Why can't humans do it too?

"...Isn't that a waste?"

His voice was barely audible, and Suer's words were broken and hoarse, existing only between the clatter of his lips and teeth.

His golden eyes still seemed to hold a smile as his cold fingers suddenly slid across Xin Ke's cheek, landing on his own body with a dull thud.

Vision had become blurred, and the sky and earth seemed to have turned into a white world. Pure white halos floated in her still open eyes. Xin Ke seemed to be calling out something, and her mottled figure flickered in the shadows under her eyes.

Even the ceaseless sound of the wind in my ears was gradually fading away.

He tried hard to listen, but Sue could no longer hear anything.

silence.

--------------

Embraced in a silent ocean, tranquil and peaceful, even thoughts cease to flow.

Just enjoy this sweet comfort, forget all your worries, forget all your troubles...

Worries...right, what are worries?

Like a chick yet to hatch, or a cat curled up around a warm fireplace—what is a cat? And what is a chick?

Slow thoughts were stretched into a long thread, with no end in sight.

But... there are still some places that aren't warm enough...

dissatisfied.

When this thought arose, sound broke out in this tranquil world for the first time.

Crackling, crackling, crackling.

Noisy.

However, no matter how impatient they were, these voices never stopped, and even became louder and more frequent over time.

As if struggling to lift his head from a sea formed of glue, the tranquil ocean desperately pulled at him, unwilling to let him go. One side of his body was burning hot, and there were even specks of pain on his arm, while the other side remained icy cold.

Suer slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused, as if he had lost his ability to concentrate, and all he could see was a blurry world.

Crack!

Ah, so that's the sound of firewood burning... Such thoughts drifted through Suer's empty mind. In this world that had lost its benchmark, he also saw golden-red sparks flying up, streaking past his eyes like shooting stars.

Really? It landed on your arm?

Suddenly realizing the source of the pain in his arm, and the warmth that was enough to keep his body warm, Suer finally understood.

With difficulty, he moved his fingers, then slowly moved his body. Suer wanted to turn his head and look for that woman... that forest elf.

It didn't take much effort for Suer to see her, so close—Xinke was sitting right next to his hair.

They are still alive.

He hadn't frozen to death beneath that cold rock; instead, a huge and warm campfire had been lit, warming his icy body and making his blood flow again. Sul could already smell the delicious aroma of meat.

Did she save me?

When he collapsed from exhaustion.

Staring blankly at Xin Ke beside her, Su Er's thoughts drifted.

"...Did he wake up after all?"

"Mr. Monkey's vitality is truly excessive!"

Although Suer's movements after waking up were not large, they were still immediately noticed by Xinke next to him.

The voice of the forest elf with long, pale golden hair was as elegant and full as ever, with a hint of pungent spiciness that Sull was familiar with... but it couldn't be better.

Even though it might sound like a complaint about why you're still alive—it couldn't be better.

"...Perhaps...because I can't let go of...this world?"

When he spoke again after an unknown amount of time, Su'er's voice was extremely hoarse, as dry as a spring that had run dry. He had to pause and rest in the middle to finish his sentence. However, the man's spirit was surprisingly good, and he even had the energy to make a joke.

"After all, it's a rare opportunity to come to another world... wouldn't it be a huge waste to die like this?"

His face, which had been frozen stiff, finally softened, and Suer managed a weak smile.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask Xin Ke.

And his gratitude.

Although Xin Ke never told him about her injuries, Su Er could tell her condition from her difficult movements and the way she involuntarily slowed down.

And that thigh, so badly injured that it couldn't be lifted.

How did she get him from under that cold rock into this cave?

How did she manage to gather enough firewood to ignite this flame that warmed the hearts and souls of two people?

How did she...?

There were too many questions, too many doubts. Suer tried his best to support himself, wanting his still cold body to feel the warmth of the flame. He also wanted to make a joke and tease this hypocritical forest elf.

However, as he managed to turn over, Suer's movements froze, along with the smile that had been etched on his face—he finally saw the scene that had been obscured by the flames.

Things hidden in the shadows.

Where her beautiful pale golden hair fell, and where Xinke's tattered robe could not cover her legs, her once fair and tender skin was now blackened and wrinkled like charcoal, having lost its luster... Suer knew what this was.

These are the marks left on the fragile flesh after it was contaminated with black ash. Even a small amount of that highly toxic ash could cause excruciating pain, as if it were being ripped into the bone marrow. Yet now, Xin Ke's entire leg is covered in this grime.

