Warm light trickled through my eyelids.
"...Hm?..."
I was back at Grandma Guanhuai's house, sleeping on the sofa.
I tried to prop myself up, but an overwhelming pain shot through my legs.
"Augh-!"
My vision started to blur again.
No, get ahold of yourself!
I tightly shut my eyes as my teeth ground against each other, waiting for the intense pain to pass.
"MMmFmF! MMFMFG!"
...?
What was that?
I slowly turned my head toward the sound.
Tucked into the little corner of the room, the man who had tried to kill me last night sat there bound by a flimsy rope that looked like it would've snapped at any fucking moment.
His mouth was gagged with what seemed like a dirty cloth, and of course, Grandma Guanhuai was nowhere to be seen.
This was great. Just great!
I'm stuck in a house with my murderer, who could escape at any moment, with no one to help me.
"HMmF!"
"Even if you were to beg me to untie you, I couldn't, considering what you did to my legs."
"....hmf...."
"Wow, are you finally thinking about your choice now?"
"..."
Thinking about what happened the previous night, I knew I at least had some way to defend myself.
And Grandma Guanhuai wouldn't have let him sit here with me if he weren't bound correctly.
Maybe that's why I spoke to him so laxly.
But looking at his face, he also felt so much more...different?
It was definitely the same guy, but in broad daylight with his cloak off, he seemed so... unthreatening.
Getting a better look at him, he looked like he was in his mid-twenties.
His black hair was actually pretty well kept for someone tied up and gagged.
Somehow, his bangs perfectly sat right above his forehead... photogenic much?
I didn't have to run my hands through my hair to know how matted it was.
I comfortably lay back on the sofa.
My legs were bent weirdly, prompting me to immediately look away.
It felt like the more I thought about my legs, the worse the pain got.
"Tch, even with healing potions, this is going to take at least a week."
"HMmmF!"
"And it's all your fault!"
"...hmf."
Thankfully, my phone sat right on the coffee table.
I quickly grabbed it, trying to call Grandma Guanhuai, but then ultimately realized she never brings her phone out anyway.
...I guess I should check out my skills instead.
I tapped into the Skills App, and this time, I thankfully read through everything uninterrupted.
I clicked on the first skill.
[Skill App]
[Before Judgement's Gaze - Level 1/10]
[With the absorption of Li-Liang, see another person's faults.]
[Information found is documented in the Skill App, and is always available for reuse.]
[Thoughts to consider:
The deeper the fault, the more Li-Liang is used up.
The more faults found, the more Li-Liang is used up.
The farther away in time a fault is committed, the more Li-Liang is used up.
A fault can be used during the Scales of Punishment, but presenting the case needs more Li-Liang.]
[Warnings: Prolonged use can cause irritation or burning of the eyes.]
[*As the skill is leveled up, faults shown will give more context*]
Looking over the skill, it nicely complemented the second one.
I wanted to try using the skill on that man, but decided that right now wasn't a good time.
I swiftly clicked on my second skill, which seemed to be the one I used last night.
[Skill App]
[Scales of Punishment - Level 1/10]
[A realm created by the user, controlled by the Scales.]
[Time moves the same from the outside and the inside.]
[Debuffs and buffs depend on the point differences between the scales. The larger the difference, the more severe.]
[When inside the realm, the user has all debuffs erased and gains new buffs.]
[Failure to sentence the defendant properly will have consequences for the user.]
[Current buffs:
Up to a 10% Attack Buff
Up to a 10% Li-Liang output Buff
Up to a 5% Speed Buff
May include the temporary healing of all or most previously inflicted wounds.
Buff duration can last up to five minutes currently.]
[Current debuffs:
Up to a 20% Attack Debuff
Up to a 20% Li-Liang output Debuff
Up to a 10% Speed Debuff
May include the temporary severing of the heart and Li-Liang.
Debuff duration can last up to eight minutes currently.]
[*New debuffs and buffs can be obtained through level-ups*]
There was so much to unpack, with stats and percentages all dependent on how I sentenced the opponent.
I felt my heart race a little.
This was it, this is what my knowledge of the game could be used for!
I couldn't help but smirk stupidly at my phone.
"MhmmFhM!"
But what interested me even more was the debuff talking about the "severing of the heart and Li-Liang", just what did that mean?
Does it make a person unconscious? That's what it seemed like last night when checking that man's pulse. He was still breathing, just knocked out.
But it's still vague as to what happens...should I just look it up online? Wait, is there even Wifi in the slums?
"MMMFFF!!"
"For God's sake, could you shut up?! What-"
BAM
The front door slammed open, causing dust to fly everywhere.
***
Because of my leg, everyone sat around the coffee table as we ate the stale bread, but this time, Grandma Guanhuai bought three mini milk cartons.
She was hand-feeding my robber with his hands and feet being bound, but it was more like stuffing food down his throat...geez.
I ignored the sounds and just chewed on my bread.
"Hey, kiddo, I checked the current Li-Liang in yer body, and ya don't have enough for a good healing potion. Ya must have used up a lot when ya unlocked those skills, so yer gonna have te just endure it for a bit."
"Hm, okay."
"I'd say give or take about four days? Maybe five."
"Hm? That's actually pretty fast."
"That's what you might think, but what about my business?!"
"..."
I can't believe that's what she's worried about.
All of a sudden, the man broke free from the food stuffing, making me flinch and even try to get up, which ended in more pathetic groans.
"What happened to my sibling?! What did you-"
"They're fine, kiddo, they ain't any different from they were yesterday."
She tried to force another piece of bread into his mouth, but he quickly swerved to the right.
"Wait! I-"
"I bought em enough food for the day, so stop whining and eat yers!"
She then successfully stuffed a huge chunk of bread into his mouth.
...I think I'm going to lose my appetite...