<[CHAPTER 8]>
[Lyria Protocol Liepey!] [Part 1]
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In the south of the world, in a forgotten region called Nam'ib where the earth cracked with thirst and the wind carried sad stories of individuals who did not grow… something unexpected emerged.
A conventional hero? Far from it, this one wielded no legendary swords nor cast spells.
His fight was silent, against the invisible hunger that plagued that region.
Our story today begins in the Liepey Arcane, an ancient structure sustained by magic and above all by the efforts of the individuals who worked there.
The situation was worrying; children arrived with critical health bars quite frequently.
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[AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS]
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• ANAMNESIS
- Individual's Condition: Severe Malnutrition.
- Hit Points (HP): less than 75% of the total.
- Debuffs Applied: Weakness, Infection, and Hypothermia.
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Observing this was a novice adventurer who, during her Class Awakening Mission, had learned something very important that day, a truth no warrior would understand.
–"Really, not all battles are noisy!"
Her first day as an intern was difficult; she almost failed. A child, too small for her age and unable to even keep her eyes open, appeared seeking her care.
She opened her panel and the interface appeared…
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[AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS]
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• ANAMNESIS [Critical Error]
- High Mortality Risk
- Essential Nutrient Deficiency Detected
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She sighed deeply in regret, but remained calm and did something simple, yet revolutionary for that world.
She assessed the clinical picture, found that he was very weak; determined the need to stabilize him, and there were no immediate complications.
Then she tried to correct her metabolic disorder… she went to the kitchen next door and prepared a formula.
–"Relax, Mom, after we administer the F-75, the therapy begins and your son will get better…"
–"What is that? Professional Líria…"
–"In short, it's a specific potion for your son's case."
–"Thank you for the explanation."
She administered it, and the moment the child drank it… a gentle energy enveloped his entire body. It wasn't an explosion of power, but rather the beginning of something greater.
Although small and slow, his recovery was truly possible. In the days that followed, the adventurer noticed something integral…
"Even after healing them, the same children end up returning, and even in greater numbers… what is really happening?"
"Am I focusing too much on the cure and neglecting other variables? It would be better to use other approaches as well..."
She realized that curing wasn't enough, so she also focused on monitoring the children in a more invasive way, educating their family members responsible for them about their condition and how to prevent possible relapses.
With each discovery, her knowledge of the subject began to grow…
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• SKILL ACQUISITION
- Anamnesis (New)
- Continuous Monitoring (New)
- Anti-Infection Barrier (New)
- Nutritional Education (New)
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She didn't pay much attention. To achieve this, she was very focused on her mission. Without realizing it, her analyses were becoming more precise; she was able to accurately detect the nutritional and hydration status, and even the evolution of her patients in real time.
The risks of opportunistic diseases reaching her debilitated patients were drastically reduced by her interventions, and the relapse rate after discharge also decreased thanks to the knowledge well transmitted to her patients' caregivers.
And it was from this point that her game changed…
The woman with golden hair tied in braids, eyes that shone brightly in amber with an almost ethereal presence when her abilities were activated, in a uniform blending light armor and a medical suit fused with arcane healing symbols identical to her body markings, her superficially sensual breasts, thick hips, and slender waist—the young woman was a stunning woman.
Leaving aside the curves of her body and returning to the story, she realized something that even the wise men of the system itself hadn't optimized.
–"If I simply heal… they fall again, especially limited ones." "Here."
Or was this system really designed this way? Anyway…
She left… she went to the villages, to the forgotten areas to spread her knowledge.
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[CLASS EVENT]
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• COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN
- Objective: Essential Nutrition.
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Without hesitation, he grabbed his trinkets and set off on a journey. With magical pamphlets, simple yet content-rich lectures, and carefully crafted human language to convey as much information as possible, she began her journey to achieve her legendary status.
