Elegy from Another World

The information provided by Yisen pointed directly to the fact that the Brave Squad was currently stationed in an oasis city near the desert ruins. Logically, I should immediately set off to question them, but there were more pressing matters holding me back.

The Edessis are still unstable. Their bodies are tightly connected to the pink crystal (the core of the labyrinth), forming a delicate and fragile balance. As the administrator of Utopia, I absolutely cannot leave at this time. If anything were to happen to them, or if the core of the labyrinth were damaged, it could be a devastating blow to the entire Utopia. At the very least, I cannot leave until they are fully adapted, or until a safe way to separate them from the crystal is found.

Tia seemed to see through my hesitation. She walked to my side and said firmly, "Lady Liscia, let me go. I'll go find that hero's party and get some answers. You need to stay here."

I looked at her, a hint of hesitation in my heart. The Hero Squad—just their name suggested they were no pushovers. But Tia's strength was vastly different now, and this was indeed the most suitable arrangement. "Alright," I finally nodded, "Be careful. If things go wrong, retreat immediately and return via the teleportation array on the helicopter. Maintain contact at all times."

"Understood!" Tia nodded vigorously and turned to prepare.

Ten days later, Tia piloted her lightweight magical helicopter to the outskirts of the target city. She concealed the helicopter, activated the magical communicator, and maintained a stable connection with us.

"Lady Liscia, I've reached the vicinity of the city. I'll now head into the city to find the Hero's Party."

"Be careful, Tia," I cautioned.

Through the image transmission device carried by Tia, we see her successfully enter the city. Guided by passersby, she quickly finds the conspicuously dressed hero team in a bustling tavern. They are well-equipped, and their expressions carry an air of aloofness and arrogance that seems out of place with their surroundings.

Tia stepped forward and stated her purpose directly: "Are you from the Hero Squad? I'd like to ask you about two people, Edes and Cesis. Have you seen them in the dungeon of the Desert Ruins?"

The leading hero, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing shimmering armor, looked up at Tia with the same eye one would use to appraise an object, and casually replied, "Edes? Cesis? Oh, you mean those two rare elite monsters with frames around their names? Of course I've seen them, the experience points and loot are pretty good."

Tia was stunned: "...What? Elite monsters? What are you talking about? They're human!"

The hero chuckled, as if he'd heard something amusing: "Humans? Aside from our 'player' IDs, aren't all the things with names in this world NPCs and monsters? According to the rules, what's wrong with disposing of the hunted targets?"

Hearing this, my heart sank. "Player ID," "NPC," "Huntable Targets," "Rules"... I instantly understood. This hero completely viewed this world as a virtual game world! He arrived with a game mentality, treating everything here as data and consumable resources!

"Tia! Don't tell him your name! Get out of here!" I shouted immediately through the communicator.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The hero was already looking Tia up and down with great interest, and asked, "Hey, what about you? What's your player ID?"

Although Tia didn't understand what "player ID" meant, she still answered truthfully: "I don't know what player ID is, my name is Tia."

The hero's eyes instantly changed, from curiosity to hunter's excitement: "Tia? No ID displayed? So you're a huntable NPC too! Looks like there's a hidden quest or rare loot! Brothers, let's go!"

Before the words were even finished, the hero suddenly drew his longsword, and a sharp sword aura slashed towards Tia! Although Tia was startled, she remained calm and dodged to the side, but the opponent's attack was fast and ruthless. The sword aura still grazed her arm, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone. Moreover, a strange power lingered around the wound, preventing it from healing!

"Tia! Come back quickly! Return to the helicopter immediately!" I commanded anxiously.

Tia knew the situation was critical and turned to rush out of the city. The hero's party, of course, wouldn't let their "prey" escape and immediately gave chase. A fierce pursuit ensued through the city streets. Tia fought and retreated using her agility and magic, but the members of the hero's party were all incredibly powerful, their attacks varied and numerous, with magical arrows, holy light bombardments, and combat strikes raining down on Tia.

Through the shaky footage and Tia's rapid breathing, we can feel the intensity of the battle and her struggle. She was hit again and again, her clothes stained with blood, but she gritted her teeth and desperately tried to break out of the city.

Finally, after paying a heavy price, Tia staggered to the location of the hidden helicopter. She practically crawled into the cockpit and used her last strength to activate the teleportation program.

[Teleportation request confirmed! Coordinates locked! Teleportation initiated!] Sellerbrett responded immediately.

A flash of light, and the helicopter, carrying the heavily injured Tia, appeared in Utopia's hangar. We rushed over immediately, opened the hatch, and saw Tia slumped in the pilot's seat, covered in wounds and barely breathing. When she saw me, she tried to force a smile, but suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Tia!" I rushed over and hugged her, using my tentacles and hands to carefully lift her out. As soon as her body left the seat, she completely lost her strength and collapsed softly to the ground. Although her eyes were still open, she was clearly unable to control her body.

"Quick! Get him to the medical room! Quick!" I roared.

We rushed Tia to the highest-level medical ward. We used every method imaginable: Zoimem's dragon blood, the most advanced life-sustaining magic, various regeneration potions… We even tried bringing Edseysis, hoping the mysterious power within them, fused with the pink crystal, would work its magic.

However, it was all in vain.

Similar to Edessis's situation, but even more desperate. Any healing energy that touched Tia's wounds was like throwing a stone into the sea; not only did it fail to heal, but the strange power belonging to the "hero" at the wounds seemed to be constantly eroding her life force.

Tia's breathing grew weaker and weaker, blood continuously oozing from the corner of her mouth. She looked at my anxious, pained, and almost desperate face, yet her eyes were unusually calm, even carrying a hint of relief. In an extremely faint, broken voice, she said, "It's alright... Lady Liscia... it's alright... my revenge... has been taken... to meet you... and everyone... is already very good... thank you... you..."

Her voice gradually faded, her eyes slowly closed, and her last glimmer of life, like a candle flickering in the wind, quietly went out.

"No...no! Tia!!!" I held her still-warm body tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face, dripping onto her pale yet peaceful expression. That familiar, suffocating sense of helplessness overwhelmed me again, more profound and painful than before. I...I still couldn't protect her...Waaaaah...

Just as I was immersed in immense grief and self-reproach, my consciousness almost swallowed by darkness, a cold, familiar, yet alluring voice, like a whisper from the abyss, echoed once more in the depths of my mind:

Do you want power?