[Mana has decreased to 2]
[Excessive gradual depletion of mana may result in Mana Backlash]
Marfin's eyes skimmed over the two warnings that had bloomed across his vision...then slowly lifted toward Ryden.
His breathing grew uneven.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the trembling earth as his legs threatened to buckle beneath him.
Even so, he barely managed to keep Mirai secured in his arms.
"Don't be dramatic. It's just a quick inspection…" Ryden said carefully.
"You truly can't read the room, can you?"
Marfin's voice hardened. "Retreat. Or you will pay the price."
[Mana has decreased to 1]
[Excessive mana usage may result in Mana Backlash]
His attention snapped back to the floating notification.
MP left… 1?
That was enough.
Enough to unleash everything he was still suppressing..
…a full Gravity Barrage.
If they died from the impact, the Sub-Mission would be automatically forfeited.
And that meant the penalty.
Two years deducted from the Main Mission.
Two years…
That would leave him with only three years to conquer the Demiplane.
Haha…
'The mission was already deemed impossible.'
'Would the System label it super impossible after that?'
He exhaled slowly.
'I'll warn them one last time.'
'If they still refuse to retreat, then...'
"Cough! Cough!"
A thick gush of blood spilled from his mouth.
His vision blurred.
The world tilted violently as his eyes burned crimson, veins bursting red...
..until his legs finally gave out.
-Thud.
He dropped to his knees, arms tightening instinctively around Mirai, clinging to her as if letting go would erase her existence.
'So this is mana backlash…'
The thought drifted weakly through his mind as each breath grew heavier than the last.
'Thud. Thud. Thud.'
Every tree that had been suspended in the air came crashing back to the earth.
Gravity reclaimed everything.
Through the haze, he barely registered a man charging toward him, sword raised..
and then...
a sharp, searing pain struck the back of his neck.
***
"This was… tougher than expected."
Ryden sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Wait here. Let me check them."
He spoke to Elfrez Eniyon, then knelt beside Marfin.
Gently—yet thoroughly—he took Marfin's hand, turned it over, twisted his wrist, shifted his shoulders, rolled his body to the side… searching for anything out of place.
Time dragged.
Breaths passed. Then more.
Phew…
After what felt like an eternity, Ryden finally straightened.
What he had feared.
what he dreaded..
wasn't there.
'Maybe I was too harsh', he admitted inwardly.
'But better safe than sorry.'
He turned toward Elfrez, who sat quietly atop the thick root of a tree.
"They're clear," Ryden said.
"Neither of them bears the Mark… nor the wound."
"Ahhh—so you thought they might be those 'suicide bombers'?"
Elfrez rose to his feet and approached slowly, boots crunching softly against the forest floor.
"Suicide bombers?" Ryden snapped.
"They are not suicide bombers, Mr. Elfrez. They are products—experiments—of those disgusting mages."
"I understand your sentiment," Elfrez replied calmly.
"But what is a humble Denizen supposed to call them when the State of the Five Councils has officially declared them suicide bombers?"
"Tsk!" Ryden spat. "Curse those rotten Five Families!"
"Now, now…" Elfrez said quietly, raising a hand.
"Watch your tongue. Even the trees have ears, as the saying goes."
"Tsk."
Ryden clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white.
"If only Brother had found the Guild sooner…" he muttered, bitterness seeping into his voice."Before the other races isolated us."
The words escaped before he could stop them.
He exhaled and loosened his grip, Elfrez's warning echoing in his mind.
"You're right," Ryden said quietly.
"I shouldn't be speaking of those ungrateful lunatics."
His gaze drifted downward—to the siblings lying motionless on the forest floor.
The earlier caution and rage faded, replaced by a dull ache he couldn't quite name.
"Curse me for being so harsh…" he murmured."They didn't deserve that kind of suffering."
"Suffering…" Elfrez repeated softly."The way he reacted tells me it was far more complicated than anything we can imagine."
An uncanny silence settled between them.
"Still," Elfrez continued gently,"don't burden yourself with what has already passed."
He placed a reassuring hand on Ryden's shoulder.
"After all, you did what your duty demanded."
Elfrez lowered himself to sit beside the siblings.
"Do you know why I offered this brat such a tempting deal?" he asked casually."Coming along with me—the wealthiest merchant in the Demiplane."
Ryden frowned. "Wasn't it because… he technically saved our lives?"
"Haha." Elfrez chuckled, shaking his head.
"A merchant doesn't concern himself with such trivialities."
He glanced at Marfin, eyes sharp beneath the faint smile.
"Besides, I could have simply compensated him—paid for the broken arm, thrown in a few recovery potions, and gone on my way."
He paused, voice dropping."I even offered him a Nirvana-grade Potion. Wasn't that enough?"
"A potion capable of restoring shattered limbs as if they were never broken."
"Yes," Ryden admitted."That would have been enough. We never asked for help, nor did we negotiate any reward or compensation."
"Exactly," Elfrez said, nodding."And that was precisely my intention—until my merchant's intuition stirred."
He smiled faintly.
"Until I learned of his… unusual way of seeing the world."
Elfrez's gaze softened—yet something sharp lingered beneath.
"Do you know those who are special tend to perceive reality differently from ordinary folk like us."
"And you believe he's someone that remarkable?" Ryden asked, glancing unconsciously at Marfin.
"Don't you feel it?" Elfrez replied quietly.
His voice dropped to a whisper."He might very well have been sent by the Beast Lord himself…"
"You think so?" Ryden raised a brow.
"Then why does he feel like nothing more than an annoying brat to me?"
He shrugged then continued,"Someone who clearly needs… discipline. And education."
"Hahaha…" Elfrez laughed warmly.
"That's exactly like you, Ryden."
Time drifted.
Minutes—perhaps hours—passed as the two continued their quiet exchange beneath the moonlit canopy.
Words came and went, dissolving into the stillness of the night.
Until...
The boy stirred.
A faint movement.
Then, slowly..
his eyes fluttered open.