Chapter 118: The Key Item
This blood seemed different from the kind Yu Shenwei usually lost—after just a few sips, her face visibly turned pale.
Fortunately, the effect was nearly instantaneous. Within two or three seconds of drinking it, Xu Zhi felt an itching at her wounds. The bleeding stopped almost immediately, and her injuries began to heal rapidly.
What kind of miracle elixir is this…?
Seeing this, Xu Zhi stopped drinking Yu Shenwei’s blood. As she did, Yu Shenwei asked with some concern, “Is that enough?”
Feeling a bit of strength return to her body, Xu Zhi sat up from the floor and nodded slightly as she leaned against the wall.
“That’s good,” Yu Shenwei let out a breath of relief and stood up from her crouching position. But as soon as she rose, she staggered slightly, clearly weakened.
Xu Zhi frowned at the sight, realizing that healing others was probably far more draining for Yu Shenwei than healing herself. At least, self-healing never left her this exhausted.
Noticing how pale Yu Shenwei looked, Xu Zhi thanked her again. Her politeness only made Yu Shenwei more unsure how to respond. She merely asked whether Xu Zhi still needed help, and after seeing her shake her head, Yu Shenwei returned to her room to rest.
Unlike self-healing, healing others—especially those who weren’t [Cup]-type transcendentals—took a considerable toll on Yu Shenwei.
But she wasn’t the only one suffering. Though Xu Zhi’s physical wounds had mostly stabilized, the blood she had just ingested stirred the [Cup] attribute within her once more. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem—her [Moth] attribute was stronger and would suppress it easily.
But not now. The mental contamination she’d suffered in Midnight was still affecting her, leaving her unable to concentrate enough to suppress the unrest from the [Cup].
Disoriented, Xu Zhi felt a splitting headache, dizziness, and nausea. Everything in her vision seemed doubled, and even the slightest sound made her irritable and angry.
This won’t do.
She closed her eyes and retrieved a [Moth] attribute core from her storage, tossing it into her mouth. But unlike last time, the effect was limited. It only slightly suppressed the chaos of the [Cup] attribute—it didn’t fully subdue it.
Must be due to the Midnight contamination.
Still, at least her mind was now clear enough to think.
She picked up the game console and tapped the screen. “What now?”
[This isn’t easy.]
[Wounds from Midnight aren’t like real-world injuries. Drinking Yu Shenwei’s blood was the right choice—but not an ideal one. The side effects are too severe. Unfortunately, you didn’t have many alternatives.]
[She’s also a bishop candidate, and her blood can strongly awaken the [Cup] attribute in you. If you hadn’t just leveled up again, your attributes would already be in conflict.]
[That said, your luck is incredible.]
[Congratulations—you actually brought back the solution from Midnight.]
Xu Zhi: ?
She was momentarily puzzled, then realized: she had indeed brought something out of Midnight.
“You mean… that thing?”
“What is it?”
[A human skin.]
[But its original owner is no longer human. As a piece of flayed skin, it still contains mysterious powers. It even developed self-awareness in Midnight. It wanted to find a new ‘body’—and it had its sights set on you.]
“…You’re saying this thing can help me—don’t tell me I have to…”
Xu Zhi trailed off, recalling the revolting sensation of that skin wrapping around her wrist.
[Yes. You need to wear it. That way, you’ll fool the variants into thinking you’re one of them—or just part of the environment—making it easier to sneak into the city center.]
Xu Zhi fell silent. She wanted to say no—but she couldn’t.
The narrator sensed her dilemma and explained:
[You’re not wearing it directly. You’ll forge it into a cloak.]
“Oh, oh—okay, that’s fine then.”
Scared her to death.
After explaining, the narrator asked in confusion:
[How did you know it was the key to solving your problem?]
Xu Zhi: “I didn’t!”
[?]
“It wouldn’t let go of me—I figured if it wouldn’t let me go, then it’s not going back either. So I dragged it out with me.”
[…]
[Maybe it recognized you as the only person who can currently enter Midnight. It was determined to keep your body and paid a price for it.]
[Still, your actions in Midnight definitely attracted attention. Next time, you’ll need a higher-grade lantern.]
Xu Zhi nodded. “Got it. But last time I went in, it wasn’t this dangerous. Why was it so much worse this time?”
[Because you’ve become stronger. Your aura is more noticeable to the things in Midnight. The stronger you are, the more you stand out.]
[It’s like walking through the night—at first, you were just a flicker like a firefly. Now you’re a candle. Soon, you’ll be a full-blown lightbulb. Very visible.]
“When will I be able to move freely through Midnight?”
Xu Zhi was deeply curious about Midnight.
The narrator paused for a long time before answering:
[When you become the Sun.]
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Xu Zhi frowned, interpreting it as “when you’re powerful enough.”
But something about it felt off. The narrator clearly had more to say but chose to be mysterious again.
And when the narrator didn’t want to explain further, there was no point in asking. Xu Zhi could only sigh.
“Fine. But the materials for the cloak and new lantern—are they hard to get?”
[The key component of the cloak is the skin, along with some weaving materials. The rest should be manageable.]
[You can check the forge.]
Xu Zhi went to the forge—and immediately cursed.
They were asking for 20 high-tier [Forge] attribute cores!
“You’re robbing me!”
If not for her “followers” constantly feeding her cores, she wouldn’t be able to afford this outrageous “price.”
After paying, she received the full materials list.
Just as the narrator said, most ingredients weren’t difficult to obtain—just stuff from mutated beasts. The only tricky ones were:
- That piece of human skin, and
- A Level 30 mutant’s branch.
“Level 30, huh? Pretty demanding.”
Her little mutant still needed time to reach level 30.
Which was just as well—her current condition wasn’t fit for a trip to the city center. Might as well take a break and recover.
“So, is there any quick way to purge the Midnight contamination?”
[No.]
[Your natural purification speed is already much faster than most transcendentals. That’s because you…]
[Anyway, just be patient for now.]
“Because I what?”
[Because you’re exceptionally gifted.]
“Pfft.” Xu Zhi clicked her tongue.
The narrator suddenly flattering her?
Clearly dodging the question.
