[MGM]: 83 - Complications

Stars dot the sky like tiny marks of paint on an inky black canvas. Blinking in dim and high intensity, they appear simultaneously far yet near. It was under this cosmic blanket that I found myself wondering about the life I had lived, and what I had done to deserve this moment.

There was a warmth to this contact, a reassuring touch that put your worries to rest. I relished it—drank it in like a man dying of thirst. And I realized there was nothing more important to me in life than this.

Sleep came and went, and the morning air was crisp and fresh as I strolled through the forest. Only, there was the murk of corrupt mana clogging our senses.

"Activity ahead, be careful," Amara reminded me, much as he had the last time. The duo trailed behind me, seemingly in agreement to let me take the front while they gossiped behind my back. I didn’t mind the solitude, even if the touch of their warmth was something I had come to crave.

My Mana Sight alerted me to the presence of the creature before it leapt from the bushes, and my Shadowflare caught it before it could move. With a flare of my mana, the creature died, not knowing the reason for its death.

I was growing stronger.

At Level 65, I could match an A-Rank hunter in terms of sheer stats alone. Count in my talents and other strengths, I could even contend with a peak A-Rank hunter as well—at least according to Amara. But I knew better than to doubt her judgment.

Our walk through the woodland was entirely uneventful, save for the occasional monster that tried to ambush us. I realized that the outskirts of the End Forest aren’t generally that threatening when you’re an S-Rank hunter. Most of the monsters ranged from D-Rank to C-Rank, with an occasional B-Rank in the mix.

I managed to score two levels by the time we were nearly out of the forest. But of course, that’s when the creature following us decided it would be the perfect time for an ambush. None of us were truly surprised when a Red Dotted Panther jumped from above.

Blood Monarch rose to the call, and a crimson gauntlet manifested along the length of my arm. I Void Stepped right beside the creature mid-air and punched out. The full strength of my body was enough to pulverize a boulder to dust, and while my enemy was an A-Rank monster, it still managed to knock out a couple of teeth and leave it stumbling with a bad concussion.

"Curious choice," Amara voiced. "Why pick a gauntlet instead of something like a sword?"

I smiled and said, "Let’s just say I came to a realization, and now I’ve decided to work toward something."

Our conversation was cut short by the growl the monster released. For the next ten minutes, I was forced to use a number of talents to finally kill the beast. It wasn’t the toughest monster I had come across, but it was definitely the trickiest. It seemed to employ some kind of shadow ability that let it teleport short distances. The first time had nearly cost me my eye, but I had somehow managed to dodge. The battle was intense, but I won without any serious injuries.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have slain a level 174 monster: Red Dotted Panther (A)!

You have leveled up! (×4 times)

You have 135 unallocated stat points.

A near peak A-Rank monster had been barely worth four levels. I had realized it before, but the level-up requirement in terms of XP was insane when it came to rear Origins.

The three of us eventually bought a couple of horses to ease the journey. By evening, we finally arrived at the Keep. Right from the beginning, I realized something was amiss when I spotted the guards. There was a shroud of gloom covering their faces, as if they had swallowed a poisonous rat.

I climbed down from my steed and walked. They offered their greetings at the sight of us, but the stiffness with which they carried themselves wasn’t easy to hide.

"What’s going on?" I asked, frowning.

"That..." one guard gulped, pointing at the gate. "We don’t have proper information, but Captain Aldrin will apprise you of the matter if you ask."

Is it a trap? I thought, wondering whether the Hunters Guild was behind this. It seemed unlikely, but then again, I couldn’t exactly dismiss my suspicion. I offered a silent gesture to Amara, and she nodded imperceptibly.

We walked through the gates single file, and looking over everything, I found it hard to spot anything different. That was until we arrived at the Baron’s Room and saw Captain Aldrin standing by the door. His brows were pressed in a tightly knit frown that eased slightly at our entrance, though the doubt remained.

"Aldrin," I said. "What’s going on?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "It’s the Baron," he said. "He’s..."

"He’s going to die," Pyra said calmly.

