As morning turned into evening, Hikaru found himself immersed in intense mental preparation. Throughout the day, a sense of unease lingered, fueled by the daunting task ahead. He needed to gain Kaito's trust and uncover the whereabouts of the stolen Orb Converter. Fortunately, since Prince Clay hadn’t given him a deadline, he didn't feel pressured to rush. Sensing the approaching moment, Hikaru knew it was time to go. With determination, he donned all his adventure gear and headed to West Bailey Customs Checkpoint.

Once Hikaru was outside the west gate, he channeled mana to activate the light crystals on his gauntlets before venturing into the dense forest nearby, known as the Misty Grove. Amidst the dense foliage and swirling mist, he carefully followed the trail marked on the map, tracing it through the thickets. Eventually, he reached a secluded clearing nestled among the towering trees, the designated meeting spot concealed within the grove.

As he reached the designated spot, Hikaru heard the sounds of clashing coming from a distant area, but the limited visibility hindered his ability to discern what was happening. Despite the white illumination emitted by the light crystals on his gauntlets, their effective radius extended to only about 8 meters, leaving much of the surrounding area shrouded in darkness.

‘Damn it, if I approach the source of the sounds using the gauntlet's illumination, I'll stick out like a sore thumb! I’d better hide behind one of these trees and turn off the gauntlet’s illumination. With the General’s ability to observe souls, he’ll surely discover my location when he arrives,’ he thought.

As Hikaru hid, the sound of the clash grew increasingly closer. Not long after, he caught sight of the outline of a dwarf engaged in battle against a group of flying opponents in the clearing, illuminated by the moonlight. The dwarf employed a distinctive fighting style, utilizing an attraction force to pull his adversaries closer before executing precise strikes to their vital points with his sword. Aware of the dwarf's abilities, some of his aerial opponents resorted to long-distance attacks, channeling their chi into the tip of their spears to launch flying thrust energy attacks.

Hikaru opened his eyes wide, trying to discern the identity of the dwarf. ‘Is that General Kaito?’

As the dwarf approached Hikaru's location, he became visible in the dim light. Although the blood splattered across his body obscured his facial features, the iridescent silver color of his eyes unmistakably identified him as Kaito. It was evident that Kaito was utilizing his innate ability to observe souls in the dark environment.

"Damn these Nightwing Harpies!" Kaito muttered.

Nightwing Harpies are Beastman species that are evolved from owl-type beasts known as Nightwings. This race of harpy displays a human-like appearance, characterized by their owl-like beak replacing their nose and mouth, their four-fingered talon-shaped feet reminiscent of owls, and the presence of owl-like wings.

Kaito conjured several sharp rocks using an earth magic spell and launched them toward the four remaining harpies encircling him in different directions. Unfortunately, these shots missed their marks as they were flying too far away.

Kaito then taunted them loudly, proclaiming: “I knew your ancestors were mere birds, but I expected your harpy brains to have evolved beyond your avian origins! You fools really think you stand a chance against me?” He pointed at one of the harpy corpses, trampling it multiple times as he continued: “Look at what happened! Ha... ha... ha... ha...”

Kaito thought to himself: ‘Damn, even with my Vector Body's mana regeneration rate, my mana reserve is slowly getting depleted. Shit, why must the fight occur at night, forcing me to track them using Spiritual Eye? If those damn birds don’t get closer soon, I'll have to deactivate Spiritual Eye and become a sitting duck.’

Despite Kaito's taunts, the four harpies weren't taking the bait. They knew that as long as they could keep their distance, Kaito's mana would be depleted. So for the time being, they were aiming for a war of attrition with him.

Nightwing Harpies excel in nocturnal combat, possessing two advantageous traits for fighting in dark environments. Firstly, their owl-like vision grants them the ability to see clearly in low light conditions. Secondly, their owl-like wings enable near-silent flight, thanks to the unique structure of owl feathers. Similar to other traits, both of these traits don’t require them to have a certain anima, and both don’t use mana to stay active. So in a war of attrition, these harpies can maintain a stationary position in the air, requiring only a minimal amount of chi, while Kaito needs to continuously supply his innate ability, Spiritual Eye, with mana.

Watching the whole situation unfold, Hikaru thought to himself: ‘The wings of those harpies are problematic. Unlike my Phoenix Wings, which require me to use mana, those wings stay in their bodies perpetually.’

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Hikaru continued watching the whole situation and thought to himself: 'Looking at their insignia, they are probably from the Elvira kingdom. With the way the situation is unfolding, even if the General depletes his mana, they still won’t be able to capture him. Their long-distance attacks are inaccurate and only do minimal damage to the General. Do I need to help the General and gain his trust? If I do, I'll need to weaken my spell to avoid suspicion. Forget it, let’s help him after all I do still need to get that pardon!'

