Chapter 24: The Next Goal
{Congratulations to Player V for learning the skill ’Warrior’s Focus’}
{Warrior’s Focus: Centers the mind and calms the body. Boosts stamina regeneration, sharpens reflexes, and increases mental clarity during combat.}
Vlad opened his eyes at the sound of the notification. ’I can learn the Ghost weave skill while fighting,’ he said. He closed the notification and looked at the time.
’It should be fine to summon her...’ Vlad’s thoughts were cut short as a soft, hesitant voice entered his ear, barely louder than a breath. "Hi, Master..." Words laced with nervousness sounded.
Vlad quickly turned to his right and was struck silent by the sight before him.
Just a few feet away, suspended gently in the air, was a small girl, no more than fifteen inches tall. Her skin was pale as the moon, and her pointed ears gave her an elfin appearance.
She had pitch-black pupils that stood out starkly against the pale green hue of her sclera, catching the dim light with an eerie shimmer.
Her hair flowed down in soft, layered shades of green, mirroring the color of her modest knee-length dress, though most of it was concealed beneath a shadowy black cloak that clung to her like a veil of silence.
She also had two curved horns, their surfaces marked with simple spiral lines that met at the top, giving them a natural, almost graceful appearance.
On her back sprouted a pair of wings, deep virulent green, with edges serrated like jagged blades, lending her a beauty that was both captivating and intimidating.
’How...,’ Vlad questioned, but the answer swiftly came to him, ’If she is the harrowed empress, then it makes sense,’