When I Woke Up

This is a dense rainforest.

The scorching sun pierces through the gaps in the layered canopy, casting light down below. The air is stiflingly humid, and the lush vegetation grows thick and rampant, fueled by the abundant rainfall. Tangled vines and knotted roots form layer upon layer of obstacles.

The young girl Zi Di is running through the rainforest with all her might.

She has curly black hair and wheat-colored skin. Her exquisite features outline a face of extraordinary beauty. Most captivating are her large, purple eyes, as clear and bright as amethysts.

But at this moment, those eyes are filled with fear and panic.

Hah!

Hah!

Her mouth is wide open, gasping for air with every ounce of strength, and her chest is already aching faintly.

She is drenched in sweat, and her body is covered in multiple bandaged wounds; because of her frantic running, patches of fresh red blood are seeping through the white gauze.

"Faster, just a little faster!"

"I must get as far away from here as possible!!"

Zi Di encourages herself, but her speed remains severely limited.

This is because a thick hemp rope is draped over her shoulder, dragging something heavy behind her, which greatly hinders her pace.

"Ah--!"

Suddenly, a shrill, miserable scream echoes from the distance.

Immediately followed by the howl of a wolf.

The girl's entire body trembles, as if struck by an electric shock.

Then, a sense of crisis and urgency, like the giant claws of a monster, violently grips her heart.

In this instant, only one voice remains in her mind: Run! Run! Run! Abandon everything, don't worry about anything else. Otherwise, you will be killed by that vicious wolf, just like those guards—torn to pieces, chewed up, and finally swallowed into its belly!

The girl's face turns deathly pale, her gaze frantic, yet when her eyes fall behind her, she becomes resolute once more.

She is dragging a hemp rope, the end of which is firmly connected to a stretcher, and lying on that stretcher is a boy.

For some reason, this boy's eyes are tightly shut in unconsciousness, but he has dazzling golden hair and handsome features, carrying an air of natural nobility.

The boy is undoubtedly a burden to her.

To be dragging a burden heavier than herself at such a critical moment of life and death is equivalent to handing over her own chance of survival.

Looking at the boy on the stretcher, Zi Di grits her teeth.

Immediately, she suppresses the panic and tension in her heart, continues to drag the stretcher, and pushes forward once more against the terrifying pressure of encroaching death.

Pushing aside the vines before her and forcing her delicate body through the dense, wall-like shrubbery, the thick jungle ahead suddenly becomes uncharacteristically sparse, revealing the azure sky.

The sound of flowing water grows clearer, and soon, a small river appears in the girl's field of vision.

Judging by eye, the girl knows the water likely only reaches her waist.

But she dares not step into the river easily!

"This isolated island is fraught with danger; it must never be judged by common sense. I am almost certain that vicious crocodiles or large schools of piranhas are hiding in this small river!"

Originally, she had sixteen guards by her side, but now only she and the boy remain. Along the way, the team members sacrificed themselves one after another, using their own lives to illustrate the horror of this island jungle.

"Damn it, if only I could still use magic..."

The girl observes for a short while, bites her lip, and still decides to cross the river!

The giant wolf behind is like a reaper claiming a life, likely tracking her scent as it pursues.

Though the girl is panicked, she has not completely lost her reason; she maintains a clear awareness and judgment of her situation.

Dragging the heavy stretcher, she moves along the river.

A moment later, a light flashes in her eyes.

She sees a small tree growing at an angle, its trunk extending from this bank, arching into the air, and reaching all the way to the sky above the opposite bank.

The girl checks cautiously and discovers that no venomous snakes or thorns are hidden in the foliage, though the trunk is covered in moss and extremely slippery.

Even for the girl alone, climbing such a trunk would lead to a fall into the river if she were the least bit careless.

What's more... she has a burden.

The boy lying on the stretcher has his eyes tightly closed, completely unconscious.

Perhaps... she should abandon this boy.

Trying to cross the river while carrying an unconscious boy is simply too difficult and carries too much risk.

But the girl grits her teeth, quickly unties the hemp rope from the stretcher, then hoists the boy onto her back, and proceeds to bind their bodies tightly together with the rope.

After doing all this, the girl takes off her boots and stuffs them into the gap between the rope and her body.

Finally, she takes a deep breath, and using both hands and feet, she begins the risky climb across the tree trunk with the unconscious boy on her back.

The moss on the trunk is scraped away, becoming even more slippery.

"I can do this, I can make it!"

"Zi Di, oh Zi Di, you absolutely cannot collapse here."

"You are the president of the Purple Vine Merchant Guild. You still have your father's vengeance to exact!"

The brave girl kept cheering herself on.

She exerted every ounce of her strength, clinging to the tree trunk and inching forward time and time again, her purple eyes fixed ahead, filled with determination.

In the end, she successfully climbed across.

