Chapter 128 | After Rebirth, I Became the Dungeon's Hidden Boss

When Luo Jiuge was escorted back into the mines, the previously blocked area had already been cleared into a narrow path, and a few temporary supporting wooden beams had been added overhead.

The work the knights assigned her was still mining froststone.

Luo Jiuge didn't complain. Taking the iron pickaxe, she went straight to the hardest rock wall.

She hammered away furiously to train her muscles and increase her Strength.

Through this repetitive labor, new blisters quickly formed on her palms, and her shoulders, waist, and back began to ache in waves.

Even though she couldn't summon her status panel due to the suppression of the shackles on her feet, she could still feel a sense of strength slowly building up within her body.

Once she finished digging in one spot, she moved deeper into the mine.

Compared to a few days ago, the way the other miners looked at her had changed significantly; they would even actively clear a space for her.

During breaks, someone even pushed a waterskin toward her.

The man she had rescued from the mine didn't appear again. She heard he was temporarily placed in the medical tent outside, and it was still uncertain whether his broken leg could be saved.

But at least he was alive.

The few knights in charge of guarding the mines still didn't give her any friendly looks, but the undisguised contempt they had shown initially had lessened.

By the time the sky turned completely dark, the group was escorted back to the temporary camp.

Luo Jiuge finished eating her portion of hard bread and drank every last drop of the hot soup, which was so thin that not a single droplet of grease could be seen in the bowl. Just as she was about to look for Vevran, she heard a burst of cheering from not far away.

Several bonfires were burning in the center of the camp.

A dozen or so knights who had finished their shifts were gathered around the fire, while two young knights were sparring in the middle of the clearing with unsharpened training swords.

The blades clashed with crisp, metallic rings, drawing occasional jeers and cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Luo Jiuge stopped in her tracks.

This was probably one of the few forms of entertainment in the camp.

She looked through the crowd and quickly spotted Vevran beside a bonfire.

Vevran wasn't wearing her heavy, silver-white armor. Instead, she wore only a black cloak with a fur collar and sat on a wooden chair draped with animal hides.

Holding a metal goblet in her hand, she sipped her drink while watching the sparring knights.

The firelight danced across the side of her face, softening her usual cold and harsh expression.

Luo Jiuge's eyes lit up. A free combat instructor was right there.

She turned and walked toward her, but before she could even get close to the bonfire, the two knights guarding her took a step forward and blocked her path.

“Go back.”

Luo Jiuge gestured with her chin toward Vevran.

“I have business with her.”

“Lady Vevran is resting.”

“My business is very important.”

The knight said expressionlessly, “Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow.”

Luo Jiuge looked at the two of them, then back at Vevran sitting by the bonfire.

With a quick roll of her eyes, she suddenly clutched her stomach, bent over, and gasped in simulated pain.

“Ow...”

The two knights froze.

Luo Jiuge leaned against a nearby wooden post and said weakly:

“My stomach suddenly hurts so much. There might be something wrong with tonight's food.”

The knight frowned. “Everyone else ate it and they're fine.”

“Then maybe it's because I was starved for three days, and my stomach can't take it.”

Luo Jiuge clutched her abdomen with a grave expression, her body swaying twice in perfect synchronization with her act.

“Don't be nervous. It doesn't matter if I die. I'm just a prisoner anyway; you can just bury me in the snow.”

She paused, then looked up at the two knights.

“But if someone the capital explicitly demanded to keep alive dies from prison food, Commander Vevran might have a hard time explaining it, don't you think?”

The faces of both knights changed instantly. One of them stared at Luo Jiuge, clearly suspecting that she was faking it.

But the other didn't dare to take the risk and quickly said, “Keep an eye on her.”

After giving the instruction, he quickly walked toward the bonfire.

Luo Jiuge continued to lean against the wooden post, groaning weakly.

Before long, the knight reached Vevran's side and whispered a few words of report.

Vevran didn't even look up after hearing it.

She swirled the wine in her goblet and said flatly:

“Something's wrong with the food?”

The knight bowed his head. “That's what she claims.”

“I know a way to cure that.”

Vevran finally raised her eyes and glanced in Luo Jiuge's direction.

Their gazes met across the crowd.

“Have someone fetch the gallbladder of a stub-tailed lizard, prepare half a pot of concentrated saltwater, and make her swallow them together,” Vevran said unhurriedly, looking around. “After taking that, she will throw up everything in her stomach.”

“Even if she doesn't throw up, she'll be squatting in the latrine for two days.”

“Go get it.”

The knight immediately bowed. “Yes, ma'am.”

Luo Jiuge instantly stood up straight. “No need!”

She took her hands off her stomach and let out a chuckle. “I suddenly feel much better.”

Several nearby knights who heard the commotion couldn't help but look over.

Vevran's expression remained unchanged.

“Better?”

“Much better,” Luo Jiuge nodded, her tone incredibly certain. “Maybe that piece of bread was just too hard and caused a bit of temporary indigestion.”

Vevran set down her goblet. “Since you're better, lock her back up.”

The knight blocking Luo Jiuge immediately reached out to escort her away.

“Wait,” Luo Jiuge quickly sidestepped his hand.

She looked at Vevran and pointed at the two knights sparring in the clearing.

“What's the fun in just sitting here and watching them fight?”

The surrounding area grew a bit quieter. Several knights turned their heads at the same time, glaring at her with hostile expressions.

Vevran leaned back in her chair, her eyes devoid of much emotion.

“And?”

