As the portal closes behind Sylthrenn, the tension in the air seems to dissipate slightly.
Our group, now joined by new members, remains in stunned silence, processing the bizarre encounter we've just experienced.

There's much on my mind. Welze being unharmed is one less worry.
Had she not found me, I'm not sure what I would have done.
I guess I would have assumed she too was a prisoner of the dark elves.
I don't know why the thought didn't cross my mind as I watched the Elfrider's sphere.
I was impulsive to laugh in his face. If she had been a prisoner, I could have endangered her life.
I'm a lucky bastard. As they say, fortune favors the bold, but I need to learn to be more cautious.
Thanks to the contracts, I've become immensely stronger, but that doesn't mean I should underestimate my enemies, as that can cost me a lot. I'm not talking about my life, but my things. I can't afford to lose what's mine. I want everything.

In the sphere, I saw no one else of note except Guli. I think I saw some classmates, but I have no interest in them.
If they died, it would even be an advantage. I want to exploit the incident of the opening of the rifts, to return to acting in the shadows and hide my power. Now I even have an infiltrator in the police, and I plan to use Deedee to eliminate those who might trace back to me in drug trafficking and the incident at the academy.
But it's too early to think about these issues.

The Elfrider spoke of a game that the queen of the dark elves wants to play with me.
Although he used the word "game," I'm sure it's something dangerous and potentially deadly.
Would it be worth risking my life for? That would depend on the prize.
If it's a game, it's clear there's something at stake. I'll need to figure out what it is and whether it's worth it.

I'm brought back to reality by movement in the group.

"Can you hold her for a while?" Gallo asks Dadref to support our classmate Jarica Fleubert.
"Of course," replies the blond, taking charge of the girl with the brown ponytail.

The silver-haired boy hurries to his twin sister's side.
Taking her hands, tears of joy stream down his face.
"How are you? I was so worried," Gallo says, looking straight into her eyes.
"Gallo, you've always been so sweet," Bicrista smiles at him with a compassionate expression.
"I've never been better. Now I'm his," she says, throwing a glance at me.

"You're different... As if you're finally yourself... Your smile is sincere," Gallo says in amazement at the difference from the Bicrista he's used to.
"He knows the weight we have to carry and has decided to take it on."
Gallo turns to me and looks at me with gratitude.

I decide to leave them to their reunion and focus on the injured girl, currently supported by the handsome guy.
The woman is in very bad shape, more in the afterlife than here.

Her complexion is a deathly gray, and foam is coming from her mouth.
On her right arm, the school uniform jacket is torn, revealing an improvised bandage.

"Can you heal her, Wagner?" Franz Dadref asks me with little confidence, clearly underestimating me.
"Please, Strauss, you have to save her; she was bitten by a giant spider and it poisoned her," Welze begs me.

Kanna, with her experience, wants to intervene, but I stop her, signaling that I'll take care of it.
"Please, Dadref, can you lay her down on the ground?" I ask the blond to be useful.

The man clicks his tongue, clearly annoyed, but then gently lays the sick girl on the ground.
"I administered an antidote," Gallo informs me.
He's referring to the potion I had prepared for him.
It's an antidote that can cure what he and his sister use to coat their knife blades, but it's not suitable for curing every type of poison. However, the action of my antidote has delayed the effect of the spider's venom and allowed Jarica to survive until now.

Jarica Fleubert has never caught my attention.
She looks quite ordinary despite being one of the best students in our class.
The woman is of average height, with a nondescript face and dark eyes.
She doesn't have a generous bust, and her body isn't rich in curves.
She has long light brown hair with blonde highlights, tied in a ponytail.
She's not unattractive, but she's not the kind of girl who grabs attention when she walks into a room.

I've never spoken to her, and she can be described as a background character.
I have no idea what her personality is like, in fact. I've always seen her very serious and focused.
What I do know for sure is that she is in the circle of people around Franz Dadref, and only gods or demons know how much I detest that pretty boy. Although it wasn't in my plans, I might use this opportunity to corrupt the anonymous Jarica and continue to spoil things for the blond.

I touch her wrist to feel her pulse, which is very weak.

"Can you heal her then, Wagner?" Franz Dadref presses me.
"Shut up for a moment," I tell him, asking him to close his mouth; I need to concentrate.

I had previously collected venom from the fangs of one of the giant spiders I killed. I
take the small pot I always carry with me and place it next to the campfire.
I pour half of the spider venom into it, along with some water collected by Rero and Kanna.

"Deedee, can you collect some blood from one of the spider corpses?" I ask the green-haired ranger while handing her an empty vial.
She clicks her tongue but then obeys without further hesitation. I asked her because, as a huntress, she is certainly skilled in skinning and harvesting parts from animals or monsters without contaminating them.

Kanna watches me intently as I prepare the mixture.
She has a more practical method of treating venom.
I also have various abilities that could heal her immediately, but that's not what I want to do.

Rero is also curious and watches me as I stir the mixture I'm boiling with a twig.
I take some herbs I've collected in the dungeon, identified with my [ALCHEMY] ability, and add them to the liquid in the pot.

"Don't breathe in the fumes," I warn the onlookers to stay away from the pot.

Deedee has returned with the blood harvested from one of the monsters.
"Here's your fucking blood!" she says irritably, handing me the vial filled with the spider's greenish blood.

Spiders are naturally immune to their venom as they are in constant contact with it.
Their blood contains antibodies and antitoxins that can counteract the venom, but obviously, it cannot be ingested pure without proper preparation.

"Thank you, Deedee," I thank her and take the vial.
Her reaction is almost embarrassed at my thanks, but then she returns to her proud expression.
I pour the spider's blood into the liquid I am preparing.
I mix everything well and let some water evaporate to get a reduction.

"How much longer will it take?" Franz Dadref's impatience grows.
"Franz! Let him work in peace!" Welze scolds him.
"Uhmpf," the man huffs.
Franz loves being the center of attention, and right now, all eyes are on me.
He doesn't realize that, piece by piece, I am dismantling his world.

I move the pot away from the fire and let the liquid cool for a few minutes.
Once it reaches the ideal temperature, I take one of my special potions containing my semen and add it to the liquid.
My women know what it is, and I can see desire in their eyes, but their expressions also betray annoyance at another woman receiving my blessing.

"You want to save her too?" Rero whispers to me.
I nod. It wasn't in the plans, but the opportunity is too good to miss.
Adding my semen, apart from corrupting Jarica and making her dependent on it, also functions as a buff to her statistics. This will make her stronger and help her body fight and overcome the poison.

From my perspective, Jarica is truly fortunate. Condemned to anonymity, and dying poisoned in a dungeon in another dimension, she will now be saved by my immense generosity. I feel magnanimous.

I pour the antidote obtained from my preparation into an empty bottle, filtering it as much as possible with a piece of cloth.

Then I stand up and approach the ailing woman. Welze looks at me with hopeful eyes, while I can feel Dadref's hostility.

Gently, I open the mouth of the brunette.
Her lips are cold and chapped, her eyes lost in the void.
The woman is a step away from death. But here comes the reward for having endured so long and suffered so much.