Friend

The outcome of their brief arm wrestle was painfully clear. Kohren effortlessly overpowered Beatrex, even surprising himself. The difference between their stages was like night and day, so Kohren had gone all out to ensure he didn't let the Master Stage Awakened gain the upper hand.

"Hehe, I am old," Beatrex muttered to himself, scratching his white hair. Despite being easily defeated by Kohren, the old Awakened took it in stride. Kohren had been careful not to cause him any harm.

"I had dreams of becoming great, but they stopped when I reached the Master Stage. For months, years, and even decades, I trained, but I couldn't improve. Whenever I see young people like you, my spark is reignited, and I end up challenging them," Beatrex explained, his words rambling.

Kohren listened to his ramblings, and oddly enough, he was also in the same position. After discovering all his powers, Kohren couldn't improve them and struck in the same stage for over a year. Naturally, it would take at least two years for a Savant to become a Master, 'if' he has potential that is.

During his travels, Kohren had challenged every Dungeon he encountered, hoping to increase his powers. He couldn't accept that this was as far as he could go and had found creative ways to utilize his abilities to their maximum potential.

"Forgive this old man for challenging you and wasting your time." Beatrix said in an apologetic tone.

"Oh, no. You don't have to apologize to me. Just…" Kohren replied, but the old Awakened didn't let him finish.

"You want my permission, right? I'll grant it. I like you, young man, and I'll even help you with the materials you need," the old man announced.

Kohren visibly smiled and thanked the Guildmaster for his generosity. Biding his farewell, Kohren sent a message to Kimly, checking on her and waited patiently for Reaina's friend on the first floor.

He didn't have to wait long. A group of Awakened, freshly battled, entered the guild. Accompanied with them was a young lady with a mature face. She wore a white cloak that enveloped her body, and her green eyes scanned the surroundings, lingering on Kohren for a moment.

She quickly issued some orders to the other Awakened and made her way to the receptionist. Kohren waited for the receptionist to fill her in on the details, but before he could approach her, the young woman in the white cloak addressed him first.

"You're Kohren, Reaina's husband, right? What happened to her?" she asked, bringing her face close to Kohren's without any regard for personal space.

"Ah, due to some personal matters, we've sort of broken up," Kohren replied.

"What? No way!" The young woman exclaimed, bringing her hand to cover her mouth.

Kohren didn't want to drag this useless conversation any longer and came to the topic.

"She's in danger. Please come with me."

"W-where?"

"She's outside the Dungeon, in a MAC."

"Then, take me to her quickly."

With her friend in tow, they quickly moved out from the Stronghold. Along the way, they both introduced themselves and Kohren also revealed that he's also a Savant Awakened like herself. Although, he kept the conversation short and didn't reveal more about himself and the personal matters of Reaina.

Reaina's friend, Lyra, possessed intermediate control over her Awakened Power. Using various ingredients, she had the ability to heal injuries and cure most status ailments. Currently, she worked as a healer in this Dungeon while hoping to reach the Master Stage.

As they entered the MAC, and Medbay, they found Kimly sitting near the pod. Seeing a young woman accompanying him, Kimly sighed in relief.

Lyra gasped when she saw Reaina's current state and quickly accessed the panel, studying the reports and checking her condition. After a moment, she shook her head while speaking.

"It's extremely risky. Her Corruption Rate is 0.99, and if we attempt anything, there's a high chance it will corrupt her further."

Kimly's face turned pale after hearing Lyra's assessment, but Kohren already knew the root of the problem. His red eyes briefly glowed before he spoke to Lyra in a calm voice.

"Those reports were old. Recheck her condition."

Lyra stared at Kohren with wide eyes, but she complied. After a moment, a new report materialized in front of her.

"You've got to be kidding me. Her Corruption Rate has decreased to 0.5," Lyra exclaimed, looking at Kohren with accusing eyes. Kohren merely shrugged in response.

"Let's not waste any more time. Can you check her now?" Kohren urged.

"Yes," Lyra replied, her voice filled with uncertainty.

The pod containing Reaina opened, and her gasp for breath resonated in the Medbay, causing everyone present to worry.

"Be careful," Kohren cautioned.

Lyra nodded at Kohren, then placed both of her hands on top of Reaina's left side, where her heart was located. A golden light emanated from Lyra's palms, slowly encasing Reaina in a protective golden glow.

A minute later, Lyra began to break into a cold sweat, and her breathing grew labored. After what felt like an eternity, she released the light, and her legs finally gave way.

However, before she fell, Kohren quickly moved and caught her.

"Thank you," she replied.

"How's she? Will she be okay?" Kohren asked, his voice edge.

Kimly quickly brought a chair for Lyra to sit on, her eyes fixed on the healer as she waited for a response.

"It seems she's been cursed by a Master Stage Puppeteer's powers," Lyra said, her voice low as she looked down. Kohren inwardly sighed in relief, realizing that Lyra's assessment matched his own suspicions.

'At least she wasn't pretending.'

"So, how can we break the curse?" Kohren asked.

"We can't use conventional healing methods to break this curse. The Awakened who placed it must have used a medium to gradually affect her body."

Kohren had already deduced this when he first examined Reaina, but he remained silent. Kimly, however, listened attentively, holding tightly onto Reaina's hand.

"To break the curse, we must remove all the mana from her body. But that is nearly impossible."

Even before the moment they are born, every person in this world contains mana inside their body. Only after they turn fifteen, will they have a chance to become Awakened.

Additionally, a small amount of Dark Matter was present within every individual. As Lyra had stated, extracting all the mana from a person was virtually impossible.

'But she also added 'almost,' then that means there is still a way to remove all the mana.'

Kohren pondered various methods that could potentially achieve this, but he couldn't come up with a viable solution.

"Just as the Awakened used a medium, we can use a different source to extract the mana from her body. That source is..." Lyra began to explain, but Kohren interjected before she could finish.

"Flora Neltroxie Feorite."

Kohren remembered the name of a mineral that can store outside mana. Lyra and Kimly both looked at Kohren with wide eyes, surprised by his knowledge. Before they could speak, Kohren continued.

"That's a rare mineral found only in the Stage 2 Dungeon Ghost Shell. I don't think we can even purchase it in the marketplace."

Ghost Shell Dungeon was located in a different region of the country, and by Stage 2, its Expiration Time was only three to four weeks, with a Corruption Rate ranging from 4 to 8.9.

Gaining access to the Stronghold was difficult enough, traveling there even required two precious days.

"Yes, you're right," Lyra confirmed, her gaze fixed on Kohren. Her voice turned grave as she continued, "And we need to hurry. Reaina is already in a comatose state, and if we don't treat her within five days, she'll lose her mind permanently."