Ava was utterly stunned.
After reading the prompt, now she understood:
This Kyle—not only was he gravely injured, but his mental state was also in shambles.
As she was still processing it all, another report popped up on the screen.
—Background Report & Physical Assessment (Kyle Carter)—
Former Name: Kyle Elwind
Current Name: Kyle Carter
Age: 14 (Male)
Mage Level: Has yet to step into the realm of magic
Current Status: A commoner in Silverleaf City, Rhine Duchy
Magical Aptitude: Universal Mage (The strongest in Noland Continent's history)
Condition: Memories before the age of ten (sealed), severe external injuries from wind magic, extreme pessimism, physically frail
Innate Talent: Perfect affinity with all four major elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth)—the strongest universal mage to ever be born in Noland Continent's history since the emergence of the human race.
Life History: Kyle Elwind's birth triggered an unprecedented magical surge, drawing the attention of Noland's two most powerful Legendary Mages, who immediately fought to claim him. Though the Elwind family was only a mid-tier noble house, they had studied magic for generations and accumulated an extensive collection of high-level magical artifacts.
Kyle's father, a highly gifted Level 9 Mage, led the Elwind family in a desperate struggle. In the chaos of the battle between the two Legendary Mages, the family used their only legendary-tier teleportation array, successfully sending Kyle and a loyal servant to safety. Enraged, the two Legendary Mages retaliated by slaughtering the entire Elwind family, including Kyle's parents.
Six months ago, the devoted servant who had raised him passed away.
Two days ago, Kyle spent the last of his savings.
This morning, he went to Rhine Academy of Magic for a magical aptitude test.
The test result shows, he was officially deemed the least magically gifted person in all of Noland Continent.
Kyle Elwind had hit rock bottom.
Summary: A tragic fate, a life on the brink of death.
--------------------------------------
Ava stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded.
This Kyle... was unbelievably unlucky.
Being born with an unparalleled magical talent should have been the greatest blessing. Instead, it became the catalyst for his family's annihilation—and his own ruin.
No wonder his memories were sealed.
Just imagine—his entire family, every last one of them, wiped out in a desperate bid to protect him.
Such memories could drive a person insane.
"No wonder he collapsed in this rundown stone hut. If I hadn't arrived in time, he'd really be dead by now."
Ava glanced at Kyle, lying unconscious on the bed, his eyes tightly shut. She couldn't help but feel a deep empathy for him. For a moment, it didn't feel like a game anymore.
For a moment, she felt like Kyle was real.
For a moment, she felt like he was… family.
Like she had just found a younger brother.
Unfortunately, the game now decided to play dead—no new prompts, no guidance, nothing.
Frustrated, Ava began frantically searching the screen, hoping to find a way to heal Kyle's injuries caused by wind magic.
After scanning through multiple menus, she finally stumbled upon something in the upper-left corner of the interface that seemed useful.
[Item Shop]
Basic Healing Potion – $10 per bottle(Instantly heals any injury caused by a magic apprentice.)
Intermediate Healing Potion – $50 per bottle(Instantly heals any injury caused by a junior mage.)
Elemental Affinity Boost Potion – $100 per bottle (Temporarily raises affinity with one of the four elements to its maximum level for 24 hours.)
Memory Unlock Potion – $10,000 per bottle(Unlocks even the most securely sealed memories, including those sealed by a Legendary Mage.)
Restore Kyle's Magical Talent – $1,000,000
Ava blinked, thinking she must have misread the last price.
She counted the zeros again.
Nope. It is, one million dollars.
"What kind of shameless money-grabbing game is this?! You might as well just rob a bank!"
If she had that kind of money, she'd be getting life-saving surgery, not wasting away playing a video game at home!
With a deep sigh, her gaze shifted to the two more realistically priced options—
A $10 healing potion, which could instantly heal Kyle's physical wounds.
A $100 elemental affinity potion, which could allow him to regain the ability to cultivate magic and ease his despair.
Ava started doing mental math.
She had about 100 days left to live.
$100 a day for 100 days—that was $10,000.
Yeah, it seems, she could afford the price.
Though it is really silly to spend so much on a virtual character.
Just as she was calculating, the screen suddenly flashed blood-red.
[Kyle Carter's life has entered its final countdown.]
[59 seconds]
[58 seconds]
Ava's heart clenched. Without hesitation, she tapped the purchase button for both potions.
The next second, the gray-robed puppet standing beside Kyle's bed moved.
In its left hand, two exquisite potion bottles materialized out of thin air.
Both were small, slender, and about half a palm in length, sealed with silver metal caps.
One was a transparent glass bottle, etched with faint runes, containing a pale green liquid. The other was a deep blue crystal vial, intricately carved with elemental sigils, with a tiny flame symbol representing fire magic.
With a flick of its right hand, the puppet forcefully popped both silver caps off.
Ava…
This puppet… Who designed it to be so rough?
And why… did she kind of like it?
[36 seconds]
[35 seconds]
The puppet grabbed Kyle's limp body.
[23 seconds]
[22 seconds]
It jammed both potions into Kyle's mouth and poured them down his throat.
Each bottle contained only a single sip's worth of liquid.
After ensuring he had swallowed, the puppet clamped its hand over Kyle's mouth, preventing any potion from leaking out.
[11 seconds]
Kyle didn't swallow.
[8 seconds]
He still didn't swallow.
With only five seconds left, the computer let out a rapid beeping alarm.
Ava panicked and shouted at the screen, "Do something! No matter what, make him swallow it!"
The puppet abruptly smacked Kyle's back.
Gulp.
Kyle swallowed.
[1 second]
Ava stood frozen.
So…
Did it work?
Did he succeed?
Did she… succeed?
As if in response to her question, the next moment, the boy—who had been motionless on the bed by the puppet—suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His gaze was clear and filled with life.
His lips, once dry and cracked, were now soft and pink.
His complexion had visibly improved.
Outside the screen, Ava watched in stunned silence, her hands covering her mouth.
It worked.
With no reason, in that moment, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.