"Hey, it looks like Ryan decided to join our secret group," Gustavo said when the symbol on Bianca's hands finally appeared on Ryan's. "Welcome aboard, Ryan."

"Don't make me regret this later," Ryan said.

"And how we can do that?" Gustavo asked.

Although Ryan was already regretting since that telepathic link was like a phone that was always on, he decided not to mention it. Regardless, Ryan thought he would have some peace after leaving his home country, but he didn't imagine that he was so dead wrong… he ended up on a path where his life wouldn't grant him much mental peace.

"If you don't want to talk with anyone, you can cut off the link for a few hours," Bianca explained. "That being said, it might cause some issues if your timing is off."

"I will be careful," Ryan said. "Anyway, I am leaving."

Ryan was in a hurry because he didn't fight even a single bit in several days. He was afraid that his aim and instincts would grow rusty. He didn't have many chances to fight since all the path toward the Amazonas had been mostly secured by Gustavo and his friends. Moreover, the monster Ryan found along the way got smashed by Furball.

"So, are you going to talk about your parents now?" Femradiel asked.

After sighing, Ryan stopped for a moment to analyze his last actions. In the end, he couldn't find many explanations as to why he agreed to make a contract with Femradiel. Even though he wasn't going to lose or gain anything unless he wishes for it, he could tell that his decision was a strange one. Ryan found two possible explanations: the death of Lucia and her friends was one of them… the other was something that Ryan didn't want to admit, but maybe, just maybe, he didn't honestly want to be left alone. Maybe by talking about his past, Ryan would be able to understand more about himself… all that non-stop fighting kept his head too busy, and Ryan didn't have much time to calm down and think things through.

"Maybe you don't know this, but humans didn't have to fight before the dragons appeared," Ryan started. "The biggest things my father hunted were probably some deer. Still, he taught me everything I know about how to use a bow and how to track animals by following some traces on the ground… he wasn't a legendary hunter, but he was the best in my eyes."

"I can't say that for certain, but I don't believe dragons came from a peaceful land like this planet was before," Femradiel said. "If that weren't the case, we wouldn't feel so out of place and weak here. Anyway, and what about your mother?"

"My mother was just an ordinary housewife," Ryan said. "However, she was the kindest person I had ever seen. As far as I can remember, she always taught me that I should always smile and be kind to others. Until very recently I thought that was the way people should live, I managed to get even someone like Mia as a girlfriend and fiancée, following that philosophy, after all. I still think that she wasn't wrong in raising me like that, but since I followed her words blindly, something annoying happened… probably thanks to the fact that I was too selfless, if I had been a bit more selfish, such a thing could have been avoided."

Ryan wondered why he was talking so openly… it was probably because humans always want to find someone who can listen to their problems and complaints. However, Ryan wouldn't do that to anyone, not with another human… only with someone who would never get involved with Daniel and Mia in any way.

"Thanks to my mother, I lived a decent peaceful life, but thanks to my father, I survived until now," Ryan said. "I will try to find a good middle term for the things I learned from them."

"Is that why you are talking about that with me and why you treat Furball so well?" Femradiel asked.

"I guess so," Ryan said. "I know that Furball won't change, so I don't have to worry about him. As for you, if you mess up… you already know how coldly I treat the people I don't like."

"You talk as if you hadn't been harsh before with me," Femradiel said. "Regardless, thank you for treating me like a real partner… even though the contract is too restrictive."

"Already complaining, huh," Ryan said. "Well, let's see for how long you will deserve the treatment."

Ryan felt a bit lighter since he put a lot of things out of his heart. Since Femradiel was in no way related to his old problems and will never be, that helped a lot. Moreover, now that Ryan puts in words the things that he thinks and wants to do, something inside him changed. His goals were the same as ever, kill as many monsters as possible, get classes, become powerful, and prove that he could survive by using the things he learned from his father. However, now he also knew that he couldn't keep letting the past control his anger and actions so often. The best way to deal with Daniel and Mia was to ignore them. If they don't take a single moment of his life, Ryan will be able to focus on his goals and achieve them faster. Instead of letting his anger to escape constantly, Ryan decided to use it as fuel when he finds his true enemies… that was the best way to make use of that extra power.

"I guess this is the right path for me," Ryan muttered under his breath. "I guess this is a turning point in our journey, buddy. Let's focus on hunting some fuckers to start this with the right foot."

Ryan took a heavy burden out from his back. Although he wasn't the type who would get carried away in those kinds of situations, he felt invincible… even in his wildest dreams, he couldn't have imagined that his journey would only get harsher.