She traveled from village to village in remote areas, teaching diverse subjects including:
1. How to Feed Children with Limited Resources
2. The Importance of Frequent Meals in the Diet
3. How to Prevent Infections in Our Children
4. What are the Early Signs of Malnutrition and What to Do When You Identify Them
Then… some time passed and the results began to appear.
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• LEVEL OF CHILD MALNUTRITION IN NAM'IB
- The relapse rate has decreased by another 45%, and the level of hospitalizations due to child malnutrition has also progressively decreased.
- Child survival has increased enormously in the region after their interventions, calculating rewards according to merit.
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Everything seemed to be going well; it was too simple to be true. An entity began to manifest itself silently, an invisible creature that fed on the ignorance, poverty, and lack of access of the inhabitants of Nam'ib.
It was a deadly entity, which, although lethal… did not attack with claws, and with the positive effects of the interventions, it was slowly weakening.
With this situation came the need to train others, although more dangerous, stature the only way to defeat this entity without the use of force; our heroine today had violence as her last resort.
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• PIONEER OF THE CLASS DETECTED
- After fully acquiring the class, she gained the rare ability to train other professionals for her craft.
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Her goal now was not only to annihilate the entity, but to meet the requirements and be able to train others capable of assisting her.
And at that moment… the very world of The OtherWorld began to change for her.
Even without her knowing it, the gratification of her work didn't come from monetary gain, but rather from the joy observed in the smiles of the children she saved. Children who once lived depressed now smiled happily; mothers, once lost because of their children's condition, now, with them recovered, are the ones teaching others, and our heroine observes everything in silence, trying to make it official.
–"Apparently… perhaps my vocation in this world isn't to destroy monsters, but rather to prevent them from being born!"
Time was passing, and the world moved on according to the distinct destinies that were being shaped in different ways, but the feeling was similar…
Pain was forging them… molding them for a greater purpose, perhaps.
In the mountainous lands far from the coast of Bay City, in the isolated mountains towards Starting City.
In a territory considered forbidden by the inhabitants of that world, so inhospitable was it… there, survival was the only rule, and the law of the strongest ruled with an iron fist.
In that place, survivors were never just that; they were something more. The law of nature reigned there. A silhouette advanced through the cold snow, barefoot, injured, and breathing heavily.
His small body was always on the edge; he collapsed from exhaustion.
"Haudo… get up…"
The voice echoed in his mind; it was Hyunara whispering.
"…if you fall here, it's the end for you. You're almost there; just one more effort and you'll reach a safe zone."
His uncle watched him and, without any mercy, offered no help.
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• INTENSIVE TRAINING MODE
- While the individual is within the limits of the isolated Hinóspia mountain, a limit suppression will be imposed, their body will be subject to physical breakdown more easily and will be on the mana overload line.
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You tried to stand… your legs gave way and you fell again.
The silence remained, broken only by the whistling of the icy breeze, until you chuckled softly, a sign of the mental instability that solitude was instilling in your mind.
"Funny… but it's not over yet!"
Your body responded to those words; your muscles tore and rebuilt themselves, your body was adapting and evolving, destroying and rebuilding itself, denser, stronger.
In the distance, the silhouette of your relative watched without any surprise.
"So it's true… you are the mistake they feared existed."
Your DNA, your lineage was manifesting itself, your capacity for evolution under extreme pressure was becoming notorious, a surprising evolutionary adaptation, your exponential growth in near-death situations was a fact, and your uncle was testing you.
As if the extremely inhospitable climate wasn't enough, while the days turned into months and the months into years, he fought against the creatures of that place. He faced corrupted creatures, beasts from the natural dungeons, and the combatants sent by his master to test and prepare him to face the true enemy. It wasn't his Angress dynasty, whose existence he was unaware of, unlike the one that hunted him, the unmarked child.
His true enemy… was himself.
And he realized this when the first real danger appeared before him. It was two years ago, in the tenth month, within that inhospitable, icy land. The wind blew differently, heavier and colder… you walked alone.
