Chen Mian put his shoes back on and headed downstairs.
The living room lights were dimmed to the lowest setting, a warm yellow glow enveloping the sofa.
Loviki remained in her original position.
The blanket had slipped to her waist, and her book had fallen completely onto the floor, splayed open on a random page.
Her black hair was spread across the cushion, with one lock dangling over the armrest. A delicate silver hairpiece was pinned near the tip of that lock.
However, the accessory was crooked now, on the verge of sliding off.
Chen Mian crouched down and reached out. When his fingers touched the hairpiece, Loviki’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
He removed the silver ornament and pinned it back properly.
Loviki’s breathing clearly skipped a beat, but she showed no signs of waking up.
Chen Mian withdrew his hand, picked up the book from the floor, and placed it on the coffee table. Then, he pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.
She was terrible at faking sleep.
He stood up and turned to return to his room.
He sighed to himself. Was he developing the potential to be a nanny?
“...Mr. Landlord.”
Chen Mian stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice.
Loviki’s voice came from behind him again, carrying the rasp of someone who had just woken up and a hint of a lazy smile.
“What were you doing just now?”
Chen Mian turned around.
Loviki didn't open her eyes. Her eyelashes merely trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a faint arc, making her look dazed and groggy.
“Your hairpiece was crooked,” Chen Mian said.
“Oh...”
Silence fell for a moment.
“Goodnight.”
“Mhm.”
Chen Mian continued upstairs.
Behind him, Loviki rolled over and wrapped the blanket a little tighter around herself.
She didn't open her eyes until the sound of his footsteps vanished at the end of the hallway. Her gem-like eyes shimmered in the dim light. She reached out to touch the silver hairpiece at the tip of her hair before closing her eyes again.
【Today’s Interaction Quest Complete: Help Loviki organize her hair accessories. +30 Points.】
【Current Points: 1,370.】
【Tenant No. 002: Loviki】
【Race: Human】
【Class: Blazing Light Fencer】
【Mana Level: 58】
【Charisma: 10】
【Sense of Belonging: Level 1 (Passerby)】
【Daily Output: 50 Points * Sense of Belonging Level】
【Specialties: Physical Techniques, Swordsmanship】
【Wishlist: 1. Learn combat techniques (50 Points/day). 2. Conquer new dungeons (500 Points/dungeon). 3. Escape the family political marriage (+5,000 Points).】
...
The next morning.
He squinted at the ceiling before rolling out of bed and sitting up.
The sound of a spatula stir-frying and the faint aroma of meat were already drifting up from downstairs.
Ever since Flora moved into the apartment, she always seemed to wake up earlier than him.
He washed up and went downstairs, stopping at the kitchen door.
As expected, Flora was standing before the stove, wearing her light gray short coat, her hair loosely held up by a wooden hairpin.
The steamer beside her was emitting white clouds of steam, carrying the sweet scent of flour.
“Morning,” Chen Mian said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Morning,” Flora replied, turning her head briefly before continuing with the meal. “I steamed some meat buns today. Give them a try.”
She used chopsticks to pick up two buns from the steamer, placed them on a small plate, and brought them over. She also poured him a cup of warm Moonlight Grass tea.
“Is the Moonlight Grass the one we grew ourselves?” Chen Mian asked, looking at the tea brewed with the herb.
“Mhm! It grew fast, didn't it?” Flora said with a squinting smile.
“Very fast.”
Chen Mian took a bite of a bun. The dough was soft, and the meat filling was tender and juicy, with a hint of spiciness from minced ginger.
He then took a sip of the Moonlight Grass tea. The rich, clean fragrance of the tea complemented the savory meat buns perfectly.
It was truly delicious.
“It’s good.”
Flora’s eyes crinkled slightly as she turned back to continue frying bacon.
Chen Mian took another bite of his bun and glanced at the system panel.
【Current Points: 1,420.】
【Current Favorability: Flora Level 2 (2/100), Loviki Level 1 (6/100).】
【Interaction Quest for No. 001: Cook with Flora. Reward: 30 Points.】
【Interaction Quest for No. 002: Be Loviki’s sparring partner. Reward: 30 Points.】
Both had refreshed.
Just as he was about to close the panel, footsteps sounded from the stairs.
It was Loviki. She wasn't wearing her dark academy uniform today; instead, she had changed into light training gear—a black tight-fitting top, dark gray trousers, and a thin leather belt around her waist with her rapier hanging on her left side.
Her black hair was tied into a high ponytail, revealing her pale nape.
She looked sharp and capable, a far cry from the lazy girl who had been slumped on the sofa yesterday.
“Morning.” She walked to the dining table and sat down, her gaze lingering on Chen Mian for a moment.
“Morning,” Chen Mian said, continuing to eat his bun.
Flora placed a plate of buns and a cup of tea in front of Loviki. “Eat while it's hot.”
“Thank you.”
Loviki picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of a bun, and her eyes brightened slightly. Her pace of eating noticeably quickened.
The table was quiet for a while.
After finishing one bun, Loviki set down her chopsticks and looked at Chen Mian. “Sparring.”
Chen Mian looked up. “Hmm?”
“You said it yourself, the first rule of the rental agreement: spar with you every day.” A hint of seriousness flashed in Loviki’s red eyes. “It was too late when you brought me back yesterday, so we didn't have time. We’re making up for it today.”
Chen Mian looked at her for two seconds. “Fair enough.”
He finished the last of his tea and stood up.
Flora turned from the stove, glanced at the two of them, and turned the heat down.
