[Congratulations on completing the quest ‘Assist’.]
[Quest rewards received: Ghost Coins ×500, Potion Brewing Knowledge +1, Mental Strength Breakthrough Potion ×1.]
Feeling her pocket grow heavier, another 500 Ghost Coins had entered her possession.
As for the so-called Mental Strength Breakthrough Potion, one glance at the small blue bottle in her hand revealed it was the very magic potion the Witch teacher had given her earlier.
Bai Tang was speechless.
After all that, it turns out I still had to make it myself. What kind of Eye of Breaking Delusions is this? It can’t even compare to a single strand of the Witch teacher’s hair.
“Teacher, what should I do after this?”
Having gotten used to assisting the Witch teacher, Bai Tang couldn’t help asking as she craned her neck.
“Your hand injuries should be fine with water now. Do whatever you want. It’s up to you.”
Hmm… That wasn’t exactly what she meant. She had rested for two days because of her injuries. Now that she was healed, Bai Tang was wondering whether she should open the store for business right away.
She tucked the potion into her pocket, deciding to set it aside for now and drink it later.
Taking advantage of the free time, the girl went to the washroom to fetch cleaning supplies and thoroughly cleaned the dust that had accumulated in the general store over the past two days.
The floor, the counter, the goods on the shelves—she didn’t miss a single corner. This was part of her duty as the clerk. If she neglected it and the Witch teacher noticed when she woke up in the evening, she would definitely get angry.
Twenty minutes later.
Looking around the now completely refreshed general store, Bai Tang patted the dust off her hands and smiled with satisfaction.
“I’m really capable!”
After finishing everything and seeing the neat store environment she had personally tidied up, her mood unconsciously improved quite a bit.
Bai Tang pushed open the solid wooden door of the general store once more and flipped over the wooden sign on the door that read [Closed for Rest].
[Open for Business]
The girl sat upright behind the counter as usual. Now that she had some free time, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.
“Mental Strength Breakthrough Potion, let me see what you’re all about!”
She took out the magic potion the Witch teacher had given her, pulled out the wooden cork, and brought the bottle close to her nose. A refreshing, mint-like scent rushed into her nostrils.
The fatigue from staying up all night vanished in an instant. She felt much more energized.
Without further hesitation, she tilted her head back and gulped it down.
As the cool liquid slid down her throat into her stomach, Bai Tang immediately felt as if every cell in her body had completely awakened. It was a profound, mysterious sensation that was difficult to describe using existing medical knowledge from Earth.
In that instant, her mind became clearer than ever before. The occasional sluggish thinking she used to experience completely disappeared.
It was truly a world of difference!
If Bai Tang were to describe her state before taking the potion, it was as if her brain had always been shrouded in a thin layer of fog. Slow thinking, forgetfulness, and similar issues were all related to that.
She concentrated and slowly brought up her personal panel with the Eye of Breaking Delusions.
[Name: Bai Tang]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Level: LV11 (Fierce Ghost Level 11~20)]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Constitution: 5]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charm: 9]
[Mental Strength: 100/100]
[Mental Strength Intensity: Level 2]
[Possessions: Demon Hunter Revolver (0/6), Empty Potion Bottles ×3, Ghost Coins ×2220]
[Reputation: Clerk at the General Store at No. 111 Undead Street…]
Her level had increased!
Although the other values hadn’t changed, two new mental strength-related attributes had appeared.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the first new value was probably similar to a character’s “mana bar” in games—something that could be consumed and slowly replenished over time.
As for the second one, Mental Strength Intensity, it was exactly what it sounded like.
“But… how do I use mental strength?”
Bai Tang scratched her head. According to standards from Earth movies and anime, mental strength in the early stages was probably a power system that didn’t show obvious effects yet. It could develop into things like telekinesis later on.
As she pondered this carefully, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the general store.
When she saw who it was, Bai Tang was slightly stunned.
“Bai Tang sister, Emily has come to play with you~”
The voice was crisp and the figure petite. She was hugging the familiar one-eyed teddy bear missing a button. Who else could it be but the Blood Doll?
