ASCC-Chapter 141 The Invincible Skill “Unyielding”

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"So, you're not dead after all?"

Lefiya quickly ran over to Ryoji's side.

Seeing that although his limbs were twisted in unnatural directions, his body was bleeding nonstop, and more than half his armor was shattered, his breathing was still somewhat steady. She immediately felt a wave of relief. Her legs gave out, and she plopped down onto the ground like a duck.

"…Don't jinx me… Get a health potion…"

Ryoji wanted to glare at her, but his whole body was wracked with pain, he didn't want to move a single muscle.

On top of that, his eyelids felt unbelievably heavy, and his brain's ability to process information was gradually shutting down. He felt like he could lose consciousness at any moment.

If it had been the old him, using a technique like Lightning Flint, he would've passed out by now no matter what. Even though his physical abilities had greatly improved, clashing head-on with something as tough as steel like a Goliath, it was impossible to come out unscathed.

But now, he had "Unyielding."

Even with life-threatening injuries, he could keep fighting. With this ultimate skill that was akin to Battle Continuation, he could still maintain his consciousness.

A divine skill.

Lefiya quickly pulled out a crystal bottle from his belt pouch, removed the stopper, and was about to pour it over Ryoji's body.

"Wait a moment, let me do it!" Line called out from behind, stopping her in a hurry.

"When using a health potion, you have to realign the bones first. Otherwise, it'll cause bone deformities!"

Lefiya was startled and quickly handed the health potion over to Line.

"Bear with the pain."

Line gently comforted Ryoji, then swiftly and precisely snapped his dislocated limbs back into place with a speed that could barely be seen.

"Guh!"

Ryoji groaned as sweat poured down his forehead.

A real man should be able to endure having poison scraped from his bones without making a sound!

But man, her technique was seriously pro. He was instantly wide awake!

After resetting the bones, Line poured the colorful potion from the bottle, carefully applying it to every fractured part of his body.

At the same time, she began chanting healing magic, bathing Ryoji's body in a continuous stream of radiant, snow-white magical light.

"All right, that should at least keep his life out of danger. There probably won't be any long-term effects either."

Two minutes later, Ryoji's condition visibly improved. Line let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her brow, and made a suggestion to the other two.

"Let's head to the 18th Floor first. We can buy more potions there to help Ryoji recover faster."

Ryoji's injuries were too severe. One health potion could only barely pull him back from the brink of death, and it would take time to fully take effect. He needed additional potions to speed up his recovery.

"Let's listen to Line."

Lefiya admitted she didn't understand anything about healing, so she quickly nodded.

"I'll carry him!"

Lefiya stepped forward, handed her magic staff to Line, then helped lift Ryoji up onto her back and quickly walked toward the passage.

"Lefiya?"

Line was momentarily surprised, then gently covered her lips and chuckled.

Spirits, or Elves, were a proud race.

They cared deeply about their bodies and rarely exposed much skin. They were the complete opposite of the Amazonesses. More importantly, they hated being touched by others.

Unless it was someone they truly acknowledged from the bottom of their hearts.

…

In a daze, 

Ryoji had a dream. Countless tentacles stretched out from the darkness, wrapping tightly around his body, immobilizing him completely. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.

"Hey, gross!"

Ryoji jerked awake, snapping out of the dream instantly.

He was drenched in sweat, what a terrifying dream.

As he opened his eyes, what greeted him was a very simple and shabby inn room.

It looked just like someone had pitched a camping tent directly inside a cave. The ceiling and walls were damp rock surfaces, and beneath him was a rock-hard slab bed. At the entrance, a makeshift door made from a leaky wooden frame and a gray curtain served as the room's front door.

All in all, the place was extremely crude. If a person with rheumatism lived here, their joints would probably already be aching.

Ryoji tried to get up, but realized he couldn't move.

He looked down and discovered that his entire body had been tightly wrapped in bandages.

"No wonder I had that weird dream…"

Ryoji shook his head quickly, trying to banish the lingering chill of that creepy nightmare.

"Hoo…"

Just then, he heard the faint sound of breathing nearby, prompting him to glance toward the side of the bed.

A golden-yellow fairy lay slumped by the bedside. Her long orange-gold hair had come loose and draped over the edge of the bed. Paired with her peaceful and beautiful sleeping face, the scene was a vision of breathtaking beauty.

Beside her, Line was also resting, her small cherry-like mouth letting out a soft and even rhythm of breath.

Ryoji started to recall.

After defeating the Floor Boss Goliath last night, the three of them had come to the 18th Floor to treat his injuries. But shortly after arriving, Lefiya's panicked sprint must've jolted him into unconsciousness.

"Mm… Ryoji, you're awake?"

Stirred by Ryoji's movement, Lefiya rubbed her drowsy eyes, her expression still showing clear traces of fatigue.

"Fuah~! How's your body feeling?"

Line also woke up without realizing it. After stretching with a yawn, she immediately checked on Ryoji's condition.

"The surface wounds should be mostly healed. As for the fractures… still a bit off."

Ryoji lay on the only stone bed, carefully sensing the state of his body.

He had broken quite a few bones, after all. The fact that even a portion of them had healed after just one night was already proof of how powerful the health potion was, and Line's healing magic had played a big part as well.

"Where is this?"

Unable to move his head, Ryoji shifted his gaze to examine the surroundings. "Doesn't look like Orario… Is this the 18th Floor?"

"That's right. This is the 18th Floor, in the city of Rivira, built by adventurers."

Line stood up, stretched her stiff limbs a bit, and walked to the door.

She pulled aside the dusty curtain, and daylight-like brightness filtered into the dim room through the hallway, illuminating it a little.

"Looks like it's morning."

Glancing outside the hallway, Line's eyes curved slightly with a smile. "Let's head out and buy some more recovery potions. A few more, and Ryoji's injuries should improve a lot."

"I'll go too." Ryoji wriggled like a caterpillar and slowly sat up from the bed.

"I think my legs are mostly healed now, going out shouldn't be a problem."

Line looked reluctant, but Ryoji was insistent.

He knew his body well. After a full night of treatment, the only injuries he had left were bone fractures.

The worst of it was in his left shoulder and right arm, which had suffered near-complete compound fractures. These were hard to heal properly underground. He'd have to return to the surface and use a health potion to fully recover.

Thankfully, there were no fatal injuries, his spine was intact too. It was a small blessing in a string of misfortunes. His training over the past weeks had paid off, and he owed thanks to the armor Tiona had kindly lent him.

His legs were almost completely healed; walking wasn't a problem at all.

If this were Rakudai Kishi, he'd just need to lie in a healing capsule and bounce back to life after a nap. Unfortunately, the medical technology of DanMachi World couldn't compare. For now, he'd just have to tough it out until they returned to the surface for proper treatment.

(End of Chapter)