Deklan looked down at his right arm.

Now, there was a translucent blue mark on it that stretched from his hand to his elbow.

It was shaped like tentacle-like tree roots that branched upward to his elbow, with a head that was placed right on the back of his hand. No matter how hard Deklan inspected this mark, it looked and felt like a normal mark.

No odd energy. No dazzle. Nothing.

"At least that's convenient," Deklan smiled a little, loving the Ancient Dimensional Tree even more, as having a magical mark on his hand that emits energy or dazzles would certainly make him stick out like a sore thumb. "But this only shows that I have a lot more to learn about the Ward."

[Pumple has finished devouring the Flaming Skeleton!]

[Notice: the cost of evolving Pumple has been reduced by 2%!]

"Oh, it's done?"

After capturing the Flaming Skeleton back then in order to harvest its traits, Deklan forgot that he was also planning to have Pumple devour it. He had only given permission to Puimple to do it, not too long ago, which was why it was finished only now.

Since he used Agna earlier, it's also the perfect time to have Pumple eat.

But what he didn't expect was the decrease in cost.

"A discount? Why did you not tell me about that sooner, system?"

[Now you know.]

"Fuck, you. So, capturing Ghosts—and have the Ghost Residents devour them will make it cheaper to evolve them?"

[Yes. The stronger the devoured Ghosts, the higher the cost reduction would be.]

"Man, in that case, I should've captured every single Ghost I encountered. What a waste."

[Not that simple, host. Pumple is not the picky type—so it might be able to devour any Ghost. But there are Ghosts who have specific tastes.]

"So, Ghosts has standards, too? Fucking hell. So many things to keep in mind."

Based on what the system said, the only reason he should capture a Ghost was either he wanted a skill or trait from it, or the targeted Ghost can be devoured by his Ghost Residents to help them get closer to their evolution.

It's a good feature; one that he wished to know way later before he slaughtered all the Ghosts in the forest.

Either way, it's time for him to depart.

Just earlier, Deklan already helped oversee Kaelyn's group, camped themselves next to the hamlet.

In a case of emergency, they could enter the hamlet but would stay there for the time being.

On top of that, they are also introduced to the Ghosts from the Shadowed Town.

Everything went well without a problem—probably because Kaelyn had already briefed them about the incident that was caused by Zayne, so they were on their best behavior. Either way, Deklan's preparation was complete with this.

He had done everything he could to protect the hamlet, and now, it would be up to Marsha.

Deklan would make a stop at Ingver Town right outside the forest.

Even though it was the nearest big town, it would at least take him about ten hours of walking.

"Eughh… I suddenly felt bad for leaving like this," Deklan took a small bag with his belongings packed in it and opened it. Only a few items were inside, but there was one thing that caught his eye. "See, once I properly searched for it, I found it."

He grabbed a necklace from inside the bag and pulled it out.

It was a silver necklace, and its center hung a circular medallion. Etched within the circle was a perfect hexagram-shaped pendant, its lines gleaming with a luminous, baby-blue light that seemed to glow softly against a background of pure white as fresh snow.

…

[Necklace of Snow Star (Sealed)]

Rank: B

Description: A powerful spirit talisman, centered by the Pendant of Pure Snow that was forged from the essence of the Glacier Spirit of the North, giving it a snowy aura. The medallion is enchanted with the Breath of the Southern Black Scourge, granting it unbreakable resilience and a dreading presence.

Boost: Provide a powerful mental barrier and counterattack with a mind freeze.

…

Just from the sight of this spirit talisman alone, his heart was beating rapidly.

A confirmation that this was really the last item that his deceased mother gave him.

The one thing his little brother found useful from him was.

Had it not been for Deklan accidentally contacting Callen through the mirror and Callen mentioning the necklace given by his mother, he would've left the talisman in the hut. Fortunately, everything went like it was supposed to.

And because of that, Deklan had been searching for it ever since.

"Kaelyn said a Spirit Talisman is an Exorcist's biggest investment," Deklan murmured, his lips curling into a smile as he thanked his mother for this gift. "That being said, what does 'Sealed' mean? System, any clues about this?"

[It simply meant a portion of the necklace's power is sealed.]

"Sealed? Why would someone do that?"

[Don't ask me about that, host. It's your mother.]

"Mother, why did you give it to me but seal a portion of it away?"

Deklan cried, but at least this was a good substitute for his broken Spirit Talisman.

Shaking his head, he wore the necklace and hid the pendant inside his tunic before flinging the bag over his shoulder. He then looked in the direction of where the hamlet, perhaps for the last time. A sigh escaped his mouth.

"It felt like I'm sneaking away," Deklan looked up at the night sky.

