Half an hour later, the tension hung thick and cold on the air. Mirabella stood a calculated distance from the village, her gaze sharp, arms crossed over her chest. Facing her were Eve and her fifteen girls, their expressions a mix of fear and relief, all centered on the young woman they knew only as Spectral.
"I know everything you said back there was a lie," Mirabella stated, her voice devoid of the earlier menace, yet still commanding. "Do you know why I didn't kill you?"
Eve nodded slowly. She wasn't surprised that Spectral had seen through her performance. An ordinary player wouldn't possess this overwhelming power. She knew Spectral was beyond ordinary. What truly stunned her was that she was still drawing breath.
"Why are you letting us go?" Eve asked, her tone measured, every word a deliberate step on thin ice.
A dazzling, almost unsettling smile instantly bloomed on Mirabella's face, transforming her demeanor in a blink. It was the look of a fanatic, a crazed devotee.
"I only need one thing from you. And I know you won't refuse," Mirabella chirped, her eyes shining with an almost manic glee. "You're Miss Eve, right?! I heard a lot about you on Earth!! You are so famous!!!"
"....??"
Eve and her entire group froze, stunned into confusion. They stared at one another, processing the bewildering shift.
"Huh?"
"You know me on Earth?" Eve finally managed, pointing a trembling finger at her chest.
"Yes!! You're a famous actor!! Oh, gosh!! You're so good at it!" Mirabella practically screamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet in genuine, if misplaced, joy.
'What in the world is she babbling about? I'm no actor.' Eve thought, but a flash of cunning illuminated her mind. 'If this absurd mistake is the reason I'm alive, I will embrace it.'
She straightened her spine, a professional smile replacing her apprehension. "Yes! Yes. I am an actor... I didn't know I had a fan with your... unique talents." She subtly stressed the last two words.
'She's mistaken me for someone else entirely. I must capitalize on this.'
"As my fan," Eve continued, her voice gaining an unexpected confidence, "I won't ask for a reward for letting me go... But what about joining us? We could use someone with your..." she paused, searching for the right word:
"...dedication."
Mirabella's expression dropped instantly, her disappointment palpable. "I would so love that!! But..." she sighed dramatically:
"I have important things at hand... so I can't." She looked up at Eve again, the fanatical gleam returning to her eyes.
"Miss Eve! Can I see your strongest skill?! It must be so amazing! Please!" Mirabella pleaded, practically vibrating with excitement. This was the moment. She had baited the trap perfectly.
'A backer like Spectral? Ha! As long as I maintain this act, everyone will respect me. I'm so lucky!' Eve thought, a calculating glint in her eyes. She nodded, prepared to give a performance worthy of an Oscar, mixing flattery with a tactical information dump.
"My attack isn't the flashiest, but it's dangerous in its own way. As you can see, I have the Warrior Bloodline," she explained, settling into a comfortable lecturing tone. "We lack the high defense of the Knight Bloodline, or the raw speed of the Assassin. We certainly can't spam high Spirit energy spells like Priests, Mages, Healers, or Rune Masters... but our raw physical attack stat is simply stronger than all other Bloodlines."
Mirabella's eyes remained wide and shining, but internally, her lips curled into a silent snarl of annoyance:
"That's not all!" Eve announced, puffing out her chest slightly, enjoying the role of the knowledgeable veteran. "You know, non-magic classes—Warriors, Knights, Assassins, Archers, and Sword Masters—we're limited. At our current level, we can only issue five skills, while Awakened players get ten... and beyond that, I don't know. But Mages, Healers, Priests, and Rune Masters can have unlimited skills, provided they have the Spirit energy."
'Gods, is she lecturing me about the basics of the game? I know all this. She doesn't even know that God Rank players can have twenty skills, and at the peak, all Bloodlines can have unlimited skills.' Mirabella grumbled inwardly, yet her practiced, adoring smile remained flawlessly plastered on her face.
'Patience, Mirabella. huh? Here we go again. If I don't stop this woman, she'll talk for an hour.'
Mirabella felt a vein twitch, but just as she was about to cut in, Eve dropped a bombshell that momentarily silenced her internal protest.
"And amongst the Devil Cults, there are also other cults."
Mirabella's forced smile vanished, replaced by a genuine frown. 'How the hell does she know this?'
"Miss Eve, how do you know this?" she demanded, the facade briefly cracking.
Eve, caught up in her own expertise, answered without thinking. "Well, when we were in the village, Vinos spoke a lot about these things..."
The moment the name left her lips, Eve's eyes widened in panic. 'Wait, Vinos! I need to leave before he realizes I've betrayed their cause.'
She instantly scanned her surroundings, then quietly turned back to Mirabella. "I will show you my skill now."
She raised her hand, placing it dramatically on her forehead, and targeted Mirabella with the ability.
A cascade of silent system notifications flashed across Mirabella's vision:
{Physical attack drainage discovered.}
{Host's Spirit energy is stronger than attacker's.}
{Attack completely neutralized.}
"As expected, I can't drain your attack," Eve gave a small, rueful smile. She turned quickly, signaling her girls to follow.
"See you again, Spectral!" she called out, already walking away with a brisk, determined pace.
'That snake didn't even explain her attack.' Mirabella thought, watching the group retreat. 'Oh well, I have the system for that.'
The true prize appeared in the system log, instantly replacing the fan-girl facade with a satisfied, predatory smirk.
{Skill Copied.}
{Skill: Physical Attack Siphon: Steals 10% of target's full attack stat. Epic class skill. 1,000 Spirit energy per use. Buff last for one minute.}
{Maxed: Physical Attack Siphon: Steals 50% of ten targets' full attack stats, epic class skill. 1,000 Spirit Energy per use Buff last for ten minutes.}
'Finally, I got what I needed from her. If I had asked her straightforwardly, she would have gotten suspicious and never shown me. But as a crazy fan...' Mirabella's smirk widened into a triumphant, chilling grin.
'Now... I am completely invincible in the second server! For these three months, I will keep on growing. I will make sure to reach Lv70! And become the first God level player in the second server, then... everyone and everything will bow at my feet.' Her chuckle turned into a low, delighted laugh.
"I never thought of ruling... Haha, no one knows what will happen." She repeated the words aloud, savoring the sound of ambition, and walked back toward the village, the future already bending to her will.