retreating to heal herself by drinking the potion in the inventory. Though she could avoid a few hits, that doesn''t meanpletely as there were still times that the wind''s pressure from the hit somehow managed to graze on her which caused a few minor cuts appearing around her arms. As Sylvia repeatedly the same actin of sending a few hits on the slime and retreated a distance away from it, she could tell that its health is slowly being chipped away and by the time its anger reached the peak, if not for her quick reaction and wise decision ofunching a critical hits with Fatal Strike skill, the one who had died would have been her. Once the core finally cracked and shattered to pieces, Sylvia could finally heave a relieved sigh as she plops down the ground with a tired and exhausted expression on her face. "That was...very tiring. And, I guess I almost die? Haaa..." Though all said and done, she had now cleared the First Floor of the Trial Tower, which meant she now could enter the Second Floor where the goblins reside within the dark cave, or so she was told from She. But rather than entering with her current stats and level, Sylvia wanted to level up a few more until her level reached 10; it was also a piece of adviceing from She. After all, the goblin is much stronger and cunning than a slime, it''s better to prepare herself first before heading to the Second Floor. While Sylvia was taking a rest after clearing the floor, She was currently staring at her phone sneakily while in ss with an expression of utter disbelief. Thest time she received a quest was about dragon yer which was absolutely impossible for the current her, the quest is still there within the quest window but today, the moment She steps into her ssroom, a sudden quest appeared in her phone. Though if her phone didn''t vibrate in her pocket, she would not have known and check itter in ss. ¡º Investigation II (-) ¡» ¡º The world''s power has started making its move, investigate the cause. Reward: Taming Skill Book, 10 AP, 100,000 GOLD Punishment upon failure: Level drop by -5, Penalty Zone ¡» ...That''s it? How would I know that something is making a move behind the scene, and why they did it. Why do I need to know anyway? But that punishment... Isn''t that pretty harsh? The higher the level, the harder to level up. Plus, I see that the Penalty Zone is making its appearance the second time. Although I would like to visit it to fill in my curiosity, if I lost that much level and was sent to Penalty Zone, I don''t think I''ll able to survive in there, especially when I have no information regarding it. But even so, She wonders what caused the quest to triggered so suddenly. Excluding three people, herself included, all her ssmates are just a normal person with no special power of sort. If the quest was triggered when she steps into the school, that would make her investigation much harder as there''s no way she could investigate the student one by one, there''s simply too many of them. Though she tried her hardest to note to such a conclusion, She couldn''t help but sneak a peek at the red-haired girl who noticed her gaze and put up a smile in response. No doubt about it, it''s this girl. I feel like the system is telling me something here and it has something to do with this girl. It''s already suspicious enough that the quest gets triggered when I walked into the ss while Angelica was already seated in her ce. But isn''t that too easy? The reward is quite appetizing, after all. There has to be something more to this. Though there''s also the possibility that one of her ssmates has awakened to a supernatural power or has a connection to the dark side of the world. Just thinking about going through investigating all her ssmate''s backgrounds one by one is already causing her headaches,I just want to level up and be strong enough to protect myself and the people I care for, this is not what I asked for!She silentlyined inside her mind. She decides to have a talk with Ria first before deciding to do something about the quest, having two brains is much better than one, after all. "But still, taming skill book, huh?" She softly muttered to herself while she was lost deep in thought. She had once had a wish to be able to tame slime and make them her petpanion, seeing how weirdly adorable they could be, and now that such reward appeared, she MUSTplete this quest, no matter what! One of her dream of being a Monster Tamer is not that far behind and if she let this chance go to waste, there might not be another way to acquire such a skill book, after all, though it was sold in the system''s shop, the price shut her downpletely. Chapter 107 - Experimental "Hmm? What is it now?" "I-I haven''t said anything but why do you look at me like that?" "Well, you make that face when you''re asking for help, even a dumb person can tell it by reading your expression right now. So?" When the two returned home after the school ends, She silently sneaked a peek at Ria who was studying the materials seated near the bed. Even though Ria tried her best not to mind the stare and focused on studying in preparation for the final exam which was three months away, but the continuous silently staring from She started to get in the way of her focus. Heaved a helpless sigh, Ria put the pencil aside before turning her back with the chair and asked the girl who immediately looked away when she turned. She had wanted to call her out to talk about the quest after taking a quick bath, but when sheeback and saw Ria focusing on her studies, the word she was about to say was stuck in her mouth and, in the end, she ended up sitting on the bed with her eyes locked onto Ria. It was only when she was called out that she response back, albeit awkwardly. While scratching her head, She slowly exined the details regarding her new quest. Ria just nodded her head in response to everything she said and after She had finished her exnation, Ria just stood there with an expression of deep in thought. "Let me see, you want to use my brain to help you, is that it?" "Yes, that''s right! I knew I could depend on you, Ria!" When She enthusiastically response back, Ria heaved another helpless sigh. yet another happiness has gone away as simply as that. Lately, didn''t she sigh a lot whenever ites to the problem regarding She? If this continues on, there might not be any more happiness left in her. Joking aside, this is quite a problem. Why did the system want She to investigate something that doesn''t have any connection with her? She is by any means are not a detective, how is she going to investigate something without any clue whatsoever? Though it was obvious to think that the quest somehow had a connection to someone in the ssroom but yet, wouldn''t that be too easy for a quest that rewards handsomely? Maybe there something here that we missed as She exin previously, something that we didn''t know about is happening. Perhaps, something like that Earth Dragon, when Ria reached this thought, she couldn''t help but opened her mouth to ask a question. "Is it possible that the government finally took notice of the existence of Earth Dragon? It would make a lot of sense for the detail to said that the ''world''s power'' meaning the government, after all, they do have some ''power'' in authority." "Mhm, wait- Isn''t that bad then? I didn''t have enough strength yet to kill it!" "That''s what you focused on?! Sigh, anyway, Why don''t you just check the ce first? See if there are people standing guard in the mountain or something. Is this all?" "Yea, I''ll be grinding a bit and if it''s not toote, I might give a quick visit there just to check out. ...are you seriously going back to study?" Looking at Ria who immediately went back to studying after hearing her words, She was speechless. The final exam was still three months away yet, the girl seated in front of her is already preparing for it. But this is exactly who she is, even while Ria was studying, a part of her mind were split, one of them was wondering about the quest while the other half was focused on the material on the table. She is not worried about the exam is simply because she has Photographic Memory, a passive skill that she learned in the past, something that would make any person go bald in envious. Without wasting any more time and also not wanting to disturb Ria, the figure of She suddenly disappeared from the bedroom before reappearing in the Trial Tower. "Oh right! I do have those in my inventory, let''s see, here it is." Suddenly arge-caliber semi-automatic pistol, Desert Eagle, appeared in her hands. It was one of the guns she had stolen from Rodrick''s subordinates, instead of leaving it behind only to be taken away by the police, she would rather take it for herself as a present from them. The police won''t know about it anyway and, the reason why she bought it out of the inventory is that she wanted to test something. Closing her eyes, She spread her awareness to the surroundings and when she opened her eyes, she immediately sprints toward the East side of the Forest. With her speed, it didn''t take her that much time before she came across two hobgoblins bickering with each other for reasons she couldn''t understand. If She had not interrupted, the two might have a fistfight to the death. The moment the two hobgoblins noticed a female human running towards them with a strange item in hands, their face turned ugly before rushing ahead, wanting to be the first one tond a hit on her. When they had thought She would continue running straight at them, she suddenly stopped a certain distance away before firing the pistol in her hands toward one of the hobgoblins. Bang! Bang! Bang! A three continuously gunshots resounds in the whole forest, but only one of them actuallynd a hit on the hobgoblin.That''s strange, I was pretty sure my aim was precise but I missed two times, huh? But even so...Looking at the hobgoblin groaning in pain while holding onto its bleeding arm, the other hobgoblin looked surprised as it didn''t expect such a tiny object to be able to leave such a deep wound to its kin. Seeing the chance when the human stopped firing the dangerous object in her hands, the uninjured hobgoblin madly rushed toward her in an attempt to send her flying by crashing into her, but it missed when She jumped into the shadow,pletely dodging the iing attacks. "It''s good to know that a hobgoblin around level 15+ still could get hurt from a pistol. Well with that done, time to let the two hobgoblins free from their suffering." Finishing her word, She suddenly appeared behind the injured hobgoblin and easily beheaded it before throwing a powerful fireball toward the second hobgoblin to distract it as she jumped back into the shadow. When the smoke dispersed, the hobgoblin bes angry and smash everything around it as it couldn''t sense the female human presence anywhere around it. While it was focusing on releasing its anger onto the poor earth, it didn''t notice She sneakily appeared behind its back with the sword sweeping toward its neck. Chapter 108 - Strong Firepower After killing off the two hobgoblins, She decides to grind some more for EXP, at least she wanted to level up by one before exiting the Trial Tower. But before that, She also wants to test something out, it has been in her mind since she was holding onto the gun. The details said it could change/transform into a ''weapon'', and the gun is indeed a weapon, so does that not mean that she could change it to a gun instead of a sword and the likes? If it could change its form into a gun, that would be a mind-changing game. Without waiting further, the sword in her hands suddenly released a bright light that caused She to closed her eyes in response. When she regained her sight and looked down, what was on her hands look identical to that of Desert Eagle but, when one looked closer, there''s a noticeable rune-like-text flickering on the handle of the pistol. She could also feel the weight has been reduced much more than the actual weight of Desert Eagle. "It works...I do have a feeling that it would work but...there is still part of me that didn''t believe such a thing could be possible." With a ''unique'' Desert Eagle in her hands, She sprint ahead while spreading her awareness in the surrounding once again, searching for another monster that could be used as a test subject. "A single goblin, huh? Well, that''s fine." Rather than getting closer to get the goblin to get it in her firing-range, She decides to shoot it from a distance, to find out how far the range for the pistol in her hands could go. She sneaked behind a tree to hide and looked at the green creature that''s staring ahead nkly without any goal in mind. She had seen this a couple of times but seeing the goblin looking so ''bored'' while staring in the air makes her feel strangely weird. It''s like they are not actually living and breathing even though no matter how one looked at it, it''s alive. Because she had been focusing on leveling up, She didn''t notice it until wayter. When she had killed the goblin for the first time at the alleyways, the corpse didn''t disappear like the one in the Trial Tower. And when she entered the Trial Tower after that, it seemed that the system has taken the corpse away from the inventory and suddenly there''s a Second Floor where the goblins dwell within the cave. Though she already knew that the system in her phone was the work of someone, or at least someone is behind it, She couldn''t help but wonders what kind of person could literally make a system like that of RPG where one can level up.If there''s an actual god in this world, then...She shook her head to remove the thought in her mind before focusing on the goblin a distance away from her. "Hmm? there''s no button for me to press to check out if there are any bullets in the Deagle in my hand." Seeing as there''s no button, not even the safety is there anymore, the only thing that stood out is the rune on the handle. Without thinking further, She decides to just test fire at the goblin the distance. When her finger touched the trigger of the handgun, the rune started to shine and when her pupils turned bluish, She could see the mana from her body, albeit a small amount, was sucked into the pistol through the rune. Her surprise didn''t stop there as the moment she pressed onto the trigger, the handgun released a soundless ''object'' as it flew at a speed much faster than a normal handgun toward the goblin. There was no recoil or a gunshot sounds that the handgun would usually make when one fired it, it was soundless to a scary degree. The goblin that was staring nkly in the air didn''t even notice a soundless ''object'' flying straight toward its head before exploding to pieces, and just like that, the goblin was killed in one shot, or rather Headshot! "Mother of Poo... That power is too strong, and now that I don''t have to worry about the recoil from the handgun, not like I have such a problem in the first ce, my aim would never miss anymore." "Oh yes,e to think of it, I can use analyze skill on this handgun." ¡º Magic Handgun MODE(APW) ¡» ¡º Grade: B A handgun that shot out mana from the user instead of a bullet. Beware, it has very strong firepower, much stronger than a gun. ¡» "OOOH! It''s actually a B grade weapon! This is the first time I see it, no wonder it was so strong. But wait, didn''t the detail said it was using my mana as a bullet?" ¡º She LV.20 ¡» ¡º HP: 101/155 MP: 268/270 GOLD: 101940 ¡ªSTR: 34 ¡ªINT: 54 ¡ªAGI: 28 ¡ªVIT: 33 ¡ªLUCK: 10(+2) AP: 0 ¡» "The firepower is so strong yet it only costs 2MP per shot, which means I have around 135 shots in total. I wonder if I could defeat that Ogre with this handgun, it''s a grade B weapon after all. It should be able to leave a wound on that monster at the very least, right?" Though she said that, She didn''t want to risk her life just to test it out, the risk is too high. Even though she could exit the Trial Tower at any time, the Ogre''s speed is much faster than her, if it couldnd a fatal hit on her, that would be her end. That is if She didn''t have an Elixir in her hand, but she would rather not use it at this time. The Ogre is no good but she still has the other monsters for her to kill, just as she could easily destroy two hobgoblins with the sword, with the magic handgun now, she could definitely handle a group of hobgoblins without using any of her abilities. That was just how powerful the handgun in her hands is. "Well, with this handgun, it makes the grinding much faster than before which is great. It won''t be long before I could take down that Ogre and ascend to theter floor." Chapter 109 - Cursed Bang! Bang! Bang! Three continuously gunshot resounds in the forest and the three hobgoblins were killed on the spot with each of them having been headshot before they could even muster any resistance against their enemy. When three hobgoblins had fallen and shattered to glittering lights, a feminine figure suddenly jumped out of the shadow and appeared next to them before picking up the drop item on the ground. "Ehh, Again, it''s only golds but nothing else. Why is the drop item from hobgoblin is so stingy? Is it because I have used all my luck for the past few days?" She couldn''t help butin at the unfairness as she picked up the gold off the ground. She had been killing the hobgoblin in the double digits by now, yet all the only dropped she get is only gold, the only good thing about it is that she had leveled up by one. But skill is much harder to level up since you need to use it more often to get the experience required, and now that she was focusing on increasing her level, She solely fight using the handgun rather than using her other abilities. This way her grinding for EXP is much faster than ever, though she needs to take a break once in between to replenish her lost mana. It''s been six hours since then, She decides to leave the Trial Tower since she had aplished her goal anyway. Though she likes leveling up to make herself stronger, she also needs toplete the quest or else all that leveling will go to waste when the punishment arrived. When She regained her sight, she could still see Ria focusing on studying on the same spot. Picking up her phone and looking at the time, it seemed that only 30 minutes has passed even though she had spent 6 hours in the Trial Tower. As for Ria, if no one called her out for dinner, she would have stayed and continued studying, that was how much focus she put into her studies, which makes She feel sort of guilty as she didn''t need to prepare so much and still could score pretty high with the help of her skill. She had looked up into the shop and found the Photographic Memory skill book much more expensive than Telekinesis. The reason why the price is much higher than Telekinesis is that the skill is already maxed level and a passive one at that, Telekinesis is cheaper due to it starts off as weak and required to use a lot to level up the skill, but that is not the case for Photographic Memory. The moment you learned the skill, you can even remember the memory you had once thought forgotten as a baby and can use it immediately without any cost whatsoever. So long as you have seen it with your eyes, everything will be remembered and stored within your brain, leaving none forgotten. Though being amnesia might be a different case. She actually had enough gold to buy the skill, but she needs the gold to buy something else, something much more important than that. No matter how strong one is, that doesn''t mean they could protect everyone around them. She had been eyeing a certain item within the shop, and though she already has enough gold for it, there''s also another few items required to make full use of it. No need to exin further as all of those are very expensive, much more expensive than the one she''s eyeing. If She could get her hands on this, she doesn''t have to worry about the lives of people living within the house when she''s not around. "Oh? You are done with your business?" Feeling the presence behind her, Ria turned her head before asking the question. She nodded her head in response and plop down onto the bed while saying. "Yeah, I leveled up by one. It''s pretty hard to level up the higher the level. For now, I''m going to take a short break before heading out to for the quest." "Heading out? Specifically, how are you going to investigate? Though we have a few clues which are much better than zero, it still nowhere enough. Are you seriously going to investigate person per person?" Hearing Ria''s words, She heaved a helpless sigh and with a tired look, she opened her mouth and said. "What else can I do other than that? For now, I''ll investigate the most suspicious one of all targets, that red-haired girl, Angelica Ernest." "Mhm, that''s a good idea. I also think that she''s the most suspicious of all, even without you telling me about the aura around her, just the fact that she suddenly transferred to our school at this time of year is already enough to put her on the list. But are you sure you canpletely hide your presence from her? You did tell me once that her aura seems very strong, like for example; Detection skill or something like that." "It''s possible but if I didn''t let my guard down, even if she knows that I was following her and fight might ur, I could escape safely if I put everything on the line even without using the ''teleportation'' from the Trial Tower." Ria let out a relieved sigh after listening to She''s words. "That makes me feel much better as knowing you, a problem would definitely arise, so long as you can escape from it safely, I won''t have to be worried." "What does the problem appearing got to do with me? I''m not the type to make trouble, you know?" "That''s the problem, you didn''t create trouble yourself yet, it always able to able finds you. It''s like you have been cursed or something the moment you got the system in your hands which worries me to no end." "Come to think of it, yea, you''re right. But even if I want to let go of this system, I couldn''t do anything to make it disappear from my phone. I even tried getting a new phone just for that yet, when I woke up the next day, the system was already sneaked into my phone without me noticing anything at all....I guess I''m really cursed, huh? hahaha..." Chapter 110 - Trailing When the bell was just ringing, Angelica was cleaning her desk while the other students immediately bid farewell to the teacher before sprinting as if the life on the line toward the exit. Once she was finished with her business, the ssroom is now empty as the other students had already gone home. After living in this region for a whole week by now, Angelica started to feel that the air in the surrounding has somehow changed, it''s like the ''mystical power'' has thickened for a reason she didn''t know. It was a good thing for people like her when such a thing happened as that meant she can use her power much more, but to normal people, it''s like they are living in a ce where the air was poisoned and if the ''poison'' inside the body reached their limit, the result would their death. But on rare cases, some would ''awaken'' to the mystical world when their body adapted to the ''mystical power'', someone like her. Angelica was a very rare case as she was born with a body that was already adapted to the ''mystical power'' and it didn''t take her long before she could use the power within her with the help of her family. When Angelica arrived in front of the hotel, the onlooker couldn''t help but give a second nce at her as normally, no student could bear staying in a hotel for a period amount of time with how pricy it is yet, the red-haired girl wearing a school uniform in their view had already paid for a whole month without any change on her face, with just that the onlooker understood it clearly as she must be from a rich and influential family. And knowing that, some of the men who have a good look had tried to talk to her but most of them were shut down by her gaze, as for the persistent ones, all she had to do was to call the bodyguard and she won''t be seeing them anymore. Ignoring the gazes directed to her, Angelica went to the elevator and press on the button for the 22nd Floor. Ding! Unlocking the door to her room, Angelica steps inside before removing her clothes one by one and put it in a corner and walks toward the closet. After browsing for a whole ten minutes, Angelica finally picked up afortable outfit for the day. Since it was her mother who gives her the current mission, Angelica went to the cab before opening it and taking a normal-lookingpass with her. On her previous mission, Angelica had tried to use it for finding the killer when she arrived at the scene in the alleyway, but it was to no avail. Thepass didn''t give any response to her, in the end, she had asked her mother and the replied was,someone of that caliber definitely has a way to bypass the power from thepass, so it was not a surprise that it didn''t work as you expected. And ''someone of that caliber'' right now was currently running away from the Ogre that was chasing after her, she only stopped when thetter had given up on the chase, finally, she could take a breath before continuing her grinding. She had identally stepped inside the range of the boss when she was dodging the attack from the hobgoblins which immediately alert the Ogre from afar and right after killing off the hobgoblins, the Ogre was already right behind her. But this was another matter that was better yet not known to the two. Once thepass was in her hands, Angelica immediately used it to see if there''s any member from The Church in the district. Though it takes a while, eventually she received a response and within her mind, though the other presence is far away from her current location, she didn''t expect to feel one of their presence directly above her. Even more of a shock was that the presence somehow feels familiar to her, she even began to consider whether to give a visit. After pondering for a few minutes, Angelica decides to head upstairs and once she arrived in front of the door of the room before knocking on the door a couple of times. "Yes, yes, I''ming." Once she feels the presenceing closer towards the door, Angelica immediately retreated to a corner to hide before sneakily look toward the person who came out of the room with a confused expression on her face as she looked around, when she didn''t find any person in the hallways, the blond-haired girl went back into her room. "What is that girl doing here? I remembered her telling me that she would be staying in Italy for a couple of months for business, but then why is she here? She is not the type to lie, did her schedule change or something?" Angelica softly muttered to herself with aplex expression on her face.But even so, just what in the world is the church doing in this remote ce that required the presence of a Saintess? Did they find out the mysterious specialist that killed the Outsider?Although they didn''t have a Compass of Guidance, they do have an artifact of their own. But from the presence that she felt spreading all over the district, she didn''t believe it. They must havee here for another purpose. Now that she knows that they are here, she needs to investigate more on what is their purpose before reporting to her superior- Mother. Her previous mission ended up with nothing that can be used as a result, now that she was given another mission, Angelica was determined to do her best. For the next few days, Angelica spent most of her time secretly trailing after the member of the church, and it was not long before she figured out their purpose. And on it was on the same day that she almost died due to her negligence and if not for someoneing in to save her, she would have not survived to this day. But her mind shook when she looked up to the person who hade to her rescue, it was none other She, who was also staring back at her with a wry smile on her face. Chapter 111 - Another Damsel In Distress Looking at the stunned red-haired girl in front of her, She put up a wry smile on her face while wondering,How did ite to this? Maybe if I had stopped midway, this situation wouldn''t happen, but if I didn''t save her right on time she would have been dead. I didn''t expect the investigation quest to ended up like this,with those thoughts in mind, She looked up and the memory of three hours earlier shed within her eyes. "So, how was your stalker day for today? Find anything new?" Ria asked when She had just stepped into the room, but from the look of her face, she understood that it''s the same result as the other days. Heaved a helpless sigh, She fall onto the bed before opening her mouth and said. "The people she was stalking hadn''t done anything strange up until now yet, she was still firmly trailing right behind them. It had been three days now and it resulted in nothing, I''m starting to get tired of this." Ria nodded her head in an understanding manner before chuckling softly to herself. The day when She hade upon the sight of Angelica trailing on someone, she had thought that the quest would beplete right on that day, but even now, the quest was still there.That was three days ago! If this continues, I might just inquire in person- no, ''forcefully'' inquire so that I canplete the quest! "What are you going to do now?" "I guess I''ll just ent-" Before She could finish her words, the phone in her pocket vibrates intensively. With a confused look on her face, She pulled the phone out before touching the screen with her finger to unlock it but when she saw the caused of it, She was stunned on the spot. If Ria had not called her out, she would have stayed like that for a couple of minutes. ¡º The Investigation Quest has been updated! ¡» ¡º The system urges the host to check it immediately! ¡» "She? Did something happen?" "Uh... no, wait." After pulling herself together, She clicked onto the quest category before clicking on the quest on top of other quests with an exmation mark on it. ¡º Saving A Companion(-) ¡» ¡º Yourpanion, Angelica Ernest, is in danger of losing her life, save her from the machination of a pitiful fate. 15M 54S Location: Peak Mountain. Reward: Savior Title, Four-Directional Defensive Formation, 5k EXP Failure Condition: Angelica Ernest''s Death Punishment Upon Failure: Leveling System will stop functioning for three years. ¡» "!!! What the hell is that girl doing over there?! From all the other ces she could go, why go there?!" She couldn''t help but cursed under her breath, and without wasting a second for time to pass, She told the important bits to Ria while opening the only window of the room. Once she was sure that no one is around, She jumped out of the window without any hesitation, leaving the stunned Ria behind. While she was jumping off from rooftop to another, She didn''t want to cause any unnecessary problem on the way there so she would submerge herself within the shadow when there are people around. If not for the urgency, She would have been thrilled experiencing jumping from rooftop to another, but that would be for another time. On the way there, She was also using her brain wondering how did Angelica happen to be there of all ces.Did she know about the Earth Dragon living there? Nah, that''s possible but so far that I had been trailing after her, never once did she ever pay a visit there. Then the other possibility is... "It must be those guy who she was following, huh? They must havee here to investigate for a reason I didn''t know, and today, they must have found out about that monster''s existence on the mountain. I had thought she had stopped trailing like any other days, that was why I went home first but to think ite to this." And if they had stepped over the line of the Earth Dragon''s territory, they would have been attacked by now. If that red-haired girl still trailing behind, she would be caught in their predicament, no doubt that must have happened. Even after all the grinding, I don''t think I can take that Earth Dragon just yet, that monster''s level is too high. If not for the punishment if she failed the quest, She would have not gone to save the girl, after all, she was not close enough to risk her life for her matters. If it''s just a kidnapping case like Yuna, She wouldn''t mind putting her noisy hand into the matters but this is different. Once she arrived near the mountain, She immediately spread her awareness deep into the mountain, searching for that one presence. It didn''t take her long to locked the presence into her mind before sprinting toward the location. The jade bracelet on her suddenly disappeared before a handgun materialized in her hands, though not before equipping the mask she had taken from the inventory. As She ascended higher and deeper into the mountain, she could feel many presences around Angelica slowly dispersed one by one. When she arrived on the scene, a massacre between humans and a huge monster was happening in her sight. What else can she say other than massacre when the humans were helpless against it as even when they tried running away from it, and though it was slow, they couldn''tpletely dodge the earthquake attack that the monster had conjured at them. In a corner of her view, She could see a familiar red-haired girl on her knees, holding onto her bloody arms while staring at the tragedy happening in front of her. From the fear in her eyes and the bloody wounds on her body, She could tell that Angelica was in no condition to move, don''t even mention running away. Since the others were attracting the attention of the Earth Dragon, she could use this chance to save her, and without hesitation, She immediately sprints toward Angelica. When Shi makes her appearance known, all the people on the battle immediately give a cautious look at her. And before they could say anything, the masked girl picked up the injured girl from Ernest Family before swiftly retreated. Though they wanted to stop the masked girl, with the Earth Dragon keep attacking them, they couldn''t do anything but defend themselves while some others also use this chance to escape on their own. In the end, the only one left alive is the huge alligator with menacing slit eyes that of a dragon, the Earth Dragon. Chapter 112 - Tension On the way heading down the mountain, She didn''t say anything as she carried Angelica on her shoulders while thetter was staying silent because she couldn''t muster any strength to resist and just let the unknown female(?) carrying her as she looked behind, worried that the Earth Dragon would chase after them. Thankfully, She didn''t meet anyone on her way down, if she hade across the escaping members of the church, a fight would break out and it would be hard for her to fight while protecting Angelica on the side. But based on what she had seen previously when they are resisting against the Earth Dragon, it appears that they are not that strong, it won''t be a problem if that''s all they had, there is still a possibility that some were hiding their actual strength. Rather than continuing going downward, She decides to stay in the mountain for a while as she sprints toward the West. Noticing that rather than leaving the mountain, she was carried into the mountain, Angelica couldn''t help but say something about it. "I thought you are taking me away to leave the mountain...but is this..." But She didn''t give any response and just silently walk passed the trees and once she found a good ce to rest, she put Angelica on top of the soft nket that she hadid on the ground. Angelica gives a confused look at her since she didn''t seem to carry any bag or carrying a nket in person, but before she could inquire about it, She had removed her mask which caused the former to be stunned. "Y-You are..." "...what are you doing over there?" Instead of answering her, She asked Angelica the question she wanted to know the most right now which put a frown on Angelica''s face which caused her to remember back to the time when she was trailing the member of the church three hours earlier. Like the other days, Angelica was creeping right behind them, though it bes boring after doing this for a whole three days, she persists on as the mission she had done till now is a lot more tiring than this. There are times she had to stay for hours in the cold hard snow, to wait for the suspects she was investigating, this is nothingpared to that. And just like She, she had thought today would also prove fruitless but the moment she followed them into the mountain, that was when she suffered a humiliating defeat with no way to resist. At first, Angelica had thought she would finally know the reason why they are here as she slowly gets closer to them, but that was a bad move from her as the moment they stepped over the line, the Earth Dragon also attack her in retaliation for them trespassing its territory. Because Angelica was caught into their predicament, her presence was noticed by them and thought they inquired her a couple of times while defending against the huge alligator-like creature, she just easily shrugged it off as there wasn''t any important member of The Church here. That was also the first time she had ever seen an ''Outsider'' be so powerful and as huge as that. Because she couldn''t use her gun in front of them, the fight bes so hard that Angelica even suffered a few injuries until every time she moves, she would only feel pain. If she had used her handgun back then, she would not have suffered so much but remembering what her mother told her, she refrained from using it no matter how much she desperately required of it. When she had thought it was hopeless and was about to pull out the gun so that she could safely escape at the very least, She suddenly came to her rescue. Angelica had also thought that She was a bodyguard from the family that her mother sent to secretly protect her, which is not impossible knowing how very protective her mother could be. But when the masked female undone her mask, the identity of her savior caused her to be stunned as she didn''t expect it to be a ssmate of her. Even more, it was one of the suspects that she had her suspicious on at their first meeting. "That''s what happened to me, then can you answer my question now? From your previous words, it seems like you know about that monster''s existence." "Well, I was just enjoying myself climbing the mountain on this peaceful and wonderful day, but suddenly I feel a tremor from the ground and as I was searching for the cause, I found you and the others battling against some kind of overly huge animal. Because I saw that you''re unable to move, I simply save you on a whim, that''s it." "Like I would believe such an obvious lie, if that''s true, why the need for a mask then? There''s no need to hide your identity if you''re just a normal person, worth nothing to hide." Angelica immediately retorted back the lie she had just made on the spot, but without any change on her face, She just shrugged her shoulders before saying. "I don''t have anything to hide but merely used the mask to cover my face while climbing the mountain, you don''t know when or where you might get stunned by a bee, after all." "...Did you know that a face cream exists?" "I did, but the mask was second protection for that. Are you satisfied with my answer now?" But the response she received was a bullet piercing through her previous location if she had not sidestepped to the side. Looking up, She could see what seemed to be a custom handgun on Angelica''s hand that was aiming straight at her. With a confused and a bit of fear in her expression, She opened her mouth to question her. "W-What are you doing?! Are you going to kill me?!" "that would be the case if you didn''t avoid it easily, but you aren''t normal, right? From your movement, I can tell that very easily. Stop your foolish acting and tell me your real identity, Who are you?" Chapter 113 - All Is Forgiven "Even if that was the case, you can''t just shot someone with that! What would you have done if I didn''t dodge it in time? Dying together here, deep in the mountain where there''s no human presence around to help? If you want to kill yourself, please don''t bring others with you. No matter what it is, it was still an attempted murder, you know?" Though, understandably, she didn''t believe I was her ssmate, that still didn''t give her the right to shot at me without any hesitation! I would die either way if that bullet pierced through me, you know? I''m still human, physically. "If you don''t want to say who you really are, then I will ''force'' you to do so even when I''m still in this injured state of mine." True to her words, Angelica immediately fires the handgun in her hand at She before gritting her teeth hard while enduring the pain from the movement she had done but, She easily evaded every shot she fired easily as if she could see where the bullet goes before making her move to dodge it. Angelica eventually stopped firing the handgun in hand when she had exhausted herself and before she dropped herself onto the ground, She came in and put her arms around her. While She was dodging the shot, bullet after bullet, she was pondering whether she needs to teach Angelica a lesson, but looking at her injured state, She decides to let it go, for now. "Now you didn''t just exhaust yourself, you have also caused the wound to be even more serious due to you moving around while still injured. Do you not care about yourself?" "Haa...haa..Ugh! But still...now I know that you''re not normal at all. I knew my feeling was right, it never came out wrong. Really, just who exactly are you?" "I''m your ssmate, She, but I also got another identity, and that is a magician of a sort. Does that satisfy you now?" When her words reached thetter part, She conjured a ball of me out of nothing and let it hovering above her palm as Angelica stare at it with a speechless expression on her face as her mouth went wide at the unbelievable sight in front of her. Though she had seen someone having done the same things, it required the help of tools as unlike the one showed by She. And before they could conjure a spell properly, they required to chant before the spell could manifest into reality which takes quite a lot of time, enough for the enemy to sh them to pieces before that happen. That was hermon sense, but the scene that happened in front of her shattered it to pieces as easily as ss. "H-How did you do that?" "It''s my ability, I didn''t know how the other does it but this is how I did it. (Though I wouldn''t say it''s my specialty, not that you need to know or anything.)" While she was saying that, She let the ball of me flying above to the sky before it exploded like a beautiful firework in the night sky, it''s evening though. Anyhow, that was how shocking the visual is to Angelica, she even feels like she didn''t feel any more pain¡ªthat was just a joke, it still hurts like hell.Angelica never feels so thankful at the pain she felt from all over her body as that proves to her that everything she had experienced and seen just now, was all real. When shees to her sense, She was staring at her with a very serious lookwhich caused her to put a wry smile while thinking,From the look of her face, she must have wanted me to keep it a secret, after all, no one would be happy letting the others know of their secret, especially if it involved their life. People from the world same as me usually act like that, if someone told them their ''worth'', they either had toe to apromise or be killed to keep their secret sealedshut. It would be bad if their enemy gets to know about it, after all. It''s like giving wing to the tiger, it would be their end. "I didn''t expect you to tell me upfront even though I was the one asking. But I promise, with my name, Angelica Ernest, on the line, to keep your identity a secret till the end of my breath, that I can do at the very least as gratitude for rescuing me from that monster." Though She didn''t believe that she could keep her identity a secret any longer, it still makes her relieved when Angelica seriously makes a promise for it. At the very least, she could grow even stronger than the current her and when that timees when her identity was exposed, she could protect herself just fine by then. Also, there''s another reason why she was relieved, with a smile in response to Angelica''s words, She pulled out the phone out of her pocket to check the progress of the quest. ¡º You havepleted the Quest! ¡» ¡º Please check your inventory for the reward! ¡» Though she was upset a moment ago, it vanished the moment she saw the text on the screen of her phone which brought a smile to her face.What is there to be upset about when the reward was so dazzling? All is forgiven.Anyways, Rather than checking the reward received from the quest, She brought the health potion out of the inventory as it materializing in reality before falling into her grasp. She knew it was idiotic to show the health potion in front of Angelica but since it was partly her fault that the wounds getting worse due to moving around, it would be much better than calling on the ambnce since it would only cause trouble to both parties. Whatever happens, happened. It''s already toote for regret after I have shown myself back then when I rescue her from the Earth Dragon. But since I have done this, I need to bring her to my side, no matter what.While She was nning how to bring the red-haired girl to her side, she couldn''t help but remember the time when she was lectured by Ria as a chill runs over her whole body.Oh boy, time for another lecture when I get home, just nice.With that thought in mind, She gives Angelica the red potion she had just brought out of the inventory for her to drink. Chapter 114 - Friend Of Yours? "Here, drink this. This will heal the injuries in your body, Don''t worry, it''s not a poison or anything, in Chinese term, it''s a godly medicine." After saying that, She gives the health potion into Angelica''s hands while thetter was still confused about how the potion suddenly appeared in She''s hands before it was given to her. Looking suspiciously at the bloody red potion in her hands, Angelica couldn''t help but thought,Is this even drinkable? Will I get poisoned if I drink this? I mean, it looks bloody red, it''s just a fruit juice, right? I don''t see anywhere how it can be a godly medicine... Though Angelica had her suspicion, she still opened up the cap and drink it due to the pain has be unbearable for her. She will die, either way, be it by poison or the injuries on her body,so why not be brave and give it a try? If it''s truly like what She stated, that would be great.With such thought in mind, Angelica gulped the blood-red water down her throat. And not even a second passed before she could feel a heat spreading all over her body, especially on the injured part. With a stunned look on her face, Angelica stares at the injured part of her body speedily being healed as if she was watching a time being rewind as the injuries slowly closing up and then, nothing more need to be said as her body is now fully healed. "This is...simply impossible. The process can''t be this...fast." Angelica softly muttered to herself at how ridiculously fast the healing process goes, she had never seen such a magical medicine like that in her entire life, not even in her family''s treasury that''s for sure. The scene that She had shown previously was truly an eye-opening to her, and now this, Angelica feels like it won''t be a surprise if She told her that she can even bring the dead back to life, so long as she had that godly medicine. With her body now fully healed, Angelica materialized the handgun before seizing it in her hands as she looked at her surroundings cautiously. And before she noticed, She had already equipped the mask back to her face with also a handgun in her hand as thetter opened her mouth and muttered. "Are they yourpanions?" "How can that be when their killing intent is so strong that even I can feel it?" "Well, you know, it''s possible that you did something that makes them mad, like a friend fighting with each other from time to times, is that not the case here?" Right after She finished her words, a group of men suddenly appeared and surrounded the two while holding onto a white cross in their hands. It was clear as day where they came from just by judging from their church-like outfits, and though she was surrounded, She couldn''t help but make a joke about it. Thankfully these men appeared after Angelica was fully healed and if they were a few seconds faster, they would have seen what happened to Angelica a moment ago. Though She already knows about it since she could feel their presence miles away before they get closer to her. "Don''t joke around, there''s no way that these people are my friends, though I do know who they are." "Angelica Ernest, the daughter of Mn Ernest, and a friend to our Saintess." Suddenly, a man who seemed to be in his 20s, with a clean-cut hairstyle and eyes that was as sharp as a hawk, walked from behind the surrounding men before interrupting in their conversation. "Ehh, Saintess? You are a friend with one? Then are we good?" Angelica looked at the masked person next to her with a visible confusion on her face for a moment as the voiceing from She sounds so different than her real voice, but then a thought entered her mind before she put a smile on her face as she answered her question. "I do, indeed. But these people didn''t care about that at all, I don''t think I need to tell you that. Anyway, I thought that the members of The Church are mostly killed after that one-sided massacred a while ago, but it appeared that you still have a few back-ups you left behind, huh?" "Ah, that is partly our fault that we misjudge the creature''s true capabilities which ended up in a humiliation defeated. That is indeed the case, though I can''t help and wonder, why an important person such as you were around when we were attacked by that creature? Were you following us? That isn''t the case, is it? I don''t think Ernest Family would want to wage war on the Church, am I wrong?" "Of course I was simply passing by on my tour trip, but you caused too much ''noises'' deep within the mountain that I can''t help but to check it out myself. But even so, waging a war, huh? I don''t want to sounds like a jerk but, I don''t think you have the power to mutter such a word to me, after all, you are simply a priest and nothing else." The Priest''s face twisted when Angelica mentioned one of the things that he hates to hear the most. He was indeed just one of the many lowly priests within the Church but, that didn''t mean he didn''t have any power at all. When he was sent into this far away region following after the Saintess for a ''mission'', he had thought he was sent here was for babysitting the Saintess. And when his subordinates found out the target of their mission before the Saintess, the priest was ted and thought,If I can kill this creature without the Saintess''s help, I would definitely get promoted higher into hericachy, and whates with that didn''t need to be said. But when the battle truly begins, his greed was shattered to pieces by the ruthless reality in front of him. Even now, the priest was still fearful of that huge creature deep in the mountain and if not for wanting to know why Angelica was here, he would have already left the mountain long ago. Even more, the masked female next to her, after all, this person was the one who came to rescue Angelica and used the chance to retreated while his subordinates were massacred by the creature. Before he leaves, the priest wants to know the identity behind the masked figure standing next to Angelica, no matter what. Chapter 115 - The Churchs Power After making sure that the two couldn''t escape as his subordinates surrounded them, even more, Angelica still seems to be injured simply looking at her clothes covered with her own blood. Though she looks calm on the surface, she must have been enduring the pain till now which means the girl is in no state to resist against him for sure. Looking at the custom handgun in her hands, the priest couldn''t help but take a second nce at it before his expression turned serious as he thought,that is not a normal handgun. "Oh? That handgun in your hand, it''s not a normal one, is it?" Seeing where he was looking, Angelica''s expression also turned serious as she determined to kill the priest herself so that he won''t be able to let the higher up in the Church made known about the handgun existence. Angelica snorted before opening her mouth and said as she pointing the handgun toward the priest. "Do you want to test it whether it is real or not?" When the priest saw the gun pointed straight at him, he simply pulled a dark-red cross out of his pocket and with her eyes turned bluish within the masked, She could see some kind of change happening as a transparent barrier seeming surrounding the priest. Looking at the red-haired girl next to her and the priest who had an arrogant smile on his face, She concluded that Angelica didn''t know what was happening in front of her.Was the red cross some kind of protection charm or something? It doesn''t look strong but that''s not for sure yet as I haven''t attacked it just yet to know how durable it is.With that thought in mind, She opened her mouth and spoke with a different voice to Angelica. "There''s some kind of invisible barrier protecting the priest, did you know anything about that bloody cross in his hands?" The wordsing from She surprised both the priest and Angelica as the former didn''t expect for the masked girl to know about the use of the red cross in his hands as it was an item only exists within the Church, it was not widely spread for anyone to simply know about it. As for thetter, though she knows that the Church has its own capabilities to be able to contend on the same ground as her family who made a couple of breakthroughs in hundreds of years and the handgun in her hands was one of the special cases for it. As far as what was widely known to her, the Church can use some sort of magecraft, specifically only for them and it was called Light Magic. They could freely called upon a miracle power of light from their God and made use of it as the believer of the Church, no outsiders can use it no matter how hard they tried and research about it, it was a worthless effort to their end. And of course, not everyone within the Church could use it, not even the Saintess. But in Saintess''s case, it was different as she had the huge cross with her, no miracle power could contend with it as everything she desires would be burned to ashes by its power. Though she had no talent in the Light Magic, she was chosen as the Saintess when the Pope decided to pass their holy artifact to her which was the huge cross now floating around her. No one knows why the Pope did it, but there are some rumors that stated, the Saintess was chosen due to her being the daughter of the Pope, but it stayed as rumors since none was able to prove it. Anyways, the reason why Angelica was shocked was that she never heard of the Church discovering new kind of magecraft,Did they made a breakthrough and decided to keep it a secret? But then why did this priest in front of me using it in broad daylight without any care of the world? He must have underestimated me so much that he exposed one of the church''s secret easily like that, just the look from his face already tell me this. But even so, the more amazing person here is the girl next to me, to think that she could see the invisible barrier as no matter how hard I tried, I see nothing at all. With his expression hardened, the priest brought another cross with him, but this time colored in light blue as he spoke with a serious tone in his voice. "I didn''t expect someone so young to be able to tell its use right away, you must not be left alive. I will personally kill you right here and now to silence you." With a wave from his hand that was holding onto the light-blue cross, both She and Angelica suddenly feel their power being restrained by something unknown as no matter how hard they tried, it was futile as nothing happened. Even She couldn''t help but be shocked at the sudden development, she had thought she would be fine after all the grinding she had done, but the feeling of something restraining her power told her otherwise which caused her to sulk within the mask. Seeing their reaction was as he expected when he waved the cross in his hand, the priest smiled beforeughing as he cried out with his arms spread wide. "Behold! This is the miracle of God! No mortal could possible went against it! Now, embrace the death that ising on your way." Looking at the priest''s fanatic antics, She couldn''t help but shook her head and thought,That was no miracle, it was simply the power of a magic item. Even I could restrain just anyone when I used the full power of intimidation skill coupled with binding from shadow magic. It was unfortunate that I was caught in theirs first though, but even so, I think I should be fine as though I can''t use magic, that doesn''t mean my physical strength is gone.With that thought in mind, She looked at Angelica who appeared to be rmed by the sudden development as the handgun that was supposed to be in the grasp of her hands had now turned back into its normal form that of a red bracelet. Understanding that Angelica was conflicted, and before the priest could send out an attack on their way, She put the handgun back into her inventory before sprinting toward him with her hands gripped into a fist. She was going to take down the priest first before taking care of his subordinates. Chapter 116 - Ignorance And Death Seeing the masked girl rushing straight at him, the priest sneered in response before gesturing one of his men, a man with a solid buff body and as tall as a tree paired up with his ruthless expression, slowly stepped forward to intercept She. When She arrived in front of the buff man, she immediately punched toward him but the man easily took hold of her fist before counterattacking by throwing her away the moment her fist was in the grasp of his hand, it was as easy as handling a child... or so, both the priest and the buff man thought. When the buff man stood in front of the priest to intercept her, She crouched down to her knees beforeunching a punch straight toward his jaw, sending an uppercut to the man, of course only enough to knock the man out, if she had used her full strength, something might have exploded to pieces. The buff man couldn''t even avoid it in time as her speed was just too fast for his eyes to follow, without the ability to prevent She, the man was flying through the sky a few meters above before falling onto the ground with foam out of his mouth. He was knocked out with a single move from the masked girl who they thought was weak after they were restrained by the power of the miracle. Before the priest could get back to his sense, She was already right in front of him with her fist speeding toward his face and, the priest thought he would be taken out at that moment if not for the fact that the barrier surrounding him managed to stop her. But the moment it came in contact with her fist, thought the punch didn''t hit him directly, he was still sent flying a few meters away from the impact of her punch. She had used a lot more power in her punch because she didn''t know how strong the barrier is. Everyone on the scene was surprised to see how powerful a punch could be, especially oneing from a thin girl. If they were not on the scene and someone else told them that, they would have thought that person was mad/insane. "Such strength..." Angelica muttered in amazement, after getting restrained, she feels like her strength was reduced to that of a normal person. Though she does have experience in closebat, her strength was concentrated fully on the mystical power within her, she could be said to be that of magician since she depends on mana most of the time due to the artifact. That was why when her mana was sealed, she feels like someone who was crippled off her strength. All she could do was to fight them with her bare hands, thankfully her injuries were already fully healed, it would have been much worse otherwise. "What a surprise, are you even human?" The priest couldn''t help but seriously said that as he could see a small crack appeared on the barrier around where she had punched, though only Shi and him, the cross holder could see it. This was the first time he had seen the barrier having a crack on it from a person, he even wonders if the masked girl in front of him was even a human, to begin with. When he looked around and saw his subordinates stood frozen on the spot instead of doing something, the priest''s expression turned cold. "What are you standing there for? Are you a fxcking tree?! Pull out the cross that has been given to you and attack her, now!" The shouted from the priest brought them out of their stunned state before they, one by one, pulled out a white small cross with a small line of ck around it from their pocket and immediately started chanting simultaneously at once. The spoken word from the chant was entirely different than thenguage spoken by them as none even understood what they were saying but, the proof that the chanting works was that the people who were chanting were now enveloped by a warm light surrounding them midway during their chant. Seeing this happening in front of her, no way in hell would Shi let them do as their pleased as she immediately sprints toward the priest instead of the others as a wise person once said,aim for the leader and everything will fall apart.The priest didn''t flinch when She arrived in front of him as he pulled out something from his jacket, though he was called as a priest, he was actually wearing a normal modern outfit. When Angelica saw what the priest pulled out, she couldn''t help and shouted. "Be careful!" Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of three continuously gunshot resound amidst the chanting in the mountain as the priest was certain that there''s no way the masked girl could avoid the bullet at such a close range. But the priest suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood onto the ground as he could feel the pain of something small pierced through his body and when he looked down on his chest, he could see blood spreading on his jacket. "W-What...How?" When he turned around, he could see the handgun he was familiar with was now in the hands of the girl wearing a mask pointing straight at him which makes him realized that he was actually holding nothing in his hands. Though he found this situation unbelievable, the fact that he could feel himself slowly losing conscious was nothing but real. He didn''t know how it happened but when he pulled out the gun, it seemed that She moves at her highest speed without the priest being able to follow her movement and stole the gun from him before shooting at him three times on the chest. But not before She shattered the barrier with a single punch from her full strength, after all, it was merely a work from a magic item, it was not as solid as barrier magic that she had seen in the system''s shop. Before the priest closed his eyes for thest time, a thought appeared in his mind,This is unfair! She can''t possibly be human with such inhuman speed! There''s no way I could do anything to someone like that! Oh, Just how ignorant I was... Chapter 117 - Information After killing the priest, She could feel whatever was restraining her had now disappeared and without wasting any further, she immediately uses her twobination skills, which was Intimidation and Shadow Magic, to bind the people who were still chanting on the spot. When her skill started affecting them, it also interrupts their chanting as the light surrounding them vanished into nothingness. As for the priest''s subordinates, the moment they were hit by her skills, they feel like they suddenly ''teleport'' to a swampy ce where they were surrounded by many types of beasts that would devour them at any moment if they let their guard down even for a split second. Though in reality, they were just seeing the illusion that was caused by She''sbination attacked on them as they stood in ce with fear overwhelming their expression. When Angelica was finally freed from the restrained, she quickly equipped the handgun to her hands, ready to fight against the group of men surrounding her. But before she could do anything, She had already bound them on the spot, which she could see from their reaction to her attack but Angelica doesn''t know what sort of attack they experience, even so, simply looking at the fear on their face stopped herself from questioning about it. The fact that She could easily kill the priest even though he was supposedly protected by an invisible barrier showed that she was much stronger than Angelica, as thetter couldn''t do anything when her power was restrained. True, she can put a fight with them, but eventually, she would grow tired and die under theirbination attacks. After all, Angelica couldn''t escape even with her strength double than a normal person as no matter how strong she is, physically, she still couldn''t handle a group of adult men circling around her. "Do you want to finish them off, or would you leave it to me?" She appeared next to Angelica in the blink of an eye when thetter was looking at the group of men before asking the question to her. Though she doesn''t mind killing them as it would keep her identity a secret, it seemed that they came with the ill intention for Angelica instead of her so she would follow what thetter would do, even if Angelica let them go, She would still kill them without hesitation as the lower the people who know about her existence, the better. When she heard the question, Angelica''s eyes turned cold while staring at the men around her that were still frozen in ce. Though the church and Ernest Family had nevere head to head with each other, they never went out of their way to fight in a broad daylight as the moment they decided to wage a war, even if they won in the end, they would still suffer a huge casualties and possible even crippled themselves and when that happened, the other hidden n might take the chance to overthrow them. That was why up until now, although they fight, it was only a small skirmish that amounts to nothing in the bigger picture. But the fact that the priest came intending to kill her, a daughter of one of the Elders in Ernest Family, showed that the church has started making a move that seemed wanting to wage a war. It would have great if the priest was not given the mission to do that, but if it is... the church might have found a trump card of their own. Without a doubt, she must inform her mother of this information as soon as possible before things started went downhill as her family might be taken by a surprise if the church decided to attack them so suddenly. After pondering for a few moments, Angelica finallyes to a decision as she points the handgun in her hands toward the men before killing them off one by one. Bang! Bang! Bang! When the gunshots stopped, what left onto the ground was merely a corpse of men with bullets piercing precisely through their forehead while their face was still written with fear from the illusion they suffered before their unfortunate death. Angelica couldn''t help but heaved a sigh as she wonders whether that friend of hers actually knows what the church was up to. The Earth Dragon''s existence was already enough of a shock, and now she also found out one of the church''s motives. She didn''t even know if her mother would believe the words if she had told her but, even if she finds the information unbelievable, Angelica thought her mother would not just ignore itpletely as it was not in her nature to do that. "You are done? Then I''ll take my leave." Before Angelica could say anything in response, She had already jumped into her shadow before heading down leaving the red-haired girl behind to clean the problem. That was actually a good call from her as the moment She left the scene, a woman in her 20s appeared silently next to Angelica before bowing her head toward thetter like a servant would to their lord. The aura surrounding her was much more powerful than the one around Angelica, the woman was an expert hired by her mother to protect her in secret, if not for the fact that she was stopped by a group of unknown people which she had already killed by now, she would have already been here ten minutes earlier. "My apologies, Miss. I have no excuses to pardon my mistake and would ept any punishment given to me." Angelica shook her head in response to the strict and stiff words from the woman kneeling next to her. "It''s fine, it must have been the people from the Church. It was not your fault so there is no need for punishment, just make sure you don''t get caught by them again, that''s all that matters." With that said, now she needs to tell the information she had acquired from to her mother and without wasting any further, Angelica pulled out the phone from her pocket before dialing the number she was so familiar with. "Hello, Mother? Yes, it''s me...about the mission...yes, I havepleted it...but can I tell the information to you in person? yes, it''s very important. Okay, I''ll see youter then, goodbye." Chapter 118 - Monster Tamer Inside the Trial Tower, on the First Floor. She pulled out the Taming skill book out of the inventory before putting her hands onto it which caused it to shattered like a glittering light in the night sky. And within her mind, a new set of memory has embedded itself deep into her brain. With this, now she could tame any sort of monster, so long as their strength is weaker than her, after all, the stronger they are, the more they can resist from being tame. But first, she needs to buy the items from the system''s shop before she could actually use the skill to tame the monster. It required one special note that cost around 1k gold, since she had more than enough for that, She bought a couple of them before taking out one for her experiment. "I have the note, now I need to inscribe the taming runes into this note using my own blood as the ink. After all, I''m the one going to tame the monster." Once She had given a small cut into her palm, she used the blood as the ink to inscribe the taming runes she had learned from the skill onto the small paper note she had bought from the shop. It didn''t take that much time before shepleted it, once that was done, She brought the low-grade health potion out before drinking it to heal the small cut on her palm. Afterward, She spread her awareness to the surroundings, searching for a single slime. When she found her target, She immediately sprints towards it with the note in her hands. "Good evening, slimy friend. Ah, don''t botherunching yourself at me, it won''t even scratch a drop in my health point." Though She said that, the slime didn''t seem to understand her word as it continuesunching itself into her stomach with the intent to kill her but to no avail. It only makes it seemed much cuter in She''s perspective. Before the slime couldunch itself again, She had it bound on the spot before stamping the note onto the slime jelly-like body as the runes started to shine before enveloping the slime, though it tried to resist against the taming force, it was so weak that it feels like a drop within the ocean wave as eventually, it disappeared on the spot and the note flew into She''s hands. "Heh~ so that''s how the taming process works, huh. And, hmm, within this paper note, there is a slime that has been tamed by me and if I wish to summon it, all I need is to throw this with the intent to summon it in reality. As to bring it back into the note, it was much easy as with one simply intent from me, it would return, huh." With that said, She immediately throws the note in front of her as she watches the scene in front of her with intrigues as, within the blink of an eye, the note was reced with a single slime as it flopped onto the grassy ground. When it was freed from the note, it immediately took notice of her presence before jumping ''happily'' towards She. ¡º Unnamed Slime LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP: 20/20 MP: 0/0 Skills: Absorb Lv.1 Self-Regeneration Lv.1 ¡» "Hmm? Isn''t it much weaker than before being tamed? And it has two skills, must be from its race as a slime. Even so, unnamed, huh? I guess I need to give it a name." Perhaps, it understood her words as the slime happily jumping around her which put a smile on her face.But a name, huh? I''m not that good with naming, I might ask for another opinion before naming it. For now, let''s level it up first. "Do you understand my word? That''s good, then shall we level you up first?" With that said, She walks forward with the slime following right behind her, thanks to the skill, though the slime didn''t understand her word, it still understood her intention, same goes to She. While She was using her skill to bound the other slimes on the spot as the tamed slime attack them, she was pondering over the reward she had acquired frompleting the previous quest. ¡º Savior (Title) ¡» ¡º Increased all attributes by 5+ All attributes will be increased by 30% when saving/protecting someone. ¡» "Heh, that''s a pretty nice title. But the more important thing is..." She moved her gaze into the inventory as she looked toward a certain te formation and thought,I was going to buy this in the shop but somehow I received it from the reward ofpleting the previous quest. The system must have known that I needed it, hmm, maybe there''s a way for me to acquire something as a reward instead of buying it from the system''s shop. But I don''t know how the system works. But now that I have this with me, I need to buy the items required for the formation which is quite pricy but I had enough gold for that. After buying the required items from the shop as the gold diminished to as low as in the hundreds, She heaved a relieved sigh. She didn''t care about how the gold she had saved up so far had been used up, since this was one of her goals, after all. Suddenly, She could feel something sticky around her legs and when she looked down, she saw the tamed slime rubbing itself on her feet which put a smile on her face while having the thought of how cute the slime is. ¡º Unnamed Slime LV.3 ¡» ¡º HP: 60/60 MP: 0/0 Skills: Absorb Lv.2 Self-Regeneration Lv.1 ¡» She nodded her head when looking at the slime''s current stats. As to why the other skill didn''t level up, it was due to the fact that slime never received any attacks from the other slimes as She had bound them in ces as it went over and easily absorb them into itself. The slime at level 1 was around the size of a volleyball and now that it has reached level 3, it has increased to that of an to that of bowling but much smaller than a football. Even its core has grown bigger but it couldn''t bepared to the core of a Slime King which is around the size of a baseball. She was happy at the growth of the slime, she even hopes that one day it would grow to as big and powerful as the Slime King, if it could go beyond that point, that''s even better. With one simple intent from her, the slime suddenly shines before it ''transformed'' into the runes note as it flew into her hand. "That''s useful." Leaving such words behind as she put the note into her inventory, her figure suddenly vanished from the Trial Tower before reappearing back in the room before flopping herself onto the bed. Chapter 119 - Formation Activated! After exiting the Trial Tower, She took a few minutes of rest before getting up and to look for Ria and Sylvia for help regarding what she was about to do now. She didn''t need to spread her awareness as she could already feel their presence in the house, without wasting any further, She stepped out of her room, heading downstairs toward the living room. Stepping into the living room, She could see Ria seated on the sofafortably while watching the TV while Sylvia was ying on her phone next to Ria(Sara bought it for her). Even before she greets them, they have already noticed her presence the moment she walks in. "It seemed that you have finished with whatever business you had before." She nodded her head in response to Ria''s remark. Sylvia''s expression appeared to brighten up when she saw her walking towards the two before having a seat next to her. But before she could open her mouth, Ria interrupted her with a question of her own which caused Sylvia to pout at the side. "Do you need anything?" She couldn''t help but heaved a sigh with a wry smile on her face when she heard the question as if Ria had known what she was going to ask. She tilted her head to the side before thought to herself, Am I that easy to read or something? How can she know what I was going to say before I even do anything just yet? That''s cheating, isn''t it? "Well, I do need both of your help with something, but I don''t mind if you two don''t want to do it as it will be quite thebor. So, it will require a bit of your stamina if you wanted to help me with this." Ria raised her brows while tilting her head to the side and as she was about to ask what sort ofbor did She meant, Sylvia interrupted her before she could do that. "Yes! I''ll help!" Ria shook her head when Sylvia agreed without any hesitation even before She informed them of what kind of work does she need the help for. "I will also give a hand but before that, what kind of help do you need?" "Ah, it''s nothing much, I just need you two to move from ce to ce and bury something for me." "Bury ''something''? What is it?" "Don''t worry about it, you will know it shortly after we were done with this." Ria could only nod her head in response before the two were told each location that they have to go while holding onto two one-liter bottles with runes on the cap filled with red juice for each of them to buried once they reached their location. After the two exited the house, She pulled out a ck disk of a sort with runes on it from her inventory. This was one of the rewards, the Four-Directional Defensive Formation that she received frompleting the quest. As the name suggested, it''s a formation that will act based on the defensive in a four-direction, which was North, South, West, and East. Each direction will represent one mythical beast that will use its power to defend their perspective region under hermand. Yes, the one-liter bottle was actually filled with the blood of a mythical creature that she bought from the system''s shop, it was pricy but worth the price. At first, she had thought to use this formation only around the perimeter of her house but, after knowing its true capabilities, She decides to make the entire city into the domain of the formation. Once the formation ispleted, no one couldpete with her when they were inside the domain and would only be defeated by her without being able to resist, that was just how powerful the formation is. This was her way of preparing for when the world will undergo a change in the future. Just protecting her home won''t do as when the civilization was destroyed, she won''t be able to y games anymore, which is not very good in her opinion. If her city was safe from the harm in the future, people will definitely flood in and some technology and electricity might also be fine even if the world had turned somehow apocalypse, though things might go different as this was just her wild assumption for the worse. Either way, this was just her first step in the preparation for the future, whateveres wille, all She needs to do was to make sure she was prepared enough for everything that might happen. The sudden ringtone of her phone brought her back to reality as she immediately answered the call. Before she knew it, it has been fifteen minutes, the two should have arrived at their location by now. "I''m here, where do you want me to bury this?" Ria asked while holding onto a one-liter bottle of the blood of mythical creature in her hands. Behind her was a small city with around a thousand in poption, pretty low inparison to the city she lives in but nevertheless, she had once visit the city before and remembered a couple of good scenery over there. She didn''t care about whatever happened to the people, but one thing she wish to treasure is nature. "Just find a ce where not many people would visit and buried it there, make sure it was very hidden, though it won''t matter once the formation active anyway." "Alright, I will do as you say." With that said, Ria hangs up the call before looking around at her surroundings while she was walking without any direction in mind. It didn''t take her long before she finds an area that no one seemed to take a walk around with a goal in mind, but before she could bury the bottle into the earth, she remembers that she had no shovel in hands which caused her to frown.Do I have to use my hand to dig? Sigh, I guess it also my fault for forgetting to get the tools before leaving the house.With that thought in mind, Ria slowly digs a hole on the ground. It took her five minutes toplete it and she was surprised as the moment she covered the hole with dirt, she could feel tremor around her for short while. An hourter, She looked at the formation on the table with a smile on her face when all the runes within it have lightened up, she only needs to put a drop of her blood on the center before it would be active and ready to use. Without waiting further, She bit around the tip of her finger before stamping it onto the center as the runes around the formation slowly getting brighter and brighter until she had to closed her eyes at the brightness. When She regained her sight, she could see a single ring with runes at the table where the formation was supposed to be, and without any question, she equipped the ring onto her mid finger with a smile on her face. "Finally, the formation is activated. With a mythical creature on each side, which means four in total. Whoever picks a fight with me in this whole district will suffer unimaginable consequences! This is now my domain!" Chapter 120 - Four Mythical Beasts It was a very sudden event as before the dawnes, the people who had even a bit of sixth sense suddenly felt that their whole body was engulfed by something invisible, some kind of invisible force that can''t be exined or seen by naked eyes. Even as some from the supernatural side tried to investigate the cause, it proves to be a fruitless effort as nothing solid was found. But they did find something questionable, scientifically, they find that the whole district was within some kind of maic field for but a single moment. No one knows how it appeared and the reason why it disappeared afterward, but one thing that they did know was that something had happened on that day, something unknown. Some said it was a warning for an earthquake but after a few days passed of nothing of such happening, it was dismissed. And just like that, the incident was soon forgotten by many but a certain group of people. As for the person who had caused such an incident, She was now somewhere in the mountain with Sylvia and Ria by each of her sides. As for the reason why she was here with the two, She wants to show why she told them to do such questionable things back then. Though Ria warned her about the danger of the mountain and told her to chose another location, She just shrugged it off by saying. "Don''t worry, I very well know of the threat within the mountain. But that''s precisely why I chose the location since not many would go there unless for those wanting tomit suicide. We will be fine so long as we don''t go over the territory upied by the Earth Dragon. I know of this because I had experienced it myself over the matter as you also know about it." With such words used for reasoning, Ria ended up nodding her head but though she followed them into the mountain, she had told She to be extra careful and make sure that her detection skill to always be on alert for any danger that might happen just in case. She gives a nod in response as she also understood how powerful the Earth Dragon is and even after all the grinding she had done, her current level is still too low. Even if she had the help of the formation, that won''t be enough. While the two were waiting at the side, She smiled at them before putting a bit of her mana onto the ring to summon one of the four mythical beasts to her side. There was no chanting and no actual sacrifice required, merely a small amount of mana is enough to summon them as the formation was already activated. ROAR! With a ferocious roar that brought a small tornado around She and chills to the two girls standing not far from her, a white tiger suddenly materializes next to She as the tornado slowly dispersed before it went closer and snuggling like that of a cat. With a smile on her face, while rubbing the head of the White Tiger warmly, She spoke to the two. "This is the White Tiger of West represents Wind, it was supposedly one of the ''Four Guardians'' from the Chinese''s Mythological Symbol but, as far as I know, the White Tiger should have been that of Metal element but somehow this one is Wind. And although it looks fierce and the size much bigger than an actual tiger, if one looks closer, isn''t it cute? The white fur is also soft to the touch, definitely something I relish." "..." How is a tiger that could ''literally'' eat you in one gulp, cute?Plus, the frightening aura from it caused their legs to weaken from the fright as the two stood still like a tree while She was happily snuggled with the White Tiger as if not feeling anything from it like the two. Realizing that the two didn''t respond to her, She turned toward them with a confused look on her as she tilted her head to the side. "Why are you two so silent? Come here and give it a pat, it won''t bite." She gestures them with her hands, though they were hesitant at first, the two slowly approach her. As the two get closer toward her, both of them could feel a cool breeze blowing and assaulting them as they progressing closer, and once they arrived three feet away, they feel sofortable as the warm and cool breeze blowing passed through them. Looking at their rx expression, She noticed the difference around her as she gives a nod before saying. "Ah right, I didn''t notice it before but the wind and air around me Indeed feel much better when I''m this close to it. I didn''t know this kind of thing possible." As if agreeing to her, the White Tiger rubbed its head on her stomach and purr like a cat, in response to that, She squealed with delight at how adorable it action seem to her. Seeing such a scene in front of her, even Ria couldn''t help herself but went closer and put her hand over the White Tiger''s head only to get surprised at how soft the fur feel to the touch. It almost feels pleasant, she even thought of hugging the white tiger to sleep as it would for sure be wonderful but that might be impossible. With Ria ''safely'' patting the huge white tiger, Sylvia also went closer and did the same. "The fur is very soft and almost pleasant to the touch, right?" The two nodded their heads in response which caused She to grinned as she was sure the two would be surprised at what she was going to show next. Though she had not seen the power directly, She knows every single skill that the four mythical beasts had when the formation was activated, such informationes along the moment she wore the golden ring on her finger. But simply knowing the skill''s name was enough to make anyone feelcent and, when She told the two to put a distance beforemanding the White Tiger to show its skill to them, the result was as expected. The pure shock on the two earned a few giggles from her, though deep down even She was surprised at how strong and powerful it is.That was only one of the four, imagine if four of them attacking at once, that would be a fantastic scene to watch because of the pure destruction. Chapter 121 - Interruption After advising the two to put a distance, She also followed right behind them before giving amand to the White Tiger for it to show a bit of its strength without damaging the nature around it. But that might have been a bad choice as with a roar, White Tiger flew straight to the sky with the help of wind surrounding it, and once it stopped at a certain height, it took a deep breath before releasing a powerful roar right in the sky that caused the sky to darken before slowly, a huge storm started brewing around it. If such power was summoned while it was on the ground, many trees would have been uprooted as the damage to nature would be that of a catastrophe. "How is it? That was still the White Tiger not going all out, I''m sure you know what will happen if something more destructive such as that appeared without any notice." She said with an awkwardugh, though she looked normal outer appearance wise, internally she was sweating bucket.Excuse me, I told you to use a bit of your power, okay?! Only a bit and no more than that! Or are you saying that...She shook her head to clear away such scary thoughts before looking toward the two who were still staring at the now clear sky with their mouth wide open, the White Tiger had already dismissed the storm and flew down next to She''s side before bumping its head on her as if asking for praise. With a wry smile on her face, She gives it a pat on the head as that was enough to make the White Tiger(Baihu) happy as it purrs like a cat, even though it was a tiger, not a cat. After spoiling Baihu for the past five minutes before it dispersed like a breeze as She undue the summoning, it didn''t disappearpletely and simply went back to the West to protect the region until it will be summoned once again somewhere in the future. Only then did the two finally came to their senses before assaulting She with all kinds of questions, well, most of it was actually from Ria as she was a lot more shaken that the silver-white haired girl. Thetter only asked a few questions before standing quietly to the side as She trying to calm down Ria as she answered the question gently. "Alright...I''m fine now. But can you answer myst question? Why didn''t you use the formation to kill the Earth Dragon for your quest? It should be a breeze with such power, right?" She nodded her head in agreement at Ria''s remark before saying. "Indeed, that is the case. But I simply can''t as there is a limitation to the formation for its usage, I can''t simply summon them all before spamming non-stop their most powerful skills at once to Earth Dragon like it was nothing. At least, I can make such a move only three times before the formation will break beyond repair. I would rather save it for now as a trump card and if I level up high enough, I''m sure I can handle that dragon easily by then. Plus, this is not everything to it." Ria gives an understanding nod before tilting her head to the side. "Then what about just now?" "Ah, if it was that much, so long as I didn''t overuse their skill to exhaustion, then that would be fine. Some of their skills also cost mana just like us, though the Four-Directional Defensive formation had a small formation within that attract mana in the air into it, it was very slow to regenerate since the mana in the air is very thin. If they overused their mana to the point of exhaustion, the formation will either deactivate by itself due to not enough mana to maintain as the four mythical beasts fall into a ''deep sleep'', or the formation will break down to pieces." "So that''s the only way to use it, huh. Because of the amazing performance that the White Tiger had shown, I had thought the formation to be more overpowered than this but, I overestimated it too much I guess." She just shrugged her shoulders in response as even she finds it unbelievable for a moment there and also, she had thought the same as Ria at that point but the knowledge of the formation had clearly ''told'' her that such a thing is not possible unless she paid with her own mana but, that also won''tst long as her mana is not unlimited or anything of the likes. Basically, it was impossible for the current her. Why she thought as such? That is because the mana in the surrounding air has started to progress much more than ever and also if she had enough gold, She could just buy another formation that is more powerful and versatile than the current one. "Then can you summoned the other three mythical beasts? I just want to see how they look like in reality than the one describing from human imagination." "Mhm, that''s fine. Then-" But before She could summon another one, her face suddenly turned serious as she could many presences on their way toward here, without a doubt they must have been attracted by the sudden storm caused by Baihu. Based on their speed, they aren''t normal for sure. Without wasting any more time, She grabbed the two girls next to her by their arms before moving downward in a different direction while firing a few fireballs at random, all in order to direct them away so that she could escape sessfully. If she was alone, it won''t be a problem to get away from such groups of people but she had two girls with her at the moment. This is not the time yet to use the formation, nor the time to make herself known. The two had wanted to question her when She had grabbed their arms at first but when they saw her serious expression, they keep their mouth shut while sprinting as fast as they could, away from the scene. Thanks to She''s detection skill and her quick reaction, they managed to retreat safely without having a pursuit chasing after them. While the three girls were walking on their way home, Ria silently let out a disappointed sigh as she was unable to see the other three mythical beasts due to interruption from god-know-who. But well, maybe next time. Chapter 122 - Prophecy The Saintess POV "Hmm? Where did that old man disappear to? It has been three days sincest I saw him." Though the Saintess nonchntly asked the question she had been wondering with a curious look on her face, the Priest seating in front of her flinched before stuttering to answer her. "H-Hmm, he sent a report that he was going to investigate something before going missing. W-We tried searching for him and his subordinates but, nothing was found, not even the trace of him as if he disappeared from the face of Earth." "Is that so? What a strange matter indeed. Maybe he just ran away or something since the church can get pretty ''hectic'' for the people on the low ranking, after all." "You jest, but as expected of the Saintess, you do know everything." And that was the started of another overpraising towards her from the Priest, she even though that the priest would have a better job if he put the passion onto it instead of focusing on bootlicking people like her. To be honest, she had gotten used to it by now. The first time she had experienced it, she almost lost her life due to machination by a member of the church that wasn''t happy with her being crowned as Saintess but, thanks to the huge cross''s protection, she was fine. That was also the time that the church was split into two, one faction on the Pope side while another was on the side that was not happy with the Pope, though they still appeared normally in life while plotting behind to overtaken the Pope position anytime now. But thanks to her sudden awakening to a special ability that not even the Pope had expected, her position as Saintess bes even more resolute at that point in time. No matter how the other faction tried to plot against her, she always prevailed in the end with the help of her special ability and the holy artifact by her side. And since then, they had been keeping quiet and not making any sort of noise which was pretty strange in her opinion but she let the matter go as she had more important business than worrying about the ''old farts''. As for why she was curious about the missing priest, that was because that priest seemed to be from the other faction. She had thought the priest would make trouble for her but, as expected he did cause some ''trouble'' but the man himself suddenly disappeared was indeed very strange.Not leaving any trace behind, that was the main point that got her interested. She was told by the Pope herself about the existence of ''Outsider'' after she was elected as Saintess with another advice of don''t get to close to the other faction, but as a naive person I was, I didn''t put her word seriously. That was how I got into their machination. Anyways, one fine sunny day, my special ability suddenly initiated as randomly as always and what I saw within the vision was something that frightened me to this day. It was a scene like straight out of hell, a huge deep crater was there at the center of the city as if it had just been hit by a falling meteorite, or perhaps a nuclear weapon. There were no buildings or any living being in the surrounding area, it was like a ruin of civilization that was wiped out entirely, and the caused of it must have been that one huge deep crater. It was a silent and eery sight to behold that took away her breath for that one single moment. When I regained my vision, I didn''t realize that I was sweating, it was onlyter that I took noticed about it after a few minutes passed. I have spoken regarding this to the Pope when it was just the two of us and the Pope permit me to take a leave to investigate it further. And that was the reason why I was here in A District, from my memories of the vision, this was the ce that supposedly has turned into that of ruin. As you might have known about it by now, I had a special ability that let me see a future of sort, a Prophetic kind of ability you might say. I can''t use it whenever I want even after awakening to it as it only initiated randomly as mentioned. When I was watching the vision in a third-person view, it also followed by some part of knowledge to my head while I was in that state. That was how I know where the incident took ce. And this is where things took a strange turn as when I arrivedter than I had expected with the expectation of seeing the same sight that I had seen in my vision, fortunately, nothing seemed to be happening as people were living normally without any sort of major incident which surprised me quite a bit. As far as to the time when my ability awakened, I had never get the prediction wrong to the point that it almost scared me. Of course, I reported it back to the Pope using the secretmunication application made for the Pope Faction while I was overwhelming with confusion. And now, here I am, Sonia the Saintess, still investigating while staying in quite a high-end hotel. I was surprised to hear that a friend of mine was living in the same hotel but I didn''t greet her and instead avoid her because I had lied to her that I was abroad. Thankfully, Angelica didn''t found out that I was here and on the same hotel to boot. With such thought ying in her mind, Sonia looked outside the window with a stoic expression on her face but it changed due to what she experienced next. It was very sudden and unexpected as Sonia feels like her entire body was restrained by an invisible force for one single moment before disappeared as if nothing happened. She would have thought that was her imagination if nor for the fact that even the priest living next to her also experienced the same as her when she went toward his room to ask. Though she sent a couple of people to investigate, it bore no fruit. It was at times like this that she wishes she could use her ability but that was just an impossible wish as it was not within her power to do that. But even so, she wants to know and figure what actually happened to this city that the vision she had foreseen back then didn''t happen and now this happened.Maybe I should greet Angelica and inquire her if she knows anything about it? After all, she also had a quite important role within Ernest Family. Chapter 123 - Mythical Creature Are Mythical For Reasons The three girls get into their house and while Sylvia went upstairs to her room, She and Ria also followed right behind and went into their room to take a break. After running for the past few minutes, Ria was dead tired even though her stamina has improved much better than a normal adult. While she wasying her back on the bed, She just finds a seat near the table where they used to study before pulling her phone out to browse into the system. She was pleased with the reward from the quest and the fact that she leveled up from it, even more when she could see a cute little slime within a new category ''Tamed Monster''. While She was all smiley while browsing through the system, Ria suddenly asked her the question she was wondering till now. "Hey, She." "Hmm?" "You said that the power the White Tiger showed off before was not its full strength right?" "Yes, of course." "Then how strong do you think if the White Tiger used its full strength?" She took a moment to consider as she put the phone on the table. "Well, I''m not trying to exaggerate this but, one of them is enough to wipe a city off the map with one swing of their full strength. And the four mythical beasts used for the formation was merely something like a clone since it used a little of their blood instead of an actual mythical beast. I bet a real one could literally sweep the country off the map with just a breath from them, actually, that''s really scary now that I think about it." "That is...definitely a scary thing for sure." Just thinking about it caused her to sweats internally at how ridiculous powerful a mythical beast is, but then again, they won''t be a ''mythical creature'' if they were actually weak with nothing special about them. She was even tempted to find an egg of mythical creature to tame but that was definitely impossible, the world would have not been at ease if such existence exists, after all. While She was wondering about that, a sudden thought suddenly struck through her mind like a sh of lightning which caused her to brighten up. Can I power leveling my slime to the point that it could reach a mythical rank if its level is high enough? I don''t know if it has a level limit yet but this could be put on a testter on.While She was considering spending some of her time power leveling her taming slime, Ria suddenly asked her a question that brought her back to reality. "Oh, I remember that you said you had shown yourself to Angelica?" "That I did, yes. I was very flustered at that particr time that I forgot I had a disguise skill, it was only when Ipleted the quest and the member of the church had both of us surrounded that I remember I do have such skill. Thankfully they haven''t seen my real appearance and I have also changed my voice afterward." "So, what did you tell her? I''m sure that girl would ask what your real identity is, knowing that you were supposed to be a ''normal'' ssmate of her yet that ''normal'' ssmate somehow came at a good time to save her from the monster that they couldn''t possibly win." "She did, actually, she also fired a few shots at me before she even asked that though. If I was a normal person there, I would have been shot to death there and then, you know?" "Oh? She actually shot you with her gun?" "I was surprised you know, I didn''t expect her to pull out a gun on me, her savior, and immediately done that before asking her question. I was a little upset there but I guess it was understandable that she might be in confusion when someone who looks exactly like her ssmate suddenly appeared to her rescue, that I understood but still..." She frowned as she remembers Angelica pointing the gun at her right after firing a few shots and all this happened before that girl actually asked her about it.It''s like that girl was cautious around me for some reason I didn''t know, perhaps the world she lives in was not as kind to me? Like if she ever took down her guard, the ''hyenas'' within the supernatural world(someone like her) would ''consume'' her without a doubt? Is that it?Or so she thoughts before heaved a sigh and said. "Anyways, I told her I was some sort of ''magician'' to her which is true as I can actually use the magic of my own." "Did she actually believe that?" "Well, I actually showcase her one of the spells from fire magic, fireball, right in front of her. She was very surprised when I conjured a ball of me out of nowhere, floating above my palm before I throw it above as it exploded in the sky like a beautiful firework." Ria nodded her head in an understanding manner while internally thought,if you had done the same to me instead of ''teleporting'' me into the Trial Tower, that would have been great. After all, you had just sent me, a normal me, to a world where I had to fight for survival with no ability of my own. I was also pretty upset back then but that''s the past.With that thought in mind, Ria remembers that in school Angelica seemed to act the same as always around both of She and herself after such an urrence happened between them. That was why she had forgotten about it when She had told her the day when it happened, it was only now that she remembers when she was browsing through her mind. "Oh yea, did I tell you about me learning a taming skill and that also has tamed a slime?" Suddenly She brought a topic Ria didn''t expect as one could see from her expression alone. She chuckled in response before pulling out the rune note out of the inventory before throwing it in front of her after inserting a tiny bit of mana into the note. Where the note falls, rather than note, it has now turned into a single small jiggling slime stood on the ce. The surprise and shock on Ria''s face brought a great relish to She as she grinned but not before when she noticed a dark aura surrounding her best friend.Oh no! Chapter 124 - Facing Unexpected Situation "So, this is the slime that you tamed, huh?" Said Ria while she was poking on the slime jelly-like body, it was somehow soft to the touch but still can''t quite catch up to that softness from the White Tiger. The slime bounced up and down on the spot reacting to her touch which attracted her desire of wanting to pet it, which she did. "Haa..ha... Yes." She replied while she was under heavy breathing. When Ria had seen a slime suddenly appearing out of nowhere, right in front of her, she subconsciously moved her body towards it while her fist was ready to be swing down upon the slime, if she had not stopped her, it would not just be the slime that would get hurt from such attack as she would bring the building along with that.Was she traumatized by the slime? But I had seen her first few battles against the slime and she seemed normal to me, or did I saw that wrong? If she showed a sign of that, I would havee straight to her but because I didn''t see any of such a sign, I thought she was fine and even lucky to be able to beat a slime with her old and weak stats. Anyways, She personally took the hit as although it hurts a bit, her vitality was much higher and tough which makes it that her health generated much faster than before. Though it''s not to the point that it went beyond abnormal, it was simply a bit faster than a normal human''s. Ria came to her sense when her fist was stopped by She, while also surprised at how strong She''s grasp onto her fist was. Although Ria didn''t believe in She''s word just yet, She showed her by petting onto the slime as if it was some sort of pet instead of the monster that she''d actively hunting it down to exterminated their life. Her guard lowered when she gives a few hesitant pokes toward the slime and seeing as it didn''t respond as she had expected, she asked such a question to She while continuing on petting onto the now adorable little slime. While she was petting onto the slime, She suddenly brought a question regarding the slime. "By the way, that slime, it was still unnamed. I haven''te up with one just yet, do have any in mind?" "Heh~ then... how about Slimy?" Cough Cough! When Ria give a name suggestion for the slime, She couldn''t help but choke on her breath at her naming sense. She had thought her naming sense was the worst yet, arade was it? "H-How about another?" Ria took a moment to ponder as she tilted her head to the side. "How about Jelly?" "Cough, that''s a good suggestion, but I think I''ll go with Kuu as the name can go for both the male and female. Because its jelly-like body was bluish like that of a sky, I picked this name in consideration of that. How is it?" Before Ria could give a response, Kuu(Slime) jumped ''happily'' around She as if it was happy of receiving a nice name from her and epted it. She pulled out her phone and went toward the ''Tamed Monster'' category and saw the slime unnamed status has changed into ''Kuu'' and its attribute also undergoes an increased as a result of it being named which was a very surprising reward that She didn''t expect.So the reason why its attribute was pretty low is that it was the result of being unnamed? I don''t know how this system works but maybe I''ll do another test if I could tame another monster. "Kuu, huh? Well, that does sound much cuter than the name from me." She internally heaved a sigh, thankfully Ria didn''t insist on the name. In the end, we ended up ying around with Kuu until Ria went towards the table to study which left She alone(Kuu had already gone back into the note). Rather than studying with Ria, She decides to head into the Trial Tower and do some power leveling for Kuu and while doing it, might as well grind some EXP for herself too, and that''s how the two spend their day till midnight before went to sleep for the school. *** The next day. As the school festival was already on itsst day, She had to spend a much longer time on the school even after it has already ended since she had to help the other ssmates to clean up their ss, etc. It was an hour and a halfter that the two, She and Ria finally went home. As the two were chatting about how merry the festival this year is, they were also followed by a certain red-haired girl sneaking right behind them. That had been the norm ever since She had ''introduced'' herself to Angelica a week ago. Just like any other day, she had thought Angelica would drop it when the two almost reach their home but to her surprise, not for the red-haired girl following them but instead, something that happened right in front of her. It was very sudden andpletely unexpected. With her eyes wide open in pure shock, She and Ria, both stares at the crack in the sky that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They had thought they were seeing things as there''s no way for a sky to leave a crack in reality but to their disbelief, it actually happened as the spider-like crack slowly stretching far ahead before suddenly, She could definitely hear a snapping sound and the spider-like crack in the sky shattered, making it into a portal-like thing floating mysteriously right in the sky. By then, She had started to feel that things somehow will turn very bad as her sixth sense was warning her of the foreshadowed danger and as she was about to warn Ria of the danger ahead, a figure of something suddenly came out of the portal-like hole right on the sky as it heavily felt onto the ground, leaving a small crater with it. The pure pressureing from it caused Ria to pale inplexion as she backpedaled with her body shaking from the fear. Noticing this, She stood in front of her, covering Ria from the assaulted pressure head-on. If it was the old her, she would have picked up Ria and ran immediately without any hesitation because that would cost her life if she was anyter. Seeing her facing the pressure from it head-on without flinching, it took a deep breath before releasing a powerful roar that caused a st of wind to scatter around it. Though She was simply sweating profusely when the roar hits her, Ria was not as strong as her. The moment the roared reached her, Ria fell her butt onto the ground as her body was heavily trembling. At this point, even if She had told her to escape while she would follow soon after, it won''t work anymore. She took a mouthful of a deep breath as she gazes at the ''enemy'' in front of her before muttering softly to herself. "Ogre..." Chapter 125 - Saving Damsels In Distress #2 "Ogre..." It was an inhumanlyrge and tall figure that would bring fear to anyone who let their eyes wander on it, coupled with ugly yet ominous-looking face with crimson-red eyes that seemed to hold a thirst for blood within it. It also has a strong body that not even a bullet could pierce through its tough skin followed by legs that look exactly like that of a horse, that was exactly what an ogre would look like. If a normal person were to be stared at by such a monster that emitted strong killing intent, at least most of them would faint on the spot while some on the weaker side would die as a result. That was how frightening an ogre in front of her really is, it couldn''t even bepared to the ogre in the Trial Tower, the pressure between the two was entirely as different as earth to heaven. For thest couple of days, She had been spending more time on power leveling others while only practicing her skill when she got the time. As a result, her level hase to a halt, but her current status was enough to defeat the ogre within the Trial Tower without a doubt. But if she were to fight one on one against the ogre in front of her, She could only envision of herself in defeated no matter how hard she thought about it. "Leave this monster to me while you, on the other hand, take your friend to safety." Suddenly She heard a voiceing next to her and when she turned her head towards it, she could see a familiar zing red hair that earned a few chuckles from herself. It seemed that even this stalker knows and can feel the danger of the monster ahead which results in her making an appearance without any other choices, following by exposing herself as a stalker, after all, there''s no way for her to ''suddenly'' appeared like that if she had not been trailing right behind them. "Why did you came out when you can just ignore this and run away on your own?" "If I have done so, I wouldn''t be me anymore. So, quickly take your best friend away from here before that monster makes a move!" Yes, if she had escaped only to save herself, she won''t be the hero that she admires. If that is so, why did she trained herself so hard for? No matter how low the chance is, a hero must move forward with bravery and courage as, without any of the two, they are not a hero in her opinion. That is who she wanted to be, even if she might lose her life at this moment, Angelica is the type that would still insist on the same decision, in a way she''s pretty stubborn. As she was determined to fight it out to herst breath with the ogre, She suddenly interrupted midway into her thought before she could put it into action. "You know, I don''t mind if you want to sacrifice yourself doing good deeds but... I don''t think there''s any need for that." "Huh? What do you mean?" She grinned in response before pointing on her back towards Ria who was still shaken on the ground which caused Angelica to frown but when she looked closer, she could see some sort of barrier made of wind surrounding the trembling girl. It seemed that while Angelica was so focused on the monster ahead, She had gone and did something before she could take notice of it.Is this...magecraft? But why does it feels different than the one that I know of? Even back then with the fireball thing, she easily ''conjured'' it out of thin air without any chanting or preparation whatsoever. I even double-check it when she left but I didn''t find any kind of tools that could help her with using the ''magecraft''. Of course, it''s also possible that she had taken it away when she left. Though that was how the magic was told in the fiction novel, in reality, it was not as easy as that. Without having any knowledge, if one ever dare to conjure a magecraft spell like that, it would have been fine if the result is only their death. But in the worst-case scenario, it''s possible that their failure might result in summoning a being that is not supposed to exist in our world. That was why it was a ''taboo'' to conjure a spell without fully learned about the magecraft or having no experience as a mage. The risk is simply too high that no one ever dares to do it up until now after that one particr incident that results in countless deaths, it remained as a ''stain'' to the whole magemunity. As for the mage''s history, it went back way into the past, no one knows the actual date because there has been no fully intact record about that particr ''Era''. But one thing that they did know was, the mage used to exist back in the days and they were known and called as ''the witch'' by the public. After the ''witch''s hunt'' event and being brand as an evil witch and heretic due to a certain evil mage causing havoc and the likes, the other mages had to keep their real identity a secret while staying low profile for countless years and living as ordinary person, until that incident was forgotten and by then, only a couple of mages were alive as the other had long left the world due to cruel reality of time. A mage or not, in the end, they are still human in both body and mind. And the mage of the modern era was said to be the descendant of those mages but strangely, the difference between current magecraft and that of the old era magecraft seemed like the earth to heaven. The mage of the old era also required preparation or tools to use their magecraft but the power between theirs and the current magecraft couldn''t bepared on the same te as it''s likeparing a domestic cat to a wild tiger, that was how low the current magecraft had fallen. Rather than learning more about magecraft, the current ''mage'' seemed to be more into ''artifact'' or what the mage called it, magic item. This was what Angelica knows about a mage and their history directly from her mother. With that said, do you now understood how abnormal the girl next to me is? Oh wait, who was am I exining to anyway? Sigh, I must have been pretty tired in both the spirit and body. Why, do you ask? It''s because of the scene right in front of me.With deadpan eyes, Angelica looked up towards the battle happening ahead. Even after blinking a couple of times and rubbing her eyes, nothing change. While she was wondering with such thoughts, She had already run ahead and pick a fight with the ogre, leaving both, Angelica and Ria behind. Though Angelica tried warning her about the danger, the hot-blooded girl(She) ignored it and with a ''weird'' smile on her face, She couldn''t help but feel excited at the opportunity to fight against such a strong opponent like the ogre. Actually, if not for the wonderful bonus given from the Savior title, She would not have been this reckless, probably. With an added of 5 to all attributes(yes, including luck), that was amazing enough yet, since she was now protecting Ria(and maybe Angelica), her overall stats have been increased by 30% due to the title.Isn''t that amazing?! It couldn''t help that I feel overconfident a bit, right?! I managed to dodge its brunt of attack yet the ground was not so safe as it left a few small holes here and there as a result of a missed attack. And from Angelica''s perspective, it might seem like I''m getting cornered by the ogre. But I can feel it, I know that I can defeat this monster right here and now. Perhaps, the increased stats from the title did their job? Chapter 126 - Blazing Flame Before Angelica had shown herself and that the Ogre had juste out of the crack in the sky, the Ogre has now fallen into silent after it was ''transport'' to a whole new world just by identally stepping through a portal-like thing that suddenly appeared in its territory. The ogre was confused and could feel by instinct that the density of mana in the air around here is so thin, unlike in its territory. It was having a hard time getting ustomed to the surrounding, the reason why it didn''t immediatelyunch an attack on the two human females in front of it. Only when She had suddenly sprint toward the Ogre that it finally took notice of them and howl before brandishing the bastard sword in its hand which it has stolen from one of the prey hunted down by it back in its territory. The ogre has been using this sword ever since then as many battles afterward demonstrated that it has be much stronger than before with the sword in hands, even though the ogre doesn''t have much experience with it. As She sprint forward, she didn''t change the bracelet to a weapon and instead went with her bare fist. She wanted to know how strong her strength had be after the increased in stats due to the effect of the title. When She reached approximately close to the Ogre, she sidestepped to the side as the bastard sword slipped passed her and hits the ground. The brute strength from the Ogre is so strong that when the sword hits the ground, it left a small spider-like cracks on the ground. Even if her current stats are getting a boost from the title''s effect, that doesn''t mean that she would be left unscathed if that attack hits her. In reality, no matter how strong or tough you are, you can still get injured from a knife. But it would be a different case if one can levels up, yes, once She reached high enough in vitality, she had an inkling feeling that she could be free from the harm of a knife. With the increased in vitality, it didn''t just increase in HP but also further strengthen her whole body. With the boost from the title, she could tell that even if she tried injuring herself with a knife, it would be quite the hassle but that doesn''t mean it was impossible. After dodging the attacks from the ogre, She gripped her fist hard beforeunching a straight punch right onto its gut. Bam! Although the hit makes such an impressive sound from the impact, the Ogre doesn''t seem to be hurt in the slightest as could be seen from how it was smirking after receiving her punch. Angelica that was standing near Ria was surprised to see the strength within that single punch yet the Ogre was not hurt at all. If that punch had hit the wall, the force from her punch would definitely shatter the wall to pieces, as for humans, that would leave them in a pretty gruesome result so it shall not be mention. Seeing the ogre didn''t flinch at all from her attack, She was not disappointed, in fact, this was within her expectation. Seeing the smirk on the ogre''s ugly face, She also smirked in response and with a single thought, the heat in the surrounding area started to increase by a small amount as a small burst of fire suddenly appeared before it flew and exploded on the Ogre''s face. ''Fireball'' The ogre took a couple of steps back while groaning in pain when a ball of me suddenly flew right onto its face before blowing up, it was unable to move away as She had gotten pretty close to it for this very reason. After firing one fireball at it, She didn''t stop at that as she immediately conjures the strongest spell she had acquired after spending more than a few hours gaining experience for her skill¡ªno, wait. She turned her head back and saw Angelica still there and internally sigh as she almost used what she considered as trump card right in front of the others. Because She had always been using her most powerful attack like some sort ultimate finisher to make sure that the monster would die for sure instead of surviving for aeback which she had also have another n in mind if otherwise happen. Since I can''t use the skill I had just acquired to show-off to Ria with the presence of a certain red-haired girl, I still have the other skill that can demonstrate quite the punch. That will do.With that thought in mind, She immediately ready that one spell in mind as her mana diminished quite a bit, somewhere around one-quarter of her overall MP, this only took a few minutes in reality as it all happened within her mind. As the spell was taking ce, Angelica could feel the heat rising in the surrounding area as she started to sweat quite a bit due to that while looking around, searching for the cause of it. As the heat started to rise even further, She could feel that the spell was almost ready to fire but before she could do that, the ogre shouted and immediately started rushing toward her with its eyes bing bloodshot, a sign that seemed to tell her that it has turned frenzied. Since the spell was not ready yet to be fire, She could not move from her spot or it will end as a failure so she ended up double-casting another skill within her arsenal onto the frenzied ogre, trying to bind it in ce. Suddenly, tentacles made of shadow spurted out of her shadow before wrapping itself around the frenzied ogre like a snake while She also actively used Intimidation on it. ROAR! The frenzied ogre howled in anger when its mad rush was halt by her set of skills only for about three seconds before the ogre tore it all apart with only brute strength before continuing rushing madly towards her but before it could reach the range to swing its sword, the frenzied ogre''s eyes were overwhelmed by a very strong crimson ''light'' that caused for it shut, and that was thest thing it saw before it was turned into ashes. "Inferno." A zing me suddenly materializes in front of her palm before it flew so fast, straight to the Ogre, turning it to ashes within few seconds before it could say anyst word it possibly had. When her spell dispersed, She heaved a relieved sigh while wiping the sweats off her forehead. She was actually quite nervous as if that ogre could not be stopped by her set of skills, she would have been done for. If not for the boost, She didn''t think that the spell could finish the ogre just like that. As her intelligent stats were boosted, just like what she had mentioned about vitality a while ago, it wasn''t only her MP that increased. Her spell also be stronger, at least enough to bind that frenzied ogre for three seconds for the ''Inferno'' spell to take ce. Chapter 127 - Deal Looking at the ridiculous sight happening in front of her, Angelica was bbergasted.That much firepower... is it really from a single mage?The monster who she thought she couldn''t possibly beat even if she went all out was reduced to ashes by a single spell from a mage, that was the most unimaginable scene she had ever seen in her entire life. The mage that she knew was something kin to cannon, they need preparation to fire and if someone gets to them first before that, that would be their end. Of course, there are mages out there that also prepared for such a situation but they are not omnipotent as no matter how prepared they are, once they make a single mistake and let their guard down, they would just be like a domestic chicken waiting to be ughter by the butcher. That was why, in every type of game, so long as there are mage and warrior as a ss in one, the mage would be on the losing end if they give the warrior the chance to get close to them. Though it would be a different story if one gives the mage the time to prepare as when such a situation urred, the only way to stay alive is to escape aka run away at any cost cause by then, the mage won''t let you go. This was one of the reasons why Angelica was not afraid of the modern mage and their magecraft. With the handgun in hands, she could fire at them from a distance even faster than the mage as before they could conjure their magecraft, her bullet would be piercing through their thick skull. The magemunity didn''t know about the existence of her handgun as if they had known about it, they wouldn''t be let alive and spread the news around. Her mother had once told her that if someone from the magemunity came to know about her handgun, she was required to ''end'' them or the one will be on the receiving end would be her and her family along the way. That was just how precise and dangerous her handgun is yet, Angelica didn''t think that her handgun was enough to fight against the monster that ended up reduced to ashes. Her current ability and power are not enough to use the full capabilities of it, in a way, she was ''restraining'' her own power. Angelica had trained hard, much harder after knowing about this particr cruel truth from her mother but, at the end of it, no matter how much effort she puts into it, it was all a fruitless effort on her end. If she was given a chance to be even stronger, she would dly take upon it without any hesitation as only then would her dream could be achieved. "Man, where did that Ogre came from? Even that portal-like thingy disappeared afterward without my acknowledge. Mymon sense