Lin Mo quickly stood up and walked over to Miriam who lay motionless.

He soon found the reason.

The backpack Miriam had been carrying on her back had been completely shattered by the giant axe strike, its contents scattered everywhere. The most conspicuous item among them was that bluish-gray treasure chest.

The red mark on the treasure chest was slowly fading away, while simultaneously, a crack was rapidly spreading across its side.

Lin Mo seemed to have guessed the reason.

This treasure chest probably had some kind of magical protection cast upon it by the dungeon's creator. The minotaur's axe strike had just happened to hit this chest, and because of the magical protection, it wasn't directly destroyed.

Now, with the demonic creature eliminated, the magical protection had disappeared, causing the treasure chest to subsequently break.

He looked at Miriam lying on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, with blood trickling from all seven orifices. Her leather armor was stained red, but her chest still showed faint, barely noticeable movement.

This treasure chest she had been carrying had unexpectedly saved her life through sheer coincidence!

Lin Mo wasted no more time, quickly gathering the scattered materials from the ground. After searching the chamber, he soon found the bronze treasure chest belonging to this room.

After collecting all these items, he carried Miriam with him and stepped into the rift at the room's end.

The sensation was similar to when he first entered the dungeon—a brief feeling of emptiness followed by weightless dizziness...

Meanwhile, in Roland Forest.

Evan, who had just regained consciousness, struggled to swallow the last bit of health potion. An immediate cooling sensation spread throughout his body, significantly reducing the intense pain.

Bern didn't drink any potion. Although his injuries were also severe, his constitution was high enough that he could endure it.

They didn't have many health potions left, so they needed to be saved for those who needed them most.

Cody had brought his own medicine. The potion he pulled from his inner lining looked quite old, with only about one-tenth of the red liquid remaining—just enough for himself.

The two who drank the potions showed obvious signs of stabilization, Cody leaned against a tree, recalling the recent danger with lingering fear.

The two who drank the potions showed obvious signs of stabilization. Cody leaned against a tree, recalling the recent danger with lingering fear.

He had finally obtained a skill, not through a scroll but through self-comprehension... but what did it matter now?

Without her, even if he became a professional, made a name for himself, and earned mountains of gold, his life would forever feel incomplete.

Bern remained silent, simply staying quietly by his side.

At times like this, any words would feel empty. This grief could only be gradually washed away by time, quietly fading with growth.

"Lin Mo hasn't come out yet."

Cody frowned, showing some concern.

Having adventured for many years, while he wasn't particularly sentimental, he was certainly not an ungrateful person. If not for Lin Mo earlier, he would have already died at the hands of that demonic creature...

"He should be fine."

Bern said this both out of trust in Lin Mo and as comfort to himself.

Throughout this journey, Lin Mo had helped them too many times... Moreover, if something happened to him in the dungeon, given their current condition, returning safely to Roland Town would likely be impossible.

So whether emotionally or rationally, he hoped Lin Mo would emerge successfully.

But this wait seemed to be taking unusually long...

"He's here!"

Just as Bern grew increasingly worried, Cody was the first to spot the figure suddenly appearing from the rift behind them.

Lin Mo shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose hard as the intense discomfort slowly faded.

"Miriam?!"

Evan immediately noticed the figure lying beside him and, despite his severe pain, scrambled over desperately.

Bern and Cody also showed astonished expressions. She had taken an axe strike from that monster and was actually okay?

"This treasure chest probably blocked the blow for her, preventing her body from being directly cut in half..."

Lin Mo took out the now completely cracked treasure chest.

"However, looking at her current condition, it doesn't seem optimistic either."

Bern frowned. Although she was still breathing, if she didn't receive timely treatment, that breath would likely stop within half an hour at most.

"We're out of potions."

Cody stated this cruel fact.

"How could this be..."

Evan had just been overjoyed by the news that Miriam was still alive, only to immediately plunge back into despair.

Was he really going to watch Miriam die before his eyes?

He remembered the health potion he had just drunk and wished he could stab himself with his sword. If only he hadn't consumed that last potion...

Lin Mo took out the health potion from the pouch inside his waist armor. "Haven't used it yet. Should be enough."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Evan said with tear-filled eyes, carefully accepting the potion.

"Thank you. We'll repay you for the potion later."

Bern nodded, then cautioned Evan: "Apply it externally first! She's unconscious—force-feeding might cause choking!"

"Okay... okay..."

Evan was startled, quickly stopping his motion to administer the medicine and instead carefully applying the potion to Miriam's body.

But the effect of spending generously was quite obvious. Miriam's condition improved significantly. Though she hadn't woken up yet, her breathing had stabilized considerably, and her complexion was no longer so pale.

Bern also drank a bit of the potion, immediately feeling reinvigorated.

"Let's go. We need to leave this place first and find another spot to set up camp and rest."

Staying near the rift wasn't suitable for resting—who knew if some demonic creature might suddenly emerge from it in the middle of the night?

They soon found a suitable location, set up the tent, and Evan carefully placed Miriam on a sleeping bag, wiping away the bloodstains from her body.

Bern and Cody went to set up traps around the perimeter while Lin Mo started a campfire and took out those two bluish-gray treasure chests from his backpack.

One had already cracked open, and through the gap, he could see it was empty inside.

Lin Mo opened the treasure chest and, as expected, found a scroll inside!

Unrolling the scroll, only two large characters were written at the top—

[Fortitude]

A knight-class skill.

Lin Mo's eyes immediately lit up—his constitution was finally saved!

But the question was, how did one learn skills from scrolls?

Lin Mo's existing skills had all been gained through comprehension or evolution. He did have a magic skill scroll on him, but he couldn't understand it at all and didn't know how to use it.

He read on carefully. The first half of the scroll described some essential principles and spirit of the knight profession, while the latter half detailed the principles, effects, and training methods of the [Fortitude] skill.

Better ask Uncle Bern about it later—he should know...