"This skill book is for you."
Asuka handed the Phantom Step skill book to Cyan, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Don't misunderstand. I just don't want to take advantage of you."
She couldn't use Phantom Step herself. She figured Cyan's Agility was probably close to the learning requirement.
"This Phantom Strike goes to Asama Ai. It has no stat requirements and suits her well. If it weren't for the Kayako she can summon helping with the plan, we wouldn't have been able to pull it off so…"
Asuka swallowed the word "smoothly" when she remembered the black widow spider killed by the blue-clothed ninja.
"Mm…"
Cyan looked at the attributes of the Phantom Step skill book. Her current base stats weren't high enough to learn it. She stored the book in her inventory and initiated a trade with Asuka, sending over 5000 Survival Points.
"What are you doing?"
Asuka frowned and didn't accept the points.
Cyan's clear silver-white eyes stared at Asuka's slightly embarrassed blue ones as she replied flatly, "The value of this skill book far exceeds the help I gave you. I don't want to take advantage of you either."
She returned the exact words Asuka had said to her earlier.
Asuka was silent for a second. She looked at Cyan seriously and nodded.
"…Alright. I understand."
She didn't refuse the 5000 Survival Points. Refusing would have been slapping her own face. Still, this was the first time she had met such a strange survivor — someone who didn't take advantages when they were offered. Such people were truly rare.
"Cyan! Nishi! Miss Langley! Are you all alright?!"
Asama Ai ran over, panting. Having only experienced two survival games, she didn't have much equipment. She had put most of her stat points into Spirit and Intelligence to learn Evil Spirit Call.
"We're fine. It's just that your ghost friend arrived a bit late."
Asuka handed over Phantom Strike as she spoke.
"This… this is too valuable…"
Asama Ai looked at the weapon. Its stats were extremely good for her, and it had no stat requirements. With her current attributes, she could equip it right away.
"Just take it."
Asuka pushed Phantom Strike into Asama Ai's hands. The sudden movement aggravated her exhausted body, sending a wave of pain through her.
It hurt so much that Asuka leaned against Unabi's back and didn't want to move. This battle had been really difficult…
It was the first time she had faced a situation where three bosses appeared at once.
Hoofbeats sounded from afar. Cyan stopped and placed her hand on the hilt of her demon blade.
Unabi took a few steps back and hid behind her.
"Lord Cyan! Are you all alright?!"
Lancelot, his body wrapped in bandages, led over a dozen knights on horseback. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Cyan and the others were fine. Then he noticed someone was missing.
"Lord Orlov, he…"
Lancelot trailed off as he looked behind them.
Nishi was about to speak, but Cyan cut in first.
"He died fighting Balbars."
"I see… He was a respectable warrior."
Lancelot looked at the group's low spirits, then led the knights toward the battlefield.
"Tch! That scheming, treacherous bastard? He's worthy of being called a respectable warrior?"
After Lancelot left, Nishi couldn't help but spit on the ground and turned to Cyan.
"Master, why didn't you tell him the truth?"
"We still need the story characters' strength to complete Survival Mission One. Badmouthing someone who's already 'dead' would only make them dislike us. In their eyes, we all come from the same place. That can't be changed."
Cyan had a deep understanding of Lancelot and the other knights' personalities. They still needed the army to complete Survival Mission One. Doing anything that would lower favorability was best avoided for now.
"Indeed. After all, in their eyes, we're all outsiders."
Asuka strongly agreed with Cyan's words. She was surprised by how calm Cyan was, while also being reminded of someone very familiar — someone who also wore a blank expression and was cold as ice.
The difference was that Cyan had her own thoughts. Most importantly, she didn't seem like the type to follow other people's orders.
Lancelot led the knights to the corpse-filled battlefield. They found Phantom and Balbars's bodies, but neither Orlov's nor Muramasa's corpses were there. Lancelot's imagination ran wild as he pictured the two of them having an earth-shaking battle. He felt deep regret for his earlier cold attitude toward Orlov.
The knight ceremony had to be postponed because Arthur and the others were injured.
Fortunately, the great magician Merlin used mysterious magic to treat their wounds, greatly shortening their recovery time.
Otherwise, Cyan and the others might not have been able to wait for them to recover before having to head to Archduke Garibaldi's castle to complete Survival Mission One.
In the room, Cyan sat on the bed holding the golden card she obtained from killing Muramasa. Just as she was about to use it, her gaze sharpened. She turned to look out the window at two passing knights. Only after they walked away did she return her attention to the card in her hand.
"I wonder what a golden card will give~!" Nishi sat beside Cyan expectantly, her hazel eyes fixed on the card.
"I don't know."
Cyan wasn't certain either. She handed the card to Nishi.
"You have good luck. You open it."
