Surviving the Magic Academy With Just Intelligence Stats-Chapter 45: Revival

Ambrose ceased his vigilant scanning of the surroundings, instead turning his focus inward to sense Hualing’s presence through their newfound connection. The sounds of approaching rescuers filtered through the forest, their worried conversations carrying on the wind. From their scattered discussions, he quickly pieced together the situation – the test had devolved into complete chaos, with a fight breaking out even outside the academy. And now the academy had finally dispatched a rescue team in response.

Time was of the essence. Although no one would dare openly question the Rothschild family’s authority, Ambrose knew better than to underestimate human greed. The ability to resurrect the dead would draw dangerous attention, regardless of his family name. From the rescuer’s conversations, he realized that the connection with the outside world had been cut off as soon as they went in. This moment – isolated from the outside world, his companions unconscious – presented the perfect opportunity to bring Hualing back. While he could technically perform the resurrection later at his estate, explaining her sudden reappearance after being reported dead in the dungeon would raise too many questions.

Without further hesitation, he activated the ability:

[Blood Revival](SSS) - The ultimate expression of the lord’s commitment to their knight. Should the Blood Knight fall in battle, the lord can revive them by offering their own blood as sacrifice. The revival requires a significant amount of the lord’s blood (approximately 30% of their total blood volume) and leaves the lord severely weakened for several days. However, the revival is guaranteed as long as the lord lives and has sufficient blood to offer. This ability can only be used once per month due to its severe toll on the lord’s body.

Reading through the skill’s description, Ambrose realized his earlier assumptions had been naïve. Despite its SSS rank, the ability came with severe limitations. Sacrificing 30% of his blood volume was far from sustainable, and the monthly cooldown period made it far from the endless revival system he’d initially imagined. Perhaps the ability would evolve as Hualing grew more proficient with her skills? He briefly wondered whether improvement would come from her understanding or if he needed to develop his "lord’s half" of the covenant, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside. The approaching rescue team left no time for theoretical musings.

As he activated the ability, nothing happened at first. Should he cut himself to initiate the blood offering? The thought made him uneasy – with his weak constitution, any self-inflicted wound could prove dangerous. Although he didn’t know how the system calculated HP, if he really… Before he could pursue that line of thinking, his world suddenly tilted. His perspective shifted dramatically, and he found himself staring up at Marcus’s unconscious face. "Eh?!"

Confusion flooded his mind as he realized he was now lying flat on the ground. His attempts to rise proved futile, and worse, his consciousness began to slip away like water through cupped hands. This seemed far more severe than the expected 30% blood loss. Then clarity struck him with its last cruel insight – he’d already lost a significant amount of blood from the earlier impalement. Hualing’s ability couldn’t restore blood that was already gone; but that made sense, if she could just restore his blood and take it to boost her own power, that would have been too perfect, like a perpetual motion machine.

"I’m really cooked this time," was Ambrose’s final thought as darkness claimed him, the price of resurrection proving steeper than he’d anticipated.

…

Deep within the forest, Astera led the academy’s elite response team through the dense undergrowth. The sounds of distant combat had drawn them here, each step quickened by urgency. Her heart felt heavy with concern for Ambrose Rothschild - despite his family’s prominence, his physical frailty was well-known. The memory of Victoria Rothschild’s earlier expression sent a chill down her spine. If anything had happened to her son...

As a member of House Frostweaver, one of the kingdom’s ten great families, Astera understood the delicate power structure that underpinned the kingdom. While all ten great families held significant influence, there existed a clear hierarchy - the bottom five were merely "great families," while the top five were known as the "king families," each wielding power that rivaled the monarchy itself. And at the apex stood House Rothschild, although it looked as though they were close in power, the gap was so large it was practically impossible to bridge.

Beside her, Celeste Whitehaven walked with hands clasped in prayer, though her thoughts were far from purely altruistic. She envisioned finding Ambrose slightly injured or shaken - just enough to make him receptive to spiritual guidance. That way, she would be able to introduce him to the way of the goddess and "save" him.

If they had someone as influential as the Rothschild’s heir as a believer, then the church would be able to expand into the kingdom even more. At that time, the Holy Theocracy would take its first steps towards uniting the world. Her lips moved in silent supplication, though whether to her goddess or her own ambitions remained unclear.1

Meanwhile, in a small clearing ahead, Minghua knelt beside Ambrose’s unconscious form, her fingers gently brushing his cheek. "So that’s how death felt like" she thought as she remembered her earlier state – the experience of death had been strange, a formless void where felt nothing, only her connection to Ambrose had anchored her to existence. She suspected most would have broken under that profound isolation.

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She then turned her attention back to Ambrose, though she (Hualing) had managed to heal his wounds, his blood loss remained a troubling issue. Her attempts to restore it had failed mysteriously - despite her ability to manipulate blood and convert it between types, something about Ambrose’s physiology rejected her efforts. Was it the Will of the World intervening? Or perhaps some hidden aspect of his unique physique? The same physique that granted him that peculiar charm ability…1

Speaking of which, Minghua realized she’d been gazing at him for several minutes without experiencing its usual effects. Had their new blood covenant somehow granted her immunity? Before she could pursue that line of thought, her mind turned to the demon who had killed her. She recognized them from her previous life, though she hadn’t expected them to appear so soo. No! Actually, she had somewhat expected it, after all, they had—

Her thoughts scattered as voices approached through the trees. Astera emerged into the clearing, her commanding presence drawing all eyes. "This is the place," she declared, scanning the area with sharp eyes. "Look for Ambrose Rothschild." The search team immediately spread out, their movements precise and practiced.

A/N - Should we explore the holy theocracy first or the empire?

A/N - Will of the World: I don’t know how to introduce this naturally yet, just think of it as something that prevents cheats (like her giving Ambrose blood then Ambrose giving it to her making her stronger infinitely) is this considered a spoiler?