14. What is downtime?
Sirius had already turned, dashing through the forest—faster now. Much faster. His legs pounded against the earth, dust and debris scattering beneath his feet.
His heart thrashed in his chest, wild and violent. Each breath came short, fast, his head spinning with vertigo. Mana sickness clung to him like a vice, but he refused to succumb.
Not now.
"System, I leveled up, right?" he asked, scanning the darkness, searching for them. "How many vials do I have?"
He kept running, head whipping side to side.
"HOW MANY VIALS DO I HAVE?!"
[Medium Vitality Blood Vial x15, High Vitality Blood Vial x5]
A high vitality blood vial materialized in his hand.
He pivoted, rushing back—back to the place Elendira had helped him understand Fignar's trick, where she had stood by him even when he staggered.
He skidded to a stop at the foot of a felled tree, dropping beside it.
There she was.
Elendira.
Still.
Cold.
His heart dropped.
The vial trembled in his grip, red liquid nearly spilling from the rim.
He had failed again.
Too late. Too slow. Too weak.
What was the point of revenge if he couldn't save them?
Sirius bent over, his nose burning, throat tight. His eyes locked on her golden hair, gently illuminated by the moonlight, each strand was flawless, a halo framing the deep blue of her eyes, now closed.
His hand drifted to her cheek.
Even in a new life... with a second chance... he still couldn't protect what mattered most.
Sirius cried.
Tears fell freely, tapping against Elendira's skin, trailing down her face.
And then, a heartbeat.
Faint.
Fragile.
But there.
He reacted instantly, lifting her head, the vial pressed to her lips. She was alive, but weak. Too weak to drink on her own.
"Please... please... I don't want to lose you. Please..."
The crimson liquid trickled down her throat.
Then, warmth.
Her body glowed a faint red, breathing returning in quick bursts, heartbeat thumping in a natural rhythm. Her bruises vanished. Her torn hand reformed. The damage undone.
Sirius stared, wide-eyed, as her lashes fluttered—
And her eyes met his.
Blue.
Alive.
She sat up abruptly, panic in her voice. "Did I—did I hug you? I'm so sorry if I hugged you—"
Sirius didn't let her finish.
He pulled her in, cradling her head to his chest. Her golden hair spilled through his fingers like sun-kissed silk.
He had fought for Mary—for the apology he never heard. The closure he was denied.
But this wasn't Mary.
This was Elendira.
And she was here.
"You're alive..." he whispered, trembling. "You're alive..."
Elendira paused, the steady thump of Sirius's heartbeat echoing against her ears.
Time seemed to slow, stretching into a surreal moment she wished could last forever.
A moment she didn't want to end.
Then, softly, she asked, "What about the others?"
Sirius froze.
"Crap!" he shot up, several vials materializing in his hands. He tossed five toward her. "Find them. Make them drink this. Let's meet back here after we've found everyone."
Elendira barely caught them all, juggling the vials with a grunt.
She watched him vanish into the forest, his steps carving into the earth with raw force.
She sighed, muttering to herself, "You just had to ask about the others, didn't you..."
"You stupid, stupid, stupid spider..."
Red swirls lit up the forest moments later, mana pulsing through it like veins. One by one, the Arachne generals stirred, blinking as they rose. They looked at their hands, at their bodies, their eyes wide.
Their power had returned.
And then some.
Which could only mean—
"You killed Fignar," Rue said, cracking her neck. "That's... I don't even have the words. I can't..."
"That was the outcome we all wanted," Garura added. "But how exactly did you do it?"
Sirius gave them a look, still catching his breath. He didn't know how he'd kept channeling mana into his webbing without collapsing. Honestly, he should have passed out.
He had just been too focused. Too desperate.
"I don't know either," he said with a shrug. "All I know is I'm starving. I could eat literally anything right now—"
"Garura, go fish. Immediately," Elendira ordered, pointing toward the nearest river.
"Understood!" Garura saluted.
"I'll get meat!" Rue said. "There was a pack of Starrabbits near the minotaur camp."
"I'll blow their nest sky high!" Alaric grinned, conjuring a tornado on his fingertip.
"Don't do that, dumbass. You'll kill the whole pack," Rue snapped. "Also, I can use wind magic which means, you're not needed so—shoo, shoo."
"How dare you mock me again!" Alaric barked, stepping toward her.
Just as they were about to collide, Sirius made a sound.
Not a word. Not a command. Just a quiet, broken sound.
He stood still, face bent toward the ground, hands trembling at his sides.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
The five generals instantly turned away, all at once, as if rehearsed.
