Miss Hebe is Killing Her Way Out of the Lostbelt!

The continuous emotional turmoil, coupled with the prolonged rain, left her on the verge of collapse.

Toyokawa Shoko's consciousness finally plunged into darkness. Before she completely lost control of her body, she heard Hebe's voice echo from the depths of her mind.

"Enough, I'll do it."

The rehearsal room door was pushed open, and Toyokawa Shoko stood at the entrance, rainwater dripping from the tips of her hair.

"Xiao Xiang! That's great, you're finally here..." A girl rushed towards her. Upon seeing Toyokawa Shoko completely soaked, her expectant expression turned to worry. "You're drenched head to toe, are you alright?"

As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief and offered it to Toyokawa Shoko.

"Thank you very much."

Toyokawa Shoko spoke with unusual formality, using polite language she rarely employed, and accepted the handkerchief with a smile, gently wiping her temples.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize that a smile wasn't the most appropriate expression in this situation, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned down.

Pale blue, luminous branches extended from the clouds, connecting heaven and earth.

Toyokawa Shoko's face was instantly illuminated a deathly white, then plunged back into shadow.

"Thank you very much," she repeated, folding the handkerchief and returning it to the kind girl. "...Classmate Sayo Nagasaki."

"Huh?"

Sayo Nagasaki instinctively took the handkerchief but saw Toyokawa Shoko take two steps forward, positioning herself right in the center of the rehearsal room.

The three other girls remaining in the room had been: one sitting on the floor with a notebook full of lyrics spread out before her; another facing away from the door, looking out the window; and the last one behind the drum set, her gaze filled with unease.

But now, they all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Toyokawa Shoko, standing in the middle of the room, dripping wet.

Water dripped onto the floor, drop by drop. Toyokawa Shoko glanced at the watermarks, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards again.

"Oh my... excuse me." Toyokawa Shoko bowed slightly. "For not responding to your messages or attending rehearsals all this time, it wasn't because I had other intentions, but due to family circumstances... Yes, yes, I am truly sorry about that."

She smiled apologetically, leaning forward.

The drummer's back was now pressed against the wall.

Toyokawa Shoko straightened up slowly. The curve of her lips seemed to flatten again, almost making one believe it had been an illusion.

"Your voice has always been so beautiful. I hope you can continue singing like this in the future—" Toyokawa Shoko nodded to the girl sitting on the floor. "I mean that sincerely, Tomatsu Tomori."

She turned to the girl holding her guitar. "Actually, you play the guitar very well too. If you've been struggling with how to express your feelings, why not try pouring them out through a solo? What do you think? Wakaba Mutsuki."

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko's gaze fell upon the black-haired girl who had been leaning against the wall, looking guarded, since she entered.

"Shiina... Rikki." Toyokawa Shoko's voice wavered slightly, as if disturbed by the sound of the rain.

Ignoring the almost bristling Shiina Rikki, Toyokawa Shoko surveyed the room once more. "I cherish, value, and treasure the time I've spent with all of you, but I may not have the opportunity to participate in the band anymore. Regardless, this is all my fault. I hope you can all be understanding..."

She turned and walked towards the door. As she passed Sayo Nagasaki, she smiled and nodded again.

Toyokawa Shoko said nothing more. She gently closed the door and left.

Afterward, a somewhat ethereal voice sounded from the window.

"That wasn't Shoko." The guitarist hugged her instrument tightly.

Distant thunder rumbled from within the clouds.

"Huh? Don't say scary things like that, that was clearly Shoko..." Sayo Nagasaki's voice trailed off.

She saw the drummer, still leaning against the wall, wearing an expression of extreme terror that none of them had ever seen before.

"The one who came in just now wasn't Shoko at all," the drummer said in a low voice. "It was a Fox Spirit..."

Lightning suddenly flashed, illuminating everyone's faces a ghastly white.

They saw the lead singer, sitting on the floor, her shoulders trembling.

"That really wasn't... Shoko," Tomatsu Tomori mumbled.

A deafening roar came from the clouds, and Sayo Nagasaki instinctively loosened her grip.

The handkerchief fell to the floor, but no one dared to pick it up.

56 Second Dream Entry

Setting aside how Toyokawa Shoko, who woke up in her bed later, would react upon seeing the messages from her friends.

Hebe, in Blanckug, finally received the definite countdown time for the new Lostbelt.

And before that, a new month had arrived. This also meant she could perform another "Dream Entry into the Wasteland."

During her last dream entry, Hebe had become "The Serpent Who Knows All Paths of the Woodland" and was bestowed the honored title of Path Excavation by the Woodland creatures. This title could increase the success rate of rituals.

Based on Hebe's experimental results, this honored title was particularly effective for summoning rituals.