"No, no, it's better if you open it, Master. Even the best luck runs out eventually. You should do it!" Nishi refused. If she opened such a precious golden card and got something useless, she wouldn't be able to bear the guilt.
Seeing that Nishi refused, Cyan had no choice but to use it herself.
[Used Golden Card. Obtained 2000 Survival Points, Demon Flame, Prajna Mask.]
[Demon Flame]
[Type: Skill Book]
[Effect: Learn the active skill Demon Flame at LV1. Demon Flame summons deep purple demonic flames to attack enemies.]
[Prerequisite: Intelligence 8, Spirit 12]
[Remark: My demonic flames will burn everything!]
[Prajna Mask]
[Type: Story Character Face Equipment]
[Stats: Defense +10, reduces damage taken by 5%.]
[Skill: Become a Demon, consumes 20 Spirit, increases Strength and Agility by 10, increases movement speed and attack speed by 20%. Lasts 30 seconds. Cooldown: 20 minutes. Each enemy killed extends the duration by 5 seconds. Maximum extension: 2 minutes.]
[Equip Requirement: Strength 15, Agility 15, Constitution 10]
[Remark: Jealousy is my sustenance! I shall become a vengeful ghost!]
[Note: This equipment can be hidden.]
[Survivor #11766 has used a skill book and learned the skill Demon Flame.]
[Demon Flame (Active) – Skill Level: LV1]
[Consumes Spirit to summon demonic flames. The power of the flames is 1.5 times the Spirit consumed. Deals 15% additional damage to humanoid creatures and 10% additional damage to ghost-type enemies. The flames last for 15 seconds.]
"Nishi, this equipment is for you."
Cyan placed the Prajna Mask on Nishi's lap.
"Mm…"
Nishi picked up the mask and looked at its attributes. She said softly, "Master, this mask is better than the goggles you're wearing now. Why are you…"
"The stronger you are, the more you can help me…"
Cyan interrupted her and continued, "In the next survival game, I'll revive her. The difficulty of the special quest is unknown. I'll need your help."
"Mm. I'll assist you properly."
Nishi hugged Cyan's arm and rested her head on her shoulder.
Thinking that the black widow spider could be revived in the next world, Nishi's mood improved significantly. Looking at Cyan's perfect and alluring side profile, she felt completely healed.
I really want to take a bite… It looks so soft. What would it feel like to bite it…?
What would Master's lips feel like to kiss…?
Nishi's gaze fell on Cyan's slightly pursed thin lips. Remembering what Bowsette had done to her that day, a hint of desire appeared in her hazel eyes. She unconsciously swallowed.
"Are you hungry?"
Cyan heard the sound of swallowing and turned to look at Nishi.
"No… Wait! Ah! I am a bit hungry."
Nishi felt that if she stayed close to Cyan any longer, she might do something irreversible. Depressed, she picked up a sandwich with black pepper sausage and walked to the side to face the wall and reflect.
Hmm?
Cyan looked at Nishi's back in confusion, not understanding what was wrong with her. She lowered her head, looked at her own hand, and activated the Demon Flame skill.
A ball of deep purple demonic flame appeared in her palm. The palm-sized flame consumed 5 points of Spirit. The more Spirit she poured in, the greater the damage the flame could deal.
Compared to Holy Flame, Demon Flame clearly had higher Spirit requirements, but it was more practical and more powerful. The Spirit consumed was a one-time cost. To make the flame stronger, she needed to consume a large amount of Spirit at once.
Cyan clenched her fist. The flame burned on her knuckles. She threw a punch, imagining the flame flying out — and it did.
Bang!
A pitch-black burn mark appeared on the wall.
Demon Flame was stronger than Holy Flame. If she used both at the same time, they might deal double the damage…
Cyan looked at the attributes of Holy Flame and Demon Flame, considering the possibility of using both flames simultaneously.
However, the Spirit cost of using both skills at once was something she couldn't afford.
Using both Holy Flame and Demon Flame at the same time would be too heavy a burden on her Spirit. She could only think about it for now.
"This flame isn't that Onimusha's…"
When Nishi turned her head, she happened to see the demonic flame exploding against the wall. She stared in shock.
"Mm. This is exactly the demonic flame Muramasa used."
Cyan showed Nishi the attributes of Demon Flame.
"Only you have enough Spirit to use this skill, Master."
Nishi looked enviously at the skill's attributes. With her pathetically low Spirit stat, adding one or two points wouldn't help much. It was better to invest in other stats.
"You'll become stronger in the future. Ripple improves physical attributes and increases Spirit."
"I can't cultivate Ripple nonstop for 24 hours a day like you can." Nishi picked up the Prajna Mask and put it on.
"You're not working hard enough. If I can do it, so can you." Cyan glanced at Nishi and took out the card she obtained from killing Balbars.
"..."
I can't do that, Master…
Nishi gave an awkward but polite smile.