The cerulean waterbird swept over the monster’s massive body like a baptism.
The monster felt as though it had taken a cold, refreshing bath.
But when it looked down, it saw chunks of its body falling away.
Hidden within the stream were razor-sharp ice blades woven into an invisible mesh.
They left no sensation as they passed, but the monster had already been sliced into shreds of meat.
“Guh… guh…”
It tried to let out a furious roar, but the moment it inhaled, the flesh on its chest and belly slid off.
Its rage was overtaken by fear.
A creature that had only ever inflicted terror on others now understood—at the moment of its death—what true fear really was.
“No…”
I regretted everything but it was too late.
It couldn’t even fall with dignity.
Its entire body collapsed with a wet splat, crumbling like a grotesque mountain of flesh.
Just like the corpses it had once defiled.
……
[Strategy Complete]
We won?
“We won! A solo kill!!! Damn, our carry is a god!”
Cheering erupted beyond the barrier.
The members of Emberlight couldn’t contain their emotions after surviving the ordeal—swearing and shouting in pure catharsis.
Given the monster’s power, a frontal assault would have cost countless lives.
In every sense, Wu Xiaomi had saved them all—everyone.
As her final, dazzling move ended, Wu Xiaomi collapsed to her knees, completely drained.
The iron spike was still embedded in her abdomen.
And after that violent Siren’s Dance, her wound had torn further, bleeding heavily.
But when she saw the floating notification box before her, she felt it had all been worth it.
[Strategy mission complete. Base reward: 500 Strategy Points.]
[Your damage contribution among all survivors: 100%
Additional reward for contribution: 5000 Strategy Points.]
[Special Objective Achieved: Solo Kill.
Bonus Reward: Special Item – Umbrella of Abundance.]
“I didn’t even get a chance to thank you.”
Huang Xiao knelt in front of Wu Xiaomi, gripping her blood-stained hands tightly.
“You’re a hero. You didn’t just save me.”
The monster had fallen. The barrier collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Without hesitation, Nanalia swept Wu Xiaomi into her arms.
She pressed a hand firmly to the girl’s wound, trying to stanch the bleeding.
“Hang on. The village is close. Just hold on!”
She wanted to let Wu Xiaomi enjoy her triumph, to hoist her high into the air in celebration… but now was not the time.
The girl was gravely injured.
For Nanalia, the battle was far from over.
“Nanalia… Teacher…”
Wu Xiaomi’s vision swirled, her surroundings a blur—Nanalia’s tear-streaked face, the cheering crowd.
She had unleashed a power far beyond her current self.
She was exhausted.
Her eyelids were so heavy.
Still, the girl mustered the last of her strength and raised her hand.
In her bloodied palm, she revealed the crystal—her lips curling into a faint, triumphant smile.
“Teacher… I… did it…”
Nanalia stared at the crystal, dumbfounded.
Tears burst forth from her eyes.
“You idiot!”
She clutched the girl tightly and ran, stumbling down the forest path, her tears falling behind her like scattered rain.
Wu Xiaomi’s eyes were half-lidded.
Her mind floated in and out of consciousness.
Trees blurred past her peripheral vision, and close by was Nanalia’s frantic, tearful face.
“Heh…”
A silly little laugh escaped Wu Xiaomi’s lips.
Her stomach throbbed with pain.
Her limbs were cold and numb.
She couldn’t feel her fingers or toes anymore.
But she was happy.
All those days of intense training—finally worth it.
She’d won.
Earned the points.
Retrieved the crystal for Nanalia.
And of course… She owed a huge thanks to the witch.
“Thank you… Miss Witch…” Wu Xiaomi murmured.
“What did you say?” The voice was too faint. Nanalia couldn’t make it out.
“Nothin’… just being dramatic.”
When they burst into the village, Nanalia shouted at the top of her lungs, “Village Chief! Chief Muxi, someone help, now!”