had been wreck to dust by all this kind of thing happeningtely..." She couldn''t help but mutter before heaved a sigh. Though She had spent most of her timetely on power leveling ''Kuu'' and gaining experience for her skill, she had also browse through the inte while she was rxing and found quite a few news that attracted her attention, such as,''finding a strange-like creature in my yard! It''s true!'', ''gxdzi exist?! I swear I saw it!'', etc, etc. The people living on the inte reacted just like she had expected, thinking the poster are drunk, crazy or the likes andpletely ignore it even after the poster showing all kinds of proofs. And without them knowing about it, the original poster eventually disappeared from the inte as if never exist in the first ce. Let''s be realistic here for a second, who would believe a monster like in the fiction suddenly appeared right in front of you and yet you are still alive and could spread the news about it on the inte? If the ''leveling system'' didn''t suddenly appear on my phone and after experiencing all the shxt I had, even I would have not believed it.But that was the truth, it seemed that the monster keeps on appearing worldwide at random spot and time. The government must have known about this and hide it from the public''s eyes for the reason of not causing mass panic, stuff that what one would expect from the government. It''s not exactly their fault too as they were only doing their job, and that is to protect the citizen from harm. Do all these monsters pops out of the portal-like thing? That was what I have seen happening right in front of my eyes but, there might also be another way.In the first ce, what is it like inside the portal? Is it within the Floor of the Trial Tower? But if that was the case, the ogre I had killed is definitely far stronger than the one in Trial Tower, from the aura it emitted alone was enough of a proof to remove the idea. Although I can also kill the Ogre in the Trial Tower with my curernt stats, it is notparable to the one I had just defeated. Either way, one thing is for sure that it seemed that the government didn''t simply hide the matter, they must also have a way to kill the monster some way or another. that must be why there''s no mass panic happening,or so She thought. "What even is that portal?" She softly muttered to herself as no matter how hard she tried thinking about it, nothinges up in her mind. It just suddenly appeared like a crack in the sky, she wonders what caused it to happen. While She was pondering about the portal, a voice suddenly interrupted and brought her back to reality, it was a voice from a person she didn''t expect to hear from regarding this. She turned her head to the side, towards Angelica who suddenly spoke to her. "Do you want to know about it?" "Hmm? I assume you do know something about it then?" Just from her tone alone, She can tell that the red-haired girl in front of her do in fact, knew more about this than herself. "A little bit, yes. But I can''t tell you just like that~" With a tease in her tone, Angelica replied which was as expected as there is no way she would let out such secret easily just like that. She can simply ''force'' it out or investigate it herself but both sounds like quite the hassle as she would rather do one favor for Angelica than choosing the two options avable for her. Plus, she would also like to know more about Angelica''s background if possible so She doesn''t want to be on her bad side without having any knowledge on such matters. Before making an enemy out of someone, She would like to get more information about them which can put her quite on the advantage side if the situation called for. "What do you want?" She asked with a stoic expression on her face, she doesn''t want to appear desperate as that would only put her in a disadvantaged position. But it seemed that Angelica didn''t care about taking advantage of her as she didn''t ask for much, only a simple favor from her. She didn''t say what kind of favor it is and She only agreed to it so long as it didn''t go over her bottom line. With the deal done, Angelica promised to give her a visitter after she had taken care of her own business and bid farewell to the two girls before departed on her way. Looking at the departing figure, She thought for a moment before crouching on her knees and put the fainted Ria on her back. After the ogre had been in by her, Ria had fainted on the spot like a puppet with its string cut. She must have been enduring the pressure from the Ogre from the beginning and when it suddenly disappeared, the toil must had gotten over her all at once. That was probably the case, or so She thought while piggybacking Ria on her way home. Chapter 128 - Mimicry And Amnesia? When She reached the front of her house, she didn''t enter normally but instead went from the window on the second floor of their room with Ria on her back. The reason why She did this is that her parents might question her about the fainted Ria on her back and if their voice is loud enough causing her to awaken, that will be a problem by then since it seemed that Ria is still quite traumatized about it. And that is why, She wants tofort the girl first and see how it goes, after all, she was just assuming that Ria is still traumatized since she hadn''t woken up on the way home. That ogre sudden appearance was really unexpected and if Angelica was not around at that time, she could have taken care of it by either using the defensive formation or killing it with her trump card. And if that happens, Ria would not have been taking the pressure on her own till She can finally fire her spell at it. Well, there is no medicine for regret, all she had to do was the same as always, get even stronger and perhaps, helping power leveling Ria to high level enough for her to not feels weak when in the presence of an Ogre. Once she slipped into the room via the window with hiding her presence from being seen by others, She put Ria onto the bed for her to rest before pulling the chair from the table and find herself sit on it next to the bed. Looking at the sleeping figure on the bed, She heaved a sigh as she wonders how did the situation unfold into this when they were just on their way home from school. Is it perhaps because she had been taking it ''easy'' and focused more on training herself inbat practice instead of leveling? The monster could have appeared anywhere around the world, yet for it to appear right in front of her as if... She shook her head when the thought reached that point, she can''t just make an assumption based on what she had experienced only once. I guess I can only wait until Angelica arrived after finishing whatever business she had.With that thought in mind, She pulled out the phone from her pocket and click on the leveling system app on the home screen. Before long, a note has fallen into her grasp and She input a tiny amount of mana into it and it undergoes a change from a rune note to that of a slime. Byun! Byun! When the slime makes its appearance, it jumped around She vigorously as if it was happy being outside with its master which put a smile on her face. After power leveling Kuu till yesternight, it has already reached the max level and ready to evolve further anytime now if permitted. While she was power leveling it, She also teaches it quite a few techniques, hoping that it will learn and absorb the technique and make its own. As a result of her effortlessly teaching the slime to her best, it managed to learn two skills. One of them is Mimicry? which is now at level 2. She crouches down on her knees before showing ''Kuu'' the green jade bracelet on her left hand and said. "Can you mimic into this, Kuu? If you can, you would not have any need to enter the note anymore. Fufufu, of course, I''m not lying. Come, give it a try." After confirming that it understood her intention, She finds herself sitting back on the chair while staring at the ''trembling'' slime on the floor with curiosity filled in her eyes. Previously, she had only told it to mimic something easy, such as football, stone, things like that. At first, it was having a problem trying to manipte its mana to change its jelly-like body into something else but, with the help and advice from She, it somehow managed to acquire the skill at the end of it. Or so She thought since sometimes she wonders if the slime actually understood her actual intention correctly because how pretty advance it seems to her. Although ''Kuu'' appeared to be quite an intelligence for a slime, it seemed to be on par of a human child at most. This waster found out while she was power leveling it, it gives her quite the shock since the slime she had been hunting so far never seemed to be that of intelligence.Is it possible because of the taming skill? Or is it because of the system?It didn''t take long before she got a headache for just thinking deeply about it as a frown appeared on her face before She heaved a sigh and muttered softly to herself. "If only I can ask a question or two toward the system like back then when I get to know a bit about it. There''s just too much that I wanted to know as my knowledge was amount to nothing but little. Knowledge is power, indeed." Before she could continue further into her thoughts, Kuu who was ''trembling'' on the floor were suddenly surrounded by a blinding light that caused She to shut her eyes and looked away due to the brightness. It was only but a moment and when She She regained her sight and looked down, what she saw was a bracelet painted in bluish like that of a sky, settled on the floor. No slime was in sight. She bends down onto her knees before picking the bracelet off the ground and equipped it with a smile on her face. The bracelet vibrates in response, showing the proof to her that ''Kuu'' has indeed changed into that of a bracelet from a slime. Since she had already equipped APW on her left hand, She wore the mimic bracelet onto her right hand before gazing at it for a while before nodding her head with a content look on her face. No matter how one looks at it, it just a normal bracelet. Because the touch feels strangely soft like rubber, one would think that it was a cheap bracelet that one could get from a night market. But its real form is that of a slime. The only thing left was to teach Kuu to make a quick change so that I could put it to use whenever the situation called for, but that might take a while as the mimicry skill is still at a low level at the moment. "Mmm..." The sudden faint voice informing She that Ria was starting to awaken from her slumber as she brought her chair closer to the bed before holding onto Ria''s hand. "Ria?" With her voice as a signal, Ria slowly opened her eyes before surveying at her surroundings. She tried getting up on her back but her body feels so weak and sluggish as if her energy was all exhausted but as far as she remembered, she was walking on her way home from school. She shouldn''t be feeling this tired if it was only walking a few miles away from home, and the strangest thing is, how did she end up waking on her bed now? Looking at the worried expression on She''s face, something must have happened which caused Ria to frown at the thought. "Did anything happen?" "Eh?" She seemed to be surprised as if not expecting for Ria to question her. She had thought Ria would show a bit of traumatizing reaction which she wouldfort her in return but for her to suddenly ask such question with a serious expression, perhaps?No way, right?with such thought in mind, She took a deep breath before opening her mouth and ask. "...what is thest thing that you remember?" "Well...we were talking about how the festival was very livelypared to the previous year on the way home, that''s thest thing I remember." To make her surprise reaction even more realistic, She opened her mouth wide as her eyes appeared to be shaken for a short moment before shees back to her sense and heaved a sigh. It seemed that she didn''t remember what happened afterward.Is it even possible?Should I tell her what happened although it might arouse her traumatizing experience? "You...truly didn''t remember anything after that?" Ria shook her head in response as even when she tried her best to search the memory on that particr time, nothing seemed to appear in her mind which caused her to feel scared quite a bit.Did I get amnesia or something? No, I remember everything else but only at that particr time. "I guess I have to tell you about what happened while we were on the way home." Chapter 129 - Pain Resistance Potion At first, She had thought of wanting to tease Ria but, as if thetter understood her ''wicked'' intention, Ria was ring right through her in that single instant which caused her to drop whatever mischievous thought that she was nning to do. "So that''s what happened..." Ria softly muttered after She briefly of everything that happened. Even after being told of that, it seemed that she was still unable to remember it.Is it really that bad, to the point that my brain sealed the memory deep within me from that one traumatize experience? There''s no way right? I don''t think I''m that weak of a person, or is it simply because I was overpowered by that monster alone? Based on what She stated that she would not be an opponent to it if not for the title buff, it must have been true. I still can''t believe that the monster could actually appear in the real world as there doesn''t seem to be any chaos happening in the news. "Oh, you were saying Angelica was there on the scene and that she was going to give a visitter, talking about the whole portal-like thing?" "Ah, yes. I don''t know how much is she going to tell me but at least, it''s much better than not knowing anything at all. It was also only a single and limited favor from me, I don''t think it was that bad of an offer." She answered with a nod as an agreement with what she had just said. "Are you even sure that she knew something about it? What if you were just being trick by her? What then?" "Mhm, you''re not wrong to be worried about that but, I don''t think she had any reason to trick me when I had just shown her how powerful I am. At least for me, I don''t want to create any problem from someone who''s clearly superior to me all for a short-term profit when we can befriend for a more, better long-term profit. I think that''s what that girl was nning to do anyway, I mean, I did tell her I was a mage." With that being said, trickery and all would be useless in the face of absolute strength. Although her strength is not on the level of ''absolute'', she still has the formation in hands and if someone more powerful than herself appeared to make trouble, the formation should be enough to take care of such person. if that is not enough, She still had the system with her as with enough gold, she could buy almost anything that could help her in any kind of situation if needed to be. While She was pondering over such a thing, suddenly, Ria lowly groaned painfully with her hand over her head. "Kuh! My head!" "Ria?!" Ria didn''t know why but suddenly, she feels as if her head was being hit from a hammer at full force. It was so powerful that it hurts to the point that it feels like her head was breaking into pieces. She was rmed, she didn''t what had just happened and was lost for a moment before immediately picked her phone and look into the system''s shop, looking for something that might be able to help Ria from suffering. And while She was browsing through her phone in seriousness, Ria was experiencing something painful as the memory that was supposedly sealed has now appeared within her mind so suddenly that caused her to breathe heavily. So that actually happened, huh? She was not lying and made things up, everything that she said was honestly true. The mere pressure from that monster alone was truly incredible. It wasn''t that I''m weak but rather, the ogre is simply too strong. While I was scared by the pressure emitted from the Ogre, I was busy enduring it with my willpower that I couldn''t see how She defeats it.It was a smart move from her to not showing off her trump card right in front of others, a bit unbelievable since knowing her personality that would totally do the opposite. Though Ria seemed to be fine for her to have the time to ponder over such a thing, she was still suffering from the headaches even if it didn''t look like it. She was actually gritting her teeth as hard as she could while pondering over such matters to ease her pain quite a bit by thinking over other stuff. It did work but the pain was still there and as Ria was about to cry out to the pain, She suddenly brought a new potion out of the inventory after she had bought it from the system''s shop before giving it to her while describing what the potion is. "This is Pain Resistance Potion. I don''t think I need to tell you what it does as you can easily tell it from the name so, go on and drink it. It will make whatever pain you''re suffering lessen quite a bit for 15 minutes." Ria epted the potion into her hands and nodded her head in response before opening the cap and drink it in one gulp. When the strangely sweet juice went down her throat, Ria could feel her headaches lessen quite a bit as her breathing started to visibly calm down. It seemed that the potion is working perfectly as intended which made She heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank you, but do you really have such potion before?" "I do, actually various kind of potions exists within the system''s shop but the price also varies depending on what kind of potion it is. And the one I just bought, a resistance low-grade potion is pretty cheap,parable to the health and mana potion''s price range." Ria nodded her head in an understanding manner and as the pain was reduced to the point that it was not a big deal anymore, her mental state regained its previous rxingposure. The two ended up chatting for a bit until her mother knocked on their door with a surprised look on her face as she didn''t remember noticing the two entering the house but just shrugged it off with the excuse that she was getting older; the reason why her memory is bing poorer. Anyways, Sara came to informed her that a red-haired girl who introduced herself as She''s ssmate was now waiting in the living room, she had already invited her into the house after knowing that it was her daughter''s ssmate. After all, she didn''t forget that She was once an introvert who didn''t have that many friends, her friend-list could be count on one hand, that was simply how few she had. Human is a creature who likes tomunicate with each other and in a modern world, not having any friend could get you isted from the others. That was just how the world works but, one can still survive without having any friend, that is if you didn''t care about the other isting you. As a person who managed apany in the entertainment circle, Sara has quite a huge friend-list, most of them are all either her business partner or potential partner. After all, having a lot of connections is a good thing in the business world. In fact, it would be a bad idea if you don''t have any connection when you''re entering the business world for the first time, as you will only get yourself and your new-bornpany consumed by the ''hyenas'' without a doubt. That was how important a connection(friend) is to a management genius like her. She replied with a few words and a nod before heading inside to inform Ria. Since she only feels a bit dizzy now after consuming the potion given by She, Ria decides to tag along instead of taking a break alone in the room. When the two arrived in the living room, they could see Angelica seated on the couch while taking a sip on tea that Sara must have prepared after inviting her in. When the red-haired girl noticed their presence in the room, she immediately turned her head toward them before bowing her head as a greeting from her side. Knowing that this was not the right ce to discuss the portal-like thing, She heads to the kitchen to inform her mother that the three of them will be staying in her room instead. Afterward, She brought Angelica upstairs, followed by Ria at her side. Thankfully Sylvia was still at school, so the three smoothly entered their room before finding themselves seated on the soft andfortable mattress on the floor. Once She was sure that there was no other presence on the second floor beside the three of them, she finally opened her mouth to discuss the topic regarding the portal. Chapter 130 - The Rift Above The Sky "Then, why don''t we get straight to the point? Because I feel like what you''re going to tell us now will be something very important for my future venture." She said with a sullen tone as her expression hardened. Ever since she had gotten herself a system, her sixth sense has proven that it is no mere feeling that can be ignored but something that can actually affect her life if she had chose not to listen to it. She had been relied on it ever since then, the reason why she was still alive and dandy until now. Perhaps, she might awaken to some sort of danger sensing skill somewhere in the future. That would be great if it came true. And that very sixth sense was rming her that whatever topic Angelica would address from now on would be something that would definitely change how she acts toward the future. Looking at She, Ria understood something as she also formed a serious expression on her face while keeping her mouth shut in case she might disturbing their conversation. Angelica only cast a few nces toward Ria before turning her gaze back to She and speak. "What I''m going to tell you now is honestly can be said to be the secret of the world. So, I hope you don''t go around telling others about it." She nodded her head in response to Angelica''s remark before gesturing thetter to continue. Angelica took a moment for her to recollect the memories of the history that was being told to her from her mother when she was still a small spoiled brat. When she had heard of it from her mother for the first time, the small Angelica thought her mother was reading a storybook for her, like how a mother would do to their kids before they went to dreand. The misunderstanding bes even more rooted within her because the time happens to be at night, right before she went to sleep. It was only when Angelica had grown up a few yearster did she knew that the one she thought as a storybook was an actual history of this world, although there might be some exaggerated parts here and there since the author was said to be her family ancestor. But overall, it was very reliable as the family had proven for the most important bits are all hold valid. "In the distance past, while mankind was still developing their civilization and culture, a woman from Another World came into our world by ident. Yes, it''s a person from an entirely new world, a world where magical creatures that flew in the sky that we now named it as Dragon exists on the Otherworld. Although we didn''t know whether this is true or false, apparently the ident waspletely unexpected. Anyways, when the woman stepped into our world, that''s where everything started to change for the better, or maybe worse." I wonder why am I feeling deja vu when Angelica mentioned the keyword, ''a woman'' and ''by ident''. I''m pretty sure I wasn''t even born yet, heck the country I live now must have not existed yet at that time.She frown at the thought while at the same time dare not to interrupt Angelica with her question, so she keeps her mouth shut for now. "At first, everything seemed to be fine but a few weekster, the woman was surprised that she came across a rift in the sky, it was the same rift that sent her here to this world. The woman was thrilled, thinking that she could finally go back to her world but to her disappointment, the rift disappeared shortly after as if mocking her. Ever since then, the woman continued traveling all around the world, hoping that she woulde across that rift once again. Even year after year, the woman continued pursuing the same goal while maintaining the same appearance as if she had not aged, not even once." Ehh~ is that woman immortal or something?She couldn''t help but retort in her mind. "Maybe an entity like a god heard her wish and decided to fulfill it as in one fine day, the woman just happened to see a rift twisted right in the sky above her while she was fishing near ake. Without a second thought, the woman pushed the fishing rod aside before whistling as loud as possible. It didn''t take long before another small shadow showed up in the sky, it was an eagle that the woman had healed upon finding it injured the other day on the way here. It had been following her since then." Ain''t that cool? Having an eagle following you around like pet... while there''s me who got a not-so-cool pet, slime. But then again, I could totally tame an eagle now easily after acquiring the skill. I might consider doing thatter if I didn''t forget about it. "The woman had been teaching the eagle all sorts of things and now, she was gesturing for the eagle to went through the rift. She knew of the danger posed within the rift as her case was one of the lucky ones, and for those who didn''t have luck like her? their existence was erased into nothingness by the power of the void. That was just how vicious within the void was as not even the strongest ''sage'' in her world could survive and escape from there if one someone ended up isted within." That''s such a shame then. I was thinking of perhaps going to this other world, I mean, there''s a dragon there you know?! Once I hit high enough level, I could tame one as a pet! Just imagine myself sitting on top of the dragon while it flew in an overbearing manner above the sky is simply the best. "Anyways, the eagle went ahead without fear, perhaps not knowing what sort of fate waiting for it. The moment the eagle slipped through the rift, the woman lost her ''connection'' with the eagle instantly. The woman thought the rift would disappear right after but, a figure suddenly appeared within her field of vision as it dropped down onto theke followed by a huge ssh. It was only after this figure appeared that the rift disappeared as if nothing was in the sky." "That sounds like what had just happened to me a while ago." She couldn''t help but interrupted into the conversation when Angelica spoke about how the first monster makes its entrance into this world. "Exactly, that was the first monster to appeared into this world, thankfully the woman was there to kill it or it would cause a disaster and many lives would have been lost. And¡ª" "Wait! I understand what you''re telling us but, where are the details about how this rift could appear in our world as you have only been talking about that woman, I want to know more about the rift instead." Before Angelica could continue, Ria couldn''t hold herself back and insert her opinion in the discussion. She nodded in agreement, although she was curious about the woman, the rift is more important to her at the moment. If she could at least know the requirement(if there is one) to how the rift came to be, she should be able to avoid getting in trouble and let those people like Angelica handling it. Angelica pouts for a bit as she wants to tell them more about the hero she believes in but it seemed that the two had enough of it. With a sigh, Angelica started talking about the rift. "Actually, our family figured out a certain pattern at how the rift came to be." "Huh? Is it fine with you that you''re telling us this? Aren''t that kind of thing usually keep as a secret?" "True but eventually everyone wille to know about it, sooner orter. So I was just telling you in advance, nothing much. Anyways, the rift would only appear around the ce where the mystic power was a lot thicker than a normal ce, let''s see, an example of that would be the domain of a mage." Mystic power? Do you mean mana by any chance? It could only be that right, I don''t see any mystic power after all other than the mana in my surrounding. So that was the case, huh. Chapter 131 - Trouble After Trouble Huh? Wait, hold on right there. If the rift only opened up around the ce where the mana is much thicker than normal, doesn''t that mean it will continue showing up more in this district? Because of the Defensive Formation, the mana in this district have be much thicker than before, heck I''m a mana generator myself. So is it not a coincidence for it to appear right in front of my face?She heaved a helpless sigh and frown when shees to this realization. It seemed that trouble after trouble keeps on chasing after her as if they had no else to target other than herself. Is this what it means by ''great poweres great responsibility''?She let out another sigh before continuing her thought,This is why I prefer only taking care of myself and my loved one''s life instead of being nosy like a certain hero trying to protect everyone else when he didn''t even have the ability for it which would result in a tragedy. It is meaningless unless you have the strength to back it up, not that I mind dying as a hero or personally hates hero myself, I just don''t want to risk my life for some random dude when I could be grinding up my levels so that I could protect the people I care about much better. I''m just not suited for this hero job. Even though that was what she thought about this whole hero thing, She had personally saved two girls at her own free will. The first was when she stopped Sylvia frommitting suicide by jumping off from the top of the school''s building, even though it was the system that caused her to make a move, she didn''t mind much since it''s quite rare for the system to create a quest out of nowhere unless she was caught in the trouble herself...which is more likely to happen. When that happens, she could only me herself. "Are there any ways to shut the rift before a monster show up?" Angelica heaved a helpless sigh when Ria asked the question that also had been bothering She too. Although the question may seem idiotic as even up until now, the rift was still appearing around the corner of the world which suggest that such a thing is not possible but, you never know, just because no one has the capability to do it now doesn''t mean the same in the future. Perhaps, She might be the person for it once she hit high enough level. As expected, Angelica answered back by shaking her head in response. "That was why it has been quite chaotic on the other side. No matter how much research we did, none bore fruit. Ah, when I said ''the other side'', I meant it for the one who was involved in a supernatural, a mage like She and someone like me. And actually..." Angelica was stuck in her word midway as if considering whether she should tell the two about the more dire problem. She had seen She''s capabilities with her own two eyes, with that much power, there''s no way the ''hyenas'' won''t be interested in her, especially the magemunity. They definitely won''t let her go that easily if they were to witness her ''magecraft''. This won''t be a problem if She had a background like her own but that''s not the case here. p! Suddenly, Angelica pped her cheeks out of nowhere which caused the two to be taken in surprised.Idiot! If I want to be that kind of hero, of course I have to help people when they require help or in danger! I won''t be a hero if I didn''t do it! This is not something I should be wasting my time now.Angelica scolds herself internally when shees to the realization. "Ah, sorry. I was just trying to bring my mind together, it''s nothing much." "Uh, if you say so, alright." "Anyways, what I''m going to tell you now doesn''t have anything to do with the rift but it is also very important." She tilted her head in confusion in response to Angelica for a moment before gesturing her to continue. "Your ''magecraft'' is very much differentpared to the one I have seen for the other mages. You didn''t need to do any sort of preparation to conjure your spell, which already makes you a unique case in the magemunity if the news was spread to them. But if they also knew that your spell is more powerful than their magecraft, what do you think they would do in this situation?" In summary, you are in deep shxt if you show more of your power in front of others, especially the mage from the ''Mage Association''. A frown appeared on She''s face as she entered into deep contemtion, realizing another danger in the corner. No matter how strong her current stats is, she is still unable to hold herself against many enemies at once, especially when she didn''t have any knowledge regarding the modern magic or what they called, magecraft.I need to do some investigation on them but I don''t have any target for that, no. I have identallye across some people who have the ''aura'' around them early but I ignored them as I didn''t know what it was about back then. Though she didn''t know anything about them, She wasn''t afraid of them if one day her ability was exposed. Also, if they ever tried to do anything to her or people around her with ill intent in mind, she could take care of them by using the formation, without exposing more of her ability. They have no way to escape from her ''evil'' clutch as the moment they stepped into this district, it''s basically the end for them. With that in mind, perhaps, there''s a way for her to look out for them by incorporating some sort of presence detection skill solely for looking after an individual who had a special ''aura'' in person into the formation. If that is possible, she won''t get caught by surprise if they ever decide to do some sneaky things. She was about to pull out her phone and looked into the system when she realized that Angelica was still around and put her phone back into her pocket.That was a close call.Though Angelica won''t think that her power alles from a single app, it was better to be safe just in case. "By the way, now that you have told us the information that I wanted, what kind of favor are you going to ask of me?" Speaking of Angelica, She didn''t forget regarding the deal she had taken for the price of learning about the information of the rift. Now, with the information out of the way, She was curious about what would the red-haired girl going to do with the favor. "Hmm~ I will keep it for now. I might use the favor so that you could save me from the future danger that I mighte across without being able to escape from it, just like what you did back in the mountain." Chapter 132 - Fifth Floor Clear! "Inferno." Suddenly, the heat around the surrounding started to rise until it reached the point that one would think they were on a desert, the heat is simply too strong yet the center point of it was much stronger than that. In the center of the forest stood two figures, one small and feminine while the other is huge and monstrosity, but the scene that was happening currently ispletely out of one imagination, the huge and monstrosity was currently in raging mode yet it couldn''t do anything and stood on the spot due to being bound by its own shadow. It could only fiercely re with its bloodshot eyes towards the small and feminine figure in a distance as if wishing that the figure would fall to death from the re. But what greets it to its death was a zing inferno-like me flying straight toward it and st it to ashes without being able to put any resistance before getting annihted. And just like that, an Ogre, the Boss of the Fifth Floor was in by She in one single hit. Well, I had been putting it off for a while now since I was more focused on leveling my skills instead of ascending to a higher level floor. Now that most of my skill has leveled up quite a bit, and with the leveled up from ying the Ogre in reality, my current stats are much stronger than the Ogre I had just in. I don''t even need to use my trump card against it, kind of anti-climatic since I was hoping for a good fight.She heaved a sigh before shaking her head at her hot-blooded thought. Though the fire had burned a few trees that stood behind the ogre, it didn''t escte to the whole forest as she expected it to be, and just in case, She also went out of her way to shut the fire down before it could move to another tree. Even though that was unneeded for as it seemed that the tree had quite the resistance against magic, seeing as it didn''t immediately burn after getting in contact with her me. If it was a tree in the real world, it might have burned and spread much faster than this. As to how shee to such a conclusion? She had activated the passive skill, mana eyes, to look at the scene and that''s when she noticed that there''s mana, although faintly, around the tree. She had been practicing quite a lot of her skill and the fact that her pupils had turned deep bluish when she active the skill just showed how much effort she put into it, though She didn''t know about it as of yet since she never looked into the mirror when the skill was active. ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You can now ascend to the Sixth Floor, do you wish to? ¡» "Nah, I''m going to grind a few more on this floor, perhaps I might reach level 30 before the day ends." With that said, She only had a couple of hours left before she had to leave since she had a meeting with someone after this. Without wasting any further, She immediately picks her pace up and run toward the ce where she had detected a presence with the gun in hand. The Ogre''s drop item was pretty disappointing even though it was a boss, she hopes that the second time it won''t be that stingy or, she might start questioning whether her high luck was true or not. After the discussion regarding the rift hase to an end, She was expecting for Angelica to ask her about her ability yet, to her disappointment(?), thetter never ask even till she went home at dusk. The three had spent their time talking about school and stuff that girls in reality usually spoke of, nothing about her being a mage was involved, simply an ordinary conversation, that''s all. She had been preparing to lie thoroughly about her being a mage yet the situation never came, her effort had been in vain. And before Angelica took her leave, she had asked me out to meet up at ater date but, before you could go on your wild imagination, it''s not the kind of date you were thinking about. She didn''t know for what reason the meeting is and was worried if Angelica was nning on something yet nevertheless, she was not scared, at least not within the district. Though that might not be the case, it was better to be careful since she hadn''t known her for too long as of now. Bang! Bang! While she was having such thought went through her mind, her hands and feet didn''t stop moving of killing one monster after another. After killing the hobgoblin and picked up the dropped item off the ground, She immediately departs to another. She was never been caught in an ambush after acquiring a detection skill of her own as whenever she stepped to a certain range, the skill would alert her of their presence before they could ambush her. It was sort of funny to see hobgoblin hiding within a bush or behind a tree with the n of ambushing her, unfortunately for them, She had already known of their n. She had shot at them from a distance with the magic handgun at such uracy that would make the veteran widen their eyes in shock. The bullet precisely pierced a hole into their head, and that''s how the hobgoblin was in without even knowing of their death. While She was killing hobgoblin after another, she was also pondering on what kind of monster would show up on the Sixth Floor. It should be much stronger than an ogre but, so is it a Troll? or perhaps a beast-like monster? so far, I hadn''t met any beast-like monster in the Trial Tower so it should be about time for it to appear. Though I can''t say I''m already used to fight against humanoid creatures by now, I also want to fight with another being, such as beast in preparation, just in case. Knowing the fact that a monster like that Earth Dragon exists within the portal is already scary enough and with my current level, I still couldn''t put a scratch on that dragon. Though I won''t know the result since I had never fought against it and never will until I''m sure I was strong enough to survive the earthquake. With that being said, it wasn''t long before a fearsome yet familiar aura suddenly appeared in the center of the forest, alerting her that the Ogre had been respawned. Talking about respawning, She could technically respawn too if she were ''killed'' in the Trial Tower, or so the system said. But she had never tried it out because she was scared and afraid of the pain that she might suffer at her death, and who knows whether it is true or not? Knowing that there''s someone behind the system already caused her to be quite suspicious toward it. She shook her head before a grin appeared on her face that looks certainly identical to those who were a hot-blooded as she immediately sprints toward the center of the Forest. Although she hates pain, it seemed that she didn''t really dislike fighting in general, especially when it makes her stronger. After all,what doesn''t kill you, make you strongeror so the wise once said. Chapter 133 - Meeting After exiting the Trial Tower, She immediately prepares herself for the date. Unlike any other girls, she didn''t need a lot of time to prepare as just a quick bath will do and, there''s also no need for makeup. Though if the other girls were to hear her, they might have wanted to strangle her to death. In the first ce, it was just a simple meeting, not a date like the other winner of life(Riajuu) would like to go for. There''s no need to prepare so much for a simple meeting, just a casual outfit will do. Though even with a casual outfit, she was still much more charming than a normal person, more likely due to the death aura she emitted and including with stoic expression on her face, she looked exactly like what one would think of a cool beauty persona. It took around 10 minutes before she was ready to exit the room, heading downstairs toward the living room. Once she was there, She was greeted with Sylvia sitting on the couch while watching the TV about some random animal discovery. But what caught her attention was the person who was seated next to her, Ria who was currently focused on her phone and from the sounds that She heard from it, she guessed it must be from a game. Muahahaha! My hard effort in turning my friend into a freak gamer has all went ording to the n! It''s only about time before she would also be an addict like me and by then, she won''t be able to lecture me anymore when I went to y a game instead of studying! Rather she might join me instead!She couldn''t help but chuckle to herself as an evil n rooted in her mind. And as if thetter detected her thought as Ria turned her head toward her which caused She to return her face to normal in a split second her sixth sense rm her of the threat hidden within Ria''s normal expression. "Oh, so it was you, She. No wonder I had this strange feeling that you were having a weird thought in your head about me." Seriously?! How in the trial world did she know or sense what I was thinking? Even my sixth sense is not that strong!She couldn''t help but retort internally at such absurd reality.Anyway, I had to act cool and calm, if she learned about my wicked n, it would all be for nothing. She will be one of me!With that thought in mind, She stepped toward Ria and casually said with her hand on her chest. "What are you using me of? Never in my life did I ever had any wicked thoughts about you in my head. Never." Ria raised her eyebrow and put her phone down the table. "I never said anything about ''wicked'', did I?" Aww shuck, my word. I guess I''ll go with n B! The reason why I was here in the first ce... "Anyways, I''ll be leaving the house for a while and not sure know when I''ll be back." "Changing the subject, huh? Well not that it bothers me or anything. Where are you going?" "Well, it was just a meeting with Angelica, though I don''t know the reason behind it." With that said, She bid farewell to the two after managing to somehow calm Sylvia down as thetter seemed intently wanting to follow her for some reason unknown to her. Speaking of Sylvia, it seemed that she had improved much better in herbat skill and though she hadn''t told this to Ria, She had given some sort of mission to the silver-white haired girl to investigate certain things when she had visited thetter in the Trial Tower. With her skill as an assassin, it was not that hard of a job as her investigation went smoothly. This was also the reason why she was sometimes away from home, it seemed the girl took her mission seriously. It was the mission of investigating Rodrick Jayson as She believes the former seemed to have somehow survived against her attacks. She was pretty sure at that time that a new presence suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the building, just like teleporting and immediately picked up someone before the two presences vanished out of her detection, bringing Rodrick Jayson away from the scene. She didn''t know who hade to save the man but it must have been someone powerful for one simple reason, teleportation. Angelica had told her that magecraft required preparation before they could fire their spell, which means the person that had taken Rodrick away must have been prepared for such a situation to take ce.If my existence was already known to the world, Angelica would not have been surprised seeing the magic I have shown yet, even if that was merely acting, it was too real to be a fake. Then, that means Rodrick has a connection with someone thates from the supernatural side.She clicked her tongue in annoyance. This was also the reason why she was desperately searching into the information regarding the modern mage and their magecraft. Perhaps, that person might have been someone from the magemunity. When she had the time, She would travel all over the ces, searching for a person who might be her target for investigation but till now, her effort bore nothing. If not for what she wanted to ask of Angelica, she won''t havee to this meeting. It would be better to increase her strength as much as possible rather than wasting time doing something else. Though the mage seemed incredible in her mind, the previous word from Angelica still assures her that she could somehow win against the mage if she took them by surprise. While She was having this thought in her mind, it was not long before she arrived at the meeting ce, ten minutes earlier. But it seemed that someone else had appeared much earlier than herself as the moment she stepped into the restaurant, She saw Angelica''s figure standing at the reception before heading straight towards her. "Hey, Angelica." She gives her greeting at Angelica as thetter turned around in surprise before smiling, seeing it was a person she was expecting. Though She appeared to calm from her stoic expression, internally she was quite surprised but, not at Angelica, rather the person stood next to her. It was a girl with short brown hair coupled with beautiful emerald eyes that emitted the vigor that of youth. But that was not the one that brought to her attention, it was the aura that she emitted, unknown from the other prying eyes yet, it was visible in the eyes of She as her Mana Eyes suddenly active on its own in presence of this unknown girl. Only one thought surfaced in her mind when she saw the girl and her aura,this girl must be a mage, right?But before she could analyze the girl further, Angelica brought the attention back to her as she leads She and the short brown-haired girl with her to a private room that she had prepared. Since the girl was following them, She could tell whatever that will take ceter will be about the girl following next to her. With that thought in mind, She quietly followed them into the room before finding herself a seat. As She was about to open her mouth and ask, a serveres into the room with the tray filled with food in hands before proceeding to fill the empty table with the food one by one. It seemed that it would have to wait as her stomach rumble when the delicious scent filled the room.It can''t be helped alright? I only ate a few crackers when I was grinding in the Trial Tower which was not enough to fill my stomach. Since Angelica was the one treating, I should not let this chance go! Chapter 134 - Mia When the food arrived neatly on the table and with the assurance from Angelica, She immediately dives into it without a second thought. The first thing she chose was a hot steamed steak covered in a delicious looking sauce, it was the culprit that caused her stomach to rumble hungrily like a wolf. After cutting the steak into a small piece enough to fit in her small mouth, She elegantly shoves the piece down her throat or so she thought but to the two girls sitting in front of her, it looks more like she was gulping it down like a person who hadn''t eat for a month. Her eyes sparkled the moment she took a bit on it as the juice inside the piece rush out and spread into her mouth, assaulting her taste bud like a wild storm. As expected of a high ss looking restaurant, although it was notparable to the time when I was with my mother on her business, this steak is actually not that bad nheless. It''s even better since I''m not the one paying for the food!She thought in her mind while she was indulging herself with the food in front of her. Though the two girls have been ignoring her weird antics, it wasn''t long before the emerald eyes girl to also followed right behind She, gulping the food down her throat like a mini hungry wolf. The girl, Mia didn''t notice this, however. Just like She, Mia''s hunger immediately skyrockets the moment she came to know the food was going to be a treat from Angelica. Mia heaved a relieved sigh as her stiff shoulders visibly rxing upon knowing that since she was expecting to pay for her own potion, after all, she was just a poormoner, this high-ss restaurant is too much of a high level for her. Although she had quite a special identity thates up with a few quirks, that only works in a certain region and unfortunately, this region was not included. That was why she was quite nervous and visibly tense when Angelica brought her into the restaurant. It had been a tiring day for her as she had never gone so far away from her home country, although she seemed fine outer appearance-wise, internally she was pretty exhausted. When Angelica had invited her, Mia was going to reject the offer but then remember that she was on her break so she ended up epting with curiosity in mind. The two had been quite close after getting to know each other at that one time in a small banquet celebrating Angelica''s birthdays. Although they were not that close, the two rtionships could still be called that of a friend. Mia had thought of having a nice break like a small vacation when epting the offer, forgetting the fact that Angelica came from an influential family. If thetter were to go on vacation, obviously the ce has to be pretty luxurious. It was toote to regret by now, might as well enjoy the food just like the girl in front of her as she put the guitar-size case to her left side. Her teacher had always told her to bring this with her whenever she went out, she didn''t know the reason for it but as a docile person, she followed her teacher''s instruction without any question. While they were eating, there are times that She and Mia ended up in a small ring battle as they fight for the food on the table. Without saying anything, the two were ring at each other silently when suddenly, Angelica picked up thest piece and shoves it into her mouth while the two widen their eyes at her in shock. The two have been focusing on each other that they have forgotten about the third and most important presence on the table which caused them to halt their small dispute for but a moment. That went on until all the food on the table was only left with a few deserts that had just arrived after everything had been cleaned up. And since the two of them already had their fill which one could see a small bump on their belly, that only left Angelica to finish the desert on her own. "I almost thought you two were sibling judging from the way you two were acting a while ago." Angelica said with a few chuckles in her word as if remembering the scene while she was midway talking, earning a re from She before thetter harumph to the side. Meanwhile, Mia was a bit flustered when she remembers the way she behaves a while ago seemed pretty childish but she can''t help it since the food is just too good. She didn''t say anything and simply stares at Angelica as thetter tilted her head in confusion for a moment beforeing upon realization and nodded her head afterward. "Right, I haven''t introduced the two of to each other just yet. Next to my right is Mia, a foreigner, and a friend of mine." Angelica said while pointing her hands toward Mia who bes bashful all of sudden,pletely different than the one who had just pick a fight with She while ago for the food. Mia had been pretty shy around strangers as far as Angelica knew about thetter, so she didn''t find it strange. "As you can see, she''s also pretty shy around a stranger. Anyways, Mia met She." "Nice to meet you." "Uh..mm...Nice to meet..you too." She gives her greeting with a nod toward Mia as she also timidly answered in return.So her name is Mia, huh. But I don''t really care about the name, the most important thing right now is...Angelica seemed to understood the intent from her gaze as when their eyes met each other, she opened her mouth and said. "As for why I called you out so sudden, it was because of one but simple reason. Don''t you want to know about a mage and their magecraft?" "!!!" The two were rmed and surprised when Angelica suddenly directs such a question toward She, though she could it see iting, She still didn''t fully believe it. But from the way Angelica phrasing it, it must have been true. Mia was surprised because she didn''t expect her friend to sell her out so suddenly as her eyes widen in pure shock. Her teacher had repeatedly warned her that she shouldn''t mention anything in public regarding what she had learned since its kind of a taboo thing. She was told the punishment is pretty heavy so she keeps it in her mind and also repeatedly told herself that every morning in case she might have forgotten about it. And now, a friend of hers who also came from the same world suddenly mentioned one of the taboos in front of the girl who Mia assumed as a normal person. It couldn''t be helped for her to be shocked, right? Unless the girl in front of her is not who she assumed her to be... Chapter 135 - Wild Delusion Though She had introduced herself as a mage back when she saved her in the mountain, Angelica didn''t believe her word at that time. After all, she had witnessed the spell of magecraft with her own two eyes. There are two different things which were the magecraft couldn''t be conjured easily or it will result in a lot of problems, and the power is not nearly as powerful as She''s. If modern mage could do such a thing, they won''t bother hiding from the public. Although it is possible that the magecraft had gotten breakthrough, it shouldn''t be so much that one can immediately conjure a spell easily without any preparation required. What Angelica thought was it''s either from She''s own power or the ''Origin Magic'' of the forgotten past, thetter seemed unbelievable as the history has proven itself that no such thing could stay the same forever. The mage of the past was actually a lot more fearsome than the modern mage which clearly shown that their magecraft has been degraded to the point that a mage now required a tool to conjure a spell or it won''t work. The so-called ''tool'' is just a mage signature weapon in all fictitious stories, a staff. Mia had also brought one with her which is inside the guitar-size case onto her left, one would normally think she was just a guitar maniac who carried the case everywhere with her. All beginner or apprentice mage would usually have to carry around a staff with them if there are far away from the Mage Association influence, the same goes to Mia. The reason being so that they could protect themselves in case they were in some sort of dangerous situation by using the spell enchanted into the wand to ask for help from the Mage Association. Or they could simply fight against the danger on their own, which is nothing but impossible as with their meager knowledge of magecraft, there''s no way they actually knew an offensive spell. So at the end of it, the wand was only useful to call out for help. Every wand of a mage had at least one basic spell enchanted into it which was called, Mystic Rune. The rune''s ability was utilized to suck the ''mystic power'' in the surrounding air into the wand and use it as the ''energy'' to conjure the spell. Even if one memorized everything about the spell, without it, the spell won''t take effect. Although the mage had known about how every human had at least, a bit of mystic power within them, they were still unable to figure out a way to make it possible for use in magecraft. That was why they could only use the runes and enchanted it into a tool. As to how Angelica knows about this? It was hardly a secret, even more, her family also had done quite a few experiments on the treasure that were given to them from That Person. All because they wanted to figure out a way to control the mystical power to bend reality to their will. But even after all the years hade to pass, they only managed to develop a few weapons beforeing to a halt for various reasons. In short, Angelica already knows that She is not a mage yet somehow thetter was able to manifest the same effect but stronger as those who learned actual magecraft. She had done a second background check on her but didn''t find anything abnormal in her record, everything was perfectly normal. The only thing that she finds it strange was that a month ago, She''s grade seemed to get noticeably better, in fact, it surpassed even the ss Leader. Because of how surprising such an event was, Angelica could easily find such information by simply asking about it. There is also another that appeared to be quite interesting, it was said a few dayster after such an event had transmitted, She who was known as a ''ghost'' in P.A ss due to how her figure always ''disappeared'' whenever the ss came up on time, but that didn''t happen on that particr day onward. Before she was titled as a ''ghost'', she was known as someone who has a weak body and couldn''t do much in P.A ss. That was the reason why she bes a ''ghost'' whenever the time for that one particr sses up, the teacher didn''t punish her as they understood her well enough. The day when She make her appearance known on P.A ss caused quite an uproar, it was especially shocking when she had shown her improvement in stamina as even after all the physical activities they had done, she only let a couple of sweats. Angelica wonders if this got something to do with She and her abilities, or it might bepletely normal as the reason how her stamina had undergone improvement might be due to exercising daily like how the others could do the same. But those two are not enough to prove that she, in fact, have a power of her own that seemed to be the same as magecraft yet different. If it was a whole new power, the situation might be more serious than she thought. Angelica couldn''t help but remember the war that had happened once in the past with the Church which caused her to visibly flinched for a second at the thought. She wasn''t alive when it happened but she heard from her mother that countless lives were lost during that time. Just thinking about it brought chills to her whole being, thankfully when a new Pope took the mantle, the Church had undergone a few changed. If it was someone else, they would have probably try to capture and torture her to spit about her power. But Angelica was not like that as she would rather make an ally instead of bing an enemy as that would be a spit to the one she dreams of to be. That was why she brought her friend here to show her goodwill by giving She the information she might need for the future in case she came across a problem with the Mage Association. This way, She would also owe her another favor which would benefit her in the long run. *** When She heard the word spoken by Angelica, she really wants to start inquiring the girl sitting opposite of her about the magecraft, but when her gaze met with thetter, she could only put a helpless smile as it seemed that she won''t be getting any information without giving anything in return just by the look on Mia''s face. That''s fine with her as there''s nothing free in the world, it was given that she had to pay a price in return for the information she will get. Perhaps, she might be able to invite the mage into her group? Since she was already nning on taking Angelica, it won''t be a problem if there''s another one. She believes if she reveals a bit of her magic, there''s no way Mia could resist not inquiring about it. With that thought in mind, She couldn''t help but grin amusedly, wondering what sort of face would thetter show her once she did that. While Mia who didn''t know anything, couldn''t help but feels the chill running through her body when she saw the girl seated in front of her grinning at her for some unspoken reason. Is she nning on capturing me now that Angelica had exposed my identity?! Noooo! I didn''t even write my will yet, I don''t want to be taken away only to get tortured for fun! But I also couldn''t escape since I don''t know any offensive or defensive spell, heck I didn''t even learn much from the teacher anyway! Ahhhhh! Someone, Help me!While Mia was having a wild delusion running in her mind, She was wondering what kind of spell she would like to showcase to thetter. It has to be amazing yet not too powerful or she might scare her off. Chapter 136 - Magical Rune After having decided on what she would do, She spread her awareness from inside the private room to the whole second floor, even the first floor was not spare by her as she wants to make sure that no one else was around so that there will be no mistake. The two visibly twitched in reaction to her yet they couldn''t find anything amiss and could only tilt their head in confusion. When she was sure that no presence was close to their room, She nodded her head before exaggeratedly snapping her finger. Snap! A small ball of zing fire suddenly materializes itself in front of the two girls who were surprised by her sudden action as they silently observe the ball of me floating around mid-air. Although Angelica had seen the same thing back then, she was still shocked by the fact that She had only snapped her finger and a small me suddenly appeared out of thin air. As for Mia, her expression basically exins everything she feels about the scene that was conveyed in front of her. It was the face filled with shock, disbelief, and awe, all the three in one make up her expression into that of a strange one, but the girl herself didn''t care about it as she was too mesmerize about the situation happening in her view. Mia had seen her teacher conjuring a fire out of thin air before in the ss but it wasn''t without any chanting and staff like what She had shown to her. Mia secretly finds it embarrassing when an adult like her teacher does chanting with a stoic expression on their face, she almost lost it every time the teacher showcase the spell in person. What was even more ridiculous to her was that the other didn''t share the same feeling as her and instead, they think it was kind of cool. I mean, yes, the thing about how a small ghost me suddenly appeared out of thin air does seem cool but the chanting ruined it. Some eight-grader might find it cool but to me, it is an embarrassing moment. Mia thought while she was staring at the ball of me drifting midair around them. It was only when She had snapped once again that caused the fireball to disappeared into thin air that the two were brought back to their sense. "With this, you should understand what my identity is. Do you mind showing me what''s inside the guitar case on your left side?" Even though she can''t see through what''s inside the case, her mana eyes skill still managed to detect the mana in the air rushing straight into the case as if there were suck by a ck hole in slow motion. She couldn''t help but wonder what was inside the case caused it seemed almost like when APW turned into a magic handgun where her mana was used as a bullet. It seemed the same thing happens as when (APW)the magic handgun sucks her mana into the handgun to be used as a bullet. So it must have been an artifact or something, She looked up at Mia, her gaze contained an interested in whatever was inside the case. Mia doesn''t seem to want to share what''s inside the case at first but then, remembering that She could easily conjure a fireball seemed to suggest thetter as more knowledgable than herself. This means if Mia decided not to share about it, she might get attack by thetter and if that happens, even the Mage Association might not get here in time to protect her before she falls into her hand. Seeing as there was no choice, Mia reluctantly gets the guitar case on her side before putting it on top of the table to slowly opening it. What was unveiled within the case was a single wooden staff with a crystal clear gem at the size of a palm seated on top of it, giving the impression that the staff is no ordinary by any means. When the staff was revealed, She''s pupils turned deep bluish and she could see that the gem seemed to be the one slowly siphoning the mana from the air toward it, and as she looked closer, she could see some kind of runes that were carved around the gem. ''Analyze, please do your work.'' She whispers in her mind before using her Analyze skill onto the wooden staff, hoping to gain something from it. When she active the skill, all the general information about the staff was conveyed into her brain. Heh, as expected. It seemed the gem was carved with a rune that has the effect of siphoning the mana from the surrounding and stored within it. But unlike the rune on the handle of her handgun, the wooden staff mana siphoning effect was much weaker than hers, plus they couldn''t suck too much mana or the crystal would break apart to pieces, rendered it useless. Although the two use a magical rune with the same effect of mana siphoning, both were not entirely the same thing. If She were to put grading system for the two, the wooden staff would be a lower-tier rare artifact while APW would be a higher-tier rare artifact with its power alone, and with its capabilities of changing to a whole new weapon make it possible for it to reach Epic. Even though its actual grade is D from the system evaluation. "Heh~ Is this the so-called staff that the Western Mage used in most fiction stories?" She eximed when her gaze falls onto the wooden staff. Although the staff appeared to be made of a normal wood from its appearance, it was actually made from a rare kind of wood, that would cost pretty much a lot as it has special properties of being able to control a fair amount of mana due to its characteristic of living in a ce where mana was much thicker than normal. She didn''t know that such magical wood actually exists, it must have been the result of the world being affected by mana. It wasn''t only mankind that undergoes a change, nature does too. This caused a few worrisome thoughts to appear in her mind, what would happen to the animal that was living in such a ce? Would they turn into a savage monster if they somehow managed to survive against it? Just imagine such a world brought her yet another headache, why do I keep on having to be worried about this? As long as I be stronger than them, nothing could trouble me. Though I have determined this whole situation over and over, bing stronger is the only path. And if I bring these two with me, I would just leave the problem to them, isn''t that the wise thing to do? Yes, that''s right. I should do just that. With that thought in mind, She smiled at the two while pondering on what kind of things would be appetizing enough for the two to switch sides. Perhaps, leveling up and bing stronger might be enough, who doesn''t want to be stronger if they were given a choice to do so, after all? Especially in a world that might turn into a dog-eat-dog in the future. People would only feel safe and secure if they have the strength to protect their ''ordinary'' life, after all. Chapter 137 - Tragic Tale Of A Hero "Heh~ Is this the so-called staff that the Western Mage used in most fiction stories?" "Well, you are not wrong. But it''s not as amazing as them though, this staff here is merely something akin to re gun where once it was activated, it will send mana wavelength that will alert any mages that were nearby for help. It would be a different case if one is knowledgable about magecraft as they could conjure offensive or escape spell when they are in a dangerous situation but, if that was truly the case, they would have already been using different staff than this one since it''s more efficient to get a new one that is more proficient in handling the mystic power." Angelica paused for a moment before continuing. "After all, this staff is just merely for an apprentice mage, nothing more and nothing less. If someone has already remembered a few spells in magecraft, that would mean they have graduated from being an apprentice and most, if not all, would usually get a new staff. " "...I''m amazed that you know all this." She widens her eyes in shock at Angelica who had just exined to her the tiny bits of the inner working in the Mage Association. She was amazed and wonders how did this red-haired girl know all this despite not being a mage, perhaps she had graduated? thought She. Understanding the thought clearly shown on her face, Angelica shook her head before saying. "This is simply amon-sense per se, at least to those like me and Mia. Although I am not a mage, that doesn''t mean I don''t know anything about them, in fact, it''s not like the Mage Association went out of their way to hide it or something so it was only about time before it was spread everywhere except the public." Mia nodded her head in response to Angelica''s exnation. There are also awakened ones, but it''s very rare. There are not many that awakened to the supernatural as most, if not all, only learn through the knowledge that has been preserved from their ancestor, such as the Mage Association. The awakened ones all have varied abilities, some can be very powerful whilst, on the other hand, can be useful in reality yet useless in an actual fight. Perhaps, She might have been an awakened one based on what I found on my investigation, thought Angelica but she didn''t say anything about it since it''s a sensitive topic to talk in public and only a few people knew about it. She came to know about it from an acquaintance, if not she would''ve never known about it. Perhaps her mother might know since she''s pretty high in the hierarchy, after all. "Can I try holding onto the staff?" Mia hesitated for a moment before giving She the permission, Angelica had already spoken everything so she must have been trustworthy at the very least. When She got her hand onto the wooden staff, she could feel the mana within her stirred up in response to the runes. But as her control over her mana is quite exceptional, it only stirred for a moment before calming down by itself. Hmm, so I have to put quite an amount of mana into the staff to send out a certain wavelength where only the mage from Mage Association could tell and in response, they woulde to rescue. As to whether the mage could arrive on time, that would depend entirely on your luck. If you suck, death will seek you. One could only me it on their fate, thought She while she was inspecting the staff personally. Though she had some general information regarding the staff from the Analyze skill, She prefers inspecting with her own eyes and hands as only then would she believes the result. The skill level is pretty low, after all. And if she depends entirely on it, there might be a day she would be caught in a trap set by her enemy which somehow managed to trick her skill. It''s not entirely impossible, so she didn''t mind doing it personally. After having her fill inspecting the staff, She put it back on the table before turning her head toward Angelica and said. "So, what do you get out of this? I''m sure you''re not doing this for free or whatnot." Angelica smiled in response to her question. Although the smile appeared to be normal, She couldn''t help but feeling like she was going to be caught up in more trouble and it bes even more solid when the former spoke. "Just take it as a token of friendship. Or I don''t mind having another favor from you, fufufu." Well, I was going to bring her to my side, so it''s fine I guess. The system''s shop had quite a variety of items that can be purchased, there must be at least one in there that would attract this girl''s interest, She thought while shrugging her shoulders. If Ria were to know about what she was thinking, she would be beating her up as everything in the system''s shop is like a heaven''s treasury, all sorts of absurd things stored within the shop can be purchased at a cost depending on the worth of the said item. There''s no way in hell that Angelica would ONLY be interested in one item if thetter came to know about it. The three chat for a bit and when the time came, Angelica took a leave, leaving Mia behind as she understood that She has something for thetter. Mia was left ufortable as though they had talked for a while now, it''s less than a day since they get to know each other. She actually wanted to follow Angelica but thetter stopped her with a knowing look that she couldn''t understand. When She finally feel the presence away from her detection, she heaved a sigh before turning her head toward the trembling girl in her view. Seeing the reaction from her, Sheughed before saying. "You don''t need to be that nervous, It''s not like I''m going to eat you or anything." "Y-Yesh!" Mia''s face turned red as she bes embarrassed for identally biting her tongue right in front of someone due to being nervous. She''sughter resounds in the private room and Mia''s figure bes even smaller as a result of it. When She had enough ofughing, her face turned serious as if her previous action was merely acting. "I didn''t ask this before but, since you have this staff, does it mean that you''re really an apprentice mage?" "...yes." She could feel a bit of feeling in that one word from her response and couldn''t help but to ask another question. "For how long?" "..." Seeing as thetter didn''t respond, it seemed that her guess was right on the mark. Feeling the mood was right, She took a couple of deep breaths before opening her mouth and said. "If you be a real mage, what would you do?" "Eh? Uhh..." Perhaps, not expecting such a question, Mia took a moment to think for an answer. When shees to her conclusion, a smile appeared on her face as she answered. "I guess, I want to be helpful to someone." "Hmm, really?" "Yes. It was kind of embarrassing but the day before I was adopted to a new family, I love this single tale about a certain hero saving the world not because he was obliged to do so but more because wanting to be helpful to his loves one. It was for one simple and romantic reason, the hero would go as far as risking his life to get a rare flower from a dangerous region just so he could put a smile on her face." "It was very idiotic yet romantic, in my personal impression. But the ending was pretty tragic, the girl he loves was assassinated by someone who he trusted his entire life. Overtaken by anger and despair of losing his loved one, the hero massacred the entire city in his rage and was eventually met his end at the hands of a group of retired heroes." Chapter 138 - Fate Well if I were in the same ce as that hero, I might have done the same too. I know that it was bad to let my emotions get over me but I just can''t change this part of myself, no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps, when I reached full adulthood, I might be mature enough to manage my own emotions and not get provoke easily like the current me,thought She. It has been a month or so ever since the day when she had acquired a leveling system, yet it feels like it was just yesterday because of how she was unable to forget such important memory with the help of one passive skill, Photographic Memory. Thinking back on it, I wonder what would have happened if I simply get a new phone. Would it find another host? Or would it still appear on my new phone? Well, that was just ''what if'' situation, though it sounds interesting, I''m d that I didn''t do so. Although I''m still not fully trusting in this whole system, the benefit it gives me was enough to change anyone''s life so you won''t see meining. Though that was what I said in mind, I really wish for my sixth sense to tell me that the danger I felt is not real but, the god deny my wish.She thought while she was listening to the story spoken by Mia. "So, if you were given a chance, would you take it? Although the price might be too heavy for you to shoulders. But would you still take this hand of mine?" Right after Mia has finished telling the tragic tale of a hero, She suddenly stood up before opening her mouth and spoke with a serious tone. When it reached thetter part, She put her right to the front before continuing. "If you take this hand, I would surely turn you into a full-fledged mage?¡ªno, that''s too low of a goal. How about this, I will make you into one of the strongest magus in the entire world if you take this hand of mine to follow me by giving your everything. And this, I promised to fulfill it on my name." Mia stood frozen in ce, visibly stunned by the scene happening in front of her. "If you think I was simply joking, you can reject the offer, though it would leave me disappointed, I won''t me you. So what do you say?" Looking at the hand in front of her, Mia falls into deep contemtion. If she agrees to the offer, she would graduate from being an apprentice mage for five years. To conjure a spell, one has to prepare and memorize the chanting like it was in the back of their hand which could be done for anyone so long as they were given time to practice. But there is a rare case where no matter how hard they tried, by some unexined reason, they were unable to conjure a spell properly. Mia falls into thetter case. When she was adopted at the age of 10, Mia thought her family was a normal one butter learned that her current parent was actually a real magician like the one in the book. It was merely an ident, but it leads to where she was eventually epted to a whole new world. When the mage was testing her aptitude for magecraft, they were surprised that her body was contained with more ''mystic power'' than any apprentice they have seen so far. She was filled with hope when hearing that and so, though there were a lot of failures along the way, Mia didn''t give up. But after five years, her motivation and hope slowly deteriorate, to the point that she even wonders if the mage that had done the test back then was actually paid to do it. It was true that her body was loaded with a lot more mystic power than any apprentice out there, even so, she couldn''t conjure a single spell, not even the most basic one without mishap urring. And because of that, when Angelica had called her, she was thinking of taking a short vacation to relieve the stress that had umted till now. What she didn''t expect was for someone to suddenly appear in her life and arose the almost extinguish hope within her. If the statement said were true, she would be an amazing mage or possibly even better than her teacher, by epting her hand? Though the offer sounds too good to be true, almost as if the devil is the one making the deal, Mia still couldn''t help but consider for a few moments in silence. But in the end, she shook her head before saying. "Can you give me time before I decide?" "Sure, that''s understandable and I''m kind of impressed. But..." She nodded her head in an understanding manner while she was speaking but when the word reached thetter part, the air in the room suddenly bes heavy. Mia feels like she was suffocating as she could feel the invisible pressure spread through the room which also influenced her in some way or another. If the pressure didn''t spread and decided to chose her as the center target, Mia was sure she would die a gruesome death from the force of the invisible pressure that came from the girl in front of her. She couldn''t believe such might of pressure is actuallying from She, she didn''t know how thetter did it but one thing she was sure of is that there''s no way that the mage from Mage Association could do the same. "But... I also need to warn you. Don''t tell anyone about what we had just discussed a moment ago, although I would like to give you a hand, I don''t minderasingyou either if you cause trouble to me. Did I intimidate you? I''m so sorry, but I have to do this too as, if you spread this discussion, won''t my life be in danger? You understand that, right?" When Mia slowly nodded her head, the pressure around her immediately vanished as if there weren''t any in the first ce. Although she was scared, this proven to her that the girl in front of her is not by any mean, an ordinary mage like what she had thought a while ago. At least now her word hold credit and since she was given time to think, she could take her time to prepare herself before leaving the Mage Association once and for all. After all, she knew what would the mage do if they found out about She. Afterward, the two bid farewell to each other and promise to meet again at ater date before departing on their way. But what both of them didn''t notice was after they took their leave, feminine and familiar figure also walk out of the building five minutes after they left. "Magus... The greedy bastard, all of them." The woman muttered softly to herself before heaved a sigh and continuing. "In the end, she also crossed paths with them regardless. Is this what is predetermined by fate?" The woman shook her head with her hand gripped into a fist. "No. I won''t let that happen again. This time, I won''t make the second mistake." "My fate..is my own. No one else but me can decide it." The air of the surrounding vibrates for a moment as if shaken by her word but it soon disappeared the moment the woman let go of her fist. Yet no one in the surrounding notice this strange event happening in front of the restaurant, after all, they can''t even see the woman figure. "But first, I''ll have to take care of the other problem. She is not ready just yet." The woman suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving the said word as her parting. Chapter 139 - A New Companion ¡º Do you wish to enter the Sixth Floor of the Trial Tower? ¡» Without waiting any further, She clicked ''yes'' and that was when her sight was robbed for a brief moment. Once She regained her sight, she was greeted by a familiar environment. "Is this the same forest on the Fifth Floor?" She softly muttered when she recognizes her surroundings and thought it was the same forest as on the Fifth Floor. But when she investigates more of her surroundings, she realizes that it was a mistake. Although it appears that the Sixth Floor also took ce in a forest, it wasn''t the same one on the Fifth Floor. When she was investigating the surrounding forest, She met a couple of monsters along the way which surprised her quite a bit as she didn''t think that her deduction was on the mark. Growl! A threatening growl could be heard the moment She briefly shows her figure out of the shadow. She turned her head toward the sound, not before returning into the shadow, She could see a single monster at the same height as ten years old kids, walk out of the bush while looking warily at its surrounding. It was a beast type monster named, Fierce Wolf. ¡º Fierce Wolf LV.23 ¡» It''s two levels lower than me, but I shall not look down on it since it would be my first fight against beast type monster. Judging by the name, it must be a monster that focused on speed or strength but that''s not a sure thing yet as I didn''t know whether their name actually had meaning like that,thought She. The wolf was confused as at one moment, it could sense a human presence but when it went out of its hiding spot, the presence faded away along with it. It looked around in vignce for a few minutes before it started to lose interest and decide to head back into thefy bush. But the moment it turned its back on her, She immediately sprints toward it as her empty hand was suddenly equipped with a small yet powerful dagger that was transformed from the green bracelet. It would be unwise to use a gun in a ce yet to be explored, although it was unlikely, there might be a monster that she couldn''t beat just yet and alerting them now is not a smart thing to do. The Fierce Wolf suddenly detected a threat to its life as it immediately leaped sideways agilely, but it was not fast enough as the ck dagger swiftly stabbed on the furry creature and it howls when it feels a burning pain on its rear. Though the dagger managed to injure the wolf, it wasn''t enough topletely kill it. Grrrr! ROAR! The wolf quickly turned around and tried to do a counterattack but She was already gone into the shadow, it was met with nothing. Although it was perplexed at her disappearance, the wolf didn''t let its guard down and watch the surrounding with a threatening growl, ready to pounce at whatever that might show up at it. The bloody cut left by her dagger have started to slowly heal up while she was hiding in the shadow looking for opportunity, it seemed the wolf in front of her has quite the vitality. She also did a couple of sneaky attacks toward the wolf and swiftly returned into a shadow before it couldunch an attack at her. The Fierce Wolf by now was growling heavily with wounds all over its body, and by the look of its crimson red eyes, one could tell how much hatred it hold boiling inside of it at the shadowy figure that has been attacking it for a while now without being able to retaliate in kind. The shadowy figure somehow managed to leave a few wounds on its back without being noticed as the moment it felt the pain and turn around, that shadowy figure has already disappeared. The wolf knew that the shadowy figure is still there, hiding somewhere in the surrounding yet it couldn''t detect any sort of presence other than its own which makes it even angrier than ever. Hmm, it''s definitely fast and quick in a reaction as if I had been anyter, it would have managed to leave a deep wound on my body if the hit connected without a doubt. So far, I have gained a considerable amount of information about this beast type monster which would be helpful for the future if I came across another one of its species, even though I don''t know whether it exists beyond the Trial Tower, She thought and decided to finally put it to rest since she had acquired enough information. While the Fierce Wolf was thrashing in a fit, She sneakily jumped into its shadow and though it detected her presence for a split second when she went out of the shadow to move, She easily sidestepping to the side at the wing toward her and soon disappeared into the shadow under the vengeful eyes of the wolf. It fiercely thrashes the ground where she previously went into its shadow but to no avail, it was only making itself exhausted from all the thrashing it had done while She was safe from any harm as the wolf didn''t have the ability, it couldn''t attack her directly unless she willingly came out on her own. It seemed this wolf didn''t have that much intelligence on its head since I could easily sneak attack it a few times without any problem. I was expecting it to get used to it and was able to overturn the situation and might get myself injured in response but I might have overestimated it too much,thought She.It was as clear as the sky that I''m stronger than it, so does this mean that I could tame it with the taming skill? it was worth a try so I will immobilize it, for now, since it was a good time as it has already exhausted itself from all that thrashing. I must be a genius! As the wolf was staring intently on the ground, She calmly jumped out of its shadow right behind it and before it could turn around and attack her, within that split seconds, she used two of her skills at once, immobilizing the wolf on the spot.With Shadow Binding and Intimidate Skillbined, there''s no way it could escape from that.She was sure of it as after a few seconds passed, the Fierce Wolf was still frozen on the spot. Without wasting any further, she brought the rune note out of the inventory and immediately carried out the procedure for taming on the wolf. Although the wolf fiercely resists against her as expected from its name, it was not long before her will overpowered it and she had to look away for a moment as the light was too blinding for her eyes. When the light faded, the same gray wolf but instead of the previous height and size, it now appeared as a pup in its ce. Woof! Woof! The wolf pup happily runs around her as if its previous hatred for her was nothing but an illusion. Without a doubt, the taming was sessful and she could feel some sort of hidden connection with the wolf pup just like the one with the slime, Kuu. ¡º Unnamed Wolf Pup LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP:25/25 MP:0/0 STR: 4 INT: 0 AGI: 3 VIT: 5 ¡» "But no one told me it would be a wolf pup though, and with its height and size now, rather than a wolf, it looks more like a cute and fluffy doggy instead. I have been saying this before but I''m more of a feline type of person, not really a dog person." She softly muttered to herself while watching the wolf pup now dubbed as small doggy, was earnestly running around her without a care in the world. It remained ignorant at the fact that its master was currently thinking about whether she should kill it on the spot or leave it be. She shook her head after considering it for a moment and heaved a sigh before saying. "No, perhaps it will grow in size when it leveled up quite a bit. I guess I''ll let it go for now and see if my guess were right." With that said, Shemands it to return to note before putting it into her inventory as it would only get itself killed if she let it run around as pleased on the Sixth Floor. Even ''Kuu'' who were supposedly mimicking as a bracelet was quietly sitting in the inventory as she didn''t want to risk losing her first tamedpanion. With everything done, She decided to dive deeper into the forest to investigate some more of its inhabitant and perhaps, leveling herself up before exiting the Trial Tower. Chapter 140 - Mage Association Knock Knock! "Enter." A deep and low voice resounds from within the room in response to the knocking on the door. If any normal person were to hear the voice in person, they would be scared shitless no matter how strong they are as the voice seemed to hold some kind of invisible power within the voice that caused people with a weak will to cower in fear at the presence of the owner of the voice. "Excuse me." But the person entering the room didn''t cower and went into the room in a silent and refined manner that put a certain famous butler to shame. "Do you have something to report? As you know, I''m quite busy at the moment so I hope you can be quick on the matter." "Yes, it won''t be long per se. It was just that, it seemed that girl, Mia, wanted to leave the Mage Association." The man sitting at the center of the room raised his brows in surprise before nodding his head in an understanding manner as he spoke. "It should be about time, after all, it has been five years since then. In fact, the girl should be praise at how strong her will and determination is, as none was like her. We have seen how much effort and tears she put into trying to graduate from an apprentice yet it seemed the god didn''t allow such a thing. Even a person with a strong will would eventually fall under such circumstances." "Yes, that was indeed the case." "Then, there shouldn''t be anything worth mentioning, does it?" "That would the case if not for the information I had acquired sometimes ago." The man leaned forward and put his hands on the table before letting his jaw rest on top of the back palm of his hand, spoke with interest in his voice. "I see, you should have said that from the beginning. So, what was it?" "Yes, from the information that has been gathered by my subordinates, I have found out that the girl was nning to stay at A District for a short break, or so she said." "Hmm? From all the ces she could go, why chose there? And why is it now?" "I don''t have the information about that as of now. Perhaps, I could figure out something if I send my subordinate to secretly trail behind her." The man muttered softly to himself and though he received a response from the young man standing in front of him, it didn''t reach his ears, however, as the man has fallen into deep contemtion. The A District, the region around it, has been regarded as dangerous due to a certain incident that was reported by the mage living there. What was written on the report was, on a certain evening, all the mages associated with the Mage Association there was horrified at suddenly being overwhelming by an invisible pressure for one split second before vanishingpletely as if what they had experienced was nothing but an illusion. If it was only a single person were saying it, no one would have believed it and assuming the person was speaking nonsense instead. But it''s a different story when literally every mage over there reported to experiencing the same thing as the others. The Headmaster of the Mage Association has recalled them back before sending a group of people to investigate the cause of the sudden incident, yet it bore fruitless. They couldn''t find anything regarding the mystery behind the incident and instead gained one but important information that they didn''t expect. A few years have passed since the Pope position was overtaken by someonepletely unexpected, it seemed the church has started making their move now. Although the information gathering couldn''t find any information regarding their visit, they did know that the one visiting was the Saintess. And now, her group was living peacefully in a hotel like any ordinary rich person, without doing anything suspicious that would attract their attention. That itself is enough for them to be brand as suspicious yet the investigation team couldn''t do anything to them since there was no opportunity to act without attracting attention to their group. As far as the information goes, it seemed that the Saintess is a friend of a daughter of an Elder of Ernest Family. And from the information gathered by the young man in front of him, the daughter of the Elder, Angelica Ernest also seemed to be a friend with Mia. It was quite ironic as the three background was actually nemesis and if any of them were to meet each other, they would pick a fight like a cat and a dog. It would be an interesting sight to behold if the three were to meet each other but that''s not the point here. From what the young man said, Mia had visited the A District before she decided to leave the Association for good. She was having an outing in the restaurant with Angelica and another girl following them. It seemed the girl have a normal background which makes them concluded that this was just a girls'' outing and decided to put a distance as they are not interested in it. If they had decided to stay for a while, they might have witnessed She conjuring fireball with a single snap from her fingers. "So, what you were saying is that the daughter of an Elder from Ernest Family, Angelica Ernest is recruiting Mia and camouge their discussion as a normal outing?" "Yes, I believe so." The man heaved a sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose, he couldn''t believe after all the effort put into making an elite for information gathering seemed to bore yet another fruitless tree. Why would an influential family recruit the poor girl like Mia? Although she had a higher density of mystic power within her body than average, her skill in magecraft is absolute rubbish, second to none. What good would it do if one can''t even conjure the most basic spell of magecraft even with the sizeable pool of mystic power? It''s like having a luxury car without an engine to power it, there''s no way it would run. "Do you really think so?" The young man flinched at the cold word muttered from the man seated in front of him. He doesn''t even need to look at thetter eyes to know that the man was disappointed in his team''s work. Although he was angry at them too, he has no other way than reporting it since it was part of his job, after all. At most, he would only get penalized for a few days since his merit is pretty high considering his past deeds. As for his subordinates, they would have to get through his wrath first before being punished for their ridiculous work. Unfortunately, he couldn''t kill them as it''s not easy to train another one to elite, no matter how ridiculous their deduction is, they are still elite in gathering information nheless. "No, sir." The young man honestly responded. "That''s right, isn''t it? Considering your past contributes to ourmunity, I will let you go for today. Go out yourself and gather that information for me, you only have a week from now on. You should know what would happen to you if you''re unable toplete it?" "Yes, sir. I promise the information will be on your desk in two days!" "It''s good to be confident. Now leave, before my mood sour even further." The young man bowed his head toward the man before taking his leave as quietly in a refined manner as he did when he entered the room. Before he leaves, the young man eyed the nametag on the desk. Frank Lloyd - The Headmaster of Mage Association Chapter 141 - The Clueless Goblin "Go, Bite it to death!" Woof! Shemands herpanion before the bound hobgoblin on the ground. She had thought of exiting the Trial Tower after gathering enough information regarding Sixth Floor but ended up leveling the wolf pup instead. It took a few hours to get it to level 10 which got her taken by surprise as she didn''t expect it to evolve from wolf pup to juvenile wolf. If the previous height was that of ten years old, now it''s around eleven, a small increase yet good enough. She had first thought the wolf pup was going to age normally so the event that happened a while ago really took her by surprise. She had leveled up ''Kuu'' a few days ago yet the slime was just the same as before, a small blob. It didn''t evolve anything like the wolf pup, thankfully for that as if it actually did and grow in size, it might be a problem by then. But she might have to consider it now as perhaps, it didn''t evolve just yet because it didn''t fulfill a certain requirement or level. It''s a great thing that her ''pets'' bing powerful but she still finds it would be a little troublesome if ''Kuu'' grow big enough to fill half of her room. But now that she thought about it, with mimicry skill, there shouldn''t be any problem whatsoever. It can just change itself into something else if she was worried about its size, after all, mimicry can do just that.What a worrywart I am,She thought as she heaved a sigh before overlooking the sight in front of her. The still-unnamed juvenile wolf could be seen gnawing on the hobgoblin''s legs without thetter being able to do anything about it as it was bound by She''s bindingbination. After a few minutes passed, the hobgoblin finally drew a white g as it turned into glittering light, indicating its death. Woof! Woof! "Yosh, good boy, good boy~" She said while ruffling the juvenile wolf on her feet for a while before transforming itself back as a note and put it into the inventory. Although she had spent a lot longer in the Trial Tower, it would only be a few hours in reality. She didn''t need to leave to get food for her to eat as she had already prepared for such a situation way ahead by stockpiling food in the inventory. She had saved up quite a lot actually, at least enough for three people tost a month. After all, everything is possible, such as getting caught in a trap where she would be isted from reality, she had experienced enough magical events to understand that. "Ah right, Ria should be getting that skill by now. Let''s see, oh, she''s also in the Trial Tower. Seeing as she didn''t enter the cave just yet, might as well visit her to see how she''s doing." With that said, her figure simply flicks out of existence before reappearing next to the diligent Ria who seemed to be in a meditate state with her eyes shut as a frown appeared on her face, seated down next to the entrance of a cave. Judging by her current state, She assumed thetter didn''t gain the skill just yet which caused her to tilted her head to the sided in confusion. Did I time that wrong? I remember it only takes a few hours for me, thought She before shrugging her shoulders as she decides to ask the person herself. With a pat on her shoulder, Ria slowly peels her eyelid open and saw a familiar figure crouching down next to her which caused a sigh to escape from her mouth. "You haven''t got the skill yet?" "Sadly, no. Do you really get the skill by simply doing what you have told me? Cause no matter how hard I tried, it just doesn''t seem to be working. For your information, I have been sitting here for the past couple of hours." She frown as she slowly considers what thetter had said. With a photographic memory, even if she wanted to forget the most horrific things she ever saw, it was impossible as with just a thought, the memory immediately shes into her mind. She could clearly remember that it only took her a few hours before getting the night vision skill, which means there must be something wrong that exins why Ria couldn''t get the skill. "You really did as what I have told you?" "Of course. Although it was hard at first trying to control something invisible within me, at the end of it, I was able to do it. But I didn''t get any notification nor was there a new skill on my skill list." "But that''s really what I did, I didn''t miss anything thanks to the photographic memory." Ria was about to say something when she paused and thought for a moment. She was about to ask if there''s anything is wrong with her when Ria suddenly spoke with her eyes sparkled as if she had been enlightened. "I see! It wasn''t that I did it wrong." "Then, what is it?" "I have thought it over for a moment but the only things different between you and me is that I have a ss while you''re not. Perhaps, because of that and also the fact that you''re the ''host'' of this leveling system, you get the benefit of easily getting a new skill." Ria said while nodding her head in an understanding manner before continuing. "That might have been the case. After all, it won''t make sense if you have lesser benefits than me who got the key from you. Although I feel pretty unfair and want to give you a beating, however, it couldn''t be helped." She could feel the chills running through her body when thetter was eyeing at her with a weird look on her face right after finishing her word. "How about I will go in and bait a few goblins for you to finish it off here?" "...well, let''s go with that for now." She internally heaved a sigh as it seemed that Ria has followed the topic she brought instead of insisting on the previous one. When Ria was ready on the entrance, She went inside with her awareness dive deeper into the cave, searching for the goblin. Her presence detection skill has leveled up a lotpared to when she had first entered the cave without having any of such skill, it only took a few seconds before she could detect the goblin''s presence straight ahead. She crouches down to pick a few small stones on the ground before advancing sneakily until she reached approximately six meters away from the two goblins. She could simply show her figure to them before retreating as they would definitely trail right behind her but, She wanted to have some fun with them before that. "Gobu?" The goblin tilted its head to the side as out of nowhere, it suddenly feels something hit it on the head yet as it observes the surrounding, there doesn''t seem to be anything out of ordinary other than itself and the other goblin next to it. It didn''t actually get hurt or anything like that, so after simply looking around, the goblin eventually forgets about it as it continued staring nkly in the darkness. But a few minutes passed, the goblin feel its head getting hit by a small object once again which alerted it to look at the surrounding. Yet as if making fun of it, there was nothing that might be the culprit other than the other goblin which it has now started to suspect thetter as the one ying a prank on it. "Gobugobu, Gobu?" "Gobu? Gobu." It tried enquiring the other goblin but what it received was only a response like someone treating the other as an idiot. Though it was angry by such responses, the goblin let it slide as thetter attitude doesn''t seem to be the person who would do a prank on it. It went to the side and sat on the ground while thinking if its mind was ying a trick on it instead. While it was thinking about this, suddenly, as if telling it that everything is real, a small object hits it in the head. "GOBU!" Filled with the madness that it couldn''t contain anymore, it dashes toward the other goblin before swinging its club at the vulnerable goblin seated on the ground. Not expecting to get struck by an ally, the goblin was caught off-guard by the sudden attack right on its head. "GOBU?!" But the mad goblin didn''t answer thetter as it continues swinging the club at it as if it was a mortal foe. She watching at the side couldn''t help but snicker at the two brainless goblins fighting each other. "Pffft, you fools. Ahh, I didn''t know it was so much fun when ying a prank on an idiot. Maybe I should do this more." With that said, She stepped forward, heading toward the badly battered goblin before swiftly end its life with a swing of her hand, sending it flying hard toward the wall. Now that she had her fun, it''s time to do the job as bait properly. Chapter 142 - A Combat Healer? After waiting for ten minutes, Ria finally heard a loud and clear thumping from within the dark cave getting closer at a fast pace. With that as a signal, she positions herself with the silver sword aiming its de at the iing noises. As she had anticipated, once She came out of the cave, leading the goblins behind her at a pace that was enough for them to not miss her yet unable to catch up as they were unable to run past their limit. When Ria saw a group made of three goblins following right behind She, her brows furrowed. She didn''t think with her strength alone could deal with three of them, although she had gained somebat experience, which was only from fighting slimes. Between slime and goblin, it was clear to everyone which one is much stronger and cunning. So will She bound them before making her fight them on one vs one? Or will She assist her while she fights against the three of them at once? Which one would it be? But thinking on it further would only get her nowhere so she ceases the thought and instead, focusing on the enemies ahead. When She ran passed her, the goblins also noticed another female human in front of them which caused the three to cry out in their goblinnguage and thanks to whatever God they believe, at their good fortune. As the goblins get near her, Ria took a mouthful of deep and slow breath before charging forward with a sh of her sword at the leading goblin. The goblin at the front leading the two other goblins was surprised as it didn''t expect for her to rush and swing her sword at it, taken by a surprise, Ria easily beheaded the goblin before moving on to the next one. Although the other two were also surprised, they quickly came to their sense when they saw their fellow kin was beheaded by her. When Ria went to the right, the goblin didn''t let her swing her sword first as it immediately bashes the club in its hand toward her. Though the speed from the swinging club was fast, it wasn''t fast enough for Ria as she jumped to the side, not toward the left goblin but the right as the club missed her and hits the ground with a hard thumped. Afterward, she stabbed her silver sword right into the upper shoulders of the goblin as blood immediately gushes out of the wound, trickling down to the ground like a trail as the wounded goblin decides to retreated by jumping backward. And though the hit connected, it wasn''t fatal enough to kill it. Ria also didn''t just stand silently in ce as she immediately moved toward the other goblin, but not before backpedaling or the club might have smashed her instead of the dirt. She had thought she would have trouble fighting against three of them at once, it seemed more like she had underestimated her current stats. Although her strength is a bit lowerpared to the others as a healer, it was much higher and including her swordsmanship skill, Ria could pretty much handle them as long as she didn''t let her guard down. That was what She thought while she was watching thetter''s fight with the two goblins not so distance away from the scene but enough to not attract their attention to her. She was going to give her a hand in case things get serious but apparently, Ria could take care of it on her own and received a few bruises on her body when she couldn''t evade in time, but that won''t be a problem as she could just heal herself after putting a distance between them. Looking at the scene, one would never conclude that the girl fighting was actually a healer, their thought would likely fall onto the assumption of her as the front-fighter ss instead of supporting one. But this is better as it won''t make sense otherwise, such a thing as a healer could only support exists within fiction and games, if it works the same way as that in reality, it would be a problem and weird at the same time. She had read a couple of fantasy books regarding this, how a healer ss couldn''t even hold a sword due to the system for some unknown reason. It won''t feel weird if it was just a game but in reality, one would begin to wonder why is it not possible. If she was in a world where the system works like that, She thought it would make her think that the world is not real but more like a game instead, no matter how realistic everything looks like. Though that was what she thought in mind, her current situation itself is no different as there''s no scientific way to exin how she could get stronger simply by ''leveling up''. While she was pondering over useless stuff like that, it seemed the fight hase to an end. "You did better than I thought you would. Here''s a bottle of water for you." She said before pulling a bottle of water from her inventory and giving it to Ria who was just picking up the gold on the ground. Thetter gives her gratitude with a simple ''thanks'' before taking the caps off and gulping the water down her throat like a thirsty person. "Fuaaah~ I feel so fresh. But, I couldn''t help but started to wonder how I''m fine after killing a monster that looks no different from us." "Isn''t it fine like that? Well, I did vomit it once when it was my first time ying it. Just because you didn''t react like how a normal person does, doesn''t mean you''re awful or anything like that. Perhaps, you have be adapted to this kind of world much sooner than me. You''re more mature than me, after all." "It''s more like you who were pretty childish even though we could be considered as an adult now. Being mature at this age is actually normal, you are the strange one." "Ehh~ that hurt, not. Anyways, although this is out of topic, don''t you think it was strange that every person I was going to invite to my soon-to-be organization is pretty much all girls?" "I wonder, perhaps you prefer it this way? Isn''t that right?" Ria said with a smile, though her eyes were clearly not smiling.Eh? Did I say something wrong there? I don''t think my preference was in the work here as although I don''t mind it being all-girl, it wasn''t my goal for that. In the first ce, I''m actually straight...I think. No, I should stop with this train of thought or It would be toote for that.She shook her head as she had a feeling if that train of thought had continued, something might change, don''t know whatever it would be. It was just pure instinct alerting her. "No way. Maybe it was just that I have never been close with the opposite gender, have you ever seen me talking to boys?" "Now that I think about it, no. But there are actually many that would be happy to get to know you better, it was only you who didn''t want to befriend any of them." "That''s not my fault, is it? Their thought was clearly written on their face, even if they were girls, I won''t make friends with that kind of personality." She frowned when she remembers the boys'' expression when they talk to her, although they tried to hide it, there was still a glimpse of lust in their eyes. The boy will always be boys. It was understandable considering people at that age, even girls in her ss like to go on a date when it''s holiday instead of staying at home like her. She was clearly the stranger one among them but she didn''t care. Or rather, the winner of life should just disappear from the face of Earth for all she cares. "Hmm, that''s true. But it can''t be helped since you were just too charming for them." "Every day, I pray to god for the wonderful gene gifted from my parents. Joking aside, do you want to continue or rest up some more?" Ria begins to ponder in silence for a moment before nodding her head and said. "I will rest up some more for a couple of minutes then we will continue." "Alright, I might as well show up my new ''pet''." "New ''pet''?" Ria tilted her head to the side in confusion while She grinned in response. "Yes! I was on the Sixth Floor before I came to you. I had tamed a single monster on that floor, I''m sure you will be surprised." With that said, She brought a rune note out of her inventory before putting a tiny amount of mana into it, and throw it in front of her. Before the rune note could touch the ground, a blinding light appeared for a short moment before vanishing and a juvenile gray wolf could be seen on that spot. Chapter 143 - Stronghold Three dayster, Mia could be seen standing in front of the familiar restaurant while looking around, searching for the person she was supposed to meet in the crowd of people. Because she had arrived fifteen minutes early than the supposed meeting time, she had been waiting since then while sometimes looking around, thinking that she might see She in the crowd as the meeting time slowly close in. She had been doing that for a while now as the time for the meeting has long passed for a whole five minutes yet, she had not seen the familiar figure among the crowd walking toward her at all. Rather, there had been a few guys trying to talk to her but she simply ignored them while imagining them as cabbage on the street. Since it was a ce where there were many kinds of people around, the guys couldn''t do anything more and simply left while cursing under their breath. "Sorry for the wait!" After five more minutes of waiting, Mia looked up and saw a red-haired girl walking toward her. It wasn''t Angelica but more of a stranger yet somehow, she feels like she knows girl for some unknown reason. But that is strange in itself as she didn''t know anyone other than Angelica who is also a red-haired. Judging by the fact that the girl''s eyes were locked onto her and, that she was also walking straight toward her seemed to indicate that the girl definitely knows her. "Umm, who are you?" When the red-haired girl finally arrived in front of her, Mia couldn''t help but ask the question due to curiosity. The red-haired girl just smiled at her before creeping closer to her ears and whispering something shocking that caused her to widen her eyes and look at the girl with pure shock and admiration when thetter stepped back afterward. "Shall we get going?" Mia could only nod her head in response before she started following right behind She toward another location. Yes, She had been using disguise instead of appearing with her normal appearance. When Mia had told her how the process of leaving the Mage Association was smooth, She was worried that they might send someone to investigate the reason behind why Mia decided to drop out of the association so suddenly. That was why she had been using disguise as another person, and when she walks away with Mia from the meeting ce, she could tell that there''s another person sneakily followed behind them at an appropriate distance from her detection skill. Good thing I was prepared, thought She. Although she didn''t know who was the presence following right behind her, she could at least tell that the person must be a mage considering it has that familiar special aura. She concluded that her guess was right on the mark and immediately use the formation beforemanding one of the four mythical beasts with as simple as a thought, easily knocking out the mage without thetter being able to resist in response. When the man finally woke up an hourter, She and Mia had already long disappeared from his detection. He had no choice but to return and report back what he had just experienced, everything in full detail and gets punished due to the failure on his part. He actually owns a protective charm and always brought it together with him whenever he went out to do the mission given to him, it has always been protecting him by alerting him of the danger way ahead so he could retreat immediately and report his finding. But this time, he didn''t receive any response from the protective charm and was taken care of before he knows it. Thankfully for him, She didn''t go for the kill as she still didn''t have enough understanding for the Mage Association and was expecting for Mia to tell herter on. She didn''t want to cause trouble before fully understood everything about the opposite party. With the mage taken care of, She brought Mia to a deste ce somewhere near the mountain instead of her house. For rification, the reason why her house was mentioned because she had nowhere else to chose for a ce without any human presence around. The only ces she knows was an Arcade game shop and Cyber Inte Cafe, after all. The mountain is considered safe so long one didn''t dive deeper into it or they will be killed by the Earth Dragon due to trespassing into its territory. But when the duo arrived near the location, they were stopped by the scene not far away from them. It hasn''t been long since she saved Angelica from the Earth Dragon, so she didn''t expect to see a couple of buildings near the entry path of the mountain. It wasn''t just that as there are people who seemed to be soldiers taking posts around the building with a serious expression on their faces. It won''t be wrong for the two to assume that the mountain had be a restricted zone for the government military. That was exactly how things turn out when the government finds out that there was a scary unknown lifeform lives deep in the mountain. They had tried probing a couple of times and all ended up in failure with only a couple of survivors that managed to bring them the information, it was clear that the other that were left behind have been killed by the monster. They didn''t know where the monster came from but one thing that they know is that, if one trespassed over a line that marks as its territory, they would be dealt with by unexpected earthquake that appeared out of nowhere. So the government already knows about this and since I didn''t hear any news about it anywhere in social media, that must mean that they wanted to keep it a secret from the public, typically what one would expects from a government, though She while she was watching them with Mia at a certain distance so that they won''t be noticed by them. "What a tricky problem, I guess I have no choice. Let''s go to another ce." Muttered She and Mia nodded in response, she didn''t ask why the former brought her here for and just quietly followed along. While She was leading Mia to her house, she also appeared to be deep in thought as silence ensure since none of them spoke on the way there. I really need to find a ce where I could make it my secret stronghold. If I have such a ce, I won''t need to bring this girl to my house, endanger my parents and others living there. I''m sure that the girl won''t attack them for simply no reason but there are still risk as everything could happen from countless possibilities. It''s even more important since my goal was to create an organization, without a stronghold, the n couldn''t step forward. It is possible to make a stronghold within the first floor of the Trial Tower after countless experiments I had done in my spare time. To bring the material for building a stronghold is not a problem with the inventory but that doesn''t mean I know HOW to build one in the first ce. At most, I only know how to build a single hut from researching on the inte. Yes, I know that I could find a building blueprint if I research a bit harder on the inte as all knowledge was stored in the digital world, after all. Knowing it is one thing, but building it with only on my own is another story. What? Just buy a building, you say? You must be fun at parties, as wherein the oblivion world could I get enough money for that? Let say I somehow acquired enough money for it, but would people from real estate agent believes and listen to my side before the purchase could even ensure? And how would I know if I''m not getting trick by them? There are a lot of problems with this. If only I had an adult on my side,thought She. When she came to her senses and looked up, they were already right in front of the gate of her house. A random thought suddenly entered her mind when her gaze locked onto her house before vanishingpletely from her mind, but She definitely didn''t forget what it was as she fell into deep contemtion and stopped on her track. Mia didn''t know why she suddenly stopped in front of the gate but didn''t question thetter and just wait quietly at the side. A few seconds passed, a mysterious smile appeared on She''s face before she opened the gate and stepped into the house with Mia. Since I didn''t know about such a thing, I can just find someone else who is expertise in it. And fortunately, I had exactly such a person in mind that would definitely help me if I exin to them properly. But that''s where the problem arises... Chapter 144 - Amazed "So, you bring her here? in your house? a stranger at that?" "I can''t help it alright? The site around the mountain had already be a restricted zone before I knew it, it must have been quite recently since there was no news about it." "Even so...why here of all ces..." Ria heaved a sigh while massaging her temple as she could feel the headache slowly catching up to her. She looked up toward the figure seated on the chair not so far away from them before looking back at She standing next to herself, the two were whispering so that Mia couldn''t listen to whatever topic they were talking about. Ria couldn''t understand the logic of how She''s brain works, she could just find another deste ce but no?¡ªshe went for her own house instead, bringing stranger along with her. For example, the alleyways where she encounters the goblin for the first time. It feels like She didn''t think it through and just chose whates to her mind straight away. Indeed, the girl doesn''t look like someone who would do something untoward to them but that doesn''t mean it isn''t possible. Who knows, she might secretly have two personalities and the one we were witnessing was a normal her but the other one could also be a psychopath. Or perhaps, She was confident that whatever happened, she could take care of it with her brute strength? But no matter how strong she is, she could still get taken by surprise and be killed. She isn''t immortal, after all. Although her strength makes her inhuman yet human, she would still die from a bullet if it pierced through her heart. In fact, what if Mia and Angelica were actually plotting and lied to her regarding the magecraft and the other information told by them? Just thinking about it brings her chills to no end. But seeing that Mia didn''t do anything after she had just sat on the chair makes her thinking that she mighte to conclusion too quickly. Another sigh escaped from her mouth before she continues. "And then, what are you going to do next? Bring her to the Trial Tower?" "Yes, that was the n. It will make things much easier if she experienced everything on her own. You also know me, I''m not good at exining stuff properly." "But still, I''ll go with you. There''s bound to be a misunderstanding if I left you to your own device." "What are you talking about? Put some trust in me, will you?" Ria keeps her silence and She could only pout for a moment before moving on toward Mia. Seeing as there was no guitar-like case with her, the Mage Association must have taken it back from her since she decided to leave them for good.Such a shame, I was going to analyze it more, who knows, I might get creation type of skill,thought She. "So, Mia, this girl next to me is my best and childhood friend who stays with me until high school, Cilia. But I call her by the nickname, Ria." "N-Nice to met you." Mia stood up from her seat before bowing her head followed by her greeting. "And Ria, this girl here is a retired apprentice mage, Mia. Well, she did leave the association, so it can be considered as retired, isn''t it?" Ria only looked at She with a deadpan expression for a few seconds before returning her greeting to Mia followed by a bow of her own in response. "Nice to met you too." She nodded her head at the two before opening her mouth and said. "Now with that done, let''s get the real discussion. Anyway, I know that you''re confused about why I bring you here, rather than exining, I''ll show you instead. Don''t worry, Ria and I will be following you along." Mia tilted her head to the side for a short moment before her eyes were overwhelmed by darkness. She was about to went full panic mode when her eyesight regained its light, which calms her down for a moment before she was taken by another surprise when the surrounding entered her view. "Surprise? I totally get that feeling, after all, I also feel the same as you when I first entered this ce." Mia looked back and saw She responding by speaking to her with Ria next to her side. "W-Where am I?" Mia couldn''t help but ask the question when she realized everything around her is real judging from the pain she felt when she pinches her thigh. No matter how many times she looked at her surroundings, nothing change or show any sign that indicated it as an illusion. Although rare, there are still a few mages out there who can use illusion magecraft. As far as her knowledge goes, the illusion from their magecraft looks more like a transparent ghost than an actual solid object. By taking a couple of a deep breath, she could tell the refreshing air in her surrounding is different than the air in the room she was a while ago. When she crouches down to her knees and feeling the grass in her hands, she was amazed. The feeling was too real to be called an illusion. Suddenly, she heard a chuckle behind her back, she didn''t need to turn her head to know who wasughing as soon, theughing stopped and She spoke, answering the many questions in her head at once. "Yes, everything around you is real. It didn''t exist in reality but somewhere in the void. This is not the work of an illusion as you can tell just by touching and feeling the dirt or the grass in your hands. This ce is called Trial Tower, as to why it was called Tower, it''s very simple. This spaciousnd filled with only grass was nothing but only the first floor, yes, you heard that right. There are still many floors up above, or maybe downward, I don''t know precisely how many because the highest I have gone is only the Sixth Floor. Plus, don''t you think there''s something different in the air?" "Different? ...T-The mystic power is a lot thicker in here! How was it possible!" "Mystic power?"