“Because, when I was first captured by Stella and imprisoned in this cabin, you hadn’t come over here yet. During that time, Stella tied me up and dragged me around, and I got to see the entire layout of the cabin.”
Facing Tina’s puzzled gaze, Nuo Ai’er just blinked her big red eyes, tilted her head slightly, and casually came up with a perfect and natural explanation.
“So naturally, I know the structure here like the back of my hand.”
Her tone was soft and sounded extremely sincere, with no trace of a flaw.
“Tied up and dragged around…”
Tina imagined the scene of Nuo Ai’er being led around by Stella like a little puppet.
“Hey, what are you imagining?!”
“It’s nothing.”
Okay, joking aside, when you think about it, Nuo Ai’er’s words were indeed reasonable. A captured person is best at observing their surroundings, figuring out all escape routes and weaknesses, and quietly looking for a chance to escape.
Tina completely let down her guard and doubt, nodding lightly.
There was no time for doubt now. The danger wasn’t completely over, and the two didn’t dare to relax in the slightest.
From below the cellar came constant dull thuds, and the wooden floor kept trembling slightly, proof that the black-robed puppet was desperately struggling to break free from the cellar’s restraints. It wouldn’t be long before it burst out and resumed its pursuit.
Tina immediately retracted all thoughts, cleared her mind, and raised her hand again to gather water magic power. A faint blue glow slowly flowed and swirled along her slender fingertips, as strands of water element converged continuously, forming a sharp water blade in her palm.
This was her only offensive magic at the moment, and the only surefire way to completely destroy the puppet in this battle.
Tina steadily charged her power while lowering her voice, speaking with a mix of seriousness and anxiety, earnestly instructing Nuo Ai’er beside her.
“My charge is almost complete… but I can only release this once. There’s no second chance. If I fail, we won’t have any means left to finish it off.”
“I understand. Focus on charging, don’t stop for anything. I’ll create an opening for you to attack.”
These short words steadily calmed the anxiety and unease in Tina’s heart. Even though Nuo Ai’er looked petite and fragile with no combat power, at this moment in Tina’s eyes, this white-haired little girl seemed incredibly reliable and reassuring.
The two quickly reached perfect understanding, and this temporary life-or-death pair instantly developed an excellent coordination rhythm. Nuo Ai’er pulled Tina’s hand, and they tiptoed quietly out of the abandoned cabin.
“To the forest!”
It was far more suitable for playing keep-away and maneuvering than the empty, monotonous cabin.
Most importantly — she had memorized every terrain trap in the entire forest through twenty cycles. Once they entered the forest, the initiative would be completely in her hands.
The two quickly rushed deep into the dense forest, using the thick bushes for cover as they quietly lurked and steadily retreated. Tina kept her hand raised in the charging posture.
The faint blue light of the water blade grew denser, its sharp edge faintly glinting with cold watery light, its power continually rising, waiting only for the final strike to decide the outcome.
Just as the two entered the heart of the forest —
BOOM!!
The abandoned cabin behind them suddenly let out a violent, crashing sound. The wooden floor of the cellar shattered and exploded, and a pitch-black figure burst out from underground.
The black-robed puppet, having shaken off all restraints, now stiffly turned its head. Its hollow gaze precisely locked onto the backs of the two fleeing into the forest.
Without hesitation, it took off in stiff strides, following their trail quickly into the dense woods, its pursuit fierce and relentless.
“Tina, stay hidden and keep charging. Don’t reveal yourself. Wait for me to create a close-range attack opportunity for you.”
Nuo Ai’er quickly let go of Tina’s hand, whispered a quick instruction, and her petite figure agilely darted away, disappearing into the dense bushes.
The next period of time belonged solely to Nuo Ai’er’s kiting and stalling.
She began to activate the preset natural traps with seamless fluidity, relying on the entire forest terrain she had memorized through trial and error over twenty cycles. That’s right, it was the vine trap!
The black-robed puppet was gradually approaching closer and closer.
“Now!”
The vines were triggered instantly and wrapped tightly around the black-robed puppet. Nuo Ai’er in the forest saw the puppet trapped by the vines.
Phew… Tina lowered her voice, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. The charge was complete; the one and only killing blow was ready to be unleashed at any moment.
Tina, hiding in the shadows, didn’t hesitate. She sprang forward from behind the bushes, her blue hair fluttering in the wind, her gaze focused and sharp.
The azure water blade in her palm gleamed with a cold, deadly light as she charged straight at the immobilized black-robed puppet. If this blow landed at close range, it would surely shatter the puppet’s body and end this relentless chase.
But just as Tina was a few meters away from the puppet, and the fatal strike was about to hit —
Swoosh!
The dense, flexible vines binding the puppet were all sliced apart by a pitch-black dagger. The black-robed puppet exploded with tremendous strength; a few slashes and the layers of vines snapped, crumbling to the ground.
“Huh?!”
Nuo Ai’er’s eyes went wide.
“No way…”
She hadn’t anticipated this!
Shards of broken vines and debris burst outward with the residual force of the blade wind. The unexpected shockwave slammed head-on.
“Ahh…”
Caught completely off guard, Tina was struck hard by the violent blast.
“Ugh… no…”
The blue-haired little girl’s body was sent flying, crashing awkwardly to the ground. Dizzy and numb all over, she couldn’t get up for a moment.
Now free of all restraints, the black-robed puppet was no longer hindered by any traps.
Its hollow gaze instantly locked onto Tina, collapsed and defenseless on the ground. It raised its cold dagger and swung it down without hesitation, straight at the immobile Tina.
Tina closed her eyes in despair.
“Tina!!”
Nuo Ai’er’s pupils contracted, her heart clenched. Without time to think of pros and cons, her body instinctively burst into a sprint. Her small form threw itself forward recklessly, reaching Tina in an instant, hugging her and dodging the attack.
