Chapter 342 - 342: Kain's Questions and New Choice

Hearing this, Mera couldn't help but feel a bit dejected, but she quickly pulled herself together, pulling Kain's head down to rest on her lap.

Feeling the softness pressed against the back of his neck, Kain was a bit dazed for a moment, then Mera spoke.

"Don't you see how tired you are? Sheesh, I didn't think that game would last so long."

Mera clicked her tongue; initially, she thought the resource distribution game would only last a few hours, but it ended up lasting over a day, and she didn't think Kain and the others had any time to rest during it.

"True enough."

He smiled gently, then closed his eyes, showing absolute trust.

Twenty-five hours without rest, without food or water, only intense mental concentration and a battle of wits—it was certainly no easy challenge.

Fortunately, it was all over.

Seeing that Kain's breathing had become light and rhythmic, proving he was asleep, a smile appeared in Mera's eyes as she leaned down and lightly kissed his forehead.

"Kain, thank you for everything you've done."

...

That dream appeared again.

Kain's spirit seemed submerged in a different space-time, deep beneath unknown places.

He stood silently in the middle of a ruined city engulfed in flames, having lost self-awareness, with only pure instinct remaining.

He had a feeling...

This place was truly too familiar, so familiar that he didn't want to, and didn't dare to, forget.

But he had forgotten.

Where was this?

Whose voice was that? Why... was it so painful?

Awakening in ignorance, ignorance in awakening... in the end, which one was more painful?

Finally, the entire dream shattered, washing away all the budding memories into the darkness.

He woke up alone on a large bed, a terrible feeling of loneliness washing over him.

At some unknown point, two lines of tears had flowed from the corners of his eyes.

But when his powerful reason forced its way back, everything vanished without a trace, as if it were just an illusion after a long sleep.

Except for the tears.

Looking at his palm, Kain fell into deep contemplation.

He had long known that he was different from others; he himself was a mystery.

His true identity.

The recurring dream he couldn't remember—he only knew he had such a dream.

The knowledge that shouldn't exist in his head.

Finally, this system.

Compared to the three mysteries above, this was the most mysterious of all.

Kain still remembered the moment the system first appeared before him.

A square interface, a presence and explanations that were easy to understand, showing extreme minimalism in information.

And as soon as he saw this, the word "system" immediately popped into Kain's head instead of words like "table," "list," or "interface." As if calling this thing a system was a conclusion deeply ingrained in his subconscious.

But this system was not the same as this world; it didn't fit at all.

Within a system, a civilization, things born from that civilization would, more or less, show correlation and similarity to them. For example, a farmer's hoe and a soldier's sword; the similarity lies in the iron-forging technique, which would look different if compared to a hoe or sword from a previous era.

The system did not belong here.

That was not to mention the system's unique ability: gaining [Level] through killing monsters, while killing people or Magus did not work. Furthermore, this [Level] could be converted into accumulation points to upgrade magic.

Such a strange combination.

Why could accumulation points only be gained by killing monsters? Why was there a need to convert through an intermediate step like [Level] instead of just using "accumulation points" directly?

These things had puzzled Kain for a long time, and of course, they remained unanswered.

Also, Kain had seen grand-class Magus, seen them perform things beyond his understanding. Meanwhile, the system could help Kain upgrade his magic by killing monsters.

Could one truly attain a miraculous power like a grand-class Magus just through killing monsters? If this were true, then what exactly was this system?

Suddenly, Kain's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door opening; it was Mera walking in with a tray of hot food.

"I saw you were sleeping so deeply that I didn't wake you. So, you're hungry, right?"

"Indeed, I am a bit hungry."

He rubbed his stomach, and Mera quickly brought the tray over and placed it in front of him. But at this moment, a flicker of hesitation appeared on her face, which Kain noticed.

"What's the matter?"

"Truly, nothing can be hidden from you. Kain... do you want to meet Myra for a bit?"

At the end, Mera's words slowed down significantly.

After all, it was because of them that Kain had been dragged into so many troubles.

But Kain didn't think so.

"Alright, we can meet her in a little while."

Seeing this, Mera wore a rare smile of relief.

Having finished the meal, both Kain and Mera walked together to another room in the mansion.

Myra was already sitting there waiting, her hands constantly moving and her lower body shifting restlessly, showing her anxious mood.

Seeing Kain and Mera open the door and enter the room, she stood up and immediately bowed deeply.

"Truly... I am sorry."

Not just to Kain, but also to Mera.

This apology was not merely an admission of fault, but a thorough cognitive breakthrough. So that Myra could step out of the shadows and heal the cracks within herself and those she had created.

Regarding this result, Kain felt truly satisfied. He didn't want Myra to fall into depravity, nor did he want to see Mera sad.

However, there was one thing that surprised even Kain: Myra's intention.

"You intend to... study under Faith?"

Mera's face contorted.

"Wait, what about our team?"

"I will still be a member of the team..."

"No... no way! If it's about teaching, Kain can teach too, right? Why do you have to cling to that Faith guy?"

Faced with Mera's questioning, Myra only shook her head with a bitter smile.

She knew her intention sounded very unreasonable, but now that she recognized herself clearly, she didn't intend to lie anymore.

Although Kain was by no means inferior to Faith, for Myra, only seeking guidance under Faith was more suitable for her. Just as Mera could only follow Kain.

Seeing that Mera still wanted to say more, Kain placed his hand on her shoulder and said.

"Let it be. Everyone has their own aspirations; after all, it is Myra's personal wish."

"But... but..."

Mera's lips moved as if to speak, then she stomped out of the room in anger. Kain, having no other choice, turned to Myra and said.

"Myra, don't think badly of Mera either."

"My goodness, the two of you aren't even under one roof yet, and you're already protecting each other like that. I guess I'm an outsider now."

She said it that way, but there was only affection and joy in Myra's eyes.

"Kain, the fact that she could meet you is the greatest stroke of luck."

"No, you're wrong about that."

Kain shook his head and said gently.

"To be able to meet Mera is my greatest stroke of luck."