At noon, he took another brief nap.
In the afternoon, he went to the library to return the books, and borrowed two more magic books while he was at it: 《Milestone Magic in the History of Magic Development》 and 《Mana Analysis》.
And then that night, he once again stayed up until dawn.
Dammit!
Acquiring [Magic Analysis Lv2] had given him an urgent desire to seek out new knowledge to supplement his own.
He could feel that this was a subconscious, instinctive response.
His foundation of magical knowledge was too weak; the level of this skill could drop at any moment.
That was why he was seeking knowledge almost instinctively, in order to stabilize the skill's level.
He needed to sleep for a bit first, otherwise he wouldn't be able to handle Ilu's rough play.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
“Speak your wish... Why does it look like you have even less energy today?”
Is "Speak your wish" your default NPC opening line?!
“I stayed up late again last night.”
“Still studying?”
“Yes.”
Ilu stared at Li Xiuman for a moment, letting out a beautiful, knowing smile.
She didn't say anything more, simply lifting her greatsword.
“Then let's keep practicing swordsmanship.”
Was it his imagination, or did she hit a bit harder today? He had almost had his spine kicked in half.
In the afternoon, he continued reading. His photographic memory and improved comprehension, combined with his increased foundation of basic knowledge, made it even easier to grasp the concepts.
It allowed him to understand these two magic books much more quickly and easily.
Resisting the urge to keep reading, Li Xiuman lay back down on his bed.
He forced himself to fall asleep.
Only when he was awakened by the shaking from the knocking on the door did he crawl out of the dark basement and throw on his cloak.
“You seem to be in good spirits today. Have you thought of a wish?”
“No. Let's fight.”
“Alright.”
Consistently concise, followed by him being thoroughly thrashed.
Except today, after the battle ended, Ilu didn't leave.
Li Xiuman's senses tingled; he caught a strange vibe.
“I'm leaving White Bear City this afternoon. Invite me in to sit for a bit.”
Li Xiuman felt a momentary daze, his heart suddenly feeling a bit empty.
He invited Ilu inside and brewed a cup of extremely expensive black tea he had bought specifically for her—it had a very impressive name, though he couldn't remember it.
After all, she was his swordsmanship teacher. He felt too embarrassed to just offer her plain water every time she came, so he had specially bought the black tea.
Her long, slender fingers slipped through the handle of the teacup, taking a small sip before setting it down.
“Where do you plan to go?”
“To places with dungeons and monsters. Ceasing to fight will make a warrior's sword dull.”
Ilu spoke casually.
The atmosphere grew quiet for a moment.
“I've always been the one asking for your wish. Would you like to hear mine?”
“I want to become a Sword Saint, the strongest legendary hero class among Warriors.”
“A very impressive dream,” Li Xiuman praised.
“I thought you would laugh.”
Ilu looked at Li Xiuman in surprise.
“Why? Becoming the absolute strongest in your field is a magnificent goal.”
“Only the weak, who don't even dare to take the first step toward their goals, would mock out of jealousy,” Li Xiuman said seriously.
“By that logic, does that mean you and I are both strong?”
“No, I'm just a weakling who has self-awareness.”
“Besides, I was afraid you'd beat me up if I laughed.”
“...”
Ilu wondered if she had been hitting Li Xiuman a bit too hard these past few days.
“Now that I've stated my wish, what about yours?”
“Even if I can't make it happen, it doesn't matter. Just say it.”
Li Xiuman gave it some serious thought.
If he let his imagination run wild, he actually had plenty of goals he wanted to achieve.
Unrivaled power, restoring his flesh and blood, a pool of wine and a forest of meat, endless nights of singing and drinking...
He really was an evil skeleton.
He looked at Ilu, thinking about how truly strong she was.
She set a goal and marched toward it with unwavering determination. Hearing her words, this path she trod had likely been mocked by many.
Yet she still moved forward step by steady step, completely unfazed by the ridicule.
An Ilu like this was just as radiant as her outward appearance, drawing his eyes so much that he couldn't look away.
Li Xiuman thought of his own wish.
“I want to become a Sage, the strongest legendary title class among Mages!”
