Chapter 38: Ah, it’s a humanoid washing machine!

The stream shimmered with starlight, as if the sky’s stars had fallen into the water.

But upon closer inspection, it became clear that the glittering lights were actually fish—each about the size of a palm.

Though small, these fish had sharp teeth, wide glaring eyes, and terrifying, twisted faces.

Within sight alone, there were over a hundred of them!

Ye Lian had spotted them—but they had spotted her too.

Almost simultaneously, they turned toward her, eerie lights flashing in their eyes.

Then, like a school of flying fish, they suddenly leapt out of the water and charged at her.

The sight made Bai Xue’s scalp tingle as she clenched her tiny fists.

And yet, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Ye Lian’s eyes narrowed sharply.

In that instant, the hundred or so fish froze midair.

It was as if some terrifying force had locked them in place—completely immobile.

Terror was unmistakable in their eyes.

Raising her pale right hand slightly, the ripples in front of her began to tremble.

“Be destroyed.”

With Ye Lian’s words, a terrifying shockwave burst from her palm, instantly blasting the swarm of monsters into a mist of blood!

“Master, you’re amazing~!” Bai Xue clapped excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she cheered.

At that moment, a strange and indescribable feeling stirred in her heart.

“You can come over now,” Ye Lian called, beckoning with a wave.

Bai Xue happily jogged over.

“This stream is surprisingly clear,” she said, glancing down.

The water was clear to the bottom, about knee-deep, and not very fast-flowing.

“Come to think of it, those monsters just now were really terrifying. Who would’ve thought they’d leap out of the water like that for a sneak attack?”

She shivered at the thought of what might’ve happened if she had approached the stream carelessly and been surrounded by a hundred of those things.

“Better not rely too much on real-world logic in this game. Too many things in this Nightmare Zone defy common sense.”

Ye Lian spoke with a calm gravity.

“I understand,” Bai Xue nodded, listening earnestly.

“I’m going to start washing clothes. Keep watch around us.”

“Yes, Master.” Bai Xue drew her sword and scanned the surroundings, her expression tense and focused.

Ye Lian considered telling her to relax—but then thought better of it.

Staying tense was good.

If Bai Xue got too relaxed and lost her sense of danger, it would only hinder her growth later on.

Turning away, Ye Lian pulled out Bai Xue’s clothes from her inventory and tossed them into the stream.

Just as the current was about to sweep the garments away, she reached a hand into the water.

Bai Xue watched as something strange happened to the flow.

The surface began to swirl, quickly forming a small whirlpool.

The clothes spun faster and faster within it.

It reminded Bai Xue of the washing machine back home.

Except this “washing machine” spun far faster—and not a single drop of water splashed out.

It was like magic.

‘Master is so good at everything. She’s incredible… I wonder what she looks like under that armor? She must be a gallant and stunning beauty, right?’

The longer she watched, the more curious Bai Xue became about Ye Lian’s true appearance.

Her imagination ran wild.

Just then, the water trembled—and the clothes suddenly shot into the air, droplets scattering.

Bai Xue had just been about to dodge, but the splashing water suddenly hit an invisible wall and fell harmlessly to the surface with a loud splash.

Ye Lian stood with her arms extended, suspending the clothes in mid-air.

Even though Bai Xue had seen this scene a few times before, it still felt utterly unbelievable.

But what happened next was even more astonishing.

The clothes hovering in the air began to spin rapidly, faster and faster.

Countless water droplets were flung outward, hitting the water below with a noisy splash.

“…” Bai Xue had previously joked in her mind that her master was imitating a washing machine.

But now it was confirmed beyond a doubt.

This was a humanoid tumble dryer!

***

After a short while, most of the moisture had been spun out of the clothes.

Ye Lian spread each piece out in the air, then pulled out her spear and activated wind magic to dry them at high speed.

The magical process left Bai Xue completely stunned.

The drying finished quickly.

Ye Lian retrieved a pair of tights, gave them a sniff, and said, “No strange smell. You can wear them.”

“…” Watching this, Bai Xue’s cheeks turned a bright pink, and the tips of her ears flushed red.

That was her underwear!

Even though it had been thoroughly cleaned, she still felt a strange sensation.

It was like her body was being sniffed—gently, and then slowly invaded~

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Ye Lian looked over with concern.

“N-No, I’m fine,” Bai Xue quickly shook her head and tried to shake the inappropriate images from her mind.

“Good. Go ahead and put them on.”

Ye Lian tossed over the black tights.

Bai Xue caught them and, after a brief hesitation, began changing right there on the spot.

Ye Lian turned away and began taking down the rest of the clothes from the air.

After spending a bit of time, Bai Xue finally finished putting on the complete maid outfit.

“Master, here’s your coat,” she said, a bit reluctant as she held out the silver-white jacket.

“You can keep it,” Ye Lian replied casually while opening her system panel.

Bai Xue’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you! I’ll treasure it, Master~”

“Mm.” Ye Lian gave a brief reply, her eyes fixed on her level.

Sure enough, it had increased by one.

She tapped the screen, and a terrifying pressure instantly descended.

Bai Xue’s expression changed drastically.

Only when she realized that this pressure was coming from Ye Lian did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Her master’s aura was far more terrifying than any monster she had ever encountered!

“Finally, Level 10,” Ye Lian said with satisfaction.

“Level 10?!” Bai Xue exclaimed in disbelief.

“That’s right. Just reached it.” Ye Lian nodded lightly. Normally, a player’s level wasn’t displayed, but if you stared long enough, it would eventually appear.

Not to mention the existence of the public level ranking board.

There was no need to hide it—unless she had a skill that masked her level.

“Master, you’re amazing!” Bai Xue said admiringly.

However, a question rose in her heart.

‘Is Level 10 really that powerful?’

“You probably leveled up too,” Ye Lian said.

“Let me check!” Bai Xue quickly opened her system panel and saw a [+2] next to her level.

Gaining two levels in one go—what a rush!

‘Following Master was definitely the best decision!’ she thought happily.

After assigning her stat points, Bai Xue could clearly feel her power surge.

She felt wonderful.

“But something’s still missing,” Ye Lian said, now staring at her.

“What do you mean, Master?” Bai Xue asked, confused.

“Ah, right. You’re missing a headpiece.”

Ye Lian tapped her hand lightly.

“I was too focused on the maid outfit and forgot about the helmet. But honestly, a helmet just doesn’t go well with a maid costume. Bai Xue, what do you think about a mask?”

“A mask? That sounds great!” Bai Xue had no hesitation once she imagined the contrast between a helmet and a mask paired with the maid outfit.

Ye Lian was right—helmets would clash too much.

“Alright. I’ll craft you the perfect mask.”

As she spoke, Ye Lian pulled out a piece of white bone from her inventory, roughly the size of half a face.

It was the Queen’s Bone—left behind after the ant queen’s self-destruction.