"Ahhhhhh…"

The pain is torturous, more painful than when that blood-red being started to create a Constitution Base inside me, here my very being is burning.

The curse is terrifying, it has not only enveloped my body but also the soul, and it is burning them. I felt like a kerosine dipped wood that burst into the blazing fire.

My throat had become dry from screaming, but I am still screaming. There is no other option for me to anything; the pain had immobilized me completely that I was even capable of opening my eyes.

If not for me feeling a sharp cold wind against me, which told me that I am still top of Ashlyn and we are flying at breakneck speed, I would have believed I had fallen into a cold dark pit from which I could not get out.

Time passed, I don't know how much, but I was finally able to open my eyes after huge efforts, and the first thing I saw a faint grey smoke coming out of me, it was coming out of every part of my body. The faint grey smoke by-product of my lifeforce being burned down with the power of the curse.

'Are we being followed?' I asked Ashlyn directly; I could barely move my body and did not have the energy even to utilize my senses.

'Chew Chew Chew…' Ashlyn chirped, saying that the Grimm Monster just laughed and left hastily, seeing that I could help feel relieved, and next second, I took out my airship after a huge effort.

The effect of the EMP Bomb had been over, and I could use the airship again; after taking it, I opened its door. Ashlyn and I flew inside; there, I opened the control panel and set a course toward Midzone with the greatest speed airship has to offer.

The sooner I reached the Midzone, the better; the powerhouse stationed there could help me, even if that powerhouse could not, the professor sure would. I had activated the SOS on my holowatch; as soon my holowatch picked up the range, the SOS message will be sent to the Professor automatically.

But I have to survive till that time, even with the greatest speed of the airship, I will need more than two hours to reach there, and I don't have that much time. 

Seeing the rate, my lifeforce is burning. I will be completely dead in less than an hour; I have to do something to extend my life; otherwise, I am as good as dead.

Laying awkwardly on the floor, I gritted my teeth to the pain and extended my consciousness into my storage and started to take out all the useful things I have, from the potions to herbs to fruits; everything has started to come out.

In the ruin, I had got many good things, especially at the last battle; the things I had got were very amazing, seeing them forget Knight, even the eyes of the lord would turn with envy.

I looked at the small hill of things I had taken out and looked at the most useful thing, a small bottle in which thick green liquid is stored. It is the most powerful healing medicine I have.

I've got it from the Conqueror that Ashlyn had chased and killed at the end of the battle. Seeing the marking I know it is a reward from the 900th floor. "Gulp!" I took the bottle in my hand; forcefully opened the cap before unloading it all into my mouth.

As the liquid touched my throat, it started to spread through every inch of my body, revitalizing it, but the next moment, the horrifying thing happened; the curse power came to the healing power and started burning it.

Seeing that I was shocked but also pleasantly surprised when I found that the curse power had diverted about 10% of energy to the healing power of the potion, it had not only slowed down burning my life force, but pain also lessened quite a bit.

Seeing that, I hope couldn't help but appear in my eyes, and I started to eat every healing medicine in front of me. I not only chugged potion after potion but also ate all the healing fruits and herbs that, within five minutes, half of the pile of things disappeared inside me.

Now 30% of the power of the curse is busy burning up the healing energy while the other half is busy burning, no matter how much I chugged, the curse is not diverting more than 30% of the power of the curse into burning the healing energy.

This will give me forty-five minutes extra to live, which means I could stay alive for one and a half-hour before the life force inside me completely burned out, and I die, I don't want to die.

In the torturous pain, I started to think about ways to get more time. One and a half hours are too little, I will need at least an hour more, but no matter how much I think, I was not able to find any way.

The only thing I could think of is the wine bottles that I had got into the Ruin, but the professor had said that even a simple whiff could explode me into pieces, so I can't even smell it, much less drink it.

But I will still keep the wine as my last option. I still remember when Ashlyn had blasted apart the door, I was able to get a whiff of that smell; it had instantly made me drunk and filled my body with energy.

If I was really at my last leg, I will open the bottle and take a whiff of it; even if explode by it, I will explode on my terms, not due to some f.u.c.k.i.n.g curse.

Still, after making plans for my last stand, I started to search for the ways for which I could extend my life. I even began to scour through every inch of my storage, but I did not find anything.

I was lying in pain and defeat when suddenly I remembered something; I don't know if it will work or not, I probably don't think it will work as those two things are completely different, but there is a slight chance that it might work. Since it is a chance, I am willing to work on it since I have nothing to lose.

The thing that came to my mind is to practice my methods, The Secret Method and Body Cleansing Technique, at their last level; if I am able to practice them successfully, then they might help to delay the curse.

Both methods' final level focused on cleansing Body and Soul, though their result might not affect the kind Duke level Curse, I will be satisfied as long as it will delay it.

Not to forget, there is 3rd (300) Ruby Seal, which, if I can create, will help me resist the power of the curse. The vitality it provides is the opposite of a curse; it will definitely help me with the curse.

Though reaching my target in three methods is extremely difficult, but what I have to lose since there is a very high chance I will die anyway.