Chapter 15: Fishing? Or Fishing for Hearts

Compared to Cecilia Ross, Selim Nutrisk woke up earlier.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the notification from her data panel in front of her.

『Soul Devour effect has ended. Your Spirit Power Limit has increased.』

“My head still hurts like hell.”

This was Selim’s first time using Soul Devour beyond her limits. In the recent nightmare, countless scenes had woven together into a terrifying dream.

It was as if she had lived through the lives of countless people at once. Luckily, each one was brief—like being forced to binge-watch garbage short videos for a whole month.

The overload of information nearly shattered her nerves.

But misfortune brought fortune. In the end, her Spirit Power Limit had increased.

She tapped open the Leaderboard, and immediately saw two conspicuous sets of data at the top.

『Selim: 10,473 points, Player C: 11,275 points.』

C was undoubtedly Cecilia Ross.

As for the others, their pitiful scores—just a few dozen or at best a hundred or so—were simply negligible.

Staring at the two five-digit leaders on the Leaderboard, Selim fell into deep thought.

In her opinion, if things were settled right now, not only could she complete the advancement trial, she’d also receive extra rewards.

But judging by the situation, the remaining participants weren’t willing to just die off early; everything had to wait until the task was finished before this ordeal would end.

Thinking about how she, a mere Firefly Tier “fish,” had been thrown into a Glazed Light Tier assessment pool for matching, Selim felt at a loss for words.

Still, it wasn’t without its benefits.

She got up and glanced at the still-unconscious Cecilia Ross beside her, a tinge of complicated emotion sweeping across her heart.

Did she like Cecilia Ross, this character?

Of course she liked her, but to ask herself honestly—did she like her enough to stake everything for her?

Selim, by reason, wouldn’t. Yet in the moment of crisis, she had made an emotional decision.

“Is it the influence of the Soul Contract? Was I affected by the emotional feedback from her?”

Selim pondered the reasons, then shook her head.

She didn’t believe that a little Synesthesia was enough to make her disregard her own interests.

“Forget it, whatever. Let’s just say I showed a bit of kindness for once.”

Selim decided not to dwell on this internally.

The rational logic of a “bad woman” once again took over her mind.

This time, she really had sat down at the gambling table for Cecilia Ross—but luckily, she’d gone all in and won big.

Since she’d feasted on a grand meal, she couldn’t miss out on the tasty little snacks either.

“Mm… Let me think, how should I explain it?”

A sly smile curved Selim’s lips.

As the saying goes, since ancient times, tricks win hearts. For someone as emotional as Cecilia Ross, explaining that she had an Immortal Talent would be far too unromantic.

Selim decided to wrap the whole story up in a more romantic fairytale.

Without hesitation, she used her knowledge of pharmacology from gaming, and found some herbs with hemostatic properties nearby.

She tore a strip from her clothes and carefully bandaged Cecilia Ross’s bloody, mangled hands.

Then, she crafted a fishing rod from a branch, sat on a stone by the creek, used a Soul Tentacle to knock out a few fish, and began to “fish” in an exaggerated manner.

Like the ancient sage fishing for those willing to bite.

As for whether she was fishing for fish or for people…

“Selim!” Cecilia Ross suddenly woke up.

Hearing the call from behind, Selim—who was nearly dozing off—snapped to attention.

“You’re awake?” She put away the fishing rod, used a Soul Tentacle to knock out another fish, grabbed it in her hand, then turned and smiled radiantly at Cecilia Ross.

“Little Cecilia, may I borrow some fire?”

Puff~

A small campfire appeared between them.

Selim skewered the fish on a branch and set it beside the fire.

The Magic Flame roasted the fish until it sizzled, filling the air with a savory, smoky aroma.

Wiping her eyes, Cecilia Ross gazed at Selim in the firelight. “Selim? Am I dreaming? I thought…”

“What did little Cecilia think?” Selim teased.

“I thought… Selim, you were going to leave me.” Cecilia Ross lowered her head, lips pressed tight.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? Why are you apologizing, little Cecilia? Look, aren’t I right here, safe and sound?”

