My half-blood lady.

A gust of wind mixed with icy threads blew suddenly into the silent and empty room. The window was only slightly ajar, and the linen curtain fluttered gently in the wind.

A shadow surrounded by swirling smoke squeezed into the room through the gap in the window, spreading out like a fluid and flattening on the floor.

Smoke rose from the shadow, condensing and taking on a human form. The girl's shapely figure gradually emerged. As the smoke lingering on the surface dissipated, a snow-silver cloak covered with frost fell down.

When Daphne returned to her room in the church, it wasn't completely dark yet. Outside the window, the evening glow was dim, and the edge of the clouds was tinged with a faint dark gold.

She arrived in Cole Town one step ahead of Edith, but not by much. After all, she had been entangled by Grivia and that necromancer for a while, starting off late.

Soon she would be Edith's toy again. Daphne began to feel a bit nostalgic for this relatively free time.

The first time she used the active skill of the Death Rune, "Skeleton Decoration", the effect was unexpectedly good. As long as she paid 20% of her maximum magic power and maximum health, she could get an evil energy shield to resist damage.

There were too many skeletons and ghouls, and the shield of the decoration was ineffective. Out of helplessness, she had to rely on Grivia's "Ice Barrier" to avoid attacks. However, the zombie mage's "Pain Lash" happened to be a single-target, single-time damage. Daphne hardly hesitated and exchanged defensive methods with Grivia.

Helping to defeat the mage, she gained 80 experience points. After doubling the efficiency, it was 160 experience points. She also got the "White Bone Staff". This time, she had gained something, and Daphne was satisfied.

But now there wasn't much time left for Daphne to allocate attribute points and study equipment. She had to change her clothes and resume Elena's appearance before Edith came back, pretending that she had never gone out.

Closing the window tightly, Daphne took off her dress and cloak. Just as she was about to stuff the things in her hands into the shadow, she heard the sound of horses' hooves outside.

Edith and the group of Temple Knights had already returned to Cole Town. She had to hurry.

Even though she had done it once before, it was still very difficult to quickly put on this Gothic-style dress given to her by Edith without anyone's help.

It seemed that after turning into a girl, her arms had become shorter. She just couldn't reach the laces and bows behind her. Daphne stomped her feet anxiously in front of the mirror, and her small white silk feet made a creaking sound on the worn wooden floor.

There was quite a commotion outside the church. Presumably, everyone had gone out to welcome Edith's safe return.

The survivors of the caravan had returned to the town even earlier. The townspeople had already heard in advance about Edith's heroic deeds and glorious achievements. Daphne could hear the cheers and applause outside even from the second floor.

Although there were sacrifices in the battle, the results were still not bad.

A celebration banquet and a mourning ceremony for a victory always go hand in hand. Since coming to this world, Daphne has deeply understood this truth.

Fortunately, the townspeople helped Daphne buy some time. She relaxed and quickly found the trick. With the flexibility of the girl's bones, she managed to tie the laces and bows behind her.

After much fuss, it was time for the high heels.

Actually, the process of putting on the shoes was acceptable. These high heels fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small. The only thing was that when standing up, she had to put all her weight on her toes. Walking with such high sensitivity made Daphne endure a huge sensory stimulus.

The half-blood girl groaned softly and walked unsteadily with a clicking sound, coming to sit in front of the dressing mirror. She paused for a moment when she saw her crystal-clear rose-colored eyes in the mirror.

Daphne always felt that it wasn't quite real.

She still couldn't believe that she had become such a beautiful yet fragile girl. Everything she had experienced before seemed like a dream with a ups and downs plot.

After all, traveling to a game world was a very absurd thing.

Coming to a magical world completely different from her previous life, she could no longer see her former relatives and friends. Watching the doomsday approaching step by step along the predetermined track, her efforts and struggles seemed so ridiculous and insignificant.

She thought her plan was flawless, thought that the future would develop towards brightness and beauty, but then such a change happened.

She lost all her levels, beliefs, skills, and traits, became the lowest half-blood, was forced to install strange mods, and even there was adorned with humiliating accessories...

With the continuous tragic experiences, Daphne didn't even have a moment to spare to ask herself —

Was it still necessary for her to persevere?

The inevitable end had become a nightmare for the half-blood girl. Whenever she closed her eyes, she would see this world falling into destruction in a terrible disaster. The skeletal dragon flapped its decaying wings and soared overhead, and the blue flames of the undead burned this already devastated land.

"Am I... thinking too much?"

She reached out to touch the mirror.

She saw a glimmer of tears in those rose-colored eyes, saw the beautiful but sad girl's cheeks streaming with tears. She wanted to wipe away the tears for that girl who had endured so much but still hadn't given up.

"Cherish the present." she said to herself.

Putting her index finger and ring finger together, the half-blood girl gently drew a line on her forehead. A deep bloodstain remained as her fingertips passed, and then flowed and condensed into a bat-shaped symmetrical mark.

Her hair and cheeks were gradually covered with a layer of blood crust. When the scarlet color faded, the girl had changed her appearance again.

Her long mercury-like hair fell like a waterfall. Under her slowly lifting eyelids, her eyes were as bright and pure as emeralds. The noble and sacred appearance of Elena Perkins returned to her. From this moment on, she resumed her identity as the Grand Lecturer.

It was a bit quieter outside the window, and there was a chaotic sound of footsteps in the corridor.

Daphne wanted to go and check the situation. She had just stood up when she heard a knock on the door of her room. She walked over to open the door with a nervous heart and saw a nun about the same age as Edith standing outside with a reserved posture.

"What can I do for you?" Daphne asked proactively when she saw the girl staring at her blankly.

"Ah, I'm sorry... You're so beautiful that I was distracted for a moment..." The nun covered her blushing cheeks and shook her head gently. After apologizing in a flurry for a while, she finally started to get to the point. "Miss Edith has returned safely. Pastor Amos sent me to inform you. If I'm disturbing your rest, I apologize first."

"I see. Thank you." Daphne smiled helplessly. "This is really wonderful news. I'll come down later to celebrate the good news of Miss Edith's safe return with you all."