Martel led his party back to the inn and got the appropriate accommodations. After, he stepped outside and teleported a short distance away. Out of sight, he withdrew his stealth ship, an android, and spare SRIN and sent them off to the north where Rio's last known location was. He wouldn't be much more efficient in finding her personally and instantly appear when she was found.

Once Martel reentered the inn, he brought his focus to Laelynn and Kogane. He glanced at their Stats, specifically Talents, and couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Laelynn

...

Talent

Blessed of Nature LVL 0.00

The user's affinity with nature is incredibly high.

Nature, Earth, and Water Affinity and Resistance +50%

Can fuse with vegetation (that meets the required size) for hiding and movement.

Using magic to grow and control plants has no adverse effects.

Ultimate Sacrifice LVL 4.34

The user lives due to a willing sacrifice of a mother's love when they would have otherwise died as ordained by a curse. The mother's last wish for their child has a high chance of being fulfilled.

Curse Resistance +90%(50%+10%*LVL), VIT +9%(5%+1%*LVL), LUK +20%(5%*LVL)

Fate: Broken

Kogane

...

Talent

Beast Shape LVL 0.00

A common Talent that can occur when one is born between a strong human and beast. Instead of starting out in the shape of the beast, the reverse is true. The user is born human form and can turn into their beast from a young age. Practice and control are needed. The user can fully utilize their beast bloodline as if they were pure, without human blood.

Elemental Tail LVL 0.73

The tail of the user is imbued with an element increasing their Affinity and Resistance with that element. In the case of the user having multiple tails, a different element will be imbued.

Imbued Elements Affinity and Resistance +50%

Tail Count: 4 (Unknown, Fire, Lightning, Wind)

Fate: Broken

Martel couldn’t help but be shocked that both of them had two Talents. He mostly wondered why Laelynn’s talent ‘Ultimate Sacrifice’ existed as a Talent due to action and not a goddess’s blessing. He asked Shield Goddess as to why this was the case and found out some interesting information. The goddesses were not omniscient nor omnipresent, but they could still peer into the world. Occasionally they would give a bit of their blessing to those who had done great deeds or had gone through tragic situations.

In Laelynn’s case, Dagger Goddess took note because of a curse placed on her and took pity on Laelynn when she saw her mother sacrificed herself for her. Dagger Goddess gave Laelynn a small amount of blessing, not enough to become a Talent for sure, but enough to act as a catalyst.

Regardless, he had found two excellent magi for the party. Laelynn would make a great crowd controlling mage. Both nature and earth magic could control enemies either by forcing them in certain areas or binding them. For example, Laelynn could change the Earth’s shape and funnel enemies towards Hestia, who would then act as an offensive wall. Laelynn could further slow down or control the enemies from overwhelming Hestia through nature magic by creating vines to grab onto the enemies.

Kogane would make for a great offense of major she would be very potent and all sorts of magic. Fire and lightning were primarily known for being able to cause great devastation. Martel couldn’t believe his good fortune as his act of charity earned two wonderful party members. In Laelynn’s case, even if he couldn’t fix her body completely, the body was not involved in magic besides one’s voice. At the very least, she could ride upon Terra for mobility. Martel’s thought process was cut short as Kogane’s eyelids fluttered open.

After Kogane woke up, her eyes darted around the room for a moment taking in all the strange faces before she fixed on Martel. An expression of relief came over her. “Papa.” She whispered hoarsely.

Martel nearly choked up as he held her outstretched hand. “You’re all right now, Kogane. How do you feel?”

“Better,” Kogane replied with a smile.

Martel motion for Cali to come over. “Kogane, this is Cali. You haven’t moved for a while, so Cali is going to give you a massage to help relax your muscles, okay?”

Kogane nodded. “Hi, Cali. You’re so pretty.”

Even the ordinarily expressionless Cali had traces of a smile when she heard Kogane’s flattery. “From now on, call me Big Sister.”

“Okay, Big Sister.”

Martel was pleased when he noticed this exchange. Cali had always wanted to be the ‘big sister’ of someone after she and Miyuki had gotten close. Unfortunately for her, the only other young family member was Shiro, who refused.

Kogane was feeling better as she had accepted Cali’s proposal. Martel also noticed that there was another motive behind her acceptance. Part of the reason she was so compliant was that she would immediately get Cali on her side. It seemed Kogane was a bit clever, mischievous, and a bit manipulative, but still good-hearted.

Then, Martel turned his attention to Laelynn and frowned as he had not found her curse. He knew she was cursed as he had been afflicted, but it didn’t reveal her Status. He asked Shield Goddess and couldn’t help but slightly swear inwardly. It turns out that the reason why Dagger Goddess had noticed what happened was that a personal item of hers was used as a medium for the curse. The curse’s unique nature meant that a small ball of curse energy was hidden within Laelynn’s body. The benefit was it was tough to find and impossible to dispel generically, but easy to dispel once located. Unfortunately, it seemed Martel’s skills were not good enough to locate the source of the curse. However, he didn’t give up.

