Lucifer was taken aback by the new system notifications. He wasn't surprised that he couldn't use his skills when the system was down - he had already planned to learn some skills outside of the system's offerings. However, what surprised him even more was the fact that he would no longer experience natural energy loss, which had been a constant source of fear that had led him to making so many mistakes. It felt like the system was mocking him after he had managed to survive for so long with the energy timer constantly looming over him.

At first, he felt anger starting to boil up inside of him. But he decided to look at the situation positively, realizing that he would no longer need to harm anyone else going forward. With the absence of natural energy loss, he was strong enough to survive on his own without the need to purchase new skills. He wondered if the change was simply due to his increasing stability and could have occurred at any time, or the system's attempt at mocking his mentally weak self.

As he calmed down, Lucifer remembered that he had decided to give some food to Emily, who had been hungry for who knows how long. However, with his skills disabled, he wouldn't be able to touch anything, let alone prepare the food for her.

....

Emily continued to wait for her father, carrying both hunger and worry on her small shoulders. She waited and waited, until night fell and hunger was replaced by a gnawing fear for her father's safety. She knew he would never neglect her well-being, no matter how pressing his work was.

As time went on, Emily's anxiety mounted, and she tried to reassure herself that her father might have had some unexpected work to attend to. However, the thought of something happening to him made her heart heavy with apprehension and sadness. Eventually, she reached her breaking point.

"I should go ask Big Brother William for help," she mumbled to herself as she walked towards the door.

However, she suddenly came to a halt mid-step. "But if I go to Big Brother William's house, I might run into that baddy Frelerick," she said, scrunching up her tiny nose in disgust.

"Hmph, today I will have to sacrifice some of my brain cells for Papa's safety," she murmured to herself, determined to do whatever it takes to find her father even if it means facing that arrogant Fredrick.

She continued on through the door, her mind racing with worry and determination.

She sneaked through the dark outer city with nimble feet, undaunted by the uneven roads and the blackness of the night. It was almost as if she had done this many times before. However, even with her swift pace, it still took her a good 15 minutes to reach the gate that separated the inner city from the outer city.

"Excuse me, little girl. What brings you here?" asked the guard stationed at the gate in a forceful tone, trying to scare her away.

"I want to go to the inner city," Emily replied calmly, unfazed by the guard's attitude.

"May I ask why you want to go to the inner city at this time?" the guard asked, surprised by the girl's fearlessness.

"I want to meet Big Brother William," Emily replied promptly.

"Which William?" the guard asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"William Kennely," Emily replied, raising her voice slightly to create a shocking effect on the guard.

"Do you mean William Kennedy?" asked the guard, this time sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yes," replied Emily, puffing her cheeks slightly.

"Even if you want to meet William Kennedy, you should come in the morning or come with your parents. It's not safe for a young girl like you to be wandering around at night in the inner city. Now, go home," said the guard, with a firmer but more polite tone.

"But it's urgent," Emily pleaded, trying not to quiver.

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I cannot allow you entry at this time. Please come back during morning," the guard said, maintaining his serious tone.

Upon hearing the guard's serious tone, Emily realized that the chances of him allowing her entry were slim. Disappointed, she turned around and walked away from the gate.

.....

However, Emily was not one to give up so easily. She resolved that if she couldn't enter through the gate, then she would climb over the walls. The walls separating the inner and outer city were only as high as an average adult man, as their primary purpose was to differentiate between mortals and martial artists, rather than to provide protection.

Emily's heart pounded in her chest as she cautiously returned to the wall, her eyes darting around to ensure that no guards were present. She crept towards the wall, her small frame easily concealed in the shadows. The wall loomed before her, a daunting obstacle that would be easy for an adult man to scale but a treacherous challenge for a little girl like her.

With a fierce determination burning in her chest, Emily searched the surrounding area for anything that could help her climb over the wall. She spotted several large rocks and set to work, carefully stacking them one on top of the other. The rocks were heavy and unwieldy, and Emily's small hands were quickly scraped and bloodied by the rough surface. But she didn't give up. Her unwavering resolve pushed her forward, urging her to conquer the wall and reach her goal.

Finally, Emily finished stacking the rocks and faced another problem. She had to climb onto the unstable pile without any support. Her heart racing, she eyed the precarious stack and then took a deep breath. With a burst of adrenaline, she jumped onto the rocks, testing their stability with a tentative foot. But the uneven stones gave way under her weight, sending her tumbling down to the ground. She stifled a cry of pain, terrified of alerting the guards.

Emily lay there for a few moments, tears streaming down her face as the pain radiated through her body. But the thought of her missing father, and the possibility of him being in danger, fueled her determination. She knew she had to keep going. She began to assemble the rocks once more, pushing and heaving with all her strength. Just as she began, she heard a sound that made her blood run cold.

A voice, stern and commanding, cut through the night air.

"I had a feeling you would try something like this"

Emily froze, her heart pounding in her chest as she slowly turned around. The same guard stood before her, his eyes boring into hers with a steely gaze. She knew that she was in deep trouble

"What a mess you have made, now come here" the guard continued in a commanding tone.

Emily's heart was pounding as she cautiously approached the guard, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She was terrified to face the guard as she was sure that she had broken some kind of law or rule, but to her surprise, the guard didn't seem angry or suspicious. Instead, he checked her over to make sure she was alright.

The guard noticed Emily's bleeding knee and quickly took her to his nearby guard post. He pulled out a pouch of water and sprinkled it over her wound to clean it up, causing Emily to wince in pain. But she stayed silent, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. The guard then tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around her knee to stop the bleeding. Emily was impressed by his resourcefulness and kindness

"Is it really urgent to meet William" the guard asked in a warm tone trying to relax her.

The guard's warm tone surprised her. She felt a little relieved that he was willing to listen to her,but still nervous about whether he would let her continue on her mission.

"I'm s-sorry to trouble you, Uncle," Emily said, her voice slightly stuttering. "My father hasn't returned home since last night, and Big Brother William is the only person I know who can help me."

The guard frowned, looking concerned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier when I asked you to leave?" he asked, himself feeling guilty for not listening to the child properly due to his impatience.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Emily replied, feeling embarrassed for not speaking up earlier.

The guard sighed. "It's okay. You're safe now. Although entering the inner city without permission is a punishable crime for people from the outer city, you didn't actually enter the city. So don't be scared. Relax. No one's going to punish you."

Emily smiled, feeling slightly happy for the first time that day. She quickly nodded and sat down on the empty chair.

The guard continued, "But keep in mind that although the outer city may seem more dangerous due to the number of criminals living there and the frequent crimes that occur on the streets, the truth is it's nowhere near as scary as the inner city. Although they don't have many recorded criminals living among them, many of those powerful martial artists have eccentric personalities and tastes. So never try sneaking into the inner city alone, no matter what the situation."

Emily listened to the guard, feeling chills run down her spine, even though she didn't understand most of what he was saying.

"If you ever have anything urgent like this ever again, come find me. This is my permanent guard station, and my name is Martin," the guard said.

Emily nodded, forgetting to introduce herself. She was still a little overwhelmed by the situation.

"Now come on. I'll take you to William," Martin said, his voice kind and reassuring.