The journey to Yellowbright was uneventful and quick. Empowered by his high physical stats, Michael moved faster than any of the monsters he ran into, even without using Lightspeed or activating his Dragonheart. In fact, the monsters actively ran away the moment they looked at him, as if fleeing from a predator.

  As he leaped over a chasm, he added the finishing touch to his stats, which he had held back on doing in front of Tairy.

  66 Points into Constitution.

  Once his Constitution reached the exact value of 1,000, Michael felt his body change. His blood didn’t boil like last time, and his muscles didn’t twist and turn, as they had already been affected by his other physical stats’ increase to 500. Instead, a quiet hum of sheer power spread throughout his body like a wave, starting from his Dragonheart until it reached every corner of his being. His Heart beat calmly, but the sensation only became more intense. His skin, organs, and muscles resonated with it, but there was no dramatic sign of this.

  Michael continued to run. After a while, the feeling disappeared, but not completely. He clenched his fist as he looked at it.

  I can tank most hits now.

  In his mind, he tried to compare his current body to the power of the attacks of the Forgotten he had faced. Would they be able to tear through his empowered skin and muscles? He reached a conclusion in just a few seconds.

  It’s unlikely.

  Michael put his hand over his chest. His heartbeat hadn’t changed, but he still felt… greater. The past increases to his Constitution stat had affected his ability to bear the burden of keeping his Dragonheart active. This time, however, something seemed different. He wordlessly activated his Dragonheart. Power immediately flooded his veins, but it didn’t burn as hot as before, even though it was greater than ever. He smiled.

  I’m curious about how strong I am now.

  Still, he would be able to find out soon. Even if he didn’t want to, he would need to fight and struggle anyway.

  Michael continued on his journey and slowed down once he entered Yellowbright’s Territory, then kept going until he was before the Village itself. The orc villagers stared at him as if they were trying to drill a hole through him, baffled. Michael smiled at them and nodded.

  Once he walked inside the Village, the commotion only increased. Now, alongside all the orcs, many humans were also looking at him as if he were a celebrity, elbowing the ones next to them only to speak in hushed tones. Michael smiled bitterly.

  I didn’t think they would recognize me.

  Even if they had heard of what he’d done, it was different from knowing what he looked like. Just when had his appearance become common knowledge? Or did they manage to guess it was him just because of some description that had been passed around? In the end, it didn’t matter. Michael surveyed his surroundings. As more and more people stopped to look at the commotion, the crowd’s size only increased. They weren’t getting too close to him, but it was only a matter of time. At the edge of his vision, a brown-haired young man stepped forward and opened his mouth.

  Alright, that’s enough.

  Before the boy could say anything, Michael slightly crouched. Less than a heartbeat later, he jumped and lightly landed on top of one of the wooden houses in a single move. Gasps of admiration and surprise came from below, but he only walked closer to the middle of the house’s roof and extended his hand. An ethereal, blue mouth took shape above his palm. Even if Allison were far away, his increased stats and greater familiarity with mana made him confident that Whisper’s range could reach her. After a second, a feeling of connection struck him.

  “Michael? Is that you?” the mouth tentatively said. It was Allison’s voice.

  Michael immediately smiled. It was as if the increasingly louder sounds from the crowd around the house had disappeared. None of them mattered.

  “It’s me, Mom,” he replied.

  “Where are you!? Stay there and don’t leave! I’ll go to you!” the mouth said, sounding almost desperate.

  “No, don’t worry. I’m already in Yellowbright. Just tell me where you are. I’ll be the one to go to you.”

  “We’re close to the Village! Behind the two large rocks and one of the stone pillars!”

  Michael looked around. At the same time, he heard a man’s voice come out of the spell. The man was talking to Allison in a tone with hidden excitement and gave her more specific directions. Naturally, Michael could hear all of it, making him furrow his brow. The way Whisper worked was annoying, but he shouldn’t expect too much from a low-tier spell. He looked east.

