Cultivate Myself?

Whoosh!

"Barrier!"

Jonathan shouted.

An invisible energy barrier spread outward from the station's railroad tracks. The moment the Inner World formed, the train was pulled inside as well, along with the Transcendents launching the attack.

'Lin Qi' was drawn into the barrier. The scenery within the Inner World was identical to that outside, except the colors were deeper and gloomier, and even the air seemed murky.

"Isn't this basically another dimension?"

Ryan was rather curious. The Inner World had not been mentioned much in the game, but generally speaking, there was no way an independent space like this could be created just by casually using a few Soul Jades, right?

Rather than that explanation, Ryan was more inclined to believe that this so-called Inner World had existed all along, and opening the barrier was merely the key to entering it.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Ryan turned his attention back to the interface.

At that moment, 'Lin Qi' had already begun moving with the two Transcendents from the Gate of Janus.

The Hand of Darkness did not stop their assault because of the barrier's appearance. However, Jonathan had anticipated their attack route in advance, and with the barrier disrupting them, the group of Transcendents came under attack the instant they entered it.

Jonathan followed the orthodox Son of the Sun class. His weapon was an iron rod, and he wielded it with tremendous force, his attacks imbued with light-element energy.

The others from the League of Fire each possessed their own special abilities, and none of them were weak. The first wave of attacks nearly left the Hand of Darkness Transcendents stunned senseless.

'Lin Qi' ran without stopping. She rushed into the halted train and found Cassidy inside.

Echo was beside Her Highness the Princess, along with more than a dozen guards armed with firearms.

These people belonged to the Royal Guard and possessed combat abilities far beyond those of ordinary people. Though their raw strength might not match that of Transcendents, every one of them carried a gun and possessed formidable skills.

Cassidy gave 'Lin Qi' a look. The latter glanced around, then raised her head toward the top of the carriage. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the roof was smashed open by an immense force.

Everyone hurriedly shielded Cassidy and retreated. Echo charged forward and drove a vicious punch into the falling figure.

A Second Tier Transcendent specializing in strength was terrifying when she unleashed her power. Ryan could even hear the air explode from that punch. The mana released in an instant shattered every train window.

The first attacker to fall was sent flying into the carriage wall, where they were smashed into a pulp.

But the attackers fell down like dumplings, their numbers far exceeding the initial estimate. Before long, the guards began firing one after another.

"Why are there so many of them?"

Ryan was puzzled. Their numbers were vastly different from the previous attack.

What he did not know was that after Adler received Magana's order to capture them alive, he had mobilized almost every Hand of Darkness member available in Berman City.

After all, capturing someone alive was far more difficult than killing them.

On the screen, 'Lin Qi' had already reached Cassidy's side. The two withdrew from the chaotic carriage, leaving Echo and the Royal Guard to deal with the enemies.

Meanwhile, the two Transcendents from the Gate of Janus were locked in battle with two Second Tier Transcendents from the Hand of Darkness.

Drip.

The two had only just retreated into the next carriage when black liquid suddenly began dripping from all around it. The slime landed on the floor and transformed into humanoid monsters one after another.

[Harrier Guard lv18]

'They're dark-element summoned monsters,' Cassidy said.

She looked at 'Lin Qi'.

'Leave them to me.'

The calm words fell.

Black flames swirled out from around the nun. A Black Glove covered her left hand, the Blade of Erosion rested in her right, and a Demon Spirit emerged from her shadow.

The Silent Nun went all out!

Level Grinding

Although they were level 18 monsters, they were merely ordinary mobs, nowhere near as powerful as the Evil Spirit Lord.

With 'Lin Qi's' strength, she could easily deal with them.

However, Ryan discovered that they seemed endless. The entire carriage was filled with them. Whenever 'Lin Qi' killed a few, the black viscous liquid would soon gather again and form new Harrier Guards.

'It's the effect of a relic,' Cassidy said.

Since the Hand of Darkness was launching an attack, they naturally had some items with them. Besides endlessly summoning monsters, this relic also had the ability to seal off space.

Cassidy's gaze swept across the surroundings as she tried to locate the relic, but she failed. The person using it was not inside the carriage, which meant someone outside had isolated this carriage using the relic's power.

To get out, they either had to wait for their people to rescue them from outside, or break through the relic's power from within.

She possessed that strength.

As a Princess, she had quietly cultivated throughout her years at St. Marian Academy. Few people knew that she had actually become a Transcendent, and that her strength was unquestionably among the best of her generation.

Otherwise, how could she become the female lead of the Augustus Empire's Main Storyline and ascend to the Empress's throne?

Just as Cassidy was about to act, 'Lin Qi's' voice suddenly came from beside her.

'Your Highness, just stay there. Leave these to me.'

Cassidy frowned. "Lin Qi, these monsters can't be killed off."

"Leave it to me, Your Highness. The real threat hasn't appeared yet. Staying here may be safer than going outside."

Hearing Lin Qi's words, Cassidy showed a look of realization.

That was true. The Hand of Darkness had sent so many people and even brought a relic. Their resolve was greater than she had expected. There might even be a Third Tier Transcendent waiting outside.

Third Tier... she was Third Tier as well. Though she was confident, there was indeed no need to take such a risk.

