Lost Miracles

As a result, Mithra began her study of miracles, with the advanced Stabilize miracle as her goal.

She activated her sense, extending her powerful sensation outwards, using it to connect with the object from which she wished to borrow strength.

Then, she had to imagine, visualize the shape of the miracle, even its intended use. After that, she had to activate her miracle-releasing organ and release it.

The miracle-releasing organ is the part of the body that releases miracles. Everyone's first releasing organ is different, which can cause some variations in the form of miracle release.

Mithra's releasing organs were the most common ones, her hand, left-hand. She didn't have any particularly unique sensations about it.

Mithra spent quite a while practicing. Although there was no way to tell time in the cave, she felt like a significant amount of time had passed.

Fortunately, her desperate need for Stabilize had finally led her to a moment where she found a flash of "Self" within her sense. She quickly drew it out.

An instant sensation of coolness and relaxation surged through her hand, a white mist forming in her palm.

What? Something felt wrong.

"Not bad. Now fix it onto the required location. Stabilize is usually placed on your forehead." Safin, who had been observing her the entire time, spoke up.

Before the mist completely dissipated, Mithra placed it on her forehead.

Ding.

A ringing sound like a bell resonated in her ears. Immediately, Mithra felt all her scattered thoughts vanish. Her mind became incredibly calm, like a monk in deep meditation.

Whoa.

That sensation came and went quickly. Mithra opened her eyes wide. "How come it's gone already?"

"This is your first time using this miracle, it's already quite good that you managed to activate it," Safin shook his head and chuckled. He then turned and began digging in a corner of the cave.

Soon, Mithra saw what he was digging up.

Half a frost-covered rabbit carcass.

"Almost time to eat, let's have dinner," Safin said, sitting on the ground.

He simply processed the rabbit in his hands, impaling it on a wooden skewer and placing it over the fire to roast. "Resources are limited. I hear the food in the Enchanting Land is much better than here in Dreamland. But we have to make do for now."

Mithra shook her head, "I know, anything is good right now."

They quickly finished the half rabbit. The flavor wasn't anything to write home about, but they ate it all.

"Originally, I could have stretched this rabbit for a long time. An extra mouth means less food," Safin said, tossing the leftover scraps and bones into the fire.

"I'll go out and find food," Mithra volunteered.

Safin nodded. "You should get a feel for the shallower levels of the mine shaft. That will make your future actions easier. My range of movement is limited, so let's discuss it first."

Safin explained to Mithra that he had carved markings on some of the turnoffs in the tunnel. By following these markings, she would basically never get lost in the shallow levels.

"Even though there are a lot of curses in the mine, there are also normal creatures. They are the source of our food. The curses are hostile towards people, but they don't seem to be very interested in other creatures." Safin explained.

"How do curses form? Are they a kind of miracle too?" Mithra asked, a question of curiosity.

Safin pondered for a moment, "Miracles aren't completely inert objects."

Mithra didn't understand.

Safin continued, "Miracles aren't simply useful tools. As long as people believe, a different kind of miracle can occur. Uncontrolled desire can lead to terrible things. Ordinary people can't do this, but many people's thoughts accumulate. It's easy for these kinds of things to happen."

"Miracles have a high price."

With that said, Safin also told Mithra, "You can utilize miracles, but don't become enamored with the convenience they provide. When you truly encounter a similar situation in the future, remember, remember your name."

......

Mithra carried a small lantern through the dark tunnels. She was happy the lantern was still working. Despite the short time she had been using it, she had already grown attached.

As a newbie, even with the high-end intermediary she had borrowed, her light-emitting ability wouldn't last very long. So she had chosen the simplest method.

Unfortunately, the pickaxe didn't seem to have been brought back with Safin. It was the pickaxe that had fought alongside her.

But it was fine. There were plenty more back where the bodies were piled.

Safin said that large gatherings of cursed creatures, like the horde she encountered, were not normal. Normally, these cursed creatures were very cowardly and wouldn't dare appear in the light. They could only vent their hatred in the darkness.

Even though she didn't know for sure, Mithra felt much stronger than before. Even if she encountered another horde of monsters...

This time, she should be able to escape.

She continued walking, familiarizing herself with the path. She arrived back at the wooden walkway where she had fought her first battle. The remains of the monsters were still there, as well as the thick, dark blood, impossible to tell whose it was.

