Chương 32: Family Is a Complicated Thing

"What do you plan to do now?" Felix asked Maximus as they sat awkwardly around the table, the tension lingering in the air.

"I need to prepare everything for the Wildlands. I also have a few ideas I'd like to test. I'm not sure how long that will take," Maximus replied, his tone thoughtful but firm.

"We overheard that the leader of this place wants to clear out the Blood King and his pack before the next monster horde, which is in four days, but that will depend on whether they can figure out its location. Until then, it is not advised to leave this place," Felix explained, lowering his voice slightly.

"Our bloody luck, stuck here with only four days left," Oscar cursed, clicking his tongue in frustration.

"Wait, you only have four days left?" Maximus asked, realizing he had completely forgotten about the time limit and that the two had arrived before him.

"Then we cannot waste time any longer. I will prepare what I can, and we will leave. If you can reach at least level 25, it should be more than helpful going forward," Maximus said, his urgency bleeding into his words.

"Max, calm down. There is no point, look, we have already more than doubled our levels thanks to you. Now I see that the safe way of passing the first trial is a waste of time. If we hadn't listened to Edgar, maybe we could've even reached the City of Beginnings. But it is what it is. We won't make the same mistake on higher planes," Felix said seriously, his expression resolute.

"Aye, the frosty is right enough. Truth is, levelin' slowly 'round that first village was a proper shite way of doing things. I'm not proud of it, me, but that's on us. You don't have to go rushin' your prep just to get us a few levels, innit? If they clock the wolf, we'll go and have it; if not, we'll just bide our time here and get ready for the second trial." Oscar said, this time serious and not cracking jokes like he used to.

"I see. Then let me know if you hear anything about the wolves. I'd like to help as well. If the horde strikes alongside the wolves, it will end up worse than when that Pyromancer attacked the Resting Bench," Maximus said, his gaze sharpening at the thought.

"We will. Well then, we're going to find an empty spot nearby," Felix said as he stood up, pushing his chair back with a faint scrape.

"If you need anything, just let me know, and tell nobody about my location," Maximus replied as the two left. It sure feels awkward now. He shook his head, exhaling slowly. I'll need to investigate this so-called cousin of mine. He could be the one who killed Maximus. Two members of the same family in the same plane, it's far too suspicious, Maximus thought as he made his way toward the bedroom to rest for the day. Silex remained next to the fireplace, silent and unmoving, keeping a steady eye on the front doors.

The morning after, Maximus got up and went to tend to his garden, and he noticed that his Grow skill was taking longer to level up ever since it had hit level 5. It seems that skills of a higher tier require far more effort to rise in levels, he noted as he moved through the rows, harvesting his plants and replanting new ones while Sprout ran through the garden cheerfully, absorbing the natural energies around them. Once he finished with his gardening, Maximus grabbed Sprout and went back into the house.

"Buddy, I have an idea to make you temporarily stronger. I might need your help once those two leave," Maximus said as he summoned the Devourer plant's body onto the table, its massive shape slumping heavily. He had already removed the heart for his elixir, leaving a large gaping hole in its center. He had originally thought of using the body to make some potions, but recently an interesting idea had taken hold of him.

He took out a cluster of Spirit Crystals and carefully shaved them with his blade until one piece fit perfectly into the hollow where the plant's heart used to be. He then stitched the hole with vines he had thinned into strings and used Grow to mend the wounds left from the last battle, well enough to make it usable again. Then he turned to Sprout.

"Try to take control of it. Use the crystal as the power source to bring the plant back to life," Maximus suggested, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. Sprout chirped excitedly as it jumped onto the table, its body morphing into a small humanoid shape before it climbed onto the plant's head, its movements quick and eager. Its feet shifted back into roots, which sank into the plant's large head, merging with its internal system.

For a moment, nothing happened before Sprout suddenly squealed, drawing the attention of Silex and Embi as they approached to see what was going on. As the two drew closer, the plant twitched, and then the crystal in its chest ignited with a deep emerald glow, flooding the corpse with thick, swirling spirit energy that pulsed like a heartbeat, closing the old wounds perfectly on the leafy body.

Once the plant was surging with energy, Sprout raised its hands and pointed toward the center of the room with clear intent. The plant slowly stood upright, its massive form swaying at first before steadying as it began moving with its root-like tentacles. Silex gasped and quickly moved away from it, his instincts screaming as recognition took hold. He knew well the type of plant this was, and many of his comrades had lost their lives to such creatures.

Seeing this, Sprout chirped proudly before releasing its hold and taking a turn, striding back toward Maximus.

"Good job, Sprout! With this, you can help us fight at least a little bit," Maximus clapped proudly, smiling with clear satisfaction as he stored the plant back into his storage. That really worked! This opens up quite a few ideas I can build on. This new life sure is thrilling, he thought, before suddenly noticing a strong stench. He sniffed the air, then himself, and frowned in mild disgust. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Well, I did not bathe in quite some time. This human body sure gets smelly fast," he muttered, shaking his head. Elves and even half-elves in his old world didn't sweat or smell like this. They enjoyed baths and hot springs for leisure, but they didn't need to clean themselves unless they became truly dirty for some unholy reason.

"Silex, come, buddy. Let's go find some water," Maximus called out, snapping Silex out of his confused daze. The Devourer Plant had been dead, then it came back to life, and then it disappeared just as suddenly. Everything about the situation felt utterly suspicious. Maximus chuckled softly at the silly croc as they left the house to take a look around the settlement, the faint excitement of discovery still lingering beneath his calm exterior.

