“How did you manage to kill that thing? To be honest, I didn’t think the three of us together could beat it.” Cokue kicks the gorilla monster lying on the ground, as if trying to check whether it is truly dead. Those were his first words since they arrived.

  I let out a long sigh. My grandmother left about fifteen seconds ago to investigate the surrounding area. She is just now returning to where we are waiting. “It wasn’t easy. Damn it… I can say this is the fight where I’ve suffered the most.” Excluding impossible cases like my encounters with Diamond or Obsidian ranks.

  “I’ve never felt so cornered. It didn’t matter whether I attacked from long or short range, everything felt impossible—ridiculously strong and fast, with mana and Imra control far above average. The two most difficult points were its adaptability during combat and that healing ability. There were moments when I thought I might die, or when vague thoughts of fleeing as far away from the village as possible crossed my mind.” At least that way, I could have avoided my territory falling along with me.

  “My body was under constant, intense pressure. I had to use attacks stronger than my limit the entire time, breaking and repairing myself just to stay at its level. My head would cloud over at times, and my ears were filled with nothing but buzzing. It was a real headache. The worst part was the damage to my cube from pushing myself beyond normal limits.” At least the physical damage has mostly healed.

  I close my eyes to observe my cube. I can see cracks everywhere, with the columns being the most affected. The fractures aren’t as deep as in past incidents, but they are extensive, covering nearly seventy percent of the space inside my cube.

  I’ve improved enormously at repairing my cube. After two horrifying experiences, I learned something. Now, vital mana flows smoothly, repairing each damaged part. I’m sure it will take less time than before—my body and cube have already grown slightly accustomed to this situation, and the recovery speed has skyrocketed.

  I’m seriously considering asking Glia for help. I feel bad doing so, but I don’t have many options if I want to recover quickly. I don’t know if a similar situation will happen again soon, and I need to be at least fit to fight. In my current condition, I can’t use more than fifty percent of my mana without hurting myself. I feel guilty asking my little sister, though she will probably be happy to help.

  “That sounds painful…” Cokue winces as he imagines my situation.

  “Tell us the whole fight on the way back. And don’t forget to store the monster’s body.” My grandmother has already sent a signal to notify my family. Everyone knows the danger has been exterminated—it’s time to return.

  I walk toward the dead anomaly. Its massive body is covered in cuts, deep wounds reaching its internal organs. Its head lies a few centimeters away, its eyes frozen in a clear expression of surprise. I store every part of the monster and levitate back to where they are waiting.

  “When Cokue ran away, leaving me alone…” I see the Ruby rank’s surprised look, followed by annoyance. I smile and continue. “I’m joking. When you left…” The three of us move at my grandmother’s pace back toward Mancor. It seems all the important people are already gathered there.

  The story flows steadily. I’ve become quite good at recounting events—doing it so often has turned it into a habit.

  “How close you were to dying against that anomaly…” Cokue comments.

  “If your Imra had been a bit weaker, or if you hadn’t struck its cube, everything would have ended differently. You took too big a risk, Maki.” My grandmother looks both angry and sad as she speaks.

  “At that point in the fight, I couldn’t retreat… if the gorilla had escaped with all the knowledge it acquired, it would’ve been a huge problem.” As my grandmother explained, anomalies at the beginning don’t grow very fast due to the lack of challenging opponents of the same rank. This case was special—it was learning from someone gifted in every aspect. I was an endless river flowing into a massive sponge.

  My grandmother and Cokue tell me several well-known stories about anomalies. Decades ago, a Denosis anomaly appeared. At grade four, it was already capable of fighting three Diamond ranks at once, forcing them to flee its territory. When they returned with two more Diamond ranks, they finally managed to defeat it.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  In the end, one of them died, two were left in a vegetative state for weeks, and the remaining two were severely injured for a long time. A monster capable of fighting five opponents of a higher rank is unthinkable. The other stories are just as shocking—anomalies are beings despised by humans. If one appears, it must be exterminated.

  The meeting place is the small building that manages everything in this territory. What is it called? City hall? I’m sure it has a proper name—I’ll ask my grandmother later.

  We enter the two-story building, which spans nearly a thousand square meters. We find the room—indeed, all the important people are already waiting inside.

