Sharon's Slip (Physical)

Era of Chaos, Year 1818.

"I'm s-sorry, Xia Lun, it's all my fault, it's all because I wasn't paying attention..." Liyana buried her face in Xia Lun's chest and cried bitterly. Xia Lun stroked her head comfortingly.

"It's alright, getting ambushed by that thing wasn't your fault... This labyrinth is still too dangerous for you all. It was my poor decision to bring everyone here." Xia Lun endured the agonizing pain and spoke as softly as he could. "You don't need to blame yourself."

"But... Xia Lun, your arm..." Liyana wailed helplessly like a child, her gaze fixed just below his left shoulder.

Where Xia Lun's left arm used to be, there was nothing but empty space and a blood-soaked sleeve.

On the battlefield.

"Aina! Don't use highly destructive magic! Xia Lun's arm is still in its mouth!" Moke roared at Aina.

"I know!" Aina's eyes turned exceptionally cold as the surrounding temperature plummeted. With a wave of her staff, the air instantly froze. Fine ice crystals materialized out of nowhere, forming countless ice shards that lined up behind her.

"I'll stop the bleeding first, Xia Lun!" Musen rushed over in a hurry. His brow was furrowed in utmost seriousness, and his usually genial face was pulled tight. Although he usually loved to joke around, he felt no joy even though he was finally being of use.

To protect Liyana, Xia Lun's left arm had been bitten off by the monster that suddenly ambushed them.

Boom—Rumble—!

Intense magical fluctuations rippled across the battlefield. Aina was locked in a fierce battle with a hideous, four-legged, six-eyed monster.

The creature was incredibly agile. If it were ordinary adventurers, even high-tier warriors and mages might not be its match. But its current opponent was Aina.

Sturdy walls of ice, as if summoned from a freezing abyss, erupted from the ground with a soul-chilling cold. They instantly formed a cage, cutting off all of the monster's escape routes. Then, countless ice shards shot out, piercing its massive body like a death by a thousand cuts, sending blood and flesh flying.

A terrifying, icy glint flashed in Aina's eyes. Expressionless, she manipulated the frost, butchering the creature like a slaughterer carving meat on a chopping block.

"Roar—"

A massive icicle pierced cleanly and precisely through the monster's thickly armored throat, skewering it completely.

The monster let out a mournful roar. Eventually, its struggles grew weaker and weaker. Those pairs of frenzied eyes completely lost their luster, and its massive body crashed down, making the ground tremble slightly before it ceased all movement.

Moke hurried forward, ignoring the gore. His dagger danced as he expertly sliced through the monster's tough hide and muscle, disemboweling it in a few quick strokes. Without hesitation, Moke dove straight into the monster's stomach and began rummaging around.

"Found it! Xia Lun's arm is still intact, it hasn't been chewed up!" Moments later, Moke ran up to Musen, clutching Xia Lun's arm.

Although the arm was covered in sticky blood and digestive fluids, the bones and muscles remained intact.

"Yes, it can be reattached." Musen carefully examined the severed end for a moment, nodded slightly, and slowly revealed a smile.

Moke immediately felt a surge of wild joy.

"That's wonderful, Xia Lun, boohoo—" Liyana burst into tears again, wiping her snot and tears all over Xia Lun. Xia Lun helplessly patted her back.

"Phew—" Aina breathed a slight sigh of relief, though her face remained icy. A sharp sting came from her hand, and only then did she notice that in her extreme tension, the nails of the hand gripping her staff had dug deeply into her soft palm. They left behind several deep, crescent-shaped bloody indentations; any harder, and they would have pierced the skin.

A soft, pure, and holy white light surged from Musen's palms, beginning the process of reattaching Xia Lun's severed arm.

Finally, the light gradually faded. Xia Lun's left arm was back on his torso. The skin was perfectly fine, and even the scar was extremely faint. It looked completely unharmed.

However, Xia Lun found that while he could feel his arm, when he tried to lift it, the arm was like a sleeping boulder, completely motionless. Just trying to raise it was incredibly strenuous.

"This is normal... If you want to fully recover, it will take about a week," Musen explained in a muffled voice, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead.

"Mhm, thank you for your trouble, Musen."

"It's truly great that you're okay." Musen rubbed his large bald head, returning to his usual honest smile.

Xia Lun used his still-mobile right hand to lift his left arm. It was a very novel sensation; it felt as if his left hand had become a puppet's limb, completely paralyzed.

"Ah, Moke, you smell terrible," Liyana teased with a smile, wiping the tear stains from the corners of her eyes.

"I just took a trip inside that monster's stomach. Unlike someone who did absolutely nothing but sit there and cry," Moke rolled his eyes at Liyana.

"I... I just panicked for a moment! If Xia Lun was really left disabled, I wouldn't know how to face my parents in the future... oh, and Aina too." Liyana stuck out her cute pink tongue.

Aina wasn't sure why Liyana suddenly mentioned her.

Aina raised her staff, and a water sphere two meters in diameter was summoned, floating right in front of Moke.

"Wash up," Aina said indifferently. She had seen everything Moke did earlier.

"Ah... thanks." Even though they had been together for so long, Moke still wasn't used to talking to Aina... Not just him, Musen was the same. Aina's aura was simply too overwhelming, making it hard for normal people to approach her. Only Liyana was somewhat close to her.

Xia Lun was obviously an exception.

"It's nothing."

Aina pointed to the side, and the water sphere wobbled away to a spot not far off.

"Musen, keep an eye on Liyana for me. Don't let her peek." Moke followed the water sphere, ready to take a good bath.

"Hey! Who would want to peek at you! What kind of person do you take me for?!" Liyana started complaining again.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Musen replied very seriously. "Liyana, Moke is a taken man now, we can't let you see him naked."

Liyana looked indignant and aggrieved. "Musen, even you're saying that!"

Xia Lun couldn't help but chuckle. The party was once again enveloped in a cheerful atmosphere.

Aina presented a monster core to Xia Lun.

"Why give it to me? You're the one who killed that thing," Xia Lun asked with a smile.

"It hurt you. You take it." Aina's face, hidden beneath her hood, was somewhat icy.

"This is your loot. That monster was high-tier, its core is quite precious..."

Xia Lun looked at Aina's earnest expression and ultimately accepted the monster core.

"Thank you. I'll cherish it."

Aina frowned.

Actually, she had wanted Xia Lun to smash this monster core just to vent his anger.