The charred marks extended towards the base of the thighs, but were concealed by the robe, so the full extent of the marks could not be seen.

His eyes stung, and even his breath caught in his throat. Su Er stared blankly at everything. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't squeeze out even a single tear... All that remained in his heart was a silent scream.

"What kind of expression is that?" Xin Ke chuckled and picked up the water bottle that was leaning against the campfire. "Here, have some water."

Without any emotional fluctuation, Xin Ke simply and calmly placed the spout of the kettle against Su Er's lips.

Business as usual.

Chapter 119 Living

It wasn't sweet, and the water had a very strong earthy taste. Fortunately, because it had been placed next to the campfire, it wasn't too cold to drink; it was water that had been boiled and then left to warm.

It slightly moisturized my thirsty throat.

As if he had completely lost the ability to speak, the questions that had almost filled his mind had quietly disappeared, leaving only Suer in a daze...

When she realized that Suer seemed to have taken in enough water and was no longer swallowing, Xinke even wiped his dry lips with the spout of the water bottle, spreading out the remaining water and not letting any drops drip from the corners of Suer's mouth.

The spread was very rough, and in just a moment it was clear that this was probably the first time Xin Ke had made such a move. The hard spout of the teapot hit his gums directly several times. Although it had nothing to do with the word "gentle," Su Er strangely felt a different kind of... gentleness.

He must be crazy.

"Would you like something to eat?" Unlike Suer, who was filled with mixed emotions, Xinke seemed unusually calm. Instead of being shy or offering any sarcastic remarks as she was used to, she simply put the kettle back next to the campfire and pulled out two sticks from it.

Suer then realized that this was the source of the meaty aroma he had smelled earlier.

Several pieces of meat, barely bigger than a thumb, were skewered on a wooden stick. The edges were charred, but that did not diminish the irresistible aroma of protein. No seasoning was needed; they were delicious on their own.

The aroma awakened his hunger, and Suer felt his stomach craving food.

With difficulty, he propped himself up, preventing Xin Ke from pressing the wooden stick to his lips as she had when he drank water earlier. Su Er gritted his teeth and grasped the skewer of meat with his own hands.

His body, starving for so long, couldn't eat too much food at once, but instinct made Su'er unable to resist biting into a piece of roasted meat. Even if he couldn't swallow it quickly, just chewing it was enough... chewing...

The senses, which had been overwhelmed by the craving for food, finally caught the subtle truth: the peculiar oily taste, the pungent odor spreading upwards from the mouth...

The teeth that were chewing slowly stopped. Suer silently looked at Xinke on the other side. The forest elf's face had no extra expression. She just chewed the food in her mouth woodenly and then swallowed it.

Just as calm as when Suer had just woken up, Xinke steadily raised the wooden branch in her hand again and bit off a piece of meat without the slightest hesitation.

"What? Do you need some more water?" Xin Ke asked, turning her head as she noticed that Su Er had suddenly stopped moving.

“…It’s nothing,” Su Er replied, shaking his head, and continued to slowly chew the food in his mouth.

The stinging, aching sensation around my eyes gradually disappeared, leaving only a slight burning sensation, all of which was buried deep in my heart.

Silence surrounded the two of them; neither of them tried to say anything... nor did they know what to say. The crackling of the firewood burning in the campfire filled the void perfectly.

It wasn't much, just enough to barely sustain his physical activity, but the satisfaction after eating still made Suer feel like his body was reviving. The coldness and stiffness that had been clinging to him gradually disappeared, and warm blood flowed through his body, awakening every muscle.

Staring at the campfire in front of him, Suer's eyes gradually narrowed. In this warm environment, he once again became drowsy and needed more rest.

"correct."

The sudden sound broke his sleepiness. Slowly shifting his gaze, Su Er saw Xin Ke turning her head to look at him, her beautiful face filled with seriousness and solemnity.

"?"

"I have not failed," Xin Ke emphasized to Su Er, her entire being radiating an aura that left no room for doubt.

"???"

The doubts did not decrease; in fact, they increased because of this incoherent emphasis.

"Did you understand, Mr. Monkey?" Sensing this from Su'er's confused expression, Xin Ke repeated again, "Not even once, never failed!"

“…Ah, I know, you’ve never failed,” he replied hoarsely, but the doubts in Su’er’s heart did not lessen much.

"So what Mr. Monkey said before was wrong, completely wrong!"