Esdeath and Maruti sat quietly in their dimly lit room, nerves on edge. They had been thinking of different ways to escape, but every plan seemed too risky. The Vanara tribe was deep within a vast forest, teeming with dangerous monsters and wild beasts. One wrong move and they could easily be caught or worse. The only glimmer of hope was the capital of Anastasia Kingdom, just beyond the forest. If they could somehow make it through, they would be safe. But for now, all they could do was wait.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, Maruti's father, Mourya, was holding an important meeting. The tribe's elders, advisers, and key figures were gathered to discuss a serious matter—Maruti's marriage. Although everyone else mistook Esdeath for a vampire, Mourya had seen through the natural illusion. With his sharp intuition, he knew Esdeath was just a human, despite her strange appearance.
Though the meeting was tense, the solution was surprisingly simple.
One elder, his long beard brushing against his chest, spoke up with authority, "I think we should follow the tribe's rules."
The tribe had long-standing traditions, especially concerning marriage. In Vanara culture, women were often undervalued. They had limited access to education, were married off at a young age, and even child marriages were not uncommon. But Mourya was different. Using his influence, he had fought against child marriages and pushed for more progressive reforms, From no education to education to the eldest child, Even though it was not much but still far better than before. Over time, many of the tribes came together to establish new rules.
One of those rules was particularly important here: if a girl's marriage was already promised to someone but wished to marry another, her lover had to step forward and challenge her arranged husband. A duel would take place, and only if the lover won in front of everyone would the arranged marriage be canceled. The tribe would respect the outcome, and no one could object.
A young man with a strong build and broad chest suddenly spoke up, his tone filled with frustration. "This isn't fair! Maruti's future husband is Ujjain, the youngest son of the Lothal tribe. He's a rank D awakened, and there's no way that clumsy girl can beat him. It's completely unfair!" His voice was firm, clearly believing that the challenge would be impossible.
Another man, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a rank D awakened is equal to several top-tier rank E awakeneds. I even sensed that girl's mana—she's nowhere near the level of an average awakened. She'll die from the first hit!"
Despite their objections, not everyone agreed. A soft but confident voice cut through the room, surprising everyone. "How about we let both Maruti and her fight him together? If they still lose, then she'll have to marry him. This way, Maruti can't say it's unfair, right?"
All eyes turned to the speaker. It was none other than Maruti's older sister, Sasha. Her blue eyes gleamed faintly in the dim room, adding weight to her suggestion.
"Hmph, your idea is interesting," Mourya responded, standing up slowly. "But the tribe's rules don't say anything about that. If she's not strong enough, that's her problem, not his. However, it will be up to Ujjain whether he accepts the challenge or not."
Mourya took a moment to consider, then continued, "I'll go speak to the Lothal tribe and see what they say. Either way, she'll have to fight. Go and tell her to be ready. Also, give her permission to enter the low-level treasure room. That way, she can't say we didn't support her." He spoke with authority, making it clear that this decision was final.
The elders and advisers nodded in agreement as Mourya and a few others prepared to head to the Lothal tribe to discuss the matter further.
At Mourya's house, Esdeath was being treated like royalty. Women of all ages, from older to middle-aged, kept coming in waves, patting her head gently and showering her with blessings, even though she had no idea why. Each one presented her with extravagant jewelry and beautiful clothes. Esdeath couldn't even keep track of who these women were—probably some kind of distant relatives of Maruti, but she had no clue. The only thing that caught her interest was the stunning antique jewelry, which she quickly stashed away in her pink lotus essence stone.
Meanwhile, Mourya's six wives were in full force, preparing an enormous feast just for Esdeath. The table was piled with 56 different dishes—more than she could ever hope to finish. Despite the overwhelming hospitality, Esdeath felt uneasy. As she dug into the lavish spread, she turned to Maruti, who was already seated beside her, eyeing the food hungrily, even though it clearly wasn't meant for her.
"Why are they giving me such royal treatment?" Esdeath asked with a raised brow, a little suspicious.
Maruti shrugged, but then, out of curiosity, asked her mother. When the answer came back, Maruti couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Pfttt…"
Esdeath narrowed her eyes, now more curious than ever. "What did your mother say?"
