Chapter 95: The Miracle Healer’s Reckoning

“Oh no! We’ve entered the third phase too early; Xiaoya hasn’t purified… It wasn’t me! Don’t look at me! I didn’t cast that Fire Blast!” Cannon Fairy cried out in a panic.

If it wasn’t her, then it could only be the other mage, the quiet friend Qingyu had brought along.

There was no time to dwell on his responsibility or question why he’d made such a colossal mistake at a critical moment; the BOSS was already poised to strike! Surviving this onslaught was the immediate priority.

****

Moments later, the BOSS raised its two sharp forelimbs, a clear precursor to its charge!

Cannon Fairy hastily shouted, “The full-screen poison is coming! Jump!”

Everyone leaped into the air in quick succession, just as the BOSS charged directly at Su Yingning.

“Jump! Xiaoya, jump! Why aren’t you jumping!”

At that very moment, Cannon Fairy watched in horror as I, instead of leaping with the main group to evade the poison, remained rooted to the spot, seemingly mashing my face against the keyboard as I unleashed three high-value recovery skills onto Su Yingning, who was already at full health! Those heals were utterly wasted!

Those suspended in mid-air now wore expressions of despair. The three potent healing spells I’d squandered could have potentially saved Su Yingning’s life, allowing her to endure until purification cooled down. Instead, I had, as if in a blind panic, pointlessly expended all three high-tier healing abilities!

Under the aghast gazes of the airborne group, the BOSS suddenly shifted its massive body towards me, then transformed into a phantom, instantly charging.

As if a leaky roof weren’t enough, a torrential downpour followed; my reckless use of healing skills had already been fatal, but now something even more deadly emerged…

I had pulled aggro (TL Note: ‘OT’ stands for ‘Out of Threat,’ meaning to draw the enemy’s aggression away from the designated tank)!

My instantaneous healing output had been so immense that I, the healer, had snatched the monster’s aggro!

The BOSS’s colossal form lunged at me in a flash. I only had time to shout “Jump!” to Su Yingning before I was helplessly launched into the air, impaled and suspended, then endured a relentless flurry of stabs, splattering blood across the sky.

The next second, a putrid, virulent poison washed over me, staining my entire body green.

“It’s over. A wipe is certain,” Cannon Fairy murmured, covering her face after landing, unable to bear watching further.

“No!!!”

Amidst Su Yingning’s anguished cries, I first executed a Thousand-Jin Drop (TL Note: A skill that allows a character to rapidly descend to the ground), landing firmly. Then, at the very last moment before my health bottomed out and I died, I cast a small, instant heal on myself to barely sustain my HP.

That aerial combo had dealt 910 damage, leaving me with 600 health, which was now plummeting at a rate of 500 per second.

All my major healing spells were on cooldown, leaving only three minor, slow-recovery healing skills available.

One of these was a buff-type healing-over-time skill, [Clear Mind]. Without hesitation, I applied it to myself, granting 100 health recovery per second. As I cast the skill, a second elapsed, and a green ‘-500’ popped up above my head, leaving me with only 200 health.

Regardless of the outcome, Su Yingning still fought with all her might, wresting the BOSS’s aggro from me and preventing my health from plummeting further. Immediately after, I unleashed another minor, instant heal, restoring approximately 300 health. With the additional 100 per second from [Clear Mind], another second passed, and my health dropped to a heart-wrenching level below 100.

The third and final skill remaining in my list was a healing-over-time ability called [Rain Bath], which restored 500 health per second for five seconds. During these five seconds of casting, I would be unable to move or perform any other actions. There was no room for hesitation; I began casting [Rain Bath] on myself.

My health bar fluctuated wildly, rising and falling, a sight that sent shivers down the spines of any onlookers. At this critical juncture, even the slightest mistake in aggro management, or a casual touch from the monster, would be the final straw that broke the camel’s back! I would surely perish!

Mercifully, Su Yingning was fighting like a madwoman, pouring out damage and maintaining the aggro with unwavering stability, pulling the BOSS far away from my precarious position.

