{ Confirm purchase? This will consume all remaining system points. }
"Do it." Ingrid didn’t hesitate this time. The system interface flickered, and the points immediately disappeared from the display.
Ingrid watched the numbers drop to nothing. She had just spent every point she owned on one skill, which meant there was no safety net left if something went wrong. Still, the alternative was standing on the shore and watching the mission timer run out. Ingrid smiled faintly as the new notification appeared.
{ PURCHASE CONFIRMED. }
{ SYSTEM POINTS: 0. }
{ SKILL ACQUIRED: SOLIDIFYING. }
{ SOLIDIFYING LEVEL: 1. 20 SECONDS. }
Ingrid stared at the new skill before slowly grinning. "Now we’re talking." She flexed her fingers and glanced toward the swamp, feeling a tiny spark of confidence return.
Ingrid took a breath before turning her attention to the next problem. "First, Time Stop." Ingrid raised her hand toward the interface as she remembered the Skill Upgrade Token she had received from the gift pack.
"I want to upgrade Time Stop." She selected the token and immediately applied it to Time Stop, hoping that the upgrade would make the skill significantly more useful than its pathetic five-second duration.
The system responded instantly, and a new notification appeared across the screen. Ingrid’s eyes widened when she saw the result. Five seconds had never been enough, but twenty seconds might actually give her a chance.
{ TIME STOP SKILL UPGRADED. }
{ TIME STOP DURATION: 5 SECONDS → 20 SECONDS. }
Ingrid’s excitement returned as she stared at the new duration. Twenty seconds still wasn’t much, but compared to five seconds, it felt almost luxurious. She looked across the swamp and mentally calculated the distance to the herbs, then the distance back to the shore.
It would be close, but with her upgraded Speed and Lightness, it might actually work. Ingrid took another breath and prepared herself. She was going to cross that swamp, collect those herbs, and get back before time resumed.
"Let’s do this." Ingrid activated Time Stop, and the world instantly froze around her. The fog stopped drifting above the swamp, the bubbles rising from beneath the dark surface remained suspended in place, and even the leaves hanging from the trees became perfectly still.
The sudden silence was almost eerie, but Ingrid didn’t waste a second admiring it. She rushed toward the edge of the swamp, crouched down, and pressed her palm firmly against the mud. The moment she activated Solidifying, the ground beneath her hand changed.
{ SOLIDIFYING ACTIVATED. }
The swamp hardened beneath Ingrid’s palm, transforming from thick, unstable sludge into something firm enough to support her weight.
Her eyes widened with genuine excitement as she carefully placed one foot onto the newly solidified surface. It held, and Ingrid immediately stepped forward, then another step, and then another, increasing her pace as she realized the skill was actually working exactly as intended. The swamp remained frozen beneath her feet, allowing her to run across its surface toward the glowing herbs.
She pushed herself harder, determined not to waste a single second of the Time Stop duration. Ingrid reached the small patch of raised earth and immediately grabbed the first glowing herb. She shoved it carefully against her chest before reaching for the second, then the third, making sure none of them were damaged in the process.
The herbs glowed faintly against her clothes, their strange light illuminating her face as she turned back toward the shore. Ingrid could see the edge of the swamp clearly now, and for one glorious moment, she could actually imagine herself completing the mission without another disaster. She tightened her grip around the herbs and started running back.
The system panel suddenly flickered in front of her, and Ingrid’s heart dropped when she saw the remaining time. The twenty seconds she had thought would be generous were disappearing much faster than she wanted.
Her legs moved as quickly as her upgraded body allowed, but the shore still seemed farther away than it had when she started. Ingrid gritted her teeth and pushed harder, she was almost there, and she refused to lose now.
{ TIME STOP: 4 SECONDS REMAINING. }
Ingrid’s eyes widened as she accelerated toward the shore. She pushed herself harder and nearly stumbled before catching her balance. She recovered immediately and continued running.
{ TIME STOP: 2 SECONDS REMAINING. }
"Come on, come on!" Ingrid shouted as she threw herself forward, forcing her legs to move faster than she had ever managed before. Her heart pounded violently as she stretched one hand toward the solid ground.
The herbs remained clutched against her chest with the other hand, there was absolutely no chance she was dropping them. Ingrid took one final step toward safety.
{ TIME STOP: 1 SECOND REMAINING. }
Ingrid lunged forward, her fingertips reaching the edge of shore, but then, the world moved again, and the sudden return of sound nearly made her stumble. At the exact same moment, the Solidifying effect ended, and the ground beneath her feet instantly transformed back into swamp mud.
Ingrid’s stomach dropped as one leg instantly disappeared beneath the surface. She tried to pull herself free, but the mud immediately tightened around her ankle and dragged her deeper.
"Oh, no, no, no!" Ingrid struggled violently as the swamp swallowed her leg. She planted one of her hands against the surface and tried to push herself backward, but the mud gave way beneath her palms. Her other leg sank next, followed by her hips, and within seconds she was trapped far deeper than she had expected.
The herbs remained pressed tightly against her chest, inside her clothes, and even though every instinct screamed at her to use both hands to escape, she refused to let them go.
"Lorna, help me!"