Chapter 83 - 81: The Cold "Couple

Chapter 83: Chapter 81: The Cold "Couple

’This has to be a mistake...’

’After all, how could a Skill Book be worth only 1 Silver Coin?’

’Didn’t Furen say that even the trashiest Skills start at 5 gold coins for a Skill Book?’

’Besides, the materials used for Skill Books are very special. The cost of materials alone is more than 1 Silver Coin.’

’Yeah, it’s definitely a mista... damn it!’

’Stop lying to myself!!’

’I’d rather this crappy book be worth only 1 Silver Coin than believe my cheat ability is malfunctioning!!’

Half a minute later, staring wide-eyed at the small white booklet in his hand, Lu Wei felt so angry his headache was starting to fade.

He hadn’t expected it to be a Professional Skill Book. After all, in a place like Gelan Forest, where you might not see more than a handful of Professionals all year, the chances of one appearing were slim to none.

So his initial expectation was a "Universal Skill Book worth around 10 gold coins."

He had even decided under what circumstances he would sell it and under what circumstances he would learn it himself.

But he never, ever expected this kind of result...

"I give up. I really, truly give up this time."

Taking a deep breath, Lu Wei slightly regretted his insolence toward the Goddess of Fortune this morning.

But it was too late for regrets now.

He could only face reality.

’Whatever.’

’Since it’ll only sell for 1 Silver Coin—and that’s if it sells at all—I might as well just learn it.’

Adhering to the principle of "you can never have too many skills," Lu Wei shook his head, planning to just learn this "Imitation" thing.

Although based on the vague and confusing contents of the Introduction, he had no idea what this Skill even did, he’d never heard of any "negative Skills," so there was no harm in learning it.

More importantly, as long as he didn’t sell it, its 1-Silver-Coin Value wouldn’t seem so heartbreaking.

’So what if the housing market crashes? I live in this house, so who cares if its value drops?’

’Yeah... that’s more or less the idea.’

’With one more Skill in my skill list, at least I’ll look a bit more badass.’

Comforting himself with this thought, Lu Wei dusted off the cover and prepared to open it.

But the next moment, he froze.

No matter how hard he tried, the cover was like it was welded shut, refusing to budge an inch.

’Huh?’

’Did I fail the Attribute Test?’

’That can’t be right. My Attributes are all so high right now. Logically, I should be able to learn any Universal Skill with ease.’

"Strange..."

He glanced again at the description in the Introduction: "requires an extremely stringent and bizarre test for Intelligence and Perception." Lu Wei was baffled.

It specifically emphasized Intelligence and Perception, but his Intelligence was currently at 15 and his Perception was a whopping 18—several times that of an ordinary person. He felt like he should meet the requirements no matter what.

’Could it be...’

Suddenly, Lu Wei’s jaw dropped in surprise as he thought of a completely unreasonable, yet somehow very reasonable, explanation.

’Perhaps the requirement isn’t a "minimum"...’

’But a "maximum."’

...

...

「Roughly two hours later, just before night fell, Lu Wei and Mirana returned to Moon Creek Forest.」

The woods weren’t actually far from the nest, but because Mirana still had little stamina and insisted on carrying the two Leader Level Goblin heads, their pace was slow.

She probably thought Lu Wei was weaker than her, unaware that aside from a slight headache, he was perfectly fine.

After sleeping for ten hours on an empty stomach, his Magic Power had recovered by about seven or eight points.

If he had slept on a full stomach, he probably could have recovered 10 points.

"You rest for a while. I’ll cook."

Seeing Mirana drenched in sweat from exhaustion, her breathing ragged, Lu Wei couldn’t bear to exploit her any further. He silently went into the woods to retrieve the backpacks they had hidden.

Soon, the warm glow of a fire lit up the grove.

It was the same barely-edible cheese and meat stew, plus two bags of saltine crackers. Bubbles gurgled and popped in the lightweight stew pot, and the smell of blood in the air was significantly diluted.

The two of them had just gone to the stream to quickly wash the bloodstains off their bodies.

Lu Wei wasn’t really injured; he’d just gotten a few shallow cuts on his arms and legs from sharp rocks while crawling through the tunnel, and they had already scabbed over.

Mirana, on the other hand, was in much worse shape. The final blow that slammed her against the wall had sent a powerful shock through her internal organs.

If she hadn’t drunk the Healing Potion, she probably would have died.

CRACKLE~

The slightly damp firewood crackled and popped continuously. The firelight danced across her pale face, illuminating a sheen of sweat from her weakness. Her breathing still hadn’t stabilized; each inhale and exhale was short and shallow.

Lu Wei glanced at her a few times. His head was aching, so he didn’t feel like talking. He just sat there in silence until the stew was ready, then stood up, ladled a bowl, and handed it to her.

"Eat."

"Mm."

Mirana nodded lightly and took the wooden bowl.

With that, the conversation ended, and the scene immediately fell silent again.

It was as if they had suddenly become a middle-aged couple who lived under the same roof but barely exchanged a few words a day.

