In the mine, the faces of the young boy and girl showed expressions of disbelief.
They were actually still alive!
Zi Di stood up first, seeing the footprints on the ground. Each step of the ferocious beast in the cave left a shallow pit on the ground.
The size and ferocity of this beast could be seen clearly at a glance.
It was extremely fortunate that it didn't step on the boy and girl.
"Sir," Zi Di tried to help Zhenjin up.
However, with Zhenjin's weight, combined with his armor, it was not something a fragile Mage like Zi Di could easily move.
In the end, Zi Di could only drag Zhenjin a short distance, leaning the boy against the cave wall.
Zhenjin's condition was very dire at this time.
When Zi Di touched him, she found his body extremely hot, just like the peculiar ores within the cave.
The effect of the potion had worn off; the stench emanating from Zhenjin now seemed even more intense than before, nearly suffocating Zi Di.
Weakly, Zhenjin spoke: "Go, Zi Di, leave here."
He couldn't even nod now; even a slight shake of his head might cause him to completely faint.
Zhenjin raised his hand and looked at his arm, seeing several phantom arms in his vision.
His entire skin had turned red and swollen, his whole body seemed to be inflated, and his body temperature was extremely high.
His eyelids were starting to swell, severely affecting his vision.
Noticing his condition, Zi Di felt as if she had fallen into a sea of despair, nearly drowning.
She knew how dreadful the Fire Poison was.
Members of the exploration team had once died because of it.
Those unfortunate people endured tremendous torment before death, and when they died, their eyes were so swollen that even a slit wouldn't open.
Their throats and nasal cavities were also extremely swollen, making breathing extremely difficult.
The cause of death was suffocation!
Despite being Silver Level, Zhenjin still couldn't resist the Fire Poison.
He had accumulated too much Fire Poison within his body.
The ferocity of the Fire Poison Bees was truly terrifying.
Facing Zhenjin's renewed urging, Zi Di shook her head: "I won't go, I won't give up. Sir, I can prepare potions, I'm sure I can make the right potion! We still have hope, please, don't give up either!"
Zhenjin's vision began to blur, like sticky glue starting to adhere to his eyelids and eyeballs. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his eyes wide.
In his blurred vision, he saw Zi Di weeping and sitting directly on the ground, taking out one potion bottle after another from her exquisite pouch at her waist.
She poured the potions on the ground, quickly corroding a small round pit on the ground.
Then, she began to mix potions, combining several of them together, taking out many types of dried herbs and roots from her bosom, grinding them into powder, and then pouring them into the round pit.
Gurgle, gurgle...
The mixed potion in the pit began to bubble.
Zi Di watched the potion closely, constantly mixing it, occasionally wiping her eyes, as if the potion was very irritating to the eyes.
Zhenjin wanted to persuade her again, but within a few breaths, he found he had lost the ability to speak.
His throat felt like it was on fire, swollen to the extent that swallowing saliva was extremely difficult.
His tongue was so numb that he couldn't feel it at all, as if he didn't have this organ in his body.
Soon, his consciousness began to scatter. Subsequently, Zhenjin entered a half-awake, half-asleep state, losing awareness of everything happening around him.
In a daze, he felt a cool liquid trickling down his throat.
His throat, like a blocked stone pile, quickly dissolved under the cool liquid's moisturization, opening up a clear path.
The cool liquid spread to the depths of Zhenjin's body, gradually permeating.
Sensation began to swiftly return to Zhenjin's body.
Zhenjin opened his eyes, seeing Zi Di's blurred figure almost attached to him.
The girl's hands were covered in potion and were smearing it all over Zhenjin's body.
Zhenjin wore chainmail, but the Fire Poison had caused his skin to swell, making the chainmail fit very tightly.
With the help of the potion, the red swollen skin seemed to deflate, quickly shrinking.
Following this was a piercing coldness, causing Zhenjin to shiver on the spot.
The temperature in the cave was very high; after busying herself, Zi Di was soon drenched in sweat, making her originally loose Magic Robe cling tightly to her body.
After applying the potion, the girl's purple eyes shone brightly, staring at Zhenjin without blinking, full of hope.
Zhenjin, like a drowning person saved and pounded on the chest to expel water, opened his mouth, taking deep breaths. The hot air entered his body, bringing a sense of happiness like rain after a long drought!
Gradually coming to his senses, Zhenjin noticed he had his mouth open, drooling continuously. Saliva had already formed a puddle on the ground.
From Zi Di's perspective, she could clearly see: Zhenjin's entire body was rapidly deswelling, with a significantly improved condition.
"Sir, you're awake!" Seeing Zhenjin's eyes completely clear up, Zi Di was filled with joy. Truth be told, she wasn't very confident in her potion-making abilities.
"How long was I unconscious?" Zhenjin asked.
"Only a few minutes," Zi Di immediately answered.
Zhenjin's heart immediately relaxed: "We must leave this cave quickly."
