1 When I Woke Up

In a dense rainforest—the scorching sunlight penetrated the gaps between the canopy of leaves in the rainforest and shone down. The air was very hot and humid; the dense vegetation was luxuriant and flourishing due to the abundant rainwater. The tree vines intertwined and the tree roots interlocked, forming layers of obstructions.

The girl, Violette, ran at full speed through the rainforest.

She had a head of curly black hair and malt-colored skin. Her exquisite facial features outlined an extraordinarily beautiful face. The most attractive thing was her large purple eyes that were clear and bright like purple crystals.

But at this moment, this pair of eyes was filled with fear and panic.

Huff!

Huff!

Her mouth was agape as she gasped for breath. Her chest was already aching.

She was drenched in sweat and there were many bandaged wounds on her body. Due to her vigorous running, the white bandages were already stained with blood.

Faster, faster!

I must leave this place as soon as possible!

Violette encouraged herself, but her speed remained limited.

Because she had a thick hemp rope on her shoulder, which seemed to be dragging something heavy behind her, this immense burden greatly slowed her down.

"Ah—!"

Suddenly, a miserable scream came from afar.

Then came the howl of a wolf.

The girl's body trembled as if she had been electrocuted.

Then, a sense of danger and urgency gripped her heart like the claws of a monster.

At this moment, there was only one voice left in her mind: Run! Run! Run! Leave everything behind and don't care about anything else. Otherwise, you will be killed by that Direwolf. Just like those guards, you will be torn apart, chewed by it, and finally swallowed into its stomach!

The young girl's face turned pale and her eyes were filled with panic. However, when her gaze landed on the scene behind her, she became determined.

She was dragging a hemp rope that was connected to a stretcher. On the stretcher was a youth.

For some reason, this youth's eyes were closed and he was unconscious. However, he had dazzling blond hair and he had very handsome facial features. He exuded a natural aura of nobility.

The young man was undoubtedly her burden.

To drag a burden that was even heavier than herself at such a critical moment of life and death, it was equivalent to giving up her life.

Looking at the young man on the stretcher, Violette gritted her teeth.

Immediately, she fought back her panic and anxiety and continued to drag the stretcher along, resisting the terrifying pressure of death as she proceeded forward again.

Pushing aside the vines in front of her, she used her delicate body to push aside the dense shrubs that were no different from walls. The dense forest in front of her suddenly became sparse, revealing a clear blue sky.

The sound of the river water flowing gradually became clearer. Not long later, a small river appeared in the girl's sights.

From what she could tell, the river water only reached her waist.

But she did not dare to step into the river!

This island is fraught with danger, it cannot be judged by common sense. I am almost certain that there are vicious crocodiles or large schools of piranhas hiding in this river!

Originally, she had sixteen guards by her side, but now, she and the young man were the only ones left. Along the way, her team members had sacrificed themselves one after another, using their lives to depict how terrifying this isolated forested island was.

Damn it, if I could still use magic…

The girl observed for a while, bit her lips, and decided to cross the river!

The giant wolf behind her was like looming Death. It was very likely that it was tracking her through her scent.

Although the girl was alarmed, she did not completely lose her rationality. She still maintained clarity of mind and judgment of her situation.

She dragged the heavy stretcher as she crossed the river.

A moment later, light flashed across her eyes.

She saw a small tree growing diagonally. Its trunk extended from the bank and rose into the air, reaching all the way to the sky over the opposite side.

The girl examined it carefully and discovered that there were no venomous snakes or thorns hidden in the shrubs. However, the tree trunk was covered in moss and appeared very slippery.

The girl alone could fall into the river if she was not careful while climbing such a tree trunk.

Besides… she had a burden.

The young man lying on the stretcher had his eyes tightly shut and was completely unconscious.

Perhaps… she should give up on this young man.

It was too difficult and risky to cross the river with the unconscious youth.

However, the young girl gritted her teeth and quickly untied the stretcher's rope, then carried the young man on her back, and used the rope to tightly wrap around her and the young man's bodies.

After doing all this, the girl took off her boots and stuffed them in the gap between the rope and her body.

Finally, she took a deep breath and used her hands and feet to carry the unconscious youth on her back as she began to climb the tree trunk.

The moss on the tree trunk became more slippery when she inevitably scraped off the moss.

I can do it, I can do it!

Violette, you must not fall here.

You are the President of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce. You still need to avenge Father!

The brave girl kept encouraging herself.

She exerted all her strength and clung onto the tree trunk, shifting forward again and again. Her purple eyes were filled with determination as she looked ahead.

