LIGHTNOVELSTORY chapter 40
Chapter 40: Because of Love
It was hard to tell how many times he had opened his eyes in this oppressive, dim cell. Mu En’s eyes were still filled with exhaustion, bloodshot as if he had been awake for several nights in a row.
“Ha…”
Mu En exhaled a breath of stale air, forcing himself to feel invigorated.
He took a moment to sense the contents of the black book.
Dagger Combat Technique LV5
Shadow Step LV2
“Another nearly three hundred experiences of death.”
“How painful.”
“But it seems I’ve hit a bottleneck; no matter how I train, my proficiency levels won’t increase anymore.”
“Especially Shadow Step.”
Mu En’s gaze darkened.
In the black book space, he had nearly perfected the Shadow Step, and there were several times when the dagger in his hand had already cut through the assassin’s skin, leaving visible scars.
Although he was still far from defeating the assassin, at least it no longer felt as unattainable as before.
However, no matter how skilled he became in using the Shadow Step within the black book space, the proficiency recorded in the book remained stuck at LV2 without any further improvement.
On the other hand, the dagger fighting technique had improved rapidly through constant practical combat during this time, now reaching LV5.
“Is it really due to the limitation of my realm?”
Mu En sighed lightly.
In the black book space, he could clearly feel the improvement in his proficiency, but the display still only showed LV2. This indicated that it wasn’t that his own proficiency hadn’t improved, but rather that his current realm could only utilize the LV2 proficiency of the Shadow Step.
Moreover, judging by the pain he experienced when using the LV1 Shadow Step once before, using LV2 with this body that lacked even fighting energy would likely be quite strenuous.
“But there’s no way around it; I must seize every moment to enhance my combat power!”
Mu En’s gaze was resolute.
Even if he was confined, fed, and humiliated by a beautiful maid, he still had a heart that yearned for freedom!
“Hmph, do you really think that having come this far, I have no way to escape?”
Looking at the sturdy lock on the iron bars, which was about the size of his fist, Mu En couldn’t help but smirk mischievously:
“You underestimate me too much, An.”
“Now everything is ready, only missing the east wind. I’m waiting, you know, for the fish that your promise brings.”
……
“Wait, could something have gone wrong…”
Mu En suddenly opened his eyes in panic.
Although there was no concept of time in this room, judging by the hunger in his stomach, lunchtime had long passed.
But An had yet to appear.
“It shouldn’t be too bad; although Beipo Lake is quite far, a swift horse should make it in time.”
As time passed second by second, Mu En couldn’t help but think more and more.
“But if An doesn’t come, am I really going to be trapped here? And given how remote this place is, it might be hundreds of years before anyone discovers my corpse!”
“Perhaps my soul would have to wander here forever, unable to be reborn.”
“This wretched place doesn’t even have a female ghost, just me, a starving ghost all alone.”
“Woo woo woo, I don’t want that! At least I want Miss Sadako to keep me company…”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have made such an excessive request.”
“But there’s no way around it; if I just casually asked for fish, with An’s sharpness, she might notice something.”
“And it’s also to be safe, just in case.”
……
“Forget it, I don’t want to think about it.”
Mu En leaned against the wall, giving a self-deprecating smile.
“It seems I’ve been locked up here for too long; my nerves are a bit sensitive.”
“Just catching a fish, how difficult could it be for An?”
“It’s not like I’m asking her to fight monsters.”
……
……
Beibol Lake, stormy weather.
An stood a few hundred meters away from the lake, draped in a raincoat and hood, expressionless as she listened to the bearded man in front of her ramble on.
“Ma’am, you can’t go any further!”
“Beibol 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 seemed to threaten to drown the world, forcing the man to lean in close to An and shout at the top of his lungs.
“In any case, turn back! It’s dangerous here!”
“Is something happening?”
An furrowed her brow and asked, an air of displeasure visibly radiating from her, whether it was directed at the man in front of her or the dreadful weather was unclear.
“Ma’am, that’s not for you to ask. Just leave!”
The man grew impatient, reaching out to push An away.
“Hmm?”
An grabbed the man’s hand that was attempting to shove her, her expression instantly turning cold as she tightened her grip.
“I dislike men touching me who aren’t my master.”
“What—ah!”
The man let out a scream, his face contorted in pain as his body bent in the direction of his twisted arm.
“If you want to keep holding onto your knife hand, then tell me what’s happened here.”
“I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you…”
Hearing the mournful creaking of his own arm, the man spoke in terror:
“It’s the master of Beibol Lake; it has appeared!”
“The master of Beibol Lake? Isn’t that just a baseless rumor?”
The so-called master of Beibol Lake is a legend circulated among the fishing villages surrounding Beibol Lake, claiming that deep within the lake resides an ancient fish god, the master of this body of water, controlling the weather changes and the tides.
Villagers would regularly offer cattle and sheep to the lake to seek the protection of the master.
But that’s just a rumor. If there really were a fish god in the lake, the Life Church would have long since declared this place a lair of evil gods and initiated a new round of holy crusades.
“However, the lake master has really appeared; it’s a very, very large fish!”
The man wailed:
“The Adventurers’ Association has sent someone to assess it; it’s a dominator-level magical beast. They’re dispatching a B-rank adventurer team to deal with it, so Beipol Lake is now closed off. No one is allowed to approach.”
“I see, a dominator-level magical beast, huh?”
An let go of the man, tilting his head back to gaze at the sky, letting the rain pour down on his face:
“Then this strange celestial phenomenon is also because of that beast, right?”
“Probably…”
The man rubbed his arm, grimacing in pain, and said:
“Anyway… you should hurry and leave. I can overlook what happened earlier; after all, a good man doesn’t fight with a woman. But if you disturb the adventurer team’s mission, you won’t have a good outcome!”
“…”
An ignored him and walked past the man toward the lake.
“Hey, wait! If that’s the case, are you really going too?”
The man looked at An’s back, confusion filling his eyes.
“Knowing there’s danger ahead, why would you still go? What could make you so determined?”
“For what?”
Thinking he wouldn’t get a response, An suddenly turned back.
With a gentle smile full of happiness, he said:
“Of course, it’s because of love.”