CH 13

The employees of the mansion, regardless of age or gender, were busy talking about Blanche’s rebellion. So no one knew that one of the maids, who had her head bowed down so low, escaped the mansion. They didn’t notice that this maid was none other than Blanche.

Leaving the capital like that, Blanche never looked back.

* * *

[System/ level 195 has been reached.]

[System/ level 196 has been reached.]

[System/ level 197 has been reached.]

[System/ level 198 has been reached.]

[System/ level 199 has been reached.]

It was a nice afternoon.

Blanche, sitting at the corner of a wagon loaded with alcohol, looked dryly at the texts piled up one after the other like a tower. The sweet taste of the [Experience Apple] she just ate lingered on the tip of her tongue.

Finally, she was ready to head to the lawless city of Digitalis.

She did it. It had only been a month since she ran away.

Blanche had reached level 199.

Even in her situation where she couldn’t catch monsters or break the main quest.

This was a trick that only the woman who knew information about <Heartbeat Anastage> could use.

After she ran away, she first raised her level to 25 with a hidden quest. She also collected [Experience Apples] like crazy.

[Experience Apple] was a hidden item that randomly increased experience points by at least 500% and up to 2,000% immediately upon ingestion. In addition to that, Blanche also receives the effect of doubling the experience points with the [White Sand Bracelet].

So, in the blink of an eye, she reached level 199. In addition, the hidden quest where you can get [Experience Apples] made a lot of gold, enough to make Blanche’s pockets quite heavy.

Thanks to this, Blanche met the space travel wizard, who is hard to find, like a friend.

* * *

Blanche entered Digitalis wearing a gray hooded cape.

She safely arrived in front of Lilies and Bread, one of the Giotto family’s businesses.

The sound of the winter breeze passing through the signboards randomly placed on the street could be heard. It was the sound of a bullet hole in the signboard.

Blanche turned on the status window while looking at the experience bar, which was a bit lacking to reach level 200.

Thanks to the system in which one random stat goes up when leveling up, Blanche’s Health was well over 200.

This was because her bonus stat was Health.

[Blanche Marquette LV 199

Age 17 / Female

Health 248/248

Mana 405 (White Sand Bracelet effect applied)

Fame 10

Morality Error

Stress 0 (White Sand Bracelet effect applied)

Remaining stat points: 198]

Stat points are surplus points that can be invested in each stat as points that are generated whenever the level rises. You can also buy merchandise from special shops through the mascot with it.

‘If my stamina is 248, it’s overwhelmingly stronger than most men.’

In addition, the level of an ordinary person who is not an Elementalist, goes between 1 and 15.

‘Great. I am now ready to meet Ricardo.’

Blanche pressed the hood down once more and entered the gambling room.

When she entered the room, the first thing that greeted her was shouts everywhere, the smell of fishy sweat, and the smell of disgusting filth.

Is it because the dungeon by-product market has not yet been established?

This was what she felt when she first entered Digitalis. Compared to <Digitalis>, the city of gold and vice that appeared in the original work, this place was shabby. Also, the distinction between downtown and non-residential areas were clear.

Blanche looked around the inside of the store measuring about 1700 square feet.

First of all, it wasn’t unusual to even see what’s happening at several tables that filled half the store.

Dice gambling, card games, smoking, arm wrestling…

A situation that cannot be said to be healthy is the same for the rest of the store. There was a square ring, and bodies fighting inside it.

Two men who took off their shirts were doing their best to grab and beat each other.

Even though blood spat out and teeth flew away with a single punch, the people around the ring were busy shouting. Instead of stopping them, they were cheering for the players to kill their opponents, whilst holding crumpled tickets.

They were all fanaticals as if they had a screw loose.

Suddenly, someone gently wrapped Blanche’s shoulder.

“Hey, lady. Is it your first time here?”

He was a man in his late 40’s, with a wrinkled face and dark blonde hair that reached his shoulders, dripping with oil.

Blanche bended his thumb that touched her shoulder like kneading a dough. She slammed his smelly face into a nearby pole.

“Ack!”

The man’s screams blended into the atmosphere of the crowded and promiscuous gambling hall. No one cared about what he was going through.

Blanche replied without blinking an eye.

“Right. It’s my first time. So I just needed a guide.”

“Wait, Let me go for a second…!”

Blanche didn’t even listen to him.

