When Geralt noticed the knife Setsuna wielded, he immediately called out to her, "Give me your knife!"
The distance between them was about 10 meters, making it difficult for Setsuna to throw it at him, especially with the serpent shaking violently.
"I can't!" she shouted back. Just then, the serpent swung its tail, hurling Yuffie against a nearby tree.
No longer restrained, the serpent used its tail to coil around Geralt, ready to crush his skeleton. However, Setsuna thrust her knife even harder, exerting all her strength. She activated her bio-data chip despite knowing the risk, causing her golden eyes to glow even brighter, but blood began to stream from her lips. Nevertheless, she mustered enough strength to slice her knife toward the serpent's forehead, causing it to release Geralt.
I noticed everyone looking at her with expressions of concern, their worry evident in their eyes. We could feel her pain just by observing her. But we also admired her for giving her all, as she was Setsuna for a reason.
"Die, you fucker!" Setsuna roared in rage.
As Geralt landed on the ground, he took matters into his own hands. Bouncing back and leaping onto the serpent's body, he made his way towards Setsuna. The straight line from his arms to his neck began to emit a radiant blue light, indicating that he was increasing his strength at the cost of a significant portion of calories, which would leave him exhausted afterward.
Sprinting with incredible speed, he arrived beside Setsuna and grabbed the knife from her hand. Using both of his hands, he thrust the knife deep into the serpent's skin, running across its body once again. The knife sliced through the predator's back, revealing the greasy organs within, effectively splitting it in half.
Although the serpent was dead, its body continued to shake violently due to lingering nerve stimulation.
"Get away from the serpent!" I yelled to everyone.
They listened to my warning and distanced themselves from the serpent. It continued to shake violently, eventually freeing itself from the thorny vines. For a moment, it still pursued us, but gradually its movements became hindered until it finally ceased to move.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was truly dead. After defeating the serpent, we left the thorny path and ventured further into the foggy jungle.
When we had put enough distance between us and the serpent, Geralt collapsed tiredly, sweat pouring from his entire body. He placed a hand on his chest, struggling to catch his breath.
"Damn, I used up too much energy," he murmured.
Seeing her father in distress, Yuffie, bruised and wounded herself, approached Geralt and extended her hand to help him up, guiding him to lean against a nearby tree. She then retrieved a chocolate bar from her pocket, unwrapped it, and fed it to Geralt. He took bites of it eagerly, consuming it completely before closing his eyes to rest and regain his energy.
Everyone appeared exhausted and battered, yet I couldn't help but sense a powerful determination emanating from each of them.
Yuffie looked at Setsuna with a weary smile, said "Princess, you are actually very useful to everyone..I must admit that you are competent to willing to go this extend."
"Of course, I am. But we were so close to death after all, I have no choice but to push my limit..." Setsuna said weakly as she wiped the nosebleed.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded, but I could tell that she was merely adept at concealing her pain and putting on a tough facade.
"I can't even fathom how many more monsters are lurking in this jungle," Shan remarked, wiping sweat from his forehead and neck.
I gently patted their shoulders to boost their morale. One thing after another, as we finally managed to evade another encounter with death, we suddenly heard the roar of a bear coming from the east.
Unsure of how far away it was, I quickly signaled everyone to remain silent, as the bear was likely to be nearby. Above all, we didn't have enough strength to fight against another predator.
Moments later, the silence was shattered by an immediate shockwave that reverberated through the forest. I struggled to maintain my balance, raising one hand to shield my face from the strong gust that carried dirt and leaves through the air.
"What the heck is that? An explosion?" Shan exclaimed loudly.
The intense shockwave roused Geralt from his rest. He stood up and gazed in the direction from which the force had originated.
"This isn't an explosion. There's no smoke or fire... this is pure raw strength. We should avoid going there," Geralt said in his husky voice.
I agreed wholeheartedly. Anyone or anything capable of producing such a powerful shockwave must not be taken lightly.
"We should retreat and regroup, as this area appears extremely dangerous," I suggested.
"Let's go back first and reformulate our plan," Geralt agreed to my proposal.
Setsuna rubbed her head in frustration and exclaimed, "100 survivors, my ass! We won't stand a chance if we encounter more predators like that serpent."
I had almost forgotten that we needed to strive to be among the 100 survivors in order to advance to the upper floor. I realized that this game was several times more challenging than the previous one.
As everyone turned around, prepared to take another step towards the path we had come from, the footsteps of a girl echoed through the air, carrying a strong and dominant aura. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and assumed battle stances.
However, as she passed through the mist that initially obscured her appearance, an ashen-haired girl with oceanic eyes emerged. It was none other than Hyun Hee.
"Hyun Hee..." Setsuna exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across her face.
Now Setsuna met her bestfriend even Hyun Hee didn't consider her as one, nonetheless she seems excited to this ashen hair girl alive.
The first question that flooded my mind was how she had managed to reach this floor so quickly. Had she fought her way through the entire game from the bottom to this floor? And why did she seem to be alone?
As she fixed her gaze on me, she calmly approached. Everyone else looked at her in shock, taking note of the bloodstains on her uniform, most likely not her own but from a predator or another human.
"Hyun Hee..." I murmured.
There was always one particular person who enjoyed picking fights with Hyun Hee for fun, and that person was Setsuna. They were friends who constantly clashed, never fully acknowledging their feelings for each other. Two peculiar individuals had now crossed paths.
Setsuna lunged at Hyun Hee, throwing a punch, but this time something was different.
