On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Even so, the girl still flew around in the air once before landing awkwardly and tumbling, dodging the corpse's follow-up pursuit.

boom

The sewer wall where Irene had just been standing cracked like a spider web under the second punch from the mutated zombie, and the ground trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Irene felt a chill of fear. She couldn't imagine that if Liao Ji hadn't intervened in the battle from behind, forcing her to switch from offense to defense, even if her sword had struck the corpse, it would have been equivalent to injuring the enemy eight hundred while losing a thousand of her own.

what happened!

What exactly is this filthy corpse?

Only then did Irene finally notice the two crest remnants shimmering with blood-red light behind the murky corpse. Could those be...?

There's no other way, it seems we can only...

Just as Irene was about to activate her powers and summon the real blood-red greatsword again, a few short incantations rang out, followed by a burst of holy light that completely covered the mutated corpse.

"Ughh ...

The turbid corpse let out a painful roar, and then its huge body began to shrink, and its bulging muscles atrophied. In the blink of an eye, it turned back into an ordinary turbid corpse, and the two blood-red emblem remnants on its back completely disappeared.

"This"

Before Irene could react, another beam of light pierced the head of the mutated corpse like an arrow. This mutated corpse, which even Irene, who had reached the "dangerous" level, found troublesome, actually died so easily.

Chapter 51 Leave him to me... One person will suffice (Part 2)

Holy Word Silence

And Divine Punishment?

Liao Ji recognized them at a glance; the two skills Maria had just unleashed were classic clerical abilities.

but

In the game, a character's skill slots are unlocked based on their rank. For example, when Irene is at the "Normal" rank, she only has one skill, "Berserk," and only after breaking through to the "Critical" rank will she gain another skill, "Great Annihilation."

However, so far, Maria, the "delicate" little nun beside him, has already demonstrated divination and teleportation, and counting the two from just now, she has a total of four skills.

This seemed to put a half-fulfillment on a certain guess in Liao Ji's mind.

A guess he didn't particularly like.

"Miss Irene, are you alright?" Maria rushed to the girl's side.

Irene shook her head, glancing at the fallen corpse and then at the little nun: "Thank you, but Maria, what you just did..."

"It's a skill I learned at church, and it's great to see it come in handy."

Seeing that Yilin seemed to be frowning slightly and wanted to ask more questions, Liao Ji, who had also come over at this moment, deliberately ended the conversation.

He urged him that now was not the time to talk, as Nolan was just ahead.

And so, the three of them advanced for a few more minutes. It is worth mentioning that they seemed to have reached a "new level". In less than a few minutes, they encountered more turbid corpses than all the previous ones combined. What was most terrifying was that almost every small group of turbid corpses contained one or even two mutated turbid corpses.

This is where Irene's weakness becomes apparent. Her [Great Annihilation] skill is suitable for dealing with high-pressure, one-shot attacks, but against intermittent, batch-by-batch attacks from small elite monsters like the ones we're facing now, Irene's [Great Annihilation] skill is neither safe to use nor to use it effectively.

On the contrary, Maria and the others were able to continue their steady progress, largely thanks to the nun's frequent use of the [Holy Word Silence] spell. It was a perfect counter to the mutated corpses. No matter how much their strength increased by "killing their own kind," they would be obediently silenced and brought back to their original form in the next second.

Finally, they arrived at the end of a branch passage in the underground. Irene, who was already focused, immediately spotted a woman who was weak and curled up in a hidden, shadowy corner.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and she rushed over without thinking.

"mom!"

Liao Ji, who followed quickly behind, finally saw the real person in the family photo taken at Yilin's house.

Compared to the photos, Irene's mother now looks much more haggard. She is in a complete coma, and on her exposed skin, one can see frightening, bright red lines resembling the roots of an old tree. This is the most prominent feature of the turbid corrosion disease, known as the Evil Vein Disease.

Once these blood-red lines cover her entire body, Irene's mother will undergo a complete mutation.

"Liao Ji!" Seeing her mother in critical condition, a panicked Irene immediately turned her gaze to the young man, praying that Liao Ji could use his miraculous healing magic to cure her mother.

but

This time, Liao Ji did not respond to the girl, but instead looked at the nun Maria beside him.

Almost at the same time, the nun's voice rang out.

"I... I'll give it a try."

Maria arrived at Nolan's side, who was already in the late stage of "Erwen Disease". If we sent Irene's mother to even the best Morning Glory Hospital now, the doctors there would definitely shake their heads and say that there was no hope. No one can save a person in the late stage of "Erwen Disease". The best way to "rescue" her is to give her relief so that she will not mutate.

But then, when the nun's hand touched Nolan's body, a divine radiance burst forth from Maria's palm. Even just the overflowing aura made Irene feel instantly calm and composed, and even the fatigue from the battle was swept away.

This wasn't the first time Irene had experienced this feeling; the last time was in the ruins cave, in the sarcophagus! It was thanks to Liao Ji's Holy Healing Technique!

Before Irene could think much about it, something new happened on her mother's side.

Bathed in the nun's holy light, Nolan's "curse disease" began to improve dramatically. The hideous, blood-red markings that covered Irene's mother's body rapidly melted away under the light, first shrinking in size, and then turning into sludge and grime, forced to the surface of Nolan.