With a thought, the Crown of Origin and Drone appeared, and Martel began to scan Laelynn. After buffing it up with as much mana as possible, he finally managed to locate its location. His eyebrow twitched when he found that the ‘easy to dispel curse’ would require a Level V Remove Curse with his current Stats, which he could luckily perform. He cast the spell focused on the source of the curse and managed to dispel it.

“Master, my body feels so light,” Laelynn said happily.

“I just removed a curse you had, which is why you feel better,” Martel replied.

“Thank you, master,” Laelynn sweetly said before a confused expression appeared on her face. “Master, what curse?”

“Someone cast a unique curse on you, which would cause those around you to experience an emotion similar and opposite to how they felt towards you. For example, someone who hated you could be friends with you and vice versa.”

“That sounds terrible. Even my father... My father...” She muttered as she started to tear up. “My father always treated me indifferently, and I thought he might have even feared me a little. Does that mean?” She hesitantly asked Martel, her eyes pleading for the words she wanted to hear in her life so badly.

Martel knelt in front of Laelynn and gently held her soft hand. “Laelynn, the curse affects a person by making the experience a similar opposite emotion. This means that there are some variables involved, so I can’t say for certain. However, many would say that indifference or fear could be considered the opposite of love.”

When she heard Martel’s words, Laelynn could no longer hold back her tears, and she cried as her head collapsed into Martel’s chest. Martel remained silent as he allowed her to let out her feelings.

Eventually, Laelynn managed to calm herself. “My father, I want to see my father, but now I look like... this?” She asked with a depressed sob.

Martel smiled. “Relax. Just so you’re aware, your father is still cursed. Unless that curse is dispelled, he will still treat you the way he always has. However, if he truly does love you, your appearance won’t matter. Besides, I’m going to do everything in my power to give you a complete body again. So don’t worry, okay?”

Laelynn smiled. “Thank you, Master.”

“Since you call me master, it’s the least I should do.”

Laelynn shook her head down to hide the blush that could feel had appeared. “I found a good master.” She said softly.

Martel took out the Wand of the Fae and cast the highest level Restoration Spell that he could. Like the Remove Curse Spell, the Restoration Spell had a power threshold depending upon the wound required to heal. If this threshold were not met, the spell would be far less effective. Laelynn’s body flashed, but Martel didn’t see a difference with her at first glance.

Laelynn suddenly reached up to her ear. “My ear, it’s fixed! I can hear out of it again.” She said happily.

Martel glanced and noted that the spell had healed her inner ear and damaged eardrums. Martel cast the spell again, but nothing of note changed. This was not too surprising due to his level. Martel couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed as his current MAG Stat and most of his affinities, which were usually between 80% and 120% for humans, were around 200%. His magic casting ability was already above average for humans because of this. Luckily, because Ki did not add anything to stats, he would be able to gain XP at a swift pace and level quickly, but he didn’t want to postpone healing Laelynn. It seemed as though a trip to Lily’s Potion Shop would be needed next.

After ensuring that the girls were settled in, Martel decided to head out and obtain a wagon for future travel. He exited the inn and went to the stable where Terra was housed. There, he found an extremely nervous group of horses and a terrified stable boy. Terra was doing nothing wrong, but her mere presence was far too intimidating for them. Martel casually got on Terra and exited the stable. He then went to check his Smart Map to locate an appropriate carriage shop. His SRIN focused in the city, and he spammed magic through them whenever his mana capped. The amount of detail was staggering. He was quite surprised when he even found basic reviews and ratings based on word-of-mouth available and all the products listed in an appearance similar to a website.

At the carriage shop, Martel managed to find a carriage that met his needs. It was a relatively large transportation carriage that was built relatively sturdy. Martel intended to make further modifications to it, but that could wait until a later date. It would serve as efficient transportation to get to Lily’s potions shop. He hitched Terra, whose protests fell on deaf ears, to it, and made his way back to the inn. Once he arrived, he ushered all the girls onto the carriage and made his way out of the city.

A form of identification was needed to keep a check on criminals. Typically, the Adventurers Guild Card was utilized for that purpose. Martel and Cali both had to show their cards, but the others did not as they were registered as Martel slaves. He merely had to confirm ownership before exiting the city.

On the way, Laelynn suddenly burst out in tears for no apparent reason. She insisted she was all right, but Martel believed she had seen her talent’ Ultimate Sacrifice’ which revealed the cause of her mother’s death. Martel couldn’t help but sigh as he glanced at Laelynn. He had no way to hide it, nor did he feel she should live in the dark.

