Chapter 211: I Must Save Him

Although it was already nighttime, the moment word spread that the Tribe’s Chieftain was in trouble, the entire settlement was stirred from its sleep.

One by one, the beastmen hurried out of their Wooden Huts, their faces filled with worry as they gathered around Martin’s home.

When Sora finally climbed down from Xavier’s back, she immediately saw the crowd gathered outside.

Lyra stood near the entrance, crying helplessly while Mark stayed beside her, repeatedly trying to comfort her.

Sora’s eyes swept over the scene.

The moment she saw Lyra crying instead of doing anything useful, a headache immediately began forming.

She already knew she couldn’t rely on her.

Still, since Lyra was the only person who had been with Martin when everything happened, Sora had no choice but to ask.

She turned toward Mark.

"What happened? How did Father suddenly become sick?"

Mark remained relatively calm despite the situation.

"I don’t know either. I was sleeping in another room when I heard Mother scream that Father’s forehead was burning hot. I rushed over immediately, but before I could even reach the door, a whirlwind suddenly swept me away."

Mark pointed toward the tightly sealed Wooden Hut.

"Father didn’t even allow Mother to remain inside. Then he locked the door from the inside."

Sora’s brows knitted together.

A whirlwind?

That was clearly Martin’s ability.

It seemed that even though he was sick, his supernatural abilities were still functioning.

Sora turned toward Lyra.

If Lyra weren’t the only person who had witnessed Martin’s condition firsthand, Sora wouldn’t have bothered asking her anything even if someone forced her.

She hated people whose first reaction to a crisis was crying.

Could crying solve anything?

Back during the Apocalypse, hesitation of even a few seconds could mean being surrounded by zombies.

While others cried, zombies would already be tearing their flesh apart.

So Sora had developed a habit of dealing with problems first and worrying afterward.

Mark was still trying to console Lyra.

"Mother, don’t worry. Father will be fine. He—"

"Stop crying!"

Sora’s sudden roar made everyone around them freeze.

Lyra’s sobbing immediately stopped.

Sora stared at her sternly.

"Tell me what happened. Does Father have a fever?"

Lyra’s eyes widened.

She hiccupped once and stared blankly at Sora.

For a moment, she looked as though she had forgotten how to cry.

Mark immediately glared at Sora.

"Kaelira, what are you doing? Is this how you speak to Mother? Father is sick inside, and you’re still treating her like—"

"Shut up."

Sora didn’t even turn toward him.

"If you can’t do anything useful, then talk less."

Her voice was cold and direct.

"Father is lying inside that room, and Mother is the only person who knows exactly what happened before he became sick. If I don’t ask her, who am I supposed to ask?"

Mark opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

He couldn’t refute that.

Sora turned back toward Lyra.

"Are you mute? Speak. What exactly was Father’s condition?"

Lyra finally seemed to recover from her shock.

She wiped her tears and stammered, "A... A few moments before, his forehead suddenly became burning hot. His breathing became very fast, and he kept gasping for breath."

Sora’s expression became serious.

"Did his face turn black?"

Lyra shook her head quickly.

"No. It was red."

"How red?"

"Very... very red."

Sora frowned.

"How red is ’very red’?"

Lyra struggled to explain.

She glanced around before finally saying, "Like a Red Frost Fruit."

Sora’s expression changed.

A ripe Red Frost Fruit wasn’t merely slightly red. Its entire surface was bright and deep crimson, resembling a perfectly ripe apple.

If Martin’s face had become that red, then his condition was certainly not good.

Sora’s mind began working rapidly.

"Now tell me everything. Where did Father go today? What did he do? Why did he suddenly become sick tonight?"

With Sora taking control of the questioning, Lyra’s thoughts gradually became clearer.

"He didn’t do much this morning. He walked around the Tribe for a while. At noon, he stayed inside the Wooden Hut."

She paused.

"In the evening, he left the Tribe. He said he had to personally inspect those ashes."

Sora’s eyes narrowed.

"The ashes of Dan and Alex?"

Lyra nodded.

"Yes."

"Did he touch the ashes?"

"I don’t know."

"Did he bring any of them back?"

"I... I don’t know."

Sora fell silent.

She already had a general idea of what had happened.

Martin was a deeply emotional man.

Although he had agreed with her decision to burn Dan and Alex after they were infected, he had probably never truly felt at peace with it.

Those had been members of his Tribe.

He had watched them grow.

He had known them for years.

Perhaps the guilt had been eating away at him.

That was probably why he had gone there personally.

Sora thought for a moment before turning to Xavier.

"Go check whether there are any ashes near the Holy Fire."

Xavier immediately nodded.

His figure disappeared.

A short while later, he returned.

"There aren’t any."

Sora’s eyes narrowed.

So Martin hadn’t brought anything back.

At least he hadn’t completely lost his reason.

She took a breath and walked toward the Wooden Hut.

The moment Xavier saw her approaching the entrance, he grabbed her hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I’m going inside."

"No."

His answer was immediate.

"If the Chieftain really has the plague toxin, it’s too dangerous for you."

Xavier’s grip tightened around her wrist.

"I won’t allow you to go in."

Sora looked at him.

"I’ll be fine."

"Fine?"

Xavier’s eyes sharpened.

"You’re carrying a little cub."

He turned toward Mark.

"Your Father is sick. Why are you standing outside doing nothing instead of finding the Witch Doctor?"

