Chapter 102: Oh merciful savior.

She launched herself like cannon bolt, but Gilby pulled her back. In his opinion, saving one person was easier than saving two. "Lady, we already have one rocket, we don’t need another."

Tessi was ready to wail when she heard laughter coming from Zyra. She had not sunk. She stood perfectly on top of the powdery white surface, her boots barely leaving a dent. It almost looked like she was levitating.

Hunter chuckled. By now, he was entirely used to his strange wife and her mysterious, logic-defying treasures. Zyra turned back to the group with a smug grin, waving them over. "Tap the boots together to activate them and repeat after me." She put a hand over her heart. "I wish, I wish, with all my heart to fly with Zyra the biggest boss." She prepared to record them. Such material was good for the happiness of the soul.

Their jaws dropped. Was she kidding?

Hunter stepped out, floating effortlessly on the surface. "I think I will be just fine."

Tessi and Gilby followed cautiously, sighing in relief when nothing happened.

Tessi huffed. "Divine maiden, I don’t know what to say."

Zyra shrugged. "I had to try."

As they began to trek, Gilby couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He kept bouncing up and down like a kid on a mattress. "How is this even possible? What are these boots made of? Divine maiden, can they fly? Can we jump over a mountain with these?!"

Hunter lightly tapped the back of Gilby’s head. "Focus on the path, man. Keep your eyes open.

They walked for five hours through the quiet white void. Eventually, their legs grew heavy, and they decided to take a brief rest. Zyra summoned Squirrel. With just a flick of its tail, Squirrel easily conjured a bright, crackling campfire on top of a flat rock, melting the ice effortlessly.

But before they could even warm their hands, a frantic, high-pitched ’beep-beep-beep’ erupted from their wrists. The Beast Link Bands were flashing a violent, blood-red color.

Beauty’s voice sounded an urgent alarm in Zyra’s mind: [Warning! Host, rapid movement detected approaching your coordinates.]

Hunter bolted upright, his hand flying to his guns. "Everyone should stay put!"

From the blinding white mist, a big figure charged toward them, howling and screaming in a frenzied panic. It was a Polar Panther, easily the size of a carriage. It had thick, snowy fur that constantly shed sparkling tiny ice crystals with every stride, and its eyes were a piercing, crystal blue.

Tessi and Gilby raised their weapons, bracing for a lethal impact. Zyra raised her gun, her finger tightening on the trigger, ready to pin the beast in place. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But as the giant panther drew close, it didn’t pounce. It didn’t even look at them. It sprinted right past their campfire, completely ignoring their existence, howling madly into the empty wilderness.

Zyra slowly lowered her gun. Her eyes glowed faintly as she activated the soul Sight ability. She didn’t see a bloodthirsty predator. She saw a jagged, bleeding aura of pure agony and despair.

"Wait, don’t attack!" Zyra shouted to the group. "It’s in deep distress. It’s in pain!" She looked back in the direction it had gone. "Beauty, scan that terrain."

[Scanning terrain...]

Gilby blinked, staring at the giant beast currently knocking down a frozen tree in its panic. "Uh, Divine maiden? With all due respect, that thing looks like it wants to tear the world apart. Are you sure about letting it be?"

Suddenly, a screen popped up in Zyra’s mind. Three tiny, blinking dots appeared a few hundred meters away. Beauty explained. [The mother panther is searching for her lost young ones. They have been separated.]

"Follow me!" Zyra commanded, turning on her heel.

Hunter grabbed her arm, his expression dead serious. "Zyra, stop. We need to stay put. That beast is unstable. If it turns on us in its panic, we are cornered. We should focus on what brought us."

Zyra jerking her arm free, her eyes fierce. "I’m not leaving them! You guys stay, I will be right back."

She took off into the white haze.

Gilby and Tessi exchanged a quick, worried glance, then immediately rushed after her.

Hunter let out a low, frustrated growl, staring at the sky. "I swear, she is going to be the death of me," he muttered, sprinting to catch up. Within seconds, he was at her side.

They found the baby panthers nestled beneath a fallen, icy log. Three tiny, shivering cubs. One of them was whimpering pitifully, its hind leg badly gashed. Strangely, instead of red blood, thick streaks of a glowing white liquid were oozing from the wound.

Tessi gasped, leaning down. "Is_ is that supposed to be blood?"

Zyra scooped up the injured cub gently into her arms, while Gilby and Tessi grabbed the other two. They rushed back toward the clearing where the frantic mother was still pacing, wary of them. Keeping a safe distance, they gently set the two healthy cubs down on the snow.

"Easy, easy." Hunter whispered to them.

The babies instantly scrambled forward, letting out tiny barks. The mother panther froze for a few seconds, and she rushed over to nuzzle them wildly. Then, her sharp blue eyes locked onto Zyra, who was still holding the whimpering, bleeding baby.

The mother let out a low, mournful howl. Not out of anger, but pure, heartbreaking sadness.

[Ding! Host, for successfully rescuing the baby polar panthers, you have received 500 Resonance Points and two Rare Beast Eggs!]

The mother panther turned and began to walk backward, constantly looking over her shoulder at Zyra, jutting her chin as if telling her to follow.

Zyra immediately took a step forward. Hunter blocked her path again, his patience wearing thin. "Where are you going now? We reunited them. Leave it there and let’s go."

Zyra glared up at him, her hands on her hips. "What if it was your child, Hunter?! Huh? Would you just dump her anywhere in the freezing cold while she’s bleeding?! She’s telling us to follow her! This polar panther has wisdom."

Hunter stared up at the sky, completely defeated. He shook his head. "Fine. Lead the way, oh merciful savior."

They followed the panther family into a hidden ice cave; their lair. The harsh wind died down inside, but the injured cub was still shaking. Zyra immediately opened the system shop in her mind. "Beauty, buy a healing serum."

[Yes host.]

A small, glowing vial appeared in her hand. She carefully poured the serum down the cub’s throat. As the medicine took effect inside, Tessi stepped forward, her hands glowing with gentle white energy, stitching the physical wound from the outside.

Within seconds, the white blood stopped flowing, and the cut sealed perfectly. The cub let out a happy yip, leaped out of Zyra’s arms, and dove straight into its mother’s thick fur.

[Ding! Reward for completely healing the spirit beast: 400 Resonance Points and 3 charges of Super Punch!]

Suddenly, the mother panther stood up. She walked over to the thick ice wall at the side of the cave and slammed her heavy paw against it.

The entire ice wall shattered, crashing to the ground in a shower of glittering shards. Behind it lay thousands of white stones were embedded in the rock.