Chapter 101
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Chapter 101: Expectation
Next to?
Jilly gasped for breath, suppressing her pain as she slowly turned her head to look. Even this small movement caused cold sweat to drench her back.
The wolf corpses lay nearby. Did Sister do this?
"Crawl over and eat their flesh. You’re almost ready to level up."
"Mhm."
Sister was right. She needed to survive through her own strength.
Gritting her teeth, she began dragging herself toward the nearest Granville Wolf corpse. Waves of excruciating pain radiated from her limbs with each movement, darkening her vision.
Upon finally reaching the wolf’s body, Jilly opened her mouth and sank her teeth in viciously.
*Crunch… crunch…*
She tore desperately at the raw wolf meat and forced it down. Perhaps the "training" from eating goblin flesh these past days helped – though revolting, she could still stomach the meat.
She lost track of how much she consumed, simply eating mechanically until…
*Level up!*
Her wounds healed miraculously fast as the pain gradually receded.
"Sister! I did it!"
Jilly sprang up after recovering, instinctively scanning her surroundings. When Lin Yu remained unseen, her triumphant expression dimmed with disappointment.
"Clean the blood off yourself. Take some wolf meat to eat or carry. I’ll preserve the remaining monster materials and raw flesh."
"Ah! Right! Wait-no! These wolves were Sister’s kill. I shouldn’t…"
"Hmm. Fine."
"You barely survived through luck this time. I won’t always arrive timely to save you. Proceed with greater caution henceforth."
"Also… don’t seek me out. Otherwise…"
*…I’ll have no choice but to imprison you.*
Lin Yu fell silent, feigning departure.
The girl called out twice with no reply, her face falling at the perceived anger. Yet she soon straightened up and examined her Attribute Panel.
The meat consumption had triggered an ascension!
Reaching Class D granted her the "Sword Talent" skill. With this ability combined with dagger proficiency, her combat prowess surged dramatically. Though a wolf pack of similar numbers might still overwhelm her, she now felt capable of slaying multiple foes rather than merely wounding them.
…
Jilly adopted extreme caution during subsequent explorations, climbing tall trees periodically to survey surroundings. This strategy helped locate lone Granville Wolves or small goblin/wolf groups.
She eliminated wave after wave of these monsters with minimal injuries. As she ventured deeper into the Monster Forest, new creatures emerged. Lacking "Magic Essence Perception" or "Identification" skills to gauge threat levels, she prioritized solitary targets.
The perilous forest inevitably brought severe injuries and near-death crises. During such moments, Stealth One and others would approach invisibly – disrupting monster attacks to create openings, or knocking Jilly unconscious before eliminating threats. They’d lost count of their rescues.
Through relentless combat, Jilly’s power steadily grew…
Moreover…
She could now consume any monster’s raw flesh without flinching, even casually gnawing chunks while exploring. In this world, unrotted meat apparently carried no disease risks.
Her heightened senses and vigilance earned the "Cathexis" skill, virtually eliminating ambushes or mass monster encounters. She endured most agony without collapsing – even contemplating counterattacks while limbs were being mauled. The timid girl who first entered these woods had vanished.
By day, her blade claimed monster lives through the forest shadows. Nights brought her greatest anticipation – when Lin Yu might visit for casual chats or arrive bearing fragrant grilled meats as temptation tests.
*This is training,* Jilly resolved. *To prove I can resist food’s lure.*
However, in reality, Lin Yu simply felt a bit bad and planned to grill some delicious monster meat to treat her.
Jilly’s stern refusal left Lin Yu momentarily at a loss for words.
In the end, she could only leave the grilled meat for Jilly to handle herself.
…
This routine continued for three months.
Jilly’s level rose to Class C, LV.10.
Though she could still grow stronger, further leveling would require increasingly more time.
The two male adventurers responsible for her mother’s death were Class D. With Jilly’s current level and strength, dealing with them should be effortless—the true challenge lay in locating them.
It was time to part ways.
A faint loneliness crept into Lin Yu’s heart as she gazed at the blindfolded girl who seemed to have grown slightly taller, feeling reluctant to let go.
"Even when leaving, won’t you let me see your face?"
"No. My appearance is… frightening. I’m afraid it might scare you."
"Nonsense! You’re definitely lying! Even if it were true, I’d never be scared of you!"
As Jilly spoke, her hand reached toward the coarse blindfold.
"Don’t remove it."
"Oh."
Jilly obediently lowered her arm.
"I was just joking! I know you have your reasons—it can’t really be about your looks, right?"
"Mmm. But if you truly wish to see me…"
Lin Yu hesitated.
"…I’ll reveal my true face when you return after achieving vengeance."
"R-really?!"
Even through the blindfold, Lin Yu could hear the exhilaration in Jilly’s voice.
She knew her own words often came out cold, even during conversations with Jilly.
Finding someone who could resonate with her so deeply moved her profoundly.
"Truly. Protect yourself well—I’ll await your return."
"Hehe, you sound just like Mom! She always told me to stay safe while waiting for her to come home from work."
"Ah, right!"
Jilly suddenly remembered something and hurriedly removed her backpack, extracting a cloth bundle.
"I made these flatbreads yesterday when I visited home—for you."
She set the bundle on the ground.
After more conversation, Lin Yu instructed the goblin to retrieve the bundle before departing with Stealth One and the others.
Only when footsteps faded completely did Jilly remove her blindfold.
"Sister, I’m going now!"
After shouting toward the forest depths, the girl waved farewell and strode away.
Her anticipation to reunite with Lin Yu someday outweighed even her thirst for revenge—she could hardly wait for that future day in the forest.
