Chapter Twenty-Four: Conflict

After discovering his new attribute, Mu Rongxun felt a surge of excitement as he recalled the bow he had obtained from Li Jing. Previously, the bow had required a special ability to use, which he lacked; as a result, the weapon had been nothing more than a decorative piece in his hands, serving only to frighten off the Heartmoon Fox earlier. But now, with his energy attribute awakened, perhaps he could finally wield this weapon.

At present, Mu Rongxun possessed two pieces of equipment: a plain novice’s shortsword, entirely devoid of any special properties, and the Genshin Gauntlet—a battered relic of indeterminate rank, bequeathed to him by an old classmate, and now his most valuable trump card. Now, with the addition of the bow, his arsenal was growing.

Instead of taking the bow out, he checked its properties within his personal space.

[Powerful Golden Bow: The painstaking masterpiece of a dwarven craftsman.]

[Equipment Quality: Superior Blue]

[Equipment Skill 1: Consumes 1 point of any attribute’s energy to fire an arrow. The power of the arrow can be freely adjusted.]

[Equipment Attribute 2: Unerring Aim—so long as you aim at your target, your shot will never miss.]

A few lines of information, two passive abilities—Mu Rongxun felt thoroughly satisfied. This was clearly a tier above basic white-quality equipment. Though it had no elaborate skills, the bow now provided him with a means of ranged attack, and its power could be regulated at will. For him, this was already quite sufficient.

After a while, a tingling sensation spread across his back as his wounds healed rapidly. Removing the Genshin Gauntlet, he examined his left palm—where he had earlier inflicted a cut upon himself, now only a faint, pale scar remained. Mu Rongxun was genuinely astonished by the effects of the ramen.

Meanwhile, after drinking a bowl of soup each, Xu Ying and the other girl had recovered much of their strength. Though the soup could not stave off hunger, at least it spared him the trouble of looking after them.

“May I take some to go?” Mu Rongxun inquired tentatively.

The chef shook his head firmly and pointed at the tables and chairs, indicating that the food could only be eaten here.

“Thank you,” Mu Rongxun said earnestly. He was not disappointed by the refusal—this was, after all, only an unexpected boon.

After expressing his thanks, he rose to his feet, glanced at the two women, and turned to leave.

Xu Ying and her companion exchanged a look and then stood up as well. As before, the chef stood by the door, silently watching them go.

“Hey, stick-in-the-mud, stop right there!” Xu Ying called out from behind after they had walked some distance.

Mu Rongxun halted and turned to face them.

“You could at least show us some courtesy,” Xu Ying fumed. “We’ve been walking together for so long—never mind that you won’t even tell us your name, but must you be so cold?”

“We’re not the same as before. Don’t think you can treat us like you used to. We just saved you, you know!”

“So?” Mu Rongxun frowned at her.

“First, tell us your name. Then explain who you are. What exactly is going on here?” Xu Ying pressed him, her voice trembling slightly under the pressure of his gaze. But remembering that she was no longer the same as before, she drew confidence from her newfound strength.

“Keep up,” Mu Rongxun replied curtly, turning to continue on his way.

“Stop right there!” Xu Ying hurried ahead, blocking his path with outstretched arms.

“Explain yourself!” In the darkness, the stubborn determination on the girl’s delicate face was unmistakable.

Mu Rongxun was silent, stepping forward as if to continue.

“Stand still!” Xu Ying’s voice rose, edged with anger. At first, they had no choice but to follow him. But now, having awakened their own abilities, they didn’t want to make trouble—they simply wanted answers. Yet, he continued to ignore them, which was infuriating.

A heatwave began to simmer around her, making the air feel stifling.

With a flash, a cold gleam pierced the darkness.

“Let’s talk this over,” Xu Ying stammered, her surging energy abruptly subdued. Her face froze as she stared at the boy before her, his shortsword raised and its tip aimed squarely at her brow—one more step forward, and her life would end instantly.

She was, after all, only a newly awakened ability-user. Mu Rongxun, though lacking any supernatural powers, had undergone numerous enhancements; his physique now far outstripped that of any ordinary awakened. At such close range, facing him was tantamount to courting death.

“Behave yourself,” he said, his tone unchanged—calm as ever, but all the more chilling for its composure.

He withdrew his sword and continued walking ahead.

Originally, he only needed to kill twenty level-one abominations within fifteen days to complete the main quest and leave. But the appearance of the second main quest had upended his plans. The resistance of these two women only annoyed him further.

He had already decided: if they caused any more trouble, he would simply take one out—whichever remained would suffice, so long as he could bring her out and complete the mission. As long as he completed his task and wasn’t erased, nothing else mattered.

After the sword was put away, Xu Ying let out a breath and collapsed to the ground, limp with relief. The tip of the blade had been pressed to her forehead; she had dared not move, her heart pounding in her chest, afraid that Mu Rongxun would kill her without hesitation.

Having witnessed his ruthlessness, she knew he would not hesitate.

She had seen in his eyes the intention to kill—only something had made him relent at the last moment.

“Yingying!” Zhang Jiao called anxiously, rushing over to help her up. Everything had happened so quickly, she hadn’t even had time to react.

She never imagined that what was meant to be a show of bravado, a mere attempt to frighten him and get answers, would so nearly end in disaster.

Panting, Xu Ying shook her head at her friend. The boy ahead seemed to have a mind quite unlike anyone else’s—best not to provoke him further.

At that moment, Mu Rongxun himself was deep in thought. If it were only the first main quest, he could have remained here, hunting abominations and healing in the relative safety of the cafeteria—though he knew it was not entirely secure, at least for now there seemed no immediate danger. But because of the second main quest, he had no choice but to seek an exit, taking the two girls with him—or at the very least, one of them.

Yet, if even the clown they had just encountered was so difficult to deal with, what if they came across something even more powerful?

Had it not been for the girls’ sudden awakening injuring the clown, it would never have fled so easily.

Without a clear plan, he walked on in silence, the two girls following quietly behind. Even with their newfound abilities, in a place like this—even if it was their own campus—they felt safer sticking with Mu Rongxun.