Chapter 239 Are You Ready?

The pressure of the pope disappeared once he was far enough away, but Shaman's legs still buckled from underneath her.

She was profusely sweating and was unable to control her breathing. Just a moment ago her entire life flashed before her eyes and even now she couldn't believe she managed to survive that encounter.

Elysia and Clara who were behind Shaman quickly picked her up from the ground. They cursed themselves for not being able to do anything, but what could they do? With that done, Everyone rushed into the dungeon where they would be somewhat safe.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs they saw the hellish landscape of the dungeon. It was covered in magma which constantly spilled out of active volcanoes. There were clear areas where they could stand, but from a quick glance, it looked like the whole place was impossible to traverse.

"Are you okay Shaman?" Elysia though did not care where they were and was more focused on making sure Shaman was alright. Clara was the same and she was trying to see if there was anything in their inventory that could help.

"I-I think so." Shaman got her breathing back to normal, but the fear she felt was still there paralysing her legs.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. My power hasn't returned so I was just as helpless as everyone else." Himeko felt responsible since she hadn't told them she was in a weakened state and worried they expected her to protect them.

"Don't worry Himeko, we didn't expect you to, especially after what you have been through." Silver consoled Himeko since after going through mental torture from the pope, no one expected her to be able to step up against him.

"To think he would react that quickly." Elysia thought they would have a few seconds, but as soon as they teleported it was like he was waiting for them.

"I'm just glad that we got out in one piece."Clara, while expressing her relief, was filling a small cup with her blood since she figured her regenerative properties as a demon might help Shaman. It was rather gross, but it was worth a shot to see if it would help her recover.

Shaman didn't know what it was but she drank it anyway. It was only a moment later however when she suddenly convulsed in pain.

"Argh!" Shaman dropped the cup and held her hand to her chest, sending Elysia and Clara into a panic.

"What did you do?!" Elysia didn't know what Clara gave Shaman, but clearly, it only made things worse.

"It was just some of my blood, I know I have some regeneration capabilities so I thought that might work." Clara explained her thought process, but the response she got was a facepalm from Elysia.

"She isn't injured, you dummy, what is she going to regenerate?" Elysia wanted to bonk Clara on the head, but after what they went through, she could really blame her for not thinking straight, so Elysia didn't judge her too harshly.

"Oh…" This made Clara realise her stupidity as she face-palmed herself.

However, before they could do anything the pain seemed to subside and Shaman was back to normal.

*Cough* *Cough* "What the fuck did you give me?" Shaman now felt sick and wondered what she was even given.

"My blood." Clara avoided eye contact as she was rather embarrassed about her small mess up.

"No wonder it was warm." Shaman felt gross, but was confused as to why her entire body felt warm as well. It was like something was flowing through her veins.

"Are you at least feeling better now?" Elysia just hoped there were no weird side effects and by the looks of things Shaman got over the shock.

"I think I can walk now, give me a hand." Shaman could feel her legs again and her nerves calmed down. Elysia and Clara grabbed Shaman's hands and lifted her up. At first, she struggled to stand up, but she quickly regained her balance with the help of the girls.

"Nevermind, my legs are still numb." Pins and needles invaded Shaman's leg and suddenly her calves started to cramp.

"Fuck maybe I can't walk still." Shaman gripped Elysia and Clara's clothes trying to keep herself up. Eventually, her legs stopped cramping as the blood returned to them, getting rid of the pins and needles sensation.

"You okay now?" Clara and Elysia wanted to do more, but all they could do was support Shaman.

"I should be fine now… I think." Shaman started to get frustrated at her own body since she was mentally fine and wanted to get moving.

"We don't need to rush, so don't push yourself." Elanor knew they would be down here for a while so there was no need for Shaman to force herself.

"I know, but after experiencing that, I need to get stronger quickly. He is someone who also came from my world and he knows I'm from there as well. There is no doubt I am now on his list of targets and with his proficiency in dark magic, the whole world is at risk of destruction as well." Shaman had a sense of urgency to get stronger and already saw him as the final boss.

"Shaman!" Hearing what Shaman said made Himeko realise something! Although she didn't understand the other world business, that wasn't Himeko's main concern. Shaman, hearing Himeko's voice, instantly stiffened up and hoped she wasn't in trouble.