(Ria) "Ah, it''s mana but that''s what the Mage Association, the ce where she came from called it as such." Ria nodded her head as if she understood before opening her mouth and spoke to Mia about something that She had missed. "Though it looks spacious, there are actually limited as once you reached a certain point, you will get obstructed by an invisible wall." Thetter was said by Ria which She nodded her head in agreement. Mia could only stare at them with an amazing look on her face, still find it hard to believe their remark as she continues on observing her surroundings in earnest. Five minutester, it seemed that she was done observing and finally believes in their words, after all, she had just witnessed and even observe it with her own two eyes. The actual proof was right around her that makes anyone hard to deny it. "This is not the end of it, you know?" She turned her back and could see She grinning at her before thetter slowly approaching and handing her a piece of blue card with a pattern-like white line around it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when she gazes at the card, but when her finger touches the card, something shocking appeared, obstructing the view in front of her. ¡º Mia LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP: 15/15 MP: 50/50 ss: Mage ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 4 ¡ªVIT: 3 ¡ªLUCK: 2 AP: 0 ¡» Chapter 145 - Graduated From Apprenticeship ¡º Mia LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP: 15/15 MP: 50/50 ss: Mage ¡ªSTR: 4 ¡ªINT: 10 ¡ªAGI: 4 ¡ªVIT: 3 ¡ªLUCK: 2 AP: 0 ¡» Seeing the blue game-like window appearing above the card, She couldn''t help but nodded her head as she marvels at how romantic it looks like no matter how many times she saw it, the feeling never changes. Rather than thinking it was some kind of magic, one would think it was the result of science since the way the interface appear seemed something out of sci-fi. The ''identification'' card in Mia''s hands is different than the one She and the others had gotten when the first entered the Trial Tower. This card could be said as one of her experiment to see whether it could be imnted near the future, depending on its potential, she might add more useful functions into it. After all, she is the ''host'' of the leveling system, she could easily modify the card since it was a downgrade version of her system. Yes, she had really put a lot of hard work in experimenting with all sorts of stuff. She took full advantage of the time dtion in the Trial Tower, without it, she might have not gotten this far on her own. Although it was an experiment card, it actually functions normally like the normal card, there was no problem with it aside from a few things which was modified by her. "W-What is this?!" Understanding her surprise, She was about to step forward to answer her question when Ria intercept her on the spot. She sent a questioning gaze at her but thetter ignored it and stepped forward, walking toward Mia before she started exining everything about the card from A-Z. Although She wants to be the person in that position, she didn''t mind Ria taking her ce since she knew thetter would do much better than herself. It seemed that Mia didn''t even know what game is as Ria had to start exining from there which took longer than expected. Once everything is deal with, I will invite her to turn-Cough, y some games with her. I definitely didn''t have any wicked n of turning Mia into a full gamer, definitely no such a thing. Wait a minute, who am I even exining this for?She sighed. "Now do you understand?" "I only understood a gist of it. You meant to say that all the information on this window-like interface was actually my overall capabilities turned into a digit to make it easy for someone like me to understand it?" "So long as you know and y a few games?¡ªno, even if you didn''t y any and only heard it from your friend, you would understand how some part of it works. For example, your strength as shown in the ''status window'' is 4, which means you have an average strength of what one would expect from a girl. Average people would have around 4-6 on each attribute, this didn''t include luck, unfortunately. Now..." Ria then continues exining further into details about what each attribute means. She didn''t interrupt into their conversation and only watch them from a distance while seated on the chair she had just brought from her inventory, practicing her telekinesis ability as one would be amazed to see a few floating objects around her. Ever since she had gotten the skill, She has been practicing it whenever she had spare time, this also included the other skills but that''s not the main point here. Her hard work was enough to raise the skill to level 3 where she could now move a few objects in the air as if she had another invisible limb of her own, but it was still not enough to make it useful in the battles. Though She couldn''t deny how useful it is in her everyday life as she couldy on her back on the bed while watching the movie from the phone floating in front of her face. That was one of the many examples that could make use of telekinesis, it seemed that herziness had gone up in level too due to that! After all, don''t most people have this one dream when they were kids, where they are sozy to move and wishes the remote control would fly into their hand? She didn''t know how much grateful she felt when the skill was in her hands as at that time, she imagined the future where she doesn''t need to move and simply will it in her mind and the remote control would fly into her grasp¡ªrather, she could even change the channel by using the remote control from afar! No movement required! That was the heavenly dream she had¡ªthat''s definitely not the reason why she was practicing hard on using the skill, alright? Alright. When Ria was done with her exnation, the two turned around and was amazed at the sight of gold coins hovered in the air surrounding She at the center, with her beauty included, it was as if they were blessed with a Goddess of Fortune in person. When She saw their eyes went wide with amazement, her lips curl up in response, shattering the stoic expression she had a moment ago. When the two arrived close to her, two chairs materialize out of thin air and Ria calmly took her seat, and though Mia was surprised, she eventually also took her seat next to Ria. She turned her head toward Ria before opening her mouth and ask. "Did you tell her about the Trial Tower?" Thetter nodded in response. "She asked me about it so I answered everything that I knew." "Then that makes thing easier, so¡ª" She stopped her words midway when she realized Mia didn''t have any weapon in hands and she also remembers the girl didn''t know any offensive spell, she would have graduated from being apprentice otherwise. With that being said, She brought a couple of skill books from her inventory before giving it to Mia, followed by her saying. "This will be put in your debt, for now since you don''t have anything to pay with it, just know that this book is very expensive and could only acquire from me, alone." Though she was visibly confused, Mia nodded her head and promise herself to repay this debt in the near future. As to why she didn''t question her? It was because of the book disappeared and turned into glittering light the moment she touches it with her finger, followed by a torrent of strange memory rushing into her brain. Although it was a bit painful to the head, Mia took it in without moaning as she understood how important it is once she learned briefly on what it was. If this was She, various notifications would have appeared in her view. ¡º Mia has learned Fire Magic! ¡» ¡º Mia has learned Mana Sense! ¡» Since she had already acquired the two skills, She thought it would be better if someone else learns it than just let it rot in the inventory. Mia didn''t inquire anything as she appeared to be deep in thought as if organizing the sudden appearance of a new set of memory in her brain with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, She didn''t need to say anything as thetter understood her meaning simply by looking at her face. Although it was hard as even with the help of Mana Sense skill, she still frowns for a moment and a few minutes passed, a small ball of me at the size of lighter suddenly appeared in the air before flickering for a moment and disappeared soon after. It seemed that she couldn''t control it properly as one could see how unstable the fireball is with just one look. When She had asked the level of her skills, surprisingly, the mana sense skill didn''t seem to be in the passive slot but instead, in the active one with a level 1, different than the one she acquired where it was already maxed due to it being a passive skill. She didn''t know how and why the way both of them acquire the skill differently, no matter how hard she thought about it, it was useless as she didn''t have enough information. The skill books could be bought from the system''s shop but the couple of skill books that she had just gifted to Mia was actually something that she earned from the lottery. When she had gotten her hands on it, She thought of selling it to the system but the price she got was absolutely ripped off where she only gets 30% of the overall price in the system''s shop, so she decided not to sell it and stored it in her inventory. She tried asking Mia whether there is a magecraft skill in thetter skill''s interface but was met with disappointment. Though She was sad that she couldn''t learn the secret of Mage Association, on the other hand, Mia was happy beyond everything as she could finally conjure a fireball of her own, even though it ended up unstable. It makes sense considering she had never once conjure any sort of spell when she was an apprentice in the Mage Academy. It was strange though, considering how high her INT is, she should be able to conjure at least one spell even if it cost a lot of mana. Perhaps it was either she was bad at learning, or that the instructor was just bad at their job. It could only be one of the two, or maybe both. Chapter 146 - Truth Revealed "Now that you have the means to attack, there''s only one other thing left before you''re prepared." She said while her eyes seemed to be staring nkly at something invisible in the air, or so thought others. She was actually browsing through the shop, searching for wand or staff that could assist Mia in either casting the spell or increasing the already huge mana, it would be nice if she could get both options but that might be more pricy and with her current expense, it might not be enough. It didn''t take very long before she finds a single wind at a good price range with one of the options she wanted. Actually, this was the only one She could get without wasting all her expenses¡ªas much as she wanted to help Mia, she didn''t want to use all the golds had been saved up until now. When she brought the wand out of the inventory, the three of them witnessed a wand made of unknown wood appeared, which also seemed to emit an aura of nature. It looks simple from a single nce but anyone with good eyes would know that there are wrong to assume as such. The cost of the wand is around 2k golds and the enchantment was one that assists the owner of the wand to control mana much more efficiently. It was pretty cheap considering the Mana Sense Skill actual price is at 5k golds in the shop, which is much higher than the wand. The skill obviously much better than the wand since the former could level up while thetter stays the same, sooner orter, it won''t be of use to Mia anymore once her control in mana is much better. When the wand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Mia had thought She was going to show her magic but instead, the wand was given to her. Although rm, Mia epted it timidly when she saw that it was really meant for her, which means she now has another debt to be paid. The moment she equipped the wand in her hand, she could feel that her control with mana has be much better than before, at least she feels like she could conjure the fireball normally rather than the unstable one. "Fireball." With the word uttered from her mouth, a small ball of me appeared and stay floating midair, even more, the fireball didn''t immediately disappear like what happened previously. Since that was the case, Mia controls the fireball and makes it flew a distance away from them before hitting the ground and exploded. Boom! Mia was amazed to see her fireball leaving a small ckened crater on the ground once the smoke disappeared, swipe away by the wind. Although her fire magic is still at level 1, the firepower of her fireball was increased due to her high stats in intelligence. It was much stronger than when She had first acquired the skill. The two were also amazed at the aftermath before She nodded her head and call out to Mia. "With that much firepower, you are preparing more than enough for the challenge." Mia turned her head and asked. "Challenge?" "What else is there other than Slime on this floor? Currently, we can be considered in a safe zone so there is no slime around, but when you epted a quest, they will start appearing in a countdown of 3. Are you ready?" Mia gulped before slowly responding with a nod. "Good. Since it was your first time, we will be watching behind you but you still need to be careful as we won''t give you a hand unless the situation called for. Now then, I will begin." With that said, She snapped her finger and all of sudden, Mia could feel the air in her surroundings changed within that split second. Her grasp over the wand tighten as she nervously looked around and not a distance away from her, she could see a small group of blobs colored in blue, jumping around near each other. Mia turned her head toward She who nodded to her in response before putting everything back into inventory and put a bit of distance from her, exactly what thetter said. To be honest, she didn''t want to fight if possible. The reason she went into the Mage Association was pure that she was awe by supernatural power like those seen in the movies. Of course, she didn''t expect to use such power to kill another living being, no matter whether they are monsters or otherwise, she was still a bit hesitant about it. But when she remembers the information told to her by Ria, her hands gripping on the wand be even tighter as her meek expression slowly turned into that of determined. If the world would truly be turned into a world where strength prevails, then there''s only one thing she had to do, and that is to get stronger so that she won''t be bullied or at worse, consumed by those at the peak. As an orphan that was adopted to a good family, she also wanted to repay them in kind. If they ever need help in the future, she could use that chance even if they didn''t ask for it. As an orphan, she was more mature than people at her age, she had learned from the orphanage to repay in kind to those who help her when in time of needs instead of malice. With that thought in mind, Mia stepped forward and ready to fire the spell until the slimes entered her firing range. Noticing the change in her expression, She nodded her head before muttering softly to herself, but since Ria was close to her, she also heard thetter''s words. "She has the potential." "What are you talking about?" "Nothing. I''m just d that she didn''t seem to be scared of the slime, or it might be that the situation didn''t get to her as it appears she could think calmly. That''s not the mentality that most normal people at her age would have, I guess being an orphan might be the cause." Ria turned her head toward Mia who was calmly walking toward the slimes while also cautiously looking at her surroundings. She nodded in agreement before retorting. "She''s not normal, to begin with though. A normal person won''t be able to get epted into the Mage Academy, after all." "True." The two stopped talking when they saw Mia firing fireball at the group blob jumping toward her when they saw her approaching. But because their speed was too slow, they couldn''t dodge as the fireball hits them head-on before exploding, killing the three slimes on the spot. Although she was level 1, her firepower wasparable to someone with strength at level 4-5, so it wasn''t a shock to see such a result. If anything, it would be strange if the slime could survive such an attack that could leave a small crater on the ground. With that one single attack, Mia leveled up to 3 in one go. But before she could take a breather, another group of slimes could be seen jumping as hard as they could toward her position as they were attracted by the sound of the explosion. Without giving them any chance, Mia immediately fires another fireball at the slimes the moment they entered her firing range. And that''s how the started of another day of grinding, at least until Mia exhausted all her mana and ended up fainted right after because she wasn''t told what would happen if she overused her mana. It had slipped past She''s mind since Ria had never had this problem, the same goes to her. Both of them always take a break whenever they feel tired or exhausted, but in Mia''s case, she didn''t take any break knowing the two were behind her in case the situation went south. That must have been the reason why she went all out, it can''t be helped. When the day ends, Mia was already level 6 and both of her skills also leveled up by one. If the previous her was an average person, now she could be considered as a real magus as her current capabilities are enough to fight against the mage from Mage Association but only those that were at her age. After all, even a genius couldn''t conjure magecraft as fast as her, even more, it was chantless. Before Mia took her leave, She repeatedly warns her to not show the card to others, not even Angelica until she had enough strength to fight against them. Understanding the risk and danger if the card was made known to the public, Mia nodded her head and promised. Seeing the small figure slowly getting smaller due to the distance, She turned back and head into her house while contemting her next n. If she was going to speak of the truth to that person, she must also invite the other or thetter would feel wrong being left behind and makes trouble for such an absurd reason. It has happened many times, she even secretly dubbed that person as good-for-nothing. I guess I couldn''t keep it secret any longer. I''m sure she would already know by now that I hold a secret since she''s much sharper than normal people when ites to this kind of thing. But she never inquires me after knowing that fact which makes me feel thankful yet guilty at the same time. I''m thankful that she''s being considerate to me yet guilty because I onlye to her when I need her help, thought She. It didn''t take long for her to arrived in front of a familiar room before giving a few knocks and entered the room when she received a response. When she entered the room, she could see a mature figureying her back on the pillow on the bed. Thetter smiled at her while she was walking before taking a seat near the bed. Although there''s a stoic expression on her face that seemed to indicated she was calm, the mature woman on the bed could clearly see that she was nervous judging from how she keeps looking down without meeting her eyes directly. "Is there something in your mind?" She didn''t answer and keep her silence. Perhaps she has gotten courage after staying silent for a few minutes as when she looked up, one could see a determined expression on her face. "I have something to tell you, Mom." Chapter 147 - A Bloodline & The Disastrous Future Once Sara nodded her head, She slowly narrating everything that happened to her from the moment she gained the system, experiencing many battles in the Trial Tower, meeting the goblin in the alleyways which also included the failed kidnapping case nned by Rodrick Jayson, etc. Of course, there are some other things that She still keeps it as a secret for now until she saw with her own two eyes on what kind of reaction her mother would respond when knowing half of the information told by her. As She progressively deeper into the narrative, her mother seemed to be quietly listening to her without doing anything like interrupting her which she was somehow thankful yet, wonder if Sara actually knew already of everything, but by locking her eyes with her mother, She was sure that this was the first time she heard about this. At a split second, she could see a shock appeared in her mother''s eyes before disappearing, her mother was just too good at hiding her real emotion. She also includes the information about the Earth Dragon living in the mountain, it was the cause for Anthony recuperating in the hospital for the past few days, after all. She almost stops talking when she feels like Sara was not listening to her when her mother suddenly gestures for her to continue which sheplied with, the act proven to her that thetter was actually listening to her, even though it might seem otherwise. This was further proven to her that Sara might know something regarding her situation even though it seemed like the former had just made known about it. Perhaps, Sara was also an Esper? One might agree with her since the moment her mother took the mantle for herpany, she along with thepany, rise to the top within a few months which brought shock to everyone witnessed. No matter how capable and genius one could be, there''s no way they could do the same as what she had done. Rather than fantasy-like power like spewing fire out of one''s mouth, it could be the management type of power but She was not so sure about it. When She finished narrating everything, she looked up to see her mother''s reaction. But what she saw was Sara staring nkly in the air as if reminiscent of the past before jolting back to reality with a sigh. "So...it was true." Sara muttered softly to herself but as a sensitive person who had her sixth sense heightened, She could easily pick it up without a problem. Seeing the strange look on thetter''s face, Sara chuckle. "Actually, my mother, your grandmother had told me one thing that I still remember to this day. It was the most important thing that shouldn''t be made known to others, not even the family unless ''that day'' came. I had thought it was just her being senile at old age but didn''t think that everything she had said was real." Said Sara with a sad expression on her face as she remembers a wrinkle old womanying on the bed with her seated on the side, it was the day before her mother closes her eyes for eternity. Her mother, She''s grandmother was bedridden by an unknown illness. She had tried looking for a cure for the illness yet, every doctor that was said to be geniuses among genius was unable to find the cause of the illness even after she had gone out of her way to find them, one by one. Even though she was going to die, her mother didn''t seem sad, far from it, she looked content instead. It was as if she didn''t mind the fact that she was going to die while Sara, her daughter was worried and sad about it. On the day she got bedridden till thest day, her mother slowly narrated to her of a tale in the distant past, but Sara thought it was just another fictitious story yet she listens to it as if that was thest will from her mother. It all began from a fail ritual due to the interruption from a third party. The girl traversed the unknown world filled with curiosity and was met with all kinds of peril situation yet, with her capabilities, there was nothing that could bring risk to her life, not even the volcano eruption so long as she was prepared for it. From her long journey, she met all sorts of things and even the resident of the unknown world. The girl was surprised to see a person no different than the people in her world yet they are unmistakable the resident of this different world. They were called Humans. Although the girl was caught with all kinds of trouble due to her slowly aging to the point she was brand as an evil witch, the humans of this world were unable to do anything to her with their measly cold weapons. When the girl had gone into hiding, at least until everyone started forgetting about her, she ran into trouble that still exists to this day. Due to the instability in the space around the Earth, a spatial crack would appear somewhere around the world at random time and ces, either with nothing or brought destruction along with it. From that where a new chapter of her long life journey begins. The fights, the battles that almost cost her life, the fated encounter, everything that one would expect from a fictitious story happened all at once from that day onward. After the long torturous battles, the girl which has now be a fully adult woman, in terms of appearance, suffered from a hidden injury that couldn''t possibly heal even with her power decided to withdraw from the bigger stage. The world had thought she had vanished from the face of the Earth for some unknown reason, but she was still living somewhere in the deep mountain, bearing a child with her fated partner. When the child was born, that was the day the woman took herst breath peacefully with a smile on her face with the crying child in the arms of her partner. That should have been the end of the story, yet no one knows or expected for it to be just another beginning of a tale that surely will be widespread to the whole world of a girl that bes the sessor to the woman''s power. "And from all that, I''m supposed to be that girl? The sessor?" She was gobsmacked from the tale spoken by her mother. A helpless smile appeared on Sara''s face before saying. "Yes, and no. Like I have said, I also didn''t believe everything about this. It was just hard to take in, knowing that my daughter will someday have to take the responsibility of billions of people''s lives in her shoulders, even though she was merely a single person among many. But..." "But what?" "Before her eternal sleep, your grandmother told me the reason for her illness has something to do with the power she gained from our ancestor''s bloodline. Yes, an actual supernatural power that would make her superhuman, or a superheroine in this case. The power she gained was irvoyance, she was able to see into the future but at the cost of her lifespan. The longer she looked into the future, the more her lifespan was taken away from her. I didn''t know about that, not until thest day when she truthfully informs me about it." Silence spread to the whole room as She didn''t dare to speak while her mother seemed to be saddened by the thought. Even she was influenced by the atmosphere and couldn''t help but remember the kind and warm grandmother of her, back when she was still a snobbish child. She didn''t remember that many memories about her grandmother, most likely since she was still young and by the time she could make sense of her surroundings, her grandmother had already left the mortal world. While her mother was speaking about the tale, She couldn''t help but think,was the girl and the red-haired woman that I saw in the memory shown by the system, the same person? Somehow that was what my feeling tell me but I''m not so sure just yet.She was amazed to know that her deceased grandmother could actually see the future. Although the cost is quite an ass, it must be because the ability was just too powerful. "Your grandmother had told me when she was a young teen filled with curiosity, decided to look into the future. She simply wanted to see what her granddaughter would look like but, what she didn''t expect was to see a single woman at the age of thirty, with her surroundings like that of a world that''s have been wreck havoc by something unimaginable. It was only for a short moment but she could tell that the woman suffered tremendously just from a single look. That single-use of her power actually costs 20 years'' worth of lifespans." Sara took a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "And that woman was you, my daughter. It was what you will be twelve years in the future. I was hoping that everything my mother said would be nothing but just word. Now that you tell me everything about that, I''m not so sure anymore." Chapter 148 - Godly Event "But things didn''t go as the saying goes. Your grandmother said you''ll ''awaken'' at the day of your 18th birthday celebration yet, no such a thing happened, right? And that wasn''t the only thing that went differently from what your grandmother told me. Your power...she said it has something to do with ''space'', I don''t know what exactly it is though. Perhaps, it might be something to do with the ''Trial Tower'' you were talking about. But from the way she said, it was a very powerful ability, much more potent than irvoyance." She slowly nodded her head with her expression remained as that of surprise.Space, huh? But that''s the system''s abilities, isn''t it? I am the master of the space within the Trial Tower yet, I don''t think it''s my power. If it is, it won''t just be in the Trial Tower, won''t it? After all, when ites to space magic, there''s teleportation and stuff, right? I won''t have to waste my energy to walk for 10km just to buy ice cream when I could just ''blink'' to the ce within a split second, no energy was wasted other than for teleportation. Even in fighting, I could teleport behind my opponent and be like, ''Nothing personal, kid''. At least that was what I would like to do if I could teleport as I pleased, thought She. "But, how does this got to do with being the sessor of that woman?" Sara shook her head helplessly at her foolish daughter. "If you have listened to everything I said carefully, you would easily connect the dot. But if you wanted me to say it, alright. That woman is my and your great ancestor. Basically, both of us are her direct descendants. Although I didn''t awaken like some kind of supernatural power that could bend reality at a single snap of my finger, I do have one ability that makes it unfair against normal people. It''s Photographic Memory." "Eh? I also have it." "You do? Then that must be the actual reason how your grades have been improving. No wonder I didn''t see you study that much these past days yet you easily achieve in hitting high scores. But... you are still my foolish daughter, after all." "What''s with thest one?!" She couldn''t help but retort while feeling upset when she heard her mother''s speaking thest part, it was even more infuriating when her mother was looking at her with a kind smile on her face. "Anyway, just know that because you''re my daughter, a direct descendant at that, you awaken to the special ability that couldn''t beprehended bymon sense. This has been passed down ever since long ago, only to the direct descendant though." "Father didn''t know about this then?" "Unfortunately, yes. But now it''s possible for him thanks to you." She titled her head in confusion at her mother''s remark. "What do you mean by that?" "Well, there''s another reason why I couldn''t tell your father, and that is has something to do with you. Well, it was very simple. Your grandmother said if you really awaken to a special ability, that''s when I have the permission to tell it to Anthony; it was such a promise." She heaved a relieved sigh. "That''s good then." "Is something matter?" "Uhh, well... it was just, I have this system where I could bring people inside the Trial Tower, just like what I did to Ria and the others, was what I said, right?" Sara nodded her head in acknowledgment. "And by doing that, I could technically, ''awaken'' normal people, at least from what you said. I had just realized that I can actually do such an amazing thing like this." She paused for a moment before continuing. "All they required is to kill the monster within the Trial Tower to get enough experience to level up, eventually, they would get strengthparable to that of superpower. It''s even possible to have a superpower of their own, like spewing fire from their mouth for example." "That''s amazing." "It is, that''s why...I wanted to bring you two into the Trial Tower." Sara widens her eyes in shock for a split second before it was reced by her normal smile. Although she had a feeling this will likely happen judging from the way She had been acting for a while now, she was still surprised by it. But it''s understandable, perhaps She wants her parents to get stronger so that if the world truly bes like an apocalypse, they can at least protect themselves if they had enough power to stand on their own. There''s no way she could protect everyone she cares about on her own, that must also be the reason behind why she brought Ria into the Trial Tower. "I see, I understand. Then, why don''t you wait in your room first? Once Anthony gets home, we will go to your room." She nodded her head in agreement before getting up and took a leave. While she was walking on the way to the second floor, her mind was elsewhere.From the way my mother''s said, I''m not a resident of this world but more like a direct descendant of a person from another world. So I guess I''m half and half? I didn''t know whether to consider the system as my power or not but, I''m more intrigued in why I received it wayter than the supposed date, predicted by my deceased grandmother. I was nning to create an organization solely because I don''t want modern civilization to disappeared from the face of Earth. I still want to y games, read novels, and watch anime, after all. Without those, I don''t think I am me. Alright, that might be going too far but still, without my hobbies, I don''t think I can keep up with the world. In a world where dog-eat-dog, was there anything more interesting than my hobbies? Nope, don''t think so. Only a certain group of people might enjoy it, and I am not one of them. I also don''t really like to see nature burns because of the war among humans. A dog-eat-dog world feels very much suffocating to me, I don''t know about others though. Not that I care about others, mind you. Wait, now that I think about it, if I were to create an organization, wouldn''t it be great if I could make it like an Adventurer Guild like in those in fictitious novels? I would be Guild Master, Uwah! that sounds like someone with an eight-grader disease(chuunibyou) would do. But even so...She couldn''t help but think about it for a moment before shaking her head to remove the thought. No matter how cool it sounds like, it would definitely be a pain in the ass to handle such a huge size of an organization. Her n was only to create a small, region-size wise for her organization, at the very least, she thought that she could handle it if it was only that much. Even that might be a bit of a headache if she were the only one to manage the whole organization, which was why she wants to ask for help from her mother. Sara could be said to be a genius when ites to management. She bes even more fearsome is because of her special ability which was Photographic Memory. There was a reason why the people in the same circle as hers, were scared of her. If She had someone with such prowess in her arsenal, she won''t have to worry about her organization while doing the other stuff. Again, she wanted to create an organization solely because she didn''t want the civilization to get wiped off the map when the world turned chaotic. A fantasy world is cool and all but as a modern person, it would be hard for her to adapt to such a world. Of course, it only takes time before everyone would eventually adapt to the new world. It wasn''t just about the game, there are also all kinds of convenient tools known in the modern world such as mobile phones, cars, etc. She also didn''t want to lose a whole decade worth of technology just for the magical world. Just imagine a technologybined with magic, won''t it be possible to create a virtual world? Of course, there are pros and cons everywhere, but still... "AAAAH! She! You should have knocked on the door first before entering the room! Haven''t I told you that before?!" A sudden shout brought her back to reality as she looked up and saw a familiar girl in her birthday suit. It seemed that she had walked right onto when Ria was changing her clothes, if a man or a boy were to be in her position, they would have no doubt be so delighted to experience such a ''godly event'' that only a main protagonist of a harem novel could. But to She, as a girl, she didn''t feel anything or that was supposed to be the case, but strangely, seeing Ria embarrassed with a blush on her face somehow makes her feel strange. Something is rising and is definitely not a Sheild Hero.1 Joking aside, She immediately turned on her back and didn''t forget to close the door after she exits the room. If she were to take her time to stares at the blushing girl in birthday suit, she might get struck by her right there and then. Though she won''t receive any damage since her vitality is much higher, the pain still hurts. "I''m sorry, I was a bit deep into the thought that I forget to knock on the door." Leaning her back on the door, She could hear a sigh inside the room. "Fine, I forgave you. But there won''t be next time, got it?" "Yes!" She didn''t know why but she could feel the chills when Ria said thest part. She had a feeling that if she were to be a bitter to reply, she would be in grave danger. It was at a time like this that she was happy to have a powerful instinct that proven to be useful. No matter the past or now, Ria is always scary when she''s serious. It''s a meme, I can''t stop myself from adding this. I''m sorry. Chapter 149 - A New Quest "Good grief, maybe I should put a big note on the door so that you can clearly see it and remember to knock on the door the next time entering the room?" Ria muttered not so soft yet loud enough for the She to hear it the moment thetter stepped into the room right after she was done wearing her clothes. Before this little incident happened, Ria had just gotten out of the Trial Tower covering with sweats. Because She was not there to help her with the goblins, she had to bring a torchlight on her own. She had thought it was fine after walking for a few minutes into the cave since she didn''t see any goblin at the front but, maybe she had triggered something as after she reached that thought, she was sent flying toward the wall by the goblin hidden in the dark behind her. She didn''t know when or how but somehow the goblin managed to get behind her before sending her flying with its club. It hurts so much that she feels like passing out but was somehow fine after drinking the health potion that was in her pocket. She had told her to prepare it in case a situation like this happened, though she never expected to experience it firsthand. After ying the goblin, Ria bes even more cautiously as she slowly dives deeper into the cave. Perhaps she had gotten a grasp on it as, afterward, she never get caught again in the sneak attack and managed to dodge it most of the time. Though there are times she was hit, it was not as bad as the first one. After such a tiring ''work out'', she absolutely needs to take a bath. Also, the feeling of her clothes sticking on her body due to the sweats feels pretty ufortable. That was why when She had timely stepped into the room, Ria had just gone out of the bathroom and was about to wear her clothes. The timing couldn''t possibly be any better than that. "I told you I was thinking a bit too much about something that I wasn''t focused on my surroundings, if not for that I would have knocked on the door." Feeling slightly offended by Ria''s remark, She couldn''t help but respond with a pout on her face. "I wonder about that. Anyhow, I thought you said you had something to do, so why are you here then?" She went to the bed before sitting on it since there was only one chair in the room, which was already seated by Ria. "Well, that''s the reason why I''m here." "What do you mean?" She opened her mouth yet nothing came out of it as she looks hesitant for a moment before nodding her head,my mother didn''t specifically warn me that I couldn''t tell the details about the bloodline and all to others, doesn''t that mean I could tell it to Ria? I mean, it won''t matter much, right? After all, Ria was already in the know about my power,thought She as she decided to tell Ria about the information she just received from her mother, Sara a while ago. "Actually..." Five minutester... "And so, I''m waiting for my dad to gets home so that I could bring the two into the Trial Tower at once which I''ll be informed by my motherter on." "So that''s what happened. I knew that your parents seemed to be special as the achievement of your mother is already a great deal. My thinking is too naive as I thought Sara was only a genius but not one who also had a special ability of her own, although it can''t be said to be supernatural like those who can conjure fireball out of nothing, it is still enough to make her stand above the average people by making use of her ability." "I was also surprised. Even more about my grandmother''s ability, to be able to peek into the future, at such a huge cost at that too." She said while snacking on a snack she had brought out of her inventory a while ago when she was midway exining it to Ria. "That should be exined how you got the system yet it doesn''t feel right somehow like, something is missing. We had assumed that there''s a person behind the system back then, right?" She nodded in agreement with a frown. "Then can it really be said to be your ability? What if the system was just something like ''power-renting'', or something like that? Who knows, your ability might suddenly disappear just like it suddenly appeared on your mobile phone. It isn''t impossible after all." "I...have never seriously thought about that." The two fall into silence. From Ria''s observation, it was indeed correct to assume that the system might disappear one day. What if she was inbat with something and suddenly lose her power right at that particr time? Doesn''t this mean that her loved one will be killed if the situation was where she was protecting them? Although it couldn''t be denied that her body is definitely bing stronger, the fact that it was from a system, an app on her phone makes it unbelievable. If someone was truly behind the system, what if one day they decided to ''delete'' the app from her phone? One headache after another, She sighed while massaging her temple. Looking up, she could also see Ria with a frown which put a smile on her face since it seemed that her best friend was also worried about her. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, she suddenly felt a vibration in her pocket which indicated it must have been from her phone. With curiosity in mind, She pulled out her phone before unlocking the lock screen with the password. But what she saw on the notification interface caused her to freeze in ce, of course, this reaction didn''t escape from Ria''s perceptions. "She?" Seeing no response from thetter, Ria got up from her seat and went next to She before leaning closer to look into her phone. On the screen of the phone, Ria could see there are two notifications on the interface which stated. ¡º Quest System has been initiated! ¡» ¡ºThe quest [ System Transference ] has been created! ¡» "Eh? What does this mean?" Ria''s questioning voice brought She back to reality which in turn, she immediatelyunch up the Leveling System''s app and clicks on the Quest interface. She didn''t need to waste her time looking for it as it was there the moment she opened the Quest interface, it was sitting on the first spot as if by doing so, it makes it easier for She to find it. She slowly clicked on the quest before a new game-like interface shows up, recing the previous. ¡º System Transference (SSS) ¡» ¡º By epting the order given by ???, this quest has been created. Bypleting the requirements below, the system would be transferred to the host''s consciousness. Requirements: ¡ªTaming/Killing the Earth Dragon (0/1) ¡ªReaching Level 50 in a month (25/50) ¡ªMastering three active skills to Maxed Level (0/3) Rewards: ¡ªSystem Transference(From App to host''s consciousness) ¡ªSpecial Treasure Chest x1 ¡ª ?????????? Punishment: [Complete Removal.]¡» "...Can I curse right now?" "No." "Fxck!" Ria sighed at her best friend who had just cursed. It can''t be helped as even she was speechless and dumbfounded by what she had witnessed. But this meant that there is indeed someone working behind the system, even though it only shows as a question mark on the interface. It seemed that whoever behind the system didn''t bother hiding their existence anymore, but Ria and She were not sure if that is deemed as good. Knock Knock! The two jumped up in surprise at the sudden knocking on the door before She heaved a sigh as she could feel a familiar presence behind the door instead of an unfamiliar one. "I guess we will talk about thister since my parents are already here." "Mhm. Go on, I''m sure you will be fine since this is your parent we''re talking about. No matter how bad you are at exining, at the very least, I''m sure that your mother could pick it up." Ria muttered with a smile on her face while giving a pat on thetter shoulders. She pouted at her remark but decide to let it go instead of getting mad over little things like this as she stepped forward, heading toward the door. Opening the door, two familiar figures entered her sight. She could see Anthony talking to Sara but thetter was ignoring him. "Can you tell me now? You do know that I had to go abroad tomorrow for my business? Sara? Are you listening to me?" The moment she stepped outside the room, Sara took steps toward her, following by Anthony who was still questioning her mother about why he was called home so suddenly. Sara didn''t tell him everything and only told him to get home as fast as possible and that it is important before leaving him speechless as she hang up the call before he could inquire about it. "Oh, my daughter! How are you doing in school? I heard your grades have been pretty good." "Mhm. I''m doing well, but father... are you really leaving so soon?" Anthony sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. The business bes hectic all of sudden and just yesterday, they called me saying that they required my presence ASAP to deal with the problem." "I see... I guess I should exin everything in that ce then." Anthony was about to inquire about what she was talking about when her mother interrupted into the conversation. "Are we going in now?" She nodded her head in agreement. Anthony could only look at the two in confusion, unable to understand what sort of topic are they talking about and why is he feeling like something important had just transmitted between the two of them while he remained ignorant. "What are you two talking about? Where are we going?" Thest thing he saw before losing his sight was a cheeky smile from the two as they looked at him with amusement. When he regained his sight, everything around him had undergone a change that turned hismon sensepletely upside down. If not for the two presences with him, he might have considered it a dream. After all, he was a man who believes everything could be exined by science. At least, that was his belief before everything changed. Chapter 150 - The Immeasurable Shock "...Unbelievable." That was the first word that came out of Anthony''s mouth when his sight went over the surrounding. It struck him much more than a normal person mostly because he is a man who believes in the power of science, after all. That was why when his body somehow felt strange, rather than thinking it as a supernatural effect, he thought it was an illness for people at his age, even though he wasn''t that much older to the point to get sick easily. Even a friend of his, a doctor was unable to find any problem with his body; in fact, it seemed he was healthier than ever. That was especially the case after he was bedridden in the hospital for the earthquake incident. One would usually wake up to the small pain or soreness after experiencing an incident yet; he awoke and feels perfectly healthy. There was no pain anywhere in his body; also, to his surprise, the scar he received due to the surgery in the past also disappeared. It was as if he didn''t have any scar in the first ce which was unbelievable and caused him a bit of confusion for a few days. But no matter how strange it is, the result was there for him to see so he couldn''t do anything other than put it off from his mind. But that was nothingpared to what he was witnessing at the moment. The first thing he did was to organize his thought before investigating his whole surrounding yet all of it seemed to tell him that it was real. Everything he had just experienced was nothing but real, there were no hologram or science at work here. It was the thing he didn''t want to believe nor admit, it was the force from the supernatural. While he was dumbfounded by the sight, She could be seen exining everything there is about Trial Tower to Sara at the corner of his view. Because he was distracted by his surroundings, the scene about the two didn''t enter his mind. "So this is the ''Tower''. It does make one feel like they are in another world, perhaps because of the difference in the atmosphere." Sara muttered while observing her surroundings and the sky. She didn''t know how but she could feel a different air in the atmosphere, maybe it was just like what She said, it was the mana that she senses. The manas within the Trial Tower is much thicker than the real world, after all. Once she was done observing her surroundings, She gives her now dubbed as ''Identification Card''. Seeing as Mia didn''t experience any sort of problem using it, she assumed the experiment was a huge sess. Of course, this didn''t escape from Anthony''s view as although he was still dumbfounded while nkly staring at the air, a part of him was still watching the surrounding, especially on the two at the corner of his view. It was only now that he realized about it as he turned around, facing the two before walking toward them. "What is that?" "Identification Card. Whoever holds onto it could reenter this ce anytime and anywhere, no matter if they are at the opposite of the world or on the moon, it''s possible. Of course, that''s not the only one function it has, here''s one for you, father." She said before giving one to his father as thetter immediately examine it carefully as if it was an unknown treasure, or so he wanted to do but the interface that suddenly appeared out of the card like a hologram surprised him further. Though Sara was also surprised at how the interface looks almost game-like, she wasn''t as surprised as him since she had already known about it from She. ¡º Sara LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP:25/25 MP:35/35 ss: Mage STR: 3 INT: 7 AGI: 5 VIT: 5 LUCK: 5 AP: 0 ¡» ¡º Anthony LV.1 ¡» ¡º HP:30/30 MP:15/15 ss: Warrior STR: 7 INT: 3 AGI: 4 VIT: 6 LUCK: 3 AP: 0 ¡» "Oh? Father is a warrior, huh? That''s neat." Shemented when she saw her father''s status, especially his ss. When she tried imagining Anthony wearing light armor coupled with a sword in his hand, it does give the feeling that the image fits him very well. Though he had yed a few games once in a while when he was at home with his daughter, there was still some part that he didn''t understand. At the very least, he understood that if one ss is that of a warrior, it means that they are a front-liner who mostly used a sword as a weapon. When he was growing to adulthood, he never thought that his abnormal strength pared to average) was because of his ss. Heck, he thought that was because of the gene inherited from his family, but apparently, his guess was wrong. She also didn''t expect to find another mage so close to her; it was even more surprising because it was actually her mother. She had thought Sara would have a ss about management since her capabilities on that particr job was definitely beyond average. Perhaps, there was no such a ss or maybe, she didn''t fit the requirement like those in RPG. Whatever it was, She was happy that her parents actually have a ss, even though it was a normal one. Both of her parents would definitely be even stronger if they teamed up together as one, Sara assisting at the back and Anthony attacking the enemies on the front while also protecting her. Such imagination runs through her mind. "Am I in a game? No, that shouldn''t be possible with our current technology. Virtual Reality hasn''t reached the point where our consciousness could enter the virtual world just yet. What is this then?" Anthony muttered softly to himself and continues his analysis over the card and the ''status'' interface. The only result he found was that if he thought ''quest'' in his mind, another new interface appeared, ovepping the previous one. But even if the quest interface shows up, there was no quest avable since She hadn''t put one for them just yet. She didn''t want them to identally ept the quest, after all. No matter how strong one ss could be, if they didn''t prepare for battle, it would be easy to get taken by a sneak attack which results in their death. Especially when knowing the slime as their opponent as in most stories or games, they were known or brand as a weak monster. It wouldn''t be a surprise if one looked down on them due to themon sense they learned from those cases. After all, she did experience it the hard way. Thankfully, it didn''t result in her death. Once she feels that the two have enough observed/analyzing the card and its content, She stepped forward to exin deeper into details about its many useful functions. "I''m still unable to believe everything here is real¡­" Anthony muttered after She finished exining everything to them. She didn''t say anything and only nce at her mother for a few seconds in silence as thetter understood her gaze and nod in response. Suddenly, a mouthful ball of me appeared, floating in the air in front of the three. Of course, it was the doing of She since she wanted to show proof to her father that everything here was nothing but real. "Whoa! Where did this firee from?!" Anthony shouted in amazement at the appearance of the fireball. "It''s one of my skills, fire magic." She said before sending the fireball to the ground a distance away from their location before exploding once it hit the ground. It was quite the sight, truly. If a certain crazy-head girl were to see the explosion, she would have called it as a beautiful masterpiece of artwork. It was both beautiful yet destructive as one could see how much damage it caused at that particr location, leaving a small burned crater on the ground. Because of her high stats in intelligence, the firepower was much stronger than a normal fireball. If that fireball had hit a human instead, they would be burned to death, no doubt about it. Of course, hearing his daughter''s word brought a surprise to him yet understandable, although he was stillplex about everything, there are still part of him that believes what he experienced is real. She didn''t wait for her father as she immediately opened up the interface which can only be seen by her and went through the system shop, searching a good weapon for her parents to use. Because she didn''t know what ss they would have, she didn''t prepare the weapon for them just yet. While She was staring nkly in the air, Sara went up to her husband before speaking to him about her family''s only secret. The response she received was within expectation as she chuckled. "¡­the world is a lie." Anthony could only mutter such words after receiving shocking information one after another without any break in within, it almost caused his brain to malfunction from overheating. Even the headaches he had for his business that was rooted in his thought for the past few days have long disappeared into oblivion. Never did he thought his family was far from ordinary. Even the world that he believes to rule with science and logic actually holds a much deeper secret than he expected, it was enough to break hismon sense apart. It took him half an hour to calm his heavy breathing, and meanwhile, She and her mother were enjoying a small tea break, seated on a chair next to Anthony. Although Sara couldn''t wait and would like to see how the slime looks like, she also didn''t want to add more pressure to him while thetter was processing as much information as he possibly could. But with She by her side, she wasn''t bored or anything since her daughter would show off a bit of her strength to her in a way that it won''t get into Anthony''s view. Even if he could hear a few noises from them, he didn''t turn around as his mind was preupied with something else. "So, in short, I am now an awaken person? From what the interface showed, I''m also a warrior ss. Does that mean I have the skill for the specific ss?" She nodded in response before saying. "You can check your skill like how you had done with the quest. If you had done this before, it won''t work since I turned it off. Of course, now it works properly, so check it out." When the skill interface appeared like a hologram out of the card, She leaned closer toward her father. As expected, he got a few skills for his specific ss such as Fierce Stab for offense, Anchor Howl for attracting aggro, etc. If She hadn''t seen his ss, she would have thought he was a tank based on his skills. But then again, who said a warrior couldn''t be a tank? This is not a game, after all. Perhaps it''s possible for him to be a tank even though he was a warrior in ss. Either way, once the two finished checking up on their skills and do a couple of test-firing to get used to it, it was finally the time to put them to use in realbat. "Are you two ready?" Sara and Anthony nodded their head in response. Although they were still visibly nervous, it was not so bad that it will be a problem in battle. Looking at her parents fully equipped with a weapon in hands, She smiled before snapping her finger that caused the air to tremble as the slimes appeared a distance away from their location. She secretly smiles in glee when looking at the two surprised and amazed look on their face. She didn''t actually need to do finger snapping as with only a single thought, she could change the zone to abat one. It was a useless action yet she couldn''t help but ended up doing it anyway. It was definitely not because she thought it would be cool that she does it. Absolutely. Chapter 151 - Even Her Parents Are Strong Seeing the slime started appearing in the distance, the two were tense from nervousness yet didn''t seem to be afraid. After all, they were no longer ordinary people. Although they were still at level 1, they do have a couple of skills, at least enough to handle a slime so long as they didn''t put their guard down, it won''t be a problem. As an experienced adult, both of them knew it would be a bad idea to look down upon the small blue blob unless they were asking to be killed. With a two-handed sword in his hands, Anthony took a step forward followed by Sara right behind him closely with a simple staff while cautiously look in the surroundings. This time She didn''t stay behind them to watch and instead, jumped into their shadow. Of course, the two were surprised when they saw her disappearing into their shadow but they didn''t inquire her about it and went toward the blue blob in the distance instead. She had given Anthony a two-handed ck sword which was just a normal one rather than an enchanted like the one used by Ria. But that is enough to handle the slimes; it was a brand new sword, after all. As for Sara, she was equipped with a wooden staff that She has gotten from ying the boss in the past. It has been rotting in the inventory for a while now since she didn''t use it at all. It didn''t seem to be a good fit for Mia so She bought a new one for the former instead. And now, she thought that the staff was a good fit for her mother from knowing that thetter already have a magic skill of her own, instead of none. She somehow feels strange looking at the two in modern outfits holding onto a cold weapon in their hands but just shrugged it off to the side. "So that was how slime looks like in reality. Was the stone-looking inside of the blob its core, perhaps?" Anthony muttered softly that could only be heard by Sara which was following closely behind him. Sara didn''t say anything, only looked forward ahead while ready to fire her spell if the small blob took any sudden and strange action. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to speak but more because she was focused on her opponent, nothing that the slime did could escape from her narrowed eyes. When the two arrived near the three slimes, obviously thetter immediately leap toward them with earnestly. Anthony immediately went and stood in front of Sara, brandishing his sword at the iing slimes. Without giving them a chance, he active one of his ss-specific skills to attract the three slime''s aggro onto him. "Come and get me! " The moment he uttered the skill''s name, his whole body was engulfed with a bright light. The slimes without any intelligence were obviously attracted by his skill as one of them that was nning on moving toward Sara immediately change its path midway, leaping toward the prepare Anthony. He sent out horizontally sh at the iing slime but the attack missed the core and only managed to stop it for a moment before another slime took the chance to leap at him. But Anthony was not scared one a bit from the look on his face as he continues shing onto the slime in front of him. "" Before the slime couldnd a hit on his body, a few and small bullets made of wind flew towards it at a speed enough to send it flying backward with a ssh as its core had been long destroyed when the attack hits. It also didn''t take long for Anthony to finish off the other slimes as he easily dodges them before ending their life by stabbing his sword right into their core once he was given the chance to do so. The two could make such movement all because they were now used to their skills after half an hour of training. It makes things easier since Anthony could also attract the aggro of the slimes so that Sara can safely assist him in the back. The two were simply a goodbination. Although She was happy that they could handle the three slimes with ease, she still couldn''t help but feel a little bit of unfair that they didn''t suffer as much as her before getting used to their power. She should be happy at them yet her current feelings were prettyplicated. If she was the one killing the three slimes, she should have leveled up by now, at the very least once. But it seemed Sara and Anthony didn''t acquire enough experience yet as they were still on level 1 which prompted the two to head toward another group of slimes. The fight went just as smooth as the previous one, with a skill that could attract aggro, normal slimes couldn''t do anything to defend against it. If it was much stronger, a Slime King, for example, it might be able to break free from the skill and ignore Anthony to attack Sara instead. Since Sara only has Wind Magic at Level 1 and it only has a single spell which was Sylph Bullet. Due to that, she had no way to defend against the slime if they attacked her other than dodging like a normal person. Of course, this also goes the same for Anthony, but perhaps it was because of his ss, his body is far tougherpared to her so he can take a couple of hits just fine. Of course, Anthony would say otherwise if someone were to talk to him about it, he wasn''t a fan of pain, after all. But if it were to protect those precious to him, it wasn''t a trouble at all. It would have gone differently if the one he was protecting was someone else. Anyways, after the second battles, both of them have gone up in level which caused She to suddenlye out of their shadow and brought a few furniture for them to rest. Of course, when this happened, the zone has already turned into a safe one. From her advice, the two decided to distribute the attribute point received from level up depending on their specific ss. And this was the result. ¡º Sara LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP:28/30 MP:39/50 ss: Mage STR: 4 INT: 10 AGI: 5 VIT: 6 AP: 0 ¡» ¡º Anthony LV.2 ¡» ¡º HP:35/35 MP:15/15 ss: Warrior STR: 10 INT: 3 AGI: 5 VIT: 7 AP: 0 ¡» "I thought fighting the slime would be troublesome, but it unexpectedly went well. If I was alone it might go differently though." Anthony said while taking sips on tea that was prepared by She. He overestimated the slime too much since he had once experience fighting absolutely freakish slime in the game with his daughter. That was a miserable memory that he wish to be forgotten, he had lost his face right in front of his daughter, after all. Though She never thought badly of her father, she did get a couple of goodughs from that. It was all ording to the n. It was pretty childish for her to do that but she was at the age where required a ton of affection, so give her a break. That time was also when both of her parents were pretty busy with work and didn''t have too much time at home to attend to her so she was pretty upset at them. Of course, she never let the two know about her feeling at that time, but Sara might have known about it since she was much sharper than Anthony, after all. While the two were taking a rest and talking to each other, She was pondering regarding the quest she had received a while ago. From the three requirements, she thought the easiest one was certainly about leveling up. Although it would be a bit hard, it''s possible to do it within a month. The hardest among the three is definitely regarding the Earth Dragon, be it taming or killing it, it would be difficult for her. But since the two didn''t have a time limit like leveling up, she could eventuallyplete them so long as she got to level 50. She was sure that with her attributes at level 50, it would be more than enough to tame the Earth Dragon, of course, it would be a problem if the dragon had a much stronger will than her but that''s not a sure thing yet. Eh? Did I just trigger a g?Thought She before shaking her head to remove the useless thought. What worried her most was the punishment, if she somehow ended up fail to aplish the requirement, what would happen to her? Complete Removal, was it? What kind of ''removal'' and what does it mean by plete''? Will her power also be stripped off and her memories of the system removed? Is that what the system meant by plete removal''? The thought brought the chills over her whole body as she immediately shook her head to remove the uncertain thought away. "What''s wrong, She? You didn''t look good." Obviously, her reaction didn''t escape from Sara''s view, even though she seemed to be deep into the conversation with Anthony. With her remark, Anthony also looked up toward She but he didn''t see anything different from his daughter which puzzled him as he tilted his head in confusion. "It''s nothing. I was just thinking about something else, not really that important." Sara simply gives a curt nod in response to her daughter who was trying to evade the topic. Since thetter didn''t want to tell her, she wouldn''t insist on it. Anthony nodded his head in an understanding manner for some reason before opening his mouth and speaks. "We have been here for more than a few hours long, should we get out by now?" "You don''t need to worry about that, father. After all, a few hours in here equal to a few minutes in the real world." Anthony looks at her in awestruck as he turned his gaze to the surrounding with amazement filled within his eyes. "That''s¡­amazing. This ce might be more useful than I thought." Chapter 152 - The Ninja Behind The Scene Shall we go back in time? To the time when She was having a meeting with Mia and Angelica at the restaurant in a private room. Meanwhile, somewhere else, in the same district. A girl in ck getup could be seen sneakily jumping off from rooftop to another, the sight was quite amazing yet none was there to witness it as even if there was someone looking out of the window or in the balcony, they wouldn''t be able to see her figure as currently, her presence was the same as that of a pebble at the side of the road. The figure had something that outshined her from the rest of the average people, and that is her beautiful silver-white hair. Even if she had simply taken a walk normally down the street, everyone that came across her would at least steal a second nce at her hair without a doubt. The small figure in a strangely ck getup was none other than Sylvia. Currently, she was following someone while making sure that the target didn''t notice of her presence by taking advantage of her power to the fullest. She didn''t know her target but that doesn''t matter as this mission was given to her and she will aplish it. She is relying on her by giving this mission to her, so why would she let her hopes down? Plus, with her set of skills and ss, this kind of mission is just a breeze to her. In fact, it would have been much harder if not for the bracelet in her hand. This bracelet had the power to detect/sense people with mana in their bodies. Basically, it''s a magic item that would alert her if there''s a mage around simply having the bracelet with her, at least within three miles in range. As for her mission, she was told to investigate if there''s any base for the mages around in the district and memorize their location before informing She of the news, that was the primary mission. There were still a few sub-missions but She had told her it was fine if she didn''t fulfill it since it wasn''t important, most likely because she could have done the investigation personally after knowing their base location. But Sylvia didn''t agree with that thinking and if there''s a chance she couldplete the sub-missions, she would dly do it without any hesitation. Of course, she had kept this a secret from She in case thetter decided to take it back knowing that she would be at risk of exposing herself to the ''not-an-enemy-just-yet''. With that being said, it wasn''t easy to find a mage in a huge crowd of people. It took her quite a while until she found someone in which the bracelet gave her the alert and before the target could escape, she immediately jumped off on top of the building while sneakily looking down on her target. The target seemed to be a male in a suit, perhaps the man was using the corporate job as a disguise from his real identity that of a mage. Or maybe it was his actual job. Either way, it seemed the target had just relieved himself from his job by the look on his face and was on his way to somewhere, perhaps his home. Sylvia didn''t care and just follow the target by jumping off another building when the target had put up a distance from her but still didn''t escape from her sight. She didn''t follow closely on the street is because she didn''t want to alert her target as it''s possible for her to get caught by the target, maybe there''s a magecraft that would alert them of the danger around them, something like that. That was why she put a distance from her target yet not far enough to escape from her. Since it was also her first time doing this kind of suspicious job, she had to make sure not to make any mistake. When the target was waiting for a bus near the bus stop, Sylvia also took this chance to eat the bread she had just bought while still sitting on the rooftop of a building. It feels pretty refreshing due to the tall height of the building in which she could feel the strong breeze passing through her body. Now that she thought about it, she didn''t seem to be scared of height. When she was about tomit suicide back then, she thought it was merely herst courage that appeared to shut down the fear of height that most people had, but she was mistaken. Because she had never stood on top of a tall building, that is why she never knew if she had a fear of height or not. Or perhaps, it might be because of her own power that gives her the courage. When she was about to finish her bread, she could see the bus from afar, it won''t be long before it arrived at the bus stop where her target was waiting. With that as a signal, Sylvia quickly eats up the bread before standing on her feet and head toward the building near the bus stop by jumping off from her previous location. While she was following her target, a thought suddenly entered her mind. It was about the event happened in school weeks ago. Sylvia''s POV Although I had acquired a way to grow stronger by defeating monsters in a different dimension, I would still get bully in school since it wasn''t because I was weak that I got bullied in the first ce. It was because I didn''t bother fighting back against them that they thought I''m an easy target. One of their reasons for bullying was because of my beautiful silver-white hair, someone was jealous of it apparently. Of course, I wish I had different hair, at the very least, the same as others. I never want to stand out but because of my hair, no matter how I go, the people would always steal a nce toward me without a doubt. I don''t mind being average if that''s what it meant to not gain any attention from the people and just mind my own business. But as I had said in many times, god is cruel. Even if my hair was changed to that of a norm, there''s also apparently those who bullied me because of my beautiful appearance. It wasn''t just my hair that stood out in particr. At first, few ssmates interrupted while I was being bullied but after getting isted by others due to a false and wicked rumor of them spread by someone, they soon move to another school, one by one until none were left. I don''t know who spread those rumors but anyways, by then, no one would obstruct the bullying from happening. It was onlyter that I knew who was the one spreading the rumors but by then, I was already on the verge of breaking apart so I don''t really care anymore. And it was then that She came in. The whole point of why I was exining this was because after I was introduced to a whole new world and go to school the next day, for some unknown reason, the bullying didn''t happen. As for the bullies, the moment their eyes met mine, I could sense a terror within them as they immediately look away before heading the opposite of my way. I didn''t know what happen that cause them to look at me that way nor do I have the opportunities to ask them since they always ran away from me whenever I get close to them. It was as if I''m their maker and if they didn''t run away from me, I would do something bad to them or so what the other thought when they saw the scene happening in front of them. Because of that, no one woulde close to me in fear that I would do something to them, although I was left alone without any problem, this still could be count as bullying doesn''t it? It might have been the work of She, after all, she was the one said wanting to help me, one way or another. Of course, I didn''t go and ask her about it since she didn''t say anything; I will keep my mouth shut too. I thought it was going to be a bit problematic but after a few days passed, I was already used to it and thought that either way, it doesn''t matter. Plus, from what She said, the world might turn chaotic where a peaceful life would be nothing but the past. If that bes true, there''s definitely a need for me to get stronger so that I could survive in such a world. That''s one of the reasons why I don''t care anymore whether I was getting bullied or not since I have a more important issue at hand. Ever since then, all I did was to level up by defeating slimes in the Trial Tower and when I was free or on a break, I''d get to know more about She''s hobbies, no matter what it is, be it games or animes. If one wanted to get closer to someone, they have to know about that person''s hobby and such. With that thought in mind, that''s how I spent my days from now on. It was onlyter that She had asked me for help which I agreed to since I''m free anyway afterschool and that due to the time dtion in the Trial Tower, it isn''t a problem even if I enter itte at night. While I was having such thought in mind, it seemed the target has finally arrived at the bus stop near his house and I immediately follow right after while also not forgetting to put a distance from him. As to how I know it was near his house? I only need to follow him to know where he goes and since he didn''t act overly suspicious, it seemed that was truly his house instead of a fake one like the one the spy in the movie did as a disguise for another person. Once I memorize his house address, I immediately took a leave. This should be enough investigation for today; I''lle back here tomorrow and see if he would show me the base for the mages in this region. I wonder what She''s doing right now? Maybe she was ying a game? If that is the case, I hope I could get home in time to ask her to teach me. Even if it turned out I was bad at the game, I would still enjoy ying it so long as it was with her. The time I spent with her is not a waste, after all. Then, what am I waiting for? Let''s speed up my pace and get home quickly. With that, Sylvia speed up as fast as she could, jumping off from building to another at a frightening speed that would make athletic pissed their pants if they had seen it personally. Unfortunately, she was too hasty to leave that she didn''t see that another person hade to visit her target. Even more, the bracelet given to her by She had alerted her of the unknown person yet, she was too focused on getting home faster than she didn''t take notice of it. But fortunately for her, if she had not left her previous location, that person would have noticed her presence even if there are miles away. After all, he was a mage who was specialized in detection skills. He could be said to be one among the best. If Sylvia''s presence were made known to him, she would have no strength to resist as her stats were still weak even though she had gone above average. It seemed she was lucky. Chapter 153 - Nightmare And School The next day, at Middle M School. Although the mission is important, so does the school. Even if the world is going to crumble, following by society, it doesn''t mean the knowledge we learned at school would amount to nothing. There are times that knowledge prevails, it would be better having it than none if it coulde in handy in the future. Or at least, that was what She had told Sylvia when thetter thought to quit the school to focus more on her mission and the likes. She thought that it was a waste of time to be in a ss when she could use that time to defeat more monsters and ascend to a higher floor so that she could proficiently level up, and be stronger for the future. She would have insisted more if not for the fact that there''s a time dtion in the Trial Tower which She used to counter against her. Even while she was at school, when the break time arrived, Sylvia would vanish from the other people''s sight before entering the Trial Tower. She didn''t forget to put a timer so that she won''t bete for the next ss and until then, she would use the time to be more productive by ying the slimes. It won''t be long before she had enough strength to defeat the Slime King on her own. Whenparing her with She''s way of grinding, obviously thetter is a lot faster and proficient at it. That was why Sylvia is taking longer to level up inparison. There''s also the fact that she had to put a lot more effort into hiding her presence to sneak attacking since her ss is that of an assassin, after all. Rather than attacking up-front like a warrior, it was better to make her more proficient in her ss. This was also the advice given by She to her as the former thought the one with sses would definitely be better if they take advantage of it than not having one like her. She still didn''t know why she didn''t have any ss but she was not unhappy about it since she could learn all different kinds of skills, no matter what requirement they have, she could learn it all. That was more than enough to put off her dissatisfaction. When the timer rang, Sylvia was also done eating her lunch and was prepared to head back to her ss. When she exited the Trial Tower, her sight was greeted with a small space within the toilet. Thankfully, there was no presence around. Even if there''s one, they won''t be able to see nor sense her since she had to make sure to lower her presence as much as possible before leaving the Trial Tower. Presence Maniption is a really useful skill, it could be used in any kind of situation. She even begins to ponder what kind of amazing thing she could do once it reaches the maxed level along with other skills. Since there was no presence around, Sylvia put off her skill and made her presence return to normal before walking out of the toilet, heading straight through the hallways toward her ss. But on the way there, she suddenly came to a halt when someone had blocked in front of her by stepping in her path. She looked up and saw a familiar yet annoying girl with a conceited look on her face. She had been wondering where did this girl gone to but here she is, look perfectly normal. The girl with a proud expression in front of her was none other than one among the many bullies. Sylvia had never pick a fight with thetter yet for some reason, the girl always seems wanting to tear me to pieces whenever she saw me in the corner of her view which puzzled Sylvia to no end. The hatred in her eyes seemed unbelievable for someone envious of my appearance, it was more like she hate my guts for killing her family or something like that. At the very least, that was what Sylvia thought when she looked into those eyes filled with hatred. Actuality, the girl hates her for one but a single petty reason. Although it is unbelievable for someone to hold that much hatred for a single reason such as envious for another person''s appearance yet that was the truth. After all, it actually hurt the girl''s pride when there''s someone else who was much prettier and stood out more than herself. She couldn''t let such a person exists within her small and delusion world. When She had secretly made her appearance known to the many bullies to give them a nightmare that will strongly establish within their mind, this girl didn''t attend the school on that particr week for unknown reasons. That was why she was given mercy from experiencing the nightmare that the bullies would never want to experience it a second time. And due to that, the girl couldn''t understand why all the bullies stop their antics when she had finallye to school today. She tried asking them but rather than talking about it, they immediately ran away from her with the fear evident on their face. The girl was filled with frustration and as she was about to head to the toilet to calm down her mind, she was exhrated to find Sylvia on the way there. Without any fear, the girl stepped in front of Sylvia in glee while thinking of abusing thetter for all the frustration she had experienced until now. "Oh my, I can''t believe an ugly person like you still attend the school. Do you really want to show off that ugly face of yours to others with the expectation of getting praise? You must have lost your mind, huh?" The girlughed. Of course, Sylvia is not ugly by any means. In fact, she was a lot more beautiful than this rotten girl in front of her. All the students knew this yet the reason why they didn''t say anything is because of this girl''s background, and about a certain rumor that said she was the cause that forced the others to move to another school when they be the shield to Sylvia. But of course, no one said anything about it unless they want to experience her unreasonable wrath. And because of the girl''s background, it seemed that she was given leniency for doing things as she pleased. With that being said, the girl also knows not to take things too far as no matter how much her parents spoiled her, there mighte a day where they couldn''t take care of the problem she had started with. That was what her sane mind told her but when Sylvia appeared in front of her, it vanished from her mind as if nothing was there in the first ce. Sylvia only looks at her for a few seconds before moving on by stepping to the side and walk away from the scene,pletely ignoring the girl as if she was just like the air in the surrounding. Obviously, such acts infuriated the girl so much that her face turned as red as tomato before storming straight toward Sylvia, wanting to teach thetter a lesson for ignoring her. But even after she increased her walking pace to the point she started running, she still couldn''t catch up to Sylvia. In fact, it seemed that her figure is getting smaller and smaller, the distance between them is getting further from each other. "W-wait! Ha... ha.." Ignoring the cries behind her, Sylvia walks forward at a pace that would make an athletic ashamed of themselves without looking back at the conceited girl. Anyone who had passed by her would look at her filled with confusion and awe on their face as she was walking leisurely yet the pace was fast enough to bring any of them to exhaustion. If one looked closer, they wouldn''t be able to see her legs clearly due to it being blurry. Because she knew that girl would bring trouble with her, Sylvia didn''t want to give the girl a chance to do so and chose to run away whenever she saw her, including in the future. Maybe she should tell She about this girl? She would like to know what sort of things did thetter do to make the bullies feared her to the point that they would run away whenever they caught her in the corner of their view. When she was sure that girl was long gone, Sylvia heaved a sigh. "Should I be relieved that there''s still girl out there trying to make trouble for me?" She shook her head and slides the door open before entering the noisy ssroom. Everyone immediately stares at her the moment she walks in before looking away and chatting to each other in a whispering tone. Because of the bullies'' action in the past days, there had been a new rumor caused the others to look at her in a different view. Though it doesn''t change the fact that no one went to talk to her, at least none of them would go out of their way to make trouble which gives her the peace that she so desired in the past. She was thankful that the girl with a special background was not in the same ss as her. Ring Ring Ring! With the bell ringing through the whole school, that marks the end of the ss as all students immediately put their stuff back into their bag before running out of their ssroom as if their life was on the line, toward the exit with a smile on their face.Finally, the torture is no more for today,or so most of them thought as such. But among them, there was a single figure that stood out with her beautiful silver-white hair. Usually, she would have taken her time to slowly walk out of the school but at the moment, it seemed that she was running away from something as one could see from her look alone and the fact that from a distance, there''s a female student with a haughty attitude chasing after her while cursing under her breath. It was none other than Sylvia and the same girl who was blocking her way a while back when the former was about to head to her ssroom. Sylvia didn''t expect the girl to wait for her at the hallways as the moment she caught her in the corner of her view, she immediately ran off with thetter chasing after her. When the students saw such an event happening in front of them, they didn''t say anything and only look at the girl chasing after Sylvia with a pity look on their face while having one but a single thought,poor her, she didn''t even realize who she was messing with. That cruel monster would definitely teach her a lesson sooner orter since ''it'' didn''t care whether the girl has a special background or not. She would suffer the same fate in the end¡ªno, she more likely would suffer much worst fate than we did. Well, served her right. No one likes her anyway. "The girl is really persistent. Thankfully I have the skill so once I found a corner, I went over and immediately used it." Sylvia softly muttered to herself while looking at the girl fuming in anger as her bullying target had suddenly disappeared after she went into the corner. Sylvia had thought of pranking the girl, but seeing thetter reaction to her disappearance was already enough for her to sleep peacefully tonight. That should be enough of the distraction, time to go back to the main topic. After leaving the school''s premises, Sylvia didn''t head home and instead went into the Trial Tower for a moment to change for a more suitable outfit. She had already prepared enough clothes for her inside her inventory, so it didn''t take that much time before she returns and head toward the location she had memorized yesterday. This time she didn''t wear a ck getup like what one would expect from a ninja, but instead wore afortable outfit that one normally does in this hot, summer season. She was never a ninja, after all. Fifteen minutester, it seemed she arrived right on time as her target had just stepped out of his door with a normal outfit rather than a suit that he wore previously for work. Sylvia couldn''t help but raise her expectation and thought,is he finally going to visit the base?with that thought in mind, she jumped off from her previous location to another rooftop, following her target walking away from his house. Even though she knew that she might be wrong, she didn''t expect her expectations to be true. Her target didn''t look any suspicious yet it was the bracelet that alerted her of the surrounding when they arrived at a certain location as the man stood in front of a building. After looking around for a short while, the man was finally relieved and enter the building with a smile on his face. Sylvia didn''t follow him this time since the bracelet had warned her of many presences inside the building, especially the dangerous ones. She only took note of the building and the address before quickly took off before they could sense her presence. Sylvia didn''t know why but the moment she stepped close to the building, it felt like she had entered a whole new world yet her surroundings didn''t change at all. It was a very strange experience, very much different than when her first time entering the Trial Tower. Nheless, there was a bit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu there yet she couldn''t tell whether it was right. Since she couldn''t understand it much, she decided to ask about it to She in hopes thetter could tell her something about it. Chapter 154 - Mission Accomplished "So that''s their base, huh?" Sylvia nodded her head in response to She''s muttered. It seemed that on the way home, she was free out of trouble. She had thought that someone would follow right behind her, so she went all over the ce to direct them away just in case, and before leaving the ce, Sylvia makes sure that there was no one suspicious around her by circling in her surroundings. And when she got home, she immediately heads upstairs toward She''s room without meeting anyone in the hallways. In fact, she also didn''t see anyone in the living room which would usually be upied by Sara watching the drama. But strangely for today, she was not there as usual. "You said you felt strange when you get closer to their building, was it?" "Mhm, At first, I was confused but then I remember this feeling really well, I thought I was in the Trial Tower for a second there when I realized the feeling was not really that strongpared to the Trial Tower. Do you know anything about this, Master?" She took a moment to ponder before an idea suddenly clicked in her mind. "Hmm. Perhaps, you are talking about that..." Sylvia''s eyes sparkled. "You know what it is?!" "Somehow but I''m not so sure since I wasn''t there. Anyway, what you felt might be the mana in the atmosphere." "There''s mana in the air?" "Of course. It has always been around ever since that unforgotten day in the olden past. As time passed, the mana in the air slowly umted yet it was not enough for a supernatural event to urred everywhere but a certain region. The Mage Association must have built their base there most likely have something to do with this. That certain spot must have umted much thicker mana than the surrounding area." "Master is amazing! I didn''t know you are such knowledgeable!" Being praised so upfront caused a slight blush to appeared on She''s cheeks as she couldn''t help but feel embarrassed by it. After all, she learned that knowledge from second-hand. It was easy to connect the dot once someone has gathered enough intelligence about something. That was how she was able to tell precisely the reason behind why the Mage Association built a building on such a particr spot. Perhaps, their headquarter might have been in ce in a special region. Maybe I should choose the headquarter for my organization at such a special location too? No, wait. I don''t think there was a need for that. After all, I have a Trial Tower! The manas in there was much thicker than even the special region! If I were to do the same as Mage Association, they might investigate my background, finding me suspicious for purchasing the location. Or maybe all those locations have already been obtained/purchased by those who live within the supernatural side of the world.With that thought in mind, She heaved a relieved sigh. "Anyway, Master... I don''t see Cilia around." Sylvia said while surveying the room and didn''t see the familiar figure around except She and herself. "Mhm, she''s in the Trial Tower trying to clear the 2nd Floor by herself. She looks quite confident before entering the Trial Tower, though I''m not sure if she could beat the boss with her current stats. The boss is quite tricky." "What kind of boss is on the 2nd Floor?" "It''s a Goblin Shaman. Oh, right. You don''t know about goblin since you never yed games..." She was about to exin the infamous green creature in fantasy to her when thetter nodded her head, informing her that she knew of it which was pretty unexpected. Though she had learned a lot about games and animes from yours truly, there was no information about a goblin in everything she was introduced to. She didn''t know that Sylvia had slowly umted enough knowledge in her free time while she was not aware of it. It makes thing easier since she was upying She''s room where all her hobbyist was there, exposed to the overly enthusiastic assassin. "Right, Goblin Shaman is the variant of the goblin race. They could conjure basic magic such as fireball and might also including curse magic, not that I have ever seen it conjured such magic once since I never let give it the chance to do so. So long as Ria does the same trick and could handle the few goblins around it, then she should be fine." "But what if she failed? For example, she couldn''t take care of the few goblins within the time limit." "Then she''s done for. But if that happens, I''m sure she''s smart enough to go for Goblin Shaman since it was weak physically. So I''m not worried about her, well... that was just a lie. Let''s just say that I trust her. She could take care of it herself." If Ria got injured, the potions in her inventory were enough for that. Even more, she was not as stupid and reckless as She. Once she knew it was a hopeless fight that she couldn''t win, she would immediately retreat. Or she could just exit the Trial Tower in the middle of the battle, after all, it was possible to do so unless she epted a quest. The safe zone for the 2nd Floor is outside the cave, after all. Once someone entered the cave, they should be prepared to fight the cunning green creature that might sneak attack them in the dark. It''s entirely different than the 1st Floor where you need to ept a quest to y the slime or they won''t respawn as it was still a safe zone. Of course, She had told this information to Ria in advance. With that said, should I give a visit to their base? Can I do it with my current skills and level? Maybe I should discuss this with Ria first since I feel like I''m being reckless. Yea, let''s go with that,She nodded her head and begin to look forward to what kind of ce would Sara finds it suitable for their not-yet-exist organization. It was yesterday, after showing everything there is about the Trial Tower, She let her mother knew about the n she had in mind before shamelessly asking for her help. At first, Sara was reluctant as she knew how much effort one has to put in such a big n or it won''te to fruition. But after a few more desperate pleading from She, she finally conceded with a helpless sigh. Although Sara said don''t put too much on her, She still believes in her mother''s capabilities and knew she could handle it without any problem. All Shi needs to do now was to wait, or maybe focused onpleting the quest in the meantime. Taming or killing the Earth Dragon is impossible currently but leveling is not that far ahead even with the time limit of a month, so she definitely needs to focus on that for now. "Umm... master?" The call from Sylvia brought her back to reality as she looked up, she saw her timidly staring back at her.Even so, this girl... why does she keep on insist on calling me ''master''? If I were teaching her something like making her as my disciple, sure that might be suitable but that''s not the case here. It was out of nowhere that she suddenly started calling me that. Even when I told her to stop, a couple of times by now, it just passed through her ears. Well, at the very least, I was able to stop her from calling me that in front of the public. I wouldn''t know how to react otherwise if she made such a scene in front of many people. Just imagining it already brought me the chills, let''s stop it here. "Ah sorry, I was thinking of something." "No, it''s not that..." "Hmm? Then what is it?" Sylvia paused for a moment as if thinking about something before finally concluding as she opened her mouth and said. "C-Can you teach me more about games? I think I need to gather more information, for future reference." She nodded her head in an understanding manner. "That''s good thinking. Even if it might not prove to be useful in the future, it won''t be a loss to gained more knowledge about something. You don''t have any game in mind, do you? Mind if I decided it for you?" "Mhm, that''s just what I wanted." "Alright, wait here while I''ll go back to my room to find what kind of game we would be ying forter." Sylvia nodded her head as She stood up and exit the room, heading straight toward her old room, leaving Sylvia behind. To be honest, Sylvia wanted to follow her but thought she would be a nuisance so she decided not to. She aplished her goal anyway. It was a goal to spent more time together with She. Although it won''t be long as she suspects She would most likely want to get into the Trial Tower to level up, even if it was just a short moment, that is enough. After all, we will be spending more time together in the near future, as allies. Even if the future world were to be destroyed by something, Sylvia thought it didn''t matter much to her. She would be satisfied so long she could be together, side by side, with She. Of course, this doesn''t mean she didn''t care about her biological mother. No matter how abusive she was in the past, she is still her mother. It won''t trouble her much protecting a single person, plus, She would definitely put her hand into this. Just like how She trust Ria very much as a person, so does Sylvia to She. Even though they had just known each other for the past weeks. Chapter 155 - The Creature Under The Moon The sudden appearance of a single and strange video on social media left a strong sensation on the inte on its wake. It was a video about a man recording himself with his camera while he was climbing on the mountain, showing the surrounding natural beauty everywhere he goes, one can assume that the man must be a fan of hiking. It started as a normal vlog and just as one was about to get tired of watching the man, suddenly, ''it'' appeared. It appeared in the corner of the camera''s view, one would think they were looking at a real-life bigfoot seeing the figure from a distance. But in reality, there was no existence such as bigfoot. All those pictures and videos that were shown on the inte were nothing but a fake to troll the world. But right at this moment, in this video, there was a bigfoot identally exposing itself for the world to see. At least that was what the people''s watching thoughts, but when the man went closer to it due to curiosity, they started to realize ''it'' wasn''t a bigfoot at all. The dark figure indeed looks like a humanoid creature walking on two legs like how a human does, but the fur all over its body assured the people that it wasn''t a human like them. When the man went closer to ''it'' to examine properly, obviously ''it'' also started to take notice of his presence. "What...is...this!" The hiking man muttered once he could see the humanoid figure close enough that he started to regret his decision in getting closer without precaution. Regret is one thing but now he had to get away from this monstrosity as soon as possible¡ªjust as he thought of doing so, the werewolf kicks its feet off the ground hard, leaving the ground shattered to a small spider-like-weeb. It was as clear as the evening sun that it wasing straight him, as fast as it could which caused the hiking man to panic at the sudden change of situation. Even the viewers who were watching the video couldn''t help but held their breath and watch intently on their screen, not wanting to miss anything. Of course, some viewers were making a joke out of the situation, thinking all of this was just a massive prank done by the hiking man''s friends for the lol and giggle. If one were to listen closely, they could hear a low groaning voice that shouldn''t be possible made by a human from the ''werewolf''. Just that alone was enough to make some of the viewers to believe that this video is real, not a hoax like the others on the inte. When the ''werewolf'' jumped at him, the hiking man tried defending himself by covering his head with his hands, ignoring the fact that he was holding onto the camera. The moment he does so, the camera was sent flying in a distance as his gripped on it became weak due to panic. The viewers couldn''t figure out what happened next while the camera was recording facing upward in the sky, and because of that, some of them started to feel anxious and worried about the hiking man. They wondered if the man is safe from the werewolf-like creature as it was clear to them that it seems to hold quite a hostility just by looking at its face within split seconds that the camera managed to capture it. Thest scene the camera recorded while it was sent flying was the ''werewolf'' sending its w at the defensive hiking man when it was still midair and afterward, they heard wailinging from the hiking man before the camera flew toward another ce. "AAAAAH!" The hiking man moaned out loud as the pain assaulted his entire body starting from his arms, which has now be bloody after getting pierced by the werewolf''s sharp w, leaving three deep bloody scars on both of his forearms. It was a wonder how the hiking man could still be standing after receiving such injuries as most would fall unconscious due to how painful it is. He must have been a person with a strong will. But no matter how strong his will is, painful things are painful. Although the pain assaulting him was enough to almost make him feel lightheaded, his mind is still sane and working perfectly fine. That one w attack was enough to show him that the werewolf creature in front of him is not ying around nor is it a mere prank by someone. It is the real deal and it wanted him dead, nothing much and nothing less. The hiking man gritted his teeth hard and tried his best to endure the pain on both of his arms as he put all his strength on his feet and ran off the opposite of where the werewolf came from. There''s no need to waste time waiting on the spot while wailing in pain as he would undoubtedly be killed without question once the werewolf decided to take another action. The longer he waits, the closer he is to the god of death. While he was on the run from the werewolf, the man caught a familiar camera on the ground by the side of a tree and quicken his running pace toward it. Since he didn''t hear any noises on his back, he judged that the werewolf wasn''t chasing after him yet a single thought remained amidst everything that warns him to not be careless. But the hiking man ignores it and thought he would only stop for a short moment to take his expensive camera back, it won''t take too long to simply pick the camera off the ground. But to the viewers watching his video, they thought otherwise as they could see a dark figure appeared in a distance behind a tree when the man turned his back after not finding the werewolf within his field of vision before squatting on his knees to pick the camera. It was already toote when he picked up the camera as the viewers could see the hiking man with his almost cripple bloody arms and the werewolf midway swinging its w at him. It was then that they, the viewers, witnessed the gruesome death of a man who loves hiking. The video came to an end when the werewolf stepped out of the camera''s view, bringing with it the fear of the viewers. Like all the ''exclusive'' videos on the inte, this one also didn''tst long, only a couple of hours before it was soon removed from the social media. The resident of the virtual world has long been used to see such treatment happening since that type of video was usually filtered before an hour passed. Because the government was a bitte in removing the video, it has already spread everywhere. It even spread to She who identally found it while she was browsing on the inte during the idle time when she wasn''t ying games or grinding for some experience in the Trial Tower. "It''s a werewolf, alright." She muttered right after finishing watching the video. She didn''t watch the full video but only at the part when the werewolf appeared on the camera along with the death of the unfortunate hiking man. That was enough for her to believes that the werewolf most likely came from the portal like the ogre she had witnessed a while back. She is no way a professional in video editing so she shouldn''t possiblye to the conclusion after watching the video. Perhaps she knew it was strange yet she believes that her feeling was shouting at her that this was real. And more or less, it''s just the beginning. This type of video won''t be thest one for sure, sooner orter, it will keep popping up, one by one until the government couldn''t keep their silence anymore. The future that was predicted by her grandmother indicated that she was still alive after the world falls into destruction. But she didn''t like how ominous it felt as, in that future, there was no one by her side. Where did my family go? What happened to the organization I was nning to create? What about my best friend? What happened to them?These thoughts keep appearing in her mind when she was about to sleep in the night, it was like an endless nightmare guing in her sleep. She was having trouble going to sleep for the past few days, so she ended up ying games all night long apanied by Ria. They could just sleep in the Trial Tower if the tiredness gets to them, She has even prepared a tent for such a situation. "What are you spacing about?" Speaking of the devil, She turned her head and saw Ria entering the room with both of her hands upied with two cups of coffee. "Mhm, It''s about this video I was watching while you were making coffee downstairs." "Hmm? What video?" Ria said as she sat on the mattress on the floor next to She before putting the two cups of coffee on the small table in front of the two, close to theptop. She leaned closer to She, to the point that their shoulders met one another, while her eyes were focused on the screen which showed a video having been paused. She didn''t say anything and press the space button which immediately makes the video rey from the beginning. She was currently watching it on a small website that only consist of thousands of unknown people all around the world. It was small inparison to a bigger forummunity which makes the videost longer, at least enough for Ria to watch till the end before it was soon removed without leaving any trace behind. "it''s real, isn''t it?" "Mhm. I believe so." Both of them heaved a depressed sigh before looking at each other for a moment, realizing they have done the same action and chuckled at the ridiculousness of reality. The future seemed bleak, but that doesn''t mean they couldn''t do anything to stop the destruction from happening. That was She''s goal for creating an organization. Even though she knew it would be quite the workload for her small brain, she didn''t care. Her livelihood is on the line, after all. Chapter 156 - Colony Of Ants "Raksha! Bite it!" Woof! Woof! Obeying hermand, Raksha, the young gray wolf charge toward the giant ant in front of them, bearing its fang at it. While the two were fighting, She also assists her pet once in a while when things about to get dangerous for Raksha. Although the Giant Ant alone is not a trouble for her, that wasn''t the case for Raksha as it was still low in level. After grinding some experience by herself, she would asionally bring out her pets and let them hunt the monster in the wild while following right behind them. Raksha, it has the meaning of Protection and Moon. She had decided to give that name to the wolf pup which has now grown to young, simply because she wishes it would able to protect her in the time of needs. Its size has grown tremendously when it reached a young age which was nowparable to its previous size before turning into one of her taming pets. If it keeps on this momentum, it should be possible for She to ride on it when it reached adulthood. Just imagining herself riding the gray wolf, adventuring in the wild together, brought a warm feeling of happiness inside of her. She couldn''t wait for that time toe. As for ''Kuu'', the mimicry slime. She had told it to practice more on the mimicry skill, that was why it was currently impersonating as a dark long-sleeve jacket she currently wore on top of her summer outfit. She praised it many times when she wore it for the first time as it felt very natural to the touch. She didn''t expect to feelfortable when wearing the dark jacket(Kuu) over her current outfit, it was almost to the point that she thought it was an actual jacket rather than a mimicry of a slime. That was simply how amazing and hardworking Kuu is! It jiggled around her as if embarrassing when it was receiving an honestpliment from her which was also pretty cute in She''s opinion. Lookingposedly at the Giant Ant fighting against Raksha, She remembers the time when she had met it for the first time. She had been hunting the fierce wolf for a while now as she memorized its presence due to having Raksha with her. It was at the time when she had just finished hunting a group of them when suddenly this new type of monster menacingly appeared in front of her. She had sensed its presence miles away but have been ignoring it up until now since it didn''t seem like it was targeting her, or rather, it looks more like the colony was minding their own business. But when one Giant Ant approaching her out of sudden, She knew it was going to kill her simply by sensing the killing intent just by staring at it. She was being careful and didn''t want to make the first move, worried that by killing this ant, it might attract the colony to her. If that was the case, she would be done for, that is if she couldn''t escape the Trial Tower in time which is impossible as she should have sensed theming miles away from her position. But if she were to be distracted by something else in the meantime, like the time at the park where she was exposed to Yuna... that would surely be the end of her. Or will it truly? After all, she hadn''t forgotten about one important information regarding the Trial Tower. It was the fact that it should be possible to resurrectpletely by three times so long as she was ''killed'' in the Trial Tower, that was what the system had told her. Since she had never test it before, not because she was cowardly, but more of not having any trust in the system. She didn''t want to die young, after all. Woof! Woof! While she was pondering over such thought, Raksha went toward her before barking, as if asking for praise which sheplies in kind by crouching down a bit and snuggle it close to her. Its fur was very soft and feelfortable to the touch, one might even exaggerate by saying it was heavenly! If not for its huge size, one would undoubtedly mistake it for a dog. She also treats the young fierce wolf the same as what she would do to a dog. Even though its name clearly screamed ''fierce'', it didn''t look fierce at all in She''s opinion. She was really cute. Yes, Raksha is a ''she''. It has only been a few days after she talked with her parents, yet she only managed to level up twice. The higher she goes, the harder it is for her to level up. But even with that, with the Trial Tower that has monsters which could respawn indefinitely, it didn''t pose that much problem to her. While the other required them to put years of hard work for their skill improvement, she only needs to kill the monster to level up to be stronger. It was like she was born with a golden spoon, but even the system has its cons. Like the other who put years of sweats for their skill, she also required to do the same for her skill, magic included. Even if she could learn many by buying the skill book from the shop, it required her to put effort into it if she wants it to reach the max level. Skill at level 1 is nothing but basic. Most of the skill at that level isn''t enough to be useful in realbat. Even though it looks like she was idle while letting her pets go wild in hunting, she was actually manipting her skill before moving on to another once she thought it was sufficient. Even right now, She was making an earth doll by manipting the dirt off the ground. Yes, she didn''t only have fire magic. After saving enough gold, She bought a couple more of skill books for herself. Earth Magic is one of them. At level 1, she could only create a wall made of hardened dirt that has enough force to defend against average people and a couple of hits from a monster at level 10. For a beginner, it''s a good skill. But as someone almost reaching level 30 with a high amount of vitality, it couldn''t be used in livebat as her own body is a lot tougher than it, after all. Rather than concentrating solely on leveling up, she decided to do it sparingly and if she had time, she would use that time to focus on leveling up her skill. Some of her skills had reached a satisfying level for them to be a trump card if used properly yet none reached the max. At first, she had thought a month was enough toplete the requirement, but it seemed that she was far too naive and arrogant. At least, she couldplete one of the requirements within that timeline but not all of them after having done further calction. After having enough snuggling with Raksha, She stood up on her feet and pulled the rune note out of her inventory before urging Raksha to return to the note. By now, Raksha had already hunted almost ten Giant Ants on its own, of course with her assisting if the situation called for. Between Giant Ant and Fierce Wolf, the difference in their strength isn''t that much apart, yet the Giant Ants work much better when they''re grouped up together while Fierce Wolf is a lone wolf who hunts by themselves instead of grouping together as a whole. Basically, if the Fierce Wolf was alone by themselves, it would be an easy target for the colony. Plus, there is also the Queen Ant who managed and control the colony like it was her own feet. So in essence, the Giant Ants is much more dangerous than Fierce Wolf. Up until now, She hasn''t picked up the presence of the Queen Ant after traveling this far into the Forest, so she didn''t know its full capabilities just yet other than the information she acquired from reality when she had researched about it on the inte. The inte is an endless sea of knowledge, after all. If the Queen Ant truly exist within the colony, then its level and attributes must be on par with a boss. And this wasn''t the only thing she had to be worried about if that was the case. If one even knew a little about ants would know that there are a few ants around the queen, and that is the Soldier Ants while the normal one was called Worker Ant. If she wants to fight against the Queen Ant, she must be prepared to face off against Soldier Ants too. The further she thought about this, the more she believes the Queen Ant is a boss for this floor. "One Giant Ant found. Judging from its appearance alone, it must be a Worker Ant." She muttered softly to herself as she looked up at the crawling ant ahead of her. The Giant Ant hasn''t taken notice of her presence mostly because she was hiding her presence by bing one with the shadow. Slowly, she creeps toward the ignorant Giant Ant like a snake, remained undetected from thetter. As she was getting closer to the Giant Ant, Her left hand was already equipped with the APW turning into a well fit dagger, ready to be swing at any given time. Even when she was close enough to feel its breathing, the Giant Ant still hasn''t taken notice of her presence while munching innocently on the nuts it has collected off the ground. Some might find it cute but not to She as she ruthlessly cut its head off before moving on to pick up the gold coins off the ground, dropped from the result of its death. Though it seemed easy to kill the Giant Ant by looking at She, no one could copy her exact movement at all unless they have the same strength and set of skills like hers. She was already this frightening with her raw strength alone, one could imagine how much stronger she would be if she practices martial art into livebat. Unfortunately, many martial art skill books in the shop were as high as heaven. The price is too heaven-defying for her to afford so she never touched upon such a subject again after finding out the cruel result. Chapter 157 - The Queen Of Giant Ant "Is that, Soldier type, Giant Ant? They have a pretty tough looking exoskeleton after all, so it has to be." She muttered while hiding in the shadow of Worker Ant on its work of transporting the spoil to the colony. The spoil was none other than the corpse of Fierce Wolf. Before confronting the colony, she wants to gain information about her opponents. Even when ites to most of the games she yed, she always did a thorough investigation of her opponents. This bes even more vital in reality, after all, the reality is not a game where you can just restart or respawn to try again. If you got killed, you die for real. No more second chance like those transmigrations or transportation to another world. There are also some cases about a rebirth to the past but those are all fiction. The system had said that she could technically respawn if she dies in the Trial Tower, but as she previously said, she never wants to test it with her life whether it is a truth or a full of crap. So far, the system had shown her that it could do almost anything, so long as she works hard for it, she''ll be reward with plenty of things that one could only imagine. If the system could truly ''revive'' her like a respawn in the game, that means it has the power over life and death, like those necromancers who govern over death which was why they gained an ability to resist death. If that was the case, one would think of the system or someone who managed it as a god, right? Plus, it didn''t tell her if she would receive any drawback if she got respawn by the power of the system. She wouldn''t believe it if didn''t cost anything, especially when it involves life. The world has always been unfair and thew of the natural order as absolute. If the system could easily go against thew of natural order by reviving her without any cost, isn''t that a bull? Is it possible that she would get hit by a sh of purple lightning afterward due to going against heaven? She had already seen the ''respawn process'' from the system the moment she stepped into the Trial Tower so it wasn''t far from the truth. Yet, does that kind of power also apply to her too? Without any drawback for her? A human and monster are two different beings. She didn''t want to get revived only to find herself turned into a freak of monster. Just because the rules apply to the monster doesn''t mean it would work well the same to a human. At least, that''s not how it works in reality, or so she believes. Although it sounds cool by turning into a monster, she didn''t want to experience it in reality. What if she ended up turning into a goblin? That''s an absolute no. Being a slime might be interesting but a goblin is a big NO. If the drawback of getting a respawn is by taking away half of her experience level, that might not be so bad. The point is, it actually has a cost which would make her feel relieved. It''s not that she hates free stuff, instead, she loves it very much but when ites to something as important as life, things are just different in various meanings. While the Worker-type Giant Ant was traverse in the around the woods until it arrived at a small dark cave which it immediately went inside beforeing out a few minutester with prey missing from its mandibles. She didn''t need to enter the cave to know that it was used as a ce where they put their spoil in there. She thought of following the worker ant but realized that it was going to leave the colony to hunt for more prey, and so, she decided to simply change her hiding spot to the Soldier-type Giant Ant''s shadow on the way out, following the Worker Giant Ant. The Soldier Giant Ant somehow managed to feel her presence for a split second when she was switching her hiding spot, but it was unable to locate her properly as she had already entered its shadow while it was looking around in vignce and at the same, making weird noises with its mandibles. If her movement was a tad bit slower, she might have gotten caught by it. For the past few minutes, the Soldier Giant Ant had been very vignce of its surroundings and never move away from its location while only on some asion, would turn around to look at the iing Worker Giant Ant before returning to its duty. It took precisely an hour for the Soldier Giant Ant to return to its normal state from the initial wariness. She was disgusted for a while when looking at the Giant Ant species, but after spending so much time around it, it doesn''t bother her anymore. From her Analyze skill, she could tell that the Soldier Giant Ant could put up a bit of a fight if she decided to kill it. Its level is not that much far ahead of her, but what makes it hard for her is because of its strong sense of smell. If not for that, she wouldn''t have almost gotten caught by it when she was switching the spot. But that was not the scariest thing about it. As she had mentioned it previously, currently she was deep into their colony. If she were to get out of hiding to try and kill it, it would immediately release a special pheromone upon noticing her. The special pheromone could be detected by the other Giant Ants so long as they were nearby, so if she couldn''t escape in time, getting surrounded by them would not be good for her. If that happens, she would get overwhelmed by them and sooner orter, she would die, won''t she? That would be the case if she weren''t the host of the Leveling System. Because of the system, she could exit the Trial Tower so long as she wasn''t in the middle of her quest. On each floor within the Trial Tower, there are always a few quests one could ept. This also goes the same to She but unlike the other where the monsters won''t be summoned unless they ept a guest, she didn''t need to do so as the moment she stepped into the floor, the monster was already summoned. But once she received a quest, she couldn''t leave the Trial Tower unless she fulfills the quest like the others. Of course, currently, she didn''t take any quest since she was gathering information. She was not that bad of an idiot, after all. The quest within the Trial Tower and the outside quest where she received from the system are two different things. The former had to bepleted within the Trial Tower and couldn''t be brought to reality, while thetter could beplete anywhere, even in the Trial Tower. But the reward remained the same for both. The higher the risk in the quest, the better the reward one would gain uponpletion. Though that was what she said, she hadn''t taken any single quest within the Trial Tower after ascending to another floor, mostly because she was more focused on the quest given by the system. Also, the quest reward is pretty...lousy. She didn''t know whether her expectations were set too high or that the system is trolling her. Most of them are either something I already have or something that I can easily acquire if I put effort into it, such as, low-grade weapons, some amount of gold and EXP, or misceneous(useless stuff). She doesn''t need a shitty weapon since she already had a pretty powerful one, which is All-Purpose-Weapon. It could evenpete with the top tiers one because of it being a growth-type weapon. As for gold and EXP? She could get that easily and much more by killing monsters non-stop if she put effort into the grinding. There''s no need to speak of useless stuff. Either way, that was the reason why she didn''t ept any quest from the Trial Tower. It didn''t give that many benefits to her yet that won''t be the case for the others such as Ria, Sylvia, Mia, and her parents. They didn''t have a unique weapon like her nor do they have the skills and as much as experience as her to easily kill monsters without batting an eye. For them, the quest in the Trial Tower was as good as the one she gets from the system. She also gives them a hand from time to times, it seemed that she could help them in their quest without facing any punishment or trouble which is good. After a few hours hiding within the shadow, She had almost grown fed-up of staring at the same ant on the same spot as if it has be a statue. Maybe the god has heard her desperate prayers as another Soldier-type Giant Ant suddenly appeared from another cave, crawling toward her location, or rather, the guarding Soldier-type Giant Ant. It seemed as though they have intelligence, at least enough for them to think of making a shift for the ants guarding the ce. It''s either a variant one or it was the idea from the Queen itself. Anyways, once the new Soldier-type Giant Ant appeared, the old one greeted it first in their ''unique ants way'' before heading inside the same cave where the former came from. She was excited, finally, the time hase. When the Soldier Giant Ant went into the cave, She also wonder where is its destination, would it be by the Queen''s side? Or will it be a sort of rxing room? Who knows, the ant might also need a break as any human does. With that kind of expectation, She watch her surroundings with a curious look, it was a dark cave but that is not a problem with her night vision skill. It seemed the cave was not a natural one but a work of the Worker Ants judging from how hard the wall looks like. With just a single look, one could that it is not natural by any means. Further deep into the cave, She also passed a few Worker Ants working on making the cave even more spacious, or perhaps another tunnel heading somewhere else. She hadn''t seen any new variant ant so far, and the colony most likely a new one as she could only sense hundreds of ants aside from her presence. Or it might be that the Queen couldn''t give birth as fast as she thought possible. As the Soldier Giant Ant went further deeper into the cave, She bes even more excited. It has to be the Queen! With that thought in mind, she looked up straight ahead when she senses that the Soldier hade to a halt. Ahead of her, she could see an elegant yet nimble looking Giant Ant stood out like a sore thumb, in the middle of many Soldier Giant Ants surrounding it. As expected, it was none other than the Queen. Even though the ants she had seen so far are all seemed ugly-looking, this one seemed a lot better than them inparison. No, it might be rude of