Hyun Hee's flexibility was inhuman. She effortlessly dodged the attack, and with her next move, she struck Setsuna in the stomach, causing her to collapse and roll down, clutching her injured abdomen.
"Aghhhhhh—" Setsuna groaned in pain.
"Geez, you never give me a break. But this time, I am no longer holding back," Hyun Hee said in a monotonous tone.
Everyone assumed battle stances, preparing to engage in a fight against her. However, I ran towards Setsuna to check on her. She seemed to have temporarily lost consciousness.
Once she knocked out Setsuna, who knelt on the ground and reflexively touched her stomach to ease the pain, Shan and I immediately rushed to support her.
"Hyun Hee, have you lost your mind?" Shan shouted angrily at her.
"Don't worry, I just used Qi technique to stop her internal bleeding," Hyun Hee replied.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Instead of Hyun Hee responding, it was Shan who spoke up.
"Qi technique refers to the practice of harnessing and manipulating Qi, the vital energy or life force believed to flow through the body's meridian channels, playing a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being," he explained.
"You are quite knowledgeable," I remarked.
"It originated from my ancestors, so I know about it like a myth, but I can't believe someone actually knows how to use it," Shan said.
At that moment, Setsuna slightly opened her eyes and murmured something that I couldn't hear clearly, perhaps uttering her father's name. She then began to stand up on her own, appearing to be in less pain.
"Why do I suddenly feel better?" Setsuna looked at her own body, then turned her gaze toward Hyun Hee. "What were you thinking, hitting my stomach so hard? Were you trying to kill me?"
"I restored your vital energy, and yet you accuse me of hurting you despite your initial attack," Hyun Hee sighed.
Setsuna frowned, examining her body, but she didn't respond or thank Hyun Hee. She simply stood aside, seemingly trying to process how her body had healed with a single punch.
It was then that I realized Hyun Hee had always possessed this incredible strength but had chosen to keep it hidden until now.
Upon closer inspection, her tie was torn apart, fully exposing her neck. In that moment, I caught a glimpse of a blue line on her neck, revealing her modified body.
So she had been concealing the fact that she was a high-ranker all along...
Hyun Hee didn't respond to Setsuna but maintained her cold gaze fixed on me.
As she stood before me, she asked, "Do you remember your childhood?"
This was only the third time she had spoken to me during the two years we had been studying together.
"What? Please be more specific," I replied.
"Your parents, do you remember them?" she inquired.
What a foolish question. Wasn't it evident that I had no memory or knowledge of them? I had been an orphan, and at the age of ten, I was sent to work for the local church. Nevertheless, I still answered her question.
"No, I don't remember them. I might as well say I had no parents, except for Geralt... I consider him as one."
When I mentioned Geralt's name, I glanced at him and noticed a faint smile on his face, as if he were embarrassed by my words. He waved his hand, indicating that I should continue the conversation with Hyun Hee.
She smirked with relief and said, "So you're not him."
"Him? Who are you referring to?" I asked.
She shook her head and replied, "Never mind."
She walked past me and Setsuna, but at that moment, Setsuna reached out to stop her.
"Wait, where are you going? It's dangerous to be alone in this situation," Setsuna said.
"I am strong enough to take care of myself. Besides, you was the one who attacked me out of nowhere, and yet you dare to warn me about my safety?" Hyun Hee replied with a cold tone.
Setsuna awkwardly laughed and said, "Come on, this isn't the first time we've done this. Isn't it our way of greeting each other?"
Hyun Hee facepalmed herself in disappointment and didn't respond to Setsuna before continuing her walk towards the thorny path.
"Wait a second!" When I shouted, she looked my way. I approached her and spoke in a low tone, ensuring no one else could overhear our conversation.
"Could you consider joining us? It's best to work as a group," I said, expressing my concern for her.
"I am confident that I can find an executor more quickly on my own," Hyun Hee replied. She continued, "But we will meet again, Einsamer."
I must ask her for a clue about the whereabouts of this executor.
"Who is the executor?" I asked.
She wiped off a blood stain on her uniform before saying, "Someone who can use magic and has chosen to work for the masked men specifically for this mission."
Magic, so she knew the existence of it.
"What do you know about magic and the exe--" I was about to finish my question when she interrupted me.
Hyun Hee closed her eyes, trying to recall something.
"You will understand once you meet him. In the previous timeline, every executor was cunning and cruel. They were among the first people to harness the narrative energy of planet Earth. But they were chosen by the dark force. In the previous world line, organizations like the masked men didn't exist," she said, finally remembering the information.
Previous timeline? I remembered Lasiv mentioned and the Orc demon lord mentioned about other timelines in the fourth dimension, so it really exist....
Playing along, I asked, "How many executors are there in this skyscraper?"
She shook her head and replied, "Ask me another question since I am unsure of this question as well."
Alright, it seemed like she was running out of ideas for her fabricated story. Regardless, she was undeniably knowledgeable. However, I doubted the existence of other timelines or what she referred to as world lines beyond this universe. It would be better to ask her about the direction of our next destination rather than getting caught up in endless possibilities.
"Where is the center of this jungle?" I inquired.
She pointed with her left hand in the direction of the streaming river and said, "If you cross the river, you will reach the center of this jungle. But I have been there and found no one except a few predators."
"Is there anything else?" I nervously asked, realizing that my question might annoy her.
Surprisingly, she responded with a calm voice, "There's a hill that leads to the 90th floor. The executor will surely come to this place once he explores all the available gates and eliminates anyone who disobeys him on this floor."
I see, so that's why she continued her search on this floor. It wasn't time for him to explore the second floor yet, especially when he hadn't investigated all the other gates.