Chapter 15 — Beyond the Milky Way: The Miner Who Became a God of War

Two days before the fifth round of competition took place, painful news hit Lam Vũ. Bốc Vấn Sơn, after trying to sneak into the Black Stone Mine to probe Đàm Nguyệt Sương's health status through Vệ Thục Trinh, the secret female physician who was still taking care of her in the quarantine area, returned to the Abyss Arena with a pale face and constantly shaking hands.

"Uncle, what's wrong?" Lam Vũ asked as soon as he saw his face, his heart tightened because of a bad premonition.

"My mother," Bốc Vấn Sơn said, his voice choked. "Your illness has worsened much faster than expected. Vệ Thục Trinh said that the Stone Marrow Poisoning has reached the final stage, your body has begun to seriously deteriorate. If there is no Aurora Crystal within the next month, I'm afraid... I'm afraid you won't survive."

Lam Vũ stood dumbfounded, feeling like the whole world had just collapsed under his feet. One month. There's only one month left for him to complete the Great Trial, claim the Aurora Crystal, and find a way to get it to his mother before it's too late.

“I have to do something now,” he said, his voice shaking with both panic and determination. "I can't wait until the Great Trial is completely over. Is there a way to get a small portion of the Aurora Crystal sooner?"

Tinh Nhược, although shocked by the news, still tried to keep a clear mind to find a solution. "Official prizes are only given after the Grand Trial has completely ended, but I heard there is a special rule — the top three contestants after each round will be given a small 'honorary allowance', including a limited amount of Aurora Crystal, as a form of incentive."

"Then you need to be in the top three in the next round," Lam Vũ said, his eyes flashing with a faint ray of hope.

"That's right," Tinh Nhược confirmed. "But that amount of subsidy is very small, probably not enough to completely cure it, just enough to slow down the deterioration process and buy more time."

"Just buying more time is enough," Lam Vũ said, his voice resolute. "As long as you have more time to complete the Great Trial and get the full reward."

Bốc Vấn Sơn looked at him, his eyes were both heartbroken and proud at the strong will of his adopted son whom he had protected for the past twenty years. "I will find a way to get the honorary allowance to Vệ Thục Trinh as soon as you receive it, so she can use it to temporarily treat your mother."

"Thank you," Lam Vũ said, his voice choked. "I don't know how I would manage without you by my side."

"You don't need to thank me," Bốc Vấn Sơn replied, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I promised your mother twenty years ago that I would protect you at all costs. That is a promise I will keep until my last breath."

That evening, after Bốc Vấn Sơn left to prepare for the transportation of the honorary allowance if Lam Vũ won it, only Lam Vũ and Tinh Nhược remained in the abandoned maintenance room. Lam Vũ sat quietly, his eyes staring lifelessly into the space in front of him, his mind still haunted by the image of his mother slowly deteriorating behind the cold steel door.

"Are you okay?" Tinh Nhược asked softly, sitting down next to him.

"I don't know," Lam Vũ replied, his voice tired. "I've tried so much, I've sacrificed so much, but it seems like time is always against me. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't be able to save you in time."

Tinh Nhược took his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "You have done more than anyone could have done in your situation. You have passed four rounds of life and death exams, survived an assassination attempt, found out the truth about Tà Huy Village and the Blood Seal. Don't let fear make you forget what you have achieved."

"But what if I fail in the next round?" Lam Vũ asked, his voice full of anxiety. "If you don't make it into the top three, your mother won't have enough time to wait until the Great Trial is completely over."

"You will not fail," Tinh Nhược said, her voice filled with determination. "I have watched you grow every day, from a timid miner to a true warrior. You have the strength, you have the will, and most importantly, you have a reason to fight stronger than any other opponent in that arena."

Lam Vũ looked at her, feeling the warmth and spiritual strength spreading from those sincere words of encouragement. He squeezed her hand, a new determination rising in his heart.

"I won't let my mother wait in vain," he said, his voice firm and without hesitation. "You will make it to the top three, you will win that allowance, and you will continue to fight until the final round, no matter how many dangers you face, no matter how cruel and strong the enemy is."

Tinh Nhược smiled, a smile that was both warm and filled with confidence. "That is exactly the spirit I expect from you. Tomorrow we will continue to practice with double the intensity, to ensure you enter the next round in the best possible condition."

That night, when Tinh Nhược left to return to his private cabin, Lam Vũ stayed alone in the abandoned maintenance room, his eyes looking out into the dark space outside the small window, where the bottomless abyss surrounding the Abyss Arena appeared hidden in the darkness. He thought about his mother, about the years she had silently endured to protect her son's secret, about Bốc Vấn Sơn's sacrifices, about the new love he had found in Tinh Nhược.

The next morning, before practice began, Lam Vũ went to a quiet corner of the candidate's resting area to write a short letter, intending to ask Bốc Vấn Sơn to deliver it to Vệ Thục Trinh to read to his mother, whether she was awake or not. He wrote in shaky but determined handwriting, telling about the journey he had gone through, about the power of the War God that had awakened in his veins, about Tinh Nhược and the new feelings that had blossomed between them, and about his promise to bring back the Aurora Crystal at all costs.

"Mom," he wrote, "I know you have sacrificed a lot to protect me, and have suffered for the past twenty years in silence just so I could have a chance to live a normal life. But now, I know the truth about Tà Huy Village, about the blood flowing in my body, and I can't just sit still and wait anymore. I will fight, I will take every opportunity to save you and vindicate those who have fallen. Please try to wait for me one more time. Just a little longer."

When Bốc Vấn Sơn came to pick up the letter to bring home, he skimmed through a few lines, his old eyes filled with tears. "My wife will be very proud of you, Lam Vũ. I will make sure this letter reaches her, no matter what risks I have to take."

"Thank you," Lam Vũ said, his voice choked. "You have done more than one could expect from a benefactor. I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything," Bốc Vấn Sơn replied, his voice warm but firm. "You just need to survive, you need to win, you need to become the person who can change the fate of all those who have been trampled by the Holy See for generations, from the miserable miners in the Black Stone Mine to the small communities that have been wiped off the map like our homeland. That is the only way you can repay me, repay your mother, and repay the deceased souls in Tà Huy Village in the past."

The training session that day was more intense than ever. Lam Vũ put all his mind and energy into each exercise, trying to perfect his ability to control the power of War God, honing each fighting technique Tinh Nhược taught, preparing for the upcoming life-and-death competition with an unprecedented iron determination. Sweat soaked his training clothes, his muscles were exhausted after hours, but he did not allow himself to stop, did not allow himself to be weak, even for a brief moment.

The countdown has officially begun. There is no more time to hesitate, no more time to be afraid. Lam Vũ knows more clearly than ever that, from this moment on, every match, every smallest decision he makes must be calculated with absolute precision, leaving no room for mistakes or hesitation, because his mother's life, the fragile happiness that has just blossomed with Tinh Nhược, and perhaps, the future of this entire vast galaxy, silently depends on each next step on the path full of blood and tears that he has chosen.