Because the weight of the two of them pressed down on the small trunk, by the time the girl reached the opposite bank, the trunk had been pushed down to the ground.

This made it easier for the girl to land.

With the pressure of the two removed, the trunk sprang back up, its branches and leaves whipping through the air with a sudden, rushing sound.

Carrying the boy on her back, the girl had reached her physical limit; for a moment, she was nearly collapsed and unable to stand, forced to kneel on the ground with her hands supporting her weight.

Her face was deathly pale, and her head swam with dizziness. Sweat dripped rapidly from the tip of her nose and chin, falling onto the lush Green Grass below.

The girl gasped for breath for a moment, and the dizziness gradually began to fade.

A profound sense of joy spread through her heart.

"Unbelievable! I did it!"

"I actually climbed across."

But immediately, she noticed signs of numbness beginning to spread through her limbs.

This was the aftereffect of pushing herself to the absolute limit.

ROAR!

A wolf's howl erupted suddenly, and then a figure lunged out from the dense grass.

The girl's body trembled violently. She turned instinctively, only to see a deep blue Giant Wolf.

In that instant, her pupils constricted, and she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar!

The Giant Wolf was as large as a calf, its killing intent suffocating.

It bared its fangs, with bits of fresh meat still clinging between them.

Its wolf eyes were blood-red, staring fixedly at the girl, filled with violent, murderous intent.

The girl was struck with terror and collapsed into the grass on the bank.

Her movement to turn and look back had been too hasty; she had forgotten she was still carrying the boy.

The boy's weight created a strong inertia, dragging the girl down to the ground.

Such weakness and vulnerability only further incited the Giant Wolf's ferocity.

However, the Giant Wolf remained on the opposite bank.

It hopped and paced in place, watching the babbling river with a clear look of wariness.

Seeing the Giant Wolf's behavior, the girl suddenly realized how wise her previous actions had been.

Yet the next moment, the Giant Wolf spotted the tree trunk; it actually began to mimic the girl, stepping onto the trunk that spanned the two banks!

Without a doubt, this violent and savage Giant Wolf possessed terrifying intelligence.

Although the Giant Wolf was robust, its balance was excellent, and its speed was actually a few notches faster than the girl's had been.

Shocked, the girl felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She hurriedly pulled a dagger from her bosom, cut the ropes binding her, and scrambled to her feet, slamming her body into the trunk that was arched above the ground.

The trunk shook upon impact.

Although the shaking was not violent, it caused enough trouble for the Giant Wolf.

The Giant Wolf's balance was broken, and it nearly fell into the river, forced to jump back to the bank in a wretched state.

ROAR!

It roared at the girl, baring its sharp fangs, becoming increasingly agitated.

The girl had successfully stopped the Giant Wolf; she was overjoyed at first, but then immediately felt a pang of regret.

"I should have let the beast reach the middle of the trunk before striking, so it would have fallen into the river!"

The girl and the Giant Wolf stood in a standoff across the river.

The Giant Wolf kept roaring, refusing to retreat.

The girl stared at the Giant Wolf, not daring to relax for a single second. Whenever the Giant Wolf made the slightest attempt to climb onto the trunk, the girl would slam into it, causing it to shake.

A moment later, the girl realized something.

Her impulsive action just now had been the correct one.

Because she could not accurately estimate how far the Giant Wolf could jump.

If the Giant Wolf climbed even a short distance, it might be able to leap up and jump directly to the opposite bank.

Even if the girl had managed to shake the Giant Wolf into the river, whether the dangers lurking in the water would manifest, and whether they could stop the Giant Wolf even if they did, remained unknown.

Therefore, the safest course of action was to give the Giant Wolf no opportunity at all. As long as it climbed even slightly onto the trunk, the girl would do everything in her power to interfere.

Time passed continuously, and the Blue Giant Wolf tried many times, but none were successful.

Finally, at a certain moment, it turned abruptly, dove into the thicket, and vanished from sight.

The girl stood rooted to the spot in a daze; it was only after several breaths that she reacted, collapsing onto the ground.

Her face, numb from tension, gradually softened like melting ice, and two trails of tears streamed down her cheeks.

She had finally managed to save her life!

The girl began to sob softly just like that.

Her legs were curled up, and her feet were still bare; she hadn't even had the time to put her boots back on.

Because she had climbed a tree earlier, the inner sides of her feet were covered in large abrasions. The nails on her fingers were all broken and oozing blood.

She buried her head between her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly with each sob, looking like a fragile little kitten.

After crying for a while, the girl suddenly lifted her head as if struck by an electric shock.

Her eyes were bloodshot, tear tracks were clearly visible on her face, and her expression was complex—filled with shock, doubt, and panic.

Did that giant wolf really just give up like that?

It is indeed possible. But...

Recalling the terrifying encounters of these past few days, the girl felt more and more that it was likely the wolf had not given up.