Harvest Village was small—everyone could hear her desperate call.
“Coming, coming,”
Muxi strolled out lazily, picking his ear.
“Didn’t you go out with those adventurers to search for the Sacred Source Crystal? Why’re you back so soon?”
“The crystal—”
Nanalia placed the bloodstained gem on a bedside table and wiped her face.
“Thanks to Xiaomi. She defeated the Beast-Faced One all by herself. But she’s badly hurt.”
“She’s the one who retrieved it?”
Muxi was stunned.
Remembering how guarded and rude he’d been at their first meeting, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
“Don’t worry. For a professional Beast Tamer, this kind of wound is nothing… Nanalia, pull the spike out.”
“Mmh…”
Miss Witch wasn’t some noble lady squeamish about blood. Even though Wu Xiaomi’s stomach was soaked red, she gripped the spike without hesitation.
With a sharp yank—
A fountain of blood sprayed out, splattering across the wall.
“Spell Sequence 92 – Emergency Healing!”
The wound began rapidly closing.
Phew… the pain was gone.
But the moment the pain faded, her strained consciousness began to relax.
So tired…
Just a little nap…
……
She dreamed a long, hazy dream.
It might’ve been a good one—too bad she forgot it right after waking.
Wu Xiaomi gritted her teeth and sat up, staring blankly out the window.
In the shrine’s courtyard, Nanalia was sweeping up fallen leaves.
She brushed back the damp strands stuck to her face, glimmering with sweat and sunlight at her jawline.
“Whew—it’s way too hot this year.”
The Witch tugged at her collar and fanned her cheek with her fluffy tail.
Wu Xiaomi lifted the blanket.
Her lower belly was pale and smooth.
The wound had healed completely—not even a scar left behind.
In the upper-left corner of her vision, a countdown ticked:
[2:49:32]
No idea what that meant.
“Bzzzt—bzzzt—!”
Her ankle ring suddenly buzzed with a jolting tingle.
Wu Xiaomi quickly slapped the annoying thing.
A video call screen popped up before her.
[You finally answered.]
It was Kang Jie, leader of Emberlight.
Compared to last time, the man looked twenty years older.
Weary, hollow expression.
His hair had started to gray.
[How’s your condition?] he asked.
“Mostly… healed.” Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
[That’s a relief.]
Kang Jie let out a heavy breath.
[I was afraid something happened to you. If the person who saved Emberlight had died, we’d have no reason to keep going—the guilt would’ve torn this team apart.]
What happened last time had been a brutal blow to everyone.
It shattered their worldview with the force of grim reality.
“Honestly,” Wu Xiaomi stuck her tongue out sheepishly, “after witnessing all that horror, I thought Emberlight had already disbanded…”
[Almost. Most left, but some stayed.]
Kang Jie smiled faintly.
[These past few nights, I’ve been dreaming of the team’s final moments. The looks in their eyes before they died. They trusted me—believed in our ideals. And I led them to their deaths…]
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up…”
[No. We have to face reality.]
Kang Jie’s eyes sharpened.
[I hate the people of Ark—I hate their leader, Han Nuo. I want to tear him apart. But I’m also grateful. At least he woke me up in time… before my naïveté got everyone killed.]
“What now?”
[Same goal—but smarter. More cautious. Stronger.]
“Good luck.”
[You too. If you ever need help, call Emberlight. We owe you.]
Kang Jie’s tone turned solemn.
[Don’t refuse. In the apocalypse, every sacrifice deserves a reward. Otherwise… we’ll all devolve into beasts.]
“Mm~”
After ending the call, Wu Xiaomi slowly got out of bed.
She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep—her legs were still wobbly.
She tried to stand, only to fall right back on her butt.
“You’re awake? Don’t get up so suddenly! Just call for me!”
Nanalia rushed over and quickly helped her up.
“I’m okay…”
Wu Xiaomi blinked.