Five seconds later, [Rain Bath] went on cooldown. Simultaneously, without a moment’s pause, I chugged an instant health potion, recovering 350 health. With the ongoing -500 per second, my health dipped below 50 points.

Thankfully, one of my major healing skills had just come off cooldown, restoring 600 health. Immediately after, a minor skill also reset, allowing me to stall for another eight seconds, finally reaching the point where purification was ready.

Purify!

In the end, as the toxins were cleansed from my body, I was left with a mere 47 health points, my vision filled with a barrage of red warning system notifications.

Yet, I had finally escaped the peril, entering a virtuous cycle. Even though I had calculated this outcome beforehand, a profound sense of relief washed over me.

[Are you insane?!] Su Yingning’s private message arrived, her accusation laced with a tearful tremor.

Perhaps my brain had malfunctioned, or the long-absent system had suddenly influenced my thoughts. I responded weakly, [A pet’s mission is to protect its master. I could never stand by and watch you die, for you are the entire meaning of my existence in this world. If one of us must perish, I hope I can contribute my final worth… because if you die, I will only follow you to the grave.]

What was with these embarrassingly romantic novel lines?! System, are you asking for a beating again?!

Su Yingning, however, seemed stunned by my words, falling into a prolonged silence. She only choked out a whispered, “Big idiot,” before unleashing a furious torrent of attacks upon the monster, as if to vent her emotions.

“Oh my god, Xiaoya, you…” Cannon Fairy rushed over, impolitely staring fixedly at my chest. She even made a kneading gesture with her hands for a while before finally speaking with a puzzled expression, “It’s not that big… smaller than mine, even… but your healing output (TL Note: ‘奶量’ (nǎiliàng) literally means ‘milk volume,’ but in gaming slang, it refers to healing output, often playfully linked to breasts due to the association with ‘nursing’) is just insane!”

Qingyu, the assassin, pondered for a long time before finally casting a look of stunned admiration my way. “Truly a Great God, the real deal… To devise the perfect, indeed the *only*, counter-strategy in an instant, I am thoroughly impressed. Among all the healers in ‘Pursuit II’, I only respect you!”

Cannon Fairy still seemed bewildered, lost in her speculation about my healing output. “Qingyu,” she mumbled, a little dazed, “I still can’t quite grasp why we didn’t wipe just now…”

Though Qingyu was usually a man of few words in-game, a cold and aloof assassin, he couldn’t help but become more verbose as he clarified the situation for everyone. “In that split second, if Xiaoya (TL Note: Referring to Su Shunhua, who is being perceived as female by others) had also jumped, then Ning Beibei’s health, which was 1327, would have dropped by over 800, leaving her with less than 500. Since there’s no purification possible in mid-air to cleanse the poison, and no healing spells can be cast while airborne, Ning Beibei would certainly have been instantly poisoned to death. Even if she used Thousand-Jin Drop to land and then healed to sustain her health, it would have been too late; there would have been no chance to recover!”

“Xiaoya (TL Note: Referring to Su Shunhua) instantly calculated all of this, which is why she didn’t jump at all! What truly shocked me was her choice: she opted for a method none of us would have conceived—using a massive amount of healing to forcibly seize the monster’s aggro! And she actually pulled it off! At that critical juncture, with the BOSS already mid-charge… she succeeded! Her timing was absolutely impeccable!”

Qingyu couldn’t conceal his excitement; even now, he felt that what had just transpired was utterly incredible, akin to a miracle. “Following that, she (TL Note: Referring to Su Shunhua) used her exceptionally high health pool to withstand the BOSS’s initial wave of damage, then, with a perfect sequence of skills and seamless healing output, she miraculously survived…”

“In this entire sequence of astonishing maneuvers, if even one step had been delayed by 0.1 seconds, or if the order of any single action had been wrong, she (TL Note: Referring to Su Shunhua) would have been dead without question! But she truly executed a perfect, flawless series of actions, seizing the only path to survival and saving both herself and our lives! Now, I’m just curious, Ning Beibei, what was your Great God Sister’s original ID? Someone with such god-tier operations could never remain unknown!”