Chapter 778: STAT
Chapter 778: STAT
Suyin opened her eyes slowly as the memories of the fight rushed back. The memory of being attacked made her jump and gasp for air, but a hand was already holding hers.
"You are safe."
Those three words dawned on her like blissful rain, making her anxiety disappear. Suyin turned toward the man holding her hand tightly and stared into his golden eyes. Her heart thumped because of his closeness and his warmth mixed with hers.
"The fight," she began, asking about what happened. But unfortunately, her memory was still foggy from that state of pure adrenaline, making her unable to recollect the events of it. "Did I win?"
"You did," said Arthur Silvera with a smile before guiding her back to bed. "I healed all your wounds, but your clothes are still tattered. I took no liberty of changing them," said Arthur while looking away.
Suyin realized that her clothes were not covering all of her body, making her turn red. However, a smile appeared on her face because this man took no advantage of her, even in this situation. His mannerism differed from other men, making her both grateful and frustrated. "After all, how does one approach a monk?"
"…am I the monk?" he asked, and Suyin realized that she had said the last part aloud. Arthur Silvera glanced at her while raising his brow, seeming to be offended. "Is it something I did?"
"…things you didn't do," replied Suyin with a reddened face because her thoughts were exposed. She pulled the sheets to cover her body before looking around and running behind the curtain Arthur installed. "I have to change!"
Arthur Silvera seemed to see through her trick to change the subject, but he still obliged to leave the small hut. She managed to look around as she changed her clothes to tight-fitting ones. Her hands paused when she touched her shoulder, and she remembered the feeling of a blade running through her flesh.
"It hurts," muttered Suyin as tears gathered in her eyes since she was unaccustomed to this pain. Her older sister, Lin Xue, was always there for her before and never allowed her to endure such hardships.
However, she saw the real world once she joined her sister in the capital. It was full of blood and pain, which Lin Xue blocked for her. One of the reasons that her sister became so cold-hearted was to protect her.
Suyin was captured by the Mansell Gang once when she visited the capital following her sister. Once Lin Xue heard about it, she stormed into the mansion, and a gang war almost broke out because of her. At that time, her Bloodflower Gang only had ten members.
It was one of those events that led the capital to admire the skills of the bloodflower, which was the name that Lin Xue earned after being seen covered in blood. Alexander Mansell faced her at that time, but the two were tied.
Suyin still remembers that even though Lin Xue brought her home, she was covered in wounds. Her beautiful body was ruined by the countless scars that appeared. She then realized her weakness didn't hurt her as much as it hurt her sister.
However, she had no idea how to awaken or train. She tried countless methods, but her damn body didn't accept growing. It felt like time had stopped for her since she was little. Now, the man who demolished the Mansell Gang is helping her train.
"Are you done?" called Arthur Silvera from outside. Suyin opened the door, and the sunlight struck her face. It was a beautiful day in mid-October when the sun was warm, and the breeze was cold.
Arthur Silvera was standing outside with a small item in his hand. It seemed like a badge that produced static noises. Arthur fiddled with the device before a voice came out, and it seemed like a radio station.
"…days after… Arthur Silvera…" the voice broke through and got replaced with static noises before Arthur found the proper signal, and the voice became clear. "His Imperial Majesty labeled the terrorist attack as an expected event, reassuring the citizens that the empire planned for a countermeasure."
"A countermeasure?" muttered Suyin with worry, but Arthur raised a finger for her to wait. He was trying to listen to their words.
"Strict security has been placed on every exit in the capital, arresting hundreds of rebels in the past few days. However, the chief of command says that this is merely the iceberg's tip of the terrorists in the capital."
"They are making the rebels be the terrorists," smiled Arthur as he heard those words. "This was a part of his plan to enforce strict military control while gaining the public's approval."
"Is it true?" asked Suyin after a pause. "Are you a stealer of elements? I wouldn't care, even if you were. I just want to know."
"The stealer of elements if the emperor," said Arthur Silvera without looking at her. "Haven't the forger already revealed that the emperor wanted to strengthen himself at the expanse of the citizens?"
"Then, that means…."
"The emperor is still planning to do that. He must be attempting to strengthen himself, or the one backing him, using the citizens. I couldn't understand his aim, but it seems plausible after hearing about the arrays."
"Then, he is simply treating them as a sacrifice?" asked Suyin with a frown. Arthur turned the radio off after realizing there was nothing important to listen to, and the connection was wavering.
"We can assume that, but it doesn't matter. I have a personal vendetta against the emperor and his son. I had to endure countless things because of the duo."
"What about Ascent? We should call them," said Suyin after a moment of thought. Ascent was the guild that Arthur created, causing waves worldwide."
"My guild is being targeted by Dragonir, making their involvement in this matter another reason for Dragonir to follow us here. If not for Ascent still clearing dungeons, the guild would have pursued me here."
"…you have a lot of enemies, Arthur," said Suyin with a sigh, seeming concerned. Arthur smiled at her as he pocketed the radio and walked forward. He then inspected her body, even moving her arms.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Arthur, and Suyin nodded while retracting her arms from him. Although she felt safe with him, she didn't want him to act as a caretaker.
"Well, that's good. We need to hasten your training since it seems like the situation is getting worse," said Arthur as he turned toward the shadow meadow. "Do you want to fight again?"
"I…" hesitated Suyin. Although she won, she wasn't sure about fighting herself again. Even in her sleep, she was restless. Arthur picked up on that hesitation and smiled before raising his hand.
A small glowing shape was in his hand, which he fused to her body. Suyin was confused as she stared at her arm and then at Arthur. Before she could ask, a panel appeared in front of them. It had several rows.
[Suyin]
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 12]
[Stamina: 13]
[Perception: 15]
[Mana: ––]
The words seemed like the infamous stats that she had heard about. Standardized Test of Advancement and Talent (STAT) was the common word for it. It was a numericized number that showed your progress compared to average humans.
"Yesterday, all of them were below ten. In a single day, a lot of things improved for you. Even though you have yet to awaken mana, there is still progress."
Is there anything that this man was unable to do?
Suyin heard words and read stories about him before. His feats were amazing, and many called him the genius of the century, equal to the Divine Swordsman. However, the more she stood beside him, she realized how absurd his abilities were.
"You can keep this panel open and see for yourself when your strength increases. However, those numbers will be the same if you do nothing. So this is the perfect place to train."
Arthur offered her the sword from yesterday, which had been cleaned and sharpened. Suyin nodded and grabbed it before raising it toward the sky. It split her view in two as it glimmered in the sunlight.
After that, Arthur Silvera led her toward the Shadow Meadow. Her clone appeared again, and the two formed a contract. After she agreed, the enemy attacked like before, using the same strike.
This time, Suyin was prepared for it. She jumped back before the clone could strike her and then attacked too. However, like her, the clone has grown stronger since yesterday and dodged as well.
"Hah!" shouted Suyin as she stomped on the ground and brought her sword downward. The clone struck the sword away before piercing her shoulder. "UGH!" she grimaced in pain as the blade cut through her bone, but it was a chance.
Suyin slashed toward the clone's neck, ending its life. She traded flesh for bones and managed to end this fight before it drained her. However, the wound on her shoulder was gaping. While she was thinking about the unbearable pain, her injury suddenly started healing. Arthur was standing beside her.