Even though her body was healed, her voice still carried its usual softness and frailty.
“You’re awake?”
Village Chief Muxi pushed open the door and entered.
“Perfect timing. I’ve brought your reward.”
“Reward?”
“You did Harvest Village a huge favor,” Muxi gestured toward the barrier outside the village.
“With the crystal powering our shield, we can finally return to peace. As village chief, I must thank you.”
“Huh?”
A delightful surprise.
The reward was generous—a large sack of currency, and a letter.
[Proof of Subjugation – Harvest Village]
“This certifies that you helped recover the sacred crystal. With this, you’ll find it easier to get jobs, pass city checkpoints… and even use it to negotiate bail if you’re ever listed as a suspect.”
“The infamous iron-faced Muxi actually wrote a letter of recommendation?”
Nanalia wiggled her brows teasingly.
“I heard you spent a whole night digging up positive adjectives in your office. True?”
Muxi remained stoic as always.
But his hand trembled slightly.
Wuhu, so it’s true~
He cleared his throat and said stiffly, “You carry a trace of demonic energy. It’ll occasionally attract trouble. With this letter, you’ll have a smoother time wherever you go.”
“Thank you…”
“Hmph!”
Muxi placed the reward down and turned to leave.
“That’s it! I have other matters to attend to!”
…Was it just her imagination?
Why did it seem like the Chief was fleeing the room?
……
Despite Nanalia’s repeated protests, ordering her back to bed—
Wu Xiaomi still swept every inch of the shrine clean.
The chubby fox statue now held a stalk of wheat in one paw, and the sacred crystal in the other—no longer empty.
“Whew—”
Time slipped by during cleaning.
By the time she stopped, the countdown in the upper-left corner had run out.
The statue before her started drifting away.
No—not just the statue.
The entire world was fading.
A powerful force pulled her backward into the stars.
When her vision cleared again, she was back in the vast, milky-white expanse.
[Time until next descent: 71 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
[Current survivors: approx. 5.7 billion]
Everyone had returned to the white space.
Some in one piece.
Some as rotting corpses.
Maybe it was the pressure from the dead, but the space was eerily quiet.
That silence didn’t last long.
After ten days of hellish trials, everyone had changed.
“Haha! I finally have a house! I could never afford one before!”
A former office worker burst out laughing, rushing to the announcement board to exchange for a home.
A small, modest brick house appeared from thin air—quaint but comforting—right on the white floor.
Unfortunately, one second later, his head rolled to the ground.
“Thanks for the house.”
A burly man smiled, flicking blood off his sword before walking into the newly claimed home.
After surviving so many trials, no one was shocked by this kind of behavior anymore.
Fear rippled through the crowd.
Wu Xiaomi was just about to check the exchange board herself—
But caught, from the corner of her eye, several men pointing and whispering in her direction.
Crap!
She knew this face would get her in trouble…
Run!
She bolted.
“Thud—”
She stumbled and hit the ground, dazed.
“Haha… Beautiful lady, where do you think you’re going?”
The brute was already behind her, blocking the way with his massive, muscled form—a living wall.
He held a bloodstained sword.
The others circled around.
All working together.
Wu Xiaomi bit her lip, sitting helplessly on the floor, staring up at the tight encirclement.
This was bad—they were a team!
Could she fight them off?
Maybe if she activated Spirit-Hunting Instinct—wait, what?
“Pft—”
The brute touched his forehead.
A crossbow bolt stuck out of it, having pierced clean through from back to front.
“…”
Thud.
His massive body dropped like a tree.
At the same time, a delicate arm wrapped around Wu Xiaomi’s neck, yanking her forcefully into a possessive embrace.
Her jaw was met by warm wetness—a bold, aggressive tongue staking its claim.
“She’s mine.”
The newcomer locked Wu Xiaomi in her arms, a wicked gleam in her eyes, and declared in a voice that allowed no argument.