She Really Did, I'm Crying My Eyes Out

After unlocking the [Spiritual Apprentice] profession, Bai Fu clearly felt her consciousness become much clearer, even experiencing a transcendent feeling of detachment from worldly affairs.

Was this the manifestation of her Spirit and Inspiration increasing?

The Spiritual Apprentice profession had a level cap of 10, and each level gained provided twice the attribute points compared to the Unemployed profession.

Bai Fu opened her status panel with satisfaction.

[Main Profession]: Unemployed Lv3 (0/1000), Spiritual Apprentice Lv1 (0/300)
[Sub Profession]: None
[Health]: 70/70
[Spirit Energy]: 25/25
[Attributes]: Strength 5, Agility 3, Constitution 7, Intelligence 3, Spirit 5, Inspiration 5
[Skills]:
Zealotry Lv1 - Causes a body part of the target to enter a [Zealotry] state. Consumes 1 Spirit Energy per minute while active. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Hardening Lv1 - Causes a small area of the target's skin to enter a [Hardening] state. Consumes (1-3) Spirit Energy every 5 seconds while active. Cooldown: 1 second.
Spiritual Vision - Probes target information through Spirit Energy perception. The level of detail depends on the level difference.
[Talents]: None
[Attribute Points]: 2

The newly added Spirit Energy was the source of power for the Spiritual Apprentice profession. It would slowly recover over time. The Spirit Energy cap could be increased by raising Inspiration, or through items, equipment, skills, or talents.

Among the three new skills, Zealotry could boost offense, Hardening could boost defense, and Spiritual Vision could probe the opponent's strength, making it quite practical.

In reality, the guide "Get Started with Spiritual Prayer in Three Minutes" had given Bai Fu more than just a new profession; it also included precautions during Spirit Energy cultivation.

[Warning! Absolutely do not use Spiritual Prayer on others indiscriminately, as it may cause extremely adverse effects!]

She had originally been ready to go home.

But after accidentally catching sight of the word "absolutely" in the precautions, her eyes sharpened.

That word, like a "Fbi Warning," possessed a certain extraordinary allure.

If it hadn't been mentioned, she wouldn't have cared, but now that it was, she felt compelled to thoroughly research this forbidden power!

Bai Fu sat on the floor and began to read through the case studies.

[A male student from a certain academy, intending to use Hardening on his roommate's wrist as a joke, accidentally aimed for his roommate's crotch due to a miscalculation. The next morning, the dormitory management discovered the situation and urgently sent him to the proctology department of a nearby hospital. Everyone, please do not imitate this!]

Using Hardening on a wrist, how could it be misaimed at the crotch?

Was it intentional or accidental?

Bai Fu felt there had to be something fishy going on.

She continued to read the subsequent cases.

The following cases were even more disturbing.

For example, someone deliberately wore thick, unwashed shoes for three days before a match. Upon entering the arena, they immediately used a prayer that enhanced the opponent's sense of smell and then took off their shoes, causing the opponent to faint from the stench.

Bai Fu nodded as she read.

What a scumbag!

She had been pondering how someone as harmless as herself, a little lamb, could survive after stumbling into a den of scumbags like the Abandoned Cooling Plant.

Simply improving her strength wasn't enough; even martial arts masters could be killed by treacherous schemes.

Pinning all her hopes on other players wouldn't work either. Bai Fu's final conclusion was to defeat scumbags with scumbaggery.

Only by understanding all of her opponents' moves could she avoid harm.

In the worst-case scenario, if she were truly cornered by a scumbag in the future, and there was no escape, she could also present sufficient leverage for negotiation—

You wouldn't want to go down in flames with me, would you?

A mop dipped in feces, like Lu Bu reborn. But if I also pull out a mop dipped in feces, how will you respond, sir?

Strategic weapons might not be used, but they must exist!

Bai Fu closed the book, still feeling unsatisfied.

She actually wanted to find more cases for reference and study.

Unfortunately, this small library was too limited. Most of the books were the kind that could be bundled and sold in a series titled "10 Books That Will Benefit Your Life."

She had to find another way.

Since she couldn't learn useful knowledge from books, she could only gain enlightenment through practice.

After greeting the library's gatekeeper, Bai Fu returned home.

While she had been away, An Ya had already cleaned the house until it was spotless.

Though the child was young, she was very sensible.

"Boss, are we really going to go find that old geezer to collect debts again?"

An Ya, wearing a rag apron, walked out of the kitchen, looking worried.

