A Hospital in Another World?

Chapter 406: The Last Oxygen Bottle I Leave for You

Chapter 406: The Last Oxygen Bottle I Leave for You

New

Apr 6, 2024

Garrett pulled out an oxygen bottle, which he had prepared with the help of Archmage Serrano for climbing the Dwarf Holy Mountain. The design concept was roughly copied from the oxygen bottles provided to tourists at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The oxygen content, internal pressure, and bottle strength were all unknown...

Moreover, Garrett dared not fill the bottle with too much oxygen. Oxygen bottles are pressure vessels, requiring high-quality materials for the bottle body. In case they did not meet the standard, an explosion would not be surprising. He certainly did not want to start inhaling a few breaths of oxygen from a bottle, only to have it explode and send shrapnel flying...

He estimated that even mage armor might not withstand it, let alone adding a shield spell.

So, with all these concerns, Garrett had no choice but to ask Archmage Serrano to reduce the amount of oxygen filled, just to be safe. This resulted in the effectiveness of breathing from the oxygen bottle being, well, slightly better than a placebo, at least.

After inhaling a few breaths of oxygen, Garrett's face turned from red to pale, showing he had somewhat recovered. He made a mark on the oxygen bottle, put it back in his space bag, and with one hand holding a climbing stick and the other an oak wand, he continued to climb up the mountain, bending his body forward, step by step.

"Carrying that heavy shell, step by step, climbing up~~~"

"Boss, if you can't make it, should I carry you?"

"No...huff huff..." Garrett lifted his left hand holding the climbing stick a bit higher, placing it on a higher rock, exerted force with both arms, pushed off with his left leg. His body rose up, shifting his weight onto his right leg, then dragged his left foot up past his right:

"You're tired too...huff...ah..."

Damn, why would Bernard be this exhausted?

Garrett suddenly realized. Bernard was a Level 7 warrior, much stronger than him. Logically, when he would collapse from exhaustion, Bernard should still be able to carry him with ease, walking as if flying. Why then, when he was panting and sweating like rain, was Bernard also too tired to lift his legs?

Altitude sickness?

That shouldn't be the case. The last time they climbed the Dwarf Holy Mountain, he had experienced headaches, heart palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, while Bernard was just fine. Now, although he was tired, he hadn't experienced altitude sickness yet. Why would Bernard?

"Bernard, what's wrong? Do you have a headache?"

"No, boss... I'm just feeling panicky. There's something terrifying up there... just like, just like the first time I saw Miss Serrano..."

Well, that explains it.

Bernard was gasping for air, unable to lift his feet, due to being oppressed by the dragon's might, while he, protected by the Endless Ink Pen, felt nothing of the dragon's might. His exhaustion was purely physical.

"This... Bernard, do you want to take a breath of oxygen and rest a bit?"

"No need!" The barbarian shook his head vigorously. He caught up a few steps, his right hand's large bone club striking the rock, emitting a dull thud:

"I'm about to break through! Boss, I have a feeling that once we reach the summit this time, I will definitely break through!"

Well... pressure training, if you think it's suitable, then fine. Garrett looked up at the mountain peak shrouded in clouds and sighed deeply:

We still have a day and a half's journey to the summit! Such a long distance can oppress Bernard; how strong must that silver dragon above be?

In the dragon's nest, Ophelia was teaching her niece:

"When you choose to build a nest, don't be lazy. Make sure you mark the entire mountain with your scent... That way, you can unleash your dragon's might from a great distance, and those little ones without sufficient strength won't even get close to you..."

Tsk, we can't add any more dragon's might. Otherwise, if the little mage doesn't feel it and it forces his followers to roll down the slope, it wouldn't be good. Alas, the mental strength of barbarians is really too poor...

Garrett had no direct feeling of how strong the silver dragon at the summit was. But he soon felt what it was like to climb a mountain under the pressure of dragon's might.

Early on the third day, Garrett changed into ice claws in front of the campsite and crossed the snow line ahead. With the first step, his forehead "boomed":

What the heck!

This rhythm!

He reflexively leaned back, raising his hand to rub his forehead. That step made him dizzy, his ears ringing as if he had been hit directly

with a blunt object. His hair stood on end, and his heart raced, knowing without checking that his heart rate had exceeded 120.

