When Werther regained consciousness, something seemed to be pressing on his chest, steadily giving off heat.
His mouth was parched. He desperately wanted water, but he had no strength in his body.
A few seconds later, his mind grew hazy again, and he passed out.
Werther felt as though he were submerged in cold water. His senses dulled, his thoughts slowed, and everything became a blur.
A voice calling to him drifted in and out of hearing.
"Wer... you..."
When Werther regained consciousness again, he was a little better off. At least this time, he could hear something.
After a while, Werther came fully awake.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a fair face and a huge furry face right in front of him.
"Water..."
Hearing him, Tuski hurriedly brought over a cup of warm water and helped him drink it.
After draining the cup, Werther felt every cell in his body greedily soak up the water, slowly growing full and alive again.
The water gave him back some strength, but it only made him thirstier. He picked up the large wooden barrel beside him and drank straight from it.
"Gulp, gulp."
Werther drank nearly half the barrel in one go before he felt alive again.
"Ha, I almost died. Heh. Talk about lucky."
Werther did not fear the death he had narrowly escaped. He was simply glad he was still alive, still able to keep adventuring.
"Waaah! I thought you were going to die, Werther! You were frozen stiff!"
Once she saw Werther recover, Anita sat on the ground and burst into tears. Beside her, Tuski turned her head away too.
"Heh. As if I'd die that easily. There are still so many places in the world waiting for me to explore.
"But Anita, how long was