Chen Mian walked to the open space beside the apartment and turned to face Loviki. “How do you want to do this?”
Loviki rested her hand on her sword hilt, a flash of excitement in her eyes. “Take this seriously.”
She drew her rapier, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground as she lowered her stance slightly.
Mana surged from her body, the grass on the ground being pressed flat by the pressure.
In the next instant, the sword tip was already in front of Chen Mian.
Chen Mian tilted his head, the blade grazing past his ear. Loviki twisted her wrist for a horizontal sweep, but Chen Mian leaned back, the blade passing just above the tip of his nose.
After several consecutive fast attacks, Chen Mian moved through the sword light with his hands still in his pockets.
“The speed is there, but your point of exertion is too high,” he suddenly said. “The thrust should start from the wrist, not the shoulder.”
Loviki’s sword faltered for a moment. Chen Mian reached out and gave the side of her blade a light flick. A vibration traveled up the sword to her hand, making her palm go numb.
Loviki grit her teeth and retreated three steps. She took a deep breath, held her sword vertically before her with both hands, and closed her eyes.
The next moment, she snapped them open, a silver-white light igniting in her red pupils.
She flashed in front of Chen Mian in an instant. Her light sword thrust out, instantly splitting into seven strikes. Carrying a powerful mana fluctuation, they locked down all of Chen Mian’s escape routes from seven directions.
Chen Mian didn't dodge. He simply waited for the attacks to arrive. Just as the seven sharp beams of light were about to strike him, a barrier appeared in front of each attack. The barriers were exactly the right size to intercept Loviki’s strikes. The light sword hit the barriers, creating faint ripples of mana before everything returned to tranquility.
The entire process was eerily quiet, as if Loviki’s attacks had no lethality at all, neutralized silently and effortlessly.
She stood frozen in place, panting heavily as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. The mana depletion made her hands tremble.
“What... was that?” her voice was dry.
“Water Mana Condensation,” Chen Mian said. “Did it look good?”
Loviki fell silent.
Look good? Was 'looking good' the damn problem here?!
Her strongest strike had been swallowed up effortlessly without even making a sound.
With a wave of Chen Mian’s hand, the seven small barriers dissipated.
“The idea of attacking from seven directions is good. The power is certainly sufficient.”
Loviki looked up, her eyes full of defiance, but she didn't argue.
“But you started locking on with your mana before you even struck,” Chen Mian continued. “Against those with a lower rank or lack of combat experience, it’s effective. But against someone stronger than you, or someone with similar mana but more experience, anchoring your mana half a second early is just telling them exactly where you're going to hit.”
Loviki’s lips moved, her defiant expression shifting into one of focus.
“There are two solutions. First, compress the locking time. If 0.5 seconds is too long, compress it to 0.1 seconds.” Chen Mian held up a second finger. “Second, use a fake lock to mislead your opponent. Of course, this requires you to have very precise mana control.”
“I’ve thought of both those ideas, but they're hard to implement. No matter how fast you condense magic, you have to chant the incantation, which makes instant casting impossible.” Loviki’s hand gripped her sword tightly, though whether it was from mana exhaustion or frustration was unclear.
“The essence of an incantation is a path to guide your mana.” Chen Mian put his hands back in his pockets. “If your control over mana is refined enough, you can compress an incantation into a single thought.”
Loviki frowned. “How do I compress it?”
“When you thrust your sword, do you think ‘I’m going to stab his left side’?”
“No. I wouldn't be able to react in time during a real fight if I did that.”
“Exactly,” Chen Mian said. “Make magic an instinct as well. An incantation shouldn't be spoken; it should be thought. A single syllable, or even just an image, is enough.”
Loviki was silent for a moment. She let go of her sword hilt, raised her right hand, and closed her eyes.
Mana condensed in her palm, the silver-white light flickering in and out.
“Don't rush,” Chen Mian said. “Try the simplest one first. Imagine a ball of blazing light forming in your hand. In reality, through years of practice, your body has already memorized the release path.”
A ball of light suddenly exploded in Loviki’s palm, a blinding white.
She jumped in surprise, her mana scattering as the light vanished. “Like that?”
“Mhm. That was faster than chanting, wasn't it?”
Loviki looked down at her hand, the defiance in her red eyes gradually turning into serious contemplation.
“Again.” She raised her hand once more.
Chen Mian said no more and turned to walk back.
“Where are you going?” Loviki looked up.
“Breakfast,” Chen Mian said without looking back. “The buns won't taste good if they get cold.”
Loviki opened her mouth to say, “You promised to spar and the time isn't up yet,” but she swallowed the words.
She watched the figure walking leisurely back to the apartment and bit her lip.
Then, she closed her eyes and continued to condense her mana.
The silver-white light was a bit steadier than before.
【Today’s Interaction: Spar with and guide Loviki. +30 Points.】
【Current Points: 1,500.】
Chen Mian pushed open the door and entered the apartment.
Flora was standing at the kitchen door with a spatula in her hand, flour dusting her apron.
“Finished?”
“Mhm.”
“She’s quite strong, isn't she?”
Unleashing seven light swords at once was indeed impressive, and she was quick to understand the method of simplifying incantations.
She truly was a genius.
“Yeah,” Chen Mian said.
【System Prompt: Tenant No. 002 Loviki’s Wishlist 4 generated: Defeat Chen Mian. Reward: 10 Points/completion.】
????
He was supposed to teach Loviki how to defeat him?
And... what the hell was with the 10 Points?!
Rate on N.U.