Nolan coughed violently, but for Irene, it was the biggest surprise. It meant that her mother had regained vital signs and had really been saved!

Soon, after Nolan coughed up several mouthfuls of black, foul-smelling blood—so foul that even a few glances revealed its intense "pollution"—the woman regained consciousness and even slightly opened her eyes.

The first thing Nolan saw was Sister Maria, who was treating her. A hint of excitement suddenly appeared on the woman's face. She was trying her best, as if she could only utter a few broken syllables.

"Si. Ti. Daren"

Unfortunately, because her speech was too unclear, Irene couldn't hear her mother's words. Before she could ask any more questions, Nolan seemed to have lost consciousness again and fallen into a deep sleep.

But no matter what.

"That's great! Mom. I'm finally... Waaah... Mom!" This was the first time Liao Ji had seen Yilin cry. The tear-streaked girl hugged her mother tightly.

Perhaps for Irene, living a healthy and happy life with her mother is the greatest happiness, and also the dream of all "ordinary people"?

To have a home, and to live peacefully and safely.

Having thought this through, Liao Ji had already made a decision. He patted Yilin's shoulder reassuringly and then said to the girl:

“Eileen, now is not the time to cry. Let’s take Aunt Nolan home quickly. She needs to rest right now.”

"Yes, yes, yes! Mom needs to lie down, so let's..."

Liao Ji: "Maria, could you please activate your teleportation ability again and send them home?"

This time, instead of asking Maria "maybe," he directly "asked" her to do it.

However, in her excitement, Irene didn't notice Liao Ji's point. She was so excited after seeing Maria nod that she almost hugged the little nun tightly.

Maria then repeated the ritual she performed at Irene's house, drawing a circle on the ground to represent a teleportation array. The only difference was that...

When Irene hurriedly stepped into the teleportation ceremony with her mother in her arms, and then looked at Liao Ji and the nun standing motionless outside the ceremony, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"Wait a minute! You old fogey! You, you don't mean to..."

"Ah."

Liao Ji nodded at Yilin, who had a panicked expression.

"There's one more thing here... well, now it seems there are two, things I need to retrieve, so I can't leave yet."

The young man's words immediately made the girl anxious.

Only then did Irene realize that there was another "relic" stored here. She didn't know what the "second one" Liao Ji mentioned was, but judging from Liao Ji's behavior at the Kaleva factory, the first one was certain, and Liao Ji was definitely determined to get the "relic".

That won't do!

She must stay by Liao Ji's side!

This was a thought that came to Irene subconsciously.

After all, it was quite obvious that as they went deeper, the number and strength of the turbid corpses were increasing by leaps and bounds. Without her, what would happen to Liao Ji's safety? How could she let the old antique be alone in such a dangerous place!

But as soon as the girl subconsciously took a step away from the teleportation ritual, the weight on her hands jolted Irene awake, plunging her into a struggle of hesitation.

mother

My mother urgently needs rest and cannot endure any more turbulence. Moreover, she cannot fight with a comatose patient in her arms. If she insists on following Liao Ji while my mother is with us, it will not only harm my mother but also become a burden to Liao Ji.

"Miss Yilin, if you can, please feel free to entrust Mr. Liao Ji to me! I will take good care of him. You should quickly take Auntie and leave. Don't worry about us!"

"I am here alone, and that's enough."

Maria assured Irene that, judging from the previous battles, the nun was not as weak as she appeared; on the contrary, her fighting ability in this situation was likely—no, it should be said—even greater than her own.

If forced to choose between them, purely rationally speaking, Maria is definitely the best choice given the current combat environment.

But for some reason

Even though Irene could tell that the nun's words were absolutely sincere, without a trace of pretense, and that she had a strong sense of protectiveness and fondness for the old things, her instincts still made her uneasy, very uneasy.

She always felt that if she really left like this, something terrible might happen that she would regret for the rest of her life.

"Alright, Miss Irene, I'm already very grateful that you have this thought. If you're still reluctant to part with me... well, then come and give me a hug."

Before Yilin could answer, Liao Ji walked over and gave the girl a light hug, while discreetly placing something into the pocket of her clothes.

The young man's movements were very discreet and swift, and the overlapping of their bodies during the embrace, coupled with the fact that "things" were so thin, that not only Maria behind him, but even Irene herself did not notice.

"Alright, you should go now." Liao Ji exited the teleportation ritual, waving to the girl with a relaxed expression that said, "Don't worry." Seeing that the young man had emphasized it again, Yilin finally stopped insisting.

"Um"

However, before leaving, the girl hesitated for a moment, but finally shouted out:

"Old man, if something really happens, you know what to do! Use that. No matter where you are or what happens, I'll come to you right away. I swear!" The "that" the girl was referring to was naturally the contract.

However, Liao Ji chuckled and shook his head helplessly, saying, "I think I'll wait until I get out safely and then take the initiative to find you for a drink at the beach!"

Irene wanted to say something more, but the light of the teleportation ritual had already begun to shine.

I don't know if it's just a girl's imagination.

But before the holy light enveloped her entire vision, Irene felt she saw the nun standing next to Liao Ji, and a smile played on her lips.

A strange arc.

Chapter 52 Marrying