"Pickaxe, pickaxe..." She looked down and finally saw a blood-stained pickaxe lying lonely among the corpses.

So it was there.

It took a while to walk back to the pile of corpses. This time, she encountered a few monsters along the way. But they were definitely not as aggressive as when they were in a group. They still attacked if she got close, but she could easily shake them off. It seemed Safin was telling the truth.

Just as she was about to grab the pickaxe, she heard footsteps.

A group of people, dressed similarly to those she had seen before, walked into the pile of corpses.

Mithra was standing right there in the open, her lantern shining brightly, making her stand out like a beacon in the dim, messy pile of bodies.

They immediately spotted her. One of them quickly pointed a finger at her and said something.

This feeling of familiarity. Were they the ones she had chased off before? Should she return the lantern?

Mithra was distracted.

"You're not a cursed creature," the leader of the group stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

He was a man with a long beard, dressed differently than the others. He wore a large grey coat, embroidered with strange purple eyes. He wore a white stone necklace and a bracelet with dual-colored stones.

She smelled something unusual.

Even though Safin hadn't taught her the different systems of knowledge about believers, somehow, her intuition told her that this was something unusual.

"No, I'm surprised you're so afraid of me," Mithra replied, her voice steady.

The man raised his eyes and carefully looked Mithra up and down. "Where did you come from?"

"I don't know."

"From the Enchanting Land?"

"I don't know."

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know."

The man's eyes twitched. Mithra remained expressionless.

"You're quite a talker. Hopefully, you can keep talking," the man said, slightly spreading his legs, his shoulders slumping.

Mithra saw a twisting pattern flash on the necklace hanging around his chest.

Then, his legs seemed to suddenly gather some kind of power.

Reinforce Body?

Safin had originally planned to teach Mithra another essential miracle, Reinforce Body, first.

Sense type was Self, and the effect... well, it was complicated to explain. Just think of it as strengthening the body. Mithra understood it that way.

Safin had demonstrated it to Mithra before, so she could recognize it. But Safin's Reinforce Body had covered his entire body, while this man's only reached his thighs.

Despite the dangerous situation, it didn't affect Mithra's absentmindedness.

Bang!

The man suddenly stomped on the ground, leaving a footprint behind. He charged towards Mithra like a rabbit.

Mithra lightly lifted her foot and stomped on the pickaxe, which had been lying upside down on the ground. She grabbed the handle and swung it down.

She had accurately predicted the trajectory of his charge. He slammed right into her pickaxe.

The sharp point of the pickaxe pierced his stomach, striking with immense force. With a scream of pain, he stopped in his tracks. But Mithra was also pushed back several steps by the impact.

"Huh? Not bad. His Reinforce Body didn't completely cover his entire body. Other parts are still strengthened, but it seems like I can still use normal means to break through his defenses," Mithra thought to herself.

Safin had demonstrated the use of Reinforce Body in front of Mithra before. He had kicked a wall, creating a hole, while remaining perfectly unharmed.

It wasn't the best demonstration, but it was definitely clear and concise.

The man before her was significantly weaker than Safin.

Suddenly, the man, fueled by his pain, retaliated. He kicked out at Mithra with a flying kick. They were too close, and she couldn't prepare in time. She only had time to raise her pickaxe.

There was a dull thud as the pickaxe snapped. Mithra felt an overwhelming force that she couldn't resist. She was sent flying through the air and rolled clumsily across the ground.

"Ugh..."

She shook her head, feeling excruciating pain. Her hands twitched, as if thousands of needles were piercing through her muscles. The scrapes on her body felt like they were on fire.

But that feeling was fleeting. The intense pain that had just flared up subsided almost immediately, and the minor wounds healed as if nothing had happened.

Mithra stood up and turned, running towards a tunnel behind her.

She was certain, even though this man's Reinforce Body was far inferior to Safin's, he could take her out with ease. That last kick, if it had hit her head, she wasn't sure her recovery would have saved her.

There were quick footsteps behind her. Mithra turned and slammed her lantern into the man's face, knocking him to the ground.

She continued running into the tunnel, her expression unchanged.

The man picked up a torch from the side, "You guys stay here. Even though she's a little strange, she's just an ordinary person. As soon as she appears outside, grab her."

The others were too scared to disagree and reluctantly agreed.

The man raised his torch and chased after Mithra.

He frowned as he entered the tunnel. Mithra was erratic, and the rabble he had ordered to guard the entrance wasted time, allowing her to escape a bit further.