However, the sense of unfamiliarity between "partners" seemed to have faded a little.

’Maybe I should say something...’

’Something like, the stew is good, the fire is warm...’

’At the very least, I should thank him for saving me...’

Thinking this, Mirana silently raised her head and opened her mouth.

But for some reason, the words on the tip of her tongue wouldn’t come out.

"..."

The night wind rustled through the trees, carrying the sound of the babbling stream and the chirping of unknown insects.

Half an hour later, they finished their meal, silently and tacitly cleaned up, and then each leaned against a rock, entering a state of late-night brooding.

’Well...’

Lu Wei wasn’t actually trying to act all profound.

His head was throbbing, and he was still thinking about the [Imitation] matter.

According to the law of "supply and demand determines value," since this Skill Book was only worth 1 Silver Coin, it meant there was practically no demand for it.

In other words, no one was willing to buy it.

But considering that even nearly useless Skills like [Rapid Sleep] and [Ventriloquism] were worth over 5 gold coins, the reason no one bought [Imitation] couldn’t possibly be because its effect was too poor.

That left only one final possibility—

Extremely few people could actually learn it.

It was like a difficult literary work. It might be incredibly profound, full of philosophical debate and artistic pursuit, but its sales would never compare to a popular novel. It would most likely end up in the clearance bin, being sold for "three for a dollar."

This [Imitation] Skill Book was probably the same.

Because no one could learn it, no one bought it, so the Value given by Precise Identification was exceptionally low.

Based on this judgment, Lu Wei boldly guessed that the test requirements for Intelligence and Perception for [Imitation] were "reversed."

Other Skills required a certain Attribute to be "no less than" a certain value.

But [Imitation] required it to be "no more than" a certain value.

And that number had to be extremely low.

Otherwise, the price wouldn’t be so ridiculously cheap.

’I feel like Bai Ya might be able to give it a shot.’

’Forget Intelligence for a moment. If even a Perception of 1 can’t meet the requirement, I can’t even imagine how twisted the person who created this Skill was.’

’Zero Perception?’

’Isn’t that just a complete moron?’

He poked the fire, making the flames burn a little brighter. Lu Wei decided to have Bai Ya try it tomorrow after they got back.

The night was growing deeper. The two goblin heads sat nearby, looking rather unsettling.

"You should sleep. Just like yesterday, I’ll take the first watch."

Glancing over at Mirana, Lu Wei still had the tone and expression of a cold, distant husband.

Mirana’s reaction was similar. She just gave a soft "Okay," then knelt, unrolled her sleeping bag, and, just as she had the past two days, unfastened the top button of her shirt before slowly crawling inside.

Once she was settled, she looked at the warm campfire beside her and the "cold husband" sitting next to it. Once again, she recalled the scene of him crawling into the cave and staggering as he killed the two Leader Level Goblins.

Perhaps because it was a "lying-on-the-ground perspective," she suddenly felt this moment was somewhat similar to that one.

Except now, she felt much more at ease... a sense of security that came from not having to worry about any potential dangers, allowing her to fall asleep with complete peace of mind.

’So this is what it feels like to rely on someone.’

Her long, thick eyelashes cast a small shadow as Mirana pulled her sleeping bag a little tighter. The pain and cold in her body seemed to dissipate a great deal.

The one who had always been relied upon by her companions now finally had a companion she could rely on...

Mirana didn’t know how to describe this feeling, much less how to express it.

That was why she had hesitated to speak several times, unable to even utter a simple, deserved "thank you."

As for that "mysterious power" that had suddenly crushed the two Leader Level Monsters...

Mirana wasn’t a fool. Of course she knew who that power came from.

But she never brought it up.

She understood that it was Lu Wei’s trump card, one he was unwilling to reveal lightly, so of course she wouldn’t ask about it.

’It must be a Skill attached to that Sword.’

Glancing again at the black One-handed Sword resting beside Lu Wei, Mirana closed her eyes, feeling both exhausted and somewhat relieved.

But a second later, her eyes snapped open again as if she’d remembered something. She looked at Lu Wei’s profile and said softly,

"I’m going to sleep now."

"Good night."

...

...

"Hah..."

「Meanwhile, at the Dome Pillar.」

Under the same starry sky, by a similarly roaring campfire.

Next to the fire, Furen, who was on watch duty, let out a yawn. He then placed a hand on his lower back and twisted his neck like a stiff old man.

The next second, he found himself locking eyes with Bai Ya.

"You..."

Seeing Bai Ya staring blankly, as if she were possessed by something unclean, Furen’s voice trembled slightly.

"Wh-why aren’t you asleep yet..."

"I want to sleep."

Bai Ya rolled over like a silkworm in its cocoon, staring up at the starry sky through the gaps in the canopy. "But I can’t," she muttered.

’Just insomnia, then...’

Furen breathed a sigh of relief. "Why not?"

"I don’t know."

Bai Ya sniffled, a gloomy look on her face.

"I just have this feeling that something bad is about to happen."