her topare them with each other. It was like trying topare a royalty with amoner, It couldn''t be called a match at all. "Queen of the Giant Ant. Her presence alone is no joke, she must be stronger than me, perhaps. I couldn''t be sure just yet, I need to gather more information before picking a fight with them." She muttered softly to herself so that the sound won''t be leaked out of the shadow. If that happens, she would immediately exit the Trial Tower without wasting any time as it wasn''t a joke that she was right in the most important ce of her enemies. She would be killed without a doubt once they found out her presence. Even with that thought in mind, she couldn''t help but think of what would the future be if she could tame the Queen and made it her own. Wouldn''t she have an army of Giant Ants? The mere thought caused her to be filled with excitement yet she knew it wasn''t possible unless she shows the Queen that it couldn''t defeat her no matter how hard it tried. Basically, an absolute power that one couldn''t resist. Chapter 158 - A Reckless Decision She only stayed for a whole six hours investigating everything about the Giant Ant''s nest, and also the most important of them all, the Queen. She didn''t get that much information in that short amount of time and couldn''t continue more because another urgent matter appeared that required of her presence. She had been wondering where did that girl gone to but now that thetter suddenly entered the Trial Tower and madly charge toward the slime, she begins to wonder what happens for her to react to such extent. The girl didn''t even bother taking rest and continue ying slimes one after another, not even minding the small wounds that slowly umted all over her body. If this keeps up, she might eventually get swallowed by the momentum. Although she only knew her for a week, she never saw her bing this flustered and doing a reckless thing, not minding her life is on the risk. The girl was the type that appeared to be calm and collected even though she was a bit shy around a stranger. That was the impression She get from Mia after getting to know of her within this week. "Is it that time of a month for her? No matter how cold one appearance be, they would be an Ogre once that time of a month came after all. Fortunately, I have got the pain resistance potion with me, so it didn''t bother me one a bit." She muttered while pondering what problem fall onto Mia that caused thetter to do some reckless action without considering the consequence.Thankfully I was currently in the Trial Tower so the system could notify me faster if the others were doing reckless stuff that might risk their life,thought She as she breathes a relieved sigh. "While I''m on the topic, no wonder Ria didn''t enter the Trial Tower at all for the past few days. She should have known about the Pain Resistance potion that I shared with her a while ago, but perhaps, she might have forgotten about it since she never came to me to ask for it... Hold on. Since she had already forgotten about it, what if I suddenly mentioned it while she already suffered for the past few days while I didn''t have to suffer alongside her? Wouldn''t she get angry at me for not reminding her about such a useful potion avable?" She gulped nervously after noticing the problem in her thought. Perhaps, she might have to look for an excuse, maybe the excuse for being busy would work? It should be, isn''t it? Technically, it isn''t wrong. Or why not simply sent it to her inventory before messaging her about it? Yes, that should be done. She wouldn''t be able to find a loophole in my lies by reading my facial expression like face to face since it''s in the message. Her ability to read people is almost as frightening as Sara, her mother. If one were to lie in their face, they must at least have one tough and shameless heart to be able to do so with the risk of getting exposed. This is one of many reasons why she relied heavily on them. As her family and best friend, both of them understood her as much as herself so she didn''t have to worry about getting trick or lie by others so long as she''s with any of the two. Most importantly, both of them are also good at giving advice. Although Ria didn''t have as much experience as Sara, her advice is not really that far behind. It''s no wonder both of them could seed in life, unlike her who was only good at causing trouble for them. When ites to that, she''s second to none. Of course, it is not something one would be proud of, but it isn''t so bad either. To perfectly execute the art of troublemaker, one would need a special skill, not many could have done as smoothly as her. In a way, she could be said to specialize in that. She shook her head to remove the thought before teleporting herself to the dimension where Mia resides within the Trial Tower. The people that were able to enter the Trial Tower by something else instead of using the system like her would enter in their ''dimension''. That was why they couldn''t meet each other unless She brought them along. In their dimension, they are the sole human. This is too makes things easier for them to hunt the monster without having to fight for the loot and stuff that one would usually see in the games. This is not within her power but of the system instead, yet that doesn''t mean she couldn''t do anything at all as she had once said, she did a couple of configuration to imnt the ideas in her mind and make it work. As the host of the leveling system, she has the ability to do so but notpletely. The system''s capabilities regarding space magic are almost second to none. At least, that was her thought after knowing the full extent of what the system could aplish regarding the Trial Tower. If the system ever turned hostile, she couldn''t possibly do anything if it were to suddenly decided to send her into the endless void, the ce beyond the Trial Tower, where no average human could survive living in there. Her fate would be none other than death, she couldn''t even resist. That was simply how scary space magic is. After all, she had experienced it once when the system decided to abruptly teleport herself into the Trial Tower. Anyways, the moment She arrived in Mia''s dimension, she was not that far ahead from the girl who was currently attacking the slimes in a distance with her magic while also bashing her club at the slimes that managed to get to her. It seemed she was so focused on the battle that she hasn''t taken notice of another intruder in her dimension. She keeps her distance and watches the fight from afar as to not get in her way. Since she''s already here, She wasn''t worried much about not being fast enough to rescue Mia who might get in troubleter down the line with her reckless behavior. Within the Trial Tower, she could technically ''blink'' out of existence toward another location within the blink of an eye. But of course, this only works when she''s in their dimension but the same couldn''t be said on her own which she thought was strange but didn''t bother to investigate further. The system''s real capabilities knew no bounds. Looking at the way Mia fights, though it seemed reckless, her expression still appears to be calm and rational. When she realized the slime had her surrounded, she focused on bashing the slime on her side until it leaves her enough space before retreating out of the encirclement from that route. That was the current situation happening in front of her. When She thought she was in predicament and was about to go and rescue, Mia would always find a way to retreat before firing at them with her magic, leaving them exploded to pieces. If one has a weak heart was to see it, they would have fainted on the spot from having worried too much. Or might have gone ahead to rescue her even though she didn''t need any. When Mia had finished killing the group of slimes and was drinking the potion to heal the wounds on her body, She immediately used the chance to made her presence known to her. If hadn''t stepped in at that moment, Mia would have gone on another rampage since she didn''t bother taking a rest so long as the potion did their work on healing her properly. The wounds all over her body are definitely sessfully healed, but that doesn''t mean it also included her stamina. Right now, Mia was breathing heavily which proven that her stamina had already run out even before the fight She had witnessed a moment ago. By appearing right in front of her, She also brought a bottle of cold mineral water to give it to thetter before saying. "You should take a break. Your body will break down at this rate if you continue even with the healing from the potion." Not surprising at her sudden entrance, Mia took the water bottle given to her without saying anything as her thirst was starting to be unbearable for her to resist the moment her eyes caught it in her view. It only takes a few breaths for her to finish the whole bottle, it goes to show how thirsty and tired she is after fighting many battles without taking any rest nor did she drink any water until now. Since she had alreadypleted the quest of killing a certain amount of slimes, the zone had turned into a safe zone uponpletion unless she took another quest for a chance to go rampage once again. That was exactly what Mia was going to do after having sated her thirst, but She was prepared for that as she had already disabled the quest system in the card earlier before appearing in front of her. Not finding the specific quest in the card, Mia looked up at her with a pout, looking like a child having their favorite toy stolen from them. Although She appeared to be stoic in her expression, she was internally dying and almostugh at how adorable Mia looked to her. She somehow managed to control the urge by looking away before asking thetter what happened for her to turn out like this. "It was because of one annoying girl. I never crossed her path in my entire life yet that girl always appeared in front of her just to annoy me for no particr reason. I had been enduring it up until now since it would just be a waste of time of humoring her, so I would rather focus on my studies instead, which apparently was a bad move as it turned out for her to be even more annoying." Mia exined with a frown when she remembers the time she was unjustly bullied at the Mage Academy. It was clear to She that Mia must really dislike the girl. "Just before I came here a few hours ago, I was in the middle of shopping for the day and unexpectedly, I came across her and her annoying little group. The moment her gaze met mine, her face turned ugly as she hurriedly marches toward me with the same ill intent that I could tell simply by looking at her face. Obviously, I turned my back and was about to run away but the shouted from her caused me to halt in my step." "Later on, I somehow epted the duel requested by her. I don''t know what gets to me, but I didn''t regret my reckless decision at all. It will be three dayster at one of Mage Association''s branches which are based at A District. I didn''t know that they have a base around, though it was a branch one. The fight will be in a small Arena facility built by them." "That was the reason why I want to get stronger as fast as possible in preparation for theter duel. I knew very well that my current capabilities are not enough to win against her. That''s why... can you please allow me to train here before the date of the duel? I have enough of her BS and want to beat the crap out of her until I''m satisfied. That is my only desire for the moment." Chapter 159 - Phoenix, Go And Harras Them! "How did it ended up into you epting the bet?" Asked She with curiosity. Mia lowered her head and said. "I couldn''t control my emotion at the time when that annoying girl was talking bad about my teacher. I don''t mind much if they talk rubbish about me, but to do the same toward the teacher who was kind to me doesn''t sit right to me. In my head, I knew that girl was plotting something but my emotion gets to me." She nodded her head in an understanding manner which prompted Mia to continue. "I think the girl was nning to shame me and my teacher because of her unknown hatred toward me. The bet was if I won against her, she would retract her abusive word about my teacher and me. But if I lose..." Mia paused for a moment as if thetter part was stuck in her mouth, looking at her bitter expression, the losing bet must have not been a good one for her. But She had to ask even knowing that. "If you lose? What is it?" "I...I need to grovel in front of her and her little group before saying some kind of praising line toward her." "What the hell? Now I kind of agree that you should beat her up till beyond recognition, not that I disagree with you from the beginning." She said with an upset tone, clearly starting to hate the girl she had never seen before. It could also be that Mia was lying to her by making up the story on the spot but... she doesn''t seem to be that kind of girl to She. What would she get by lying if it would soon get exposed once the date came? That annoying girl sounds like someone with an entitled disorder to She based on what Mia had told her. Anyone with a sane mind wouldn''t be asking that kind of bet since it was nothing to joke around unless they wanted to fill their vanity. At most, friends might tend to joke around too far but at the end of it, they would justugh before forgettingpletely about it and move on. So she only has three days of preparation which She thought should be plentiful enough. With the time dtion in the Trial Tower, three days, in reality, would her as much as three months. That is if Mia decided to spend the entire three days in the Trial Tower. Three months should be enough for her to level up to 20 or at the lowest, 15. When she reached that level, it would just be a breeze to her when the duel arrived. From what Mia said, the girl is not some kind of prodigy genius but only one with an ordinary talent. The girl got nothing special other than her family background which was something she knows herself and takes advantage of it at every opportunity. There''s no way the girl with ordinary talent could beat someone at level 15 with the highest stats in Intelligence. Rather, she would only be asking to get herself killed if the one at level 15 ever decided to do so. Even if Mia couldn''t hunt the slimes to level up, she could still train her skills in the Trial Tower. Although it would be much slower than fighting in realbat, the experience for the skill did, in fact, increased no matter how small it is. If she decided to enter the Trial Tower for only 4-6 hours in real-time the entire three days, her strength should still increase tremendously. With that said, since She had already agreed on letting Miapleting more quests, but on one condition; She has to take a break once she was exhausted, and not push her body too far until it was beyond broken that not even a potion could do something about it. Without any other choice, Mia could onlyply with it or she won''t be able to hunt slime to level up anymore. After advising Mia a couple more times and once she was sure that thetter took her advice seriously, She finally exits the Trial Tower for some other business. She couldn''t stay too long in the Trial Tower since the time dtion didn''t matter for her quest, the longer she stays without doing anything productive in there, the more her time was wasted. It sucks but she couldn''t do anything about it. If that wasn''t the case, a month in real-time wouldn''t be much to her. If she was the system, she wouldn''t let the host took advantage of the time dtion either. When She regained her sight, she was greeted with the same familiar room and when she looked around, the figure she was searching for was nowhere to be found. Perhaps, she might be downstairs watching a movie or something. She only required to spread her awareness to the whole house and it didn''t take that much time as all the information she needs, entered through her brain like a sea wave. When she had done this the first time, she was hit by dizziness and almost puke on the spot due to a crazy amount of information entering her brain so suddenly. After a couple more practices, it didn''t give her any more headaches so long as she didn''t overuse it. It seemed she was right on the mark as she could feel Ria''s presence seated on the cushion in the living room. Sara was currently out of the house for her work and also, looking for a piece ofnd for the foundation of the still-in-process organization. So the only one in the house at the moment were the three of them, Sylvia included. Sylvia was currently in her room, most likely ying a game or two after she was finished with her homework. After the day She brought her parent into the Trial Tower, Anthony only stayed for a couple more days before heading off as it seemed that his businesspany abroad was really desperate for his presence. So he couldn''t put it off any longer even if he wanted to. Even if he was traveling overseas, or at the end of the world, they could still meet each other so long as She brought them to the same dimension. "Phoenix,e out." Suddenly, a bird-looking form with fire all over its body appeared in front of She along with its cries, answering to her call. it was a Phoenix, or one can also call it as Vermillion Bird. It was one of the four mythical creatures used in the Four-Defensive Formation, or rather, it was only a liter of their blood which is notparable to when they are still alive and at their prime. At most, their power was around 5% which is already strong enough to annihte a whole city to nothingness. As to why she called out to such a beast? It was obviously because she wanted to test out if they would take notice of it if she were to send it at their branch to cause trouble. That was just a joke. To be honest, she actually wanted to know whether they have some kind barrier protecting their building caused that''s usually the case, in fictitious novels. She doesn''t know why but her feeling was telling her to be prepared just in case if they might bring trouble to her. It''s not really an impossible thing for them once they found out that she has a special ability that could bring an average person to ''another dimension'' where one could be stronger beyond human''s limit, in summary, one could be ''superman'' if they raised high enough level. If such findings were to be spread to them, it wouldn''t be a joke to say She would get chased around by them to the end of the world. Even if she keep low-profile at the moment, it doesn''t mean that it would stay like this till the end. Sooner orter, they would figure out that something is amiss, or some kind of incident happened which prompted her to reveal her ''true power'' in front of them. If she didn''t want to get caught by them, she had to be prepared. Most importantly, she was about to create an organization that would definitely get in their irk. Actuality, the Mage Association is no different than an organization. But in this case, it was much bigger than what She imagined hers to be. If a mysterious organization suddenly appeared in their turf without their knowing, won''t it be obvious that they would get angry and thought someone was going to steal their turf, roughly something like that? She was going to prepare herself for that sort of situation. With that thought in mind, She was currently giving hermand toward the Phoenix who was sitting on her shoulders like an ordinary bird. As the master of the formation, the powerful fire from the phoenix was unable to give any damage to her. But that didn''t mean that her shirt would be fine meeting such a powerful fire so close. When that kind of thought appeared in her mind, her shirt was already beyond saving. With her quick reaction, She was able to save her bra from being burnt to ashes. So now, she was left with a shirt that has turned into ashes on the ground while wearing the almost burnt bra. Thankfully her pants were not caught in the fire or she would likely be left naked for a moment. It was a fortune that it happened in her room, at her own house instead of public ces. She took the small incident to heart before continuing briefing about the mission to the Phoenix. As a mythical creature, it understood her word properly, or perhaps, it was able to read the intent in her word as the master of the formation. Either way, once it fully understood everything, she sends it out from the window as it flew like a normal bird, the fire was nowhere to be seen. "I wonder what would their reaction be when they noticed that they were harassed by a Phoenix. Ah~ I wish I was there to see it, too bad." She said with a feeling of sorrow filled within her tone. She was not worried about what would happen to the Phoenix, after all, it is an undying bird. Even if they somehow managed to kill it, it would just revive again once the day has passed with the power of the formation. In fact, the Phoenix alone could destroy the branch base only by giving it a simple yet destructivemand. But she didn''t do so because it would only attract unwanted trouble, and who knows there might be an ''old monster'' living secretly in their base. After sending off the Phoenix, She turned her back from the window and find herself another shirt before going downstairs, heading toward the living room. Meanwhile, at the Headquarter of Mage Association, Frank Llyod suddenly feels the chills run through his body for some inexplicable reason. He wonders if he caught a cold but thought it was not possible since he had been staying in his room for the past few days managing the pill of paperwork. It must be someone talking bad about me on my back, with that thought in mind, Frank continues working on the paper in front of it with a helpless and an exhausted sigh. Chapter 160 - A Man With Iron Will Ka¡ªBoom! "Ha... this satisfying feeling deep within me...Did I level up again?" Mia murmured after sending a few fireballs at the group of slimes in the distance. She didn''t know where the feeling came from but from what she understood for the past few hours of spending her time here, it was most likely due to leveling up. it was faint at first, but she could definitely feel it and thought she was just imagining it since she was simply too happy upon finally seeing her level increased to 2. But as she progressing further, the moment she levels up the second time, the feeling grows a bit stronger but not as strong as just now which is the third time as her level now stood at 4. Mia just pulled out the card out of her pocket to look over her status and she was right on the mark. She does level up. ¡º Mia LV.1->4 ¡» ¡º HP: 15/15->15/25 MP: 10/50->10/75 ss: Mage ¡ªSTR: 4->10 ¡ªINT: 10->15 ¡ªAGI: 4->6 ¡ªVIT: 3->5 ¡ªLUCK: 2 AP: 15->0 ¡» "I can feel it... I can feel the mysterious strength deep inside of me." Mia couldn''t help but uttered a line that one would mistake her for having an eighth-grade syndrome after feeling her strength increasing at an rming rate. The feeling was just like a drug that can make one addicted to it, it was to the point that one thought they be an omnipotent god who could destroy anything with a simple flick. Of course, that was all merely an illusion of bing stronger. Just like the other times, once the smoke dispersed from the explosion spot, nothing remained other than a ckened ground. Once she was sure of that, Mia could finally take a breath since that means she hadpleted another quest which in turn, makes the zone bing safer since the slimes have all disappeared upon questpletion. To be honest, she had wanted to ept another quest right after leveling up to 2 when She had left. But to her disappointment, she couldn''t take another one unless the timer of thirty minutes disappeared. Mia didn''t need to guess further as she judged it must have been the work of She. It seemed She had prepared in the situation that Mia won''t listen to her advice and imnted a countermeasure against it before leaving. With no other choice, Mia finds herself seated on the ground before looking for something to do inside her inventory. She could just exit the Trial Tower and reenter which would put the timer rendered useless, but she didn''t do so. After all, She went out of her way to do this for her own sake, it would be rude of her if she disregards the advicepletely. Most importantly, just as She said, if she went too far without taking any break, sooner, she would be overwhelmed and die at the hand of the slimes. Dying, that''s not a topic she or any normal person would like to joke around. If she dies here, everything''s over. She still hasn''t repaid her adopted family just yet, and the kindness from her teacher who still supports her till the very end. She needs to repay them before moving on to another life, at the very least. Plus, she also wanted to know about her real family''s identity and, are they still alive somewhere out there. Moreover, why do they left her alone at the Orphanage Center? She had so many questions for them. There''s no way she would let herself get killed at this point in time. "Hmm? Why is there a book in my inventory?" While Mia was browsing through her inventory, she stumbled upon a few things which she didn''t remember adding in. The books were one of them. "Is this... Light Novel? A fiction one at that?" Mia slowly muttered while she was flipping over the pages and managed to read a few lines which she immediately concluded as fiction light novel. She had never read a novel before, but at least she did know that there exists a different type of novel out there. If she remembers correctly, was reading one of She''s hobbyist? Mia still wasn''t sure whether her guess was right but, she still faintly remembers finding a few books in She and Ria''s bedroom. She didn''t know what kind of book it was but certainly, the size of the book was almost the same as the one in her hands, that''s for sure. The only one who could ess her inventory was also none other than She beside herself, so it has to be her. It seemed She has thoroughly been prepared for any kind of situation. If Ria hade to know about this information, she would begin to doubt whether the lie was the truth because of how unbelievable it is to her. Without anything to do other than staring at the endless field of grasnd or the always-sunny sky, Mia decided to read the light novel to pass the time. When she was living in the Orphanage, reading is considered as studying rather than something like a hobby where one spends their time leisurely. It''s not that kind of luxury. Rather than doing that, it would be much more productive if she studies instead. A family would prefer adopting smart kids than idiot one, after all. Of course there a few cases differ. Mia didn''t believe it at first yet still diligently studying when she heard some of those kids who only cares about having fun wasn''t able to get adopted due to such a reason. If she had decided to ignore the advice given by the Caretaker, she might still live in that Orphanage. It wasn''t bad living there but it wasn''t good either. She came to know about it after living for a few years with her adopted family. She came to know about the luxury of spending her free time on some of her hobbies after finishing the homework given by the adopted mother. For the first few days though, she used the free time studying like she did when living in the Orphanage. It was when her adopted mother found out about it that she begins to look for something else. But even so, she never came across a game in the time she was discovering hobbies, this exined why she didn''t know anything about ''status'' when it popped out in front of her surprised gaze. Once Mia gets home that day, she immediately went up to herputer to look for a few games with a ''roley'' genre that was rmended by She. It was a very surprising and exciting experience that would forever live as one of a few good memories. Just like that day, she was surprisingly enjoying reading the light novel in her hands. When the main protagonist didn''t realize the troubleing after his loves one, Mia didn''t expect to finds herself worried about the fictitious character. Or the time when she came across a farewell lines from the main protagonist when hees upon a realization that his presence caused his loved one to be in a dangerous situation, she couldn''t help but feel sympathy for him, the bearer of a cursed fate. When shees to her sense, a few hours have passed and that she had already finished six volumes of a light novel. Yet, she still didn''t feel like she had enough and wanting for more. Since the timer had surpassed the half-hour mark, Mia has to put a stop on her reading to resume training herself for the duel with a heavy and unsatisfied heart. After putting the book back into the inventory, she immediately equipped with the wand before epting a quest that required her to kill a lot of slimes. The rewardpletely gone outside of her perception as she only took a nce at the required kill amount on the quest, other than that, she didn''t bother looking at them. And thus, that''s how Mia spends for the rest of her day, whilst she was on her break, she would resume reading the book as if it bing part of her life now. *** "Man, have you heard about that?" "What is it? Are you talking about that time when you were being aplete moron, massaging your meat in the break room thinking that no one would enter during that time on your break but unfortunately for you, the manager entered the room and saw the ridiculous sight of your¡ª" "STOP! I WASN''T TALKING ABOUT THAT, DUDE!" "What else is there to talk about? That was still the hottest topic of this week, you know?" "I was clearly talking about something else!" "But still, I couldn''t help but be curious, you know? Can you tell me where did you get the will to actually ''do it'' in the break room? Did you be even more aroused upon thinking that someone might enter the room during the time you¡ª" "PLEASE STOP, I BEG YOU! I..I already had enough of people looking at me as if I was a disgusting poop at the side of the r-road." Slowly, the man mutters slowly bing faint and his friend could eventually hear him sobbing and almost choking in his word at the end of it. The man even begins to think that he must have been possessed at that time of the day, for him to dare as far as doing such a ridiculous thing in the room where one would usually enter during their break. Of course, he didn''t dare to mention this to anyone but, that was the best orgasm he had in his entire life. The look on his manager''s face at that time was simply speechless beyond word. For rification, the manager is a beautiful woman in her mid-30s. "Anyways, I was talking about that crazy girl. You know the one who always causes trouble everywhere she goes." After calming himself, the man whispered such a word to his friend while looking around at his surroundings as if afraid that people might hear of him talking about taboo. After all, there was an ident where the girl coincidently overheard someone talking bad about her behind her back and the result of it? No one ever heard of what actually happened to that person anymore after he retired from the job a dayter. It was very obvious to others but they couldn''t do anything other than keeping their mouth shut since they didn''t want to be another victim like him. "Crazy girl? Ah, you meanthat girl. What, did she caused trouble again somewhere?" "No, not yet at least. I heard that she will be having a duel or something, with someone who had already dropped out of the academy. Isn''t that simply bullying at its finest?" "Mhm, Indeed that''s the case. So, why are you bringing the topic? There has to be something interesting for you to suddenly mentioning about it." The man smirked for a moment at his friend''s remark before returning his expression to what he believes as ''being mystery'' and continues. "Of course! Actually, this rumor has already been verified this morning so trust me, it''s the truth!" "Well, speak then. What was so interesting that you have to be all mysterious about." His friend grumbles under his breath at him. "Alright then, I''m looking forward to seeing your expression after hearing about it... you see, I somehow overheard that the Chairman will being here to watch the duel between that crazy girl and the unfortunate one. That very Chairman, you know?! Isn''t it crazy? I know you might not believe me now but just wait for it. Surely, tomorrow or on the day of the duel that the Chairman will make his appearance." The man ended the discussion there amidst his friend sending him weird gaze to him, believingpletely that he was spouting nothing but bullshit. After all, it was the Chairman they were talking about, not some random Tom, Dick or Harry. If the Chairman would truly being here, it won''t be this silent in the building. But still where in the world did his friend get his confidence from? Or is it truly true that the man went crazy after that day he was caught in the act by the manager? Either way, one thing that he still believes until now is that he definitely won''t get any closer to the man for various reasons. The man is simply too dangerous to get closer to. He also could indistinctly remember hearing the manager cursing in her room about how she couldn''t forget about the scene she, unfortunately, had to witnessed that day, which would asionally appear in her dream that causes her to stay awake for the rest of the night. No wonder the manager was still mad at his friend even to this day. It wouldn''t be surprising if his friend were to be fired for such reason, yet the manager was simply too kind for her own good. Although both of them came to know about the supernatural side of the world when they were hired, they were still at the end of it, a normal person who simply have knowledge regarding it. Chapter 161 - Finally, The Day Has Arrived Three dayster... "Inferno." Within the reflection of the eyes of goblins, one could see a small zing fire slowly bing bigger, following the heat in the surrounding also growing hotter by the spell''s effect. When the spell has been conjured, it was already toote for the group of goblins to escape. The cunning one among the group had started to realize they were trapped by the human female when it saw that the ''easy target'' didn''t seem to show any fear to them, who many of them simply thought as an easy target. But even the cunning goblin didn''t the luxury known as ''time'' to retreat as the moment it dawn onto him, it and the other goblins were hit by the destructive spell from Fire Magic without being able to show any resistance against it. When the me slowly dispersed following the smoke''s footsteps, one could finally see the aftermath of the spell. But even without looking at it, one could already imagine how destructive it''s going to be. Not a single goblins remained, all that were hit by the spell was killed on the spot and their corpse vanished before the spell even begin to disperse. p! p! "Congrattions~ It seemed your magic went up in level right before the duel. You''re very lucky, isn''t it?" Mia turned her body and looked back, She could be seen pping with a small smile on her face, it was clear that she was happy at the result. Mia didn''t say anything but simply nodded her head in response, she was too happy yet nervous at the same time since the time she had been preparing has already arrived. With her current capabilities, Mia was confident that she could beat the hell out of that annoying girl. Although she didn''t reach the level that She had expected, the result wasn''t so bad either. She was the type that wants to be prepared in all kinds of scenarios, which meant she would only have the confidence once her level was way higher than her opponent. After all, this is reality. The world isn''t so kind that it would give people a second chance or time to fix their mistake, so one has to cherish every moment given to them and prepare for the worst-case scenario. That was how She''s mindset turned out to be after experiencing all the ''special events'' upon receiving the Leveling System. Even so, it didn''t mean that she won''t make any blunder as it was considered as human nature to make a mistake. No matter how powerful she had be, at the end of it, at her core she was still a human. Though Mia was holding onto a wand, to She, she was not fully equipped just yet. That arrogant girl might underestimate Mia yet, she must at least prepared one trump card in the case she couldn''t beat Mia in magic alone, that was what She thought which she believes might be possible once the thought crossed her mind. For that reason, Mia has to prepare a trump card of her own, isn''t it obvious? With that thought in mind, what is good enough of an item in the system''s shop to be considered as a trump card? Actually, the expensive one could be considered as one but just as said, it is too pricy for her to afford.Or maybe...She grinned when a mischevious idea popped up in her mind. "So, are you leaving now? Or shall we eat? I''m pretty hungry right now." When She brought up the topic of food, Mia''s stomach started screeching like a madman that was triggered by her word which caused thetter to look down as her cheeks started to turn red in embarrassment. She chuckled at the sight before saying. "It seemed that you''re in agreement, let''s head out." She put her hand on top of Mia''s shoulders before teleporting both of them out of the Trial Tower with but a single thought. Once the two regained their sight, they were greeted by Ria as she was actually studying when their figure materializes in the middle of the room. "Oh, you two are out. How was it?" "She''s pretty good, even you might lose if you didn''t have swordsmanship skill, you know?" Ria widens her eyes in surprise at her word before her gaze falls onto Mia and asked. "Really?" "Of course. That goes to show how much effort she put in it when she''s serious. She spent the entire three days in there, you know?" The word said by She caused another wave of shock to Ria. After all, She and herself had never stayed in the Trial Tower as long as Mia did. They have never tried it out so she might be the first one to stay for an entire three days in the Trial Tower. Of course, that won''t be possible if not for She helping her in various ways, one example of that is preparing the tent and bed for Mia to sleep. As for the urge for ''that'', it''s also not a problem. In these days and age, there are tools avable for such a situation. She had already brought them all, with Sara''s money since she''s technically still a student. "In level, she almost caught up to you." Ria nodded her head understanding. Though that was what she said, She believes that even if Mia was on the same level as Ria, she couldn''t possibly beat thetter since Ria could heal herself when she got injured so in essence, she was like an immortal soldier so long as her MP holds up. Although the Inferno spell has a very destructive power, it could still be avoided either their speed is fast enough, or they already know about it and was prepared. When Mia fired out the spell a while ago in the Trial Tower, She had already bound the group of goblins in ces with her shadow, providing as support since she would rather do something than nothing at all. She didn''t have to worry about her opponent escaping or avoiding the spell since she could just bound/freeze them on the spot with her skills. But this wasn''t the case for Mia since she didn''t have such convenient skills like her and could only use the spell when they least expected. So in a way, if they didn''t know that she had such a powerful spell in her arsenal, it could be used as a trump card. While She was deeply in her thought, a sudden growling noise brought her back to reality as she turned toward the person next to her with a smile on her face before saying. "Ah right, I have forgotten about it, sorry. Anyways, are you joining us for lunch, Ria?" Mia looked away with a blushed on her face when she didn''t expect to receive an honest apology from She. She also can''t believe her stomach had betrayed her once again in front of the others. "Sure, I also haven''t eaten lunch just yet." The three then departed from the room, guided by She even though the two were already familiar with the house. When they arrived in the kitchen, Sara was in the middle of washing the dishes. Without turning her back toward them, Sara greeted the three before telling them to find themselves a seat as the lunch was almost ready to be served. The three also give their greeting to her before walking toward the dining room table. While She and the two were waiting for the food to arrive on their table, they were discussing random things to pass the time. Eventually, the topic came to be about Mia and her history as an Orphan. "Living in the Orphanage is not that bad as one thought it would be, or maybe it was just that particr Orphanage since I never went to the other ces. Because the number of orphans keeps increasing every week, the Caretaker and a few adult ones have to take a part-time job so that the small one could be feed three times a day. They feel a sense of responsibility as an adult for the little ones, in fact, most do, even the small yet mature kid since they were all in the same ce and situation but they took it in a different direction." "Hoh, I see. I was expecting it to be a bit dark, like the orphan getting bullied or something, since... you know, the movies and all give me a bad impression of them." Said She, Mia nodded her head in an understanding manner since she also had seen what She was talking about when living with her adopted parent. When she saw that kind of scene in the movie, Mia was thankful once again that she was raised properly at that Orphanage instead of anywhere else. After all, even if the Caretaker hog all the money given from the government to the Orphanage for herself, they couldn''t say anything about it since most would likely believe in the Caretaker''s word than them, the orphan. Of course, some believes more in the orphan''s word but those are a rare case. "I kinda missed the children there now that I was talking about it. I wonder if some of them have gotten adopted and was it a good family? I doubt that one kid would get adopted though, considering he was full of mischief even at a young age. " She paused for a moment, perhaps getting nostalgic and the thought of visiting them did cross her mind but shrugged it off since she has a more important issue at the moment. Once it has been taken care of, she might have time for that. After cooling off her mind, she then continues talking about her day in the Orphanage until Sara walks in, carrying the hot steaming foods in her hands. It was then her stomach has started showing its ugly head once again by making a loud growling noise that would scare off kids to their mommy. At this point, she didn''t care anymore as her eyes were focused on the food settle on the table. "So, are you heading there now?" "Mhm." After having their bellies full with a good meal, Mia decided its time for her to head out and was now standing outside the gate of She''s house. She could be seen standing near the gate, apanied by Ria. "I really can''t go along with you?" "I''m sorry, but they won''t let you in unless you''re associated with them. You don''t need to be worried about me, I''m sure I could surely win against that girl with my current power." "Well, Alright. Just make sure you don''t underestimate her, okay? A person with the same personality as that girl would usually do something sneaky when they were about to lose or desperate, especially. Please, be careful, okay? If things went south, just head into the Trial Tower without a second thought. No one there could enter that ce, after all." "Mhm, I got it.I shall bring home victory, was it? I''m not sure if that was the right quote..." She couldn''t help but giggle at Mia''s remark, understanding that thetter was trying to change the mood for the better which sheplied. After bidding her farewell to them, Mia walks away with the confidence regained after growing a lot more stronger than before inside the Trial Tower.That ce was truly magical with truly bizzare rules. If this information gets to the Mage Association, especially those old folks, She and her family might be in danger. I should keep my mouth seal for their sake, It''s the least I could do,thought Mia. Chapter 162 - Adalia Beldfort After taking two buses at each stop, Mia finally reached the meeting location. It seemed she arrived a little too earlier as she couldn''t find that annoying girl and her group around even after looking around. While she was waiting and asionally look around in the crowd, the people walking passed her also stole a look at her a couple of times. With a dark brown haircut coupled with her innocent young look and thefortable summer outfit, she''s the very essence of youth itself. It couldn''t be helped that a group of high school boys who had not found themselves any partner to date this summer, would walk toward her with the intention of getting to know each other. "Hey girl, you alone?" A boy with a messing looking hairstyle went ahead with a confident look on his face to greet her with the same old cliche line. Perhaps the boy thought with his in-looking face and messy hairstyle, it would make him look cool or giving him a bad boy vibe to the girl judging from his smiling face, one could clearly read it as full confidence. Unfortunately, the boy got itpletely wrong on his assumption. Rather than cool, he looks more like an unkempt person. As someone who likes to keep things tidy and clean, Mia dislikes him the moment her eyes caught him walking with his group toward her. But even if the boy has a neat appearance, Mia would still ignore him for she simply didn''t care nor have time for dating and more focus on looking into her family instead. Mia thought if she bes sessful in life, her parents out there might take notice of her someway or another. That was her sole reason for studying hard when living in Orphanage and the Mage Academy. "Hey?" But although Mia managed to fill her brain with all sorts of knowledge, she had never gained sess in anything up until now. When she was told about how her body holds much more mystic power than average people, she thought finally it was her turn to shine. But due to some unexined reason, she couldn''t conjure a single spell, not even a basic one despite having a body that holds potential. It almost crushed her hope to dust but despite all that, she didn''t give in and continues to strife further and working much harder so that perhaps, one day her hard work might bore fruition. Even while she was bullied by those who looked down on her for hermoner background, she didn''t lose against the pressure and instead, be even more resolute to show them that one day, she could do the same as them as in the meaning that she can conjure a spell, not bullying. "Girl, are you ignoring me?" But even a person with the strongest will would eventually break down when faced with endless trials and suffering, it was just about time. Just when the me within her was about to be extinguished, a new ray of hope appeared. It was then that her potential was finally unleashed from its seal. She also came upon a new understanding that the so-called ''mystic power'' was actually mana, something akin to Qi or Ki in some martial arts films. Mia didn''t know why she was unable to conjure a single spell from magecraft even after researching in the library at the Mage Academy which was said to hold all kinds of information, yet none was able to tell her what was wrong. Back then it was a headache that she suffered in her everyday life but now, she didn''t give two shit about it. She could now conjure all sorts of a magical spell, after all!Who cares about the past! I''m going to show those people who looked down on me that I, Mia can finally¡ªno, could do even better than them! When the boy realized his getting ignored by the girl, he was still calm despite feeling ufortable and as evidence, one can see his fake smile didn''t break apart just yet. But when he heard his friendsughing at him and his failure, a crack appeared as his mouth started twitching. Was it just simply his imagination or there was a contempt in theirugh which caused him to feel terrible. The worst of all, the girl who was the cause of all this didn''t even bother about it judging by the look on her expression. In fact, it looks like she was deep in her thought that not even his presence could disturb her from it. He thought she would be an easy target to hit on when looking at her appearance but unexpectedly, it was actually on hard mode instead of an easy one that he assumed. Even so, getting humiliated is not something one can easily let go, obviously the boy start holding a grudge against her for humiliating him in front of his friends. The boy also the type to get easily overwhelmed by his emotion so just like the cliche in most novels, he raised his hand and tried grabbing the girl''s shoulders but thetter moved away the moment his hand creeps closer to her. Of course, this brought another set ofughter to his friends. The boy has reached his limit at this point and just as he was about to open his mouth, the girl finally turned her head toward him and ruthlessly spoke to him. "Stop trying to hit on me, you''re not even my type." Although Mia has a shy personality, that doesn''t mean she couldn''t express her annoyance to the people who disturb her peace. It has been five minutes yet that annoying girl is nowhere to be seen. Mia began to wonder if she was lied to and also consider taking her leave since if that was true, it would be better to leave now rather than wasting more time than this. Just when the thought appears in her mind, she could see the annoying girl in the distance stepping out of the corner of the street with the same annoyed look on her face. Someone in the Academy even spectes that she only has that single expression and couldn''t use any other expression was due to some mistake happening during the delivery, but of course, no one dares to speak out unless they want to suffer for their entire life. When the boy saw her looking elsewhere, he also followed her gaze but then froze on the spot for some reason unknown to Mia. When the annoying girl finally arrived in front of Mia, she clicked her tongue in displease which in response makes the boy stepped back with his face turning pale. The girl stares at Mia for a moment before turning her head at the boy with a displeased look on her face before saying a single sentence at his face. "Scram off." With that single sentence from her, the pale-looking boy and his friends immediately took off without looking back as if afraid that she would suddenly change her mind. At this point, even an idiot would quickly realize what had just transmitted in front of them.Why would this girl went as far as this just to annoy me? I have never crossed path with her yet, why was there such hatred for me?thought Mia but didn''t voice out her question. When the boy and his group disappeared from her view, the girl turned back her face toward her coupled with a menacing look on her face. "You''re quite early, aren''t you? Do you want to get beaten up by me that much, I wonder?" As always, she starts the conversation with provoking sentences as her introduction. Even if the world came to an end or the sun rises from the west, Mia doubts the girl would change this part of her personality. Her personality was simply too rotten, even some girls with ''strange taste'' might be better off than her. "Just get to the point by guiding me to the Arena already, you speak too much." "Y-You... Fine, if you couldn''t wait to lose that much then I will fulfill your wish!" Now that Mia thought about it, she didn''t know this girl''s name and never put the effort to find out about it. After all, who would remember their bully''s name unless the hatred was rooted deeply into them that makes them unable to forget the past without getting revenge for their life? Although she received quite a lot of bullying from the girl and her group, it was only to the point that Mia wanted to beat thetter to a pulp for her satisfaction, but not as far as killing. As someone living in a good Orphanage, she learned to forgive people eventually once time passed for a certain period. Sooner orter, she would also forget the grief she suffered from the girl''s hand. But for now, the grief is still there and without beating the girl until her face turning into a pile of mess just like her personality, Mia won''t feel satisfied. "We''re here." The annoying girl, Adalia Beldlfort, said when they arrived in front of a huge and tall, modern-looking building. Mia tilted her head to the side, her face was visibly filled with confusion as she didn''t expect for a branch of Mage Association to actually look like a normal modernize building as she expects it to be more of, hidden? Well, the pure shock she received was not a surprising thing as the Mage Academy looks more like something one would see straight out of fantasy with students wearing their strange-looking cloak, which would definitely attract attention if it was somewhere in public. She had thought it would be somewhere deep in the mountain like the academy but guess she was wrong. Adalia didn''t bother exining bothersome things to Mia as she stepped into the building right after informing thetter that they have arrived at their location. It only took them a few minutes of walking time to reach here, but in those few minutes, it felt like an hour of suffering to Adalia. After all, she hates going outside whilst the sun was shining brightly up in the sky. Ever since she was small, she prefers locking up herself inside her room instead of going outside to y like the other kids of her age. When Mia realized that she was left behind when shees to her senses, she immediately speeds up toward the entrance of the tall building while the passing people were sending a strange look at her. The moment Mia stepped inside the building, she started looking for Adalia and soon found her standing in front of the elevator with the same old, annoyed look on her face. While Mia was walking toward her, she was observing her surroundings. Mia didn''t know why but she could feel the stare from everyone on her as if she was some kind of weird animal at the zoo when she stepped inside. When her eyes identally locked with someone else, they would immediately look away.Am I unwanted here or what? I don''t understand. "You''rete. This is why I hate peasant." "Hmm? You don''t even have the patient to wait for someone for a few minutes? Must be hard for your future boyfriend." "What did you say?!" "And you even need me to repeat it for you to fully understand. Ah, I can imagine your future boyfriend leaving you due to having so much stress taking care of you." "You!" The two continues bickering with each other until the elevator arrived. The surrounding people who watch the scene were perplexed and at the same time surprised, it was the first time for them to see someone so brave talking back to the little devil. They somehow feel pity for the hero since they knew those who crossed paths with the little devil won''t have a very good ending. But even so, when they saw the little devil fuming red from anger, they couldn''t help but feel exhrated. How they wish they could record the scene and saved it into their phone, it was simply that amazing. Chapter 163 - Breaking The Mages Common Sense Entering the elevator, Mia immediately turned her head toward the button panel. Like the other elevator she had observed so far, nothing seems that much different aside from a couple of strange buttons without anybel on it which used to defines what kind of floor it is. Mia had thought Adalia would press on the basement one, as it should be the most spacious floor but instead, she pressed on one of the few strange buttons before the elevator started operating downward which Mia could tell by simply looking at the floor indicator. While the elevator was moving, the two girls in it didn''t utter or make any sound. Neither tries to start a conversation as on Adalia''s side, she didn''t want to waste any breath on someone like Mia since thetter will definitely lose against her. As for Mia, she has a shy personality to begin with so among the two, the one to likely open their mouth would be Adalia. She won''t speak a single word unless someone provoked her like what had just happened a moment ago. That''s just how she is. It only takes exactly three minutes for the elevator to reach the lowest floor possible, but to Mia, it feels like an hour had passed instead. It''s really hard for her to be in the same space even for a few minutes with someone you''re going to fightter on. It was very awkward and ufortable to say the least. Thankfully, that awkward moment for three whole minutes is now over. When the door of the elevator wide opened, her eyes widen up in shock as Mia couldn''t believe what she had witnessed. One of the reasons that caused this reaction was that the whole floor was a lot more spacious than she expected it to be. Whilst she was following the back of Adalia, Mia can already determine where they were heading to by simply taking a peek ahead of her and saw some kind of special looking tform, like the one in the movies which was used to train their martial art skill. It seemed her guess was right on the mark as she could see a few people on top of the tform training their skill by sparing with each other. Aside from that, a small crowd beneath the tform caused her to feel tense for an obvious reason. ''Did the news had already spread to the academy? I guess that makes sense considering it had been three days since then. Even more, that annoying girl might have spread the news on purpose to let the other know,''thought Mia when she recognized some of her ssmates seated amongst the crowd. ''But even so, aren''t there too many of them? What was the teacher on the Academy doing, by allowing these people cking around instead of studying? Or did they skip their ss without notifying the teacher? No, that shouldn''t be possible.'' "Ah right, I remember hearing my teacher saying something along the line that there will be an event a week ago before I dropped from the Academy. I have forgotten what kind of event it is but, most likely this must be the reason why the students were here." Mia murmured apanied by a helpless sigh when she realized how terrible misfortune for her to came across Adalia while in the middle of her shopping. If she had just stayed obediently at home that day, this fight most probably won''t happen. But who would have thought this would happen from just a simple shopping? It''s already toote to regret it by now. Thankfully, she had prepared enough for the uing battle. "Wow, I never expected to see this many people here. They must have heard the news of our fight from somewhere else, I wonder?" ''Can you stop, please? Your acting is too obvious that it''s making me cringe over here,''thought Mia when hearing the speech spoken by Adalia. Upon noticing our presence on their back, the crowd immediately stepped aside with their chair in an orderly manner as if they have nned this all along, which opened up a path enough for us to walk through until the tform. Unlike Adalia who couldn''t care less about the other people, Mia was feeling quite ufortable when the crowd''s silent stare locked onto her. It was pretty inaudible from her spot but, Mia was sure some of them were whispering about her. Adalia was quite upset when Mia didn''t respond to her question but, her anger-meter diminishes quite a bit upon seeing the crowd stepping aside for her. With a smug expression on her face, Adalia walks through the path, heading straight to the tform while followed by Mia. "It''s true..." "I believe the news the moment I heard it since the two have quite the history, you know?" "That''s not what you said yesterday night." The boy immediately retorted when his friend made up a lie out of thin air. The two continue having a small fit facing each other until Mia and Adalia finally stood on top of the tform which prompted them to stopped. The trainers that were on the tform a moment ago have already descended and joined the crowd as Adalia had already notified them about it way ahead. By standing on top of the tform, Mia finally could reach her conclusion of how many people were there in the crowd; it wasn''t a precise number but most likely around a thousand. When she was on the same ground as them, it was hard for her to conclude since they jumbled up together like a maze. It was a headache. "Alright. Now that we are finally here, I''ll show my empathy onest time by giving you another chance to surrender. Are you going to let this chance go?" Adalia said with confidence in her tone. Never in her mind that she believes she would lose against Mia, that was how much confidence she has about the uing fight. After all, Mia was unable to conjure a single spell even after a few years of effort whilst people with average talent had already mastered one or few basic spells. Adalia didn''t want to fight if possible since she only wants to humiliate Mia in front of thousands of people. If she were to fight and win against someone cripple like Mia, it would make her already worst reputation even worse. "No, I won''t feel satisfied until I beat the crap out of that smug face of yours." Mia declined her kind offer with a provoking sentence that caused her mouth to twitch in response. Although the crowd seemed silent on the outside, they were cheering for Mia internally. Adalia was not randomly called ''little devil'' for no apparent reason, she had brought troubles everywhere she goes. She was even worse than a storm since one could predict thetter to a certain degree while the former, it is impossible. If they were given a chance, they would like to punch her in the face at the very least for all the troubles they have to unreasonable suffered until now. "Fine, so be it. Just a heads up though, I won''t hold anything back. I will go with my full power from the very beginning, so you better do the same or you can only regret in hell for eternity." "Sure,e on." With her response as the signal, Mia immediately brought the small wand out of her pocket in preparation for an attack. Seeing that, Adalia was surprised for a moment as she didn''t expect Mia to able to afford such an expensive-looking wand yet, she also does the same. For her though, it was obvious she could afford to get a mini wand with her family background, unlike Mia. Though it was surprising to her, Adalia only put it in her mind since she was in the middle of a battle that required her full concentration. She would not have behaved like this if Mia hadn''t shown the wand to her. Although it should be impossible from hermon sense, there''s still the possibility that perhaps like the protagonist in the novel, Mia might havee across a fortunate encounter that was able to fix her problem. The world is a big ce, after all. With that thought in mind, Adalia immediately starts whispering the incantation for her spell in a faint voice, whilst also channeling the mystic power within her, heading to one familiar path, her hand that was holding onto the small wand. [Ah, Smander, The Great Fire Sprite, I beg thee to lend me your strength! Fireball!] When she finished the incantation, it started with a spark before a small ball of me materializing out of thin air and by hermand, it flew straight toward Mia at an incredible speed. It took her precisely ten seconds to conjured the spell beforemanding it to attack. If this was someone with average talent, it would take them much longer since just incantation is not everything to conjure a spell. It also required one to be good at channeling their inner energy which was called ''mystic power'' by the Mage Association. Even more, one shouldn''t make a mistake of assuming it as Qi just because it works with the same principle as the former but, the two of them were undoubtedly entirely different energy. Although both works on the same principle from what the Olden mage had researched on so far, mystic power could also be a deadly poison if one has a body that resists against foreign energy. If one with such body lives for a long time within a ce where the mystic power in the surrounding was much thicker than the other ce, sooner orter they would die from an unknown incurable disease. Of course some were able to adapt to foreign energy, but those are very rare considering not many would want to live in a ce where there was literal poison in the air. When the fireball flew toward her, Mia didn''t make any movement of avoiding the iing attack as if she was frozen like a statue on the spot. In front of everyone''s intense and shocking gazes, they saw Mia simply wave her hand holding the wand before a fireball with the same magnitude as Adalia''s appeared before exploding as it crashed with the iing fireball. The explosion didn''t do any damage to Mia as her fireball managed to stop it before it could get any closer to her. When the smoke from the explosion finally dispersed into the sky, everyone finally realized the scene happening in front of them was not an illusion but that of reality. "H-How... How was it possible for the spell to be conjured with just a single swing of your hand? That is impossible!" Adalia shouted in disbelief, she couldn''t believe what she had just witnessed. It simply goes against the mon sense'' that she learned from studying the history book in the library of the Mage Academy. It''s like seeing a horse suddenly turned into a human, that was how unbelievable and unlikely for it to be true. But to prove her point that everything that everyone had witnessed was real, Mia sneered at them before waving the hand holding the wand for the second time. And as expected, a zing ball of me materialize as if to ridicule them for thinking they were dreaming or regarded it as an illusion when it was there, right in front of their effing eyes! Chapter 164 - The Result Mystic Power, it''s a new kind of source energy that works on the same principle as inner energy like Qi. But unlike Qi, mystic power is pretty violent that caused an average human body to reject or resist it subconsciously if they couldn''t adapt to it. It was for that reason it was dubbed as violent energy or in some other case, wicked. But if one was able to adapt to it, their body will slowly grow stronger by its influence. Of course that doesn''t mean the energy bes docile enough for them to fully control it as pleased. If they even make a small mistake in channeling the mystic power within their body, they will have to suffer the consequence of it. For a small mistake they would just fainted as a consequence but, it could result in their death if the mistake is too huge for them to bear. That''s why conjuring a spell might take them a while since they have to be careful. But for Mia, she didn''t need to put any concern in it like the other mage and can conjure the spell without any worries. Perhaps it might be the work of the system as She had thought but, if one acquired the card that would give them ess to the Trial Tower, their body won''t get influenced by the violent element within mana. She didn''t investigate this kind of thing at all since she didn''t have the information regarding the fact that mana in reality actually has a violent element in them. The violent element came from the void where it is eternally nothing but endlessly pitched ck. There''s a reason why if a human somehow found themselves in it, they can only helplessly watch their body being torn apart by the violent energy in the void without having any power to resist against it. It all started with a single mistake made from a parallel world which caused the invisible protection barrier of the current world to weaken as a result. A rift opened up somewhere around the world from time to time was also the byproduct of the barrier weakening. People with a strong instinct or sixth sense could foresee the trouble heading toward them, or rather the world in some way or another. But it is also up to them whether to believe it or just shrugged it off as a mistake and moving on. The nightmare that She had back then is that very signal but, due to the interference of a third-party, it feels so real and apparent as if she was there witnessing the world crumbling to pieces in person. If not for that, she would only feel that something is amiss yet unable to tell what it is like the others. "H-How do you do it? Is it that wand? That must be it, isn''t it?!" It is not hard for one to assume that the wand must have been the very reason why Mia could conjure a spell without having to utter the embarrassing long encantation. Or rather, that was what everyone that had witnessed thought of after further consideration. Never in their mind did they consider that it was by her power alone instead of borrowing the wand''s power. Mage use wand because it helps in smoothen the channeling process before one conjuring a spell but, Mia didn''t need to worry about that anymore. She can wave her hand or snap her finger, whatever her action is, all she needs is to will it in her heart for the spell to begin taking effect in reality. But that''s like asking for needless troubleing after her. She isn''t like someone with a trouble-seeking syndrome, so she would rather enjoying herself with a peaceful life than one where she had to worried about safety every day. Fortunately for her, they misunderstood it as the power from the wand instead of her own power. It seems no one can think outside the box since they influenced too much by themon sense they learned from the Mage Academy, it must have rooted deep into their mind already. But it can''t be helped, isn''t it? In a way, if not for the meeting she had with She and Angelica, she would have been on the same page as them. Hermon sense had long scattered into oblivion the moment she stepped into the magical world known as the Trial Tower, after all. Mia shook her head to remove the long idle thought since she had to focus on the battle, even when she''s sure she couldn''t possibly lose. Though it looks like her idle thought took a lot of time, it only has been a few minutes in reality. But that doesn''t mean her opponent thought the same as no one would like having their question disregard. But before Adalia could say anything, she saw a fireball speeding toward her. Clicking her tongue, she immediately put all of her strength into her legs before jumping backward, putting a distance from her previous location so that she won''t get caught from the explosion. She needs to figure out a way to steal that wand away from Mia''s hand. But that required her to close the distance between them and, Mia definitely won''t let her get any closer even by chance. While she''s thinking about her current predicament, she also keeps on moving from ce to ce and if she were anyter, the fireball would have hit her. The aftermath of the many explosion left a small pitched-ck spider-like crater on the ground here and there. Just that alone caused the crowd to swallowed a mouthful of saliva due to nervousness just by imagining whether they could survive getting hit by that fireball. "Why are you only evading it this entire time? Where has it gone, that brave and prideful persona of yours? This isn''t even my full power, you know? I can do this all day~." ''That''s a lie but, there''s no way she could tell whether my word held any truth in it since she''s busy dodging my fireball, hehee~. Ora! Another one for you!''Mia sent another fireball at Adalia when she saw thetter trying to say something, interrupted her from speaking. "You...Tsk!" Adalia clicked her tongue in annoyance at Mia''s provoking sentence. The thing that gets on her nerve so much is the smile on Mia''s face.''That smug expression sttered on her face! If only I can get closer, I would remove it from her face with my bare fist!''Because she keeps on avoiding every attack from Mia, her stamina has started to decline. Without any other choice, Adalia stopped her futile action when she finally decides to bring out her trump card. "Hmm? Are you finally going to surrender?" Mia decides to hold back from conjuring another fireball when she saw Adalia standing still on her spot. She thought thetter is finally going to surrender after realizing that she couldn''t win against her, but upon looking closer on her face, Mia realized thetter hasn''t given up. Or rather, she looked like someone even more determined to obtain the unreachable wall, and that is winning against her. Mia had to admit that her current expression looks much better than the one filled with arrogance and scorn for the other people. [Ah, Smander¡ª "I won''t let you!" When Adalia started muttering an incantation of a spell, Mia immediately summoned another fireball before sending flying toward her. But to her and every surprise, Adalia didn''t avoid it at all as she continues. ¡ªThe Great Fire Sprite, I beg thee¡ª Boom! When everyone except Mia thought she was finally defeated by that single explosion, they were once again surprised upon hearing her voice within the smoke. Mia wasn''t sure whether what she just witnessed was urate but, it seemed her fireball had hit something she can''t perceive and exploded way earlier before it can get any closer to Adalia. And before she could investigate further, her instinct suddenly started ringing bell inside her mind as she immediately took off. ¡ªto lend me your strength! Explosion!] If she has been anyter, she would have been caught in that big explosion. Mia was really surprised. She didn''t expect Adalia to know such a powerful spell. Even more, to be able to conjure it with her meager skill, she must have used some kind of trump card on something on the same level as that. Although the spell seemed familiar to a particr crazy-head characteristic, it is not by any means that it was on the same level. No, if that were the case, Mia wouldn''t be able to escape unscratched otherwise. Mia was only at level 14. Although her vitality triples that of average people, she isn''t some kind of immortal vampire that can recover even when they were reduced to mere flesh. "Do you know if that spell had hit me or someone else, they won''t have any chance of survival, did you know that? Or is it me that mistaken this for a normal bout? Are you...seriously going for the kill?" Mia spoke with a grim tone, gone were the joking expression on her face, recing it with a frown. Although she had been nning only on beating her to repay the unjust treatment she received from her, it doesn''t mean that she won''t do anything if thetter were aiming for her life. She had told her that if she hesitates even for a moment in that kind of situation, it would only give her enemy a chance for them to exploit her weakness upon learning about it. The most sensible choice to do in that kind of situation is to fight them. If you don''t want to get yourself killed, either you beat them unconscious, or simply immobilize them from making any strange movement. She could try immobilizing Adalia with her full strength but, it would be much easier to knock her out than doing the former since it required a lot of energy. But it appeared she didn''t need to do anything of the sort. "I..." It seemed Adalia just realized that she had identally used another one of her trump cards when she became desperate to obtain victory. The first trump card she had used was a ring that would release an invisible protective barrier around her for a few seconds, it was gifted from her mother. The second one was the shattered orb in her hand, it''s a one-use item which could fire a powerful spell contained within it to her enemy. Both of the gifts were actually given as a safeguard for a situation if she happened to be under attack by a powerful mage. But who would have thought that Adalia would use it in her duel? If her parents happened to learn about this information, especially about her opponent in the duel, they would have freaked out for but a single reason. Seeing that her question brought Adalia to her sense, Mia heaved a sigh.''Ah, I don''t feel like beating her anymore when looking at her pathetic appearance upon realizing she had almost killed someone by her own hands. I''m really too soft for my own good, aren''t I? But that''s simply how I am.''Just when the crowd thought the moment of silence would continue, Mia opened her mouth and said. "Now, this can be said to be my win, right?" Chapter 165 - Another Alias "Now, this can be said to be my win, right?" Although she''s reluctant to admit her defeat, Adalia has to since it''s very clear to everyone that Mia had won against her the moment she decided to use the orb. So, she somewhat nodded her head in response to Mia''s question. Although she looks calm despite having a small frown on her face, she''s still upset about it inside her mind. Just when the two finally put their guard down and the crowd started cheering for the winner, suddenly, a dark figure could be seen speeding toward Mia with a dagger in his hand. One can safely assume that the dark figure must have been hiding within the crowd and decided to make his move upon noticing the two rxing their shoulders, it''s hard toe by chance! Of course, when the two finally noticed his appearance, it was already toote for them to do anything. He was already right behind Mia, shing his dagger ferociously toward her as if his life depended on it. Just when the assassin and everyone above and on top of the tform thought Mia would get her head separated from her body in a bloody way, a slim figure suddenly appeared halfway from Mia''s shadow like a ghost as if she was already right underneath from the beginning. nk! "I have been waiting for you." From the head, one can see beautiful silver-white hair flowing freely down to the shoulder but if one looked even closer, they could see a few pieces of hair dyed in crimson red. Judging by the hair alone, one can safely assume that no matter the gender, he or she would definitely have a good looking face but sadly, they couldn''t see the true appearance due to the eyes covered with a half fox mask, leaving the mouth free for all to see. To make others even more confusing, when he or she speaks, the voiceing out of the mouth sounds like an androgynous voice that can attract both female and male without any discrimination. But most of the crowd''s attention was focused on the lower half of the figure. No, it''s not anything lewd like what you gods think. When they looked down after admiring the appearance, the crowd once again were dumbfounded to behold a fog of shadow blocking them from gazing at the lower half.''What a shame, truly,''that was the thought of everyone beneath the tform as a few could be seen sighing like a disappointed pervert old man. The most confused one here is definitely Mia as she didn''t expect someone so powerful to remain hidden inside her shadow without her realizing it. Just thinking about it gives her the creeps followed by the chills to her body. If he or she ever thought of killing her, Mia won''t know about it even to her death. But since the suspicious mask had just saved her from the assassin, it might not be her enemy as she thought. Even so, she still needs to be cautious, just for the sake of it. "Who are you?" The assassin spoke after putting a distance from her. Mia had thought the assassin would immediately escape upon failing toplete in his mission, but to her surprise, he didn''t and stay instead. Looking at the assassin from head to toes, she began to ponder how is it possible for him to hide within the crowd with that getup. His outfit is exactly what one would expect from an ''assassin.'' "Shiro is the name, and I''m your worst possible matchup. Is that good enough for you?" The suspicious mask person chuckled after saying that, perhaps finding the lie it just made up on the spot to be funny. "Shiro, huh? And you are my worst possible matchup, you say? Hah, what a jest. I was still holding my strength, you know?" The assassin snorted, it seemed he didn''t realize yet how powerful his opponent is. But that was obvious since She didn''t active her intimidate skill. If she had used the skill, the assassinpanion hiding within the crowd would definitely retreat upon realizing they couldn''t win against her. She didn''t want that to happen. And yes, the suspicious mask person that everyone was staring at is none other than She. Shiro is just an alias she had made up on the spot. In Japanese, the name has the meaning of ''White'' so, the moment it appeared inside her mind, it just clicked. As to the reason why She was lurking within Mia''s shadow, one can spell it in one word, curiosity. She knew it''s a dangerous thing to do but, she believes that no matter what kind of danger it is, she can simply escape into the Trial Tower and holed up inside for a few days. Ria had also given her permission to do this dangerous act after listening to her reasoning and, realizing that no matter what she says, she can''t stop thetter. After all, what kind of person would let their best friend willingly get themselves into danger? Especially knowing the fact that She sometimes did a reckless thing, one couldn''t me Ria for worrying about her. ''Since the assassin is not making his move, I wonder what''s going on through his mind. I thought of going on offense but, is he buying time for something? Tsu¡ªperhaps, the friend of his hiding within the crowd is going to use that wicked spell again?! I can''t let that happen.''With that thought in mind, her pupils immediately turned from brown chocte into bluish light¡ª it''s the sign that she had activated the ''Mana Eyes''skill. Looking at the crowd from the tform, it''s not that hard to find the friend of that assassin with her current set of eyes. Just as She found her target amidst the crowd, the assassin seemed toe into realization when he saw where she was looking and immediately start speeding toward her. Even an idiot would be able to guess that the assassin is trying to distract her by going on offense but, it''s a futile effort. When the assassin reached close enough to hear her breathing, he immediately thrust his dagger toward her, aiming precisely at her heart. When the assassin saw his opponent not avoiding his thrust and simply stand there like an idiot, a frown appeared on his face, followed by a strange feeling surging through his body. Though he finds something is amiss from her, the assassin didn''t stop nor pull back. Time seems to have been slow down as his dagger slowly creeps closer to her chest. Below the tform, the crowd was watching the scene intently with their eyes wide open. Right next to She, Mia widens her eyes in surprise as she had thought the suspicious mask person would try to avoid the attack by stepping to the side or something but, beyond her expectation, She simply stood and does nothing in response to the iing dagger. But what they saw next caused Mia to heaved a relieved sigh whilst the crowd and the assassin went speechless. After all, She had managed to stop the dagger in between her forefinger and thumb like a master. If someone at her level with tremendous strength coupled with high agility couldn''t perform even a simple thing like this, they should be ashamed of themselves. "What! That''s impossible!" "What is? You can also do the same if you simply put more effort into your training, can''t you?" ''No way in hell that could be true! If one simply needs to put a lot of effort into training and can stop a dagger speeding toward your chest with just your fingers, you might as well say that you can fly in the sky!''Everyone, be it the students or the friend of the assassin, both unanimously agreed in their mind that she spoke nothing but nonsense. Crack! When She applied a bit of force in her fingers, a small spider-like crack appeared on the edge of the dagger caused the assassin to be dumbfounded. One must know the dagger in his hand isn''t a toy but, a real dagger made of a full steel. Yet today, a human somewhat managed to put a crack on it like it was nothing. If someone had told this information to other people, they would get beaten up for spouting bullshit in broad daylight. But to their horror and awe, everyone saw the suspicious masked person does the impossible. "What the?" She was quite surprised, but that''s it. With her strength increasing in each passing day, she noticed a couple of things. For one, if she didn''t fully control her strength, it is possible to turn a joke or a prank from her into a full-blown ident. Secondly, because her hearing is much better than average people, she''s having difficulty catching a rxing nap in the afternoon as she had done in the past. It''s like trying to sleep next to a working Television with a loud volume as, without the ability to shut down her sharp hearing, she now has to kiss her afternoon nap goodbye. No wonder the stronger one bes, the more they feel like losing something in return to gaining strength beyond others. Was that the case here? She didn''t know the answer to this question. But one thing for sure is that she isn''t too upset regarding this. After all, the stronger she is, the more secure her loves one. For her, that is enough. "It''s already been five minutes, Tch. Oi! What are you doing? Didn''t you say you were going to use that spell?" The assassin shouted at the confused crowd upon retreating with nothing in his hand. He had no choice but to abandon his beloved dagger now that it is of no use to him anymore. Actuality, he tried yanking the dagger away from her but, he couldn''t put any strength on it. Though the assassin looks pretty calm yet annoyed outside, he was now quite afraid of the suspicious masked person since it is now clear to him that whoever was behind the mask, he or she is undoubtedly much stronger than him. He alone has no chance to win against her, so the assassin decided to group up with the one below the tform and together, they might have a chance to defeat the masked person now dubbed as''Fox.'' "Shit! Why is he not responding? Did he escape already, that bastard!" The assassin grumbled under his breath with a visibly pissed expression on his face. She chuckled in response when she heard him cursing. Since the assassin wanted to see that man so much, she will show him her empathy by bringing that guy out from within the shadow of the crowd. With a snap of her fingers, a figure of a man suddenly came out of her shadow. The assassin was visibly startled as he didn''t expect her to finish off the other agent hiding within the crowd already, he was sure that her attention was focused on him back then, was it a mistake? Either way, now that he knows no one else can team up with him to fight against her, he decided to retreat without any hesitation as he immediately dashes toward the crowd with a n in mind. Chapter 166 - A Shocking Twist When the assassin was rushing toward her, She had already knocked out the mage hiding within the crowd by overwhelming him with the intimidation skill solely target on him before pulling the unconscious mage into the shadow. The intimidation is a powerful mental attack skill if her opponent is weaker than her, it bes even more potent when a target is just a single person. It felt like a huge fearsome monster was staring at you, desiring to pounce at you, to feast upon your flesh. That was how scary it is. She only required to lock the target within her mind before unleashing her skill at him at full power, rendering him useless within seconds. She could have done the same to the assassin, however, seeing his tenacity in person, She is sure that the man can resist against her skill. Although he is weaker than her in the strength department, his will, however, might beparable to her. It would be much better to use the skill when they least expect, it will be more impactful that way. If that isn''t possible, she can just knock him out with her strength instead. Upon seeing the assassin trying to escape, She immediately immobilizes him on the spot by binding him in ce with his own shadow. The crowd, however, can only see a tentacle-like shadow suddenly bursting out of the ground before coiling tightly around him. "Guh! What is this?! Get...OFF! Shit! I can''t get away!" "You think I''ll let you go that easily? I think you look down on me too much, so as a lesson..." Before the assassin utters a single word, he was shocked to see her figure suddenly appeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye. He swore that there was quite a distance between them and if she had made a move, one should have at least be able to see her movement but, to their disbelief, her figure simply vanished out of thin air before reappearing somewhere else as if she had just teleport between those two locations. Most of the students below the tform also dream of being able to use teleportation magic but, they learned the hard way that such a convenient spell didn''t exist. No, it does exist. A way to ''teleport'' from one location to another but, it required a tremendous amount of resources to build such a thing, so only the rich can afford it. Even if one is wealthy and loaded, they also need to have a connection with the Mage Academy as, even with all the resources in their hand, there''s no way for them to produce the device without having a skilled mage and skilled craftsman. Mage Association does have a teleportation device in each of its branches all around the world, including the Headquarter. But it can only be used for either VIP or on rare asions where the Mage Academy organized an event for their young mages with limitless potential. For that, the Mage Association didn''t mind losing their money if they can get a loyal mage working for them soon in the future. Also, the teleportation device only works if both locations have the device installed properly on the location. After all, it couldn''t possibly teleport people to an unknown or specific ce, like a parallel world without having a correct coordinate. It was entirely different from the one in people''s imagination of what almighty ''teleportation'' can do. Of course She and Mia didn''t know about this. If the former somehow managed to get this information right now, she might have done reckless things such as trying to steal the device, so that she can do a thorough investigation at home. Anyways, when She appeared in front of the bound assassin, she gently struck him in the neck with her hand. It promptly knocked him out ofmission for the next couple of hours. If She didn''t hold back her strength, his head might have been separated from the neck instead. With this show of strength, even an idiot can tell that she''s just ying around with them. Mia began to get worried and nervous. After all, someone as powerful as ''Shiro'' to have gone as far as to save her from the assassin, there has to be a reason for it, right? Nothing is free in this cruel reality. Everything, even the air in the surrounding, has their own reason for their existence. After securing both of her targets into her shadow, She turned her back facing toward Mia. When she slowly walked toward thetter, She could faintly hear Mia gulping her saliva in nervousness.''Well...if an unknown person with a powerful strength appeared before me, even I would be afraid of him/her, so it''s understandable why she''s nervous. As for the assassins and his friend, I have a use for them.''She thought for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. Arriving in front of Mia, She was about to open her mouth and speak when suddenly, everyone be it above or below the tform, felt a tremor. While everyone began to look for a ce to hide under since they thought it was an earthquake, She looked up at the distance, grinning as she thought, ''Finally, they came. I knew a student escaped the moment I brought everyone''s attention to me but, it seemed that he didn''t break my faith in him at all. Good, it was just as I expected.'' But still...never in her mind, not even in her wildest thought, did she expected this kind of thing to appear, even more, in this kind of ce instead of somewhere else. Though she believes the Mage Association should have the information regarding''that,''seeing how they even have one of their branches over here but, this is really astonishing. They did it. "Is that..." "My god.." "...This is a lie." One by one, the students started to fall on their knees with a despairing look on each of their faces upon beholding the cause of the tremor. Even Mia, who is much stronger than everyone else on this floor, tasted the fear for the first time when looking at the huge shadowy figure in the distance. Each step it took, caused a tremor both literally and mentally. A small number of students who were on the weaker side even started to crackling as if they have lost their minds from the fear. Upon taking a closer look into She''s brown eyes, in the reflection of her eyes, one can see arge and bulky creature with little clothing of a single rag covering its lower half, but She thought it might as well be nude. The creature she''s currently staring at is none other than a Troll. What, you thought it''s Ogre based on the description of its appearance? Nah, jokes on you. But still, though the Ogre were known to be more powerful than a Troll, both of them can be quite troublesome in each perspective. If one happened to met a Troll in RPGs, they have to kill it without giving it a chance as that would give it a chance to recover the lost health. They were known for their specialty in quick regeneration, after all.''Does the one in front of them work the same as in the games? If that''s the case, interesting.'' "Look! What is that on its temples... is that a shining symbol?" She narrowed her eyes. And exactly as the student said, there''s indeed a shining weird symbol on the Troll''s forehead. She thought the symbol looks like the rune that appeared on her pet''s note but, there a few lines different. Nheless, when she tried removing those lines from the symbol in her head, it looks almost identical to the rune. When that thought appeared in her mind, something suddenly clicked.''No way... But, the evidence is there, right in my effing face. if it''s true, then I need to be careful and prepared..'' "Hmm? Did that girl ran away already?" She whispered when she looked around, yet not finding Adalia anywhere in her sight, she concluded. Or perhaps, Adalia might have gone hiding within the small crowd, praying to god so that the Troll would ignore her. But who are we joking here? There''s no way the Troll won''t take notice of the crowd below the tform. If it decided to massacre the helpless students, what will she do? If all the students ended up dying under its hand, she will have nowhere to hide anymore. She had never seen this creature before, but she did hear of it. But if that was true, why is it here? Shouldn''t it stay put underground and only summon it when an emergency emerged? Adalia couldn''t understand but, she hopes that the ring is enough to protect her from it, in case it attacks her. It''s a shame that the orb has shattered to pieces, if she has it, there''s nothing to be worried. Whilst she was looking at the trembling students around her, she noticed that someone is missing. She turned her back to look up at the tform but, there''s only the suspicious fox masked person, Mia is nowhere in sight. Her face turned to a frown and began to consider whether the masked person had secured Mia just like she had done previously to the assassin. After all, there''s nowhere else for them to hide. "Huh? Is she looking for Mia? And here I thought she hates her or something." She muttered upon noticing Adalia with her eyes darting around as if searching for someone with a worried expression on her face. What an unexpected twist. She wonders what kind of history do these two have, and if this is a soap drama, the plot might be about them being separated from birth. And when Adalia identally found about Mia, she didn''t even need to search for her when they both go to the same academy. And then, perhaps she found something to her dislike about Mia, thus, she decided to bully thetter. It does make sense considering Mia was an orphan once before she got adopted. But then again, that''s just her wild imagination if it turned out to be a drama, not the cruel reality that we all know. Since she decided to go along with this y a little bit longer, She used a single-use item from the shop, which turn Mia not only invisible to the naked eyes, but also reduce her presence as much as possible. So in essence, no one else but her can see Mia standing on the same spot. She chuckled at her ridiculous thought before shaking her head and decided to focus on the problem she''s currently facing. Even though her face is hidden behind the fox mask, She had also disguised herself as someone else so that no one can tell her real identity if the mask identally slipped off or break apart while she''s in the middle of a battle. This also covered the fact that she can go all out without any worries if she wanted to! Just the thought of fighting a stronger monster at full power caused a smile to appear on her face. it seemed herbat instinct had been lit. "Let''s test out how strong this Troll is, shall we?" With that speech as a parting gift, She immediately jumped off the tform before speeding up toward the Troll with a crazed look on her face. She didn''t bother looking at the students passing by, the only thing in her mind right now is to beat the bulky creature in her sight. Nothing else matters to her right now. Roar! When the Troll noticed her sprinting toward it without showing any fear, it let out a hair-raising roar. But to She, the Earth Dragon''s roar is more frightening than the Troll. Without giving it any chance, she immediately throws a double sh at it using her sword(APW). But it goes as she expected, the attack didn''t do much damage to it as it starts to close up the wound at a visible rate to the naked eyes. Since it was within her expectation, she isn''t too disappointed at the result. The Troll''s angry smashed hit the ground, leaving it with a spider-like crack on the floor since She managed to dodge it by backing up at a good timing upon noticing its movement. ''As expected, this ''Fox'' person most likely a monster. Only a real monster can fight against another monster, it all starting to make sense now.''That was the thoughts of people witnessing She fighting the Troll as if the two were equal. Chapter 167 - Ice Empress ''Hmm, after testing it for a while, I can safely assume that this Troll might be around Lv.28-30. Also, because of its regeneration is more powerful than the other monsters I had seen, my normal physical attack does nothing to it.I also need to look out for its attack as, although I won''t die in one shot, I would still get hurt since even the floor give in upon receiving its attack head-on. Overall, it''s a good practice for me who wants to know how far I have gotten to.'' That said, She can''t actively show off her trump card as there''s a crowd watching behind her. If she did, she would only get a little amount of vanity at most, but there''s also a bonus to that, it''s the trouble starting to brew at her idiotic action. Even having a disguise in that situation won''t get one out of trouble, so she would rather not risk it.''Hmm? Why does it feel like deja vu, as if I did exactly what I advise myself not to, did I?''Just when such a thought emerged in her mind, the Photographic Memory skill kicks in. Therefore, she immediately experiences a small shback of the time when she had toplete the quest about saving Angelica from the Earth Dragon. ''Ah, right...but that''s not exactly my fault, is it? I mean, the quest told me to save ''apanion of mine.'' So at that moment, I assume that I''ll be seeing her a lot in the future. If I never expose my identity, what if a problem rted to that arose in the future? Because I have seen that kind of plot in countless novels and games, I would rather do the opposite and told her ahead of time, skipping me the trouble. I do have a brain, after all.'' Roar! The Troll angrily roared upon seeing the attack missed once again. After many of its attacks were easily evade by the human female whom it assumed as weak, it entered enraged mode or in the gaming term, the second phase of a boss. The Troll charge straight toward her whilst smashing everything around it apart as if their mere existence making it even angrier. Just when the bulky hands about to turn her into a literal meat paste, She dodges it by putting strength on her feet beforeunching herself backward, away from her previous spot. "Oh? Enraged, are you? Alright, it''s my turn now." Suddenly, tentaclesposed of shadow spouted out of the ground, attempting to immobilize the Troll but, because of its monstrous strength, the tentacles break apart once it exploded in strength. Following the disappearance tentacles, another one emerged from the Troll''s shadow but again, it was ripped apart by the Troll. Although the expense for constant usage of Shadow Magic is quite high, her n to immobilize the Troll works out at the end of it. With a smile on her face, She will it in her heart. That''s all it takes for the spell to begin taking effect in reality. But even so, she can''t stop herself from muttering the spell name out loud, perhaps to make it seem more impressive than possible. "SALAMANDER!"(The Great Fire Sprite, Smander. I summoned you, appear before me!) Abruptly, the crowd witnessing the strange phenomena feel as if the air, the temperature around them started to rise for an unexinable reason. That is merely the beginning of the Great Sprite, descending upon the mortal world. It can also be said to be a side effect. Nheless, a small ball of me suddenly appeared in front of She. Slowly, that small ball of fire started to erge, followed by an increase in temperature that even the Troll started to feel a sense of danger from the me itself. The Troll tried freeing itself from the grasp of the tentacles to stop whatever She''s cooking up, but it was a futile effort. The me only stopped erging itself when it bes twice taller than She in heights and thicker than a car. From its appearance, one might think of it as a giant lizard with a me burning on top of its head. But this is none other than one of the Four Great Sprites, The Great Fire Sprite Smander. Perhaps, if She is stronger than the current her, its size might be a lot more gigantic than now. When the Fire Magic reached level 5, it seemed one can summon a fire sprite at the cost of 50% of their mana. Just that alone shows that it''s no ordinary spell, even for someone like She whom put a lot of point in intelligence attribute. After summoning the fire sprite, She heaved a tired sigh as the feeling of having one mana exhausted so suddenly is nothing to joke around. But now that the Smander is here, she can finally test its prowess out with a finally worthy opponent. Locking her eyes with the reptilian eyes, that was it needs for it to understand hermand. Within the crowd, Adalia was speechless after witnessing the summoning. Because she had spent five years in the Mage Academy, she''s more knowledgablepared to Mia. Therefore, she knew what kind of amazing thing she had just witnessed. Summoning spirit, an elemental spirit at that, it is not a thing that everyone can do. From her knowledge, one required a certain amount of sacrifice to summon a spirit from the Spirit World. Also, the spirit is unable to linger around too long in the mortal world for an unknown reason. It seemed the spirit would be forced back to the Spirit World if they disregard the rules set by the world, or so it was written on the book she had read once in the library. Whilst the crowd was amazed by the spectacr sight in front of them, Adalia is the opposite of them. She looks more like a certain someone having a culture shock. If someone like her already reacts like this, how about those who have a lot more knowledge than her? For example, a group of influential families having a meeting on the floor above. Looking at some of their expression, it seemed they were currently facing the same situation as Adalia. When the student had just finished telling everything to his teacher, the influential families had already known about it. Due to the strange incident a couple of days ago, they be quite vignt since then. The incident was truly strange as out of nowhere, a ss-like shattering noise spread to the whole building, shocking them to their core. It couldn''t be helped since that was the first time they experience something like that. Once they have done a little investigation, they found out the barrier protecting the building has been broken apart, leaving a small hole above a specific height which indicated it wasn''t the work of a normal person. And so, they thought it must be some kind of test assault from their enemy, to see how they would react to it since there was no follow up after that. When the guard notified them about a problem in the Arena, they immediately hold up a meeting. And now, they were staring intently at the monitor just when She had summoned Smander. Of course it wasn''t everyone that react like that. Among the influential families in the meeting room, there''s this one who thought lowly of She and didn''t believe what he just witnessed to be true. In his mind, if he has such capabilities, he would go for a higher rank in the globe, not just be content to an influential level within a few cities. Only an idiot would be content living their current lifestyle instead of trying to improve it for better, that is his mindset. And so, She or ''Shiro in this case, is already marked as an idiot inside his mind before he even realizes it. "What are you all worrying about? The guardian will take care of our problem in just a beat, so just rx and have a wine instead." Seated next to the Head of Beldfort Family, it''s the Head of Almart Family, Frederic Almart. Whilst most of the families here with a brain and some knowledge was thinking seriously how to handle the problem named Shiro, Frederic could be seen enjoying the wine he brought when he was partying a moment ago beforeing here for the meeting. His appearance looks like someone in 30ish, neither too young nor old, but good enough for a man from an influential family. If not for the unique ring on his finger that only selected people worn, he might have been kicked out of this room for his attitude. His fearsome capabilities in managing his family''s business are truly on par with a true prodigy that deserved a respect, but for those who knew about his real and wicked personality, they would rather let an idiot that knows nothing about business to do it in his ce since he caused too many troubles for them to counts. When he saw a beautiful assistant from one of his business partners, he couldn''t control himself and dares to put his dirty hand on her despite knowing the assistant was a person with a ''special circumstance.'' If not for his retired father stepping in to clean up his mess, his family''s business might have gone downhill starting from there. From his attitude alone, one might think of him as ugly or like a fat bastard in most movies involving corrupted nobles. But his actually the opposite of that, although his appearance couldn''t be said to be on par with that of models, it''s not that bad either. In fact, to the girls who were aiming at marrying a rich CEO, his average look is another point to them. "...don''t speak carelessly. At least think before you open that mouth of yours." The Head of Beldfort Family, Gerald Beldfort, replied. Even if not for the fact that both of their family are at odds with each other, Gerald would still spit on Frederic because thetter had triedying his dirty hand on Adalia, his treasured daughter. Thankfully, she''s smart enough to push him away before things could take ce. But, as the father of ''the devil,'' he has a couple of things to say about her problematic behavior as ofte but decided against it, thinking it was normal for a teenager at her age to act like that. "Heh, really? I don''t care. It''s my own mouth anyway, not yours. In fact, I think you need to rear your daughter better than this, or are you perhaps, an ipetent father?" Of course Frederic responds with a thorn in his words, adding salt to the injury. As Gerald about to give a piece of his mind, someone else intervened in their conversation, putting an end before things can escte to something else. "Stop it, Gerald. And you too, Frederic Almart. Remember, this is a meeting room, not a ce where you joke around like in your little party. Please be civil and follow TPO." A mature yet feminine filled with cold tone whispered, but strangely it feels as if she''s speaking closely to their ears which is not a surprising matter to them since they knew that she''s a ''special case.'' Among the influential families, she''s the only one born as amoner before being picked up to one of the influential families for her monstrous talent in magecraft. Of course there a few hups as one expected, but after getting their ass whipped by her, the brainless young masters finally halt their action when they realized that they were unable to beat her even in the battle where they got the high ground. Because of her expression remained emotionless, the people dubbed her as the ''Ice Empress'' of Rainford Family. Some rumors also began to spread that stated the Rainford Family didn''t actually pick her up on a street but instead, they paid for her service. Either way, one thing that they learned is not to mess with her unless you want to get yourself killed. No one questions anymore about her sudden arrival into their influential group after that. Chapter 168 - Causing Trouble Is My Specialty "Tsk, fine." Although unwilling, Frederic immediately dropped his act, recognizing the fact that his strength is notparable to her, he had to admit defeat for now even if it hurt his pride. But internally, it didn''t stop him nning of backstabbing her if a chance appears before him. After all, she did put a wound on his pride, Frederic truly wanted to see what kind of expression she would make when that day arrived. It won''t be long as it seemed that some of the people in this room secretly hold the same opinion as him toward her. To them, her existence is akin to a de that would slit their throat at any given time if they decided to ignore her despite knowing her rming strength. Of course, it mostly because she offended them by interfering with their business after recognizing their business was, in fact, against thew. The corrupted influential believes that the Rainford Family must have been the one running off their mouth to her, knowing she will make a move upon hearing the information. Because thetter didn''t have any suspicious dealings, the corrupted influential couldn''t bring Rainford Family down together with them; it left them with a discontent feeling. ''Tsk, why is that girl still alive? What are they even doing? I should have known that they can''t be trusted, those bastards!''Frederic cursed under his breath when his eyes discovered Mia still alive and well, shown in the monitor on the meeting table. He didn''t look at the monitor before because he believes that the people he hired would take care of it but, it seemed that their so-called reliable reputation is just a joke now that the mission ended up as a failure. ''And what the heck is that overly suspicious masked person? I''m the one bringing the assassin and his group in secret, but how did that one sneak in without rming the formation? Is there another conflict urring underneath my n? Or is it some kind of betrayal?''thought Frederic whilst gazing at the disy on the monitor. "So, as you all can see, there are a few intruders in the Academy despite having mages standing guard on the entrance, including the formation protecting the building. Yet, these intruders somehow managed to break in, does anyone here have any information regarding this?" The ''Ice Empress'' said. If one didn''t know them any better, they might think of her as the one standing on top of hierarchy based on the aura she emitted; it somehow makes her look like a leader of the sort. But the actual reason is that she''s a lot more powerful than most of the people in the room, so in essence, she has the power to voice out her opinion first before others. And this is also another reason why the corrupted influential isn''t happy with her in their group; they didn''t like to bemand under a woman younger than themselves. For Rainford Family, those who understood her capabilities, they didn''t mind giving her the authority of the Head family because they believe she can lead them to a better prospect, even at the cost of their pride. If it means their future generation can live a better life, the cost is definitely worth it. Although her real identity remained mysterious even now, she had managed to convince them of her exceptional capabilities bypleting the challenges in a matter of a month. That is how insanely absurd the woman dubbed as ''Ice Empress'' is. Also, Rainford Family is not like some other corrupted influential Family as if that is the case, there won''t be ''Ice Empress.'' "I don''t know but, I have checked the formation personally and, I found no problem there." Gerald replied, receiving a few approving nods from others since they have done the same either by themselves or their subordinates, beforeing into the meeting room. As for the others, they immediately look away when her eyes passed over them. It seemed they didn''t care or maybe, believes that the Troll can handle the problem in their ce. After all, most of them only have average talent in magecraft, so unless they put a lot of effort into it, which is impossible knowing their prideful personality; they have no strength to speak of when this kind of situation came up. They have no other choice but to rely on the monster given to them by the Headmaster. "That kind of thing can be deal with forter. What we have to be worried about is this masked individual, does anyone here have any idea on who this person might be?" "Indeed, if it''s an individual with that much strength, it has to be famous...but I have never heard of an individual wearing a mask in the first ce, don''t even mention about it being a fox." "Neither did I." And just like that, each of them replied that none of them have any idea of who that suspicious individual might be. When all of them, people with a great background denied having knowledge of such an individual, theye to a realization. With a solemn tone in his voice, Gerald spoke. "This individual is dangerous. If he or she is simply an individual without any great backing whatsoever, we can bring the individual to our side and if that didn''t work out, kill it right here and now before it could cause trouble to us but..." "...Yeah, I agree with you." "Now that you said it, I also agree with your thinking. If it''s just on the level of that girl, Mia, is it? It might have been fine to leave her alone since she can be handle by our guardian easily if not for the masked individual." "But that masked individual seemed to have the power to fight on par with our guardian despite mymon sense saying otherwise. We need to do something, either bring it to our side or kill it." The group then started conversing with all sorts of nning in mind. An extreme example of that is by taking Mia hostage, they can utilize the masked individual''s power even better since it seemed to be protecting her for some unknown reason, or a moderate one like pardoning it for its mistake of intruding in their base and asked the individual to join their side. But before they could conclude, a sudden shouted makes them turned their head and look toward the disy in the monitor. "Impossible!" It''s just a single word, yet most of the people in this room have the same exact feeling after witnessing an unimaginable scene at this very moment. It''s like seeing a truck suddenly appearing in front of your face while you were in the middle of an empty street and overrun by it without having the time to step aside. If you were lucky, you might have a second chance to reborn into another world by the whim of some unknown god, but otherwise, you die for good. That''s how they felt seeing their unfathomable ''guardian'' who they believe to be unbeatable, got bitten to half by a giant lizard with me all over its head. At first, the smander has been firing fireball at the Troll but, thetter immediately healed itself after a moment has passed. Perhaps, the smander realizes its spell couldn''t hurt the Troll, and so, it decided to devour it instead, literally. Of course, the Troll resisted by punching it in the head for a few times but, it was nothing but a futile act as smander''s scale is pretty durable, at least enough to withstand the punch for a couple of minutes. Because it has slow speed due to its bulky body, the Troll couldn''t run away from it, so it decided to keep punching it until eventually, it got bitten from the head, by the smander. "Hmm, maybe I should have ordered it to do this in the first ce...but well, it didn''t bother me much anyway. In the end, the result is the same." She whispered while watching the smander, slowly devouring the Troll. If it had been the past her, she might have freaked out by such gore sight. But now, she''s already used to it. It''s kind of scary to think that she can get used to this kind of thing but, it might prove useful somewhere along the line? Let''s say if she identally came across a monster feeding on a human. It isn''t hard to think that she won''t be able to fight properly, considering what she had just witnessed. "Thank you, smander. You''re a great help to me today. I''ll call you again whenever I need your helpter, okay?" She bid farewell to the fire sprite before it slowly dispersed to the surrounding, just like how it suddenly appeared in the beginning. While the smander was fighting with the Troll, she used the chance when people were focusing on the fight to secretly drank the mana regeneration potion to refill her mana back to the brim. Also, the reason why she decided to summon the fire spirit is that she wanted to see how powerful it is upon finding a worthy opponent for it. After all, her fire magic has already reached the max level, which is at level 6. Another reason is, she wanted to create a persona that she can make use of once the time demanded it. As someone who wanted to create an organization so that the society won''t get destroyed to damnation, she needs to make some kind of history about its creation. After all, who would join a new and suspicious organization without having any sort of history to back it up? This persona named ''Shiro,'' She''s going to make it the leader of her yet-to-be-named organization. If she had used her real identity, it would definitely risk her family to the many hidden threats in such a big world, which can easily be avoided by creating a fake persona. For now, she''s nning to cause trouble everywhere so that the people will spread the name far and wide at the very least. Of course, by doing that, she would turn everyone who can be her future allies into enemies, which is very unfortunate but, she decided to go along with it anyway. After all, the risk of getting betrayed, lessen for a bit. If her would-be allies believe in the rumor and whatnot, she would rather not be friends with such people. They are the type of people that are easy to be manipted by information, after all. Chapter 169 - Trolling And Familiarity After dismissed the Smander, She stepped toward Mia whom immediately took a couple of steps backward subconsciously. She still finds it unbelievable for someone so strong to be protecting her, a mere beginner mage. As far as her background goes, she''s just an orphan who got adopted to an able family, that is all. Usually, the one that required a strong bodyguard is mostly someone important that holds a position that not a mere beginner mage like her could reach even if she''s given a hundred chances to do it. One that requires talent and hard work, all that she got on her is just pure hard work, but not that which is the most important of all, talent. Without talent, no matter how much effort ones put in their job, the talented one would give a much better result at the end of it. That''s why most corporatepanies usually look for people with talent, the experience can be picked up, unlike the former where one is born with it. But thanks to She, even a talentless people like Mia can be stronger just by defeating the monster in the Trial Tower. Although her MP is much more than average, if she can''t even conjure a single spell, it''s not worth it. While She''s hidden in Mia''s shadow, she noticed that when Adalia conjured her magecraft, the mana cost seems way higher and also wasteful. If she required 5MP for a single fireball, Adalia would cost around 10-15MP. With that much mana into her spell, one would think the spell would be powerful, right? But the way she saw it with her mana eyes, it seemed half of that amount got wasted instead. Once the spell has been constructed, there would be some leftover mana which would then dispersed to the surrounding instead of powering it up. She can''t help but thought that it''s such a waste. Also, she began to wonder what''s the difference between magecraft and the system''s magic skill. After acquiring the skill by learning from the skill book, She can conjure the spell immediately with nothing but a will. However, for magecraft, they are required to fullyprehend the knowledge of the spell, before they can do a test trial for conjuring the spell. Nevertheless, that doesn''t mean the spell would, one hundred percent, be manifest in reality. Almost 99% of overall students at Mage Academy would make a mistake during their first trial of conjuring the spell. "Umm...who are you?" "Hmm? You didn''t hear when I was talking to the assassin? I''m Shiro." "...that''s not what I''m asking." Although she can''t see the face behind the mask, Mia can somehow sense the intent in thetter''s word which she assumed to be that of yful and familiarity. But she didn''t remember having someone this powerful as her friend... nor have she acquaintance with one. Recently her friendslist has increased by two which is She and Ria. She even noted it down in her diary, so if there''s another one, she should have remembered it. "I''m serious, who are you?" She heaved a helpless sigh. "Fine, so be it. I am..." Just when literally, everyone on the floor holding their breath, she paused and took a moment to observe the crowd in the distance before turning her head toward Mia and whispered. Although it''s a whisper, for some strange reason, it is loud enough for the crowd to hear it even when they are far apart. "Your husband." Of course, before she whispers the word to Mia, she didn''t forget to change her voice into that of a man rather than keeping it neutral. As if finding her previous action is not enough to surprise them, she dropped yet another bomb. Looking at the way the people react to her joke, She almostughs out loud but she managed to hold it in by closing her eyes and think of something else to upy her mind. Once her breathing has calmed down, she continues with her joke. "Don''t you remember me? I still remember the pinky promise we did at the Orphanage." "...What?" Currently, Mia''s mind has turned chaotic with each word said by her. If one can see a health bar like in the game in real life, hers would have been left with only 10% because of how much damage she had received from that mental attack alone. Since her current figure looks very slim that can be mistaken as both male and female, She can easily trick people even without showing her face by lowering her pitch. If She were speaking with her real voice, Mia would have found out about it there and then. After all, both of them had spent a lot of time together in the Trial Tower for her training. She has be a lot more familiar with She, at the very least, enough to recognize thetter if she heard her voice in public. "I remember...it was the day where we got separated because an able family has decided to adopt you. And on that very same day too, under a tree, you also promise to visit the Orphanage but..." "No...wait." The way She muttered solemnly like someone having experienced a painful heartbreak makes those who didn''t know about them to believe her lies to be true. She also has the thought of removing the mask before disguising her face into a real man for a moment but decided against it. That might takes thing too far even as a joke, after all. But on a serious note, the disguise skill is truly fearsome as, if someone with the expertise in spy and stuff were to learn of this skill, that would definitely make them a dangerous opponent. Though even if they somehow managed to learn it, they might not be able to use it if they didn''t have enough MP to maintain it like her. She drops down to her knees before looking up at Mia and resumes her performance. Looking at her panic and shock expression, she''s on the verge ofughter but managed to reign it in. It might have been because of her performance feels like roleying a game character, she can somehow restrain her emotional outburst, thankfully. Or possibly she got the talent for acting? No, that isn''t possible. For some odd reason, Ria could seethrough her acting mile away before she even begins. Is it something like this, you can recognize the difference between acting and their true self because you''re already familiar with them? Or maybe it''s just Ria have awakened to some strange power that only works on She, that might also be a possibility. "Have you truly, forgotten about it? I guess it makes sense considering how long it has been since then. But now that I have be powerful enough to protect you, you''ll allow me to stay by your side, right?" It seemed her acting was too real for them that some girls in the crowd were now in tears when they look at her. Even Mia began to doubt herself if she had forgotten about someone.''What if everything of what he said is true? As far as I can tell, I don''t remember much about my time in Orphanage, at most, the only memories I had is that I was too focus on studies.''thought Mia. Because her mind still messed up, she''s unable to think straight and immediately assume everything that She said, might hold a bit of truth in there. However, just as Mia is about to open her mouth to inquire She about it, suddenly, everyone on the same floor can detect many footsteps from a distance where the elevator should be. "Isn''t that group of people...the nobles family that supports our academy when it was build or something?" "Why are they here?" "Is it because of the guardian''s death that brought them here? That''s the only usible conclusion I can think of at the moment." The crowd started whispering to each other upon seeing the group that had just stepped out of the elevator. Within the crowd, a few of them quickly hidden behind their ssmates or friends as if they were afraid of being punished by the nobles for some absurd reason. After all, most of the students here were people born as amoner. Also, a few of them had a bad experience with the young masters. No matter how much effort they put into their studies, there''s still one thing that can''t be changed, which is their bloodline. Once amoner, forever as one. Although the academy looks good on the surface, once a naive sheep decided to enroll in it without having any powerful backup behind them, it isn''t that hard to imagine what their fate would be. It would have been fine if they be a servant for the nobles, but at worst...it might be better not to mention it. ''Hmm, they finallye out from their meeting room. I have been buying time for them... I''m d that my effort didn''t turn out to be aplete waste. I didn''t forget to spread my awareness into the whole building the moment Mia stepped inside. Of course, there''s some floor which no matter how hard I tried, I can''t prate it like the other. I think it must have been the work of a strong barrier installed there, protecting some kind of secret that they didn''t want the others to know, I guess? If I didn''t feel their presence earlier, I might have gone into those secret floors to fill in my curiosity, too bad.'' She gets up on her feet once she senses them before ncing at the crowd, noticing that some of them are trembling after seeing the group of people in neat clothes make their entrance. She didn''t need to think further on what sort of people this group is, based on the reaction from the crowd. They have to be someone important that''s for sure, but how high is their actual position is the real question. She decided to go with a wait-and-see approach while also preparing herself in case things went downhill. When the group makes their entrance, the first thing She noticed is the emotionless woman at the front. She didn''t know why, but she can sense a bit of familiarity in that woman, despite never having met her in her entire life. But that strange feeling immediately disappeared the moment she tried to look deeper into it. She frowned and thought,''Just what is this woman''s identity? Even with my Photographic Memory, I didn''t see anyone like her after looking through memories, yet that feeling... I''m sure it isn''t just my imagination. And here I thought there won''t be anything interesting in the branch. but it seemed my guessed has proven me wrong. Before I took my leave, I need to dig a bit of information about that woman, the others didn''t matter to me. Otherwise, I won''t be able to sleep properly tonight.'' Chapter 170 - Small Talk Looking back at when Adalia was about to use her trump card, She had taken notice of something strange happening, which caused Adalia to used both of her trump cards instead of one. Her mana eyes had been active back then, so she saw a certain amount of mana in the air had been heading toward the crowd, she now confirmed that it was the result of the mage which she had knocked out. She didn''t know what kind of spell it is, but she can vaguely guess that it''s a bad one based on the fact it can affect Adalia''s emotion to a certain degree. From that alone, she can safely assume that it''s a mind-control type of spell. It seemed that the spell isn''t as powerful as She thought since both, Mia and her, wasn''t affect by the spell like Adalia did, despite them being on the same stage.''Perhaps, the spell might only work to the kind of people that let the emotion gets to them. I''m sure if Adalia wasn''t too shocked by Mia''s direct show of prowess, she might have been able to pass it like both of us. Even so, the so-called trump cards she used back then also surprised me plentiful. An ordinary-looking orb that had a powerful spell sealed within it, and a ring that would put up a strong barrier when needs...no matter how I look at it, both is a unique item.'' "Are you, Mr. Shiro? Do you have the time to follow us for some small chat?" The woman with a stoic expression asked the moment she arrived in front of She. For a few moments, She keeps her mouth shut and instead, analyze the emotionless woman, while thetter also does the same to her. Just a single nce is all it took for She to think of thetter as dangerous. Unlike most of the people in her group, the woman didn''t emit any sort of ''aura'' like the mage she had seen upon entering the building. In fact, aside from her unordinary appearance, everything about her seem average. Even if the woman were to walk among the crowd in public, she would undoubtedly bring attention to herself like a sore thumb. One might even mistake her a celebrity, that''s just how out-of-the-world her appearance is?