Chapter 290: Vicious [Strong Pregnancy] Ability, Guinea Pig

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Vicious [Strong Pregnancy] Ability, Guinea Pig

After reading the person’s profile, Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

’Strong Pregnancy? What kind of vicious Talent is this?’

A chill ran down Seraphina Sullivan’s spine as she read the Talent’s description.

The description, combined with the excited cheers of the bald marauders, made it seem as if they’d acquired a priceless treasure.

These pale humans with hair were likely a different tribe from the bald ones.

In other words... different human populations existed within this Aberrant Radiation instance.

’And these bald residents hunt and keep them as "breeding tools"?!’

’They probably can’t live past thirty due to radiation sickness, so to maintain their numbers, they need people with the Strong Pregnancy Talent to bear their children!’

This discovery was far more unsettling to Seraphina Sullivan than any mutated monster.

This was, in other words, extremely bad news for any female Player who entered the Aberrant Radiation instance.

If they were discovered by these hairless Native People and lacked the strength to fight back, they would likely be abducted and turned into breeding tools as well.

Everything she was witnessing made Seraphina Sullivan realize that the threats Players faced in this Aberrant Radiation instance were multi-layered.

The omnipresent, ever-corroding radiation was the foundational environmental threat.

The mutated animals, driven to Gigantification and ferocity by the radiation, posed a direct physical threat.

And now, she had to add these well-organized, strangely-behaved, and clearly hostile Native People to the list.

’It seems the difficulty of this instance really shouldn’t be underestimated...’ Seraphina Sullivan thought.

The trial of surviving for seven days was far more complex and dangerous than it appeared on the surface.

One had to battle not only the environment but also the malice of their own kind.

Although Simon Holt couldn’t see the detailed information Seraphina Sullivan was getting from her Eye of Resume, he still keenly sensed a disturbing, bizarre atmosphere just by observing the triumphant convoy, the bound captives, and the fanatical expressions of the fortress’s residents.

"Sullivan, those people... something feels off about them."

Seraphina Sullivan offered no explanation. She simply looked up at the "sun" in the sky, which still cast an ominous glow. The sky was beginning to dim, but the threat of radiation hadn’t entirely vanished.

"Get some rest. You need time for your injuries to heal."

The day’s exploration had yielded a massive amount of information.

Seraphina Sullivan felt it was time to gain a deeper understanding of Simon Holt’s Talent Ability.

"Could you summon that map you showed me earlier? I want to take a look," Seraphina Sullivan proposed.

Simon Holt didn’t hesitate, immediately focusing his mind and activating his Talent again.

Amid a flicker of faint light, the intricate, three-dimensional map reappeared.

The map clearly displayed the terrain within a ten-kilometer radius, the outline of the fortress, and several marked, blurry points of light representing resources or dangers.

Seraphina Sullivan observed the map carefully and asked a key question: "Will this map immediately dissipate if you lose consciousness, for example, if you faint or fall asleep?"

Simon Holt was stunned for a moment, carefully recalling his experience using his Ability, and answered: "That... I haven’t actually tested it for certain. But based on my feeling, as long as I’ve successfully manifested the map, and as long as I don’t actively retract it or it’s not disrupted by a strong external interference, it should be able to exist independently for about... half an hour?"

Seraphina Sullivan nodded. The duration was quite practical. "Understood. You should get some rest now. Recovering from your injuries is the priority."

Hearing her tell him to "rest," Simon Holt’s perpetually taut nerves relaxed slightly.

Instantly, the searing pain from the acid corrosion all over his body washed over him like a tide, causing him to hiss in a sharp breath and grimace.

He had been forcing himself to endure it with sheer Willpower, afraid of being abandoned. But now that he’d let his guard down, the pain became even more unbearable.

Seraphina Sullivan watched his pained expression, lost in thought.

She stretched out her hand, a slight surge of Energy in her palm, and a translucent syringe made of Energy quickly took shape.

"Here." Seraphina Sullivan tossed the syringe over.

Simon Holt stared at the suddenly appearing, faintly glowing syringe, stunned: "This is...?"

"Anesthetic." Seraphina Sullivan explained in a flat tone, "It might help lessen some of the pain and let you rest more peacefully."

A trace of surprise flashed in Simon Holt’s eyes.

But trusting the woman who had saved his life, and because the pain was becoming truly unbearable, he didn’t hesitate. He took the syringe, gritted his teeth, plunged it into an uninjured spot on his arm, and injected the entire contents.

The moment he finished the injection, Seraphina Sullivan seemed to suddenly recall something and added, "Oh, right, a quick warning. The dosage... don’t inject too much..."

Simon Holt looked up blankly: "What?" However, it was already too late.

An irresistible heaviness instantly swept over his brain.

His eyelids felt as if they were weighted with lead, fighting to stay open. His vision blurred and faded to black... Before he could even react, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

Simon Holt fell into a deep, comatose state without so much as a whimper.

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

Looking at Simon Holt, who was now out cold and stiff as a board.

She was silent for a moment before muttering, "Looks like... the effect of this Anesthetic is pretty potent."

Poor Simon Holt. He probably never imagined he would become the first "guinea pig" for Seraphina Sullivan to test her Skill Effect after she obtained the Anesthetist Profession.

For a moment, the cave fell into silence, with only the sound of Simon Holt’s even breathing.

Meanwhile, the map Simon Holt had manifested didn’t dissipate when he passed out.

Seraphina Sullivan looked at the detailed locations on the map.

While Simon Holt was unconscious, Seraphina Sullivan not only gained a preliminary understanding of the surrounding environment and confirmed the main sources of threats, but she also made quiet progress on [Side Quest Three: Collect the corpses of monsters mutated by Aberrant Radiation].

Seraphina Sullivan sent out the offspring of Ruby and Moe to clear out the smaller mutated creatures wandering nearby.

The feeling of completing a quest without lifting a finger was quite satisfying to Seraphina Sullivan, and it gave her more time to think and analyze.

’Side Quest Two requires me to ’find a source of radiation and dispose of it’...’ Seraphina Sullivan mulled over the quest description, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

’The wording itself implies that there’s more than one source of radiation in this instance. They’re like tumors on this world; clearing one might improve the local environment, but it won’t cure the world’s overall mutation.’

Despite this, the special Treasure Chest from the quest reward still held a considerable attraction for her.

The contents of a Treasure Chest could be anything and everything, from powerful items to rare materials, all of which would be useful for increasing her power.