Chapter 22: What are you planning to do to my face?!

Fryia’s words left Mowen lost in thought.

Anna’s presence felt incredibly vivid. Could a doll really reach such a level? Much like the "XX dolls" from his past life, no matter how exquisite they were crafted, they were ultimately different from a real human being. An automaton with this level of intelligence... such technology was nearly indistinguishable from that of a creator.

"Hoo..."

Exhaling softly, Mowen said in a deep voice, "What we can be certain of for now is that both Ms. Sophia and Miss Anna are very special. They should possess a great deal of useful information."

"But it’s unwise to delve too deep when we’ve only just met... I’ll take advantage of this mission to clear out the old noble’s warehouse to build up some trust with them. Once we have a rapport, it will be much easier to extract information."

Fryia nodded, saying, "Mm-hmm." In truth, she didn't really care about what they were doing.

The conversation ended. Fryia wandered around the room, eyes darting everywhere, while Mowen drew his longsword. On the surface, he was practicing his swordsmanship, but in reality, his attention was focused on his interface.

When he had slain the second military doll earlier, he had gained enough profession experience to level up, but it hadn't been a convenient time, so he had put it off until now.

—
【Level up successful! Black Iron - Black Beast Crewman lv.2 (250/200) → Black Iron - Black Beast Crewman lv.3 (50/400)!】
【Obtained base profession bonuses: Physique +0.2, Spirituality +0.1!】
【Profession Skill - One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Level 1) → (Level 2)!】
【Attributes: Physique 2.0 → 2.2, Spirituality 1.0 → 1.1】
【One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Level 2): Long-term training has further improved the Black Beast Crewmen's proficiency with common one-handed weapons, such as single-edged swords, scimitars, and daggers. Attack speed when using these weapons is increased by 15% (previously 10%).】
—

A long-lost warm current surged through his body, soothing all the exhaustion in his muscles and mind. Even his depleted stamina was restored to its peak.

"This level up, aside from the base attributes, the skill level actually increased as well?" Mowen was pleasantly surprised. "Is lv.3 a key milestone for the Black Beast Crewman profession? If so, does that mean that upon reaching other key level milestones, the levels of the other two profession skills might also increase?"

The dual improvement in attributes and skills boosted Mowen's strength significantly. In particular, the level two One-Handed Weapon Mastery, combined with [Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style], further increased his attack speed.

[Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style] enhanced both speed and precision. The "speed" component was broad, covering movement speed, attack speed, and neural reflex speed. By comparison, [One-Handed Weapon Mastery] only boosted attack speed, making it noticeably weaker. This gave Mowen a clearer understanding of the power of the Thousand Wind swordsmanship.

Tightening his grip on the high-quality standard-issue longsword, Mowen threw himself into practicing the Thousand Wind swordsmanship. His breathing frequency began to shift, and with every stroke, his movements became more perfectly synchronized with his muscles, bones, and even the flow of his blood.

The legacy of the Thousand Wind swordsmanship included both complete training methods and killing techniques. The training methods, beyond basic sword forms, centered on a breathing technique—the key for a swordsman to gradually strengthen themselves through practice.

After repeated drills, until a sense of fatigue emerged within his body, Mowen finally roused himself from his "trance."

【Completed training in Thousand Wind Swordsmanship...】
【[Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style] proficiency increased by 30 points!】
【Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style - Mastery lv.1 (10/100) → (40/100)】

The initial 10 points of proficiency had been earned during his battle with the military dolls. Both combat and the breathing technique training could increase the proficiency of this skill!

He glanced at the clock on the wall; three full hours had passed.

"No wonder I felt exhausted even with my upgraded physique," Mowen muttered to himself. Maintaining the breathing technique placed a burden on his mind, while the physical exertion of the sword forms consumed his stamina.

Though tired, he felt deeply satisfied. [Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style] had shown him a path to improve his attributes beyond just leveling up his profession. As long as he practiced diligently, suppressing the "Real Puppet Curse" would be a trivial matter!

Glancing at the interface, where the conversion rate of the Real Puppet Curse was now down to 6.5%, Mowen was in high spirits. He noticed Fryia sitting on a wooden chair, dangling her fair, delicate feet, her eyes fixed on him without a blink.

Mowen touched his cheek. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"Dammit! Why can't I receive the inheritance! This swordsmanship looks so interesting!" Fryia puffed out her cheeks in indignation.

So that was it... Mowen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How about I teach you once I've mastered it? You don't necessarily need an inheritance crystal to learn it; it’ll just be a bit slower."

"Good idea!" Fryia’s eyes lit up.

"It's a deal." Mowen nodded and walked over to lie down on the wooden bed. "I’m going to get some rest. If anyone comes, please wake me up."

"No problem," Fryia agreed readily.

Between the long journey of combat and the exhaustion from his sword training, Mowen quickly drifted into a deep sleep. Although it felt strange to sleep inside a dream...

He didn't know how much time had passed.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

A light tapping sound came from the door. Mowen opened his eyes instantly, locking gazes with the girl at his bedside who had suddenly puffed out her chest and was frantically hiding her hands behind her back, looking guilty.

I saw the coal chunks in your hands! What were you trying to draw on my face? Where did you even find that stuff?

Mowen glared fiercely at Fryia.

Just then, Ms. Sophia’s gentle voice sounded from outside the door. "Mr. Mowen, how are you feeling after your rest? Hank is ready, and we can set out at any time."

"One moment." Glaring one last time at the girl, who had turned her head away, Mowen called out toward the door, then quickly climbed out of bed and sheathed his longsword at his waist.

He glanced at the clock; he had slept for a full five hours. The mental fatigue had been completely swept away.

Feeling refreshed and full of energy, Mowen opened the door and looked at the gentle woman standing there. "Ms. Sophia, I am ready to depart at any time."

"Then I shall trouble you," Sophia bowed slightly, the fullness of her bodice dipping naturally, creating a taut, rounded curve.

...

Clark Town, Western District.

In the shadows of an alleyway corner, three figures emerged from an opened manhole cover. They were Hank, Mowen, and Fryia.

Hank, wearing a hooded cloak and a plague doctor mask, peered around the corner and pointed toward a large, two-story brick building in the distance. He whispered, "Mr. Mowen, that is the old noble’s warehouse."

Mowen leaned out to observe carefully. The old noble's warehouse wasn't connected to other buildings; it stood alone in an open space. In the single minute Mowen watched, he saw no fewer than five soldier dolls patrolling the area.

However, what caught his attention even more was a figure sitting at the entrance of the old warehouse.

"What is that thing?"

Hank looked as well, grinding his teeth and cursing under his breath. "How is this possible? It wasn't there during our previous reconnaissance!" He fell silent for a moment, his voice laced with fear. "That is a Type-2 military doll. It’s a special modification based on the Type-1, and its strength is far beyond that of a standard soldier doll."

"Even a firearm wouldn't be able to pierce its armor."

"...The situation has changed, Mr. Mowen. Let's retreat."

Mowen didn't respond. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the massive construct, so different from the common military dolls, and tentatively cast an appraisal spell. To his surprise, even from this distance, the spell succeeded.

The next moment, information appeared before his eyes.

【Military Doll Type-2 — Beetle!】