Wu Yao watched the NPC beside her, who seemed to be going through an intense internal struggle. The Affection level above her head fluctuated up and down, making Wu Yao break into a cold sweat. It had to reach 50!
“I'll go with you,” Suren said, looking up at her.
The Affection above her head was ten points higher than she had anticipated.
Pleased, Wu Yao felt a bit more favorable toward this sensible NPC. She reached out to pull Suren up and led her slightly away from the earth prison. “Alright, I'll kill these people first.”
Wu Yao squatted on top of the wall, peering down at the soldiers hammering against the earth prison like she was observing goldfish in a bowl.
Their faces were obscured in the darkness, leaving only the health bars above their heads lined up neatly, like crops waiting to be harvested.
Watching Wu Yao crouched by the opening of the earth prison, tossing Fireballs inside, Benita truly felt the benefit of holding power in one's hands.
Her own hands could grasp nothing. Not her best friend's life, not her own destiny, and not Phelin's future. She had failed to hold onto any of it.
If only she possessed such power, she could make those high-and-mighty nobles taste the bitter dread of utter helplessness...
As the last scream faded from the earth prison, Wu Yao jumped down from the two-meter-high structure. A Waterball materialized beneath her feet to cushion her landing, a joyful expression on her face.
And why wouldn't she be? The drop rate of these mobs was much higher than those she had killed before. Not only had her coins tripled, but equipment and junk filled her Inventory to the brim. Fortunately, she could transfer them into the Territory's warehouse.
It was a pity all six horses had broken legs. But no matter, a witch's mount should be a broom anyway!
Suren stood frozen, staring blankly at the enclosed earth prison, seemingly unable to process the sudden turn of events.
“Let's go,” Wu Yao said, giving her a gentle tug. She then waved to Benita and Phelin, gesturing for them to catch up.
“Let's head to Qinghe Town.”
Benita tightened her grip on Phelin's hand. She cast a backward glance at the earth prison blocking the path.
There was no scent of blood in the air, only the smell of burning, which made her stomach turn slightly.
“My Lady, are we... just going to leave it like this?”
Benita wasn't acting out of kindness. Such blatant evidence of a “sorceress's presence” would very likely attract more pursuers.
“Otherwise?” Wu Yao thought indifferently. It was just a game anyway. Who cared about mob corpses?
Benita had no choice but to swallow her worries. Lady Wu Yao's attitude baffled her more often than not.
She paid no mind to trouble or consequences, caring only for her own amusement. Was this the privilege of possessing absolute power?
Suren followed silently behind Wu Yao. She had killed someone, and today should have been the day she died, but now...
The world suddenly seemed much simpler.
As they walked further, the path widened. The dirt trail merged into a gravel road wide enough for two carriages to pass abreast, its surface marked by two deep ruts.
Pedestrians became more frequent—people carrying shoulder poles, pushing carts, riding donkeys, with the occasional carriage passing by.
Wu Yao's eyes darted around. She cast Appraisal on everyone she saw: an old man drinking water by the roadside, a peasant woman leading a donkey, an auntie carrying vegetables... Not a single NPC passing by escaped her “scan.”
【Traveler · ???】
【Health: ???】
【Skills: Stealth Lv. 16, Archery Lv. 14, Tracking Lv. 13...】
Wu Yao froze. The information returned by Appraisal flashed across her vision.
Before she could get a clear look at their face, the ordinarily dressed figure blended into the crowd, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
What did I just miss?!
Wu Yao was furious. She had actually let a skill trainer slip away right under her nose! A gamer would absolutely never allow this to happen!
Without hesitation, she chose to load her save. Time jumped back one minute. The figure reappeared by the roadside, bending over to brush the dust off their trouser cuffs.
This time, Wu Yao didn't cast Appraisal. She strode purposefully through the oncoming pedestrians and grabbed the person's wrist.
Even through the coarse linen sleeve, she could feel their slender wrist bone.
The face that turned to look at her was entirely ordinary. The eyebrows were neither thick nor thin, the eyes neither large nor small, the nose neither high nor flat, and the lips neither full nor thin. Lacking any defining features, it was a perfectly average, forgettable face that would easily disappear in a crowd.
“Hey—” Before Wu Yao could finish, she watched the face distort right in front of her, dissolving into a wisp of blue smoke and vanishing.
Vanished again!
Wu Yao loaded her save once more. She refused to believe she couldn't catch them!
This time, she immediately cast a spell in an attempt to trap them. But the moment she channeled her mana, the person cast a glance in her direction and vanished just as quickly as before.
Wu Yao felt deeply hurt. As a gamer, she had never suffered such a defeat, watching a living, breathing skill trainer slip away from under her nose repeatedly.
But with her current limited options, was she really going to have to watch the skill trainer leave her behind...
After loading her save this time, she made no sudden movements and didn't even cast Appraisal. She suspected that casting Appraisal itself had tipped them off.
Sure enough, the skill trainer did not vanish in a hurry this time. Slinging a pack over their shoulder, they walked toward Qinghe Town just like most of the other travelers.
Wu Yao calmed herself down and followed behind them at a leisurely pace.
Benita quickly noticed that something was amiss.
The sorceress, who had previously been looking around with the excitement of a cat that had broken into a flock of birds, had suddenly gone quiet.
This lady was truly unpredictable. Benita could only seize the opportunity to ask about what she wanted to know: “My Lady, how did you acquire such power?”
Wu Yao glanced at the baffling NPC and claimed shamelessly, “I was born with it.”
Benita rephrased her question. “Is it possible for an ordinary person to obtain...”
“Impossible.”
Wu Yao answered without a second thought. She didn't keep her eyes locked onto the skill trainer; having learned her lesson from when she stared too intensely and triggered a reload, she was constantly adapting.
Benita's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. The sudden wave of frustration made it hard for her to speak for a long time.
Wu Yao's attention was drawn to an NPC with the name tag 【Bard · Seanna】 above her head. The bard sat on a large boulder, cradling a plucked string instrument as she tuned its strings, humming a soft tune.
Wu Yao instinctively wanted to walk over, but she was still mindful of the skill trainer she might lose if she got distracted. She didn't dare to linger, but she still accurately cast Appraisal on the bard.
Anyone who had Appraisal cast on them would appear on her map. It wouldn't hurt to mark them now so she could catch them for a chat next time.
Rate on N.U.
