The moment Joe’s consciousness disappeared from his Soul Space, his eyes snapped open. He found himself back in his cell, the room still dark and his friends sleeping comfortably beneath their blankets. Shelly snored loudly, her head resting on his shoulder. Joe nearly laughed at the sight, as it did not match her calm and composed manner.

  The amusement faded the instant he saw her swollen eye up close.

  The rage he had felt in the hall surged back, dragging with it memories of the years he had endured under his uncle’s fists, beaten until his face was black and blue. More often than not, Joe had looked far worse than Shelly did now, and the thought filled him with resentment. He had allowed someone else to suffer the same pain he once felt when he had the power to stop it the moment he learned of it.

  He clenched his hands into hard fists and gritted his teeth. He swore that nothing of this nature would ever occur in his presence again, even vowing to end his own life if he ever allowed such actions to take place. It took several long minutes and steady breathing before Joe finally managed to calm himself.

  He turned his attention to the messages that had gathered in his mind to distract himself.

  [New Skill Acquired (Specialty)(Bronze): Essence Concentration: Lvl 9 → 18]

  [Spiritual Meditation (Specialty)(Silver): Lvl 12 → 15]

  [Spirit Flow (Specialty)(Silver): Lvl 20 → 22]

  Joe was pleased to see the growth in his Specialty Skills. His [Essence Concentration] had doubled in levels, which was not much of a surprise. He had practiced the ability rigorously and had already been on the verge of mastering it. He guessed that level 20 was the threshold he needed to reach to complete the final 10% of his training, though it could just as easily be 25. It did not matter in the grand scheme of things. All it meant was that he was close to mastering and upgrading another skill.

  His [Spiritual Meditation] had only risen a few levels. Joe assumed that was because he had not spent as much time in his Soul Space as he had previously, and because higher ranked skills were harder to level compared to lower ranked abilities. Either way, growth was growth, and he was not complaining.

  [Spirit Flow] showed an even more minimal increase, but once again Joe was satisfied. He had not wasted any of the time he had access to last night and had taken several steps toward becoming stronger. As it turned out, having trouble sleeping had been more of a blessing than a curse.

  Joe dismissed the messages and began practicing his [Essence Concentration]. He wanted to test the limits of his physical body like the Goddess had suggested and avoid blowing himself up by accident.

  He started by channeling 40% of his total capacity into his fist. There was no pain or discomfort. Encouraged, he pushed to 50%. A mild ache settled into his bones and muscles, but he endured it and continued.

  At 60%, genuine pain flared as the condensed energy pressed against his muscles and bones, threatening to tear and fracture them. The veins along the back of his hand bulged, straining as if they might burst. Joe felt he could force the skill to 70% before severely injuring himself, but he chose not to risk it.

  He eased the energy back down and glanced at Shelly when he felt movement at his side.

  “Joe… you’re already awake?” Shelly asked in a low, groggy voice as she rubbed her eyes.

  The only reason she could see Joe, despite the mana stones in the ceiling being switched off, was the small window built into their cell. Natural light filtered through it in thin streams. The window was reinforced with enchantments, and its narrow size made escape impossible even for someone daring enough to try. Still, when the sun was out, it allowed a soft brightness to enter, bringing a hint of warmth to an otherwise depressing chamber. At night, however, it was almost impossible to see anything, which was why many prisoners, including Shelly, appreciated the daylight.

  “Yes, I just woke up a moment ago. Did I wake you?”

  Shelly shook her head. She was simply surprised that Joe had woken before her, as she was never a deep sleeper. Out of fear of sleeping beside Michael, she had trained herself to wake every hour to distance herself from him, so he would not take advantage of her or attack her while she rested. That was also why she had woken in the middle of the night and found Joe sitting motionless. He had slept like a statue. Shelly had even tried to pinch his cheek and received no response, as if he were a corpse.

  Strangely, that had allowed her to relax. Joe had not tried to touch her and had remained in the exact position he was in when they fell asleep. It brought her a sense of comfort and allowed her to rest without worry.

  “Has anyone told you that you snore like a pig? It’s very unladylike.” Joe shook his head in mock disapproval.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “I do not!” Shelly shot back, her face flushing.

  She had not realized she had lowered her guard enough to embarrass herself. Michael had beaten her repeatedly for snoring, and she had unconsciously learned to sleep quietly because of it. But beside Joe, she had allowed that suppressed side of herself to surface. Now she wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.

  “You were really loud. I thought an earthquake was happening.”

  Shelly’s face grew even redder, which made Joe chuckle. She pouted and turned her gaze away.

  “Alright, I’ll stop,” Joe said with a grin.

  When she met his gaze again, Joe’s expression softened. “Give me the ointment,” he said suddenly.

  Shelly blinked, surprised that the first thing on his mind in the morning was her injury. She did not hesitate. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the small container and handed it to him quietly.

