Dead silence.
The only sounds in the cave were Jasper's ragged breathing and the suppressed, intermittent sobs of the survivors in the cages. The moment of victory was so fleeting, followed only by a boundless emptiness and cold despair. He had won, yet he felt as if he had lost everything.
With trembling hands, Jasper cupped Nidhogg's small, cold, ash-white body in his palms. The once-vibrant dark-gold vertical pupils were shut tight, its scales had lost all their luster, like burnt-out charcoal. Its breath was as faint as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
[Warning: Companion 'Nidhogg's' core life essence is below 5%. If not replenished with high-concentration spiritual energy in time, it will fall into an irreversible, permanent hibernation.]
The system's prompt was like an ice pick stabbing into Jasper's brain.
"How do I replenish it?" he roared in his mind, his voice distorted with panic.
[Method One: Find natural treasures containing pure life energy, such as the 'Spring of Life' or 'Dragon's Blood Grass.' Such items are priceless and typically monopolized by the major churches or ancient families.]
[Method Two: The contractor himself can continuously nurture it with his own spiritual energy. Based on the current spiritual energy output efficiency, a full recovery is estimated to take 180 days. During this period, the contractor will be in an extremely weakened state, unable to use any extraordinary abilities, and the digestion of his own Sequence will completely stagnate.]
Both options were dead ends. The first, he couldn't afford; the second, he couldn't wait out. In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, losing his power for half a year was no different from suicide.
He carefully placed Nidhogg into the inner pocket of his coat, close to his heart. Then, with what little spiritual energy he had left, he formed a faint, warm current that slowly and continuously enveloped its cold body. It was a futile effort, like trying to extinguish a fire with a cup of water, but it was all he could do.
He walked to the stone platform and cut Hunter's chains with his knife. The once dashing and arrogant school heartthrob now had vacant eyes, his body trembling uncontrollably from the extreme humiliation and pain. The moment the chains fell, he didn't stand up. He just curled into a ball, buried his face deep in his arms, his shoulders shaking violently as he let out a suppressed whimper like a wounded animal.
Jasper watched him in silence, offering no words of comfort. He knew that any language was pale and powerless in the face of such trauma. He just quietly took off his own, relatively intact jacket and gently covered Hunter's body with it.
Then, he opened the cages one by one. The students inside were like frightened birds, huddled in the corners, looking at him with eyes full of fear and numbness. Jasper didn't rush them. He just opened the cage doors, stepped aside, and waited quietly.
After a long time, a slightly braver boy tentatively crawled out of a cage. His action was like a signal, and the others began to emerge one after another, supporting each other.
Jasper searched the pile of ashes left by the shaman and found the black crystal, which was still glowing faintly. The moment he touched it, a massive and chaotic stream of information flooded his mind! He saw... a Sequence 8 'Sex Addict' who, during a ritual that went out of control, was corrupted by some unknown entity and became a breeding ground for desire and depravity. These goblins were the monstrous products of his extraordinary traits! And the piece of information about "expanding the hunting grounds" was like a poisoned thorn that lodged deep in his mind.
This was just the beginning.
He put the crystal away, lifted the most seriously injured female student onto his back, and said to the others in a hoarse voice, "If you want to live, keep up."
No one spoke, but they all silently followed behind him. Even Hunter forced himself to stand. He wrapped Jasper's jacket around himself, picked up a dirty, curved blade dropped by a goblin, and limped at the very back of the group, his eyes, a mixture of vigilance and hatred, fixed on the darkness behind them.
This procession of the wounded and victimized, led by their sole, indifferent guardian, moved like ghosts walking through purgatory, slowly, step by step, out of this land of sin.
At the edge of the forest, when the first ray of sunlight, representing safety, fell upon them, everyone collapsed as if their strength had completely given out. Several of the girls could no longer hold back and clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hunter walked up to Jasper. He looked deeply at him, then at the spot on his chest, his expression incredibly complex. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only three words came out, low and solemn: "I owe you."
Jasper didn't respond, just gave a slight nod.
He knew that some debts needed no words.
He watched as Hunter organized the other students and started heading toward the city. Only then did he turn and, alone, dragging his exhausted body, walk in the direction of the Extraordinary Guild. He needed that money. It was his only, slim hope of saving Nidhogg.