CHAPTER 40: AFTERMATH

Tatehan realized the reason he had survived was because of his partial regeneration. But more importantly, it was because of the level it had reached.

If it had still been at the initial level from before he left the spaceship, it would have been far too slow to heal severe injuries. He would have died on the spot. If the man had arrived to save him, he would have only found a corpse.

Tatehan blinked twice, slowly processing.

But why had the man saved him? And wait, where was he? He knew this was a cave, but where was this cave located? He felt a strong urge to scratch his head, his signature thinking gesture, but he couldn’t move in his current state.

More words flashed across his retina:

[Congratulations, Host, for surviving]

[However, due to extended unconsciousness, you have lost knowledge points]

Tatehan stared at the words in frustration. What was his system going on about? The man continued methodically sharpening his blade, seemingly paying no attention to Tatehan, who was staring straight ahead. He probably thought Tatehan was just thinking.

[You lost to the Mauler]

[You lost a valuable weapon to it]

[You almost lost your life to it]

Tatehan stared at the words, now genuinely irritated. What was the system doing? Of course he knew he had lost. The last thing he wanted to see right now, in this state, was a reminder of how he lost and what he had lost.

It was making him angry, and there seemed to be no way to dismiss the messages.

He needed to think now. Deep thinking. What had happened? A month? What about the spaceship, was it safe?

Tatehan finally let out a long sigh. He was overwhelmed.

The man looked at him, his face expressionless. His gaze lingered for five full seconds before finally looking away.

Tatehan noticed the look but pretended he didn’t. He deserved it anyway. What was he doing, sighing out loud like that?

[But...]

The word flashed across his retina, followed by more:

[You found a human]

[He saved your life]

[He gave you shelter]

[He has a weapon and an ability]

When Tatehan first saw the messages, he was starting to get tired of what felt like meaningless system rambling. But the last line made him realize it wasn’t meaningless after all. The system was trying to reorient his mind, pulling him back from the past where it had been trapped.

A whole month of just reliving his past life on Earth. No wonder he had lost knowledge points. He had been stuck far back in time.

"He has a weapon and an ability."

Tatehan thought on this for a long moment, and suddenly he remembered what the man had done to save him. He remembered now.

The man would be in one place, and then, using his ability, he would seem to disappear and reappear twelve steps forward in an instant.

Thinking about it now, Tatehan realized that without an ability like that, he wasn’t sure anyone could have pulled him away from the mauler that fast. Flying away was another option, but the mauler could have caught them mid-air. There was a real possibility of being grabbed.

But with this phantom step ability, before the mauler could even extend a claw, thoom..., they were already far away.

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan Level: 3

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 36/100 [-5]

Repair points: 11/100

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 5

• Regeneration (partial) - Level 4

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.3

[Inventory:]

[Nothing]

Seeing "Nothing" instead of his rock sword made Tatehan genuinely sad. That sword had been perfect for building his reputation, his aura. And he had just let it be destroyed by that monstrous creature.

What was his self-given nickname? The Knight. What was he without the sword?

Sighing again, he looked at the man and said, "Hey. I’m Tatehan."

The man grinned slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Not that I give a fuck what your name is."

That sounded hostile at first, but it turned into dry sarcasm when the man added, "I’m Kael, by the way."

Tatehan wanted to smile to show he was amused, but instead he asked immediately, "Where is this? I know it’s a cave, but where exactly?"

The man held the blade closer to the firelight, inspecting its edge. "Not far from the Mauler’s domain, but hidden. Completely hidden, in scent, in everything. The Mauler doesn’t know this place exists."

Tatehan looked at the man in curiosity. He seemed to know a lot about this area.

"I’ve been living here for five months now," Kael said.

Tatehan glanced around the cave again. That was actually believable, considering how lived-in the place looked. The fact that it had a makeshift shelf was proof enough.

Tatehan had so many questions. Like why Kael was living here and what he was doing in this part of Mars. Since Kael said he had been here for five months, that meant this wasn’t his original home. He was here for something specific.

It was like wanting to assassinate a target and renting a place close to the target’s house. Once the job was done, you’d leave and return to your real home.

That seemed to be the case with Kael, Tatehan thought, studying him carefully.

He would save those questions for later. The most important one he needed to ask right now was:

"Why did you save me?"

The man smiled, a sly, almost mischievous smile. He aimed the sword in his hand forward, testing it against thin air. He seemed about to speak when Tatehan interrupted him again.

"And why did you help with my healing? The bandages—"

"Nah, I didn’t help with your healing," Kael cut him off bluntly. "I just helped with the outside, stitching you together so your insides didn’t fall out."

He paused, then added, "Not that I’m asking what ability you have, all Martian humans have one, but I’m guessing yours is partial regeneration. Because there’s no way a normal human would’ve survived what you went through."

He paused again, studying Tatehan’s reaction. Tatehan remained perfectly calm, his face expressionless.

Kael continued, "Because your insides were very damaged."

Tatehan said nothing. He honestly didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t give too much away.

"But my real question," Kael said, leaning forward slightly, "Is what a kid like you was thinking when you decided to face the Hexapod Mauler."