He no longer remembered how many times he had woken up in this oppressive and dim cell. Moen’s eyes were still filled with exhaustion, bloodshot as if he had stayed up for several nights in a row.
“Sigh…”
Moen exhaled a heavy breath, forcing himself to rally his spirit.
He briefly reviewed the contents of the Black Book.
Dagger Combat Techniques LV5
Shadow Step LV2
“Another nearly three hundred death experiences.”
“So painful.”
“But it seems I’ve hit a bottleneck. No matter how much I train, the proficiency level won’t increase anymore.”
“Especially that Shadow Step.”
Moen’s gaze darkened slightly.
In the space of Black Book, he had nearly perfected his execution of Shadow Step. There had even been several occasions where his dagger nicked the assassin’s skin, leaving visible wounds.
Although there was still a long way from defeating the assassin, it no longer seemed as impossibly distant as before.
Yet, no matter how refined his Shadow Step became within the Black Book space, the proficiency level recorded in the Black Book remained stuck at LV2, with no sign of progress.
On the other hand, his Dagger Combat Techniques had improved rapidly due to continuous real combat scenarios, now reaching LV5.
“As I suspected, it must be a limitation of my current level.”
Moen let out a light sigh.
Within the Black Book space, he could clearly feel his proficiency improving. However, the recorded level stayed at LV2, indicating that his proficiency had indeed advanced, but his current capabilities limited him to only using LV2 Shadow Step.
Judging by the level of pain from using Shadow Step at LV1 previously, attempting to use LV2 with this frail body devoid of combat qi would surely push him to his limits.
“But there’s no other choice. I must seize every opportunity to enhance my strength!”
Determination flared in Moen’s eyes.
Even if he was imprisoned, raised, and humiliated by a beautiful maid, he still possessed a soul yearning for freedom!
“Hah, do you really think that after all this, I won’t figure out a way to escape?”
He looked at the iron bars and the lock about the size of his fist, appearing solid and sturdy. Moen curled his lips into a sly, devilish grin:
“You've underestimated me too much, Ann.”
“Everything is ready now; all that’s left is the final touch. I’m just waiting for you to keep your promise… and bring me the fish.”
…
“Wait… could something have gone wrong?”
Moen suddenly opened his eyes in alarm.
Though there was no trace of time in the room, judging by his hunger, it seemed lunchtime had long since passed.
Yet Ann had not appeared.
“She should be fine, right? Even though Lake Bepor is quite far, but I believe she can make it in time.”
As time ticked by second by second, Moen’s thoughts ran increasingly rampant.
“But if Ann doesn’t come back, won’t I really be stuck here until I die? And considering how covert this place is, it might take centuries for someone to discover my body!”
“Who knows, my ghost might haunt here forever, unable to find peace.”
“This horrible place doesn’t even have female ghosts. I’d just be a pitiful, lonely starving ghost.”
“Waaahh—nooo! That’s too miserable! At least let Sadako-san keep me company…”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have made such unreasonable demands.”
“But I had no choice—if I’d asked for a fish casually, Ann, with her sharp instincts, might’ve started suspecting something.”
“And besides, it was just in case…”
…
“Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore.”
Leaning his head against the wall, Moen chuckled self-mockingly.
“Looks like being locked up here for too long has made me overly sensitive.”
“Catching a fish should be no big deal for Ann, right?”
“It’s not like I told her to go to hunt a monster.”
…
…
Outside at Lake Bepor, a storm raged violently.
Ann stood around a few hundred meters from the shoreline, her rain cloak and hood shielding her from the downpour. She kept her expression emotionless as a scruffy man in front of her endlessly nagged.
“Miss, you can’t go past this point!”
“Lake Bepor has been completely sealed off. If you want to enjoy the view, you’ll need to wait until the storm clears!”
Thunder rumbled, and the torrential rain threatened to drown the world. Forced to raise his voice, the man shouted at the top of his lungs just to be heard over the storm.
“In any case, turn back now! This place is too dangerous!”
“What happened?”
Ann frowned slightly, her displeasure radiating visibly. It was unclear whether her frustration was directed at the man before her or the abhorrent weather.
“Miss, that’s not for you to ask. Go on, leave!”
Growing irritated, the man reached out to shove Ann away.
“Oh?”
Ann grabbed the man’s outstretched hand. Her expression turned icy as her fingers tightened their grip.
“I hate it when men other than my young master touch me.”
“What—aaagh!”
The man let out a scream, his face contorted in pain as his body twisted involuntarily in the direction Ann wrenched his arm.
“If you ever want to hold a dinner knife again, you’d better tell me what’s going on here.”
“I will… I will…”
Hearing his arm bones creak under the grip, the man cried out in alarm.
“It’s the lord of Lake Bepor—it’s appeared!”
“The lord of Lake Bepor? Isn’t that just an unfounded folktale?”
The so-called lord of Lake Bepor was a legend passed down among the fishing villages surrounding the lake. According to the tale, a godlike ancient being—a Fish God—resided in the lake’s depths. This being was said to rule the weather and tides of the lake.
To gain the lord’s protection, villagers held annual rituals, offering livestock in sacrifice.
But these were merely stories. If a Fish God truly existed in the lake, Life Church would have labeled it as a nest of heresy long ago and launched a new holy crusade.
“No… no, the lord really appeared! It’s a gigantic fish!”
The man wailed, his voice trembling.
“The Adventurers’ Guild sent professionals to inspect it; they confirmed it’s a Monster of Sovereign Rank. They’ve deployed a B-rank adventurer party to subdue it, which is why Lake Bepor is now sealed off. No one’s allowed to approach!”
“I see—a Sovereign Rank monster, huh?”
Ann released the man and tilted her head back, allowing the rain to stream down on her face.
“So this strange weather, too, must be the creature’s doing.”
“P-probably…”
Cradling his arm, the man grimaced in pain and urged,
“Anyway, you should leave now. I won’t hold what just happened against you. After all, real men don’t fight with women. But if you disrupt the adventurers’ mission, you’ll definitely get into trouble!”
“….”
Ann ignored him, stepping past and heading toward the lake.
“H-hey! Even after learning all this, you’re still going?”
The man stared at her departing figure in disbelief.
“Why… why are you risking heading toward certain danger? What is it that makes you so persistent?”
“For what?”
To his surprise, Ann turned back with a gentle smile, her face radiating bliss.
“Of course, it’s because of love.”