Maximus and his four-meter-long crocodile walked down the main street, with people either gasping or hurriedly running away at the sight of them, some even screaming. After a while, they found a place with a sign saying "Hot Spring" and entered without hesitation. There was nobody there to greet them, like in the first village, and they didn't even have to pay anything to enter, which only made the place feel more abandoned.

They walked through a large hall until they arrived before two massive doors, each guarded by a silent watchman.

"Pay here! Hundred tokens. Male baths are to the right. If your pet attacks anybody, you will be held responsible," the guard said. Maximus nodded, paid, and entered, Silex following behind him in a relaxed manner. Once they passed the entrance, they found themselves in a large open yard with a clear pool nearly fifty by twenty-five meters in size, steam rising in gentle waves.

Only one man was inside, who, at the sight of Silex jumping happily into the hot waters, screamed in terror, scrambled out naked, and ran without looking back. Maximus shook his head with an amused chuckle, calmly undressing and storing his clothes away before stepping in after Silex, with Sprout following close behind. Embi, on the other hand, floated above them, avoiding the water entirely, though the hot steam didn't seem to bother him; in fact, he appeared to enjoy it.

Like that, the odd group cleaned themselves and relaxed in the hot waters that seemed to cleanse their bodies with a gentle infusion of water mana. Luckily, as long as he didn't force it, the mana simply passed through his body, cleansing it without disturbing his seed or the roots within. Oh, I see. The spirit energy is contained within the seed and the roots, so mana can pass through the body without issue. His eyes lit up as a new thought formed.

If I can forge a first circle around the heart, and then create a system where the seed pushes spirit when I use a druid skill and the circle channels mana only when I cast some of my old spells… It could actually work! But first, I need to properly reforge this body; it won't be able to contain both forces as it is now… Then another thought struck him. I forgot about numina. Though that shouldn't cause any complications due to its affinity with both spirit and mana.

He smiled faintly as he floated beside Silex, an idea slowly taking shape in his mind on how to merge everything. Small steps, Aurelius… Maximus… I wonder what's going on back home. Those gods did say that I freed my realm. Are they living freely now? Whatever that even means. Did the system appear there as well? Do all "free" worlds have a system? Why did Mother lock the whole realm like that, and even go so far as to kill me? Countless questions swirled through his mind. My house is probably obliterated as well.

He sighed just as someone entered the pool.

"Good day," the man said casually. Maximus raised his head and noticed a white-haired man with a snake tattoo, and his expression immediately grew serious.

"Cousin. What brings you here?" Maximus asked coldly, doing his best to sound like he recognized him.

"Max, you idiot, did you really lose your memory?" Toby asked with a smirk. Maximus frowned, realizing the act had already fallen apart and there was no way to maintain the façade. Did those two tell him, or… His expression darkened. He was spying on us.

"What do you want?" Maximus asked, his voice turning colder, while Silex began slowly swimming in a wider circle nearby.

"Look at you, you've got a damn dinosaur as a bodyguard. Fucking hell, Max, what happened to you? Boss paid a heavy price to confirm you arrived, and yet you didn't come to the headquarters or even try to reach out," Toby said, clearly fishing for information.

"I was attacked by someone when I arrived. I was gravely injured," Maximus replied, carefully keeping his tone steady.

"Gravely?" Toby laughed, but the laughter faltered.

"What, did all that anime finally rot your brain? You don't know who I am, do you?" he asked, his voice turning sharp. By the ancestors, this young man is clearly planning something. Maximus cleared his throat.

"I may have lost some of my memory, but I still know whom you serve," Maximus replied coldly, gambling on his intuition.

"Ha! Do you think I'm stupid enough to attack you here? Might as well kill myself, too. Max, you idiot, I was supposed to protect you, and look at this mess now. You even picked a Druid class. Boss will have both our heads for this!" Toby said seriously, though suspicion still lingered in his eyes.

"I don't need your protection, cousin. As you can see, I've managed to reach this place without issue. Now, why don't you tell me what you want?" Maximus pressed.

"Well, you're no fun. I liked your old self more. Rush to the third plane, that's the boss's orders. All hunters are moving there as well. And I'd recommend passing through the Wildlands," Toby said as he got out, waving casually before drying himself, putting on his clothes, and leaving. Max, Max, Max… Stupid old Max, you really did lose your memory. This will change my plans a bit, but if I can get rid of him once he enters the Wildlands, then I'll be free of his shadow once we return home. Toby smirked.

He does seem like a completely different person, though. Amnesia really is one hell of a thing, huh? Toby chuckled to himself as he walked away.

Maximus floated in the pool, his expression pale, thoughts spiraling. Boss, hunters, third plane. Damn you, Maximus, you're a Skill Hunter, you waste of air. Trash in human skin. Maximus fumed, spirit energy unconsciously swirling around him, creating ripples and waves across the once-calm pool. No wonder you got yourself killed. Just who in the nine hells knows if it was your own damn family, someone you wronged, or someone you tried to kill… Maximus ground his teeth, frustration boiling beneath the surface.

Really, gods… You put me into the body of a… He paused mid-thought. If this were a reward for my deeds, I doubt they would curse me like this. Am I judging Maximus too harshly? What if he were a good egg born into a rotten family? Curse it all… I'll have to wait and learn more. With that, he exhaled slowly and pushed himself out of the pool, water dripping from his frame. Let's just keep our eyes open for now. That odd fellow is planning something.

The mana around him was dark, unnatural, and he will likely try to get rid of me now that he knows my memory is gone. Whatever the history of this body is, it's mine now, and I won't let it die a second time. He called over Silex and began preparing to leave. I hope I'm overthinking things, but family was never a welcoming place… Even then. Some things never change… Maximus sighed quietly as they stepped out of the hot springs, the warmth fading behind them.