I woke up to the taste of blood in my mouth. My entire body felt like I had been run over by a stampede, then trampled again just for good measure.
Every breath sent a dull ache through my ribs, but the pain was already fading slowly, steadily. My passive ability was working. I could feel it.
My bones shifted ever so slightly, realigning themselves with quiet pops. Torn muscles stitched back together, tighter and denser than before.
The spots where the demon's attacks had hit burned the most, my body focusing on them first. My ribs? Strengthening. My spine? Hardening. Every wound was a blueprint for my body's next upgrade.
I flexed my fingers, then curled them into a fist. The ground beneath me was still warm, cracked from the impact of that damn boulder. I must've been out for a while.
I stared up.
I had no choice, the boulder was still sitting on my chest, and on top of it sat the demoness, grinning down at me like she was enjoying a front-row seat to my suffering.
The weight pressed down on me, making each breath feel like I was sucking air through a straw. I shifted, trying to lift the damn thing off, but it wouldn't budge. My muscles screamed in protest.
The demoness wiggled her finger at me.
"No, no, no. You shouldn't do something like that."
She tilted her head, feigning concern.
"You might break yourself."
I clenched my teeth and glared at her.
"Pretty sure you already did that."
She chuckled, tapping the boulder.
"Oh, come on. You're still breathing, aren't you? That means we can keep playing."
I exhaled sharply, focusing on my body.
My passive healing was working, but it wasn't instant. I needed time. Unfortunately, time was the one thing she wasn't going to give me.
The demoness hopped off the boulder, then with a kick, sent it flying off my body.
I coughed violently, more blood leaking from my mouth.
The demoness's red eyes locked onto me once again.
I ignored her, clenched my teeth, and forced myself up.
Rolling my shoulders, I tested my movements. Pain flared with every shift, sharp and deep. I was still injured—badly. If I wanted at least fifty percent recovery, I'd need another four or five hours of rest. But I didn't have that luxury.
The demoness watched me with a twinkle in her crimson eyes, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
I narrowed my eyes, thinking.
How was I supposed to proceed from here? I had no idea if this was part of what Arkas wanted.
I checked my Essence store: full.
That gave me options.
I could dump it all into Psynapse, enhance my perception, and at least track her movements. Or I could boost my Constitution, tank her attacks, then catch her off guard and give her a proper beating.
Before I could decide, she spoke.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
I didn't answer.
She placed her hands on her waist and pouted.
"Come on, I was just doing what I was told. No need to ignore me like this."
My expression eased slightly at that.
"Explain."
Her grin widened as she took a step closer—too close.
Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around mine, hugging it against her body.
Heat radiated off her bare skin, pressing into mine. I wasn't wearing a shirt, so I..cough...felt them too.
She was taller than me by two heads, and the way she practically draped over me made the situation even more awkward.
She didn't seem to care. With a playful tug, she pulled me along and continued.
"Well, I heard you're here for training. And if I help you with that, my prison time here gets reduced."
I turned my head toward her.
"Your sentence? Why were you imprisoned?"
Her smile faltered. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
She took her time before answering.
"I was on a mission with my squad… but one of them betrayed us. We were ambushed by the Phantoms. My entire team was wiped out that day."
Her voice lowered, the usual amusement gone. "I ran. I had no choice. I got lost in the chaos and ended up in your world."
I remained silent, absorbing her words.
She exhaled slowly.
"Some people tried taking advantage of me. I had to defend myself… so I killed them."
My eyes widened.
She was Level 30. That meant she wasn't much older. But she had already killed people.
As we walked, my gaze drifted to the ground, my thoughts lingering on that part.
I had slaughtered Abominations. Crushed them, ripped them apart. But those were monsters, things that needed to be killed.
I had never taken a human life.
I wondered when the time came, how would I handle my first kill?
I shook my head, shoving the thought aside.
"What happened after that?" I asked.
She shrugged.
"The people I killed had… some important connections," she said with a sigh. "Because of that, I had to run again. But I was caught. And now, I'm here."
I chuckled.
"So, what you're saying is… you basically speed ran from 'unlucky soldier' to 'wanted fugitive' to 'lava cave prisoner'? Impressive career path."
She blinked, then laughed.
"That's one way to put it."
I smirked.
"So, what should I call you?"
She met my gaze, smiling.
"You can call me Guro."
I nodded.
"Guro it is. Now, you were saying something about helping with my training?"
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, several times.
"Yes, yes! I was getting bored. Finally, we can have some fun."
We walked a little further before stopping in front of a massive lava pool, the molten surface bubbling like it was alive.
She stepped away from me, stopping at the edge of the lava pool. Her eyes scanned the bubbling molten sludge, and she muttered to herself.
"Yeah… this'll work."
Then she turned to me.
"All right, here's what's next. You're going to step into the pool, endure the heat, and I'm going to attack you.
Your goal? Either dodge or tank my hits while standing in the lava sludge and, you know, not get cooked alive."
I blinked at her.
"You want me to start now? You can see I'm in no condition to fight, right?"
She nodded sagely, her two 'peaks' bouncing slightly with the motion.
"Doesn't matter. No excuses. I'm bored. I can't just sit around waiting for you to recover."
I shook my head. "But—"
Before I could finish, she blurred.
A gust of heat brushed against my skin, and suddenly she was inches away.
I barely had time to react before she grabbed my wrist and twisted.
Crack.
Pain exploded up my arm.
"Fuuuuuuuck!" I shouted. "Why would you do that?!"
She grinned, wide and wicked.
"For fun."
And then, she hurled me straight into the lava.
I crashed into the lava pool with a heavy splash, molten sludge splattering around me.
The heat hit instantly.
It wasn't just hot, it was suffocating. A searing, liquid force that wrapped around my body like a vice, trying to burn through my skin. My muscles tensed instinctively, but I forced myself to move.
I stood up quickly, hissing as the thick lava sludge clung to my legs.
Then I looked at my wrist.
It was already swelling, the broken bone screaming in protest. My body fought to heal it, my ability kicking in to stop the damage from worsening, but the pain still lingered.
"Ah, shit," I muttered under my breath.
A voice called out from the edge of the pool.
"All right, human! I'm starting in thirty seconds! Try not to get cooked before then!"
I looked up to see her waving at me, grinning like a child about to play a game.
I ignored her.
My body wasn't ready for a fight. My movements were sluggish, my strength wasn't back yet, and I needed at least a few hours to recover properly.
But there was no choice.
I exhaled sharply and forced my feet into a proper stance. The lava burned against my skin, but I gritted my teeth and bore with it.
I had to either dodge or endure.
To increase my chances, I pulled up my status and dumped ten points into Constitution. My body reacted immediately. The dull ache in my ribs eased slightly, my wrist stopped swelling, and I could feel my passive healing speeding up.
Then, I added another ten points into Psynapse.
My vision sharpened. My senses heightened. I could hear the bubbling of the lava more clearly, feel the faint shifts in the air, detect the way heat moved around me.
Even if the boost wasn't huge, it was better than nothing.
Finally, I activated my Generator Core.
A hum vibrated through my chest as it roared to life, ready to absorb energy and generate Essence again.