The Blood Doll stood outside the door, giggling. In stark contrast, the teddy bear in her arms was staring fixedly at Bai Tang with its single remaining button eye.
It clearly hadn’t forgotten the grudge from the previous throat-grab incident.
Bai Tang thought to herself in exasperation: I was just being polite. You actually came!
“What’s wrong? Bai Tang sister doesn’t welcome Emily?” The Blood Doll bit her finger. When she wasn’t angry and showing her bizarre traits, aside from her exceptionally pale skin, she looked no different from a normal human child.
“Of course… you’re welcome!”
As always, when facing bizarre creatures, one still needed to maintain appearances on the surface. Besides, Bai Tang was the clerk of the general store—a service provider.
“Hehe, that’s great~!”
The Blood Doll happily skipped into the general store and stopped in front of the counter. Because of her height, even when standing on tiptoes, her forehead barely reached the counter level.
Seeing this, Bai Tang brought over a stool for the Blood Doll to sit on.
Suddenly remembering the promise from their last parting, she took a glass jar filled with candy from the shelf behind her, unscrewed the lid, and poured a small handful of candies onto the table.
“As promised last time. No charge.”
“Hehe~ Thank you, Bai Tang sister!” The Blood Doll scooped up the candies and even gave one to the teddy bear.
“Mm. So, Emily, what brings you to see sister today?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the Blood Doll seemed to suddenly remember something. She lifted the teddy bear in her arms.
“Teddy is Emily’s best friend. Emily wants Mommy to fix Teddy’s eye, but Mommy said only Bai Tang sister has the right one here!”
Mommy?
Bai Tang was stunned for a moment. The Blood Doll had a mother?
Although thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t surprising, hearing it suddenly still caught her off guard.
At the same time, this sounded an alarm in Bai Tang’s heart. If she had taken a more aggressive approach with the Blood Doll that day, it probably wouldn’t be just the Blood Doll coming to the store alone right now.
She shook her head to dispel the wild thoughts.
After carefully checking the type of button eye on the teddy bear, Bai Tang turned to the shelves to search and compare. Before long, she found a matching button.
“Do you need sister to help, or will you take it back?”
“Mommy is busy. I want sister to help~”
Hearing this, Bai Tang said nothing more. She took the clearly reluctant teddy bear, threaded a needle, and began sewing the button eye back on.
Throughout the process, the Blood Doll watched from the side, her dangling little legs swinging back and forth from time to time.
“Emily, have you seen a big sister named Theresa recently?”
Bai Tang asked casually.
“Mm~” The Blood Doll shook her head. “Haven’t seen her.”
“I see…”
That Demon Hunter lady… has she already left Undead Street? If not for her help that night, Bai Tang really wouldn’t have been confident she could have survived.
She had originally wanted to thank her in person and return the Demon Hunter Revolver.
“Tsk, hiss~”
Distracted for a moment, the sharp needle pricked the pad of her index finger. A bead of blood seeped out from the wound.
‘Uwah—!’
Before Bai Tang could react, the teddy bear, which had been behaving fairly well, caught the sweet scent of blood and instantly went berserk. It opened its mouth wide, ready to tear the girl’s entire palm off.
Bai Tang’s pupils shrank. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but it was already too late.
Just as the teddy bear’s gaping maw was about to swallow her whole hand, an invisible force suddenly rippled out.
It knocked the unsuspecting teddy bear unconscious.
“Wah! Teddy, you’re being naughty!”
Bai Tang blinked in confusion, watching as the Blood Doll snatched the teddy bear back and started smacking it on the ear.
“I’ve told you so many times! Bai Tang sister gave us candy. You can’t hurt Bai Tang sister!”
That power just now…
She focused her mind. The Eye of Breaking Delusions brought up her personal panel again. Bai Tang stared closely at the two new attributes that had appeared not long ago.
[Mental Strength: 60/100]
[Mental Strength Intensity: Level 2]
Her mental strength had been consumed. As expected!