Such a distance could bring him a sense of oppression; silver dragons are unreasonably strong...

Garrett gritted his teeth and continued to climb. After just a few steps, he found it difficult to breathe, his heart pounding fiercely. His whole body felt weak, and lifting his legs seemed to require all his strength.

But he had to climb!

Without reaching the top, how could he meet the silver dragon and learn the Electrocardiogram Magic!

Garrett bit his lip and cast ?Inspire Spell?on himself. This magic, like an adrenaline shot, made his breathing lighter. Then, vines grew from both his hands, wrapping around his climbing stick and oak wand.

"Bernard, let's go!"

"Okay, boss!"

The ice claws crunched on the snow. Ophelia, lying in the dragon's nest above, curiously watched Garrett's equipment through the light screen:

Ice claws, gloves, two long staves, a hood, black glasses. Fur wraps around the boots to just below the knees, keeping snow out of the boots. A hard tube poked out from the back of the collar, connected to a water bladder, allowing the owner to sip water at any time.

This equipment had minimized the owner's physical exertion to the utmost.

"Interesting... But little guy, no matter how much you conserve your energy, it's useless against the strength of my dragon's might!"

Climb!

Climb!

Climb higher!

With ?Cold and Heat Resistance?, there's no need to worry about the chilling wind; with ?Bull's Strength?and ?Cat's Grace?, even the most difficult terrain can be crossed safely; with a space bag and oxygen bottle, there's no need to carry heavy luggage, and even an occasional rest is possible...

Still, Garrett climbed until he was dizzy and blurry. The higher he went, the stronger the oppressive feeling, making it difficult to breathe. Initially, he had the energy to observe ahead and warn Bernard to be careful. After climbing for half an hour, all his energy was only enough to look down at the path and take one step at a time:

Raise the hand, plant the climbing stick, lift the foot, set the foot down...

His chest was burning, and his vision darkened intermittently. Every step he took, his entire foot sank deep into the snow, up to his calf. When he straightened the leg behind him, pushing his entire body up one step, it felt like lifting a giant rock off himself.

"So tired... I'll take another breath of oxygen..."

Garrett reached for his space bag again. His fingertips touched the bag's opening, then suddenly stiffened:

Only one bottle left!

The last oxygen bottle, unused and unmarked, was the only one left...

He instinctively looked back. Behind him on the snowy slope, Bernard was climbing step by step, leaning on his bone club. The barbarian's face was red, veins bulging, and his eyes were hollow, focus lost.

It seemed his spirit was nearly scattered, barely hanging on by instinct.

Garrett's fingers clenched on the space bag, then released, clenched again, and released. Finally, he turned his head away, clenched his climbing stick and oak wand tightly, and gritted his teeth to continue climbing.

The last oxygen bottle, I'll leave it for Bernard, just in case. The road ahead, without relying on external aids, will depend on me!

?Inspire Spell?!

?Inspire Spell?!

No, I can't cast any more spells... My heart is already beating too fast, and another shot of adrenaline would spike my blood pressure, leading to ischemia, arrhythmia, and all sorts of symptoms...

Must find another way to resist the dragon's might!

Mage armor?

Mental strength?

Garrett instinctively raised a magical shield. Not mage armor, not a shield spell, but all the magical power a mage can muster, flowing, surging, forming the most primitive shield. Hmm, that's a bit better, the oppressive feeling isn't as strong—

But the consumption is too high! This shape won't do, a perfectly round shield wastes too much surface area! It needs to be narrower, streamlined, with a bullet shape at the front...

As Garrett's thoughts directed, the magical shield gradually deformed, tightened, and thickened. Soon, more mental power seeped into the shield, pushing back the external dragon's might. Above, in the dragon's nest, silver dragon Ophelia rested her chin in her hands, nodding with a smile:

"Not bad, little guy, finally reacting and starting to temper your mental strength. But, with just this ability, you can't reach me... Huh?"

On Garrett's oak wand, four green leaves moved without wind. The entire wand seemed to come alive, rooting

, sprouting, with a vibrant green, desperately growing upwards. Unnoticed, it had grown more than half a foot taller.

At the tip of Garrett's shield, a vigorous life force appeared. Weak, tender, but unyieldingly pushing through her oppressive dragon's might, forging a path!

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