CHAPTER 52: A DAUGHTER’S HOPE

Tatehan was greatly conflicted at this point. He didn’t know what to do. His mind felt hazy, covered with something so dense and thick it was hard to think. Hard to reason.

He tried to push it away, tried to take it off his mind, but this wasn’t something he could just let go like that.

Normally, he wasn’t a vicious person or someone who loved seeing people die. Back on Earth he’d even had a feeble mind, devoid of pain or sadness, a heart that craved peace and happiness.

The sight of death made him sad. It was something he never expected he would ever do.

Not until he acquired this body devoid of emotion. A body where everything was enhanced except emotions.

But now, Tatehan could feel emotions. And maybe because this body wasn’t used to an emotion so intense as the one it was experiencing, it had affected him, making his mind and brain so hazy it was hard to think. Hard to reason properly.

[Congratulations host on gaining the bio-neural core]

[Would you like to add it to your inventory?]

Tatehan stared at the words indifferently, but then they were actually helpful. He couldn’t hold the core in his hands and walk...

It was way too valuable and sought after to be held in that manner. That was like putting himself at tremendous risk because who knows, some people so desperate to get it might actually be able to smell it from a distance.

He eventually chose to add it to his inventory. The core slowly disappeared from his hands and went into his inventory.

Tatehan watched the way the core just vanished and tried to be fascinated. He just wanted to take his mind off what he had just done. Technically, he’d done the right thing. But he knew it was wrong.

As he stared at the core vanishing, he wondered how it was possible that things just dissolved in the air and teleported elsewhere. Like how he’d been able to summon and unsummon the rock sword before it broke.

It made him think back to the spaceship. The Spaceship’s AI had told him that once he reached forty percent repair points he would be able to send it to his system space.

Thinking about it now, he realized that maybe the system space was actually the inventory.

He thought of Kael. The man had been able to summon and unsummon his chakrams, the weapons that gave him his abilities. The Spaceship was Tatehan’s own weapon, y’know. While other Martian humans would awaken swords and elemental guns or something like that, he’d awakened the spaceship. And this... this was actually his weapon.

Tatehan sighed deeply.

Words appeared across his retina:

[Congratulations host, you have leveled up]

[Congratulations host, you have gained knowledge points]

[Congratulations host, you have gained repair points]

[Congratulations host, for using gravity manipulation powers in vital moments, you have gained an increase in level: 6]

[Do you want to put the map in your inventory too?]

Tatehan was a bit startled at the message as he quickly looked at his hands.

Oh. He was still holding the map. Since it was made of paper, it might get lost or blown away, so it would be best to put it in his inventory.

He agreed and the map slowly vanished, disappearing into his inventory.

Tatehan stared at the act, surprised again. There ought to be a logical explanation for this other than magic.

[Map has been added to inventory]

[Would you like to add the sword to your inventory?]

He’d forgotten about the sword too.

He added it to his inventory.

[Sword has been added to inventory]

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan

Level: 4

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 50/100 [+14]

Repair points: 20/100 [+9]

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 6

• Regeneration (partial) - Level 4

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.3

[Inventory:]

[Nothing]

[Well, technically something(s) now:]

[Map]

[Sharp sword]

[Knight armor]

Tatehan didn’t know his system could be funny. The "Well, technically something(s) now" almost made him smile.

But this was not a time for smiles. This was a time for action.

Tatehan walked over to Kael’s dead body and slowly picked up his chakrams. He examined them for quite a while, contemplating if he should take them. After a moment, he came to the conclusion to do so. They looked like really cool weapons and would help him a lot.

[Congratulations host, you have gained a new weapon: chakrams]

[Chakrams have been added to your inventory]

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan

Level: 4

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 50/100

Repair points: 20/100

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 6

• Regeneration (partial) - Level 4

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.3

[Inventory:]

[Chakrams] [NEW!]

[Map]

[Sharp sword]

[Knight armor]

Taking what seemed to be a last look at Kael’s dead body, Tatehan walked out from the amphitheater.

What a ride it had been.

He’d come here seeking to kill the mauler and take its core, only to be almost killed himself, saved by a Martian human, unconscious for a month, made a friend, ate nothing but meat for a whole week, came back and defeated the mauler with his friend, ended up killing that friend, and now he was walking away with the core.

What a hell of a ride!

What was supposed to be his second task had resulted in this. A fifteen-hour journey becoming a month-long ordeal.

---

Tatehan decided to go to Kael’s cave. He was out of water and food supply and wasn’t sure he’d last the journey to wherever he was going in his current state.

He still hadn’t made up his mind. Should he go to the spaceship, restore the mode and continue with his life as though nothing had happened? Or go save Kael’s daughter?

Before the man died, he’d seemed certain Tatehan would do as he’d said. He’d hoped that Tatehan would save his daughter...

Tatehan shook his head sideways, trying hard to shake the thought from his mind. He had to focus on the task at hand and leave that for later.

The cave was how they’d left it, although there was no fire crackling by the wall or the body of a dead creature on the floor beside it.

Tatehan felt a bit of nostalgia as he walked into the cave. It was still exactly how they’d left it, and that made Tatehan wonder if anyone would actually be able to find where it was hidden.

If not for his enhanced brain, he would have missed his way and probably gotten lost. As Tatehan neared the makeshift shelf where the food items were stored, he couldn’t help but think of Kael.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. He probably should have buried him or something, but the man hadn’t even said he wanted to be buried. And where was Tatehan supposed to find the digging materials required, or actually dig a proper hole in this parched and dry planet?

Tatehan saw a small bag on the shelf where the food items were stored. He packed all the dried roasted meats into the bag, leaving the raw uncooked ones.

The bag was made of animal skin and probably sewn by Kael, but it was nice and functional.

Tatehan wore it on his back and walked out of the cave.