He paused and closed his eyes.

About five seconds later, the pattern on his necklace flashed again, this time focusing on his ear.

The chaotic noises of the tunnel were quickly amplified in his ear. A cruel smile appeared on his face.

Found her.

He quickly found his direction and sped up. Even though the space was tight, his first miracle-releasing organ was still incredibly agile.

The torch in his hand gradually illuminated the scene before him, and finally, he saw a figure.

"Damn it!"

"Curses!"

It was a cursed creature!

He instinctively kicked out, smashing the cursed creature's head. He cursed a few times, but before he could hesitate, a few more cursed creatures crawled out.

The man was too lazy to tangle with them. He tried to shoo them away with his torch.

The cursed creatures were cautious and kept making awful noises, further confusing the man's already amplified hearing due to his Reinforce Body.

Suddenly, a handful of rock and dirt flew from the side, directly extinguishing his torch.

The tunnel plunged into darkness.

"Seems like you won't be 'Illuminating' anytime soon," Mithra's voice echoed through the tunnel.

"You little smart-ass trickster!"

The man responded, dealing with the cursed creatures who had attacked him after his torch was extinguished, and shouting as he did so.

The Reinforce Body, which wasn't activated on his first releasing organ, naturally had a limited duration. His hearing was returning to normal.

He felt that Mithra was trying to completely block him, even attempting to use this as an opportunity to have someone else do the dirty work.

However, even if he couldn't see or hear, and couldn't replenish his miracles, the Reinforce Body he had on his legs was still enough to deal with these cursed creatures. He would just slowly search for her. His people outside had already been alerted, so she would only be able to go deeper into the tunnel. It was only a matter of time before she perished.

...

Mithra leaned against the wall, listening to the commotion in the darkness, deep in thought.

She remembered this path. She had explored it earlier. Running this way wasn't random, because this was where she had encountered and left several cursed creatures at the same time. She felt like it was a risk worth taking.

She could easily escape and return to Safin. She would be safe then.

But there was something else she was considering.

First, the equivalent exchange mechanism on her body seemed like there were other things observing her, watching her actions.

Maybe she should try showing more, maybe it would activate more "exchanges."

After all, even though the rewards so far had come with a price, they were definitely effective. Mithra was new here and had no one to rely on, so having more aces up her sleeve could only be a good thing.

As for being a puppet for those who were watching her?

That was beyond Mithra's consideration.

She had already died once. Mithra had no life goals. She had been planning to work hard at her job before.

What did it matter where she worked? It was just that working here was more exciting than before.

Mithra knew she was pretty much just a pawn.

Second.

She wanted her own intermediary.

She was a new, clueless newbie. It was normal to have a few spare intermediaries. After all, Safin hadn't mentioned giving her his intermediary.

The environment was dark, noisy, and chaotic. The man was being harassed by cursed creatures, and he didn't have the Illuminate miracle. The Reinforce Body's enhanced hearing also required a lot of concentration and had a limited duration.

Even though they were significantly different in terms of hard power, these conditions were enough.

Mithra glanced at the broken pickaxe in her hand, "Let's try it out first."

Stabilize!

Ding~.

Her mind cleared for an instant. She plunged her pickaxe into her own stomach, stirred it around, then pulled it out!

The intense pain would have normally caused her to pass out, but with the help of Stabilize, she remained stable. Her body trembled violently, her expression seeming to lose control. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a twisted smile appeared on her lips.

But it was pitch black here. No one could see.

Her body began to regenerate.

Upon regeneration, her body's overall sensitivity was greatly enhanced. Mithra had noticed this even during the initial intense pain, when she had almost passed out. It wasn't just her pain that had been amplified...

All her senses had been heightened. The "overall sensitivity" mentioned in the description wasn't a lie.

She quickly checked again, and as expected, her sense, which was already connected to her body's senses, had been enhanced.

This time, Stabilize's duration was directly increased to three seconds! The duration had been extended!

Another Stabilize!

Ding~.

Good. Now she could stay clearheaded.

She hold the blood-stained pickaxe and slowly walked towards the man.

He was only strong in his legs. His other body parts hadn't been greatly reinforced. He was now completely lost. Mithra, on the other hand, had her senses enhanced, giving her complete awareness in the darkness.

A pair of eyes, as if filled with a thick black liquid, slowly approached him.

She raised the pickaxe.

She swung it down.

Swoosh!