Haruto stood in the ruins of Layer 5, his mind still reeling from the strange girl's departure. Suddenly, Daisy's eyes flickered open. She looked around, dazed, and then locked eyes with Haruto. "You... you didn't kill me?"
Haruto wiped his face, his voice weak. "I told you, I wasn't going to kill you."
Daisy's expression shifted from confusion to alarm. "Haruto... why is there blood coming from your mouth?"
Haruto blinked, disoriented. He touched his face, and his fingers came away dark and wet. He realized with a jolt that blood was streaming from his nose, his ears, and his mouth. His vision began to blur into a dark, hazy fog. He checked his HUD, and his heart sank: [LEVEL: 6].
The strange girl had not only neutralized his power, but she had also completely suppressed his emotional resonance. The sudden drop from Level 90 back to Level 6 after being exposed to the atmospheric pressure of Layer 80 had shattered his internal systems. He was suffering from severe internal trauma.
He coughed, and a large spray of blood splattered onto the dust.
Retro hovered over, his light trembling. "Master! His HP is at 2! He is critical!"
Daisy tried to focus, but she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the black hole. "What? Retro, I can't hear you clearly... what happened?"
Retro shifted his projection, his voice urgent. "That Snow Terror launched an icicle at the Master, but Haruto tried to take the hit for you. But suddenly a girl came and said she wants to meet Haruto again !"
Daisy's eyes widened, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. "So... he really didn't want to kill me. He protected me even when he was losing his life."
She gritted her teeth, forcing her battered body to move. She tapped her bracelet with a shaking hand. "Retro, get the transport vehicle here. Now! Get us out of here and head straight to my base."
Haruto slumped against a piece of debris, his strength fading. "Are you... are you just going to leave me behind again?" he managed to whisper, his voice barely audible.
Daisy crawled over, her hand gripping his shoulder. "I'm not leaving you. Retro, take him too. I'm... I'm exhausted." She let out a ragged breath and closed her eyes, her consciousness slipping away.
Haruto tried to keep his eyes open, but the darkness was too heavy. As he felt himself passing out, he heard Retro's voice, calm and efficient.
"Understood, Captain. Initiating emergency extraction."
Haruto's head fell back, and the world went black.
When Haruto slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that hit him was a blinding white surgical light. As his vision painfully adjusted, he saw six figures standing over his bed, all dressed in pristine, high-tech medical uniforms.
The moment they noticed his eyes open, the medical team sprang into action, quickly removing a series of complex machines, wires, and breathing apparatuses that had been attached to his chest and arms. Haruto tried to shift his weight to look around, but a wave of panic hit him—he couldn't move a single muscle. His body felt completely paralyzed.
One of the doctors leaned over and administered a dose from a pneumatic syringe pump directly into his system. Almost instantly, Haruto felt a sharp rush of heat flooding his veins. His vision flickered faintly in his vision, and he could feel his baseline power slowly trickling back into his broken body.
Determined, he gritted his teeth and tried to force himself to sit up. But the moment his muscles tensed, an agonizing, blinding pain flared through every inch of his body. It felt as though his bones had been pulverized and stitched back together.
"Please, do not move," the lead doctor said, gently but firmly pushing Haruto's shoulder back down onto the bed. "Your internal system sustained catastrophic damage. You need to just sleep and let your body heal."
Haruto let his head fall back heavily against the pillow, letting out a frustrated, raspy sigh.
Damn it, what kind of life is this? he thought bitterly, staring up at the glaring lights. The first time I passed out, I woke up thirty days later. Now? Who knows how many days I've been out cold this time.
The doctors filed out of the room with silent, professional efficiency, leaving Haruto alone in the sterile silence. A few moments later, the heavy door slid open. Daisy stepped inside, and Haruto's eyes widened in genuine shock. She was walking perfectly, with no signs of the severe trauma she had sustained just hours ago.
"You..." Haruto started, his voice strained. "How is your body healed already?"
Daisy didn't answer immediately. She walked toward the bed, her movements fluid and controlled. As she approached, Haruto instinctively pushed himself up, ignoring the dull throb of pain in his joints. Seeing him sitting up, Daisy stopped and looked him over with an unreadable expression.
"You're still looking at me like I'm a miracle, Haruto," she said, her voice calm. "Those people who just left? That's my personal medical team. They are the best in the sector, specifically trained to patch me up after the kind of missions I take."
Haruto glanced at the door, then back at her. "So, you're fine... but I'm still a mess. Why?"
Daisy leaned against the bedside table, crossing her arms. "Because your damage wasn't from a physical blow, Haruto. It was a level malfunction. Someone like you, anchored at Level 6, is biologically hard-coded to explode if your power output crosses certain thresholds."
