Leonar finished his meal, setting the empty plate aside with a contented sigh. The restaurant buzzed with activity, hunters moving in and out while swapping stories about their missions.
Across from him, Selena was scrolling through her phone, a slight frown on her face, as though dealing with an important message. After a few minutes, she looked up, her gaze landing on Leonar's left arm.
"Do you want me to guide you to a place where they can heal that?" she asked, motioning toward his limp arm with a small nod.
Leonar opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Turn her down."
It was Eleonora.
Leonar blinked, puzzled.
'Why?' he thought, scratching his head.
"I want to try something," Eleonora replied, her tone calm but firm, making it clear there was no room for debate.
Although Leonar found her authoritative tone slightly annoying, he couldn't deny that he owed his life to her after escaping that dungeon. He decided to follow her lead.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Leonar let out a faint sigh before responding to Selena.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll handle it on my own."
Selena frowned, clearly puzzled by his refusal.
"Are you sure? It can be tricky to find a trustworthy healer. And regular hospitals won't be much help if it's serious."
"I'll manage," Leonar said with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant.
Selena studied him in silence for a few seconds, tilting her head slightly.
"Well, if you change your mind or need help, you know how to reach me."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Without another word, Selena stood up.
"Take care. And don't forget what we talked about earlier," she said before turning and leaving the restaurant, leaving Leonar alone at the table.
Once she was gone, Leonar rested his head on one hand and sighed.
"Alright, Eleonora. What do you want to do now?"
"Find somewhere more private."
Leonar straightened in his chair, glancing around the bustling restaurant before standing up. He stepped outside into the cool night air, the dim glow of streetlights illuminating the streets.
Not knowing the area well, he started wandering in search of a place to stay.
After several minutes of getting slightly lost in the winding streets, he finally came across a small hotel with a glowing sign.
He walked in and approached the front desk, where a middle-aged man greeted him with a tired smile.
"Room for the night?"
"Yes. How much?" Leonar asked.
"$120."
'$120? What a rip-off. This place doesn't even look like it gets cleaned,' Leonar thought as he nodded, pulling out the money from his right pocket.
As he counted the bills, he realized something: he had way more money than he expected.
Compared to the $180 advance he'd initially been given, there were now an additional $730 in his pocket—tips from the woman during his interview.
"Well, that was generous," Leonar muttered, surprised by the amount. He paid the man, who handed him the key to a room on the third floor.
Leonar trudged up the stairs slowly, his legs heavy with exhaustion. Once inside the room, he closed the door behind him, letting the key drop onto a small table near the entrance.
Leonar sighed and flopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"Alright, Eleonora. What do you want to do?"
At that moment, a floating message appeared in front of him:
[Eleonora's Power Released: 14%]
Leonar frowned, sitting up slightly.
"What are you doing?" he asked cautiously, the memory of her actions in the casino still fresh in his mind. "You're not about to flood this building, are you?"
"Just wait a moment."
A strange tingling sensation spread through Leonar's left arm, like thousands of tiny needles pricking his skin.
At first, the arm remained unresponsive, but slowly, he started to feel movement in his fingers—awkward and painful, but movement nonetheless.
"Try moving them again," Eleonora instructed.
Leonar obeyed, watching as his fingers responded sluggishly. He could barely move them without feeling a sharp pain, but it was progress.
Before he could get too excited, Eleonora's voice came with a soft groan.
"Stop."
Leonar let his arm drop to his side, breathing deeply.
"Are you… healing me?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes," Eleonora replied, her voice sounding both tired and steady. "But I'm at my limit. This will take time to stabilize completely."
Leonar lay back on the bed again, propping his head up with his good hand.
Since Eleonora was working on his body, he decided to ask a question that had been nagging him for a while.
"Am I really going to have to deal with those things that… invade Earth?"
Though Eleonora's powers had made it clear he was no longer an ordinary person, deep down, he couldn't shake the thought that he'd done almost nothing to save the people in that dungeon. That terrified him.
Good or bad, Eleonora had handled nearly everything.
There was a pause before Eleonora answered.
"It's not just Earth. These creatures want to destroy everything."
"Why would they do that?"
"Tell me—why did you scarf down all the food in the restaurant like a pig?"
Leonar let out a short laugh.
"Because it was good."
"Exactly. For these entities, it's the same. They do it out of instinct."
As they talked, Leonar felt the tingling sensation in his arm continue, though his whole body still felt drained.
"If you could do something like this, why didn't you do it earlier?" Leonar asked.
Eleonora replied with a tone both weary and patient.
"Your body can only handle one of my abilities at a time. You're already at your limit."
Leonar clenched his teeth in frustration.
"And you expect me to stop those things when we couldn't even properly fight off those goblins?"
"That happened because you're weak."