Finally, she succeeded in climbing over.

Due to the weight of the two of them pressing down on the thin tree trunk, when the girl reached the opposite bank, the tree trunk was already drooping to the ground.

This made it easier for her to land.

Without the pressure from the two of them, the tree trunk flipped up. The branches and leaves were thrown out, producing a gust of wind.

The young girl carried the young man on her back as her stamina reached its limit. For a moment, she almost collapsed. She was unable to get up and could only kneel on the ground with her hands supporting her.

Her face was pale and her head was spinning slightly. Sweat dripped down from the tip of her nose and chin, landing on the dense grass on the ground.

The girl panted for a moment before the dizziness subsided.

Intense joy filled her heart.

Unbelievable! I did it!

I really climbed over.

But immediately, she felt her limbs start to feel numb.

This was the aftereffect of using all her strength.

Howl!

A wolf's howl sounded, and a figure suddenly dashed out from the dense underbrush.

The young girl's body and mind trembled. She subconsciously turned around and saw a huge, dark-blue wolf.

At this moment, her pupils constricted as if she had fallen into an icy pit!

The giant wolf was as large as a calf, and its killing intent was overwhelming.

It bared its teeth, there was still some fresh meat between its teeth.

The wolf's eyes were red as it stared at the girl, filled with brutal killing intent.

The girl turned pale with fright and collapsed into the grass by the bank.

She turned around too quickly and forgot that she was still carrying the teenager.

The young man's weight brought about strong inertia, dragging the girl to the ground.

Such a weak and pathetic state further stimulated the giant wolf's ferocity.

However, the giant wolf was still on the opposite bank.

It jumped around on the spot and sauntered back and forth. Looking at the gurgling river, it showed clear fear.

Seeing the giant wolf's actions, the young girl immediately understood how wise her previous actions were.

However, in the next moment, the giant wolf also saw the tree trunk. It imitated the girl and began to step onto the tree trunk that extended across the river!

Without a doubt, this tyrannical and savage wolf also possessed terrifying intelligence.

Although the wolf had a strong body, it had an amazing balance and was even faster than the girl.

The shocked girl seemed to feel a jolt through her. She hurriedly took out a dagger and cut the ropes on her body. Then, she stood up as if she had jumped and slammed into the tree trunk above her.

The tree trunk shook from the impact.

Although the shaking was not violent, it was enough trouble for the wolf.

The giant wolf's balance was broken and it almost fell into the river. It could only jump back to the shore in a sorry state.

Howl!

It howled at the girl and bared its sharp fangs, becoming more and more irascible.

The girl was first overjoyed by her successful prevention of the giant wolf's crossing, but she felt extremely regretful the next moment.

I should have let this beast reach the middle section of the tree trunk before striking. That way, it would have fallen into the river!

The girl confronted the giant wolf across the river.

The giant wolf continued to howl and did not retreat.

The young girl stared at the giant wolf, not daring to relax for even a moment. As long as the giant wolf made the slightest attempt to climb up the tree trunk, the young girl would hit the tree trunk and cause it to shake.

A moment later, the girl understood.

What she had done in a moment of desperation was correct.

She could not estimate how far the giant wolf could jump.

It was possible for the giant wolf to jump over after climbing up a short distance.

Even if the giant wolf was thrown into the river by the girl's shaking, it was unknown if the latent dangers in the river would erupt. Even if it did, it was unknown if it could stop the giant wolf.

Thus, the safest course of action was to not give the giant wolf any chance. As long as it climbed up the tree trunk, the girl would do her best to interfere.

Time continued to pass. The giant wolf made many attempts but to no avail.

Finally, at a certain moment, it suddenly turned around and disappeared into the trees.

The young girl stood there in a daze. After taking a few breaths, she finally reacted and sat on the ground.

Her face, which was so tense that it was numb, gradually softened, like melting ice. Two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks.

She was finally safe!

The young girl sobbed softly.

Her legs were bent and her feet were still bare. She hadn't had time to put on her boots yet.

Back when she climbed the tree earlier, she had scratched the insides of her legs. Her ten fingernails were damaged and blood was seeping out.

She buried her head in the crook of her legs. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, like a delicate kitten.

After crying for a while, the girl suddenly looked up as if she had been electrocuted.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and there were obvious tears on her face. Her expression was complicated, filled with shock, suspicion, and panic.

Is that giant wolf really going to give up just like that?

It's possible, but…

Recalling the terrifying encounters of the past few days, the girl felt that it was more likely that the giant wolf would not give up.

