Chapter 14: Karissa’s Commission

"Buddy, that's ten grand. Are you really not taking it?" On the way back, Charles kept buzzing in Ou Xiaolu's ear.

But Ou Xiaolu didn't even spare a glance at the check. He was fiddling with the newly acquired Saint Blood Council's outer circle ID, marveling at how, whether because he'd completed someone else's 'mission' or the system itself simply had a conversion function, the thing could transform into a card for storage just like the keychain he'd obtained earlier.

This sparked a strange thought in Ou Xiaolu's mind: if that was really the case, could he convert items from the real world into cards to strengthen himself, or his projections?

According to the rookie guide, this world would experience a spiritual resurgence in two years, which meant there were still opportunities for exploration here. On top of that, [World: The Sunken Ship] had clearly been tailored to the nearby wrecks, so Ou Xiaolu had every reason to believe that, even without a new world card, he could continue to grow by using this method.

Of course, such gains were a welcome supplement to mission rewards.

[Saint King's Residual Blood, Enhancement Card, Green, usable or injectable. After use, grants a random extraordinary power. This power does not occupy a skill slot.]

Ou Xiaolu glanced at Charles, who was still chattering beside him, and quietly put away the fist-sized vial of Saint King's Residual Blood. The system had just sent it over—the reward for that suit-clad man challenging the boss and being dispatched by the system.

At that moment, Ou Xiaolu felt a wild urge: should he lure more members of the Saint Blood Council here to be eliminated?

But on second thought, who knew what sort of figures sat at the top of the Saint Blood Council? What if he accidentally attracted some ancient monster who’d lived for centuries?

No, it was better to focus on finding an adventure to level up.

After grabbing a bite with Charles, Ou Xiaolu asked mysteriously on the way back, "Hey Charles, you've been here a while. Heard any strange legends around campus?"

"Strange legends? What do you mean?"

Seeing Charles' confusion, Ou Xiaolu realized he'd asked the wrong person. Western horror films were so different from Asian ones; to them, ghosts and spirits weren't the main draw—gore was real terror.

Just as Ou Xiaolu was about to drop the subject, Charles suddenly snapped his fingers, "Hey, I just remembered! I heard there's a road on campus that's absolutely safe. Want to check it out together?"

"Absolutely safe?" Ou Xiaolu repeated under his breath. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't underestimate it," Charles said. "The road’s unlit, pitch dark all around, and it's a shortcut connecting the two busiest parts of campus. But it's perfectly safe; there’s never been a mugging, an assault, nothing. You could walk down it naked and no one would bat an eye. So, want to take a look?"

Ou Xiaolu's brief interest evaporated. He shot Charles a glare and headed for the dorms.

He'd barely taken two steps when a shrill voice called out behind them, "Hey, you! Wait a minute!"

Turning around, Ou Xiaolu saw the woman from room 301 chasing after them. "You were the one last night, weren't you?"

"Last night?" Charles slapped Ou Xiaolu on the shoulder. "Hey buddy, was this your girl from last night? Not bad!"

Neither Ou Xiaolu nor the woman paid Charles any mind. She spoke quickly, "You know martial arts, right? Please help me."

"Tell me what happened," Ou Xiaolu said, his tone brooking no argument.

The woman hastened to explain. Her name was Carissa, a sophomore in finance at Stony Brook's branch campus. Since the start of her sophomore year, she'd been plagued by something terrifying—every night at midnight, no matter where she hid, a shadowy figure would appear and cut her with a knife.

The wounds were never serious—just shallow cuts that bled a little and healed by the next day—but the ordeal was horrifying. No one wanted to be slashed in the middle of the night, night after night. Reporting it to the police proved useless, as no one else could see the shadow. The attacks only ceased after she moved into room 301 of the little inn.

At first, Carissa thought the nightmare was over and returned to her dorm, only for the attacks to resume that very night. Worse, the shadow made up for all the missed cuts at once.

Terrified, Carissa moved back into room 301 and refused to leave, even after the wall was damaged.

That morning, after witnessing Ou Xiaolu pin a rat with a flying pen, she'd realized his strength and suddenly hoped he might help her confront the mysterious shadow.

"Interesting," Ou Xiaolu mused, stroking his chin. "So, what's your plan?"

Carissa had already thought it through on the way. "We go to the inn—"

Charles whistled from the side.

"I'll stay in your room until midnight. You escort me to room 301. If I'm attacked, you'll help me fight off the demon. If you can't beat it, just hold it off long enough for me to get into 301."

"So you've calculated all the angles, even whether or not I can defeat it. But have you considered what happens if I can't beat it and, by delaying it, make it angry?"

"Well..." Carissa was at a loss for words.

"Think it through before you come to me. Just as you've planned every escape for yourself, plan a safe retreat for me too. After all, I'm helping you for free."

With that, Ou Xiaolu turned and started back toward the dorms.

Seeing him leave, Carissa called out, "I have money! I can pay you! I'll hire you!"

Ou Xiaolu turned with a look of utter disdain. Time to show off. "Charles, show her."

Charles, as if possessed, whipped out the check and waved it before Carissa's eyes. "See this? That's ten grand. That's our boss's going rate for pointing someone in the right direction."

"Fifty thousand," Carissa said seriously. "That's all the liquid cash I can access. If you want more, I'll have to sell some stocks."

Ou Xiaolu and Charles exchanged stunned glances.

"Good grief, is finance really this lucrative? Did we pick the wrong major?"

"It's settled then. I'll wire you the money now. I'll also rent out the entire third floor of the inn—just wait for my call." With that, Carissa hurried off.

When she was out of sight, Charles gazed at Ou Xiaolu with a look of deep affection and declared loudly, "You're a tiger..."