Lin Qi really had thought this through... Cassidy mused.

What she did not know was that Ryan had never considered how dangerous it might be outside. His reason for stopping Cassidy from destroying this place was simple—Harriers had experience!

Level 18 monsters gave quite a bit of experience.

And they kept respawning endlessly. Where else could she find a better grinding spot?

Nowhere!

Ever since Lin Qi changed classes, suitable grinding spots nearby had become hard to find. Over the past few days, she had only gained one level while auto-grinding. It couldn't be helped; wandering souls were barely enough to fill the gaps between her teeth, while Evil Spirits were limited in number.

Besides, auto-grinding also required her to keep a low profile. This was inside the city, after all, not some remote wilderness.

"This is a treasure trove for leveling."

What did practically infinitely respawning Wild Monsters combined with a Silent Nun's absurd execution ability equal?

Two words: high efficiency!

Carriage, nun, waltz.

With the Demon Spirit's cooperation, Lin Qi slaughtered the Harriers at an astonishing pace. Her experience bar shot upward, and before long, she had charged straight to level 15.

"At this rate, I can advance tomorrow."

Ryan was secretly delighted.

Even Cassidy was astonished by the speed of the slaughter.

What kind of class is this? Does the Gate of Janus's Faith Path have something like this?

At least, among the records she had encountered, she had never learned of a class called Silent Nun.

After nearly Ten Minutes more of killing, the situation inside the carriage finally changed. The writhing black liquid suddenly gathered together, forming a massive black mass.

[Harrier Lord lv20]

A level 20 boss.

"Lin Qi, let me handle this."

Cassidy could tell how formidable this Harrier was.

Lin Qi said nothing and simply kept fighting.

Let someone else take the boss? That would be a disgrace to gamers everywhere.

Though it was a pity that the endlessly respawning Wild Monsters were gone, killing this boss should still yield plenty of experience.

What Ryan did not know was that the Transcendent using the relic was suffering in silence as well. Though he was outside, he could still sense what was happening inside the carriage.

Originally, with so many Harriers surrounding them and only Lin Qi protecting her, they should have been able to capture Cassidy no matter what.

Yet he had not expected this nun to be so monstrously powerful.

More importantly, the relic's energy was not limitless.

Ever since obtaining this relic, he had never drained its energy by summoning Harriers. But if he allowed Lin Qi to keep killing them, it really might happen.

So the other side decided to gamble, using the relic's remaining energy to summon the Harrier Lord in an attempt to kill Lin Qi.

Although the Harrier Lord was considerably stronger than an Evil Spirit Lord, Lin Qi was already level 15. Her high growth and class traits gave her more than enough ability to contend with it.

The two sides traded blows, yet Lin Qi was not at a disadvantage in the slightest.

Cassidy was utterly stunned by the sight.

That glove is a relic too?

The Harrier Lord attacked much like an ordinary Harrier, but it could cast magical spells. Yet whenever it began winding up a spell, Lin Qi would charge straight in and use her Left Hand to directly touch the spell's core.

Then, in the next instant, the spell would collapse. Not only that, the Harrier Lord would suffer backlash as a result.

After several exchanges, the Harrier Lord had instead been hacked down to less than half its health by Lin Qi.

Cassidy marveled inwardly. Relics capable of directly disrupting magical spells were rare.

With the Black Gloves' help, the level gap was enough to be offset. After a back-and-forth exchange, the Harrier Lord's health bottomed out, and Lin Qi cut off its head with a single slash.

[Your level has increased to lv16]

[Constitution +0.8]

[Spirit +0.6]

[Magic Power +1.0]

"No drops?"

Ryan glanced around and confirmed that this boss was poor beyond belief.

After the Harrier Lord died, the flowing black liquid slowly dissipated, and the relic's energy was temporarily depleted.

Just as the blackness faded, a sharp crack came from outside the carriage. A magic-enhanced bullet pierced through the glass and flew toward Cassidy.

Whoosh!

Just as Cassidy was about to act, the glass on the other side of the carriage shattered as well. A Shadow Figure swiftly passed through the window and lunged at her!

Attacked from both sides, "Lin Qi" could not keep up with the Shadow Figure's speed, but she was perfectly positioned to intercept the incoming bullet.

That was also the enemy's objective: use the bullet to restrain or even kill "Lin Qi," while the other person took Cassidy away.

[Demon Spirit Entanglement!]

Everything happened too quickly. Ryan had not controlled "Lin Qi," yet she charged over at once.

After the demon spirit possessed her, the Black Gloves directly intercepted the bullet's trajectory. However, the damage dealt by this bullet was not piercing—it was explosive.

Boom!

With a loud blast, "Lin Qi" was sent flying by the force and slammed into the carriage wall. Her HP immediately dropped to less than one-fifth!

"So fierce?!"

Ryan was startled.

Good thing she hadn't died, or the losses would have been huge.

Though it was to protect the princess, Ryan had never intended for "Lin Qi" to die in front of her.

Regret it for the rest of her life? Come on, this wasn't some male character.

Still, blocking that strike had indeed produced some effect. Ryan soon saw Cassidy cast a light spell that obscured everyone's vision. Then the princess ran to "Lin Qi" and carefully examined her.

[Cassidy's favorability has increased.]