The morning began with the sharp scent of wet earth drifting through the sect's courtyards.
Tharia's nose twitched.
“Ugh. Rain. Of course it's rain. Why wouldn't it be rain.” she muttered loudly, shaking droplets off her ears.
Rain had lashed the southern ridge all night, washing leaves and debris across the stone paths. Drain channels overflowed. Attendants posted warnings near the courtyards, their voices carrying through the mist.
By the time Tharia reached the mission hall, her hair was damp, her boots squelched with every step, and her mood was questionable.
'Fuck this weather.'
The mission board held few postings today. Most carried red marks for unstable terrain. The hall smelled of damp parchment and stressed attendants logging damage reports.
Tharia scanned the board, ears swiveling forward. One notice drew her attention immediately:
Scout the flooded valley near the southern ridge.
Assess damage to bridges, roads, and footpaths.
Report only.
Compensation: moderate.
‘Perfect. Love being wet and miserable. Sign me up.’
She pressed her token against the plaque.
The attendant glanced up from his slate, brow raised. "Another mission so soon? You just returned last night."
Tharia smiled sweetly. "I recover quickly."
“Boring training,” she grumbled loudly enough for the attendant to hear. “Who needs meridians when you have rain and misery?”
She pocketed the token and turned away before he could ask more questions.
System:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Mission Accepted: Valley Reconnaissance (Post-Storm).
Danger Level: Low (Weather-Related Hazards).
Recommended Party Size: 3-5 disciples.
Current Party Size: You + people who will definitely complain.
Note: You took this mission to avoid sitting still.
Secondary Note: The System sees you.
[collapse]
'I hate you.'
Her tail swished.
“humph”
…
A small group of outer disciples waited near the southern gate, wrapped in cloaks still damp from the weather, boots caked in mud.
They nodded in greeting when she joined them. One whispered, "Didn't she just return last night?" Another murmured, "Let her. She can light the ground with her illusions. If anyone can keep us from stepping into a hole, it's her."
Tharia's ears swiveled back, catching the words.
‘I can hear you. Fox ears aren’t decoration, idiots.’
She didn't acknowledge them aloud. But she didn't mind the praise either.
The valley greeted them with a thick curtain of mist rising from rain-soaked earth. Water pooled between broken roots. The main path was a long stretch of mud that sucked at boots with each step, making obscene squelching sounds.
“'I hate rain. I hate mud. I hate everything about this entire valley.” she complained, loud enough for the whole group to hear. “I’m filing a complaint with the weather!”
Thunder grumbled far off, echoing between the ridges. Each flash of lightning illuminated bent trees and small landslides scattered across the slope.
Tharia stepped ahead of the group, ears angled forward, eyes narrowing at the terrain. "Step where I step."
"How can you even tell what's safe?" one asked.
"I can see what you cannot."
“Shhh. They don’t need to know I’m making this up as I go,” she whispered to herself, then immediately winced because she said it out loud.
She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders.
Composed. Totally composed.
She let her qi unfurl. Thin, precise threads formed beneath her fingers, weaving into faint glowing lines that traced the stable parts of the path. Soft pale lanterns shimmered into being, marking safe stones.
Tharia crouched low to check a suspicious patch of mud that looked ready to swallow a boot. The short hem of her red kimono rode up as she bent — the fabric barely covering the curve of her ass. For two or three full seconds the two disciples walking directly behind her got a clear, unobstructed view of bare skin.
She froze mid-crouch.
'Oh no. Oh NO—'
Heat exploded across her face. She shot upright instantly, yanking the hem down.
'Did they see? They saw. They definitely saw.'
She smoothed her kimono and turned around, ears flat.
“The fuck are you looking at?!” she snarled, ears pinned flat. “Eyes forward, perverts! I will illusion your eyeballs into your asses if you stare again!”
The two disciples suddenly became extremely interested in the clouds.
Tharia stomped forward, tail puffing slightly. ‘Wait— that felt— NO. Shut up shut up shut up—’
She shoved the thought down hard, muttering under her breath the whole way. “Stupid short kimono… stupid brain… stupid disciples… stupid everything…”
System:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Illusion Usage: Flashing guidance (Nude Version)
Morale Boost: Moderate
Note: Ever heard of Panties? You should try them sometimes; the System Shop has a big selection.
[collapse]
“Fuck you…” She muttered. Despite her anger, Tharia felt a spark of freedom in her chest as she breathed in the rain-soaked air.
…
They came to the first bridge near midday.