"She said, 'The sacrificial goat has to be fed well before it's slaughtered.'"
Esdeath's face went blank, her expression frozen mid-bite. She glared at both Maruti and her mother, clearly not amused by the remark. But after a moment of processing, she gave a resigned sigh and took another big bite of the delicious food.
"Whatever... I might as well enjoy the free stuff while it lasts," she muttered, continuing to eat with a slightly annoyed but determined look, as if savoring every bite out of sheer spite.
After finishing her meal, Maruti decided to stretch her legs and take a stroll around the village. She had always been curious by nature, with a habit of exploring new places whenever she could. The village had no restrictions on her movements, so she was free to wander wherever her feet took her. As she left the house, Esdeath quietly headed back to her room, her mind racing with thoughts.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Esdeath let out a sigh. "What now?" she muttered, feeling the weight of boredom creeping in. She wasn't the type to waste time, especially not in an unfamiliar place like this. "I have a feeling that whatever lie the so-called 'predictors' are telling will eventually lead to a fight," she mused to herself, the corners of her lips curling into a sly smile.
She crossed her arms and leaned back, already planning her next move. "But of course, I have my trump card," she thought with confidence, a glint of determination in her eyes. With a single thought, she willed her status window to appear before her, its glowing display reflecting off her face as she gazed at it with satisfaction.
Current skills in possession
- Sharpshooter (E): When used, time will slow down for five seconds. Can only be used once every 50 minutes.
- Eagle Eyes (E): Can see over great distances with precision + Can see the flow of mana.
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Yes, something was different about her status.
It was her **SP points**.
After winning the competition, people started talking about her, and her reputation surged as more acknowledged her abilities. The best part was, despite her victory, she hadn't disrupted the main storyline. In the original story, it was **Kaelith** who won the competition, with **Ethan** losing and using that defeat to motivate his hard work. Esdeath's win didn't interfere, as the plot wasn't bound by who exactly won, just that Ethan wouldn't. That kept the flow of the narrative intact.
Because of her rising fame and the way she handled things, Esdeath was rewarded with **5,000 SP points**. But as she thought it over, her excitement dimmed slightly.
"Even though my strength has increased," Esdeath mused, "I'm still nowhere near Kaelith's level." She knew her **strength stat** was at 19.8, and increasing it beyond 20 would be risky. To safely raise her strength further, she would need essence stones like the Iron Muscles Essence Stone, Bronze Strength Stone, or higher-quality stones such as the White Jade or Green Jade Skin Essence Stones. Without these enhancements, pushing her body too far could be dangerous.
"But that's not my biggest issue," she frowned, feeling a hint of worry. The system gave her a powerful advantage by letting her refine essence stones, even up to rank B, instantly. She could refine as many as she wanted, but the real problem was using them.
Essence stones that boosted the body, like muscle or skin stones, were straightforward. However, many other useful stones, especially those affecting magic or other abilities, required **mana** to activate. And here lay Esdeath's major problem — her body had only a fraction of the mana an average person possessed.
"I should focus on increasing my mana," she thought, biting her lip. "But how? There's a limit to how much I can raise my stats with the system." With that realization, Esdeath decided to prioritize her mana for now, pushing it to its maximum potential.
Esdeath decided to use her **SP points** to increase her **mana stats**. She thought it through carefully. "An average person has around 60 mana points, so I should aim for that," she reasoned. Confident, she spent her SP points to make the increase.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar **ding** from the system:
**<500 SP points reduced>**
**
**
Seeing the boost brought a brief smile to her face, but that joy was short-lived. Without warning, a sharp surge of pain shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. It felt as if her heart had stopped, and a wave of nausea overcame her.
Esdeath collapsed to her knees, her entire body trembling. Blood spewed from her mouth, her coughing violent and uncontrollable. "Cough... Cough... How could I forget?" she thought, her mind clouded with pain. "This body... it's even weaker than the average awakened one. Of course, it can't handle that much mana!"
Her vision blurred as she struggled to stay conscious. Her legs shook uncontrollably, and darkness crept into the edges of her sight.