POV Ethan:
I moved slowly through the corridor of this cave, which was filled with a strange mineral I had never seen before.
Does a luminescent blue mineral exist on Earth? If it does, I had no idea.
*Step, step...
I kept walking until...
"Wow," I said, amazed as I entered a room made entirely of this blue material.
Everywhere I looked, there was that soft blue glow, something truly strange yet fascinating.
It was a gigantic and, above all, silent room.
*Step, step...
(Too bad I don't have a pickaxe or something), I lamented not being able to extract some of this material for analysis.
As I thought about this, I kept moving deeper into the room, occasionally dodging large chunks of the mineral or...
*Step, step...
(If I fall there, it'll be a sure death...), I thought, seeing a massive hole about the size of a person.
I pondered for a moment before moving on...
But curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to experiment.
"How long does it take for a bullet to make a sound?" I dismantled a bullet from the rifle's magazine and tossed it into the hole.
1...
2...
3...
4...
10...
20...
Nothing. No sound at all.
"Better keep my distance," I told myself, moving cautiously and keeping a constant eye on the ground.
*Step, step...
I continued until I reached a chamber where, in the center, I saw what looked like an altar with...
"A sarcophagus..."
I couldn't help but remember certain stories and animations from my youth, so I gripped my rifle and approached it.
*Aiming
Without forgetting to watch the ground.
*Step, step...
(What could it be? Sleeping beauty or a hidden boss? Or... maybe both?)
I kept walking until I reached some small steps, where I could better see the sarcophagus.
It was a large sarcophagus made of dark blue crystal. I couldn't see its interior from my position, so I had to get closer...
I hesitated.
I started feeling really uneasy, although I couldn't pinpoint why.
There was no sound, no smell, and the light wasn't making me dizzy, but I felt bad.
(Maybe there's some kind of unknown toxic gas...), I used my reasoning to excuse the feeling.
"I'll leave after a quick look," I promised myself, approaching the sarcophagus quickly to see inside.
What I saw was...
"A woman?"
Yes, there was a woman in there.
Her skin was quite pale, her hair was black, and she wore a thin black dress with golden decorations.
Her face was beautiful, but the most striking feature was the thin antlers on her head, making it hard to identify her species.
A woman... deer? Dragon?
Unfortunately, I couldn't come to a conclusion just by observing her antlers, so I examined her body more closely.
She was in the typical position of a deceased person: hands crossed, limbs stretched out, and little else, except for one small detail.
A small wound on her neck, just a medium-sized red dot that didn't reveal much.
*Discomfort
Seeing that dot made me feel worse than before.
But my curiosity knew no bounds, so I decided to touch her abdomen with a finger.
[Congratulations on finding a mythical resource!
???]
That's all that appeared...
--
I pondered for a few moments about what on earth that woman in the sarcophagus could be useful for, until I found the answer.
[Floor 0:
Enemies defeated (Gobrakian): 0.003%
Allies eliminated (Earthlings): 0.04%
Enemy bases: Unknown locations.
Allied bases: 10
Minimum monster kill quota: 350/20,000 monsters
Resources (Earthlings): Precious metals/Material for muta-gens
Enemy resources (unknown race): Human resources]
(Surely it's material for muta-gens...)
It makes a lot of sense since to develop these muta-gens, you need biological material.
What better than a presumably fresh body for that?
"It's a bit disappointing...", I said, looking at the woman.
She was really beautiful, so beautiful that I thought it was a waste to use her to create mutagens...
It was then, in my lamentations, that a stupid idea came to me.
(What if I use a potion? What will happen?)
I imagined a scenario where the woman wakes up without her memories and becomes a supremely powerful ally or even something more...
But I also remembered a scenario where she wakes up as a zombie and kills me, unleashing an unstoppable calamity.
Though the most likely outcome is that nothing will happen since a potion (or at least the one I have) can't revive the dead, and it would just be a waste.
(In one scenario, I gain an ally, in the second I die, and in the last I just waste a potion...)
*Discomfort
The discomfort didn't go away and, instead, urged me to choose since I didn't want to stay here for long...
"Screw it, it's just a damn game. Even if I get killed, I just have to wait a day."
I remembered that this is a game. Even if I unleash an apocalypse, it will just end in a game over, and that's it.
(Yeah, why worry so much?), I resolved and took out the potion.
[Universal emergency potion x4]
I had 4, having already used one in a previous shootout...
Pop!
I uncorked it and approached the woman.
*Discomfort
Seeing that wound on her neck, the discomfort increased a bit more, so I quickly applied the potion and stepped back a bit.
I waited for a few minutes to see if anything would happen, but...
Nothing happened.
(What a shame), I really wanted to see her wake up, but I guess it'll be next time.
I reached out my hand, and just as I touched her to store her in the inventory...
*Eyes open
(Holy shit!!!)
She suddenly opened her eyes.
Her eyes, which were a light green, remained static for a few moments before seeing me.
*Discomfort
The discomfort intensified to the point where I wanted to get out of there.
*Step, step...
The woman began to move slowly, and I, in turn, stepped back and aimed the rifle at her.
*Aiming
*Trembling
For some reason, my hands were trembling quite a lot. I was terrified, but I couldn't figure out why.
(Why am I afraid of a woman who technically hasn't done anything?)
Most likely, it's my survival instinct seeing something that shouldn't be happening...
Meanwhile, the woman sat up from the sarcophagus, and I watched in surprise as the mineral of the sarcophagus deformed to allow her to sit as if it were a bed.
(...well, now I know she's powerful...)
Innocent woman without memories or... apocalyptic zombie?
I couldn't deduce it since she remained silent, sitting while analyzing her surroundings.
Then she fixed her gaze on me.
*Staring
*Gulp!
Step, step...
I couldn't help but swallow before taking a few more steps back and aiming at her.
*Aiming
--
Pov ???:
I opened my eyes.
Where was I? Who am I? What's happening?
I asked myself that for a few moments before seeing a human.
He was terrified; I didn't know why.
I stood up slowly and looked around.
A strange room surrounded by a strange blue material...
I stared in confusion for a few moments before something clicked in my head.
*Click!
(I see...), I remembered everything in a blink.
Everything around me, from the walls to the sarcophagus where I had been resting.
Everything was my blood.
The last thing I remember... a lost war, a lost world, and everyone being imprisoned in this eternal prison.
I, however, resisted and paid the price by losing my mortal body.
I looked at the human.
His hair was strange, black with a faintly glowing white, his eyes... demon eyes? Was he a hybrid? A descendant of some demon?
I don't remember any demon with those pupils, but his hair seemed vaguely familiar...
*Gulp!
*Step, step...
He swallowed and stepped back from me, aiming a strange device at me.
It didn't seem powerful...
(How did he get here?) was the first question I asked myself until a more important one took its place.
"How did you heal my soul?"