Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

"Looks like it's time to see the miraculous property of the golden panacea."

Now that I had 8 underlings that could minimally cover my work while I was doing something else, I had no pressing urge to work arduously to prepare for the coming of the next ordeal.

Or at least, not as ardently.

As of now, I held another meeting amongst two of my precious confidantes.

The topic was about bringing Lupina's cryopreserved head back to life.

With the dashing scene of a frozen human head atop the dining table, Verina and Kuzunoha worked together as they shared their knowledge about the spell that was concocted to preserve every living cell of someone's head, including the fragile biological structure of the brain.

We also got confirmation that Lupina herself was still alive according to Kuzunoha's criteria for a living being.

Mass, design, lifeline, and soul.

Lupina still possessed the mass that her soul coveted as her own, and so did the design of the gears and organs that kept her existence churning and with meaning in this physical realm.

Within those cryopreserved masses exist her unthawed lifeline, cared for and passively maintained by the Theotech nanites within her crown blood vessels.

And lastly, her soul was still anchored to the remaining bits of what she used to be, dangling like a person holding tight onto the rope attached to the edge of a cliff, saved before their demise because the world is suspended in time.

We have prolonged her existence in this world, and we will bring her back into this plane with the miraculous property of my Valtherion blood.

"Once she is free from the stasis, you must drench her mouth and surfaces of her flesh for the Valtherion blood to seep and take an imminent effect." Kuzunoha confidently smiled. "You confirmed that the Valtherion blood can indeed reconstruct your body back into its peak state, even if you were to be minced again and again by the wrath of the thorny sea. Chapter Read:

"If what you witnessed and experienced is true, then this beast person should have her whole body be reconstructed, since there are no direct changes to the very codes of her mass and design."

Her arcane powers were churning in and out of the cryopreserved head of Lupina, while she was assisted by Verina who cast that very spell on her dear friend.

I positioned my hand over Lupina's mouth, exhaling slowly to keep my focus, and when the spell was dispelled, I made the cut—feeling the sharp sting before a steady stream of golden blood poured from my wrist, cascading down like a waterfall. The Valtherion blood gleamed as it washed over her face, painting her lips and cheeks with its shimmering hue.

It pooled and glimmered against her forehead, slipping down her cheeks and into her open mouth, seeping into every preserved crevice. The whole room seemed to hold its breath, the faint hum of Kuzunoha's arcane energies filling the air.

The leftover cold of the preservation spell dissipated in a glimmer of icy vapor, and Lupina's pale skin began to flush with life. The blood soaked into her skin, spreading as if drawn by some deep hunger in her cells.

For a breathless moment, I watched, waiting for the blood's regenerative magic to do its work and restore her fully. Verina's hands gripped the edge of the table, her gaze transfixed, and even Kuzunoha, ever the cynic, looked on with awe.

Yet… nothing happened.

The blood seeped into Lupina's skin, but there was no emergence of a new body, no reconstruction of muscles or bones. Instead, Lupina's head remained there, her body conspicuously absent.

And then, as if awakening from a long slumber, her eyelids fluttered. Her eyes blinked open, strangely golden and alert, filled with the same sharp, animal-like intelligence she'd always possessed.

"...What?" Lupina croaked, her voice hoarse but miraculously present. Her gaze flitted between the three of us, confusion darkening her expression as she took in the odd scene. "What…what happened? Why am I… only…?"

There was a beat of silence, and then Verina let out a small, delighted gasp. "Lupina!" she almost cried, her voice thick with relief. She leaned forward, her hands gently cupping her friend's cheeks. "You're alive! You… you're here!"

"I—" Lupina's brows furrowed, as her cheeks were being squished by her best friend, realization dawning as her eyes widening with mounting panic, but it appeared that this sudden revival rendered her null to even think of what was the issue to begin with. "I… what!?"

Kuzunoha raised an eyebrow, looking perplexed. "Strange… Valtherion blood should have regenerated her body. We were meticulous in our assessment… This doesn't make sense."

Well, I for one, was extremely confused by this situation—especially since I was the sole confirmer of the miraculous effect that could be produced by my very own blood.

"You're back!" With the return of her close comrade, Verina's face looked more loose and free of guilt, especially since she was the person who cast the spell of preservation on her friend's freshly decapitated head. "You… well, sort of."

"Sort of?" Lupina frowned, still panicking, trying to shift her gaze around, only to realize her body wasn't responding. "Wait, where's… where's the rest of me?"

Kuzunoha's mouth quirked in a wry smile, though her eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Ah, yes, you're… a bit more condensed than you might remember."

Lupina's eyes widened in horror. "Condensed? What do you mean, 'condensed'? Where's my… my arms? Legs?" She looked as if she might scream, but Verina held her still, trying her best not to laugh.

At first, I thought that Verina would be disappointed that Lupina didn't get her whole body back. The same with Kuzunoha, I thought that she would be let down knowing that the Valtherion blood didn't work as intended, or the possibility that I lied in my testimony when fighting with the Drowned Revenant.

It seemed like my worry was unnecessary.

"Relax," Verina said, though the shaping faint smile tugging at her lips made it difficult to feign seriousness. "At least that you're still with us, Lupina. Somehow… as a, well, talking head."