The Man Without a name poured a glass of warm milk for Hui Cao, while his hat hung quietly from the hook inside the house.
His hair was a bright brown, paired with a short, thick beard. Now that he smiled, his teeth—finally visible—were white like pearls.
He sat at the table across from Hui Cao and began to speak.
—So you went into the training field on your own and knocked Jack o' Lantern, the scarecrow, to the ground?—he said, taking a sip from the water canteen at his side.
Hui Cao looked at him. Seeing that he didn't ask anything about the dragon pet, she let out a sigh of relief and answered.
—Yes… but I didn't think it would be so horrible—her arm, the one that had been pierced by a spear a few hours ago, trembled slightly.
—Hmmp. It really was the same the first time I tried it. I felt like one of those mannequins' spears went through my eye straight into my brain—not to mention all the other times I was turned into paste by the maces—he said calmly, taking another drink.
—Why do you talk about that so casually?—Hui Cao asked, a trace of discomfort on her face.
—What? …Well, it's not like I enjoy feeling the pain of the field. It's just that if you don't really die, what does it matter? In the end, you can just keep going—he replied calmly.
—How many times have you gone in there?—she asked, looking into his brown eyes.
—Actually, I don't enter that training field very often. Maybe a few hundred or a few thousand times. The agility training field is much more complicated, though less painful. There are also training fields that don't kill you at all—like the luck field or the perception field—if you want to try them—he said casually, pulling out a pie from his poncho.
Looking at his face, which showed no change from its serene expression, she couldn't tell whether he was lying or whether he had simply run out of time to count his deaths.
She let out a tired sigh and focused on the cherry aroma spreading from the pie he had brought.
—Well, I have to say that placing Jack o' Lantern right now is fine. If it had been a few months later, in September, I wouldn't be able to prepare for the Living Vegetable Lands event. It's a problem that that stupid scarecrow can't be removed, but those pumpkin grenades are amazing—he said with a hint of joy in his voice.
—Wait… what do you mean by living vegetables? I heard that before when the voice in the sky explained things to me—she asked calmly.
—Ah, right. Well, that scarecrow will stand up one day, taking all our crops and fields with it, and a pumpkin icon will appear on the map—he said, pulling out a potato and starting to carve it with the knife from his boot.
—You see, in the new field, the vegetables we planted—like this potato—will grow up to two meters tall, sprout sharp teeth, and charge at me. So if I have mythical or legendary plants planted before the event, those will come out trying to eat me, which is pretty bad. After wiping out all the crops, I'll have to face Jack o' Lantern in a final battle with grenades, explosions, and blue fire that consumes the spirit. It's very fun—he said, playing with the monstrous potato he had carved.
In Hui Cao's mind, the image of the Moon Tree fruit growing claws and sharp teeth formed. Shaking her head, she dismissed it.
—Do you really enjoy that? Aren't you risking your life?—she asked, concern evident in her voice.
—Well, yes. But isn't that what cultivators do? I remember how they always challenged the heavens by cultivating forbidden techniques or immortal blood body pills. Even knowing the risks, they always did it—he said calmly.
—What kind of cultivators do you know? Only demonic ones? What kind of world do you think this is?—she said, her orthodox cultivator's pride surfacing.
The Man Without a name laughed and gently patted her head.
—What are you doing? Hmmp—she puffed her cheeks as he chuckled and stepped away.
—Let's eat. This is a cherry pie. Though I don't know if cherries exist in your world. Well, they're like sweet berries that grow on bushes—he said, cutting a slice with a Bowie knife that suddenly appeared in his hand.
—How do you do that—pulling things out of nowhere? Do you have some kind of spatial tool?—she asked calmly, her eyes fixed on the pie.
—Well… how do I explain it? It's like your spatial ring, but bigger. For example, how much weight can your ring hold?—he asked as he pulled a plate out of thin air and served her a slice.
—Hehe, finally interested? I'll tell you then. My ring—one of the best—can hold up to two tons of weight—she said with a touch of princess-like arrogance.
—Well, in my case, I can carry items in stacks of twenty per slot, except for tools.
For example—he said, placing twenty perfectly identical chunks of raw tungsten on the floor, the same kind she hadn't been able to lift before.
—M-more than twenty tons?! What kind of primordial-era artifact do you have hidden in that poncho?!—she shouted in shock.
—I have sixty-four item slots. Sixty-four times twenty is 1,280. Multiply that by twenty tons per slot for some materials, and that's 25,600 tons total, by your standards—he said calmly, looking at her expression of pity toward her special ring.
—It's not that your ring is bad. How about we test it against the system's? Maybe yours is better—he said, trying to cheer her up.
He stepped closer and lifted Hui Cao onto his shoulders with such ease that she puffed her cheeks again.
He entered the house and said:
—Repository.
In an instant, the table in front of him transformed, and various jeweler's tools replaced the knives that had been there.
Setting her down, he noticed the table was taller than she was. He simply lifted her up by the arms like a cat.
—You can't bring a chair?—Hui Cao asked with a frown and an ironic smile.
Laughing, he set her down and fetched a chair from the dining table in the cabin.
Once Hui Cao was standing at the table, the Man Without a name spoke.
—Alright, first, take off your ring and place it on the table. When you hold this hammer with lenses, its stats and enhancements will appear—he said, placing a mythical-grade revolver on the table and putting the hammer in her hand.
Hui Cao adjusted her eyes to the tiny microscope attached to it. When she got close enough, a small screen appeared in her language.
—Weapon of the Man Without a name (design chosen by the user, from the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).
Statistics:
+5 Strength,
+20 Speed,
+20 Agility,
+10 Luck,
+10 Perception.
—"In this world, people are divided into two categories: those with a loaded gun, and those who dig."
Remaining uses: No measurable limit.
