Chapter 38: Petrification

The real world wasn’t a video game.

There was no cinematic cutscene before a boss appeared, nor a grand, open arena with rousing background music to herald an impending battle.

The onset of combat, like its end, was abrupt and fleeting.

Many times,

like a hare under a falcon’s claws or a mosquito in a tree frog’s mouth, when facing a far stronger predator in the natural world,

adventurers often didn’t even know what danger they faced before becoming a corpse.

First was Larry, the closest.

Clad in tight armor, sweat still dripping down his face, he was half-turned, showing off the exquisite statue he’d found to Doris behind him.

But then, a sudden loss of sensation starting from his back, coupled with the terrified look in the blonde girl’s eyes, made him realize something was wrong.

There was no time to turn around.

Instinctively, Larry reached out as far as he could, trying with all his strength to push Doris out of harm’s way.

Surprisingly, in response to Larry’s action,

the frail-looking blonde girl, who seemed like a gust of wind could knock her over, displayed a courage entirely unlike her usual self in that moment.

Not only did she not turn to flee, she took a step forward, her face pale but resolute, gripping Larry’s hand tightly with both of hers.

Leaning back with all her might, her slender arms trembled as she tried to pull him out of danger.

The two, who had been at odds since the mission began, finally clarified their bond under the catalyst of a life-or-death crisis.

But that was as far as it went.

No matter how deeply moving or touching their love was, in the face of that overwhelming, otherworldly power, it would ultimately scatter like ashes in the wind.

A lifeless, pale gray spread from Larry’s back at a visible speed.

It devoured vitality and color alike.

His spine, chest, arms…

In the span of a single breath,

Larry and Doris, still locked in their mutual gaze and struggle, remained frozen, the strands of hair fluttering by the girl’s cheek and the bulging veins on Larry’s neck still clearly visible.

But now, they had become like the snake and scorpion statues on the ground.

Two motionless, silent, pale stone figures.

Next were the half-elf Hai’an and his guard Wood.

Even at a distance, they couldn’t escape the assault of that unknown force.

Almost simultaneously with the shout of “On guard!”,

“Ding!”

A sound like fragile glass shattering came from Hai’an’s body.

Then, a vibrant green light, like fresh sprouts after rain, burst from his waist, instantly enveloping his entire body.

The air in front of him twisted and warped, as if an invisible force was blocked by the green light emanating from the half-elf.

It lasted only a moment.

Hai’an’s face still bore a bewildered expression.

It wasn’t until the next second that he realized they were under attack, and the magical item meant to protect his life had been consumed.

Wood was the only professional in the group.

Though not particularly exceptional, far from reaching the threshold of “extraordinary,”

the exceptional agility granted by his “rogue” profession allowed him to react instantly.

His figure blurred, his shadow trailing his steps.

He didn’t dodge or block.

Instead, in that split second, he focused all his attention, gathering every ounce of his resolve.

Like an ascetic facing the tide on a shore, he clenched his jaw, his body taut, confronting the invisible force surging through the air like a tidal wave.

Buzz—

His body stiffened suddenly, then relaxed.

The superior physical conditioning of a professional allowed him to forcibly withstand the erosion of that invisible force.

There was no time to feel relief.

This usually calm and composed rogue displayed an utterly frantic demeanor.

He spun around, lunging toward the half-elf he was protecting.

“Run!”

Lastly, there was me on the other side of the courtyard.

Having already decided to head back and explore these ruins later, I had no intention of taking souvenirs.

Unfazed by Larry’s excited shouts, I lagged behind the group.

And because of that,

whether it was Larry and Doris’s struggle and petrification or the green light bursting from Hai’an,

I saw nearly everything that happened.

But like ripples from a dewdrop hitting water or the subtle arc of a bird’s wings in flight, scenes that seem vivid and detailed in your eyes are, in reality, the briefest of moments.

I felt I had already pushed myself to my limits.

Larry turned back—I stopped approaching.

Wood shouted “On guard!”—I instinctively reached back for my sword hilt.

Green light flashed from Hai’an—I drew the iron-gray beheading longsword from my back.

And when the rogue’s cry of “Run!” reached my ears, was processed by my brain, and translated into action, my nerves firing, muscles moving bones to take that first step,

the invisible force, like mist permeating the air, had already reached me.

Boom—

The world seemed to hit a mute button, the vibrant colors before my eyes fading.

It was hard to describe what I felt in that moment.

It was like swimming in sub-zero temperatures.

First came the instant chill and sting on my skin, as if the icy river water sought to seep into my muscles and bones through my pores;

then came numbness, as the sensation in the affected areas seemed to freeze and fade away;

but then, sensing the crisis, my body instinctively constricted its blood vessels, and with an accelerated pulse, waves of warmth surged through me, resisting the external invasion.

The “mastery” level of [Whirlwind Slash], granting me two precious attribute points, combined with the resilience of my will, tempered by two lifetimes,

formed a wall of “body” and “mind” that blocked the petrifying force from further invading my body.

It allowed me to pass the life-or-death trial.

My mind wavered briefly, and color flooded back into my vision.

My fingertips, knees, and even the tips of my leather boots were already covered in a pale, lifeless gray.

In my line of sight, Hai’an was being carried by Wood, rushing toward the dense forest outside the courtyard.

The half-elf’s face was filled with panic, his bloodless lips trembling as he shouted two words at me:

“Run fast!”

Only then did the culprit that nearly wiped out our entire team in a single breath,

dragging its massive, bloated body with the leisurely stride of a predator, slowly crawl out from the misty depths of the forest behind the courtyard.

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