[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-princess-s-struggle-for-survival":3,"chapter-princess-s-struggle-for-survival-princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Princess’s Struggle for Survival",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1801217,2401,"Chapter 67 67: Battle in Underground Dungeon (3)","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>Hearing the dull sound of the sword hitting the ground behind her and the crisp crack of bone, Astrid tilted her head slightly, her eyes flashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warm breath lingering on her neck reminded her of what had just happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clawed dark spirit that had tried to sneak up on her was now pinned to the ground by Lyra's sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the chaos, Astrid had been accidentally injured by the creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching up to cover the wound, she felt her palm grow damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bright red blood seeped through her fingers, stark against her porcelain-white skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the cut was shallow, only grazing the surface and missing any vital arteries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it been deeper, she wouldn't be standing there now, let alone able to press her hand to the injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness, Astrid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Lyra rushed forward, her face pale with panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand instinctively reached for Astrid's slender neck but froze just before touching her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips, bitten white, trembled as she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Is the wound bad? Do you need a healing spell?\" Lyra asked softly, her voice tinged with guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her fault. If she had been more skilled, she wouldn't have faltered at such a critical moment, and Astrid wouldn't have been hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing Lyra's self-reproach and hearing her mutter the incantation for a basic healing spell, Astrid shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pulled the knight's sword from the ground and tossed it back to Lyra, her tone cool and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need to apologize. It's just a scratch. Save your energy for the fight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she finished speaking, the silent sheep-headed dark spirit stirred back to life, letting out a piercing shriek as it lunged at Astrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword raised, Lyra struck faster this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade gleamed with a radiant holy light, sizzling as it made contact with the dark spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burst of white mist erupted, and the phantom let out a guttural scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Flowing Wind Blade, the basic light enchantment proved far more effective against undead creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Lyra holding the line, Astrid reached into her potion bag and pulled out a vial of intermediate healing potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She downed it in one swift motion, then began murmuring an incantation under her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ice elements disperse evenly and bind to the surface. Channel mental energy in controlled pulses to sustain a stable freezing effect, forming a layer of frost to hinder movement and entrap the target.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intermediate Ice Spell—Frost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Lyra raised her sword to deliver the final blow to the sheep-headed dark spirit, she noticed ice crystals forming across its skull. In moments, the entire dark spirit was frozen solid, immobilized like an icy statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It only takes a dozen seconds for the dark spirit to revive and attack again after being killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using ice spells with strong restraining abilities to slow their assault was a better strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding Astrid's intentions, Lyra didn't raise her sword to shatter the ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she shifted her focus, first slicing through the slender tentacles reaching for them mid-air, then delivering a horizontal slash to another sheep-headed dark spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Astrid pulled out a dark blue potion and hurled it to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It exploded, releasing a biting cold that instantly filled the space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An intermediate-grade freezing potion could produce effects roughly equivalent to two casts of intermediate ice magic—Frost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing the second sheep-headed dark spirit was also immobilized by the ice, Astrid breathed a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The luxurious silk cuff of her sleeve brushed against the wound on her neck, leaving a faint bloodstain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to freezing the target, the intermediate freezing potion also significantly increased the concentration of ice elements in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid's affinity for ice elements was exceptional, and with sufficient elemental energy, the mental cost of casting ice magic was much lower than other types of spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, she could only cast Frost once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intermediate magic, combined with the earlier use of several primary spells, had drained more than half of her already limited mental energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind ached faintly, and her body's self-preservation mechanisms began to kick in to prevent mental backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lyra, let's go,\" Astrid said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chanting the incantation for Frost once more, she used the last of her mental energy to reinforce the two ice seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her legs felt unsteady, as though they couldn't find solid ground, and faint afterimages flickered before her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recognizing this as their best chance to escape, Lyra turned and cast a light spell on herself and Astrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she headed toward the exit Elise had indicated earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there