[But you are sneaking away.]

"Errr… Whatever!" Deklan waved his hand—and walked to the other side, intending to go around the hamlet before making his way to the bridge. "She might look fine, but she's not. She hated me. Best for me to leave and never see her again. It'll help her recover from what happened quicker."

[Why don't you take her with you?]

"Hah! Like that's ever going to happen," Deklan shook his head. "She made it clear enough to me that she won't be leaving the hamlet. And that's that."

Meanwhile, back in the hamlet.

Marsha sat on the ground on the square, looking at the entire hamlet that was now broken down.

Nobody was outside this late in the night, which almost made this place look abandoned.

"Why am I feeling suffocated?" She mumbled inwardly, placing a hand above her beating heart. "Is this another sign that something bad is going to happen again? But everything is good. The hamlet is safer, and there will be new people soon. So why…?"

Not too long ago, she was trying to sleep early.

But this restlessness inside her chest made it hard for her to sleep.

She walked out to get some fresh air, but it didn't help as much as expected.

Marsha hugged her legs and leaned her chin on her knees, soaking in the silence of the hamlet.

Just then, she tilted her head to the other side.

In the distance, she spotted a flicker of orange light that tainted the shadows of the night.

A bonfire, perhaps—and it came from right outside the hamlet.

Certainly from Kaelyn's camp.

"Should I ask her?" She murmured aloud—the thought taking shape as she recalled how unlike her own mana, Kaelyn's mana was not chaotic. It was in harmony, and only spiked when it needed to. "Maybe I should…"

Marsha recalled what happened to the hamlet.

The helplessness that had choked her as it burned.

The memory was a bitter taste, impossible to swallow even for him.

Granny Linsa has been keeping her in check, making sure that she doesn't use her talent to grow stronger and far from reach. But now that she was no more, there was no need for Marsha to stay stagnant. She can be stronger, too.

All she needed was a chance.

Marsha clenched her fists. She needed to be stronger. Strong enough to act, not just watch.

And Kaelyn… Kaelyn was the key to that strength.

Once she came to a decision, there was no stopping her as she made her way to Kaelyn's camp.

Upon arriving there, nobody was still awake.

Considering that the Shadowlings were roaming non-stop throughout the night to protect the hamlet— and the area around it, even the Exorcists were now asleep peacefully. But Marsha spotted that one carriage was still active.

Someone was rummaging through things inside.

And from the location and the size of the carriage, it must belong to Kaelyn.

"Excuse me…"

Marsha stopped near the carriage and announced her presence.

In that instant, the rummaging stopped.

Soon, Kaelyn emerged with a bag slung over her shoulder.

It's not that big, only filled with a few important things from the looks of it.

However, what caught Marsha's attention the most was the way she dressed—she was already geared to the brim like she was going somewhere. And she couldn't help but ask, "Are you going somewhere? The forest is almost eradicated from Ghosts already."

"Hmm?" Kaelyn stepped down and closed the door. "Did Deklan not tell you?"

"Tell me? Tell me what?"

"Sigh…"

Kaelyn rubbed her forehead, realizing what this was about.

She was told earlier that Deklan was going to wait for her in Ingver Town, which struck her as odd earlier, as they could've departed together. But now she realized the reason, 'That womanizer doesn't even have the guts to tell goodbye? Is it really the right decision to put my trust in him?'

"I'm going to meet with Deklan in Ingver Town," Kaelyn stated blatantly, not beating around the bush.

She sat by the bonfire and put on her shoes.

On the other hand, Marsha was stunned, "Ingver Town? What is he doing there?! Why did he not tell me?"

"He's leaving. I'm not sure if you know, but he seemed determined to become stronger. And now that the two Null Zones are handled, there's nothing here for him anymore. So, he's leaving. I thought you knew already."

"L-Leaving…? Young master is leaving?"

Marsha was completely stunned to her core.

The news struck her like a thunderclap, paralyzing her from head to toe.

She had been feeling uneasy these last few days, and turns out, it was because Deklan was leaving.

'Quickly fixing the twin towers and giving me control… Introducing the Ghosts… And introducing new people to the hamlet… I should've known,' Marsha's breath turned shallow as her heart felt like it was being stabbed countless times. 'I should've known that he was going to leave.'

No matter how distressed she was, she should've noticed it ever since Deklan was keeping his distance.

Both of them were in a good relationship, and he suddenly kept his distance.

It was odd, unnatural, and she should've noticed it sooner.

"C-Can I come with you and talk with him?!" Marsha asked, her voice cracking. "Please?"

"No, you can't." Kaelyn stood up and turned away. "Just forget about it."

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