At that instant, Li Xiuman saw a brilliant spark in Ilu's eyes.
Her violet eyes shone so brightly, more beautiful than any gemstone.
“Are you... serious?”
“I'm serious.”
“Pfft, hahaha!!”
She burst into laughter, doubling over as she clutched her stomach.
Eventually, she managed to straighten up, wiping away the tears of laughter from her eyes.
“No, I'm not mocking you. I'm just laughing because I'm happy,” she quickly explained after standing straight.
“It seems that helping you achieve this wish will be a long and arduous journey.”
“My future Sage.”
Ilu gave a small curtsy.
“I'll be in your care then, my future Sword Saint.”
Li Xiuman rose and returned the bow.
“Here, take this. Consider it an investment in the future Sage.”
Ilu handed Li Xiuman an earring.
“What is this?”
“Water Spirit's Affection. The wearer can breathe underwater, gains immunity to all Tier 3 and below Water Magic, and gets a boost to their own Water Magic.”
Li Xiuman looked at Ilu's right ear. She wore an identical earring there.
They seemed to be a pair.
“I got this from conquering a dungeon.”
“But because my ears are very sensitive, piercing them hurt too much, so I only wore one.”
Li Xiuman felt like he had just heard something unbelievable.
“You pierced your own ear directly?”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
How tough. As expected of a truly strong person.
“After this, I'll head north, honing my sword in the dungeons along the way.”
“My final destination is the Tier 9 Dungeon in the capital of the Duchy of Mande.”
“I'll wait for you there.”
Ilu slung her greatsword onto her back.
“Before we part, do you mind if we share a hug?”
“And, can I see what you look like?”
“I'm quite curious. Besides, when we meet again, if you're standing right in front of me, I shouldn't be unable to recognize you.”
Ilu walked toward Li Xiuman.
“Wait, my appearance is a bit terrifying.”
He didn't even have skin. Of course it would be terrifying.
“I don't mind.”
Step by step, Ilu pressed forward, backing Li Xiuman into a corner.
“Don't worry, since it's you, I could bring myself to kiss you no matter what you look like.”
“Kiss? What do you want to do?”
Li Xiuman wondered if he had misheard.
Weren't they just friends?
“A kiss, of course. A parting kiss.”
“No, no, no! We're friends! Kissing isn't something friends do!”
Li Xiuman suspected he had fast-forwarded through some major plot points.
This kind of thing would be much better if it happened after he got his flesh and blood back.
“Of course. What do you take me for? This is my first time too.”
“Besides, wanting to kiss the person you like is perfectly normal, right?”
“I'll be gentle.”
The person you like isn't even human, girl!
And what the hell did "I'll be gentle" mean?! Do I have no dignity at all?!
“You like me? Since when? How come I didn't know?”
“Ever since you drew your sword in the dungeon. But just now, my feelings grew to the point where I actually want to kiss you.”
“Why do you talk so much? Do you not have even a little bit of affection for me?”
Ilu furrowed her brows, her eyes showing a hint of sadness.
“...No, it's not that I don't have any affection at all, but this sort of thing should be taken step by step.”
“There's no time to take it step by step. I'm leaving this afternoon.”
“Who knows how long it'll be before we meet again. Just think of it as taking an advance on the future.”
“...”
“Besides, it's not like I'm ugly, right? Am I really that repulsive to you?”
Li Xiuman didn't want to explain anymore. At this point, his only option was to flee.
Just as he was about to move, his shoulders were pinned, his wrists grabbed and slammed against the wall, leaving him completely immobilized.
He felt as if he were being crushed by a semi-truck.
Immediately after, his left arm was pinned as well.
Now it was like two trucks pressing down on him.
Those violet eyes stared straight at him, strands of purple hair brushing against his breathtakingly beautiful face before falling onto his cloak.
Coming closer and closer, he could see a tantalizing, rosy blush spreading across her cheeks.
He could feel her sweet breath drawing nearer and nearer.
One of her hands left his shoulder, reaching toward his cloak.
“This look of wanting to resist but being completely powerless to do so—I really like it.”
Rate on N.U.