was a natural gap in physical stamina between knights and mages. Astrid, drained of mental energy, struggled to keep up with Lyra's pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing this, Lyra quickly made a decision and spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness Astrid, I'll carry you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no time for hesitation or embarrassment. Lyra bent down, one hand supporting Astrid's slender, well-proportioned legs clad in dark silk, the other cradling her back, wrapped in luxurious fabric. It was a classic princess carry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the warmth of Lyra's palm against the back of her knees, Astrid relaxed her delicate frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She retrieved a non-attribute crystal engraved with a magic circle from her potion bag, her crimson eyes half-closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intermediate magic, Aura Vault, allowed mental power to be stored in crystals for a short time and reclaimed when needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placing the crystal on her forehead to absorb the sealed mental power, Astrid's delicate brows furrowed deeply, her fingers turning white as if she were enduring unbearable pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rapidly replenishing mental energy was an excruciating process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid felt as though a high-speed blender was churning inside her head, threatening to grind her very soul into pulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no wonder Charlotte had warned that the aura Vault could be used at most once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second attempt could leave one either dead or mentally impaired, unable to form coherent sentences, let alone muster the strength to continue fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once her mental strength was restored, Astrid opened her eyes and glanced at the pink-haired girl carrying her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra's delicate face was tense, her brows tightly knit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark red soil reflected in her clear eyes, and her breath came in light pants, causing the rounded curves of her maid outfit to rise and fall faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid averted her gaze and conjured two crystalline ice arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She launched them at the spiked tentacles chasing Lyra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrowheads exploded in a burst of cold light, freezing the appendages in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Astrid now able to focus her full mental energy on defense, Lyra only needed to evade the enemies ahead, ensuring her steps remained steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pale white horn emerged from the dark mist to the side, another sheep-headed dark spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid quickly chanted two spells: one for a defensive ice shield, the other for a wind elemental blessing to enhance Lyra's speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the dark headband Charlotte had given her, Astrid could draw on a portion of wind elemental particles, allowing her to cast wind spells more efficiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narrowly dodging another attack, Lyra carried Astrid nearly three hundred meters before feeling a cool breeze ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of excitement lit up her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness Astrid, there's wind ahead,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High above Jones Farm, Charlotte removed her long witch hat from her mage robes and floated into the air, gazing down at the flat, expansive land below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike her last visit, Charlotte could now sense an unsettling aura of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind carried the bitterness of the earth to her nostrils, and as it tousled her hair, she gripped her staff and began her descent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopping about five centimeters above the ground, the wind around her stirred the dust with a faint whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlotte did not touch the land but instead glided swiftly with the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, she reached the area where the headband had vanished and expanded her elemental vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, everything seemed normal, but Charlotte quickly noticed something amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About a hundred meters ahead, the elemental particles within that space showed no fluctuations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While stable elements like ice or earth might not surprise her, the stillness of the typically fluid wind and electricity was alarming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light green ripples of wind hung motionless, like strokes of paint on a canvas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she moved closer, her mage robes began to glow with arcane light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlotte's expression grew serious, her grip on the staff tightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she was less than half a meter from the target, a deep, oppressive sensation washed over her, as if she were sinking into the depths of the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes narrowed, and several protective magic circles lit up on her chest, guiding her slowly into this strange realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Astrid, Charlotte did not immediately explore the underground dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she still saw the vast land before her, though the dark fog in her vision and the moon above had grown dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlotte summoned the wind to disperse the haze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the dark mist cleared, the corpses of several domestic animals came into view, scattered across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy, palpable breath of death permeated the soil, as though it could solidify at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An… Independence Enchantment?\" Charlotte frowned, her mood darkening instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1545,"2026-06-09T04:47:04.076Z",1,"novelbin.me","d11b3cc8726a556f9ea0a0fa787d1e7abbdedc60db791783299db6fa3b0a0711","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-68","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-66",607,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fprincess-s-struggle-for-survival-cover.jpg"]