He no longer knew how many times he'd woken up in this stifling, dim prison.

Muen’s eyes were still filled with exhaustion, bloodshot as though he'd pulled multiple all-nighters in a row.

“Phew...”

He exhaled a long breath, forcing his mind to snap into focus.

He lightly checked the content recorded in the Black Book.

[Dagger Combat Technique LV5]

[Shadow Step LV2]

“Another near three hundred deaths experienced.”

“So painful.”

“But it seems I’ve hit a bottleneck. No matter how much I train, my proficiency levels won’t go up anymore.”

“Especially Shadow Step...”

Muen’s eyes dimmed slightly.

In the Black Book’s space, he’d nearly perfected the execution of Shadow Step. On several occasions, his dagger had even sliced through the assassin’s skin, leaving clearly visible wounds.

Though still a far ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) cry from actually defeating the assassin, it was no longer the hopeless distance it once was.

And yet, no matter how proficient he became at using Shadow Step within the Black Book space, the proficiency level recorded in the Book itself remained stuck at LV2—unmoving.

His Dagger Combat Technique, on the other hand, had rapidly advanced through continuous live combat practice, now sitting at LV5.

“So it really is the limitation of my current rank, huh...”

Muen let out a soft sigh.

Inside the Black Book’s world, he could clearly feel his usage of Shadow Step becoming sharper and more fluid. Yet the recorded level remained locked at LV2. This meant it wasn’t that he hadn’t improved in practice—it was that, at his current stage, his body could only manifest Shadow Step at LV2.

And judging by how much it hurt just using LV1 before, trying to execute LV2 with a body that didn’t even possess aura would probably be far too much.

“But it doesn’t matter. Right now, I have to squeeze out every drop of power I can!”

His gaze sharpened with resolve.

Even if he was being imprisoned, kept, and humiliated by a pretty maid girl, he still had a heart that longed for freedom!

“Hmph... Do you really think I have no way out just because you’ve done all this?”

Muen eyed the lock on the iron gate—a lock about the size of his fist, looking solid and heavy—and the corner of his mouth curled into a crooked, devilish smirk.

“You’re underestimating me, Anne.”

“Everything’s in place now. All I need is a breeze to push the sails. I’m waiting—waiting for the fish you promised.”

...

“...Wait, what if something’s gone wrong...”

Suddenly, his eyes flew wide open, a flash of fear darting through them.

There was no concept of time in this room. But judging by the gnawing hunger in his gut, lunchtime had passed long ago.

And yet, Anne still hadn’t shown up.

“She wouldn’t... right? I mean, Lake Beipol is far, but if she pushed the horse it should’ve been doable...”

As the minutes ticked by, Muen’s thoughts grew increasingly restless.

“What if she doesn’t come back? Would I seriously be stuck here forever? And given how remote this place is, my corpse might go undiscovered for hundreds of years!”

“Maybe even my ghost would end up trapped here for eternity, never to reincarnate.”

“There aren’t even any other ghosts in this hellhole—just me, the lone starving spirit wandering this godforsaken prison.”

“Uuuuugh, nooo, I don’t want that! At least send over Miss Sadako to keep me company...”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have made such an unreasonable request.”

“But... I had to. If I’d just asked for a normal fish, Anne might’ve picked up on it.”

“And besides, it was a backup plan, just in case.”

...

“Whatever. I’ll stop thinking about it.”

Muen leaned his head against the wall and chuckled bitterly to himself.

“Looks like being locked up in here so long has made me paranoid.”

“It’s just a fish. How hard can it be for Anne, of all people?”

“It’s not like I asked her to go fight a monster.”

...

...

Lake Beipol, wind and rain howling.

Anne stood about a few hundred meters from the lakeside, a raincloak and hood draped over her shoulders, her expression blank as a bearded man rambled on in front of her.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you can’t go any further!”

“Lake Beipol is completely sealed off. If you’re here to sightsee, please wait until the weather clears!”

The torrential rain crashed down with deafening force, mingled with thunder that shook the heavens. The man had to lean in close and shout at full volume just to be heard. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“In any case, turn back! It’s dangerous out here!”

“...Did something happen?”

Anne furrowed her brows, an almost visible wave of displeasure radiating from her—whether aimed at the man or the miserable weather was unclear.

“Ma’am, that’s none of your business! Just go back!”

His tone turned irritable as he raised a hand to usher her away.

“Hm?”

Anne seized his arm before he could touch her, her expression instantly turning cold. Her fingers clenched with sudden force.

“I hate it when men other than Young Master touch me.”

“Wh—AAARGH!”

The man screamed in agony, face twisting as his body contorted along with the force twisting his arm.

“If you want to keep using this hand to hold a dinner knife, you’d better tell me what happened here.”

“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

The man heard his own bones creaking in protest and, stricken with terror, began to spill everything.

“It’s the Lake’s Master—it showed up!”

“Lake’s... Master? That’s just a baseless myth, isn’t it?”

The so-called Lake Master of Beipol was a local legend spread among the fishing villages surrounding the lake. According to rumor, an ancient fish god slumbered in its depths—a divine being from the old age who ruled over the lake, controlling the weather, wind, and tides.

Each year, the villagers performed sacrifices of cattle and sheep into the lake, praying for the Lake Master’s protection.

But it was just folklore. If there really were a fish god down there, the Church of Life would’ve already condemned the place as a heretical zone and launched a fresh holy crusade by now.

“B-But it really did appear! A huge, massive fish!”

The man wailed.

“The Adventurers’ Guild sent a team to investigate—they confirmed it’s a Dominant-class magical beast. A B-rank squad is being dispatched right now to hunt it down, so they’ve locked down the entire lake. No one’s allowed near!”

“I see. A Dominant-class beast...”

Anne released the man and looked up toward the sky, letting the rain wash over her face.

“So that strange weather is its doing.”

“P-Probably...”

The man clutched his arm, wincing in pain.

“A-Anyway, you should really get out of here. I won’t hold a grudge about earlier—real men don’t fight women—but if you interfere with the Adventurers’ Guild’s mission, you’re going to be in serious trouble!”

“......”

Anne didn’t respond. She simply walked past him toward the lake.

“Hey! Wait—if that’s the case, you’re still going?!”

The man stared at her back in disbelief.

“You know it’s dangerous—why go anyway? What could possibly make you so stubborn?”

“...Why?”

He hadn’t expected an answer. But Anne turned her head back suddenly.

A gentle, blissful smile lit up her face as she replied:

“Because of love, of course.”