In a desperate attempt to survive, Jenny employed most of her mana to stop the bleeding and reduce the damage by reconnecting the blood vessels and nerves. It was a nigh impossible, but she believed it was probable.
[User is experiencing a dangerous situation.]
[User is on the verge of death.]
[Self-preservation skills are being automatically used.]
[3%… 56%… 99%…]
Suddenly, Jenny’s eyelids drooped. Exhaustion piled up before fatigue settled in, resulting in the woman losing consciousness. She lay on the cold, hard floor, blood escaping the wound at a terrifying pace.
*
As her vision returned, Jenny noticed a significant decrease in the sharp pain she had previously felt. Instead of the intense pain, she now felt the wound ache, along with the faint spinning of her head.
Clutching her temples, Jenny massaged them while attempting to understand what had happened. The bleeding seemed to have stopped completely, but a pool of blood surrounded her, wetting her body.
The cave was eerily silent, while a snowstorm seemed to have begun.
‘I guess I’m not leaving any time soon,’ thought Jenny, sighing. However, that was the least of her concerns. As she observed her condition, the woman realized she was almost in a healthy condition. 𝒊𝓫𝙧𝙚𝒂𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝒎
It was as if she had undergone a perfect amputation without any consequences.
But how was that possible? With no one to treat her, and this much bleeding, how could she have survived? Jenny believed she could’ve healed herself, but that was only if she remained conscious.
Losing consciousness was almost a guaranteed death.
So why was she alive?
‘Although I’m not… you know, saddened,’ Jenny muttered internally, laying her head atop the pool of blood while looking blankly at the crimson liquid surrounding her. ‘But that should’ve been impossible.’
As she was considering the possibilities, a sharp pain burst from her sternum, almost instantly forcing her face to the ground. Her nose crashed into the pool of blood, expanding it while crushing the cartilage within.
Jenny forcefully suppressed the scream that threatened to emerge, realizing her spine seemed to be temporarily paralyzed.
‘Just what the fuck is happening?’
She wondered, but was not lucky enough to receive an answer.
Her sternum released a chilly aura, following faint light that faded within two seconds of appearing. Sobs escaped Jenny’s lips as the pain continued to assault her. She could feel that her vitality was balanced, which meant there was no chance of dying, yet.
But it was simply too painful.
It was as if someone was digging into her sternum with a sharp rod, pulling out before pushing it back in and repeating the cycle. Also, it felt like each time the rod entered, it would pierce unharmed body parts.
[Yin Qi is being consolidated at the sternum.]
[User’s Yin Qi is settling and condensing into a core.]
[User’s Yin Qi has expanded. The user’s body has been healed by the expansion of Yin Qi.]
[Further expansion of Yin Qi will cause side effects such as chills, internal bleeding, freezing of the body, and perhaps death.]
[Further expansion of Yin Qi will worsen the state of the user’s body.]
‘A Yin Qi core,’ Jenny muttered internally, still enduring the pain. However, now that she knew that the pain would eventually subside, she could breathe a sigh of relief. Still, she couldn’t relax, noticing that further expansion of the core would result in death.
But how did the core expand?
She wasn’t certain.
After a few minutes of groveling on the ground, Jenny hesitantly stood up with re-ignited determination. It didn’t matter if the Yin Qi would eventually corrode her body. What mattered was that she had survived the tribulation.
Now, she could successfully step foot in Xuanpu.
A few hours passed, and Jenny simply observed the snowstorm from within the cave, her expression strained. It seemed that as soon as the storm subsided, she would need to hunt for food.
The storm–after another hour–finally came to an end.
Jenny exited the cave, her body cloaked under raw materials she found within the cave. Although it was quite cold, the abundance of Yin Qi within her body expelled all existences of natural cold.
It only allowed her to feel the chilliness of the Yin Qi itself.
But, to be fair, that was worse.
Jenny glanced at the Sun that hung directly over her head, its blinding rays reflecting upon the white sheet that layered over the rocks and greenery of the Kunlun Mountain Range. She continued to walk in a certain direction, aiming at Xuanpu.
After a few days of walking, she finally spotted a village in the distance.
‘No, it’s not a village… It’s a whole fucking city.’
Xuanpu was hidden within a valley and was incredibly prone to avalanches. The architecture of the city was based on rigid stone that wouldn’t bend even if thousands of kilograms of snow were to fall upon it.
Moreover, no player on the fifteenth floor would be vulnerable to mere snow, unless they were born on the floor.
The city was constructed in a circular shape, with thick, brick walls surrounding the interior and a massive castle located in the center. It was vastly different than what Xuanpu was described as.
‘But it’s home…’
Jenny possessed a wide smile, which served as a testament to her relief after passing the tribulation. Xuanpu was not an ordinary town and was known as the Mythical Capital of the Fifteenth Floor.
To enter it, one needed a pass provided by the Central City on the Fifteenth Floor.
Jenny dug through her pockets, retrieving a certain insignia that displayed her affiliation with the organization that ruled Xuanpu. It was an insignia she kept with her while climbing floors. It would finally be used.
As she descended a certain mountain while heading towards the circular city, she noticed many guards around Xuanpu. As they spotted her, they immediately displayed expressions of wariness.
Jenny immediately extended her arm, showing the insignia, which instantly dispelled their suspicions about her identity.
‘I’ve returned home.’