“Let's have another fight, just the two of us.”

Luo Jiuge spoke with absolute confidence.

Vevran looked at her as if looking at a stubborn, unreformable troublemaker.

“It seems three days in a cell didn't teach you a lesson, but it certainly made you bolder,” she said, withdrawing her gaze. “You are not qualified.”

Luo Jiuge had already guessed she would refuse.

She raised an eyebrow and said, “Just a basic sparring match. Neither of us will use class skills. A fair and square fight.”

“Or is it that, without those skills, the White Owl Iron Guard wouldn't even dare to accept a challenge from a starving prisoner who's been locked up for three days?”

A few sharp, hushed gasps rippled through the surrounding crowd. The knights guarding her widened their eyes in shock.

“How insolent!”

Luo Jiuge ignored the surrounding scolding, keeping her eyes fixed on Vevran.

Vevran's gaze swept from her blistered palms to her still-trembling arms. “You mined froststone all day, yet you want to fight me tonight? Your provocation is very clumsy.”

Luo Jiuge was completely shameless. “Just tell me if it works or not!”

Vevran set down her goblet and stood up. “Very well. I would also like to see just how much you have improved during your three days in the cell.”

The knights who had been sitting around quickly cleared the area.

She unbuckled the sword at her waist, handed it to her adjutant, and pulled an unsharpened training sword from the weapon rack.

“Give her one.”

One of the knights clearly disapproved. “Lady Vevran, she is—”

“I know what I am doing.”

After receiving a cold glare, the knight could only shut his mouth.

A training sword was tossed over. Luo Jiuge reached out to catch it, her wrist sinking slightly under the weight of the blade.

This sword was heavier than any weapon she had used before.

Although the blade wasn't sharpened, getting struck by it could still easily break bones.

Luo Jiuge gave it a few test swings, quickly adjusted her grip, and walked to the center of the clearing.

The knights gathered around, whispering among themselves.

“Has she lost her mind?”

“Lady Vevran can knock her down in a single move.”

“Didn't she already get knocked unconscious once before?”

“Maybe her brain rotted in that cell.”

Luo Jiuge acted as if she heard nothing. She gripped the hilt tightly with both hands and stared at Vevran across from her.

Vevran held her sword with only one hand, the tip pointing naturally toward the ground. Even her starting stance appeared incredibly casual.

“Ready?”

Luo Jiuge lowered her center of gravity.

“Come.”

The moment the word left her mouth, she lunged forward.

Her arms were still sore from swinging the iron pickaxe all day, but her footing was much steadier than it had been a few days ago.

Instead of striking Vevran head-on, Luo Jiuge abruptly changed direction as she closed the distance, sweeping her training sword diagonally toward her opponent's waist.

Vevran didn't even take a step back. With a gentle flick of her wrist, her sword met Luo Jiuge's.

The sword in Luo Jiuge's hand nearly flew out of her grip. Before she could adjust, Vevran's blade slid down her sword, pressing it downward.

Luo Jiuge lost her balance. In the next second, Vevran swept a kick into the outside of her calf.

Thud!

Luo Jiuge crashed face-first into the ground, her face covered in mud.

From the start of the clash to her hitting the ground, less than three breaths of time had passed. A few muffled chuckles erupted from the onlookers.

Luo Jiuge lay on the ground, spat out some dirt, and pushed herself up using the sword.

“Again!”

Vevran glanced at her. “You have already lost.”

“This isn't an official duel,” Luo Jiuge said, reassuming her stance. “What kind of training ends after just one fall?”

Vevran didn't bother arguing with her twisted logic. Her training sword thrust forward once more.

Luo Jiuge saw only a blur in front of her eyes and immediately raised her sword to block.

She managed to block the strike, but Vevran's wrist suddenly twisted. The blade slid along her sword and struck her directly on the shoulder.

A burst of sharp pain erupted, making Luo Jiuge's arm go limp. Immediately after, the hilt of Vevran's sword slammed into her abdomen.

She stumbled back two steps and crashed to the ground again.

“Again!”

Over the next few attempts, Luo Jiuge tried different offensive angles, but the outcome remained largely the same.

By the sixth time, she even managed to anticipate and dodge Vevran's kick.

But in the next second, the flat of Vevran's blade swept across her waist, sending her flying sideways.

Luo Jiuge lay in the snow, unable to get up for a long time.

One of the knights couldn't help but say, “Shouldn't that be enough?”

Vevran stared down at Luo Jiuge on the ground, saying nothing.

Luo Jiuge panted heavily, using the training sword to support her weight as she slowly dragged herself back up.

Her hair was covered in snow, and the corner of her mouth was cut.

Her hand holding the sword was trembling violently, yet she still returned to her original spot.

“Again.”

Vevran's eyes darkened slightly. “What exactly are you trying to prove?”

“I'm not trying to prove anything,” Luo Jiuge said, rolling her shoulder, which had almost lost all sensation. “I just want to see your sword clearly, and then defeat you.”

Vevran looked into her pure, determined eyes. Then, she raised her sword once more, showing no mercy in her attack.

The blade descended with a heavy, rushing wind. Luo Jiuge gritted her teeth and raised her sword with both hands to meet it.

Clang!

Her knees nearly buckled to the ground, but she didn't fall immediately like the previous times.

Luo Jiuge's eyes lit up.

She blocked it!

Before she could celebrate for even a few seconds, Vevran shifted her angle, and the hilt of her sword slammed heavily into Luo Jiuge's chest, throwing her back into the snow once more.