… After some time, Wood Steel signaled that everything was over. With that, I descended once more into the depths of the crevasse.0

Tap—0

My heels touched down on the ground. Near the crystal tree, I noticed Sylvia slumped over, fast asleep on the table I had made, while her ghost lay collapsed beside her. I slipped off my gloves, feeling the faint bite of the cold air.0

With the Iron Man attribute and Cold Adaptation I’d gained from my time in the snow globe, my body was far from ordinary—I hardly felt the cold. But Sylvia might feel differently, as she would probably feel its full sting.0

“… She’d feel cold here,” I murmured to myself as I walked toward Sylvia. Exhausted, she hadn’t even sensed my approach and was already deep in sleep.0

Crackle—0

With Ductility, I created a blanket and draped it over her shoulders, adding a Midas Touch enhancement up to Level 2 just in case. 2

“Well done.”0

For some reason, an odd sense of fondness stirred within me when I thought of her. Perhaps it was simply because she was the only one who allowed me to feel the heavy, misguided ache of guilt.0

I rested my hand gently on her small head, assessing her condition. Fractures, bruises, bleeding—her body was marked with wounds of every kind. One by one, I covered each wound with strips of Duct Tape. By the time she woke, the healing would be complete, and she would believe she had mended them all on her own.0

“… Take some rest,” I murmured as I turned toward the crystal tree.0

[Main Quest: Ages] 0

Demakan’s Sanctuary of Ages. The mystical ancient tree stood in silence, its surface where Epherene’s name had glowed just moments ago...2