**Chapter 77: Tina's Blood**
"Holy Light! It's a black magic crystal card… And it has a 100 million upper limit!"
"Ten thousand psionic coins per session? Are you serious?"
"Hey, little brother, why not look my way~"
The priests eagerly surrounded Su Yu, all traces of their former disdain gone.
Su Yu shook his head, pointing to the first priest who had spoken, "Weren't you the one calling me a 'heretic'? How can you take money from a heretic?"
"Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!" The priest chuckled, his face a mask of friendliness. "Knowledge itself is a form of faith! It's ridiculous to say you're a non-believer!"
"Exactly."
"Knowledge is certainly a belief!"
"Every belief deserves respect."
The priests nodded with "virtuous" expressions, as if they'd never doubted Su Yu.
Su Yu didn't bother mocking them further. Tima was on the brink of death and needed immediate attention. Without another word, he signaled the priests to follow him and hurried toward the duel arena.
---
In the center of the duel arena, Tina was cradling Tima, who lay motionless in a pool of blood, her tears streaming uncontrollably.
Moments earlier, she'd been fully absorbed in her duel against Li Er, unaware of Tima's critical state. But after her hard-won victory, she turned to see her dearest companion lying in a bloodied heap. A wave of despair overtook her.
Though Tina had proven herself by defeating a formidable opponent, Tima's imminent death left a hollow feeling, robbing her of any joy in the achievement. Holding Tima close, Tina wept bitterly.
Meanwhile, Tima, weakened and battered, gazed up at her master with calm acceptance. She felt fulfilled to have fought by Tina's side to the very end, even if this would be her last moment.
In a final, gentle neigh, Tima sought to console Tina, but Tina's body continued to tremble as she held on.
Amid her anguish, a figure flashed through Tina's mind—a figure that had saved her from Baron Wilson, guided her through battles, and taught her to bargain with the sharp merchant, Kelly. In her lowest moment, she wondered, would that figure come to her again?
Weakly, Tima lifted her head, trying to catch sight of Su Yu.
---
Suddenly, a soft, golden light flooded into the arena. Holy light energy flowed toward Tima, pouring into her wounds.
With every heartbeat, Tima's injuries began to heal, pulling her back from the brink. The bleeding stopped, and even the deepest cuts started to close.
Tina's tears turned to joyful surprise. She looked toward the source of the light, where she saw Su Yu standing like a golden silhouette, illuminated by the holy energy.
Su Yu approached her, stretching out a reassuring hand. "It's alright, Tina. Tima will be fine. I brought ten priests here to help, and they were all very eager!"
"Thank you, Nemesis!" Tina cried, leaping into Su Yu's arms and burying her face against his chest.
As Tina listened to the steady beat of Su Yu's heart, a warm, unshakeable happiness washed over her.
"Ding! [Tina Garcia]'s favorability toward you increased by +30. Current status: 'Admiration.'"
Su Yu blinked, caught off guard by the notification. So Tina's surname was Garcia. In his memories of a past life, the protagonist of *The Holy Maiden of Oran City* was also named Garcia.
He'd assumed Tina would eventually lead him to Garcia as the storyline unfolded. But to find out Tina *was* Garcia—this was an unexpected twist.
Even more surprising was the 30-point boost in favorability. In his past experience, NPCs' affections took ages to build up, usually inching up with every tiny interaction. A boost like this was unheard of.
"Maybe there's more potential here than I realized," Su Yu mused.
For now, though, his focus was on comforting Tina.
Gently patting her back, he said, "You don't need to thank me, Tina. I'm just glad I could help, and congratulations on your win!"
Tina pulled back, gazing at Su Yu with a resolute expression. "Then, how should I thank you?"
After a moment's thought, she made a decision.
"Here, take this!"
Picking up the [Best Sword in the Village] from the ground, she pricked her finger, wincing at the sting as her blood ran down the blade.
The moment Tina's blood touched the sword, it blazed with golden light. The rusted metal transformed as if dipped in molten gold.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the ninth stage of [The Love between the Horses] quest. Reward: [Best Sword in the Village (Gold)], +500 experience."
**[Best Sword in the Village (Gold)]**
- Remaining Uses: 9
- To use, point the sword at a target and say, "Behold my sword!"
- Effect: The blade shatters upon contact, stunning enemies within 10 levels for 3 seconds.
- Note: Be sure to reattach the broken blade afterward.
Su Yu's eyes widened. **Tina's blood could transform gear into gold?**
He glanced at the blood splattered on the arena floor. How valuable was this?
A thought struck him, and without hesitating, he pulled out an empty vial from his bag, quickly pouring out its remaining potion. Using a bit of magic, he began to gather Tina's spilled blood.
Though the blood had already begun to dry, with careful precision, Su Yu was able to collect nearly 10 drops.
The vial's label promptly changed:
**[Tina's Blood (Consumable)]**
- When used on an item, there's a 100% chance it will be upgraded to Gold quality.
- Note: Probability decreases with higher-level or rarer items but will always have a minimum 1% success rate.
- Description: The blood of a divine being, wielding extraordinary power.
Su Yu's eyes shone. **A priceless treasure.**
Late in the game, players had access to powerful items that, while strong in the game, couldn't be brought into reality. But with Tina's blood, even ordinary items could be upgraded to gold quality.
Grinning, Su Yu continued collecting the blood on the ground.
Tina, watching his somewhat frenzied actions, looked puzzled. "Nemesis, what are you doing?"
"I'm gathering your blood! It can turn weapons into gold!"
Tina blushed slightly, a bit embarrassed. "Well, it can turn items gold, but that's only a cosmetic effect. It doesn't actually make them stronger."
"That's alright. I just… like gold things."
Turning to the priests, Su Yu called, "Don't just stand there! Help me collect this blood!"
A few of the priests balked, their expressions offended. "We're priests, noble servants of the Light!"
"I'll add 5,000 more per person." [😂]
"Oh! In that case…"
The priests eagerly knelt down, vials in hand, and joined him in collecting the precious golden blood.
---