¡ªtoo bad though, her expression still that of emotionless. But it did ignite a bit of passion to the man, thinking if they can get her to smile, it might just be worth it even if they died afterward. "Yes, I do have enough time for small talk but, can I bring her with me?" She said in her still masculine voice before gesturing her hand toward Mia, standing frozen next to her. It can''t be helped for her to react like that since the group of people in front of her is not just Tom and Dick group, but that of an actual influential people! It''s like meeting the president of thepany you work unexpectedly while taking a lift. More importantly, this group of people holds a lot more power than the president of apany, in fact, some of them are the president of their ownpany. As someone once living in the Orphanage with a frugal lifestyle, there''s no way she would not freak out in front of influential people. They have this kind of ''special'' aura that would intimidate someone like her for some reason unknown. When She brought her to their attention, her shoulders could be seen visibly trembling after experiencing a lot of scary gazes on her. Although most of the people in the group look very intimidating to Mia, surprisingly, the emotionless woman didn''t appear as scary as them. Just like her solid emotionless face, her eyes also didn''t hold any intent in them that would intimidate her. The woman nodded her head in agreement after taking a short nce at Mia. She took a look at the group behind the woman in secret and was surprised that they didn''t say anything against her decision, so she assumed the woman to be a leader or the decision maker to the group. And just like that, both of them followed the group to the elevator. Thankfully or maybe they have this in mind when building it, the elevator is pretty spacious, so it didn''t feel cramp despite that many people inside. When she was in the elevator, She had thought someone would speak out since they''re already out of the crowd''s view, but that didn''t happen. Honestly, she did notice a couple of people taking a sneak look at her before sending a secret signal to each other.''Are they underestimate me or something? I thought they have already seen what I can do from the camera and all, but I guess there are still idiots everywhere around. Even if I don''t understand what their signal implied, that didn''t mean I didn''t know that they might be nning something from their strange interaction. They really take me for an idiot, aren''t they?''thought She when her awareness picked up a couple of individuals making a strange move behind her back. To be honest, she would like to go home after having fun making trouble here. Unexpectedly though, she chose to follow them for a bit to see if she can find any information regarding the stoic woman. After like a few minutes passed, the elevator door finally opened up, revealing a beautiful marble floor. She had thought they would bring her to their meeting room since they might want to talk about important stuff, especially about her breaking into their base without informing them. Some of them obviously had that kind of intent in mind, however, they didn''t want to voice their opinion just yet. While she''s following the woman guiding her and Mia to somewhere, her eyes wander around, amazed at the building as though everything looks fine for ordinary people, to her, however, She noticed something strange about it. She couldn''t see through the wall but, she definitely can tell that there''s something different that caused it to attract mana from the surrounding. She didn''t know where did the mana goes after they were absorbed into the wall¡ªher only guess is that it was used to maintain the barrier protecting the building. ''I didn''t know you can do that. And here I thought they would use electricity as energy for their barrier...I didn''t expect them to use mana instead. Well, since this spot somewhat has more mana than in another ce, it''s understandable that they want to take advantage of it.''It''s good that she wore a mask to cover her face, or they would have taken notice of her surprise expression for a short moment there. After five minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the restaurant. She and Mia are truly amazed that they went as far as to add a restaurant in their building where not many people did unless they''re nning to open a food center or something. When she walked into the restaurant, She can see that a few people dining at their own table, separating them from each other to their own group. Before She and her group walk in, the atmosphere in the restaurant is pretty rxed, but the moment they appeared, the atmosphere suddenly changed. The stoic woman only needs to lock her eyes with another person for a man within her group to understand her intent and immediately took off. She didn''t need to guess where or what he''s doing as a few minutes after the man took off, the people that were still dinning, promptly left the restaurant after the waitress whisper some word to their ears, leaving their unfinished food on the table for the waitress to clean off. Once everyone had left the restaurant, She and Mia were then guided to a pretty big table, set up by the waitress, before finding a seat for themselves next to each other. "Now then, let''s get straight to business. Mr.Shiro?" "Just Shiro is fine. Adding mister doesn''t sit right for me." Of course that is the case, she''s a girl after all, not someone born with a third leg. Talking about the topic, She began to wonder if she can truly disguise herself as a man, including that one in the lower half. She had never tried it before as at most, she only changed her body structure to be a bit taller and all, but never did she try changing her sex. Nevertheless, bing a man isn''t something that she wanted to experience in her entire life but, if it can increase the experience for the skill, she might have to endure it and give it a go. Who knows, if the skill is high enough in level, she might be able to finally''disguise''herself as a real cat! "Alright. Then, Shiro, can you tell us why are you here?" With the same expressionless face and monotone voice, the woman asked. "Isn''t that obvious? I''m here because of my future partner is here, after all." She answered with her manly voice with her hand pointing toward Mia, seated quietly next to her. Mia wanted to speak out that she didn''t know this ''Shiro'' guy but, she decided to keep her mouth shut since she can vaguely sense that the atmosphere is somewhat strange. Previously, while they were on the way to the restaurant, Mia''s chaotic mind has somehow stabilized itself back to normal. During that time, she calmly digs deeper and thoroughly into her memory of the time she lives in the orphanage, but the further she digs, the more confused she became. No matter how she looks into it, there aren''t any memories of the guy or boy named ''Shiro.'' Although Mia is not that good at memorizing things up ever since she was a kid, she isn''t so bad that she would forget an eventful memory. She still remembers the time when the Caretaker decided to do a small celebration party for her as a result of her scoring excellent grades in school. And that was around five-six years ago. As she came upon this realization, she started to doubt everything the ''Shiro'' guy said to be true. Though she has her doubt, she still can''t ignore the fact that the guy had saved her from dying under the assassin''s de. "Tsk, just tell us the truth. You are a spy, aren''t you?" When the stoic woman didn''t answer to her remark, Frederic couldn''t hold his emotion anymore and clicked his tongue in annoyance before speaking. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Spy? What are you talking about? Why would I be a spy?" "What else can you be other than a spy! This girl might also be plotting together with you for all we know." Frederic said. "Man, are you high or something?" "What did you say?!" "Honestly, you overestimate me too much with my meager skill. I''m ttered, of course. Still, that''s impossible. I don''t have the skill to be a spy." "How can we believe your word? Do you have the proof for that?!" "Exactly. How can you prove that I''m a spy? Or is it that you just use me without any solid evidence in your part? No matter how suspicious I look like, you can''t just abruptly use someone of being a spy. That''s called rude." "Of course, the evidence, I have it." Frederic grinned as he spoke. She raises her brows, puzzled at where did he get his confidence. "The assassin that appeared before, they are your partner-in-crime, isn''t it? It appears like you''re protecting the girl but in actuality, that was all an act, right?" "Well, if that is what you want, fine. Why don''t we just ask these people for their answers personally?" Suddenly, two people in weird getup appeared on top of the big and round table. It was none other than the assassin and the mage that had been knocked out by She. While they were unconscious, she keeps them in her shadow as they might run away the moment they woke up. Actually, they did awake a few minutes ago, but She had used her shadow magic to knock them out once again. The moment they opened their eyes, all that they can see is nothing but darkness. And before they could figure out where they are, a tentacle emerged behind their back before hitting them hard on their neck, rendered them unconscious. Chapter 171 - Ruthless Torturing Method 101 When two unconscious men in weird getup appeared on top of their table, most of the people were surprised and began to wonder where and how did she was able to hide two grown-up men. No matter how many times they rub their eyes, thinking that they were dreaming or seeing hallucinations, the two unconscious men are still there on the table. To those that have seen the disy she had shown on the monitor a while back, they knew that she had some sort of unique magecraft that involved shadow. Although some didn''t believe what they were watching and thought of it as nothing, She had once again proven them wrong by materializing a tentacle out of her shadow and used it to wake up the two unconscious men. "Guh!" "Ah!" The two unlucky men got a rude wake-up call from She with a smack to their stomach. Once the pain breaks through their hazy mind, they unintentionally groaned out in pain. Looking at the two people hired by him, Frederic grinned in glee as he didn''t expect this ''Shiro'' guy to follow up to his change of n. But well, since it makes things convenient for him, he shouldn''tin much or heaven might strike him down. Never in his mind did he thought that the two would leak their deal since they are the kind of people that cares more about their reputation. "Then, let me¡ª" "I''ll do it." But what he didn''t expect was for the ''Ice Empress'' to step forward as he was about to start carrying his n, it caught him off guard.''This is bad! If I let her, the two might ended up exposing our deal without a second doubt! And to make matters even worse, she especially hates this kind of dirty dealing! But if I intervene now, it will raise a suspicious g on me. Now, what should I do?''Thought Frederic desperately wanted to stop her, he couldn''t really do anything other than to sit down back on his seat. If it came down to it, he might as well kill them before they could spout out the deal secretly.''That''s right. There''s no need for me to be so concerned about it.'' Before the stoic woman was about to open her mouth to speak, the assassin decided to take the chance and escape even though he knows it isn''t possible. But before he could even stand on his feet, the same tentacle emerged from his shadow and immediately wrap itself around him, binding him on the spot. The tentacle looks almost fragile that it gives the impression that one thinks that they can tear it apart with their brute strength alone but, too bad. All She needs to do is just to put a specific amount of mana into her shadow tentacles. By doing so, she strengthens it to be stronger and tougher. From the very beginning, She didn''t have any intention of letting the assassin go. From the look of how it turned out, She guessed that the assassin must have been hired by someone to assassinate Mia for a reason she didn''t know about just yet. Just when she was wondering what to do about the captured assassin and his friend, a certain someone suddenly suggests to interrogate them. What good timing for her, it couldn''t get any better than this. And so, She decided to follow along with it. She didn''t actually care if they were suspicious of her. After all, she did, in fact, trespassing into their secret territory before causing trouble for them. Anyone with a sane mind would get angry at her, don''t even mention getting suspicious. But unexpectedly, they decided to talk with her instead. If it also isn''t for her trying to gather information about the expressionless woman, she might have gone home by now. Why would she waste more of her time when she can use it for a more productive action instead? She had already done a part of her n anyway. "Well, I don''t want this man to attempt to do anything funny while he can, so you will have to let this slide since it''s also helpful to you, right?" The expressionless woman didn''t say anything in response to her. She simply stares at She for a moment in pure silence for some reason thetter didn''t know about, before turning her head toward the assassin and begins the interrogation. She didn''t know why but she feels like the woman understood her thoughts at that moment when she stares right into her eyes. Though She looks calm outside, internally, she''s sweating bucket. No one seems to sense anything different about her, but not that woman, She is sure that thetter somehow knows that she''s wearing a disguise.''This woman keeps on alerting my danger sense over and over. She''s the real deal, no doubt about it. If things went south, I''m going to escape immediately with Mia.'' "Now that you can''t escape, why don''t you tell us who hired you? And what is your mission? Where did youe from?" When the woman asked with her monotone voice, the assassin didn''t seem to have any reaction to it and snorted. "You think I''ll open my mouth with just this? Dream on." "..." When he finished speaking, the assassin suddenly senses that the atmosphere had somehow be strange. It strangely felt chilly even though there isn''t any ghost in the room. Before he can think further, suddenly, his nerve was overwhelmed by a single feeling, and that is pain. "Aaah! My finger-" "If you chose to keep silent, I will break apart your body one by one, finger after finger. Make sure you keep that in mind, okay?" That''s it. That''s the reason why she''s called Ice Empress. With that monotone voice coupled with an expressionless face, she brought fear with her ''cruel'' method of interrogation. Like a cold-blooded killer, she didn''t give any reaction regarding her bloody method. Of course, some people didn''t like her way of doing things and openly spoke to her about it. But the result of that is no one was spared unless they back off and listened to her warning. Some had even witnessed with their own eyes of her killing people without batting an eye; this caused the rumor about her to escted even further. She''s not a person to be mess with, for real. And despite many have begun to fear her, the Rainford Family who was known as one of the righteous families, they didn''t give any punishment to her and left her to her own device. They keep their door shut and didn''t respond to anything even while allies and enemies aside, appear on their doorstep to question them. Of course, it wasn''t long before the people who were banding together to boycott them had finallye to know what she did is, after the Rainford Family released the news by opening up their door to the people. As an influential family, obviously they are the hot target for the media and reporter alike. Even though they didn''t know the detail of what sort of thing she did, they do notice that something strange is going. But no matter how much they investigate, they didn''t manage to find anything worthy to make up for an article. The reason for that is the Rainford Family had been keeping everything under wraps from the public. With the help from the Mage Association, it isn''t that hard of a deal. After all, they were the one who makes the rule of not letting the public known about the magecraft, and anything involving it. Even after one of his fingers broken by the Ice Empress, the assassin still kept his mouth shut while ring deadly at her. As someone who was sold off by his parent to his current assassin organization, the man had been growing up through training after training until he finally bes the person they needed the most, which is an assassin. His own body had be a lot tougher than a bear after being tempered thoroughly by many training, and so, this kind of thing hardly faze him. The reason he cried out a while ago is that the sudden pain surprised him a bit. If not for the fact that he wants to live, he might have bit his tongue to kill himself. After all, that''s one of the codes of being an assassin. Even if one is prepared for getting tortured, they might have also cried out like him if they were caught off guard. He let his guard down as he didn''t expect a beautiful woman like her to be the one to torture him among the people in the room. He let his personal judgment overwrite his five years'' worth of sense, however, that might have been She''s fault. As an assassin who also came across mage a few times on his mission, he does know magecraft to a certain degree. At the very least, it''s enough for him to find their weakness before assassinate them. But the power showed by She a while backpletely destroyed themon sense he learned through all those years. Even now, though he knows the woman in front of him is strong, he still can''t believe that his trained eyes couldn''t follow her movement at all. All that he saw was just a blur for a short moment when she disappeared from her spot, that''s it. Although it mighte out like narcissistic, he was known God of Death due to his one-shot assassination that never fails. For someone like him to be overpowered by a man in a suspicious mask and a woman, it just sounds unbelievable. In fact, if his colleagues came to know about this information, they would definitely have a goodugh before rying the news to others. "You leave me no choice." The Ice Empress said with the same expressionless face and monotone voice. And once again, her figure turned into a blur and since he had prepared himself of the iing pain, he wasn''t that scared. But what happened next left him utterly puzzled for a brief moment as he watches one of his arms slowly falling to the ground. Soon after, the said man howled out in pain. "MY ARM! AAAAH!" "I warned you but you didn''t listen. However, I''m a merciful person. I will let you go if you answer my question properly, without any lies." ''Freaking hell...I didn''t see thating, did I? She literally ripped his arm apart with her brute strength, isn''t that crazy? My instinct is right, this woman is absolutely bad and something I just learned, utterly monster. She''s ruthless too.''thought She as she heaved out a sigh. If not for the fact that she''s wearing a mask, she might have also wiped the sweat off her forehead with her hand due to nervousness. Chapter 172 - The Clown ''Damn it. She''s a lot more ruthless than what the rumors reported. I should have killed them when I could, but it''s toote now. I don''t think I can do that unless I want to face her wrath afterward. Even though my strength can be said to be the top among the people here, I still can''t catch her figure with my eyes. It''sughable. Just as I thought I could beat her over something, there she goes and intimidates me with her frightening prowess casually. It''s as if she can read my exact thought, what a freaking monster that woman is.''thought Frederic with a helpless sigh. "Are you going to answer my question now?" Ice Empress asked. This time the assassin didn''t immediately dismiss her but instead fell silent and began to consider his option before replying to her. Now that he had lost one of his arms, he started to fear her for a logical reason. After all, she DID tear his arm apart rather than cutting it with a knife or something, which goes to show how frightening her strength is. Most importantly, he didn''t want to sacrifice his life to his mission like the other professional assassin. To him, being an assassin is just another way of gaining freedom. Despite having a fearsome nickname like ''God of Death,'' he''s actually an assassin with an obvious w. For the professional assassin, the moment they were captured, they would kill themselves soon after by either biting their tongue or poison themselves to death. To them, their priority is their mission. If it''s a failure, they might as well call themselves ipetent and suicide. That''s the code of conduct for an assassin. There''s no need topare the two as the answer is obvious; he cares more about his life than them, who was manipted by the organization. At first, he was also like them but, after epting mission after mission, he started to realize that the organization that adopted him was nothing but a crazy maniptor. Looking at the assassin he hired from his seat, Frederic started to have a bad feeling.''Is he really going to expose our deal with his organization''s reputation in line? No, wait. I remember hearing a rumor about him somewhere...I think something to do with his weakness. But I thought that was a lie since among all the assassin one can hire, he was the best of all. Of course the better one is, the more expensive they are. But strangely, this man''s cost is considered as cheap, so that was true all along? God damn it! Just as I thought I couldn''t kill him because of that woman, I expect him to kill himself so that the deal won''t get leaked.'' ''But what is this? Why does he have that kind of look on his face as if he hase to a conclusion and decided to speak the secret of our deal? Don''t you pull a joke on me! I paid for your service! And now that your life is on the line, you should follow your senior''s footsteps by killing yourself! Damn it.''Frederic cursed inside his mind upon realizing the situation. Now that it came to this, he had no choice but to use ''that.'' "I am¡ª" But before he could continue his word, he was interrupted by someone. It was very sudden, which is why everyone in the room was surprised when a stranger suddenly intrudes in their meeting. The staff has been ordered not to interrupt them for an hour by the Ice Empress herself. Yet, someone actually has the guts to go against her, that person must have been crazy in their mind. Bang! A gunshot resounds. "..Who let you in?" "Guh!" Ice Empress asked while her hand is gripping hard onto the neck of the intruder. If one looks down on the ground, they can see a single crushed up bullet with a pistol next to it. In the blink of an eye, the man finds himself strangled by her right after firing his gun. The intruder didn''t just feel that his breathing bing harder, he also felt very fearful toward her as at this very moment, there''s a scary aura erupting around her. It was clear to everyone in the room that she''s definitely angry. Although her aura isn''t as scary as that split second when she''s making her move, it still visibly affected most of the people in the room as with just a single look¡ªone can tell they are having a problem breathing for a different reason from the intruder. She was also visibly affected even for a moment. At that very moment, she suddenly finds herself submerged deep in the seas while surrounded by a group of shark, swimming around her. She had thought she got transported into a new floor forcefully by the system, but it was actually an illusion caused by a scary aura. It was the first time for her to experience something like that. Usually, she''s the one to frighten people, never the opposite. "Tell me, who order you to do this?" "!!!" From her monotone voice alone, one might not be able to tell she''s angry. The Ice Empress asked while slowly tightens up her grip around his neck until his face turned pale, it was only then that she pulled her hands away as he dropped to the ground.''Shit. I knew that she''s fast and all, but I didn''t expect her reaction speed to be fast too. The further I go, the more she shows me what a monstrosity she is. Is she even human? No, the real question is, what is she? Some kind of alien, perhaps? ...This is not the time for me to fool around! If that assassin revealed the deal, I''m dead. Seriously dead. Damn it, do I have no choice but to do it myself?'' "Now that I give you enough time to get your breathing back to normal, tell me. Who gives you the order? Is it one of us?" ''!!! She knows! But how is it possible? When I left the house, I make sure to cover up my track so that no one would be able to follow me. Was it as I thought, a betrayal? But who would betray when all of them are as corrupted as they could get? Or did one of them got caught in the act? There''s a possibility of that, for sure. As the saying goes, without smoke, there won''t be rain. That has to be it. And here I thought of continuing with this act for a few more years...'' "...yes. It''s F¡ª" Swosh! Without even knowing his killer''s identity was actually his boss, the man died of having beheaded by an invisible wind. "Alright, you have done enough. I''ll take care of it from now, and as for you." After finishing off his subordinate without batting an eye, ''Frederic'' turned his cold gaze toward the assassin. The assassin immediately went panic upon noticing his gaze and tried to speak his way out of it. But as if he was looking at an entirely different person, ''Frederic'' didn''t say anything and finished him off the same way he did to his subordinate. From the very beginning, it was this man''s fault for getting caught, and instead of killing himself as a way to cut off the information, the man went as far as wanting to expose our deal. That''s why it turned out like this as a result. "W-Wait! You promise¡ª" Swosh! Even he didn''t want to do this if possible. After all, it ended up wasting the effort he put into acting as another persona. Everything has gone to shit. It''s really hasn''t been easy for him. "What do you think you''re doing?" With the same monotone voice and expressionless face, the Ice Empress asked. When he makes his move, she didn''t intervene whatsoever and let him do as pleased. If previously he didn''t believe her, now he does. She really did know about the dirt I have done as ''Frederic.'' However, he didn''t know why but, she didn''t inform the other about it. Is he lucky, or is it because her information isn''t enough for a proof? Either way, she''s not just dangerous with her frightening strength. It seemed she also has a brain in her head, unlike those morons. "What else, other than cleaning up the mess? It''s my fault for not nning properly after all. Now then, do you guys want to live or die here together with these two headless corpses?" ''Frederic'' coldly smiles as he spoke toward the influential families whilepletely ignoring the Ice Empress at the head of the seat. "Who do you think you are? Do you think I''ll be scared of you with that kind of show off?" A round man in his 40s spoke with a prideful look on his face. Clearly, this man didn''t understand the situation here. "Exactly. Most importantly, you rudely intervened in this case just as the man was about to tell us of the culprit. What are you going to do about that, huh?" "Right!" Although his voice might sound like a small boss living off from people''s suffering, the man looks average in terms of appearance. And despite he has no talent whatsoever, he and that round man that spoke a moment ago, both of them are undoubtedly from influential families. But the things are, their family is truly the disgusting type that makes their people suffered from overtaxing them. And so, their reputation is as shit as one can get. They are the type that the Ice Empress hates the most. And though she wanted to bring them to justice, without any proof or intel, she can''t make a move on them. Actually, there are about twelve influential families around this district. But after a round of cleansing from her, the number decreased to ten. Even beforeing into the meeting room, Ice Empress is still looking for information about rumors of the ursed, corrupted family. And in a span of a few months, she managed to destroy two whole families after gaining enough information about their corruption. Though she gained much support from the public, the enemies also increased as a result. What would she be afraid of when her strength is more formidable than theirs? While the three Heads of their Families were getting heated up for some unknown reason, ''Frederic'' simply swing his arm toward them before their head flew off from their neck, suffering the same fate as the corpse on the ground. "I give you a choice, but you chose to ignore it, now you can regret it in hell." Zack coldly answered before tearing off the skin of the face-mask he wore, showing his true appearance to the people in the room. The clown known as Frederic is now over, it''s time for him to get serious. "You''re brave, and seem very confident too. Not bad. But I wonder if you forget that I''m still here?" Said the Ice Empress. Chapter 173 - Is That P0K3B4LL?! "You''re brave, and seem very confident too. Not bad. But I wonder if you forget that I''m still here?" Said the Ice Empress while surrounded herself with a frightening aura. And amidst those scary-looking aura, She senses a faint smell of blood. For those who have never killed anyone, they won''t be able to notice it, but not her. She had personally killed a group of thugs, which was hired by Rodrick back then when thetter kidnapped Yuna. In summary, she has the experience, and without a doubt, a murderer. If she went all out, it is possible for those who have never kill anyone might feel repulse from her aura alone. Although her hand now stained with blood, she didn''t regret it, nor feel guilty like most of the characters from a novel does. After all, she killed them so that they won''t be a hassle in the future. Unfortunately, she missed one guy, most likely Rodrick. She didn''t know how he can escape amidst the building crumbling down, but most likely, he was teleported by something or from someone''s abilities. She was indeed surprised, knowing that someone else out there also has the ability to teleport people. She thought only the system was capable of using that kind of magical spell, but apparently, she''s wrong. Of course, never did She think that only she or the system has the capabilities to do that. That would be looking down on the entire world, after all. Who knows, there might also be someone out, awaken to a special ability, just like her own unique circumstance? With how the world is going to turn out in the future, it isn''t impossible. She believes it is wiser to think that there might be someone out there who also have the same capabilities and power as her and, think of a way to deal with it under such circumstance. "Forget, me? No way. I simply didn''t care as, at the end of it, you''re going to die by my hand. I was going to make all these Head of Influential Families to obey mymand before going after the desert, however, since you want to die that badly, sure I''ll follow along." Zack confidently spoke with a grin on his face before shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out a weird looking ball at the size of enough to fill in his palm. Aside from its strange-looking appearance, the ball looks very ordinary¡ªso ordinary that one might mistake it for a normal ball. But one shouldn''t underestimate this ball since it has a single yet powerful feature that will definitely help him in eliminating the woman in his sight. He didn''t actually n on using it, but the situation called for it. "Now, everyone, you shall witness the great power I hold! Look closer, because this will end within the blink of an eye." The people watching couldn''t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva when hearing his remark. They also wonder what kind of ''great power'' he was talking about since the power he had shown previously is more than enough to frighten some of the people in the room. But of course, there are still few people that aren''t really afraid of his prowess. There are either one of two¡ªFirst, their strength is much stronger than him, so there''s no reason for them to fear him. As for thetter, they are just a bunch of idiots whom couldn''t understand the difference between heaven and earth. With a weird ball in his hand, Zack smile in glee as he imagined what their face would look like when the situation suddenly turned against them. Most of the people in the room also locked their eyes into the strange-looking ball in his hand and thought,''What is that ball? Is it a grenade? No, the grenade is much bigger than that, so it can''t be. Also, it doesn''t make sense for him to called it ''great power'' if it was just a simple grenade unless his insane.''While some people started to specte what kind of item the ball is, they were surprised to see Zack throwing it straight at Ice Empress. Unexpectedly, his throwing speed is so slow that even average people can dodge it. "?" Because it was so surprising, she didn''t make any sort of movement to avoid it. Zack grinned upon seeing this. He didn''t expect for everything to go so well, she must have overestimated her strength too much. To everyone disbelief, the moment the ball came in contact with Ice Empress, her figure vanished on the spot as if she was but a ghost. "What is..going on?" Zack slowly stepped forward before crouching down to pick up the ball that has fallen to the ground. When the ball is now in his grasp, he couldn''t control himself anymore and startedughing out loud. "Hahahaha! That''s what you get for underestimating me! With this, you''re now locked forever in that shit hole, unable to escape! Hah, how I wish I can see your expression now, but too bad. Well, I''ll just be satisfied with this." ''What? Are you telling me the ball in his hand is a freaking P0K3B4LL?! How many does he have in his pocket? Give me some! No, this is not the time to joke around. Though I have a feeling that woman won''t get caught just like that, I need to prepare for the current situation too. If he has more and I let my guard down for a moment, I could also get captured into that ball, suffering the same fate as that woman. Plus, I don''t even know what''s in there. It might be a ce where the monster they sealed ran amok in there. Even if this guy only has that single ball, what if he can use it continuously? Anyways, more dangerous guy pop-up, my luck really suck. All I wanted is just to make this ''Shiro'' persona to have an admirable reputation...''thought She as she heaved a sigh. "Fuh~ that really hit the spot. Now then..." After having a goodugh, Zack turned around, facing the people seated around the table. "I''ll give you all onest chance, obey me. If you do so, I''ll let you live." Zack dered with both of his hands spread wide as if weing them to his rule. Since his mission was to take control of the branch, it doesn''t matter whether he does it with his real identity or a fake one, both will have the same result at the end. Even so, he couldn''t help but wonder why does he has to do all this troublesome matter, when ''they'' are more powerful than something like Mage Association? He''s sure that one of them, alone can take care of this entire organization, but for some strange reason, they didn''t which confused him to no end. Either way, it doesn''t matter. In fact, this seems like fun, taking care of nobles families like a ve that is. "Hello? I know it might sound weirding from me, but aren''t you alling here to speak with me? So how did the situation turn out like the anime I watched yesterday? I thought you guys are going to invite me to join your little vanity group, but that''s not the case, huh?" Suddenly finding his fun being interrupted by someone, Zack was annoyed. He moved his gaze toward the man wearing a suspicious fox mask, and remember that there is such a person here. He had forgotten about it since his mind was upied by other businesses. "Oh. Since you easily killed their guardian, how about joining me? Heck, if you join them, it is the same as you joining me anyway." She titled her head to the side upon hearing his remark. "Let''s say that I agree to your offer, what''s the price?" "Price?" "Of course. If you wanted to hire someone, you need to set a price. And since I''m pretty strong, that means I''m very expensive. Can you afford me?" She nonchntly replied as if she''s speaking the obvious. Zack lowered his head in response before he startedughing out loud once again, perhaps finding her remark funny. "Hahahaha! That''s indeed the case. Yes, you are right. But why would I need to hire you? Though I don''t know how strong their guardian is without meeting it face to face, I''m sure I can do the same. No, I can finish it even faster than you. So what I''m saying is, why do I need to hire you when I''m strong enough to protect myself?" She nodded her head in an understanding manner. "Then my answer is no. I don''t have any reason to side with you now, did I? So my answer is given." Once again, she nonchntly said. Even if a man got a good temperament, he would at least be upset if his offer was rejected right in front of many people. If you triple that amount, you''ll get the damage Zack received from that single rejection. After all, the people in this room will be his subordinates in the future, so if he had already lost his face before he became their leader, it wouldn''t be strange if they didn''t show any respect to him, right? "Sigh, another foolish fellow. Fine, if it''s the fight that you want, so be it. Come on, I''ll show you who''s the boss." "Hmm? When did I say that? I only reject your offer, never did I mention about wanting to fight you, did I?" "And? If you wanted to escape from here alive, you have to fight me anyway. You don''t think that I''ll let you go just like that, right?" Zack muttered before putting pressure on her with his powerful aura, which is enough to kill ordinary people. But it is nowhere enough to be called pressure in her presence. Since the man wanted to fight that badly, she might as well give it a try to test the water. With that thought in mind, She also silently released her aura, which immediately caused Zack to feel chills running through his body as his sense of danger started ringing a loud rm in his mind. From his entire life, this is the second time it happened. The first time it happens...didn''t turn out well to him. Chapter 174 - Retreat Although her aura isn''t as powerful and scary as that expressionless woman, it is still enough to overwhelming Zack''s aura. The reason behind it is simple; If it''s the experience speaking, She had way more experience inbat and killing inparison to Zack. After all, she needs to kill monster after monster in the Trial Tower to be stronger. She didn''t realize it yet but, the more she kills monsters, the stronger her aura became. Even without the use of the Intimidation skill, her aura had long turned into something incredible. Because she keeps her aura mostly isted while in disguise, no one can sense it. But the moment she decided to let it loose, that is when the people would start shitting in their pants. With the sweats trickling down his forehead, Zack was surprised to see that there''s another monster other than Ice Empress.''This is bad. I only have this single-use sealing ball. Because I already used it on the Ice Empress, I don''t have anything else with me. If this guy is as strong as that woman, whatever is in my pocket, is nowhere enough to defeat him! What should I do?''thought Zack while his eyes wandering around the restaurant, perhaps looking for a way for him to beat her. He needs to think up a n ASAP as the longer he took the time, the stronger the pressure he felt from that masked guy. Even now, it''s increasing at a frightening rate even though the culprit is just sitting calmly on his seat. During the time he was observing his surroundings, Zack realized that only he was acting ''strange'' as the other didn''t look that much different to him. It''s like he was the only affected by her aura while they didn''t. Upon closer inspection, he was right. Normally, her aura is not as powerful as the one Zack felt right at this moment. Without the use of Intimidation skill, at most, they would get frightened by her aura which gives off an illusion of a fearsome being standing right behind her like a ghost. But this time is different. To make it easier to understand, everyone at a certain point would unlock a passive aura skill like a character in the game. And the skill type is actually AoE(Area of Effect). Now imagine this, if AoE skill is already strong as it is, what would happen if one can change it from AoE into a single target? The answer is obvious! ''Damn it! I''m just wasting my time like this. I will be at a disadvantage if I keep this on, that can''t happen. I need to do something, anything works so long as I can escape from this pressure and when that happened, I''ll have enough time to think of a n to beat this guy.''If look can kill people, She would have died multiple times with the way Zack is ring at her. It was at this moment that his sight caught onto Mia seating right next to the suspicious masked guy. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. ''Though I''m not sure if it will work out, it''s better than nothing.''With that thought in mind, Zack immediately sprang to action. With a swing of his hand, a de of wind flew toward She at a considerable speed. If it has been someone at Mia''s level, they won''t be able to dodge it in time from such a close range. She responds back by calmly raising her hand toward the iing attack and all of sudden, a strong gust of wind flew out of her hand, stopping the de of wind from reaching her. Although her wind magic level is not as high as her fire magic, it is more than enough to stop the iing de of wind. Zack clicked his tongue in annoyance upon seeing how easily the guy blocks his attack. But that was within his expectation, without wasting time any further, he sent another de of wind toward her. And within that split second, he quickly pulled an actual grenade out of his pocket before throwing it toward Mia. "Hahaha! Now let''s see if you can stop this!" "Damn it! everyone, get down!" Gerald immediately shouted to warn the others of the iing explosive the moment he saw Zack pulling a grenade out of his pocket. Even though he knows that they won''t be left unscathed once the grenade explodes and without a doubt, they will also get caught in the explosion, he stilly down on the ground after warning others. "So that is your n, huh? Too bad, that won''t work because I can just do this." With her right hand stopping his magic attack the same way she did a moment ago, She used her left hand with the telekinesis to ''grab'' onto the grenade before ''throwing'' it up toward the ceiling. If she didn''t train most of the skill she finds useful, She might only be able to save Mia by bringing her into the shadow. Technically, she can also bring the other into her shadow along with Mia but, she won''t because they are not in her priority list. After all, she had been hiding in the shadow so that she can protect Mia, not them. Though she didn''t mind acting as a hero once in a while, she didn''t want it to distract her from the actual goal. Plus, being a hero is not as nice as what most of the people imed to be. In fact, being a viin seem much better and rtable. Rather than people causing trouble for them, they cause trouble for people instead. So if she had to choose between the two, she would go for a viin. Right after she throws the grenade into the air, She immediately taps on Mia''s shoulder, bringing her into the shadow as a safety measure from the explosion. To be honest, she can just bring Mia to the Trial Tower but, since it is not the time yet, she wanted to have fun as much as possible before telling thetter about her real identity. Though Mia might get upset at herter for ying a joke on her, She can just say it was all part of her n, which is not exactly wrong either. Once the smoke caused by the explosion had dispersed, She immediately jumped out of her shadow following by Mia. Looking down at the people moaning painfully on the floor, it seemed there are still people that get caught by the force from the explosion, despite having her thrown it up to the ceiling. Thankfully, the ceiling for this particr floor is very high, so they don''t have to worry about the falling debris. However even if the grenade managed to hit the ceiling, She believes it won''t leave any scratch as this building is, after all, not a normal one, but one that was strengthened by mana. "See, I have told you, it won''t work on me." ''Since he didn''t use that poke-, I mean that strange-looking ball, that means it''s a one-use item. That''s good to know. I don''t want to find myself sealed into endless darkness. Just not ying a game for a week already brought me to exhaustion both in mind and body, there''s no way I can handle that despite having a strong will. Also, who knows whether it is possible for me to enter the trial Tower from inside that ball? There are so many uncertain that I would rather sit tight and let my curiosity die down instead.''thought She. "Damn it!" Seeing him with an aggrieved look on his face put a smile on her face. Because she''s wearing a half-face mask, Zack could clearly see her smiling at him. "Oh right, you were saying that I can''t escape from this room with you around, was it? I think you are under a huge misunderstanding. I didn''t want to leave just yet because the situation seems fun to me, so I decided to stay put for a while and watch as the situation progress. I can take my leave anytime I wanted to, and you will never catch me with your meager trick." "W-What?!" "What I''m saying is, if you''re going to rely on an item that will help you in conjuring a spell, you need to act better than that so that no one would take notice of it. Every time you swing your hand, why is your other hand in your pocket, I wonder?" "W-What are you talking about? T-There''s no way I have such a convenient item in my pocket!" "Now then, as far as my information goes, a ''mage'' required to chant to conjure a spell. Of course, there is an exception that doesn''t need to chant to conjure a spell, I''m an example of that. But how about you? I have thought about it for a while now, and this is the conclusion I came up with. I''m not trying to be narcissist here but, I have a good memory, you know? I can still remember every single detail that happened before that woman got herself sealed into the strange-looking ball." She paused for a moment as her smile slowly turning into an evil grinned. Zack instinctive swallowed a mouthful of saliva upon seeing her grin. Just as he thought she''s going to expose his secret card, she suddenly sighs and said. "Well, it seems the time hase to an end. You''re lucky, aren''t you? Oh, before I left..." Just as he was about to wonder what in the world is she talking about, the sealing ball seated on top of the table suddenly started hovering in the air before it flew toward She. "I''ll be taking this with me. Now then, this is farewell, good bye~" "W-Wait! That is!" She smiled at him onest time before she tapped Mia in the shoulders and then, both of them ''sank'' into her shadow. Just as both of them had fully submerged into the shadow, a group of people in a strange getup suddenly make their entrance into the restaurant. Although most of the influential families were left confused by the sudden entrance of an unknown group of people, some of them do recognize the symbol on their cloak. Zack is one of the few people that recognized it¡ªafter all, he was the one instructed by them to take control of the branch. ''I was wondering why but, this must be it. He must have realized that he can''t win against this group of people, and so, he ran away. So this is what he was talking about me when saying I was lucky, huh? Damn it. If I knew they wereing, I would have tried stopping her from retreating. Now I have to watch out for my neck every single day, sigh. Just my luck.''Zack heaved a helpless sigh uponing to realization. Chapter 175 - The Strange Group ''If I''m alone, I would not have any need to retreat since I''m pretty sure that not even a group of mages can stop me if I escape into the Trial Tower. But I have Mia with me at the moment which can be taken advantage of if they y it right. There''s also another reason for that. Though I''m confident about my strength, I''m not sure if I can beat them; the group of people with weird getup that suddenly appeared in the restaurant.''From the look on the situation, She was able to guess that only a few of the influential families know about them as the moment their eyes recognize the symbol on the cloak, their body involuntary freeze up. She didn''t actually escape right away and instead, decided to stay put for a while for some information. "Oi, Zack, tell me what is going on here. I was wondering why you didn''t report on time and thought you were cking off, but what the hell is going on here?" Among the group of people hiding in their unique-looking cloak, one stepped forward and asked with a rough voice, yet Zack can feel a powerful aura erupting for a moment when the former spoke, which brought him chills. He has a feeling that if he spoke of the truth about the situation, he most likely be punished. But neither can he lie as, if they truly wanted to know about it, they can just ask the influential families moaning on the floor. Without any other choice, Zack gritted his teeth and said. "W-Well, it''s like this..." A few minutester... "Hahaha! Isn''t that hrious? You have used the precious item given to you from us, and what''s more, it gets stolen right in front of your eyes? This is just too hrious, hahaha!" The man with a rough voiceughed after learning the whole situation. Just as Zack thought he is safe from punishment, his body was suddenly struck by something heavy and thus, sent flying straight toward the wall at a fearsome speed. Bam! "Cough! Cough!" The moment he got hit by something heavy to his gut, Zack is sure that he heard something cracked, perhaps it might have been the sound of his ribs shattered to pieces. After crashing himself into the wall, Zack vomits a mouthful of blood to the ground once he recovered his sense.''Damn it, this hurt like hell! What was that? A kick? A single kick can be this powerful?! I knew that guy is powerful based on the aura he released a month ago, but I didn''t expect his physical strength to be this powerful too! Why are there so many crazily strong monsters out there? To an ordinary person, my strength is enough to be called a monster in their eyes, but how about those guys? If I''m an ordinary monster, they must be the Boss.'' "Seriously, what an impotent guy, you are. Zack, oh~ Zack, I thought you have talent...I must have been blind a month ago to ept someone like you into our group." "Haven''t I told you about this before, old man? The human here is just that impotent and weak. It might have been because they live in a modern world, a peaceful world with no danger at every turn like us. Their fang had be so dull that they can''t even protect themselves in the face of sudden danger." ''The human here? Peaceful world? What is this dude talking about? Is he inte-stage for an eighth-grade syndrome?''thought She while observing them from within the shadow. Another one hidden by a cloak stepped forward and spoke with a childish tone. The ''old man'' nodded his head in agreement. "Then, what are we going to do now, old man? Should we just kill them all? We don''t need them, do we?" Although his tone sounds childish, his remark, however, caused the people moaning on the floor to fear for their life. At this point, the influential families havee to realize that someone out of their league, had set their eyes on the branch, but most of all, they can''t even do anything to stop them as some of them were injured by the explosion a while ago. As for those that fortunately didn''t receive any injuries on their body, their strength isn''t enough to beat someone that can send someone flying with just a kick. After all, they are a mage, not a physical fighter. Before they can even finish their chanting, their opponent''s fist might already on the way to their face. Basically, thetter is the bane of their ss. ''So they are indeed the one behind that guy crashing on the wall. I somehow pity him after looking at how many injuries he received from that single kick. Just kidding, I don''t really care if they ended up fighting over themselves. But I can''t help and wonder what is their origin? They didn''t seem to be the people from Mage Association but more of a third-party. I guess the only way to find out is to follow them for now.'' "Hmm. Certainly, we don''t need the uncertainness in our n, so we might as well remove them now before they be trouble in the near future." The ''old man'' replied after taking a moment of consideration. Most of the people in their group also nodded their heads silently in agreement with his remark. Initially, they n to control the branch with a puppet, but since most of the influential families are even weaker than their puppets, they might as well take the stage instead. Of course, they still need to be careful as it is still possible for there to be a hidden tiger or dragon in this peaceful world. The woman called Ice Empress and the guy with a half-face mask are such examples. ''Honestly, what a surprise, for there to be someone who can conjure a spell without a chant. If I had known better, I would have given a second ball to this guy but, what a shame. Nheless, even if the sealed ball is stolen, there''s no way a person of this world can release the seal. As far as the knowledge about the supernatural goes, they are too far behind. Plus, we have more issues at hand at the moment.''thought ''Old man.'' Since they have reached an agreement, or at least that''s what the one with the childish tone thought as he stepped forward, wanting to end them by his hand. But before he could progress further, someone on his side interrupted him by patting him on the shoulders before saying. "Before you do that, you need to watch out for those hidden in the dark, like this." ''?!'' The hand touching on his shoulders looks slender, what one would expect from a girl/woman. Even the high pitch voice indicated that the person behind the cloak this time is indeed a female. After patting him on the shoulders, she pulled a paper-looking talisman inside her cloak before throwing it at the shadow of the table. This might seem strange to the others, but to herpanions, they immediately understood everything after hearing her words. "Damn, I didn''t expect this sort of situation." She said after suddenly finding herself reappearing back to reality. Luckily, her reaction speed is pretty quick as, the moment she finds something amiss, she immediately sent Mia into the Trial Tower without a second thought. The talisman thrown by the woman immediately burst into me right after, it''s a shame She can''t analyze it before that happens. More importantly, these group of people gives off a very dangerous vibe just by standing on the same ground as them. The one-eyed symbol on their cloak seems to hold a deeper meaning, but she doesn''t know that as of yet. "Oh? So this is the guy that ruins our n, isn''t it?" Said the one with a childish tone. The female one nodded in response to his question. "Heh, alright. Then should I take care of him?" "Hey, a kid shouldn''t be saying scary stuff like that, you know?" Snap! "Who are you calling me a kid?! I''m just short! I''m still on my growth phase!" The heavy pressure emitted from the short kid a moment ago suddenly dispersed the moment he shouted. Though She tried provoking him with words, she didn''t expect for him to bit it just like that. "Hey, kid. Don''t easily get provoke like that." Advised the ''old man.'' But rather than listening to his advice, the short kid shouted once again as if he was triggered by the word ''kid.'' "I told you, I''m not a kid! You shitty geezer!" ''Oh, right. Look at me, forgetting important stuff like that. This must have been the result of the old age taking a toll on me. Anyways, this kid is pretty self-conscious about his short height. Once he got triggered, it will take a while to bring him back to his senses. Or at least, that''s what I heard. I have never actually witnessed it happening with my own eyes since most of the witnesses on the scene died in his hand. All that left on the scene is nothing but corpses. Corpses litter all over the ce. It was such a scary sight to behold, even for someone like me.'' "Hey, kid. Even if you get angry, you need to ept the truth. I mean, look at you, there''s no denying that you''re actually short. Why don''t you try asking yourpanion whether my word holds true or not?" Someone within the group couldn''t help but clicked his tongue once he realized the trouble the guy with a half-face mask trying to stir. He also thought,''if you wanted to stir that kid, you should handle the problem yourself. But I guess that must be your n from the beginning, right?'' "Y-You! Fine! Hey, you guys! Tell me, do you also think I''m short like this guy here?!" But rather than answering his question, a moment silence spread to the whole restaurant. Although he looks like a kid with his short height and childish voice, he is without a doubt, one of the strongest people among the group. He was born with vast potential. It didn''t take him long enough before he caught up to the previous generation in terms of strength alone. "What? Are you guys deaf? I''m asking the question here!" "Isn''t it obvious why they aren''t answering your question, Kid? They can''t deny that it''s the truth, after all." ''No, that''s not the reason why we didn''t say anything. That kid...he can also tell whether someone is lying to him. Because it is indeed the truth, we can''t lie. And if we spoke of the truth, he might go berserk as a result. That''s going to be a lot problematic, not just for us but also for the civilians outside. Honestly, we don''t really care about the civilians of this world, not in the least. But this is not the time yet to attract attention. No matter how strong we are, we can''t look down on this world and its advanced technology. We need to prepare even more before that day came by.'' "Ah! Damn it! Fine, I don''t care anymore. I''ll kill you here and¡ª" Just as the kid rush out toward her with his cries, suddenly, a small-size candy flew and entered precisely into his wide mouth. He paused for a moment as his tongue couldn''t help but identally lick the candy in his mouth. The kid widens up his eyes, surprised at the fact of how tasty the candy is. The town he lives in also has a sweet called candy, but the taste can''t bepared to the one inside his mouth. It almost sounds ridiculous topare both of them when clearly, the candy from his hometown is not a match for this one. Chapter 176 - How To Distract Kid 101 "How is it? It''s good, right?" Seeing the kid went quiet for a moment there, She couldn''t help but asked him with a teasing smile on her face. She was quite surprised as she didn''t expect the kid to really fall to her candy trick. Honestly, aside from his obvious short height, the kid seems to carry an air of a mature person around him, so she thought her trick might not work on him. But who would have thought that it really did? When the kid was rushing toward her, it seems the wind pressure caused the cloak that covered his head to fell perfectly around his nape, which now shows the people of his true appearance. His facial structure still looks a bit childish, which is understandable for people to assume him as a kid, but upon a closer look, one can tell that his eyes said otherwise. Those didn''t seem like the eyes of a kid, but more of an adult who had experienced a lot of things in their life. If She were to guess his age based on that, it might be around the same as hers.''He might be one of those people who have been abandoned by their growth phase at such a young age,''so she thought. Though her voice is pretty faint, it is fairly enough for the kid''s ears to pick it up due to an appropriate distance that brought him back to his senses. He came to realized what had just happened to him and now felt very embarrassed yet angry at the same time. To make it even worse, he can still taste the candy despite it already gone down his throat. Because he is self-conscious about his short built, he has been trying his best to portray himself as a mature person to others. But all his effort now wasted just because of a mere candy. "Y-You! You dare to do this to me!" Following his rage, a bloodthirst aura started erupting from the kid, giving the people an impression of a huge predator stood right behind him with its mouth wide open, clearly showing its sharp teeth to them. As someone who had killed people personally, She was surprised. The murderous intent in his aura is a lot more evident than her own. This indicated that he must have killed way more people than her, most likely a thousand or so. In the current peaceful society, it''s almost impossible for the kill count to amount to that much unless he started up a war or something. Although the country she lives in is now free from war, it doesn''t mean the others aren''t at war even at this very moment. Though medias portrayed the current world as peaceful, there are still wars somewhere on the other side of the world. Everyone knows of this information, yet none tried to stop the war, do we? Why is it? The answer is given, it''s none of our business, neither our friends and family. Humans tend to look away when it''s none of their problems, that is just how it is. ''Although I don''t want to believe it, the information I have in my hand is enough to point toward ''that route.'' Isn''t this too early for them? I have a feeling that it will take a year or two before meeting them, but now it has only been a few months. It is way too early based on my assumption! And if I had to guess this kid''s level, it might be somewhere around 30, which is three levels higher than me. I don''t even know whether I can beat him, then what if they decided to gang up on me? I need to defeat him before that happens, but will they truly let me kill that kid? Definite not.''thought She after witnessing the kid''s aura. Before the kid could rush toward her, he was once again stopped by the thing in her hand. His keen sense of smell is telling him that the ''thing'' in the guy with a half-face mask''s hand is the candy that he ate a moment ago. Seeing him stopped on his track again, She smiles before tearing the candy''s package, which caused the smell from within to spread to the surrounding. The kid widens his eyes once again as his keen smell got overwhelmed by the sweet yet sour scent from the candy''s package in her hand. It''s real. He didn''t mistake it for something else. "T-That! What is that thing in your hand?! Is it the candy I just ate a moment ago? No way! I won''t be tempted! You can''t tempt me with that!" "...before you speak, why don''t you wipe off the drool on your mouth first?" "!!!" Though he isn''t willing to admit, the candy truly does taste good, heck, it''s even better than the meal he had in his hometown. It has only been a few days, so he didn''t really know much about this world other than the fact that their technology is very advanced. Of course he didn''t investigate it himself but instead, someone told him about it. So, it wasn''t really his fault for falling to her trick since he had never eaten such a sweet candy as that, never in his entire life. Actuality, ever since he had crossed into this world, he had only eaten grilled meat, cooked personally by him. He also had to hunt the meat himself in the forest. Fortunately, he appeared deep in the wild forest, not in a crowded city. If he had appeared in the city, it won''t only end as mere ''chaos.'' There would be too many deaths if that happens, after all. "Do you want this? Ah, this candy is really good." "Ah!" She said before throwing a few pieces of candy from the package into her mouth. The kid is visibly stunned by her action, which one can tell by just looking at his face. It''s like each candy she throws into her mouth, he received damage cause of it. Honestly, she finds it funny as though he said he isn''t a kid, his action told otherwise. "Hmm? Why don''t you say something? I mean, if you''re not going to speak, I might finish this package on my own." "W-Wait! Let''s sit down and have a talk!" "Talk? I thought you were going to kill me for ruining your n, is that a lie? Because of your threatening lie, I''m scared, you know? As payback for that, I''ll finish this candy right in front of you." With that said, She immediately throws more pieces of candy into her mouth without any consideration for the kid. She slowly demonstrates it to the kid how good the candy is by expressing it in a bodynguage since she can''t show her face to them, even while in disguise. After all, the woman/girl standing behind the kid might be able to tell if she can sense her within the shadow. If their level is the same or above the kid, it makes sense that they can see right through her disguise. "S-Stop! Fine, I will let you live! I don''t care anymore about our goal or whatever, j-just...give me that." The kid admits defeat immediately the moment he started to imagine the candy is no more. Though he is talented inbat, everything else is a mess to him. If he had used his brain and thinks properly, he might have found out that one can easily buy the candy, so long as they go to the nearest convenience store. But the kid never uses his brain other than fighting, so it''s useless. At the moment, his thought is in disarray as the only thought in his mind is about the candy and nothing else matter. He believes that if he takes too much time to consider everything, the masked guy might end up emptying the package of candy himself, leaving him none. In fact, the n is to stay hidden from the spotlight until they have fully blended themselves into this world. And so, if he were to fight against someone as strong as the masked guy in front of him, the barrier protecting this building might not be able to hold on once it happened. And if that happens, obviously it will bring them to the spotlight that they didn''t want. A wise decision is to sit down and have a proper talk with each other. Fighting is bad! If the people behind him came to know about his thought at the moment, they would have been so shocked that they will lose unconscious. His nickname ''Battle Maniac'' is not just a nickname for a show. She smiles after witnessing the kid raising the white g to her and thought,''And here I thought he won''t bite the bait the second time since he sounds mature, but who would have known that it happened again?'' "Oh, is that right? But, I can''t give this to you just yet, I mean, who knows, you might attack me right after getting your hand on it. I can''t trust the word of someone that had threatened me a moment ago, would I?" "Kuh!" It seemed he really have the thought to do that, but unfortunately, she had seen through him. "So, how about this? You will follow me until we leave the building, leaving your group behind. Only then, would I give you this, your choice?" She suggested. The kid took a moment to turned his head and look at the ''Old man'' before both of them nodded their head, epting her suggestion, which is very surprising to her since she thought their answer would be the opposite instead. Though she finds it suspicious that they are willing to let her go just like that, she didn''t care. Whatever they are nning, once she reached the exit, she would immediately take off, leaving the kid behind. By the look of it, the leader of the group is the ''Old man,'' yet the kid seems to hold a high position too, seeing how the others didn''t disagree with their decision. "Alright, follow me." With that said, She immediately walks toward the exit of the restaurant. She didn''t need to look back as her awareness had already picked up the presence of the kid following right behind her. When the two entered the elevator, no word was exchanged between them, only pure silence. It was only when they reached outside the building did the kid finally spoke to her. "You know, with your strength and abilities, I think you''re fit for our group. Why not join us? For your information, we don''t take just anyone into our group. If that was the case, we would have plenty of members by now instead of a selected few. As for benefits, there are a lot. You have seen the sealing ball yourself, didn''t you? You did steal it from that man, after all." "Ah, that P0K3B4LL. Yes, I have it with me. What about it?" "We have plenty of that, ready for use. And that''s not the only thing we have, as I said, there are too many benefits for you to gain by joining us. This might sound strange to you, but this world has no way to produce our item despite having an advanced in the technology department. This is nothing but the truth. If you join us, all these mystical items would be avable to you, doesn''t that sound tempting?" There was a bit of pride in his tone when he spoke. She nodded her head in agreement before saying. "Indeed, that does sound nice." "Right? So, what are you waiting for?" "But...too bad, I didn''t like you guys the moment you all appeared in front of me." "What? Is that really your reason for not wanting to join us?" "Yes." "Sigh, well whatever. It''s your choice." She raised her brows but didn''t say anything and instead, she pulled out another package of candy from her pocket before giving it to the kid. Once that is given, she immediately walks into the crowd, leaving the kid looking at the package in his hand with drool on his mouth.''This is! Oh, wait! I forgot to use that sealing ball on him! Damn it, he used the candy to distract my mind! I''ll get himter for this, that sly guy! But for now, I''m going to enjoy this candy to the fullest. Sooner orter, we will definitely meet each other again, so it doesn''t matter.''With that thought in mind, the kid went back to the building with a happy look on his face. Chapter 177 - The Safest Place In The World "I knew it. It was you all along. I started to have suspicion on you the moment you used your Shadow Magic, but even so, I thought there might be someone out there who can use the same magic as you since it isn''t impossible of a thought. Plus, your well-executed disguise is the reason that I decided to believe in your lies. As far as my experience goes, the only magic that had the same characteristics as your disguise is Illusion Magecraft, but one can easily see through it if they are experienced enough. That is why I never thought of the whole persona was just nothing but a disguise. But it all came together the moment you sent me in here." Mia said after She had removed her disguise and tell her of the truth, in the Trial Tower. To be honest, Mia did felt a bit upset upon being told she was yed around by She just like that, but once she realized it was for her own good and part of a bigger n, she couldn''t muster any strength to do anything to thetter. Even so, she couldn''t help but advise She to warn her or give a signal ahead of time before doing that sort of thing. If She had done that, Mia wouldn''t have been so troubled in that kind of situation. Had Ria been here, she would have nodded her head, agreeing with Mia''s thought. That is because She had been troubling her with this sort of situation multiple times. Even before she got her hand on the ''mystical system,'' She had always been a troublemaker, one way or another. But if Ria had topare between before and now, thetter gives her more headaches. One time She was feeling a bit of mischief and decided to surprise her in the bathroom as a creepy-looking ghost. She had just finished washing her body at the time, and just as she went out of the shower wanting to dry her body with the towel, her steps came to a halt. In front of her, there stood a creepy-looking ghost, staring at her with its bloody eyes. It was one of the scary experiences she ever had in her entire life. Nheless, She ended up getting beaten up by Ria ck and blue once she realized it was the prank from her best friend. Because they have a potion and her healing skills, Ria didn''t put her strength to waste during the punishment and went all out. Of course she didn''t go too far with her punishment, unlike a certain girl. In a way, Ria might have spoiled thetter way too much, and now she''s just reaping what she sows. "I sincerely apologize if that upset you." "It''s fine. Now that I think about it, it''s nothing much anyway. After all, you did save me from that assassin. The least I can do is to forgive my savior, isn''t it?" "Is that so..." "Yes, it is." Perhaps she finally believes that Mia had forgiven her, She got up on her feet. Since she had been kowtowing for almost half minutes while exining everything to Mia, her knees had be weak for a few seconds before she could stabilize herself. If she had been ordinary, she might have to take a minute or so. After stabilizing on her feet, She did a couple of light exercises for her body by stretching side to side. "Now that the problem has been put to rest, I have a question for you, Mia." "What is it?" "It might be sensitive but, you don''t have to answer it if you feel ufortable. I''m simply curious, after all. Anyways, you''re an orphan, right? Do you have any memories of your family before you were admitted to the Orphanage?" "..." Mia was silent for a moment, but she soon replied with a wry smile. "I do not, not even a single piece. The earliest memory I can remember is when I have already admitted to Orphanage. When I asked the Caretaker about it, she answered that I was found sleeping peacefully in a basket, at the front of the doorstep of the Orphanage. If not for the fact that Caretaker always goes outside early in the morning for some business, I might have frozen to death in my sleep." "That is..." "it''s fine, I''m alive now, aren''t I?" "But, don''t you ever thought of looking for your family?" "It would be a lie to say I haven''t thought of it. I do, very much. But without a clue in hand, I couldn''t get anywhere." "I see." ''Hmm, then why did the assassin target her instead of the other girl? In my opinion, thetter holds a higher position than Mia. After all, the difference between an orphan and daughter of an influential family is just too evident. It wouldn''t be strange if the assassin were to go for the other girl. Did that assassin perhaps know something about Mia? I should have taken him away the moment that guy was about to behead him, but that is toote to regret now. If I came across that guy again in the future, I will ask him.''thought She. "Oh right, are you going back now? I think it''ll be bad for you to go since they already know about you." She asked. "Ah! That''s true, but I have nowhere else to go." "How about that friend of yours, Angelica Ernest, was it? She has a quite outstanding background, or so I heard." "Of course she did cross my mind but, I think it will only make the situation in her family worsen if I go. Her family was once united but due to a certain ident, they had been split into two factions a decades ago, I think. Even to this day, the two factions keep on fighting against each other like dog and cat; there has never been a day where they could sit and converse calmly on the same table. My presence there would only be adding fuel to the already burning me." ''I wonder what kind of ident that caused them to split and fight against each other. If this had been a game, a quest would have pop up by now. But ever since that day, the quest system had been silent. Although it did give me more time to focus on my current quest, it still feels like something is amiss. Because usually, at a time like this, it would definitely show up to give her a quest or two. Or is it because the current is that important?'' "Then why don''t you stay here for now? As for food and the other essential stuff, leave it to me. If you stay here, a ce where no one in the outside world can reach, you will be safe. Once I have foundnd to build my base, you can live there too if you want. How about it?" "Land? And a base?" "Yes, that''s also included in the n I was talking about. Once I have sessfully created the base, I''m sure you will be much safer there than anywhere else in the world." ''If what I saw in my nightmare true, that would indeed be the case.'' Mia took a moment of silence to look at her surrounding which was filled with nothing but endless grasnd. She had already been used to this background when she was training here, can she possibly live here even for a short while? As She had said, no one else other than those who have been permitted by her can enter this ce, so it isn''t wrong to say that it''s the safer ce in the entire world. Plus, she can also train herself. Yes, just like the saying of two birds hit with one stone. "I don''t have any other choice so, I guess it will do. I don''t really go outside that much anyway since I''m more or less, a home person. But you have to bring me something like books so that I can spend my free time reading it." "Sure, that is not a problem for me. Then, I''ll take my leave now to buy a few necessary things for you while I''m at it. Fortunately, I haven''t reached home yet. I''ll see you againter." With that, She vanished from the Trial Tower and reappeared in reality at the alleyways. Before she went into the Trial Tower, She goes through the trouble of running all over the ce in hopes that it can cause confusion to whoever is following her. Though her effort was proven to be futile since no one seems to be tailing her, it is better than having caught unprepared when the time came. "Mhm, I still remember the first time I met a goblin in this exact alleyways. At that time, I was still weak and even have trouble fighting a single goblin. And now, I''m so powerful that even an army of goblins couldn''t stop me. My growth speed is so fast that I find it unbelievable now that I think about it. Furthermore, the thing that I thought was impossible is now possible. I wonder if there'' a limit to what I can do and how far can I go?" She muttered softly to herself while gazing downward at her hand. This hand used to be an ordinary hand of a girl where it can''t even lift heavy objects for half minutes, but now, it has be a hand that can even leave a hole in the concrete wall by a single punch. Even so, this monster-like strength is nowhere enough in the face of the unforeseen future. "Well, that''s enough of that. I need to go and do some shopping. I don''t need to worry much about money as, ever since the day that I told her regarding the system, Mother has been supporting me. Alright, I shall not waste any further." *** "Huff... Huff... Huff.." "Damn it! What in heaven was that? A murder case caused by a crazy psychopath? Don''t be kidding me! That''s nothing like a psychopath at all! If I had been any slower, I would have be a corpse litter on the ground, heck, there''s also a possibility of me bing ''it''s'' food!" Max cursed under his breath once he is certain that ''it'' was not following right behind him. The shock and fear upon witnessing ''it'' with his own eyes had truly overwhelmed him. As a police officer, it''s his job to handle a case that endangers the public. But this case goes far beyond his capabilities. That monster, the Werewolf, there''s no way an ordinary man like Max can stop it. He hade to this ce for an investigation regarding a murder case around the ce. The case was reported by the people who live close to this area upon finding a gruesome corpse identally while they were ying around in the wood. The first thought that came into his mind is that a psychopath is living in the wood. If only that was the case. But who would have thought that he woulde across a monster from the myth, a werewolf? Just as he was about to get on his feet and continued running, a soft yet rming growl can be heard right behind him.''No way?! It''s already here? Damn it!''Without looking back, Max charges ahead at full speed with his remaining strength. But his effort proven to be futile, or perhaps the werewolf had enough fun with him and decided to end him now. Either way, the werewolf suddenly appeared right in front of him, followed by a gust of wind. Before he knew it, the w was already a meter away from his face, on its way to tear his face to pieces. And so, Max couldn''t help but close his eyes when realizing that he couldn''t escape. "???" But even after a while, the pain that he expected toe, never came. Slowly, Max opened his eyes as he regained a bit of courage after the long silence. "What...is..this?" The werewolf that he thought as a fearsome creature now litter on the ground as a headless corpse. But what brought another round of fear to him is the one standing near it. From its humanoid figure alone, Max had almost mistaken it for another human like him for a moment there. But it is without a doubt another monster just like the one on the ground. The only thing that registered in his brain is that ''it'' has a humanoid figure, nothing else and nothing less. It was as if something, some kind of supernatural power, is stopping him from learning of ''its'' identity. When ''it'' turned around to face him, Max suddenly feels his eyes growing heavy as drowsiness assault his mind. And within a few seconds, the police officer, Max, soon fell unconscious on the ground. It was only two dayster that someone randomly walks into the wood and found himying against an aged tree that he was immediately brought to the hospital. A dayter, Max awoke with no memories regarding the strange experience he had in the woods. Thest thing he remembers is entering the woods for investigation regarding a murder case happening around there. Chapter 178 - Accursed Land "Kuu, cover my rear! Raksha, Attack together with me! Let''s go!" Woof! Woof! *Jiggle Jiggle* With the order in ce, She and Raksha, the adult grey fierce wolf, immediatelyunched themselves straight toward the countless giant ants in front of them. Kuu, the Giant Slime, also started to erge itself to the point that it almost touches the cave''s ceiling to defend their back against a surprise attack from the Giant Ant on the outside. Among the three, Kuu has the highest vitality, even higher than She''s. So, it is no brainer for her to leave Kuu at the back to protect their rear. It has been a week since then. During the seven days, She had been spending most of her time in reality by entertaining herself with her hobbies. Of course, she also didn''t forget to use the other half of her time to train in the Trial Tower for the quest. In essence, She considered bnce in mind so that she won''t break apart if she ended up pushing herself too much. Her current level is 37. It seemed all that hard grinding she had done so far is not a total waste at all. From her observation thus far, she concluded that the Giant Ant Queen is the Boss for this floor. And if she managed to clear this floor by killing the Giant Ant Queen, she had a feeling that she will level up by then. Without looking back, She charges forward with a zing red sword in her hand. The sword had somehow turned out like this mostly because of her skill, Swordsmanship. It wasn''t just her level that increased during the hard grinding, some of her most-used skills, also follow along with it. "Infernal Sword Technique ¡ª Hell sh!...just kidding~ it''s just a normal sh." Though she called it ''normal sh,'' the oue of it is that the small number of Giant Ants approximately close to her was all split into two. The Giant Ant''s exoskeleton is very tough and can even deflect a bullet from her Magic Gun, yet here and now, it was killed just like that with a swing of her sword. Of course, if She had spent more mana into her bullet, the power from that single bullet should be enough to shatter their exoskeleton to pieces. However, she didn''t do so. For a specific reason, she now wanted to practice more on her sword technique than just finishing them off with the magic gun. To She, specialized in one aspect is not enough for her. She might be greedy, but for the sake of keeping her loves one safe from harm, she needs to be more than that. In fact, if she''s going to be a leader of her organization, she has to be powerful. She needs to be extremely powerful, so powerful that it will bring fear to others and enough to overwhelm them that they have to think twice before making a move on her and those close to her. She may or may not have been influenced too much by her hobbies. Nevertheless, it isn''t wrong to be prepared in advance for the worst-case scenario. Woof! With a howl, Raksha dives straight into the group of immobilized Giant Ants before shredding them all to pieces with its sharp w. Afterward, Raksha immediately moved on to another giant ant close to it and bit it in the neck. While Raksha is tearing them apart like a crazed wolf, She is also having the time of her life practicing her sword skill on the giant ants. There was also a time when the two decided to partners up to cover themselves while Kuu is busy fighting against the agitated giant ants from the outside. But at the end of it, She and her tamed monsters are just too strong for normal giant ants to handle. If both of them, Raksha and Kuu didn''t evolve the day before, they would have a bit of a problem against that many giant ants. It was very recently that she found out that she can leave her tamed monsters in the Trial Tower once she had summoned them before leaving. If she hadn''t forgotten about Raksha, she would not have known about this. One can even say, finding fortune within misfortunate. When she''s rxing outside the Trial Tower, two of her tamed monsters were left behind to grind level by themselves. It didn''t take long for both of them to reached level 30 and evolved. She was actually quite surprised at the time when she found out that Kuu also evolved, following Raksha''s footsteps. As its level increased, the only thing different for Kuu is it''s getting bigger and bigger, the higher the level. And finally, a miracle happens once it reached level 30 and evolved to Giant Slime, it also gained a few useful skills. "Yes, I can feel it. I''m sure of it now that by the time I clear this floor, I''ll level up." Woof! Woof! "Yes, yes. You also did a good job there, Raksha." She spoke while patting the head of the adult grey wolf in front of her. Though she wants to do this some more, she has to move forward, or it will be a hassle if the queen gave birth more than she can possibly handle. If it is a wide-open space, she would not have any trouble fighting against an army or two, but that''s not the case here. Although the inside of the cave looks spacious for the giant ants to move around without any trouble, it is not wide enough for her trump card. For now, she has a feeling that she can take care of the queen and the soldiers protecting it, but if she gives it time, it might not be the same. With that thought in mind, She stopped patting Raksha and went to collect the loot scattered on the ground before diving deeper into the cave, followed by a small blob and an adult wolf. *** Room 7, Second Floor, Public Apartment. "Are you sure you want it at this price?" Sara asked. Honestly, she didn''t need to ask as she understood that the man in front of him is very desperate in selling the cursednd. After reading his background information, she judged the man to be unlucky. After graduating from college, the man soon found a decent job and though it took a while, he found his soul mate right after. And a few yearster, both of them finally decided to tie the knot. Life has been very good to him up until then. But one day, he was browsing through the inte and came across a single ad. At that time, he was looking for a house, but his budget is nowhere enough to get him a dream house. But at that time, the single ad he came across to, it feels like a light shining in a dark sky. Just as he was about to give in and find a cheap apartment, the ad came, which showed him a mansion and its surroundingnd is up for sale. Believing that nothing is wrong from the way the client spoke, the man ended up buying it all. For the first few days, everything is fine. And just as they thought of having a kid in their new house, both of them suddenly felt abnormal ill at once. Thanks to his strong will, the man managed to call on an ambnce just before both of them lose unconscious. Later on, he woke up and found out the truth from a doctor about the mansion and its surroundingnd. It was then that he learned the world could also be cruel sometimes. Without any other choice, the man ended up putting thend back on sale. "Yes! I''m sure of it. Is it a deal?" It has been a few days since. He thought no one would buy the house since the rumors about it is actually pretty famous. But, who would have thought that there''s another idiot like him? There''s no way he would let go of this god-given chance! "Hmm. How about checking the site first?" "Y-Yes? Yes, we can do that. When are you avable again, or do you prefer now?" ''Damn it. I don''t want to go back there, but I don''t have a choice here. And here I thought she''s a stupid woman like me. But it''s okay, the site actually looks good, and nothing seems abnormal, or different. One won''t be able to tell that there''s some kind of illness there unless they live there for a week or two. I just hope that this woman won''t search up online about the site, or I might not be able to sell off the cursednd.'' "Yes, now should be a good time for me." "Alright, then shall we head out now?" Sara nodded her head in agreement as she immediately gets on her feet before walking toward the exit, followed by the man right behind her. From the information gathered by her, there also seemed to be rumors about there being an evil spirit. When an incident brought the mansion to spotlight, there used to be many people going there just to do some investigation of their own. While most didn''t find anything abnormal, some who stayed for a prolonged amount of time said they saw a dark figure at the corner of the view. But because they didn''t record their finding on their camera, people didn''t take heed of their word seriously despite some also agreed with it. As someone who knows about certain things, Sara knew that it is possible for there to be an evil spirit in that ce. Although it doesn''t sound powerful since those who had seen it is still alive to tell the tale, it would be stronger if no one is there to cleansing it for good. If an evil spirit truly exists there, then she might need help from her daughter''s friend. However, she had to check it out first before that. Even if there''s an evil spirit there, it should be weak at the moment since it''s the afternoon where the sunlight is the brightest. "So, Is this it?" "Yes. The mansion over there had been reconstructed a few weeks ago, so it still as fresh as one can get. As for thend, It reached as far as our sight can take. Did you see that sign over there, at the side of the road? That''s the limit. How is it? It''s pretty spacious, isn''t it?" "Indeed, but something is strange." "W-What is it?" Sara took a moment as she observed the surroundingnd before she opened her mouth and said. "It''s just...based on the market price, thend and the mansion should be very expensive. But the price quoted by you is actually quite affordable, I had thought thend to be on a much smaller scale with that price, not expecting this one at all. So then, this is my thought; What if, the reason you''re selling thend and the mansion much cheaper than the market price is that there''s something wrong in them, aren''t they? Am I wrong to assume this?" "T-That is..." ''H-How did she knew the market price? Damn it, she must be that type of person who did a bit of research before purchasing a house. That''s bad, really bad. I need to sell it to her ASAP before she came to know about the history of this ursednd. Looking at her behavior and attitude, I can tell that she either came from a wealthy family or that she''s wealthy herself. No matter what, I have to¡ª'' Just as the man was about to conclude his thought, a voice interrupted him and brought him back to reality. "So, where would you like to sign the deal?" "H-Huh?" "I''d like to buy thisnd, that is all. So, are you going to sign the deal now or what? Or I can just look for anothernd somewhere else." "N-No! Sure, let''s sign the deal, right here and now! The contract is sitting in my car, hold on a moment. I''ll be right back!" The man quickly answered before heading off toward his car. It only took him a couple of minutes to return with the contract and pen in his hands. It almost seems like he desperately wanted to sell off thisnd as quickly as possible. But that is fine, after observing for a bit, Sara determined that thisnd does have that unique characteristic. Because she''s so used to the Trial Tower where mana concentration is more abundant than in reality, she can faintly sense that there''s a bit of mana concentration in the surroundingnd. Though it can''t bepared to the Trial Tower, it is much higher than anywhere else she had visited within these past weeks. "...alright. This contract has proven that now this is your property." "Yes, thank you very much." ''Ah! Why did I quote the price as low as that! Now I can''t even increase it as this woman is adamant about buying thend at that price. Money! I can''t believe I lost my chance to gain more money! My guess was right after all, this woman is definitely wealthy! She didn''t even blink an eye when she signs the deal as if the money is not a big deal to her...the reality is truly disappointing.''thought the man helplessly as he gazed at the car driving off into the distance. Chapter 179 - The Burning Spear "Air Hammer!" *Thump!* Suddenly, a see-through hammer made of wind appeared before it smashed right onto the soldier giant ants in front of her. Though the attack managed to leave damage on the hard exoskeleton of the soldier giant ant, it is nowhere enough to defeat it. But her ultimate goal isn''t to finish it off with her magic, and instead, she wanted to practice more of her swordsmanship skill. And thus, She suddenly ''blink'' right beside the soldier before killing it with a single swing of her sword. ¡º You have killed Soldier Giant Ant LV. 27! ¡» ¡º You gained a small amount of experience! ¡» "Well, that''s another soldier for me. How many have I killed, was it around a hundred or so, I think? When the count reached 50 or more, I have stopped counting, so I might be wrong." She muttered softly to herself while picking the loot on the ground. Because she took her time to finish off every monster she came across in the cave, it gives the queen the time to give birth to even more giant ants to protect her and also attack the intruders at the same time. She would have been in a bit of pickle if she were alone since eventually, her mind would be exhausted after fighting without any rest. Without Kuu and Raksha by her side, that would indeed be the case. As of now, the two also themselves plenty of kills each. However, it is still nowhere enough to level them up since the more they evolve, the more experience they need. It seemed the same ''rule'' that applied to her, also applies to them even though they are monsters. She had thought a monster might have a different sort of rule, depending on their racial attribute or something like that, no matter they are a tamed or untamed one, but her guess is wrong. Or maybe, it might be that both Kuu and Raksha, is just too low in the monster''s hierarchy that the other rules didn''t apply to them. Honestly, she had considered taming the queen if possible rather than killing it. But upon thinking it for a bit, she thought it might not be possible since she had never tamed any boss-ss monster before. When Sh had tamed Kuu as the first in the list, it was nothing but a normal slime, way weaker than its current level. The same can also be said to Raksha, it was also a normal adult grey wolf. So, she wasn''t sure whether she could tame a boss, with no experience in hand. Although she had already tamed two monsters, which is Kuu and Raksha, her taming skill remained at level 1. The reason why Shei didn''t give it a try is that she''s afraid of the bacsh in case of failure. She had never failed in taming before as both of her attempts ended up sessfully, thankfully. But, from the knowledge of the skill imprinted in her mind, the bacsh can be quite harsh, depending on the monster''s level she''s trying to tame. The higher their level, the stronger the bacsh she will receive. It can also lead to her death. As to how the tame procedure works, it''s actually quite simple. First and foremost, one needs to be a higher level than the target. A monster would never follow themand of someone''s weaker than them, or would you? To them, the world is not peaceful but that of survival of the fittest. Of course, it would have been a different story if the monster gained intelligence. The moment the monster is ''born,'' a specific set of rules would then be imprinted in their mind without their knowledge about it. The weaker they are, the more they were influenced by the rules. Even though the slime knows she''s obviously way stronger than them, that won''t stop them from charging at her the moment she entered their range. So long as she didn''t show them her strength by either killing them or overpowering them with her aura, they won''t stop what most would say, idiotic action. She didn''t know whether this is true or not, but this knowledge also came from the taming skill. Perhaps, the skill isn''t just about taming¡ªthere''s might be more to this than meets the eye. She is afraid that despite her level is higher than the target, there are still chances for the taming to fail. When the risk involves her life, she took it very seriously. After all, once she dies, she won''t be able to y games anymore. It''s game over. Woof! Woof! A sudden cry from Raksha brought her attention back to reality. She looked up and saw a group soldier giant ants crawling from the ceiling of the cave, heading toward her in the distance. Usually, that kind of disy would have frightened any girls out there, but strangely, She didn''t find anything wrong with it. In fact, her lips curved upwards the moment her eyes caught sight of them. That is her free EXP! "Raksha and Kuu, we''re going with the same tactic. Attack, but also, protect each other''s rear, got it?" Woof! *Jiggle* "Alright, let''s do this then!" With that said, She immediately charges onward with a grin on her face, followed by Raksha on her side, and Kuu behind their back. This time she returns AWP to its normal state, which is its bracelet form, before conjuring a spell with just a single thought in her mind. She spread her left hand''s palm wide, a ball of me swiftly formed before it slowly changed into a long 3-meters, crimson-red spear. She immediately grabbed it with her right hand the moment it fully materialized into a spear. Though her action seemed casual, no one but her can actually grab it as there''s still me burning around it. If someone else other than her were to touch it, they would be burned to ashes, right there and then. ¡ºVanquisher, Ravager of the Burning Sun! ¡» Though the spell''s name sounds pretty domineering, its power is nowhere on the level of bing ''ravager.'' With a burning spear fully grasped in both of her hands, She casually thrust it toward the soldier charging at her from the ceiling, causing it to explode to pieces upon contact. But that''s not the end of its power. She took a horse stance for a moment and pointed her spear toward another soldier, and surprise, a fireball appeared on the tip of the spear''s de before speeding toward the target and exploded. So long as the me around it continues to burn, She can conjure as many fireballs as she wants at no cost whatsoever! The thing is, the spell to conjure the spear did cost almost 2/4 overall, so it''s around 250MP. That is not a small amount at all. Plus, if the knowledge of the spell from the beginning to an end, so many details of it didn''t imprint itself in her brain, she might have trouble in conjuring it. And honestly, the photographic memory skill did a lot more help than she expected. Just because the knowledge imprinted itself in the brain doesn''t mean it couldn''t be forgotten, it actually can. Woof! The howl from Raksha caused a few soldier-type giant ants to freeze on the spot, given She the chance to behead them, which she didn''t waste any further and immediately speed toward them swiftly. With a fiery-red spear still in her hand, She swings it downward and a sh made of wind appeared, heading straight toward the immobilized soldiers. "Hup! Have a taste of burning spear right into your anus! just kidding." ¡º You have killed Soldier Giant Ant LV. 28! ¡» ¡º You have killed Soldier Giant Ant LV. 26! ¡» This sort of battle continues. It was only five minutester that She had to retreat for a moment as the time limit for the spear has finallye. Yes, it has a time limit. She needs to wait for a half an hour before she could conjure another one. So, in the meantime, she decided to go for a caster this time after experiencing bing ancer. But before she could conjure her spell, a sudden thought entered her mind. "Hmm, I''m in a cave at the moment, will it work? I think it should, right?... Wait, who am I even asking?Sigh.Anyways, I''ll give it a try." She closed her eyes and imagined a powerful yet condensed stream of water suddenly bursting out of the ground. The moment she noticed her mana decreasing, she whispered. "Burst Stream." Just how she imagined, a concentrated stream burst out of the ground, piercing through the exoskeleton of soldier giant ant as if it was nothing but a piece of paper. If it''s just normal concentrated water, it would not be enough to pierce through the hard exoskeleton. Under the influence of mana, even the still and calm water can be powerful. She nodded her head at the sight before pulling MP potion out of her inventory and take a drink. "The stronger the spell, the more it cost me. Well, it doesn''t really bother me much since I have a lot of potions ready in my inventory. But I also wish there''s another way for this, perhaps something like meditates? The concentration of mana on every floor of the Trial Tower is no joke. If I could find a way to make use of it, I would be a whole another level for sure." She muttered while taking a step back and watch Raksha wreck havoc upon the soldiers one after another. As an adult grey wolf, its teeth are much sharper than when it was a juvenile wolf. Also, its race named as ''Fierce Wolf'' isn''t for nothing. Looking back, She can see Kuu, the giant slime, attacking the giant ants with a tentacle-like whip. Although its strength is nowhere near Raksha, it is still enough to beat the normal-type giant ants to a pulp. Furthermore, no matter how strong the giant ant''s mandible is, Kuu can just regenerate its lost part after a few minutes passed with its natural regeneration speed. "No matter how I looked at it, I think my choices work out pretty good. At a level 1 taming skill, I can only tame at most, two monsters to bid to my call. If not for that, I would have a create a whole army of monsters." Just the thought of snapping her finger, which would cause her whole army of monsters to appear around her, is so darn cool! It''s like roleying a viin character, a Demon Lord! Actually, she has a feeling that she might be called that once her taming skill reached a high level. Speaking of tamed monster, She remembers the troll at the branch of Mage Association. If she isn''t mistaken, the troll is a tamed monster of someone. She didn''t know who that ''someone'' is, but she found out that the troll''s existence to the branch is like a guardian of the sort. There''s no way they would make a monster like a troll as a guardian unless they have a way to control it. "Whoops." While she was lost in thought, a single soldier giant ant managed to bypass Raksha as it immediately tries tond a hit on her, but she jumped back the moment her danger sense kicks in. As a follow-up, she throws a strong punch at it in the head, sending it flying back toward the grey wolf. Upon sensing its presence, Raksha turned around and instantly recognized the soldier as it roared before tearing it to pieces with its w. Thirty minutester, She finally arrived on their where the queen resides. Surrounding the queen is as she expected, a group of soldier giant ants immediately bares their mandibles at her the moment they noticed her presence as the intruder. Without wasting any further, she smiles before releasing her aura at them in full force. Chapter 180 - The Queens History? The moment her aura was released, the soldier-type giant ants surrounding the queen started to show visibly sign of getting affected by it. Without any power to resist, most of the soldiers were crushed heavily to the ground while some managed to resist, with the help of their queen. It goes to show that without a queen, all of them would be hopelessly crushed to death right there and then. The queen was affected too but, she only flinched for a moment and was fine after her antenna brushing against each other. "Good, you are indeed a boss. it wouldn''t be fun if you fell just like your soldiers there on the ground with only this, after all." As if the queen understood her word, she screeched at her but couldn''t do anything as her loyal soldiers are still having a problem standing still with her aura affecting them. With a smile on her face, She whispered. "Hardening. Boost. Cold Touch.Alright, that''s enough for a buff. It would have been nice if I have a buff for fire attribute, but well, I shouldn''t be too greedy, I guess." Hardening is an earth attribute buff skill that would harden one''s skin to be rock hard. Her body tone color immediately changed from a pure white into a full tan the moment the buff started taking effect. If Ria had been there to witness this magnificent transformation of She, she would have trouble breathing due to how thetter look unexpectedly good in tan. As for Sylvia, she might faint on the spot. As for Boost, wind attribute buff skill, it raised twice of her normal speed and reaction speed, which is very useful inbat, honestly. Once she uttered the buff, her whole body was then surrounded by a breeze of wind, creating a small whirlwind for a moment before it soon disappeared as if it was not there in the first ce. Though it didn''t stay like the previous transformation, nevertheless, it is still an amazing sight to behold. Inparison to the other two, however, thest one is pretty mild. Both of her tan hands suddenly started turning pale white with a chilly wind around them for but a short moment, which soon disappeared shortly afterward, just like the boost buff. And its effect is pretty good in her opinion; it caused the opponent touched by her to slow down for just a bit. It''s such a shame that it isn''t stackable, though. Since the queen didn''t seem to initiate an attack on her as she was currently upied with helping her soldiers, She decided to take the opportunity given and immediately charge toward them, followed by Raksha and Kuu. The best defense is a good offense; if She were to wait there like an idiot and given the queen a chance to help all of her soldiers, she would not have a good timeter on. She had said this before, due to the ce being pretty tight, she can''t use some of her powerful spells unless she didn''t care about her own life since the moment she used it, the cave will be no more because of the destruction would definitely not be a small one. Upon reaching the closest soldier crushed on the floor, She immediately jumped on top of it and stabbed it directly with her icy sword before moving on to the next one. The wounds caused by her sword slowly brought a chilling effect on the giant ant''s body before eventually, all that was left was nothing but shattered pieces of ice. Seeing how her soldiers had turned out after getting stabbed by the human female ahead, the queen soon started to screech once again, telling her soldiers to take heed of this finding while alsomanding the other soldiers to kill the intruder immediately. But no matter how many soldiers are attacking her, She swiftly dodges their sharp mandible and legs with a smooth movement before cutting them down with her sword. Kuu and Raksha are also doing pretty well, which thetter attack like a fierce wolf it is while the former, defending Raksha''s back and once there was a chance, Kuu would also attack them with its tentacle. One can easily guess that if the queen of the giant ant didn''t do anything drastic to turn up this whole situation, eventually, she would also follow their footsteps once her soldiers have been all in by the evil intruders. To the Queen Giant Ant, She and her tamed monsters are considered as nothing but evil intruders. All they ever did so far is making their home a much better ce for their future descendant. The queen could still faintly remembered the time when she had developed a small nest to a bigger one, which almost as big as a continent, but suddenly, everything came to an abrupt end. *** It all started when the queen decided to initiate an attack on a human''s vige not far from herir. At the time, the nest was having a shortage of food, and so, the queen had no choice but to go with that. The first few days, the n had gone smoothly well that they managed to capture ten humans and brought them to the nest without attracting much attention. And because of that, they have somehow let their guard down and identally make a mistake the next day, which alerted the human of their existence. As expected, the confrontation between the human and giant ant soon started. At first, the queen and her army were doing very well, heck, they even got more food for themselves. But, when the human suddenly decided to go with the human-wave tactics, the giant ants are quickly losing the upper hand in the battle. Honestly, if the queen and her army of giant ants are only fighting against the vigers, they would have won without a doubt. The story went to a different course the moment the vigers started asking for help from their country. As the queen and her army are getting pushed back and without any choice but to abandoned their smaller nest one after another, it was then that the queen realized that there would be no future for her race if this continues. Just as the queen is about to enter a frenzy mode, suddenly, a human appeared before her. The queen didn''t remember whether the human is male or female, but one thing she noted is that it is undoubtedly a human. The human uttered something to her before showing their hand at the queen, that was thest memories she could remember. When the queen opened her eyes, she found herself and a few soldiers, surrounded by a thick forest and, asionally, a small group of a fierce wolf would appear before running off when they sensed that they couldn''t win. It was none other than the Sixth Floor of the Trial Tower. *** ''Hmm, so this is what happened if I just let out my aura instead of restraining it. I had thought it would only frighten some of the giant ants but not all of the soldier-type at once, what a shocking result.''thought She in her mind while cutting off the soldier and jumped backward when another soldier tried taking a bit on her. Just as she was about tounch another round of killing, the queen that had been silent up until now, suddenly started screeching out loud. "Hmm? What now?" She muttered before stepping back right on the cue as she observed the situation while Raksha and Kuu are protecting her side. There, she witnessed the soldiers slowly getting up on their feet even while overwhelming by her aura. Even some of the soldiers whom she thought was hopeless as they were heavily overwhelmed, somehow also slowly standing up on their feet with sheer will.''What is going on here?''thought She in confusion. *SCREEEECH!* "What?!" The second screeching from the queen appeared to be some sort of magical sound as the moment her soldiers heard it, they stood firmly on the ground next to their queen along with their antenna rise proudly in the air. She immediately understood that they were clearly, showing her that her aura affects them no more.''Did the queen have some sort of mental specific skill as the queen of a giant ant, or is it something else? Either way, the situation has been overturned somehow. What should I do?''thought She. When the soldiers are finally free from suffering under her frightening aura, they celebrate their freedom by brushing their antenna against each other, issuing a weird sound as a result. While She was staring at them in confusion, the soldiers finally came to their senses when the queen ''shouted'' to them in their antnguage. To She, however, it was just unintelligent noise. Before She could think further, the queen beganmanding her soldiers to attack the intruders and rip them to pieces. "Shadow Bullet." With all of them here can see in the dark, the soldiers easily avoid the iing bullet by either jumping into the ceiling or sidestepping to the side before charging toward her fearlessly. Although most of her attack missed, the result is still within her expectation. With a thought in mind, a few pieces ofrge rocks suddenly dropped around her. It wasn''t in her n but, she did, asionally, took a couple of ''stuff'' from outside and keep it in inventory, just in case. Since it has been proven for her inventory to have unlimited storage, and that time within it is frozen, She decided to take full advantage of it. After pulling the fewrge rocks out of the inventory, She immediately makes use of a certain skill at once. Therge rocks that had beenid firmly on the ground suddenly started to rise slowly, until eventually, it stays afloat drifting slowly in the air. After practicing the skill literally, every single time without limit, it is now possible for her to hold something as heavy as arge rock without facing any problem. And it didn''t just end there; She now has the ability to fly in the sky. Though it is much sooner than she initially expected, one of her dreams has finally been aplished through the hard work she put in practicing the skill, Telekinesis. "Have a taste of this." She said with a smile as a couple ofrge rocks that were drifting midair suddenly started elerating toward the soldiers. Without having enough time to avoid it, the soldiers couldn''t do anything but watch as their death approaching. *Bam! Bam! Bam!* "...it''s much more impactful than I expected." She muttered in amazement while gazing at the aftermath. Perhaps, she may have underestimated her power too much. Looking at the half of the soldiers rushing toward her getting smashed to death, She thought,''Although I can only carry around 2-3rge rocks, there would be more damage if I guide it to speed toward my opponent, instead of dropping it on top of them; at the end of it, it all depends on my surrounding. Because I was in a cave, the former works much better than thetter method. Of course, some people with monstrous strength might be able to defend it with their monster-like body, but as of now, there is no such being in my knowledge. However, I won''t put my guard down.'' ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» "Huh? This also went against my expectations. Is it my lucky day today, or what?" She muttered. Without thinking deeply into it, she just shrugged off her shoulders before stepping forward to pick up the loot on the ground. After picking up all the loot off the ground, she didn''t find anything interesting other than some gold and scraps, which have no use other than selling it off to the system''s shop for a small amount of gold. *SCREEEEECH!* "Ah, right. The queen and a few of her soldiers are still alive." Just when She thought of leaving the floor to reenter again, in hopes that her luck in the drop would increase, the sudden screeching from the queen brought her sense back to the battle happening right in front of her. Raksha and Kuu had been fighting with the queen and the leftover soldiers while she went off to pick up the loot on her own. It is apparent to her now that both of their attacks are starting to grow weaker, it''s a sign that they are gradually losing strength due to tiredness. Even so, they do have enough strength to hold off her opponent for a while when they teamed up together. "My bad, I guess it''s time for me to end this battle." Chapter 181 - An Offer "Raksha and Kuu, both of you take care of the leftover soldiers and leave the queen to me, okay?" Woof! *Jiggle!