Martel traveled for a couple of hours until he reached an older building at the side of the road with a sign outside labeled ‘Lily’s Potion Shop.’ Martel parked the carriage into the area that was isolated for customers, currently empty. Martel wasn’t too surprised as the shop was not known for having a regular business. Unlike a regular Potion Shop, these potions were specialized and far more expensive due to that.

Everyone had gotten off the carriage, although half were not moving under their power. Cali had a small backpack which carried the egg, Hestia carried the still weakened Kogane, and Martel carried Laelynn. Because of this, both Martel and Laelynn were behind the others who entered the shop.

Once they entered the shop, the three girls noticed the ever slight snoring coming from behind the counter. They looked over and saw a woman who appeared to be in her early 20s reclined back on the surprisingly modern-looking couch. Not much could be seen of her facial features because she was currently resting with a book on her face, but she had brunette hair and a beautiful body.

The young woman woke up with a start to the door chime’s sound upon the door closing. “Hello, welcome to Lily’s Potion Shop, I’m Lily. How may I help you?” She asked, just as the door opened again.

The first thing Martel noticed when he walked in was the slightly hostile gaze that Lily gave him. It was extremely fleeting, and Martel felt as if he might’ve imagined it. However, it was different from the expression she immediately went back to that he couldn’t help but notice. There was a rumor that this generation Lily was a man-hater, something that would account for her sudden aggression. Martel gave a signal to Hestia, who was intelligent enough to understand what he meant.

“We’re looking to buy some potions to help these two young ladies.” She said to Lily.

“Well, let me take a look at them,” Lily said as she approached Kogane. “How long has she gone without food?”

“A few days.”

“A few days!?! Are you kidding me!? If she wasn’t malnourished before, and I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was currently in her first heat and neglected!”

“She has her reasons,” Martel replied when he noticed Kogane’s flustered appearance. Martel knew she only had three tales before she passed out from the brief interaction with her memories. Her experiences most likely triggered her fourth tail’s growth, or it was merely a timely coincidence. Either way, she was trying to hide that she was a nine-tailed fox, so exposing her multiple tails was out of the question.

“I was hoping that you would have something that could help restore her muscle loss.”

Lily gave Martel a slight glare. “I do.” She said as she turned to look at Laelynn. “Poor girl. Those are a few months old. If they were recent and you had the missing body parts, it would be simpler. Now it is extremely troublesome.”

“No matter how much, I’ll pay,” Martel replied.

Lily sneered at Martel. “You’ll pay? What you need money can’t buy. One of the main ingredients is unicorn horn, something I can’t get on demand. Do you think money can buy it?”

“What are your demands?”

“Demands?” Lily asked with a sarcastic laugh. “Do you think there is anything you can give me? I’m starting to consider kicking you out of my shop.”

“Wait!” Kogane shouted. “We need your help. I need to get stronger so I can save my mama.”

Lily finished for a moment before she looked at Kogane. “Save your mama?” She asked back; her temperament changed from aggressive to more neutral.

“My mama fought a bad man from the wave.”

After hearing Kogane’s words, Lily became somewhat absent-minded for a few moments before she reached into the space bag at her side and withdrew a potion which she handed to Kogane. “Once you take this, you’ll feel a burning and itching within your body for around three hours. After which, you should be restored to your original condition.”

“Thank you,” Kogane said sweetly.

Lily extended her palm towards Martel. “That will be 5000 gold.”

Martel didn’t reply but withdrew a bag of gold and handed it to her.

“You are willing to spend so much for a slave?”

“Money is nothing but a material thing meant to be used. Their well-being is priceless. Besides, to me, none of them are slaves; They are my companions.”

Lily rolled her eyes at Martel’s remark, but her hostility towards him diminished… Slightly. She gave him a good look over only to pause materially when her vision fixed on his ring. She looked back up at Laelynn before she clicked her tongue. “I have a few spare potions that can heal her. However, you need to do something for me.”

“So long as it is within my ability and does not go against my conscience, consider it done.”

“… In Fallen Hero Forest, there is a plant called Kingsweed. I require some. These young ladies can stay with me, and I’ll even give her the potion ahead of time while you collect it.”

Martel was stunned as the task she gave was beyond easy. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but isn’t this too simple for such a wonderful potion?”

“I wish it were simple.” Lily retorted with rolled eyes. “There aren’t many natural threats in fallen hero forest, but obtaining anything from it is difficult. As a long-standing notion that the forest is cursed to not many adventures are willing to go into it. Not that I blame them as I am also trying to avoid it if possible. However, this also means that many bandits are hiding within it. So long as this does not bother you, you should have no problem obtaining it.”

