Unstable

Shit. I didn't even sense the person who is currently touching my shoulder. What should I do? Run without looking back or try to keep up my powerful facade. I was able to take out the assassins and guards but if the auction house calls its elite guards I'll die without even getting a scratch on them.

"Miss Q. Please let Miss Mia go," I hear a cold voice come from behind me.

I turn my head back slowly and saw her… the same woman who saved me before. The same woman who looked like the Primordial Brave of Ice.

Light blue hair with a busty figure. Instead of wearing a hoodie, she wore a beautiful, long, light blue and white dress that went down to her ankles. Also… the same cold light blue eyes seemed to peer into my soul. She was powerful. Way beyond the power that I have right now.

tsk

I wasn't dumb enough to talk back to her. All I did was get up and walk away feeling the urge to kick Mia but held back because of the woman's cold gaze.

"AH! Miss Tiana, I welcome you to our auction house! Please forgive my rudeness, I didn't realize you were coming today," Atlas says bowing apologetically.

"Why is the primordial brave of ice here?" says one of the men behind me as I walk away.

"Oh, you are right. Shouldn't she be on the front lines?" says a woman behind me.

Huh. Really. So I was right? Why is she always near me? What does she want with me? Frontlines? What are the frontlines…?

I leave the auction house as fast as possible with looking as calm as possible. But, that was extremely hard due to the number of questions that flooded my mind. Even though I couldn't see my eyes, I felt like they were shaking.

A cold sweat ran down my neck as I ran. I didn't know where to run. But I ran as soon as I got out of the auction house vicinity.

"Ah shit. Why is it acting up now,"

Of course, I had PTSD from all the bullying I've received. All the betrayals from fake friends hurt every time, creating my extreme trust issues. I even have times where my body just knows it's a bad idea to be friends with somebody. It was instinct as if I knew already I was going to be betrayed.

I couldn't stop shaking as I sat in an alleyway. Why was I shaking? Is it my body telling me not to get close to her? I don't know?

It was something I haven't felt in a while… fear and anxiety. Not only is my body telling me not to get close to her, but she can reveal my identity anytime. There's no way our run-ins were coincidences.

"I'm anxious and scared… I need somebody… please… anybody," I sat in the alleyway crying by myself as images of my mom flashed in my mind.

Even when I closed my eyes I could see her. If I opened my eyes I saw her. If I tried to sleep I saw her. I didn't even realize how bad my trauma was since I always had my mom to rely on. I thought I wouldn't need anybody anymore since I was powerful but… I was naive.

I'm powerful. Maybe at least a C-rank dungeon runner but my mental state is bad. It was worse than I could've ever imagined. I can't even extinguish my anxiety. It was possible but not right now. Anxiety was taking over. I didn't let it flow, it flowed by itself.

"Do you need help?" I hear a warm voice come from beside me.

I looked over and saw my mom. She was in an ethereal form just like when I saw her rise out of our house.

"Mom, please help me," I say, slightly surprising myself by my reaction.

Normally I would've balled my eyes out while trying to hug her but I already knew that was impossible. She was just a figment of my imagination that I cooked up to try and ease myself.

"Do you think she is such a bad person? Are you sure your body despises the idea of having a close relationship with her? Your mind didn't say anything bad until your body reacted first," My mom said.

"I-I can't trust anybody. They will do bad things to me and betray my trust. It's too hard, I need you mom," I say, hugging my knees and laying my tear-dried eyes into them.

"My daughter, you need to learn to move on. If you give somebody a chance you might have the best experience of your life,"

"I ALREADY TRIED THAT! SO MANY TIMES I TRIED THAT! BETRAYAL IS ALREADY INGRAINED INTO MY BODY! IF MY BODY SAYS NO! THAT MUST MEAN IT'S A NO! I CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY ANYMORE! PLEASE… JUST… please… go away… I know you're not really mom," I say crying into my knees.

"It's alright, I hope one day you'll give somebody a chance," My mom says before disappearing.

"I'm lost… revenge kept me going for a while and it was satisfying for a few hours until I realized I had no more goals," I say, slowly standing up.

I slowly stumble out of the alleyway and try to find a dungeon to vent my pent-up emotions.

…

I was currently in a D-rank dungeon which was called the Piglin dungeon. The monsters were self-explanatory. Giant humanoid-like pigs that look similar to a troll. Most wore metal armor with long swords or clubs as their choice of weapon.

I had no trouble killing most of them since their armor wasn't infused with magic. But there are rare occasions where their armor is infused with magic and sometimes even their weapon.

These were much more of a struggle so I used [Ice Fossilized Snake Necromancy]. They either wrapped themselves around the piglins or held them down by their ankles where I would then pummel them with [Frostbite].

"*sigh* They give 5 XP each but they don't show up that much. Also, where is the raid team that entered, don't tell me they already died," I chuckled to myself.

『Status』

[Name: Lucy]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 24/25] (15/25) XP Needed

[HP: 42/42 MP: 42/42 SP: 20/20] - Above Average

[Strength: 35] - Above Average

[Defense: 35] - Above Average

[Magic: 35] - Above Average

[Speed: 35] - Above Average

[Skills: [Weak Quetzalcoatl's Ancient Fire] [Ice Fossilized Snake Necromancy] [Royal Ice Crown]

[Passive: [Photographic Memory] [Boiling Frozen Blood]

…

[Shop]

[Inventory]

[Map]

…

"Just two more piglins and then I'm done," I say standing up slightly excited.

My mind has been taken off my previous thoughts and was now focused on evolving. I know I blurted out that I have no goal, but I only just realized that the system has given me a goal. To keep evolving and leveling up.

"Seems I don't need to go looking for them, this is my lucky day," I say, seeing two piglins approaching me.

I pull out Frostibite from my inventory and activate [Royal Ice Crown] for the first time after entering this dungeon.

The surroundings immediately start to freeze beside the piglins since they had magic-infused armor. They might not be freezing but their movements started to slow down and were wobbling due to the ice below them.

GROOAOOAR

A disgusting roar came out of their mouths as they charged towards me. I readied my sword behind me, before jumping up and slashing at the small space between the helmet and chest plate.

The piglins neck was cut but it was only life-threatening due to the ice that spread inside the wound. Its comrade looked in terror as it saw his friend turn into ice from the inside out.

"You're not safe from me, trash…" I say before landing on the ice below and jumping up.

The piglin swung its massive sword at me, but I dodged by tucking my knees in and landing on the blade of the sword. I then lunged forward, stabbing Frostbite right into the helmet's eyehole.

The massive humanoid pig struggled in vain as it tried to claw at its face, trying to get rid of me but I had already jumped back and watched the piglin die slowly.

[5 XP gained]

[5 XP gained]

[You leveled up]

[Evolution Available]

VWOOM

Suddenly I felt my stomach turn and instantly saw the outside of the portal.