  Joe removed the lid and smeared a bit onto the tip of his right index finger. Then he leaned closer. For a brief second, it looked as though he might kiss her, and Shelly’s heart skipped a beat. But he did nothing of the sort. Instead, he carefully applied the ointment to her swollen eye with a soft and steady touch. He was gentle as he spread it across the wound, mindful not to cause even the slightest discomfort.

  Shelly found herself watching him in silence. The way he focused made it seem as though his life depended on it.

  Once he had thoroughly covered the injury, he leaned back. “Now turn around.”

  Her eyes widened at the request, but she said nothing and slowly turned her back to him. With hesitant movements, Shelly unzipped her overall. Her heart quickened and a bashful expression spread across her face.

  Joe’s eyes widened at the sight of her spine. The bruises that had covered her skin were still there, but they had faded significantly. He had only applied the ointment the day before, yet the improvement was obvious.

  “This ointment is pretty good. Your back looks much better already. It must be expensive.”

  “That’s because it’s a Mid Grade item. The guard probably gave it to me because he wanted to impress me,” Shelly replied casually.

  It was the first time Joe had heard that items possessed grades, though he was not surprised. In this world, everything from monsters to adventurers had ranks, so it made sense for items to be the same.

  He dipped his finger into the ointment again and touched her back. Shelly flinched instantly.

  “Sorry. Did I hurt you?” he asked immediately.

  “No… your finger’s just a little cold,” she murmured, her face turning red as she pulled her knees up and buried her face in her arms.

  Joe took note of that and worked quickly but gently. His movements were careful and efficient, and he finished in less than a minute. When he was done, he pulled the fabric back into place and zipped up her uniform.

  Shelly turned to face him. Joe handed the ointment back. “If you need my help again, don’t forget to ask,” he said with a small smile.

  She nodded, but instead of returning the ointment to her pocket as Joe expected, she dipped her own finger into it and leaned closer to him. This time it was Joe’s heart that quickened.

  She gently applied the ointment to several faint bruises on his face. “I remember you were pretty banged up yesterday, but your injuries are barely visible now.”

  Joe had forgotten about them. They had stopped hurting ages ago. He suspected his Blessed Physique had accelerated his natural healing. His entire body was constantly saturated with essence, and it arried a subtle restorative effect.

  “I have very good vitality,” he replied.

  “Mmh… so you’re not only strong, you recover quickly too. It’s like you were born to fight. You must be a very strong Awakened on the outside,” Shelly said as she continued applying the ointment.

  “I’m actually not Awakened. Even on the outside, I don’t have mana.”

  Shelly froze and stared at him. “What did you say?”

  “I can’t wield mana.”

  “That’s impossible. How are you so good at fighting if you aren’t Awakened?”

  “You don’t need to be Awakened to be powerful. I’ll be the strongest in the world even without mana,” Joe said with absolute confidence.

  Shelly looked at him, her eyes wide and shining with admiration. She did not think she would ever be bold enough to declare something like that. She had always believed that in this world some people were naturally stronger than others, and that it was better for the weak not to rebel but to submit. That was what her mother had done. It was what she had also done when she entered Suveny Prison. The only time she had ever fought back was when she killed her father. That defiant side of her had been crushed after months of abuse under Michael.

  Yet now, for the first time in a long while, her heart beat with determination. The belief that even the weak could fight.

  Her expression softened and she giggled.

  “What? You don’t think I can do it?” Joe asked.

  She shook her head and met his gaze with a smile. “I know you can. I believe in you.”

  Joe’s face brightened. ‘“You should take a long, good look at this face. When I’m famous, you might never get to see it this close again,” he said with a smug grin.

  Shelly rolled her eyes at his shamelessness.

  They both laughed and continued chatting softly as she finished applying the ointment.

  A few seconds later, the beast cores embedded in the ceiling flared to life, flooding the room with bright white light. A bell rang through the hallway as a guard shouted while swinging it back and forth.

  Joe gritted his teeth at the piercing noise, wishing he could punch the man for using such an annoying instrument. Bob and Charles were equally displeased, groaning as they shoved their blankets aside and forced themselves awake.

  “Man! And I was having such a good dream,” Bob complained.

  He turned toward his usual spot beside Joe, only to realize it was empty. Frowning, he glanced toward where Big Dog used to sleep and froze.

  Joe was sitting there with Shelly, three blankets draped over them.

  Bob’s eyes widened. “Woah! Did you two…”

  Joe instantly understood where his thoughts were heading. “No, that’s not it! We were just sharing blankets. Nothing happened.” he said quickly, his face turning red as if he were under interrogation.

  Shelly tilted her head and leaned it against Joe’s shoulder, a playful smile on her lips. “What if we did?”

  Joe snapped his head down to stare at her. “Hey! Don’t give him ideas.”

  Bob let out a low whistle. “So not only did you kill Big Dog, but you also stole his girl on the same night.” He shivered dramatically. “You’re scary, Joe.”

  ‘I’m telling you, it’s not like that!’ Joe shot back, his face burning as he wondered how in the world he had ended up in this situation.