The problem was, even if a summoning ritual succeeded, it didn't guarantee the summoning of a Wasteland inhabitant. This process was akin to fishing: the summoning ritual was the fishing rod, and the herbs and incense consumed during the ritual were the bait.

But if the fish didn't bite, no matter how many different rods Hebe tried, the outcome would ultimately be fruitless.

Summoning rituals in reality were like fishing, while the summoning function of the Secret History Simulator was like drawing gacha. One was an air-ball, and the other was also an air-ball.

"I feel like someone's targeting me, but I have no proof..." Hebe's face contorted.

Let's look at the "Dream Entry" function, which has finished its cooldown.

[Path: Return to Woodland — The next time you enter a dream, you can choose to begin a new birth in the Woodland.]

"You cast a spark of spirituality through the border gate of the Wasteland. Following familiar markers, you passed through the road between dreams. You remember this place, a pitch-black Woodland, where you once again found yourself born."

"The Woodland is a realm of chaos, fancy, and irrationality. Here, you forget almost all knowledge useless for survival, traversing the wild mountains and meadows in the form of a young lizard."

"You refuse to accept the jurisdiction of any Woodland lord, and thus cannot venture deep into the Woodland. You arrive at the border between the Woodland and the Snowy Mountains and settle there."

"You deem the young lizard form too frail. After settling, you continuously train yourself."

"The Wheel of Seasons points to February, the month of the Scarred Father. Warriors sharpen their swords and beat their war drums. Spirits form silent ranks and begin their war against the Woodland."

"You are conscripted into the spirit army. The commander observes your form and deems you unfit for service, expelling you from the ranks."

"Feeling insulted, you return to your cave and begin even more terrifying training. The Fisher King teaches his people that to achieve anything, one must first let go. You embody this teaching, dulling your sharp senses and layering your armor like rocky peaks."

"The foundation of strength is flesh and blood, and flesh and blood is the most fitting armor. Time and dreams intertwine, and your form stretches in the mountains, wracked by growth. Every movement shakes the earth and mountains."

"The Wheel of Seasons turns ceaselessly. On the fringes of the Woodland, your reputation grows. The Woodland inhabitants, awed by your immense strength, call you the 'Wrath of the Jagged Rocks'."

"The lizard form has its limits, but your ambition does not. Flesh and blood is a domain governed by the Holy Grail. It teaches all life that the more one consumes, the stronger one becomes."

"The Wheel of Seasons points to September, the month of Skyflint. The hearth fires burn fiercely, bringing opportunities for strength and advancement. You begin to consume rocks and earth veins in the dream, causing frequent earthquakes in the mortal world."

"Earthquakes are merely the earth's gentlest tremors. They serve only to remind us that the earth is not dead, merely sleeping."

"The Wheel of Seasons roars without cease. The Woodland's border lord, the Kūi Bull, feels threatened by your immense strength and launches an expedition against you."

"The Kūi Bull is a one-legged, single-horned mountain creature with a sweet yet powerful voice, capable of 'splitting mountains.' They sometimes trample pilgrims, sometimes heal them, and sometimes force them to transform into their own kind."

"Amidst the drumbeats that awaken courage and fury, you argue with your sinews, brute force, and scales. Your reasoning is solid and irrefutable, thus the Kūi Bull responds only with blood. At the end of the debate, the Kūi Bull falls silent, and you are victorious."

"You crown yourself with the blood of the old lord. Your sinews grow stronger, like the roots of rock; your scales accumulate, like unpolished jade; your brute force becomes more magnificent, like accumulated rage; your horns gradually emerge, like bamboo and pine breaking through the soil."

"You are bestowed the honor of a border lord, named the 'Dragon That Shakes Mountains'."

"As dreams of the Wasteland and the mortal world intertwine, more and more people learn of your existence. Sorcerers beg for your power to summon or quell earthquakes, thus you are also given the epithet 'Great Quake Master'."

"Your form grows ever larger, and with the increase in strength, earthquakes become more frequent. To prevent those with ill intentions from exploiting you, the Great Lord orders you to be lured out of the Wasteland and slain."

"You thus fall into the Sea of Silence, becoming another name remembered in the writings of the Duke of Sighs."

"It is not until your spirituality once again traverses the dream gate that you recall what you gained in the dream."

"Acquired: Wrath of the Jagged Rocks — Emotion is the key to unlocking power. Even though the mountain dragon lord is gone, its teachings remain effective. Calm and majestic as blue rock, furious and wild as an avalanche. Your strength is enhanced, and your power will surge dramatically during rapid emotional fluctuations.

Great Quake Master — Shake mountains with immense strength, wielding the power to disrupt the stable earth. Even though the mountain dragon lord is gone, its crown remains heavy. Your attacks can generate tremors and transmit them through contact.

