Chapter 249: Dealing With Problems.

There were still plenty of things Kael needed to deal with.

His family came first.

More specifically, Lyra and their mother.

Kael leaned back slightly on the edge of his bed, his thoughts returning to Lyra. Her hidden status information had been bothering him for a while now, and although the Eye of Judgement had allowed him to see it, seeing something and understanding it were two completely different things.

Even though he knew about Lyra’s ability locked and hidden abilities, he had no clue how to even go about unlocking them, so he’d put it aside.

Now, however, things were different.

Perhaps it was finally time to bring Varek into the matter.

If there was anyone capable of figuring out what was happening to Lyra, it would be him. Varek possessed knowledge far beyond anything Kael had access to, especially when it came to the soul, spirit, cultivation, and powers that existed beyond the ordinary limits of Hunters.

Perhaps he could figure out why Lyra’s power had been sealed in the first place.

Or, even better, perhaps he could discover the correct method to awaken it.

Then there was their mother.

Kael’s expression became more serious.

He refused to continue pretending that her condition was simply ordinary Mana Sickness.

There was definitely something else going on.

He had already tried examining her with the Eye of Judgement, but for some reason, it hadn’t been able to properly see through her condition. Something was interfering with it, preventing him from obtaining the information he needed.

And that alone was enough to convince Kael that there was more to her illness than what the doctors believed.

He couldn’t figure it out himself.

At least, not yet.

But perhaps Varek could.

He might be able to notice something that Kael couldn’t, or perhaps he could identify the source of whatever was preventing the Eye of Judgement from seeing through his mother’s condition.

Still, those matters could wait.

Varek was currently handling the task Kael had given him, and there was no point piling another problem onto him before that was settled.

For now, Kael would focus on the things he could investigate himself. ℯℯ𝑙.

His regression.

The Infinite Reward Multiplier.

The strange circumstances surrounding his second life.

The mysterious existence that had interfered with his awakening as well as all the other questions that had accumulated since his awakening.

There were far too many mysteries surrounding his current situation.

Fortunately, Kael already knew exactly who he needed to ask.

***

Meanwhile...

Elsewhere, the door of a high-end club swung open.

A ridiculously overweight man stumbled out.

His face was flushed from alcohol, his expensive clothes were slightly disheveled, and the smell of liquor practically followed him through the doorway.

It was Morrison.

The former hospital director.

The moment he stepped outside, a man dressed in a black suit immediately approached him and reached out to support his heavy body.

"Mr. Morrison, you really need to stop getting yourself into this condition."

The guard’s voice remained calm.

"The Chairman already ordered you to lay low until everything blows over."

Morrison’s drunken expression immediately darkened.

"You dare?"

The guard didn’t react.

"How dare you tell me what to do?"

Morrison shoved at his arm.

"Just do your damn job and do what you’re paid to do. If you don’t want to end up jobless for sticking your mouth into things you aren’t supposed to, then learn your place."

The threat did absolutely nothing to the guard.

He had already grown accustomed to Morrison’s spoiled tantrums and terrible temperament.

If anything, the man’s behavior had become significantly worse over the past few days.

Ever since Duns had gone public with the Mana Potion, things had collapsed around Morrison.

The revelation of the potion had been followed by an investigation into the hospital director’s corruption, with information about his dealings and misconduct being exposed to the public.

Morrison had been fired.

Now he was under investigation.

And rather than attempting to deal with the situation properly, he had spent the past few days drowning himself in alcohol, partying, surrounding himself with women, and doing practically everything he could to forget the situation.

That alone would have been problematic.

But his father had already warned him to stay out of sight, as there was a lot of public and media attention. And with the revelations surrounding Morrison’s corruption causing such a massive uproar, the Hunter Association had apparently become involved as well.

Multiple investigations were underway.

Getting Morrison out of this situation would already be difficult enough.

Making matters worse by drawing more attention to himself was the last thing he needed.

That was why his father had ordered him to keep a low profile until the storm passed.

Unfortunately, Morrison seemed to have interpreted that instruction as a suggestion.

And he was doing everything except staying low.

"Aww..."

Morrison suddenly stopped.

His drunken face twisted slightly.

"I need to pee."

He tried pushing the guard away.

"Sir, do you want me to take you back inside?"

The guard was already preparing to support him again.

But Morrison let out a drunken chuckle.

"Why?"

He pointed ahead.

"I already have this place all to myself."

The guard followed his finger.

Morrison appeared to be pointing toward the street.

More specifically, toward a dark corner a short distance away.

The guard’s expression remained unchanged.

"I’ll come with you, then."

"What?"

Morrison immediately shook his head.

"No."

"But, sir, it’s not safe."

The guard wasn’t exaggerating.

Morrison had generated a considerable amount of public hatred since the corruption scandal had become public. There were plenty of people who wanted to see him punished, and some of them wouldn’t hesitate to take matters into their own hands.

Allowing him to wander off alone into some dark corner of the street while completely drunk was obviously a terrible idea.

But Morrison didn’t seem concerned in the slightest.

"Well, then do your job."

He shoved the guard’s hand away again.

"You’re paid to protect me, aren’t you? Then protect me. Don’t stand there lecturing me."

Before the guard could say anything else, Morrison waddled away.

His heavy footsteps carried him toward the dark corner he had chosen, completely oblivious to the danger around him.

The guard remained where he was as he stared at Morrison’s retreating back.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he quietly sighed.

This was going to be a long night.