Afraid Yet Dependent?

The attribute point that had suddenly appeared came from his identity as the [Wanderer Guide].

After a harrowing series of experiences, Will-Bukelin had finally calmed down.

His cultivation had risen from Tier One, fifth stage, to Tier One, sixth stage...

An Kai had benefited as well, gaining 1 attribute point.

An Kai looked at his panel...

[Level Lv1: 10/10 "Locked"]

[Intelligence: 81 (Initially 1)]

[Endurance: 80 (Initially 1)]

[Stamina: 80 (Initially 1)]

[Strength: 80 (Initially 1)]

[Talent: Immortality "∞", Mage's Body "lv1"]

[Spells: Meditation [Level 9] "90/90", Fireball [Level 9] "90/90", Freezing Spell [Level 9] "90/90", Summoning Lv5 "58/60"]

[Identity: Wanderer Guide.]

With a thought, he chose to increase his endurance.

[Endurance +1]

[Endurance: 81]

As for why, he was adding them in order...

Humming a little tune, An Kai continued toward the oasis...

With this mask, An Kai could safely enter Chaos City, stock up on supplies, and then head to the Mage Tower to cultivate in seclusion.

He could also sell the supplies in his Storage Ring.

Putting away the [Disguise Mask], An Kai returned to the lakeside. Will-Bukelin still looked excited, seemingly caught up in the joy of his increased strength.

As Sally Bukelin watched An Kai approach, she instinctively took a step back, but her eyes remained fixed on him...

There was dependence in them, and fear...

If only that old bastard from the Bounty Tower had come a little sooner!

Looking at Sally Bukelin beside the lake, An Kai couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

Had he arrived a little earlier, An Kai could have obtained the [Disguise Mask] sooner and handed Sally Bukelin over to the Bounty Tower.

What a shame!

He let out a soft sigh, frightening Sally Bukelin into shrinking back.

After An Kai returned, the three of them fell silent again beside the lake.

Dawn broke the next day.

An Kai packed up early, ready to head to Chaos City.

Once he finished trading his supplies, he would go into seclusion in the Mage Tower.

This time, his goal was to break past the 100-point mark in his attributes!

The [Summoning] spell had filled a gap in An Kai's ability to obtain resources.

"My lord, are you heading to Chaos City?"

Watching An Kai lost in thought, Will-Bukelin recalled the few things he had said the previous night...

One of them had been about Chaos City.

An Kai glanced back at Will-Bukelin without saying anything.

The reason he hadn't let Will-Bukelin and Sally Bukelin leave yet was that he was waiting for something.

The side story update!

The system's side stories showed the previous day's experiences, states of mind, and so on.

An Kai wanted to check them to see whether Will-Bukelin or Sally Bukelin intended to harm him.

If they did, his flexible moral boundaries might just disappear!

Ten minutes later.

The side stories updated successfully.

[1: The Mage Association has announced a reward across the entire continent for finding the God of Magic's burial site!]

[2: The internal strife in the Bukelin Duchy has come to a temporary end. The four princes have turned their attention to the desert on the Bukelin Duchy's eastern border...]

[3: A Nameless Town has suddenly appeared on the Bukelin Duchy's eastern border. This town only appears after dark, as though it conceals some secret!]

[28: After surviving a life-or-death crisis, Will-Bukelin has grown stronger. His feelings toward An Kai are now mostly fear and respect, but... he seems to want to beg An Kai to help him take revenge?]

[36: After spending several days with "Hanks," the Fifth Princess of the Bukelin Duchy-Sally Bukelin-feels both afraid of and dependent on him. Sally Bukelin is deeply troubled by this...]

After reading today's side stories.

An Kai confirmed one thing: Sally Bukelin really had lost her mind.

Afraid yet dependent?

Wasn't that just plain crazy?

She felt dependent on someone who wanted to sell her?

An Kai gave a disdainful chuckle.

If he approached Sally Bukelin now to explore the mysteries of life together, she would most likely agree.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't do that.

Although he had abandoned the idea of trading Sally Bukelin for resources, she was still nothing but trouble to An Kai!

Even an idiot could figure out the second side story. Those four damned princes had turned their attention to the desert because of Sally Bukelin, without a doubt!

If he got tangled up with her, who knew what trouble would follow?

Even if An Kai walked away afterward, the relationship would still have happened.

Would the four princes believe they had only been lovers for a single night?

"Beautiful women have been a source of disaster since ancient times. The ancestors didn't lie!"

Muttering to himself, An Kai prepared to leave.

He could see it now. Both these siblings were walking bundles of trouble.

Anyone who got involved with them could look forward to being dragged into trouble!

Seeing An Kai about to leave, Will-Bukelin wavered...

Begging others for help went against Will-Bukelin's nature.

The mindset of the [Wanderer] class also left Will-Bukelin deeply conflicted about what he was about to say.

Before troubling someone else, he had to consider whether his own problems would bring them trouble...

That was a principle Will-Bukelin had always upheld.

However...

Now, Will-Bukelin was about to break that principle for the sake of his dead father!

Finally, watching An Kai prepare to leave, Will-Bukelin hurriedly ventured in a quiet voice, "My lord..."

"Not helping!"

"Goodbye!"

Before Will-Bukelin could finish, An Kai left him with those two statements and sprinted away.

With all four attributes at 80 or above, he was no slower than warriors and other classes that relied on their bodies.

In just a dozen seconds or so, An Kai had vanished from Will-Bukelin's sight...

Leaving behind a stunned Will-Bukelin and Sally Bukelin, who kept questioning her own looks...

"He... he ran away..."

Sally Bukelin murmured. She had been planning to seduce him, only for her plan to die before she could even put it into action.

Will-Bukelin gave a bitter smile. This was one of the outcomes he had anticipated.

He hadn't interacted with An Kai many times, but he understood something of his personality.

A man who cared only about himself...

"Will... where... do we go?"

Without An Kai, Sally Bukelin suddenly felt lost.

Although An Kai had previously wanted to kill her or sell her, just as the side story had indicated, his formidable strength and talent...

Had made Sally Bukelin develop a sense of dependence on him...

Otherwise, why would she have thought of seducing An Kai...?

"Sigh! Sis, come back to Chaos City with me first. We'll figure things out later. Also, tell me what happened over the past few days."

"...All right."

At the entrance to Chaos City.

Wearing the [Disguise Mask], An Kai took on the appearance of a warrior who accompanied Reed and headed toward the Bounty Tower.

He was here to buy food and see whether the Bounty Tower had anyone at Tier Three, or anyone stronger than him.

If not, he would be shopping for free!

Thanks to Book Friend 2017...199 and Xuyang for the monthly votes, and to Yunguishan for the tip.