Dragon That Shakes Mountains — Antaeus could draw strength from the earth to wrestle with Heracles; some say the former was also a giant as colossal as a mountain dragon. Now, as long as you are in contact with the earth, you will continuously regenerate."

Hebe almost laughed out loud.

After the Egyptian Lostbelt, all her stats had reached an extraordinary level, but her strength alone had shown no improvement.

Though this dream entry didn't grant a path to another place, it successfully filled Hebe's last remaining weakness.

Hebe descended the Grand Spiral Staircase and arrived at the Martial Practice Garden to the left of the Colonnaded Courtyard. Here, training dummies were displayed, and training swords left by past visitors were preserved.

These training swords were arranged in order of increasing weight. Hebe had been here before, but she could only lift the lighter ones at most.

Now, however, she walked directly to the far right and picked up the heaviest training sword—it was less a sword and more a block of iron.

"It's still a bit strenuous with one hand..." Hebe felt its weight. "With two hands, though, it's fine."

The iron-like greatsword slammed heavily onto the ground, then was swiftly lifted.

The blade cut an arc through the air, then slanted down again.

Hebe gripped the hilt with both hands. Her movements looked quite clumsy, almost as if she were being dragged by the sword rather than swinging it, and she looked like she might fall at any moment.

But if someone were standing in front of her now, they wouldn't think that at all. Because although the fearsome sword was unsharpened, it still blocked off all possible escape routes, like a giant boulder crashing down a narrow mountainside—unavoidable, inescapable.

This wasn't a technique Hebe had learned before. It was the "memory" left within this training sword by someone who had used it.

It could be extracted through "Sobek's Training" and quickly converted into Hebe's own ability.

However, this wasn't the most efficient method. The most efficient way would be to find a sparring partner with superb swordsmanship.

57 Some Growth

Hebe believed that in the vast Blanckug, there would be no shortage of skilled swordsmen.

The problem was, she couldn't find a sparring partner she could trust.

During their regular dinner at the small tavern, Hebe mentioned this requirement.

"Look for me," Mordred said, carrying her stew over. "By the standards of the Eastern Lands, I'm at least a Swordmaster."

"Putting aside the skill level for a moment..." Hebe scooped some stew. "What exactly is the standard for an 'Eastern Lands Swordmaster'?"

Mordred wiped her hands on her apron, her expression tinged with nostalgia.

This knowledge was something Morgan had told her after she came to the mortal world and regained her body.

"The Scarred Father practiced His authority in Albion, and in the Eastern Lands, He validated the arts of combat and killing. Depending on the level of mastery, there are three ranks: Swordsman, Swordmaster, and Sword Saint."

At the Swordsman rank, apprentices studied various swordsmanship techniques taught in dojos, cultivated their minds and bodies, and, through long training, aligned themselves with the spirit of the school's founder to comprehend a secret technique known as the 'Secret Sword'."

To graduate and become a master, apprentices must learn at least one Secret Sword.

This was indeed a system Hebe had never known before. She realized that in the Eastern Lands' system, the term "apprentice" also existed. Could this also be an extension of the Path of Ascension?

Presis also raised a similar question, having noticed the same thing.

"All systems are inseparable from the Path of Ascension," Mordred replied. "The Eastern Lands are no different."

However, it was as if they grew from the same seed in different directions; the Eastern Lands' system began to diverge starting at the Swordmaster rank.

The standard for a Swordmaster was not obtaining a mark and advancing to the Daybreak rank.

Instead, it was whether a person could wield their Secret Sword with perfect control in every swing.

In other words, if one could achieve this... even at just the Dawn rank, they would be considered a Swordmaster, qualified to open their own dojo and teach others Swordsmanship.

Above this was the "Sword Saint," but it was not the Twilight rank.

If Swordmasters could be roughly equated to Daybreak, then Sword Saints had no connection to Twilight at all.

Morgan had only vaguely described this system to Mordred. In the Fallen Empress's assessment, all the Knights of the Round Table could be ranked as Swordmasters, and if fully armored, it wouldn't be difficult to kill Swordmasters consecutively.

Mordred didn't describe the Sword Saint in detail because, in her understanding, Sword Saints simply didn't exist.

The former Knight of the Round Table watched Hebe with implicit anticipation, waiting for the girl who resembled the Sage to extend an invitation.

Hebe saw the eagerness in "Little Mo's" eyes. After a moment's thought, she stood up and extended an invitation: "Little Mo, would you be willing to be my sparring partner for a while?"

"It is my greatest honor, my Lady," Mordred replied, bowing with extreme gentlemanliness.

The two of them left the tavern, leaving Presis still pondering with her spoon in hand.

After a long while, Presis only then belatedly realized, "...Could Little Mo be a Hero of the Daybreak rank?"

And then she immediately realized something even more astonishing.