Chapter 264: To Kill Or Not To Kill.

Chapter 264: To Kill Or Not To Kill.

Once the Modreta Gu settled inside a person’s mana core, it would begin consuming their mana while slowly reproducing. Its offspring inherited the same energy signature as the original Gu, making them nearly impossible to detect as well.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

Unlike the Modreta Gu, which primarily fed on mana, its offspring had an entirely different purpose.

They fed on vitality.

After being born, the offspring would flow through the person’s mana channels and spread throughout their body. From there, they would begin consuming the vitality that sustained the body itself, slowly draining the victim’s life force without leaving any obvious trace.

Kael’s gaze slowly shifted toward his mother.

So this was the reason.

It wasn’t Mana Sickness that had reduced her to this state.

Her vitality was being drained.

For years, she had been growing weaker because something inside her body was continuously devouring the very thing that kept her alive.

Kael’s hands slowly tightened at his sides.

"So there’s a way to get rid of this Gu, right?"

His voice remained calm, but there was a restrained anger beneath it. He was doing his best to keep that anger from showing.

Varek didn’t answer immediately.

He remained beside the bed, studying the situation with a serious expression before finally speaking.

"It’s relatively simple, Master. I can enter her body and sever the Modreta Gu’s access to her mana. Without a constant supply of energy, it should die within a few days. Once the main Gu dies, its offspring will die as well."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then do it."

Varek hesitated.

"But there’s a problem."

Kael’s expression hardened.

"What problem?"

"Eliminating the Modreta Gu would alert whoever placed it inside her."

The room fell silent.

Kael’s expression slowly changed.

The person capable of planting a Gu like this in his mother was unlikely to be ordinary. If the Gu suddenly died, whoever had placed it there might immediately realize something had happened. Worse, they could potentially trace the change back to his mother.

And if that person discovered where she was now, it could put not only his mother at risk, but Lyra, Ezra, and everyone else close to him.

Kael gritted his teeth.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

He had finally found the reason behind his mother’s condition, yet solving it wasn’t as simple as killing the thing responsible.

If he eliminated the Gu, he might expose their location.

But could he really leave his mother in this state when he finally had a way to stop her suffering?

The thought alone made the anger inside him grow.

Varek suddenly spoke again.

"Master, I think we don’t have to eliminate the Modreta Gu."

Kael looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"We can eliminate the offspring instead."

Kael frowned.

"But won’t my mother continue suffering?"

"Master, I think you’ve misunderstood something."

Varek’s tone remained respectful as he explained.

"Even if we eliminate the Modreta Gu itself, it won’t change the situation anymore. Your mother’s vitality has already been mostly consumed. Killing the main Gu won’t restore what she has lost."

Kael froze.

His eyes slowly widened as the meaning of those words settled in.

Of course.

The Modreta Gu was consuming mana. The offspring were the ones consuming vitality.

If Varek eliminated the offspring, the continuous drain on his mother’s vitality would stop. There was no need to destroy the main Gu immediately.

More importantly, eliminating the offspring wouldn’t necessarily alert whoever had planted the Modreta Gu.

Kael finally understood why Varek had made that suggestion.

The problem wasn’t completely solved, but the immediate threat could be removed without exposing his mother.

Kael nodded.

"Go ahead."

Varek bowed his head slightly.

"As you command, Master."

He immediately returned his attention to Kael’s mother. Closing his eyes, Varek placed one hand gently against her forehead and began focusing his energy. His expression became completely still as his perception entered her body, searching through the intricate network of energy channels for the offspring that had spread throughout her.

Kael remained beside the bed, silently watching.

There was nothing he could do at the moment except trust Varek.

And although the situation wasn’t completely resolved, for the first time in a long time, Kael felt that the path ahead of him was no longer shrouded in fog.

He had something to work toward now.

He needed to gather items capable of strengthening Lyra’s body and helping her awaken her locked abilities.

He needed to find something that could heal the damage to Ezra’s soul and spirit.

And now, he needed an item capable of restoring his mother’s lost vitality.

It sounded like a massive headache.

But unlike before, when he didn’t even know what was wrong with them, he now knew exactly what he needed to find.

There was a clear path ahead.

All he had to do was follow it.

Kael couldn’t help but feel that he should have involved Varek much earlier. If he had brought him into these matters from the beginning, perhaps he could have discovered some of these problems far sooner.

Just then, the phone in his pocket rang.

Kael reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

The moment he saw the familiar caller ID, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Albert.

Kael glanced toward Varek.𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He was still standing beside the bed with his eyes closed, deeply focused on what he was doing.

Kael decided not to disturb him.

He quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him before answering the call.

"Hello?"

A familiar voice came from the other end.

"Hello, Mr. Kael."

"Hello, Mr. Albert. How are you doing?"

"Same as always."

Albert’s response was as casual as ever, but he quickly got to the point.

"The Sword Saint asked me to inform you that he’s free today, in case you want to come."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that’s good. I’ll start heading there in a while."

"Hmm. I’ll let him know you’ll be coming."

"Alright."

The call ended.

Kael lowered the phone and stood there for a moment before turning back toward the room.

He opened the door and looked inside.

Varek was still focused on his mother.

Since there was no reason to disturb him, Kael quietly closed the door again and headed upstairs.

Lyra was currently in the Tower.

Ever since what happened to Ezra, she seemed to have developed a new determination to become stronger. Kael understood where that motivation came from, and he didn’t try to stop her.

Not that he could even if he wanted to.

After reaching his room, Kael changed into something more suitable for going out. Once he was ready, he headed downstairs and made his way toward the garage.

Two vehicles were parked inside.

One was the car he had purchased himself.

The other had been given to him as a housewarming gift by Scarlet Fist.

Kael glanced at both of them before walking past.

He still preferred his bike.

A moment later, he mounted it and started the engine.

The low hum of the machine filled the garage before Kael rode out and onto the road, heading off to meet the Sword Saint.