She checked his status window.

[Jack LV 5

Age 47 / Male

Health 70/70

Mana 10

Fame 47

Morality 0

Stress 275]

With a Health stat similar to that of a mere ten-year-old Alphonse, she recklessly broke one of Jack’s thumbs.

“Aahhh!”

A loud scream like a pig’s squeal went up in the air, but again, everyone was so busy with what they were doing that they didn’t even pay attention to the two.

No, to be precise, there were people who looked at them with interest, but they didn’t seem to want to stop Blanche.

Jack begged and held his runny nose.

“I-I was wrong! Save me!”

“I won’t kill you. If you can answer my question.”

“Hiic!”

Blanche asked him, who was terrified.

“I came to find Ricardo from the Giotto family. Where is the boy now?”

Then Jack slammed and shouted, banging his hand on the pillar on which his face had been buried. He was desperate as if he found a lifeline.

“Here! Someone is looking for the child of the Giotto family! Someone is looking for the boss’ eldest son!”

The noise in the store subsided as if the waves that had been raging calmed down.

Only after the chaos in the room subsided, a skinny man in his early sixties stepped forward.

It was an old man with a lot of scratches on his glasses.

[Sylvano LV 6

Age 61/Male

Health 90/90

Mana 60

Fame 47

Morality 10

Stress 132]

The man wearing glasses asked.

“Who are you?”

Blanche’s voice became a little polite, thinking that it might be Ricardo’s acquaintance.

“My name is Blanche. I came here to be part of the Giotto family.”

In the middle of the silence, suddenly, someone burst out laughing.

“A kid like you who looks like he hasn’t hit puberty wants to become part of the family? Besides, what kind of madman gives his son a fancy name like Blanche?”

Some people agreed with that statement. It seemed that none of them thought that Blanche, who defeated Jack, was a woman.

[T/N: So the sentence regarding puberty is actually a bit more literal but I changed it a little because it felt off when translated. Since they assumed she’s a guy, they’re making fun of her voice that hasn’t matured yet.]

She said, “What matters is what I can do for the family, not my name.”

Sylvano asked.

“So why are you looking for Ricardo?”

It was then that Blanche regretted that she had brought up Ricardo’s name too easily. She said reluctantly.

“I will see him myself and tell him.”

“So, you’re saying you’re not the one sent by Count Juan.”

Blanche raised an eyebrow at the familiar name.

A number of muskets and crossbows were aimed at her.

[System/ The Giotto family are hostile towards you.]

Starting with someone’s terrible screams, people rushed out of the gambling hall like a wave.

Now, only Blanche and the Giotto family of about twenty people were left in the room. She was still nailing Jack’s face to the pole.

Sylvano shot her a gloomy look and commanded.

“Leave Jack alone. Rookie.”

Blanche, who looked at Sylvano and Jack alternately for a moment, clicked her tongue and let Jack go. Sniffing like a child, Jack ran towards the gang.

Blanche made an excuse as she slowly lifted her hands palms forward into the air.

“If I had known he was a member of the Giotto family, I would have been careful.”

“Rookie. Don’t be cocky. Jack is just an apprentice.”

As Jack returned safely to the gang, Sylvano waved his hand in the air.

The weapons that were aimed at Blanchet dropped to the ground.

Sylvano said with dignity.

“I don’t know anything else, but I’ll acknowledge your guts. Ok, rookie. Starting from today, you are now a fighter for the Giotto family, a Soldato.”

[T/N: Soldato: First official level in the Mafia hierarchy]

“You can decide that yourself?”

When Sylvano was about to answer, Jack, still weeping from the pain of his broken thumb, intervened.

“Consilieri! That guy can’t be Soldato! It’s a b*tch!”

“What?”

When Sylvano’s teeth were horribly distorted, Blanche clicked his tongue.

“You’ve been beaten by a b*tch yet you were quiet this whole time?”

Sylvano immediately took one of his men’s crossbow and aimed it at Blanche.

“Take off your hood, b*tch.”

“… You’ll regret it.”

“I told you to take it off.”

It wasn’t difficult for Blanche to picture what would happen if the situation were to continue. There’s a reason why she wore a grey hood after she ran away from home.

With a deep sigh, Blanche finally took off her hood. Not surprisingly, the Giotto family fell in love with her beauty at once.

**********