About twenty minutes later.
Wu Shuang changed his location, stepping away from the ruins and corpses to hide in an unoccupied nearby house.
His wound was taken care of as well.
Wu Shuang looked down at his right hand. Six irregular, centipede-like suture lines now ran across it, making it look like something on a stitched monstrosity. The wound was massive—parts of it were deep enough that bone was visible.
Had Yellow Humanity not granted him five points of Constitution to reach 152 and boosted his recovery rate, it was doubtful he could have held on until now. His Health had dropped below 40%, settling at a mere 32%.
Mia was helping him wrap the bandage, having also performed the suturing using strands of her hair.
Strictly speaking, the wound should have been cleaned first, but there had been no time for that; stitching it up as fast as possible had been the only option.
Yet Wu Shuang hadn't expected Mia to actually know surgical suturing. Her technique was surprisingly deft, akin to that of an intricate tailor, mindful of blood vessels and nerves alike. Before this, Wu Shuang's only thought had been to stop the bleeding immediately.
"Mia, did you study medicine?"
"Just a little."
Mia nodded, her brows furrowed in a tight frown as her focus remained fixed on the wound. The situation didn't look promising.
Still, his Health had at least stopped plummeting so drastically.
"Can you still feel your fingers?"
Mia asked. Wu Shuang shook his head and answered truthfully. Right now, he could only feel pain, though it was hard to pinpoint where it hurt specifically—his entire right arm throbbed with agony.
"Can you still move them?"
"I can."
Wu Shuang wiggled his index finger, but that was the extent of what he could manage.
"The situation isn't good. The nerves and tendons are damaged, and there's a risk of infection.
"Do you have any more of that healing medicine from before, or any other way to fight infection? Otherwise, this hand might still be lost.
"Even if you make it through, you'll inevitably suffer lingering aftereffects, not to mention that sword..."
Mia delivered her grim evaluation, casting a look at the sword they had brought back with them.
She hadn't wanted to pick it up, but Wu Shuang had insisted they take it along.
"Yeah. Thanks for your hard work, Mia..."
"Guh... Save your thanks for later. You need to find a way to fix that hand, or we'll still have to amputate—"
Mia spoke, pulling no punches as usual, but before she could finish, Wu Shuang pulled her into a hug.
"Mia, I'm really glad you're here."
Wu Shuang spoke, his voice softening so much that goosebumps almost broke out on Mia's face as she struggled to break free.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Mia snapped, and Wu Shuang conceded with a grin.
His Yellow Humanity was indeed somewhat high, actively influencing him to the point where Mia practically seemed to glow in his eyes.
But his words were genuine, regardless of the color of his Humanity.
Wu Shuang looked down at his right hand, carefully wrapped until it almost resembled a mummy's limb. He wasn't quite as pessimistic as Mia. He had already prepared himself to lose the hand entirely, yet it had been dragged back from the brink. Even if it was only half-saved, he was content.
As for the rewards this time...
Sure enough, luck was the least trustworthy thing of all—Wu Shuang had truly learned the meaning of that phrase this time.
The two light orbs had yielded a Gold Coin Chest and a Bronze Chest. The Gold Coin Chest had dropped 5,000 Kingdom Gold Coins, fairly standard.
But the Bronze Chest, instead of giving him a choice of one out of three, had turned into a randomly dropped Blue Chest. Out of it came a rusty iron box containing an item completely unrelated to medical care: a flare gun equipped with five rounds of ammunition.
It couldn't be called useless, but for his current predicament, it offered zero help.
Without Mia's help, Wu Shuang likely would have perished right alongside the shark goblin, his injuries far beyond recovery.
【Name: Dawnbringer】
【Quality: Fine】
【Description: An illuminating weapon developed by the Holy Kingdom to combat the night. Firing alchemical gunpowder infused with Humanity, it can briefly dispel darkness across a large area, facilitating nighttime operations. It possesses a moderate repellent effect against creatures that favor darkness and can briefly suppress the blessing of the Goddess of the Night. Each round lasts between one to three minutes.】
...
It was a signal gun meant for illumination, the kind that fired flares. Wu Shuang had seen them often in movies, but he hadn't expected one to exist in this world. Its effects were likely stronger than those in movies due to the special gunpowder used.
Considering the Holy Kingdom's current situation and the escalating influence of the Black Beast, this item was likely a deliberate drop from the system, which had boosted its drop rate.
Still, Wu Shuang would have preferred a Holy Blessed Pill, as he was practically on the verge of becoming a one-armed swordsman...
Resting for another twenty minutes or so, Wu Shuang confirmed that his Stamina had recovered to 35%. Though still exhausted, they had to move.
Now that the shark-headed goblin was dead, the danger level of the entire town had dropped significantly. That was why Wu Shuang had been so eager to kill the creature—it would allow them to explore freely without holding back.
Furthermore, while resting, a way to save himself had occurred to him... using the Blessed's Shedding for treatment!
"Mia, let's head back. After a quick bite to eat, we'll set off to search for the pawnshop. The owner's shed skin is likely inside, and that stuff has healing properties too."
Wu Shuang said. This was the only method he could think of that might save his arm and prevent an amputation.
"You can also use it on the cut on your face. It won't leave a scar."
Wu Shuang added. Mia nodded in agreement, and after packing up their items, the two set out once more.
As they stepped outside, the nearby goblin corpse was already crawling with living corpses—at least seven or eight of them at a glance, likely drawn by the scent and noise.
Having devoured so many living corpses, it ended up being devoured by them in turn.
Wu Shuang had no intention of killing those living corpses. If they picked the body down to the bones, it would actually be a blessing; otherwise, the shark-headed goblin corpse would undoubtedly be exploited by the zombie goblin, potentially forcing a rematch.
Taking advantage of the living corpses swarming around the goblin corpse, he slipped away silently. Before long, he returned to the estate, headed upstairs, killed a newly spawned living corpse inside, and retreated to the attic. There, he ate, rested to regain his Stamina, and drank a bit of Bitter Tincture to suppress the agonizing pain that was driving him mad, as the wound showed signs of inflammation and the bleeding hadn't truly stopped. He also replaced the bandages with fresh ones.
The Blood Rose's wound-suppression effect seemed to be affecting Wu Shuang as well, perhaps even more potently. While his sliced left palm had stopped bleeding, his right hand continued to seep blood. Had Yellow Humanity not enhanced his self-healing, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Thus, the two didn't linger for long.
Spending roughly forty minutes eating and resting to bring his Stamina back above 75%, they headed out, taking along a few keys that might prove useful, and began their exploration starting directly from the south.
Rate on N.U.