“Anything I need to know specifically about retrieving it?”

“At least you’re not an idiot,” Lily replied as she withdrew a book. “This will give you all the information you need to know.”

“You have a deal then. Hestia, watch over these two. Cali, you’re with me.” He said as he quickly turned to leave.

“Decisive isn’t he,” Lily mumbled to herself before he turned to the three remaining girls. “I have a large bedroom in the back where you can take the potions. The elf Ms. will take a little while to heal and will be very painful.”

“I can handle pain,” Laelynn replied with an upbeat attitude.

Martel and Cali exited the shop and unhitched Terra from the carriage. Cali attached the backpack, which held the secured egg to Terra, and Martel helped her up before getting behind her. Together, the two of them shot towards the forest. Unrestricted from the carriage, Terra made it to Fallen Hero Forest in less than half an hour as she could run faster than any horse.

The forest quickly became relatively thick, and Martel and Cali dismounted. Terra could proceed, but it would be easier without them on her back. Additionally, it also helped them stay alert to their surroundings. Besides bandits, they also had to worry about the local animal life.

“What’s that?” Cali asked.

Martel looked over and smiled. “That’s a slime. They are quite plentiful in this forest, although the exact reason is not known. The core is a rounded mana crystal which can be used as fuel for various things, including blacksmithing, making medicine, or simple spellcasting.”

“Slimy?”

“Not particularly. Their body acts more gelatinous. Go ahead and kill it... Although they technically don’t belong in the category of a living creature.”

Cali walked over the slime, who seemed utterly oblivious to her presence. With one swift stroke, she sliced the slime with her sword. A gash was visible for a second, but quickly reconnected, and the slime continued unfazed.

Martel smiled as Cali’s expression turned to a noticeable frown. “The mana crystal is the core of the slime. To kill a slime, you must either destroy or remove the core.”

Cali wordlessly attacked the slime again closer to the core. She immediately slashed her Ki clad sword towards the core, carving it from the slime’s now dissolving body.

“Once the mana crystal is removed, then the body becomes somewhat slimy.”

“Good thing I used Ki then,” Cali replied, slightly perturbed by it.

Martel smiled and silently appreciated how well Cali had come to utilize her Ki. When she was able to create a human body, Cali naturally obtained a Ki core and Ki. She could keep her Ki core even in her nonhuman form, but her Ki would not replenish and eventually run out.

Cali handed Martel the mana crystal, who promptly examined it. General Mana crystals appeared as a stereotypical crystal, while slime Mana crystals were round. However, that was where the differences ended.

Martel put away the mana crystal before they continued into the woods. Martel began to gather different herbs they found as he intended to try his hand as an apothecary. When it came to combat, fighting skills, equipment, and potions were all very vital. Martel already had extensive fighting experience, the ability to teach others, and an accomplished blacksmith. Making potions was the only thing he lacked.

The two of them, followed by Terra, nimbly made their way through the forest. Along the way, Cali continued to kill slimes while Martel continued to gather herbs. Given the forest’s size, the bandits, who obtained coins from farming slimes, couldn’t curb the population. For Cali, killing slimes soon became quite dull to the point where she took a double-take when a slime had dodged her strike. Cali froze for a moment before she attacked again, only for the slime to dodge. A rare trace of anger appeared on Cali’s face, and she proceeded to chase the slime around. Martel looked at the scene with a smile. Cali was naturally not going all-out. She thought using her full strength against the slime was embarrassing, so she was unwilling to do it. However, Martel’s attention was intently on the slime.

Unlike the other slime who rolled around, ignorant of everything around them, this slime moved far more nimbly and rarely kept a perfectly round shape. Martel also noticed that its mana core was different from the other slimes. It was mostly round and larger than regular slimes.

Suddenly, the slime seemed to notice Martel’s presence and rushed over to him. Martel didn’t move as he could care less about a slime, but he was quite surprised when the slime put himself between it and Cali. He was even more surprised when he felt relief coming from it. Up until now, he had not sensed anything remotely like an emotion any of the other slimes. The fact that he could sense emotion meant that this slime seemingly had a soul. Perhaps the slime was older or had absorbed more energy than the others, but a small soul had been born. As to why it thought Martel would protect it, he was utterly clueless.

“Cali, that’s enough. This little fellow is amusing, and I’ve decided to try and tame it.”

Cali visibly sulked and turned around and continued to search the area in silent protest.

Martel smiled and took one of the slaver papers that he had purchased from the slave trader. Even though this slime had a soul, it seemed completely infantile and did not attempt to break away. It even seemed to welcome it. A couple of seconds later, Martel’s crest appeared on the slimes core. Martel picked up the slime, which promptly traveled up his arm and settled itself around his neck, like a cat. The slime’s feeling against his skin was quite fresh, and he could tell that it cleaned up any sweat or grime in the path. Such usage was theorized for slimes after some research. However, a usual slimes’ obliviousness made this impractical, and most women would not willingly let slimes touch their bodies.

