“I won!”
Lilith was absolutely overjoyed. She dashed over, her hands fluttering over the transparent protective barrier as she stared intently at Wang Yue, her eyes filled with a trance-like intoxication.
“This is my prey!” she announced proudly.
“Who’s your prey!?” Wang Yue rolled her eyes.
“Alright, come with me now. Be a good girl.”
“Stop talking to yourself, hey!”
“Stop harassing your classmate.”
Professor Sabrina walked over and shooed Lilith away, simultaneously dispelling the Isolation Shield surrounding Wang Yue.
She then turned to face the class, publicly commending the two of them. She praised them for being “ahead of the curriculum.”
With the excitement of that duel as a warm-up, the young witches’ tension dissipated, and they quickly began pairing off to spar.
Prima was unable to participate.
Class Five had an even number of students, which would have allowed for perfect pairing, but since she couldn’t fight, one person was left over. That lucky student received personal guidance from Professor Sabrina herself.
After stepping down from the arena, Wang Yue stayed by Prima’s side to watch their classmates spar.
Compared to the heart-pounding battle she had just fought against Lilith, the duels between the other young witches seemed lukewarm and sluggish. They couldn’t manage instant casting, nor could they release magic above the intermediate tier.
The destructive power of low-tier magic was pitiful; a Magic Missile couldn’t even penetrate a single layer of a mana shield.
Wang Yue watched as the young witches used the tips of their staves to clumsily trace the runes for basic spells. Their movements were amateurish and stiff. Occasionally, a spell would fail, exploding into a puff of mist. The girls would simply stick out their tongues and offer a bashful smile.
“Wang Yue, Lilith… you both are so amazing,” Prima whispered in admiration.
“You think so?”
“I didn’t realize it before, but seeing them now… the difference in level is staggering. The gap between people can really be that vast.”
As she spoke, Prima lowered her gaze, her expression falling.
As the course progressed, her sense of belonging grew thinner. She couldn’t cast magic, couldn’t use the teaching tools, and couldn’t participate in the practical activities.
She didn’t know what to do with herself each day. In the beginning, her heart had been full of hope and longing; now, all she felt was a hollow sense of loss.
She felt like a bystander. The noise and the silence of the campus had nothing to do with her. She was a shadow, trailing behind others—moving when they moved, stopping when they stopped. Most of the time, she was an entity that was simply ignored.
Even the act of living was a burden. She relied on others for food, clothing, and shelter. Someone had to feed her, someone had to tuck her in, and someone had to carry her to the toilet and wipe her.
As for the prosthetic limbs—she had been disappointed so many times that she was now afraid to even hope.
Wang Yue watched the battles in the arena with waning interest.
Even though they had been taught how to be ruthless to their enemies and had practiced combat techniques repeatedly, the young witches were neither skilled nor fierce enough. Magic flew everywhere, but the hit rate was abysmal.
Often, they would deplete their mana before even breaking a single shield. Then, the pair would sit on the ground to recover, even starting to chat with one another.
Watching this, Wang Yue smiled. Thinking back to her fight with Lilith, she realized she hadn’t had a particularly strong desire to win either. Was she really any different from them?
Lilith walked over, looking smug. This long-awaited victory had brought her immense satisfaction, clearing much of the gloom from her brow.
“Wang Yue,” Lilith leaned in, peering with great interest at the loser’s face, trying to catch any subtle change in expression.
“What is it?” Wang Yue asked, her tone clipped.
“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask… how did it feel inside that Isolation Shield?” Lilith asked provocatively.
“Do you want to know what I was thinking then?”
“Yes, yes!”
“I think you’re quite impressive… You won this time. Congratulations, Lilith.” Wang Yue spoke with genuine sincerity.
Lilith froze.
That’s it? What? Why is she so calm?
The anger, embarrassment, avoidance, and humiliation she had expected to see were nowhere to be found.
“That’s all?” Lilith frowned.
“Yes.”
“You accept your defeat completely?”
“I do.”
“You… how can you be like this?”
“Like what?”
“Don’t you feel ashamed? Aren’t you angry? You lost!”
“Lilith, this was just a regular mock duel. Why are you acting like you staked your whole life on it?”
“You’re just pretending not to care!” Lilith huffed, turning to walk away.
Hearing their bickering, Prima hid a small smile.
