Chapter 377 – Interlude

In the mentor’s quarter of the Thought of Truth Branch located in the Gray Rain Country’s Grey Mire Swamp.

Perhaps due to legendary love, or perhaps simply because of a pure miracle, while trapped in boundless dark despair, when Mijia Ka’s voice once again echoed in Anya’s ears, the girl who seemed to hear celestial music gradually regained consciousness. At this moment, in her vision, the path ahead was no longer just an endless void of darkness. Instead, at the far edge of that darkness, a nearly imperceptible flicker of light abruptly ignited and swayed.

“Mijia Ka…”

Like a desperate traveler sinking in a swamp who spots a lifeline, the hope rekindled in Anya’s eyes as she instinctively reached toward that point of light. Countless dark hands began to slowly release their grip, and the girl, who had already been half-consumed by darkness, once again broke through the shackles of despair.

“Though it remains out of reach… even if I were but a moth drawn to flame, I cannot bring myself to abandon my gaze upon the stars!”

Clutching desperately at the fading light, the girl unleashed a furious cry from the depths of her heart… The next moment, accompanied by falling radiance like scattered snowflakes, the darkness surrounding her finally receded completely.

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“Anya, Anya, are you awake… Anya, thank goodness, we succeeded!”

Kneeling on the cold laboratory floor, Mijia Ka gazed at the girl with immense tenderness. Though Anya still appeared somewhat disoriented, and the magical lights in the small laboratory flickered dimly due to the instability of Mijia Ka’s soul, the gentle glow of the lamps made this confused version of Anya appear even more endearing to him.

It had to be admitted that even among Formal-Level Mages, Mijia Ka as a thirteenth-level spellcaster undoubtedly stood among the elite. Meanwhile, Anya’s soul aptitude and willpower could be described as genius among geniuses. It was precisely because these two “geniuses” had struggled desperately with fortune’s favor for so long that this completely unexpected “battle” had ultimately avoided the worst possible outcome.

Though the immediate crisis had temporarily subsided, after barely enduring an outburst of negative energy, Mijia Ka felt an unprecedented weakness and powerlessness. Mana exhaustion alone would cause some degree of soul damage, not to mention he was simultaneously enduring the corrosion of his soul by bizarre energies while overdrawing his power.

Yet despite this, the exhausted Mijia Ka still held the gradually awakening Anya tightly in his embrace. At this moment, he knew… the helpless girl needed a warm embrace more than anything.

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“Mijia Ka…”

Slowly opening her eyes, Anya was overjoyed to discover herself lying in Mijia Ka’s embrace. The slightly short silk garment covering her had slipped down considerably, and her sweat-dampened hair still clung wetly to the young man’s arm…

“Ah, Lord Mijia Ka, I… I…”Witnessing this awkward scene, Anya felt her head was about to steam like Moli’s, especially when she looked up and met Mijia Ka’s earnest and concerned gaze. She had no idea where to direct her eyes.

“Don’t move. There’s something wrong with your soul. Drink this potion quickly now.”Unlike the less mature Anya, Mijia Ka, who could already be considered unflappable in chaos, though also aware of the ambiguity in how he was holding the girl, showed no sign of panic at this moment.”

With almost no hesitation, genuinely concerned for the girl, Mijia Ka quickly retrieved a precious “Spirit Stabilization” potion from his Storage Ring.

“Here, drink it all in one go!”

Doing his best to maintain a serious and earnest demeanor, completely unaware that his own face was slightly flushed, Mijia Ka firmly pressed the potion into the girl’s hand.

Despite the ambiguity, Anya knew it wasn’t the time for politeness. Without pointless refusal, the slender girl carefully stood up, gripping the silk, and then sniffed the grayish-brown “Spirit Stabilization Potion” with her cute little nose.

“Ugh… so bitter…”

“Be good and drink it. I’ll give you some candy later!”

Seeing Anya lightly complain about the bitter potion, Mijia Ka found it amusing and also breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, the bitterness of the ‘Spirit Stabilization Potion’ can’t be detected by smell. Since she can still taste the bitterness, her soul probably hasn’t suffered major damage. It seems the transformation by that eerie energy isn’t destructive… but this erosion doesn’t seem like a beneficial ‘transformation’ either?”

While enduring his fatigue and patting Anya’s head, Mijia Ka began analyzing the information in his mind.

However… this time, the entity he faced was far beyond what an ordinary Formal-Level Mage could handle. The Eerie Eyeball, which even Punk couldn’t predict, was destined to be beyond Mijia Ka’s comprehension.

Whether fortunate or not, these troubling pieces of information were Mijia Ka’s to worry about. For Anya at this moment, unaware of Mijia Ka’s thoughts and unable to see the deeply hidden exhaustion in the young man before her, her emotions were still filled with the excitement of love. After Mijia Ka encouraged her like a child, Anya only symbolically complained, “I don’t need candy; I’m not a child anymore,” before downing the bitter potion in one gulp.

So bitter!

That was Anya’s first thought. The “Spirit Stabilization Potion” was definitely much more bitter than bitter melon. After the bottle emptied into her stomach, Anya was so bitter she nearly shed tears.

But in her heart, a contrasting feeling filled the young girl’s heart.

It was a sweet sensation, a kind… wonderful sweetness called love, overwhelming all bitterness…

“Alright, little Anya, open your mouth… Ahhh~~”

Draping the Mage Robe gifted by Punk over Anya, Mijia Ka, with a smile, handed her a cube of sugar.

“Ahhh~~”

Without thinking, the still somewhat dazed girl opened her mouth without hesitation.

“Yummy, so sweet… Wait, I don’t need candy either.”Until her pink little tongue lightly swept across the corner of her lips, the dazed Anya suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Hahaha, alright, Miss Anya who no longer needs candy, you can now go back and sleep peacefully. I believe those pesky nightmares won’t haunt you anymore.”

With a mischievous gesture, Mijia Ka reached out and gently tweaked Anya’s small nose, then carefully smoothed the girl’s disheveled raven-black hair.

“Thank you…”

These were Anya’s final words to Mijia Ka tonight before she dashed out of the magic gate.

Sensing the girl’s figure disappearing into the night, Mijia Ka—unable to hold on any longer—collapsed weakly onto the Laboratory floor almost instantly. Deep within the young mage’s soul, an intensely uncomfortable dissonance and the exhaustion from overdrawing magic nearly made him lose his balance.

With no other choice, fighting back the urge to faint outright, Mijia Ka forced himself into a meditative state.

Retracting all his senses and entering deep concentration, the mage focused on recovering his magical energy while carefully examining the shocking injuries to his soul. However, it didn’t take long for a bitter smile to twist his features:

“…Severely damaged foundations, Magic Potions exhausted, and I’ve managed to offend a Master-Level expert… Though I don’t regret it… I suppose—this just proves I’m really an impulsive fool who never considers the consequences!”

(End of Chapter)