Martel pondered for a moment. “Since you’re coming with us, I’ll give you a name. From now on, your name is Midori.”

Midori reacted in a way that seemed to acknowledge it, which was a surprise to Martel. It seemed as though it could understand simple communication. With their new companion, they continued into the forest. After looking for nearly an hour, Martel finally found the Kingsweed. Martel was relatively lucky as it was relatively rare. Happy with his acquisition, Martel was about to look for more, and he suddenly stopped.

Ever since he entered the forest, he had sent out some SRIN to scout, which was also part of why he had found the Kingsweed so fast. Unfortunately, the small number of SRIN at his disposal meant that he could not search too far. The reason why Martel had stopped because his SRIN had found a lone bandit. Finding a lone bandit was somewhat rare as the wolves in the forest were a potential threat. Many bandits took the risk to ensure that their superiors would not claim their loot.

Through the SRIN, Martel glanced at the man’s information and could not help but feel disgusted when he saw his crimes. Martel could kill the man as he felt that obtaining a large amount of good karma would be helpful given his high LUK Stat, but he had another purpose in mind. He took a couple of deep breaths to ensure that he wanted to go through this. He instructed Terra to stay put before he and Cali stealthily made their way towards the bandit.

It was the first time Martel had used the shadow form he had obtained Kuromi in the field. He took to it quite quickly, almost like a fish-in-water. Cali, who could follow Martel due to her unique abilities as a spirit, and Martel willingly allowing her to notice his position, followed quickly and quietly. Her body ebbed and flowed as dust drifting with the wind, melding with the darkness. Soon, the two of them appeared a short distance from the bandit.

“Bandit?” Cali asked in a whisper.

“It is,” Martel said before he looked her deeply in the eyes. “Cali, go kill him.”

Momentarily taken aback, Cali nodded. “Sneakily or direct?”

“Anyway you want, just don’t take him lightly.”

Cali nodded and stared at the man for several seconds. Martel could sense her apprehension and couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Martel was only a person, and he knew full well that his strength would always be insufficient to ensure the safety of the people he cared about. Additionally, his wives had no desire to be glass vases put on display. They unanimously expressed that they wanted to become stronger to share each other’s burdens and protect one another. Unfortunately, this path was a path covered in blood. Amongst the Cross family, only Martel, Kuromi, and Miyuki had ever killed a person. However, all of them had some level of fighting and battle experience.

Killing another person seemed simple in principle, but the resolve and dealing with the aftermath could decide their life-and-death depending on the situation. Doing so in a controlled manner was the safest means to introduce them to it, but that did not make it any easier.

In the end, Cali decided to adopt a direct approach. While she could quickly kill him via stealth, she decided to be direct because she understood Martel’s intentions. The weight of what she was about to do would sink in more fully this way.

The bandit quickly turned and placed his hand to his sword when he heard Cali’s approach. He seemed extremely tense, but lowered his guard, or at least appeared to when he saw Cali’s appearance. “Little girl, what are you doing out here? It isn’t safe.” He genially asked as he looked around to see she had companions. Cali appeared young, and he did not think she would be too strong. Little girls, especially young and attractive ones like Cali, would sell well in certain black markets. The bandit’s eyes flashed with greed, but a life of crime left him wary as he continued to survey the surroundings as he did not believe she would be alone.

“I’m here to kill you,” Cali emotionlessly replied as she drew her two swords.

The bandit flinched before he turned to glare at Cali, his previously friendly expression disappeared entirely. “You little brat!” He snarled. “I’d like to see you try!” He said as he drew his sword and attacked Cali.

After two blows, Martel cannot help but shake his head as he watched nearby. Cali had immediately gained the upper hand, and she wasn’t using anywhere near her full strength. Because the leveling system made many people emphasize gain XP, many would focus on that instead of actual skills. The Expertise System made this worse as merely swinging a sword enough times had the potential to increase one’s swordsmanship. This meant few gave much thought into improving themselves other than the constant grind. The bandit was one such person as his swordsmanship was shoddy at best.

After three more blows, Cali managed to slice the wrist of the man’s sword hand, causing the sword to tumble out of his hand. In a panic from the pain, the bandit lost his footing and fell to the ground. He looked up at Cali with sheer terror on his face. “Little girl, we have no enmity. Why do you want to kill me? I have an old mother, a wife, and a daughter at home. They rely on me to put food on the table; please spare me!”

