The Hook

"Are you sure they'll be fine on their own?"

Xia Lun gazed at the shimmering water mirror before Aina, watching the scene inside La Di's room, unable to help but speak up.

"Relax, Xia Lun. A small-time thug who can't even assassinate an ordinary person... what's there to worry about?" Aina shook her head. "Even without Liyana, Mo Lini could handle him with ease."

"Mo Lini?" Xia Lun paused slightly, still unaware of what Mo Lini was truly capable of...

"Granted, Mo Lini hasn't fought before, but she's Oliphant's teacher after all. She knows a few basic spells," Aina tapped Xia Lun's forehead. "Who knows, she might even surpass you in magical aptitude. Don't judge people by appearances."

Xia Lun thought that basically anyone in the world had higher magical aptitude than him, anyway.

A few basic spells... for a half-breed with mixed blood, that was indeed more than enough.

Besides, there were still Liyana and Little Lan watching over things.

Little Lan's strength was nothing to scoff at now. After this period of settling and absorbing, it had successfully broken through from mid-tier to high-tier.

A slime that managed to reach high-tier... who knew what kind of looks people would have on their faces when they heard about that.

Liyana had even held a celebration party for it... though her real intention was just to find an excuse to eat and drink her fill.

But Little Lan seemed to have warmed up to Liyana considerably. As long as Liyana didn't make moves on Mo Lini, it wouldn't randomly dissolve Liyana's hair anymore... For some odd reason, the two saw eye to eye on quite a few things, and the human and the slime even seemed to be drifting toward brotherhood.

Lately, Mo Lini had been worried about whether Little Lan might get corrupted by that rascal Liyana.

But then again... Little Lan had grown up now, so it should be allowed to choose its own way of living.

Inside the apartment.

"This is Lidi's room. If you don't mind, you two can clean things up a bit and sleep here tonight?" La Di opened the long-sealed door, then quickly left, as if afraid to take another glance inside for fear of stirring up old memories.

"What an adorable room." Mo Lini looked quite satisfied with the space.

The room was decorated in soft pink tones, with a fluffy teddy bear leaning against the bedside.

There was some dust on top, but it wasn't thick, as if it simply hadn't been cleaned in recent years.

Probably nobody had bothered to tidy this room since La Di's wife had passed away.

"But there's only one bed though." Mo Lini turned to Liyana, tilting her head slightly. "And there are two of us... should I sleep on the floor?"

Liyana felt touched, covering her mouth with her hand. What a good kid Mo Lini was, voluntarily giving up the bed.

"No need, Mo Lini... if we squeeze a little, we can both fit on that small bed." Liyana suggested.

"I mean, I'd rather sleep on the floor than share a bed with you." Mo Lini shot Liyana a look. "Besides, I'm a lady. A lady certainly knows how to be courteous, so I hope you understand what I mean."

Liyana: ...

Liyana's face fell.

Mo Lini was no longer the innocent girl she used to be.

"No worries," soon enough, Liyana slipped back into that sly smile, winking mysteriously. "We probably won't even get to sleep here tonight."

"Oh?"

Liyana lowered her voice and giggled: "Who knows, maybe our prey is already itching to make a move."

...

Ruiwen felt the time was ripe. It was time to strike.

The night grew deeper, and the crescent moon outside was half-hidden by drifting clouds. A night breeze slipped through the open window, gently stirring the curtains with a faint rustling sound.

He stood in the shadows of the building across the street, his black cloak merging seamlessly with the darkness.

Those two rookie adventurers didn't even have basic common sense. After opening the window for fresh air during the day, they didn't even bother to close it before nightfall.

Wasn't this the perfect entry route? It wouldn't even make a sound.

Ruiwen felt the heavens were smiling down on him.

With the night breeze, his form transformed into what seemed like a floating leaf, drifting toward that open windowsill.

Too easy.

He wondered what kind of expressions those two young girls would have when they woke up in the morning to find their protected target's corpse. Fear? Despair? Just thinking about it almost made him laugh out loud.

What a shame they were already adventurers, so he couldn't casually lay a hand on them... young girls' blood was quite tempting, after all.

Folding his bat wings, Ruiwen landed inside the apartment room.

He was careful enough to check his surroundings, paranoid about any traps... but the truth told him he was worrying over nothing. There was no threat anywhere, and the room was utterly silent, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects filtering in from outside the window.

After all, even though this mission's target was a troublemaker, he was still just an ordinary person.

Ruiwen let out a quiet chuckle. He would finish this quickly and head back for a bottle of red wine...

"Bloop bloop—"

A weird little sound made Ruiwen's heart jump, but when he looked toward its source and saw what it was, his tense nerves relaxed again.

It was just a slime, currently lounging on the sofa.

Ruiwen had subconsciously ignored it at first, only realizing it was alive when it made that noise.

"Little thing, quiet down. Don't wake those girls up... otherwise, I'll toss you into the gutter." Ruiwen said in a vicious tone.

He was talking to a slime... could it even understand him?

Ruiwen suddenly realized what he was doing, shook his head, and couldn't help but feel amused at himself.

Not giving it another thought, he lightened his steps and headed toward La Di's bedroom.

After becoming a half-blood, he had gained the ability to see in the dark... also, within the darkness, he could sense the heat signatures of his prey, easily pinpointing La Di's location.

"Bloop bloop—"

The Little Lan on the sofa seemed displeased at being ignored, bouncing on the cushion and making faint noises.

"Little thing, want me to deal with you first?" Ruiwen, growing impatient, casually swiped a hand toward Little Lan, as if intending to crush it outright.

In that instant, the unexpected struck.

Little Lan's semi-translucent body warped suddenly. A part of it stretched out and solidified rapidly, forming into the shape of a small slender sword. Ruiwen couldn't even react. A streak of silver light flashed, and a sharp pain pierced through his chest.

"BAM—"

A massive gash tore across Ruiwen's defenseless chest, and his whole body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall.

"Bloop bloop—"

Little Lan contemptuously retracted its little tendril that had shaped itself into a sword, puffing up like a swordsman sheathing his blade.