[Favorability -10]
Bai Jin’s favorability plummeted, leaving Yang Yu in shock.
“Why did her favorability drop so drastically just because I tried to start a conversation? It doesn’t make sense; I look quite handsome.
“Could it be that she’s been hurt by a jerk before, and my actions came off as too similar, leading to a misunderstanding between us?
“Or is it just that my charm is too low?”
With so many possibilities, Yang Yu decided to stop overthinking.
He didn’t understand the girl’s personality yet. Random actions could lead to unpredictable results in her favorability. Since he wanted her as a partner, he needed to be sincere, not flashy, or it would be counterproductive.
“I’m sorry. Please forget what I just said. I’ll cut to the chase: I hope you’ll become my partner.” Yang Yu sincerely invited her.
The number above Bai Jin’s head rose to 17. She asked, “Why are you inviting me? We only met for the first time today…”
“About that…”
Just as Yang Yu was about to explain, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes patted his shoulder.
“Kid, I advise you to give up.”
“Why?”
The man lowered his voice and cautiously warned Yang Yu, “Bad things often happen when working with this girl. Her pessimistic predictions usually come true. Many teams that went on missions with her often came back missing limbs. In short, she’s a jinx, and teaming up with her will only bring misfortune.”
Despite his lowered voice, Bai Jin heard every word clearly from a distance. However, she didn’t deny it and continued munching on her dry sweet potato sticks as if she hadn’t heard.
“Misfortune follows her? Do you really believe such superstitions?” Yang Yu smirked.
Her luck stat is ten times mine. If misfortune strikes, it’s purely my own incompetence! Besides, her high resistance to curses and frail constitution make her a rare character. If I can cure her frailty, she might become a main force in my team. There’s no way I’m giving up on her.
Based on years of gaming experience, Yang Yu was convinced that characters like Bai Jin were key to unlocking hidden plots. Letting go now would be foolish.
“Those teams probably got into trouble because they ignored warnings and acted recklessly. In the end, they blamed this helpless girl to cover their mistakes.”
Several young adventurers in the tavern averted their guilty gazes, having initially enjoyed the show but now falling silent.
“But… sometimes this girl, even when treated kindly, still…” The well-meaning man hesitated, then shook his head and walked away, realizing Yang Yu was determined.
As the guild grew noisy again, Yang Yu turned to Bai Jin. She had finished her sweet potato sticks and was awkwardly placing her hands around the empty plate. Her favorability number had risen back to 19.
“You need to answer my earlier question. Why are you inviting me? We only met today…” Bai Jin repeated her question to ensure Yang Yu didn’t forget.
“Because you seem strong. That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Of course, I wouldn’t approach you if it weren’t for your intelligence stat over 200 and favorability close to 20.
This answer didn’t change Bai Jin’s favorability, but she grabbed Yang Yu’s hand, breathing heavily.
“Are you sure you want to team up with me? As you can see, I’m a gloomy and suspicious person. My magic consists of dark, seemingly useless curses, and I’m frail, possibly bringing misfortune. Do you still want to recruit someone like me?” Bai Jin’s voice grew sinister, resembling an evil witch. “If you lie, I will curse you for life. I’ll see you betrayed and miserably dead.”
Her eerie words echoed, and her hollow eyes, hidden beneath her hair, pierced Yang Yu’s nerves. His scalp tingled as he finally understood why her charm was negative and why she was often blamed.
“Could you change your way of speaking? Even if you’re not a villain, people will see you as one,” Yang Yu sighed. “Are you a curse mage?”
“Yes. Are you backing out?” Bai Jin sneered, her face darkening. “You can still change your mind, but if you lie, I will curse you.”
“Do you know any healing or regeneration curses?”
“Of course, such trivial magic is easy for me. I know more powerful spells, even at the cost of my life…”
“Then it’s settled. You can’t back out.”
Yang Yu firmly held Bai Jin’s delicate hand, preventing her from escaping.
“Huh?”
Bai Jin’s stern face blushed, and she quickly pulled her hand away. Her favorability number shot up to 32.
Success!
A new team function appeared on the system panel, with Bai Jin listed. Yang Yu could now see her attributes and skills.
As he checked, Yang Yu couldn’t help but laugh. He had found a treasure.
In addition to basic spells like [Ice Arrow] and [Fireball], she had AOE skills like [Ice Spike] and [Black Thunder Surge]. Her curse support skills were numerous, including [Weapon Corrosion] and [Armor Corrosion], which reduced attack and defense, and [Doom Curse], which lowered critical hit chance and damage.
For someone like Yang Yu, who dreaded being taken out by a critical hit, this skill was perfect for leveling the playing field, allowing him to use his gaming experience to win.
The most surprising skill was [Healing Ban], useful in all stages of the game. It prevented enemies from healing or regenerating, halving the health of revived enemies. It consumed 100 MP, lasted an hour, and had a cooldown of only one minute!!!
This girl was the epitome of value. At level 12, she already had so many skills and such high intelligence. By level 100, she’d be unstoppable.
The only drawback was her limited mana, but with increased mana and recovery speed, she’d be the strongest late-game asset.