Chapter 301: Power Unleashed

He couldn't help but feel he had been pushing Lady Kali too hard lately.

Rod felt remorseful; while still in physical contact, he used the Grass Domain skill 【Green Vine Mutual Healing】 to awaken and heal her.

This skill could not only restore injuries but also replenish various forms of energy and dispel negative effects.

"Let go of me."

Kali tried to push him away, her palm pressing against his chest, but she was weak and had little strength.

"Stop fooling around. I have a spiritual healing art; just let me hold you for a while."

Her long, pointed elven ears turned pink.

Even though she could clearly feel the recovery, she had no intention of following Rod's suggestion; she scowled and stubbornly tried to pull away.

Elves are stubborn creatures.

Once she set her mind to something, ten oxen couldn't drag her back; forcing the issue would only backfire.

Rod could only let go, deciding to leave Tally be and have Vivian help her instead.

The two had always been at odds; the succubus would likely take the opportunity to bully her.

Hearing the call.

The tree spirit obediently entered from outside, cradling the elf who stood half a head taller than her, gently patting the other's back as if caring for a baby.

The commotion here was not small.

It was also an inn in a relatively densely populated area; noisy sounds came from the street outside.

Rod looked out just then and realized the constables were already in position.

He even heard people below discussing plans for breakthrough routes.

He spotted Constable David, an acquaintance, leaning out the window and waving at him.

David was the squad leader of the constables; his subordinates all knew this famous forest ranger of Shi Ying Town.

Seeing him from afar, everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The tense atmosphere vanished instantly.

"It's Mr. Rod!"

"What's the problem? Since Mr. Rod is already in position, there's no issue."

"How about it? Want to go for a second round later? Someone started a fight at the Violet Tavern, smashed up the main hall, and there's nowhere to sit."

A short while later.

Rod had already informed David of the full picture of events.

He then joined the others in checking if there were any other situations in the inn.

Very fortunately.

They found the innkeeper Lucy unconscious in the basement; that Seamus had not struck a killing blow.

At the same time, they discovered a teleportation array there as well.

After investigation, Zombie Selena concluded that the other side of the array had already been destroyed.

As a precaution, Rod destroyed this array too, fearing that Seamus might secretly teleport the beast-transformed patients over later.

Upon hearing this speculation, David's face turned very grim; he canceled the team's follow-up party for the second round and immediately dispatched additional personnel to search for any possible teleportation arrays throughout Shi Ying Town.

Rod would not help with this matter; he carried the mana-depleted elf back to the forest.

Bai Yu District, outside the hospital treehouse.

"Mana depletion has so many side effects?"

After listening to Zombie Selena's words, Rod frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose in distress.

Mental confusion, memory loss, reduced talent and increased mana consumption caused by rejection of mana energy, and weakened vitality, among others.

Each of these was a side effect capable of severely impacting a mage's future.

Just a short while ago, Kali had experienced depletion once during the campaign against the plague mage Amel, and tonight she had suffered it again after casting a spell beyond her own tier.

Such frequency would place an enormous burden on the body.

"Most of these side effects of mana depletion are caused by the body's mana being empty for too long; as long as it is replenished in time, the probability of occurrence will be reduced to some extent."

Selena said this with a blank expression.

After transporting the elf back to the treehouse, she immediately set up an array to gather mana, but this also required Kali to actively absorb it.

"I remember she experienced depletion once before, but she recovered very well; you couldn't tell at all... Perhaps elves have some special method?"

The zombie frowned slightly.

Hmm...

On the night the elf suffered mana depletion, she raided me, and it lasted the entire night.

【Elibert's Quaint Love Secret Manual】 was also pushed to its limit... Perhaps that is why the mana was replenished in time...

Try again tonight?

Not really feasible; given the elf's personality, even if she were ruined, she would likely be unwilling to do such a thing openly.

Tsk. What a troublesome personality.

"What about you? I remember you once suffered mana depletion as well; are you alright?"

Selena looked blankly toward the dark forest in the distance.

"This is the benefit of the zombie body, my master. We do not need to worry about weakened vitality or reduced talent and increased mana consumption caused by rejection of mana energy, because from the moment we became zombies, these were already reduced to the minimum."

Rod could hear the unwillingness and grief in her tone.

Come to think of it, that was true.

Selena had been living in the forest for some time, and her mana accumulation had hardly changed at all.

She had even secretly attempted the full ritual to advance to the seventh tier twice, and both attempts ended in failure.

At the end of the day, the stiffness of a zombie manifests in every aspect, presenting no small difficulty for one aspiring to become a mage.

Hmm.

Lately, Selena has been very diligent; she is currently the main force for earning money, so she deserves some reward.

Rod did not hesitate, taking a Spirit Seed from his spell satchel.

The zombie's eyes instantly widened; even the spell blocking emotions within her body failed, revealing obvious shock.

"Spirit Seed??"

"Can it improve your current situation?"

"Yes! Very much so!"

Rod winked at her and made a gesture for silence.

"Then it's yours. Note, don't tell anyone; I only give the girl of the forest to you."

"..."

Selena returned to her expressionless state. "Rest assured, Boss Rod, I understand. Even if I have to go on duty at Claw Valley Mountain, I will not reduce the daily task quota for the magic ring."

Facing such a sensible Selena, Rod couldn't help but laugh loudly: "Nonsense, I didn't mean that at all. I was just concerned about your health, but if you insist on working, I can't stop you, hahaha—"

The zombie girl let out a cold snort of derision.

She took the Spirit Seed and casually tossed it into her mouth.

【Selena's obedience to you +7, current obedience: 52】

【Obedience broke through to 52, unlocking the shared skill with Selena】

【Starting random draw...】

【Chou Qu Cheng Gong】

【Shared Skill: Strength Liberation】

【Details: A zombie's immortality allows them to use their muscles with even greater recklessness, thus finding a more violent method of release. This skill can liberate the restrictions on all muscles, thereby enhancing strength by dozens of times. Note: Currently, the upper limit of Strength Liberation under the premise that limbs have lost their basic function is: 1800%】

Seeing this skill, Rod also paused for a moment.

He never expected to draw such a close-combat shared skill from a zombie mage.

However

It was another skill at the level of a killing move!

Rod couldn't help but rub Selena's cheeks.

Ugh... hard and cold again, not comfortable at all. Better not.

And the zombie girl, after being rubbed on the face by him, still had dead-fish eyes, but whether it was an illusion or not, her gaze seemed to waver slightly.

(End of this chapter)