Tecnomagic Engineer

...Boom...

- "Tsk... sorry, girl... but it had to be done.." I thought, as I knocked her unconscious and rushed to help the injured person.

- "You'll thank me in the end..." I muttered, trying to convince myself that I was doing the right thing.

I ran toward the person who had fallen into my trap. When I arrived, the scene before me was the kind that could crush the spirit of anyone, even those with the greatest resilience to the worst atrocities. Blood and pain intertwined in a sight that froze me in place for a moment, as if time itself had stopped.

Thorns had pierced deeply into the girl's flesh. Her right shin and left knee were impaled; her thighs looked riddled with blades, and her abdomen bled slightly, as if it had been struck by something that still remained there, preventing a massive hemorrhage. Had the thorns been positioned any closer, she likely wouldn't have survived, as one of them would, surely, have pierced her skull, ending her life.

Faced with such a grim sight, my body reacted before my mind could process it. A shiver ran through me, and a primal panic surged, consuming everything around me.

- "Tsk... damn it... what is this... ughh..." I thought, struggling against the nausea.

My stomach churned, and I nearly vomited right there.

- "Is this... my fault?" I asked myself.

That question echoed in my mind like a hammer, each strike shattering any sense of logic.

- "This girl... she's like this... because of me?"

My breathing quickened. My hands trembled, and cold sweat dripped down my forehead. My chest felt crushed by an unbearable weight.

For some reason — perhaps because I had never truly regarded the Zol'Karnes as enemies — the weight of that guilt was overwhelming. It wasn't like the time I tortured the human noble who invaded my cave. This was different. It was a pure, visceral guilt that seemed to drain every ounce of my energy. My fists clenched so tightly that I felt my skin break, and blood dripping between my fingers.

- "What am I becoming?" I thought.

That thought was suffocating, and for a moment, it felt like I would never escape the whirlwind of emotions. But then, something shifted. An unexpected calm began to take over, replacing the chaos. It was as if my mind, in an act of self-preservation, had taken control.

- "Wait... this wasn't my fault..." I thought, as the shadows of panic began to dissipate.

- "These traps... I made them to protect myself and the dragon eggs from humans, not for the Zol'Karnes..." I concluded.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. My clenched hands relaxed, and my grinding teeth stilled. After a few moments, I finally cleared my mind.

- "Alright, Dravyn... focus. You have a mission now. Save this girl.." I thought, steadying myself.

Now, a little more calmer, I closed my eyes for a moment and visualized my next move. Despite the trap being a tangle of deadly thorns, it was possible to carefully descend to where the girl was so I could examine her injuries more closely.

- "Dravyn... you can do this. Just... stay calm," I murmured to myself, trying to motivate myself as I exhaled deeply, seeking calm amidst the despair.

I carefully descended the walls of the trap, moving slowly and with extreme caution. Each step had to be calculated to avoid the Thalbûren thorns. After a few seconds, I finally reached the bottom of the trap. Once there, I examined her condition more thoroughly. I knew that If I removed her abruptly, I would certainly worsen her injuries and cause an uncontrollable bleeding. Moreover, without disinfectants or proper materials, the risk of infection was sky-high.

- "Hey... my name is Dravyn. Can you hear me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, fearing it might already be too late.

- "...Y-yes..." she replied softly, with difficulty, and with her trembling voice laden with pain and fear.

- "...Alright... listen to me," I began, trying to maintain my composure as I examined her wounds.

- "From what I can see... your legs, knees, and even your abdomen have been pierced..." I said, slightly out of breath as my eyes traced every point where the thorns had punctured her flesh.

- "...Anything I do here... could kill you, for reasons that, even if I explained, you wouldn't understand..." I admitted, trying to keep my voice steady. The truth was harsh, but I couldn't sugarcoat it now.

- "...I know you overheard my conversation with your friend earlier, and perhaps you understood that I had to knock her out so the two of us could have a chance of surviving..." I added, trying to justify my actions.

- "...But despite all of this, you need to trust me if you want even the slightest chance of seeing your friends again..." I concluded, looking directly into her eyes.

Despite her dire condition, the girl could still hear me clearly and even respond, albeit with difficulty. This gave me a spark of hope — maybe, just maybe, she was in slightly better shape than I initially thought. Feeling this possibility, my confidence began to grow.

- "...Tell me, how do you feel? Is the pain constant, or only when you try to move?" I asked, moving closer, paying attention to every detail.

- "...Argh... O-only... when I try to move..." she replied, her fragile voice breaking.

- "...I see... at least she's not in constant pain," I murmured, slightly relieved by that small comfort amidst the chaos.

Knowing she wasn't in constant agony, I could organize my thoughts better. But the reality remained cruel. The risks of infection, the bleeding, and the lack of proper equipment made any attempt to help her there almost impossible.

- "...Tsk... Damn it... anything I try to do here won't work," I muttered, frustrated.

- "Either because of the high chance she'll die or the lack of equipment and supplies I don't have…" I added.

Even so, giving up was not an option. That girl needed me. So I kept searching for solutions. After a few minutes, my eyes landed on an object that had saved me many times before, and a spark of hope lit up my mind.

- "...Damn it... nothing seems to help... what can I use to get her out of this mess?" I murmured.

I spent a few precious minutes there, desperately trying to find a way to save her. And then, like a bolt of lightning, the idea struck.

- "...W-wait a second…" I thought, reaching into one of my pockets. From it, I pulled out the Vothrial, and as I held the crystal, I felt its presence pulse in my palm, as if responding to the urgency of the situation.

- "...This is it... with the Vothrial, maybe…" I thought, gripping the crystal tightly.

Then, I looked at her wounds again. The blood, which had previously been unable to flow, now began, slowly, to seep out, and each passing second seemed to bring her closer to death.

- "...Tsk... yes... this is the only chance I have... or rather, the only chance she has…" I reflected, knowing that all other options were out of reach.

Now, knowing how I would act next, I began to put my plan into action. However, there was a problem. As long as she remained impaled by the Thalbûren's spikes, the Vothrial wouldn't work, for various reasons. So, for the plan to succeed, I had to remove her from there, but that decision carried enormous risk.

- "...If I pull her out like this… she'll definitely die…" I thought, feeling the weight of responsibility crushing my chest.

- "But leaving her here guarantees the worst will happen anyway…" I concluded.

With all of that flooding my mind, I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to organize my thoughts. I needed to act with precision and speed. There was no room for error.

So, I began devising a new plan — this time, to get her out of there while causing as little damage and pain as possible.

Minutes passed as I formulated the plan until, at last, I came to a conclusion. Though risky, it was the only option available. Now, everything depended on my ability to execute each step perfectly.

--Message from The author--

Dear readers,

First of all, I want to apologize for the delay in releasing the chapters of my novel. I know many of you are eagerly waiting for the continuation of the story, and there's nothing more rewarding for me than seeing your support and patience.

I want to reassure you that I will not stop writing. The story still has much to unfold, and I am committed to delivering it to you with the quality you deserve. To maintain a more consistent pace, I have set a fixed number of chapters to be released each week. I'll share more details about this soon.

Finally, I want to take this moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas. May this be a season filled with peace, love, and great stories — both on the pages and in your lives.

Thank you for all your support and understanding. Let's continue this journey together!

Sincerely,

SilentWalker