Missing Sister

Time flew. Two days later.

On Monday, Molly skipped school. She pretended to be sick, took the day off, and stayed home practicing her swordsmanship.

"Phew..."

In her bedroom, Molly let out a long breath. The tightness in her chest slowly faded as she practiced the Warrior's Breathing Technique.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the Proficiency Panel before her, her eyes bright with delight.

[Basic Swordsmanship: Tier 3 120/10000]

[Warrior's Breathing Technique: Tier 2 890/10000]

Two days without sleep had finally paid off.

With Basic Swordsmanship at tier three, every swing of her sword cut sharply through the air. Her moves were no longer the empty flourishes they had been before.

The Warrior's Breathing Technique had advanced too. Her recovery rate had more than doubled, and her body could quickly bounce back even after intense sword practice.

The only frustrating thing was how slowly proficiency rose after tier three.

She had spent nearly two days drenched in sweat just to get Basic Swordsmanship to tier three. At this rate, she might go bald before reaching tier ten.

Grrr—

Her stomach growled at an inconvenient moment.

Molly touched her empty stomach. Only then did she remember that she had been so focused on practicing that she had not eaten for half a day.

She ended her transformation, pulled on the T-shirt draped over the back of her chair, and headed to the kitchen with a spring in her step.

A rich aroma soon drifted from the kitchen.

Molly served herself two heaping bowls of rice and wolfed them down with tender beef.

The savory meat and sweet-and-sour tomatoes burst across her tongue. As her hunger faded, her whole body relaxed.

She set down her bowl and chopsticks when she was nearly full.

The afternoon sun shone through the window, casting dappled light across the floor.

Molly checked her phone. It was 5:10 p.m.

Time for Moyan to get out of school.

Her lips curved as she pictured her little sister taking tiny bites of food. Warmth filled her chest.

Ten minutes passed, but she heard no familiar footsteps in the hallway.

Molly frowned and waited another three minutes.

Still nothing.

Unease crept over her. She messaged Moyan, but got no reply.

She called. No answer.

The streets had been dangerous lately, with more and more girls disappearing. Luoxi's warning still echoed in her ears.

Something couldn't have happened to my sister, could it?

Molly's heart sank. She grabbed her coat and rushed out the door.

She jogged along Moyan's route home from school, searching every corner of the street.

People and cars streamed past, but there was no sign of that familiar figure.

Her heart raced faster, and sweat gathered in her clenched palms.

More than ten minutes later, beside an abandoned sewer entrance, she spotted a familiar student ID.

It lay on the ground, speckled with dirt. Moyan looked cool and distant in the photograph.

Molly's breath caught. She hurried over and picked it up, her gaze drawn to the pitch-black sewer entrance.

A faint, sickly-sweet smell drifted out, exactly like the Slime in the bathroom that day.

Another Monster Demon!

Her heart jolted. With no time to think, she slipped into a nearby alley and silently triggered her transformation.

White light flashed. A pure white dress wrapped around her, and the silver Broken Sword appeared in her hand. Her earlier fatigue vanished.

Molly took a deep breath, gripped the Broken Sword, and entered the sewer without hesitation.

Cold, damp air hit her, thick with rot and that sickly sweetness. Her stomach churned.

Passages branched in every direction like a vast maze. Moss covered the walls, and filthy water pooled underfoot.

Her uneven steps splashed through it.

She had not gone far when she spotted her sister's familiar schoolbag around a corner.

It had been tossed aside and torn open. Moyan's phone was still inside, showing missed calls and several new messages.

Molly picked up the phone, her heart tightening. She quickened her pace.

A few steps later, two green shapes burst from the water and lunged at her.

Slimes!

Two level-two Slimes, their bodies bubbling green. They were much faster than the one in the bathroom.

Molly's eyes sharpened. She twisted her wrist, and the Broken Sword slashed down with a fierce whistle.

Slash!

One stroke for each. Clean and swift.

Green slime sprayed everywhere. Both Slimes split in two and collapsed into puddles of jelly-like matter.

A purplish-black fragment the size of a fingernail fell from one Slime's remains.

The moment it hit the ground, it turned into a streak of white light and shot into the Broken Sword.