A thin wooden span stretched over a swollen river, its supports creaking under the force of rushing water.
Tharia stopped at the edge, ears flattening.
One disciple spoke up. "We only need to check if it's passable. We don't need to cross."
"It's already leaning," another warned, pointing. "Look at the left post."
Tharia tested the first plank with her foot. The wood groaned.
‘Nope. Hard pass.'
She drew in a breath, weaving faint lanterns along the span—not to hold weight, but to mark where footing seemed most stable.
The glow gave the disciples something to follow instead of staring at the rushing water below. The bridge swayed under wind. A middle plank cracked with a sharp report, splinters scattering into the river spray.
One disciple cried out as the bridge lurched. Another slipped, catching himself on the railing. A third clung to a rope, boots skidding.
Tharia kept moving as her illusions flickered, their lines twisting uselessly as the structure failed.
“'Useless. Just... useless.” she hissed through gritted teeth as the illusions flickered.
A cold line shot through her spine.
She forced her qi steady, stepping forward as the span tilted. Spray soaked her cloak. Mud splashed her boots.
CRACK—
For a heartbeat, the drop yawned beneath her foot before she caught herself on solid ground.
"Off the bridge," she snapped. "Slowly. NOW."
No one argued. They scrambled across, cursing and clutching ropes. When the final disciple stumbled onto solid ground, the bridge gave one last shudder and collapsed entirely, swallowed by the roaring river.
Silence.
One disciple let out a shaky breath. "If we'd been moments later..."
"We weren't," Tharia said. But her words felt hollow.
Her tail curled tight around her leg, and her ears drooped slightly.
'Stronger. I need to be way stronger. This is pathetic.'
System:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Bridge Collapse: Survived
Illusion Performance: Guidance Only (No Structural Support)
Note: Sometimes light is not enough.
[collapse]
Tharia's jaw tightened.
'I know. I KNOW. You don't have to rub it in.'
They continued through the valley, noting each washed-out footpath, each landslide, each break in the ridge. The work was tedious. Wet. Miserable.
Tharia's ears stayed flat the entire time.
Along one flooded trail, she paused. A long serpentine shadow shifted near the water’s edge. Scales glinted silver before vanishing beneath the swollen river.
Tharia's ears shot up.
The group froze.
Sharp whispers rose.
"Did you see that?"
"Yes," Tharia said quietly, tail flicking nervously. "Now keep moving."
No beast approached. No battle followed. But the watching presence left the group uneasy.
By the time they completed the scouting circuit, all of them were soaked through and exhausted. They filed their reports and received their spirit stones.
System:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Mission Complete: Valley Reconnaissance
Chaos Essence Gained: +8
Illusion Proficiency: 39% (+1%)
Note: You are thinking about your limitations.
This is growth.
[collapse]
Tharia's tail flicked.
'Eight? For almost dying on a bridge?' she muttered as she accepted the stones. “Great. Love that.”
…
Back in her cave, the rain returned, pattering softly against stone.
She sat on her mat, skin still damp, and conjured a simple lantern illusion above her palm. The light wavered.
She dimmed it. Thinned it. Made it barely visible. Then tried to make the edges disappear.
'Smaller. Vanish. Come on, work with me here—'
The lantern flickered.
"YES!" she whispered, then immediately winced at how loud that was. “Okay… subtlety. Not flash. Got it.”
Rain continued tapping outside while she worked late into the night, chasing the smallest shapes of light and shadow.
“If I can’t make them strong…” she muttered, ears tilting forward, “then I’ll make them invisible. Yeah. That might work.”
System:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Discovery Detected: Conceptual Shift
Illusion Philosophy: Brightness → Subtlety
Note: You are learning.
The System is watching with interest.
[collapse]
Tharia grinned, small and crooked.
“Good. Let’s see where this goes, you sneaky little power.”
System Status:
Host: Tharia | Age: 18
Status: Healthy
[TECHNIQUE ANALYSIS]
Illusion Proficiency: 39%
Chaos Stability: Fragile (Improving).
Qi Circulation: Vein resonance threshold - 18% (+2%).
Achievement: 'Style Over Substance'
Traits: 'The Reluctant Royal' (Passive). ‘Willing Exposure’ (Passive)
Passive Techniques: 'Shame-Guard' (Passive)
Module: 'Path of the Unseen'
Active Techniques: Illusory Raiment (Rank: D)
Chaos Essence: 73.
Status: Duskwind Sect - Outer Disciple.
Active Quests: Exceed Vein resonance threshold 50%.
SHOP.
[collapse]