Cali was about to deal a finishing blow, but couldn’t help but pause at the bandit’s words. The bandit saw her brief moment hesitation and decisively through a hidden knife with his good hand. The knife struck Cali square in the chest and flew straight through her body, leaving only a black dust trail. The cocky smile on the bandit’s face when he thought the attack was successful immediately froze and turned into one of horror. “You monster!”

It was the last words the bandits spoke before Cali sealed his throat.

Martel sighed as he saw the events transpire before him. Because he knew that Cali was in her spirit form, he wasn’t worried about her safety. This scenario perfectly depicted why he felt it necessary to teach them a cruel reality. Life-and-death could be decided in an instant, and hesitation was fatal.

Martel quietly approached the motionless Cali and hugged her from behind. He could feel her body slightly trembling.

“How do you feel.” He asked gently.

“Not good,” Cali replied.

Marty closed his eyes and sighed softly. “Remember that feeling; relish it. It is the feeling that you just ended another life. Remember it so that you know the weight and value that another life holds so you do not become a wanton slaughter. You must also know that you may need to take a life or lose your life or the ones you care about. Do you understand?”

Cali nodded. “I want to go somewhere else.”

Martel obliged, and the two of them continued their way through the forest, and Cali began to feel better. It was around this time that Martel got a notification from his SRIN.

“Cali, I found the bandits hideout. Shall we go?”

Cali nodded in affirmation.

Martel withdrew a katana from his storage ring. Martel wanted to use Kuroka, his black katana. However, it stood out too much, and it was already associated with him on Earth. When it came to having false personas, one had to be thorough. The katana in his hands was also made of adamantine, but it was made recently and did not have any special features. Marty took a swing with a katana until a force shoved it from his hand. A look of puzzlement came over Martel’s face as he picked up the katana again only for the same thing to repeat. Somewhat nervous, he withdrew Kuroka from the ring and swung it only to have it shoot from his hand. “What the heck is going on!” Martel asked, both shocked and worried.

Martel brought out Gram, the heavy sword fused with his body, took a couple of swings, and found nothing wrong. In his previous life, Martel had exclusively used Gram and no other weapons, so it made sense that he would be unaware of the strange phenomenon. Martel continued to go through his arsenal only to find that he could not use anything. “Loli Big Boobs, why can’t I use any of my weapons?” He angrily asked.

“…”

“Loli Big Boobs.”

“It’s not my fault! It’s a restriction of the weapon!” The Shield Goddess flusteredly replied, sensing his genuine anger. “It wouldn’t be good for a hero to obtain a weapon only never to be used in favor of others as the weapon grows with use.”

“Then why can I use Gram?”

“That’s because it’s fused with your body. Not being able to use your fists would be ridiculous. The shield will only stop you from using other weapons. Your own body or living things do not fall into this category.”

“Does the definition of living include a weapon that has a soul attached to it?” Cali suddenly asked.

Although the Shield Goddess and Martel could communicate telepathically, they were verbally arguing, so Cali also heard what they were saying.

“Yes.” The Shield Goddess replied, slightly confused by the question.

Cali didn’t have an answer but instead walked to where Kuroka was on the ground. She picked it up and then proceeded to stab her chest with it. Martel flinched as he watched out of instinct as the sight was very unpleasant even though she was perfectly safe. After a few more seconds, the sword began to reappear with no noticeable difference. She handed it back to Martel.

“Try it now.” She said with a look of anticipation in her eyes.

Martel took back Kuroka and found that there was no repulsion. Martel gave Cali a look of curiosity before a screen she sent to him appeared, revealing her Talent. She had been very secretive about it, even though Martel previously shared his.

Soul Body

The user can do one at a time of the following:

Through the utilization of a medium, they can take an inconsequential part of their soul and create a secondary body. The secondary body is purely autonomous while the user and a secondary body are still connected. The second body may show an exaggerated or lack of personality traits of the user as it is only a part of their soul. The secondary body will have a percentage of the user stats based on the quality of the medium, will proportionally change with the growth of the user, and will positively affect the growth of the user. In the event the main body dies, they can fully recover through their secondary body although the speed of which depends upon the medium. (Currently in use - Medium: Mana Infused Adamantine 94%)

Without the utilization of the medium, the user can create up to two soul bodies. These bodies will have the full stats of the user except for MP and MP region which is split by the main body and soul bodies (the soul bodies cannot have more than the main body, but anything less) and HP which is nonexistent as is replaced with MP. The soul bodies are semiautonomous and are always connected to the user.

Martel’s mouth was left open in shock at Cali’s broken Talent. He wanted it, but he quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as it would go against his principles.

“Want?” Cali, who noticed the fluctuation Marty’s expressions, asked.

“Yes.” He couldn’t help but reply.

“Make babies with me,” Cali replied deadpan.

