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An unknown amount of time had passed.
A jolt woke Bochang up. Before even opening his eyes, he sensed a faint, soothing fragrance in the air.
Calm and distant, reminiscent of narcissus flowers' scent.
This familiar aroma brought a sense of reassurance.
"Stelle... is she still carrying me?"
Slowly, Bochang opened his eyes and found himself once again being carried by the gray-haired girl.
As Stelle moved, their skin occasionally brushed against each other with subtle friction, creating an intriguing sensation.
It was this gentle touch that roused the black-haired youth from sleep.
The pain throughout his body, combined with overwhelming exhaustion from overexertion, left Bochang breathless... at times, he felt it might be better to simply succumb and die.
He couldn't muster any strength.
Unable to observe his surroundings due to fatigue, Bochang also lacked the desire to speak. He quietly remained on Stelle's back... leaning against her not-so-sturdy yet comforting shoulders, listening to the sounds of everyone running within the space station.
"One, two, three, four... There are four sets of footsteps altogether. Since no one seems to be encountering enemies now, it likely means March 7th and Stelle have already met up with Dan Heng and Arlan... Does that mean I haven't slept for long? Wait... Could this be leading up to the encounter with the Doomsday Beast? If so, then I must have slept quite a while..."
Suddenly, Bochang realized that during their confrontation with the Doomsday Beast,
there were also four people fleeing.
The only difference was that Arlan had been replaced by the Astral Express navigator—Himeko.
Bochang began invoking "Dating Options."
"System, how long have I been asleep?"
["Thirty-seven minutes and twenty-six seconds."]
"Dating Options" provided an extremely precise response.
"Just half an hour or so? Well, that's waking up pretty quickly..." Bochang muttered to himself.
With only half an hour passed, he could be fairly certain that they hadn't encountered the Doomsday Beast yet.
Everyone should still be on their way to the Master Control Zone.
[Due to possessing the Dragon Talisman's power and having your physique enhanced by fifty percent, you awakened earlier than expected. If the artificial respiration had been perfectly executed, resulting in a hundred percent physique boost, you would have awoken even sooner.]
Wait... I understand the increase in my physique, but waking up faster... how is it related to the Dragon Talisman? Isn't it just a combat-oriented talisman? Bochang eagerly awaited the system's explanation, like a curious child.
Dating Options had no intention of withholding information.
[Ordinary individuals can use talismans because these artifacts contain inherent magic power. When you obtained the Dragon Talisman's power, you also gained its associated magic power. This magic power nourishes your body to a significant extent, leading to noticeable effects.]
"So according to you, I use my stamina to channel magic power and then unleash a Draconic Burst?" Bochang extrapolated from this information, voicing his thoughts, "Does that mean the Dragon Talisman's magic power can be depleted?"
[Your initial assumption is not correct. It's not about using stamina to mobilize magic power; rather, when magic power leaves your body... it naturally drains your stamina as well. You can think of it as the Dragon Talisman's power burning through your stamina during its activation.]
[Regarding your second question, I can provide a definitive answer: based on your current strength, you cannot deplete the Dragon Talisman's magic power. Even if you did, your body would automatically absorb more magic power to replenish itself, albeit possibly at a slower rate.]
While Bochang engaged with Dating Options for clarification,
the five-member squad encountered enemies once again.
This time, they were caught off guard by a sneak attack.
Just as March 7th remarked, "We're already at the elevator entrance? Haven't encountered many foes along the way..."
The enemy struck.
A massive black-purple arrow swiftly approached, moving so fast it glowed with a golden aura around it.
Fortunately, Dan Heng reacted swiftly, wielding his long spear to deflect the massive arrow's trajectory.
"Whoosh!"
With Bochang on his back, Stelle rapidly retreated a step, watching as the dark purple arrow whizzed past him.
Meanwhile, Dan Heng advanced further, blocking an enemy's stomping attack. The force sent him stumbling backward, and a black-purple smoke momentarily stained his forearm before dissipating quickly, causing minimal impact.
The assailant was a powerful monster known in the game as a Voidranger Trampler.
Its upper body resembled human form, while its lower half consisted of four beast-like limbs, somewhat akin to a centaur from mythology.
However, this creature was covered entirely in black-and-white battle armor.
As an Elite Enemy, they were rare, possessing both intelligence and strength along with exceptional mobility. Its piercing cry had the ability to summon numerous Voidrangers, making it a particularly troublesome adversary.
Everyone's expressions turned serious.
Stelle gently lowered Bochang onto the ground, entrusting him to the nearby brown-skinned youth who struggled to stand.
"Arlan, you take care of Bochang, and leave the fighting to us three."
"Understood."
Despite injuring his leg and dominant hand during the battle, Arlan unhesitatingly accepted this challenging task.
At that moment...
Both Stelle and Arlan noticed the black-haired youth waking up.
However, there was no time for reminiscing. The gray-haired girl resolutely turned away and plunged back into the fray.
Now it was time for the injured to tend to the injured.
While Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle engaged the enemy... Arlan, using his uninjured leg, supported Bochang with one arm and carefully retreated, distancing them from the battlefield to avoid accidental harm.
As the head of the Security Division, Arlan had experience in evacuating casualties while wounded himself.
A sturdy arm slipped under Bochang's armpit, almost cradling his entire chest as they moved backward. Hmm... it turned into a hopping retreat.
After all... Arlan had injured one leg.
If both legs were intact, he could have effortlessly carried Bochang on his back.
Due to the injury, Arlan even needed Dan Heng's support just moments ago.
The weakened Bochang was dragged away from the battlefield like a lifeless dog.
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have recklessly used the Dragon Talisman..." The black-haired youth felt somewhat helpless.
He had intended to showcase his abilities, earning the right to join their escape, but instead, it backfired spectacularly. Now, he became a burden.
It was truly frustrating...
Ahead, the battle had already commenced near the elevator entrance.
Apart from the Voidranger Trampler, there were two additional minor enemies—the Voidranger Plunderers.
Defeating them was crucial for everyone's escape.
"Stand still now, I'm about to bless you!" As the pink-haired girl mimed aiming a gun, a pink beam shot from her fingertips towards the gray-haired girl. Stelle didn't dodge, allowing the pink beam to strike her directly.
A surge of newfound strength emerged.
Around Stelle, a translucent Shield materialized.
This was March 7th's ability, providing protection against enemy harm... at least until the Shield dissipated.
While Bochang was unconscious,
they had faced numerous battles. Stelle had already learned about March 7th and Dan Heng's abilities.
In summary...
Everyone turned out to be quite formidable, expanding Stelle's understanding significantly.