Drawbacks: Overheating if used excessively.
She pulled her gaze away, her eyes taking a moment to adjust back to the cabin.
—What does +10 Strength mean? Before, the voice in the sky said it gave me +2 Strength—she said calmly.
—Wait. +10 Strength… judging by this, I had 600 Strength with all my equipment—he said, scratching his beard.
—Statistics.
In a second, a blue screen materialized in front of him.
"Name: The Man Without a name
Level: 107
Strength (21) +550
Speed (22) +700
Agility (38) +700
Luck (27) +900
Perception (30) +800
Intelligence (180) +200
Spirit (6900 total)"
When he picked up the revolver, the stats changed.
"Strength (21) +600
Speed (22) +900
Agility (38) +900
Luck (27) +1000
Perception (30) +900
Intelligence (180) +200
Spirit (6900)
One free stat point available for allocation."
Hui Cao kicked his shin, snapping him out of his stupor.
—Ah—sorry. It seems that because of my level, the bonus I receive is higher. Right—Strength. Let's say this chunk of tungsten—he said, lifting the raw tungsten with one hand.
—If you have one point of Strength, you can lift this small piece without problems. How much do you think it weighs?—he asked calmly.
—More than a ton—she replied.
—Exactly. I can lift more than six hundred of these. That's over six hundred tons total. So each point equals one ton of lifting capacity—he explained, then looked at her eagerly.
—Why don't you try saying "Statistics"?—he said.
—Sta… statistics—she stammered.
"Name: Guest (nickname unavailable).
Level: Guest cannot level up at this time.
Strength: 3
Speed: 7
Agility: 7
Luck: 10
Perception: 16
Intelligence: 170
Spirit: 3002 (constantly decreasing due to guest usage; recommended not to use)."
—System, why is this child's spirit constantly decreasing?—he asked calmly.
"Responding to host. The guest cannot naturally recover spirit due to incompatibility between external energies and system energy. Recovery is possible via ointments, pills, and elixirs. Natural recovery is impaired. Possible solution: upgrade Spirit Training Field to Mythical grade, or provide passive spirit recovery item."
—System, if the girl leaves occasionally, can she recover her spirit?—he asked as he applied the rose-scented ointment.
"Responding to host. Analysis indicates the guest's spirit levels will stabilize outside the system space, but incompatibility will resume upon re-entry. The guest may develop resistance if she trains in the Spirit Training Field at Rare grade or higher. Estimated chance: 4%."
—Activate the upgrade of the Spirit Training Field from Uncommon to Rare. Use a Rare-grade Building Ticket to accelerate.
"Acknowledged. Spirit Training Field (Rare grade) will complete in 10 minutes. Field unavailable during construction. Consumed: 600 Oak Wood, 500 Rare Dreamcatchers, 100 Rare Spirit Elixirs. One Rare Building Ticket used. Remaining tickets: 129."
"700 EXP awarded for using a Rare Building Ticket. Oak Wood depleted. Visit the Oak Grove or Snowy Forests to obtain more."
The Nameless Man sighed tiredly and carried Hui Cao outside, where a horse calmly ate the pie from a plate.
—Alright, we'll start tomorrow. I'm going to put you on a training regimen, and since you made me spend quite a bit today, you'll be working in the fields first thing in the morning—
He said with a hint of mischief before noticing the horse eating the pie.
—Demon horse, can't you control your appetite? I had an entire pie just for you. Since you've done this, this girl will get all of it—
As he spoke, a cupcake and two cherry pies emerged from beneath his poncho and were placed into Hui Cao's hands.
Hui Cao had been staring into nothingness after reading that her cultivation was leaking out of her body with every small breath she took inside this place.
A light tap on her head snapped her out of her trance. The Man Without a Name had knelt down to her level and spoke.
—I know cultivators treat their cultivation as something more important than their own lives. Well, that's what the novels say. So don't worry too much. I'll look for an Apache necklace from legendary-grade chests. As long as you carry it with you, it should be enough—
He remained looking at Hui Cao, waiting for a response.
Her golden eyes flickered slightly as she etched into her mind the concerned and attentive expression of The Man Without a Name.
—It's fine. Thank you—
She said as she stored the pies and the cupcake inside her spatial ring.
She stretched her arms and yawned, then, looking at the sunset, said:
—I'm going to sleep early, sir—
She walked toward the bed while The Man Without a Name handed her a blanket.
—Good night, kid. I'll stay up fighting with this horse for a while longer—
He said proudly, staring at Blackie with determined eyes.
She said her goodbyes and lay down on the bed, while in the background, the man continued talking to a horse.
Night had already fallen, and The Man Without a Name looked one last time toward where Hui Cao was, making sure she was deeply asleep.
Walking toward the already constructed Spirit Training Field, he spoke to the air.
—This is truly the first time in years that something this interesting has happened—
Looking at the necklace taken from the New Amster vault, he took a step forward.
—That girl is truly interesting. Let's really continue with this. System, open personal journal. Note title: Rare Spirit Training Field Survival Guide—
His spirits lifted as he took another step.
"Silent notifications activated. Increase spirit limit by 50 points as a reward. Survive the Soul Assault of the Sacred Animals for 60 minutes to receive this bonus. Difficulty will increase over time; the closer the timer is to ending, the stronger the assault will become. After reaching the limit, the host's spirit will be restored. Good luck, host."
The system spoke with its intrinsic calm just before the barrier began to close, sealing The Man Without a Name inside the training field.
Sitting down on the ground, his brown eyes glowed with a faint ethereal light as the barrier fully closed, and howls that felt like mere hallucinations began to rise.
—Let's go! Let's see how many times those stupid spirits kill me before I figure out their damn pattern!—
His voice filled with excitement as the timer above his head began to run.