Maybe the monster knew something or maybe it sensed something odd and special from Alexei's body. In that place existed a different set of rules and logic and it was thanks to this that Alexei avoided the fate of being a Boss' meal.
However, nothing would change the fact that he was currently hovering on the line between life and death. He was extremely injured. In fact, saying severely injured was downplaying how bad his current state was considering that no modern medicine could save him.
An hour passed. When Alexei regained consciousness, even he thought that it was already a miracle.
Of course, the pain was still too much to bear for his brain, so he passed out again. An hour later, he woke up, then passed out. Somehow the cycle continued for a full half day.
If anybody was there to witness it, their jaws would drop. Imagine, a human covered in both fresh and dried blood. A human that no longer possessed the shape and posture of a human, and was left out cold.
The environment was extremely inhospitable as the temperature remained below desirable. The stars above still shone brightly, but they were no proper source of heat. There was nobody to care for him.
Anybody left in that situation would die immediately.
Yet he was still alive. His breaths were extremely weak as if his heart was barely functioning, but he was indeed, still breathing.
'I don't want to die...'
'No. It's not my time yet.'
These words rang in his heart countless times.
He could not move. But he realized that his mind was recovering little by little. At least his thinking was no longer as sluggish and the frequency of thoughts appearing in his head became much higher.
When Alexei regained consciousness for the thirteenth time, he finally managed to stay awake longer than ten seconds.
It was something that his brain could not fathom. Maybe the Dark Palace fed him something amazing after all. Or maybe it was that suspicious abyssal relic. He was not sure. So he merely thought of it as a miracle.
Without him noticing, the loss of blood finally stopped.
This time the pain, thirst, and hunger helped him stay awake. Alexei was determined to live so he made sure his mind was active to not suddenly fall asleep. His state was awfully bad, and if others were in his situation, they would probably choose death over a prolonged period of suffering. But Alexei stubbornly persisted.
When he determined that his hands regained a bit of strength, he attempted to lift a finger.
Time passed, through sheer will and tenacity, Alexei crawled his way out of the domain. It was like the adrenaline rush finally took over due to his excessive desire to survive. His wounds began to bleed again. However, there was something in him that was keeping him alive and protecting his heart to make it pump more blood.
When the Boss attacked him, it flung him near the edge. There was a hole a few meters away. It took him hours to get there, but he finally touched the exit to the domain.
After exhausting all his strength to climb his way out, Alexei lifted his head up.
Although more than fifteen hours had passed, the sky above was still dark and full of stars. There was no moon. It seemed he landed in a place where nighttime was longer than daytime.
Unfortunately, his energy was limited so he soon had to hang his head low.
But then because of that, he finally saw something nestling in his chest, something that he failed to notice due to his blurry vision and his senses that were overcome by pain.
A blue glowing gem the size of a baby's fist. Round and with decorative designs on its outer metal frame that was full of strange writings.
All this time, it hung around his neck like a simple necklace. There was no telling when it first appeared.
'A Gift...?'
Under a tree that was on the other side of the exit, Alexei poured his remaining strength into lifting his hand to touch the gem. That simple move made him flinch from pain. But his heart was joyful. He nearly could not suppress his laughter.
Not long after, Alexei passed out again. He had overexerted himself after all.
But this time, his expression was a lot brighter and he looked at ease... as if he had been freed from worries.
In between bouts of life and death, he actually received a Gift from the Sovereign of Water. It was what sustained him since the monster left him for an unknown reason.
Right now, apart from fierce beasts that would not appear near a boss' domain, there would be nothing to be afraid of. He knew his Gift would keep him safe and alive as he took his much-needed rest.
...
Mavria. Thousands of miles northwest of the capital of the nation of the Wind. Midnight.
"Captain, some of us went missing!"
After braving a storm in the uncharted north sea region, the crew members of the expedition fell into a tense atmosphere.
The huge ship that was still on its maiden voyage was reduced into a miserable state. Out of its three masts, two were in dire need of repair. A few holes in various places need to be patched and half of the crew members were injured including the middle-aged captain.
All of the people on the ship could not help but sport a grim expression as they glanced at the stormy region that they just passed through.
"Just what is with our luck..." Captain Ben Winston sighed. "How far are we from the next island? Who went missing?"
Several names came out of the crew member's mouth and the captain was silent as he listened. Soon, he gave out instructions on how to handle the aftermath. His decades of experience on the seas helped him make the correct decisions.
Thankfully the sea had calmed down and the tumultuous waves were replaced by calm ones. The drizzle was an inconvenience, but it was not worth mentioning when they had just experienced a violent storm. Everyone busied themselves repairing the ship and treating the injured people.
About those that went missing in action, the captain ordered a search party to scour the surrounding area.
But everyone knew it was all just out of courtesy. Anyhow, the search party would not enter the danger zone. Those that were not on board must have been swallowed by the raging tides in the middle of the storm. The frequent magical turbulence that accompanied the storm would make it hard for those unfortunate people to survive.
"Dear Sovereign of Wind, we pray for you to bless our lost crewmates. Please grace them with your gentle wind and take them to the safety of land."
A few steps behind Ben Wilson, the clergyman from the cathedral of the Sovereign of Wind bowed his head and put his palms together as he prayed. It was probably because this priest also knew what everyone else was thinking.
When the captain looked around, he saw that the others were affected by the solemn atmosphere.
He could not help but murmur. "... I hope the mighty Sovereign will hear everyone's prayers. I hope He is listening."
Once again, the captain sighed, then comforted himself with the thought that at least they survived. The past days had been hellish but nearly eighty percent of them made it alive. He thought that he also did right when he rejected those curious nobles who wanted to join this voyage.
"Who would have thought the records from that backwater village about the perpetual storms are true?" said his first mate, Anton, with a complicated expression.
"Even I assumed that those people are joking since there's no way the small boats they own can reach this place. It has really been dangerous."
"Thankfully there are no bratty aristocrats."
"Yeah, thankfully. Had there been some annoying brats on board, it would make our lives more stressful than now," Ben gloomily replied.
Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the captain, a curious noble actually managed to sneak into his ship. This person even made an impression on him as a hardworking new recruit.
Timothy Smith. One of the names recited by the first mate a while ago. It was the fake name Mikaela Hanover used while under the guide provided by a magic tool.
The fate of the others that vanished amidst the dangerous waters was unknown. However, the noble girl from the renowned Marquiss family reappeared in the eye of the storm. which was a fairly safe location.
"If the captain saw the clear sky and good weather here, he would have probably not believed that such a place exists. Or maybe he knew, but he would not believe that it's a permanent safe zone."
The girl who had now returned to her original appearance was on top of a huge rock, looking up at the sky. In reality, waves converged in all directions. But somehow the piece of land where she stood remained secure.
A faint smile lingered on Mikaela's lips for a split second. She walked across the sandy beach and headed towards the heart of the small island. A circular pond could be seen there, surrounded by tall plants and trees. There was a small waterfall on the left.
Her focus immediately went to the center of the pond. A portal stood there, proud and undisguised.
Probably whoever left the portal thought that very few people could reach this part of the world so the place was left open and without cover.
She only stopped for a few seconds, observing the wondrous patterns on the stone gate.
Then, she stepped forward to enter it.
'Abyss, here I come.'
Mikaela's face was like that of a soldier entering the battlefield even as she closed her eyes and waited for the teleportation to be over.
And the wait did not last long. When she opened her eyes, she was already in the land where the gods' gaze doesn't fall.
In front of her was a lush forest... and a blood-covered body lying unconscious against a tree with purple leaves.
....