Now that he had dealt with the most pressing issue, Michael didn’t mind answering his friend properly. He activated Cleansing as a halo took shape above him. James flinched and stared at the halo, but turned his gaze to Michael.

“Skills aren’t limited to their standard usage. The automatic knowledge inserted into our minds by the System should be taken as a recommendation, and not as a rule. It is possible to mess around with the Skills’ specifications and change their resulting effects.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand. A chant left his lips. In less than a second, a Mana Sphere coalesced on the tip of his index finger. He controlled his mana output, changing its size freely. He even shot it toward the ceiling, stopped it mid-trajectory, and pulled it back to his hand. James watched this with marvel in his eyes.

“…Incredible. Did you figure that out on your own?”

“Partially. I had the good luck of also being introduced to a good mentor.”

James shot him a questioning look.

“A mentor? Another contestant?”

“No. An NPC.”

James made a surprised expression.

“Of course! There’s no way there would be a human powerful enough to be your mentor. I’ve never heard of the NPCs giving anyone their support, however. Some of them just answer questions based on your Class.”

“There were some important circumstances. Besides, as you might have already figured out, they’re not really NPCs.”

James shrugged.

“Yeah, but they seem really intent on looking like NPCs, so is there any real difference in practice?”

“Of course there’s a difference between actual thinking beings and mere dolls. The proof of this is that I was able to learn from one of them. Don’t dismiss them as mere actors or puppets. Try to have actual conversations with the teacher NPCs. You’ll be surprised.”

James had a pensive expression as he nodded.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Michael felt Cleansing’s light flood his body and activated his Dragonheart. The minor pain decreased immediately, then vanished. He walked up to one of the bunk beds, which seemed to be free. He sat down on it and spoke.

“Always think about how you can use your Skills differently and seek the support of the teachers. Those are my recommendations for you.”

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He perceived his body and its conditions.

I’m fully healed.

At least, there were no longer injuries that he could find or feel. However, because of his experience with Tairy and the Healer NPC, Hyla, back in Bluestone, he was aware that there could be injuries that escaped his notice. He kept Cleansing active because of this.

In the meantime, James had walked up to his own bed with a serious expression. He seemed to be thinking about Michael’s words; or, at least, he was worried about something. He spoke.

“Feel free to stay here until you recover completely. Me and the others will deal with the aftermath of Derek’s death. In case Lohann does something, I’ll be sure to notify you as soon as possible. It will be my highest priority.”

Michael nodded without opening his eyes.

“Alright. I’m pretty much fine already, I’ll just need a bit of time. Thank you.”

For the first time in a few days, Michael lay down and allowed himself to truly drift off into sleep. It wasn’t simply because of the damage he had sustained after using Lightspeed. The act of killing several people when hunting Derek, including Derek himself, still weighed on his mind. A small voice within him wondered if he couldn’t have acted differently. However, a more rational, louder voice stated that he did what he had to do. He had avoided killing everyone that he could, only going after the lives of those who attempted to kill him.

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I did what I could.

Once this thought reached him, the raging storm within his mind calmed down. He fell deeper into his slumber. He automatically meditated at the same time, recovering his spent mana. His dim awareness took note that Jake remained within the room, likely unwilling to leave him alone. Gratitude filled his body before he truly fell asleep.

Michael woke up to knocking on the door.

The knocking wasn’t loud, but it was enough to briefly awaken Michael’s consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that, as he expected, Cleansing had remained active throughout his sleep. He dismissed the Heritage Skill, feeling more powerful than ever. He was now certain that he had fully recovered.

In the meantime, James had cautiously walked up to the door and was looking at him. Michael nodded and stood up. His friend opened the door, coming face to face with a distraught Elizabeth. She hurriedly spoke.

“So? Is he feeling better? We need to talk.”

With a confused expression, James stepped to the side and let her in, closing the door behind her. He replied.

“Did you come all the way here just to ask that? Don’t you know we shouldn’t do anything that might be suspicious?”