It's possible that when it suddenly turned and dove into the thicket, it was just trying to lull me into a false sense of security.

I fear that at this very moment, it is following the river, searching for the next shortcut to reach the opposite bank!

Perhaps by now, it has already reached the other side and is sprinting toward this location!!

Thinking of this, the girl felt as if she had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar, a bone-chilling cold gripping her.

What should she do?

Carry the Boy and climb back up the tree trunk?

Setting aside the fact that the tilted tree trunk was at a certain height from the ground, making it extremely difficult for the girl to climb it while carrying the Boy, what if the Blue Giant Wolf was still lurking nearby?

Climb to the middle of the trunk and stay there?

That was even more impossible.

The physical exertion would be too great.

The girl knew her current physical state all too well; she had no confidence in her ability to climb the trunk again. Looking back at the path she had just traversed, her heart was filled with relief and lingering fear.

Continue forward while carrying the Boy?

If the Blue Giant Wolf chased them, this was clearly a dead end.

Even if the girl were unencumbered, her speed was nowhere near that of the Blue Giant Wolf.

Then there is only one final choice left!

A flash of determination crossed the girl's eyes.

She hurried to the Boy's side, knelt halfway on the ground, and pulled a milky-white, pillar-shaped crystal from her bosom.

The girl focused her mind, exerting all her strength to activate the White Crystal Pillar.

The crystal was gripped tightly by the girl, hovering just a fraction of an inch above the Boy's forehead, but for a long time, there was no reaction.

Is it really not going to work?

No, this is the final hope. Even if it's slim, even if there is only the slightest possibility...

The girl's heart grew increasingly anxious, and she whispered, "Hurry, hurry! Please, just start working."

As if it had heard the girl's plea, the milky-white crystal finally began to glow with a faint, barely perceptible light.

But the moment the girl noticed this faint glimmer, her face lit up with great joy.

Although the vast majority of magic is forbidden on this island, it is only relative. As long as the grade is high enough, it can still be used. It's just that the power and effects are greatly diminished...

The same applied to magic, and the same applied to magical artifacts.

The light emitted by the White Crystal Pillar grew increasingly dense, and then, as if water droplets had gathered sufficiently, it formed a stream of light that radiated a milky-white glow.

A small stream of this light dripped onto the forehead of the unconscious Boy and then miraculously merged into his skin.

In just a short moment, Zi Di, who was struggling to drive the crystal pillar, was already pale-faced, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her body swaying as if she might collapse at any moment.

The crystal pillar also began to lose its luster, turning into gray stone starting from the top.

Hold on, I must hold on; I cannot give up halfway! Zi Di squeezed out every ounce of strength in her body, almost hypnotizing herself as she continuously challenged the limits of her abilities.

By the time the crystal pillar had lost nearly half its color, Zi Di was already in a semi-conscious state, supported only by a single obsession.

I must save him...

Awoo!

A wolf's howl suddenly rang out, and the Blue Giant Wolf, which had vanished, moved with incredible speed, suddenly charging out from the dense grass.

At this moment, the Grim Reaper descended!

Zi Di was startled, her delicate body trembling violently. She instinctively looked up, her beautiful face already shrouded by the shadow cast by the Giant Wolf.

She saw the Giant Wolf leaping into mid-air, diving straight down toward her.

In this instant, time seemed to slow down.

The wolf's maw was wide open, revealing hideous, sharp teeth and even droplets of flying saliva.

Am I going to die?! Zi Di's will struggled, but her body remained unresponsive; she had exhausted every ounce of her strength.

I'm so unwilling... The thick scent of death rushed toward her. The young girl's purple eyes held a final glimmer of hope as she looked at the crystal pillar in her hand.

That crystal pillar—two-thirds of it had already lost its luster, turning into gray stone, yet one-third still remained.

There is no hope left.

The girl's face turned ashen in an instant. Having lost all strength, she let her head droop slightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

But just as she was about to resign herself to the slaughter, a violent tremor suddenly traveled through her hand.

Bang.

With a soft sound, the crystal pillar shattered into countless fragments.

What was happening?

The girl opened her eyes in shock and confusion.

And then, she saw that the unconscious Boy had finally awakened!

This handsome, golden-haired, green-eyed Boy suddenly rolled to the side and delivered a backward kick.

The movement was elegant and agile, yet crisp and decisive.

His body appeared frail, but at this moment, it unleashed a ferocious power!

Vigorous Leg Gale!

The Giant Wolf could not dodge in time and was struck squarely.

The wolf's howl was cut short as the immense force hit, sending the Giant Wolf flying far away.

The Boy pushed off the ground with both hands, rose to his feet in one fluid motion, and glared with fury.

The girl's pupils constricted and her breath hitched; gazing at the Boy's slender back, she felt as if she were watching a mountain rise before her.