[Fireball: Mini] (L1 Fire Magic Skill)

Hikaru recalibrated his fireball spell’s inner magic diagram to weaken it. *Boom* the fireball collided with a dry tree. *Crackle* the flames erupted upon impact, engulfing the tree, igniting it to create a diversion and illuminate the surroundings.

As the area brightened, the harpies realized they had lost their chance to capture Kaito. The unexpected intervention of a mysterious helper heightened their unease. They looked around briefly in an attempt to locate the helper, but found nothing, so they decided to retreat.

"Clap... Clap... Clap... Impressive," Kaito's applause echoed through the clearing as the last of the harpies disappeared into the night.

“You can come out now, Hikaru. The Harpies have flown off," Kaito's voice cut through the darkness, his Spiritual Eye still active as he looked at one of the trees.

Emerging from behind the tree, Hikaru bowed down to Kaito and said: "Thanks for the heads up, General," he replied, a note of relief evident in his voice. "Those harpies were relentless."

Kaito deactivated his Spiritual Eye and commented: “Wow, you're as smart as ever. I thought you were going to shoot at the harpy.”

Hikaru shrugged and replied: “They were too far away, General. With my lower intelligence attribute, I'd need at least 5 seconds to cast the spell.” Of course, this explanation was a lie, as he needed to maintain the appearance of a regular human to Kaito.

"No, please don’t refer to me as General anymore. I am a fugitive now, remember? Just call me Kaito. Let's avoid unnecessary conversation and proceed with our business, shall we, before any more pursuers arrive? So, did you bring the flask?” Kaito said.

Hikaru handed the silver flask and the secret passage key to Kaito, then asked: “So, Kaito, what is this flask used for?”

Accepting both items, Kaito examined the flask with a furrowed brow. After a moment's contemplation, he shook his head and replied: “It's better if you don't know.”

‘Looks like he’s still wary of me,’ Hikaru thought to himself.

Kaito handed Hikaru 10 Red Eden Beads and said: “Here is your payment for getting me this flask.” He then handed Hikaru another 10 Red Eden Beads, adding: “And this one is for helping me deal with those harpies.”

Hikaru thanked Kaito, placing all the beads he received in his Bead Box before bowing to him.

“By the way Kaito, do you know that Bailey put a 100 platinum coins bounty for capturing you alive?” Hikaru asked.

“Huh, it sounds like Bailey isn't as motivated as Elvira to retrieve the Orb Converter! They even intend to capture me alive? Dream on!" Kaito said as he placed the silver flask into his hip pouch.

"If you don't mind me asking, Kaito, what is this Orb Converter? Why is everybody so interested in it?" Hikaru asked.

"Of course, everybody is interested! This artifact can automatically absorb any skill anima containing innate skills when an Orby dies nearby. So you can imagine how precious this artifact is, especially to those who use bloodline implantation," Kaito explained.

Bloodline Implantation is a method that allows recipients to emulate specific bloodlines and utilize their innate skills, even without possessing the actual lineage. While this form of implantation does have several limitations, its advantages far outweigh its drawbacks.

“But Kaito, if it's just for extracting innate skill anima, isn't that what the Spiritual Guru is for?" Hikaru asked.

"You still don't get it. Firstly, it's important to know that the Spiritual Guru can only switch orbs during a ritual. Secondly, all skill anima come with associated complexities. Even the lowest level innate skill has a four-star complexity, requiring one to use a Spiritual Guru for their extraction. Thirdly, the higher the skill complexity, the greater the cost of extraction due to the materials required for the ritual. Some of these rituals even require the use of a dragon skull," Kaito explained.

"But this artifact requires someone to die for it to acquire their innate skill!" Hikaru exclaimed.

“Yes, which happens often in a war,” Kaito replied.

“And how do you plan to use this Orb Converter now that both Bailey and Elvira are determined to retrieve it?” Hikaru asked, trying to understand Kaito's plan.

“I just need to find a strong enough backer to dissuade them from putting a bounty on my head or pursuing me publicly! Luckily for me, this Orb Converter can help me obtain the leverage I need,” Kaito explained confidently.

“But if the Orb Converter is that precious, won't high-level individuals notice when you use it and target you?” Hikaru pointed out.

“That part I haven’t figured out yet—how to use the Orb Converter without attracting attention. But it's a risk I'm willing to take, even if it means becoming a fugitive.” Kaito replied, showing his determination.

Kaito then said: “Enough talk. Let's head back before more of my pursuers show up. Stay in Bailey so I can easily reach out to you.”

Hikaru then asked: “But Kaito, how do I contact you?”

To which Kaito replied: “You don’t need to contact me. I will reach out to you when needed.”

After bidding farewell, Hikaru retraced his steps back to the comforting familiarity of the hotel where he had plotted his schemes during his time in Bailey. Weary from all the events, he sought the comfort of his bed, ready to rest and recharge for the challenges that lay ahead.