Xú Yáo cautiously walked forward and found a man lying on the ground. The man's face was chiseled, his eyes tightly shut, and his complexion pale. The well-tailored suit was slightly torn, yet it accentuated his tall and straight figure.
He held a pair of good-quality short blades in each hand. "Tsk." Xú Yáo really wanted to whistle, but just looking at this face, she knew he was trouble.
She took off her gloves and brought them under the man's nose to check. He was still breathing. Suddenly, several voices sounded from far away in the forest.
"Is he over there? Are there any tracks this way?" "None on my side.
He ran quite fast despite being so heavily wounded." "You shouldn't have held back earlier, why didn't you just kill him?" "How was I supposed to know he had defensive equipment on him?"
Xú Yáo listened carefully. It seemed they were looking for the person in front of her, and their intentions sounded hostile. What should she do?
Xú Yáo looked around. She disliked trouble, but the man's face made it hard for her to turn away. However, there was nowhere for even herself to hide here, let alone bring someone else.
If only her workshop were here, she had felt its presence just now, Xú Yáo thought. With a thought, she felt the connection to her workshop becoming clearer. Xú Yáo's expression brightened.
She quickly grabbed the man on the ground and they disappeared from the spot. Almost as soon as she landed, Xú Yáo confirmed that this was her workshop in the game. Her workshop was five hundred square meters, divided into five rooms.
Xú Yáo vaguely sensed the four storage rooms; only a scattered amount of low-level equipment and materials remained. The remaining room was the forge room where they were now. Xú Yáo placed the man aside.
Looking at the familiar tools, she touched her handy iron hammer, gloves, and apron. Everything seemed unchanged. Only the smelting furnace, etched with layers of curse patterns, had its fire extinguished.
It was Xiǎo Pǔ, the flame that had accompanied her in battles for many years. Xú Yáo vaguely realized the warm, enveloping feeling when she transmigrated. That was her Xiǎo Pǔ; it had evolved its own consciousness.
In the moment of crisis, Xiǎo Pǔ autonomously converted all usable things, including itself, into energy to protect Xú Yáo's soul. The joy of finding her workshop faded. Xú Yáo stared blankly at the smelting furnace, sadness and reluctance welling up in her heart.
"Strange? Did you find anything over there?" The male voice from before interrupted Xú Yáo's emotions.
From within the workshop, as long as Xú Yáo wished it, she could hear outside sounds. At this moment, she was concentrating on listening to the movements outside, not noticing that the man in the corner had slightly opened his eyes. The man glanced at her discreetly and then closed his eyes again.
"Nothing on my side either. He clearly went this way." "He's fast, maybe he's already left the school."
"Let's go check over there." The voices outside gradually receded. Xú Yáo waited for a while longer, confirmed there were no issues, and then took the still unconscious man out of the workshop.
To avoid trouble, Xú Yáo took him to a small path behind the teaching building. The ability users would soon finish their training and pass by this road, so he would be discovered quickly. "I'll help you once, just for that face of yours," Xú Yáo mumbled to herself as she put him down.
She clapped her hands and left without any psychological burden. Xú Yáo returned to the dormitory. A girl with shoulder-length hair rushed to meet her, her face full of concern.
"Yáo Yáo, I was so worried. Why are you only getting back now? Did Zhū Sīyǔ look for you again?"
The girl speaking was Yáng Yuè, the original host's best friend. Every time the original host was bullied, she would come to comfort her. She had awakened a water ability, but her water volume was very small, only enough to store half a bucket of water daily.
Xú Yáo subtly dodged Yáng Yuè's outstretched hand. "So, how did you know Zhū Sīyǔ came to cause trouble for me?" Yáng Yuè's concerned expression faltered, and her gaze drifted.
"You're back so late, you must have run into her again. Yáo Yáo, don't be sad." "I'm actually not sad.
I'm just curious why Zhū Sīyǔ can always find me accurately whenever I'm alone," Xú Yáo said with a half-smile, looking at Yáng Yuè. "Yáo Yáo, what do you mean by that? I won't talk to you if you're like this."
Yáng Yuè tried to deflect the topic. Xú Yáo didn't play along. "You'd better not talk to me.
Next time you dare to give away my whereabouts, I'll make sure you can't even produce half a bucket of water." Pushing Yáng Yuè aside, Xú Yáo walked towards her own bunk. Two girls sat on the bunk opposite hers.
One had short hair and an imposing demeanor; the other had long hair and a gentle face. The short-haired one was Liú Fāngfāng, who had awakened a strength ability after mutation. The long-haired one was Wáng Mènglǐng, who had awakened a suona, which didn't quite match her gentle appearance.
"Oh, how rare, you actually have a temper now?" Liú Fāngfāng said sarcastically. Wáng Mènglǐng next to her hesitated, then grabbed Liú Fāngfāng, who was about to say more.
Initially, when they saw the original host being bullied, both of them would help, urging her to resist bravely. But the original host was a pushover, not only daring not to resist but also becoming close to the sweet-talking but cruel Yáng Yuè after a few words of comfort, even helping to count the money after being betrayed. Over time, unable to bear the disappointment, they stopped intervening.
"Yes, I have a temper now. If anyone provokes me again, I'll beat them until they lose their temper." Xú Yáo smiled and sat on her own bed, looking at the two opposite her.
The two exchanged glances; they were both somewhat surprised by Xú Yáo's change. "Yáo Yáo, why have you become like this? What happened to you?"
Yáng Yuè, after being pushed aside, stood by the wall, her face pale. She actually liked Wú Hàowén too, so she kept suppressing the original host through Zhū Sīyǔ. Hearing Yáng Yuè's words, Xú Yáo directly grabbed the short club used for self-defense on her bed and swung it.
The short club grazed Yáng Yuè's ear and embedded itself straight into the wall with a "bang." The three girls in the dormitory widened their eyes. Xú Yáo clapped her hands.
As an equipment master, she didn't have any attack abilities herself. However, the primary skills for an equipment master were fire control and forging. Although Xú Yáo looked thin, years of hammering had given her strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.
"Put away your petty thoughts. I mean what I say. If you dare to scheme against me again, I'll cripple you."
Hearing Xú Yáo's words, Yáng Yuè's face turned pale. Swallowing hard, she turned and fled the dormitory in terror. Silence fell in the dormitory for a moment.
"Thank you. I know you were secretly helping me from behind," Xú Yáo said to the two girls. If not for them subtly speaking up for the original host at school, she would have suffered even more bullying.
Hearing Xú Yáo's words, Liú Fāngfāng and Wáng Mènglǐng finally snapped out of their shock. They exchanged glances, believing that Xú Yáo had truly changed this time. "Did you awaken a strength ability?
If you've awakened it, practice it well. If you encounter someone bullying you, fight back directly. Don't be like you were before," Liú Fāngfāng instructed.
"The more you back down from these people, the more they will push their advantage," Wáng Mènglǐng added. Xú Yáo smiled and nodded in agreement. At this moment, the school broadcast sounded.