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While everyone was working hard, Mira took a short break from extracting Blood Essences to ask Aelina about Seraphina.
"Seraphina, huh…" Aelina murmured, "She's… doing better, but she was in really bad condition when you returned. Almost every bone in her body was broken, her meridians were overworked beyond their max potential, and she had lost vast amounts of vitality. I'm afraid she's even lost a portion of her lifespan. If it weren't for the help of the Elders, our healing pills, and her will to live, she would've died. Though, she's pretty much half-crippled now."
"Is fixing one's meridians that much of a pain in the ass?"
Aelina nodded seriously, "It's not just a pain. It's similar to trying to repair someone's brain. You'd need a miracle medicine to fix them."
"Hmmmm." Mira fell deep into thought.
Now, she was starting to feel a little guilty that she hadn't visited sooner. Seraphina had essentially saved everyone's lives single-handedly, facing off against the Shadowfang.
It didn't sit well with her that such a kind, self-sacrificing woman had to end her cultivation journey simply because she went out on a little training session with her. She definitely deserved more than that.
'Also, who's going to be my meat shield? Having her around makes things so much easier.' Mira thought, trying to convince herself that she hadn't grown a bit attached to the shield-wielding woman after Dominique's incident.
"...I'll go check on her myself," Mira muttered before walking out of the large dungeon-like room filled with blood and corpses, causing Aelina to chuckle.
'So shy~' She commented inwardly but soon frowned, realizing that she was in this shitty room by herself, minus the lazy wolf.
Grumbling, she kicked Rhydian on the butt.
"Grrrr!" The wolf's eyes shot at the perpetrator, but realizing it was Aelina, she shrunk back into a little puppy.
"Don't give me that! Mira said you're the one who wanted to conquer both forms! Now, get up and show me your stances!"
***
Mira quickly made her way to the Healing Hall, where Seraphina was staying, and walked into her ward, which was just a small room that smelled like medicinal herbs. There wasn't anyone else in the room at the moment, but Mira could still sense Eden and Everly's auras, indicating that they were here not long ago.
"...Mira?" She heard a weak voice coming from the bed and looked over in surprise.
"You're conscious?" She couldn't help but ask, eyebrows raised.
Seraphina chuckled lightly, not taking offense that those were the first words to come out of Mira's mouth.
"...Yeah. A few days ago, I woke up." She nodded. "Seems like everyone made it back safely. I'm glad. Truly glad."
She paused, then bowed her head slightly, "Thank you for killing the beast and dragging us back to the Sect, Mira. I know it probably wasn't easy, but your efforts managed to save all of us. For that, I'm incredibly grateful."
Mira fell silent and looked straight into Seraphina's clear, pure eyes. She wasn't sure what to say to this. Thanks? You're welcome? Just doing my job?
No, before that, should she really be receiving thanks like this? All she did was kill a beast, using the opportunity that everyone provided for her. Without them, such a thing wouldn't have even happened.
In fact, her life was never truly in danger. She would've had to exchange a large chunk of her lifespan, along with probably weakening to a considerable extent, but she would've survived. From a certain point of view, that was almost worse than dying, especially in this cut-throat world, but in the end, she didn't need to do that.
Due to all these factors, plus not seeing an ounce of dissatisfaction or hostility in Seraphina's eyes, the only thing she could respond with was-
"...I see."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Mira wasn't much for small talk, and Seraphina didn't know her well enough to make small talk.
Fortunately, after about 30 seconds, Mira spoke up first.
"You… You do know your condition, right?"
Seraphina nodded lightly, "You mean my meridians and internal injuries, right? Yeah, I'm well aware of just how bad a shape I'm in right now. Why?"
"Aren't you… resentful? Angry? Upset? You're basically a cripple. And for what? To save the very people you're going to be competing against?"
Seraphina giggled, glad that she was seeing a different side of Mira today, and nodded. "It'd be a lie to say that I'm fine with this outcome, but that was the best solution at the time. It was the only way for all of us to make it out of there alive, and if I was given another chance to do it over again, I'd make the same exact decisions."
"...Dumbass." Mira unconsciously spat, causing Seraphina to burst out laughing, even at the behest of worsening her injuries.
"Hahaha~! Maybe I am, but at least I'm alive!"
Perhaps, a long time ago, she could've understood where Seraphina was coming from, but now? No way.
The thought of sacrificing her life for somebody else's has disappeared if it was ever there in the first place.
Once again, the room soon fell silent, but now, Seraphina had a large smile on her face as she stared at Mira.
Meanwhile, the fox woman had fallen into thought again.
