Chapter 38: Petrification

The real world is not a video game.

Before a boss appears, you won't be treated to a sudden cinematic CG, nor will you be presented with a grand, sweeping arena and soaring, epic music to underscore the impending struggle.

The onset of combat is as abrupt and brief as its conclusion.

Many times, it is like a hare under a falcon's talons or an insect in a tree frog's mouth; facing a more powerful predator in the natural world, an adventurer may become a corpse before they even realize what kind of danger they are facing.

First, there was Larry, who was closest.

Clad in tight-fitting armor, sweat still streaking his face, he was halfway turned, showing the exquisite statue he had discovered to Doris behind him.

But then, the sudden loss of sensation starting from his back, coupled with the terrified gaze of the blonde girl, made him realize something was wrong.

There was no time to turn around.

Larry instinctively reached out as far as he could, seemingly trying to use every ounce of his strength to push Doris away from the danger.

Unexpectedly, in the face of Larry's action, this slender blonde girl, who looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over, displayed a courage entirely different from her usual self.

Far from turning to flee, she actually took a step forward. With a pale but determined face, she gripped Larry's palm tightly with both hands.

Her body lurched backward, her slender arms trembling with effort as she tried to pull him away from the peril.

The two, who had been awkward with one another since the start of the mission, finally clarified their relationship under the catalyst of a life-and-death crisis.

But that was where it ended.

No matter how profound or moving a love might be, when faced with an overwhelming power beyond all known specifications, it will ultimately vanish like ash in the wind.

A lifeless, pale grey death began to spread from Larry's back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It devoured life and color alike.

Spine, chest, abdomen, arms...

In the span of a single breath.

Larry and Doris remained frozen in their posture of gazing at and pulling at one another; one could even clearly see the stray strands of hair fluttering by the girl's cheek and the bulging veins on Larry's neck.

But the two before them were now like the sculptures of scorpions and snakes on the ground.

They had become two motionless, silent, pale stone statues.

Next were the half-elf Heian and his guard, Wood.

Even though they were at a distance, they could not escape the encroachment of that unknown force.

Almost at the same moment the warning cry rang out—

*Clink!*

A sound like something fragile shattering suddenly came from the half-elf.

Immediately, a verdant, emerald light, as fresh as a sprout after rain, erupted from Heian's waist, enveloping his entire body in an instant.

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

It lasted only a moment.

A look of bewilderment still lingered on Heian's face.

It wasn't until the next second that he realized they were under attack, and that the magic item he carried for survival had been consumed.

Wood was the only professional in the entire party.

Even if he wasn't an exceptionally outstanding one, far from reaching the threshold of the "Transcendent," the high agility granted by the "Rogue" class allowed him to react instantly.

His figure blurred in an instant, his shadow trailing his footsteps.

He did not dodge, nor did he block.

Instead, in that split second, he gathered his entire mind and concentrated all his attention.

Like a hermit facing the tide on a coastline, he clenched his teeth and tensed his entire body, facing the invisible force that was surging through the air like a tidal wave.

*Hum—*

His body stiffened violently, then suddenly relaxed.

The exceptional physical constitution brought by his profession allowed him to forcibly withstand the erosion of this invisible force.

There was no time to feel relieved.

This usually calm and collected rogue now displayed an extremely disheveled state.

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

"Run!"

Finally, there was Xia Nan, located on the other side of the courtyard.

Having already decided to head back and thinking of exploring these ruins another time, he had no intention of taking souvenirs.

Indifferent to Larry's excited shouts, he had fallen to the rear of the group.

And because of that,

Whether it was the struggle and petrification of Larry and Doris, or the green light erupting from the half-elf behind them,

He saw almost everything happening on the field.

But like the ripples caused by a dewdrop hitting water, or the subtle arc of a bird's wings as it flutters by, those images that seemed incredibly clear and detailed to your eyes were, in reality, the most hurried instants of time.

Xia Nan felt he had reached his absolute limit.

Larry turned his head—he stopped his approaching steps.

Wood went on alert—he instinctively reached back for his sword hilt.

Green light flashed on Heian—the iron-grey decapitation longsword was drawn from his back.

And by the time the rogue's "Run" reached his ears, was translated by his brain into understandable information, issued as a command, conducted through his nerves, moved his muscles, and drove his bones to take the first step...

That invisible force, which seemed to have filled the air like mist, arrived before him.

*Boom—*

The world seemed to have its mute button pressed; the bright, vivid colors before his eyes gradually faded.

It was difficult to describe Xia Nan's current sensation with words.

It was like winter swimming in temperatures below minus twenty degrees Celsius.

First came the instantaneous cold and stinging sensation on the surface of the skin, as if the freezing chill of the river water wanted to seep through his pores into his muscles and bones;

Then came the numbness, as the sensation in the parts eroded by the cold gradually vanished as if frozen;

And immediately following that, his body, sensing the crisis, instinctively constricted its blood vessels. The resulting accelerated blood circulation sent waves of warmth surging through his entire body to resist the intrusion from the outside.

The two precious attribute points granted to Xia Nan by the "Mastery" level [Whirlwind Slash], combined with the relatively resilient willpower gained from living two lifetimes, acted as a bulwark.

At this moment, "Body" and "Mind" formed a wall that blocked the petrification force from continuing its erosion into his interior.

This allowed him to pass that life-or-death test.

His consciousness suddenly flickered, and the colors before his eyes surged back.

His fingertips, knees, and even the toes of his leather boots were already covered in a layer of pale, lifeless grey.

In his field of vision, Wood was carrying Heian, rushing toward the dense forest outside the courtyard.

The half-elf's face was filled with panic, his bloodless lips moving as he shouted two words to Xia Nan

"Run fast!"

And only then did the culprit that had nearly wiped out the entire squad in a single breath...

Drag its bloated, massive body, stepping with the leisurely, composed gait unique to a predator, and slowly crawl out from the misty forest behind the courtyard.