* With that decided, She pulled a dark spear out of her inventory. Upon thinking for a bit, she realized that most of her skills affected them too much that the battle doesn''t seem fun anymore, and so, She decided to try fighting the queen with a normal spear instead. As much as she hates pain and suffering, she also didn''t want to have an easy and smooth life. It mighte out as strange but, she prefers to suffer for a short while, like having bad luck for an entire day, in which she would be reward with some luck the next day. To her, that is how reality works. One can''t wish to have a good life for the rest of their life without a little suffering in the midst, that''s just being greedy. Without difficulty, how would one appreciate the good thing in their life? Most people would only realize what is important to them, the moment they lose it. That''s how regret is born. Seeing the female human charging toward her, the queen immediatelymands the soldiers to intercept her path. The soldiers quickly stood in the path toward the queen, intending to block her from going forward. Unfortunately, She swiftly bypasses them by jumping from shadow to another, leaving the rest of the soldiers to Raksha and Kuu. Once she reached approximately close to the queen, She fiercely thrust the dark spear straight toward her. The queen somehow managed to avoid it by a hair''s breadth as the moment she saw She bypassing her soldiers with ease, the queen promptly took a distance from her previous location. "Quick reaction but, that is still not good enough." She said and, before the queen canunch an attack, she rotated her body around in a swift movement along with the spear before shing it toward the queen. At such a close range, the queen didn''t have enough time to avoid it other than could only hope that her exoskeleton is tough enough to defend against the iing sh. SCREECH! With her strength ten times that of average people coupled with a very durable spear, it is strong enough to leave a small cut on the queen''s shoulder, but not deep enough to make it fatal. Nheless, it still hurt getting a cut, which was why the queen ended up screeching in pain. Knowing that it managed to hurt the queen, She didn''t stop there and instead, increase her speed and keep on shing her spear at the queen in a ce where she won''t identally kill it. Even since the idea of taming a boss has been imnted in her mind, She keeps on wondering whether it is possible by making all sorts of theory thoughts. The very thought of having a boss-type monster under hermand excited her to no end. Though the queen in front of her is not that strong, strength-wise but, it can be fearsome if she let it breed as it pleased. Even if her soldiers are not under her directmand, she does have their queen under her thumb. Just imagining ordering the queen to direct thousands of its soldiers to crush her enemies with their numbers is simply an amazing sight to behold! She wanted that foresight(imagination) to happen! And so, she decided to beat up the queen for now before giving it an offer of a hope to survive by bing her subordinate/tamed monster. With that thought in mind, She fiercely shes toward the queen with her spear like aplete madman if one were to look at her current expression. ''a boss-type monster under my thumb, a boss-type monster under my thumb, a boss-type monster under my thumb.''this thought keeps repeating inside her mind the longer it takes before the queen surrenders itself at her. No matter how many times the queen cried out for help, her soldiers couldn''te to the rescue since they were kept in ce by Raksha and Kuu. And just like that, without having any ability to defend against the female human shing the spear at her, the queen couldn''t stop the cuts that keep appearing all over her body. Only when the queen didn''t try to dodge her attack anymore did She stop her assault. By then, the few soldiers that somehow survived She''s onught moments ago, have also decreased to a very small amount, to the point one can count them in two hands. Even so, their will to go and help their queen didn''t diminish by tiny bit at all. Perhaps, it was because of not-fearing-death conditions they have at the moment that they somehow managed to wounded Raksha while Kuu is fine but still considerably exhausted. And because of Kuu''s unique ''body,'' Raksha didn''t get much wounded on its body as most of the time, the former always took the blow in its ce. "Raksha,e here and eat this." Woof! Upon hearing its name being called by its master, Raksha turned around and hurriedly speed toward her, ignoring the fact that it is still wounded. Once it arrived in front of She, Raksha looked at the top of her palm and noticed that there''s a single bean at the center. She smile before urging it to eat the said bean. The bean is called Healing Bean; the title is pretty much self-exnatory, however, it is only for tamed monsters. She had once tried eating it, thinking it was the same unique bean from that one anime, even before finishing reading the details. As a result, nothing happens, absolutely nothing happens. Because it is clearly written there in the details that it was only for ''TAMED MONSTER ONLY.'' Since the health potion doesn''t work on them for an unknown reason, she decided to look for another healing item in the shop back then before the fiasco at the branch. And this Healing Bean is the one she found. She could clearly remember that this bean is never there in the shop, at the very least not before she got the taming skill. Since Raksha had eaten the same bean before, it didn''t be confused like the first time as it immediately gulps it down the throat the moment she throws it in its mouth. She knew it started taking effect when she saw the wounded closing down, albeit slow yet effective. While that was going on, the soldiers didn''t attack them, but instead, they go straight to their injured queen. Though they wish to help their queen lessen the pain in her injuries, they aren''t healer but more of a warrior instead. They can''t do anything other than screeching at She for hurting their queen this badly. They don''t care about how many soldiers have died during the battle, a soldier can simply be breed again, but that''s not the case for the queen; If the queen dies, their nest is done for. Although she didn''t have that much expectation to begin with, She still tried tomunicate with the queen by speaking at it. "Can you understand my word? If you don''t want to get killed along with your soldiers, why don''t you surrender to me? If you can do that, you can save your soldiers and yourself." She muttered in a sober tone, not too loud, but good enough for thetter to hear her. Although the queen couldn''tprehend the human''snguage, it somehow could understand the intention in her words, judging how it has lowered its guard a little bit. That was unexpected, or maybe, as expected? It''s a Boss, after all. At some point, she might be able to converse freely with Boss before the battle when she reached a high floor. There''s a possibility of that. While the queen seemed to be conversing with her soldiers, She pulled the unused note out of her inventory in preparation. If the queen has a bit of intelligence in its head, it should have understood that resisting against her would only lead them to their death. Even if it didn''t care about its own life, how about the soldier? Although both didn''t care about their own life, each of them actually worries and wants the other to live whichplicated things up. If the queen managed to imposed her will of resisting against her to the very end to its soldiers, it might not be good for She as her initial n is to tame the queen, not to kill it. Five minutester, it seemed the queen and her soldiers'' discussion hase to an end, judging how both of them had stopped their antenna-brushing meeting to stare at her. If She had been a normal girl, she would have freaked out getting stared by this many creepy-looking giant ants. It can get pretty unnerving, truth to be told. If she had been affected by it, she would not have been able to fight with them properly in the first ce. Because she knew they would just respawn again after dying under her hand, She didn''t give it a second thought. "So, will you surrender to me? If you agree to my offer, nod your head." Though she looks calm and stoic outside, internally, she''s nervous. Although she believes they would just respawn even if she ended up killing them, She didn''t know why but, she had an inkling that the next time the queen respawn, it won''t be the same one standing in front of her.''If the queen decided to fight until the very end, I will beat it up to the point it''s unable to resist and then, I''ll use that weakness as an opportunity to forcefully tame it. I didn''t choose this because of the sess rate for this is too low. If it is just a normal mob, that might not be a problem, but a Boss is a different existence entirely. So please, ept my offer, Queen! I already have a name for you, you know?! And for your information, it''s an amazing name!'' The queen stared at her for a moment, and just as it was about to reject her offer and fight to thest blood, a memory of the past suddenly emerged inside its mind. It was a promise between different species for survival, and the said promise was¡ª She couldn''t help but widen her eyes when the queen decisively nodded its head to her offer. She didn''t think much about it and instead, immediately threw the note straight toward the queen while thetter stood there on the spot, not making any movement to avoid it. When the note finally touched upon its head, unexpectedly, the queen and her soldiers suddenly started to shine before both of them disappeared into the note. With a heavy breath, She stepped forward and picked up the note on the ground with expectation in mind. ¡º The ??? Queen of the Giant Ant sessfully tamed! ¡» Chapter 182 - Progressing ¡º The ??? Queen of the Giant Ant sessfully tamed! ¡» ¡º Level UP! ¡» ¡º You had defeated the Boss of the Sixth Floor! ¡» ¡º You can now ascend to the Seventh Floor, do you ept? YES/NO ¡» "For now, no. I never think taming it is still considered as defeating it. Anyway, let''s check the queen''s status." ¡º No Name Lv. 1 ¡» ¡º Race: Giant Ant Variant(Queen) Title: The ??? Queen HP: 30/30 MP: 50/50 STR: 7 INT: 10 AGI: 6 VIT: 6 AP: 0 ¡» "So, it''s level has also been reset to 1 just like Raksha and Kuu, huh." ''But still, what''s up with the question mark on the title? Heck, it has a title? I had never seen anything like this before, was it because it''s a boss? So a queen is considered as a variant to their race, huh. That''s a good piece of information.''thought She while looking at the information window in front of her face. With all her experiencebined, the only time she got the question mark is when her level is too low during the first meeting with the Earth Dragon. It was then that she realized that there are still people, or in this case, monster, way league than her. But this and that are two different things. If there''s a question mark on the title, there might be another reason to exin it. For example, she didn''t have or reach the requirement, and so, she can''t see/read it. Or maybe it''s just another stuff that the system didn''t want to tell her just yet. Just like its very Origin. Ever since the day she had seen a glimpse of it, she did a lot of research, either on the inte or personally. However, no matter how hard she looked into it, she didn''t find any useful information other than hoax and lies. She had this wild thought in mind upon thinking deeply about the matter and, without any solid proof, it is nothing but just her imagination at the end of the day. Though, she did have a feeling that she isn''t wrong about it. It isn''t purely out of her imagination, but something much deeper than that. "No, I''ll just stop it there. There''s more important business at hand now." She muttered while looking at the ''No Name'' section, the game-like window in her sight. Honestly, she had alreadye up with a name for the queen. After seeing how resolute and determinate it is, a name just clicked inside her mind. For the previous two names, Raksha and Kuu, she did plenty of research before finding a suitable one for them. But this time, the name just sprouted inside her mind and disappeared soon after. If she didn''t have the photographic memory, she might have forgotten about it. No, even having a photographic memory doesn''t mean she remembers, literally everything. Everything she had seen and experienced did store up inside her brain but, when she wants to find a certain memory among the endless memories, she needs to look it up herself. That''s why there is also a time where she forgets stuff. At the end of it, her brain is still that of an average human, not aputer specialized in containing the database. Even on the inte where it has all kinds of information, if you want to find something, you have to look it up. It doesn''t magically appear on your browser. Turning off the window with a thought, She turned her head toward the rune note in her hand. On the center of the note surrounded by magical runes, there was an identical picture of the queen along with her soldiers. It was just as she thought, the moment the soldiers disappeared along with the queen, she did have a feeling it might turn out like this, however, to see it bing true is still quite unexpected. She can''t help but also wonder if she tried doing the same to the other Boss, would it have the same result? Either way, it is time for the naming ceremony. With a thought, She threw the note in her hand to the ground, and thus, appeared the queen. The moment the queen saw She in her sight, she immediately lowered her head like what a person would do when facing their king. She''s an ant though, a queen of giant ant to be exact. Why would a queen of a race, bow down her head at her?''I don''t know! Heck, you tell me instead! I mean, I understand that I''m her master and all, but I don''t think that would make her bow down to me. Raksha and Kuu never act like this at all. What would her soldiers react if they saw her like this? I don''t think it would be a good sight, that''s for sure.'' "I thought you would be angrier at me for killing your soldiers...huh? You''re fine with that? But aren''t you, their queen? You don''t care about your status? ...Alright, whatever." She said as she heaved a sigh. It was only a momentter did she realized what had just transpired. "Wait, did I just...have a conversation with...you?" The Queen nodded her head in response to her words. She widens her eyes in shock, she couldn''t believe that the giant ant in front of her eyes actually understood her words, and even replied with confidence. Earlier, when she had given an offer before the queen surrender herself, she learned that thetter can only read the intention in words but not understanding the word itself. That was already pretty shocking, as expected of a boss. But imagine conversing with one, that''s pretty ridiculous of thought, isn''t it? If she ever told about this to Ria, without a doubt, it would only make thetter look at her with a strange gaze, before shrugging off as her being weird. "You...understood my word, truly?" Once again, the Queen nodded her head in affirmative.''Boss is awesome.''thought She. *** After exiting the Trial Tower on her own, leaving her tamed monsters behind, She immediately looks down at the time on the screen of her phone and realized that her mother should be downstairs by now, making lunch. Speaking of food, her stomach started grumbling like crazy the moment she thought about it. ''Oh. I had been eating snacks while I was in the Trial Tower, wasn''t I? My mind was preupied with clearing the floor that I didn''t bother eating something heavy, or rich with nutrients, which was stored right in my inventory. I was prepared for everything yet...''She heaved a sigh before deciding to head downstairs for lunch. "Hmm? Hey, how are you doing?" When She arrived in the living room, rather than watching the TV, she saw Ria ying a game on herptop, seated on the sofa. Seeing how focused she is, She shook her head before putting her hand on thetter''s shoulder, which immediately caused Ria to turned her head toward her. "I thought you would be studying by now, but who would have thought you would choose a game over it? I''m proud of you." "Wipe that smug off your face. I''ve turned out like this is exactly your fault in the first ce. Anyways, I already studied enough and decided to take a break, ying a game or two." "Mhm. Don''t worry, I believe in your excuses." "You...sigh." Ria heaved a defeated sigh and decided to cast her hopeless friend aside, focus more on the game instead. Not minding the reaction toward her, She finds herself seated next to Ria, before pulling the phone out of her pocket to check on her status. No matter how many times she looked at the detail beside the attributes, she feels like it''s making fun of her. She had thought the stronger she bes, the detail beside the attributes might change, but boy, she was wrong. ¡º Host: She Age: 18 Title: Savior (+2) Level: 39 EXP: 1384/600000 HP: 260/260(+25) MP: 500/500(+25) STR: 50(+5) [ Want to have a hole in your body? Aggro this girl. ] INT: 100(+5) [ Not that far from bing Wakapedia. She''s still stupid though. ] AGI: 46(+5)[ Looking up to Zanic the SpeedLord. ] VIT: 47(+5) [ Tis is nothing but a scratch! ] LUCK: 10(+7) [ Seems to be blessed by the Goddess of Luck, I think. ] Total: 243(+77) [ Luck is not included! ] AP: 5 Detail: Congrattions, you are now officially a Monster. ¡» ''Look at that! My intelligence is so high, but it still called me stupid! I''m not idiot, your whole family is an idiot! What the hell is ''Zanic''? Is it supposed to be that blue and crazily fast creature? I do like the game but, never in my entire life did I ever looked up to it. No offense. And my injuries indeed heal much faster than before, but that does not mean that the pain didn''t affect me at all. A painful thing is a painful thing, nothing much and nothing less. And finally, you admit that my luck isn''t actually blessed by the Goddess, did ya?! What do you think, huh?!''She couldn''t help but retort every time she came across something she finds utterly unbelievable. But she got to admit that the system really got the skill to agro her for sure. "...You know that I''m technically still here, right? I can clearly see your frustrated(amazing) expression on your face. I couldn''t focus(almostugh at your face) on the game like this, so what''s the problem?" "Is it just me or that there''s another meaning in your words? Well, it''s not much of a problem, per se. But still, it irritated me to no end. Look at this for yourself." She muttered in a sour tone before showing Ria the cause of her frustration at the moment. It didn''t take long, however, before thetter couldn''t help herself andugh without any self-restraint, ignoring the pouting She next to her. Perhaps, she had enough of it that Ria finally calmed down five minutester. "That''s one heck of a system you have. I wonder what kind of things would be written on description when you increased your stats. Hopefully, it would be a lot funnier than the current one." "No. It would be a GREAT HELP to me if it disappearedpletely. After all, it is nothing but bullcrap anyway." Ria giggles at her best friend, whom had a look on her face like a person wanting their stalker to disappear as soon as possible. Like She had said, the description only added vani into it, other than that, it is useless. But with this, her spection of someone, a human working behind the system, is indeed usible. Before Ria could think further, however, she and She were called out by Sara when thetter walks into the living room. "Oh my, so you two were here. You must be hungry, right? The lunch is ready." Even before She could say anything, her stomach started grumbling like a monster, answering the question in her ce. With a flushed face due to embarrassment, she and Ria followed her mother back to the dining room in silence. During the time they were eating, neither of them spoke due to culture. It was only when Sara finished first did she opened her mouth and announce a piece of good news. Chapter 183 - Alter Mode ON "I have a piece of good news to announce before you two took a leave. Remember when She told me to find her a piece ofnd with a few sets of requirements?" Although confused, both of them nodded their head in agreement with her words. Never in their wildest dream did they thought it would be this fast for Sara to find and that''s suitable for She soon-to-be headquarter of her yet-to-be-named organization. Sara smiles as she continues. "It was honestly unexpected. I never thought toe across such a good deal right in front of my face just as I thought of giving up. Yes, it is as you thought, I have found precisely thend you''re looking for, my daughter." "Really?!" She suddenly stood up with a shout. One could even see her eyes sparkling with excitement. After all, she had been waiting for so long for this very moment. Technically, it''s only around a few months since she got the leveling system, but that doesn''t matter. Although she won''t admit if someone asked her, She actually has a certain amount of fondness with a final boss-like character, ever since she was small. To her, It doesn''t matter whether they are a viin or heroes, as long as they are the final boss, she loves them. As someone who stood at the top of the predator''s pyramid, they didn''t that have that much worries in life. They are free to go wherever they wanted, free to do whatever they desire, that is the ultimate freedom, in her opinion. Because she was born into a wealthy and influential family, many people have high expectations that she would also be sessful like her parents once she had grown up to a healthy adult. When She was at a very young age, she''s very proud of her family, even now she still is. As a naive child who knew nothing about the world, she does her best to learn everything that would prove to be helpful in her endeavor to be sessful. But it was only when a particr ident happened did she realized how much pressure she had onto her shoulders. It was during her fallout that she came across animes, games, etc. And during that time, she isn''t doing too well with her parents, a side effect caused by the incident. It wasn''t because her parents were disappointed with her or anything like that, but more of her ignoring them on a daily basis. She couldn''t face them properly without remembering the incident, and thus, this is where Ria came in. Now that she has power in her hands, she couldn''t help but entertain the thought of finding the culprit who caused the incident and make them suffer her dominant wrath. If she''s aiming to be someone like a final boss where they were given the freedom to do whatever they pleased, she has to do something regarding the regret dwelling inside of her. "Of course. Do you want to go and check it in person? Why don''t you go along with us too, Ria?" "Eh, me?" "Yes. you have nothing to do anyway, right?" "Well, it isn''t like I don''t have anything to do, but more of wanting to take a break from studies...but, yes, taking a fresh breath of outside air once in a while might be a good idea." Sara smiles at her before turning her head toward She and ask. "How about that other girl, Sylvia, was it? If she''s not busy, why don''t you invite her as well? The more people, the merrier, isn''t it?" "She has something to do, so she can''t tag along, unfortunately. Anyways, let''s get going now, yeah?" She said. It was clear to the two that this girl is way excited to visit the ce more than they thought she would. With a helpless sigh, Ria spoke. "I think you need to get a change of cloth, She. Didn''t you juste out of the Trial Tower? Though I know you don''t have any trouble there, you might have sweats, even a tiny bit. So, why don''t you take a short bath first while we prepare ourselves in the meantime? Once all of us are done with our own preparation, we shall meet again in the living room." Sara gives a curt nod in response to her words. "Eh, does it really matter? It''s not like I smell, so there''s no need for a bath. And both of you look good, what else do you need to prepare for?" Knowing that she would be stubborn about it, Ria decided to used her trump card. "Didn''t you say something about your favorite mobile game are going to do a special event today? I remember hearing that from you the other day. I''m sure you have been busy for a while now, did you forget about it, perhaps?" "Ah." *** Twenty minutester.. "Come on, She. A moment ago, you were so keen on it. So, why are we waiting for you now?" Ria said, followed by a helpless sigh. After informing her about the event of the game, She immediately took off upstairs to her room in haste. When Ria walked into the room, she can see thetter ying a console game with a solemn expression on her face. She couldn''t help but snickers, finding She looking so intently at the console game in her hand, priceless. Honestly, it has been a while seeing her looking like that. During the past couple of months, while they were ying games together, She always seemed to be taking it easy and casual, which is the opposite of her current state. Ria didn''t need to prepare much, only a new set of cloth and nothing more than that. Since they were going outside for a short trip, she chose to go with a casual look, which is consists of a long white T-shirt, andfortable pants on the go. It should have taken at most, five minutes but strangely, it took her ten minutes instead. Anyway, once she was done changing her outfit, Ria went to inform She before leaving the room, expecting thetter to follow her. Ria only realized of this when she stepped on the stair leading to the first floor. So, she just stood there and shouted, calling out to She. It took thetter ten minutes to prepared before she exits the room with the console game still in her hand, but this time, she wore an entirely different set of clothes. *Thump! Thump! Thump!* "I''m here!" She said with her eyes focused on the screen of the console game.''Is the game event really special or something?''thought Ria, but she didn''t ask and instead, decided to head down, of course, not before she was sure thetter is following right behind her properly this time. When they arrived in the living room, they saw Sara taking a sip of tea while watching the news on the TV. "You two took too long." "I''m sorry." "No, you don''t have to be as I''m sure it''s definitely my daughter is at fault here." Sara narrowed her eyes at her daughter, who clearly heard her words but chose to ignore it like a deaf person. She shook her head before getting up and walk toward the kitchen with a teacup in her hand. It seemed that the moment they stepped into the living room, what they saw was thest sip of tea. A couple of minutes before Sara came back, Ria walks toward the sofa and grabbed the remote control on the table before pointing it onto the TV, shutting it off with it. Right on cue, Sara stepped in the living with the car''s key already in her hand. *** "So, this is it? It looks surprisingly normal." Ria muttered the moment she stepped out of the car and observed the surrounding. When she heard the details of thend and its price from Sara in the car, she assumed thend would be on a much smaller case, the same goes to the mansion. But upon arriving on the location and took a moment to analyze, it''s proven that she''s wrong. "But still, what is this cold and ufortable feeling when I stared at the mansion..." "Evil Spirit." She said as she finally gets out of the car after finishing the game event. Ria turned her head toward her and ask. "You mean, like the one in Sylvia''s house?" "Actually yes, but no." She paused for a moment, retrieving the bits of information she found from investigating the system thoroughly and continues. "It''s not exactly an evil spirit per se, but more of a ''vengeful spirit'' sprouted from an unfair death. Technically, it is considered an evil spirit, but a real evil spirit is much more powerful than that. An evil spirit won''t just let you exorcise it while standing in ce like an idiot, but instead, they would attack you by entering through your body, trying to possess it. If one''s will is too weak, their spirit would be devoured instantly, turning their body into nothing but a set of a skeleton as a result." "Scary! That''s too scary! Can I even exorcise it with my current strength?!" "Good news or bad news, which one would you like to hear first?" She smiles as a mischief idea suddenly sprouted inside her mind. Though she was scared by her exnation, Ria turned around and noticed the wicked smile on She''s face, which brought a little sense to her chaotic mind for a moment, at the very least, it''s enough to know that her best friend is nning on ying a joke on her. Even so, she can''t help but ask. "Bad news?" "If you were to go to the mansion on your own to exorcise it, no doubt about it, you will be killed." *Gulp!* "T-Then how about the good news? Surely, there''s a way to exorcise it other than that!" Ever since she was small, Ria had always been afraid of apparitions for an unknown reason. She obviously knew about this as a childhood friend. And as one of the bad examples of a friend, she had done countless ''surprises event'' to her. Of course, there are times she had the intention of helping Ria with her weakness, but she ended up making it worse instead. As expected of IdiotShe. "Yes, there''s indeed another way to exorcise it. And that''s exactly the good news, I, the almighty She, is here! I can buy all sorts of purifying items in the system''s shop, no worries! Now, bow down to me, you peas¡ªIt hurts! I get it, I will stop! So, can you release your super-strong grip hand from this poor ear of mine, please? I think it''s going to tear apart if this keeps on..." "Hmm? Did you say something?" With a dark aura surrounding her whole, Ria stares at She with her not-so-smiling expression on her face. Just that alone brought chills through her body and caused thetter to be trembling in fear. "Nothing, Ma''am! Even if this poor ear of mine is ripped apart, I can just heal it by drinking the potion, so no problem!" "That''s right." ''Sorry, my precious left ear. I am but a harmless human against this evil incarnation demon next to me. But don''t worry, your sacrifice won''t be forgotten!'' Chapter 184 - System Is Stingy "You know, you can go easy on me. No matter how tough I am, pain is still pain." She groaned under her breath while gently rubbing her bright-red left ear, along with a pout on her face. The culprit for her pain, Ria, just harrumphed before looking away. To her, the punishment is fair and not as exaggerated as She imed it to be. "Mom, look, Ria is bullying your cute daughter." Seeing she didn''t get as much reaction from Ria as she had expected, She decided to seek for a reliable reinforcement, which is her actual mother, Sara. But as someone who understood her daughter so well since she was ugly as potato, Sara also decided to keep her mouth shut. Honestly, even if no one knew anything about her, they would also ignore her call of help since it was clear that she got what she sowed. Seeing both didn''t give any reaction to her acting, She heaved a sigh and spoke. "You two are no fun." "We''re here not to have fun, She." Ria said, receiving an approving nod from Sara. "Moreover, you were boasting about how great the shop is that it has all kinds of almighty items in there but, could you even afford them?" "Eh, the answer is obviously no. What do you think I am, a prodigy?" She nonchntly replied, staring at Ria as if she were looking at an idiot. *Snap!* "Uh, no. I do, indeed, have enough gold to buy a few purifying items if that is what you''re asking, Ma''am!" Before Ria could turn into a devil known as the evil incarnation, She immediately surrenders herself. It seemed it isn''t a good time to joke around; she just understood it now. While Ria was watching her, She was browsing through the shop, staring intently at the screen of her phone. Because there was a search and category system, she didn''t need to go through the trouble of searching among the endless items. A few secondster, a talisman made of paper appeared on her hand. ¡º Cleansing Talisman ¡» ¡º Grade: D A talisman made from the blood of an angel as the ink, the hide of an unknown beast as the paper, used for cleansing a powerful evil spirit. ¡» "What a stingy system, a mere talisman to cost so much of golds." She grumbled under her breath at the unfairness. Though she had managed to amass plenty of gold after many times of grinding, the cost for the talisman she just bought did give a bit of pain to her, mentally. As a gamer who was addicted to gacha games, She always felt a bit downcast upon noticing the funds decreasing. It doesn''t matter if it''s RPG or reality, losing capitals always kept her on edge. In essence, she''s stingy. "What is that paper in your hand?" "It''s a talisman, a cleansing talisman, used to purify a powerful evil spirit, exactly what we needed." "You only have one with you? Is it enough? I thought you are the type to prepare more than one." "You knew me well, but yes, I only have one with me. However, I do prepare more than one way to defeat the evil spirit, so no worries." She smiles after saying her words. In fact, she didn''t just purchase the talisman from the shop, and since she thought it wasn''t of any importance, she didn''t tell Ria about it. "So, do you want to follow me to the mansion, or wait with my mother here?" She asked. Ria took a moment to consider the pros and cons before shaking her head and said. "I''ll wait." "Wise decision. And just in case, [White Tiger!]" Suddenly, the two, Sara and Ria, were hit by a powerful st of wind that almost sent them flying if not for She protecting them with her aura. Looking up, they saw a beautiful yet prideful white tiger that emerged from a whirlwind that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Could you stay here for a while, and protect those two while I''m off for a business?" The [White Tiger] nodded its head to her words. She cuddles with it for a moment before deciding to head to the mansion, leaving the two with a powerful bodyguard. Although they are far from home, it is still within the same district, which was why she could summon it. If not for the fact that the cost required to maintain their corporal form is cumbersome, She might have summoned all of them at once. After bidding farewell to the two, She stepped forward, heading toward the mansion that emitted a chilly and dark aura. To ordinary people, the extravagance mansion is nothing but extravagance. If they were a bit more observant, they would have noticed the difference, in the atmosphere between the outside, and that of the inside of the mansion. Unfortunately, all the previous owners of the mansion are just nothing but ordinary people. Upon stepping into the mansion, She could feel a slight cold breeze sweep her whole body, causing her to shiver due to the cold. It reminds her of the horror games or movies, which most would suddenly speak of having the same thing as she did for some unknown reason. She had thought they were just saying it to turn the situation into a spooky one, but upon experiencing it personally, she knew she was wrong. "Interesting, the mana here is a lot more attuned to the water element than elsewhere." She couldn''t help but mutter upon sensing something with her mana eyes. After inspecting the whole floor on her own, the evil spirit is still nowhere in sight, nor did it attack her. Since she didn''t find anything of importance, She decided to went upstairs to the second floor. Upon arriving on the second floor, she started to notice that the atmosphere here feels a lot more chilly than downstairs. Room after room, still no shadow of it. But the closer she is to the end of the second floor, the colder the atmosphere felt to her. As if the sign couldn''t be more than apparent, She immediately took the talisman out of her pocket and prepared herself for the situation ahead. "Come out. I know you are there." She called out as she slows down her pace toward thest room, at the corner of the second floor. But no one responds to her call other than the sound of her footsteps thumping softly on the marble floor. Suddenly, She remembers the detail about the mansion that Sara spoke off while she was driving the car on the way here. Although her mind was out of the world during that time, her ears were half-intently listening to her words. The previous owner of the mansion before Sara bought it, told her that no matter what, she should never unlock the room at the end of the second floor. He didn''t specifically tell her the reason, but based on the grim tone and his serious expression, Sara took his words seriously. She quickly understood that the locked room at the end of the second floor must have been the ce that the evil spirit dwells. If that''s the case, She paused for a moment to take a couple of deep breathes and continues once she was ready to face the evil spirit. The closer she is to the room, the colder the atmosphere. When She is right in front of the door, she could faintly hear noise from within the room. She couldn''t tell what sort of noise it is but was sure she isn''t mistaken about it. "Sigh, well, here goes nothing." With her right hand holding tightly onto the cleansing talisman, she slowly opened the door with her right hand. *Creak!* "Huh. It looks surprisingly normal. I was expecting the inside of the room to be dirty and all, but it was as clean as it can get. I must be¡ªGuh!" Before She could continue her words, she was suddenly pushed out of the room by an invisible force. After stabilizing herself, she looks up and saw a dark, shadowy figure of a human floating in the air. Lowering down her gaze, She can only see a wisp of haze covering its lower body part instead of legs. No doubt about it, this is the evil spirit that lives within the mansion. "Do you understand my word?" "....rr..." "Yes?" "...rr...grrr...GROWL!" "As I thought, you''re no exception either!" When the evil spirit tried to pounced at her, she avoids it by rolling to the side before willing a small ball of me to materialize in reality and flew toward the evil spirit. But as expected, the fireball passed through it and exploded when it hits the ceiling, yet the evil spirit was still unharmed from the explosion. She had thought a real ''evil spirit'' could get hurt from a magic attack, but as she could see, there isn''t a single wound on it. She immediately went downstairs once she was given a chance as the evil spirit ferociously give chase right behind her. It tried to invade into her body from time to time by pouncing at her, but She calmly dodges it with a quick yet sharp movement. The more it fails to do so, the angrier it became. But what can it do? The female human is just too agile. Just as she thought it would continue, the evil spirit suddenly stopped midair, which also halts her movement as she turned out to look at it. "u...uu..ooohh!" For the first time, she felt a sense of dangering from it. She quickly put a defensive stand as if expecting it to attack her with some physical or magical attack, but what she gets was a loud and shattering screech from the evil spirit. *SCREEEEECH!* "Damn it! I didn''t expect that, did I?" Blood could be seen trickled out of her ears as she cursed under her breath. Seeing she was visibly hurt by it, the evil spirit was ready tounch another one, but She interrupted it by charging toward it fearlessly. And within the blink of an eye, she jumped toward it before throwing the cleansing talisman straight to its face. "Have a taste of this, you bastard!" Chapter 185 - Xiao Yong When the talisman hits right at the center of the ugly face of the evil spirit, it started to shriek like a banshee as it wildly thrashes around. She put up a distance between them after throwing the talisman, which is why she was safe from harm. "How was it, you bastard? You love it so much that you can''t answer me, huh? Good to know." While the evil spirit was thrashing around midair, She could finally take this time to appreciate the interior of the mansion. Aside from some dust here and there, everything else looks almost as good as new. Though she won''t be living here as this would be a headquarter of her organization, it is still much appreciated if the mansion is in good condition. Nheless, the mansion still required some work to be done. Adding to the fact that the evil spirit is trashing around as scratch and crack started to appear on the ceiling and wall alike. If possible, She also wanted to make the basement a lot more spacious so that it could be used for a lot of things as, at the moment, the previous owner of the mansion didn''t have much use of the basement at all, it was left to rot. She had a few ideas regarding what kind of use she had in mind for the basement. But for now, the evil spirit needs to be purified for good. Looking up, She could see the evil spirit still thrashing around, albeit with a weaker strength than before. The evil spirit must have umted a lot of mana to be able to withstand it up until now since the talisman should have evaporated it the moment itnds on its face. But it could resist no more as, after a few minutes, the evil spirit has departed to the underworld for good. The talisman also dissolved into ashes the moment it haspleted its mission. "May you rest in peace, no matter who you are once as a living person." She softly whispered as she prays that the ''evil spirit'' may have a good life if there''s one waiting for it. With that done, she went upstairs to check the second time to make sure there won''t be a second evil spirit, and once that has been taken care of, she immediately heads out. "Is it done? We heard quite a loud shriek from here, are you okay?" "Yes, I''m fine. The shriek came from the evil spirit, and now it is gone for good." Ria''s tense shoulders visibly rxed upon hearing her words as she breathes out a relieved sigh. Honestly, she was d that She has a system''s shop where a myriad of items could be bought so long as she had enough funds in hand. If not for that, she would be the one facing the evil spirit. It was at times like this that Ria would prefer having abat ss instead of a support one, especially for a healer. The ss in of itself isn''t so bad. She hates it because only she, or to be more specific, her ss, can take care of undead. Undead were known to be weak to divine blessing, so obviously her ss overpowers them. Of course, thebat ss could also defeat undead like skeletons and zombies with their own set of skills. However, it''s a different story if the undead had physical immunity, such as wrath, which can only be harm by either magic or divine blessing. The evil spirit is in thetter case. "How was it? Are you satisfied with this piece ofnd?" Sara asked. Since she couldn''t see things that are invisible to the naked eyes, she could only ask those who can see it, which in this case, She is the right person. Nheless, she was still able to sense the mana in the surrounding, albeit faintly. Honestly, she couldn''t understand why her daughter wants to find a piece ofnd with a requirement like this. True, havingnd with an abundant amount of mana is indeed good, however, everywhere else would turn out like that too in the near future. Sara thought it doesn''t really matter whichnd her daughter would like to choose, either way as, it would have the same result at the end of it. "More than satisfied. But is the price, alright? Judging from how wide thend is, it must have cost a lot, no?" "It is, even cheaper than my estimation. Well, that was as expected, I guess? With abundant mana in the surrounding, no normal person canst that long before they subject to illness." She nodded her head in agreement. Just as Sara said, no ordinary people can survive in a surrounding where mana is abundant. No, if they stay for a short while, it won''t be a problem. It was like a slow-react poison in this case as, the longer they stayed, the more likely they would fall ill. But that wouldn''t be a problem for people with special strength like her small group, whichposed of, Sara, Ria, Sylvia, and Anthony. Heck, it gives them benefits instead. ''If I wanted to make more underground floors, I need to have permission from the government, or so the inte said. And if I didn''t get their permission and they somehow found out about it, trouble woulde knocking on my door. I wouldn''t want that, but at the same time, I couldn''t tell the government about the reason behind it. Why not just keep it a secret then? No, that won''t work. If Sara brought a construction worker, the one that spilled the bean would be them. Hmm, wait. Don''t I have that with me? Yes, that should work. They were born to do this, after all.''With that thought in mind, She chuckled. "What are youughing for?" Ria asked. She shook her head in response before saying. "It''s nothing, or that''s what I was going to say, but you''ll see." Ria titled her head to the side in confusion. She ignored her and turned her head toward Sara and spoke. "Thisnd is already owned by us, right? I mean, it''s under your name, right, Mom?" Sara replied with a curt nod in response to her question.''Alright, this means I can let them deal with it now instead ofter.''thought She as she nodded. By spreading her awareness to the surrounding area, she was making sure that no one was around to witness what she was about to do other than the two standing next to her. Once that is done, She brought the summoning note out of her inventory before injecting a small strand of mana into it. "Come out, Xiao(Little) Yong(Brave)!" Before the two confused gazes, the Queen of Giant Ant heed to her call and appear in front of them. The moment it appeared, Ria immediately turned herself into a stone statue. She didn''t just hate incorporeal being like ghosts, she also hates insects in general. And so, if a bug at the same height as a human kid suddenly appeared in front of her, certainly she would get so frightened that she froze on the spot. She should have known about this, but knowing thetter, she has most likely forgotten about it despite having a photographic memory. If the memory were not brought to the surface by someone or by herself, it would forever be buried in the endless myriad of memories, that was the case here. "Umm, She, do you mind telling us the detail about this...giant ant?" Sara hesitantly asked. Although she isn''t as afraid as Ria, the giant ant still bothers her. She nodded her head before slowly summarize everything that had transmitted in the Trial Tower, about how she won the fight without battling the boss to death and instead choose to tame it, make it hers. Sara widens her eyes in shocked, she can''t believe her daughter could fight against such a huge ant on her own, even more killing them. But seeing the queen itself right in front of her, she has to believe the truth of She''s words. Although she has be quite strong after defeating twenty or so slimes, her strength was still withinmon sense and not as absurd as the current She. What she thought impossible, is possible for thetter. "And so, I named it Xiao Yong. The name just abruptly appeared in my mind during the fight when I saw how determined she is in protecting her soldiers. It''s a nice name, isn''t it?" Sara could only respond to her daughter''s words by nodding her head. When She had finished speaking, Ria is already on the verge of fainting. And so, before thetter could faint on the spot, she stated. "Xiao Yong, I need your help with something. How many soldiers do you have now? thirty already? Well, that should be more than enough for my n, I guess. Anyway, I want you to build a small nest under that building, is it fine? Hmm, why, you ask? Well, you see..." And there, it began, the talk between the human and giant ant that is. Even the calm and collected Sara couldn''t believe the ridiculous scene she was watching at this very moment that she started questioning her sanity. After all, both of them aren''t discussing with each other, but more of She speaking to the queen by herself, thetter only nodded her head or tilted her head, it''s either one of the two. Five minutester, the discussion seemed toe to an end as She left the queen to her device and walks toward her mother to ask a question. "Uh, Mom? You do know construction work and stuff, right?" "My knowledge is limited, but I do have someone for that, why do you ask?" "Is that person trustworthy?" "He is. I have done a background check on him personally and didn''t find anything suspicious before taking him in. Again, why do you ask?" "I still think you need to look after him even more if we were going to ask for his help¡ªno, there''s another way for that." She said before her wordse to a pause as an idea suddenly struck her mind, she then continues thetter part in a whisper to herself.''There''s no need for the guy to personally visit the ce when I have the right person for that right in front of me. All I need is his knowledge and experience in construction work, the talk can be done by someone else.''thought She. She can''t help but marvel at her genius idea. There are also times that her brain actually works! With that thought in mind, She immediately told Sara of the idea she had in mind. There are a few problems in her n, but with her mother''s help by fixing some loophole here and there, the fixed n seems a lot more usible now then her previous rough n. "Alright, then I''ll leave it to you, Mom!" "Leave it to me. But...will Xiao Yong truly understood my word?" "Of course, right, Xiao Yong?" Xiao Yong, The Queen of the Giant Ant, nodded her head in response to She''s remark. Knowing the matured woman is the mother of her master, Xiao Yong acts a bit respectful toward Sara despite her status. Unfortunately, her master and her master''s mother couldn''t see the difference. Nevertheless, since she was given a chance to prove herself useful to her master, Xiao Yong decided to put a lot of effort into this, even though she didn''t understand the motive behind it. Even if she understood it, it doesn''t really matter as, at the end of it, what matters to her the most is her master. Somehow, the survival of her own race had be her second priority on the list, which goes to show how much loyalty she has to her master. Chapter 186 - Terrorist Attack? The next day, at High School. *Ring! Ring!* "Alright, lunch it is. You over there, don''t run. The food isn''t running away from you, so you shouldn''t either. You will only cause trouble." The teacher said. Upon noticing her student was about to run out of the ss, she immediately warned him on the spot. While that was happening, the other students snicker at him before nonchntly walking out of the ss, and once they were sure that they are out of the teacher''s sight, the students quickly run toward the cafeteria. The longer they took their time, the faster the food at the cafeteria diminished¡ªespecially, for some limited food. While watching her ssmates running off while pushing one after another as if their life is on the line, She couldn''t help but imagine the scene in front of her as if they are from zombie movies. Honestly, in an apocalypse world where fresh food is as rare as SSR, it wouldn''t be surprising to see them reacting the same as now if someone identally shows off their can food to the public. Speaking of which, perhaps it might be wise to stock up some food for the future just in case. When the world turned chaotic, most sensible people would most likely hoard a lot of food for themselves and family alike, some would even resort to stealing, after all, there''s now binding them anymore. "Senior!" Even without turning her back to look at the person that called her out, She didn''t need to guess as she already knew who it was. As far as her friend list goes, it could be count on one hand. And most importantly, there can only be one that would call her ''senior'' in school; it is none other than Yuna. With a sigh, She turned her head to look behind her and saw a cute girl with a beautiful silky ck hair, and her characteristic white bunny hairpin. If her ce had been reced with any male students in the school, they would have shed ocean of tears, praying to god for how thankful they felt. Unfortunately, it''s not them but her. No matter how cute Yuna is, She didn''t feel any sort of attraction toward her, or rather, she felt a slight annoyance instead. The girl isn''t bad or being annoying at all to her, in fact, thetter would definitely step aside if She had told her straight to the face. That is the feeling she had. "So, are you following us again for lunch?" She asked. Without any secondter, Yuna nodded her head in response before saying. "Yes, am I troubling you with my presence, perhaps?" "Sigh,no, not at all. You can follow if you want to." With a defeated sigh, She and the silent Ria slowly walks toward the cafeteria along with a stalker(Yuna). As expected, the moment they arrived, they were sent a world of a battlefield where a single mistake could potentially lose their life. Well, in this case, they would at most lose the chance to eat limited-edition food such as bread, etc. Honestly, She can just go ''swoosh'' to cut the never-ending line and grab the bread since no one here was able to catch even a speck of herself with their slow perception, however, she didn''t do so as it wasn''t in her interest. Plus, it would definitely attract attention if the students waiting in line suddenly felt a strong gust of wind bypassing them. Now is not the time to expose her identity just yet. "No matter how many times I see it, the line for that limited edition bread is always annoyingly long. Don''t you think so?" She asked while staring dumbfounded at the particrly long line. As a student in her second year, she has never seen the line for that particr bread short. She had tried the bread once when she got the chance, and indeed, it was as good as the said rumors. Moreover, due to the abyss-like difficulty in getting the bread, she pulled out a white g the next day. She isn''t a masochist, after all. "Mhm. I think this fact alone won''t change even after we graduated so long as the auntie is still selling her bread." Ria replied with a chuckle, receiving an approving nod from her. Since the three of them had prepared a lunch box from the convenience store on the way to school, knowing the fact that there would be a long line, they didn''t have to wait in line like the others. It took a couple of minutes before they find themselves an empty table for them to dine. "So, Yuna, do you find or run to anything strange for the past couple of weeks?" "Eh?" Surprised that She took the initiative to talk to her, it took her a moment for her sense to return to normal as the situation was quite unexpected, at least in her opinion. She didn''t find anything strange or odd in She''s words, so she honestly answered. "Nothing unusual, it''s just like any other days. However, I do notice that strangely, I was a lot more focused on teacher''s teaching than usual. I wonder if that is just my imagination?" ''So, one of the ''Protection'' ne''s functions work as intended. That''s a relief, in various ways.''thought She. Although she wasn''t sure where did Rodrick disappeared, she believes that guy will surelye back for revenge, after all, he seemed to be that type of a man. And once that happened, he would most likely have a trump card against the old her who restricts her strength in order not to end up killing ordinary people. She wanted to question the kidnapper back then, after all. If they die, who would answer her then? Ghost? "It''s a protective charm, after all. There''s a possibility of it having a magical effect when worn, you know?" "Ah. I didn''t know that''s possible! Magic is amazing!" "It sure is." She couldn''t help but giggle at her innocent response. If it had been someone else, they would have retort her with logic instead. Perhaps, that might have been the case if Yuna had not identallye across the incident in the park. Ever since then, the girl always has the time to meet with She one way or another. After the kidnapping incident, She had thought thetter would ignore her knowing the danger if she became acquainted with her. But apparently, her heart is much stronger than average, or maybe she''s just idiot. Either way, She didn''t mind thetter presence around her, even though it can get annoying at times, it never got to her nerve. Plus, this girl is some sort of prodigy, you know? It wouldn''t be bad to be her friend. While the three were chatting about their daily lives, She suddenly paused and stood up in high alert and cautiousness as she observed the cafeteria with narrowed eyes. Not finding the thing she was looking for, she frowned. "What''s wrong?" Ria asked upon noticing her best friend acting strange. She shook her head as she fell to her seat and said. "It''s nothing, must have been my imagination." "Are you sure?" "Mhm, don''t worry about it. Anyways, what are we talking about a moment ago?" "Alright. We were discussing summer break, you see..." And just like that, the three continue on their previous topic of discussion. Nevertheless, Ria noticed that She has been absentminded throughout the discussion and though she was curious as to why thetter was acting strange, she decided to keep her mouth shut and interrogate herter. But it seems that trouble came knocking on their door first as suddenly, there was a scream from the hallway. As her expression turned serious, She immediately spread her awareness in full force with her eyes closed. In the hallway, there are three students and a single adult man. From what she''s sensing, the two students were frozen on the spot and as for thest one, his heart has stopped pumping blood a second ago, which can only mean one thing, he''s dead. A student has been murdered right inside the school. The screams a while ago must have been from one of the two frozen students. ''What the hell is going on here? A terrorist attack? There''s no way something fictitious like that could happen in real life! In fact, there''s only a single adult there, by process of elimination, he must be the murderer. From what I have been sensing presently, I can very well say that he is no ordinary, there''s some kind of frightening aura around him, which is different than the aura of a mage. There''s no doubt about it, he must be someone from the supernatural side. Even so, what is this feeling inside of me? Why does it feel like deja vu?'' "Ria, can you take Yuna and hide somewhere safe?" "I can, but what about you?" "I''m going to check it out." Looking at the two whisperings to each other in all seriousness, Yuna was left bewildered. Because she has a normal range of hearing, she couldn''t fully hear what they said, only fragment words such as,''hide,'' ''safe,''and''check,''that''s it. Yuna had thought of running to the hallway right away, to see if there''s someone in need of help due to the abrupt scream but, for reason unknown to her, she decided to stay put for now. "Eh, what?" "Look, we don''t have much time to waste. I''ll speak of detailter, for now, go and hide somewhere else with Ria, okay?" With a serious expression, coupled with a solemn voice, Yuna couldn''t help but nodded her head in silence. While some of the students at the cafeteria resume eating without a care in the world, some of them feel a slight concerned upon hearing the scream of terror, and so, they decided to boldly head to the hallway despite thinking it was a bad idea. And among them, two high school girls could be seen running off at the opposite of the hallway. While the two were running, looking for a ce to hide, Yuna suddenlyes to a halt with her face paled inplexion.''Is it those kidnappers? No way, right? There''s no way they are bold enough to attack a high school in a broad daylight. After all, they would earn more profit if they rob a bank instead. But why...why do I feel like I''m wrong, and that, they trulye here for revenge? What is this feeling of difort?'' "Are you okay?" "I-I''m fine. We need to find a suitable ce to hide asap." "Mhm, you''re right. Then, let''s go." Looking at Ria''s calm and collected expression, Yuna can feel the feeling of difort inside her heart lessen.''Right! She is a magician, no way she would lose to some measly terrorist! I''m sure she would get the job done and soone to us with a smile on her face. She had saved me once, so surely she can do it again. I will put my trust in her! That''s the only thing I can do at the moment after all.''thought Yuna as she gripped her fist hard, praying that the three of them wille out safe from this crisis. Chapter 187 - Berserker "Ah...how could you..do this..." The boy muttered fearfully with hisplexion turning paled and his eyes reddened from crying. Looking at the bloody corpse of his friend on the ground, he remembers how it all began. It was just like any other days, the boy and his friends were on the way to the cafeteria while talking about nonsense that many teenagers always did. Just when the three of them had reached the hallway to the cafeteria, they noticed an unknown adult man standing quietly at the center of the path. Looking at the man''s attire and that they were in high school, the boy and his friends quickly assumed the man to be the father of someone who hade for a visit. Most of the time, one couldn''t enter the school premise if they aren''t a student or didn''t have permission from the school itself. But there are also times that the parent of the student could visit their child even without having any permission from the school, and that is during lunch. Nevertheless, they have to give a reasonable answer to the guard and can only stay for at most, 10 minutes. Without any wariness, the naive boy and his friends approach the adult man. "Hello...uh, Sir?" His friend couldn''t finish his greeting as the moment they stare at the adult man''s face, they were surprised to see a small crimson gem that rooted deeply at the center of his forehead. At first, they thought their mind was ying a trick on them as what they had witnessed shouldn''t be possible normally. And then, they thought the adult man is perhaps, a cosyer, which would make a lot of sense. That was exactly what they concluded at the end of it. "Do you need any help, Sir? You seemed lost." Thought his friend was asking with good intention, the adult man stays silent and didn''t give any sort of response whatsoever. The only thing that they noticed was that the adult man was looking elsewhere as if their presence didn''t register in his eyes despite them standing right in front of him. Due to that, the atmosphere started to turn awkward as his friend scratch his head in embarrassment. Since the adult man didn''t seem to want to talk to them, the boy and his friends decided to leave him to his device instead of troubling him. As they turned their back on him and only took a few steps away, suddenly, one of his friends stopped on his track before coughing up a mouthful of blood as he looked down to his stomach filled with confusion. What he saw was none other than an adult hand, but what he couldn''t understand is how that hand is piercing right through his chest with a blood-pumping heart in the grasp of that masculine hand. "Wh...at?" That was thest thing he saw before his mind shut down for eternity, which can only mean one thing, and that is death. "Ryouta!" The boy and his only friend left screamed at the sudden death of their friend in fright and fearful. Theirplexion turned paled as their body trembles at the unexpected situation. They couldn''t even muster any strength to run as the moment they turned their back against this mad man, they would most likely get the same end as their friend staying motionless on the ground litter with his own blood. "H-How could you...do this!" The boy''s friend, Roy, gnashed his teeth hard and asked despite the fear and death he felting from the adult man with a crimson gem in his forehead. "Y-You won''t get away with this! The cops will surely catch you in our ce!" "W-Wait, Roy..." The boy tried to calm his friend, unfortunately, thetter was blind by his emotions that he couldn''t think straight. The only thought left in his head is to avenge for his friend''s death, that is until the adult man suddenly startedughing out loud. "What are youughing at?!" "Hahaha, sorry, kids, my apologies. I couldn''t help butughs upon seeing an idiot like you." "You!" Roy gripped his fist hard and was ready tounch himself at him when the boy grabbed one of his arms, stopping him from the suicide act. The boy clearly knew that they couldn''t win against the adult man, the fact had already shown right in front of their two eyes. One must have a frightening strength and speed in order to smoothly pierce their hand through the human body, which is something an average adult couldn''t possibly do. The adult man must be someone special, or so the boy thought. The boy guessed it right. If he had let his friend, Roy, charge madly toward him, it would only be asking for death. Even hundreds of them couldn''t hold a candle against the man, that was just how powerful he is. "Your friend is wise, lucky you. However, your luck ends the moment you met me." Feeling his death creeping closer, the boy didn''t even think for a second as he throws his old phone toward the man with all his power before grabbing Roy''s hand to run away with him. "You think a phone can stop me? Don''t mention the other brands, not even Nokia can endure against my mighty strength!" With a single fierce yet fast punch, the boy''s old phone shattered to pieces within the blink of an eye. And during that, the boy and his friend could only take eleven steps before they were overwhelmed by the smell of death. When the boy turned his head to look back, he paled as the man was already a meter away from his friend, ready to stab Roy to death with his hand. Without having any strength to stop the man, the boy could only watch as his friend, Roy, screams in pain when a masculine hand pierces precisely through his heart. The boy, Luke, closed his eyes as he can feel the God of Death standing next to him with a scythe around his neck, ready to take away his soul to the afterlife along with his friends. Luke had nned on ying for hours at the arcade once the school is over together with his friends, that was the n, yet how could something like this happen? The three of them were still young and have a bright future, but to think today is their end. If he were given a chance to avenge his friend''s death, Luke would definitely take it even if he had to deal with the devil itself. Their death was just too cruel as they couldn''t even resist nor question why they were killed. No, he could think of one infuriating reason for the mad man, he must be doing this for fun based on the fact that he could stillugh after killing his friend like stepping on a bug. Even if that wasn''t the case, Luke would still take revenge if he were given the chance to do it. Nevertheless, where was the pain of having something pierce through the body before the ultimate death? Luke wondered as he couldn''t feel any sort of pain as he expected. Slowly, he opened his eyes. "Guh! W-What?" Over there, standing next to the man coughing up blood was a person with white hair and a half-mask fox covering their face. Luke couldn''t tell whether it''s a he or she, but one thing he did know is that he or she is way stronger than the adult man who he thought to be terrifying. Because his eyes were closed, Luke didn''t see what happened for the man to be on his knees and vomit a mouthful of blood to the ground. But based on the fact that the man is holding onto his stomach with both of his hands, Luke judged he was punched or kick right into the guts. It must be a powerful attack for sure. "Who are you, bastard?!" Wiping the trace of blood on his mouth, the man angrily asked. Because his mind was directed on killing the students, the man only noticed the masked guy when he/she was already right behind him. And before he knew it, the blood rushed up to his head as he coughs up a mouthful of blood. He had just noticed the presence of the masked guy, but by that time, he was already punched straight at his guts. What a frightening speed! Without saying anything to his question, the masked guy pped him, sending him flying straight to the wall as a response. The man didn''t expect a p toe at him when he was asking the question, and so, he couldn''t protect himself from the surprise attack. "GRAAAAAH! You dare to p me, this great me?!" Along with his furious howl, Luke noticed the crimson gem on his forehead started to shine and as if his body was reinforced by something, he swears he could see the man''s muscle bulge with power. "That''s a weird gem you have there." The masked guy spoke with a voice devoid of any emotion and a tone that one would have a hard time judging his/her real gender. With his eyes turned red like a berserker, the man charges toward her in a speed Luke couldn''t follow. Within the blink of an eye, the man was already right in front of the masked guy. He sneered upon noticing the masked guy didn''t do anything and stand there like an idiot, he assumed thetter couldn''t follow his speed either, which would be understandable.''Taste my mighty punch!''thought the man as he took the chance the masked guy couldn''t act and fiercely punch toward his head. Because of the terrifying strengthpressed in that single punch, the masked guy''s head exploded upon contact with his fist, or so the man thought. But what really happened is that his fist was caught firmly by his enemy as if it was nothing. The masked guy didn''t even move an inch from his spot, this clear demonstration of strength proven to the man that the masked guy is no way in hell lower than him, heck, he might be even stronger than him. With a solemn expression, the man asked. "Who are you?" As if that was what he was waiting for, the masked guy smiles and said. "I''m Shiro, the guy who will torture you to death for killing the students without any solid reason. I hope you''re prepared for it as I don''t want to identally killed you or something." Chapter 188 - Do You Think Id Let You Get Your Second Form?! "I''m Shiro, the guy who will torture you to death for killing the students without any solid reason. I hope you''re prepared for it as I don''t want to identally kill you or something." After introducing herself, She immediately sent the man flying once again with a swift kick toward his neck by twisting her body, stopping him from saying something to her. On the way here, she managed to distract the other students by baiting them toward another way so that they won''t cam across this mad man. By disguising herself as one of the male students, she secretly summoned Phoenix beforemanding it to flew above the school premise. A few minutester, she(in this case, he) stood closer to the window from the opposite of the hallway toward the man and shouted. "Look! Is that a real-life Phoenix?!" With just a shout, it quickly brought the students'' attention as they went next to her before stretching their neck to look out of the window despite the doubt on their faces. The moment they looked outside of the window, they were left dumbfounded, all doubts they had on her disappeared soon after as if burnt to the crisp by the Phoenix itself. "That is...a real Phoenix!" "Unbelievable..." "It''s just a burning chicken though, what is so interesting about it?" "You,e here. I''ll show the greatness of the Phoenix in detail." "Don''t worry, we won''t hurt you." "Wait! I was just joking! I¡ª" Ignoring that one student asking for help while being dragged away by two other students, She quickly left the scene after she had aplished her mission in baiting the other from the hallway. If she hadn''t done this purely out of goodwill, there might be a lot of deaths. Honestly, She didn''t really care much about others, however, if she can prevent meaningless death with her own power, then she would. It would leave a bad after taste if she chose to ignore what''s happening in front of her eyes, after all. Though currently the students were distracted by Phoenix, she needs to finish this soon, or they might get here before that. "So, you are the one who caused a mess in the branch of Mage Association! Heh, Lucky me. I don''t care much about what those higher up think and do but, if I can catch you alive and give it to them, sure as hell I''d get a good promotion." "You? That''s rich, give it a try then. Let''s see if you can catch me, or will I end up killing you first, whichever it is?" "I''ll show you alright, look and behold, this is the power that would bring you down to your knees!" Along with his loud exmation, the small gem on his forehead started to shines even brighter than before. Clearly more evident than his previous transformation, the man''s body started getting bigger and bigger along with his overall size, it only stopped until his shirt rip to shreds by the bulging hard muscle. It wasn''t just his body that has changed, heck, his aura has also gotten even more terrifying and domineering. If the previous him is that of a bear, the current him would be an experienced hunter of a lion. The boy, Luke, was visibly affected by it as his legs turned wobble as he felt down to the ground on his butt with his face paled as one can get. She easily shrugged it off as if it was nothing. No matter how one looked at it, the gem did boost him with strength. Perhaps, she might pluck the gem out of his forehead just to analyze what kind of sorcery and rules on how it works. "Hahahaha! Behold, this is my full strength! I can feel it! I can feel my body pulsating with a terrifying strength! With my current state, I am Undefeatable!" Nevertheless, though his aura couldn''t affect her, she still needs to be careful around him as his strength at the moment would definitely give a run for her money. If she were to estimate it based on her feeling, he would most likely be around level 40, which is a level higher than the current her. Most importantly, if all his attribute points were invested in strength only, then he is undoubtedly stronger than her, who distributed it all over the ce for a reason of wanting to have a bnced character. "Hmm, you are indeed stronger than me now, strength-wise." "Of course! So, are you going to give up now? I won''t mind if you lick my shoe and ask for forgiveness, and perhaps, I might consider not injuring you. You will still have to follow me though, Gahahaha!" The manughs unrestrainedly as if the deal is already in his hand. If it had been someone with a sharp sense, they would have noticed the importance in her words and stays cautious around her, but thankfully this man is an idiot. Indeed, the man''s strength might be higher than hers, but that doesn''t mean she would lose. Raw strength is not all there is in realbat. One must not forget about skills and experiences. Even if one has weak strength, they could still beat people stronger than them if their skill inbat is much more formidable than their opponent. "Strong as you may be, I''m not even a tiny bit afraid of you. Come, show me what you got." She indifferently said with a provoking gesture from her hand. Looking at the masked guy''s indifferent attitude toward those terrifying aura, Luke was left dumbfounded. As ignorant as he is, if he has topared between the two of them, the man seemed more terrifying than the masked guy for an obvious reason. That was what his logical side of reason telling him, but somehow, a part of him said otherwise. Since the masked guy clearly wasn''t as affected as him, and their previous demonstration of strength, they must have a way to defeat the man who was more like a demon now. "Hmph, I guess I have to beat you up to submission if that is what it takes to make you give up, I am more than willing." As if the man ''blink'' out of existence, he promptly disappeared from his previous location before appearing right behind the masked guy. She was surprised, it wasn''t just his strength that increased? With that thought in mind, she was thus sent flying by a powerful punch straight to her back. *Bam!* "Hahahaha! I told you, with my current strength, I am Undefeatable!" Within a broken wall of debris, a figure stood up from the ground while dusting off the dust of their clothes.''So that''s some of the power of someone who prioritizes on strength at level 40, huh? It hurts like hell. I think a few of my ribs are broken, god, why did I decide to let him hit me when I can easily avoid it? If he had used all his might, there might be a hole in my body by now. What was in the brazen hell am I thinking? Is the damn curiosity taking over me again? it must be that darn curiosity!'' ''Well, I can''t help it alright? I simply wanted to know how strong the punch would be, not expecting it to be THAT strong. I must have gotten so brazen these past few weeks mostly because I have potions with me all the time. Thankfully, the savior title took effect since technically, I''m protecting that boy over there. Alright, I also need to get serious.''thought She yet her expression remained stoic even with the mask covering half of her face. Even if she''s hurt, she would never show it to her opponent for them to exploit. "Is that all?" She said with a tone devoid of any emotion, yet her internal thought was, ''That flipping hurt, you bastard! How dare you gone beyond my expectations when you are just a mob! Just you wait, I''ll get my revenge!'' When the man ''blink'' once again, she immediately twist her body and managed to avoid his punch before sending a swift kick at him as a counter, in which he was able to defend it with both of his arms held up in front of his face. Although the damage he got was minimal as much as little numbness on his arms, it still managed to send him a few steps away from her. Even She had to admit that his arm is as tough as hell. "It''s futile. Your strength couldn''t possibly harm me in my current state." She nodded her head in agreement with his words. If neither punch and kick work, how about a weapon then? With that thought in her mind, she swiftly entered her shadow which surprised the man. A few seconds passed, just as he thought she had run away, she silently appears right behind him before smoothly swinging her sword horizontally toward his neck.''A sword?! Where did ite from?!''thought the man as he intuitively leaned over, saving his neck from separating itself from his body. "How about now? No matter how tough your body has be, could it still withstand against a real de?" She said after putting a distance from the man with her sword faced straight toward him. "Tsk, you think I''d be scared with that fake sword of yours?!" "Thene at me, we will put it to test whether the sword in my hand is real or not by cutting you to pieces." The man quickly went quiet. Although he had never seen a real sword in his entire life, after all, it is an ancient weapon inparison to the modern age where gun and nuclear alike, is the hottest weapon of all time, yet he could somehow tell that the sword in the hand of the masked guy is certainly real.''Do I have no choice but to went beyond my limit? I have been warned not to do it under any circumstances, but with my current predicament, there''s no other choice other than that.'' "GROOOAAARR!" ''What? Can he still strengthen himself even more than now with that gem in his forehead? This isn''t good. I have to end it now, once and for all before things get dangerous for me.''thought She as she throws her sword aside and immediately will it in her mind for the burning spear to appear by her side. ¡ºVanquisher, Ravager of the Burning Sun!¡» The moment the spear appeared, she quickly grasps it into her hand before positioning herself for her next move. As the man''s body started to erge once again brim with power, She took a couple of deep breathes before throwing the spear in her hand with all her might, straight toward the man. *Swoosh!* *STAB!* "Gah! I...I didn''t...even finish tran...yet.." "Sorry, but I won''t stand there like an idiot and let the chance to kill you go just like that." With the burning spear effortlessly prate through his body, the man was left with a gaping hole at the size of a ball at the center of his chest. Without having a powerful regeneration like a certain vampire, the man soon sumbed to his death without being able to finish saying hisst words. Following his death, the gem on his forehead appears to have a crack in it before finally shattering to pieces. Chapter 189 - A Deal With Demon "You...really killed the man." Luke muttered. "I sure did, what, is it disturbing you?" "No, that''s not it. Surprisingly, I don''t feel anything, not even the urge to puke like how normal people do upon seeing someone being killed in front of their eyes." "Even so...my friends..." Staring at both of his palms, this ipetent and weak palms, Luke could only feel nothing but useless. If this palm holds mighty strength, his friends would not have died under that man onught. He would be able to protect them, or if that is too much of a wish, he could sacrifice himself as his friends escape to safety. "..." If not for the other students, She might havee at a good time to save one of his friends from dying. Also, she has a single Elixir in her inventory, which could be used to revive dead people, not any lesser than 30 minutes upon their death. Considering it has only been around 10 minutes, they definitely can be revived with it. Yet, she decided to keep her mouth shut. If the public came to know she can resurrect dead people, even with that kind of requirement, it wouldn''t be a joke if they decided to kidnap her and put her in a secured room all by herself so that they can ''research'' her all they wanted. If the boy had been on her side before this happened, she might have considered it. Though his friends are gone for good, that doesn''t mean he can only wail in sorrow. Yes, she can give her a chance for revenge, in which he was desperate. "What would you do now?" "...Indeed, I wonder too. I can still remember vividly of an event a few minutes ago where my friend, Roy, speaks fondly of wanting to confess to his crush once he got his courage, which didn''t exist in his personality. He is a coward, afraid of getting reject, after all. Although his studies result couldn''t get any worse, he is the type of man who is diligent in what he does no matter how hard it is to him. I respect that part of him for sure." By reminiscent of the past, his lips curl up to a smile. "As for Ryouta, he once told me that he had decided on his future. As someone who loves and enjoys ying games since little, he wished to be a professional gamer with a goal to win in a big tournament, to let his parent knows that he made them proud. With an Asian parent, you must know that they can be pretty ''strict'' sometimes. His wish didn''t sit well with them." "Both of them have a dream and bright future yet to explore, but who would have known that they would have to stop their short journey today. I..." When he realized, he can feel a wet sensation on his cheeks as his eyes started to moisten. It was then, all the feeling bottling up inside of him upon witnessing the death of his dear friends, all those emotions began to pour out in earnest as he cried out loud. She was surprised, he had been calm like an adult for a while, but suddenly, he started crying like a baby. Though she was surprised for a moment, she soon understood why. Although her experience was a bit different inparison to him, she understood the feeling of losing something dear to them. Even at this very moment, as she progressively higher in levels, there is a certain part of her that wishes to investigate the old incident. She wanted to find the culprit, and if they are still alive, she wanted them to suffer no lesser than her regret. Due to her current circumstances and worries about her future, she had no time to waste to investigate something of the past. Perhaps, once things calm down for a bit, she might consider it. Luke''s criesst for around a few minutes while She just stood there on the spot like a tree, unaffected by his action nor the surrounding. She even began to think that it might not be such a bad idea to disguise herself as a tree once she got the chance. Who knows, she might learn something from it. "...I thought your business was with the man, why are you still here?" Luke asked while wiping the tears off his face. Although it is unbing of a man to cry in public, he couldn''t care less about it. More importantly, he wonders why the masked guy is still here. That man did mention that the masked guy is someone infamous? He couldn''t remember the exact detail as, during that time, his mind is pretty upied with the situation. The only thing he picked up amidst that is that the masked guy is infamous, that''s it. "What do you think of this?" With but a single thought, She slowly lifts her hand and startling thetter, Luke also started floating, at least until his head is almost touching the ceiling, only then did her hand stopped. The person itself was no doubt, surprised and panic for a moment upon noticing his feet not touching the ground, he couldn''t help but thinking that he awaken to some kind of supernatural power. But when his mind stabilizes and calm, he noticed whenever his body moves, the hand of the masked guy also moves along with it as if he was directing him as he pleased. "...Telekinesis?" "I suppose, as expected of a high school boy? You do know your stuff. Yes, this is indeed telekinesis. How was it, the feeling of hovering in the air? Pretty darn good, I would say." "Amazing." "Of course! Just for rification, If I didn''t practice a lot, I would not be able to do this, you know? As the wise once said, hard work paid off." Clearly pleased and a little bit proud of herself, She started talking about how much effort and time she put in practicing the skill in detail. Of course, she omitted from speaking about the Trial Tower and some other important stuff. The only thing she spoke of is those that didn''t matter much in her opinion. If she wasn''t hiding her face behind a mask, She is sure that she won''t be as talkative as she is now. To her, she was currently roleying as a character named ''Shiro.'' No matter how much anti-social she is in reality, she can be quite talkative once she''s in the game. After all, in the game, she is just a speck of dust among many gamers in the virtual world. Even if her character is in a crowded ce, it won''t stop her from doing the side-mission of killing some chickens for some gold. But if it had been in real life, one would assume her to be mute as no matter how hard they tried to talk to her, she won''t utter a single word to strangers. "The way you phrase it though, it sounds almost as if you''re treating it like a game, which is a bit surreal to me." She didn''t say anything but smiles at him in response to his precise remark.''He isn''t wrong though. I mean, with the system looking straight out of RPG, it would be strange for me to NOT treat them as a game. As a proud gamer once said, living a life like a game is nothing but delightful.'' "However, I still couldn''t understand. What was the point of telling all that? What do you gain from doing something like this? I''m just a high school boy, I might drop out of school though, and considering what I''ve been through, there''s no way I could live a normal life." "That''s exactly where I came in. Don''t you wish for revenge?" Luke couldn''t help but flinch upon hearing thetter words spoken by She. If it had been under normal circumstance, he would justugh it off like it was nothing and went back to his life. However... "...what are you talking about?" "You don''t need to y the idiot to me. I can see it, within those average looking eyes of yours, there''s a small fire, it started ring up the moment I spoke the trigger word." "Even if that''s true, nothing can be done. After all, I''m just a high school student at the end of the day." "True. If you were to murder someone in this society, it won''t be just your life that would be ruin as a result. But, fret not as I shall give you power for your cause." Luke couldn''t help but widens his eyes in surprise. It would be a lie to say he didn''t wish to have a power like him, which would make the mad man bow to his might. Also, as a high school student, he still had the childish thought of wanting to be the protagonist of his story, imagining himself summoned to another world, the beautiful princess would beg him to save their world with his god-given power and all that. It would be a lie that he never imagines that sort of childish thoughts, he is pretty much a teenager, after all. "Is that possible? Or, are you perhaps, some kind of devil offering me power at the cost of my soul?" "Whether I''m a devil or buddha, that doesn''t matter much, does it? What matter is that you will get power, if given enough time, you can be even stronger than the current me." *Gulp!* "But that sounds too good be to true. Tell me upfront, what do you want from me?" "Nothing much. Personally, I think I''m the one having a loss in this deal if I think about it, however, in the long run, it might pay off. So in essence, I''m investing in you, you can say. You will get power but at the cost of working under me. Sounds fair?" Luke took a moment as he silently ponders carefully on his choice. A few secondster, he slowly asked. "What kind of work are we talking about? Let me get this straight, I''m not a murderer, killing machine. If it was that kind of dirty work, I''d rather not to." "Haha, no no, you are under a misunderstanding here. I need no killing machine, I alone am enough. From a different perspective, working under me could be said to be ''dirty work,'' but from my perspective, it is for the greater good. Nah, I''m just kidding. Honestly, if you listen to my goal and what would be of the future, I''m sure you would not hesitate to join my side. However, that is understandable as I never speak any of that to you." "Well, long story short, I want your loyalty, that is all. I don''t care what you do in your free time, however, when ites to working, I want you to take it seriously. And I can promise you this, it ain''t dirty work as you imagine it to be. If there is even any of it, I would do it myself. If you want to take revenge for your fallen friends, then take my hand." "...It sounds like I''m under a contract with a demon, though." Luke couldn''t help but mutter with a wry smile. "Nevertheless...If I can truly get my revenge, I don''t care about anything else. Though I just said I am no murderer or killing machine, I don''t mind bing one if that is what it takes to aplish my goal. Since God didn''t answer my helpless prayer, I don''t mind taking the demon''s hand." "That''s a deal then." Luke slowly hovering down until he reached the ground before he stepped forward and took hold of her hand, firmly shaking their hand as a sign of a deal that would surely change his life from now on. But of course, the boy himself didn''t know that yet as of now. Chapter 190 - A Familiar Man While She was fighting with the man with a gem in his forehead, Yuna and Ria were running around looking for a good ce to hide. If it were people withmon sense, rather than hiding, they would go toward the teacher''s lounge and told the teacher about the screaming and all that. However, both of these girls have a different opinion than those on this matter. Although Ria didn''t know anything, she can sense the urgency of the situation based on the reaction of She. After all, thetter is very cautious when ites to her loves one. As for Yuna, although she finds her thought as nonsense, a part of her also thinks it is possible. Just like Ria, she didn''t know anything either. However, as someone who had been kidnapped once, she couldn''t help but think of those people. Because she was there in the cafeteria with them, she also heard the scream filled with terror from the hallway. She doesn''t want to admit that she''s paranoid, but after experiencing something as scary as being kidnapped as a high school student, it couldn''t be helped that she thought the scream was caused by those kidnappers whoe here to kidnap her again for an unknown reason. High school girls can be pretty wild in their imagination at times, after all. Anyways, both of them thought of the worse situation, which was why they are having trouble looking for a ce to hide. A restroom is not a choice for them as most people would definitely choose it without a second thought. The rooftop? That''s a definite no. Who would be dumb enough to hide there when it''s as obvious as the former choice? "Senior, do you think we could hide in a storage room?" ''Not many would go there without any goal in mind, and even if they did, it''s only for a few specific people such as staff cleaner and the likes. At the very least, it''s much better than the rooftop and restroom in my opinion. Alright, let''s go with that, to begin with, there aren''t that many choices.''with that thought in mind, Ria nodded her head in response to Yuna''s words. There are only two storage rooms on the whole school premise and the only one near them is the one on the first floor, so they had no choice but to go down the stair even though they wanted to avoid it. Perhaps it might have been due to her sense been strengthened after countless battles in the Trial Tower, Ria could feel a slight uneasiness while walking down the stairs to the first floor for some unknown reason. As if the god of misfortunate could feel her emotion from a long distance and decided to give its blessing to her, the moment they stepped on the first floor, they were stopped by a familiar-looking guy along with a weird group of three right behind him. "Oh? I was going to look for you and that damnable girl, but to think that you woulde straight at me instead. Live can be very eventful, don''t you agree?" Said Rodrick with smiles on his face. Ria quickly stepped in front of Yuna, covering her with a stance ready to fight at any moment as long as Rodrick start making any weird movement. If she knew she woulde across this guy, she would have entered the Trial Tower for a moment to grab her sword out of the inventory. But that''s just as to be expected, she didn''t have the all-seeing ability which could predict the future after all. Anyways, what''s with the gem on his forehead? Is he a buddha now or what? thought Yuna and Ria at once when they gazed at his face and couldn''t help but noticed a small red object. If She had been here, she would realize that the gem is almost the same as the one she''s currently fighting, which she dubbed as Berserker Gem. "Why are you here?" Ria asked with a tone filled with wariness. Even Yuna started to feel tense as she remembers Rodrick''s appearance at that time, during the kidnapping when she caught a glimpse of him unconscious on the ground before escaping. She had thought the man been caught by the police since nothing happened for the past couple of weeks. Also, when she nced at the group of three behind Rodrick, she didn''t know why but for some strange reason, she feels pretty intimidated by them even though they did nothing to her. Unlike Yuna who only knew a tiny bit fraction of the other side of the world, Ria clearly senses that the people behind Rodrick as way more dangerous than thetter. Rodrick is dangerous on his own, however, he couldn''t bepared to even one of the three people behind him; they are just way beyond his and her league. If She was here, she could just leave it to her to take care of these people who clearly had ill intent toward them. And most importantly, she could bring the two of them to the Trial Tower before things get dangerous, knowing her personality, that''s what she would do for sure. "Hahaha, no need to get all feisty and angsty, a girl should be calm and elegant." Rodrick joked around, clearly unfazed by her threatening eyes. If it was just him alone, she would have begun attacking him while Yuna took the time he was distracted by her to escape to safety. No matter how used she is to killing, it''s only for the monsters in the Trial Tower. In reality, she couldn''t help but tremble just by thinking about it. However, when the thought of what will happen to both of them if she didn''t resist appeared in her mind, she has no choice but to bear it with her willpower. "As expected ofscum, you knew your stuff. Should I apuse you for that,scum?" "Hmph, if your aim is to provoke me, you would be disappointed. I¡ª" *p! p!* "Congrattions, you got that right. I apud you for that,scum." "Pffft." One of the three covered by a cloak couldn''t help but chuckle at her words, not hiding the slight contempt it has for Rodrick which caused thetter to boil up in rage. Nheless, he didn''t do anything at all despite someone on his side clearly mocking him. No, the correct term would be, he couldn''t do anything, after all, his strength is nowhere near their league at all. Fighting them would be the same as suicide, there''s no chance of winning against them. Which was why he has no choice but to take the insult to his face in silence. "Huh? Am I dreaming or what, but do you perhaps, just take the insult with no reaction? And here I thought you would get angry and spout shit, poop, and all that in anger." "Hahaha! Look! I can''t believe our supposedly-to-be-CEO ve here, been insulted right in his face and he couldn''t do a single thing about it!" Without holding anything back, a feminine yet seductive voice resounds once again from his back. Previously, Ria might not be able to get any information from them just by staring at them, however, she can now safely assume that one of them is female. "Shut up!" "Oh my, is our little ve angry, perhaps? My, how cute." Just by looking at Rodrick''s face turning red and his trembling body, one can obviously tell that he is boiling in anger. Although he just shouted at her, the woman in ck cloak didn''t take his words seriously but instead, continue teasing him.''This vixen! If not for her mighty strength and background, I would love to shut that noisy little mouth of her with a thousand p from me. No, just a single p is enough to satisfy me.'' Although Ria didn''t know what is the rtionship between them, she somehow got the gist of it based on their interaction with each other. It seemed the one with a superior position was the group of three behind him. As she expected, after all, their strength shows a clear sign of it. It would be ridiculous to hope someone strong to follow those weaker than them, especially for the prideful individual. Rather than them following him willingly, it would be more correct to say he has to listen to them unwillingly instead¡ªthese are two different things. "Enough. Rodrick, I''ll let you do as pleased, but make sure you erase every witness. You do know the consequence of going against me, right?" Suddenly, a solemn yet indifferent voice resounds, causing the woman to stop teasing him further. When he heard the voice calling him out, Rodrick visibly shook before nodding his head seriously to the spoken words. Ria immediately went on high alert the moment the group of three walks nonchntly toward her. Just as she was about to jump at them the closer they are to her, it was within the blink of an eye followed by a gust of wind, they suddenly disappeared from her sight before reappearing right behind her as if they had just teleported. But Ria knows that they didn''t actually use teleportation, but more of their speed which exceeds her sense. "You seem talented but, too bad. If you were able to survive this, I might change my mind and take you in." The solemn yet indifferent voice resounds once again, but this time in a whisper tone and closer to her ears as if the spoken mouth was next to it. When she turned around in a panic and confusion, the three had long vanished. Thankfully, they didn''t kidnap Yuna and use her as a hostage against her as she thought they would. However, she didn''t know why but, she feels a slight sense of uneasiness when she thought of what they wanted to do in this high school. There must be a reason for their presence here, which was something she would like to know now. The living being known as humans has always been dreading over the unknown since the olden days. This didn''t change even in a modern era where knowledge can be found easily just by researching it on the digital world. This was the exact feeling Ria had upon thinking about the group of three that disappear into somewhere else. What is their goal? Why is Rodrick Jayson, someone with a rich background is with them? "You have been provoking me for a while now, so it''s time for me to pay you back by teaching you a hard lesson as someone older than you, brats." Thinking about it now is useless, Ria shook her mind to remove the thought before focusing on the situation she''s currently in. Even if those group of three is out of here, Rodrick still poses a problem for her to handle on her own. Furthermore, she also needs to protect Yuna. For a healer like her, that''s asking too much. "For ascumlike you, that''s quite the tone you have. Come, I''m not afraid of you." However, she had no choice. If it''s only for a moment, Ria doesn''t mind risking it all until She arrived to handle the rest. Knowing thetter, she has most likely detected the trouble they were facing now and were on the way here. Heck, Ria would even believe it if someone told her that She is currently fighting against them at this very moment. "Big mouth for someone who''s going to be a corpse soon, however, you really rile me up good, didn''t you? So I hope you didn''t break too early, or I won''t be satisfied. You hear me?!" Without wasting any further with cheap talk, Rodrick immediately kicks the floor hard with his feet, shattering the floor into a spider-like crack in his wake,unching himself toward Ria at amazing speed. Looking at his figure speeding toward her, Ria couldn''t help but think,''I really don''t have that much confidence in beating someone like that, which was why, She, I hope you coulde here ASAP. I will buy time as much as you wanted, but please, make sure you arrive here before it''s toote.'' Chapter 191 - The Unfortunate Tragedy "When I took your hand, I had this huge expectation of awakening to psychic power, but nothing change." "What, are you disappointed that you didn''t suddenly transform to a blonde like a certain anime character?" "...no, that''s not what I meant." She couldn''t help butugh at Luke and his wild imagination, thinking that his imagination was very simr to those with an eighth-grade syndrome. Well, it was mostly her fault for wording it as if he would suddenly acquire a newfound superpower once he agreed to the deal. With a smile on her face, She pulled a blue card out of her pocket before giving it to the confused Luke. "What is this? Your business card?" "Hmm, in a way, you can consider it one, but that''s not it. Don''t look down on it just because there''s nothing on its surface because that very card, will be the key to your power." "The key to my power? This card?" Luke asked with a doubtful tone. No matter how many times he analyzes the card in his hand, there doesn''t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. It was just a card colored in blue with nothing on either of the surface or the back. It looks too ordinary. "That''s right! This adventure-experimental-test-card Mk 6-,Cough,I mean, this amazing card will start showing its prowess the moment you drop your blood on it. If you don''t believe me, you can give it a try. Seeing it with your own two eyes is more convincing, after all." Although he was skeptical about it, Luke couldn''t hold his curiosity and decided to give it a try. It only needs a single drop of his blood, so there''s no harm to him. With that thought in mind, Luke bit his thumb until it started bleeding before stamping it onto the surface of the card without flinching at the fact that he has just injured himself. After what he had experienced, this small piercing pain must have felt nothing inparison. Just as the masked guy said, the moment he stamped his bleeding thumb onto the card, a hologram-like window along with messages on it, suddenly appeared above the card. Luke was visibly stunned. ¡ºA drop of unknown blood has been detected!¡» ¡ºAnalyzing...¡» ¡ºAnalyzingpleted!¡» ¡ºProcess to binding...¡» ¡ºBinding Sessful!¡» ¡ºWee, O'' Awaken One!¡» During the wall of texts, Luke couldn''t be sure but, he offhandedly heard a monotone-like voice whispering inside his mind of thetter part. With so many questions that suddenly arose in his mind, he twisted his neck toward the masked guy like a robot that hasn''t been oil for years. What he saw, however, was nothing but a teasing smile directing toward him as if making fun of him, or at least, that''s how it felt to him. If it wasn''t for him being stunned at this very moment, he would surely punch the masked guy right in the face, simply wanting to erase that teasing smile offtter''s face. "That''s just the beginning, look at the card now." Not knowing what to respond to his remark, Luke decided to listen to the masked guy and turned his head back to the hologram-like window. It seemed that the wall of texts from before has long disappeared, which now reced with a whole new interface, and from what he saw and examine, he wisely judges that the interface looks almost identical to a character status of what one would see in the roley games. He also couldn''t help but began to question whether the reality he saw might be a false one, and the real him is actually asleep within a pod filled with nutritious liquid, watched over by an A.I. Just by thinking about it gives him chills. Luke shook his head to remove the scary thought off his mind.''If that is true, I''d rather stay ignorant my whole life!'' ¡º Name: Luke Level: 1 EXP: 0% HP: 25/25 MP: 15/15 Strength: 4 Intelligent: 3 Agility: 3 Vitality: 5 Attribute Points: 0 ¡» As a high school student that loves to spend his time ying games more than anything, Luke quickly got the gist of everything shown on the hologram-like interface.''Is this the legendary, leveling system, that the nerds has been talking about excitingly in the ss back then?''thought Luke while at the same time, he noticed his heart start racing, which is a clear sign of his excitement. "Amazing, right?" "This...how is it possible? What sort of ck technology do you use to make this kind of dream a reality?" ''ck technology, huh? I never consider that one before. Though the system does seem like something out of ck technology, I believe that isn''t the case. There are a lot of things that she had experienced up until now, which would be impossible for it no matter how advanced technology has be in the future. I''m just a high school student with few bits of knowledge about science, however, I still believe this to be more on the supernatural side instead of science and technology. If the technology in the future is truly so advance that one can awaken to a whole new power by a simple touch to the book, sure as hell I would love to see what kind of world that is.'' "No, although it does look like it, it isn''t ck technology, but more of magic. To prove my point, why don''t you say, ''ess Trial Tower''?" "Well, alright. ess Trial Tower." ¡ºYou can enter the Trial Tower only three times a day, do you want to process? Yes/No¡» "!!!" "By the look on your face, you should have heard that monotone voice inside your head, right? This might goes against my point but, just like in a game, the system would alert when you wish to proceed somewhere else with a risk to your character. Well, in this case, it''s your life that''s at risk. If you agree, you would be sent to an amazing ce that would give a bountiful experience for you to level up. At this point, it shouldn''t be hard for you to guess the correct answer. What else there is other than ying monster? That''s exactly it." *Gulp!* "Monster...exist?" "Of course! See, no matter how advanced technology is, I don''t think they can literally create a living being like some sort of god¡ªno, It''s indeed possible, but that''s not the case here. You''ll understand what sort of monster it is if you go there. Now, to make sure there is no misunderstanding here, the ''monster'' there is a literal monster, not a cyborg, or beautiful automaton in your imagination. Why don''t you go on ahead and experience it on your own?" ''I have done countless experiments on making sure that the card would work wonderfully as it should be. There are many things that I decided to change so that they won''t easily get stronger like the other predecessor(Sara, Anthony, Ria, Sylvia). If I didn''t change those couple of things, the people that I recruit might be entitled and stop growing despite having a fast growth in prowess. I have seen and met enough of entitled people on the inte to know how hard it is to handle just a single of them, but what about a huge group of them then? That''s a hellish nightmare that I wish to never experience in my entire life.'' "Cough, Cough,I''d rather not, at least not right now." Luke muttered at low spirit while looking at the bloody corpse on the ground. She nodded her head in an understanding manner before approaching him and giving him a pat on his back. "I have given you my promise earlier. If you didn''t give up and keep up the training, your revenge is not out of reach. I know that it''s hard but¡ª" *Swoosh!* Luke suddenly shivered as if the surrounding''s temperature had gone through a massive shift from that of a hot summer to a frozen cold winter. He didn''t know why but that isn''t important, the thing that bothered him right now is why did the masked guy suddenly stop speaking? Filled with curiosity, Luke raised his head and was immediately scared shitless upon noticing the air around the masked guy seems to have changed as if someone had pressed on a wrong switch. The moment he started to take notice of this, the world around him went through a massive change from that of reality to what can be considered as hell. Ugly yet ferocious monsters, all of them have surrounded him with a hungry look in their eyes. Without any way to escape, the only choice left for him is to let himself be eaten by those monstrosities and hope that they would kill him instantly instead of torturing by eating him alive. Just as he thought he was going to die watching the monstrosity slowly creeps closer to him, a calm yet filled with boiling rage voice called him out, breaking him out of his hallucination caused by the thick killing intent radiated from She. "Sorry, I identally let loose of my aura. Evidently, it affected you to a certain extent, but fortunately, you''re fine now." "W-What...happened?" Luke whispered with his face looking paled than before. Although he is starting to fear him, after all, those aura is much stronger than the dead man on the ground. However, he still wanted to know the reason for the sudden change. Unfortunately for him, She shook her head and instead, urge him to enter the Trial Tower as quickly as possible before leaving him to his device. When there''s no one around, she turned off her disguise and quickly change to a different half-mask. It was a ck half-mask that only covered her nose and mouth, leaving the eyes free for all to admire. ''The rm I set up within the ''Protection Charm'' ne on Yuna has been triggered...she must be under attack at this moment. A while back, I had told her to escape with Ria to safety. No one in this entire school could pose a threat to them with Ria being there. Does this mean there''s someone else other than the guy that I just beat? Is it one of his affiliates? It''s a mistake on my part for thinking he came here by himself. I knew that his action doesn''t make sense, yet I never thought deeply into it. I swear to god, whoever is behind this, if I ever get to you, I''ll be sure to beat you up beyond recognition before healing you and do it again. Over and over.'' Because she was concentrated on her fight and didn''t think too much about it, She didn''t spread her awareness to the surrounding, and if she did, she would have taken notice of the event right below her and stop the tragedy from happening. And because of that slight negligence which couldn''t be said to be her fault, she was forced to face a situation she wishes never happens in her life. "R...Ria?" "S-Senior?!" Lay next to a shattered wall, with her whole body covered in blood, there stood a motionless Ria. As if not believing what she had just witnessed with her own eyes, She called out to her once again. However, thetter didn''t respond and stood there quietly. Like a broken record, she continues calling out to her, again and again, while slowly walking toward her. "Hoh? So you came on your own to me, I''m really lucky today. Maybe I should go and do a few lotteriester on?" Upon noticing his target for revenge has appeared, Rodrick immediately stopped his previous action of trying to break the barrier protecting Yuna before turning around to face She. However, as if she was in her own world, shepletely ignored him and continue calling out to her dear friend. This, of course, didn''t go past him unnoticed. "Hahahaha! I can''t believe that already broke you before I even begin. It''s useless! No matter how much you called out to her, she''s dead. I make sure to thoroughly beat her up until she stopped moving, well not my fault since I have told her not to resist, but she didn''t listen to my warning ahead. That''s what she gets for making fun of me in front of my colleagues." This time it appears his words managed to enter through her ears as she evidently stopped on her track. Without turning around, she said with a calm tone which devoid of any emotion. Rodrick didn''t notice this, however, as he was simply too exhrated of the fact that he broke her. "You did what?" "You didn''t hear me? Alright, I don''t mind repeating, so I''ll say it again, this time loud and clear. I, Rodrick Jayson, have killed her with this fist of mine." Chapter 192 - Cilia "You didn''t hear me? Alright, I don''t mind repeating, so I''ll say it again, this time loud and clear. I, Rodrick Jayson, have killed her with this fist of mine. Ha¡ª" Just as he was about tough, he feels a powerful impact right into his guts, and before he could even vomit a mouthful of blood rushing to his head, he found himself crashing against the wall hard. Within a broken wall, Rodrickughs maniacally, not caring about the blood dripping out of his lips. Once again, before he could stand on his two feet, he received a powerful hammer kick right into his skull, prompting him to be swallowed deeper into the shattered floor. It was only two moves, yet the result is so destructive that if even one of them somehow managed to hit normal people, no matter how tough their body is, they stood no chance against them. "I really don''t understand. Why cause conflict when you stood no chance against me? Why the futile effort? Is it worth it?" However, the current Rodrick is different. Though it took a few minutes, he finally stood up among the rubbles caused by her unrestrained attacks. If one looked closer, they can see a glimmer of red surrounding his body, and in turn, the muscles all over his body be thicker and tougher. This was a sign that She had seen beforeing here, and as expected, there is a small crimson gem embedded on his forehead. "That hurts, alright. I''m honestly surprised, it seems your strength has grown much stronger than before or is it that you held yourself back because I was just a normal person? Thanks to your naivety, today, I''m here to achieve my revenge. I won''t be satisfied until I make you suffer tremendously after what you had done to me." "What I did to you? That should be my question. If you hadn''t taken any action against me, I won''t have to do anything. Nevertheless, you did, and I retaliated in kind. What, do you thought that I would just stand there and follow your script like an idiot when your ill intent is as clear as day?" She calmly replied. No matter how much she wishes to torture Rodrick to endless suffering, she needs to stay rational, or she might end up killing him in her wrath. If she did that, she would not be able to get the information out of him. There has to be someone behind all this, once she gets the information she needs, she can do all she wanted to Rodrick and even if he ended up dying, it doesn''t matter. With that thought in mind, She disappeared from her previous location before reappearing next to the motionless Ria. "Huh? What are you going to do with that corpse? I told you, she''s dead." She crouches down to her knees right by Ria''s side, not minding the dirt and blood around, she reached out her hand and caress thetter cheeks. With just a simple touch, She can tell that Ria''s heart had stopped beating a few minutes ago. With the fact shoving straight to her heart, She couldn''t help but gritted her teeth hard as her rage bes even stronger than before. She knew it the moment she arrived, thetter had stopped breathing. However, she was unable to ept that cruel truth unless she checks it personally, which she now did while having no choice but to ept it. Rather than letting more time wasted, She promptly put Ria''s body into her inventory just as she did to Luke''s friends. Since it hasn''t gone beyond thirty minutes upon her death, there is still hope, so she can rest assured. However, it doesn''t change the fact that she''s dead, which can be avoided if not for the carelessness. Perhaps, because she was already informed about the predictable future that would only happen yearster that she let her guard down, yet again. Even more, the four-defensive formation that she had set up back then, it should have alerted her about these people appearing in the district since they emitted a special aura differ from normal people. However, there was no such alert. This can only mean two things¡ªOne, they somehow managed to bypass the barrier surrounding the district by using a special power, or unique item in their possession. Two, they are so powerful, or skilled that they can easily hide their aura from being detected by the formation. Either way, it''s bad news for her. "¡ªWhat, the corpse disappeared?" After she has done that, She stood up before immediately appeared next to Yuna, which thetter quickly took notice of whilepletely ignoring Rodrick. "Senior..." Yuna muttered in low voice with a grave expression on her pale-looking face. When Ria was having a frightening battle with Rodrick, she was surprised at their speed and strength, especially the former; with such a slim and thin-looking body, one would assume her strength to be on the weaker side, yet the punch Yuna had witnessed actually packs a punch, at the very least more than the average adult. Even Rodrick had shown her a fearsome strength that one would not have expected from his lean figure. At first, Yuna initially thought Ria can take care of the problem on her own, however, she soon retracted her words when she realized thetter had been back into a corner. She really wants to help but, with her insignificant strength inparison to their overwhelming might, it would just make things much harder for Ria if she intervenes in the fights. During their battle, Rodrick has been repeating himself to Ria for her to surrender, over and over. However, knowing what it would result in their defeat, Ria didn''t give in to the pressure despite being so exhausted that just by standing is already taking a toll on her body. Yuna really wishes to tell Ria to leave her here and escape on her own, however, worrying that her shouts might distract thetter during the fight, she decided to keep her mouth shut while feeling as if her heart was pierced by a spear each time she watched Ria getting hurt from shielding her. The feeling of helplessness overwhelming her. On each asion Rodrick tried to attack Yuna, Ria would interfere by standing in front of thetter, protecting thetter from harm. And due to her action of taking the hit directly, wounds slowly umted over her body. Although she had no problem for the first few hits since she can heal herself, that quickly changed once her mana diminished to a dangerous level. Unlike She where she can bring the potion out of her inventory with just a click on her phone, Ria could only wait for her mana to naturally regenerate since she didn''t have any in her pocket. And if she wanted to take the potion out of the inventory, she needs to enter the Trial Tower, which is something she can''t do at that moment. If she did, Yuna would not be safe. After all, though only a few seconds would transpire in reality, that few seconds was enough for Rodrick to end Yuna with a single move. And just like that, without being able to do anything, Yuna witnessed Ria taking hit after hit as her body slowly getting weaker each minute passed. While her tears were trickling down her cheeks, things took a worse turn when Rodrick started increasing his strength. He was brutal. He didn''t stop beating Ria even though thetter was already on the brink of death. As to be expected, with a single punch that sent her crashing into the wall, that was the final breath Ria took before closing her eyes for eternity. Yuna had thought Rodrick would feel a bit of remorse after killing someone like any normal people do, however, the man showed no sign of that. It was then that she realized that this guy was no longer sane as, within his mind, all he cares about is nothing but revenge. When there''s nothing to hinder him from harming her anymore, Yuna couldn''t help but tremble as the man slowly stepped toward her. Perhaps she might have been terrified by his frightening aura and brutal action, no matter how hard she tried, her legs couldn''t move from the same spot as if glued to the floor. Yuna had already given up the moment Rodrick stood right in front of her with an ugly grin on his face. Perhaps, she was so focused on trying to make her trembling legs move that she didn''t notice him until he was already close to her. After all, she was just a normal person with no outstanding strength or skills like what the two had shown her in their fight. Without saying anything, Rodrick swings his hand intending to p her, or at least he tried to but was stopped by a barrier that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Rodrick was rmed as he quickly put a distance between them while narrowing his eyes in caution at the surrounding. However, a few minutes passed with nothing happening, Rodrick finally let his guard down and immediately start assaulting the barrier with countless punches. Yuna had thought she could finally take a breather when she noticed that the barrier is slowly yet surely, starting to crack after twenty or so punches. It was then that She finally appeared on the stage with a frightening aura leaking out of her body. "S-Senior! Yuna Senior! S-She really tried her best in protecting me! She did! And I¡ª" "I know. I have known her since childhood, so I know what she would do in this kind of situation even without you telling me about it. Although she called me reckless most of the time, she''s also pretty reckless at times. Furthermore, she thinks of herself as a cold person, however, she''s a lot warmer in my opinion. Don''t worry, I won''t let her die just like that. At the very least, I''m going to torture this guy until the anger within me is satiated. Which was why, you can take a rest now. Leave it to me." With that said, She patted Yuna in the back. Before thetter could answer her by insisting on staying here, her entire figure disappeared as if evaporated by her touch. Since the situation will get dangerous here, She decided to send her to the safe zone in the Trial Tower. At this point, it''s already toote to keep her out of the situation. Once she got the business here taken care of, she would visit there and tell her about the other side of the world that most people thought it to be fictitious. With that thought in mind, She turned around and this time, clearly locking her eyes with Rodrick''s and said. "Sorry to keep you waiting. From now on, I will thoroughly beat up, physically, until that ugly face of yours be even uglier. Be prepared as I won''t be holding back my strength this time." "Hahaha! You think you can defeat me in my current state?" "Second." She coolly said with two of her fingers raised. "What?" "You''re the second person to say that to me. And if you wanted to know, the first one had already gone to hell. I apologies that you aren''t the first one." "So you have met him. However, you underestimate me too much. That guy and I are on an entirely different level. He was nothing but a failed experiment, unlike me, a sessful one! I''ll show you now, the overwhelming strength that I have acquired on my path to vengeance!" Chapter 193 - Ancient Flame "So you have met him. However, you underestimate me too much. That guy and I are on an entirely different level. He was nothing but a failed experiment, unlike me, a sessful one! I''ll show you now, the overwhelming strength that I have acquired on my path to vengeance!" Right after his proud deration, the crimson gem on his forehead started to shines vibrantly. She quickly noticed that it was much brighter than the previous guy, this must be what he meant by being a ''sessful one,'' or so she thought. If her actual aim is to kill him without gaining any information, she would have thrown the spear piercing right through him instead of watching him transform at this moment. If she didn''t repeatedly tell herself that she needs information from him, she might have done exactly that. If one didn''t know better, they might have thought she was scared when looking at her trembling hands, however, it is far from the truth. ''I have already spread my awareness to the whole building yet, I sense no abnormality other than this guy in front of me. There''s no way he came here with only the guy that I have killed, there must be more of them. To begin with, what is their goal foring here? This is a high school premise, there''s literally nothing interesting here.''thought She while watching Rodrick transforming into what she can safely assume to be nothing but a demon. As his body slowly growing in size, his teeth have also started bing sharper like that of a monster while two noticeable horns prodding out his forehead with the crimson gem at the center of it. When he finished his transformation, the man known as Rodrick no longer look like a human, his previous self. "Hahahaha! I see! So this must be the overwhelming power that man talked about! Behold, this is the power that I acquired just solely for my vengeance!" Even his voice has started to change into a much deeper tone, which even the man himself took notice of it, however, he shrugged it off like it was nothing. After all, it didn''t matter to him of what he bes, the most important thing to him at this moment is that his revenge is nigh. With this violent strength, he believes it is enough to aplish it as no matter how strong She is, she is still human, unlike him. Though his aura is extremely oppressive, it is nowhere enough to overwhelm her. "Are you done? Then be prepared, I won''t hold myself back like that time in the old building. I will show you that no matter how stronger you get, you won''t be able to beat me." With a couple of deep breaths, She rxed her body to the point that it almost seems like she was full of opening. However, that was merely an illusion to trick Rodrick into attacking her. If it had been a veteran fighter, they would have known at a single nce that this was nothing but a trap. Since Rodrick didn''t have that much experience inbat, there''s no way for him to realize that, and so, he fell into the trap and charge at her as soon as possible like an idiot. It was just as she expected. Though the man is an idiot, his formidable strength is nothing to joke around. She managed to dodge his fist with ease mostly because she had seen thating and quickly act on it, otherwise she might have been sent flying right about now. She was mostly fine, however, she still got a few cuts on her cheek due to the pressuring air around his fist. After safely avoiding his punch, she quickly conjured a few fireballs within seconds before sending it toward him. Since she had maxed out the fire magic skill, there''s no more cooldown for the casting time for a basic spell like a fireball. If it had been before, she could only fire it one at a time with a cooldown of 3 seconds before she can conjure another. *BOOM!* Even with such a deafening explosion, She still didn''t believe that was anywhere enough. And so, she soon opens fire with the APW now turned into a gun mode in her hand. With a bullet literally made out of mana, there was no explosive noise that one would have expected from firing a handgun. It''s even quieter than a bullet fired from a normal handgun equipped with a silencer. After firing around 30 bullets, She feels like it was enough and stopped her action as she stares at the smoke caused by the explosion in the distance. "Hahaha! Is that it? It''s not enough to take me down!" With augh and mocking words, Rodrick easily dispersed the smoke away by simply waving his hand around. Looking at him, there doesn''t seem to be any injury on him either by the explosion or from a bullet. This could only mean that his body has gotten tougher, or that his regeneration had be much faster in his current state, or maybe both. ''But that was all within my expectation. I have a feeling that he didn''t just acquire horns because it was cool or anything like that, it most likely has some sort of magical effect, something like strengthens his body even further perhaps. And I had to admit that his body is definitely tougher than my own, after all, I could still get hurt if I was in his spot a moment ago. With that said, If I have to assume his level based on that, it might be around 45+, which is much higher than my level.''No matter how one looked at the situation, she was clearly the one on the losing end. If she keeps this momentum, the chance of her winning against him is as low as 0.01%, a number one would quickly throw their white g upon knowing about it. ''Even if I have zero chance of winning, I would still fight him to death. Of course, it won''t be my death, but him. There''s no way I would lose my life here to a nobody like him. More importantly, I still have a few cards I didn''t use just yet.''with that thought in mind, She curls up her lips to a smile. "Hoh, you are smiling? Even after witnessing that I''m perfectly fine under your torrent of attacks? You still think you can beat me?" "If you think that''s the only thing I could do, then you''re underestimating me too much. As promised, I will show you the strength that will overwhelm you at this moment." "Emalf, O'' Emalf..." As She started to mumbling softly to herself with a strangenguage Rodrick never heard of, he didn''t know what she was doing, however, he did have a feeling that whatever she was nning, it would be bad if he let her do as pleased. Rodrick kicks his feet hard on the floor, leaving a spider-like crack on the floor in his wake toward her. Though she appears to be focused on chanting the spell, she smoothly avoids his attacks with a skillful movement, annoying Rodrick by slithering around him like that of a snake. "Htiw ym rewop a sa luef..." "Damn it! Stop dodging and take my hit head on like a gentleman!" She didn''t respond to his idiotic cursed and continue dodging his attack with ease amidst her chanting. Since she used 80% of her power to dodge his attacks and 20% on the chanting, she had no time to waste her word for him. And even if she did, it would be dumb to follow his word unless one has a screw loose in their head. Heck, she has boobs, not the third leg as most men do. "Raeppa erofeb em ot nrub nwod ym seimene ot sehsa!" The moment she finished thest verse of her chanting, strange phenomena started taking ce as her surrounding''s temperate rising to quite a degree. It was as if they were right on the scorching hot desert. However, to both of them, the current temperature is nowhere enough to cause them to sweat. Nheless, the fact that the temperature suddenly started rising to such a degree does raise a warning signal to Rodrick as he quickly put a distance between them just in case. ¡ºAncient me!