Chapter : 703

"You are very welcome," Ken slouched his shoulders. He put his hand back into his pocket. "Now, you have a massive amount of magic built up inside you. You need to use it. You cannot just leave it sitting there. Unused mana causes massive stomach aches. Trust me. I read it in a medical journal."

Risa looked at her own hands. She realized he was right. Her body was brimming with immense, stabilized nature magic. The destructive urge was gone, but the raw power remained.

She turned her head. She looked at the mutated test subjects sitting inside the glass containment cells. She looked at their twisted arms and their glowing green veins.

Risa knew what she needed to do. She did not want to destroy the room. She wanted to heal the pain.

Risa stepped forward. She walked past Ken. She raised her small hands toward the glass cells.

She did not summon angry vines. She channeled the massive burst of stabilized nature magic directly into her palms. The magic shifted from a destructive force into a pure, restorative energy.

A beautiful, warm green light erupted from her hands. The light was gentle. It floated across the room like soft, glowing dust. The green light passed right through the thick glass of the containment cells. It bathed the mutated subjects in a warm, soothing glow.

The healing magic worked instantly.

The mutated subjects stopped shivering. Their ragged, painful breathing smoothed out perfectly. The sharp, jagged bone spikes on their shoulders stopped growing. The glowing green liquid in their veins dimmed and calmed down. The toxic, corrupted energy inside their bodies was neutralized by Risa's pure nature magic.

Risa could not reverse the mutations . She could not turn them back into normal humans. But she successfully stabilized their conditions. She cured their immediate, agonizing suffering. The horrible pain was gone. The subjects looked up at Risa. Their eyes were full of profound, silent gratitude. They finally felt peace.

Risa lowered her hands. The warm green light faded away.

She let out a long, happy sigh. A bright, radiant smile spread across her face. She felt proud of herself. She did not explode. She used her massive power to help people. She conquered her fear.

The rest of the 13th Unit ran forward immediately.

Naomi reached Risa first. Naomi dropped her silver daggers. She threw her arms around the young healer. She hugged Risa very tightly.

"You did it, Risa!" Naomi praised warmly. Her green eyes shined with pride. "You controlled it! You healed them! You are amazing!"

Princess Iris walked over. She placed a gentle hand on Risa's pink hair. She smiled a very proud, beautiful smile. "I knew you could do it. Your heart is strong. You saved their lives."

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Sayma pushed her glasses up. She opened her notebook and clicked her pen. "The biological readings are fully stabilized. The mutated subjects are no longer in critical condition. Your magical output was mathematically flawless, Risa. You executed a perfect restorative spell."

Laxmi cheered loudly. She jumped into the air. "That was so cool! The green light was very pretty! You are the best healer ever!"

Zinia patted Risa on the back. The strong earth mage grinned a wide grin. "You are a tough kid. I am very proud of you."

Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a soft yawn. "You did a good job, Risa. They look very comfortable now. They can finally take a nap in peace."

Risa hugged Naomi back. She beamed with happiness. She felt the love and support of her entire team. She looked over Naomi's shoulder. She looked for Ken.

Ken Eliot sat on a small metal stool near the doorway. He slumped his posture as far as it could possibly go. He reached into his plastic bag. He pulled out a green apple gummy ring. He tossed it into his mouth. He chewed it lazily.

Ken noticed Risa looking at him. He gave her a goofy thumbs-up.

"Excellent work, Risa," Ken called out casually. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn. "You successfully completed the healing objective. Now we can finally move on to the next room. I really need to find a comfortable place to sit down. Standing up burns way too many calories. And my candy supply is dropping rapidly. I need to conserve my rations."

Naomi laughed a soft, musical laugh. She let go of Risa. She walked over to Ken. She did not scowl at his outfit. She smiled a very warm smile.

"You did a good job too, slacker," Naomi teased gently. She playfully bumped his arm. "You walked right into those angry vines just to give her a piece of candy. That was very brave. Or very stupid. I am not sure which one."

"It was a calculated tactical maneuver," Ken argued lazily. He offered Naomi a gummy ring. "Candy solves all emotional problems. It is a fundamental law of the universe. I am a master of candy diplomacy."

Naomi chuckled and shook her head. She refused the candy.

Princess Iris looked around the biological containment ward. The mutated subjects were safe. The immediate crisis was resolved. Her team was unified. She felt a strong surge of hope.

"Let us keep moving," Princess Iris instructed smoothly. She picked up her silver rapier. "We stabilized the victims here. But we still need to find the missing artifact. We need to find the Ode to a Black Phoenix before the 4th Prince destroys the entire facility. Stay alert, everyone."

The 13th Unit formed their tactical formation again. Naomi took the front. Sayma walked right next to Risa. Ken slouched at the very back. They left the quiet containment ward. They stepped back out into the long, flashing corridor.

Ken popped another candy into his mouth. He slipped his hands deep into his pockets. He felt very satisfied. He successfully calmed the berserk healer without revealing his absolute power. The invisible illusion worked perfectly. His lazy disguise was secure.

The team walked deeper into the massive underground laboratory. They felt confident. They felt strong. They had no idea that the facility's ultimate defense system was silently waking up beneath their feet. The real nightmare of the poison swamp was officially preparing to rise.

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Risa lowered her small hands. The warm, beautiful green light faded away slowly. The biological containment ward returned to its normal, dim illumination.

The sweet pink-haired healer let out a long, shaky breath. She looked through the thick glass of the containment cells. The mutated test subjects were calm. Their ragged, painful breathing stopped . The glowing green liquid in their twisted veins dimmed down. The agonizing pain was gone. They looked at Risa. Their eyes were full of absolute, silent gratitude. They finally felt peace.

Naomi ran across the white floor tiles. She dropped her twin silver daggers. She threw her arms around Risa. She hugged the young girl very tightly.

"You did it, Risa!" Naomi praised warmly. Her green eyes shined with pride. "You controlled your magic perfectly! You healed them! You are truly amazing!"