"I swear, I never want to go through that again. It was a complete nightmare..."
Qing, carrying Exiled Immortal on his shoulder, collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Looking at his legs, corroded by stomach acid until only bones remained, and his abdon, deeply wounded, Qing felt overwheld.
Even he was tornted by the excruciating pain.
Since Elaria and old Mac were not players, the HP potion had little effect on them.
Qing had to shield everyone with a large rock to protect them from the tornado controlled by Exiled Immortal.
Despite his efforts, they all suffered injuries to so extent.
After Exiled Immortal lost consciousness, he fell into the stomach acid, his body corroded beyond recognition, as if suffering from severe second-degree burns.
Lily had accidentally hit her leg with the teor she summoned, causing her entire ankle to vanish instantly.
She lost one-fifth of her health and fainted imdiately.
Helena, in a critical mont, hugged Elaria to protect her from the stomach acid, resulting in severe burns on her back.
Despite everything, they had overco the ordeal.
Those still conscious looked at each other's sorry state and couldn't help but smile.
"This is so embarrassing. If John saw us, who knows how much he'd laugh at us."
Helena bit her lip gently, the burning pain from her back still intense.
The flesh corroded by the stomach acid wouldn't heal naturally; they would need to remove the rotten flesh and then use healing to recover.
"John wouldn't laugh. He'd just bla himself for not protecting us," Elaria sighed, feeling a wave of worry and longing for John.
It had been three days since they last heard anything from him.
All they knew was that he was alive, but nothing else.
"Helena, no matter what, we owe our survival to you this ti," old Mac struggled to stand.
As a dwarf, he had been shielded by Qing and was the least injured.
"Uncle Mac, don't say that. It was everyone's effort that allowed us to take down this mountain toad. By myself, I would have been digested into a puddle of blood long ago. Honestly, this is the only place where I can be of any help..."
Helena smiled bitterly, lowering her head in resignation.
Sohow, Helena felt increasingly distant from her companions.
Whenever a battle occurred, she would find herself on the sidelines, unable to contribute.
Lost in thought, old Mac seed to notice Helena's feelings.
He walked over and lightly tapped her on the head, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Ow... Uncle Mac, what are you doing?"
"Giving you a wake-up call."
Old Mac sighed deeply and said, "No one is replaceable. Together, we form a team, and without any one of us, we are incomplete.
Yes, Exiled Immortal and Qing are progressing rapidly, making you feel left behind, but have you considered that your presence is part of their motivation?
Besides, you're just getting started. The future is long, so why be fixated on the present?
"Talcavano had a saying, 'There are no useless materials, only half-baked blacksmiths.' You haven't been left behind; you're just waiting for your mont to shine. So, cheer up, Helena. You're more important than you think."
"Uncle Mac..."
Helena bit her lip, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.
No one understood better than Mac that monts of confusion were when one needed encouragent and support the most.
Qing was thick-skinned, Exiled Immortal was still young and emotionally insensitive, Lily had noticed Helena's mood but didn't know how to address it, and Elaria, the backbone of the team, couldn't fully understand Helena's feelings.
Only old Mac did. Once considered a madman for chasing the elusive Shadows of the Past, ridiculed and looked down upon, he knew exactly what Helena needed.
"Enough. Exiled Immortal and Lily are passed out from stamina exhaustion, and we've all sustained various injuries.
I suggest we avoid going further into the labyrinth to prevent any more mishaps.
Let's head back, rest, and regroup. I refuse to believe this mine holds another mountain toad!"
...
At this mont, John's mind was blank. He couldn't understand why Hades would spare him and even offer a portion of his power.
"Wait... wait a minute, this isn't a hallucination, right? You really want to give power and even help take down the Dragon of Death and Sin?
But... why? Why would you do this? Aren't you on the side of the gods? What's in it for you to help ?"
"First of all, this is not a hallucination.
Secondly, I never said I would protect that dragon.
Lastly, I don't take sides; or rather, I am a side unto myself. Helping you just seems like it will be very interesting, that's all."
"I... still don't quite get it, but that's not important. What matters is that I agree."
Honestly, if Hades had set any conditions, like asking John to kill soone or find sothing, at least it would give John a reference point. But Hades asked for nothing.
As the saying goes, the free things are often the most expensive, but John couldn't fathom why a king of the underworld would need to manipulate a re human.
With that thought, John felt at ease.
He needed power, Hades was willing to provide it, and by gaining Hades' power and defeating the Dragon of Death and Sin, Falms, John could complete two main quests at once.
It was a clear win-win-win situation.
After all, Seraphina also regained so of her power on this journey, making it a solid three-way win. John had no reason to refuse.
"We can start now."
"I will grant you a portion of my authority, allowing you to withstand the aura of the underworld.
Within the underworld, you will be able to command the souls of the dead to fight for you.
Additionally, you will be immune to all curses. How does that sound? Tempting, right?"
Tempting was an understatent.
If no one were watching, John would have gladly bowed to Hades!
Setting aside everything else, the ability to be immune to all curses alone was enough to drive everyone mad with envy!
It's well-known that a significant number of players died from curses, and now John could completely ignore them, demonstrating the power he was about to gain.
Seeing John's eager expression, Hades chuckled.
A playful glint appeared on his ethereal, handso face as he continued, "Of course, if soday in the future your performance disappoints or I lose interest in this ga, I can take it back at any ti."
"No problem."
"Then, I will grant your wish."
As Hades finished speaking, a pair of black wings unfurled from his back.
The pristine feathers, free of any dust, were srizing, like a black hole drawing one in.
Hades then plucked a unique feather from his wings and placed it in John's palm.
"Eat it."
John: "?"
"I said, eat it."
"I heard you... but why do I have to eat a feather? Isn't the process of bestowing power supposed to be simple? A glowing orb of authority enters my body, and that's it, right? That's how it was before!"
"Are you backing out?"
"No, no! I just... need a little ti to ntally prepare."
Staring at the thirty-centiter-long feather, John gulped, feeling a deep sense of resistance.
Besides the question of whether it was swallowable, the act of eating a feather itself was hard for John to accept.
But the thought of having the power to ignore all curses made him reconsider.
While he was caught in this inner struggle, [Deception] suddenly darted forward, grabbed the feather, and stuffed it into John's mouth, giving him no chance to hesitate.
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