Can't I Just Raise Myself?

"You can trust every devout follower of Janus."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Caslathdi chuckled lightly. "But I feel like I'm quite willing to believe what you say."

Lin Qi didn't reply, still striding coolly ahead. That was her persona—she looked nothing like a nun should, yet she was one, oh no, a priest now.

Caslathdi didn't press further. She trusted her instincts; what lay in a person's heart couldn't be hidden. A glance, a word—both would reveal their nature.

And Lin Qi, after spending time with her, Caslathdi believed was someone worth winning over.

Just then, Lin Qi suddenly quickened her pace, heading toward the mouth of a street alley.

Caslathdi was slightly puzzled, but soon spotted a small, thin figure crouched at the alley's entrance. It was a grimy little boy, tattered and gaunt, huddled at the opening, timidly gazing at the bustling street beyond.

He wanted to come out but was afraid, only daring to stay in the shadow cast by the gas lamp, a worn bowl set before him.

Lin Qi walked over, pulled two copper coins from her pocket, and dropped them into the bowl.

The boy snatched up the coins eagerly, muttered a few thanks to Lin Qi, then turned and dashed into the alley.

"May Janus bless him to grow up healthy," Caslathdi said as she approached.

"Janus doesn't bless things like that," Lin Qi replied. "He won't grow up healthy either. He'll probably die in some corner in a few days."

Caslathdi frowned. "Berman City's security isn't that bad, is it?"

"Security can't solve everything. Gods won't give a stray kid a bun, so most people won't either. Those at the very bottom never get a chance, and whether they live or die... depends on the mood of those above them."

As she spoke the last sentence, Lin Qi turned to face Caslathdi.

Her red eyes were calm, chilling to the bone. Only someone who had been through it would understand... Caslathdi's thoughts trembled. She admitted she was one of the 'those above' Lin Qi mentioned, ignorant of the plight of the lowly.

But in truth, it was Ryan who had experienced this. As a Security Officer, he'd handled too many such cases.

Berman City's security was decent on the surface, but beneath it, the Black Hand Organization, nobles, merchants, and the like oppressed ordinary people everywhere. The little boy just now didn't even count as ordinary.

Sometimes on patrol, he'd find corpses beaten to death in alleys, with no one to claim them. They'd be closed as accidents.

Track down the killer?

Forget it!

Most of the time, it would lead back to some noble; occasionally, to gang forces. Neither was easy to mess with.

Ryan once had ideas about changing things, but as he saw more and more, he gradually grew numb.

"Damn, why am I worrying about this?"

In front of the game screen, Ryan scratched his head, set the game to AI Auto-Battle, and decided to leave it alone.

Not a good topic to discuss with Her Highness the Princess. Better let the AI handle the romance and grind the favorability.

"Old Man Ryan is a kind-hearted guy, but he can't even save himself right now."

Ryan muttered, no longer paying attention to the game.

While it was on auto, he sorted out his current situation in a notebook. The conclusion was 'still optimistic.'

It really was still optimistic. The mole's identity was stable, his days at the Bureau of Governance were looking up, and his Alts were developing smoothly.

He tore out the notebook page and burned it. With nothing else to do, Ryan chose to work out at home—a hundred push-ups, a hundred squats, a hundred... After finishing, he took a shower and logged back into the game at eleven at night.

Lin Qi had already returned to the church. He checked the auto-battle log—no issues.

Surprisingly, Caslathdi's favorability had gone up again, even more than last time. A solid gain.

Ryan controlled Lin Qi to take a stroll through the Cemetery, killing all the Wandering Souls that spawned. Every little bit counted; the buns they dropped were freebies, so why not take them?

Clang!--

The church bell tolled.

[You hear the echo of time.]

[The cycle has begun. Through the doorway of Janus, you glimpse the authority of bygone days. The Pitch-black Flame has burned since ancient times, consuming the ashes, unfolding new life.]

[You kneel before the Statue of Janus, choose--]

'Take out the copper coin.'

As soon as the option popped up, Ryan made his choice with practiced ease.

Woo!--

A sudden gale howled through the church.

Black wind flooded the entire building, rattling the rose window with a clatter.

[A powerful evil spirit has broken through the rift and descended! Be careful!]

Along with the game prompt, a massive black shadow emerged from the dark mist.

[Lingering Rift Evil Spirit Lord lv15]

"Shit, a lv15 boss?!"

Ryan's face darkened. He knew the final stage wouldn't be easy, but he hadn't expected such a level gap.

The Evil Spirit Lord wasn't much bigger than a normal evil spirit, but it was a solid lv15—three whole levels above Lin Qi—with boss stat bonuses to boot.

Lin Qi charged forward and stabbed. The Evil Lord's Health Bar barely twitched, a token gesture of respect.

"The damage is way too low. It's too hard to fight without a class advancement."

Even so, Ryan wasn't panicking. As the Evil Lord attacked, he controlled Lin Qi to dodge.

On the screen, black mist surged, slamming down three times in a row like tentacles. Lin Qi dodged the first two but got hit by the third, losing a fifth of her Health Bar.

It wasn't much, but it still made Ryan's heart tighten.

After all, this was just a normal attack.

High damage, fast speed. Within two minutes, Lin Qi's Health Bar was nearly empty. Meanwhile, the Evil Lord hadn't even lost a tenth of its health.

"Damn it, how am I supposed to fight this?"

Even a Souls-like game wasn't this brutal!

Ryan could only munch on a Roasted Chicken while thinking of a countermeasure.

Just then, the system popped up a message—

[Switch to Consciousness Control Mode?]

Consciousness Control meant he conveyed his thoughts through intent, and the Game Character executed them on its own.

It was a mode between AI Auto-Battle and full Manual Control. Ryan often used it when entering the game now, since it was convenient.

But when fighting monsters, he still subconsciously chose Manual Control.

Partly for the joy of gaming, partly because Ryan had confidence in his skills.

"System, what are you trying to say? Do you think my Manual Control is worse than Auto-Battle? If you're saying that, then I'll just—"

[Entered Consciousness Control Mode. Please issue commands:]

"Lin Qi, I'm counting on you!"

Bang!~

Lin Qi was sent flying again, her body crashing through a church pew. But she quickly flipped back up, reversed her grip on the Blade of Erosion, a faint cold gleam flickering in her crimson eyes. Her entire demeanor shifted in an instant.

From a rookie to a killer!