A mountainous forest covered in white snow and a deadly silence, but it wasn't natural; it seemed too calm and wrong.
–"…something doesn't add up, something is out of place."
You stopped, closed your eyes, and took a deep breath, seeking concentration to analyze the area around you. Then you mentally scanned the environment with your Ethereal Veil ability.
The air was dense, and then… he felt the crack behind you.
CRACK!!!
But it was too late. A shadow advanced too quickly, the impact was violently abrupt, as was the speed.
Claw marks appeared on your chest where blood began to flow after the impact; your body was thrown against a tree. The impact was dry, and you coughed up blood.
Your body stopped reacting, in shock from the delayed reaction.
In the silence, only the real pain of the attack made itself felt, and for the first time… you felt significant pain.
–"…so this is what it feels like when you get really hurt, funny… I'm not even scared!"
It was the lie you told yourself. You tried to get up and failed; your arm trembled weakly, something felt broken.
The creature finally revealed itself; it appeared to be a simple wolf, a colossal gray wolf.
But the truth was completely different…
It was a wolf, undoubtedly, but something much larger than normal canids, over two meters tall, with sharp fangs and an extremely agile, slender body.
The creature breathed pure blizzard air, and it wasn't alone. Like conventional creatures, they hunted in fearsome packs; that was their natural habitat, and judging by the evidence, this was the pack leader.
Imposing, a giant wolf, two and a half meters long and three meters tall, its body completely covered in a frigid aura, in addition to the pure elemental ice itself. Up to that point, it was similar to the other twenty that were slowly emerging in the icy twilight. What distinguished it were its features, layers of crystals and diamonds in place of its jaws, ears, eyes, and claws.
While you were still trying to recover from the impact, the creature attacked, manipulating the ice of its body into a frigid breath, launching a blast from its mouth against you, trying to freeze you to devour you afterward.
The wolf before you, with gleaming eyes and heavy breathing, ready to attack with its mouth open, the predator was hunting, and you looked at it head-on, without any panic; your mind was calm.
But… your body knew death was near.
–'… I can't… I'm screwed!'
You tried to calculate the movement, distance, and perfect timing for dodging, but you knew it was all in vain; your attempt had failed.
The creature was much faster, stronger, and the imminent death was very real. The attack was launched mercilessly, swift and precise, ready to strike you, leaving only time for one last thought.
–"… this is the end for me!"
That was your thought in the face of such adversity: an S-rank monster against a mere novice who was still only at F-rank, despite his immense attributes being sealed. Then… silence filled the place.
–"… so this is death!? This feeling is strange…"
You weren't completely wrong, but you weren't completely right either.
You weren't dead, but you would have been if the world… hadn't stopped at that instant, you observed more closely; the wind had frozen and the creature was frozen in time.
"How pathetic…"
The voice echoed cold, angry, but calm; it was the same voice that spoke to you in your mind. However, turning to the side, there she was, a holographic projection beside you.
"Truly, I am pathetic…"
You felt a strong and strange sensation upon seeing her, and this time her image was clearer, more present and real.
Porcelain white skin, a silvery aura; long, straight, wavy gray hair; her heterochromatic blue eyes with a golden glow in one and deep red in the other; her voluptuous body, with defined curves…
"You intend to die like this… without any resistance?"
Silence remained amidst your reflection; you looked at the creature and sighed.
"…yes! I can't win… sorry to disappoint you, stranger!"
She leaned slightly, kneeling beside him, and then, crouching down, touched his wounded chest with the palm of her hand.
"Wrong… you're wrong, Hyunara… you can call me master!"
At that instant, something inside you broke, and the interface appeared different.
[TEMPORARILY RELEASED LIMITER]
Your heart raced, your eyes changed, shining similarly to Hyunara's.
"…now I understand!"
Upon hearing that sermon and having reached enlightenment, the world returned.
The icy blast approached, freezing and destroying everything in its path, with ice spikes forming in the process.
