The Value of an F-Rank Trait

Carriages looked romantic, but riding in one was downright deadly.

Especially when you were stuffed between two fermenting oak barrels like cargo, and every time the broken wooden wheels rolled over gravel, your ribs had an intimate encounter with the hard barrel walls.

Su Li felt like a salted fish being pickled.

The kind without salt, relying purely on jolting to absorb the flavor.

The carriage rattled along for an entire day.

It jolted from high noon to sunset, then from sunset until the moon climbed above the treetops.

That drunkard driver, Old Pete, was full of energy. He howled with his broken-gong voice the whole way, singing from "Widow's Red Dress" to "Blacksmith's Hammer," with a few filthy jokes thrown in between.

Su Li huddled beneath the tarpaulin, without even enough room to turn over.

But that was nothing.

The worst part was the hunger.

His stomach acid churned, the burning sensation crawling up his throat and making his heart race.

"Grrr—"

His stomach let out a huge growl.

It was so loud that it drowned out even the rustling of wind through the leaves outside.

Old Pete, driving up front, suddenly stopped singing.

"Hm?"

Old Pete turned and glanced at the pile of wine barrels.

"What was that weird noise? Was one of the barrels not sealed properly? Is it leaking air?"

Su Li held his breath, clamped a hand over his stomach, and buried his face in the crook of his arm.

Don't make another sound, you damned thing.

If you keep it up, you'll bring that drunkard over here.

Fortunately, Old Pete had only asked casually. Out here in the wilderness, he could not be bothered to get down and inspect it. With a flick of his whip, the carriage continued trudging forward.

Su Li let out a sigh of relief.

He peered outside through a gap in the tarpaulin.

There was no trace of the city left around them.

Dark forests stretched everywhere, with the occasional dim yellow light visible on distant hillsides.

Far enough.

At this pace, the broken carriage had traveled at least fifty kilometers.

In an era where communication basically relied on shouting and transportation basically relied on walking, fifty kilometers was the distance between two worlds.

Just as Su Li was wondering whether he should find a chance to jump off, the carriage began to slow.

The outline of a village appeared ahead.

Calling it a village was generous. It was really just a dozen or so households clustered together, a few low thatched cottages surrounded by a crooked fence meant to keep out wolves.

A battered wooden sign stood at the entrance. By moonlight, he could barely make out the words on it: Wading Village.

Was this the destination?

Or just a stopover?

Either way, where there were people, there was food.

Su Li swallowed, already picturing roasted bread, stewed potatoes, even leftover scraps.

Even if it was pig feed, as long as it was hot, he could wolf down two big bowls right now.

"Whoa—"

Old Pete tugged the reins, and the two old horses stopped with loud snorts.

The place looked like a temporary rest stop. There was a well at the village entrance and a shabby shed that seemed to serve as a public stable.

Old Pete jumped down from the carriage, stretching as he cursed under his breath.

"This old back of mine is really useless now."

"George! Where the hell did you go? Get my horses some fodder! And bring me a pot of hot water!"

A hunched old man emerged from a small hut nearby, carrying a wind lamp.

"What are you yelling for? It's the middle of the night. Aren't you afraid you'll call the wolves over?"

The two of them rambled on as they headed into the hut, clearly old acquaintances.

The chance had come.

Like a gecko, Su Li silently lifted the tarpaulin.

Although Introvert mode was still active, he instinctively surveyed his surroundings.

No one.

Other than the two old horses lowering their heads to chew dry grass, there was not even a dog around.

He braced both hands on the sideboard and lightly jumped down.

His knees bent slightly as he landed, making no sound at all.

The whole sequence was smooth and fluid, no worse than a well-trained scout.

It felt so good to have his feet on solid ground.

Su Li rolled his stiff neck, his joints cracking loudly.

The air carried the mixed scent of earth and cow dung. Compared to the stench of city sewers, it actually smelled rather fresh.

This was the air of freedom.

Su Li took two deep breaths, then fixed his gaze on the lit-up hut.

The scent of food drifted out from there.

It was faint, like boiled beans, but to Su Li's nose, it was a top-tier feast.

Su Li straightened the linen clothes he had stolen. They were a little wrinkled, but that would not affect his performance.