  Cokue is the first to speak. His group encountered the monster by chance. They were lucky not to be attacked immediately. Thankfully, the Ruby rank noticed the difference in strength right away and ordered everyone to flee while calling for reinforcements.

  I continue with my story. I don’t hesitate to recount everything, including how I risked my body to kill the anomaly. Everyone here is trustworthy—even those who aren’t family are bound by contracts tied to their cubes. Betraying the territory by leaking information is punishable by death.

  “Thank you, son. This is the second time you’ve saved us from an incident that could have annihilated our territory.” My father is the first to speak when I finish.

  My mother is thoughtful. Her reaction was the worst when she learned about my final condition. My grandmother even added details about how she found me—I honestly thought my mother might have a heart attack.

  “Good work, Maki.” Sers pats my shoulder with his only hand.

  “The territory’s hope, acting once again.” Ritmo speaks. He’s been staring at the ceiling the whole time, his voice filled with clear exhaustion and concern.

  We discuss a few key points quickly. In less than an hour, they let me leave to rest. The same happens with Cokue. Everyone else takes advantage of being gathered. I feel lucky to skip reports and future plans. I’m interested and confident I could offer ideas, but my head can’t handle that level of stress right now.

  Cokue heads toward Puntsal City, while I return to my small home in Talar City. Living in different towns works out well—it allows us to help if either place is attacked.

  I fly back. I can’t wait to lie down in my bed. I considered walking and enjoying the forest view, but the idea vanishes instantly. I just want to sleep.

  Before reaching my house, I feel someone watching me. On top of the two-story house, a woman is sitting at the edge of the roof, legs swinging. Her distant gaze notices me as I get closer. She jumps down, teleports, then does it again midair to appear in front of me.

  “It’s rude to disappear, you know?” Her eyes soften after those words. “I’m glad to see you back in one piece again. I always carry your promise with me.” Brendu holds the necklace between her fingers. With her free hand, she takes my right hand, her smile as bright as ever.

  “I almost broke that promise today.” My voice comes out subdued. “I never thought I’d say those words—I’ve always believed I could handle anything. I need to become stronger… and at the same time, I need a vacation.” I look straight into the princess’s eyes.

  “What matters is not breaking it. I don’t care about the ‘almost.’ Take things slowly, Maki—you’re not alone anymore.” She squeezes my hand tighter. “Now let’s go back. They’re much more worried. I’m somewhat used to this.” I can feel her forcing herself to be strong; her Imra is unstable.

  The girls jump on me the moment I walk through the door. They inspect every visible part of my body and even check less appropriate areas at the same time. After several minutes of hugging on the floor, they finally let me go. Brendu intervenes and convinces them to let me shower before demanding explanations.

  Already showered and lying in bed, I tell them the whole story, starting from when the guard appeared outside the house. Glia is with us, listening beside me. Her Imra shows worry and sadness.

  “…Before anything else, let me give you something.” I take three cases out of my dimensional bracelet. “I planned to give these to you at the end-of-year party, but I changed my mind. It’s better to do it now.” I hand each of them their case.

  “I made these necklaces myself. They aren’t expensive or luxurious, but they carry something more—strong feelings and a promise.” I look at Sol, Arisa, and Marga. “These necklaces hold the promise that we will always see each other again, whether it takes years or just hours. The idea is to always reunite until the day comes when we can stay together and never part again.” I express my feelings as smoothly as I can.

  The three of them look at Brendu. She shows hers. “I was just lucky to receive it first—the sentimental value is the same.” They nod in understanding. They all know the story of when I returned to school after helping that small village in her territory.

  “Thank you. I’ll always wear it.” Sol is the first to put it on.

  “This is the best jewel I’ve ever received. Thank you.” Arisa admires hers before placing it around her neck.

  “I’ll never take it off. Thank you.” Marga answers instantly, just like Sol and Arisa.

  The three of them hug me tightly at the same time. Brendu joins a second later. Glia watches happily—she also has her own necklace. Mine is safely stored. We talk a bit more, and finally, they all leave the room to let me sleep peacefully. There is no scolding, thanks to the necklaces. Now, the promise of returning home is stronger than ever.