The Doctor, his smile vanishing, pointed towards the distant mountains. Ying followed his gaze and indeed saw the Pa monster, caged in a peculiar structure, and another Doctor beside it.
Without waiting for Ying to speak, the Doctor initiated their conversation. "If I recall correctly, I discovered this area a few months ago. Preliminary investigations revealed that the portal behind me leads to a remarkably wondrous place once entered."
"You see, for someone consumed by knowledge, the pursuit of new discoveries ignites an unparalleled passion."
"Thus, I dedicated a significant amount of time to meticulously study this marvelous artifact. Fortunately, through my relentless exploration, I finally deciphered its secrets and even uncovered a rather extraordinary designation."
Ying, impatient with his rambling, cut straight to the chase. "Spare me the nonsense. Just tell me what you want from me to release Pa monster."
"Such haste truly dampens my enthusiasm for explaining," the Doctor chuckled, shaking his head with feigned disappointment, yet maintaining an unhurried demeanor, as if everything was unfolding according to his grand design.
"I overheard your wager with your sister earlier. In that case, why don't we try something similar?"
Ying frowned, surprised he hadn't simply left. No, it made sense; perhaps there wasn't just one clone present at the time...
"How do we compete?"
"Hehehe..."
The Doctor chuckled. "As I said, I have prepared a stage for you, and this competition will unfold upon it."
"You mentioned in Inazuma, to one of my clones, that you are not a perfect hero. However, I disagree. To onlookers, you may not be a hero, but in the eyes of that little one, you, who ventured here alone for her, are undoubtedly her hero."
"Therefore, the name of this game shall be 'Hero Saves the Beauty'."
With that, the Doctor stepped aside, gesturing an invitation to Ying. "The rules of the game are inscribed on the back of this portal. Please, proceed."
Ying shot him a cold glance. If she could, she would have gladly dispatched the Doctor beside Pa monster and taken her away. But her intuition screamed that this approach was ill-advised. Of course, this was the Doctor; he would have foreseen anything she could conceive.
Taking two deep breaths, Ying steeled herself and walked forward, past the Doctor, and stepped behind the portal.
The Doctor on the mountain watched Ying enter the portal so readily and remarked to Pa monster in the cage, "Should I call her foolish, or deeply concerned for you? She didn't even question what lay beyond the portal."
Pa monster ignored him, her vacant eyes fixed on the spot where Ying had disappeared. Yes, her host cared deeply for her. After the incident where she nearly died before her eyes, her host had been exceptionally attentive. Often, even when Pa monster provoked her, her host wouldn't retort, merely looking displeased. Perhaps, now knowing that she could truly lose her, her host would no longer dare to gamble on her... or anyone she cared about.
Inside the portal...
Upon entering, Ying instinctively scanned her surroundings, exclaiming, "Hoh... this terrain... it's at least a hundred times larger..."
"Welcome~" A gentle voice echoed from afar. Ying walked slowly forward, only speaking to playfully quip once she saw the speaker's face. "You've even sent out a younger clone? Tell me, are you my opponent?"
The young Doctor shook his head. "Regrettably, Sister's opponent is not me. I possess no combat abilities; I am merely tasked with delivering a message."
Ying narrowed her eyes. "Speak, I am all ears."
"Mhmm~" The young Doctor, having composed himself, began to narrate. "Sister must have seen the one who needs saving outside. I'm glad you didn't try to forcibly snatch her, because that cage is a special item crafted with great effort and rare elements by my true self. Once imprisoned, unless you have the key, your strength alone would be insufficient to open it."
"Of course, even if you tried, you wouldn't succeed."
"Enough with the pointless chatter," Ying stated icily.
"Tch~ So boring." The young Doctor grumbled, then continued. "My true self has prepared twelve challenges for Sister. Each challenge corresponds to a key. For every layer Sister overcomes, a lock on the cage holding that little mascot will automatically open, and a portal to the next floor will appear behind me."
"As long as Sister clears all twelve challenges, that little mascot will regain her freedom."
Ying knitted her brows slightly. It's very much like the Abyss's gameplay, but the challenges are solely for me, and without any replenishment... Although she had anticipated this situation upon seeing the marker's location, facing it directly still evoked a sigh of surprise.
Before Ying could ask, the young Doctor added, "The message has been delivered. Now, I wish Sister good luck." With a snap of his fingers, a circular array of portals appeared around the boundary of this floor. He then stepped back and vanished into the portal behind him. "I shall await Sister's arrival on the twelfth floor~"
As his voice faded, the original portal dimmed. Ying knew that she would likely have to defeat the opponent on this floor before the portal would re-illuminate.
Ying stood her ground, intending to wait for her opponent, when she suddenly noticed a strange, pale purple mist unfurling around her. Could it be?! Sensing something was amiss, Ying immediately encased her body in a layer of elemental energy, forming a natural protective barrier.
"Hoh?" The Doctor guarding Pa monster on the island exclaimed in surprise, then said to Pa monster with a smile, "Your host is quite capable, discovering the secret of the smoke so quickly."
Pa monster gave him a cold look. "Heh... It's just that you're lacking in creativity."