She looked at him with a mixture of pity and frustration. "You reached Layer 80 while your core was still tuned for Layer 5. The atmospheric pressure alone was enough to crush your organs, and forcing that much energy through a Level 6 vessel shattered every bone in your body. You didn't just 'get hurt'—your existence practically tried to delete itself. You are alive because you have somehow jumped to level 90"
Haruto felt a chill run down his spine. "So, if I hadn't been saved..."
"You would have been nothing more than red mist on the floor of Layer 80," she finished coldly.
"The doctors managed to knit your bones back together, but your internal meridian system is still frayed. You're lucky you can even talk."
"How did this even happen?" Haruto asked, his voice barely a whisper as the gravity of his situation sank in.
Daisy pulled up a chair and sat beside his bed, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "What you're experiencing is called 'Emotional Resonance.' It's a common phenomenon where a user gets a temporary level boost triggered by extreme emotions. But your case? Going from Level 6 to Level 90 is unprecedented. It's impressive, yes, but it's also a death trap. The bigger the jump, the harder the crash. And worse, if someone understands the mechanics behind your skill, they can dismiss your entire power structure with a single touch."
Haruto paused, his mind flashing back to the girl in the green hood. "Daisy... there was a girl in the snow. She—"
"Retro told me everything," Daisy interrupted. "That girl is an anomaly. I've crossed paths with her before. Years ago, I fought her when I was Level 72 and she was at 68. She fled the moment she realized she couldn't win, but she's clearly grown much stronger since then."
Haruto's eyes widened. "Is it possible that she was the one who suppressed my Emotional Resonance?"
"It's more than possible," Daisy replied. "She was the one who nullified your Black Hole spell just before we were pulled back. She's watching you, Haruto, and I don't know why."
Haruto sank back into his pillows, feeling a wave of exhaustion. "I guess I just have to sleep it off again, huh?"
"You've been out for a full day," Daisy said. "My team of six doctors has been working around the clock to stabilize your meridians. You're safe here, and in a day, you'll be able to walk around the base again."
Daisy didn't move from her chair. She just sat there, watching him with a guarded, watchful gaze.
Haruto shifted uncomfortably, noticing she wasn't leaving. "Why are you staying here, Daisy? Aren't there doctors for that?"
Daisy's gaze sharpened, her tone turning defensive. "Are you having a problem with me being here?"
"No, no! Not at all," Haruto quickly stammered, feeling his face flush. "I just... I didn't want to be a bother."
Daisy looked away, her posture relaxing just a fraction. "Just rest, Haruto. You're going to need your strength. Whatever that girl is planning, she isn't finished with you yet."
Haruto stared at the ceiling, his mind still swirling with confusion. "I still don't get it... how did she just vanish? How did she know so much?"
Daisy sighed, her gaze drifting toward the window overlooking the glowing, artificial skyline of the sector. "I don't know either. Her power isn't just about levels or stats; it's mysterious, something that defies the system's logic. But one thing is for sure—she's watching us."
Haruto shifted slightly, his gaze darting toward Daisy. "Forget the girl for a second. Why didn't you just kill me while I was unconscious? You had every chance."
Daisy turned back to him, her expression softening into something uncharacteristically vulnerable. "You tried to save my life, Haruto. Even when you were breaking apart, you put yourself between me and that icicle. I owe you my life, and that proves you aren't the threat I thought you were." She looked down at her hands, her voice quiet. "I... I'm sorry for how I treated you. I was acting out of fear, not logic. You have my word—I won't kill you."
Haruto let out a shaky breath, though a sliver of doubt remained. "How am I supposed to just believe that? You've been trying to execute me for the past twenty-four hours."
Without a word, Daisy reached into her tactical pocket and pulled out a sleek, small sidearm. Before Haruto could even blink, she leaned forward and pressed the cold barrel firmly against his temple.
The room went deathly silent.
"If I wanted you dead," she whispered, her eyes burning into his, "you would have been cold hours ago. If you still can't trust me, maybe I should just pull the trigger and end your doubt right now."
Haruto stared into her eyes, seeing nothing but raw, tired honesty. He slowly lifted his hand and gently pushed the barrel away. "Okay... I believe you."
Daisy exhaled, a faint, rare smile touching her lips as she holstered the gun. She sat back in her chair and pointed to the bed. "Good. Now stop talking and go to sleep. You're exhausted."
Haruto nodded, finally feeling the crushing weight of his fatigue take over. He closed his eyes, and despite the chaos of the last few days, he found himself drifting off into a deep, heavy slumber, knowing that for tonight, at least, he was safe.