Future And Immediate Worries

The conversation between Ackster and Wilma died down after her cold answer to his question. But they kept sailing through the sky south. With a beautiful view and an awareness that they would separate soon, both of them were reluctant to let things sit like this and fester.

Ackster still had things to ask, and Wilma had a relationship to solidify so that Ackster would bring about prosperity to her and the Guild.

Ackster asked Wilma about Karandiel. He worded it so Karandiel's identity wouldn't be obvious, but considering the method they used to keep track of him, it was likely they already knew.

Wilma's eyes flashed with a subtle light at the mention of what Ackster had entered the Cloven Grasslands for. Ackster noticed it and stared at Wilma until she buckled.

Unfortunately, she couldn't give Ackster any conclusive details, only that a person had started rising and fighting back against the Blood Moon Avatars. However, they were adept at hiding their identity and espacing the Blood Moon Avatars' pursuit. 

It also seemed like the Blood Moon Avatars were insistent on capturing that person, but that could be because they were repeatedly causing trouble and trimming the number of Blood Slaves. It wasn't enough to determine whether it was Karandiel or just someone else fighting for a just cause.

Ackster doubted Karandiel would die, so he just hoped she was doing alright and getting stronger. He also hoped the other potential recruits to his anti The Hero squad were doing their best and becoming the absolute strongest they could.

Ackster felt like there was so much to do. Now, he was on his way to the Sea God Temple, which shouldn't take too long, including what he had to do there. But after that, he had to train his mana and find someone to help him get better at fighting and developing his skills, and he had to start building that squad of people that could help him take down The Hero.

If The Hero were getting involved with the Blood Moon Avatars and became stronger thanks to it, Ackster would have to put in even more effort in becoming stronger and creating a team strong enough to defeat The Hero.

Ackster also had to go back to the Alchemaze and loot it for all its worth.

He looked at his stump. Ackster also had an arm to regrow.

He didn't know how he would manage it all.

Upon seeing Ackster sink into deep thought while looking at the horizon, Wilma didn't disturb him at first. But since it became clear that the cogs in his brain were just grinding against each other, she decided to speak and let him know that she had planned to get him help with training and limb regeneration.

Wilma had already mentioned the training she had planned to help him with. But she had rambled, and Ackster hadn't been in a picture-perfect state of mind. It was only natural it slipped away.

Ackster was a little surprised at Wilma's offer since she had said that until he reached S-rank, he was basically on his own. But that wasn't really true. He had already gotten a lot of help, so he might as well capitalize on it. Besides, he wasn't that far from the S-rank.

It was an insurmountable wall to other adventurers, even for those who had reached the A-rank mostly without trouble.

However, Ackster had shown off his potential more than enough for Wilma and the Guild to know that he would sooner or later reach the S-rank. And it was up to them to make sure it was sooner rather than later. Naturally, Wilma wouldn't have any trouble convincing the Guild to arrange a proper training regiment to help him develop all of his potential as well as provide a way for him to recover his lost limb.

And that was before he reached the bottom of the Habitat. Now, the Guild would want Ackster to accept their training and become further indebted to them.

The Guild's training would certainly be better than what Ackster could do or find on his own, so he happily accepted it, even if he wouldn't be able to control the when or where. He would have to modify the rest of his plans around the training instead of molding his training to the other things he needed to do.

The training and arm regeneration being handled by the Guild and Wilma left Ackster with two fewer things he needed to be concerned about. He could focus on the upcoming Sea God Temple, avoiding The Hero, and looking for recruits to use against The Hero in ten years.

There was still a lot to do since he had to identify, locate, persuade, and eventually raise the potential recruits. But not having to think about what to do for his training was a relief for Ackster.

However, it also let him focus on his immediate concern, which was his leaking vitality and his need to dive into the ocean in search of the Temple.

Since he should have an affinity for water, he would probably find it relatively easy to swim around under the ocean, even without an arm. But he was still human. He couldn't breathe underwater.

Ackster had also already experienced on multiple occasions how his overflowing life force attracted trouble. If he didn't find a solution, the underwater denizens in the area around the Sea God Temple would swarm him, looking for delicious food.

Ackster did have an idea for a temporary solution based on something The Hero dealt with in the future. But he wasn't sure it was viable. He also wasn't sure if he would manage to learn it before they arrived.

Thankfully, he could ask Wilma and hope that she knew the answer. Having a high-ranking member of the Guild next to him was awfully convenient.

And so, Ackster and Wilma headed straight to the southern coast, only stopping once to fill up Ackster's inventory once it had settled. Well, they couldn't fill it up, but they stuffed a bunch of things Ackster might or might need inside it.

Just like that, they arrived at the light blue ocean south of Tenger.