Fishmouth Town.
Ed-Bear walked into the Explorers’ Guild at eight in the evening.
Talitha was still on duty at the front desk. The young girl was wearing a bear-ear hoodie, though the color and style were slightly different from the first time he had seen her. She apparently owned many bear hoodies; it had become her trademark.
“Mr. Ed-Bear, did you find anything today?” Talitha offered a practiced, professional smile.
“The Guild is still buying supernatural materials, right?”
“Yes, we are always buying. Prices fluctuate based on demand, and occasionally there are urgent orders with price bonuses, so don’t miss out.” Talitha gave her head a playful little tilt.
She had done that same tilt about two hundred times today. While it was popular with the guests, it didn’t stop her neck from feeling stiff and sore.
In her eyes, Ed-Bear was tall with refined features. Despite wearing a dusty, wrapped coat, he looked exceptionally clean, radiating a sense of cold restraint.
From the tea area in the corner of the hall, voices could be heard discussing him.
“Does anyone know that rookie?”
The speaker was a young man with his elbows on his knees. He was broad-boned and wide-shouldered, looking as sturdy as a door.
The red-haired woman opposite him shook her head, her gaze indifferent. “He’s an oddball.”
A short, middle-aged man nearby chimed in. He was rolling a piece of fresh tobacco leaf with licorice and mint into a wad of chewing tobacco. Tucking it into his cheek, he said, “Four or five squads invited him to join, but he turned them all down. A solo free explorer… that’s rare these days.”
“He probably thinks he’s hot stuff. Hmph, he’ll be begging to join a group in a few days,” the woman sneered.
“Or maybe he’ll turn into monster dung or a rotting substrate for fungi before that day comes.”
“Hehehe!”
Similar whispers drifted through the air, but Ed-Bear remained indifferent.
He possessed no human emotions like joy or anger. To his ears, these words were useless information to be filtered out automatically.
Lately, he was becoming more and more fond of “slacking off” as a sense of nihilism spread through his mind. Even if someone were to spit on him, he wouldn’t have the motivation to seek revenge.
His actions were entirely dictated by commands. Life was incredibly boring. And he had a little “dead weight” waiting at home.
If possible, he just wanted to be a lazy dog. He wanted to sleep until he woke up naturally, eat, and then shove a gag in the little dead weight’s mouth so she’d stop chirping incessantly.
Ed-Bear reached into his pocket, rummaged around, and pulled out a handful of small items, letting them clatter onto the glass counter.
They were beige, keratinous chunks. The outsides were covered in scratches and dirt, but the insides were brand new, still clinging to a layer of suspicious biological tissue.
Talitha’s pupils contracted. Her mouth hung open in shock. “Th-these are Mimic-Ape claws! You hunted a Mimic-Ape?”
The hall fell into a hushed, frantic discussion.
“Is it really a Mimic-Ape?”
“I’ve seen them a few times. It looks like it. That rookie…”
“Yeah, those are Mimic-Ape claws. I’ve seen them; they’re identical.”
“A Mimic-Ape has eight claws imbued with supernatural power. Their grip can crush rock and pierce steel. They’re high-grade materials for making Artificial Relics*.”
“That guy isn’t to be trifled with. Anyone who can solo a Mimic-Ape is a monster. And did you notice? He doesn’t look even slightly exhausted after a fight like that. He might be even stronger!”
“Just how strong? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Maybe we’re overthinking it—he might have just bought them.”
“True. He comes and goes empty-handed, just leading a lizard. He doesn’t even carry a weapon. Maybe he’s just a merchant.”
The murmurs continued, but Ed-Bear didn’t care.
What was the point of being strong or weak?
I’m just a pathetic monster. If Wang Yue decides she wants a SpongeBob SquarePants avatar next time, I’m a goner. This world is just a mirage to me, a bubble in the sun.
“Can I trade these for Merits?” Ed-Bear asked bluntly.
Talitha nodded frantically. “Of course! Mimic-Ape claws are on the acquisition list.”
“Then, take all of them.”
Ed-Bear unbuckled a heavy pouch from his belt and placed it on the counter. With a slight tilt, clatter! Countless keratinous chunks spilled out, gleaming with a waxy luster and emitting a mysterious, bloody aura.
The hall fell deathly silent.
