Can't I Just Raise Myself? Chapter 16

"You can trust every devout follower of Janus."

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

'Lin Qi' did not answer and continued striding forward coolly. That was her character setting—she did not look anything like a Nun, yet she was one. Oh, no, she was a priest now.

Caslathdi did not press the matter either. She trusted her instincts. What lay within a person could not be hidden; a glance or a single sentence could reveal one's nature.

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

Just then, 'Lin Qi' suddenly quickened her pace and headed toward the entrance of a narrow alley.

Caslathdi was slightly puzzled, but she soon spotted a small figure crouching at the alley entrance. It was a filthy little boy in tattered clothes, huddled at the mouth of the alley and timidly watching the bustling street outside.

He wanted to go out but was afraid, so he only dared hide in the shadows cast by the gas lamps. A battered little bowl sat before him.

'Lin Qi' walked over, took two copper coins from her pocket, and placed them in the bowl.

The little boy eagerly grabbed the coins. After thanking 'Lin Qi' several times, he turned and rushed into the alley.

"May Janus bless him and let him grow up healthy," Caslathdi said as she walked over.

"Janus does not bless such things," 'Lin Qi' said. "Nor will he grow up healthy. He might suddenly die in some corner within a few days."

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

"Public safety cannot solve everything. God will not give a steamed bun to a homeless child, so most people will not either. Those living 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 those final words, 'Lin Qi' turned to look at Caslathdi.

Her red eyes were so calm they sent a chill through Caslathdi's heart. Only someone who had been through it could understand, right...? Caslathdi's thoughts trembled. She admitted that she belonged among the people 'Lin Qi' had called those above, and she knew little about the plight of such lowly people.

But in truth, the one who had experienced all this was Ryan. As a Security Officer, he had handled far too many cases like this.

Berman City's public safety was fairly good, but only on the surface. The oppression of ordinary people by groups like the Black Hand Organization, nobles, and wealthy merchants was everywhere. A little boy like the one just now did not even count as an ordinary person.

Sometimes, during patrols, he would come across corpses beaten to death in alleyways. No one would claim them, and the cases would ultimately be hastily closed as accidents.

Investigate the murderer?

Forget it!

More often than not, it would lead to some noble. In the rare cases it led to gang forces, they were no easier to provoke.

Ryan had once wanted to change the situation, but as he saw more and more of it, he gradually grew numb.

"Damn it, why am I agonizing over this?"

In front of the game screen, Ryan scratched his head, set the game to AI Auto-Battle, and decided not to worry about it.

It was not good to discuss such topics with Her Highness the Princess. Better let the AI keep flirting and build some favorability.

"Old Man Ryan is kind-hearted, but unfortunately, he can barely save himself now."

Ryan muttered to himself and stopped paying attention to the situation in the game.

While it ran on auto-battle, he organized the current situation in his notebook. The conclusion he reached was that things were "fairly optimistic."

They really were fairly optimistic. His identity as a mole was stable, his days at the Bureau of Governance were getting better and better, and his Alts were developing smoothly as well.

After tearing out the notes and burning them, Ryan, with nothing else to do, chose to work out at home: one hundred push-ups, one hundred squats, one hundred... Afterward, he took a shower and reopened the game at eleven that night.

'Lin Qi' had already returned to the Church. Ryan checked the auto-battle log and found no problems.

Unexpectedly, Caslathdi's favorability had risen again, and by even more than last time. That was quite a nice gain.

Ryan controlled 'Lin Qi' as she wandered around the Cemetery, killing every Wandering Soul that spawned. Even a grasshopper was meat, and there was no reason to pass up the Steamed Buns they dropped.

Dong—!

The Church clock chimed.

You heard the echo of time and space.

The cycle had begun. Through the path of Janus, you glimpsed authority from days of old. Pitch-black Flame had burned from ancient times to the present, incinerating the remaining ashes and unfolding new life.

You knelt before the Statue of Janus and chose—

'Take out the copper coins.'

The moment the option appeared, Ryan made his choice with practiced ease.

Whoosh!~

A fierce wind suddenly swept through the Church.

Black wind flooded the entire Church, making the rose windows rattle violently.

A powerful evil spirit has broken through the rift and descended. Please respond with caution!

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

Lingering Rift Evil Spirit Lord Lv.15

"Fuck, a level 15 boss?!"

Ryan's expression darkened. He knew the final stage would not be that simple, but he had not expected such a huge level gap.

The Evil Spirit Lord was not much larger than an ordinary evil spirit, but it was genuinely level 15—three full levels higher than 'Lin Qi,' with boss attribute bonuses on top of that.

'Lin Qi' rushed forward and stabbed it once. The Evil Spirit Lord's health bar twitched faintly, out of respect.

"The damage is so low. This is too hard without changing classes."

Even so, Ryan did not panic. When the Evil Spirit Lord attacked, he controlled 'Lin Qi' to dodge.

On the screen, black mist churned and formed tentacle-like lashes that slammed down three times in succession. 'Lin Qi' dodged the first two, but the third struck her, taking away one-fifth of her health.

It was not much, but Ryan's heart still tightened.

That was only a normal attack, after all.

Its attack was powerful and its speed was fast. In less than two minutes, 'Lin Qi's' health bar was already nearly empty. Meanwhile, the Evil Spirit Lord had not even lost one-tenth of its health.

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

Not even Soulslike games worked like this!

Ryan could only gnaw on Roasted Chicken while thinking of a solution.

Just then, the system popped up a message—

Switch to Consciousness Control Mode?

Consciousness control meant that he conveyed his thoughts through his consciousness, and then had the Game Character carry them out on its own.

It was a mode between AI Auto-Battle and complete Manual Control. Ryan often used this mode when entering the game now because it was convenient.

But when fighting monsters, he would still instinctively choose Manual Control.

On one hand, it was more fun that way. On the other, Ryan had confidence in his skills.

"System, what do you mean by this? Do you think my Manual Control is worse than auto-battle? If you're saying that, then I'll—"

Consciousness Control Mode activated. Please issue your command:

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

Bang!~

'Lin Qi' was sent flying again, her body smashing through a Church pew. Yet she swiftly flipped back onto her feet, gripped the Blade of Erosion in reverse, and a faint chill glinted in her red eyes. Her entire aura changed in an instant.

From a rookie to an assassin!