Bai Fu nodded, "Of course. If we don't collect debts from him, where will we get money? Do you remember that Outsider we saved earlier today? Now it's time to show you the true value of Outsiders!"

As an NPC, could she be considered a qualified NPC if she didn't make players help her fight monsters and collect materials?

Bai Fu called An Ya over and gave her instructions.

"Tomorrow, you'll go and seduce those Outsiders like this..."

"Can this really work?"

An Ya didn't believe it, but since her boss said so, she could only do her best.

There is only one sun in the sky, and her heart only had her boss as the sun!

The next day, around ten in the morning.

In the livestream room titled [Mysterious Girl X, I'm Here!], Digging Princess was cooperating with her viewers to search for the missing Mysterious Girl X.

[Can you marry NPCs after increasing their favorability in this game?]

[The official website didn't say, probably not.]

[One star, rating: worse than Azur Lane. I want a harem, I want a love laboratory!]

[Speaking of Azur Lane, have you guys noticed that the female NPCs in this game are all so small?]

[That's insane. You call normal proportions small?]

[I'm going to die without seeing Mysterious Girl X.]

[Digging Treasure, my treasure, look behind you.]

"Behind me? Is someone smashing their crotch with bricks again?"

Digging Princess, who was looking at the map, instinctively turned around and saw a little girl peeking from a corner.

That smooth white hair, that petite body...

Wasn't this the little girl who was with Mysterious Girl X yesterday? Did finding her mean finding Mysterious Girl X?

Digging Princess quickly followed, chasing for several blocks before she managed to stop An Ya.

"Why are you following me?" An Ya asked indignantly. "Wait, are you the Outsider the boss saved yesterday?!"

Digging Princess smiled and nodded vigorously, "That's right, it's me. Why are you out here alone? It's dangerous here. Where's your boss?"

An Ya retorted, "What do you think? The boss is going to find the boss of the big guy who wanted to catch you yesterday. Do you know how dangerous that is? That person is very powerful, you... it's all your fault!"

As she spoke, she pointed towards the end of the road.

Digging Princess looked in the direction An Ya was pointing.

At a three-way intersection, by a cement pillar, a young girl stood gracefully.

White clothes, white hair, a neck like a grub, slender wrists, fair ankles...

A morning breeze suddenly blew, her soft hair dancing with the wind.

It's her, it's her, it's her!

Digging Princess was ecstatic.

It wasn't easy!

She had played games for so many years, when had she not been cursed by bad luck?

Others played with probability, but she might as well have been playing gacha games from Tencent and Pinduoduo, needing the guaranteed pity pull to get anything. Even with a 99% success rate for upgrades, she sometimes failed multiple times.

But this time, she had only searched for Mysterious Girl X for half a day and successfully found her. Could it be that this Mysterious Girl X was the goddess of Luck she had been waiting for?

There was no time to dwell on it.

Meeting An Ya's resentful gaze, Digging Princess smiled confidently, "Don't worry, I'll handle everything!"

It's just a group of monsters with health bars. If I can't beat them, can't I just call my sun-like brother for help?

An Ya wanted to say something more, but Digging Princess had already bid farewell and strode towards Bai Fu in the distance.

Hey!

An Ya hesitated to speak.

Her boss said these Outsiders had unlimited potential, but from what she had seen and heard from others, these Outsiders all seemed rather unintelligent.

Who would pick up a stick on the road and claim it was an invincible divine sword?

An Ya felt that her boss might have misjudged this time.

Just as she sighed, Digging Princess posted a new message in the livestream room.

[Raid time, raid time, everyone! Someone is bullying Mysterious Girl X. Coordinates are (xxx, xxx, xxx). Anyone nearby can quickly come and charge with me!]

In an instant, the livestream room became agitated.

[Damn it, what kind of crap is this? Beat him to a pulp!]

"Whoever dares to provoke my wife, I will end his life!"

"This plot, I smell a hidden quest, brothers, I'm going in!"

One, two... many players started rushing towards the coordinates.

By the time Digging Princess had walked half a street, only a few people had gathered around her;

By the time Digging Princess had walked three-quarters of a street, ten people had already gathered around her;

When she finally reached Bai Fu, those cheering and laughing people surrounded her in the very center, so many that it was hard to count at a glance.

But it wasn't over yet, people were still arriving from all directions.

+1, +1, +1...

"Watch this, this is the friendship and bonds of us players, ahhhhhh!"