As long as Introvert mode was on, he could sneak inside carefully.

While the two old men chatted and shot the breeze, he could swipe a few flatbreads, or perhaps that whole pot of beans.

He would not even need to steal.

As long as he stood in the shadows and treated himself like part of the background, he could eat and drink his fill right under their noses, then pat his butt and leave.

That was the true value of a godly skill.

Su Li started toward the hut.

He silently recited the incantation in his heart.

"System, activate Introvert mode at full power."

"I want to become air, become dust, become a fart you can't see."

However.

The expected feeling of his "presence disappearing" did not come.

Instead, the system that had been playing dead in his mind suddenly came back to life.

And in an incredibly irritating, incredibly cold mechanical voice, it popped up a window in his head.

[Warning: Trait [Introvert] activation failed.]

Su Li stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face.

What the hell?

Failed?

This was a life-saving skill, and it was telling him it failed?

It was like jumping out of a plane only for the parachute to tell you halfway down that it did not feel like opening because it was in a bad mood.

Su Li steadied himself and hurriedly shouted in his mind.

"What's going on, System? Don't screw over a new account!"

"Is it lagging? Refresh yourself!"

A light screen unfolded before his eyes, displaying only a single line of glaring red text.

[Trait description supplement: Although [Introvert] is a passive and powerful social-anxiety defense mechanism, it is not without cost. As an Introvert, maintaining "background character" status for extended periods consumes a great deal of mental energy. This is commonly known as "social battery depletion."]

[Current status: This week's usage time has been exhausted.]

[Cooldown: 6 days 23 hours 58 minutes.]

[Note: An F-Rank Trait should have the self-awareness of an F-Rank Trait. Did you think this was a permanent invisibility cheat? What were you thinking? Even the most veteran social phobics need to come out for a breath of air now and then. This week's limited-time trial has ended. Please come early next week.]

Su Li stood there in a daze.

The night wind swept past, carrying several dead leaves that slapped against his exquisitely handsome face.

It hurt a little.

But he had no time to care about his face. His heart hurt, his liver hurt, his whole body hurt.

"I..."

A curse got stuck in his throat.

What a damned scam!

This was outright fraud!

Why had the instructions not said this thing had a cooldown?

And what was this "social battery"? Was he a robot? Did he need charging too?

He had spent the whole day sleeping in the carriage. That counted as using up his battery?

Who had he socialized with? Those two wine barrels?

Su Li stared at the cooldown timer ticking down on the light screen and felt his vision going dark in waves.

Without the cover of the Introvert Trait.

What was he now?

A stranger of unknown origin, wearing ill-fitting clothes and reeking of wine.

"Grrr—"

His stomach growled again.

This time it was even louder, carrying a grief-stricken protest.

Su Li looked at the lit-up hut, then at his hands, which were pretty but utterly lacking in combat power.

Forget it.

Endure for now, and all would be calm.

It was not worth risking his life over a few beans.

Gritting his teeth, Su Li forcibly tore his gaze away from the fragrant window.

He turned around, crouched low, and crept toward the edge of the village under cover of darkness.

There was a huge old oak tree at the village entrance.

Its canopy was broad enough to blot out the sky, and its protruding roots formed a natural hollow.

Sheltered from the wind.

Hidden.

A good place to sleep.

Su Li crawled into the hollow beneath the roots and curled himself into a ball.

The earth was a little cold, and a few ants crawled over it.

But he did not care.

He was exhausted and starving.

His eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

"When it gets light..."

Su Li thought hazily.

"When it gets light, I'll find a stream to wash my face, then find something to eat."

Not far away.

The door of the hut opened.

Old Pete came out carrying a lamp, burping drunkenly as he staggered back onto the carriage.

"Let's go, let's go. We still have to get moving."

"Those miners are still waiting for their wine."

The crack of a whip rang out.

Crack.

The carriage wheels began turning again, creaking away down the gravel road.

Half-opening his eyes, Su Li watched through a gap in the leaves as the carriage that had carried him all the way slowly disappeared into the night.

That had been his only means of transportation.

Now it was gone too.

At last, sleepiness overcame hunger.

His consciousness slowly sank into darkness.