Martel nearly bit his tongue. “So this is your second body now?” He asked as he held up Kuroka to change the question.

Cali nodded as the sword suddenly began to turn to dust. It conjugated on Martel’s hand until it took the form of a tiny Cali. She was exactly like her in appearance except for the fact that she had a beautiful pair of black butterfly wings attached to her back. The little Cali opened her eyes, and a big smile broke out on her face as she saw Martel. She quickly shot up from his hand and hugged his cheek.

“Martel, I love you! I love you! I love you! I want to make babies with you! I want -mumph.” Little Cali enthusiastically shouted until the now blushing Cali quickly covered her mouth and pulled her away.

Martel could help but smile as it seemed that little Cali did not have Cali’s self-control. “Well, thank you for doing this for me, Cali.”

“It’s nothing.” Cali replied, “I just wanted to be your sword.” She continued, still blushing.

Martel couldn’t help but apologetically smile. When they first met, it was hinted that that was his intention, but it didn’t come to fruition as Martel absorbed Gram and obtained Kuroka. Even though they had a similar combination technique, she had been bothered by it. “Well, we should think of a name to differentiate between the two of you. How about… Calipillar?”

Cali’s face furrowed. “Cheesy.”

Her reaction amused Martel. “Then… How about something simple like Chibi-Cali?”

“No good.”

“… Then why don’t we continue to call her Kuroka?”

Cali nodded that she was okay with that name.

“Also, I’ll probably still call her Chibi-Cali, though.” Martel teased, much to Cali’s embarrassment. Martel was happy by the turn of events as it meant that Kuroka had become more than a katana. It could become any weapon with the same or less amount of mass, and he could modify it and change the color. This way, he would always have an ever-changing weapon that would not be easily identifiable. He turned Kuroka into a standard looking longsword and changed into his Kuro attire. Cali changed her appearance into Tear, the pseudonym she had given her adult form. The two of them used these appearances as they were going to slay the bandits that Martel had found with the SRIN and rescue the unfortunate captives.

When dealing with bandits, there were two options for Martel, to kill or capture. When it came to rewards, capturing was theoretically more lucrative. On top of any loot that the bandits possessed and bounties, they would also be sold as criminal slaves. However, killing would provide more experience than defeat, and more Karma should have a considerable amount of bad Karma. Considering these two options, Martel decided to decide whether or not he killed a bandit based on their crimes. Bandits that only stole would live while those who murdered or raped would be killed. Unfortunately for the bandits, this decision meant that over 90% of the bandits he would run into would die.

The bandits provided little resistance against Martel and Cali as they were on a weaker-end, hiding out in the forest due to a lack of strength. Cali slowly began to become more accustomed to killing and no longer hesitated. As for Martel, he seemed extremely apathetic to the lives he was taking. At this point, he had killed so many it was becoming little more than numbers, which was why he emphasized a strict set of guidelines for who he would kill.

Martel teleported the captives, who were, unfortunately, all-female, directly into the Guild Master’s room, and dumped them onto Pamela as Kurt was nowhere to be found. He haphazardly went over the loot but didn’t pay full attention as the value was a drop compared to his current wealth. However, he noticed the seal of a letter that caused him to be visibly upset. The letter was sealed with the same design as Hydra, the multidimensional criminal syndicate. Martel had decided to take it down as he had obtained Hydra’s leader’s attention, who was extremely powerful, far more than himself. Martel read the letter and found it to be a simple letter of introduction.

Hydra did not have a base but had members scattered throughout the world who were obtaining power. While the letter did not provide any noticeable information other than a single Hydra contact, it let them know that Hydra existed in this world. He would have to act more carefully and prepare to take them down.

After they had thoroughly cleaned up and Martel was sure they had cleaned out all the bandits in this forest area. The next thing Martel needed was to kill time as returning too quickly would be suspicious.

The smartest thing to do would be to begin grinding his expertise, but he couldn’t help but glanced at Cali as he wanted her Talent. Remembering how he thought he had obtained her Soul Armament, a slight smile appeared on his face.

“Cali, how about we practice that technique.”

“Really?!” Cali exclaimed before she quickly turned away in a weak attempt to hide her excitement.

...

Ten minutes later, a pouting Cali was staring at three Martels. “You jerk.” She said in an angry pout as he had unexpectedly obtained her Talent.

Martel ignored her and proceeded to test out her Talent. The soul bodies could act autonomously, only slightly inefficient compared to his usual self. Unlike Cali’s secondary body, these were a projection of his soul, so they were not separate entities, whereas Chibi-Cali could be considered partially separate.

