The pale blue-gray mist hung low, and the outer edges of the Mist Forest were still wrapped in a faint chill of early morning.
Cool dew slid down the tent canvas and dripped into the soil.
Ailiya sat cross-legged quietly in her solo tent.
She hadn’t yet had the chance to properly sort through everything she’d gained from killing those two Night Owl assassins last night, as well as what she’d “harvested” from Sid.
As a former professional power-leveler, checking the character panel and skill build regularly was an instinct carved into her bones.
“Open panel.”
Ailiya murmured in her mind.
With a faint hum, a semi-transparent pale blue light screen only she could see slowly unfolded before her eyes.
After reading the data displayed, even she—usually indifferent—let a flicker of satisfaction pass through her eyes.
[Character Panel]
Name: Ailiya
Race: Wolfkin (Silver Frost Bloodline·Tier 1)
Main Class: Assassin Lv.8 (195/200)
Total Level: 36
HP: 1400/1400
Stamina Points: 500/500
Magic Power: 320/320
[Basic Attributes]
Strength: 25
Agility: 40
Constitution: 35
Perception: 50
Spirit: 32
Charm: 20
[Talent Traits]
Silver Frost Bloodline (Tier 1): In cold environments or under moonlight, all attributes increase by 10%. Vision, hearing, and smell judgment values double.
Indifference: Emotional changes are minimal, differs from ordinary people. Less susceptible to mental judgment effects.
[Sub-Classes]
Maid Lv.15 (1585/1600)
Warlock Lv.7 (110/700)
Blacksmith Lv.2 (95/200)
Gunner Lv.1 (58/100)
Chef Lv.3 (250/300)
[Professional Abilities]
Basic Combat (MAX): Every swing you make has become instinct.
Danger Sense (Lv.6): Can predict malicious locking and attacks 0.25 seconds in advance.
Stealth (Lv.8): Blend into the environment, eliminate breathing and heartbeat sounds.
Precise Throw (MAX): Within a hundred meters, hit exactly where aimed. Inflicts a weak armor-piercing judgment.
Handicraft (Lv.10): Can craft or repair items of Fine quality.
Chores (MAX): Max level qualitative change. Any cleaning, organizing, and housework becomes art in your hands. You can make a broken wooden cup shine like a mirror.
Mana Infusion (MAX): Max level qualitative change. Can wrap high-density mana around the surface of any ordinary object, granting strength without destroying the object’s original structure or form.
Cooking (Lv.3): An excellent chef. Can basically handle all daily ingredients.
Smithing (Lv.2): Can perform basic metal hammering and shaping.
[Skills]
[Assassin] Weak Point Insight (Lv.8): Mark an enemy’s defensive weakness within 3 seconds. Critical hit damage increases when hitting the weak point.
[Assassin] Sprint (Lv.6): Instantly burst into speed, performing an afterimage dash in any direction over a short distance.
[Assassin] Shadow Stealth (Lv.5): Dive into the shadow of an object to move. Movement speed increased by 50%. Greatly reduces the chance of being detected.
[Warlock] Phantom Clone (Lv.3): Create a mana clone with substance. Can mimic the caster’s basic movements. Disperses after taking one hit.
[Warlock] Flash Spell (Lv.3): Instantly cast blinding light. Can temporarily blind enemies at close range. Has a deterrent effect on undead creatures.
[Warlock] Eagle Eye Art (Lv.3): A compound reconnaissance spell. Greatly extends visual range, grants enhanced dynamic vision. Can see through low-level camouflage and perceive through thin walls.
[Warlock] Cleaning Spell (Lv.6): Consumes a trace amount of mana. Instantly strip dirt from a target’s surface for simple cleaning.
[Warlock] Paper Doll Substitute (MAX): Consumes mana and special talisman paper. When receiving a fatal blow, forcibly displaces your true body to a location within fifty meters.
[Warlock] Appraisal (Lv.4): Obtain a target’s basic information and level panel. Generates a faint sense of being watched when used.
***
Ailiya’s gaze suddenly paused on the panel, and her brow furrowed slightly.
[Maid Lv.15 (1585/1600)]
Just 15 experience points away from leveling up to 16.
Seeing the experience bar stuck at 99% was more agonizing than not winning in a gacha game.
This kind of stuck feeling, where she couldn’t level up immediately, made her obsessive-compulsive tendencies start to flare up.
No good. She couldn’t sleep.
Ailiya decisively flipped over and sat up.
She lifted the tent flap and glanced outside. There were less than two hours until dawn, and the camp was dead silent.
But out here in the wilderness, surrounded by dirt and fallen leaves, there were no floors to sweep and no furniture to polish.
Ailiya unzipped the tent and glanced at Balke’s squad, who were still snoring loudly, and Leo’s quiet tent.
“If there are no conditions, create them.”
She decisively got up and walked over to the extinguished campfire in the center of the camp.
From her travel backpack, she fished out a small iron pot, along with some wheat and dried meat strips she’d picked up during her shopping trip in Fengyue City, plus a few mushrooms she’d gathered from the edge of the woods.
Ailiya skillfully used her dagger to cut the meat strips into even slivers, then boiled them together with the wheat and mushrooms.
Before long, a rich, aromatic food scent began to drift through the chilly morning woods.