Mark’s expression became embarrassed.

Xavier’s voice became colder.

"Are you really going to let a Female carrying a little cub enter a potentially infected room?"

Mark lowered his head.

Before he could answer, Nick Wilde spoke from nearby.

"Don’t blame Mark."

Everyone looked at him.

Nick Wilde continued, "It’s probably impossible to get the Witch Doctor right now."

His expression was solemn.

"My Father and the others couldn’t even wait for the Witch Doctor."

He paused.

"When I was returning from the City-State, I saw many people searching for the Witch Doctor because they were sick. The Witch Doctor is probably overwhelmed."

Sora nodded.

"I thought so."

If the Witch Doctor was already overwhelmed by the sudden spread of the plague toxin, waiting for him could mean waiting until it was too late.

She looked at the closed door.

"I have to check Father myself."

Xavier still refused to release her hand.

"But you’re not a Witch Doctor."

Sora smiled faintly.

"I don’t need to be one."

She lifted her hand.

"You’ve forgotten that I have both Wood Element Ability and Water Elemental Ability."

Her eyes became serious.

"With those abilities, I can at least examine Father’s condition and temporarily suppress the toxin."

Xavier’s expression remained tense.

Sora continued, "Besides, Mother said Father’s face only became red. It hasn’t turned black."

That distinction was important.

The infected beastmen they had seen before had developed much more frightening symptoms when the toxin progressed.

Martin’s condition was serious.

But it wasn’t yet beyond saving.

"I won’t let anything happen to him."

Xavier stared at her.

"But you’re carrying a little cub."

His voice softened.

That was his greatest concern.

Sora’s own confidence wasn’t particularly high either.

Her Wood Element Ability had only recently reached level two.

Its healing ability was useful, but still limited.

Her Water Elemental Ability could help with purification, but she didn’t know whether it would be enough against a toxin powerful enough to wipe out an entire Tribe.

Yet she couldn’t simply stand outside and watch Martin suffer.

She was the only person here who might be able to save him.

At that moment, Lukan stepped forward.

"Then don’t enter."

Everyone looked at him.

Lukan calmly said, "Can’t you extend your Wood Ability vines through the Wooden Hut?"

Sora’s eyes lit up.

Xavier immediately glared at him.

"What kind of terrible idea is that?"

Lukan didn’t back down.

"Do you have a better one?"

His voice remained calm.

"The person lying inside is her Father."

Xavier fell silent.

He knew Lukan was right.

Sora looked toward the Wooden Hut.

She could use her vines to enter without physically stepping inside.

Then she could use her Water Ability to purify herself afterward.

That would significantly reduce the danger.

Sora nodded.

"I’ll do that."

The others didn’t stop her.

Lucas, Ace, Damien, and Ryan remained nearby, their expressions serious.

None of them wanted Sora to take the risk.

But they also knew there was no better option.

If necessary, they would search the Forest for an antidote afterward.

There was even a rumor that Fire Lotus Fruits could cure every kind of toxin.

If Sora became infected, they would find one.

No matter what it took.

Sora stepped closer to the Wooden Hut.

She closed her eyes.

Then she concentrated.

A faint green glow appeared in her palm.

A tiny plant emerged.

Its stem rapidly lengthened.

Thin green vines stretched outward like living fingers.

They slipped through the cracks around the Wooden Hut’s door and slowly crawled inside.

Because the vines were connected to Sora’s senses, everything they touched was transmitted directly to her.

The moment the vines reached Martin, Sora’s expression changed.

Hot.

Far too hot.

His forehead felt as though it could boil an egg.

His breathing was rapid and uneven.

His heart and lungs were functioning, but their rhythm was abnormal.

Sora immediately focused.

"Father..."

She murmured softly.

The vines wrapped carefully around Martin without harming him.

Sora activated her Wood Element Ability.

A gentle energy spread through the vines.

She focused on lowering his body temperature.

At the same time, she activated the purification function of her Water Elemental Ability.

Moisture gathered around the vines.

The heat gradually dissipated.

Minutes passed.

Then Martin’s temperature finally began to fall.

His breathing slowed.

The violent gasping gradually disappeared.

Sora released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

At least temporarily, his condition had stabilized.

But she knew this wasn’t a cure.

It was only a temporary measure.

The plague toxin was still inside his body.

She slowly withdrew the vines.

The green branches disappeared back into her palm.

Everyone immediately gathered around her.

Lyra’s eyes were filled with fear.

She stared at Sora as though Sora were holding her last hope.

"Kaelira..."

Her voice trembled.

"Do you think your Father will..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Sora looked directly at her.

"No."

Her answer was firm.

"Father will be fine."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

Since transmigrating into this world, Martin had not always treated her kindly.

There had been misunderstandings between them.

But he had never deprived her of food or shelter.

As time passed, their relationship had gradually changed.

He had accepted her.

Protected her.

And eventually, he had come to treat her as his daughter.

Sora wasn’t going to watch him die.

Not like this.

She clenched her fists.

There had to be a way.

And now, she had another plan.

If the plague toxin was spreading throughout the Beast World, merely treating symptoms one person at a time would never be enough.

She needed to understand the toxin.

Where it came from.

How it spread.

And most importantly—

How to destroy it.

Sora looked toward the dark forest beyond the Tribe.

Her eyes became cold and determined.

She would save Martin.

And she would find the antidote.