20. Curse Activated

Orion staggered back, tumbling to the ground from the explosion's momentum. He instinctively raised his hands to shield his eyes from the blinding light as the shockwave rippled through his body.

At the same time, Liira swiftly blurred into motion, seeking refuge behind a towering tree for cover.

Famir and Ryfin were forcefully propelled backward by the explosion, their bodies flung like rag dolls in the chaotic aftermath.

However, the red-haired boy remained unmoved, standing in place, his body bearing the brunt of the explosion's aftermath. This was because Ryfin's skill 'Space Lock' was still active on him, keeping him rooted in position.

In due time, he conjured a hexagonal shield of flame that absorbed the momentum and pressure from the explosion.

As moments passed, the dust settled, and the air grew calm. The echoes of the blast slowly faded into silence, leaving behind an eerie stillness.

Gradually, the haze of smoke dissipated, unveiling the full extent of the damage caused by the sudden eruption.

Orion stood up in shock. He hadn't anticipated that Famir's final attack would lead to such a devastating explosion.

"Aggh!"

At that moment, he heard muffled sounds once again. Turning around, he saw that the noise emanated from Famir, who lay on the ground, while Ryfin sat beside him, tending to his injuries.

"Famir!"

Seeing the alarming sight, he hurriedly rushed towards Famir. Upon reaching him, he witnessed black lightning writhing around Famir's body, causing him to scream uncontrollably. The tendrils of black lightning resembled snakes slithering around his form.

"Agggahhhh!"

Famir screamed non-stop as a result.

Seeing this, Orion hastily asked Ryfin.

"What happened to him?"

Ryfin shook his head anxiously.

"I don't know. He was fine one moment, and at the next he started screaming."

Orion's expression soured as he observed Famir, who seemed to be in intense distress. Famir's body convulsed, trembling uncontrollably, while tendrils of black lightning danced around him.

'Is this his curse?'

The thought crossed his mind, although he wasn't entirely certain, as he had never witnessed anyone experiencing anything like this before.

"It's his curse taking effect."

At that moment, a voice sounded, dispelling his doubts. Turning around, Orion saw Liira materialize before them.

"Get away from here."

Ryfin shouted to her as soon as he saw her.

Liira smiled at Ryfin's words.

"Really? Then who will save your friend from this torture?"

"You can?"

Ryfin asked surprisingly, but soon his face turned full of suspicion.

"You think you can bluff here, and we will believe you."

At that moment, small rocks, debris, and broken tree branches began to gather around Famir, coalescing and making their way towards him.

"What's this? Why are these things coming towards us?"

Ryfin saw this and was surprised.

Observing the phenomenon, Orion confirmed that Famir's curse had indeed taken effect. He was well aware of Famir's curse, Electrostatic Disruption, and understood it better than anyone else present. To him, this curse was more of a talent than a curse.

Pondering over this, he turned to Liira.

"Did you say you can help him?"

Ryfin was taken back by Orion's action.

"Orion, they are our enemy!"

Orion then looked at Ryfin as his expression turned serious.

"Then do you know how to fix this? How to let his curse return to normal?"

Ryfin raised his eyebrows.

"Did you believe her? She could be lying to us, you know."

Orion sighed as he shook his head.

"We don't have much choice anyway. So if listening to her can help Famir, then why not?"

Ryfin really didn't want the help of his enemies, but looking at Famir, who seemed to be struggling, he nodded his head to Orion.

Seeing this, he turned to Liira once again.

Having understood what Orion wanted, Liira proposed another deal.

"You three will be coming with us after I help him."

"See! What did I tell you? They are enemies. There is nothing good about them."

Ryfin erupted as soon as he heard her demands.

Orion moved his right hand at him to signal him to stop as he looked at her.

"We agree. Now help him."

Liira looked at Orion for a moment before she held her hand and touched Famir on his arm. A while later, black lightning wriggling around Famir's body disappeared, and he stopped screaming, losing consciousness as a result.

"What did you do?"

Ryfin asked after seeing Famir's problem get solved in seconds.

Liira turned her head towards him before looking at Orion, ignoring Ryfin altogether.

"He will wake up in some time."

Orion nodded in acknowledgment, but Ryfin felt a wave of shame wash over him. As a gamer, he had always been introverted, and now, having mustered the courage to initiate a conversation and being completely ignored, especially by a lady, left him feeling deeply embarrassed.

Orion then asked about the same thing Ryfin asked.

"How did you help him?"

Liira thought for a moment before answering him.

"This person just has their curse activated, and a curse can only be activated if they use too much of their talents when their stats are not high enough to handle that much talent. To solve it, it's simple: just inject a portion of your mana into the person's body who is suffering through their curse, and after losing consciousness for a while, he will be up in no time."

Orion nodded at her in understanding. However, he couldn't help but wonder if he, too, would eventually fall victim to the curse, given that he had been relying on it constantly, unlike everyone else.

At this time, Liira turned to Ryfin.

"Can you let go of your skill with Dion?"

Hearing her, Ryfin had a moment of realization.

"Ah, I-I forgot about that. No-no not forgot. It's-it's just that this skill takes very little mana, so I forgot it has been active all this time."

He stuttered as he quickly deactivated his skill.

Orion shook his head in a wry smile as he saw Ryfin fumbling as he talked.

At this moment, Famir opened his eyes slowly.