It's possible that it suddenly turned around and burrowed into the trees to fool me, reducing my guard.

I'm afraid that it is traveling along the river to find the next shortcut across the river!

Perhaps by this time, it has already reached this side of the river and is rushing here!!

At the thought of this, the young girl felt as if she had suddenly fallen into an ice cave. The chill was bone-chilling.

What should she do?

Crawl back onto the tree branch with the young man?

Not to mention that the tree trunk was a certain height from the ground, it was extremely difficult for the girl to climb up while carrying the youth.

And what if this giant wolf was still there?

Climb to the middle of the tree trunk and stop?

This was even more impossible.

It was too exhausting.

The young girl was deeply aware of her current physical condition. She no longer had the confidence to climb the tree trunk again. Thinking back to her experience from climbing the trunk, the young girl felt she was lucky, but it struck her with fear too.

Proceed forward while carrying the youth on her back?

If the giant wolf chased after them, it was obvious that she would die.

Even if the girl was completely empty handed, her speed was far inferior to the giant wolf.

Then there's only one choice left!

The girl's eyes flashed with determination.

She hurriedly ran to the young man's side, half-kneeled on the ground, and took out a milky-white rod-shaped crystal.

The girl focused her attention and tried her best to activate the white crystal.

The young girl gripped the crystal tightly and had it only inches away from the young man's forehead. It hung in the air and did not move for a long time.

Does it really not work?

No, this is my final hope. No matter how slim the chances are, even if there is only a tiny possibility…

The young girl was getting more and more anxious as she muttered softly, "Hurry, hurry! I beg you, quickly take effect."

As if hearing the girl's plea, the milky-white crystal finally began to glow faintly, almost imperceptibly.

However, this faint glimmer was detected by the girl and she was immediately overjoyed.

Although most magic is forbidden on this island, it's only relative. As long as the rank is high enough, it can be used. It's just that the power and effects are greatly reduced…

Magic was the case, likewise for magic artifacts.

The light emitted by the white crystal gradually became denser. Then, like water droplets reaching a maximal point of condensation, it formed a stream of water that emitted a milky-white glow.

A small stream of water dripped onto the unconscious youth's forehead and then magically fused into his skin.

In just a short period of time, Violette, who was controlling the crystal pillar with great difficulty, had already turned pale. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her body was on the verge of collapsing.

The crystal pillar also began to lose its color. Starting from the top, it gradually turned into gray stone.

Persist. I must persevere! I can't give up halfway! Violette squeezed out all the energy in her body, almost hypnotizing herself as she continuously challenged the limit of her abilities.

By the time the crystal had lost half of its color, Violette was already in a semi-conscious state. She could only rely on her obsession to support herself.

I must wake him…

Howl!

A wolf's howl suddenly rang out. The huge blue wolf that had disappeared was extremely fast as it suddenly charged out from the dense grass.

At this moment, Death had arrived!

Violette was startled and her body trembled. She subconsciously raised her head, her beautiful face already covered by the shadow cast by the giant wolf.

She saw that the giant wolf was already in midair and was pouncing towards her.

At this moment, time seemed to slow down.

The wolf opened its mouth wide, revealing its sharp teeth and even splattering saliva.

Am I going to die?! Violette wanted to struggle, but there was no response from her body. She had already exhausted all her strength.

I can't accept this… A strong aura of death surged towards her. The girl's purple eyes looked at the crystal rod in her hand with her last bit of hope.

Two-thirds of the crystal rod had lost its luster and turned into gray stone. However, there was still one-third left.

There's no hope.

The young girl's face instantly turned ashen. Having lost all her strength, she lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly.

But just as she was about to stretch out her neck and accept death, her hand suddenly shook violently.

Bang.

With a soft sound, the crystal rod exploded into countless shards.

What's going on?

The girl opened her eyes in shock.

Then, she saw that the unconscious youth had finally awoken!

This handsome youth with blond hair and blue eyes suddenly flipped to the side and kicked backwards.

His movements were graceful and agile, yet clean and efficient.

His body looked weak, but at this moment, he displayed a ferocious strength!

His kick brought wind with it!

The giant wolf could not dodge the attack in time and was struck.

The wolf howl came to an abrupt halt as a huge force surged over, sending the giant wolf flying far away.

The young man placed his hands on the ground and leveraged himself to a stand. He glared at his adversary.

The girl's pupils constricted and her breathing paused. Looking at the young man's thin, weak back, she seemed to see a mountain peak rising.