The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 753 - 116 - Wake Up (2)

After a while, Zeruel finally arrived.

Her breathing was ragged, chest rising and falling with every gasping breath as if her lungs were on fire. Strands of her long hair stuck to her damp cheeks, and her shoulders trembled lightly from exhaustion. She must have sprinted here with everything she had with no hesitation as well as no rest.

She stood there, catching her breath, sweat glistening on her forehead under the soft glow of the nearby crystals. Her body heaved slightly, and the way she clutched the worn bag in her hands said enough.

Judging by its contents—bundles of wrapped vegetables, a few jars, and other small items—she had clearly been shopping at the market. It wasn’t hard to imagine that she had been on her way home, and the moment she heard the message, she dropped everything and ran.

So she ran... all the way here. Without stopping. From the Market City to the Academy City. That wasn’t a short walk—let alone a sprint.

"I-I’m here..." she panted, her voice soft, slightly hoarse from running.

The distance between the two cities wasn’t something to take lightly. It was a brutal, exhausting trek on foot, especially nonstop. But Zeruel had managed to do it, unflinching. That alone showed just how much this meant to her.

Of course, being a swordsman—and having the Blessed Sword ability at that—meant her stamina was on a completely different level from the average person. But still... this level of urgency, this sheer effort...

"L-Leon, you said the medicine was done?" she asked, still panting slightly, her brows furrowed as her voice trembled just a little. freёwebnoѵel.com

She stepped forward, getting closer, her legs a little shaky from the run—but halfway toward me, she suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened faintly as the realization hit.

She was drenched in sweat. Her blouse clung to her back and chest, outlining her curves, and small beads of perspiration were running down the sides of her neck.

Her face immediately turned bright red.

With an awkward expression, she backed away a few steps, looking anywhere but directly at me.

I noticed, but I didn’t comment. I just ignored it. Still... I wasn’t going to lie—the whole scene was kind of funny. Cute, even.

"Yes," I replied calmly. "Right now, we’re about to see whether it works or not. But we can’t confirm anything until we actually test it on a real patient. That’s why we asked you to come here."

She swallowed hard, the sound of her nervous gulp audible.

"Y-You’re going to use it on my mother... even though there’s no real guarantee it’ll work? And there’s also a chance it might fail, right?" she asked, her voice wavering with anxiety.

As expected, she already knew.

I wasn’t surprised. In fact, I expected this much from Zeruel. Her instincts, especially when it came to things like this, were second to none. She was sharp and perceptive.

I nodded slowly, giving her the confirmation she sought. "That’s the exact problem we’re facing. While we’ve processed the medicine and it’s been deemed safe, we won’t truly know its effectiveness until someone afflicted with the Eternal Sleep takes it."

I met her eyes directly.

"In this case, your mother has to be the first one—the trial subject. But I’m not going to move forward without your decision. If you don’t agree, we can delay everything. We’ll just search for another way."

Another way... sure. But that other way would take time. Too much time.

This illness—the Eternal Sleep—had plagued this world for centuries. No known cure existed. Magic couldn’t reverse it. The only known solution until now was a magical implement that merely sustained life, not restored it.

Waiting meant possibly letting her mother rot in limbo for years, or possibly even decades.

And judging from the look on Zeruel’s face, she was thinking about all that—deeply.

On one hand, the thought of growing old while her mother remained stuck in sleep was horrifying. Never speaking again. Never waking up. Just wasting away, trapped between life and death.

On the other hand, this medicine wasn’t a certainty. It might fail. Or worse—it might harm her mother’s already fragile body.

It was a terrible choice.

Three outcomes. Three impossible variables.

But eventually, she lifted her eyes and looked at me again.

"L-Let’s do it," she said.

"You sure?" I asked her again, my tone serious.

"I..." she began, hesitating. Her voice wavered, as if still unsure. "I think... my mother would want to recover. She’d be willing to do anything if it meant waking up again."

"I’m not asking what your mother would want," I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly. "I’m asking what you think. You’re the one who holds the right to decide. No one else."

Her throat bobbed as she gulped.

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. I watched her carefully, saying nothing. I could feel her mind drifting—lost in thought, weighing pain against hope.

And then, slowly, she opened her eyes again.

They looked different this time. Steadier. Clearer. The doubt in them had faded, replaced by resolve.

"Let’s do it," she repeated, more firmly.

That was the answer I needed to hear.

Hesitation had no place here. If she had gone into this half-heartedly, there was no way we’d proceed. Because if something went wrong and regret took hold of her, the emotional weight might have been too much.

That’s why I needed her to be certain.

And now, she was.

With her answer given, we made our way toward the facility where her mother was currently being cared for.

The hallway was quiet, the air cold and sterile. When we entered the room, her mother lay on the bed, still and unmoving, the sheets tucked neatly around her.

She wore a clean hospital gown, her pale skin catching the light of the room’s lights. Her face looked serene—too serene, like someone just frozen in time.

Beside her stood the magical implement—a large crystal, pulsing faintly with stored life force. Tubes extended from it, connected to various parts of her body. It was the only thing keeping her alive.

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