Chapter 28: Xiao Mu

While Ram was still working on the Mind Shadow Parasite, the girl he had brought back already woke up, very panicked.

Her body was tense, with sweat on her forehead as if she had just woken from a nightmare.

A few seconds after her breath settled, she looked around, only to find herself sleeping on a bed inside what seemed to be a train compartment.

The unfamiliar surroundings disoriented her for a moment, but soon the events of the previous night came flooding back.

She remembered the truck bearing down on her, the flash of someone saving her at the last moment, and how she was brought here.

Relief washed over her, and tears welled up in her eyes. The girl sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings.

The compartment was slightly rusted, with vines with green leaves on the corners, with soft lighting passing through the window, without any motion indicating that the train was still.

She noticed a small table with a pitcher of water and a glass with a small note and instinctively reached for it to quench her throat.

As she sipped the water, her mind raced. "Who saved me? And where is this?" she wondered; her anxiety mixed with curiosity, however, after seeing the note she calmed down a bit.

A few months ago, she had been so happy, protected by her loving parents. The memory of her parents was still fresh and vivid playing right in front of her eyes, the sunny day on the beach, laughing and eating her favorite food.

It had been a perfect day until everything changed in an instant.

"Xiao Mu, run...!" Her father's desperate shout still echoed in her ears. She remembered being shoved aside as her father shielded her from a knife that had seemed to come out of nowhere.

Men in black had appeared suddenly, their faces cold and merciless. They had killed her parents right before her eyes.

Despite her father's skill and strength, they were too many.

She had watched in horror as they overpowered him, her father had taken down several attackers before a blade pierced his heart, and he fell, a look of determination and sorrow in his eyes.

Her mother, too, had tried to protect her. But her efforts were in vain. The men in black had shown no mercy, striking her down as well.

She had screamed, but her cries had gone unanswered. The men had captured her and taken her away, plunging her into a nightmare that she could never have imagined.

She was brought here and sold out to Shadow Society, and then she was injected with an embryo into her body through a cruel experiment, but it failed to make her pregnant.

Useless to them, she had been discarded, only to be caught again by a man with a prosthetic hand who had treated her with even greater cruelty.

But now, lying on this bed, Xiao Mu felt a strange sense of relief and comfort. The injuries inflicted by the man with the prosthetic hand were gone, healed as if by magic.

She sensed a kind of energy within her, coursing through her veins, strengthening her body.

Her heart was beating faster and stronger than ever before. The sensation left her stunned at first, but then she felt a surge of excitement.

"Did I awaken? But how?" she wondered aloud, confusion mingling with hope. As she tried to make sense of what was happening, her thoughts seemed to connect to a serene and powerful place.

An image of a colossal Divine Spirit Tree flashed before her eyes. The vision passed quickly, but it left her with a sense of peace and a new understanding.

A holographic attribute panel appeared before her eyes, shimmering with information only she could see.

The display was similar to those she had heard about from the stories of awakened professionals.

Along with the panel came a flood of knowledge, as if the information was being downloaded directly into her mind.

[Xiao Mu]

[ Age: 18]

[ Profession: Blade Master Tier-1]

[ Health: 100/100]

[ Spiritual Power: 50/100]

[ Physique: 1.5]

[ Spirit: 2.0]

[ Talent:

[A039: Swift]: Increases agility and reflexes by 200%, allowing for faster movements and quicker reactions.

Active ability: Increases agility and reflexes by an additional 300%, cooldown: 12h]

[ Skills:

Blade Dance - Lv1: Perform a series of rapid and precise sword strikes. Casting Time: 0.6 sec

Back Step: - Lv1: Takes a step back to evade enemy attacks. Casting Time: Instant Cast

Quick Rebound - Lv1: Quickly recovers from knocked-down status. Casting Time: Instant Cast

Leap - Lv1: Temporarily increases Jump Height by 20%. Casting Time: 0.4 sec.]

Xiao Mu didn't fully understand what had happened, but if Ram were here, he would have guessed that her awakening was related to the life energy he had injected into her body the previous night.

In his rush to save her, he hadn't known how much life energy was needed to heal her injuries, so he had given her about 100 points.

This overwhelming surge of life energy had triggered her awakening, transforming her into a professional.

Xiao Mu marveled at the holographic panel and the new abilities she now possessed.

For the first time in a long while, she felt hope. She had been given a second chance, and she intended to make the most of it.

Just then, the door to the compartment slid open, and Ram stepped inside. He was still slightly flushed from his intense focus on the Mind Shadow Parasite but composed.

He noticed the girl was awake and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're awake," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

The girl looked at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and gratitude. "I... I'm okay, I think. Thank you for saving me. I don't even know your name."

"My name is Ram," he replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I saw you were in danger and couldn't just leave you there. Do you remember what happened?"

She nodded slowly, still trying to piece everything together. "I remember the truck... and then you pulled me out of the way. But everything after that is a blur."

Ram nodded understandingly. "You were in shock. It's normal. We're in a safe place now. You don't need to worry about anything right now."

The girl took a deep breath, feeling a bit more at ease with Ram's calm demeanor. "Thank you, Mr. Ram. My name is Xiao Mu."

"It's nice to meet you, Xiao Mu," Ram said kindly. "Brother Sid called me just now, we are going out to have some breakfast. Do you want to join us?"