Undoubtedly, this was a dangerous place.
The previous chaotic escape of the Fire Poison Bee Swarm likely indicated the beast within the cave had won.
Once the victor returned to the lair, the boy and girl would be the monster's next meal.
Continuing deeper into the cave was very risky.
Who knew if there were any other paths? If not, it would be a dead end.
Zi Di dragged Zhenjin to his feet.
Zhenjin leaned against the cave wall to stand up.
The cave wall was scorching, and the smell of burnt gloves reached Zhenjin's nose, but he was delighted. Because whether it was the sensation of heat or the smell of burning, these were normal human feelings.
Previously, he couldn't feel any of it.
What made Zhenjin even more delighted, and a little uncertain, was that he felt a surge of power within him, a power that grew stronger by the moment.
Seeing Zhenjin's puzzled expression, Zi Di explained with a worried and guilty look: "Sir, I'm sorry, I added a lot of Frenzy Potion into the potion."
Frenzy Potion, after consumption, could temporarily stimulate a large amount of potential within the body, significantly boosting combat power. But it also had severe side effects, causing substantial damage to the body.
"You did the right thing! No need to feel guilty," Zhenjin patted the girl's shoulder, alleviating her anxiety.
"We must go quickly," Zhenjin urged, trying to move on his own.
The dizziness in his head was still present but had lessened considerably. Zhenjin soon realized: he could walk independently, even run.
The power within continued to grow, and Zhenjin even felt the chainmail becoming somewhat light.
"It seems the Frenzy Potion has fully stimulated my life potential. But once the time limit is reached, what will happen when the effect wears off?"
The prospect of such a massive risk filled Zhenjin's heart with gloom.
Under normal circumstances, after the Frenzy effect wore off, a person would fall into a state of extreme weakness.
Zhenjin was already afflicted with Fire Poison; Zi Di's hastily prepared potion didn't genuinely resolve the Fire Poison. Mostly, it was relying on the combined effects of the Frenzy Potion and other potions to make Zhenjin's life force erupt, temporarily resisting the Fire Poison.
"No matter what, I must use this chance to escape from peril. Even if I can't make it, I must do my best to save Zi Di!"
Zhenjin had already resolved to face death.
His time being awake was very short, and his memory was quite fragmented, but he knew:
"Zi Di is my fiancée, and our relationship seems complicated, possibly with some hidden details."
"But she has always stayed by my side, never abandoning me, even willing to sacrifice her life for me at times. No matter the risk."
"Such a girl, what can I offer in return?"
"As a Knight, can I not even protect my own fiancée?"
Zhenjin vowed silently to protect the girl with everything he had.
The two of them ran hand in hand through the cave.
Quickly, they reached the cave entrance.
The sounds of beasts fighting reached them from outside.
The fight outside was intensely fierce.
Zhenjin and Zi Di, unsure of what to do, glanced at each other, then stealthily approached the cave entrance to peek outside.
The Fire Poison Bee Swarm had long disappeared, now fighting were two other parties.
One party was the beast that had driven the Fire Poison Bee Swarm out of the cave.
This beast was as big as a Brown Bear but had a monkey's pink tail. It stood upright on two bear feet, but its upper limbs weren't bear paws but ape-like hands.
Each hand had four fingers, with sharp, jet-black nails resembling Black Iron.
The other party was a group of panther-like beasts. But they had no fur, instead, their bodies were covered in scales.
Moreover, a single horn grew on their foreheads, shaped like a rhinoceros horn, but much sharper.
There was only one Monkey-tailed Brown Bear, but there were a dozen Scale-Horned Black Panthers.
Judging from the auras, the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear was a Silver Level magic beast, while most of the Scale-Horned Black Panthers were Bronze-level beasts. Only the leader and a few others had the aura of Black Iron.
The panther pack surrounded the Brown Bear, and both sides engaged in a fierce battle.
The Brown Bear was strong, and a single panther couldn't match it. When the panthers pounced, they were almost always slapped back by the Brown Bear, but they quickly got up, indicating their tough, resilient bodies against such heavy blows.
Watching the stalemate, Zhenjin and Zi Di exchanged a worried glance.
If they rushed out recklessly, they might be surrounded by the panther pack, torn to pieces directly!
"Sir, if you have the chance, run out. Don't worry about me," Zi Di whispered.
Zhenjin shook his head, having no time to argue with his fiancée.
Even he had little confidence in breaking through the beast pack's blockade.
What's worse, he had to escape with Zi Di.
The difficulty was too high!
Moreover...
Zhenjin's condition was also full of hidden dangers.
Once the potion's effect wore off and the suppressed Fire Poison flared up again, it would pose a great threat to Zhenjin's life.
What should they do?
"If only I had fighting energy, if I could use fighting energy…"
Zhenjin felt stifled and troubled.
He had a weapon hidden within, but he couldn't utilize it.