Additionally, anything the soul body did would be counted towards the Expertise System. This meant he could grind the Expertise System and level more quickly. This Talent furthered Martel’s need to increase his MP pool as a soul-body can still cast spells. It would lower the amount of damage it could take before dispersing as MP acted like HP. The only downside of the Talent that Martel could think of was the additional amount of processing required to keep track of the increased information from three different points of view. For Martel, this was not a problem due to his Esper Ability, and they were capable of some autonomous processing.

After another hour of foraging, Cali and Martel rode back to Lily’s Potion Shop. The moment he entered, a golden bullet suddenly jumped into his arms.

“Papa.” Kogane happily said as she rubbed her face in his chest.

Martel’s expression softened as he gently patted the top of Kogane’s head before he bent down and whispered into her fox ears. “I think someone’s jealous.”

Kogane tilted her head before she looked over at Cali, who was pouting. Noticing this, Kogane jumped down from Marty’s embrace and hugged Cali. “Big Sister!”

Martel was happy as Kogane did not hint at malnutrition or depression and had begun to act more like someone her age.

Hestia walked up next to Martel. “Sir, you should know about Laelynn.” She said in a whisper. “The process is harrowing. At first, she was shouting, but now… She wanted me to let you know if the treatment wasn’t successful, she’s sorry for not living up to your expectations.”

Startled by the sudden information, Martel quickly checked the party information and found that Laelynn was alive. Her status was asleep, either normally or from passing out. Relieved, Martel told Hestia, who was embarrassed as she could also see the party information. It hadn’t crossed her mind as such a thing was not possible for her before.

Still slightly worried, Martel knocked on the backroom door.

“Come in,” Lily replied, slightly feebly.

Martel entered the room and found Lily sitting next to Laelynn, who was strapped down in a special bed. The bed was covered in blood, though not nearly as much as one might expect for such a procedure. Occasionally, the regenerating body parts would open up and cause blood to spill. Laelynn’s face was pale and subtly quivering from the pain her regenerating nerves were sending.

Seeing the expression on her face, Martel walked up to her and bent down next to her head. “You fought well. When you wake up, you will have the rejuvenated body that you have earned.” He said as his mind entered hers, and he temporarily shut off her ability to sense pain.

Laelynn’s face immediately eased, and her breathing became regular as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Lily’s face became one of shock as she noticed Laelynn’s change. “What did you do?”

“I temporarily sealed her ability to sense pain.”

“What?! Could you do such a thing? Why didn’t you do that from the beginning?” Lily asked, clearly angered.

Martel was surprised as she seemed to be more emotionally tied to Laelynn then he would expect. However, perhaps seeing Laelynn’s pain, she could have come to sympathize with her. Turning to her, he replied. “Firstly, I was unaware that such a treatment would cause so much pain to her. Secondly, such an experience would not be bad for her. She’s experienced a lot of pain before, and this has further tempered her WIL. I believe she will use this experience to grow as a person.”

Laelynn frowned in disapproval but did not retort.

“Did you get the materials?” She asked to change the subject.

Martel nodded and made a motion as if he withdrew them from the space bag at his waist. He had obtained several such space bags from the treasury, and he planned to give them to his future party members. He withheld one which he would use as a dummy storage prop in case he would be robbed and lessen the chance anything important would ever be taken.

Lily had a genuine look of surprise on her face as she noticed the number of materials and their quality and how well they were preserved. Even though the Kingsweed was in the forest, it was not so prevalent. It would not be quickly found, especially in this quantity, in the amount of time in which Marty disappeared.

“You’re just full of surprises,” Lily said with a chuckle. “Makes me want to uncover some of your secrets.” She said as she approached him slightly.

“Some secrets are better left untouched.”

“Really?” Lily said with a smile as she held up a small space bag.

Martel was stunned as he reflexively reached for his empty hip. He was honestly surprised that she had managed to swipe it from him as he never let his guard down around her, and it wasn’t because of his curse. He shrugged before he turned back to her. “Sometimes, secrets are that way for a reason.” He cryptically replied as he seemed unfazed.

Lily slightly frowned as her provocation hadn’t worked before she tossed the space bag back to him. “Forget it. If I want to find your secrets, it won’t be too hard, and I’ll do it without your knowledge.”

Martel caught the space bag and rolled his eyes.

“Do you have any extra equipment I can purchase so I can start making potions on my own?”

“Are you treating my potion shop as a general store?” She replied sarcastically before turning to a nearby closet containing a small number of storage bags. Storage bags could only be put into another similar type of storage so long as there was nothing within it. Otherwise, the pocket of space where the item was stored would become unstable if not outright destroyed. She reorganized some items for a bit before she tossed a storage bag at him. “150 gold.”

Martel said nothing as he handed her the money.

“She’ll wake up in a little bit. Once it’s done with the healing, the potion will provide her with energy for a short while, so she will be ready to go. You can wait in the room if you wish.”

“I’ll do that.”