Opening his eyes in this oppressive, dimly lit cell for who-knows-how-many times, Mu’en’s gaze was still filled with exhaustion, bloodshot as if he had pulled all-nighters for several days straight.
“Phew…”
Mu’en exhaled a heavy breath, forcing himself to perk up.
He briefly checked the contents of the black book.
Dagger Combat LV5
Shadow Step LV2
“Another nearly 300 death experiences.”
“So painful.”
“But it seems like I’ve hit a bottleneck. No matter how much I train, the skill levels just won’t increase anymore.”
“Especially Shadow Step.”
Mu’en’s gaze darkened.
In the black book’s space, he had almost perfectly executed Shadow Step, even managing to graze the assassin’s skin with his dagger a few times, leaving visible marks.
Though he was still far from defeating the assassin, it at least didn’t feel as out of reach as before.
However, no matter how skilled his Shadow Step was in the black book’s space, the proficiency recorded in the book remained stubbornly stuck at LV2, with no sign of improvement.
On the other hand, his Dagger Combat had improved rapidly through constant real combat, reaching LV5.
“Is it because of my current limitations?”
Mu’en sighed softly.
In the black book’s space, he could clearly feel his proficiency increasing, yet it only showed up as LV2. This indicated that it wasn’t his proficiency that wasn’t improving, but his current level only allowed him to use Shadow Step at LV2.
And based on the pain of using LV1 Shadow Step once, using LV2 with a body that didn’t even have Battle Aura would probably be extremely taxing.
“But there’s no other way. I need to seize every moment to improve my strength!”
Mu’en’s eyes were firm.
Even if he was being imprisoned, fed, and humiliated by a beautiful maid, he still had a heart that yearned for freedom!
“Hmph, does she really think she can keep me trapped like this without me finding a way out?”
Looking at the lock on the iron bars, which was about the size of his fist and looked incredibly sturdy, Mu’en couldn’t help but smirk wickedly:
“You’re underestimating me, An.”
“Everything’s ready now, just waiting for the right moment. I’m counting on you to bring that fish.”
…
“Wait, could something have gone wrong…”
Mu’en suddenly opened his eyes in panic.
Although there was no sense of time in this room, based on how hungry he was, lunchtime had long passed.
But An still hadn’t appeared.
“It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Beipole Lake is quite far, but with a fast horse, she should’ve made it.”
As time ticked by, Mu’en couldn’t help but overthink.
“If An doesn’t come, I might really end up trapped here forever! And with how remote this place is, it might take centuries before anyone finds my corpse!”
“Maybe my ghost will be stuck here forever, never to find peace.”
“Not a single female ghost in this dump, just me, a starving spirit, all alone.”
“Wahhh, I don’t want that! At least let Miss Sadako keep me company…”
“I shouldn’t have made such an unreasonable request.”
“But what else could I do? If I just asked for fish casually, An’s sharp instincts might’ve caught on.”
“And it was just in case.”
…
“Never mind, no more overthinking.”
Mu’en leaned his head against the wall and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“Seems like I’ve been locked up here too long, my nerves are getting all jittery.”
“Fetching a fish? That’s nothing for An, right?”
“It’s not like I asked her to fight a monster.”
…
…
Beipole Lake was in the midst of a raging storm.
An stood a few hundred meters away from the lakeshore, wrapped in a raincoat and hood, expressionless as a scruffy-looking man babbled at her.
“Miss, you can’t go any further!”
“Beipole Lake has been completely closed off. If you want to enjoy the scenery, please come back when the weather clears up!”
The torrential rain mixed with thunder, as if trying to drown the world, forcing the man to shout at the top of his lungs.
“Anyway, turn back! It’s dangerous here!”
“Did something happen?”
An furrowed her brows, her displeasure palpable, though it wasn’t clear if she was annoyed at the man or the terrible weather.
“Miss, that’s none of your concern. Just leave!”
The man was also getting impatient and reached out to shoo her away.
“Huh?”
An grabbed the man’s hand as he tried to push her, her expression instantly turning ice-cold as she tightened her grip.
“I hate being touched by men other than the Young Master.”
“What—ow!”
The man let out a cry of pain, his face twisted as his body bent in the direction his arm was being twisted.
“If you still want to hold a knife with this hand, tell me what’s going on here.”
“I’ll talk… I’ll talk…”
Hearing the creaking of his arm bones, the man spoke in terror:
“It’s the Lake Master of Beipole Lake, it’s appeared!”
“The Lake Master of Beipole Lake? Isn’t that just a baseless rumor?”
The so-called Lake Master of Beipole Lake was a legend passed down by the fishing villages around the lake. It was said that deep within the lake existed an ancient fish god, the master of the lake, who controlled the weather and waves in the area.
The villagers would offer sacrifices of cattle and sheep to the lake every year to gain the Lake Master’s protection.
But it was just a rumor. If there really was a fish god in the lake, the Church of Life would’ve already labeled it as an Evil God’s nest and launched a holy war.
“But… but the Lake Master really appeared! It’s a huge, enormous fish!”
The man wailed:
“The Adventurers’ Association sent people, and they identified it as a Dominant-ranked magical beast. Now they’ve dispatched a B-rank adventurer team to subdue it, so Beipole Lake is closed off, and no one is allowed near.”
“I see, a Dominant-ranked magical beast?”
An released the man, tilting her head to let the rain pour onto her face:
“So this strange weather is because of that beast, huh?”
“Probably…”
The man rubbed his arm, grimacing in pain, and said:
“Anyway, you should leave. I won’t hold a grudge for what just happened, since a gentleman doesn’t fight with a lady. But if you disturb the adventurer team’s mission, you’ll definitely regret it!”
“…”
An ignored him and walked past, heading toward the lake.
“Hey, wait, even knowing the danger, you’re still going?”
The man stared at An’s back, his eyes filled with confusion.
“What could possibly make you so determined to go forward despite the danger?”
“For what?”
Thinking he wouldn’t get an answer, An suddenly turned back.
With a blissful smile, she said softly:
“Of course, it’s because of love.”