¡» As ifva suddenly manifests itself as a golden me floating calmly above her palm, the surrounding temperate starts to increased even further than before that if someone were to stay closer to her, they would have sweats bucket. Even Rodrick standing in the distance could feel the heat caressing his skin causing it to sweat. Even without having any special analysis ability, one could easily tell that the golden me at the size of a football, hovering above her palm is nothing, but dangerous. Though the me appears to be as hot as freshva at a dangerous temperature of whooping 1,700 Celsius, She doesn''t seem affected by the heat judging how she hadn''t sweat a single bit from the very beginning. She didn''t know why, but, perhaps it might be due to the skill level is already maxed, or that the skill itself would never harm the user unless the user lost control of their power. She had tested the skill back then in the Trial Tower, however, she never took notice of this up until now. Either way, no matter whatever weird rule applies here, now that it works better for her, it doesn''t matter. "You can feel it, right? The golden me hovering above my hand, it is no ordinary me. With this me, are you confident you can tank it with your inhumane body? No matter how tough you are, a flesh is still flesh. This is a once in a lifetime chance for you, do you ept? Don''t worry, I''ll make sure it will thoroughly burn you, yet it won''t kill you. Now, don''t be shy and take it like a gentleman you are." With a not-so-smiling expression on her face, She slowly steps toward him with the ominous golden me floating above her hand, threatening to swallow him whole just by staring at it. Though she said that he would only get burned without actually losing his life, there''s no way he would believe her words when his own sense was alerting him of how dangerous the me was. Even if her words held some truth in it, he didn''t want to test it. Which sane person in the world would like to get themselves burn to their whole body? None! If there''s one out there, they are most likely not sane anymore. Chapter 194 - Immortal? With as big as a football, a zing hot me hovering calmly yet vigorously around her body like a moon orbiting the Earth, She slowly approaches Rodrick as thetter understood immediately of his situation before quickly put a distance between them. While retreating as she leisurely walks toward him, Rodrick thought he needs to think of a way out of this as, sooner orter, he might really get burned by her without any other choice. Escaping could be done easily if he ever wished, however, would he really go with that? Running away with tail tuck between his legs, won''t people make fun of him again once they came to know about this? Just imagine the oue if he ever decided to run away was enough to force his shaking feet to stand in ce. Thinking about it again, no matter how powerful her me is, she won''t be able to use it if she was killed first before that. When that thought crossed in his mind, Rodrick quickly knew what he needs to do right after. However, charging at her like before is nothing but an idiotic move possible right now. Also, without getting caught off guard, there''s no way his attack wouldnd on her since her speed doesn''t seem to be that much different than his. "You shouldn''t be spacing out like that, you know?" She said before sending a small piece out of the golden me straight toward Rodrick as he quickly stepped to the side as soon as her words stirred him up. Although its speed was pretty disappointing, the firepower, however, is not to look down upon. The moment it touched the wall, the wall quickly melt as ifva just hit it before it exploded, leaving nothing behind, not even debris. More importantly, that''s only a small piece of it, now imagine if she actually throws the golden me at him, even if he can avoid it, the destruction caused by it won''t leave him unscathed that''s for sure. At the very least, he might lose an arm or two, or possibly worse than that. "See? If you''re not careful, you might end up dead, which would be a shame, wouldn''t it?" With a smile, She pulled a boost potion out of her pocket that she prepared a moment ago on the way here. Since their speed is somehow close, she needs to be faster if she wanted him to suffer from her wrath. Upon seeing her taking out a small vial with purplish liquid, Rodrick quickly stays on guard due to her suspicious movement, however, he was surprised in the next moment to see thetter gulping down the whole content in the vial without any caution in her part instead of throwing at him, as he expected. The moment she drank it whole, the world around her suddenly feels like it has been slow down a considerable bit, even though in reality, nothing seems different other than her aura had be increasingly more frightening. Though he didn''t know what it was, Rodrick can tell that he makes a mistake by letting her drink the content of the vial. "Mhm, it tastes sort of like grape, very delicious." She softly muttered to herself in admiration, she can''t believe something as poisonous-looking as the potion could taste so good. Even the health and mana potion alike also somehow taste pretty sweet, she couldn''t help but wonder what sort of magical thing that could make it taste great. Speaking of system''s shop, obviously, she had done a little investigation, however, reading the detail on each item didn''t actually tell her who was the maker of the said item, so in the end, she found nothing useful other than wasting her gold. At most, it would only tell either how to use the item, or what sort of magical thing it is, which is nothing but useless vor text in many roley games. "Alright, it''s punishment time." She calmly deres her intention with a smile on her face. Rodrick quickly went full alert as he put all his strength into his sense as the moment he ever felt her movement, he would immediately attack or retreat, whichever path that gives him an advantage in the fight. However, he was a little toote as She was already right behind him at that moment and with an evil grin on her face, she viciously ripped his right arm off his body without any resistance. As his blood scattered all over the ce, Rodrick nked out for a moment as if the sudden situation hasn''t registered yet in his mind. "AAAAAHHH!" The moment he came to his senses, Rodrick immediately started screaming like a chicken being ughtered at the ughterhouse as the pain assaulting him to the point he almost faint. That is if he was a normal human, however, at this moment, he was nothing but a human. Though his regeneration speed has indeed be much more potent than the average human, it is still nowhere enough to generate apletely new arm. Also, he didn''t expect or know how her speed suddenly increased so fast that he couldn''t perceive her for that single moment, which he ended up losing an arm as the price. The only valid conclusion is that whatever she drank a moment ago, that most likely give her a boost in speed. "Though you look like a demon, you are still a human at heart, huh? I also didn''t expect that hearing your painful scream gives me a little thrill. I suppose this must be what it feels when one finally achieved a part of their revenge. However, it is still not enough to soothe the anger within me." As soon as he heard her words, Rodrick quickly retreats, putting a distance between amidst the pain of losing an arm. She, however, didn''t do anything but stood on the spot with a calm-looking smile on her face. "Didn''t you say that you beat my friend up to death? I wonder if you''re interested in having the same situation on you? I''m very much interested in what your reaction would be as I brutally beat you up amidst your painful screaming, doesn''t that sound interesting? Ah, I''m so bad~" The smile on her face slowly changed into that of a wicked grin as she narrated everything in a soothing voice. Though she remained rational and calm about the situation, the boiling wrath upon testifying her friend''s death is still rooted deeply within her mind. As if something had just clicked or switched, her mind had be a little twist as she ponders what sort of punishment would be good for Rodrick so that she won''t end up killing him during the process. If this was not real life but that of anime, one would likely see dark energy surrounding her right at this moment. "You!" "Oh, right. What am I going to do with this useless arm? Maybe I should burn it since it is nothing but trash?" "Don''t you dare!" Though he never thinks it was possible, Rodrick believes the faction behind that maniac that turned him into this might be able to heal him as long as he brings his ripped arm in good condition to them. That''s why he would rather not have her burning that arm since there''s still hope for him. "Eh, you are greedy, aren''t you? Look, the golden me is sad now since it wanted to burn this useless arm to ashes before." She said while pointing at the ball of me hovering around her. As if agreeing to her words, it burns vigorously than before. Suddenly, the golden me creeps in closer toward her bloody hand that was holding onto Rodrick''s ripped right arm. Even though there is still a bit of distance between each other, Rodrick could see that arm of his, has started to visibly redden due to the strong heat from the golden ball of me. If he or she did nothing to stop it, there''s a high chance that that arm would truly be burnt to ashes. In the first ce, is it truly moving by itself? The answer is no. Although it is indeed, an ancient me that burns everything in its path, it posed neither the will or intelligence for such action that She spoke of. She was the one controlling it, so she can easily direct it to do as however she pleased. Of course if one thinks carefully about it, they would also reach that conclusion, however, Rodrick currently has no time to think as the more time wasted, the closer the golden me to burning his arm. "Stop!" It was in this desperate situation that he couldn''t help but suddenly recalled the words said by the maniac upon finishing the experiment on him.''This is not rmended, however, you can gain even more strength at the cost of burning your lifespan. After all, the Strengthening Mk II Gem can only do so much. If you want strength further than the limit, then you have to pay something in return for that. This is just how it is in reality, isn''t it?'' ''Though I don''t want to die just yet, I have no other choice. I only need a little bit of strength, just enough to surpass her speed. Even if I lost 1-5 years of lifespan, it doesn''t matter as if I didn''t do anything, I would be cripple for life, which is not that much different from death to me. Most importantly, the moment she surpassed my speed, I couldn''t escape from her unless I do this. Yes, I have no choice.''With that thought in mind, Rodrick put his will into the gem and as expected, he felt tremendous pain all over his body due to sudden rise in strength that exceeded more than his body could hold. "GRAAAAAAH!" "Oh? So, are you turning into a third phase now? This is getting more interesting. I didn''t expect that gem to be so powerful, ah, I really want to analyze it. Come on, entertain me! Show me all your strength! At the end of it, I will show you true despair by destroying you at your best!" ''Yes, at that time, no matter how much you beg me to put an end to your suffering, I would make you suffer even more. After all, I had more than enough potion to make you suffer endless pain for an entire week! Ah, I can''t wait!''With a small smile on her face, She stood on the spot as she watches Rodrick''s body slowly growing in size yet again, but this time, it seems his body couldn''t handle it judging by the pained expression he made. The good thing is, the blood on his right has stopped leaking out. "Return my arm to me, or you will regret it!" "Oh? Your voice sounds much deeper than before. That''s interesting." "I SAID, RETURN MY ARM TO ME!" "Aww, you''re angry, aren''t you? Do you want a bar of snickers? It would definitely calm you down." With his eyes redden like a crazed berserker, Rodrick suddenly disappeared from his spot within the blink of an eye before reappearing right behind her. Just like what she had done to him, but this time, it was his turn. The moment he appeared right behind her, he thought of taking the arm and escape, however, he swiftly stopped his action as realized that She couldn''t follow his speed judging how her eyes were still staring at his afterimage. It was as if God had listened to his wish and giving him a second chance, without a second doubt, he pulled the knife out of his pocket before directly stabbed her at the center of her back. He feels more assured of his victory when her face turned into that of a shock when she realized that he was already right behind him with his knife deeply embedded into her heart. The light in her eyes quickly dimmed; it was a sign that shows life is fading away. However, before Rodrick could celebrate his victory, he suddenly heard a cry like that of a phoenix out of nowhere. "!!!" There, with the knife still stabbed right in her back, She slowly stood up. Looking at his bewildered expression, she couldn''t help but snickers before saying. "Do you think you can kill me with just that? I told you, didn''t I? I will make you suffer, that I promised. Before that happen, I would not die." Chapter 195 - The Organization Behind Him "Do you think you can kill me with just that? I told you, didn''t I? I will make you suffer, that I promised. Before that happen, I would not die." ''Ah, that was quite unexpected. I never think that he could go even faster than before. Thanks to the defensive formation, I gain the power of phoenix''s immortality. However, there''s also a limit to that immortality; I could revive as many times as I wanted, the catch is, it has to be within the defensive formation, or else it won''t work.''Nheless, that is still a pretty good deal in her opinion. When she bought the detail for the formation, she never thought it would give her this kind of benefit. It was worth the price. Upon knowing she could literally revive as many times as a yer character of a game, she bes a lot bolder. Though she won''t mind dying, it still doesn''t change the fact that she would have to suffer a painful amount of suffering before dying unless she was killed in a single sweep. With a pained expression, She pulled the knife out of her back, which made the blood stter to the ground along with it. Once she had done that, she also took a mouthful of health potion. Since She didn''t necessarily cover her back, Rodrick could clearly see the deep cut slowly closing up as if the time had been rewind and a few seconds passed, not even a speck of blood could be seen around her back. If not for the evident cut on her shirt, he would most likely think everything he had witnessed was all a dream, not reality. He couldn''t help but mutter. "Monster!" "What? You just realized that? Yes, I''m an immortal monster. No matter how many times you slice me apart, or smash me to pieces, I will juste back to life like it was nothing. You think this is cheating? Then me the god all you want once I sent you to the afterlife." Once her health has been filled to the brim, She quickly throws the ripped-off hand to the orb of golden me still hovering around her. Upon seeing her action, Rodrick shouted as he charged toward her without thinking. "NO!" However, he acted too slow. No matter how fast he is, he couldn''t close the distance between them within seconds since they are so far apart from each other, he could only watch his hand burst into ashes upon contact with the golden mes while he was charging toward her. After seeing that just happened in front of him, Rodrick suddenly roared and this time, his eyes clearly painted with a more ferocious redden than before. With a fearsome speed, he closes the distance with just a mere second before throwing his strongest punch at her. However, She had already prepared herself as the moment she threw the hand, she quickly jumped into the shadow to hide. *Thump!* The floor quickly shattered to pieces under his punch as if a small meteorite had just smashed into them. It seemed it wasn''t just his speed that has improved, or so She thought while hiding under his shadow. In his madness, Rodrick started thrashing around a kid throwing tantrum when his attack didn''t connect with his target.''Is he losing his mind? I don''t think he would do something as childish as that if he has a bit of rification. So if you were to surpassed the limit and overused the gem, you didn''t just feel the pain of your body wrecking apart, but also lose your mind before wreaking havoc everywhere like a berserker.'' ''That''s such a bad side effect. I''m sure he would feel tremendous pain all over his body if he stopped using that power, but then again, he doesn''t seem to have any intention of stopping.''thought She as she watches the demon-like man destroying everything in a frenzy, it was as if without doing so, he would lose his purpose in life. She needs to bring his sanity back one way or another, after all, it won''t be fun torturing a man who has lost his sense of reason. With that thought in mind, She sneakily went toward the shadow of the debris a distance without him noticing anything abnormal before jumping out of it and start attracting the berserker toward her by shouting at him. "Hey! I''m here, you big oaf!" "GROAAAH!" When the berserker found his target, it growls out loud before charging toward her without knowing it was all a trap. Just as the frenzied Rodrick was about tounch a punch upon reaching approximately close to her, rather than retreating, she charges toward him instead. With an even more force from telekinesis pushing her toward him, she quickly arrived in front of him before immediately lower her head as soon after, a killing punch went passed her head, followed by a powerful st of wind. Because he had lost his mind and reason for the power of the gem, it was easy to predict what he would do when she came close to him. Now that she was standing right in front of him, She reached out her hand and grabbed his leg before both of them disappeared from the world along with the smile on her face. If it wasn''t for the destruction brought to the surrounding area, one would never think such an incredible ident had transmitted in the hallway. The moment she arrived on the Trial Tower along with her guest, she quickly immobilizes him on the spot with the system''s help by saying. "[Space Lock: Immobilize]" With just that, the berserker that was about to growl suddenly freeze like a stone. Back to the time when she had given the key to Ria, She hade across quite interestingly useful abilities. The ability to immobilize intruders shown by her at this moment is one of them. When she had found about it, she thought it was all fake since most of them are very powerful if used in the right hand. However, just like the phoenix''s immortality, she can only use those overpower abilities in the Trial Tower. This is also the reason why she wasn''t afraid of bringing random people into the Trial Tower, she can take care of them if they ever decided to turn rogue, so there''s nothing to be worried about unless someone much powerful than her forcefully breaks into this invible space. There''s no way such a person exists, right? "Now then, where should I begin?" She muttered while looking at the immobilized berserker ring deadly at her with his demonic-looking eyes. When their eyes locked together, he started growling ferociously like an animal instead of a human. "Alright, I got it. First of all..." She nodded her head before pausing her words as with just a thought, a small vial with yellowish liquid appeared on top of her palm. It was one of a variant potion, it has the effect of removing abnormal status, but of course that''s for the higher-type one, not the low-type in her grasp. At most, it could only lessen the abnormal status to the point that the person that was affected by it, could think rationally for a moment, which is exactly what she needs. "Now, open your mouth wide, Ah~" Along with her words, there came another powerful force, almost identical to the one causing the berserker to freeze, which forcefully opened his mouth wide enough for her to pour the potion in it. Afterward, everything went ordingly to her expectation as the moment Rodrick regained a bit of rification, he started to look at the surrounding in caution. Of course he had tried moving his body during that time, however, the immobilized ability is still in ce, which means he couldn''t do much other than moving his head around. "W-What is going on here?!" Rodrick shouted with a panic tone. After all, he didn''t know what happened for him to freeze in ce as if the space around him has be solid to hold him down. Thest thing he recalled was watching his ripped arm burned to ashes in front of him before falling unconscious. When he woke up, he couldn''t move his body at all despite putting all his strength into it. Most importantly, the hateful girl was standing there, staring at him in amusement. When he looked down and saw his other arm is missing, he knows it wasn''t a dream. "Now that you have regained a bit of rification, It''s torture time~!" She said with a smile as she slowly walks closer toward him. He started struggling, however, that proven to be futile as the only thing that he can move was just his head, everything else is useless. "W-Wait! Do you even know who works behind me? If you kill me, they would definitely know and seek you out! Let me remind you ahead, they are people that you should not mess with unless you''re asking for death!" ''Wow, such a coward. I didn''t even do anything to him yet, and here he is, began exposing things that he shouldn''t. Was it because he couldn''t move his body that he started to realize how hopeless his situation is? Too bad. The moment he had proudly brag about beating Ria to death is the moment his fate is sealed. If he hadn''t done that, I might have just killed him on the spot, however, now I want to see him suffer under my hand.''With that thought in mind, her smile slowly turned into that of an eerie smile, giving off the sense of dread that a human shouldn''t have. "That''s interesting. Then, why don''t you tell me what are they in detail?" "No! I can''t do that!" "Eh, why not? If you don''t tell me, how can I know whether they are a dangerous bunch or not?" "No! I would face a fate much worse than death if I were to expose their identity!" "Oh my, that makes me even more interested. But again, if you can''t do a simple thing like that, then I don''t have any more need of you, do I? Shall I begin this torturing date by cutting your nail off your finger in its entirety as a start? I''m also wondering what should I do afterward. Perhaps, I should try ripping off your limb one by one, and then heal you back to normal when you are on the verge of death. Hey, doesn''t that sound interesting to you?" However, even with her intimidating words, it doesn''t seem like he would open his mouth for her.''Good. You didn''t disappoint me at all, Rodrick Jayson.''With the same eerie smile she had, She reached out her hand toward his hand while he was unable to move before slowly, she started ripping off his nail out of his finger quite roughly. Rodrick thought he could keep his mouth shut, however, things are different than imagination as when that moment came, he couldn''t help but scream like a baboon that has been pierced by a spear to their butt. "AAAAAAHHH!" "What a wonderful scream you have there. Have you ever considered bing an idol?" She said jokingly for a moment once she was done tearing off his nail before moving on to another finger. Yes, this is just the beginning. He hadn''t even done screaming and she was already aiming for another finger of his. Within a secluded ce filled with nothing but an endlessnd of grass, a painful scream resound one after another, nonstopping. There were a few cursed at first, however, that quickly changed to a desperate begging once the man realized the girl in front of him know nothing about mercy. He quickly told her all information he knows but, no matter how much he desperately begged her afterward, her hands didn''t stop even a moment. It was at that point in time that he started to regret messing with her. It took around two hours before the manpletely crumbles to a state where he couldn''t even feel the pain anymore. He just silently stood there with dead eyes that has finally lost its light. He wasn''t dead yet, however, he might as well considered as one. The prideful Rodrick Jayson of the past is no more, what has be of him now was nothing but a soulless vessel that couldn''t even hold a conversation. Though his body doesn''t look like a person that had just been tortured many times, he had indeed been thoroughly torture as one just needs to take a look at the bloodstained grass around him to know about it. "Hmph, that took much longer than expected." She softly muttered to herself while wiping off the blood on her hands with a handkerchief she bought from the inventory. Once she was done with that, she smoothly beheads him with a single swing of her arm, ending him once and for all. Though the problem had been solved perfectly, she didn''t know why, but somehow, she feels empty. "The Church, huh?" She suddenly recalled the information spoken by Rodrick before his fateful downfall. Of all things considered, she didn''t expect a church to be the organization that was working behind him. Even more surprisingly, he was nothing but merely an experimental subject. And this time, they visit her school with a small yet frightening goal in mind. Fortunately, she was within the Trial Tower at the moment where time passed differently than the outside. Nevertheless, whatever their goal is, it isn''t important. Now that the side business has been taken care of, it is time to resurrect Ria. Chapter 196 - Mad Scientist "Though that was what I said, I do need to dispose of Rodrick''s corpse first or else." Looking at his corpse that was a far cry from the time when he was tortured by her, she shook her head. She didn''t know what has gotten to her during that time as her torture was pretty inhuman to say the less. She had thought that she might have identally awakened something that shouldn''t within her, which she hopes it was just her imagination going wild. That said, it would be bad to leave Rodrick''s corpse alone if she were going to resurrect Ria in here. It all began from a spark of light before turning into a full zing ball of me, ready to burn and destroy things in its path. Once the fireball had fully formed, She immediately throws a couple of them toward the corpse on the ground, which prompted it to explode upon contact, leaving nothing in the aftermath. With this, the story of a prideful person that goes by the name Rodrick Jayson finally came to an end. With just a thought, a still-fresh corpse of Ria suddenly appears neatly on the ground. If not for the blood and deep wounds all over her body, one would have mistaken her to be sleeping. When the sleeping beauty appeared in her view, her eyes started to moisten up. However, she holds it still as there''s no time to waste. In her hand, there''s a single vial with rainbow liquid. Yes, it is the Elixir she got uponpletion of a quest in the past. With this, she can resurrect, literally anyone, so long as their death has not passed the thirty minutes time limit. She also didn''t expect the inventory to be of use for this important moment as, without its ability to stop time everything within it, she would not be able to revive Ria on her own. The moment she put the corpse in her inventory is the moment she was relieved and thought that they could be saved. However, upon pondering seriously for a bit, She realized that she could immediately revive Ria if she brings thetter into the Trial Tower with just the two of them after sending Yuna off. There''s no need to fight Rodrick at all if she wanted to. ''I was really affected by her death that I can''t think properly, huh?'' thought She. Lowering herself on her knees, She put her right hand behind Ria''s head as a cushion while opening the cap of the vial with her other arm. Once that has been taken care of, she swallowed down the whole content of the vial before lowering her head. And without Ria''s consent, She forcefully opened thetter''s lips with her own, forcing the content in her mouth down the throat of the said sleeping beauty. Just as she thought nothing happens, Ria''s whole body was suddenly engulfed with a blinding light, forcing her to shut her eyes and look away. When the light was gone, she could finally see and quickly judged that there doesn''t seem to be any significant change that urred to Ria''s body. After all, she didn''t know whether the elixir would work as it should since she had never tried it before. Even now, she still worries despite having read the detail on the vail. A few seconds passed, She was finally relieved once she sensed the sleeping beauty''s heart started pumping out blood like normal. While she was holding onto her breath, She witnessed Ria''s eyelids slowly reveal the beautiful brown eyes to the everpresent sunlight. It took a moment for her sight to get used to the bright sunlight, and when she did, she suddenly recalled herst memories. Before she could even flinch out of fear, her body was suddenly wrapped with the warmth of a hug. "I''m sorry. Because I was negligent, you had to suffer. I''m sorry." She repeatedly apologies to her, along with sobbing during the hugs. At first, Ria was confused. But upon thinking back on that particr memory, she came to a realization. It seemed She was ming herself for the fight that happened a moment ago, or at least that''s what Ria thought. However, once she heard the words spoken by thetter during the sobs, she realized the situation is much more serious than she had thought it would be. ''No wonder I didn''t remember anything of how I got here, so I was beaten to death, huh? Thest memories I remember were indeed being beaten ruthlessly by that guy but, I never thought that I would die from that. The painful feeling is still there, however, I can''t show my weakness in front of this girl, or she might me herself more than this.'' With that thought in mind, Ria wraps her arm gently around thetter and said. "It''s not your fault, never was. Yes, if you weren''t negligent, I won''t have to die. However, the past is the past. We need to look into the future. I''m here and sound, aren''t I? I trust that whatever happened to me, you will bring me back to life, won''t you? After all, you still need someone to take care of your mess. Though I wish you would stop making trouble for me, I knew it''s impossible. I wouldn''t be able to rest easy and pass on to the afterlife if you are still as you are, after all." As she spoke, Ria never stops petting gently on She''s back. ''In fact, it was mostly my fault. If I was stronger, things would have taken a different course. Because I was weak, I couldn''t do anything and died just like that.'' thought Ria. "Furthermore, you are already a full-grown young adult, an age where tears are very rare. Come on, stop crying. Honestly, if someone were to look at this, they might think I''m your older sister or something." "I-I''m not crying! Dust just got in my eyes, that''s all!" "Yes, yes." Honestly, it doesn''t feel like she just came back to life. Rather than that magical sort of awakening, it feels more like she just awoke from a long and peaceful sleep instead. The pain and exhaustion that she suffered back then all have disappeared, which caused her to doubt whether everything around her is real. It really feels like waking up from a dream. A few minutes passed, She finally calmed down for a bit. Currently, she wasying her head on top of Ria''s thigh while informing thetter of the information she gained from the dead Rodrick. During the torturing session, she also had the time to analyzed the crimson gem for a bit. She was surprised to find that small little thing to be so wicked that if one wants to surpass their body''s limit, they have to pay with their lifespan as the price. No wonder Rodrick appeared as if he had aged excessively once his berserker state calmed down. She had thought it was because of the torturing she did to him that brought such a change to him, however, her guess was off the mark. "The Church? Did he tell you which church it was? After all, there are countless religions out there." She shook her head while it was stroked by Ria. "Perhaps, they didn''t tell him, or he didn''t go out of his way to get the information. Either way, that''s all he knows. First of all, we will look into the famous ones before going onto a smaller scale. Though the time it takes might be greater, it is better than looking around in lost." Ria nodded her head approvingly before saying, "That''s wise. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to leave this ce and catch up with them? As far as the time difference goes, they should still be in school at the moment." "Yes, I have to. It would leave a bad aftertaste if I ignore this, after all." With that said, She slowly got up on her feet while brushing the dirt off her pants. Though the time passed very slow in the Trial Tower, every little second count. If she were to miss them now, there would definitely be a whole lot of problems waiting for her in the future. No matter which choices she picks, there would definitely be problems at the end of it. Nheless, she could still dy them for a while. If she could do that and use the time to grind level, she would be a lot more prepared to face them by then. "You''re too kind," Said Ria with a radiant smile on her face. She shrugged off her shoulders in response to her words. "Are you going to stay here, or could you help me exining stuff to Yuna in my ce?" "So, you ended up bringing her inside," Said Ria, followed by a sigh. "I''ve got no choice. It''s definitely not because I don''t want to waste more of my expense that I decided to go with an easy choice, definitely not." In the system''s shop, there are many kinds of items, be it rare, legendary, or mythical, everything is there. However, the price also increased along with the rarity. Because most item that she found useful is pretty high for a price, she was pretty hesitant on wasting her expense unless necessary. Though she won''t admit being an addict, she spent most of her gold on the gacha system instead. "Sigh, Alright. She''s probably confused there and must be hungry since she had stayed for a couple of hours by now. You stock some food in your inventory, right?" "Of course. Will this be enough?" With just a snap of her finger, some of the food she saved up in her inventory was then smoothly delivered into Ria''s inventory. Although both of them are technically an ''inventory'', they are not the same. As the host of the system, obviously, her privileges are much better than the one given to them like Ria. To make it easier to understand, within Ria''s inventory, the time didn''t freeze or stop like She''s. And it didn''t have infinite storage either. Looking at the transferred pilled of food in her inventory, Ria nodded her head in affirmation. "Then, I''ll see youter." With that said, both of them disappeared at the same time from their spot as Ria was then teleported right next to the exhausted Yuna on the ground, meanwhile, She''s figure materialized in the real world. Once she was sure no one was around on the scene, She quickly jumped out of her shadow before taking the stairs leading up to the second floor. From what Rodrick said, they were nning on kidnapping people for their experimental subjects. Yes, it was for that forbidden act. She had thought she heard it wrong, however, the prove had shown itself before her. For a failure subject, they can''t go beyond their limit like Rodrick. Furthermore, they do not live long, only around 30 years'' worth of lifespan the moment they be the subject. As for a ''sessful product'' like Rodrick, their lifespan remained the same, however, their body is much tougher than average. No, they are in an entire league of their own. A failure could never reach the same height as them. Though it was already quite good, it seems that the ''Mad Scientist'' thought otherwise. When asked, he/she answered that it is nowhere near his/her initial target. Rodrick didn''t know where did this ''Mad Scientist'' came from, however, he did know that the Church is backing him/her up. Also, it was the work of him/her that saved him from dying under the falling debris. If Rodrick didn''t wear the artifact gifted to him at that time, he would have gone to hell by then. ''So it''s actually an artifact, huh.'' thought She. She wanted to think deeper about it, but it doesn''t seem like the situation permit her. When shees to her sense, she already arrived at her destination. The ssroom which is supposedly noisy during a normal day, however now seems to be eerily silent. Without a second thought, she quickly slides the door of the ssroom open. Chapter 197 - The Three Monsters "Hmm? Who are you?" The moment she slides the door opened, she was greeted with a bloody scene straight out of hell. Upon closer look, she could see horrendous wounds all over the corpse on the ground. Judging from the wounds, they must have suffered before eventually falling into eternal slumber. Since they are a member of a Church, this waspletely out of her expectation. She had initially thought they would have already gone by now as she had spent around 5 minutes, reality time-wise, in the Trial Tower, but look and behold, they were still in the ssroom. It''s easy to tell what caused them to dy when she observed the interior of the ssroom. ncing at the pale-looking students trembling at the corner before the bloody corpse on the ground, She quickly assumed they must have tried their best to resist. However, they are way out of the league. If they had cooperated, they might have gone by now. "Oi, I ask you. Who are you?" Turning her eyes toward the guy calling her out, she can only see the man hiding behind a cloak resembling Rodrick on the same level of pride. Among the three cloak figures, he''s the only one who didn''t hide his face. Remembering what Rodrick told her, this guy must be the one with the weakest strength among the three, yet so prideful that he always wants to pick a fight with people''s weaker than him. His name is Henry. Though they were considered allies, the guy didn''t care over such a thing as, so long as you''re weaker than him, he would definitely step on you. After all, Rodrick did suffer under him for a short while. Moving on to another, even though she hides her face really well, one can easily recognize her as a female based on her womanly charm that couldn''t properly hide under the long cloak. Though she gives off a gentle aura around her, one shouldn''t underestimate her. Like a snake sneakily slithering at the distance of a frog, once thetter let its guard down, the snake would immediately devour it on the spot. She''s exactly like the snake. Her name is Nyoka. To her left, there was a man with a solid build standing calmly to the side. His name is Ivan, the leader of this small group of three, and the most dangerous of them all. His aura alone surely would make anyone frighten if they ended up locking their eyes with each other. Since Rodrick was afraid of him, the man must have a powerful strength to back him up. And no joke, if she were to fight him with just normal skills without using any trump card, she would, without a doubt, lose. Ivan''s aura is almost as suffocating as Rodrick when he surpassed his limit, that alone speaks of his strength. Though Rodrick is the one that leads them here because of his petty revenge, this small group of three also couldn''t be left aside, that''s what her rational mind was telling her. However, to fight them on her own is just reckless. Although Henry is the weakest of them, he still couldn''t be underestimated. ''Do I have no choice but to use that? The day hasn''t even passed, and I''m going to use yet another trump card...'' "Oi! You dare to ignore my question?!" Before she entered the ssroom, she had worn on a disguise to hide her real identity. Though they are a possibility that they knew her real identity from Rodrick, she still doesn''t want to waste it. If they knew of her real power and managed to escape here alive, there would definitelye back, but when that timees by, it won''t be just her that would be in danger. Because she keeps on ignoring his questions, Henry finally couldn''t himself back anymore and charge toward her at a speed that the human''s eyes couldn''t follow. However, before his punch couldnd a hit on her, he was sent flying backward because of her swift kick. "You should introduce yourself first before asking others. Don''t you knowmon courtesy?" Said She, but instead of her feminine voice, whates out of her mouth is a deep and masculine voice that one would expect from a man. With the same half-mask of a fox covering his face, it is time for ''Shiro'' to make his appearance known. Although she had made a debut on the Mage Association''s branch, there''s no way they would let the news to the public that they were under attack by a single person and even let him escape unless they want to be shame by others. "You bastard." While wiping the blood that slips out of his lips, Henry muttered in an agitated tone. When he ran forward, he didn''t expect to get a counterattack since he thought the guy wearing a mask was nothing but a weirdo with average strength. However, he now understood the confidence in thetter voice. "Fine then, I''ll introduce myself. I''m Henry, a Priest. Now, tell me who you are." "Why should I? You must be an idiot for believing in my word." She said while shrugging her shoulders in response. "What did you say!" As if she had stepped on his invisible tail, Henry immediately cried out, visibly agitated by her words. Before he could charge recklessly at her the second time, the man standing near the woman in the cloak interrupted him by saying. "A half-mask looking like a fox covering only the eyes, so you must be the guy who trespassed the Mage Association''s branch in this district, right?" When she was analyzing them a moment ago, she also noticed them doing the same. However, it seems Henry and Nyoka didn''t know about her recent exploit, or maybe they just didn''t care about it. Either way, since Ivan recalled the rumors about her ''persona,'' this makes things easier for her. "Unlike the fool over there, you are very smart. Yes, you''re precisely right. I''m Shiro, a man who will kill the three of you right here and now, so you better remember my name." Along with her words, She didn''t waste any time to joke around and directly discharged a powerful killing intent toward them. As if their mind were blown apart by it, the three immediately shown a visible sign that they were affected by her aura. Ivan, as expected of the dangerous one of them, awoken from his stupor a few secondster before the other two also follow along, though a bitter. With sweats dripping off his forehead, Ivan mutter. "That''s some impressive killing intent you have, however, you underestimate us a bit too much, don''t you think so?" "Enough talking. Come, attack me all at once." "Fine by me!" Instead of Ivan, Henry answered her challenge before sprinting toward her with incredible speed. The woman didn''t remain silent either, she also started whispering in a low voice with anguage She never heard of. While avoiding Henry''s punch after punch, she also noticed the mana around the woman has started moving, which she assumed thetter was actually chanting for her spell. While the two were making a move on her, Ivan didn''t seem to do anything, and just stood calmly on his spot as if the fight didn''t matter to him. However, just as she thought he won''t attack her, suddenly, she was hit by something invisible hard in the guts, forcing her to put a distance between her and Henry. When she looked back at him, her mana eyes detect his eyes glowing even brighter than her. When his eyes move, she quickly stepped to the side by instinct. Though she didn''t know what sort of skill was that, she did knew he can hit her from afar with just his eyes, which makes things harder for her. Heck, if possible she wanted to learn that skill, it looks pretty cool and all! "Ora!" With the three of them attacking her in their own ways, She didn''t have the leeway to think of other things at the moment or she would get hurt terribly due to the momentum. If she didn''t do anything to change the current situation, sooner orter, once she got exhausted, her fate is decided. "Hahaha! Take this!" Just as Henry thought he caught her off guard, a hologram-like shield suddenly appeared, stopping his punch from reaching her. It feels as if he was punching a solid shell of something the moment his fist came in contact with it. Seeing the chance that the man let his guard down for a momentary shock, She immediately went behind him before swiftly piercing through him with a single stab of her hand. When Henry awoke from his trance and notice her presence right behind him, it was already toote. *PSH!* "Guh! No...way..." "One down, two more to go." She calmly said before pulling her hand out, which prompted the blood to stter all over as the corpse fell to the ground like a puppet having its string cut. Unexpectedly, it went much smoother than she thought it would be. "I thought you guys wererades, but you didn''t interrupt me from killing him." Indeed, if they had done that, especially Ivan, she might not be able to kill Henry just like that. The fact that the two didn''t do anything was a surprise to her. It was as if they didn''t care whether Henry dies or alive. "I have never liked him." Said Nyoka, Ivan also gives a curt nod in agreement to her words. Whenever there''s a mission for them, Henry was always the one making trouble out of nothing as if without doing so, he would die or something. Even a man with high tolerance like Ivan couldn''t tolerate him anymore. If not for the rule of the church, they might have killed him by their own hand. ''Ah, you poor soul, even yourrade didn''t care about your death.'' While that thought crossed her mind, She suddenly senses something amiss and quickly turns around, and there, she witnessed a small orb of red light flowing out of Henry''s corpse before passing through her body and broke into two bits before bolting into Ivan''s and Nyoka''s body. Surprisingly, the moment the small orb entered their body, she quickly discovers both of their aura rising to a higher level than before. Did they get power up just now? Or so she thought. "I have to thank you for this as if it was us who kill him, rather than getting stronger like right now, we would get punished instead. You have my gratitude." ''So they actually did get stronger?! Isn''t that bullshit? I know I don''t have the right to say that since I have the almighty leveling system with me, however, these people are still amazing. Imagine you teach martial art to someone and when he died or something, you gain his experience or proficiency of the skill, isn''t that crazy? To make it easier to understand, you level up your newly created character till high enough, and then, you take some of its experience and send it to your old character, leveling it up just like that. There''s no way such a broken game exists though. And fortunately, there''s a requirement for it.'' Whether his words speak the truth or not, she didn''t know, at the very least, that''s what Ivan said. Although the students were relieved that the insane guy is now gone for good, they still couldn''t take a breather as at the moment, there are three monsters in their ssroom, including She. After all, in the eyes of average people, she''s also considered as inhuman or monster, at the very least, her strength is. Without knowing who she is behind the mask or her intention of being here, the students couldn''t rx their nerves. Heck, it''s also possible that she''s one of them! If She were to know what they were thinking of her, she would have knocked them on the head. However, she currently doesn''t have the time to ponder on such useless thought as if she let her guard down for a moment, she would totally get swallowed by them. With the increase in their strength, Nyoka chanting bes much faster, and Ivan''s invisible force also turned out to be more impressive. What''s even scarier is that their teamwork has gotten better, it was to the point where she would get a single hit within three of their attacks. Atst, she was totally exhausted with sweats all over her body. The two mercilessly sent their attack on her, which Ivan''s attack caused her to crashed deep into the wall, and before she could make a move, a fireball engulfed her whole. "Hmph, all talk but no bite." Once the smoke caused by the explosion dispersed, the two could finally see her lying motionless on the ground. Ivan couldn''t help but mocked her when he remembers her bold announcement a moment ago. However, just as they turn around and face the student, they felt something solid grabbing on their leg which caused them to look down, and to their disbelief, she was there smiling at them. "Yo." Before they could even utter a single word, they were helplessly pulled into their own shadow without being able to do anything to stop it. The student could do nothing but stare at the scene with their eyes wide open. Chapter 198 - Weak And Helpless When Ivan and Nyoka were swallowed into the world of eternal darkness, the two immediately tried to escape out of this eerily world, however, they were in for a surprise as, no matter how hard they tried, not a single of their fingers flinch. It wasn''t as if they lost control of their entire body, but more like something powerful is interfering with their brain, or at least that''s what Ivan noticed. Such an absurd thing should''ve been impossible normally yet, knowing their opponent was a person who can escape and freely enter a base surrounded by powerful formation, which is something even they couldn''t do without enough preparation and fund, it was then that he realized it wasn''t as improbable as he initially thought. Although they couldn''t see each other in the world where light has been disintegrated into nothingness, Ivan and Nyoka could still sense each other presence with their extraordinary sixth sense. Honestly, both of them couldn''t help but had to admit that staying in a ce like this where they could do nothing and only stare at the endless darkness can be quite torturous. To make it worse, they couldn''t move their body at all. It was at this point that Ivan started to regret underestimating the masked guy, Shiro. If he had gone all out from the very beginning, he wouldn''t have caught up into the trap. With his entire body immobilized by an invisible force, he couldn''t even fight back if he wanted to. "As expected of a priest, huh? You only panic for a moment due to the unpredictable situation you havee across but calmed down soon after. Amazing." While the two were pondering deeply on how to escape the world of shadow, they were suddenly jolted from their thought by a voice that sounded as if he was whispering near their ears, which caused them to flinch for a moment due to shock. However, upon spreading their sense to their surrounding in an agitated manner, they were surprised once again that no other presence was pick up other than themselves. "It''s useless. You won''t catch me with just that. In this world, I am everywhere yet nowhere. I could be touching you on the shoulder right now but at the same, staring at you from the distance. That is if you can see in this pitched ck world of mine, however." ''It''s not my world though. I just brought them here normally with my shadow maniption skill, that''s all. As for the reason why their body couldn''t follow themand of their brain, that''s simple. It was the work of a unique item I received a while back after wasting a lot of gold on the hell known as gacha, [Invisible Shackles]. And though I spoke so profoundly like a certain wise sage, I don''t have any powerful abilities like that at all. It was all illusion, made by the formation.'' Some of these abilities could only work within the said formation. If she goes further from the heart of the formation, which is her home, the abilities also grow weaker as a result. Furthermore, just as the name said, [Invisible Shackles] is literally invisible. It could only immobilize someone for ten minutes at most, and depending on their strength, it might not even work. She was initially worried that they would easily saw through her illusion, but it seems that her caution was all for naught. When she realized their teamwork has improved for the better the more time passed, She immediately put an illusion on herself before masking her real presence to her illusion and jumped into her shadow soon after once she was given a chance while her illusion-self continues fighting against them. This wouldn''t have worked if she was too far from her house, however. Also, it wasn''t easy to trick someone who got a sharp sense like these two. If she had made a tiny mistake at that time, she would definitely die there and then. Even so, that is if she didn''t use all of her trump cards, of course. After all, she could easily teleport herself into the Trial Tower once the situation bes tricky for her. "Now then, I wonder what should I do with you two?" She knew that they were here to kidnap the students and turn them into experimental rats for the Mad Scientist. She didn''t know what sort of experiment requires so many humans'' lives, however, one thing she''s sure of is that it is definitely not a good one. Although she believes that Rodrick won''t lie to her when he was in such a pathetic state, she still wants to acquire more information, especially from these two. Since they are the priest of the said church, they should have plenty of useful information for her without a doubt. Even so, looking at Ivan with a serene expression on his face, She judged that it might take longer than Rodrick before he gave in. It didn''t take Rodrick a half an hour before he gave in as he couldn''t handle her torture anymore. Nevertheless, she was still unsure whether he is speaking of the truth or not, and so, she decided to go on until he literally, broke apart mentally(his physical body has long been broken apart by her countless tortures). At the end of it, she realized she was wasting time since the information remained the same, but she won''t admit that. At least, she learned something from it, such as which torturing method works efficiently. ''Hmm? What''s this?'' Nyoka appeared calm at first nce, but if she looks closer, She can tell the woman is starting to feel ufortable even though thetter tries to hide it. Well, she''s a woman after all. Even She personally doesn''t want to stay long in the shadow world unless necessary. As for the reason? it is obviously due to the surrounding is literally nothing but pitch ck. If you''re in space, at the very least, there''s a sun, here''s however, there is no such thing as light. She bet that even a person with the strongest will would eventually give in to the invisible pressure. If not for the fact that human needs nutrients to live, she might have left them to their own device. "Oho? What''s this? Are you perhaps, scared?" With a wicked smile on her face, She whispered her words directly next to Nyoka''s ears. Though thetter couldn''t move because of the shackles on all of her limbs, She could clearly see her flinching for a moment, which goes to show how surprised she is at her little prank. Though she appeared to be calm on the outside, that isn''t the same internally, however. As for Ivan, he didn''t react much since he wasn''t her target to begin with. And though he was curious why his partner''s emotion suddenly escted so much, he couldn''t do anything in the current situation other than making use of his sharp hearing yet, he couldn''t hear anything which causes a frown to appear on his otherwise serene expression. Ivan didn''t know what She had whispered into Nyoka''s ears for thetter to react as if someone had told a little kid that Santa didn''t exist on Chrismas. However, he did know that the reason for thetter''s sudden change must be the doing of She, without a second doubt. As a priest, he has ample experience facing all sorts of situations that could be said abnormal from ordinary lives. However, he never experiences something as absurd as now. As such, it couldn''t be helped that Nyoka feels quite rmed and panic by the situation she find herself into. ''Hmm? This is...'' Upon noticing the chance of obtaining a good deal of information from Nyoka, She didn''t waste any time as she quickly brought a small cube-like item out of her inventory before pressing the trigger on top of the said object, which immediately triggered it to isted any sounds within ten meters around them from spreading outside. This was a countermeasure in the case that Ivan might overhear their conversation, and if he did, there''s no way he would permit Nyoka to spout the information she needs. Furthermore, the item She had just used, Noise Canction, actually cost quite heavily on her expense. If not for Ria, she wouldn''t want to waste any expense just for information which she doubts a person like Nyoka to know much. Nevertheless, upon recollecting what had happened to Ria a moment ago, the sleeping rage inside of her couldn''t help but started to ignite once again. Realizing that her emotion might get in her way, She took a moment of silence to take a couple of deep breaths to calm down her raging emotion. If she had let it slide, the rage might overwhelm her rational thought with nothing but an intent to murder them on the spot. That won''t do if she wants information from them. At first, Nyoka was pretty stubborn keeping her mouth sealed despite her whole body trembling due to She''s chilling presence and the fact that she couldn''t move any of her limbs. For the first time in her life, Nyoka feels helpless and weak. If this had happened in reality, she wouldn''t have been so shaken. It wouldn''t be exaggerated either to say that both of their life is on She''s hand as even an idiot can tell that they are like a sitting duck waiting to get ughter. Due to the silence in his surrounding, Ivan couldn''t help but ponder, shouldn''t thetter attempt to extort information from him by now? At least that''s what Ivan thought. When he found himself in this unfortunate circumstance, he quickly concluded that She must have some other intention in mind by bringing them to this ce and even went as far as immobilizing them with an invisible force that he didn''t know of. If she wanted them dead, Ivan didn''t think that they would still be alive by now judging at how careful she is. After a few minutes of pure silence, Ivan couldn''t hold himself back anymore and just as he was about to voice out of his mouth, She finally spoke to him. "Sorry for the wait. I''m honestly surprised, very much so. I didn''t expect her to give so much information despite just recently bing a priest." "What?" As if he couldn''tprehend what she was talking about, Ivan muttered with confusion. "I''m talking about your junior, what was her name again? Nyoka, was it? Well, it doesn''t matter what her name is, just know that she has exposed everything she knows to me, and when I said everything, it is what it is." She calmly replied. "You''re lying." "Is that what you truly believe?" "Of course. Though she had be a priest quite recently, it doesn''t mean that her previous teaching went to waste. She''s also pretty disciplined. If you didn''t do anything to her, she won''t be opening her mouth anytime soon." As soon as he finished his words with confidence in his tone, a burst ofughter resounds quite loudly as it reverberates through the surrounding. Chapter 199 - Are You A Berserker Or Priest? Choose One! "What are youughing at?!" Ivan howled at his surrounding for the fact that he could feel a slight contempt within theughter toward him. "That''s because you just said something funny, isn''t that obvious?" She replied with chuckles. "Funny?" "It is, ridiculously at that. Though it wasn''t that much of a surprise now that I think about it, it still amazed me how your words be true. As expected of a ''veteran,'' huh?" Although he was angered by her words, Ivan was also confused at the same time. But upon analyzing her words properly, he could feel chills running through his body as he muttered in shock. "You... no way." "Mhm, you got it right. You are a smart one, aren''t you? Too bad that you crossed path with me, however." She nodded her head in agreement before soon shaking her head along with a sympathetic look on her face. Initially, he didn''t want to believe it despite his sense keep telling him that his thought was right. However, now he truly believes it as his/her reaction alone is enough to rm him. Furthermore, if the masked guy was spouting lies, Nyoka should have said something by now, but there''s no reaction from thetter as expected. "What...did you do to her?!" "Nothing much, really. I killed her painlessly with a swift swing of my sword as a reward for her effort. Although I couldn''t tell whether the information she said true or not, I could still detect if she was lying. And if she had done that, her end would be much worse than that." She replied indifferently. The moment they decided to listen to Rodrick despite the risk involved is the moment their fate ispromised. If Ria had not been hurt to such extent, perhaps, she might have pardoned them. At the very least, she would save the students from their hands. But now, the only choice avable to Ivan is to die in her hand. "You bastard!" Knowing what his fate would be if he didn''t do anything, Ivan suddenly cried out with bloodshed eyes. Suddenly, both of his arms started quivering. If she looked closer, however, she could also see his blood veins bulging visibly on his arms. Feeling amused, She decided to watch the scene from the side. Along with his transformation, She was shocked as she could feel his strength rising at a fast rate. As if to prove to her that what she felt is not a lie, the invisible shackle, which can only be seen by her, on his left arm starts to crack. ''Didn''t you said a while ago that you''re a priest? Then, why did it seems that your current state looks no different than that of a berserker? Are you kidding me?'' She couldn''t help but retorted inside her mind while witnessing Ivan''s transformation. *Crack! Crack!* Soon, the cracks on the shackle start to spread along, and eventually, the shackle that bound Ivan''s from moving is no more. It was shattered to pieces. At first, it started only on his left hand before the other shackles also followed along, shattered by force. Though she was surprised by the scene, it was still understandable when she estimated Ivan''s currently still rising strength. If before he was around level 40 based on her assumption, now it seems his level has skyrocketed to almost 50! It didn''t need to be said that the old him is no way on the same level as the current him at all. However, despite that, there''s no fear on She''s face at all. Even though the strength almost overwhelms her, she still calmly observed the scene from the other side. Although her current strength may be weaker than him, it doesn''t necessarily mean she would lose if she were to fight against him. Furthermore, she had amassed quite experience fighting against opponents that are stronger than herself in the Trial Tower; the Ogre could be an example of that. Once he was free out of his binding, Ivan immediately howled like a mad beast. If this had urred in reality, the windows of the ssroom might have shattered to pieces due to how loud and powerful his scream is. At this point, no matter how she looked at him, he''s no more priest, but more of a berserker. His shirt has been ripped once the muscles on his body start expanding, looking almost exactly like those muscle builders in most action movies. Fortunately, his pant is spare from his transforming, otherwise, she might have a problem just to look at him. Looking at his berserker state, She couldn''t help but remind her of Rodrick and the guy before that. ''Is this also the work of that Mad Scientist? whoever it is, he/she might be more of a problem than I initially expected.'' She thought. ''However, it somehow feels pretty ironic since the church usually depicted as an organization that hates the technology in most of the stories I read. There are even some that went as far as to call the technology as taboo. But the church where this guy came from actually assists a scientist, a mad one at that, to make something for them with the power of technology. Well, I guess as expected of a modern world?'' "Hmm? You can see me? But, too bad. Although you are already free from the binding, you still can''t move around because of the surrounding, unlike me." When She noticed a gaze on her, she looked up in surprise. However, upon thinking for a bit, she nodded her head in realization as she understood that her illusion most likely didn''t work on him anymore since his level is higher than her by now. Fortunately for her, Ivan has no way to move within the shadow. Her wariness to people truly paid off! Though before she could break into a dance, Ivan suddenly muttered gibberish words under his breath as if possessed by an evil entity. If it wasn''t for him staring piercingly at her with his bloodshed eyes while mumbling creepily, She wouldn''te to such a conclusion. Just as she was wondering what he was doing, she suddenly detected a movement of mana within Ivan''s body. With just that, She quickly understood what''s going on as she immediately conjured fireball within seconds before making it flying toward Ivan and exploded. Since thetter was focused on the chanting, he was caught off the guard by a me that suddenly manifests in front of him. In just a blink of an eye, Ivan gritted his teeth as he drops the chanting and quickly guards himself against the iing spell. "Guh!" Although Ivan was able to protect himself in time, he wasn''t left uninjured from the explosion. The skin of his arms had gotten scorched for a bit, but that quickly heal soon after. It would have been worse if he wasn''t in his current berserker state, which makes his regeneration speed much faster than normal. And though it got healed pretty fast, it doesn''t mean he didn''t feel any pain from that. But what surprised him the most is how the masked guy was able to manifest such a powerful spell without any chanting whatsoever. If he didn''t suffer from it firsthand, he might have not believed it if someone else told him that such a thing is possible. ''This is bad. Although I can sense her as clear as day, I haven''t adapted myself fully yet to this pitched ck world. At first, once I have broken free from the binding, I thought I could finally kill her, or at the very least, escape. But I was wrong. It feels like I''m in a deep underwater yet, I couldn''t swim despite feeling it was possible. Which was why I thought of manifest a spell to attack her, but even that didn''t work. It was me that was getting attacked instead. Is there any other way for me to get out of this ce?'' "What are you thinking?" While Ivan was pondering deeply of his predicament, a voice suddenly whispered into his ears, which caused him to quickly swing his left hand to the side, but his attack missed since She had swiftly retreated with a chuckle. ''This jackass! If it wasn''t for the surrounding, I would have beaten his ass ck and blue!'' "Oh? From your expression, you really want to beat me up, isn''t it? Too bad though, you can''t do anything to me with your meager capability." With a smile on her face, a small ball of me suddenly manifests in front of her. However, she didn''t stop it there. Slowly, one by one, she conjured fireballs. Once five fireballs are floating around her, which causes her to look like a small sun in the shadow world, it was then that she stopped. If Ivan was only shocked before upon finding she could conjure a spell chantlessly, now he was utterly dumbfounded. From his experience of reading many historical books regarding supernatural and browsing through the church''s library, there are only a few notable people, however, inparison to her, they might as well be a beginner at magic. Upon thinking of the state of the world in the past, which only has a meager amount of mana around the globe, that''s given. That was why the mages from Mage Academy were currently researching if it''s possible to use electricity as the fuel for their magecraft. However, none managed to bore any fruit despite putting all their resources into it. This was also why Frank Llyod, the headmaster of Mage Academy, immediately sent a few people to investigate upon finding out that Mia, an ex-student of his, was able to manifest a spell chantlessly. "If I were to swing my hand, these fireballs around me would surely fly toward you and explode. That isn''t what you want, right? No matter how fast your regeneration speed is, it wouldn''t matter because I could just fire more and more until you''re left with nothing but ashes." "Tsk, what do you want?" Though he hates to admit, she isn''t that far off about him. And just as she said, though his regeneration speed is fast, he isn''t immortal. Most of the mages that he came across in the past would have already breathing heavily if they conjured as many spells as him. But the masked guy in front of him didn''t seem exhausted at all despite conjuring that many spells. "Nothing much actually, I just want information. Everything that you know regarding your church and supernatural." Upon seeing the confusion on his face after hearing her request, She calmly said once again. "Do you think I''d believe the words of someone who had just recently be a priest? Even if she didn''t lie to me, I don''t think she knows much. But you, Ivan, is different. I don''t need to exin further for you to understand, right?" After staying silent for a few minutes, Ivan finally opened his mouth and said. "Fine. But on one condition, you must let me out of this shitty world. If you didn''t want it, you can just kill me right ahead." "Sure, go ahead." She replied with a curt nod. Though Ivan senses something amiss from her answer, he couldn''t pinpoint exactly where''s the problem. However, that doesn''t matter. Once he''s out, no matter what sort of trick the masked guy might be nning, he would immediately use the chance and attack him with his full strength. With that n in mind, Ivan slowly narrated everything that he knows of the church to her. Chapter 200 - Ivan Part I Ivan was an ordinary person. He doesn''t have any talent that makes him stood out among other people, nor did his look appear to be outstanding as those celebrities on the television. Heck, his appearance could be said to be as ordinary as one could get. He was born into an ordinary family, neither wealthy or poor, just average. As the only child of the household, he has it better than others, which was why he didn''t have any problem with studies. Though he was a bit problematic at a young age, which is no different than the other kids, everything else works smoothly in his life. Graduated from high school with a result not that outstanding, still good nheless, which moving on to a college. Everything is good so far. Like any other teenager out there, he also followed their footsteps by causing trouble for his parent. However, everything changes when a particr Thursday arrived. It was a date that he still remembers to this day. Ever since he was small, his parent had been showing him how a lovely couple would look like once they got married, on that particr day, however, the atmosphere in the house has gotten pretty cold inparison to any other day. He had just got home from college with sweats all over his body. As an active adolescent, he ys a lot of basketball with his friends. It was just like any other day to him. Only when he reached his room that he finally noticed a peculiar situation happening down the stairs. Usually, Ivan would have heard his parent lovey-dovey with each other in the living room by now, yet he didn''t hear anything, and as far as he remembers, he didn''te across them on the way to his room. When he thought of looking for them in their room, he suddenly hears a noise of ss shattering loudly outside. When he hurriedly ran following the noise, which is his parent''s room, he didn''t even have to enter the room before hearing them bickering with each other like a cat and dog. The moment he entered the room, he could see a broken mirror and other misceneous stuff on the ground as if someone had just thrown everything off the table in a fit. Before he could even open his mouth to utter something out of shock, words from his mother brought his attention back to them. "If you aren''t cheating on me, then, what is this?" With a cold tone, his mother immediately pulled out something from her pocket before throwing a few pieces of pictures on his dad''s face, which makes thetter frown. But when he inspected the picture up close by picking it up off the ground, his expression bes even grimmer than before. Ivan was standing behind both of them, so they didn''t notice his presence just yet. And because of his position, his eyes briefly caught a glimpse of the picture. It was a picture of his dad with an unknown mature woman dining in a restaurant. If it was only that, perhaps they wouldn''t have bicker to this point. However, in the picture, it appears that the woman is a bit too close to his dad and he doesn''t seem to mind it at all. He had thought the two of them were the most loving couple in the world, and nothing could change that fact. He tried to interfere in their conversation to stop them from making a mistake, however, neither of them seems to be happy with that as they continue bickering with each other. Without being able to do anything, Ivan helplessly just stood there, at the side of the door, watching his family falling apart within minutes. As expected, his mother files a divorce dayter. Rather than trying to stop her, his dad seems to have the same idea as his mother. As a result, he was put together with his mother. At that time, he thought it was better to be with his mother than a father who cheats behind his wife back. But, never did he expect that also to be a wrong choice on his part. For the first month of living with his mother, everything was great. He continues his daily routine like the other day, going to college and . Just as he thought the normal days would go on, his mother suddenly brought home an unknown man with a creepy smile on his face. His initial thought was that the guy is a scum who managed to scam his mother for her money, but the moment his mother introduced the creepy guy, Ivan was left dumbfounded. The creepy guy was said to be a priest of an unorthodox church; it was one he had never heard of, the Church of Ignis. So it wasn''t a fake businessman but instead, a fake religion scam, or so he thought. He finds it disturbing that the way his mother introduced the guy seems almost like he was her savior or something from the way she looks at him. Ever since the day he couldn''t stop his parent from breaking apart, Ivan had always felt wrong deep inside his heart. If he managed to interfere at that time, perhaps they might still be a loving married couple. And maybe, though it was unlikely, it wasn''t his father''s fault regarding cheating, but more of the mature woman in the picture. The woman possibly was aiming to seduce his now ex-father because of how wealthy he is. If that was the truth, her n actually works. Either way, that''s not the point of the problem he was facing at the moment. Though it did y a part, it''s already in the past. Because Ivan was focused on college, he never noticed his mother''s mental state. It wasn''t that he didn''t care, but more of being too busy with his studies. It was on that day that he realized his mother whom he thought is strong, was actually weak, more than he could imagine. His mother had never been a religious person in the first ce, but that day, she brought a priest home. That was enough to tell him that something is wrong with her, and he never noticed it beforehand. As if the priest could sense his skeptical mind, he gave an offer to Ivan by inviting thetter to the church. Though he felt that something was amiss, he couldn''t reject the offer either since he also wanted to know if the so-called ''church'' might be targeting his mother''s wealth by taking advantage of her vulnerable state. Before following the creepy priest out of the house, Ivan advised his mother to stay home instead since she seems like wanting to follow them too. With all kinds of excuses in mind, he finally managed to stop his mother a few minutester. While Ivan was seated at the back seat of the said priest''s car as thetter driving toward their destination, the two ended up having a small idle conversation on the way there. Since he was still caution around the priest, Ivan didn''t speak much about him when thetter asked about it. Ivan started to regret his decision when he noticed how far they have gone from his hometown. Nevertheless, he couldn''t just tell the priest to stop the car and leave. While he was having a fit with himself internally, the speeding car had finallye to a stop. Turning his head to the side of the mirror of the car, Ivan was shocked speechless by the disy outside. Before arriving here, he had thought the creepy priest would bring him to a deserted mountain, and from there, he would find a single and old building that would be the base of the said church. But the scene he witnessed from inside the car show otherwise. Within his pupils, one could clearly see a solid four-story building if they looked closer into it, and the said building appears to be new as well since he didn''t notice any dirt on the wall of the building. And rather than a surrounding filled with nothing but nature as he expected, a crowd of people could be seen passing by in a hurry as if their future is on the line. There are none other than ordinary folks on the way to their working job. If by chance they werete, one might be so unfortunate that he/she would get fired immediately without any mercy the moment he/she stepped into the office. With those images in mind, the working folks quickly speed up their walking paces. No matter how he looked at it, he was in a city full of people. ''Where''s the promised deserted mountain? Stop kidding me!'' Ivan''s mouth twitched with a dumbfound expression on his face. Though he was startled, his body still moves as he went out of the car. At this moment, he didn''t know yet that the moment he stepped into the building, his fate started to twist. Chapter 201 - Ivan Part II Though he was curious about the people around, Ivan silently following right behind the priest, ignoring the people he passed by. When the priest walk passed people, they would warmly greeted him as if they had known each other for a few months now. Initially, Ivan thought the people were the same type of person as the priest, but upon leaning closer to eavesdropping while not exposing himself for the act, he diminished such thought soon after. There''s nothing unusual in their conversation, it''s just utterly nonsense that anyone would talk about when they came across their friends on the street. A few minutester, Ivan and the priest finally arrived in front of an elevator and unhurriedly, steps inside as thetter press down a single button on the menu at the side, prompting the elevator''s door to close down as it slowly moving downward. While the elevator was moving, the priest suddenly opened his mouth and ask Ivan, breaking apart the silence in the small space of an elevator. "Do you believe in god?" "...No. Well, to be exact, I was, but now I''m a fully-fledged atheist for reasons I couldn''t tell, sorry." He had secretly prayed to god many times in the past, hoping that his family would return to normal like how it was back in the days, however, nothing change. The helpless he felt at the time is truly something that he still remembers to this day. Of course that isn''t the only reason he stopped believing in God. As could be expected, there''s no need for him to go out of his way to tell the priest of that ever since he is still wary of thetter. "That''s indeed a shame." The priest shook his head as he replied with a disappointed tone. If Ivan ever look back at the priest, even a nce would do, he would have surely noticed a flicker of light passing through thetter''s eyes. It was only a few yearster that he came to regret his decision in following the priest here. It was only a few minutester that the priest couldn''t help but opened up his mouth once again. "Do you believe in the supernatural existence, such as ghosts and the likes?" Ivan raise his brows upon hearing the question from the priest. The priest must have hates the silence permeating in the elevator so he couldn''t help but asked weird question like that instead of talking normally like any sane person would under the same circumstance. But then again, he''s a priest. Nevertheless, Ivan decided to humor the priest since he also dislike the silence since it makes him feels more uneasy for an obvious reason. "Though I haven''t met or saw them personally, I do actually believe that they exists." The idea of them not existing just because one haven''t seen any of them is pretty unbelievable in his opinion. No matter what one opinion is in regard to this topic, supernatural events is still happening all over the world, after all. Though most of them are mostly hoax, done by the inte people, there''s still the possibility that some of them are actually real encounters with an entity from another dimension. The strangest things of all is, why the hell whenever one has an encounter, their recording camera is absolutely terrible. Even if it''s a real encounter, no one would believe it with such a low quality picture. This unfortunately also happened to be the same for aliens. It just felt weird that such godly events would mostly appeared in those terrible camera despite how much it has advanced in thest ten years. Nevertheless, Ivan considered himself to be lucky since he never experience such a thing in his life. In most horror stories, things didn''t end well if people have met such encounters after all. He is still young and have a big dreams he wanted to aplish. Upon hearing his words, the priest nodded his head in an understanding manner and said, "Good. It should be easier for you to ept the truthter on then." "What do you mean by that?" Before Ivan could inquire the priest for thetter strange phrasing, the door of the elevator finally split apart and the appearance of a long straight hallway entered his eyes. Without wasting time any further, the priest immediately stepped out of the elevator while Ivan follows him closely not too far behind. Not gonna lie but, walking in a long straight hallway behind the priest feels somehow unnerving for Ivan. Heck, it would be stranger if he finds everything about the whole situation normal. After all, He doesn''t have such a strong nerve to stay calm in this circumstance. One couldn''t me him for being nervous when one considered that he was currently in unknown ce. He had never travel too far from his home. Of course it also partly his fault since he decided to follow a creepy man who imed to be a priest on his own free will. Each step they took, it echoes through the silent hallway like a calm sea before a storm. Before long, they finally arrived as Ivan immediately scan his eyes at the double-door in front of him. No matter how much he stare at it, it appears that there''s no strange runes, or weird talismans pasted on it as he initially thought. It''s just a normal double-door. "Everything here is just as what it looks like, the inside on the other hand... you would have to experience it yourself, go ahead." And as if the priest understood what he was thinking inside his mind, the priest muttered with the same creepy smile on his face before stepping to the side as he urged Ivan to walk ahead, giving him permission to enter the room on his own. Though the priest''s action raised a few suspicions in his mind, Ivan didn''t let it get to him as he confidently put his hand on the door''s handle and twist it. If the priest had wanted to harm him in the first ce, he would have surely done so by now and Ivan wouldn''t be able to fight back with his meager strength. Ivan was, after all, just an average college student. Of course there are still possibilities that whatever behind the door would kill/restrict him upon opening the door, or that the priest has other nefarious intentions in mind. Basically, he has no way out and the only way for him is to go through it to the very end. Whatever will happen, shall happened. Actually, it didn''t matter much to Ivan if they wanted to killed him or anything like that, but he still couldn''t help and getting worried about what would happen to his mother if he also left this world. If he was all alone, no one would care if he died. But things changed when he has a family member to take care of. He shouldn''t forget that her current mental state had already raised a few rms in his mind. What would happen if her only son also disappeared from her world? The first thought that crossed his mind is that his mother would choose to suicide upon finding out about his unfortunate death. The only reason he had been studying so hard so far is because he wanted to make a better ce for her. At least for now, he didn''t want to die, but he didn''t have a choice in this circumstance. With that thought in mind, Ivan slowly push the door opened with determined eyes. The moment he stepped into the room however, Ivan''s entire body was suddenly overwhelmed by a familiar feeling. In the past, during the time he was still suffering in his studies like the other students, Ivan had spent a whole week of the night cramming knowledge in preparation for the iing exam. The highest sleep time he could get was only around 2-3 hours. It was the most hectics month of his life. At the final exam, Ivan''s appearance look not much different than that of a zombie with dark circles and bloodshot eyes. Though his friends were worried at first and advised him to take care more of himself, he stubbornly insisted that he''s fine. And literally the next day, which is Saturday, Ivan spent the entire weekend doing nothing else but sleeping like a log. Of course in reality He did does something other than sleep, which consists of eating, shit, andstly, bathing. Nheless, because he mostly spend the times on sleeping, it isn''t wrong to say he spend the entire weekend on sleeping. And just like that, two day passed. After having so much rest that his body desperately asked for in the past week, Ivan felt so refreshed that not even a speck of dark circle was left on his eyes anymore. It isn''t an exaggeration to say that he was brim with a positive energy, so much that one would mistaken him as a bright college student! Basically, that was the same feeling he currently felt the moment he breathe into the spacious room. Ivan couldn''t help but let out a satisfied sigh along with a real smile on his face. Even his tense shoulders has evidently rxed due to the experience he just had. He only awoke from his strange state after the person seating on the chair in a not so distance from him coughed thrice. The man himself didn''t even know what the actual reason for him to suddenly act like that! No, perhaps this is what the priest was hinting about. And so, Ivan doesn''t feel as much embarrassed as he initially thought he would. Or rather, the fierce-looking man ahead of him may have help him in recovering his sense. "Wee, Ivan. It''s good to see you." "Umm, thanks?" "I know that you must be very confused right now, just as anyone else would considering your situation. But don''t worry as I shall exin to you right now, everything there is of the truth." Ivan couldn''t help but gulped a mouthful of saliva upon noticing how serious the man in front of him had became. Just his tone alone spoke volume of the situation. Truth? What kind of truth is he talking about? Is he going to make me join his dubious religion afterward? These nonsense of thoughts quickly guing inside his mind, but Ivan didn''t voice out his opinion, which prompted the man to start talking. Chapter 202 - Ivan Part III With the advancement of science and medical research, diseases and illnesses that people once feared was no longer a nightmare as cure and vine developed. Though they are still idiotic people out there who imed that the vine is something akin to evil tool the government used to control people, none could deny that the world is now a better ce than that of the past. The advancement is indeed a great thing for mankind as a whole, however, it also came with a price. Nuclear, pollution, war, you name it. "What are you trying to tell me?" Said Ivan with a visibly annoyance on his face. He had thought he was going to listens to some kind of secrecy about the world, but the man just starts talking about how amazing the world had became, it''s cons, . He felt annoyed. Ivan badly wanted to tell the man in front of him to get straight to the point, however, decided to keep his mouth shut while trying to calm his nerve. "Don''t you feel strange when you stepped into the room?" "!!!" Of course he did. ''Was I perhaps affected by some invisible unknown force that could possibly be supernatural power?! It could also be some incredible made-up tool that was way too advanced for the modern world! There are many possibilities! ...or am I simply being paranoid here?'' Though he was panic inside, his face remained stoic so that the other party won''t know that he''s actually disturbed by thetter''s words. However, the man easily saw through Ivan''s facade but choose to ignore it as he continues speaking. "In the medieval era, most people couldn''t tell what kind of illness or disease they are affected with until it was already toote for treatment. Even if they knows some symptoms, it wasn''t as much information one can get from today''s technology. Even the treatment itself might not be 50% urate." The man paused for a moment to make sure Ivan fully listening to him before continuing. "This is where things gets interesting. What if, a mysterious woman from unknown origin, suddenly appeared in that era with the power to heal any illnesses or diseases with just a wave of her hand?" "That''s impossible." Ivan couldn''t help but immediately retorted. If there''s one possibility among many possibilities that the woman indeed exists, she would have been hailed as a Messiah, a God Chosen, and written down in the history of mankind. But what was written in the history was nothing but full of mankind''s mistakes. Too many mistakes that one could easily names few of them if they are knowledgeable about history. After all, only the winner matters. ''That kind of absurdity could only exist...'' "It could only exists in Fantasy, right? I thought so too, but not until I met this mysterious person." The man chuckled upon seeing the look on Ivan''s face. "You think I''m getting trick by this person, aren''t you? That''s understandable, which was why I will excuse your rudeness just this one time as a benevolent person I am." The man paused for a moment, as his expression suddenly turned serious and spoke with a tone that brought chills deep into Ivan''s bones. The man''s res cause thetter to feel as if he was being stared at by a hungry predator. It was extremely frightening! The murderous aura around the man was so thick that even someone from a normal world like Ivan could smell it miles away the moment the man willingly showcase it. How many has this man killed? Ivan didn''t ask and neither did he wanted to know. He didn''t came here asking for death, after all. "But it is undoubtedly real. The overwhelming strength I felt at that time is not a force to be reckoned with. Even now, I believe if that person wanted to rule the world by force, even the strongest weapon mankind ever created couldn''t ever dreamed of stopping it." The man paused for a moment as a frown appeared on his face, making him looking even more ruthless than before. "But that person is too cautious for some unknown reasons. It was as if it ever let it''s guard down, the Sword of Damocles would copse on top of it at a moment''s notice. No matter how many times we had advised it that such scenario is utterly impossible, it didn''t believe us. Otherwise...the world would have been ours to reign as we pleased. Such a shame." "That is..." ''Ruling the world...as expected, whatever the cult the man and the self-proimed priest is in, they are bunch of people that I shouldn''t interact with.'' Ivan quietly thought to himself. Even so, he couldn''t help but ponder what kind of person they are, to make someone so fierce and ambitious as the man in front of him, to obey it like an obedient servant. Though the man spoke as if he was truly regretful, his eyes shows no hidden ill feeling toward the one mentioned in his words. Heck, what Ivan could read from looking at thetter''s eyes was nothing but respect and awe. This was something he had picked growing up¡ªuseless talent that couldn''t be use anywhere else other than in a situation like this. He had once thought of using his talent to get a job asw enforcer, but he was too young for such a big job. Also, he isn''t that good in studies to begin with so it''s just an impossible dream. "Since you still didn''t seems to believe in my words, how about I show it to you? The power that ordinary people could only dream of and never get their hand on it." The man then picked a pen off his table and started mumblingnguage that Ivan never heard of with a serious look on his face. It isn''t french, italian, or japanese. Heck, is it even one of thenguages of this world? The pronunciation sounds too much gibberish that makes Ivan gave up right away instead of trying to figure it out. Just as he thought the man was tricking him, a ball of me suddenly manifest in front of the dumbfounded Ivan before it wholeheartedly swallowed the pen whole within seconds. If not for the ball of me still floating above the man''s palm, Ivan would have thought he was in a dream. "W-what..." Ivan was speechless by the scene he had just witnessed. Of course he is, any ordinary person would be the same if they were in his shoes. A literally ball of me suddenly appeared out of nowhere like magic that only exists in fictional world, it would be crazy if that didn''t faze him. But a few secondster, the me quickly dispersed just as it suddenly appeared. Noticing the sweats on the man''s forehead and his exhausted look, Ivan concluded that it cost quite the toll to conjure the me. He believes the man can, at most, conjured it one more before falling intopleted exhaustion. "Because of the terrible state of our world, I can only do so much. Even though I''m one of the few talented people, we still stood no chance against that person even if we ganged up on it. It''s as if it''s living entirely different world than ours. It wasn''t just it''s power that is way out of our league, the air around it sort of feels like it existence itself is beyond our understanding." The man suddenly stopped speaking as he turned his gaze away from the window and locked his eyes with Ivan''s before saying. "Now that you know all of this, you understand what would happen if you were to refuse my offer, do you?" Ivan wanted to say that he never asked everything that the man had told him. He was curious, yes, but he never vocally said that he wanted to know. The man just decided to talk about it on his own ord. If he had known that by listening to the ''truth,'' he would have no choice but join them, he would have refuse the moment back when the priest invited him. "You think it''s a lost for you? Think again. Remember, if you join us, there''s a high chance you can acquire the same, or even more powerful ability like what I just shown you." It sounds very tempting when the man put it that way, however, one only need to think for a bit and immediately understood that there''s no way it is as easy as he imed. What if he had to sell his soul to the devil for that power? Or worse, his own mother might be included in the deal. It might look like the man is giving him a chance, but in reality, if Ivan were to reject the offer, he wouldn''t have a good end, no doubt about it. It was then that he realized the moment he had followed the priest is the moment his fate is sealed. ''Checkmate, huh?'' Ivan was suddenly reminded of an animation scene he had watched a few weeks ago and couldn''t helped but chuckled. Looking at the man sitting calmly in front of him, Ivan knows that he has no other choices other than epting their offer. Chapter 203 - Ivan Part IV After epting the offer that he couldn''t reject even if he wanted to, Ivan thought he would be force to go to a ce where ritual took ce, but unexpectedly, all he had to do is to memorize a few paragraphs. It doesn''t matter whether he understand the words or not, what matters is he utter those paragraphs in a secluded room the man already prepared for him. Before the man left Ivan on the said room, he warned thetter to immediately burn the papers after he uttered, or there would be consequence. Ivan didn''t ask what the consequence was, just the look that the man gives him was more than enough for him to take his words seriously. "When I followed the creepy priest, I never thought I''d get a pretty darn good room for my own." A sigh escaped from his mouth as Ivan thought back to the unbelievable event he had experience a moment ago. Furthermore... "Will I really awaken some ability just by uttering the words on these papers?" Within the grip of his hand, there''s a few pieces of papers written in a strangenguage that would make him distress if not for another few pieces of papersid neatly on the table. On that papers, it teach him how to pronounce each word, one by one, for the papers in his hand. However, there''s nothing there that exin what it means so Ivan was still left in the dark. "This feels more like studying...and here I thought I won''t need to study anymore." Though he was still skeptical of the whole situation, Ivan had no choice but to face it since there''s no more retreat for him. He''s literally deep in their base now along with a bomb in his hand. If he make one wrong move, it won''t be just him that would suffer for the consequence. "Well, I wouldn''t know if it work or not without trying it." Though the risk of things going wrong is high, he had to do it. If the power would cost him of his soul, Ivan hopes that it is a powerful ability or he would rage for the unfairness. It''s his soul that''s at stake! He wouldn''t be able to reincarnation if his soul is consumed by demon, that is if wheel of reincarnation theory is real. With that in mind, Ivan wholeheartedly focus onpleting the task by putting the two stack of papers at each side of the other, making it easier for him to switch between them if he came across a problem. Because the words still appeared gibberish to him, it took a lot of time before he could proceed to the second paragraphs. It would be a lot of helped to him if he could understand what it means however. After focusing on the task for three hours, Ivan decided to take a short break as he feels exhausted mentally. It couldn''t be helped since he had never used his brain capacity this much before, not even on his studies. At least for studies, when he knew he couldn''t get far, he would then focus on what he could process and memorize them all. But thanks to his effort, he has finallypleted the task after two short breaks in the middle. At the center of the tableid three stack of papers which consists of a pronunciation teaching material, the gibberish paragraphs, andstly, thepleted pronunciation work. "Now all I need to do is the same as I''ve done with studies, memorize everything." If not for the risk, Ivan would have uttered the words by now. But without understanding what each word means, there''s a high chance of him making a mistake. Who knows, he might identally pronounce a word wrong and it result in him turning into a frog. That kind of fantasy should only exist in fiction, not reality. The only way to go around it is by pronouncing the word one by one, stopping in the middle as to not identallyplete the whole paragraph, and then making sure it is correct by checking the pronunciation teaching material a few times before memorize it. It would have been easier if Ivan has a smartphone or something to record it, but he was too poor to afford one. "The man, Chris Hearthstone, told me that night is a good time since Mana in the air is more active than during the day." Mana, a magical energy that only mage/magician in fiction stories could wield. He never thought something as magical as that could actually exists in reality. Ivan only came to know about it when he asked Chris about the fireball that thetter conjured before on the way to his room. The reason Chris appeared to be so exhausted after one fireball also due to how thin the Mana in the air is, especially during the day, or so he said. Ivan couldn''t help but thought back to the story Chris once told him. Is it possible that it isn''t just a mere nonsense? ''Healing diseases with just a wave of her hand,'' if that''s real, her ability must have been a powerful one that''s for sure. It isn''t on the level ordinary people like him could ever reach. But why is someone as great as her isn''t known in the history of mankind? Heck, he would even believe it if there''s a religion out there worshipping her as their god. It feels like he''s onto something when he thought about it. No matter how curious he is, it doesn''t matter anymore since that woman would have been dead by now. Perhaps, her legend also disappeared along with her death like some other history figures. Such a shame. If she was still alive or passed down her healing ability, people wouldn''t have to fear cancer and other untreatable diseases. It''s also possible that somewhere out there in the world, there exist her sessor, but Ivan quickly shook his head at the ridiculous thought. "Now then, let''s see." Ivan picked up thepleted work off the table as he immediately put all his attention on the few pieces long paragraphs on the papers. He has already prepared all he could, now is the time to witness whether what Chris said to be true, or just a trick to mess with him. Admittedly, if he really gain an ability from this, he wonder what would it be. Is it the famous one, telekinesis? Or is it the more low-key one, photographic memory? Ivan was filled with excitement at the thought of gaining one of these cheat level abilities. [Zion. Le. Ryu. Hiel. Swies.] The moment he finished the first paragraph, as if responding to it, something suddenly resonated deep in his core. However, maybe he was too focus on not making mistake, or the resonation is too weak, Ivan didn''t notice and continue. [Saa. Dwa. Fug. Grez. Des.] This time Ivan finally took noticed of something happening to his body as he feels a sudden jolt of sensation that he never felt before. But since he can''t stop midway, thinking that it might makes thing worse for him, Ivan choose to ignore it and continue. [Freez. Yu. Als. Ertu. Mahn.] Just as hepleted the third paragraph, Ivan almost yelp out when he feels throbbing pains as if he was split apart by something. But he desperately hold it in, gritting his teeth with determination filled his eyes. After all, this is the final paragraph. [Zaug. Dwroth. Quesa. Wart. ZESTRUYAL!] "AAAAH!" Ivan immediately screams like a banshee the moment he finished thest paragraph as he couldn''t take it anymore upon experiencing an overwhelming pain all over his body. Before losing conscious, Ivan has a feeling that he had just lost something important yet couldn''t point out where, or what was the cause. But he immediately forget about it the moment he could sense the thin Mana in the air as he slowly close his eyes with a smile on his face. "It''s a sess!" Ivan eximed the moment he awoke on the hospital''s bed. Fortunately, no one was around or they would think he''s crazy. Even if there''s people in the room, he couldn''t care less about them as his mind was more focus on the Mana inside his body. It was just like what Chris said, once one could sense unknown energy coursing throughout their blood vessels, it means sesful. Ivan''s body is now fully adapted to Mana. It was from there his life starts to get better and better. After leaving the hospital with the creepy priest who came to picked him up, Ivan was told to train his ability since it was still unstable. After a few month passed, he finally fully control his ability and began epting mission to improve his life. It didn''t take him longer than a year before he bought a house for his mother. A few years passed, Ivan was suddenly called and given an important mission that he couldn''t reject. It was to ''find'' a few people to ''help'' the crazy scientist with his research. Ivan couldn''tprehend why they need someone as crazy as that scientist when they have their own method of ''awakening'' people. However, he didn''t voice out his opinion, just as he has always been. Ivan didn''t know why, but he always felt ufortable whenever the crazy scientist was around. The reason being he could only sense chaos, craziness, and theck of humanity in thetter eyes. Just by his presence alone makes Ivan felt suffocated. It was during his mission that Ivan came across a spoiled rich teenage boy, and his name is Rodrick Jayson. It was thetter that suggested him, M Highschool, the same high school that She goes. He begged to Ivan with a lot of bribery which thetter couldn''t refuse. Though the teenage boy warned him about She and her strange power a couple of times, Ivan just took his words and throw it straight into the garbage. He didn''t believe a high school student, a girl especially, could pose a threat to him and his group. He also thought it would just be a swift kidnapping and no one would found about it until he and his group left. If he had believe in Rodrick''s words and stay caution, he wouldn''t have been easily caught into She''s trap. It was already toote when he regret not listening to the brat''s warning. Chapter 204 - Too Late "That''s everything I know." Said Ivan while staring at the masked guy surrounded by fireballs, all of them, ready to take off anytime if he ever wish for. Even now, Ivan is still shocked at the magnitude of this guy abilities. If Chris was here, perhaps only him could put up a fight with him. Ivan couldn''t help but thought back to the time when Chris told him about ''the awakening.'' They are two types of people upon awakening, the first being full awakening without any help from item or someone. In this case, if they also has a good potential as bonus, they would definitely became a great person with frightening magnitude of abilities if nurtures with all their resources. Unlike the second type, this type can grow beyond their limit if their talent didn''t hold them back. Perhaps, this guy might be in this category, the same as Chris. As for the second type, they are people that forcefully awaken themselves with the help of item, someone, or something taboo that shall not be mention. Even if they have good potential, they won''t be able to get far as the moment they awakened with this method, it is the same as cutting their own path beyond their limit. No matter how much they trained, be it ten years or thousands of years, they wouldn''t be able to surpass their limit. And Ivan was included in this category. With how thin Mana is in the air, it is hard for one to awaken on their own at such young age. Heck, if they stay in a ce where it''s rich in Mana, one could potentially lost their life due to Mana Sickening, a state where their cells would slowly die off because their body was unable to adapt to the Mana. Before awakening, Mana is nothing but a foreign energy that the body detected could cause harm to the host. And so, if one prolonged their stay in such a ce, there''s no other result other than death for those idiotic people. With that said, they have no other choice other than the forceful method. Again, in a world where Mana is so thin that only a few special spots exist throughout the world, if one await to awaken on their own with that kind of condition, they might not even being able to experience being half-step away from awakening before dying of old age. If that wasn''t the case, the world would have been filled with all sorts of wannabe superheroes by now. But unknown to Ivan, the guy behind the mask in front of him could awaken literally anyone, so long as they are invited to his hidden world. Furthermore, the said hidden world is also a ce where Mana thrives. If any secret organization came to learn of it, they would never leave the man alone. "Huh, so he didn''t lie back then." "He?" "Rodrick Jayson. An arrogant young master that should have known his limit andy low after my warning, yet he couldn''t control his emotion which lead him to his death. Didn''t he follow you here? He want to make me suffer, but in the end, it was him that suffered in my hand. Howughable." ''Is this the reason why that brat wanted the gem for?'' Before entering the highschool''s premise, Rodrick suddenly asked him that he wanted to buy the gem at any cost, just name the price. To Ivan, the gem isn''t much since it was given to him by the Mad Scientist, and he would never be that guy experimental rat again. He never thought of using it and was going to let it rot in his pocket, but who would have known that there was an idiot that willingly wanted to be one, and he would even get money for it. It''s a win-win situation no matter how he looked at it. However, it was just as he had expected, the gem couldn''t do much against someone whom had a full awakening. It was like throwing a rock against a boulder, it stood no chance of surpassing thetter, be it raw power or size. ''Hmm? Something isn''t right. Rodrick was aiming for a high school girl, but the person in front of him is a guy without a doubt. Which means...'' It was now that Ivan realized the guy real identity might actually be that high school girl. After all, it couldn''t be a mere coincidence for him to be here unless he''s a student of this high school. Rodrick had repeatedly advised him to be on caution on many asions before arriving to this location, to the point that it annoyed everyone on his group. Other than that high school girl, everyone else is just a normal person with no special ability like them. By the process of elimination, Ivan easily reached conclusion. He didn''t know how the girl was able to lookpletely different from the picture shown by Rodrick, perhaps, there''s a powerful artifact in her hand that could do such things. it could also change her voice to that of amon guy you could find anywhere on the street, powerful indeed. "Now that I already told you everything and you have also confirmed that I''m not lying, take me out of this ce, just as you promised a moment before." "Hmm, that''s indeed the case. I did give you such a promise." She nodded her head in agreement. "Sure." Though he was relieved that he''s finally out of this shitty space with nothing but darkness, Ivan couldn''t help but grows suspicious as things went much smoother than he thought. He was prepared to bribe his way out of this since he recently earned a lot from the prideful brat. His life is way more important. After all money can be earn again, but if you''re dead, there''s no second chance, unless you''re the protagonist of fictional story. "Really?" Ivan doubtfully asked, still unable to believe that this is happening. If it were him, he would have ask for a ridiculous amount of money in exchange of their life. "Of course, do you doubt me?" "No no, of course not. I was just asking, haha." It doesn''t matter what she''s thinking as the moment he was set free, Ivan is determined tounch a deadly move the moment his feet touch the ground. If only there wasn''t a mask covering her face, Ivan would have been able to read her to a certain degree and take the momentum to his advantage. "Alright, here we go." With her nonchnt words as the trigger, Ivan that was freely floating in darkness suddenly finds himself standing on the marble floor of the ssroom within the blink of an eye. Without a second waste, he immediately charge with all his might toward the masked girl in front of him with a sharp dagger in his hand. The speed of his charge is astonishingly fast as one could only see blur if they were to witnessed it. Seeing his target not showing any sign of making movement of either dodging or defending himself, a grin appeared on Ivan''s face. He hadn''t mentioned it before but, his awakening ability is called Leap. Within a short span of time when the skill is active, Ivan''s speed would increase tremendously, to the point that it appeared as if he had just teleported from one ce to another. With this skill, he managed to kill many of his enemies caught off guard. The moment they noticed his movement was the moment their head was then plucked off their neck. Ivan believes the current situation would also follow the same pattern as it did heretofore with all of his enemies. *Swish!* And just like that, a head flew up high as the headless body immediately fell following the consequence of his action. Mission sess. "No matter how powerful you are, once caught off guard, you''re nothing but a prey ready to be behead." Ivan nonchntly whispered under his breath while wiping the blood off his dagger with the dark napkin he had at all time. If the n didn''t work out, he had already prepared himself to escape the moment it fail, but unexpectedly, it actually work in the end. "It is unfortunate, however. If we were to meet on a different term, we could have been colleagues. With your abilities, you might ended up bing my boss though. Now that I think about it, yeah, I don''t like it. It''s good that you''re dead." "Is that so?" "!!!" On reflexes, Ivan quickly turned his body around before leaping backward, putting the distance between them. To his astonishment, the girl that he thought had died after getting beheaded is now standing perfectly fine. If not for the bloods on her shirts, the evidence of his action, he would have thought everything so far was just an imagination of his. "I-Impossible!" "What is? Oh, are you talking about meing back to life? Naw, that was nothing. It was just some skills of mine." She cheekily replied. Ivan''s expression is simply precious, almost godly even. If not for the serious situation, she would haveugh out loud. "But I''m sure that I sliced your neck! I even feel a bit of resistance from that!" With a dumbfounded look on his face, Ivan yelled in denial. In his experience as the priest of Ignis Church, he had witnessed almost all things that one considered insane, and managed to stay sane till the very end. Yet at this moment, everything that he came to knows, all crumbles to dust. "I had initially thought of letting you go after hearing of your story, and though I expected this is how it''s gonna turned out, I still hope that you would just escape the moment you''re given the chance to do so. Honestly...you and I are no different from each other. We both have our own goals and something that we treasured. We both trained hard to became strong enough so that we can protect our love ones with our own strength." She then paused for a moment as Ivan could feel her eyes staring at him hidden behind the mask. "But you disappointed me. You choose to eliminate the danger to your organization first instead of running away. Logically, you''re not wrong. However, I must have misjudged your priority. I had thought your mother, your love one, is more important to you than the organization that''s forcing you to kill people like it was nothing. You are a disappointment, Ivan." Every words she said pierce ruthlessly through his heart. That''s right, ever since he was busy with missions, he had never once visited his mother after he bought a house for her. The fact that such a thought never crossed his mind brought him to silence. The reason he joined the Church to begin with is mostly because he wanted his mother to have a good life. A life free of worries and sadness. But how could she be free of worries if her only son had suddenly stopped visiting her just after gifting her a warm house to stay. "Only now did you just realized it? But it''s already toote. The kind me has long gone, you should now repay your sins with your life." Chapter 205 - Tricked By An Illusion Before Ivan could open his mouth and beg for mercy, She suddenly appeared right behind him in the blink of an eye before patting him in the back as his view immediately overturned. He was in the ssroom a moment ago, but now, he finds himself surrounded with endless grasnd. "This is!" Most important of all, he could detected a huge amount of Mana in his surrounding, both from sky and the ground. It was as if he had just stepped into heaven. However, the moment he put strength in his hand to move, he realized he couldn''t do it. Other than his head, every part of his body is immobilized by an invisible power. It was then that he finally came to his sense and understood his situation. "What''s happening to me? Why can''t I move?!" "Why? Of course it''s because I don''t want to you to run. If we were still in the ssroom, you could take the other students as hostage. If that happened, I would have to sacrifice them to catch you after all." She responded from behind him. Since his body is immobilized, Ivan couldn''t turn his head without hurting his neck to look at her. "Now then, what kind of death do you prefer? I''ll give you three choices for you to chose." "One, die from a sword." As if trying to tease him, Ivan could feel a breeze blows gently toward him. "Two, die from fire." The moment she finished, a wall of fire suddenly materialize and surrounded him for a few seconds before disappearing at the snap of her finger. Though it was just a short amount of time, Ivan could feel sweat dripping from his forehead due to the sudden heat. "Andstly, became a food for my pet." With a frightened look on his face, Ivan watched as a small group of giant ants at the size of an adult dog, suddenly came out of the soils. Where in the hell did she hide such frightening monsters from the public''s views?! Does she have more, a colony of them? Just the thoughts alone brought him chills, what if it''s true and she could control them all? She''s too dangerous! "None of them! Let''s fight this out if you''re that brave and powerful!" "Hahaha, so you''re saying I''m a coward? That''s funny, I''ll give you that. However..." "You think you have a chance of winning against me, don''t you?" With a thought, She suddenly appeared a meter away from Ivan as she whispered next to his ears. "I effing am!" Ivan shouted boldly to her threatening words. She couldn''t help butugh out loud upon hearing his response. "Interesting, very interesting. Alright, I''ll give you another chance. Show me that you can survive this predicament!" Answering to her words, Ivan''s whole body was then freed from the system''s binding as thetter immediately jumped back, creating a distance between them so that he could prepare to use his trump card. But before that, Ivan was expecting She tounch an attack, however, all he got from her is just a smile as she stood there doing nothing in particr. Even the group of giant ants that he thought was frightening, they all went back into the soils. Her action is a clear sign that she''s giving him the chance to unleash his power without any interruption from her. ''This girl...she''s looking down on me?'' thought he was angered by her action, a sneer appeared on his face. "Hahaha! You''re done for!" Ivan couldn''t help but let loose a maniacugh out of his mouth the moment he''s finished with preparation. As expected of a unique skill, his energy have been depletedpletely just to fire it for once. ''However, this is more than enough to finish her off,'' thought Ivan as he immediately fire the skill toward She with but a single word. [Freezia!] With a wave of his hand, the wholend around She slowly freeze and turned into a huge piece of ice sculptor. Seeing the frozen figure inside the ice sculptor, Ivan relieved a sigh beforeughing maniacally as he said. "Hahaha! Even if you caneback to life once again, your body would still be frozen! It means you have no way to escape! With this unique skill of mine, once you have been turned into an ice sculptor, you have no choice but to ept your death. You should have dodge it, you ignorant girl!" But he underestimated her too much. The thing is, the ''figure'' inside the ice sculptor isn''t actual her. It was actually a piece of wood that she identally chopped off during the level grinding. Though it isn''t as powerful as it did outside the Trial Tower, She could use the illusion power within the golden ring(the key formation) to trick Ivan while he was focusing on the spell. The moment he starts gathering Mana toward himself like a sore thumb, she had already long retreated before the shot was fired. It was at a time like this that her sixth sense works like a charm. It had warned her and she believe it without putting the revive system to test. At any rate, though she could be revive as many as three times inside the Trial Tower, it is nowhere near being overpowered like the Phoenix''s immortality from the formation as, so long she had enough MP to maintain it, repeatable revival is not just a mere dream. Maybe it was just her imagination but, she could hear people from another world yelling at the God to nerf her. However, to their dismayed, the God were too busy procrastinating, so their prayers was ignoredpletely. Nhelss, that didn''t mean she would charge blindly to her enemies with no fear of death since that is simply reckless and idiotic. What if both the formation and the Trial Tower revival system suddenly doesn''t work amidst the kill or be killed situation? What then? She had died two times after all, one from Rodrick''s stab, the second from getting beheaded by Ivan. Both incidents happened way before she could react to it. From that experience, she didn''t want it happen to her again. Dying is not something that one should get used to. If possible, she doesn''t want to depend on it. Honestly though, she really wants to know how the whole revival system works but, immediately give up since the matter is simply tooplicated for her. It was like trying to learn and understand how the universe works at the same time, that''s how crazy it is. Looking at the frozennd ahead of her, She couldn''t help but thought it would be great if she could learn it. Technically, she could learn any basic skill with just her imagination alone. It was just like the first time she conjured a fireball in the goblin''s cave even though she didn''t have fire magic in her skill list but, it is impossible for the current her if it''s more of aplex type of skill. Even Photographic Memory couldn''t help in this case as it required her actual wisdom, something that she didn''t want to admit that she..ck some of it. This is one of the reasons why she prefers buying skill book from the system''s shop. And then, all she needs to do is leveling it up from basic until it reach high/max level. When that timees, heh, she can simply conjure thoseplex spell with just a thought. While she was getting sidetracked and dreaming the scene of mushroom clouds appearing all over the ce at the snap of her finger, Ivan were currently looking a way out. Rather than thinking the ce he''s in is actually another dimension, Ivan is more inclined to believe that he was teleported to somewhere else on Earth. Along with that mindset, he put all his strength on his feet before looking upward and jumped. Ivan thought he would easily find a vige or two once he''s up in the air for a moment, but to his shock, no matter how far in the distance his eyes travels, there''s only grasnd. The sight he saw didn''t just brought him a shock, he also begins to feel sick in the stomach. It just feels darn abnormal! Enough said. "It can''t be...is this really somewhere on Earth? However, maybe, just maybe I was inside an illusion and were affected by it? Yeah, that must be it!" Immediately after, Ivan starts to focus more to his surrounding, thinking that there must be something, a way to get out of the illusion. To the left, right, and below him, it was all grasnd as far as his sight goes. The sun above his head stood still as if time itself lost it''s meaning here, it neither goes up or down even though he could feel the time passing. It was strange that he could feel heat from the sunlight despite how artificial it felt to him. ''This illusion is too powerful! Everywhere I looked, I didn''t find anything worth even close to being a clue. I tried jumping as high as I could too, thinking I would be stop by something but nothing happened. Even after regaining my strength and firing fireballs at the ce I thought suspicious, all I did was just making the whole area more undesirable to live than before.'' When She came to her sense, she couldn''t help but titled her head to the side in confusion, as she finds Ivan lying on the grass with a weary look on his face. At a few meters away from his position, she could see a devastednd caused from fireballs. She can easily tell because she had once did the same for absolutely no logical reason. But what she couldn''t understand was why would this guy do the same nonsensical thing as her? He didn''t look like someone who had lost his mind either. ''Wait, maybe he was trying to figure out a way to exit this ce?'' when that thought crossed her mind, She immediately called out the system interface with a wave of her hand. ''Click here, scroll down for a bit, and there you go. Now I need to insert the time I wanted to rewind for the video, a couple of minutes should do, and click!'' And there she watch Ivan with intrigued look on her face. When she finished, She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold herughter back as best as she could or she might exposed herself. She couldn''t believe what she had just witnessed. While she was daydreaming, this guy over here was having ''fun'' on his own. Chapter 206 - I Have Failed You "Alright, time''s up." The moment he hears the familiar voice, Ivan''s entire body is immobilize before he could n to do anything untoward to her. She almostugh when she walks closer to him and look down only to see the disbelief look on his face. "H-How?!" Only a single word came out of his mouth as he stares at the person who should have been frozen by his skill, but somehow, here she is, perfectly fine. Though her face remains hidden behind the half fox mask, her scornful smile that mocks him of his effort could be seen as clear as eversting day. "I''ll show you how." When she raise two of her fingers upward, Ivan''s immobilized body also forcefully follows along until he''s standing on his own feet with his face facing the ice sculptor. The feeling of controlling someone''s body without them being able to do anything is almost intoxicate, yet she never let it get to her head since she understand that she could do much more than this, if she keeps up with the pace. As her levels gets higher and higher, the experience she required to level up also increase tremendously, more so than the previous. Same goes to her skill, it became harder to increase their level as just spamming the skill won''t work anymore once it reach a certain level. "Look closely at the ''figure'' enclosed in that ice sculptor, it will show you exactly what it actually is." Following her words, Ivan turn his gaze from her and stare intently at the same ''figure'' still enclosed in there when suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise as the ''figure'' transform into a piece of wood. "See, from the very beginning, you stood no chance against me the moment you stepped into this ce." "You lied to me!" "It isn''t my fault that you''re so naive that you believe I''ll let you go for all you''ve done. What I said previously is also a lie, I never feel sympathy to you. I just want to see what your expression would be when I destroy the very hope I give you. The despair, anger, unwillingness, I wanted you to feel how I felt when my best friend died because of your group." Now that she knows that he couldn''t do anything once he''s here, She finally reveal her real feeling that she tried so hard to suppress the entire time before she began fighting them. From the start, she never considered letting them go, not even once. She had already considered them as her enemies. If they didn''t take Rodrick''s bribery and go elsewhere, she might not even care if hundreds of people disappeared since they are nothing but strangers to her. Justice is good and all, but if you didn''t have the strength to back you up, you''re nothing but moron full of flowers in their head. With her strength, she definitely can take the role, however, why would she? If even a group of supernatural people like Ivan and the Church didn''t make any headline on the news, there must be something out there that stop them from acting up. Even she is starting to doubt whether it is a good idea to make an organization like them as, despite their difference in goal, they are essentially the same. From that perspective, the risk far outweigh the pros. Even with all her preparation, she still isn''t confident that she could stop them all when the problem arise. ''No, I will think about it when that day arrive, but for now, I have to deal with the problem in front of me,'' thought She. "Anyst word?" "You should consider first, the Church aren''t an opponent you can beat with your current strength. If you kill me, you won''t be having a good time in the future." "Is that yourst word? From the very beginning, I already considered them my enemies. If I kill you here, at least it would buy me some time, but if I let you go...what are the chance of theming back with a force I can''t handle within a few days? High, very effing high. And so, for my sake¡ª" "Stop!" "You will have to die here." Feeling a painful sensation in his chest, Ivan look down and stares nkly at the hand piercing precisely into his heart. When she pulled her hand out of him, he could do nothing but watch with helplessness as his blood gushing out of his chest at unbelievable speed. Thest thing he saw before falling into eternal darkness was She''s emotionless eyes from the hole of the mask. Ivan regrets that he ept the mission when he could simply reject if he wanted to, but god forbid, he was blind by greed. ''Mom, I''m sorry. Your son have failed you.'' *** *Thump!