This time you didn't try to move; you simply extended your arm towards the enemy attack. When it arrived, it collided with a translucent sphere that rose around you like a barrier encircling you.
The attack was blocked and disappeared. Then you shaped the translucent ethereal barrier, leaving only the vanguard to serve as a shield. The rest was shaped into smaller spheres, some of which transformed into wolf heads that attacked, devouring most of the pack, and dragon heads that advanced against the Alpha creature, crushing it from all directions and trapping it in place.
At that moment, the ground beneath you cracked. The opponent didn't understand; you had vanished and reappeared in an instant beside him, in place of one of the ethereal spheres that were floating near the creature. Your breathing was heavy, but controlled; it was noticeable in your focused eyes, devoid of any emotion.
"Now it's possible! Dad, Grandma… and even your scoldings, Mom. All your teachings led me to this moment… now I remember!"
She spoke mentally, and without hesitation, the ethereal energy that was accumulating externally in her fists merged with the internal energy accumulated inside her fists into a single, compressed fist… then the blow emerged. Without hesitation, you advanced and punched. The attack was immense; your skill was at the peak of this world.
CRACKA… BOOM!!!
Your channeling, combined with the impact at the breaking point, created an explosion as that condensed energy collided with the creature. It tried to dodge, but it wasn't in time. You struck it; its body trembled and yielded, but it didn't fall, even with the enormous hole that tore through its body, shattering it to the heavens.
It was strong, very strong… but you were something completely different at that instant; the difference in power was immeasurable.
"Continue… this is the punching bag." "Perfect!"
Hynara's voice echoed in your mind, and you continued. Punch after punch, without waste, without emotion, precise and swiftly lethal… multiple blows emerged simultaneously, replicas of the original, echoes of the first blow re-emitted in various cool wolves and dragons that, like needles, impaled you, sprouting from your interior and devouring you.
Until then, silence remained, and there were no more wolves to fall and tumble to the ground; they were devoured entirely.
With your enemies dead, you froze, stopping in place, panting, your body trembling, and then…
[LIMITER RESTORED]
At that instant, everything returned… that pain, the weakness, everything that adrenaline had anesthetized, returned all at once. You fell to your knees in a trance.
–"That's interesting!"
Your uncle watched in stunned silence. Hyunara, invisible to him, approached you, looking directly into your eyes, and crouched down.
–"…what exactly was that…" "What happened here?"
He was still perplexed, breathing deeply, still trying to understand. At that moment she smiled, kissing his lips lightly, a brief peck, and disappeared inside you.
"What was that...?"
You asked without realizing it.
"A gift, my husband!"
You were even more confused, but after the kiss, a flash of memory took over your mind.
"Hyunara… the wife born from a man's soul!"
You whispered, smiling.
"It's good to have you back, my husband!"
Her voice echoed in your mind, and the reason for your smile was because you finally realized you weren't alone. Because something was watching you, it wasn't Hyunara, or your uncle in the background. It was something far beyond that world…
OUTSIDE THE WORLD OF THE OTHERWORLD RPG
In an administrative room, or what looked like one, a group of silhouettes were conversing while the holographic screen focused on you.
"How did this happen? He broke the limitation imposed by the laws of that world…"
The male voice was interrupted by a female voice.
"No, he didn't break it… someone helped him!"
The voice was cold, without any emotion, and the female silhouette pointed at the oscillating screen.
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[ALERT]
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• INTERFERENCE DETECTED
- Source unidentified.
- Problem unknown.
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At the center of all this… was a boy, you.
Just beginning your journey.
–"Then we have to keep him under surveillance…"
BACK TO THE WORLD OF THE OTHERWORLD RPG.
You were getting up, slowly, with some difficulty, but you got up. He looked at the dead bodies of the frost wolf pack, where the Alpha's corpse would be, and the remaining wolves who now saw him as the pack leader.
"So… that's how it works."
His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm for the first time, and he smiled sincerely like a gambling addict.