The Stranger raised its left index finger. Intense Ki, drawn from the Hunter, gathered at the tip of its long, thin finger, focusing on the sharp claw.
It didn't need it, didn't know how to convert it, so the solution was obvious.
Layers of Reinforce Body's white light enveloped the fingertip, channeling the Ki in its rawest form.
It didn't know if anyone had tried this before, but it was the Stranger's own improvised Transformation Technique.
The fingertip aimed at the Hunter. The red and white light coalesced into a radiant pearl, shining brightly.
Like a miniature "Illuminate."
It fired.
The light engulfed the Hunter, who was still trying to get up.
...
The black energy dissipated. Mithra's body collapsed, and she gasped for air, quickly activating Stabilize.
Her mind cleared, but the lingering chaos remained.
"Blood...ugh...who...who am I?" she muttered, kneeling on the ground, nausea rising in her throat.
She retched, but nothing came out, only thick saliva dripping onto the ground.
Unleashing her inner frenzy was one thing; retracting it was another.
Clutching her aching head, her eyes bloodshot, Mithra raised her head and slammed it against the ground.
Thud! Thud!
The physical pain seemed to ease the mental anguish.
The crisp sound of Stabilize echoed repeatedly. Her hands clawed at the hard ground, leaving bloody fingerprints. They regenerated, and she clawed again, over and over.
"Mithra..."
A faint voice seemed to call her name. She looked up, her eyes blurred with tears.
"Mithra... name... Mithra..." Her hand trembled as she reached out, rubbing it against the ground. Blood flowed from her fingers as she pressed them against the ground, slowly writing.
She wrote one characters, her name.
As the last stroke fell, she calmed down, her gaze clearing, everything returning to normal.
"I'm Mithra," she whispered in her usual monotone, then stood up.
The mental pain receded. She was back.
As if nothing had happened, she activated another Stabilize.
Ding.
Refreshing.
[Event —— "Hunting the Wandering God"]
[Sooner than expected, you've encountered your destiny. Continue to search, to hunt these lost, wandering gods. We are watching, waiting with anticipation.]
[You can choose one of the following three gifts and their corresponding prices.]
[Humble Remains: You can obtain a "humble and lowly" "body." Price: Its will has not been extinguished.]
[A Second Mouth: You can obtain a second mouth. It can help you devour unwanted things, transforming them into greater power. Price: You need to satisfy its appetite.]
[Flesh and Blood Forge: A master weaponsmith not only becomes one with their weapons, but also knows how to nourish them with their own being. Price: Unlock a legendary quest. Choose me.]
"Is that you, Phaselos?" Mithra asked, slightly embarrassed by the third option.
After defeating a Wandering God, she had triggered the initial three-choice gift package again.
The first option was even one she hadn't chosen before.
Which big shot was so insistent on giving her a "figure?"
The second option was rather abstract. She wanted to ask where this second mouth would be located, but she decided against it.
The last option...
Grandiose wording, a detached description, but the price instantly broke the immersion. Was this really okay? Weren't they the ones who set the rules?
But...
Phaselos, that weapons bro, was pretty cool. The "Valiant Fight Against a Wild Beast" gift was practically free, although the hidden price was turning her into a weapon fanatic, which, in a way, Mithra didn't mind.
Now, it seemed, he had a request, a quest. It was probably worth considering.
He was a big name, after all.
"The third one."
The words transformed into a light and entered Mithra's body. She felt a change within.
"Can you hear me?"
Before Mithra could process the new gift, a gentle, deep male voice echoed in her mind.
"Hmm?" Mithra's eyes flickered. She instinctively looked around, but quickly realized the voice was coming from inside her head.
"Phaselos?"
"It's me. I'll take this opportunity to chat with you."
"Oh." Mithra accepted this naturally.
"Try it out first. Repair your hammer. Although it's just an ordinary object, you seem to like it. You should cherish the weapons you love."
Hearing this, Mithra looked at the broken stone hammer in her hand. Following Phaselos's instructions, she stored it inside her body.
After some sense power was consumed, she pulled the hammer back out.
A miracle had occurred.
Hammer bro was fully restored! And even stronger!
"By consuming sense power and flesh, you can repair weapons stored inside your body. And if you find materials you admire, storing them inside allows you to directly forge and refine them, skipping the tedious process," Phaselos explained.
"Convenient. Thanks," Mithra touched the newly restored hammer, admiring it, and thanked him.
"You're welcome. Now let's talk about my personal request. Go forward first," Phaselos's tone was unchanged. Hearing his voice, she couldn't help but imagine a gentle, smiling middle-aged man.
Forward.
Mithra looked ahead. A large hole had been blasted in a corner of the tunnel's corpse pile.
There, the Night Hunter's body had shrunk considerably, returning to human size. The bestial features had receded somewhat but still lingered, making it look like a grotesque, half-human, half-beast monster.
It was Safin.
Beside him, the Night Hunter's greatsword was embedded in the rocks, still emitting a faint blue light, but the eyes on the blade were closed, as if asleep.
Ignoring the greatsword, Mithra walked over to Safin.
Suddenly, Safin seemed to awaken from a dream. "Oh...it was like a nightmare..."
Mithra sat down beside him and held out the pendant. "It was a nightmare. For you, and for me."
Safin raised a trembling, weakened hand, still covered in dark fur, his fingernails sharp like claws.
"You did it...you fulfilled our agreement..."
"It was a promise. Let's call it that," Mithra said.
"Yes...yes! A promise," Safin nodded emphatically.
He fumbled with the pendant, opening it to reveal a picture of a lovely girl.
Tears welled up in his already clouded eyes.
"You can rest peacefully tonight," Mithra whispered.
Safin nodded again, closed the pendant, then shakily removed the intermediary bracelet from his wrist and, holding it together with the pendant, placed them in Mithra's hand.
"I've...changed my mind... This was a protective charm I gave to my daughter, Maria. She gave it back to me. Although it hasn't been with me these past years, I could always feel its protection, that's what kept me going… Seeing it again brings me great peace... But please, please return it to my daughter, Maria..."
Mithra took the pendant and bracelet, her expression unchanged, and finally nodded. "I understand."
Safin smiled, a joyous smile, the bestial features unable to hide its pure serenity.
And with that smile, he closed his eyes.
His breathing stopped, and a faint blue light emanated from his body.
["Night Hunter" Distilled Sense: Sense distilled from the defeated "Night Hunter." It contains active miracle sense. The stubborn beast doesn't believe it has been defeated. Absorbing it will significantly increase sense power and grant understanding of the undetectable "Hunting Miracles." However, it also carries the fundamental curse of the Night Hunter, which is always waiting for a chance to revive.]
Mithra picked up the distilled sense and slowly stood up.
"Am I interrupting?" Phaselos asked.
"No. What did you want to say?"
"Go examine that sword."
Mithra turned to look at the greatsword.
[Night Hunter Greatsword: A greatsword forged from numerous beast bones and high-grade minerals. Exquisite materials, crude and wild craftsmanship, yet exceeding all standards. Adorned with 34 Night Eyes, each a testament to its battles and a source of its power. A weapon of gods.]
[—It flayed its mocking brethren and meticulously studied countermeasures against the gaze during its hunts. This greatsword is the embodiment of its life.]