An Ya was so shocked by this incredible scene that her mouth fell open.

"Boss, was this also part of your plan?"

The commotion attracted Bai Fu's attention.

She turned around, her gaze locking onto Digging Princess, her expression a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

"Huh? What are you doing here? And these people around you..."

Although she didn't have a mirror, Bai Fu felt her bewildered expression must have been perfect, as she had practiced it in front of the mirror for a full hour last night.

Digging Princess, who had been singled out, explained, "I just met the little girl who was with you. She said you were here to find the boss of that scoundrel from yesterday. I was afraid you'd be in danger, so I came."

The players standing next to her chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, big sister with white hair, they're just a bunch of ordinary monsters. You don't need to step in, we can handle them."

"Don't worry, old..."

"Shut up, you shameless old rogue! You're calling someone 'wife' with that green explosion of hair, aren't you afraid of scaring her?"

"Hiss, this modeling is even more realistic than what I saw on stream. I really want to touch that hair, I wonder if it'll clip through."

"Touch mine."

"You gay guys, get lost!"

Bai Fu's eyelids twitched.

Good, very spirited. This is what a player should be like!

Digging Princess, who had been observing Bai Fu, thought Bai Fu was angry and quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Everyone, stop fooling around, let's talk business, we..."

Bai Fu interrupted Digging Princess: "I roughly understand why you're here. I appreciate your intentions, but these are not opponents you can handle right now. You could die with the slightest mistake. Go back."

As soon as she said this, a sense of cheerful excitement filled the players.

"We're not afraid of death."

"Indeed, at worst, we just die once. Nothing to worry about."

"As a fan of soul-wandering games, I love this feeling of dancing on the edge of a knife!"

An Ya, who had quietly followed behind, was startled by these words.

At worst, we just die once?

Can death be described with 'at worst' and 'just once'?

Bai Fu shook her head: "It's not that I don't believe in your courage. Death is not just about one person. You wouldn't want your friends and family to be sad because of your passing, would you?"

Her words had the opposite effect, igniting a rebellious spirit in the players.

Damn it, to be looked down upon by the mysterious girl X! I must prove myself with a cool performance this time!

A player popped out from the crowd, his name [Black Tiger Afu] displayed above his spiky red hair.

"I don't know where I am, and I don't care how the story unfolds. I just want to ask, when can we start killing?"

As he spoke, he caressed the blade of the axe in his hand.

This scene made An Ya's face turn pale.

What a psycho!

Another player named [Patrick Star] stepped forward: "Yeah, we're already here."

The players around him started to egg him on: "Since it's come to this, let's fight quickly. We can't have come all this way for nothing."

Facing the agitated players, Bai Fu could only force a wry smile: "I really can't do anything about you."

You're the ones who insisted on coming, I didn't force you. I have video evidence, don't blame me if something happens!

"How about this: I'll go in first to attract their attention, then you guys sneak up and attack them when they're not prepared. This will reduce the chance of casualties."

Digging Princess quickly tried to intervene: "No, that's too dangerous! What if you get hurt? Just leave it to us."

"Just do as I say!"

Bai Fu glared, her voice leaving no room for doubt.

What a joke.

If I let you lot charge in while I stand guard outside, would any of that old geezer's money inside be mine? By the time I get in, you'll have scraped off several layers of the floorboards.

Bai Fu wasn't worried about her own safety. After all, she and the old geezer were nominally on the same side. Plus, she'd put all her stat points into Constitution.

Full Constitution points + Hardening prayer, who else could compete?

"Wait for my signal."

With that, Bai Fu turned and walked towards the place where the indebted old geezer lived.

Watching Bai Fu's retreating back, both the players present and the onlookers who were spectating were deeply moved.

When other NPCs treated them like tools, only the Mysterious Girl X was willing to put herself in danger for their safety!

[She's so good, I'm crying!]

[Damn, I've rarely seen a game character this considerate of players in gacha games these past few years.]

[Holy crap, you dog developers! If Mysterious Girl X dies, I'll fight you!]

[Calm down, calm down. The developers don't deserve that. Mysterious Girl X isn't dead yet. When she dies, I'll charge with you.]

[Wait for me, I'm deleting my account and coming to your beginner village right now!]

Amidst the uproar, Digging Princess exchanged glances with the other players around her.

If they didn't go all out to protect such a good NPC, were they even human?

Let's fucking do this!

P.S.: Two chapters posted today, four thousand words.