Chapter 11: PUA

The inner walls of the Dark Hollow Tree Demon’s lair were even tougher than the hide of an Ironmane Brown Bear.

Even a beginner-level Fireball spell exploding here could only warm its stomach at best.

Xia Li couldn’t use magic right now, and she had no weapons on her.

She couldn’t just keep punching the Dark Hollow Tree Demon endlessly, trying to carve a path through the cavern walls with her bare hands.

Her body wasn’t strong enough for that.

The only reason she was still calm, besides not wanting to show a shameful side in front of Enis, was that she was still holding a trump card in her hand.

Another self — the Demon Lord Sisilia.

As soon as she arrived here, a single thought could rescue them both.

But if the Demon General or the Saint found out, the Demon Lord version of herself would face even more trouble…

Xia Li wasn’t planning to reveal that card unless it was an absolute last resort.

She didn’t want to expose her dual identity just because of a mid-level demon.

Not even if there was a one percent chance!

“No matter how tough the Dark Hollow Tree Demon’s lair walls are, they do have a limit.”

Xia Li tried to make her voice sound gentle. “Enis, do you know how to use mid-level destructive magic?”

“Not at all…” Enis pursed her lips.

Not just mid-level magic—she wasn’t even proficient in beginner-level magic.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She couldn’t even cast chants properly…

“I’ll teach you.” Xia Li took Enis’s hand.

“Huh? Xia Li, you can use mid-level magic?”

“Sort of, but my body’s special; I can’t activate magic normally,” Xia Li confessed to Enis.

“So, you want me to do it? But I…” Enis’s voice tightened, and her fingers curled instinctively.

“Don’t worry. You managed to maintain the blessing magic even when you were that scared, so this should be fine for you.” Xia Li soothed her softly.

“But… my magic power seems to be almost gone…” Enis’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

At that moment, the magical light source she’d created flickered and dimmed.

Boundless darkness swallowed their vision once more.

“…Huh?” Xia Li’s startled voice echoed in the darkness.

“It’s all my fault. I was useless and got you trapped here too…” Enis hugged her arms, bowing her head.

“No, it’s my carelessness.” Xia Li sat down on the spot, rubbing her head. “Let’s rest a bit and recover magic. I’ll think of another plan.”

The Dark Hollow Tree Demon would take at least two hours to digest them.

Xia Li set a hard limit for herself.

If they couldn’t escape with only ten minutes left, she would let her Demon Lord self come here!

“Thump… thump…”

A series of muffled thuds came from all around.

Once the Dark Hollow Tree Demon caught its prey, it stopped hiding; the pounding of its heart sounded terrifying in the pitch black.

“Xia Li… can we really survive this?” Enis’s voice trembled, her cold hands gripping Xia Li’s arm.

“We’ll find a way out. I’m not planning to die just after becoming an adventurer.” Xia Li turned her face slightly.

So close.

Enis’s nose almost touched her cheek.

Her chest pressed against Xia Li’s arm, and through the clothes, Xia Li could faintly feel two small rises…

How did this girl have no sense of personal space at all?

Xia Li was still thinking of escape methods, but her thoughts were completely disrupted by Enis.

“Xia Li, I’m sorry… I lied to you.” Enis curled up into a ball.

“What did you lie about?”

“Actually, the quest from Kirisame Hana wasn’t handed to me by my sister. I stole it from her room.”

“Stole it?!”

“My sister doesn’t want me to be an adventurer. She follows me everywhere during quests. I wanted to prove I don’t need her protection anymore, so I…”

Enis rested her head on Xia Li’s shoulder, complaining and confiding at the same time.

“But I couldn’t even handle a slime alone. If you hadn’t helped me, I would have run away in shame…”

“…” Xia Li was silent, still thinking.

Could a stolen quest still be accepted?

This was a big deal worth 10 silver coins!

Enis’s voice grew weaker, her emotions shaky from exhausted magic and fear, mumbling nonstop.

“My sister awakened magic when she was three, a genius everyone adored.

“Since I was little, I could only follow her. No matter what happened, she always protected me.

“I thought I could catch up to her after awakening magic, be independent, but before I even started, this is the result…”

Why did that sound like a deathbed confession…? Xia Li listened to Enis’s rambling, unsure how to respond.

Shouldn’t three dialogue choices pop up right now?

What was she supposed to say?

Comfort Enis?

When it came to scheming, Xia Li was quite skilled.

That was the confidence her workplace experience gave her.

As for comforting…

If she knew how to comfort a girl properly, would she have ended up as a shut-in playing games right after work?

Better try a more extreme approach…

“You just said you were strong, so who are you showing this miserable side to now? Can’t even get over such a small hurdle?” Xia Li’s tone turned cold.

“Waaah…” Enis’s nose twitched, and her eyes reddened instantly.

Xia Li softened her tone a bit. “You wouldn’t want your sister to see you like this, right? She wouldn’t want you to give up just because of a little trouble.”

“I told you, you have great talent for magic. I believe you can become a better magician than her, and protect her like she protected you.”

“My sister is the youngest high-level magician in Steinburg. How could I ever compare…” Enis muttered.

“If that’s the case, I’ll teach you a few spells she doesn’t know, as the first step to surpass her.” Xia Li’s voice turned gentle as she stroked Enis’s head.

“Spells my sister doesn’t know?”

“Yeah, I found them in… an ancient magic book in a ruin. Want to learn?” Xia Li wasn’t lying.

She did find a lost spellbook in a ruin while playing the game.

“I want to learn!” Enis immediately perked up.

Seeing Enis regain her spirit, Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn’t know how to comfort girls, but workplace psychological tactics—PUA—she knew well.

Looking at the result, this move was pretty effective.

The only downside was Enis hugged her even tighter.

She’d only been holding her arms before, but now she pressed her whole body… hmm! Her face was touching Xia Li’s! And her hands—where were they touching?!

Was she taking advantage of the darkness to get cozy?!

Could she keep a little distance?!

“Xia Li, among all the adventurers, meeting you and having you as my teammate is the luckiest thing to happen to me today.” Enis giggled.