Chapter 53: A Lonely Traveler and Two Heads

Groza left, leaving Kreyn alone on the hillside. She needed to speak with Garius, as the new leader, so he could help them return to Dust Star.

And Kreyn had his own reasons for staying here alone.

’Well, it’s time to see this in its full glory.’

[Eye of the Hungry Scar

[Type: Mutation

[Tier: I

[Cells: None

[Sockets: Beast Gaze (Mutated).]

[Description: This eye is meant to grant the power of a hungry beast that always seeks out and finds its prey, and can locate weak spots even in the most dangerous targets. This power was fully unlocked after completing the Monster Nature.]

[Beast Gaze (Mutated)

While the eye is open and active, you see a blue flame on the target. Striking or simply touching the flames will summon the jaws, which immediately attack that spot.

[Mutation Effect: The number of initial flame sources is always greater than the original single source. The jaws no longer disappear after 30 seconds but remain as long as the user has energy or until they are destroyed. Due to these improvements, energy consumption has increased.]

Kreyn nodded slowly.

"I see. So if I just removed this mutation using the first method, I wouldn’t get these bonuses. Yeah, I made the right choice. I like these effects."

But there was something else Kreyn wanted to know about this mutation. However, he had only one idea of how to find out.

"Why was this mutation different from my first one? What set it apart from my arms?"

[It all came down to the monster behind the gene. Its will was strong enough to interfere with you even after its death, but it also opened up new possibilities. Usually, monsters with such a strong will are either quite old, have been through many battles, or are stubborn from birth.]

"Well, I can say the same thing about Groza..." Kreyn smiled bitterly. "After all this time, she still managed to kill the Crystal Crusher, and look where that’s led us!"

Then, he picked up the jar containing the red eye.

Yes, he cut it out of Hargod. He knew it was something unusual and couldn’t bring himself to miss it.

[Eye of the Red Chain of Exhaustion

[An eye capable of granting its owner the power to absorb the power of others.]

It seemed to be a Product, since the description format was the same as that of the Glass Wing.

But then, Kreyn saw something else.

[???]

[???]

[???]

Most of the information was inaccessible to him, both in the description and in the lines below.

This only happened to Kreyn once before, when he picked up the Spider Queen Egg. But his Gene Forge level was too low for that.

"Is it the same thing now? Do I need to upgrade my Gene Forge again, or... is there another way to figure out what’s wrong with this eye?"

Either way, Kreyn knew this was a valuable resource. For any other Hunter, it would be just a trophy, but given his abilities, he was sure he’d find a use for this eye eventually.

"Alright. I don’t want to admit it, but I miss home. I’ll have to ask Garius what he has to offer. Leaving empty-handed after everything we’ve done is not cool at all."

Crack!

Groza’s hand slammed down on the table as she fixed her gaze on Garius in the main office.

"What do you mean you can’t contact Dust Star?!" She was genuinely angry.

"Stop yelling! I’m telling you exactly as it is!" Garius frowned.

"Tsk. Do you think I’m stupid? You destroyed my bracelet with that shot, but Kreyn’s bracelet should be with you! That’s enough!"

Garius glanced at Kalysa before sighing heavily.

"We took it apart for its components and sold them to the merchants a long time ago. Things like that are very rare at the Nodes."

In an instant, Groza’s face turned red with anger.

"You... You’re a complete idiot!"

At that very moment, the door opened as Kreyn joined them.

"I can hear you arguing all the way from the end of the passage. What’s going on here?"

Groza pointed at Garius.

"He sold your bracelet, and now we can’t contact Dust Star at all!"

"Hmm?" Kreyn’s eyes widened. "Can’t you just contact that merchant and buy it back?"

Garius smiled bitterly.

"Huh... If only it were that simple. We took it apart for spare parts, but even if we try to buy it back, there’s no way they’ll go for it."

"Fine, in that case, just contact Dust Star." Kreyn shrugged. "You can contact other Nodes and traveling merchants, right?"

Garius scratched the back of his head, hesitating before answering.

"That’s true, but you’re overestimating our capabilities. Usually, the Nodes don’t have a way to contact the cities. They don’t need to, and they’re not going to cooperate. None of us personally have that option either."

"Tsk." Groza clicked her tongue. "Kreyn and I could have done it, but you idiots sold his bracelet!"

"Stop panicking, you bitch!"

Kalysa stepped forward, not mincing her words.

"What did you say?!" Groza gritted her teeth.

Tap.

Kreyn’s hand fell on her shoulder.

"Calm down, at least for now."

He stared at Garius with a piercing gaze.

"But, Garius, she’s right. This isn’t our home. We want to go back to Dust Star. What are we supposed to do without a way to contact the city? Or are you suggesting we go on our own two feet?"

True, Kreyn and Groza defeated Hargod, but they didn’t have enough supplies or strength to make such a journey.

All it would take is running into a random Renegade Monster, just like what happened with Prima. That would be the end of Kreyn and Groza’s journey.

Garius sighed heavily. He was backed into a corner.

"Look, the best I can offer you is some supplies, money that works between Nodes, and a map with routes. If you find a traveling merchant, he’ll definitely find a way to help you."

"Yeah..." Kreyn hesitated. "You might be a good leader, but you’re definitely not the most pragmatic."

"Hey!" Garius exclaimed. "I didn’t know it would turn out like this! If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still be going out on raids!"

Kreyn touched the back of his neck, looking around. Even in this office, there were quite a few interesting things.

"I get it. Since we have no other choice, we’ll head out to the wasteland. You have to give us the best you’ve got."

"Sure, don’t worry about it." Garius nodded confidently.

"And..." Kreyn glanced at him. "When’s the best time to head out?"

Kalysa decided to answer:

"In the morning. The earlier, the better. Nighttime is the most dangerous time, and the worst thing you can do is leave in the evening when you have a long journey ahead of you."

"Got it."

...

At the same time, somewhere a few kilometers from the stone plateau, a man in a long black coat with coal-black hair was marching.

A faint smile played on his face, and on his back was a blue case.

"Agh."

Arstar sighed heavily, dropping the case to the ground.

"We’ve already come part of the way. Huh... Just a little further to go, my dears."

Click.

He opened the case, and an ice cube came into view.

Inside the cube were two heads belonging to people he knew well.

They were Nario and Leora - only their severed heads.