"F**k!"
"Sister Zoe was stabbed in seconds?"
"Not only stabbed—her left hand was chopped off!"
"This is brutal! Sister Zoe just gave us a live demonstration of what a real boss fight looks like!"
"Haha, how's that working out for you now?!"
The audience in the livestream was going wild. Everyone was stunned. No one expected Sister Zoe to lose so thoroughly—she didn't even last three seconds!
Sister Zoe wasn't even thinking about the game plot at that moment. She was shaken, heart pounding, and immediately touched her left hand in real life. Only when she felt it was still there did she breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Okay... it's just a game cutscene. My hand is still intact…"
But that moment felt way too real.
"Damn, this game is so immersive—it's almost dangerous!"
While reeling from the shock, Sister Zoe turned her attention back to the game. Despite being cut down by Genichiro, the screen didn't flash the typical red "Death" like before. The game continued.
After slicing down the Wolf with a single stroke, Genichiro calmly sheathed his blade. "This level of strength… how disappointing."
"Ugh, still pretending like he's some invincible samurai," Sister Zoe muttered through clenched teeth, but she was helpless to do anything.
"Then I'll be taking the Prince with me," Genichiro said. The scene cut to a masked man wearing a feathered cloak and a tengu mask. He lifted the unconscious prince onto his shoulder and followed Genichiro out.
Sister Zoe's screen faded to black.
"Okay, so the audience was right. It really was a scripted defeat," she sighed. "But why is it never me getting the cool cutscene kill?! Always the enemy doing it!"
"Hahaha, Sister Zoe ranting is gold!"
"Classic Old Thief move. He lures you in and then hits you with a sucker punch!"
"This Ashina Genichiro guy is no joke. That man has real skills—he took Zoe down in four strikes!"
"But since he has a health bar, doesn't that mean it's technically possible to beat him?"
"Exactly. Just like in all of Old Thief's games. There's always a hidden path. Beat the recorder in Silent Hill, save the woman in the second cabin in Deep Sea Trek—you name it!"
"I'm definitely trying when the game drops. There's gotta be an alternate route!"
"Good luck with that, though—Genichiro looks way too strong."
While the audience continued debating, Sister Zoe's screen lit up again.
She opened her eyes and saw a wooden roof above her. Looking around, she realized she was inside an old, dilapidated temple filled with hand-carved wooden Buddha statues.
Her health bar in the lower left was nearly empty, but she was somehow still alive—barely hanging on.
"You're awake…"
A voice behind her made her jump. She quickly turned around and saw an old man in tattered monk robes, hunched near a flickering oil lamp, carefully carving wood with a small knife.
The man was almost completely covered in long white hair, resembling an orangutan. He was also one-armed.
Sister Zoe sat up and immediately remembered—wasn't her left arm cut off?
She instinctively looked at her hand and froze. Her left hand and forearm had completely changed. It was no longer flesh, but a beautifully-crafted mechanical limb—almost like a puppet's arm. The joints were intricate, the design precise. And when she moved it—it felt completely natural.
"What the heck? This hand... it feels real."
"I'm calling it—prosthetic power upgrade!"
"It's not even robotic—it's like bone or wood, maybe magic?"
Zoe's character, the Wolf, muttered in shock: "What happened to my left hand…?"
"It's called the Shinobi Prosthetic," the old man replied calmly. "This will be the perfect fang for a one-armed wolf. It used to be mine, but I've retired. I only carve Buddhas now. This kind of weapon is useless to me—so it's yours."
"This won't just replace your arm," he continued. "If you find ninja tools, bring them to me. I'll install them for you. Then you'll understand just how powerful that hand really is."
As the sculptor finished speaking, a system notification popped up:
[Shinobi Prosthetic: A mechanical arm once used by the Buddha Sculptor, now entrusted to the Wolf. Made from fake bones and embedded with various mechanisms, it can be upgraded by installing different Shinobi tools.]
"Shinobi Prosthetic…" Sister Zoe repeated, touching her new arm. It felt cold and hard—exactly like a real prosthetic, yet moved effortlessly like her own limb. The realism was uncanny.
The Wolf asked again, "Why am I here?"
"I found you in the reed fields," the Sculptor replied. "Couldn't let the wild dogs eat someone still half-alive."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"It's been a while. But don't worry, your master is still alive—he's imprisoned in Ashina Castle. They need him… for his blood."
"His blood? What blood?"
"There's a legendary bloodline called Dragon Vein. It holds mysterious power. Your master possesses it. That's why he's called the Divine Heir."
"Dragon Vein… so that's why Genichiro took him?"
"Exactly," the Sculptor nodded. "But that's all I know. I've said enough today. You do what you must. I need to return to my carving…"
With that, the old man turned away, and the only sound left was the rhythmic tap of his knife against wood.
Sister Zoe took the hint. It was time to move.
She stepped out of the ruined temple and found herself in the middle of a serene bamboo forest. The breeze rustled the leaves gently as sunlight streamed down in golden shafts.
"Wow, this place is gorgeous…"
In front of her was a stone Buddha statue—three heads, six arms. As she approached, a prompt popped up:
[Sculptor's Idol: Rest here to fully restore your health and refill healing gourd charges. Also allows fast travel to other idols.]
"Oh, this is the save and fast travel point," Sister Zoe nodded. "Pretty standard."
She sat down cross-legged in front of the idol. A soft green glow enveloped her, the screen dimmed—then returned, her health and items fully restored.
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50 +Chapters
Update Schedule: 7 Chapter/week.
Every 50 Power Stones+1 (5 Review)
= 1 Chapter+1Chapter