  A moment after the man stopped talking, the blue mouth spoke again.

  “Five hundred meters east of the Village! We’re on our way back. Come quickly!” it said in Allison’s voice.

  “Of course. See you soon.”

  The Whisper spell disappeared, coming undone. As Michael was about to start moving, voices came from below.

  “Hey! You’re Michael Gray, right? The one who’s Viktor’s ally?”

  “I can lead you to him! My name is Peter!”

  Once the first few people started shouting, so did the others. It took only a short time for their voices to merge into a cacophony. Michael’s ears twitched. His physical stats allowed him to grasp every word that was said, but that didn’t make the noise pleasant to listen to. He walked to the edge of the house’s roof. The shouting only became louder once he came into view. Michael smiled awkwardly at the crowd and waved.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I’m sorry, but I need to go now. Maybe another time.”

  Before anyone could protest, he turned toward Allison’s reported location again. Letting out a breath, he jumped to another house’s roof, and then to another. Each leap didn’t ruin his balance in the least, despite the roofs’ uneven surface. It took him less than thirty seconds to leave the Village grounds. Michael looked up as he leaped over the Village’s outermost house.

  Yellowbright’s Territory is larger now.

  His improved sense of sight allowed him to have a better grasp of how far the yellow Territory extended. Still, that was irrelevant. He lowered his gaze. In the distance, he could clearly see a small group of people walking out of the shadow of a large rock. One of them was the person he was looking for. His heart skipped a beat.

  The moment he touched the ground, he shot forward. Because of his sheer speed, the group froze before reflexively drawing their weapons. He ignored them. The distance between them rapidly closed as Michael ran like a bullet. In less than eight seconds, he got within ten meters of the group. Michael’s feet ground against the ground as he slowed down. He looked at his mother with a shaking gaze, unable to tell if he was excited or nervous.

  Allison’s green eyes met his. Her black hair looked dirty and unkempt, but she still looked beautiful. Her white robe, in particular, was different from the one she wore when he had last seen her. The staff she held was also a different one. For a few seconds, they only stared at each other. Michael let go of his staff almost at the same time Allison did.

  “Michael!” she shouted, lunging toward him with open arms.

  Blinking in surprise, Michael hurriedly hugged her back as she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. His mother was trembling and trying to stifle her sobbing, but he still felt like her embrace was the safest place in the world. Allison lay her head against his chest. He smiled from the bottom of his heart. It felt warm.

  This… is what I fight for.

  The desire to become stronger existed. On Earth, he hadn’t been remarkable in any way. Naturally, he had often dreamed about becoming someone outstanding or even acquiring powers like those in fantasy stories. The Tutorial was a merciless guillotine that had resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of people, but it also represented an opportunity to become more than he was. That was worth fighting for by itself.

  There was also the most basic drive of any living creature, which was the desire to survive. His enemies were literal gods, and a target had been painted on his back from birth. Survival was also something worth fighting tooth and nail for.

  However, at his core, his will to protect those he cared about was even greater than those two.

  It doesn’t matter if you’re a God of War or some legendary beast. It doesn’t matter if I die in the process.

  For the sake of his family and friends, he could face the entire universe. It didn’t matter how many times his bones broke or how many blades cut into his flesh. He only needed to keep going. Even if it meant going back into the Consumed Territory and putting his life on the line.

  Allison took a step back, still holding his robe tightly, dragging him out of his thoughts. She hurriedly looked him up and down and began running her hands over his torso. The concern in her eyes was almost palpable.

  “I’m fine, Mom,” Michael said with a sad smile. “I can heal myself.”

  She snapped to meet his eyes.

  “…That means you got injured,” she replied in a tone that was both reproachful and depressed. “How much?”

  Michael flinched.

  “…A bit. Nothing to worry about.”

  Allison frowned.

  “How much were you injured, Michael? What happened?”

  She looked as if she would start crying again at any moment, so Michael only placed his hand on her head and looked around at the others in her group, who were staring at him with wide eyes.

