Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Weakness of the Winged People (True)

Although the situation below seemed somewhat dire, given the current circumstances, that Abyss Worm likely wouldn’t initiate an attack anytime soon. Miss Priestess shifted her focus back to the petrified white-feathered girl.

Petrification is an abnormal status.

From a game perspective, if someone is only petrified and their HP hasn’t been depleted, they can’t be considered dead, of course.

But in reality, turning completely to stone from the inside out, especially if it doesn’t automatically wear off over time, undeniably signifies a complete death.

As for whether there is a way to remove the petrification effect…

At least in games, there certainly are plenty of methods.

However, Vilyric was a bit curious: in this situation, if a creature that died from petrification were to be restored, would it be considered healing or resurrection?

If it isn’t counted as resurrection, then this Dolina has indeed already died, turned into a complete stone. But can a simple treatment, without using any resurrection magic, truly be called resurrection?

It might sound a bit nonsensical or like a self-inflicted headache, but as a priestess, Vilyric has a very strict distinction in this area.

This confusion stemming from the contradiction further gave rise to thoughts in Vilyric’s mind, like, “Indeed, this is a reality unlike a game bound by concepts; it’s truly the real world.”

While mulling over some puzzling notions, Vilyric’s hands didn’t slow down at all.

As a common negative debuff, there are many ways to lift petrification, but ultimately, it depends on the level of that negative effect to use the corresponding method.

In game terminology, it would be classified as petrification LV1, petrification LV2… and so on.

Naturally, the status bar doesn’t differentiate too finely; whether it’s a positive enhancement or negative debuff, or any other special status, it usually ranges from LV1 to LV10.

The level of the status only relates to two factors— the rank of the corresponding skill, and the proficiency of the skill.

The former is primary, while the latter is secondary.

Generally speaking, higher-ranked skills correspond to higher status levels, and proficiency can slightly improve that level.

The specifics can be quite complicated, and while there are some exceptions, that’s the general idea.

In the real world, there’s no system to classify all the gathered information for Vilyric, but judging by the strength level exhibited by that Abyss Worm and the intensity detected by the Information Detection, the 7th-tier magic Heavenly Dew should suffice.

With a flick of her hand in the air, a droplet shimmering with golden light was pinched between the black-haired girl’s delicate fingers. She then gently pressed the pad of her finger against the lips of the winged girl turned to stone, infusing the purifying power of the dew into her.

Just like a wall swept clean of heavy dust, starting from the lips that made contact with the golden droplet, that cold, hard stone texture rapidly retreated, transforming back into the soft pink hue of a girl’s skin. Vilyric could already feel the warmth and softness coming from the lips of this white-feathered winged girl named Dolina.

It seems to be effective, which indicates that even if that Abyss Worm’s true power wasn’t suppressed by the world, it hadn’t reached the level of a Pseudo-God.

Before she completely regained consciousness and woke up, Vilyric proactively withdrew her hand from the girl’s lips. That felt necessary for treatment, and she didn’t want others to think she was taking advantage of the situation.

As for the slightly odd look coming from a certain dragon lady beside her, she decided to ignore it.

However, it’s truly miraculous that Heavenly Dew was even able to restore the mage robes that had been petrified along with her.

In a matter of seconds, the negative effects brought about by the poison had been completely dispelled by the potent purifying power of the 7th-tier magic.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

The moment Dolina was freed from petrification, this white-feathered girl began flailing her arms and shouting, causing the giant dragon who was supporting her to frown.

It should just be an excessive scare response. If Vilyric guessed correctly, Dolina’s consciousness and memory probably froze at the moment she was entirely petrified— that is, during her fall from the sky.

Yeah, indeed she should have been considered in a state of death before.

“How do you feel? Are you okay? Can you fly on your own?”

Like a routine inquiry from a doctor after treatment, the priestess nonchalantly remarked and signaled her pet could release the girl.

“Ah? Oh, I think I’m fine now. My wings can move freely…”

Seemingly still completely unaware of the situation, this long-haired girl, who didn’t seem much older than Sigrid and had a scholarly air about her, instinctively answered. It wasn’t until she spread her wings to stay afloat that she suddenly gasped and slapped her face in shock.

“Wait! I shouldn’t have been attacked by the Abyss Worm… Ah, you’re that one who often hangs out with Captain Sigrid, playing those strange games…”

Hey, hey… what do you mean by strange games? That sounds so easily misinterpreted!

In any case, it was just a casual rescue and a test of this Abyss creature’s level; Vilyric didn’t plan to explain too much.

“Long story short, I saved you! Of course, no need for any repayment or anything; just don’t ask too many questions. I’m busy right now.”

As she spoke, the priestess pointed toward the battlefield below, where the Abyss Worm had taken to the skies again. Although its body was down by nearly one-third, the pressure it radiated was creeping closer to a critical point, and it was further aided by over thirty beetle-like Abyss Beasts.

The white-feathered warriors were being ambushed by an average of two Abyss Beasts each. While not completely unable to resist, it was getting tough for them to free up their hands to help their captain, who was the primary force.

And Sigrid, who was going one-on-one with the Abyss Worm, was clearly being overwhelmed, her speed fully suppressed by the enhanced behemoth, as she desperately dodged the giant pincers, looking exceedingly beleaguered and without power to counter.

“Captain!! No way, I’ve got to help!”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

From the previous combat situation, this Dolina should be positioned similarly to Renée, a sky mage; however, her strength was noticeably weaker, likely falling short of even the sky-level, landing her among the inferior ranks.

Plus, mages generally have lower agility, which is why she became the only “lucky one” to be hit by the poison.

Just as the girl was about to take action, Vilyric suddenly grabbed the base of her wings, causing Dolina to shudder in surprise, her feathers ruffling up, nearly causing her to fall from the sky for the third time.

“W-w-wait! What are you doing, Miss Vilyric?! This-this is serious sexual harassment! Even if you’re a woman, you can’t— wait… why are you stopping me?!”

Huh?

The winged girl’s overly intense reaction startled Vilyric, who had merely been acting on impulse while pondering other matters. She quickly withdrew her somewhat soft, warm feathered paws.

Watching Dolina suddenly turn bright red, even displaying embarrassment and a hint of allure on her delicate face, Vilyric felt she had suddenly realized something.

So, the winged people’s wings are particularly sensitive, even considered as private areas? No wonder when she accidentally touched Leila or Renée before, their faces inexplicably turned a bit rosy…

But those two girls didn’t express anything back then!

Oh no, this is awkward.

   

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