Chapter 265

There’s a power that often pops up in various media. It’s called Ultrahigh-Speed Regeneration.

This so-called healing factor can reach extreme levels, allowing one to survive even a nuclear bomb blast.

Even being smashed to bits or getting limbs chopped off can result in a quick regeneration. Talk about munching on the law of conservation of mass!

However, having this Ultrahigh-Speed Regeneration doesn’t mean you’re invincible; in fact, it often leads to some serious mess-ups, which is more on the fantasy side of things.

For instance, imagine starting to regenerate while being stabbed with a knife. That means you could end up regenerating with the knife still sticking out of your belly!

Also, with that level of regenerative ability, it means you’re going through some serious pain to warrant it. If you’re not getting hurt, then what’s the point? It’s a real struggle once you think about it.

You’re not an immortal, either, so you can’t just turn off your brain and keep getting killed like in some comic.

Even with regeneration, there’s a myriad of tricky situations where relying on it alone might not cut it.

“Okay. You have to endure even if it hurts.”

“Can’t we do it later?”

“Or should I teach you some self-defense techniques? They might as well be the same thing.”

“Umm…”

I couldn’t help but ponder. Should I learn self-defense or work on my regeneration ability?

First, I checked my status to see how good my regeneration was. My regenerative ability was at SSS, just one step below Ex.

That felt pretty good, but I wasn’t sure about full regeneration since I hadn’t faced many brutal injuries.

‘Well, I did recover when my skin got torn…’

There was a time I got cut by a predator’s claw. It was so bad that my bones were showing.

But that injury healed in no time. No scar left behind.

The scars currently on my body were all from before I had regeneration.

“Luna, what are Sivar and the Saint doing right now?”

“They’re trying to boost Sivar’s regeneration ability. Apparently, they’re going to cut off his finger.”

“…What? They’re cutting off his finger? I must’ve misheard that.”

“Nope, you heard it right. They’re going to cut off his finger and watch to see if it goes back to normal.”

“Is that… even okay?”

People watching even reacted with disbelief, asking if that was really happening.

If they were reacting like that, then I couldn’t help but feel dubious myself. My expression showed just how untrustworthy this seemed.

They said if it didn’t regenerate properly, they’d reattach it right away, but I was seriously wondering if that was possible.

As great as Rize’s healing abilities were, there was a certain level of ambiguity. She doesn’t have direct healing powers like Gaia, nor does she enhance the body as Gulrak does.

It’s mostly up to the individual to make it work. Thanks to that, Rize’s medical skills are quite impressive.

‘Then shouldn’t there be a needle and thread around?’

What on earth are they using for that? But then again, I couldn’t just give up on regeneration.

Considering my fighting style, I thought regeneration would definitely be better. Of course, I advised to dodge when possible.

And for attacks that can’t be defended against, regeneration’s even more beneficial. Just imagine Rod pulling off a spatial cut, which is a technique that obliterates defenses—it means regeneration can cover that gap.

‘Plus, there’s a good chance the Blue Demon will raid the academy…’

When I take all that into account, having regeneration is advantageous. Instead of trying to eliminate weaknesses, it’s better to maximize strengths.

With that resolve, I looked at Rize with a tense expression. It was a sign I had decided.

Rize understood my intention and quietly held my hand, then grabbed the part of my index finger.

It felt like when my mom pricked my finger after I had a stomachache—a totally different situation, but still.

“Here we go.”

“Okay.”

Suddenly, Rize extended my index finger and—

*Swish!*

In one clean motion, she sliced off the first joint of my finger. It flew off like it had been cut with a sword.

Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt much—just a bit of a sting, you know, aside from the chunk that went flying.

Just to note, Rize caught that severed finger joint in no time, just in case, as we discussed earlier.

Drip, drop—

Blood started pouring from where my finger got chopped off. There was still no sign of regeneration.

Feeling a bit uneasy about that, I channeled my magic power, quickly halting the bleeding.

Whoosh—

“Oh, whoa?”

Gradually, the joint that had been cut off began to reappear.

It was like a seed sprouting in the ground, thanks to the rapid regeneration.

Before long, the bleeding completely stopped, and the finger joint regenerated, looking pristine as ever.

“Not bad at all. With this kind of regeneration, I could lose an arm and still be fine.”

“…You’re really going to cut off an arm?”

Rize casually threw out a rather crazy statement after seeing my regeneration power. I flinched at the thought, my body tensing up.

But Rize chuckled and shook her head, indicating that wasn’t happening.

“I’m just joking. But be careful; it might drain a lot of magic. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Still, just to be safe, should we try cutting your wrist?”

