After several more minutes, Rhian sat hunched near the cave entrance.
His fingers were tense, holding the third core. His breathing was shallow, and his eyes kept drifting between Nia's still body and the yellow glow on his watch.
He had already used two cores. One to stabilize his injuries. The other for a small, barely noticeable gain. When he checked his system again, it hadn't even cracked 4%.
The E-rank core sat untouched. He didn't dare use it.
Rhian leaned back against the cave wall, hands shaking. His clothes were still damp. His body was tired. But it wasn't the exhaustion that kept pressing down on him, it was the feeling of helplessness.
Nia hadn't moved.
She was still breathing, but her skin had lost its color. Her pulse was faint. Her core must have taken damage in the fall.
She couldn't wake up on her own. And he couldn't help her like this.
He looked at the dull cores on the ground. Useless now. Used up. Then back at the glowing one in his hand.
