For a moment, as he walked, the thought of running away crossed Charles's mind.

Leaving behind the Storm Clan, its absurd rules, the suspicious glares from other members, and simply exploring this world he still didn't fully understand.

Freedom sounded tempting, like an open door to the unknown.

But feeling Nora's weight on his back, the warmth of her body against his, he clicked his tongue.

He couldn't do that.

Not now.

Doing so wouldn't just put him in danger—it would drag Nora into trouble with the clan.

And after everything they'd been through together, he couldn't allow that.

Trying to stay calm, Charles decided to break the silence.

"Nora," he said, his tone calm but curious, "if we were really far from the clan right now, what would happen? I mean, how bad would it be?"

Nora, who had been scanning their surroundings with a mix of exhaustion and curiosity, blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question.

"Far from the clan…?" she repeated, her tone confused. "Well, I guess we'd need to get back before too many days pass. It's not like they'd send an army after us right away, you know."

Charles frowned, surprised by her response.

He'd expected her to stress the urgency of returning immediately.

"Days?" he said, turning his head slightly to glance at her. "You sure? I thought the clan would be stricter about that. I mean, if we don't get back soon, wouldn't they notice?"

Nora laughed, a soft sound that carried through the rain.

"Rian, relax," she said, her tone blending amusement and fatigue. "The clan's big. There are tons of people, and they're not keeping tabs on everyone all the time. If we were regular members, no one would probably notice we were gone for a couple of days. Nobody's got time to count heads."

Charles raised an eyebrow, processing her words.

The idea that the clan wasn't as vigilant as he'd imagined was reassuring but also sparked something in him—a flicker of curiosity about exploring beyond the clan's borders.

He'd always felt there was something bigger waiting for him, something the system and his abilities seemed to hint at.

But before he could respond, Nora added something that made him pause.

"Of course," she said, her tone more serious, "that's for regular members. But you're a Cole, Rian. The elders always keep a closer eye on those with… special abilities, let's say. If you disappear for too long, they'd definitely send someone to find you. And I doubt it'd be a friendly visit."

Charles clicked his tongue, frustrated.

She was right.

Being a Cole, with his newly awakened abilities and now this talking sword, put him on the clan's radar.

He couldn't just vanish without consequences.

The sword's voice, quiet for a moment, chimed in with a curious tone.

"So, what, human?" it said. "Thinking about ditching this clan? Because, if you ask me, that sounds like an interesting idea."

Charles frowned, responding in his mind.

'Stay out of this,' he thought sharply. 'It's not your problem.'

The sword let out a sound like a soft laugh.

"Not my problem?" it said, with a hint of mockery. "Your problems are my problems, human. We're bound by the contract, remember? It's only common sense that an ego sword like me helps its wielder."

Charles snorted mentally.

'Common sense?' he thought. 'Or another clause you made up on the spot? I don't think you're much help with this one, honestly.'

The sword made a tongue-clicking sound, clearly offended.

"Don't underestimate our power!" it exclaimed. "Together, we're unstoppable. If you want to leave that clan, we can take on anyone. You think some grumpy kids are gonna stop us? Please!"

Before Charles could reply, Nora spoke again, pulling him out of his mental conversation.

"Rian," she said, her tone more curious than tired. "Are you thinking about exploring the outside world?"

Charles swallowed, surprised by how well she read him.

For a moment, he hesitated on how to respond.

"What about you?" he said cautiously. "Aren't you curious? I mean, don't you ever want to see what's beyond the clan? Other places, other people?"

Nora laughed, a soft sound blending with the rain.

"Of course I'm curious!" she said. "Who wouldn't want to explore the world, you know? See cities, mountains, maybe an ocean. But honestly, right now, I just want a dry bed and a place to rest. After that cave and the snake, my adventure itch is a bit… dulled."

Charles frowned, assessing his own body.

Nora was right—despite everything they'd been through, the fight with the snake, the arena battle a few days ago, and now carrying her through the rain, he didn't feel as exhausted as he should.

In fact, as he walked, he noticed his muscle aches and battle soreness were fading, as if his body was regenerating on its own.

'How much energy is this regeneration using?' he thought, a touch of worry creeping in.

The sword's voice piped up again, sounding almost exasperated.

"Why don't you just open your system's window and check?" it said. "Isn't it obvious? Your system must have some clue about what's going on with your body."

Charles blinked, surprised by the suggestion.

But before he could open the system's interface, a thought hit him.

The sword had mentioned before that it had faced other system users but never gave clear details.

If he was going to trust it, he needed answers.

'Hold on,' he thought firmly. 'Before you start giving me advice, tell me once and for all about those other system users you met. You owe me that explanation, and don't dodge it again.'

The sword fell silent for a moment, as if recalling something.

When it spoke, its tone was slower, almost thoughtful.

"Alright…" it said. "It's not some big secret. The few times I've had a wielder, we faced humans who… well, suddenly got really strong. No one understood how. In one duel, one of them was talking out loud to something they called a 'system.' At first, neither I nor my wielder at the time knew what that meant. But over time, facing more of them, we figured out there was some kind of special magic giving them tasks. Completing those tasks made them stronger, gave them new skills, or boosted their physical strength."

Charles frowned, disappointed by the vague explanation.

'That's it?' he thought. 'That doesn't tell me anything useful. What kind of tasks? What skills? How did their systems work?'

Before the sword could respond, a blurry memory flashed through Charles's mind.

It was like a glimpse of another life—sitting in front of a screen, playing a game.

The memory was hazy, buried under layers of fog, but clear enough to send a chill down his spine.

The sword, reading his thoughts, let out a sound of surprise.

"Well, well," it said, its tone mixing curiosity and admiration. "You're an interesting human, you know. That memory… is it from another life? I've never seen anything like that in a wielder's mind. This makes me like you even more."

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.