The Lone Healer-Chapter 164: Ice

"Am I ready, then?" Erin asked.

Neve stood before her, healing away a dire wound she’d allowed a trap to inflict on her.

"I think so," Neve replied, looking at her Healing Magic skill.

Healing Magic: 65

Erin Leynall

Level 65

MP: 150/150

EXP: N/A

Activity Points: N/A

WS Tokens: N/A

Mood: 85% (Close Friend)

---

Endurance: 50

Speed: 65

Precision: 75

Strength: 40

Arcane: 15

Three weeks had passed since Neve killed Thomas. In that time, Neve focused entirely on making Erin stronger, so they could take on the remainder of the 8th Floor together. Neve walked across the city and found a trap that wouldn’t kill her immediately, an electrified pool of water. She began to step onto it on purpose, then, healing herself up after taking damage. However, Erin then volunteered to step into the trap for her, so she’d been taking all of the damage instead.

At the same time, because three weeks had passed, all of the monsters on this level respawned. Neve used that to their advantage, though, by allowing Erin to train different skills in between healing sessions by fighting them, without killing the monsters, so they could stay at the same level but make Erin stronger still.

Unarmed: 70

Blocking: 40

Scouting: 45

And the rain still hadn’t passed.

Neve, who was currently sitting on the hood of a futuristic-looking car, looked up at the sky.

[... How long is this storm going to last?]

A ping sound nudged her eyes in the direction of her notifications. Even though she’d already purchased internet service and had killed Thomas, people still sent her stuff.

[109K tokens, a bunch of equipment I can’t use... It’s honestly just getting a little annoying at this point. Though... Maybe I could use the tokens on something.]

Even lifting her hand to scroll through the Hidden Shop almost felt like pushing a boulder up a hill, though. She almost couldn’t be bothered, but the embers of motivation from wanting to kill Thomas, still slowly fading away, pushed her body to move.

Erin sat down next to her.

"Ah~ If I were back home, weather like this would be perfect for staying inside all day."

"We can go back to the camp if you want," Neve told her.

"Do we not have work to do?"

"Yeah, but... we have time."

After so many days spent urgently moving forward, all due to the fear that Thomas and his group might escape before she could reach them, just saying those words felt strange.

But, as Neve reminded herself by looking at the Player Count, they did indeed have time.

More than she knew what to do with.

Player Count: 1

She would check it periodically, almost as if hoping that, magically, the counter would go up to "2" somehow.

But, no. It stayed at 1, reminding Neve that her purpose had been fulfilled.

A hand fell on her shoulder.

"Well, if I am indeed strong enough to proceed, how about we continue?" Erin asked. "I am curious to see how the rest of this city looks."

"Uh... Yeah," Neve replied. "We can do that."

Lazily, Neve jumped off the car and waited for Erin to take the lead. The lamia did so and the two of them proceeded to head deeper and deeper into the city.

Abandoned skyscrapers stood like stone pillars, hugging the road the pair walked on. Androids were all Neve and Erin found. Enemies they incapacitated or snuck past, continuing to avoid battles to the death.

All the while, one of the buildings stood taller than the rest. A tower at the back of the map proudly displayed the words "Galactech", in big glowing letters.

This wasn’t where the boss was located, though.

[... With how huge that place is, there has to be something there. It’s practically begging for me to go and check it out.]

Noticing Neve’s lingering gaze on that building, Erin said:

"Oh, that place looks interesting. Shall we go see what we might find there?"

It was these kinds of requests that Erin made that were keeping Neve moving now.

That, and the occasional call she’d receive from her most solid connection to the outside world.

That being the journalist, of course.

She called Neve as she and her summon made their way to the tower.

"Uh, hello?" Neve answered.

"Good morning~" The journalist responded. Neve found her voice to be a little bit similar to Erin’s in that they both possessed a natural teasing edge to them. Charlotte, however, sounded even more mischievous. "Are you still training?"

"Yeah," Neve replied. "I am."

She could faintly hear a running shower in the background. Noticing this produced an image in Neve’s mind that she struggled to push out.

"Oh, my apologies, then. Should I leave you be?"

Neve considered her answer.

"... I guess I have a second or two. Do you want to ask me anything?"

"Wonderful." She could tell the other woman was smiling without having to even see her. "The place you’re currently in, can you describe it a little?"

"Hm? Uhm, this world is honestly a lot like Starlight City," Neve answered. "But... with better technology."

"Oh? What kind of technology?"

"Well, they’re all broken, but I’m pretty sure these people have flying cars," Neve responded. "Holographic signs, weird laser guns, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like you reincarnated into a futuristic apocalypse."

"You can write a book about that if you want."

"I’m a journalist, my dear. Wrong kind of writer." Neve snorted. "Judging by the fact that you’re speaking to me so casually, I take it you aren’t in any real danger at the moment?"

"I might be, now that you said that," Neve responded. "But, no. Not at the moment."

"Ah... Well, what does it feel like?" Charlotte asked her. "Walking around an actual, separate world like this?"

[She’s probably going to include this in some article, isn’t she?]

Knowing that, Neve took a moment to consider what she wanted to say. She didn’t care at all how the public perceived her, but since Charlotte had gone through so much trouble to establish communication with her, Neve wanted to give her an answer that was worthwhile.

"... I’ve gotten used to it, by now," she answered honestly. "But, at first, it was scary. These places are dangerous."

"And yet, you’ve managed to survive. To what do you attribute your success?"

[Well, there’s the main question, right?]

She considered that question briefly.

There were a great many answers she could give.

For now, all she could think of was:

"I never lost sight of my goals," Neve stated. "I’d say that’s probably the biggest thing. At least, off the top of my head."

"Ah, well then, perhaps you could keep that question in the back of your mind for a little while? I would like to get a more... extended answer in the future, hopefully."

"Maybe," Neve replied.

"Thank you. Good luck out there."

---

{Charlotte}

As she hung up the phone, Charlotte put her pen between her lips, thinking about the person she just talked to.

[... It’s happening,] Charlotte thought with a smile. [We’re winning over the heart of Starlight City!]

She’d seen it on the forums. The instant the citizens of Starlight heard that Neve had slain the murderer responsible for killing some number of the other players within the Final Challenge, people were celebrating.

Obviously, a lot of them were also quite worried that Neve’s days were numbered given that she was taking on the Final Challenge alone now, but good had triumphed...

... For now.

[The reality is that every day, more and more traumatic things happen in this dying, little world of ours. Neve’s story is helping to inspire some people, but they need more. They need to learn more about her and get invested in the outcome of this challenge... And, then,] Charlotte inhaled sharply, [she needs to win.]

That was the most troubling part of this whole equation.

If Neve’s story ended with her failure, then that could potentially give the Hidden Blade Guild all they needed to wrap the city in chaos once and for all.

[The problem is, the more I talk to her... the more I get the feeling she doesn’t really care all that much.]

In terms of her attraction to Neve, this was no issue at all. The "ice queen" vibes Neve was giving her made Charlotte want to throw herself at her. But, for Charlotte, the journalist, this was a problem.

[I saw it in her face as well, when we had our last video call... Her eyes,] Charlotte recalled, leaning back in her chair. [Nothing but ice.]

It wasn’t too hard to imagine how this healer came to be this way. 100 players had gone into that portal, and she was the only one remaining. She had to have witnessed quite a lot of horrible stuff.

[... It doesn’t matter,] Charlotte thought with a smile. [For Starlight City, and for myself, of course, Neve, my beloved... I will thaw that icy heart of yours, no matter what.]