Chapter Twelve: Do You Yearn for Power?

Chu Yun furrowed his brow and, accompanied by two bewildered captives, arrived at the blacksmith's shop, where he handed them over to the assistant.

"What's wrong with Mela?" Chu Yun asked in confusion.

"Who knows? I just told her the boss was at the tavern, and she ran off excitedly... it's not like she's heading to the street of pleasure, so what's there to get worked up about?" The assistant was equally perplexed.

"The Rock Tavern... I see."

Chu Yun roughly guessed what might be on her mind, but he didn't follow her to the tavern. He wasn't a meddlesome person, and besides, the red dragon swordswoman hardly seemed the type to slaughter innocents; otherwise, Pike's caravan would surely have been wiped out.

Leaving the blacksmith's, Chu Yun began searching for an inn with Siya at his side.

Blacksmiths in this world held lucrative positions; the reward Mela gave Chu Yun was a generous twenty gold coins. Had circumstances not been so urgent, she might have fetched even more from her stash.

Rock Town lay near the Carlos Mountains, which, aside from their abundant Fire Crystal ore, were home to numerous low-tier monsters. Thus, Rock Town was not only a mining settlement but also a favorite haunt of adventurers.

Those heading to the mines would often hire adventurers as escorts, so there were plenty of taverns and inns in Rock Town.

With his initial funds, Chu Yun asked a passerby and found a relatively comfortable inn called the Breeze.

"Good evening, sir. What kind of room would you like?" The Breeze's receptionist was a young woman with long golden hair. Her looks were unremarkable, but her smile was sweet.

Chu Yun glanced at the price list and handed over a gold coin. "Two premium single rooms, five nights for now."

The rates were reasonable—a silver coin per night for a room, which was considered rather good.

"Certainly, sir. Here are your keys. If you wish to check out early, just let me know a day in advance, and I'll refund the remaining balance," the receptionist said with a smile as she handed over two keys.

Both rooms were on the third floor, adjacent to each other. Chu Yun passed one key to Siya. "Siya, please rest well. Unless absolutely necessary, don't go out alone."

Siya's slave mark remained, and in its abnormal state, venturing out would inevitably lead to trouble.

Siya nodded silently, said nothing more, and retreated to her room. She felt her companion must be dissatisfied with her lack of combat ability; mages usually had powerful warriors or knights as followers.

She, a mere ornament, was only suited for the pampered, daily life of her former master, or perhaps for those who sought companions for pleasure.

Closing the door behind her, Siya collapsed onto her bed in distress, unable to hold back her tears. As she wept, exhaustion crept in, and she gradually slipped into a dreamlike slumber. In that haze, she seemed to hear a call from the abyss.

"Do you yearn for power?"

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Meanwhile, Chu Yun entered his room, found a bronze mirror, and stepped into the Mirror World, heading toward the Rock Tavern.

He was quite curious about this red dragon swordswoman named Shivana—what manner of person was she, who not only slew a noble but brazenly lingered here and wiped out the cavalry?

Within the Mirror World, Chu Yun was public enemy number one. He needed to avoid entering the detection range of other mirror entities, lest he be swarmed.

Fortunately, at this hour there were few people on the streets, and ordinary folk had a detection radius of less than a meter, making it easy to evade.

The Rock Tavern was near the town gate, usually the liveliest spot, but at present the tavern was sparsely populated, though a large crowd had gathered outside, eager to see the spectacle.

Though these people feared Shivana, their curiosity burned as bright as Chu Yun's—they wanted to see what she would do next.

With the tavern surrounded, entering would surely provoke the mirror entities in the crowd.

Chu Yun considered his options; better to strike first than be forced to react.

A spell model formed rapidly, and an Arcane Torrent blasted toward the area with the fewest people.

Boom!

[Experience gained: 1 point]
[Experience gained: 1 point]
...

A gap opened in the crowd within the Mirror World, and the slain mirror entities yielded a handful of experience points to Chu Yun. The survivors charged him in anger.

Another spell—Magic Burst—and his pursuers fell, leaving plenty of glowing orbs scattered across the ground.

Chu Yun absorbed these orbs. Picking them up meant the real-world counterparts would permanently lose the corresponding abilities, but as there was no enmity between them, there was no need for such cruelty.

Moreover, to prevent the orbs from being left unclaimed should their real-world owners flee, Chu Yun simply strode forward, picked up the orbs, and tossed them back to the respective mirror entities, helping them reclaim their power.

"Wait—something's off. I think I've given the orb to the wrong person," Chu Yun realized as he returned one orb to its mirror entity.

The player specialization revealed the properties of every dropped item and its original owner. What Chu Yun hadn't expected was that, even if he gave an orb to the wrong person, they could absorb it just as he could.

"So that's how it works? It seems this effect isn't unique to me; my exclusive ability is simply entering the Mirror World." The discovery delighted Chu Yun.

He could exploit this rule in many ways, such as rapidly strengthening his subordinates.

"The experience is rather scant—perhaps the absorption effect weakens as my level increases."

Though the experience points gained were fewer now, Chu Yun was quite satisfied—grinding in the Mirror World was exceptionally safe.

Following the gap in the crowd, Chu Yun entered the tavern. As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted a formidable female swordsman sitting in a corner by the window.

He had heard much about Shivana from Pike along the way—a dragonborn swordswoman with dragon blood coursing through her veins.

Dragonborn generally resembled humans, with only a few organs retaining draconic features. Shivana, for instance, appeared entirely human except for the red wings on her back.

Of course, this was merely her normal form. When a dragonborn activated their bloodline power, more draconic traits would emerge, and their physical strength and combat prowess would be greatly enhanced.

The tavern was spacious; Chu Yun kept a safe distance from Shivana, careful not to arouse her suspicion.

Looking around, he saw no sign of Mela. She must have returned to the blacksmith while Chu Yun was searching for an inn.

Aside from Shivana and the staff, who dared not leave, there were three bold adventurers inside, drinking as if unbothered by the presence of such a notorious fugitive.

Chu Yun glanced at his experience bar.

Class: Wayfarer Mage Lv1 (25/500)
Experience: 6

The mirror entity kills had yielded little—just thirteen points. Previously, killing goblins in the real world had also granted experience, though that portion was not freely allocated like in the Mirror World; it was added directly to the Wayfarer Mage class.

General experience could be allocated freely when Chu Yun used other classes, or added to his current class as needed.

After satisfying his curiosity about Shivana, Chu Yun didn't linger—he began "grinding monsters" once more.