After work, start to speedrun the other world

"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Prince Hel," Xi Mu looked toward the center of the magic formation, at the Witch surrounded by ghostly flames.

She wore the classic white, pointed hat of a Witch, her hands crisply folded in front of her chest, her cascading blue curls like waves, emitting an icy aura that felt unapproachable.

"I hadn't expected someone would still offer me sacrifices." The Witch gazed at the frail humans before her and spoke:

"What do you desire…?"

Ordinarily, she would not respond to anyone, as it held no meaning for her, but recently her will carrier happened to be nearby.

Thus, she responded to the summoning after a long hiatus.

"To spread the power of death," Xi Mu answered as per routine, but Hel frowned upon hearing this, her blue eyes scrutinizing the human before her.

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke slowly.

"Human, you are not being honest."

"No, I'm telling the truth," Xi Mu smiled, placing his hand on his chest, "Spreading death is indeed what I will do with the power I gain."

"…Is that so, I'm very much looking forward to it." The Witch of Death fell silent for a moment, then her lips curved into a slight smile, her folded hands relaxing, and she extended a pale finger toward Xi Mu.

Seeing this, Xi Mu stepped forward into the magic formation. The Witch of Death surveyed his body before her finger touched his left chest, inscribing a rune signifying death.

The Witch of Death withdrew her hand and folded it in front of her chest again. She looked at the composed human before her and then, like smoke, her figure vanished, leaving behind a lingering statement.

"The one who pursues death, how far can you go?"

The interstitial plot concluded.

Xi Mu touched his chest, looking at the pale blue rune. It was the Witch of Death's favor, signifying he could wield powers associated with death.

However, this power came with a cost—the more he used it, the closer he came to death himself.

In layman's terms, it was… a shortening of his lifespan, unless he transformed himself into an undead creature. Otherwise, the more he invoked the Witch of Death's power, the more fleeting his life would become.

But this was of no concern to him; he would complete the speedrun long before his life reached its end.

And later in the game, he didn't care at all about such trivial loss of vitality.

"Was that the legendary Witch?" Norma walked over, looking at the remains of ashes in the center of the magic formation, patting her chest.

"She didn't seem as scary as the legends suggested."

Before witnessing the Witch's apparition, she was nearly scared to faint, but after the actual encounter, she surprisingly found the Witch easy to talk to.

She granted power to her follower right away.

"Perhaps you'll soon change your mind about that," Xi Mu casually remarked, offering no explanation to the curious Norma.

He picked up a box filled with Magic Potions.

"Let's go, to your house."

"…Is this a business visit to my house?" At this point, Norma was suspicious. This man couldn't be interested in her, otherwise he would have made a move on Miss Anastasia.

Xi Mu glanced at her, "If it weren't for the game's rules against misdemeanors, you'd see if I do your 'business.'"

In fact, he did want to break the rules, but the game allowed wars and killings, plots and betrayals.

However, it strictly prohibited any further encounters.

"…" Norma twitched her mouth. She didn't quite understand this man's thinking; he was brave enough to kill and even summon Witches.

Yet he didn't dare to…no, he adhered to the rules that everyone else pretended didn't exist.

It would have been simpler to say he wasn't interested in her, a more reasonable and acceptable explanation.

But now, she wouldn't dare to openly criticize the man before her, who was ruthless enough to murder nobility and summon Witches.

To him, killing her would be as simple as breathing.

Time passed.

In a cheap basement.

"…" Norma sat on the bed, hugging her knees, gazing emptily at the man sitting cross-legged beside her.

This man was refining Magic Power.

Ignoring her completely, not even for a chat, all his focus was on refining the Magic Power.

But, of course, this made perfect sense.

To speedrun the game, Xi Mu could not afford to waste time, naturally necessitating the refinement of Magic Power.

However, speaking of refining Magic Power,

This was, in essence, an alternative form of idle rest, or in the official terms of the game, a way to relieve stress on the brain.

After all, the game's timeline differed drastically from reality, impacting the brain differently.

The act of refining Magic Power for experience points was an official excuse to maintain in-game consistency, but in truth, it served to relax the players' minds.

However,

The next day,

In the afternoon,

At the Dueling Arena,

Nine fights.

Nine victories.

"Thrilling!" Xi Mu withdrew his heavy broadsword. Before him, the tiger-headed ork lay battered, its blood staining the ground red.

"This is getting boring," he turned to the host of the dueling arena, revealing a ferocious grin.

"I hear there's someone here who has won a hundred times. Why not let him fight me?"