Tina was safe.
But the blade grazed Nuo Ai’er’s soft abdomen.
“Ngh…”
Warm blood instantly soaked through Nuo Ai’er’s shirt, flowing down her tender skin and spreading.
Excruciating pain engulfed her body, a tearing agony ravaging her consciousness, her vision flickering and darkening.
Yet even gravely wounded, she held tight to Tina beneath her, using the momentum to roll and completely evade the puppet’s follow-up strike, shielding Tina securely in a safe area.
Tina, stunned and shaken throughout, stared at the blood gushing from Nuo Ai’er’s abdomen, at the blinding red, and her mind went blank.
“Ah, ahh —！！”
Nuo Ai’er, on the verge of unconsciousness, gritted her teeth against the searing pain, tremblingly reached out a hand, and with her last shred of strength, her voice filled with extreme panic and guilt.
“Tina… quickly… aim for it…”
She used her last bit of strength to point at the puppet.
Those words instantly snapped Tina out of her daze. Tina regained her focus, all panic fading from her eyes.
Without further hesitation, suppressing the tremor in her heart, she raised her hand and gathered all remaining mana, launching the fully charged, peak-azure water blade of certain death.
Fwoosh!
The water blade struck the black-robed puppet precisely. The moment it hit, the pitch-black puppet’s body erupted in white smoke.
Its stiff movements came to an abrupt halt, the black mist around it rapidly dissipated, then disintegrated. The entire puppet’s form vanished completely, dissolving into wisps of black smoke.
It was finally over…
But in the moment of victory, Tina had no time to feel any joy. All her attention was on the small, bleeding figure in her arms.
Nuo Ai’er’s already pale face had now lost all color, as white as paper. Blood continued to seep from the wound on her abdomen; the pain had completely drained her remaining strength and consciousness. Her head lolled, eyes gently closing, and she fell unconscious, collapsing limply into Tina’s arms.
“Nuo Ai’er! Nuo Ai’er!”
Tina trembled, her voice choked with tears. She had none of her usual cold composure. She immediately knelt down, carefully lifting the unconscious Nuo Ai’er into her arms, avoiding the wound, moving with the utmost gentleness, afraid that even the slightest pressure would worsen her injury.
In the next second, a faint blue healing magic poured out, enveloping the wound on Nuo Ai’er’s abdomen.
“Stop the bleeding… please stop…”
The warm magic worked at full capacity, swiftly stopping the ceaseless flow of blood. Tina’s heart ached with unprecedented guilt.
Looking at the soft, tiny girl in her arms, who had been gravely wounded saving her, even though they were rivals from opposing guilds, this silly little girl had risked her own life without hesitation to take a fatal blow for her.
“Why would you do that…”
Tina bit her lip and closed her eyes.
Nine minutes later, Nuo Ai’er’s ceaseless bleeding finally stopped completely. The wound stabilized under the healing magic, no longer worsening. But Nuo Ai’er remained unconscious, her eyes still closed.
Tina carefully and steadily lifted Nuo Ai’er onto her back, then turned and sprinted toward the abandoned cabin.
***
Meanwhile, not far from the dungeon forest, a slender purple-haired beauty was leaning against a tree in a sorry state, covered in small wounds, her breathing ragged, in terrible condition.
This was Camilla, the one remotely controlling the puppet.
She was now bedraggled, her expression sour, her eyes filled with resentment and humiliation.
The puppet and its master shared a damage ratio. Just now, Nuo Ai’er’s successive layers of traps in the cabin — all those impacts and trap damage — had bounced back onto her in proportion.
The cumulative damage from round after round had forced her to take the full backlash, nearly crippling her through her own puppet.
Camilla bit back a curse, her eyes full of unwillingness.
“Nuo Ai’er, you hateful little girl…”
But now was not the time for that.
She had illegally interfered with the cross-guild dungeon, crossing the dungeon system’s bottom line. If she stayed any longer, she risked being detected and forcibly erased by the system.
“Can’t stay here anymore…”
A flicker of caution crossed Camilla’s eyes. Without hesitation, she tore open a pitch-black void portal. The dark doorway slowly expanded, swallowing her disheveled form, and she disappeared instantly from the dungeon interstice, fully withdrawing from this PvP match.
In the next instant, the space shifted.
Camilla stepped out of the void portal, landing steadily in an elegant Gothic mansion.
This was the private residence of the green-haired witch, Ka Fei.
Before the dungeon had even started, Camilla and Ka Fei had already reached a deep cooperation agreement.
Ka Fei would use her witch privileges to help Camilla illegally intervene in the dungeon and bypass basic detection. In return, Camilla would handle the assassination of Nuo Ai’er, doing Ka Fei’s bidding.
Both parties shared the same target: Nuo Ai’er.
In the main hall, the green-haired, green-eyed witch girl Ka Fei sat quietly, lounging lazily in her seat, a playful, amused smile in her eyes. She had been waiting for some time.
Seeing Camilla return bruised and battered, Ka Fei was not surprised. She merely raised her gaze slightly, speaking slowly with full curiosity.
“Back already? Our killer lady looks awfully pathetic.”
Ka Fei chuckled.
“Hmph, just bad luck.”
Camilla clicked her tongue.
Ka Fei: “Alright, no one cares about your luck. So, did you figure it out or not?” Her expression turned serious. “That child Nuo Ai’er — that unknown talent no one can see through — what is it?”
Camilla: “I don’t fully understand, but at least I realized one thing.”
Ka Fei: “What thing?”
Camilla: “When I sent the puppet to assassinate her, she calculated every situation. She does have something like foresight, but—”
The purple-haired beauty’s expression grew solemn.
“It’s definitely not a prophetic dream.”