Time flew by. Each day, keeping track of time became harder, and at this rate, I couldn't even guess what day it was. I only had a vague idea thanks to Sus' words. "It's been nearly three months now, Maki." Sus had grown smaller—now resembling a large wolf. Her body had gradually shrunk due to her impending hibernation and energy loss. "You finally did it. Now I can rest peacefully."

"Yes, leave this dungeon to me. Once I finish healing, I'll complete it as soon as I can." She created this dungeon to help people grow, but apparently a criminal group had been using it to train new recruits and hold kidnapped victims. Now that the activity has decreased, this is the perfect time to finish it without drawing attention. Sus never intervened. She waited in silence, hoping someone would clear it. Now that wish rests in my hands—and I'll see it through no matter the cost.

"Don't overdo it. Your healing ability is incredibly powerful thanks to your affinity and our bond, but the issue is still that it's only Rank III. Heal your pillars slowly and stabilize your Imra." I listened to her farewell. A heavy sadness weighed on my heart. Spending all these months with her made me grow deeply attached—like she was my second grandmother.

"Will I see you again soon, Sus?" My words and Imra expressed everything I felt. Melancholy filled me. Even after three months training my Imra with her, it was still hard to control my emotions.

"Of course, Maki. One day, I'll want to know how both of my children are doing." She was fading slowly, a swirl of emotions rising inside me: joy for meeting her, sorrow for not knowing when I'd see her again, and countless other feelings.

"Your two children?" Her words confused me. I kept stroking her fur as her form turned blurry.

"I've already adopted you, boy. You're part of my family now." Her words brought tears to my eyes. I deactivated my Frozen Core to show every piece of myself.

"Thank you. I'll be waiting for you, Grandma." I smiled at her with all my heart, leaning my head against her fur as I hugged her.

"Take care, Maki. Take care of my daughter. She'll watch over you too. I love you both, and if all goes well, we'll see each other again soon." She was nearly ethereal now. I fell to my knees, my hands trembling. My mind told me, "It's just goodbye, not farewell," but my heart couldn't follow.

"I'll miss you, Sus. I'll be waiting." She vanished in a cloud of grey motes rising through the air. Now all I had were the precious memories we'd shared.

"I love you too, Grandma Sus…" I whispered into the silence. No one could hear me anymore. I was alone again in this dungeon. I cried for a while, letting everything out before activating my Frozen Core to steady my thoughts. It was time to plan my next steps.

After upgrading my healing ability to Rank III, it changed significantly. According to Sus, I could now restore lost limbs with ease, but the internal pillars would take much longer. She estimated two to three years of consistent effort to fully heal.

"Now it's up to you. Vital Synthesis (III)." This ability could restore nearly everything—body, stamina, life force, and even internal injuries. Each part required different time. Fortunately, I had the mana reserves of three or four people, so I could accelerate the process.

I created a sphere of life mana, white as snow and dazzling to the eye. I canceled the construction and focused inward, slowly sending mana to my pillars. It felt like filling a vast pool with buckets of water—no leaks, just time.

"Should I test my Domain?" I'd avoided it because of the pain in my Cube. But now that treatment had begun, I should be able to use it briefly and see the difference.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I activated my Domain. It didn't consume mana directly, but activating such a powerful ability still stressed my Cube—and with that came pain.

Magnificent. Enduring the pain, I noticed the massive improvement. Its range had grown exponentially—perhaps up to 50 meters. Everything felt more vivid. I used to feel like a bat, sensing things through mana and air. Now it was as if I had a clearer form of vision. I canceled it quickly—I didn't want to make my condition worse—but I'd confirmed just how much stronger it had become.

"I'll train my Imra and sword skills with some Rank 1 monsters." Training my Imra would also help stabilize my condition, and using the sword alone didn't trigger any abilities. The problem would come if I gained a new ability from it. I'd have to wait until I fully healed before accepting it. Now that I had space from ranking up, I had to be cautious.

Should I test a death affinity ability later? Sus hadn't objected, but she hadn't encouraged it either. She knew the darkness people carried. One day I'd face that evil—and in a crisis, a death ability might be the only answer.

Time flew by. I was nearly fully healed. How many days had passed? Almost three years? I wasn't sure anymore. It's time to return. I'll finish this dungeon once and for all.

Rita's Perspective:

What is Maki doing now? Every day I can't stop thinking about him. We don't even know where he is—and even if we did, our current skills wouldn't let us reach him.

His disappearance hit us hard. It broke our hearts. The moment we heard, we were in shock—it felt like hours, not minutes. The Solar family and Count Timal's family came in person to explain. At first, we wanted to blame them—but we couldn't.

It wasn't their fault. A criminal group had tampered with the coordinates. In the end, the culprit was never caught.

Little Arisa told us about the dungeon—how Maki easily defeated Rank 1 and 2 monsters, and how he stayed behind during the portal incident, guided by a mysterious voice. Apparently, it was Maki's decision to remain.

That child always had a strong sense of responsibility. He'll overcome any obstacle… though I expect he'll have more trouble when he returns—especially with Arisa and Sol. They'll be a handful. "Why did he have to inherit his mother's beauty? And on top of that, he's ridiculously talented…" I sighed, thinking about the boy's future.

Every day I check on Celes to talk and look at the ring on her hand. It tells us Maki's status. It stayed yellow for so long… but just a few days ago, it turned green again. We were overjoyed.

That ring is a blessing and a curse. It shows he's alive—but if he ever dies, we'll know instantly. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

How is that boy doing now? He was always obsessed with training and soaked up knowledge like a sponge. Just remembering his training days brings a smile to my face. That odd adult-like way of speaking—it was strange, but endearing.

"I need to hurry…" Tonight I'm having dinner with my son and his wife. We'll probably end up talking about Maki again. It's a common topic these days. We all look forward to his return.

We never doubted him. We trust he'll overcome everything—and come back full of stories and new strength.

Camux's Perspective:

"This will make their day." I was just in contact with Jarrid. It seems Celes' ring changed to green again—that means Maki has recovered.

These past years, my children have worried constantly about him. Their spirits were low for weeks. They blamed themselves for bringing him to Primaver. I tried to change their perspective—but it's still difficult.

They haven't trained with the same energy. They aren't doing badly, just… not fully focused.

Cris is home for summer break after his first year at the academy. In a year, Sol will go too. They both chose Skyblue City—because of Maki's influence.

"That was a good training session." I approached with my usual cheerful tone. "I've got good news." They both looked at me expectantly. "Celes' ring turned green. Maki's fully recovered. Hopefully he finishes that dungeon soon."

"Are you serious?! Father, are you sure?" Sol jumped up and rushed over, her eyes glowing with hope. I hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. I looked at Cris, who seemed lost in thought as he stared at the sky. His Imra showed happiness mixed with curiosity.

"It's true. I spoke to Jarrid. We think he'll be out of the dungeon soon. Maki was already powerful for his rank. Now that he's likely Emerald rank—and a limit-breaker—a Rank 3 dungeon should be within his reach." My words lifted their spirits. We kept speculating for a while longer.

Arisa's Perspective:

"When will you come back, Maki? It's already been three years…" I couldn't help but stare through the window, feeling melancholic. "Come back soon… I want to see you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.