'It'd be a waste if someone like this died, right?' Mira started picturing scenes of Seraphina protecting Maria and Dominique, fighting on the front lines with her, and supplementing her aggressive fighting style.
'Yeah,' She inwardly nodded, 'It would indeed be a waste if she died like this.'
Mira already considered Seraphina a dead person since she could hardly muster any strength.
"Hmmm~" She hummed a sent her consciousness to the FLDIL Store. She had already bought a few manuals and books on the Strength Training Stage of the Body Tempering Realm from it, which didn't cost her more than a few points, along with 4 Beast Pouches, which were 500 points each since she had to get higher quality ones that can hold up to Rank 8 beasts.
After she had spent some of it, and since she missed a few chances to earn more points, she had around 10,000 Abyssal Battle Ladder points left.
With every breakthrough, she was always able to clear 10 Stages of it or 100 Rounds, but no more than that. Rather, she didn't take the chance since she knew she wasn't strong enough.
Regardless, she had amassed a decent amount of points.
'Let's see how much a meridian restoration healing pill would cost…'
[Rebirth Pill - 5,000 Points (A legendary pill known for its healing properties, it is said to resurrect the dead and restore a person's vitality and strength in an instant.)]
"..."
'Okay… A bit pricey. What about the next?'
[Elixir of Life - 4,000 Points (This rare elixir is known to heal all wounds, cure all diseases, and replenish life force. It's rumored to be able to restore someone to their prime, regardless of how grave their injuries.)]
[Heavenly Restoration Pill - 5,000 Points (A pill blessed by the heavens themselves, it's believed to instantly mend internal and external injuries, rejuvenate the spirit, fix meridians, and strengthen the soul.)]
'Fuck me.'
Mira kept going through the list of items, but they were all around the same price. Even though she had the points right now, she would never get them back. So, those 4,000-5,000 points were extremely significant. That was two to two and a half breakthroughs worth of points!
However, Mira kept searching.
'I'll just try to beat the 11th Stage a few times to make up for the loss.' Although she thought that, she knew her current self wasn't good enough to challenge that stage yet. But, if it was to obtain more of this "non-renewable resource", then it looks like she had to take the chance.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of looking, she stumbled upon something interesting.
[Sacred Azure Steel Restoration Pill - 6,500 Points (This highly specialized Rebirth Pill is exclusively for those who hold dual affinities for Metal and Water. WARNING: HIGHLY DANGEROUS!)]
'What the hell? A healing pill that's dangerous?' Mira was dumbfounded, but she kept scrolling and found more like it, just with different affinities.
Turning her attention back to the Sacred Azure Steel Restoration Pill, she started contemplating.
On the one hand, was the Elixir of Life, something that seemed like it would do the job just fine. From the description, it could instantly bring someone back to peak condition instantly.
On the other hand, was the Sacred Azure Steel Restoration Pill. It sounded like it could do what the Heavenly Restoration Pill could, but more. Maybe?
The description wasn't all that clear, only telling her that it was dangerous. Though, she didn't exactly know what that meant.
'Should I go with the guarantee or take my chances?'
Glancing at Seraphina's stupid smile, Mira stopped hesitating and clicked on the second option, buying the Sacred Azure Steel Restoration Pill.
'A little more suffering will do her some good. I can't allow my meat shield to live a comfy life, now can I?' She gave a cold smile, unknowingly sending chills down Seraphina's spine.
A moment later, a cool, hard pill manifested in her palm. It was a deep ocean blue imbued with streaks of silver that appeared as sharp and radiant as freshly forged steel. Although it didn't release any Qi, Mira could feel incredibly dense and potent energy within it, waiting to be released.
"Try eating this." Mira recklessly tossed it over to Seraphina, who hurriedly caught it, "I obtained this as a lucky encounter somewhere, but it's not suitable for me. I don't know what it does, but perhaps it can help heal you."
"What?!" Seraphina's eyes locked onto the pill before shooting back to Mira, only to find out that she had already left. Normally, she would've chuckled at that, but now wasn't the time.
If what Mira said was true, the pill in her hands was nothing short of a miracle!
Suddenly, the weight of the object seemed to increase 100-fold as she understood the true value of the pill.
However, the "I don't know what it does" part echoed in her mind, dousing her shock and excitement.
'So, it's a risk, huh? If I eat it, I might die; if I don't, I live.' She assumed, but then, she did something shocking.
Almost without hesitation, she tossed the pill into her mouth and swallowed it.
'Screw it! Since Mira trusts me enough to give me something this precious, then how can I not reciprocate that trust?!'
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