Selim knew exactly what Cecilia Ross wanted to say, but she chose to pretend she didn’t understand.

After all, making someone confess their own mistake only deepens their guilt.

Sure enough, hearing Selim’s words, Cecilia Ross lowered her head even further.

“Selim!” Cecilia Ross suddenly lifted her head, as if making a great resolve.

“Mm?”

“I thought you’d abandon me and run away…”

“I even felt resentment in my heart. Someone so selfish as me, even if you ended up hating me or never forgiving me… I understand…”

She turned her head, not daring to meet Selim’s eyes.

“Pfft—hahaha!” Selim couldn’t help but laugh; this laughter wasn’t forced. She simply found Cecilia Ross’s reaction far too adorable.

A pure little bunny, solemnly confessing her “selfishness” to a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

It was almost too cute to bear.

She wanted to devour her…

But patience was needed, for now.

“Why is Selim laughing?” Cecilia Ross was confused.

Selim didn’t answer directly. She tilted her head upward, pretending to look a little dazed.

“I only remember that instant when I got hit. It hurt so, so much.”

“And then everything disappeared.”

She picked up the sizzling, oily fish, blew on it gently, sprinkled some pepper-like plant dust she’d found, and offered it to Cecilia Ross.

“And then I thought, little Cecilia has been hungry all day. So, I came back.”

Her voice softened.

“Want to try it?”

Tears fell silently, dripping onto the grass.

Cecilia Ross, receiving an answer far warmer than she expected, could only choke back sobs, unable to form words.

She tried to take the grilled fish, but her hands—clumsily wrapped like buns—couldn’t hold it tight.

Sensing the opportunity, Selim stood, walked over, and sat by Cecilia Ross’s side.

“Ah~” She brought the fish to Cecilia Ross’s mouth.

In silence, Cecilia Ross ate the whole fish, bite by bite.

After a while, with a heavy nasal tone, she softly asked, “Selim, will you… form a lifelong party with me?”

“Of course, I’d love nothing more.”

“One day less, one minute, one second—none of that is a lifetime,” Cecilia Ross insisted.

“Alright, alright, whatever little Cecilia says.” Selim replied with a smile, and naturally pulled the petite girl into her arms.

Warm and soft.

If it weren’t for being in a Trial Stage, Selim would have made her move right then.

But for now, she feared scaring Cecilia Ross if she went too far.

Besides, there was no rush. In reality, Cecilia Ross was stunning beyond words.

In the future, time would be on her side.

Right now, the most important thing was to clear this stage and secure everything she had gained.

And to uncover the truth behind the inevitable destruction of the Small Town, strength was indispensable.

Conveniently, there was now a way to get stronger—the soul of the Moonlight Level one-eyed frog monster.

What would devouring it bring?

Selim gently patted Cecilia Ross’s back, breaking the fleeting warmth.

“Come on, let’s go check if that big frog is really dead.”

As Cecilia Ross got up from Selim’s embrace, a hint of hidden melancholy flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing, following quietly behind.

Before long, they arrived at the corpse of the one-eyed frog monster.

Seeing it, Cecilia Ross couldn’t help but kick it.

There was no reaction; it appeared thoroughly dead.

Seeing the corpse, Selim couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

Looting the body.

One of the most thrilling moments in any game.

Pulling out the dagger—which had only served as a vegetable knife so far—Selim endured the stench of blood and patiently probed into its brain.

Soon, she dug out a pigeon-egg-sized green orb that glowed faintly.

『Magic Crystal: Moonlight Level Magic Crystal. Contains immense energy, can be used as a high-grade material.』

That was just an appetizer. The real feast for Selim was its soul.

“Let me taste your soul.”

『Soul Devour』 activated. A soul was gradually drawn out and finally swallowed by Selim.

“Ugh~”

In the next instant, a wave of intense nausea surged up, and Selim bent over, unable to stop herself from vomiting.