We stood gathered around the bed, the Baron sleeping under the covers but looking worse for wear than I had ever seen him. Arianna sat by his side, eyes ruddy from all the tears they had shed, yet there was a steel-like resolve in them.

"He was poisoned?" Amara asked.

"I wouldn’t say he was poisoned exactly—more like inflicted with a disease," Pyra said. "It’s a strange parasite that takes root in your body and slowly grows inside you. At first, it won’t feel like anything’s happening, but then you show symptoms like coughing and fatigue and bam—you’re dead."

"But he isn’t dead yet," I said pointedly.

"Certainly not," Pyra agreed, nodding. "Fortunately, Arianna called for me the moment the Baron collapsed, and I managed to use my personally concocted potion to stall the spread. He’s still dying—just slowly."

"How?" I shook my head and asked, "How could this have happened?"

"Necro-Parasyte isn’t that difficult of a species to obtain, and inflicting one is as easy as mixing it with some water. So yeah, not that difficult to make an assessment."

"That’s not what he meant," Amara said. "Markus is asking when this could’ve happened. How did someone sneak in here to poison the Baron?"

"I can tell you this could’ve been anywhere between a week to three weeks ago, though I can’t answer your second query," Pyra replied, then looked at Arianna. "But I had my own share of doubts and asked Arianna some questions. I’m sure you’ll find the answer just as intriguing."

I couldn’t tell whether now was the right time to question her, given that she had nearly lost her father. But then again, I couldn’t exactly dismiss the cloudy storm brewing in her eyes. If looks could murder, then Arianna was apparently in the process of killing aplenty.

Instead of prompting her, we decided to wait quietly.

"At the Capital," she finally said. "If Pyra is correct in her assumptions, then it must’ve been when we were still at the Royal Palace. Someone tried to have my father killed."

"First, someone was trying to frame him, and now someone is trying to kill him," Amara noted. "Who exactly would seek to harm the Baron?"

"Wait, what do you mean by frame him?" Arianna asked. There was a collective silence among our group as we exchanged confused glances.

"Don’t you already know?" I asked.

Arianna frowned. "Are you talking about the deal you made with my father? About the illegal transport of goods?"

I frowned. "Arianna, what are you talking about?"

She stared back, slack-jawed. "Wait," she said, "you’re not talking about the goods being transported across our territory illegally?"

I shook my head.

"Fuck!"

As it turned out, the Baron had misled his daughter into believing that he might be in trouble at the hands of the Royal Family should his illegal activities become known. He had intended to keep the truth from her to avoid worrying her needlessly, and while the "illegal transport" part was indeed worrisome, it wasn’t enough to warrant dread.

But now, we witnessed that whoever was responsible wouldn’t stop at merely framing him.

We let the silence settle over us, arms crossed and brooding over the situation. I could choose to walk away even now, and all it would cost me was some angry glares and a few curses. But honestly, I didn’t want to leave.

Everyone on the Continent seeks power, and though the purpose may differ, the root cause remains the same.

Freedom.

Freedom to do whatever you wanted. Freedom to follow your desires without the fear of repercussions. Freedom to hold your beliefs even when the whole world turns against you.

I had desired that strength, and now I was given it. I might not have fully realized my potential yet, but I wasn’t willing to let a mildly annoying setback change my mindset.

"Can you help?" I asked Pyra.

She put on a thoughtful expression, then shook her head. "Not without the proper ingredients to concoct a potion."

"So you can help?" Amara asked, frowning.

"I said," Pyra began, "not without—"

"We get it." I raised a hand to interject. "But suppose you had the proper ingredients. Then you would be able to help, right?"

Arianna directed a hopeful glance her way, and the Ifrit shrugged. "Sure."

"That’s good," Amara said.

"But!" Pyra raised a finger just as Arianna was about to speak. "Don’t go counting your eggs before they hatch. I can indeed cure him given the right ingredients, but finding those ingredients will be very difficult."

"How difficult are we talking about?" Amara asked.

"Spirit Sunflower," was the reply she received.

Then we all collectively heard, "Fuck!"

"Fuck, indeed," Pyra nodded.