Elizabeth shook her head with a scoff.

“Of course not. I mean, I’m obviously still worried,” she threw a glance at Michael, appearing to be relieved after seeing his appearance, “But that’s not what made me come here.”

Michael sat down on the bed. He was among friends. He didn’t need to be ready for a sudden attack at any moment. He asked the most important question.

“Why did you come here, then?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and replied.

“While we were sitting at the table back in the hall, I, alongside the others, heard talk about a ‘large group’s defeat’ and ‘murder of many fighters.’ It didn’t seem to be anything more than a rumor and certainly isn’t widespread information, but news about what happened to Derek and his organization is already starting to circulate.”

Michael frowned. In a way, this was a natural, expected scenario. He hadn’t killed everyone he faced in the hideout, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that people would find out about it sooner or later. However, he hadn’t thought that the spread of information would be so fast.

The survivors should have been scared into silence.

Had he gone about this the wrong way? Perhaps the resentment from the survivors had made them talk as soon as possible. It was an oversight on Michael’s part. Derek’s organization might have been tearing at the seams, but the core had been strong. Those loyalists were the same ones who filled the hideout and protected Derek. Given their inability to deal with Michael themselves, the next best thing would be to make as many of their allies aware of what had happened as soon as they could.

It means that they’ll try to send the information to Lohann.

Maybe the man was already in the know. It was the worst-case scenario that would force Michael to act even quicker. The loyalists had likely taken advantage of the time he spent resting to reach out to Lohann. The rising anxiety made Michael feel as if he were on a battlefield.

Calm down. Those are just assumptions.

It was possible, albeit unlikely, that this train of thought was wrong; it was possible that the information hadn’t yet reached Lohann or spread too far. In any case, his top priority should be to locate Lohann. He had no idea how the man would react to Derek’s death.

James shared his frown. He turned to Michael.

“What do you think?”

He was sincerely asking for advice. Michael replied in a decisive tone.

“We need to find Lohann. Any leads?”

Elizabeth spoke.

“I’ll look into it. I’ll try to obtain as much information about Lohann as possible without making it too obvious, but it’ll be hard. He’s got people all over Redglow.”

James retorted.

“You’ll be caught in a heartbeat. None of us are good at obtaining information.”

She slightly furrowed her brow, but spoke calmly.

“We don’t have any other choice. We can’t stay idle.”

“…”

“Besides, it’s the only thing that we can do. We could also try finding someone who has a lot of information and buy what we need somehow.”

“How? There’s no currency system in the Villages. Resources are provided by the Village depending on one’s rank.”

“I don’t know! Stop trying to nitpick everything I suggest and help us think of an actual plan!”

It was the first time in a long while that Michael saw Elizabeth’s irritated expression.

I’m not the only one who’s on edge.

James kept his frown.

“I’m not nitpicking!”

Michael raised his hand before the argument could continue. Both people turned to him.

“I agree with Elizabeth’s notion that we need information, but we need to be careful about it. We don’t want another situation where they take a hostage,” he looked at James, who nodded with a grim look, “or try to affect us by attacking others in the group. Everyone’s safety is paramount. Besides, looking for information on our own is not our only choice. What about Yellowbright’s organization?”

James nodded.

“I’ll try to set up a meeting with them. What should I tell them?”

Michael hesitated, speaking after a few seconds of thought.

“Just say that you know a powerful Mage who’s trying to talk to them. If you reveal my identity too easily, Lohann might find out that I’m in Redglow.”

“Shouldn’t we assume that he already knows? He knows that we’re friends because of my capture; it isn’t a leap to assume that you’re with us in this Village.”

It was true. Michael cursed in his mind. He spoke.

“Still, let’s try to avoid having him find out that we’re reaching out to Yellowbright. If the Yellowbright guys refuse,” He took a deep breath, “Tell them that I’m the Monster of Bluestone Village.”

James eyed him carefully.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s the fastest way. We need to prioritize results right now.”