"I know you may feel pressured right now, but don't forget the world doesn't revolve around you. You don't have to speed your way through life just because of him. Besides, if you really want to, you can always run away. What I want to hear from you is whether you are ready for the pain and suffering ahead. You are choosing a very dangerous path and once you go down that route there is no turning back." Himeko had realised that Shaman was picking a fight with arguably the most powerful person on the continent.

It wasn't a bad thing, but Himeko still felt like an adoptive mother for most of the group members and was worried they were rushing to their deaths. So unless they are prepared for the consequences she wouldn't let them proceed.

The encounter with Klaus was a wake-up call to everyone, that in the grand scheme of things they were quite insignificant. Although they may have come from some noble family and have been given a system that lets them cheat their way, It didn't make them the heroes of the world. As far as anyone else is concerned, they were just a group of friends adventuring together and taking on odd jobs.

Himeko saw this and didn't want Shaman playing the hero if she wasn't ready. Himeko preferred Shaman to live how she wanted rather than try to be something she can't handle.

Shaman stayed silent for a couple of minutes thinking about what Himeko said.

'I know that I'm not the hero, but everything points at me being the only person who can stop him.' Shaman saw herself as the protagonist because of the system. There were plenty of signs that indicated she would become something so much more given time, so with the pope making his move she wanted to reach the apex of her power quickly.

"I don't truly know if it is something I can do, but this place is now my home and with the blessing that I've been given, how can I not want to protect it? I may not be able to do anything right now, but I at least need to try! If not for the people of this continent, then at least for the people I love and care about. Even if I run away until I'm powerful enough, it's meaningless if I end up losing what I set out to protect to begin with." Shaman understood Himeko's concerns about continuing with her adventure, but there had to be a reason why she was given a system.

Even if the gods are playing with her life, there must be some reason she is here. She had read too many novels not to notice how she's been tied by the invisible strings of fate. Still, if it meant a chance at protecting her loved ones she was willing to dance to their tunes.

Of course she did not know whether her conjecture was correct, but at the very least she felt like there must be a purpose for bringing her to this world. It may not be to beat the pope, but either way, the first step remains the same. Nothing will change until she makes her way to tier 10, the height of all power.

Elysia, Clara, Silver and even Elanor were rather touched by what Shaman said, but they couldn't deny the sound of just running away from everything was appealing.

Himeko bit her lip, not sure what to say in response as Shaman appears to have made up her mind. The motivation and drive to keep going forward were there, so with her rapid growth, who is Himeko to stop her from growing? Himeko didn't want to get in the way and she now felt like she was.

"I understand, I don't think you truly get how difficult it will be, but if you think you can keep going down this path, then I won't stop you." Himeko wanted to try to convince Shaman, but the look on her face said she wouldn't be swayed. So the next best thing was to support her and help her achieve whatever her goal is.

"Thank you though, I hadn't really thought about this before." In a way, Shaman was grateful to the pope for almost killing her. It led her to an important crossroad, a choice of who she wants to be as a person. It's been long since she last stopped to really think about her end goal. Although it originally was to return back home, now it was to save the people she cared for.

"As long as you and everyone else understand what is at stake then I have nothing else to say." It was enough for Himeko as she could put her mind at rest that Shaman isn't going in blindly.

Everyone else nodded. Even though they were not the ones who's resolve was being tested, they still couldn't help rethinking whether this is truly the path for them. Especially for Elanor who joined more on a whim, yet now she was determined not to fall behind so that she can stand proudly aside her friends.

"I don't even know if I fully understand, but I don't plan to let anyone down. I've now seen what I'm up against, so all I need to do is beat it." Shaman started feeling confident in herself, but she quickly made sure to bring herself down to reality.

'Don't get too ahead of myself, I may have a system, but so does the pope. I'm not the only special person in this world.' It was a good reminder, but it also gave her motivation to use her system to the fullest.

Lately, she had been neglecting it, only relying on its passive features, but if she was going to beat the pope she would need to find out more about it.

"Haha, I'm sure you will later, but for now let's go let off some steam.. literally." Himeko figured they should turn their attention to the dungeon and put their resolve into action.

"Sounds good to me."