“… …”

I quickly shoved Rize’s hand away. It was fine to check with a finger, but cutting my wrist was too much!

Rize smiled, half-teasing, and moved on while gazing at the severed finger joint.

Sizzle!

As she made a fist, a sound like something burning erupted. At the same time, smoke began to rise from her hand.

With the smell of burning flesh hitting my nose, it looked like she used Divine Power. Quite the effective method.

“The only sure way to boost your regenerative ability is by taking on more injuries. Especially since Sivar hasn’t had any serious injuries lately, right?”

“What about the ones hit by Divine Power?”

“Ah… let’s leave that out. We’re only considering physical damage apart from Divine Power.”

“Hmm…”

I pondered deeply. After entering the academy, I really hadn’t faced any serious injuries.

If there was one time, it was during the fight with Hector. Since then, I hardly got hurt. My life didn’t involve many opportunities to get injured.

In fact, I was so tough that I walked away from an explosion unscathed. Remember the bomb vest incident during the midterms?

“I haven’t had any.”

“Sivar is the type who gets stronger with every battle and every brush with death. His body remembers those experiences very well.”

“How do you know that, Rize?”

“Because I’m a similar type myself.”

That made sense. Rize must have experienced her share of tough situations, too.

Ultimately, it meant I had to fight to grow stronger, but luckily there’s a great opportunity for that.

‘Inside the Chaos Forest.’

The problem is the backlash might be severe. Not only for me but there’s a concern about external issues flaring up again.

Didn’t things almost go haywire the one time Porori and I disappeared together?

Of course, I’m fine because I was in there with Porori, but it’s going to be chaotic for a while.

“Hmm…”

I kept turning over these thoughts in my mind when I noticed Luna staring blankly in my direction.

As soon as our eyes met, Luna blinked a couple of times, realizing I was watching her.

While that was happening, I walked over to her. Luna just sat there, staring at me blankly even as I approached.

“Luna.”

“…Why?”

Did she instinctively feel uneasy? Luna’s voice trembled slightly.

I recommended her in a calm tone.

“Let’s work together.”

As the protagonist, you should put in some effort too.

*****

It was around that time when Sivar and the academy folks were slowly gearing up.

Not just them, but other factions were also thoroughly preparing. There’s roughly three months left.

The cool autumn weather was gradually turning colder, and people spent their days waiting for the long-awaited end of the year.

The demons were no different; they were equally anticipating the year-end, holding expectations in a very different sense.

“Are we sure our kid is really there?”

A voice with an irresistible allure rippled through the air.

It was like a fragrance filling the room, a voice that tickled the ears.

The space was dark as pitch, but the sparkling blue eyes were impossible to conceal.

“I’m sure. I don’t know why she’s there, but according to our investigation, that’s definitely her.”

“Where has she been hiding, and why did she suddenly show up there?”

“According to the Hunter, she was inside the Chaos Forest. It would be best to ask her directly later.”

The conversation between the two demons ended up focusing on one topic. The suddenly reappeared Sivar, who disappeared for a time.

If Sivar truly is the being they’ve long desired, he must be taken.

He’s not just a child for everyone; he symbolizes something far more significant. From the demons’ perspective, he was something they couldn’t afford to lose.

“But what if that kid turns against us? By now, she wouldn’t know a thing, right?”

Worry filled the alluring voice. This was a concern shared by the other demons as well.

If an unsuspecting child pointed a blade at them, how could they possibly convince her?

The plotting demons rubbed their heads in frustration, dealing with the same headache.

“Ugh… That’s exactly what I’m worried about. One Sword Saint is already troublesome enough, but persuading her too…”

“Can’t we just scare her? Or I could seduce her.”

“…”

The demon frowned at the thought of seduction. Not out of disgust but rather as if questioning why.

The woman gave a wry smile. In the dark, her shining blue eyes held a bit of awkwardness.

“If you want to be properly scolded by that person, then go ahead. I don’t care.”

“Okay, okay. So our main goal is kidnapping, huh?”

“Proceed with the plan, but we must discreetly take that child away. The Hunter will join us too.”

“That sounds good. But I have heard there’s a Saint there too… Is that okay?”

Sivar might be a catch, but the Saint, Rize, posed the most significant threat. To the demons, Rize was their worst nemesis.

Even the Blue Demon was no exception. With her powerful regeneration, there was no telling how efficient she could be, not to mention her exceptional combat prowess.

“Don’t worry. We’ve made ample preparations.”

“What kind of preparations?”

The Blue Demon answered the question.

“Preparations that guarantee our plan will succeed.”