  “I would be thankful if you could leave me and my mother alone,” he said firmly.

  The others blinked before nodding like woodpeckers. A moment later, they started running toward the Village’s east entrance, throwing glances over their shoulders, their eyes filled with understanding and admiration. Michael only shook his head and looked at Allison. She was staring straight at his face.

  “The Consumed Territory was tougher than I expected,” he started, choosing his words carefully. Allison immediately frowned, but he raised his hand, palm facing forward, stopping her. “But I’m fine. I’m stronger now, so it’s become less dangerous. Everything has passed. All injuries have healed.”

  Allison stared deep into his eyes. For a few seconds, they only looked at each other.

  “…Did your suffering heal, too? Did mine? Will what I’m feeling right now heal, just like those?”

  Michael’s words died in his throat. He stared back at his mother dumbly, uncertain of how to even reply. Allison took a deep breath.

  “Don’t go there anymore. Wait for the Tutorial to end,” she said, sounding both defeated and decisive at the same time. “You have to, Michael.”

  Michael smiled bitterly.

  “I can’t.”

  She frowned.

  “Why?” she asked, her voice holding a new, miserable edge. She sounded like she was half a step away from having her heart torn in two. “Why can’t you tell me? Aren’t we a family? I tell you to stop throwing yourself in harm’s way, but you keep doing it. What am I supposed to do? How do I make you stop?”

  Tears streamed down her face, creating clear trails in the layer of dirt that covered her skin. She grabbed his collar tightly. Michael felt like his heart was breaking in real time. This was too much to bear. He opened his mouth, intent on explaining everything, from the Dragons to the gods and what their current situation was. He stopped himself as he was about to speak. A chill went up his spine, piercing through the sadness he felt at seeing his mother like this like a knife made of ice.

  Can gods read someone’s memories?

  He had no idea what gods could and could not do, but based on his dream with Clyranth, their power likely exceeded his imagination. Shouldn’t they be able to easily read a mortal’s mind or see their memories? What was that compared to shattering spacetime and throwing around stars? His heart sank as he reached a conclusion.

  “…I can’t tell you either, Mom,” Michael finally said, forcing the words out of his mouth. He lowered his head to look at the ground. “Please, trust me. I just need to do this.”

  Allison gritted her teeth as he clenched his fists, tightening her grip on his collar.

  “How many times are we going to need to have this conversation? You’ve told me the same thing again and again. And I don’t even get an explanation? It was one thing to go after Lohann. But,” she stifled a sob. “What you’re doing right now is just suicide! It’s pointless! Why?”

  Michael didn’t reply, and she didn’t continue. There was nothing that he could say that would calm her down, and there was nothing he could tell her that he hadn’t already. She seemed to understand this. For some time, neither of them said anything. The silence was marred only by her sobbing. She slowly inched closer and cradled his face in her hands. Michael didn’t dare raise his gaze.

  “Have you eaten?” Allison finally said after taking a deep breath.

  Michael raised his head to look at her, blinking. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and the trails on her cheeks made it clear just how much she had shed them. Her hands on his cheeks were trembling, but he knew deep down that all she wanted was for him to be safe and rely on her if things got too hard. A moment later, he gave her a sad smile.

  You can’t help me with this, Mom. I’m sorry.

  “No, I haven’t. I don’t need to eat often,” he hesitantly answered, ignoring his inner thoughts.

  Allison sighed, shaking her head. Her expression was one that he couldn’t easily describe. Truthfully, he couldn’t imagine the pain she was going through. But things wouldn’t get better until he became strong enough to face everything that came his way. As such, he said nothing else.

  “Come on. Let’s go to Viktor and get you something to eat. I don’t want to end this talk here, but… I feel like continuing wouldn’t be helpful. Maybe one day, you’ll tell me.”

  Michael tried to resist the pain in his chest as he followed his mother back toward Yellowbright. But even so, she was still the biggest reason why he fought. One day, he would tell her everything.