I followed her. While I walked behind Emma, I tried to figure out how to use the Cube.
"How can I actually use it?" I asked, confusion written all over my face.
"Just press the Skeleton button," Emma answered, visibly annoyed.
Skeleton button?
The moment I pressed it, my entire body was suddenly covered in a dark red fog. My form began to change.
When I turned on my phone and looked at the screen, I saw that... my face looked old!
What is that?!
"So, are you ready now?" the blonde girl with alabaster-white skin asked me after my transformation.
"Yes," I answered quietly.
After I used the artifact, she pulled out a second cube and used it herself.
"Hmpf..." I tried to suppress my laugh — her old-looking face was hilarious.
After discussing how we were even supposed to get to the Villain Area on the Monolith Continent, we got moving.
"We'll take the bus to Ingot City, then take a train to the border of the Monolith Area," said the old-looking blonde girl as we walked.
I rolled my eyes. "Alright."
We left the spot and waited 25 minutes for the bus.
Finally, it arrived at the station. I rarely took the bus — I usually couldn't afford the ticket.
As we boarded, I glanced at Emma in her grandma body, and she understood my look.
"Don't worry, I have enough money," she said, trying not to hurt my pride.
"Thank you," I replied.
Emma bought two long-distance tickets and scanned them at the entrance.
We stepped inside, and I took a look around.
The bus was clean. Each side had twelve wine-red seats. The floor was matte black, though slightly dirty from people's shoes.
"How long will it take to reach Ingot City?" I asked her.
"Let me think..." After a few seconds, she continued, "Around 45 minutes."
Forty-five minutes. That wouldn't be a problem.
We headed to the back and took seats in a quiet corner.
The bus started moving.
At first, I was curious to see new places. But after a while, I got bored — and took a nap.
"Wake up."
I slowly opened my eyes and realized we were near Ingot City. I looked out the window and saw beautiful buildings.
Most of them were made of quartz and bricks, with golden-colored bricks decorating the white stone. It looked amazing.
It looks so beautiful, I thought while rubbing my eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'm awake," I said, standing up. We left the modern, noble-looking bus together.
We went to a small brick café and ate something.
While checking my Trustpoints, I started a conversation.
"Why do I have –1,500 Trustpoints?"
She looked at me, eyes wide in shock, nearly spitting out her coffee. Fortunately, she managed to keep it in.
"You dumbass! Don't show your negative Trustpoints in public!" she said while I quickly covered my screen with my sleeve.
"Sorry, sorry," I said in a careful tone.
Thinking about it... it made sense to hide it. I had never seen anyone with negative points on the Hero Continent. It could definitely attract attention.
She looked into my eyes and bowed her head slightly. "Normally, Trustpoints show how much people like you. But if you're really hated, they can go negative."
It made sense... but I had never seen anyone with negative points before.
Quietly, I asked, "Am I weaker now?"
She shook her head. "Nope. For example, there's no difference between +1,500 and –1,500. The minus just shows you that people hate you."
She continued. "And actually, you gained an ability through the hate."
I don't even know how that works… Can I now kill women more easily?...Not that I want to.
"What kind of ability did I get?"
She just shrugged. "No idea. But some of our allies can figure it out — they have the abilities for that."
I hope my ability has nothing to do with killing girls...
After we finished our food and talked for a bit, she suggested we stay at a hotel for the night.
We went to the Mozard Hotel. She booked one room. For both of us.
A boy and a girl in the same room?!
She saw the look on my face and said, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not rich, you know."
She had a point.