Was she planning on killing me tomorrow? The same day the system set a deadline for me.
Andy submerged half of his face under the water as he frowned.
Could it be that the system's penalties are not from itself, but rather, as a result of the decisions and actions of others?
For example, when it involved his daily quests, there was no penalty for him if he refused to do them. However, when it came to other things that were outside and apart from him in different ways, there were always penalties.
So the system's deadline is only because Melinda already decided to kill me tomorrow… what about now?
Andy looked at his interface, waiting to see if there would be an update to his quest details.
However, even after waiting for a few minutes, nothing happened; the system's deadline remained unchanged. Andy started wondering if Melinda was truly serious about killing him today.
Nonetheless, it didn't change the fact that she wanted to kill him. "I can't keep being passive like this…"
Was Andy scared? Absolutely. His stomach churned at the thought of engaging in battle with someone… or Wesen to the death especially when he was sure that the Wesen in particular was stronger than him.
Andy started thinking…
And then it struck him, why would she need to wait until he exited the water before killing him? Wouldn't it be a cleaner job to kill him while he's in the water?
This riverside wasn't particularly an isolated place. If he waited long enough in the water, students would surely come around this area after their classes.
Maybe she's scared of the water… no, she looked ready to jump in earlier. But she didn't…
Andy then recalled the system's warning about not being isolated… He began considering the possibility of the warning having double meanings.
Let's wait and see. If I can't ascertain anything by the time I'm done with my daily quest, then I'll just wait here until people come around. Or swim to the other shore of the river to escape.
Andy inhaled deeply and swam back to the floor of the river.
A part of him wondered how he was coping with all of this. Another even entertained the thought that he had lost his mind.
If it wasn't for the fact that he could feel and see physical growth from his new routine, Andy wouldn't have questioned his latter thoughts.
The only thing keeping him going now, was vengeance and a strong desire to live.
…
For the next two hours, Melinda watched Andy continuously dive into the depths of the river for three minutes or so, each time, before resurfacing, breathing like he had been drowning in there.
At this point, she too was losing her mind from being impatient. To her, it was as if Andy was trying to kill himself, but didn't have the courage to.
Going into the water to kill him wouldn't be a bad idea, but…
She wondered, a bit wary. Melinda could clearly see that overnight, Andy had gotten stronger, not to the point of competing with her yet, but enough to put her at a huge disadvantage if the young man decided to fight for his life in the water.
As for Andy, he had just resurfaced again, almost done with his workout. This time, he had a huge smile on his face as he stared at his interface.
[Skill acquired! Drowned Resolve!]
[Drowned Resolve: You become stronger in water, with your endurance, when under water, your recovery is heightened! +15% Strength. +20% Agility. +10% Endurance. Able to survive underwater for 20 minutes without air (Effect active only while skill is triggered).]
[Cooldown Time: 6hrs]
Andy wasn't expecting anything like this. He had just gotten halfway through his final workout, trying to complete his 5-kilometer run underwater. While clenching a heavy rock to his chest and forcing himself to run on the floor of the river, this notification popped up.
In excitement, Andy inhaled a bit of water and scrambled to the surface for air.
Though the name of the skill seemed a bit dark, it filled him with great joy. While working out, he had been thinking of ways he could possibly deal with Melinda.
And all thoughts pointed to the river. He had to lure her into the river.
Andy's initial plan was to lure her in and drown her. He didn't think he would be able to fight her one-on-one. However, to kill a person, one didn't necessarily need to fight.
Previously, Andy was banking on his high endurance to achieve this plan of his.
Initially, he felt that he would be able to last at least, six minutes underwater if he minimized his movement. But now, with the Drowned Resolve skill, he was certain that he could last for 25 minutes without coming to the surface to breathe.
But the cooldown time…
He looked up at the sun, noticing that it was already getting close to noon. In about an hour or so, some underclassmen would be on break and were sure to come to this place.
A wicked, and sinister thought crossed Andy's mind. Drowning Melinda was a good option, but a part of him wanted to inflict more pain on her. He wanted to vent some of his pent-up rage and trauma out.
With a glance at her position, Andy dived back into the river to finish his workout.
By the time he was done, more than two dozen students were already resting or loitering around the riverside. It was at this time that Andy emerged.
Many eyes fell upon him as he came out. Mainly because some of them had been here for more than 10 minutes, and they didn't notice that there was anyone in the river.
Andy came out of the water and quickly made his way to his hostel.
All the pain and fatigue from his workout, had healed when he activated his Drowned Resolve in the water. Upon the skill activation, Andy felt himself enter into an immersive type of state, one that calmed his body and nerves.
Seeing her prey running away. Melinda tightened her fist, wondering; "Has he figured out that he's being watched?"
This was the only thing that could explain his behavior.
But how had he figured this out?
Chasing after him, Melinda spent the next eight hours waiting for the right time to attack Andy. Just when she thought she would have to wait till tomorrow, she saw Andy rush out of his hostel and in the direction of the river.
A smile appeared on Melinda's face as she licked her lips. "Bingo,"