Level 1 Transmigrator, Max Level Charm: My Unwanted Harem

𝐹𝑂𝑈𝑅

Mu Yuling crashed onto the wooden floor of the ship with a painful thud,. Water splattered everywhere. She gasped, coughing water. Her whole body ached like she'd been thrown against a wall which, technically, she had.

Across the cabin, Xiang Lang shot up from his sleeping mat with a startled yell, clutching his chest like his heart might explode. His hair stuck up in wild directions, and his eyes were wide with shock.

"You-!" He stared at her, dripping wet and sprawled on the floor. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

Mu Yuling groaned, pushing herself up on shaky arms. "The temple." she muttered, wringing out her sleeve.

Xiang Lang's face twisted in confusion. "What temple? You vanished four hours ago! Turned into smoke right after you fainted!"

Mu Yuling froze.

Four hours?

That didn't make sense. Unless...

Time moved differently between the two places.

She was in the temple for thirty minutes only.

She frowned at Xiang Lang. "You're lying. I was only gone for like thirty minutes."

Xiang Lang looked at her like she'd lost her mind. He stood up, stepping closer, his eyes scanning her like he expected her to disappear again. "You were gone." he insisted. "One second you were here, the next, poof! Nothing but air."

Her head spun at the thought.

Xiang Lang crossed his arms, his expression shifting from shock to suspicion. "What kind of trick are you pulling?"

Mu Yuling opened her mouth, then closed it. How was she supposed to explain this? 'Oh, sorry, I keep teleporting between your world and a cursed temple where a snake-man keeps trying to mate with me.' Yeah, that would go over well.

Instead, she just shook her head. "I don't know what's happening either." she admitted.

Xiang Lang studied her for a long moment, then sighed, rubbing his temples like he already regretted everything. "First you appear out of nowhere, then you turn into smoke, now you're back and soaking my floor."

A sudden thump from above cut him off.

Croak.

The cheerful voice of the frog echoed down from the deck. "Heyyy, are we keeping her? Can we? She's fun!"

Xiang Lang groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

He tossed a dry robe at Mu Yuling's face. She barely caught it before it slid to the wet floor.

"Change." he ordered, turning his back. "Before you catch a cold and die. I'm not carrying your corpse off my ship." He said and walk out.

Mu Yuling scowled but quickly peeled off her soaked outer layers, wrapping herself in the rough-spun fabric. It smelled faintly of salt and herbs, too big on her frame, but warm.

After that, she went outside.

Xiang Lang turned back around, studying her with narrowed eyes. "You're a magic user." he stated.

Mu Yuling blinked. "What?"

"Teleportation." he continued, crossing his arms. "That's how you disappeared and reappeared. It's rare, but not unheard of."

She shook her head. "I don't know how I'm doing it."

Xiang Lang's expression softened slightly. "First-time awakening then." he muttered. "That explains why you can't control it."

Mu Yuling bit her lip. This was getting complicated.

Xiang Lang sighed. "I know someone in the city who can help. Same magic as you. She might be able to teach you the basics."

Mu Yuling perked up. A teacher? That could be useful if she really could learn to control whatever was happening to her.

"Don't use your magic in public." he warned. "Not until you've mastered it."

"Why?"

"Because there are people who hunt magic users." he said bluntly. "Gangs. Cultists. They steal powers for themselves. If they catch you blinking in and out of existence, you'll disappear for good."

Mu Yuling snorted. "I'll just teleport away if they try anything."

Xiang Lang gave her a flat look. "You passed out once from it. You think you can outrun trained hunters?"

Mu Yuling's confidence wavered.

He was right. She had no control. One wrong move, and she could end up back in the temple or worse, somewhere deadly.

Xiang Lang turned toward the cabin door. "Get some rest. We reach the city by morning."

He paused, glancing back. "If you keep randomly vanishing, you'll draw attention. And attention is the last thing I need."

With that, he went inside again, the door creaking shut behind him.