* Looking at Ivan''s listless body on the ground, She were deep in contemtion. If she had been weaker and careless, the one on the ground wouldn''t have been him but her. With a thought, the corpse on the ground disappeared as she collected it into her inventory. "Let''s see." Looking at the system''s video interface in front of her, She could see Yuna, Ria, and Mia were having a good time judging by how they didn''t seems awkward talking to each other. ''What a relief. For some unknown reasons, I had thought they would fight. Fortunately, that didn''t happen.'' She heaved a sigh before waving her hand, and the system''s video interface were then reced to her status interface. ¡º Host: She Age: 18 Title: Savior (+2) Level: 39 EXP: 1510/600000 HP: 260/260(+25) MP: 243/500(+25) STR: 50(+5) [ Fearsome Little Giant. ] INT: 100(+5) [ It''s unbelievable that she''s still stupid. ] AGI: 46(+5)[ Osain Volt: are you challenging me? ] VIT: 47(+5)[ This is nothing but a scratch! ] LUCK: 10(+7) [ Blessed by a knockoff, Goddess of Luck. ] AP: 5 Detail: Congrattions, you are now a Monster(lol). ¡» "Is it just me or it feels like the system is making fun of me with those bracket. Heck, there''s a knockoff Goddess?! The only knockoff Goddess I knows is that one anime where the MC choose a blue creature to go with him to another world in a spite.1 It was funny as hell." ''No wonder. I had these thoughts that my luck might actually be much worser than what was shown on the status screen, but to think I was right,'' thought She while cursing the system''s ancestor in the back of her mind. Once she''s done checking everything, including items in her inventory, She''s figure immediately vanished from the Trial Tower before reappearing in the ssroom. The students thought they were finally safe from the murderer when suddenly, the masked figure appeared at the center of the ss. All of them tried their best to hold their breath and not making any noise so that they won''t attract his attention. Unfortunately however, one of the students couldn''t hold her fear anymore and eximed. "Aah¡ª" When the figure turned his head to face them, some of the students were about to scream or beg for mercy when they were suddenly assaulted by drowsiness. Without any resistance, one by one, the students fell asleep on the spot. "The sleeping perfume really did its job well, it makes me feel better knowing I didn''t waste my saving on it." Before leaving the Trial Tower, she decided to purchased a few items in system''s shop, the Sleeping Perfume being one of them, when she remembers that the students were still out there in the ssroom. Slowly, she approach the dead studentying in his pool of blood before crouching down and mutter. "I''m not sure if thirty minutes has passed, but let''s give it a try anyway." Without any hope in her mind, She opened the cap of the vial filled with rainbow liquid before dropping a drop of the said liquid into the dead student''s mouth. When she first acquired this miracle potion, she bought a few of them in the shop when she had enough gold. Who would have thought she would need to use it again on stranger after using it once on Ria. Actually, a single drop is enough to resurrect the dead within the time limit, but she was so damn anxious previously, she ended up using the whole vial to resurrect Ria when she could be saving some for future usage. Upon witnessing its power personally, she decided to get a few of them just in case, albeit sacrificing third-quarter of her saving funds. As if to proof why it was called a miracle potion, the corpse were then engulfed in white light for a few seconds before She could faintly hear thetter beating heart, a clear sign that she sess in reviving him. This also implies that it hasn''t been thirty minutes since his death, perhaps he might be gone for good if she were a bit any minutester. "Mhm..m..." She immediately spray the perfume the moment the student show sign of awakening, putting him back to sleep with the rest of students. When they woke up the next time, there would definitely be chaos when the one they thought were dead suddenly appeared before them, alive and well. But that can''t be helped. If she had enough gold, she would have bought a few memory erasing capsule for this kind of situation. The truth is, she''s currently broke as hell. They will have to deal the problem themselves. She was already kind enough to lent them a hand by reviving their dead ssmate, the rest is up to them. She hopes this will give her a bit of time to prepare herself for the uing foreseeable battle. Konosuba Chapter 207 - Luke, The Avenger "Hmm?" After exiting the ssroom, leaving the unconscious students behind, She decided to probe more around her school as she didn''t want to let her enemies go, if any still around the school premise. It never hurts to be on the safe side, with that mind, She keep her disguise on and move only within the shadow. During her search for any hidden enemies, she overhears amotion in the hallway with her sharp hearing while she was distance away from the location. While thinking her cautiousness paid off, she immediately head to the scene. However, she soon realized her thinking was wrong when she saw a familiar face at the center of the scene. *** Luke POV "...what?" Looking at the spaciousnd around me, I''m amazed. At one moment, I was in the school hallways, but then I suddenly find myself here after answering yes to the monotone voice in my head. It was instantaneously, I had no time to react before then. "Ouch!" I immediately groan when I feel pain from the pinch I just did to myself. I just saw my friend''s death, making a deal with devil, then find myself in unknownnd. I would have been crazy if I didn''t question the absurdity of the situation. It would make sense if it was all a dream, but the pain I felt throw me off the grip. Hell, it still hurt. Now that I believe the situation is as real as it can gets, I starts to look around in wariness. If what the devil said to be right, there should be monster out here. First of all, I don''t have anything on me that could potentially use as a weapon. But I do have a few things in my pocket, smartphone being one of them. What do I do with it? Throw it at them? Sorry, my phone''s brand isn''t the brick one, NAKIO. If I did that, it would be my heart that get smashed into oblivion. Wallet is a must, after all, I was on my way to cafeteria before the whole things ured. But it is useless right now. If what I believe to be right, I don''t think monster would want to steal money from me, they aren''t bandit. So that left me with a pen. I tried imagining myself using the pen to pierce a goblin''s head, but all I could see at the end is me getting beaten to death. There''s no chance of me winning at all. So yeah, nope. I don''t need to think further to realized I''mpletely helpless if a monster appeared right in front of me right now. I need to retreat for now, I''ll return once I find myself a weapon or something. "...but how do I leave?" Just as the words escaped from my mouth, the same monotone voice that I heard previously suddenly spoken in my head, shocking me the second times. [Do you wish to leave the Trial Tower? Yes/No] I immediately answered it without a second thought, and then I found myself back in the hallways. I breathe a sigh of relief when I didn''t see anyone around or I wouldn''t know how to answer them. From now on, I should only enter and leave the ce when no one''s around, I walks back to my ssroom with that thought in mind. I don''t have any appetite to eat anymore after what I had just experienced. The ssroom should be empty since it''s lunch time still, it should be a good ce for me to calm my mind from all the mess. But before I could get far, a thought crossed my mind as I immediately turn and run back to where I came from. When I got back to the same ce, I starts to look around, yet nothing was found. It was the corpse of my friends, it''s missing, not even a drop of blood remained on the floor. I was sure that it was there when I was saved by the devil, but now it''s gone. Did someone passed through here and picked up the bodies away from the eyes of the students as to not scare them or something? If that''s the case, there should be a blood trail at the very least, but there''s no such indication of that happening anywhere. I should have look after them, but I was distracted by the allure the devil shown me. Now I can''t even told their parent that their kids is dead since I have no evidence. I would just became a suspect for their kidnapping if I tell the truth to them. I''m such a ''good'' friend, aren''t I? With a depressing thought in my head, I didn''t notice that a small group made up three students wereing closer right behind me with a grin on their face. When I noticed their presence a few meters away, it''s already toote. "Yo, what are you doing here? Where is your other idiotic friends that''s always with you?" Said one of the students with provoking look on his face. The student to his left couldn''t help but snickers at his words. "They must have left him since he''s some." Answered the other students to the right before the three of themugh out loud at their own joke. "Well, they are still stupid even without you. Hahaha!" With just those words alone, one can tell what kind of person these three really are. For some unknown reasons, these three always likes to pick on me and my friends. None of us knows each other before high school. If it was before, I would just ignore them and move on. These type of people aren''t worth wasting time for. But today, today of all days, they decided to insulted me and my friends that isn''t in this world anymore. If it was me alone, I wouldn''t care nor bother with them, but they dare to say that to my friends! My only friends! "Huh? What are you staring at?" "Whoa, would you look at him? He''s about to cry. Man, you really need to hold back your stinky mouth. After all, we don''t want him telling his mama and papa. Hahaha!" "You bastard!" With angry shouted, I recklessly charge at them before throwing a straight punch at their leader of the group, sending him flying into a distance. While they were surprised at my sudden and unexpected movement, I took the chance and send a powerful kick to theckey on the left, right into his stomach. When I saw an iing punch to my right from thest standingckey, I crouch down and slip him with a kick before jumping on him, and starts throwing punch after punch to his face. All of that happened within few seconds! Or at least that''s what I imagined it to be, but in reality... "Hah, take this!" "Taste my heavenly kick!" "Super inferno Punch!" I couldn''t even swing my fist before I was hit on the face as I fell t to the ground. I have never been into a fight in my entire life, and neither am I fit. It was given that I got thrashed the moment they realized I was going to attack them. "Hah, look at this guy. He dares to stare back despite being this weak." "I know right? Hup!" "Know your effing ce, trash!" This was the second time that I desperately long for strength. If I have the strength to back me up, it wouldn''t be me on the floor but them. I wouldn''t suffer at that time, and neither will I be in the future. It was then that I remembered the devil once said, the card in my pocket is the key for it, does that mean I could get stronger by defeating the monster in the Trial Tower like in the game I yed? If that''s the case... With a goal sets in my mind, I continues ring at the three while they keep on thrashing me as they pleased. Just you wait, soon, it would your turn. And trust me, it would be ugly, much more than what I experience right now. Everything, I''ll return back triple the pain I suffered. "Stop!" Just as I thought they were going to continue until I pass out, I heard a voice filled with concern and anger in the distance. While thinking who was the idiot wannabe hero, I slowly peek from the cover of my hand and were surprised at the finding. It was a familiar face, it''s none other than my ssroom''s monitor, Syahira. Chapter 208 - She Isnt My Type Syahira, she has a kind and strict personality that would interfere if she saw an injustice happening right in front of her eyes. In a way, she''s a nosy and troublesome person. Because of that personality of hers, many were divide into a hate or love rtionship, the teacher being thetter while the former were students like the three that was thrashing Luke. But more people likes her mostly of how diligent she is at everything, this also earned her right to became the ssroom''s monitor. "Huh? Oh, if it isn''t our respectful ss monitor. What, is there anything you need of us?" "Are you finally interested in apanying us to somewhere ''fun''?" "Hehehe." A frown appeared on her face at their oblivious and rude remarks. Because the teacher was in needs of her help, she happened to bete for lunch. She didn''t expect to came across a bullying while she was on her way to cafeteria. Even worse, it''s bullying that involved physical. This would have gone unnoticed if it was any other students that walks into the scene. Looking down at the bullied studenty on the floor with many bruises on both of his hands, her body trembled with outrage as she thought, ''How could they do such cruel things to their fellow student? If I hadn''t stop them just in time, would they continue until the victim passed out, or at worse...die?'' When such thoughts crossed her mind, she couldn''t look at the three the same way she look at other people. In her perspective, they seems more like monsters wearing human''s skin. If it wasn''t for the fact that she had heard many bad rumors about them from both the teachers and students alike, and now seeing their action in person, she would never reach such conclusion that fast. Ignoring the three, she immediately rush toward Luke and crouching down as she ask, "Are you okay?" ''Yeah, I''m the embodiment of healthy itself. No poop, sherlock. It fxcking hurts.'' Luke retorted in his mind. If he hadn''t hold himself back, he would have said those words right back at her for asking the obvious. Though she came with good intention, he would rather her not interfering in his business. He already had n in mind for these three, there''s no way he would let them go with just apologies. With that thought in mind, Luke tried his best to smile as if to assure her and said, "I''m okay, I got this bruise from a fall." As if she couldn''t believe what he just said, she was staring at him with a dumbstruck expression on her face. ''I''m literally signalling you here,dy, please go away. You would only make the situation worse if you dally any longer as, there''s a very high chance of you of getting caught into this mess. I''m saving you from trouble here, please, go away.'' with that thought in his mind, Luke tried his best to signal her with his eyes. But as expected of a mind rules by justice, she couldn''t read his thought. Rather, there''s no way she can read him with just his eyes alone unless she got the talent for it. "Why are you lying? I clearly saw them beating you from afar! That''s it, we''re going to¡ª" "No no no, you''re not going anywhere with him, ss Monitor." The leader of the group immediately interrupted her before she could take him under her wings. With a grin on his face, he follow up by saying, "Why don''t you go with us instead? Just leave this guy alone, just as he said, he''s fine. Why not have fun with us?" "Right!" She res fiercely at them in response, but on their perspectives, she looks even cuter rather than scary. "What do you think would happen if I scream my heart out?" Syahira said with a confident tone. Although no one is around in the hallways aside from them, it''s a different story if she ended up screaming, alerting both the teacher and students alike immediately to their location. No matter how confident they are of their strength, they aren''t fast enough to outrun an adult. Also, they can''t just left the two behind. With the cons far outweighs their hobbies, they quickly turned around and look at each other with understanding look in their eyes, backoff for now. "Heh, lucky for you. If it wasn''t for us being gentlemen and not wanting to hit on a girl, we wouldn''t have let you go." "Be thankful, coward." "Shame on you." Leaving those as their departing words, the three left the scene followed by Syahira''s res at their back. Once she were sure they really leave, she breathe a relieved sigh. "You should mind your business." Upon hearing cold words right behind her, she didn''t frown but smile at him instead before saying, "Let me help you get to nurse. It''s quite far from here, but with me helping you, it should be faster than you walking on your own." As she said, if he were to walk on his own with bruises all over his body, it would take a long time until he reach his destination. As much as he didn''t want her to interfere with his business, he also didn''t want others to see him with his current state. Plus, this girl is actually quite stubborn from what he heard. Without saying anything, he nodded his head. With the help of ss monitor, they soon arrive in front of the infirmary. Luke internally sighed, it was pretty awkward on the way here as they were pretty close, enough to hear each other''s breathes. Though he tried to distract himself with something else, his thoughts immediately gone awry the moment he felt something soft touching his side at every steps he took. Finally, he was freed from the torture. "You can take a leave now, I appreciate the help but this is where we depart." "And here I thought you can''t express gratitude, I''m d I was wrong. Can you walk yourself inside?" "Yes." Luke then proceed to head inside the infirmary and starts looking around in search for the nurse. Unfortunately, there''s no one else in the room other than him. He found himself an empty bed beforeying down as a n ran through his mind. By the look on their faces before they left, Luke can tell they definitely won''t let him go if they met him after this. Hell, there''s a possibility that they would wait for him at the school''s gate. For someone who cares more about their pride, highly possible. ''From the looks of those four, ss monitor included, they didn''t appear the least fearful. I thought whoever is behind the killer would make a huge scene judging by how high-profile the psychopath that murdered my friends in cold blood, but it appear not,'' thought Luke. "You appeared to be bored, well with your current state, I guess it make sense." Luke groaned in pain when his body jolt in surprise upon hearing someone spoken out of nowhere, close to him. While gritting his teeth due to the pain, he turned his head to the side and saw a familiar person with a long white hair, and a half fox mask covering thetter''s face from being seen. Just from its lean built alone, it could be a girl, but a guy at the same time. It''s hard to tell from just that. "I just left you alone in the hallways but didn''t expect to find you with a flower by your side. If I have to give my honest opinion, you got a good taste, however, I don''t think you have any chance with the way you are right now." It even has androgynous voice! At this point Luke didn''t even care whether the devil by his side is female or male, heck, it could be both. "That''s not funny. I''m not really good with people like her, good at everything they does while having a good personality to boot. If I had to choose, I would rather get myself an airhead type of girl." "Huh? I didn''t expect thating from you, who blushed a moment ago when her boobs keep touching your side." "That''s a normal reaction for a high schooler like me!" "You mean, virgin high schooler, but okay. I didn''t came here to tease you, here, take this." Luke panicked the moment the devil thrown a vail made of ss straight at him. If he hadn''t heard her warning in time, it would have shattered to pieces on the floor. "What is this? Why are you giving me this?" "Isn''t it obvious? It''s for treating your wounds." Inspecting the blood red liquid inside the vial, Luke doubt this thing would help him in his recovery. He''s definitely doubtful for sure, however, that doesn''t matter. With a bit of strength left, Luke opened the cap before gulping down the whole content at once. Then he witnessed the bizarre sight of his bruises disappearing instantly along with the pain. It happened so quick and magical that he couldn''tprehend whether what he saw was real, or just an imagination of his running wild. Chapter 209 - Hope And Despair "Of course it is. You''re lucky that you didn''t came across a monster when you previously entered, perhaps you won''t be here if that happens." She spoke in response to Luke''s question. "Was it a powerful monster?" "Nah, it''s just slime. But for someone at your caliber, even the weakest monster, slime, have a very high chance of killing you. Plus, you don''t even have any weapon with you." While Luke became silent due to the disappointment that he couldn''t even beat slime, the famous monster in many roley games, She secretly pulled her phone out of her pocket, and look at the time on the lockscreen before stuffing it back into her pocket once she knew she still had time for what she was about to do now. To gain his full trust, she needs to shows him a bit of her power. To be more precise, she wanted to show him that she could definitely achieve the impossibility of going against death, that is revival. Judging by his current state, he would definitely make a mistake, sooner orter. She finds it wasteful at first, thinking that wasting a precious item just to gain someone''s trust isn''t worth the price, however, if she starts to look at it in a different light, and that she''s putting an investment on him, she feels a little better at such thoughts. She can just make him paid her backter with interest. "Raksha!" Luke weren''t just surprise at her sudden shout, but also at the appearance of a big silver-ash wolf right next to her. It just appeared out of nowhere! If he was intently staring at her before, he would have noticed that the wolf actually came out of her shadow. "Can you guard the door for a bit? Let me know ahead if you feel a presence closing by, okay?" Raksha bark in response to her before running off, faithfully standing guard at the closed door with its furry ears raised in vignce. "Where did that wolf came from?" "Don''t worry about the small details. Anyway, tell me the truth, although you decided to follow me, you don''t have that many trust in me, right?" "Yes." "That''s quick, however, I like that honest attitude of yours. I''m sure you have many questions in your mind, especially the revival of your friends." Upon mentioning his friends, she noticed Luke''s body subconsciously flinched in response to it. "You do believe I have some powerful ability that most people could never dream of, yet at the same time, you''re also doubtful if I can actual revive dead people, am I right?" Luke silently nodded his head. "It didn''t take a genius to guess something as simple as that. After all, resurrection is known as taboo and impossible to realize. If one suddenly announced that they can revive dead people in public, I''m sure he would either get beaten up by people, or have a good time in jail." She paused for a moment to take a breather before continuing. "Which was why, I''m going to show you that I do have the capability to do the exact impossible, and make you witness it with your own two eyes." Without any further exnation, Luke were then surprise when a bloodied corpse magically appeared on the floor next to her. Since she could only bring the item from her inventory outside by the use of her smartphone when she was outside the Trial Tower, She was forced to hide such a fact by using the illusion from the formation on herself. Since the time is frozen when it is stored inside her inventory, She could pulled out any corpse she had and revive them on the spot. Though she never has this intention of stocking on corpses, she isn''t a pyschopath after all, she''s still d that they are being useful to her for this very moment. Among the three corpses she had, which is in order of Rodrick, Nyoka, and Ivan, She decided to pick the first one since he''s the only one whom she can handle without a fear of him trying to escape. "For your information, this guy here was also in the same group as the one whom murdered your friends." "What?" "How about you try touching it, you know, just to be sure that it''s a real corpse, not someone who were unconscious or sleeping." Rather than answering the cause for his confusion, she told him to verify the corpse, just in case he might thought she were going to trick him. Since this involved his friends, Luke have to verify despite feeling like he was going to puke at the sight of the corpse. By putting his finger below the nose, he was sure thetter isn''t breathing even after a few minutes passed. But just to be sure, he checks the pulse, and only then did he believe it is a real corpse. Once his inspection is done, She told him to steps aside since it is time for her to unleash the magic of revival. At one quick breathe, Luke watch in astonishment as the moment she drop the liquid in the vial in the corpse''s wide opened mouth, the whole body suddenly shines so bright that he had to look away or it will hurts his eyes. When he turned back, look and behold, the corpse which previously came as someone who was tortured to death, now looks perfectly fine. If he were to look even closer, he noticed the belly going up and down, a sign of thetter breathing for oxygen. "As you can see, with just a drop of this magical medicine I have in my hand, I can revive literally anyone." Of course she didn''t tell him the obvious weakness that it required to be consume within thirty minutes, or it won''t work. Looking at the dumbfounded expression on his face, she chuckled and thought, ''He must be pretty shock, which is obvious given he had just watched someoneing back to life. I would be the same if not for the fact that the first person I revived is my childhood friend.'' Once she was sure that Luke got his rity, she immediately burn Rodrick alive with fire magic, making him sleep for eternity ''peacefully''. Thetter couldn''t even voice any resentment before he was turned into ashes in the blink of an eye at the quick work of her fire. "And just to let you know, if you ever betray me, I won''t hesitate to kill you in the most gruesome way possible. I really hates betrayal, keep that in mind until then." Just by looking at his face turning pale and eyes filled with fright is enough for her to be relieved, at least for now. Since she had shown him the hopes of his wish, she also needs to show him despair of what would happened if he decided to go against her. Just because she feel sympathy toward Luke''s tragedy of losing his friends as, in a way, she knows exactly how it felt, but it doesn''t mean she will show him mercy if that happens. Chapter 210 - The Missing Students When the students reported that they had heard a screaming in the hallways to the teacher they met on the way to the teacher''s office, the teacher shrugged it off at first, thinking that they were trying to pull a prank on him. But he quickly realized that they weren''t joking around upon looking at their frightened face. Once he was very sure they weren''t lying, the teacher immediately took off, heading toward the location as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him however, the moment he arrived on the scene, everything was already over. But on the way there, he found a couple of students and asked them if they ever heard any scream, but surprisingly, they shook their head with a confused look on their face. He then asked them the second questions, if they ever finds anything strange, to which they answer with, "Strange? Oh! A little while ago, there was a group of students where we walked passed them and I overheard their conversation a little bit. I thought they were talking about a game, but then one of them said they truly saw it with their own eyes!" "A phoenix, he said! A real life phoenix! That''s the most strangest things I have heard in my entire life!" "Yeah, obviously that guy must be lying. A phoenix in this day and age? It can only exists in virtual world." Just like his students, he wouldn''t believe either if someone suddenly said they saw a mythical creature in a modern age, heck, he might ended up calling the ambnce, thinking the other party might be sick in the head. When the teacher had properly inspected the whole scene and still couldn''t find anything, he thought of quiting midway, but then he remembers the look on his students and decided to continue. Since the students said they heard a scream from the hallways, it is possible that whoever caused a scene had already left, or gone upstairs to the second floor. It''s about fifty-fifty, but if it''s the former, the students he passed previously would have seen, or came across them on their way out of the premise, however, they didn''t. As such, the teacher immediately ran toward the stairs. When he stepped onto the second floor, the teacher could faintly smells blood in the air which caused him to frown as bad feeling starts to kicks in. Without a second thought, he rush toward the nearest ssroom and slide the door open. No one was in the ssroom and neither did the smell of blood, once he realized that, the teacher immediately went out to check the other ssrooms. Room after rooms, he found nothing yet he could hear his heart beating loudly during the whole order as his thoughts starts running wild. ''There''s a murderer in the premise! I have to find him first before he gets to the other students! Though I''m not really a fighter, at the very least, I can scream to attract attention and try my best to hold the murderer back while the help is on the way. Since the students only heard of scream but no gunshot, I think it''s safe to assume the murderer didn''t have a gun on him. With that in mind, I have a high chance to survive if I make use of the surrounding,'' the teacher thought while he were observing the whole ssroom befote leaving once he didn''t find anything. After some time, he stood silently in front of thest ssroom as he thought, ''this has to be it. But why was it so quiet in there if there''s a murderer? Did the murderer already killed everyone inside?!'' the moment that thought passed through his head, the teacher quicky gathered all his courage and slide the door open. When the teacher saw a group of studentsid quietly on the floor, he gritted his teeth and immediately ran toward them while wishing they were just unconscious, not the eternal sleep known as death. He could only breathe a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse after checking each of their vital signs. However, he found the situation strange. Why were theyying unconscious on the floor? One of them had blood on his torn shirt, however, there''s no injuries when he look into it. Plus, it looks like the bloods had already been dried up while none was on the floor. The second questions, where was the murderer? That is if it exists since it is nothing, but just an assumption on his part. However, if it''s not a murderer, that raise another question. ''No, why not question these kids since they most likely holds more of solid information than something based on my useless assumption.'' The teacher thought. With a bit of shaking and few wake up calls, the students slowly awaken from their unconsciousness with a confused look on their faces as they haven''t realized the situation just yet. Upon seeing their supposedly dead friend alive next to them, their memories before falling unconscious finally returned in full. Shock, fear, awe, and disbelief. Even without uttering any words, the teacher can clearly read the clear expression written on their face. When they saw him, a teacher, was here, some of them obviously rxed their tense shoulders followed by a sigh. If the teacher safely arrived here, that must means they have been rescued, or so they thought. When the teacher asked them of what happened, they quickly opened up and told the teacher the nightmare they just experienced. Everything was fine until it gets to the part that one of the student were supposed to die from all the cruel beating he had received, yet for some unknown reasons, he still alive and no injuries on his body as if everything that happens was just a bad dream. They also told the teacher of what happened before they lost unconscious, but thetter is still doubtful whether they were speaking the truth of the matter. After all, a student of his had once told him that they saw a phoenix, and now another student said a group of people hidden in cloaks were fighting with a single person when one of them died and suddenly, the single person disappeared and appeared below the two like a ghost before pulling the two down with it. Is this even real world anymore? Or is this just a dream he had due to overwork? But he couldn''t just denied it outright when all of them agreed that they witnessed the same thing. It''s either all of them were lying to him, or everything they said is the truth. In normal case, he would have believe the former, but after a quick thinking, he realized their words might hold some truth in it. Either way, thankfully they were safe. It was onlyter that the teacher learned that two of their students were missing. Thest student that saw them in the hallways said he saw them walking toward the cafeteria, and there''s three of them actually. When the teacher questions Luke, he appeared surprised when he learned two of his friends were missing, and he told them that he had to separated from them midway there since he needs to go to toilet. Though the teachers were doubtful the truth of his words, they couldn''t do anything since there was no proof that he actually did something. In the end, they called the cops and asked for their help. But few days passed, no clue was found and their location still remains unknown. Just when the parents of the missing students was about to give up on the search, the supposedly missing students suddenly appeared in their perspective''s houses as if nothing happens to them. Chapter 211 - Secret Technique, That Is— ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» "This is nowhere enough. I need to increase the difficulty of grinding for a bit to gain more experience inbat. Only by doing that would I have the confident of beating the Earth Dragon. As to whether I have the chance or not, I wouldn''t know without fighting, or so I wanted to say but, the current me would definitely get thrashed if I pick a fight with it." Once she had in thest Fierce Wolf of its packs, She finally breathe a relieved sigh as she muttered. Though it is a bit difficult when she decided to pick a fight with a pack of Fierce Wolf, it isn''t unwinnable fight. Since the Fierce Wolf pose no threat to her by now, she thought it''s finally time to look for the real boss, the Alpha of the pack. Actually, she already knows the location of the said boss. She identally came across it while searching for the nest of the Giant Ants. However, because she was still weak and didn''t have that much experience fighting the Fierce Wolf, she didn''t have the courage to take the risk back then. Alpha Fierce Wolf, one of the most obvious characteristics that tells it is different than any ordinary Fierce Wolf is the silver-white furs, and its beautiful light-blue pupils. Though it is indeed beautiful, one shouldn''t put their guard down as, that very beautiful pupils would also make any average human became weak the moment it stares at them. Even from afar, She was intimidated by its presence alone. Most importantly, the two huge fangs that evidently couldn''t stay hidden is the most fearsome things of its characteristics. Thanks to Photographic Memory, she has no chance of forgetting it even if she only caught a glimpse of it. Currently, she''s level 40 and the feeling of her body getting stronger is even more evident than before. Honestly, it''s the most satisfying feelings she ever had. Level andbat experience isn''t the only things that had increased, most of the skills that she finds important also leveled up quite a bit. With all of that in mind, it couldn''t be helped that she got a bit confident in herself. But of course she won''tunch an attack right away, she need to get a bit of rest after having an exhausting fight just a moment ago. Though she could easily replenish her energy via potion, she decided against it unless the situation called for it. Otherwise, would just be a waste. While she were resting her back on Raksha''s fluffy furs, her mind couldn''t help but wandered back to a few hours ago. After leaving Luke in the infirmary with a few words of advise, She immediately entered the Trial Tower once she found a good spot, away from the rest of the students and teachers alike. Since the problem with Luke has been taken care of, time for her to face another problem that she had been prolonged up until now. It''s about her junior, Yuna. Thest she checked, Yuna was having a good conversations with both Ria and Mia. When her figure suddenly appeared approximately right behind Ria, Yuna couldn''t help but cried out in astonishment by her sudden appearance. The two were surprised at her outburst and immediately turned their back before heaved a sigh when they realized it''s She instead of monsters. "You know, you should have alert us ahead of time if you''re going to appear. See, you scared the crap out of her." She bows her head in apologetic manner toward Yuna while epting Ria''s scolding without any objection like it''s an everyday things to her. Yuna epted her apology since she knew her senior didn''t mean any harm. "So, did you already take care of the problem there?" Ria asked. "Perfectly, or so I wish to say, but it works out fine in the end, so it doesn''t really matter." She said, Ria nodded her head in an understanding manner. Knowing her, it''s given for things to go awry, it''s almost fortunate that it didn''t get worse instead since that does happens a few times in the past. "So, what sort of discussions you three were having while I was outside? You all seems close to each other now." "Well, I was pretty much nervous and worried at first upon arriving on this unknown ce. I know immediately that my arrival here is the work of yours, senior, but I couldn''t help and get worries that you might done something reckless." Yuna said. "Afterward, she came across me when she wanders around. I did my best to tell her everything that I know of the Trial Tower while I''m at it." Mia nonchntly replied in response to Yuna. Usually, when one were sent inside by her, they would appear on the same spot no matter where they are outside. But because of She quirkiness of always appearing right next to her whenever she visited, Mia didn''t bother staying on the same ce and decided to stay near the boundaries for unknown reasons. "As expected of you, senior! Magical girl is indeed as amazing as it was shown on TV! To be able to owned a small world like this, you have to be magical girl!" Yuna passively said. ''I do have magic skills, so getting called as magical girl is not really wrong in that case, however, this and that are two different things! Why would you think having an entire dimension different than a reality itself is actually normal for a magical girl? What kind of anime did you watched? I''ll make sure she tell me about itter.'' She secretly thought before shaking her head helplessly at Yuna''s logic. "While they were talking about themselves, that''s when I came in. Since there doesn''t seem to be that many topics for us to discuss, I decided to tell them some funny moments of you." Ria said with an obvious teasing tone in her voice. "What? What did you tell them? Come on, tell me, Ria. No, I''m not angry, just curious, yes, curiosity." She immediately asked her back while trying to make herself sounds normal. But it was obvious to the three that she was pretty agitated by Ria''s remark. "Not telling~" "Fufufu, fine then. Since you''re going to be like that, don''t me me for this." Once she finished speaking, her figure suddenly disappeared before reappearing right behind Ria in a single instant, and before thetter could dodge it, She immediatelyunch the most powerful attacks in her arsenals, that is tickling attack! "HAHAHA! S-Stop it!" "Nope, you asked for it. Now feels my wrath! Muahahaha!" The two that were left at the side could do nothing but looks at the scene with a wry smiles on their faces while thinking, ''both of them were pretty close, huh''. Chapter 212 - Alpha "Now then, I''m going to be asking you a few questions and you must answer it seriously, okay?" She said with a serious look on her face with her gazes locked on the person in front of her. "Yes, senior!" The girl, Yuna answered with the same vibrant tone as she always had. Though her eyes sometimes couldn''t help but nce at the bulging red on top of She''s head, the result of thetter tickling Ria too much, she did her best to appear serious overall. The two, Ria and Mia, standing at the side also read the situation and decided to keep their mouth shut. They also couldn''t help but wonders what kind of questions She going to ask, but they were stunned speechless when they heard She''s first question and more. "FDO''s rate up is a lie, is this true or false?" "It''s 100% true!" "Homework is such a pain, is this also true or false?" "Definitely true! Any school rted stuff should be in the school''s premise only, why are we still studying at home when we already did so at school? It doesn''t make any sense!" "That''s right! Though most people said gaming is bad, I learned a lot in games, more than my English teacher''s ss. Don''t you think so?" "Yes, I agree! I also learned a lot from the many novels I have reads, more than what I learned in my Literature teacher''s ss!" "Then is school even necessa¡ª" "That''s it." Before She could said something more idiotic, Ria immediately went right behind her, and knocked some sense right onto her head with the power of justice, that is her fist. Afterward, she was lectured once again. "Are you going to do it again?" "No, Ma''am." She answered while sitting in a seiza position. If she said anything more, the lecture won''t be stopping anytime soon. "Really?" "Yes, Ma''am." "Good, now hand me that card." "But I don''t have a business card yet?" She titled her head to the side with a confused look on her face. "I''m taking about ''THAT'' card you n on giving to her." As if she hade to realization by Ria''s words, She nodded her head and immediately shoves her hand into her pocket before pulling out a smooth ck card. "But why? I was going to do that anyway." "Don''t you remember what happened to me previously?" Ria said. Though she has a smile on her face, her eyes isn''t actually smiling. That chilling stare of her, She had a feeling something bad would happen to her if she didn''t give a proper respond. True to her childhood friend''s words, she did done terribly back then. Ria almost lost her life due to She''s mistake. ''Honestly, it isn''t really a bad thing if Ria wants to take my ce since she''s good at exining stuff unlike me,'' when she think of that, another thoughts suddenly crossed her mind which caused her to fall into deep in thought. She only came to her sense when Ria seized the card away from her hand since thetter had repeatedly called her name, but She didn''t respond. And then she was chased out of the first floor for reasons she couldn''tprehend. "Why would I cause trouble just by being there with them? Hmph, I''m sure she''s just taking her revenge on me for the previous tickles attacks. That must be it." Since she couldn''t watch the surprise look on her junior''s face in person, She decided to kill some monsters and earn some experience while she''s already in the Trial Tower. "Thanks, Raksha. I''ll see you againter." *Woof! Woof!* After departing with Raksha as it turned into a small sheet of paper which she quickly slide into her inventory, She stood up on her feet and thought that it''s about time for her to face the threatening presence deep in the forest. Without waiting any further, she put a bit of strength in her feet andunch herself off the ground beforending safely on a sturdy branch. This goes on until she arrive approximately 20 meters away from the boss of this floor. Straight ahead, there''s a huge silver wolf resting peacefully at the center of a pack of Fierce Wolf. Even without any information on them, anyone with a working brain would realized that the silver wolf has to be the Alpha of the pack by just ncing at them. Before fighting the boss, she need to take care of the pack standing guard around it first, or it wouldn''t just end up troublesome. Fortunately, she came fully prepared this time. Honestly, she thought it would be an epic 1vs1 battle. But this is fine too, heck, this might be her first battle tomand the giant ants. Yes, she didn''t came here alone, or rather she was never alone ever since that day. After she had tamed their Queen, the few soldier-type giant ants that survived also followed along. And since then, the Queen hadn''t even once stopying eggs. Only when the Queen reported to her that there are more than enough giant ants to take care of thervas did She decided to bring some of them along with her. When She had stepped into the Sixth Floor, she didn''t just came here solely to grind. She also have another reasons, and that is to checks on the giant ants she left behind. Surprisingly, there are a few of them that dies, but those that survived average at 26-30 levels. Though their level aren''t as high as her, they are more than enough to handle a pack of Fierce Wolf. "Now then, show them what you got." With her arm raise as the signal, a good numbers of giant ants slowly surfacing around the pack of agitated Fierce Wolf. Though the Alpha also became cautious and wary due to the appearance of the giant ants, it only stood up before howling, prompting the pack to attack the enemies surrounding them. Rather than fighting them head-on, the giant ants immediately buried into the ground the moment the fierce Wolf speeds up toward them. Just as the Alpha thought their enemies had ran away out of fear, it saw them resurfaced again a few meters away from the pack which caused thetter to immediately chase after them. The Alpha also thought of following the pack, however, it''s beastly instinct forced it to stay on the spot since it feels something is amiss. Just as it was about to call it''s pack to return, it suddenly sense a life-threatening attacking up right behind it that caused it to scurry to the side, somehow avoided the attack by a hairbreadth. It would have been a goner if it had moved a bitter. "Damn it, I missed." She muttered softly under her breath with a bastard sword in her hands. She thought of sneak attacking it, but not so surprising, it managed to sense her and quickly moves away the moment she swings her sword toward it. It would have nice if it got behead right there and then. Well then, hard fight it is! Chapter 213 - Killing The Boss When she saw the Alpha dodged her sword strike, She quickly transform the bastard sword in her hands into a long spear within seconds before thrusting her spear straight at it. However, as if it could read the approaching spear, the Alpha smoothly parried her attacks to the side with its sharp ws before charging toward her for a counterattack. Without a change in her expression, She swiftly protect her body from being tear to pieces by transforming the spear again into a solid shield. Though she managed to defend herself pretty well, she was still pushed a few meters away due to the collision. "That''s the boss for you." She muttered. Just as she was about to charge and have a second contest of strength, the Alpha howl once again and she could immediately feels the temperature in her surrounding dropped to few celsius colder. To further her astonishment, a few arrows made of ice suddenly materialize next to the Alpha before all of themunch swiftly toward her. *Boom!* The moment she saw the ice arrows slowly materialized, She quickly conjured the same amount of fireballs with a thought before sending it flying toward the iing projectiles, and exploded. It wouldn''t be strange if Goblin Shaman used magic since it''s a variant known to be expertise in magic, the wolf however, it''s strength alone already makes it a good opponent as a floor boss, but for it to also being able to wield magic, floor boss is indeed different than average monsters! Before the smoke caused by the explosion disperse to the surrounding, she saw the Alpha popping out of the smoke and charge straight toward her the moment it saw her. "Another contest of strength? Fine, bring it on!" She shouted as hot-blooded smile starts to creep to her face without her knowing. The moment the Alpha was a few meters away from her, she immediately swing the sword horizontally toward it with all her might. Instead of dodging, her strike was stopped by the two huge metal fangs before it raise it''s front-left feet and swing it''s sharp w toward the unprotect She. But to the Alpha''s surprise, she burrow herself into shadow, easily avoiding the w from tearing her to pieces. Just as she thought she was safe, her danger sense kicks in and she immediately move away from her previous spot which were now pierced by arrows of ice. If she was anyter, would she still get hit despite hiding in the shadow? This was the first time that she came to know there''s a weakness to shadow magic, that is she could still get hit if it''s magical attack. Thankfully, it was something that she could dodge, if it had been a wide range of magical attack instead, she won''t have survive of the aftermath. With that said, it seems the soldier-type giant ants were holding back the Fierce Wolf just fine when she looked at them. Despite their numbers a bit higher than thetter, she still worries and thought it might not be enough. But now that she saw they obviously didn''t need her help, she can rest easy and put her mind on the battle against Alpha. With a thought, She came out of the Alpha''s shadow along with a wall of me surrounding her like a protective wall. Her surprise attack was yet easily avoided by the Alpha as it detected a presence behind it and immediately stepped away from it''s previous location. However, her attack didn''t just stop there as a couple of fire arrows swiftly flew out of the wall of fire and head straight toward it, which forced the Alpha to fired a few fireballs as it didn''t have the time to dodge the iing projectiles. Realizing it is on the receiving ends of her attacks, the Alpha howled and it''s entire body were then engulfed in a whirlwind. While she was amazed at its sudden change, she wasn''t rmed by it. It was as she expected, the Alpha had became faster and could easily avoided spell after spells, and eventually, the attacker and defender position were switched. While the Alpha''s attacks are getting fiercer and ruthless, she was slowly adapting to it''s speed despite almost losing her limbs couple of times. But she wasn''t left without any injury, if one looked closer, they could see many small cuts all over her body. However, the pain was worth it when she saw the whirlwind that surrounded the Alpha dispersing a few minutester. "Heh, it''s my turn now. Are you ready? Cause this time I won''t be holding back anymore." She said with an evil grin on her face as she quickly transform her sword to a bow before stepping back, putting a distance between them. Of course the Alpha won''t just sit there and let her do as she pleased. It suddenly howled as few ice arrows quickly materialized as it also charge toward her, following right behind the ice arrows. In response to it, She fired a couple of fireballs causing it to exploded upon impact with the ice arrows. The moment she saw the Alpha bursting forth from the smoke, she immediately throw the spear with all her might at it. Thinking it can still avoid her spear like it had done previously, she also conjured spell after spell. If someone had been there to witness her magic prowess, they would have fainted there and then. Her entire figure were surrounded with many kinds of spells floating mid-air, it was a bizarre sight to say in the least. Though her mind was in pain as if someone was squishing her brain tightly in their hands, she didn''t stop. She keep spamming spell after spell and once she was finally unable to handle the pain, she immediatelymand it to fly toward the Alpha, all at once. *Ka¡ªBoom!* The sight of the aftermath was definitely something worth remembering. A huge craters surrounded by nothing but ashes was left behind. If anything, she can see her spear embedded deeply in the middle of the craters. Everywhere she looked, she couldn''t find the Alpha. It was then the system announcement reached her. ¡º You have in the Boss of the Sixth Floor, Alpha Fierce Wolf! ¡» ¡º You have leveled up! ¡» ¡º Your skills have leveled up! ¡» ¡º You have meet the requirements! ¡» ¡º Seventh Floor is unlocked! Would you like to ascend? Yes/No ¡» ¡ªAuthor''s Note¡ª Yes, I know you guys had been waiting for me. I''m sorry that I waste, I had been busy writing my new novel. As to why I focus on the new novel instead of this one? I want to see if I can gain some insight since I lost motivation to continue this story. of course I don''t n on abandoning this novel. Look, I''m back, am I not? I can promise you all that I won''t abandon this story. There won''t be a schedule yet as I was nning to stock some up, for real this time. I decided to post this chapter because I wanted to let you guys know that I am in fact alive and well. Well, maybe I also want to shamelessly promote my new novel, RE:Origin. It''s an Isekai novel, so expect the cliches, hehe. If you have anymore questions,ment down below! On WebNovel obviously, I won''t reply to you if you read it on other sites, duh! Chapter 214 - Seventh Floor After declining the system''s prompt, She quickly found a spot behind a tall tree before letting herselffortable and took sandwiches out of her inventory. As she wasn''t a fan of cooking, the sandwiches of course isn''t made by her but Ria. Currently she still have plenty of sandwiches and other rations enough tost her for a month. Even so, She couldn''t help but keep putting more snacks and other unhealthy foods into her inventory, taking advantage of the unlimited storage. Of course she didn''t tell Ria about it or everything would have been confiscated.?? ¡º She ¡» Level: 40 HP: 147/260(+25) MP: 210/500(+25) STR: 50(+5) INT: 100(+5) AGI: 46(+5) VIT: 47(+5) LUCK: 10(+7) AP: 10 "I''m still 10 levels away from reaching my goal." She muttered after taking a good bite out of her sandwich while staring at the status interface in front of her. Even if she somehow reach level 50 within the quest''s time frame, She still feel like she won''t be having a good time fighting that Earth Dragon. It''s size alone already overwhelmed her, she couldn''t imagine how powerful it would be if it was forced to fight in a kill or be killed situation. "Raksha!" With a shout, a fierce wolf appeared before lovingly licking her on the cheeks. "Yes, yes, I know. You wanted food right? Here," she said before a fresh and raw chicken''s meat appeared out of thin air and dropped to the ground next to her. Seeing the meat, Raksha immediately stopped her previous action before stepping toward it. But before she feast on the raw meat, Raksha turned her head toward her master and once she received a nodded from thetter, she immediately munch on the meat. Looking at her pet devouring hungrily on the chicken''s meat as if it was the most delicious food in the world, She can feel the urge to eat in her increasing. Though she had already eaten a couple of sandwiches, there''s still another stomach for the desserts. With that thought in mind, she took out a cup of ice cream before slowly enjoying the delicacy in her hands. "Alright, let''s resume the grinding," she proimed before standing up to her feet and stretch out her arms up in the air. The system interface appeared once again, but this time she clicked on the yes option within her mind and soon, she was transferred to another location, the Seventh Floor. Unsurprisingly, her surrounding still remains the same, the Seventh Floor was also in the Forest. But just like the other floors she had experiences, there''s highly likely more monsters on this floor than the previous one. Or perhaps, there might be unique monster, stronger than others, and harder to deal with. Whichever it is, she shall keep fighting and grind for more experience. With a swipe of her hand, a small group of soldier giant ants appeared and she swiftlymanded them with a hand signal to scout her surrounding. While she were waiting for the giant ants, She took a quick look at what the others was doing with the system''s live video capture. Ria seems to be helping Yuna out on the First Floor. "Let''s see, I zoomed in and imagine clicking on her, vi!" ¡º Yuna ¡» Level: 3 ss: Ranger Gold: 152 HP: 16/25 MP: 10/25 STR: 7 INT: 5 AGI: 15 VIT: 5 LUCK: 1 AP: 0 "A ranger, so that''s why Ria bought a bow and arrows in the system''s shop a while ago." She remembers resting on her bed after a good round of grinding, and thenining to the system about how it would be great if the others can purchase something in the system''s shop if she allow them. And to her surprise, Ria can ess the shop but only for basic stuff. She had known the system always seems to be listening to her whether it was just a joke or a serious matter, which have been proven multiple times. She was surprise simply because she didn''t expect the system to listens to her demand. A healer, mage, assassin, and now a ranger. It was a bnce team if one didn''t consider how she was able to switch her role at anytime depending on the situation. She can also be considered as Monster Tamer, but that''s not the point. It was as if fate was leading her to this point by giving them each different sses so that they would do just fine even if she wasn''t there with them. ''Did I just raise a g?'' so she thought before shaking her head. She had been on edgetely cause of the quest and everything she had experiences from the moment she received the system, it wasn''t a surprise that her imagination also gone wild. Time moves so fast. It felt like just yesterday she was having trouble waking up in the morning, but no more of that. Now it feels natural to wake up early and do some workouts to get those healthy sweats. Even her mother and Ria was so used to it that thetter would also likes to join the workout from time to time. And her once quiet household is now filled with people with different quirks. Seeing Sylvia sitting on the couch in the living room watching her favorite anime had almost bing the norm. And identally getting into someone in the middle of their bath cause still dazed after waking up, it''s all turning her every days life into a more interesting one. If it wasn''t for the system giving her quest from time to time, and a reminder that life isn''t without dangers, she might have taken it easy. "Alright, that''s enough of reminiscent of the past. Its about time," just as she said, the giant ants returned and quickly send the information they acquired from scouting directly to her mind. These small group of giant ants had already been tamed by her a few weeks ago, just like the Queen. It wasn''t like that at first, after all she only got small amount of gold at the time so she couldn''t buy the rune notes in masses. But after all the grinding, she had more than enough gold to tame a small group of giant ants that willingly scout her surrounding at hermand. "As expected, the monsters aren''t too far from each other. If I were to attack one of them, a single shout would be more than enough to attract attention before surrounding me within a few minutes." Suddenly, her whole outfit magically switched to all ck making her harder to notice if she hides between the shadow of the tree. It looks exactly like what one would expect the assassin to wore seeing as she even covered up her mouth down to her neck with a ck veil. "Assassination it is," she muttered beforemanding the giant ants to hide in the ground until furthermand, and asks Raksha to return back to the note state before putting it into her inventory. She then swiftly jumped into the tree''s shadow to another. It goes on until she finally saw her first target on the Seventh Floor, an Oni. With sharp daggers on each of her hands, she took on a stance before jumping out of the Oni''s shadow and send a deathly attack on its unwatched back. Chapter 215 - Limitless Potential sh! A head was smoothly severed from its neck and droppd to the ground with a thump. It was a sessful surprise attack. The Oni couldn''t even defend itself as it''s already toote by the time it noticed her in the back. If she had been anyter, or the attack missed, the Oni might have screamed out to call the other the nearby monsters.?? ¡º Level 38 Oni has been in! ¡» After collecting the dropped item from the dead monster, she swiftly disappeared into the shadow to search for another prey. It seems an Oni was a rare monster as she couldn''t find another one, so she instead targeted a group of Orcs currently fighting with three fierce wolfs. It isn''t strange that she saw them fighting as in the end, they aren''t from the same monster ideology, the Orc and Fierce Wolf. They aren''t united under the same banner even if they are created by the system. Though there''s only three fierce wolfs against a small group of Orcs, which was 3 against 5, they aren''t to be underestimated. When the Orc attacked, the Fierce Wolf systematically moved to the side before one of them took a huge bite of their meat as a payback. The Fierce Wolf aren''t just known for their fierceness, they also works better in a group. Against the Orc, unless they arepletely surrounded, they can still put up a good fight as they are undoubtedly faster than the Orc. Nheless, the small group of Orcs isn''t going down without a fight either. They are also quite resilient, even after losing some chunk of meat, their attack is still as strong as ever. She wanted to join the fight so badly, but learning from her past mistakes, she somehow managed to control herself from recklessly jumping into the battle. She wasn''t just simply watching them fights, she also took a careful look at her surrounding in case some other rare monsters decided to join the fight. A single Oni was enough to obliterated every one of them, she knew it firsthand even though she easily severed it''s head a while ago. The aura around the an Oni isn''t so simple, if she didn''t took it down by surprise, she wouldn''t have won so easily. Just as expected, the noises from the fight brought the other monsters closer, but unlike what she thought, they didn''t join the fight and instead choose to stay put. It was a strange feeling watching them hiding in a bushes. She feels like the monsters also thought of taking advantage of the situation by watching them exhausting their strength, and only when the winner is decided, they would definitely attack at that time, just like her. Is it just her imagination or they appeared more intelligent than the previous monsters she had in? If it was the monsters from the previous floors, they would have rushed straight into the battlefield as if they had no control of their mind. Perhaps the monster in the higher floors would eventually be able to have a conversation with her? That''s something to look forward to, she thought before slowly creeping closer as the battle was about to reach the end. The monsters hiding in the bushes were also clearly ready tounch a surprise attack as they can also senses the Orcs and Fierce Wolfs had almost exhaust their strength. It was faint, but she can smell their leaked bloodlust from her location. If she''s being careful, she would have left by now. However, there''s no way she would let them steal her prey! She had been here first, they have to go through her if they ever dream of kill-stealing in front of her. With that in mind, she quickly send a simplemand directly to the mind of soldier giant ants hidden within the ground. She''s telling them to be prepared to buy enough time for her to finish the battle. If it all works out, she will retreat safely. After the long and torturous battle, it''s finallying to an end. Among the three Fierce Wolfs, two were severely injured and thest one seems to be having a breathing problem. As for the Orcs, one was unfortunately in as it was the weakest of the bunch. The other four looks just as unfortunate as they already lost a huge chunk of their meat, especially on their arms and thighs. The leader of the orc even lost an arm. If it wasn''t for their sturdy body, they would have long perished. Just as the Fierce Wolfs was aboutunch their final and desperate attacks against the Orcs, a group of giant ants suddenly crawled out of the ground before assaulting the monsters hidden in the bushes. The exhausted and injured orcs and fierce wolfs alike were surprised at the sudden appearance of these monsters. They were too focused on their fight that they didn''t notice their surrounding, and now that''s toote, they are already so weakened that they can''t run away even if they wanted to. As expected, one of the four orcs suddenly got its head severed from the neck. When they all turned around, they could only see a thin streak of smoke disappearing into the shadow after sessfullynding a killing blow. ¡º Level 37 Orc has been in! ¡» *GROOOAAAAAR!* The leader of the Orc suddenly cried out once it realized it was surrounded by enemies on all sides with nowhere else to retreat. One of them was even killed before any of them could regain their rity. Since there''s no way for it survive through this battle, it might as well take the enemies with it straight to hell! With a strong determination, the leader of the orc might be missing an arm, but he could still be a frightening monster now that he was forced into a corner. Though, before he could givemand to his dumb subordinates, he instinctually twisted his body around and luckily survived from being one shot by hair-breadth. He doesn''t even know where such a small attack came from! "Darn, the bullet missed even at such a close range," A high-pitched voice suddenly spoke with a hint of irritant from his shadow. The orc quickly grabbed his subordinates standing nkly next to him and use him as a shield when another gunshots exploded. ¡º Level 35 Orc has been in! ¡» "Huh, so they are just meat shields to you? That makes it easy for me~" a humanoid figure dressed in all ck suddenly appeared out of the shadow. She was none other than She. Once there''s only two injured orcs left, she finally decided toe out of her hiding. When she decided to fight the orcs head-on, She had already summoned Raksha and let thetter handles the exhausted Fierce Wolfs. Although they might havees from the same races, after being tamed by She and named, it was then Raksha had severed herself from her own kind. Though her race remained as Fierce Wolf, she ispletely different on the inside. Her potential is no longer restricted by her race anymore, it is now limitless. Awoooo! Chapter 216 - Pressure ¡º Level 39 Orc has been in! ¡» ¡º Level 37 Orc has been in! ¡»?? ¡º Level 32 Fierce Wolf has been in! ¡» ¡º Level 35 Fierce Wolf has been in! ¡» ¡º Level 40 Fierce Wolf has been in! ¡» Though it took longer than expected, she finally in them all before immediately taking the dropped items and retreating to somewhere safer. The giant ants also stopped attacking the monsters and crawled back into the ground with minimal damage, leaving the monsters thrashing everything in its surrounding in a fit. To begin with, they aren''t that weak, especially when they grouped up together. Even if the monsters on the Seventh Floor are more intelligent and powerful than the other previous floors, they aren''t as united as giant ants race under their Queen''s banner. Without Shemanding them, they instinctually knew how to take advantage of their numbers. Furthermore, they were told to buy time, not killing the monsters. The way they bought time for her was by attacking them head-on before disappearing into the ground. Just when the monsters thought they run away, a head silently popped out of the ground and bite them in the legs. The monster who had it''s legs chewed by the giant ants immediately attacked the ce where it thought the giant ants crawled out from, but thetter had already appeared below another monster and immediately bite another poor victim before disappearing moment after. It goes on like that until She finallymanded them to stop, no wonder the monsters were that mad when they finally leaves. Even so, she can''t believe her level didn''t went up after defeating such formidable group of monsters. Is it because they are normal monsters so their experience didn''t amount to much? A bit disappointed, but it can''t be helped. Nheless, she harvested plenty of good experiences. Even if it was only a small amount, experience is still experience. If she keep fighting normal monsters, she would eventually level up. But that would surely takes a lot of time, and time is something she couldn''t easily waste at this moment. "I guess I''ll have to aim for either rare or unique monsters then. Maybe a mini-boss while I''m at it," she proimed before nodding sagely, marveling at the fact that she coulde up with such ingenious idea without Ria''s help. If she can use the power from outside, the illusion barrier, it would have make the fight even easier for her. With that decided, she didn''t forget to let the injured giant ants drink up the healing potion to heal the injuries they received for tanking normal monsters in her ce. Even if they can revive with time if they somehow died to a monster, she didn''t want to waste the chance. Though the system had once told her if she died in the Tower, she can revive 3 times, she had never once put her chance on it. After all that she went through, she couldn''t easily trust everything the system told her even if it benefits her. For now, she had no choice but to listens to it andplete the quest to be stronger as soon as possible. But if theree a time that her family or anyone closed to her would suffer because of it, she will have no choice but to muster her entire strength to destroy it even if it means she will lose everything she had gained from it. Yes, even if it cost her life. She would rather remains normal like how she used to be if that''s what it takes to be with her family. She heaved a sigh before mumbling something to herself. "This is why I don''t want to take a break cause I''ll start having depressed thoughts like this. After all, what can you expect from a high schooler when so much responsibilities suddenly falling into my shoulders out of fxcking nowhere?" She was just an ordinary high schooler. Even to this day she wondered why the system had appeared at that otherwise normal day. Based on what her mother previously said about her deceased grandma and thetter''s power of seeing the future, something even worst is definitely going to happen to her. She knew it is still early to be worried about it, but what if the future changes because she was told about her own future? Woof! "Raksha? Sorry. I made you worried you, huh," She didn''t even called Raksha out but the moment thetter felt her master is being affected by negative emotions, she came out of the rune note by herself. There''s no description saying such a thing were possible, or is it only Raskha can do it? Or possibly all of her tamed? She should test itter. It will be a huge problem if theye out when she was in a school or something. Even if the system has the memory wipe thing, she couldn''t bought it in masses since it''s expensive for a reason. "That said, I really needed to move on. I shan''t dilly-dally no more, let''s get right into it," She soon get on her feet before checking herself over. Even without wasting any health potion on herself, her regeneration was more than enough to heal her up to full health by the time she''s ready to move. Just because there''s plenty of them doesn''t mean she''s going to be wasteful, she still needs to restock themter on. Like her previous hunt, she immediately equipped herself with ck clothes and ideal weapons for a silent but quick assassination. She isn''t strong enough to overpower them yet, maybe in the future, but not the current her. And that''s how She spent her entire day grinding experiences with short breaks in between. Some of her assassination were sessful, but there are still some that ended up in failure as she was exposed before her sword could fatally wounded them. When that happened, she has no choice but to frontal attacks them alongside Raksha and the small group of soldier-type giant ants. Of course she didn''t came out of such a fight unscathed, but with health potion or enough rest, she eventually get back to grinding in no time. Chapter 217 - A Ranger Dreaming Of Becoming Magical Girl "Right, you do know about games? Especially roleying games? You knew? Then that makes the exnation easier for me. You see this ordinary looking blue card in my hand? Just think of this card as something that will turn you into a yer like the character in the game. You can level up by killing monster and gaining experience. And if you''re lucky, you might earned a skill or two." Ria calmly exined the little details about the awakening card and it''s usages. The moment the younger girl in front of her heard of everything, Ria can see her eyes shines brightly with shes of light. ''this is...why am I feeling deja vu looking at this girl?'' so she thoughts. And as expected, she immediately understood what she felt at that moment when Yuna opened her mouth.?? "Then can I be a magical girl too?! Can I throw fireball by chanting magical words and with the use of wand?! Can I also fly in the sky on a broom?! Can I?! I can, right?!" The girl excitedly inquired Ria with her face leaning ufortably close to thetter''s face. The corners of her mouth twitched, Ria couldn''t help but thought that she has to babysit another idiot other than She. The thought alone gives her a sense of despair from the fate she couldn''t escape. What did the past her do to be cursed this badly in her current life? She sighed, "That depends on your ss. If your ss is magician, then congrats. But if it''s something else, the chance of your dreaming true will depends on how much effort you put in your training. Otherwise, dream on." Knowing She, thetter probably wouldn''t mind if she were to gift something to Yuna as a reward for her hardwork. Of course she would have to let her her know first before that. Anyway, she doesn''t have to be worried about it since that''s for the future. "Yes, I''ll work hard!" Yuna replied with enthusiasm. Ria nodded her head with aplex look on her face before offering thetter a normal looking card. Yuna took it with confusion clearly expressed on her face. And before she could question Ria, she feel something within her undergoing huge changes which turned her eyes vacant as if her soul has left her body out of pure shock. After all, something out of a game suddenly showed up in front of her eyes. It was the status interface that usually appeared in a role-y game. ¡º Yuna ¡» Level: 1 ss: Ranger Gold: 0 HP: 20/20 MP: 20/20 STR: 3 INT: 4 AGI: 6 VIT: 4 LUCK: 1 AP: 0 "Ranger..." Yuna mumbles softly to herself upon seeing her ss below the level as the disappointment hits her. The reason why she was hoping to be a mage isn''t simply because it was cool to conjure fire out of nothing, she preferred long-range rather than fighting at the front with her life on the line. In essence, it wasn''t bad that she got a ranger ss as that also fits her preference. She should be happy at how lucky she is. But deep down, Yuna couldn''t help but feel disappointed. Ever since she saw many magical tricks performed by She, it was then that a bud of desire started growing within her. Understanding the look on thetter''s face, Ria smiles and say, "Just because you''re a ranger doesn''t mean you can''t conjure any spell, no." Upon hearing her words, Yuna slowly looked up as a faint of hope appeared in her eyes staring dagger at Ria with a clear intent of wanting to know more. "Look at me for example; I can''t learn shapeshifter skill book due to ss difference, but there''s still item that can help me with that," Yuna then noticed the skin on Ria''s cheeks wriggles for a moment until it eventually stopped when thetter''s face had transformed identical to that of She''s appearance. "H-How?" Yuna''s jaw dropped at the transformation she had just witnessed. Though conjuring a ball of fire out of nothing is what one would think when one speaks about magic, the appearance transforming trick Ria had just done is also considered magical enough in her opinion. Smiling, Ria''s face return to normal in a matter of seconds before she pulled off what Yuna considered her own skins which caused thetter to turned her eyes away in disbelief as she eximed, "What are you doing?!" She then hear aughter and a voice telling her to look back, and that it was just a joke to scares her. Though she has her doubt, she slowly open her eyes. To her surprise, there wasn''t any gore as she expected. Ria were still calmly smiling at her. In her hands however, there''s now a white face mask that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "This is the mystical item I was talking about. If you put this on your face, you can change into anyone appearances. No matter the genders or ages, of course so long as it isn''t beyond the limit like wanting to have cat ears or devil horns, everything''s fine. Oh! Elf ears is fine." To prove her point, Ria quickly put on the mask to her face, and changes her face to Yuna this time. It all happened in just a few short seconds. "I got this from She." From that words alone, Yuna understand clearly what Ria was trying to tell her. If the mask could do something like that, there might be other items on the same or even higher level that can do even more amazing thing. Maybe She also has a legendary hammer with the ability tounch a lightning strike, or even a trident that turned one into the King of Sea just by possessing it. In short, even if she''s a ranger, she still can be a magical girl if she has a magical wand that can transform her into a magical girl like in the anime. "I know what you''re thinking. But it won''t be anytime soon. First, you gotta learn more about the Trial Tower and the other important rules lest you might die without knowing of the reason. Don''t worry. If you saved up enough golds, perhaps you can fulfill your dream earlier than estimate. Ah, you can only get gold from ying the monster in the Trial Tower, and by that," She then point her finger below, "I mean here, this is where you train and kill monsters." "Wee to the other side of the world." Chapter 218 - Calm Before Storm "So, how was your first experience?" She suddenly asks while munching on a burger and sitting on a pic nket surrounded by a huge field of grass that knows no ends and darkness. And right in front of her, the younger girl only chooses to speak after gulping down a small bite of sandwich from her hands, "It''s going great! Ria senpai teach me a lot of things! It''s like studying all over again, though I''m sure I won''t be as excited I was if it''s the actual studies."?? "Also, the slimes were so cute! I can''t believe I have to kill such a cute creature, so I tried to pat it until it jumped and hits me in the stomach. It felt like I was hit by a ball, it hurt but not so much that will make me puke blood. They are truly just monsters with no intelligence." Yuna looks disappointed that she couldn''t pat the slime. It makes She wonders what kind of reaction it will be if she were to introduce Kuu to her. "I never know I was good at archery until I draw the bow and hit the core of the slime from afar on my third tries! I could even see clear details from afar so long as I strain my eyes for a bit." ''Well, you''re a ranger for a reason.'' She thought inside her mind but didn''t voice it out so that she didn''t ruin the girl''s mood. With a nod, "That''s good to hear. It might take a while for you to adapt to this kind of life but you''ll be fine. If you want to know something that Ria couldn''t answer, just ask me. Otherwise, you can learn almost everything from her." "Yes!" "You''re just leaving everything to me," Ria muttered with a sigh before shaking her head. Though if she were to leave it to She, it''s bound to be a headache and if left alone, the poor girl might even die due to carelessness. She is an airhead after all. Of course, she won''t make the same mistake twice, but that doesn''t mean there won''t be any mistake at all, it could be from elsewhere. ''Am I fated to be her caretaker for the rest of my life?'' Ria thought inside her mind. As usual, leave the matter to the professional when you are ipetent, that''s She''s new motto. Even with her strength that can obliterate a building with a single spell, she can''t handle everything on her own. Especially things that she wasn''t good at. If she was to handle everything by herself, rather than saving the world, it might be destroyed by her instead. She even fears her own ipetence. But luckily she got professionals by her side. Lucky...if only that also works for the gacha, She sighed at the thought. Leaning her back on the solid tree, she slowly thoughts about her n once again. Firstly, if she wanted to create a guild that will tower everything, there''s a need for a suitable location. She already found one with the help of her mother, Sara. And currently, the building is underway. The same goes for the underground, the Queen is following my order by the teeth to create an underground empire made up of giant ants. She has a way to protect the base above ground so that was why she let the Queen creates a home below the base. She doesn''t want to cut corners on such important work. After all, she''s bound to make many enemies in the near future, the least she could do now is to create a safe base for her family and the others. Anyway, now that the n had taken the first step, she can proceed to the next stage. When creating an organization, what is the most important thing to have? Is it funds? No, it''s people. Without people, there won''t be an organization. Sure, a small one can be done with a single person. But she''s nning to create a global organization that overlooks the world, and without doubt, requires a lot of hands to make the dream possible. Without her, the base might as well be naked in front of her enemies. To prepare for such a situation, she needs people to stand by her side and protect the base when she couldn''t be there. And obviously, her family is out. The reason she wanted to create the base was to protect them in the first ce. Fortunately, she got the Trial Tower. Without it, she might have headaches recruiting people with abilities but definitely not impossible order. Even after awakening to such powers, She realized many hidden organizations have long existed even before she was born. And one of them, the Mage Academy where Mia once belonged, are the very people with abilities she will be recruiting in the future. But if she were to face them head-on on her own, it would be considered suicidal, nothing more. The only way for her to safely recruit people with abilities is by inviting them as normal people first before awakening their ability in the trial tower once they met the requirements. Luke was one of the first few people she had considered. Since she had literally bought his friends back to life with the help of an elixir, he has to pay the price by working for her. It''s a deal after all. However, currently, she got no time to recruit people. She was still busy grinding for levels toplete the quest. She might be resting now but, most of the time she would spend entirely in the Tower. Everyone was also busy with something, they had no time to help her with anything else. Even Sylvia is currently watching the Mage Academy movement while hidden in the shadow. ''What a pickle situation. Maybe I should step up the level of my grinding to quicken the pace, which will barren me from the outside world for a while. It doesn''t sound so bad, isn''t like a world-ending event will strike my home while I was away right?'' She jokingly thought before shaking her head. Her thoughts would''vee true if this is a world of fiction, but there''s no way that is the case, is it? It would be ironic if nothing happens. For the next few days, She remained entirely in the Tower to grind her level up. Ria would asionallye to hang out with her during the break, but other than that, She would often be seen fighting a group of monsters without holding anything back. Of course, she wasn''t alone. With a group of giant ants alongside her taming monsters at her call, it all went up with ease. But when she was only a few levels away from reaching her goal, Ria came for a visit with a serious look on her face for the first time. And whates along with her was grave news. Chapter 219 - Trouble "Fuh~ a few more levels and I''ll reach level 50. There''s still two weeks before the deadline so it''s doable." She muttered before picking the sword stabbed to the ground and turned it back into a bracelet wrapped tightly around her right hand. The monster corpse had already dispersed and left a few gold coins behind. It''s been so long since she had been blessed with good luck, she was used to getting only a few gold coins instead of a drop item. Currently, her level is at 47, 3 levels away from reaching her goal. Even if she went all out, it would still take quite a bit of time considering how great the experience needed the higher the level. Fighting an opponent stronger than her took too much time and focus, so she preferred fighting monsters around the same level or below, at most in a group. Though a single monster on their own can only earn her so little experience, it was still considered a very good amount if their number adds up in her opinion.?? It is fine if she battles against a strong opponent to sharpen her skill inbat, but often than not, she preferred an easy fight. She doesn''t enjoy a fight that potentially risks her life, she isn''t a masochist after all. Though she certainly admits that she likes fighting, in a certain way, she''s also a battle junkie, but she wasn''t aplete idiot either. Sure, it would be helpful in the long run if her battle sense grows immensely by risking her life at every moment. But that alsoes at a cost, she wouldn''t be able to enjoy peaceful life if she was always on her guard. At least, not anytime soon. The world hasn''t ended yet. And perhaps, there wasn''t any need of her, the world can protect itself. She might think she was the chosen one after obtaining a leveling system, but in reality, there are certainly many other chosen ones like her out there. The Ice Empress, for example, her prowess is a lot more frightening to the point that She wasn''t confident in winning against her even at her current level. If possible, she would like to learn under her tutge but unfortunately, the Ice Empress was sealed in a sealing ball. However, she wasn''t without hope. There are many kinds of ways to release the seal when she browses into the system''s shop. The only reason she wasn''t taking action yet is that she doesn''t have enough funds for it. But in the future, that day will surelye. Of course, that is if the Ice Empress would even listen to her. But it matters not at the moment. As usual, She decided to take a short break after a good haul of experience grinding. She was also hungry anyway, just right on time. After a few days of grinding on the Seventh Floor, she didn''t just gain experience but also a lot of new information in regards to the monster''s ecology on this floor, and so far, there wasn''t anything too life-threatening to her. And what she meant by that, there wasn''t anything that can one-shot her to death. She hasn''t evene across any mini-boss yet, not to mention the boss of the floor. It makes sense considering she had note in contact with the end barrier just yet which concluded that there''s still more to this floor. Kuu! "Oh, hey there, Kuu. What? You wanted to eat something you say? No? Ah, you wanted ice cream with chocte vor, is it? That''s quite specific but alright, here you go." When her ck jacket suddenly melts and turned into a slimy creature, She turned her head toward it and started speaking with it. Though in reality, she looks like a person with a mental problem speaking to herself. Because they are connected in their mind, she could also talk to the slime in her head but asionally, she doesn''t mind speaking out loud without anyone around. Speaking of her clothes, she usually wore a casual ck T-shirt andfortable pants easy for her to go around without tearing them down. There was a time she wore jeans, and though the fights against the monster went smoothly, as usual, her jeans weren''t so fortunate, however. Because she moves quite a lot in battle, it wasn''t a surprise that her movement burdens the jeans very heavily. Though one won''t be able to see it, she also wore protective light armor over her shirt, specifically from the system''s shop and it became invisible when she put it on herself. It''s quite convenient but unfortunately, it only works for her. She had once tried testing it on Ria, but the invisible function she was expecting didn''t kick in and both of them could see it with their in naked eyes. Of course, though it is invisible, that didn''t mean she didn''t feel the weight of the armor upon equipping it on her body, otherwise, she wouldn''t be wearing light armor. All-Purpose Weapon, or APW in short, hasn''t increased in rank for a while now. Maybe there''s a requirement that she hasn''t fulfilled yet, either way, it is still a very useful weapon and surely it will grow sometimes in the future. If it wasn''t a growth-type weapon, and the fact that it can change into a sword, spear, and dagger anytime she likes, she may have changed her weapon by now. Perhaps, in the future when it evolved even stronger, she might be able to turn it into a nuclear missile. Or maybe that''s way too overpowered, and there''s also a big con which it exploded upon contact. And when it exploded, there won''t be anything left of it. How is it going to return to her? Nheless, it is still a nice dream to think of once in a while. Though by then, her magic prowess might be enough to obliterate a mountain or two with a single spell. There won''t be any need for nuclear missiles which would only harm nature in the long run. As expected magic is supreme. All hail, Magus! While She was daydreaming of herself flying in the sky and sometimes throwing a meteor or two at her enemies down below, she quickly came to her sense when she feels a disturbance in the air around her. Just to be expected, Ria suddenly appeared with a grim look on her face. She suddenly feels like death is approaching her, without any hesitation, she rapidly thinks back on what she was doing up until now to figure out if there''s a mistake she had done somewhere. No, nothinges up in her mind. But then, why did Ria looks like she was pissed off about something? Surely this isn''t her special month kicking in? With a confused look visible on her face, She stood up from the ground and await Ria to speak. But the moment she heard the words spoken out of Ria''s mouth, She frowned with a slight hint of gloominess on her expression. It seems that trouble could no longer give her more time to prepare and decided to break on her doors. Chapter 220 - Taking Off Upon seeing She resting below the shade tree, Ria was relieved as she initially thought the former might still battling with a monster to grind for experience. Fortunately, she came at the right time during her break. Without wasting any second, she quickly notified She of the grave news. "She, there''s a trouble."?? "Trouble? What kind of trouble are we talking about? Is Yuna injured or something? I still have plenty of health potions if that''s what you''re asking." "No, it wasn''t about Yuna. It''s about the outside." "What happened?!" Her body suddenly disappeared from her previous spot before reappearing right in front of Ria with a worried look on her face as she leaned closer. Understandably she was the cause of her friend''s worry, Ria slowly exined to She the information she heard from Angelica when thetter suddenlyes knocking on their door to inform them of rather grave news. "So what are you saying is, the people from the Church suddenly decided to anger the Earth Dragon who was minding its own business deep inside the mountain, and the result brought the Earth Dragon out of its hiding and cause massive damage to the surrounding area and now, the same dragon is heading its way to our district?" She slowly narrated everything as if she couldn''t believe what she had just heard from Ria. After all, it never crossed her mind that there would be someone out there that''s even more reckless than her. It''s an Earth Dragon, not just some random slime in the bush that anyone can beat with a tree branch. It''s an actual monster that can easily wreck a small city or town if it ever wishes to. Even She who was known for her recklessness was preparing herself by leveling up until level 50 or higher before she even thinks of taking on the Earth Dragon by herself. But now all her effort went to waste by some stupid people who think with their pride, not brain. Even with the illusion barrier that covered the entirety of her whole district, she still thinks it wasn''t good enough to take a monster at level 50+. There are also the innocent civilians she has to worry about. She isn''t such a cold-blooded person after all, if it''s possible and within her power, she will surely save them. If she only considers saving herself and her loves one, she wouldn''t be creating an organization, to begin with. If the world fell to ruin, who will have so much time to create a new game for her when the only thing that came to their mind was how to survive for the day? There won''t be that much entertainment at all in a ruined world! Yes, she only wanted to save humanity for their technology and entertainment. She is a modern girl thorough and thorough, she couldn''t imagine living in a world where''s there are no convenient electronic tools alongside the inte. That''s why if she ever reincarnated like in the stories, she would never go into a fantasy world with undeveloped civilization. Even if the Gods will give her a cheat that makes her overpowered in that world, she will still reject and rather go to the afterlife. Magic is cool, but so does technology. "Did you check the validity of the information before informing me?" "Of course, I did. When I was told about it, I decided to make use of the illusion barrier and send the mythical beasts there to gather information for me rather than going personally. If they could only follow yourmand, I might have to go there myself though. Anyway, it wasn''t a trap as I thought but the truth." ''What a headache. I couldn''t even grind peacefully now,'' She sighed. "What about your parents and mine whereabouts? My father is fine since he has returned to work overseas, my mom, Sara, probably in the house cooking?" "Yeah, your mother is in the house. Both of my parents are at works, I don''t know what to say to get them to withdraw from their works, they can''t possibly believe my words about a fantasy creature on the way to ruin our city wouldn''t they? What should I do? Do you have any idea?" Ria appeared anxious, understandably since it''s her parents they are talking about. Even someone as wise as her has her moment of weakness. She would have acted the same too if she were in her ce. "Don''t worry, I already predicted this might happen soon orter. And so, here are the keys for your mother and father." She calmly said as she took out two keys from her inventory before delivering them on top of Ria''s hand. Rather than a card like what she had given to both Yuna and in the future, Luke, She decided to use the keys which had more functionality than a card full of restrictions for the tower safety. She had grown up with Ria by her side so obviously, she understood thetter parents well to the extent that she trusted them. After all, her own parents also knew Ria''s parents very well since they were once ssmates in high school. They are like a second family to She. "She..." "Now, we don''t have that much time to talk. Ria, you go ahead and ask for my mom''s help, she surely knows how to get them to drop their work momentarily, she''s specialized in that after all. As for me, it''s hero tim¡ªcough, I mean, it''s time for me to take action for our n." She coughed and quickly changed her wording upon noticing the strange gazeing from Ria. "Don''t worry, I still got the illusion barrier as my trump card. If things went south, I''ll just use them to taunt the dragon and changes its path." Since the situation seemed rather grim, she might as well make use of it. It was a little early than expected, but it didn''t matter. It''s finally time to reveal her existence to the world, and also warned them that this world won''t stay peaceful forever. Especially those hiding in the dark, Mage Society, The Church, and many other secret organizations that she didn''t know. Of course, she wasn''t about to reveal her actual identity, that would be too idiotic. With many disguise skills in her arsenal, she can easily modify herself to the point they won''t be able to connect her real identity and the fake even if the two were to be seen side by side. It''s always safe to be on the caution side. "Alright, it''s time for the first monster hunter to reveal itself to the public!" She muttered under her silver mask. She could feel the excitement raging inside her body, yet she never stops reminding herself that if she ever gets too carried away, she might possibly die. With a calm expression on her face, Shiro took off. Because she didn''t bother hiding from public eyes, people on the street eventually caught a strange person wearing a silver mask jumping unnaturally high from one ce to another. Theirmon sense was telling them that shouldn''t be possible, but the impossible scene was happening right in front of their very own eyes. It was fortunate that the people that witnessed her weren''t driving or they might get themselves into an ident due to shock. Chapter 221 - Premonition "Yo, Carl. How about hanging out at the inte cafeter, wanna y a round or two of LoL or something? Or I can carry you with ranking, you know how good I am at LoL!" A boy with a neat haircut suddenly pped me in the back before inviting me. Dude...why can''t you drop with the back-pping? What kind of thing did you eat anyway to get this strong? I''m still young yet my back hurts... Anyway, this guy who couldn''t read a mood is a close friend of mine.?? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, didn''t I? My name is Carl Johnson. I''m 17 years old, a handsome high schooler. Unlike a certain character in a theft auto game, I have normal healthy brown skin with a handsome undercut hairstyle. I should have been going on dates with pretty girls with this haircut by now, but for some reason, girls never get any closer to me ever since I got this haircut. Strange...I''m far above average in terms of appearance, I checked myself daily in front of a mirror after all. There''s no doubt about it! Well, who cares about girls. It''s not like I will die if I didn''t date someone in my high school years. It''s their loss for being picky. "You sure bout that? Causest time we yed together, I''m the one carrying your ass through the entire game." "That''s because it wasn''t my day! I''m not in a good form, you know I''m still human right? Humans do make mistakes sometimes, there''s nothing wrong with it." "Excuses! That''s the only thing you''re good at! If only your taunt skill was as good as your skill in making excuses, you''d have been a good bait, very unfortunate." "Screw you! You still used me as bait anyway!" "Well, I can''t have you being useless to the team, can I? It''s okay, even if you can only y as bait, I''ll support you by killing the enemy with my awesome skill! Just leave it to me, brother!" That''s how my daily conversation goes. There wasn''t anything unusual happening in my life, it was very peaceful, to say the least. Though I wasn''t particrly good at studies, it''s nothing worth worrying about when I don''t even have a goal in my life. Everyone at least had a goal, but it couldn''t be me. I can proudly say I could do everything at a basic level, but that''s about it. If I considered my life as a game, I''d be a jack of all trades, master to none. But is there any need to specialize in something? As long as I can work with my basic skills, my life wouldn''t suddenly change genre without notice. People say not being good at one thing is bad, but I don''t really care. I''m not living to please them after all. I''m living for myself. Well, if they are some beautifuldies, I may consider. Cough, no, I must stay strong to my conviction. Girls are just temporary, but games are eternal. I shall repeat, girls are temporary, games are eternal. Amitabha. Good, my breathing is normal. Ring! Ring! Ring! Now, would you listen to that, it''s a bell signaling the end of school for the day. Finally, I can escape from the hell that is being a seatmate to a beautiful girl. Why was she my seatmate you ask? I don''t have a single clue, maybe God simply thought it would be interesting putting the average me beside someone blessed like her. She smells good though... "Let''s go, brother. I''ll show you my great skill, so you better watch and learn!" I speak out to my friend before he could p me in the back. He can be a bit dense, but overall a pretty nice guy. Of course, if he was normal, he wouldn''t have been my friend. Thinking about it now, I recall the time I was transferred to this school. Because I never bother starting a conversation with my ssmate, they also ignored my presence in response. It wasn''t particrly important, but it does get annoying sometimes when the teacher forces me to partner with someone in my ss. No one would want to partner up with an unsociable guy like me. And that''s where the true hell began. The beautiful girl that became my seatmate now, the very same girl was the one who decided to be my partner. I don''t need any pity not sympathy, I can live off by myself, thank you. But no one listens to my words, so I''m mostly stuck with her every time I was in my ss. Honestly, her kind act would have fooled me if I was a huge simp like my other ssmates. Unfortunately, I saw right through her. Like I said in the beginning, I''m very good at everything on a basic level. So to a certain extent, I could understand her true thoughts by reading her expression and bodynguage. It wasn''t a special skill or anything like that, anyone could simply do it if they practice it hard enough. Cold Reading. Why couldn''t people just mind their own business, and not intruding upon other''s private space like they own the ce or something? Honestly, no point in meining since I knew the reason why she even talks to me because she wanted to maintain her image as a beautiful yet kind goddess to the whole school. I also knew even if I were to expose the truth, no one will believe me. "Heh, you''ll see just who will be the one getting carry soon!" My friend responded with a shitty grin on his face. I didn''t bother answering him cause I am sure as hell knew only the future will tell¡ªhow amazing I am at gaming that is. Of course, that''s inparison to this blockhead, if I was against a pro, I wouldn''t stand a chance at all. With that in mind, I merrily walk out of the ss with my friend following right behind. On our way to the inte cafe, I was filled with ominous feelings as if I will suddenly slip on a banana pill or something. The more I keep walking, the stronger it feels. Am I..going to suffer defeat under this blockhead''s hands?! So his arrogant words back then weren''t just a bluff? He must have been practicing hisbos at home instead of doing his homework, no wonder why the teacher lectures him in ss a while ago. I see...but I''m not going to fall back because I am no coward! ... At this point in time, I didn''t know yet that my life will undergo a huge change from that moment onward. I also didn''t know that I wouldn''t be able to enjoy this peaceful life in the future anymore. Why? That''s because I am one of the many heroes who will one day stand by humanity''s side against the invaders that will bring the world to damnation! And in front of me and every other heroes sight, there stood our leader and the one who bring hope to the ruined world, and her name is¡ª Chapter 222 - Savior And Superhero In a busy street, one could sense panic-stricken on everyone''s faces no matter the age or social status, they all hurriedly ran away as if afraid the longer they stay behind, the more likely they will lose their life. Two high school students couldn''t even step into the inte cafe before they were pushed out by the people running out of the building. The moment they feel a small vibration from the ground, the two immediately turned their head toward the opposite of the people running away and was dumbfounded by what they had witnessed. Thump!?? "Run! Kyaaa!" "My child! Have you seen my child?!" "Get the hell away from me!" Thump! "Oh, God..." "What...the hell." Thump! "Is that..." "Don''t you dare say it!" "...a fucking Godzi?!" "Damn it, dude! Anyway, stop joking around, let''s run!" Even from afar one can tell at a nce that the thing on its way here was massive. And all that witnessed it was struck by fear and feeling iprehensible as if they couldn''t believe what they were seeing. After all, theirmon sense never says anything about an existent like the huge lizard spewing me one after another¡ªclearly mad by thrashing around the surrounding as if someone had murdered its entire family or something. Thump! "What the hell. I thought this is a world of logic and science, then what am I seeing right now?" Carl muttered in disbelief with his mouth wide open. It was such a lovely day with the sun burning brightly up in the sky. He was on his way to the inte cafe to y a game or two with his friend, everything was normal back then, but just as they reached the front of the premises, they felt a sudden vibration from the ground like that of an earthquake. It was a small one, and that alone couldn''t have made everyone lost their mind immediately. That was until their sight caught onto the glimpse of ''something'' moving from a distance that frightened them to their death. Everything on its path, all of them were zed to the ground leaving nothing but ckened ashes and dirt. The only thing the people can do was to run away, and they did exactly that which brought the current pandemonium happening all over the area. Those unable to run stricken by fear can be seen despairing on the street with their face full of snorts. Even Carl who had seen worse things happen to people on the dark side of the inte couldn''t help but be stunned. This is a real-life dragon we''re talking about! One might call it Godzi, even. No matter how he looked at it, it''s without a doubt a real dragon breathe fire. ''Did I just get isekai-ed? No, the building around me is still that of modern-era building, which definitely didn''t give off medieval time at all.'' Carl concluded with a wry smile on his face. That means a real dragon actually exists, he wasn''t delusional. Looking at the rampaging dragon growing bigger the shorter the distance, he could feel his peaceful life breaking down to pieces in his mind. "No, this isn''t the time to be thinking about that." He shakes his head before turning to the side, and unsurprising, his friend was also dumbfounded. He tapped thetter on the shoulders to bring him back to his sense before saying, "Stop daydreaming, we''re also running away." But before they could turn tail and run away, they saw an rming ball of me heading speedily toward their location. Even if he stepped or roll to the side, the explosion will likely still injured him in some way or another; Carl realized he and his friend can''t get out of it unscathed. Gripping his fist tightly, he quickly stood in front of his friend with a determined look on his face as he guards his front with both of his arms. Just as he thought the fireball would hit him and send him flying, a shadow passed by him, and he then saw a figure calmly floats in the air ahead of him. Judging by the long ck hair, Carl assumed the figure is a female. When the figure turned her head to nce at him, he noticed there was a white mask equipped on her face. ''What a shame,'' he couldn''t help but think of that. The way she carried herself suggests there may be a beautiful face hiding behind the mask. But when his gaze arrived on her chest, he was disappointed to see it was as t as a wall. Maybe it''s a guy? Perhaps she can read his thought as he could feel a piercing gaze on him, so he immediately looks away with sweats on his back. Though it feels like time passed longer during the time he was admiring the person floating in the air, in reality, it has only been a few short seconds. By the time he turned around, he was amazed to see her easily deflecting the fireball with the back of her hand up to the sky. Carl no longer questions how the person was floating in the air, or how she easily stopped the attack that would most likely kill him, the moment he saw the rampaging dragon. The only thought he has at the moment was, can he also be someone like her? Someone who manipte unseen force that can make one float in the air, and a body that strong enough to deflect a ball of me without receiving any burned wounds whatsoever. Even though the danger element is still rampaging and bringing destruction everywhere it goes, Carl couldn''t help but imagine himself like a superhero in the movie. By the time hees to his sense, his savior has already flown toward the dragon while saving people on her way there. At that moment, he could see a figure of his imaginary superhero ovepping with his savior in his mind. It was righteously beautiful and deeply imprinted in his mind from then onward. Chapter 223 - Phoenix "Hey, look! It''s a ninja!" A kid suddenly eximed when he noticed a distant figure jumping from one roof to another. Though, before his friends could turn around and take a look, the figure had already gone far that they could no longer see it with their eyesight. Even so, the kid wasn''t the only one that saw the passing figure running on the roof. A few people from time to time would look up in the sky for no particr reason only to see the figure shing by as if the person couldn''t be bothered hiding from the public, or simply had no intention of doing so, to begin with.?? Most people would think what they saw was something delusional, believing the mind was ying a trick on them. After all, who would believe them if they say that they saw a person jumping from one roof to another with such a huge gap between each building? Any normal person would think they are either crazy or very creative with their imagination and simplyugh it off. It is what it is. Though inparison, seeing someone jumping from one building to another might be a lot more believable than seeing a huge monstrous entity like Godzi wreaking havoc with its breath attacks, and on every step it takes, thend trembled followed by copsing building one after another. It was a huge walking disaster, to say the least Looking at the damage it caused in the area, She frowned. "What the hell did the members of the Church did to make this dragon so furious? Did they kick its productive organ or something?" She curiously muttered while surveying the people running in the opposite direction with her sharp eyes hidden under her mask. She seemed to be looking for someone amidst the panicked crowd. It took her a while before she finally found her target and mysteriously faded away on the spot in the blink of an eye. If it wasn''t for the current predicament, people would''ve long noticed her presence with her striking strange getup. A few miles away from the Earth Dragon, there was a small group of people bickering with each other with a hint of fear and agitation evident on all of their faces. Though their outfit seems simr to the other people, one thing differs is that all of them have the same white cross ne hung on their necks. And the small group consists of three male adults, two females adults, and a single old man. These are none other than the members of the Church, the very culprit who caused the Earth Dragon to snapped and leaving its territory. While the othermon people were escaping like a headless chicken, these are the only people who remain on the spot as if they won''t move until their bickeringe to a certain conclusion. Of course, there''s also the fact that the distance between them and the Earth Dragon is still far apart from one another. "I told you there''s no way that is going to work against that thing!" "That''s because you''re too slow! If you have been a bit faster!" A four-eyed man, one with sses, angrily denounced the person ahead of him. Thetter look at him in bewilderment for a moment before saying with a contempt look on his face, "If I was a bit faster? Hah, I''m literally the fastest person in the group, and now you''re saying my speed is insufficient? Just admit that you don''t know what you''re doing, you four-eyed." "What! How dare you!" While the two men were bickering with one another, the others¡ªrather the woman by their side could only watch their interaction with deadpan eyes. They had tried to calm them multiple before this, yet their words went through their ears and out on another, none of them wanted to admit their mistake. Looking back to their history, they had been rivals since they joined the church. Neither one of them could stomach other guts as if they are fated to hate one another. And because of their rivalry, the church actually benefits a lot from them, so they didn''t see any reason to interfere and decided to leave them alone. No matter how much they hate each other, they never went too far with their dispute, at least that''s how it goes till now. "Fine. Let''s decide everything here and now." "So be it." Just as the two were about to sh, the old man that has been staying quiet from the sideline for a while now finally decides to interfere by calmly say, "that''s enough." The two immediately went silent the moment they recognized the owner of the voice. The old man in front of them is none other than a Bishop, someone who ranks higher than them, but that isn''t enough to silence them. What they feared the most is the old man''s strength as, despite his age, he can easily finish them off in a matter of seconds. He isn''t just experienced, but also powerful in terms ofbat strength. "In hindsight, I should''ve prepared better. Don''t me each other too much, we are all on the same side, it is also my negligence that brought danger to themon people. What we need to do now is to think of a way to direct the danger to somewhere else, as it is within our responsibility to do so." The old man wisely said. "No no no! It was our mistake that we never consider the risk involved! We underestimated it, thinking it wasn''t that much of a threat to us simply because it decides to hole itself deep in the mountain. If we think carefully, this won''t have happened! Isn''t that right?" "Yes yes, you''re right!" Seeing the two trying to suck up to him, the old man internally sighed. When he heard from a priest following the Saint reported that there was a fearsome monster hidden deep in the mountain, he had immediately thought of a way to manipte it while not considering the danger in mind. Of course, if the Church isn''t having internal problems which separated them into two factions, he would''ve reported it back to the Pope earlier. But the old man is in the faction that went against the Pope. In his mind, if he could control something like a dragon to abide by his will, there''s a higher chance of him ranking up, even bing a Pope might not be unthinkable. Unfortunately, his skill is simply insufficient. Blind by his fantasy, he recklessly steps on a dragon''s tail. Suddenly, they sensed something and quickly looked up. Their eyes turned wide, what they saw was a bird engulfed in me appearing out of nowhere before flying past their head heading toward the dragon. A woman in their group couldn''t help but mutter in amazement, "Phoenix?" Chapter 224 - VS Earth Dragon Part I "Phoenix?" When the group heard her voice, they immediately thought of the legendary creature in a fictional story and to their disbelief, there was no apparent difference between the one from myth and the one they were staring at. It''s almost like the real thing hade to life. "How is that possible?" One mutter what everyone thought in their head. Just the existence of Earth Dragon is enough to make them question whether the world they once knew is actually a hoax but to think another mystical creature would appear before them. As a priest of the Church, it''s given they are privileged to the information thatmon people aren''t freely distributed to. And to their knowledge, most beings that came out of a portal from the Unknown were usually weak, at least enough for them to send it back to the dimension where they belonged. Though rare, powerful beings do appear from time to time. Even so, they are nothing inparison to the beings they are witnessing at this moment. As if their pride as someone special hadn''t been shattered by the wrath of the dragon enough, another one appeared topletely reap it all apart until there was nothing left of what was once their pride. They couldn''t help but thought that the peaceful world they once knew will face something unimaginably terrible anytime soon to the point they won''t be able to hide this side of the world from the public any longer. Well, it''s already toote to think of that. If they hadn''t made a mistake, themon people could still live ignorant in their world, not knowing the world is slowly changing for the worse. With so many witnesses having seen the dragon with their eyes, not even the power of government could censor it all. That doesn''t even include the courageous people who couldn''t care less about their life, and instead of running away from the danger like anyone else, they went closer to the dragon with smartphones in their hands. After all, it isn''t an everyday thing to see a legendary creature such as a dragon in a realistic world. Some of them even think it was an event, which makes one question whether they have anything like a brain inside their skull, or it might just be as empty as their life. "Look, a burning bird! Is that a real Phoenix?!" "Don''t forget to like and subscr¡ªWoops, a flying debris almost hit me, hahaha!" "Come on, guys! If we reach 10k views, I will risk my life and get even closer!" Seeing a small crowd of people foolishly holding up their smartphones without a fear on their faces, She feels the corner of her mouth twitching. Being courageous is one thing, but this...this is another breed of people, an idiotic one. Look, one of them almost gets crush into meat paste if he hadn''t dodged the iing debris timely. ''Master, I''m done with evacuating the people to safety. Though, it wouldn''t have gone this smoothly if I didn''t have to utilize the sleeping gas, unfortunately. So by the time they wake up, everything will be over.'' She nodded her head upon hearing the news inside her head. She wasn''t surprised at the voice since it was within her expectation; she didn''te here on her own. She also brings Sylvia along to handle the other matters, this included people''s safety. Even though she had arrived at the location with an amazing speed, it was still not fast enough to save everyone as some people had long departed to the afterlife. If she wasn''t in the Trial Tower grinding experience at the time, she would''ve been notified by the barrier she previously set up and possibly minimize the damage, unfortunately, she isn''t that almighty. She couldn''t possibly foresee someone would think they could tame the dragon of all things, and not expecting thetter to retaliate in kind. But the world once again didn''t disappoint her and prove that there exist people who are more reckless and foolish than herself. She feels quite good upon reaching that conclusion. Though, she couldn''t help but clicked her tongue while thinking she wasn''t the only one considering taming the dragon. Perhaps, there may be others out there having the same thought, Mage Association is such an example. Maybe they were also in midst of preparation like her, but everything was ruined because someone couldn''t rein their greed. Anyway, the only one near the scene at the moment is the member of the Church, and a few other people seeking death by video capturing the dragon from afar, also possibly nning to get closer. She also entertains the thought of punishing them but decides to take care of thetent danger first while also keeping their presence in mind. ''Alright. Leave the dragon to me. You girls remain on high alert and watch the surroundings, make sure no onees closer.'' After hearing confirmation from the other side, she then turned her attention to the situation ahead of her. Though Phoenix''s entrance seems magnificent, itsbat strength is below level 40. So, there isn''t any chance that it could fight the dragon on its own, but it did its job by making thetter even angrier so she considered it a job well done. There''s certainly a way to strengthen the formation, however, she had no way to achieve it without spending all of her resources, and even then, it takes time. The formation isn''t for offense in the first ce, but who''s to say it can''t resist against level 50 and above? With a small smile surfacing behind the mark, she wordlessly summoned White Tiger to her side before getting on top of it andmand it to fly toward the dragon. If one isn''t enough, she shall bring another. With her strengthbined with the two, she now has an 80% chance of beating the dragon. She still has few trump cards under her sleeves just in case things take a strange turn. After all, survival is at stake here, no more holding back. "Is that...a flying tiger?! And someone is riding it!" With the maniption of wind, it was easy for White Tiger to soar in the sky without wings. While in midair, White Tiger suddenly roared and the few iing debris was then sent flying by a strong gale before it could reach She. Though they still look small inparison to the dragon, thetter couldn''t simply ignore her after discovering her strong presence by instinct. The moment it saw her, it immediatelyunched an attack without restraint. While the White Tiger easily dodge or deflect the attacks from the dragon with its owneback, She didn''t just sit there and watch. She slowly raises her hand, and a couple of fireballs quickly materialize at her call. She grinned, "take this!" Chapter 225 - VS Earth Dragon Part II Boom! Seeing her fireballs exploded upon impact, She quickly conjure more around her as if believing her initial attack wouldn''t put as much as a scratch on the dragon. With a wave of her hand, the fireballs zoomed like a cannonball being fired from artillery aiming at the reptile head. Boom! Boom! Boom! One explosion after another resounds throughout the area. The onlooker that witnessed everything happening on the scene was astounded at the sight. They saw the person riding the flying tiger summoning a fireball out of thin air as if they are a magician of the sort, that isn''t something that they would see in ordinary life. It''s simply something out of a storybook that is very illogical to theirmon sense. Maybe their world isn''t so scientific after all, so they thought. Roar! With a piercing cry that shook the ground, the Earth Dragon effortlessly wiped out the smoke caused by the explosion, and from a single nce, She could immediately tell it remains unharmed from her attacks. ''As expected of a dragon, the defensive property from its scale is certainly impressive. Then how about this?'' When a burning spear suddenly emerged to her right, she could feel about one-third of her mana depleted at once yet the smile on her face remain unchanged. The dragon instinctively senses the might behind the ming spear so, without a second thought, it suddenly inhales fresh air quite deeply, and evidently, She immediately noticed its throat slowly getting brighter orange¡ª it''s a dragon breath! When that thought crossed her mind, she hurriedly aims at its head before firing her spell. The moment the spear flew toward it, she quickly pulled White Tiger and herself higher up to the sky with her telekinesis power, and a secondter, a dragon''s breath blew away the spear and the cloud at her previous spot. Seeing the beams blew out of the dragon''s mouth like some sort of special move, She could feel her body growing cold as she wipes the sweat off her forehead with a thought in mind, ''if that had hit me, I''d definitely die.'' Her body may stand a chance against bullets from a certain distance and under normal circumstances, though, she couldn''tst more than a few seconds before turning to ashes against that breath. Even if she has an elixir, she could still die if she didn''t drink the potion in time. This is the real world where her option is limited. It would''ve been easy if she could simply pull the dragon into the Trial Tower, and then slice its neck while it was immobilized by the almighty power of ''system.'' But life isn''t so easy. She didn''t know the exact reason, but it failed when she once attempted. Maybe it''s too big, or maybe there''s another logical reason, either way, one thing she''s sure of is that she can only face the dragon head-on. When She took a quick look behind her, she was amazed at the sheer destruction thates from that single breath. It was as if someone had erased an entire long section of the line, be it buildings or vehicles, or maybe even people and animals, everything simply incinerates to nothing. It''s certainly possible within her means to enact the same or possibly worse destruction, but that doesn''t mean she will do it. One thing she was unwilling to part with is none other than technology¡ªone that gave birth to her favorite pastime hobby. Humans had evolved so much, both in terms of intellectual and scientific, so that it''s already ingrained into her that makes her who she is as a modern person. If the sign of the apocalypse that she faintly senses isn''t just her mere paranoia at y, it wouldn''t matter much. But if it holds certain truth to the matter, she would do everything in her power to protect the thing she loves the most¡ªgames. With a deep breath, She rxed her posture as her mind calmed down yet her eyes remain determined and locked onto the earth dragon. She had concluded that although her level is lower, she can also do as much damage as the dragon in level 50, or possibly more. That means her strength is in no way inferior to the dragon, this finding gives her a breadth of mind. With a smile, she suddenly jumped from White Tiger and calmly levitated in the sky before the gravity could pull her down to Earth. While White Tiger and Phoenix were taking the brunt of the hit from the dragon in her ce, she slowly equipped a strange blue-colored glove on her right arm which she pulled out of her inventory before she exaggeratedly waves the same hand vertically at the dragon. Roar! ''Reality shes, just kidding.'' She jokingly thought in her mind while watching a half-moon wind emerge immediately after, heeding to her action, and unlike all of her previous attacks, it leaves a long line of cut on the earth dragon''s back as thetter howled in pain upon receiving her gift. No matter how tough the dragon''s hide is, it isn''tpletely indestructible. Rumble! Following its cry, approximately a hundred meters away from the earth dragon, the few people on the scene suddenly experience a terrible earthquake that would certainly mark their final day on earth if not for a random group of people in an assassin-like getup appearing out of nowhere and saving them in time. She only took a nce in their direction before focusing her attention back on the bloodthirsty dragon staring fiercely at her. After suffering a painful injury in a long while since it appeared in a newnd, it had finally decided to use all its power to destroy the lesser human floating in the sky. It might have underestimated them before since it appeared humans of thisnd were way weaker than what it remembers from its memories, but who would''ve thought such a weak creature would dare to tame it of all things. The Earth Dragon was furious. It brought an earthquake hoping that alone will kill the foolish group of humans, but they managed to flee at the price of their members. So it decided to chase after them, and it almost got to them until a truly strong human appeared before it. It was a human that wore a strange thing on its face which makes it entirely impossible from being seen, though, the Earth Dragon couldn''t care less about that. What remained on the Earth Dragon''s thought was nothing but the death of the strong human, and punishment upon the greedy humans. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!