Reborn as a Transcendent-Chapter 639: Life-and-death Moment, Last Three Seconds

‘Strange… why does this path keep sloping downward.' Racing forward at full speed, Yaeger could clearly feel the gradual descent beneath her feet, a realization that left her puzzled.

If this kept up, wouldn’t she end up beneath the river? But with time slipping away, she had no room for hesitation. Overthinking was a luxury she couldn’t afford—so she pressed on.

A faint ticking echoed in her mind. Not a real sound—just the weight of every second slipping away.

‘Only thirty-five seconds left.’

Then—just ahead—a rusted handle came into view. Just beyond it stood a solid black stone wall.

‘This is it—the end of the passage.’

A thick layer of some sticky, viscous substance coated the surrounding walls.

‘Some kind of sealant?' The moment she halted, the humidity hit her—heavy, suffocating. Water trickled down the walls, pooling at her feet.

"Hold on… this is the bottom of a river? Hey, hey—what kind of scam is this?!"

Her gaze dropped to the growing puddles at her feet. A realization struck her—Jade City’s moats were insanely deep! "Rosalina, was your ancestor trying to kill you?" Yaeger groaned.

Even if she made it out of here, she’d drown in an instant if she couldn’t reach the surface fast enough!

‘Thirty seconds left.’

"Screw it!" With no time to think, Yaeger gritted her teeth and slammed the rusted handle down. A sharp click echoed, followed by a faint tremor beneath her feet.

The black stone wall rumbled, sinking into the ground. The thick sealant ripped apart, and within seconds, water gushed in. A torrent of murky river water surged into the passage, carrying mud and debris.

Yaeger reacted instantly, expanding her aura to form a protective sphere around herself. At the same time, she compressed as much air inside as she could—her only shot at surviving underwater.

‘This should buy me some time!'

The stone wall continued to lower, and the flood intensified. The moment the opening was wide enough, Yaeger leaped forward, using her sphere as a buffer to cut through the rushing current.

The impact forced most of the trapped air out—what little remained wouldn’t last long.

‘Twenty-five seconds!' Yaeger kicked off the riverbed, propelling herself forward while glancing at the countdown.

Escaping the city wasn’t enough to clear the quest. The moat was still technically part of Jade City’s territory. In other words—she still wasn’t safe! And now, three major problems loomed over her.

First—only 25 seconds remained. That was nowhere near enough time to reach the surface. Second, her oxygen supply was critically low. Even reaching her destination would be a challenge. Third—even if, by some miracle, she reached the surface in time, the quest would still fail.

Why? Because she would still be inside Jade City’s borders.

‘No—I can’t swim up!' But then… how was she supposed to escape without surfacing? ‘Stay calm—just stay calm! There has to be a way!'

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Forcing herself to focus, Yaeger accelerated her thoughts, analyzing the situation in detail.

‘Rosalina’s ancestors built this escape route. They wouldn’t have designed it just to drown their own descendants—there must be a reason! But this depth… there’s no way they had diving gear or breathing tools…'

That thought alone made her stomach sink. Clearly, Rosalina had miscalculated! But this wasn’t her fault. She had rushed to help without hesitation—mistakes were inevitable under that kind of pressure.

‘Even if I had diving gear, surfacing would be a terrible idea!'

Swimming upward would put her directly in the line of sight of the guards on the walls—an outright suicidal move.

‘Wait—the moat’s bottom… This is a river. Water has to flow somewhere! The real escape route isn’t up—it’s downstream!'

In that instant, everything clicked—this was what Rosalina’s ancestors had planned. To escape Jade City without surfacing, the answer was simple—dive deeper.

Follow the current downstream—all the way out!

The mental strain finally caught up to her, forcing her thoughts to slow.

Glancing away from the exit, her eyes landed on something—far ahead, barely visible in the murky depths, was a black opening.

‘That’s it! The river’s outflow!’

The second she spotted it, she moved. Kicking off the riverbed, she shot forward at full speed.

Meanwhile, atop a towering structure in the outer city district, a lone figure emerged. Richard. "You wretched vermin… No matter where you hide in the outer city, I will find you."

His voice was low, seething with contempt. The air around him trembled—dust kicked up in every direction. A surge of mental energy exploded outward, rippling through the city like an unseen shockwave.

This was one of his ultimate abilities. Within his perception field, nothing could escape him. If he could extend his perception over the entire outer city, that damned outsider would have nowhere to hide.

Of course, using this ability came at a steep cost. The energy drain was immense—Richard never used it lightly. Had Jade City’s barrier been active, he wouldn’t have dared to risk it so recklessly.

‘Twenty seconds. I’ll find you in twenty seconds.’ Richard closed his eyes, focusing all his will.

Beneath the moat’s surface, Yaeger propelled herself forward, racing toward the river’s outlet.

Oxygen? That was the least of her concerns now. All that mattered was escaping Jade City—everything depended on it. If she failed, nothing else would matter.

As the seconds slipped away, Yaeger swore she could hear Richard’s footsteps. They were close. Too close. Crystal clear, as if he was right behind her.

‘Faster, faster!' The entrance was within sight, yet Yaeger’s anxiety refused to fade.

A quick check—her Mana reserves had dropped below half.

‘Screw it—I’m using everything I’ve got!'

She dumped everything into [Intermediate Flash]. It was her only shot at making it in time.

A surge of energy—Yaeger vanished, reappearing sixty meters ahead. Then again. After several rapid bursts, she felt it—her Mana was nearing depletion.

‘Just a little more!'

The cave entrance loomed ahead—dark, almost ominous. Yaeger bit her lip, ignoring the burn in her muscles, and surged forward.

No time for potions. No time for hesitation. This was it—a real life-or-death moment. There were only seven seconds.

‘Almost there.’

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three—

With only three seconds left, Yaeger shot into the cave’s entrance, slipping into the darkness beyond.

At that exact moment, Richard’s mental energy engulfed the entire outer city. Every corner—indoors, outdoors, above, below—fell under his perception.

‘Nothing? Impossible!’ Richard’s mind raced. That outsider was as conspicuous as a firefly in the dead of night—there was no way she had escaped him! His thoughts immediately turned to the sewers.

But there was nothing there.

‘Did she find a hole in the barrier? Could she have escaped?'

It sounded absurd, but Richard expanded his perception beyond the city’s borders. He scoured every inch—above, below, across the landscape. Nothing.

At the river’s inlet, Yaeger sagged against the stone wall, finally allowing herself a single breath of relief. Before she could even consider her next move, a familiar sound chimed in her mind.

Ding!