Strength Enhancement

Bai Xuan stood behind her, gazing at the mangled, unrecognizable monster corpses on the ground.

He couldn't help but feel a touch of nostalgia.

He remembered how, when he had first arrived in this world, he had also smashed his way through like this.

Watching Phoebe now, he felt as if he were seeing his past self in her.

So this was how it looked from an outsider's perspective—someone dressed like a spellcaster, yet swinging a staff to violently beat down enemies.

It really did look a bit abnormal.

The moment the battle ended, a notification popped up on his status panel right on cue.

【Successfully executed Crushing Blow, killed "Multi-Headed Snake"】

【EXP +7, Pleasure +3】

Bai Xuan paused. He remembered that when he personally killed a Level 2 monster in the past, he would get four or five experience points at most.

He hadn't expected that now, with Phoebe killing the monsters, the experience he gained would actually be higher.

However, the Pleasure points were the same as usual, with no change.

As the remaining notifications faded, Phoebe squatted down and carefully sliced open the Shadow Rat's corpse with the tip of her axe.

She picked out the Magic Core, wiped it clean with a piece of cloth she kept on her, and then dropped it into the pouch at her waist.

Her movements were meticulous and gentle, as if the mangled remains on the ground had nothing to do with her.

Leaning against the stone wall, Bai Xuan watched her busy back and couldn't help but think to himself.

Once Phoebe finished collecting all the Magic Cores, the two of them continued deeper into the passage.

The Abandoned Workshop District was much quieter than the first floor.

Rusted gears and overturned furnaces were scattered along both sides of the path, and clear scorch marks still remained on the walls.

Just then, several Multi-Headed Snakes poked their heads out from the cracks in the bricks. Phoebe instinctively raised her axe to swing, but Bai Xuan stopped her in time.

“Gentler,” Bai Xuan cautioned.

“Our commission is to gather Gloomspore samples from the Decay Moss Beasts. Those things are extremely fragile and cannot be crushed. You need to learn to control your strength.”

Phoebe glanced at Bai Xuan and silently lowered her axe.

Right at that moment, a Multi-Headed Snake darted out from a corner, and she immediately swung her axe to swat it.

But when she tried to pull back her strength mid-swing, the sheer weight of the axe made it impossible to stop. The Multi-Headed Snake was instantly flattened into a puddle of mush.

Phoebe's brow furrowed slightly, and Bai Xuan fell silent for a moment as well.

Phoebe possessed immense strength, and this giant axe was exceptionally heavy.

Given her petite frame, trying to control her strength with such precision was indeed no easy task.

After a moment of thought, Bai Xuan retrieved the Dragon Steel Strength Potion from his Space Ring.

Inside the glass vial, the wine-red liquid shimmered faintly in the dim light, radiating a pure energy.

Since Phoebe was already his contracted companion and had not yet chosen a Class, there was no point in holding onto this potion.

It was better to use it to enhance her body and prevent any unnecessary accidents in the future.

“Drink this,” Bai Xuan said, handing the potion to Phoebe.

Phoebe took the potion and, without a moment's hesitation, bit off the cork, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp.

She handed the empty vial back to Bai Xuan and instinctively licked her lips, as if savoring the taste of the potion.

A notification popped up on his status panel once again, though this time it did not belong to Bai Xuan, but rather to the Subordinate Contract section.

The notification showed that Phoebe's passive skill had changed.

【Strength Enhancement Lv.3 (68%) → Lv.4 (7%)】

Bai Xuan was secretly astonished. Phoebe's Strength Enhancement was already at Lv.3, yet this potion could still grant her so much experience.

However, this type of potion could only be consumed once; drinking more would yield no effect.

He couldn't help but marvel that the resources of the Great City nobility were indeed incomparable to those of small border towns.

Phoebe looked down at her hands and gently clenched her fists.

She could clearly feel the changes within her body—a surge of strength flooded her entire being, far more powerful than before.

She looked up at Bai Xuan, a hint of reliance creeping into her golden eyes.

Phoebe raised her giant axe and gave it a trial swing.

The sheer force of the swing scraped the outer layer off a loose brick wall nearby, sending a shower of rubble clattering to the ground.

She took half a step back, firmly stabilized her center of gravity, and swung the axe once more.

This time, the edge of the axe stopped precisely an inch away from the wall, without touching it in the slightest.

Seeing this, Bai Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

For the rest of the journey, Phoebe practiced controlling her strength while slaying the monsters along the way.

As the Magic Cores in her pouch piled up, she finally got the hang of it.

She could now cleanly decapitate a Shadow Rat while keeping its body relatively intact.

Phoebe paused, took a deep breath to steady herself, and then pressed on.

Bai Xuan followed behind her, watching the experience points constantly ticking upward on his status panel as he silently calculated his progress toward leveling up.

The passage leading to the third floor was much wider than the upper two floors, and there were many more forks in the path.

Bai Xuan intentionally chose a relatively secluded route, wanting to avoid running into too many other adventurers and causing unnecessary trouble.

Not long after they had been walking, they encountered a three-person adventurer team coming from the opposite direction, consisting of a Warrior, a Thief, and an Archer.

Their gear looked extremely ordinary, and their levels didn't seem very high either.

When the team members saw Phoebe, their steps visibly faltered, and their eyes instantly fell upon the giant axe in her hands.

That axe was simply too eye-catching, being nearly a full size larger than Phoebe's entire body.

“That axe... is actually bigger than she is,” the Thief muttered in a hushed tone, his eyes filled with curiosity.

“A staff-wielding spellcaster traveling with a giant axe-wielding melee fighter. That's pretty interesting,” the Archer remarked, casting a few more glances at the pair.

Only the Warrior remained silent, his gaze lingering briefly on Phoebe for just a moment.

He then gave Bai Xuan a slight nod, a silent greeting customary among adventurers.

Bai Xuan politely returned the nod and stepped aside with Phoebe to let them pass first.

Once the two parties had distanced themselves, Bai Xuan could faintly hear hushed laughter coming from behind.

He couldn't make out the exact words, but he could tell there was no malice in it; it was likely just out of curiosity.

After walking a bit further, several abandoned mine shafts appeared on both sides of the passage, and the light grew even dimmer.

Finding a relatively flat spot, Bai Xuan gestured to Phoebe that they could rest for a moment.

Obeying his cue, Phoebe leaned against the stone wall, propping her giant axe up beside her.

She then began to unwrap the bandages wound around her arms. After a long period of fighting, the bandages had already been soaked with sweat, making them feel quite uncomfortable.

Her long silver hair, the massive axe, and her petite figure were already more than enough to draw attention.

But what truly could not be seen by outsiders was the golden, dark-patterned spiral mark on her arm.

Phoebe unwrapped the bandages layer by layer, revealing her fair, slender arms.

The golden patterns glowed faintly in the dim light, and as the lines flowed, they almost seemed like a living thing.

She gently moved her arms, allowing her tight muscles to stretch and breathe.

Just then, an adventurer carrying a backpack turned the corner from a side passage.