Chapter 357: The Highblood (1)

— Frey Starlight’s POV —

It’s been ten days since I was separated from the Elite Class.

The past days had been eventful. The war between the Empire and the Ultras had officially begun after the battle of the Shizclar Bay—a battle that ended with the Empire’s defeat.

Left with no clue, I was forced to wander aimlessly through enemy territory in search of my classmates. During this search, I passed through many of the primitive colonies of the Lower Blood.

I witnessed their grim reality firsthand, how their harsh environment and the lives they were forced to live had turned them into monsters wearing human skin.

The Ultras Continent, home to millions of humans, was nothing but a living testing ground for demons who exploited them to the fullest.

Humans are an adaptive species .. capable of surviving any environment they’re placed in. Which is why they made the perfect subjects for such horrific experiments.

After living among them and slaughtering hundreds over these past days, I’d grown sick of it all.

And just when I thought I’d have to continue like this for a while longer... I met her.

"Clana..."

Holding her in my arms as I dashed across the mountains, I searched frantically for a proper shelter.

Clana Starlight’s breathing was shallow, her face red with a high fever.

All of it—because of her injuries.

A deep wound on the right side of her abdomen. I assumed she was stabbed there—whatever pierced her had gone clean through and exited her back.

There was another wound on the right side of her chest, though not as severe.

On top of that, her body was covered in dozens of cuts and bruises—clear signs of continuous beating.

To have survived ten days in that condition, at her current level of strength, was a miracle in itself.

But now that I was here, I wouldn’t let her die that easily.

"Frey..."

Barely, Clana opened her eyes from time to time, trying to speak.

"Don’t talk. Focus on stopping the bleeding... hold on as long as you can."

"Just leave me... Huff... I won’t survive wounds like these."

"..."

I didn’t respond.

I knew it was already too much for her. Maybe she was just hallucinating from the fever as her body fought off the death slowly creeping into her heart.

Seeing her like this only reminded me how different we were.

If it were me who had sustained these same wounds, they would’ve healed on their own.

We’re both humans, both from the same bloodline—the Starlight family.

And yet we were so vastly different.

"I won’t let you die... not that easily."

After almost an hour of high-speed movement through the mountainous terrain, I finally found the perfect hiding spot—a small cave I located thanks to my Hawk Eyes.

Without hesitation, I entered.

"The Ultras won’t find us here."

Once I confirmed the place was safe, I gently laid Clana on the ground and tore away parts of her clothing to expose the wounds, which had already started to rot.

"Stay with me..."

I kept her conscious for as long as I could, gathering a massive amount of aura in my left hand until it glowed with a vibrant purple light that lit up the entire cave.

Unleashing my SSS-rank aura without holding back, I placed my hand on Clana’s abdomen, cauterizing her wound and allowing my power to flow into her body.

Clana couldn’t suppress her screams—she felt her entire body burn as her veins lit up with the same purple glow.

"Focus, Clana!"

I continued channeling aura into her without restraint, helping her reactivate her fighting style and reignite her five stars.

For that to happen, she needed to stay awake—to properly circulate her aura.

The process took far longer than I expected. By the time I finished, the sky outside had already darkened.

And as soon as I stopped pouring my power into her, Clana lost consciousness, bleeding both sweat and blood throughout the ordeal.

But at least, I’d successfully revitalized her body .. she no longer lacked aura.

Next, I cleaned her wounds and stitched them shut.

I never studied medicine in my life—my experience came solely from watching my father treat my injuries when I was younger.

So what I did could barely be considered medical aid. But I hoped it would be enough to keep her alive for now... especially since humans in this era were far more resilient than those before the concept of aura.

Thankfully, her breathing slowly stabilized. And I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Once I was sure she was out of danger, I covered her with the cloak I’d been using for stealth and retreated to the cave’s entrance.

Up here, surrounded by the mountain range and under the stars that lit the gloomy sky... everything was calm.

...

...

...

When Clana finally woke up again, morning had arrived.

It marked the start of Day 11—still lost in the lands of the Ultras.

Clana barely managed to lift her upper body, gripped by a sharp wave of migraine.

Yet despite that, she found herself able to move again—so smoothly, in fact, that she was stunned by how well she’d recovered.

Which naturally led her gaze toward me.

"You’re finally awake... How are your wounds?"

I initiated the conversation myself, hoping to ease the awkward tension that had built between us ever since I treated her. Thankfully, she responded quickly after examining her body.

"I’m fine... thanks to you."

Still unable to fully comprehend her recovery, Clana kept inspecting herself as if trying to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

"These injuries... they weren’t something that could heal in a day. Not even ten. How did you do it?"

"I didn’t do anything special. First, I cauterized your wounds using my power, then reactivated your aura circulation. Finally, I cleaned and stitched the wounds."

I explained the whole process like it was the easiest thing in the world, while Clana looked at me, visibly puzzled.

"Reactivating aura circulation... Is that even possible?"

"Isn’t that what the church does? Their so-called divine healing?"

Clana opened her mouth to argue, comparing what I did to the sacred powers of the church... but she quickly closed it again.

"You’re incredible, Frey... I’m sorry for being such a burden. And... thank you, for saving my life."

Her sudden words of gratitude came with a warm smile—one completely different from the playful ones she used to flash at me before.

Her smile, combined with a system window popping up in front of me, made me raise an eyebrow—especially after I saw her affection points.

"There’s no need to thank me. Anyone else from the elite class would’ve done the same."

I skipped past the formalities and moved on to the topic that truly mattered.

"More importantly, Clana... you have Selena’s mark, right?"

As soon as I asked, her expression shifted in confusion.

"Of course. Don’t we all have it?"

She lifted her right arm, revealing Selena’s magical signature glowing faintly—indicating that it was still active.

"Why are you asking about the mark, Frey? Don’t you have one too?"

"..."

I didn’t know how to tell her that I had erased mine—that I never got transported with them in the first place.

But given our current situation, I realized there was no point in hiding it.

"I don’t have a magical mark."