Allison pulled back her extended hands with a smile.

“There you go. All done.”

Two meters in front of her, the Warrior moved his previously injured arm, waving it around. It was brand new. He smiled as well.

“Thank you, Allison.”

“Just doing what I can.”

She watched the man walk away with a serene gaze. She enjoyed healing those injured in the Territory Wars. It made her feel useful and also helped with taking her mind off her worries. By now, there were plenty of them, but one of them stood out. Naturally, it was regarding her son’s well-being. It was pretty much the only thing she could think of.

Ahead, another Warrior sat on the wooden chair in front of her. This one had a cut to his leg. She extended her hands once more. Green mana flowed out, quickly crossing the distance between her and the man. It gathered on his injured leg, healing the wound at a visible rate. In nothing but a few seconds, it was over. The man stood up, flexed his leg for good measure, thanked her, and walked away. Another five people went through the process before she heard the notification she had been expecting.

[You have made progress toward acquiring a new Skill.]

She turned around and nodded at a tall, muscular, blond man. His blue eyes carried a stern look as he nodded back. She walked toward him as he waved his hand. Two other Healers went to the same spot where Allison was standing just beforehand and continued to heal the people on the line. The healing duty now fell to them.

Allison approached the blond man.

“Thank you, Viktor.”

He shook his head calmly.

“I should be the one thanking you. Your progress will only benefit our entire group.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“It isn’t. You’re our best support.”

Or so I’ve been told.

Truthfully, she didn’t think she amounted to much. At first, her only advantage over the other Healers was that she had picked a ranged heal at Level 10 and Skills that strengthened the power of her heals before that. Most other Healers above Level 10 had chosen defensive Skills for self-preservation, feeling threatened by the Tutorial. As such, her ability to dish out powerful ranged healing had instantly made her a coveted asset for every Party in Yellowbright Village. Word spread around quickly. She soon got more offers than she could properly handle.

She had tried to help as many different teams as possible, but there was no way to help everyone. The Parties she helped were grateful, but the ones she couldn’t help weren’t spiteful either. They understood her situation. Over time, silently, she had climbed to the top of the food chain in the Village without harming or stepping on anyone.

That was when I met him.

She looked at Viktor’s stern visage. He was very different from her son, but she still thought of Michael when she looked at him for some reason. Perhaps it was because she believed that Michael would have achieved the same in his Village. That he would have achieved something equally grand. She spoke.

“Any important news? What about my son?”

Viktor shook his head again.

“I have people checking in with the Village Chief every four hours. Our people are looking for someone who matches your description every time they meet another group. Still nothing about your son. As for other news, Derek at Redglow has decided to focus his attacks on us and Greenwood Village.”

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

This was the reason why she had joined Viktor. The man had built an entire system from the ground up based on nothing but sheer competence. Unlike Derek from Redglow Village, his organization didn’t rely on coercion or violence. All of its members joined willingly and thrived alongside one another. In nothing but a few weeks, the organization had established itself as the most solid one among the several Villages around them. It was far from being the largest, but it worked like a well-oiled machine.

In particular, the information-relaying system was remarkable. Viktor had managed to find ways to spread information quickly and effectively without needing to rely on Whisper. Five scouts spread the word to twenty others, who then spread it to a hundred more. This process was streamlined and perfected, resulting in the current organization. Viktor’s position as the head was completely solid. There was little to no in-fighting, and orders were followed clearly. A sense of loyalty was steadily being developed.

For all of these reasons, Allison had thought that Viktor was the person to reach out to in order to find her son. But, they hadn’t had any luck yet. She didn’t lose hope. Deep within her heart, she sincerely believed that Michael was alright. It was a mother’s faith. Others might call her foolish or too hopeful, but they didn’t matter. All that mattered was ensuring that her son was safe. She sighed.

“Why is that Derek fellow going after us? I thought he was against Bluestone.”

A shadow crossed Viktor’s face.

“I don’t know much about it yet, but I’ve been told they hit a wall.”

“A wall?”

“Yes. One in the shape of an extremely dangerous individual who killed more than ten battle-hardened men in a single battle. It appears he’s been capturing Redglow’s Flags as well. Derek is doing whatever he can to avoid this person.”

Allison shivered.

Killing. Such a foreign concept.

It was something she had never needed to deal with. Not in her life, not in her son’s life, and not in her loved ones’ either. The act of taking another life was incredibly brutal and bloodthirsty to her. Even in self-defense, there was a limit; one could injure one’s opponents just enough so that the fight would be over. Murder was the final action of ending another’s life before its time.

There were those within the organization who admitted to having killed before, including Viktor himself, but none of them gloated about it. They knew it was something to be taken seriously. There was no pride in their voice when they spoke about the time they had murdered someone, and over 90% of them only did so in the Tutorial Zone. The thought that there was someone out there capable of killing more than ten men in a single fight filled her heart with dread.

Please, God, don’t let him meet my son.

She would give anything for her son not to cross this monster’s path. Viktor continued to speak.

“At the same time, we’re looking into the people from Greenwood and Bluestone. If our theory about the parameter for teleportation into the Tutorial Zone is correct, your son should belong to one of those. If…”

He caught himself and stopped talking, but Allison knew what he wanted to say. “If he’s still alive.”

I know he is.

She could feel it as clearly as she felt the wind on her skin. Her son was still alive. He had to be. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push away the feeling of being choked up. She needed to focus on the here and now, for both her son’s and her own sake. She spoke.

“I should be able to learn the new Skill soon.”

Viktor didn’t shy away from her change in subject.

“Good. You’re part of the reason why we discovered it’s possible in the first place, you know.”

The System message had appeared suddenly soon after she started questioning if her healing Skill could be applied to more people, or from further away. As she attempted to do both, she felt a noticeable improvement in her ability to use the Skill. That was when the notification appeared.

“Has anyone managed to learn a new Skill?”

Viktor let out a smile, forcing Allison to do a double take. The man’s expression rarely ever changed.

“Yes. Under the guidance of our teacher, myself and two other Warriors have managed to learn a Skill without spending a Skill Point.”

The discovery that Skills could be learned and not only acquired had been an incredibly crucial one, given how scarce Skill Points were. Viktor had made sure to emphasize the need of a training regimen for every single member. While there was no way for him to design each individual regimen, many had developed their own after listening to his advice, including Allison herself. She wondered if Michael had discovered this as well. Knowing how capable he was, he likely had. He probably had even learned several different Skills already. Her heart was filled with warmth at the thought of her son.

“That’s good. I’m glad.”

“You’re going to join our ranks soon enough. When you do, your position as a member of our main Party will be even more solidified.”

She nodded and spoke.

“Please, keep me informed about my son. I’ll keep trying to become stronger. I’ll rely on you for this.”

Viktor nodded as well.

“It’s a matter of course. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

The man’s reassurance was worth quite a bit. Allison felt as if the weight on her shoulders had been lessened slightly. She couldn’t give up hope.

I will find you.

It was a mother’s promise.