“Dawn. The morning mist in the forest carried a damp chill.”
A rustling came from a nearby tent.
“Grr…”
Leo emerged from his tent, rubbing his eyes sleepily, his hair a complete mess.
He massaged his sore shoulders. It had been his first time camping outdoors, and the hard ground had kept him awake most of the night.
But that enticing aroma directly awakened the greedy cravings in his stomach.
He followed the scent and saw Ailiya, dressed in her neat maid outfit, standing quietly in the faint morning light, stirring a pot of hot porridge.
Leo froze in place, his amber eyes widening slightly.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Had the sun risen in the west?
This cold-blooded maid, who usually only used a mop to hit him and a sharp tongue to needle him, had actually woken up early in the wilderness to make breakfast?
Could it be that she wasn’t actually as cold as she seemed on the surface, and deep down she really did care about her Young Master’s health?
Even in such harsh wilderness conditions, she didn’t want him to have to gnaw on dry, hard black bread.
Thinking this, Leo’s lips curled up wildly, his heart felt sweeter than honey, and he scurried over enthusiastically.
He walked up to the campfire, a little awkwardly, cleared his throat, and tried to hide his emotion.
“Cough, um… Ailiya.”
Leo looked at the shredded meat bubbling in the pot and mumbled softly:
“You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble out here. I could’ve just eaten some dry rations with Uncle Balke and the others. You… you didn’t need to get up so early just to cook for me…”
Ailiya stopped stirring with the wooden spoon and looked up.
Her ice-blue eyes calmly stared at the overthinking young man whose face was practically screaming “I know you care about me.”
“Young Master, please stop your utterly illogical self-gratification.”
Ailiya picked up a wooden bowl, filled it to the brim with hot porridge, and handed it to Leo. Her tone was as cold as an emotionless machine.
“The only reason I got up early to make porridge is because this piece of dried meat in my bag got damp. If I didn’t cook it immediately, it would go bad and moldy, thus contaminating my backpack.”
Not only did she not go along with Leo’s narrative, but she also mercilessly twisted the knife:
“Since you’re already awake, please dispose of this soon-to-be-spoiled food as quickly as possible. That way, I can wash this pot.”
Washing an iron pot caked with grease would probably give about 5 experience points.
As long as she finished washing the pot and the bowls together, her Maid level would smoothly break through to level 16.
That was the only motivation for her to get up early and cook.
“Soon-to-be-spoiled food?!”
Leo held the fragrant bowl of porridge, the emotion on his face instantly shattering into a thousand pieces of glass.
He glared at Ailiya, practically shaking with anger, his hair nearly standing on end.
“You cooked just so you could use me as a garbage bin to dispose of trash?!”
“If you insist on describing yourself that way, I cannot logically refute it.”
Ailiya nodded expressionlessly.
“So please hurry up and eat, Young Master. Otherwise, I’ll just pour the porridge out, and you can go gnaw on tree bark.”
“I… I’ll eat!”
Leo angrily scooped up a spoonful of porridge and shoved it into his mouth.
But even as he cursed under his breath, when the rich, savory flavor exploded on his taste buds, he shamelessly quickened his pace of swallowing.
He had to admit, this woman’s cooking skills were easily nine parts better than Chef Carter’s back at the Estate.
Not long after, Balke and the others were also lured awake by the aroma.
The rough men stared at the hot porridge in the pot, drooling and gulping.
“Gulp.”
Selin exaggeratedly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, sidled up to Balke, and lowered his voice:
“Big Boss, sure, this noble brat bringing a maid along on his training trip looks a bit pretentious, but the food… man, it’s absolutely top-tier.”
“Compare that to our Miss Sid. What kind of dark culinary concoction does she brew in that blackened pot of hers?!”
Balke shot him a glare, but his own stomach betrayed him with an embarrassingly loud growl.
He recalled the terrifying assassination methods this girl had used in the woods last night, then looked at her current cold and serene appearance as she stirred the porridge. He felt an intense sense of dissonance.
“All of you, shut your useless mouths! We’re hired guards, not freeloaders here for free food!”
Balke forcefully suppressed his appetite and scolded his subordinates.
But when Ailiya ladled out five bowls of steaming hot meat porridge and calmly distributed them, the rough men all shamelessly surrendered.
Without even a word of politeness, they picked up their bowls and started slurping loudly.
“This is delicious!”
Misi, scalding his mouth, still managed to give a thumbs up.
***
A moment later.
Ailiya gathered all the pots, bowls, and utensils, took them to a nearby stream to wash them clean, and finally heard the heavenly sound that brought pleasure to her mind and body.
[Obtained Life Experience Points: Maid +20]
[Maid Lv.15→16 (0/1700)]
[Constitution Attribute +2]
Feeling the surge of power flowing through her body, a faint, barely perceptible smile curled at the corner of Ailiya’s lips.
“Alright, since everyone’s full, pack up the camp!”
Balke wiped his mouth, slung his heavy broad blade greatsword over his back, and his booming voice echoed through the woods:
“Today, we’re crossing the White Water River and officially entering the inner area of the Mist Forest. Everyone, stay on your toes!”
Leo tightened his grip on his short wand, took a deep breath, and fell in step with the team.
Ailiya, carrying the spotlessly clean small iron pot, quietly brought up the rear of the group.