Chương 48: Zoe

"Uh... Small... Medium..." A potion couldn't be used again within an hour. Watching his Health Bar drop like a relentless countdown timer, Vince hesitated for only a single second before making his decision! Although he was incredibly reluctant to burn his only Medium-tier potion, there was no such thing as waste when survival was on the line. He had to use his most powerful trump card to guarantee the most certain outcome. [65/370]"Activate [Feral Potion]! [Medium]!" The potion took effect.

A beast-fang icon materialized beneath Vince's Health Bar. [64/370] A surge of intense heat erupted from his heart, coursing through his veins and radiating to every corner of his body. The agonizing pain and creeping cold were instantly washed away by the tidal wave of heat, replaced by a deep, numbing tingle that swept through his limbs and bones. Zoe Chu, who had been chattering endlessly, was suddenly struck speechless by the sight before her.

The man lying on the ground, who had been at death's door just moments ago from catastrophic injuries and blood loss, was suddenly radiating an intense heat. The air immediately above his body was actually shimmering and rippling from the rising temperature. But it wasn't just the heat. The deep, profusely bleeding lacerations across his waist and abdomen abruptly stopped bleeding. Faint wisps of white steam began rising from the wounds and his mangled left arm.

"Dage, what's happening to you?!" Zoe stared in absolute shock at the miraculous scene unfolding before her. The half-eaten Snickers bar in her hand slipped from her grasp and hit the pavement. She hurriedly leaned over Vince, frantically waving her hands in front of his face.

"Dage, you... you're going to spontaneously combust!" [64/370] [65/370] His Health Bar had finally stopped dropping! It was going up! Although the regeneration rate was incredibly slow—roughly 1 point every 20 seconds—it was vastly superior to his natural recovery rate. Normally, it took him at least an hour of resting just to recover a single point. With the potion surging through his system, boosting his strength and reaction speed, Vince's overall physical state rapidly stabilized.

This was the first time he had used a Medium-tier potion, and the effects were undeniably far more potent than the Small-tier ones he had used previously. The [Feral Potion] was essentially a hybrid that combined the effects of both Swiftness and Strength, with the added bonus of enhanced recovery speed. Naturally, its specific enhancements couldn't match the raw output of using a dedicated potion individually.

In fact, the physical buffs of this Medium [Feral Potion] felt slightly inferior even to the Small-tier Swiftness and Strength potions he had used earlier. His body hadn't physically transformed, either; when he used the Strength Potion, he had visibly mutated into a hulking, muscle-bound behemoth. It seemed the mechanics weren't entirely identical. However, the "overall recovery" effect naturally wasn't limited just to HP regeneration; it included a rapid restoration of his stamina and mental state.

Even though he was currently sitting at a miserable 68 HP, under the powerful effects of the potion, it only took a minute for Vince to regain his basic mobility. Annoyed by the girl's head hovering right in front of his face, he subconsciously raised his left arm to brush her aside. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Hsss! AHH—" A spike of blinding agony—so intense even the potion couldn't suppress it—tore through his nerves! Vince's sudden scream startled Zoe so badly she practically fell backward. But she immediately recovered. Brimming with excitement, she leaned in even closer, her eyes wide as she stared at Vince's face, which was currently twisted in agony from his shattered arm.

"Thank goodness! Dage, you woke up!"

"Woke up... Hsss—I never passed out in the first place!" Vince retorted, utterly exasperated by the girl. He waited until wave after wave of the potion's numbing tingle finally dissolved the searing pain in his arm.

"And another thing, don't call me Dage... My name is Vince Lin..." It seemed the potion's recovery effect only temporarily suppressed the pain and stopped the bleeding. It would still take a significant amount of time for the deep lacerations and fractured bones to fully heal. Keeping his left arm as still as possible, Vince braced his right hand against the concrete and slowly sat up.

"Got it, Vince! My name is Zoe Chu. You can just call me Zoe! Wow, Dage, you can actually move!" Vince stared at the girl kneeling beside him. Her eyes were wide with innocent amazement as she offered him an unwrapped Snickers bar. He looked at the health floating above her head, then glanced down at his own. [21/100] [70/370] I'm sorry, sister, but how the hell are you more energetic than I am right now...?

Vince couldn't help but roast her internally, but he still reached out with his good hand, took the chocolate bar, and shoved it into his mouth. Over the past bit of time, the foul stench clinging to her had mostly aired out. Furthermore, after his brutal deathmatch with the three mutant hounds, Vince wasn't exactly smelling like roses either, so he stopped holding her hygiene against her.

"Water. Water..." Vince mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate, gesturing for Zoe to grab him a bottle. During his initial sweep, he had noticed there were still plenty of supplies and bottled water left inside the convenience store hall. He fully intended to pack it all into his van before he left. As he reached for the bottle Zoe offered, he suddenly remembered he only had one functional arm. Seeing Vince freeze, Zoe immediately caught on.

She deftly pulled the bottle back, unscrewed the cap, and handed it back to him.... Vince replenished some calories and hydration, watching his HP steadily climb. He felt the recovery rate tick up slightly as the sugar and water hit his stomach. Looking at Zoe's pitiful Health Bar again, he couldn't help but ask probing, "Do you... not feel unwell anywhere?"

"Unwell... Oh, yeah, I'm a bit dizzy..." She stood up and began pointing randomly all over her body.

"It hurts here, and here, and here, here, here... everywhere hurts, honestly. But it's fine, I can tolerate it."

"Heh... that's good." Vince offered a polite, strained smile, internally marveling at her sheer resilience. He looked down at the gruesome wounds on his waist and abdomen. The bleeding had stopped, but he still needed to bandage them properly. Sigh... He scanned the completely trashed convenience store hall. Let alone medical bandages, he couldn't even spot a clean scrap of cloth. I'd better avoid any strenuous movement for now. He swayed unsteadily as he forced himself to stand.

Given his current condition, there was absolutely no way he was making it back to his apartment tonight. Once the potion's effects wore off, he might just collapse again. He had to get things done while the potion was still active and he could still move. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Vince carefully tucked his fractured left arm into the torn gap of his shirt to keep it immobilized. He turned, preparing to step out into the rain. But then he remembered—he had free manual labor right here.

He turned back and asked Zoe, "Where are those other two?"

"In the room... Ah!" As if suddenly remembering they existed, Zoe immediately sprinted toward the inner breakroom. Seeing this, Vince followed her. Zoe crouched beside the two unconscious boys, looking at them nervously, then looked up at Vince standing in the doorway with eyes full of hope, as if he were a divine healer. Although the door had been open for a while and the stench had dissipated significantly, Vince had zero intention of stepping inside. He stood outside and merely glanced into the room.

He saw their Health Bars—one at 19, the other at 20. It was exactly the same as when he had last seen them before the boss fight. The numbers hadn't dropped, which meant there was no internal bleeding or lethal, hidden trauma. They had already been incredibly weak from starvation, and the physical impact of Vince crashing into them had likely just caused some severe bruising or a mild concussion.

"They're fine," Vince stated calmly.

"They just don't have your ridiculous constitution. They should wake up in a bit." Hearing Vince's verdict, Zoe's eyes widened in relief, taking his words as absolute gospel. Using his ability to see Health Bars to make medical diagnoses was utterly flawless. As long as the number wasn't actively dropping, the patient wasn't dying. Since he had confirmed the two dead weights weren't going to expire anytime soon, Vince felt perfectly comfortable putting Zoe, his newly acquired strong-laborer, to work.

"Uh... Zoe, go find an umbrella. We need to go scavenge for some things."