The sword hummed softly, but no new memories entered her mind.

Molly raised an eyebrow. As expected, a tiny fragment like that was nowhere near enough to unlock a new skill.

She pressed on without lingering.

The deeper she went, the stronger the sickly-sweet scent of chestnut blossoms grew. Sticky purplish-red mucus began appearing on the walls. It looked revolting.

Suddenly, something rustled in the darkness ahead.

Molly stopped, tightened her grip on the Broken Sword, and stared toward the sound.

The next moment, a Monster Demon covered in tentacles slowly crawled out of the darkness!

Hiss!

Black armor plated the Tentacle Monster's body. More than a dozen thick tentacles thrashed overhead, each tipped with sharp barbs.

The small text above its head was clear:

[Monster Demon: Corrupted Tentacle Monster]

[Level: 3]

Molly's pupils contracted.

It was the same kind of Tentacle Monster she had encountered in the alley!

If that mysterious golden magical girl had not appeared that day, Molly would have died there—or been left at the mercy of its tentacles.

But things were different now!

Her Basic Swordsmanship had reached tier three, and her Warrior's Breathing Technique had reached tier two.

Molly drew a deep breath and activated the Warrior's Breathing Technique. Warmth surged through her body.

She pushed off the ground and charged at the Tentacle Monster.

Clearly not expecting anyone to attack it, the monster shrieked. More than a dozen tentacles whipped toward her at once.

Molly dodged nimbly, her eyes keen. The Broken Sword darted forward like a striking snake, aimed straight at the monster's weak points—

The bases of its tentacles, where its armor did not reach.

Slice!

One stroke severed a tentacle. Purplish-black blood sprayed out.

The monster howled in pain and attacked even more fiercely.

Molly did not panic. She wielded the four moves of Basic Swordsmanship with practiced ease—chopping, slashing, sweeping, and thrusting. Every strike landed precisely.

She moved faster and faster, her breathing growing steadier. With the recovery granted by the Warrior's Breathing Technique, she had no need to worry about exhausting herself.

Before long, the level-three Tentacle Monster was riddled with wounds. It collapsed and crumbled into a heap of black ash.

A thumb-sized purplish-black fragment fell from the ashes.

It became a streak of white light and shot into the Broken Sword.

The sword's hum was louder this time, and unfamiliar memories flooded Molly's mind.

[Holy Judgment: Tier 1 0/10000]

A new line had appeared on the panel.

Molly froze, then understood. Wild joy spread across her face.

Was this... a finishing move?

She read the panel's description carefully:

[Holy Judgment: Cooldown 24 hours. Focus your mind and unleash a sword strike with all your strength, dealing tremendous light-attribute damage to the enemy.]

It was perfect for dealing with high-level Monster Demons!

Thrilled, Molly lowered the Broken Sword and continued onward.

The sewer grew deeper, and the branching paths more numerous.

Trusting her instincts, she chose the darkest-looking passage.

She had not gone far when the sight ahead made her pupils contract.

A vast underground chamber opened before her, with an enormous pool at its center.

Purplish-red mucus filled the pool. Countless tentacles crawled across the walls, and thick purplish-red mist hung in the air.

After just one breath, Molly felt hot all over. Her face flushed, and something seemed to stir wildly in her mind, as though she were ovulating.

She bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay clearheaded.

There was something wrong with this mist!

She dared not linger and hurried toward the far side of the pool.

The water was only thigh-deep, but the sticky liquid clinging to her legs gave her goose bumps.

After just a few steps, several thick tentacles shot out of the pool and wrapped tightly around her ankles.

Their touch was cold, yet a tingling sensation spread from her ankles through her whole body.

Startled, Molly quickly activated the Warrior's Breathing Technique to drive away the sensation, then brought the Broken Sword down hard.

Crack!

The tentacles snapped, splashing green fluid all over her.

She did not dare stop. She hurried toward the far bank.

Only after finally reaching it did she breathe a sigh of relief. She looked down at where the tentacles had gripped her. The faint tingling remained.

"So disgusting."

Molly muttered a curse, brushed the mucus from her clothes, and continued forward.