Chapter 6

Outside the stone house, the wind and snow had lessened slightly. Cameron and Dangelo stood under the eaves, staring out at the white wasteland.

Dangelo exhaled a cloud of white breath. "We can't let her remember," he said, his voice icy. "If she gets her memory back, we're dead."

Cameron looked at him. "How do you propose we do that?"

Dangelo's lips curled into a cruel smile. "We make her work to survive. If she's exhausted and starving every day, she won't have the energy to remember anything."

Cameron didn't argue. He nodded. The unspoken agreement was made: they would use the harsh environment to break her, physically and mentally.

Inside the dark, freezing room, Isolde's consciousness had sunk into the virtual space created by the Nexus system.

A soft blue light pulsed. [Host has survived the first three hours. Novice protection period ended. Distributing talent rewards. ]

A surge of warm, immense energy exploded from Isolde's heart. It rushed through her veins, bringing both a sharp pain and an incredible sense of relief.

[Congratulations, Host. You have awakened Life Magic (Beginner). Effective for healing wounds and accelerating plant growth. ]

Before she could process that, a wave of spatial distortion hit her, making her dizzy.

[Congratulations, Host. You have awakened Spatial Magic (Beginner). You have gained a 10-cubic-meter static storage space. ]

Isolde almost jumped for joy in her mind. In a world that worshipped physical strength, having magic was her ticket to survival.

She couldn't wait to test it. Her consciousness snapped back to her body. She opened her eyes a crack. The room was empty, and she could hear Dangelo and Cameron talking outside.

Isolde carefully lifted her injured hand-the one Dangelo had crushed and she had stabbed with the quill.

She focused her mind, following the system's instructions. A faint, pure green light bloomed in her palm, glowing like a firefly in the dark room.

She pressed the light against her wounds. A cool sensation washed over her skin. The deep puncture wound and the swollen bruises began to heal at a visible rate.

Within a minute, her hand was smooth and pale, without a single scar.

Isolde was stunned by the power. She immediately reached back to touch the fatal wound on her head. The green light flashed again. The throbbing pain vanished, replaced by a dull itch as the wound closed, leaving only a small scab.

As the magic faded, a wave of exhaustion hit her. [Warning: Beginner Life Magic energy depleted. Requires food or rest to recover. ]

Despite her fatigue, Isolde's eyes sparkled with excitement. She decided to test the spatial magic next. She looked at the chipped wooden bowl on the floor. With a thought, the bowl vanished.

She closed her eyes and saw the 10-cubic-meter space in her mind. The bowl was floating there. Another thought, and the bowl reappeared on the floor.

She took a deep breath. With these two trump cards, she finally had the confidence to survive the next three months.

The crunch of footsteps outside made her freeze. She quickly pulled her hand under the thin blanket and closed her eyes, feigning weakness.

The door burst open. Brennan walked in, covered in snow. He was carrying a frozen, unrecognizable low-level beast corpse by its leg.

He threw the carcass onto the floor with a heavy thud. "Get up and work," he barked at Isolde. "No free rides here."

Isolde opened her eyes, pretending to be startled. She looked at the bloody, scaly beast on the floor, her expression shifting to one of perfect fear and helplessness.

Inside, she was calculating. If they wanted to work her to the bone, she would use it. She would use the chore of preparing food to show them just how much the "new" Isolde had changed.