Chapter 386: Chapter 386

The longer they remained in the Mysterious Realm, the more drastically the temperature fluctuated.

Miss Dolores Stuart took a deep breath, and a hazy figure materialized behind her. It was a warrior drawing a bow, its body translucent and clad in pale blue ice armor, with faint runes flickering across its surface.

The warrior advanced toward the table and deftly reached out with its free hand. It succeeded in grasping a flowerpot near the center of the round table, but the price was steep—its body shattered completely, crushed into fine ice particles by the frenzied vines.

If Jenkins, standing nearby, hadn't reacted so quickly and caught the falling pot, Miss Stuart's effort might have been for nothing.

Still, Jenkins couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen that archer somewhere before.

"That's it, the Frozen Archer chess piece. The file on this Bestowal mentioned it! But wasn't the piece returned to the Stuart family? Can you just lend something like that out?"

He handed the flowerpot to Miss Stuart, who thanked him in a low voice. Turning his head, he glanced at Miss Miller. She smiled and winked at him, though he had no idea what she meant by it.

"This is Dragon's Blood Herb," she said. "It only grows when watered with dragon blood of at least 83.2% purity. It's more valuable than the blood itself."

She was like a walking botanical encyclopedia, having identified yet another plant.

Neither Jenkins nor Miss Miller could help her with this part; the old man's instructions had been clear that each person must water two pots on their own.

"I'm a little dizzy," she said. "I'll be fine after a moment's rest."

Despite her words, she had to lean on Miss Miller just to stay upright. It was clearly a case of severe blood loss.

Miss Miller quickly staunched the bleeding while Jenkins took off his coat, which was missing its right sleeve, and draped it over Dolores's shoulders. He shot a glance at the old man before extending his flaming left arm once more.

Once again, the target was chosen based on Miss Miller's guidance, and the process unfolded much like the last.

The change in temperature was stark. Weak from blood loss, Miss Stuart shivered uncontrollably, even with the extra layer of clothing.

Jenkins and Miss Miller offered their blood just as they had in the first round. A single drop from Jenkins's finger caused the Ghostfire Flower to erupt in an eerie, ghostly blue flame. Miss Miller lost a bit more blood but seemed largely unaffected.

For Jenkins, who seemed to be playing with cheats, and the high-level Enchanter Miss Miller, this Mysterious Realm wasn't particularly difficult. For their companion, however, it was another story.

"I'm fine," Dolores insisted.

Perhaps constrained by some rule, she didn't summon the ice archer again. Instead, she reached for a flowerpot herself, just as the other two had done.

Her sleeve was instantly shredded by a flurry of attacks, and the delicate arm beneath began to rapidly transform into ice. Even so, the ferocious assault nearly shattered her arm, forcing her to retract it.

She bit her lip, ready to try again, but Miss Miller gently placed a hand on her arm.

"Dolores, that's enough," she said. "You've done very well."

Her tone was so gentle and slow that Miss Stuart's eyes suddenly welled with tears.

"Leave it to us," Miss Miller added.

Though shorter than Miss Stuart, at that moment, Miss Miller seemed like the more mature of the two.

Jenkins found the scene even stranger than the monstrously ugly plants on the table, but he was wise enough not to point it out.

Miss Miller and Jenkins then worked together to retrieve the most unremarkable plant from the very center of the table. The effort cost Jenkins his remaining sleeve and left a bloody gash on his arm from a flying leaf. But thanks to that cut, the remaining plants scrambled to get a taste of the dripping blood, giving the pair the opening they needed to grab the pot.

The restriction of using each ability only once nearly caused them to fail, but luck was on Jenkins's side this time.

"A Spirit Flower," Miss Miller explained. "Swallowing it directly increases one's Spirit capacity. A talented ordinary person would awaken as an Enchanter. Someone without talent would just get an upset stomach."

As she spoke, she cast a worried glance at Miss Stuart.

The young woman offered them a pitiful smile, then picked up the small knife, preparing to cut her wrist again.

This time, it was Jenkins who stopped her.

"There's no situation in a Mysterious Realm that guarantees death," he declared. "But if you try to water that with your blood, you will most certainly die."

"Please, listen to me."

He took off his insulated vest and handed it to her. "Miss Miller and I may be the same level as you..."

He blushed slightly but pressed on without pause.

"...but our luck is far worse, and we've been through many Mysterious Realms. This one might seem dangerous, but compared to what we've faced before, it's rather tame."

He cautiously glanced at the old man. Seeing no change in his stoic expression, he continued.

"Recent events have taught me that all mortals die, but a death must have meaning. If you die here, it will have been for nothing."

Jenkins cut her off again, his tone firm.

"The rule is that you must bleed, and the plant must grow."

Miss Miller seamlessly picked up her part in the act. Having survived countless Mysterious Realms, they both knew exactly what to do.

"Herkly is right," she said. "The two things aren't necessarily connected. As long as our blood isn't used, we aren't breaking the rules. You just need to offer a single drop."

With that, Jenkins grabbed one of Miss Stuart's arms while Miss Miller squeezed the unhealed wound on the other, forcing a bead of blood to the surface. Dolores let them manipulate her like a doll, showing no sign of resentment or unwillingness. In fact, she looked as if she might cry.

Miss Miller placed her right hand on the flowerpot. A rich green light seeped from her palm, a new ability she had mastered: Accelerated Growth.

"My abilities aren't a cohesive set," she explained. "Besides working as a detective, I also spent some time as a gardener."

"Yes, me too," Jenkins chimed in.

He placed his left hand on the other side of the pot. The life energy from his Breath of Healing seemed even more potent within this strange realm.

Slowly but surely, the plant in the pot began to grow. Five buds sprouted and unfurled into delicate pink blossoms, but the flowers that finally bloomed were black.

It was a black so deep it was hypnotic, as if it were a black hole. To gaze upon its petals was to feel oneself becoming mesmerized, drawn into its depths.

A faint breeze stirred the stuffy air in the dimly lit room. They turned to see a white door of light shimmering into existence between the two boarded-up windows. The most update n0vels are published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net