None of them dared watch their king cry.
Sirius lifted a hand to his eyes, wiping away the tears.
In his old life, he and his siblings had drifted apart, scattered across different countries, caught up in their own paths.
But not a day had passed that he didn't think of their peace.
Their laughter.
Their fights.
Their togetherness.
Sirius's eyes were red, more tears falling unchecked.
He had a family now. Here. And for a moment—just a moment—he'd thought he was going to lose it all again.
"I'm sorry," Sirius said, breathing in deep. "It's nothing... you can all go."
One by one, the generals nodded and dispersed. Off to hunt, to cook, to give him space.
But Elendira stayed.
Her silhouette reflected against the night sky, pale under the moonlight.
She walked toward him.
Sirius glanced to the side as she approached. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.
He nodded, offering a little smile. "Yeah. It's nothing... Elendira."
She blinked, surprised to hear her name like that. He chuckled.
"Not an order," he said. "Just... a question. What was life like for you all before I came along?"
She hesitated, "It was hard. More so under Horst than any other... but even before that."
Her voice was soft now, more memory than speech.
"Us Arachne... we're low-tier in the forest's hierarchy. No territory. No allies. We were always being pushed around by anyone stronger."
Sirius said nothing—he just listened.
"Maybe that's why Horst did what he did. Eliminating the males... it cut out rivals. And it made us undesirable. No king would try to claim a race with nothing left to gain."
She looked at him now, something like gratitude in her eyes.
"But with you here, things feel... better."
Sirius lowered his gaze. "Is that so..."
She tilted her head. "Can I ask you something in return?"
He nodded.
"The way you reacted when I woke up... do you have someone you've lost?" She hesitated. "I won't ask about your old life or your world—I know you're human—but..."
"I had a sister and a little brother," he said, "We were close. Took care of each other. Every day."
He paused, staring into the darkness.
"But when we grew older... things fell apart. I was weak. Couldn't choose. Couldn't follow them to different cities or countries. So I took the normal path—a corpo job, just enough to survive."
A bitter chuckle.
"I slaved away in silence, wondering if one day I'd grow the balls to quit, or leave, or something..." he sighed, "Now all I can wonder is if they'd even hear I died. If they'd even care."
Details. Lots of thing's Sirius said were confusing, his existence in itself was confusing. But she wouldn't ask, she wouldn't question. That was just how much she liked him after all.
"I'm sure they would," Elendira said softly. "But... are they gone? Couldn't you return to them someday... not that I want you to go, it's actually quite the opposite—"
"I get what you're saying," Sirius said with a small laugh. "But I don't think I can go back. Not really. And it's okay. I want to cherish what I have here now. With all of you."
Elendira turned her face quickly.
"You alright? Mana sickness?" Sirius asked, reaching toward her.
"No!" she said, stepping away fast. "I'm fine! I'm... I'm gonna check on the others!"
And then she ran off, her golden hair bouncing behind her.
Sirius watched her go, then lifted a hand and clenched his fist.
There was still so much he didn't know about this world. So many variables. So much he didn't understand.
Today, he'd won off instinct and luck.
That wasn't good enough.
It couldn't be good enough.
"I need to get stronger," he whispered. "I won't let something like this happen again."
He started walking, breath steadying.
"Well... I've got time." He smirked, stomach rumbling softly. "I'll ask Rue to teach me more spells. That lightning spell Alaric pulled off was pretty cool too—"
[Extraction possible]
He stopped, turning back. Extract—the skill that had saved his life, the same reason he'd earned the right to the Arachne. Using it on Fignar could change everything. Adding the Minotaur King's essence to his arsenal would be huge. His blessing was a game changer.
And it was only fair, with how hard he got hit.
He deserved it.
[Extraction target found: Minotaur King, Fignar]
[Extract essence or form?]
Without wasting time, Sirius sprinted back through the trees. He reached the clearing, stepping just beside the headless corpse lying on the forest floor.
"How does extracting his form work exactly?" Sirius muttered.
[Extraction Guide]
[Form: Extracting a defeated entity's form forfeits their life essence—including their gained abilities and traits—in exchange for their physical body. Upon extraction, the form is revived as an empty vessel, bound to the system and fully controlled by the user.]
[System note: The extracted form retains no memories of its previous life.]
It was basically necromancy. The idea of calling on a beast as powerful as Fignar in battle was tempting—strategically, it was the obvious choice. But Sirius hated him. Hated everything he stood for.
The Minotaur King embodied the worst kind of person: someone who acted without restraint, who took what they wanted with no thought for the damage they left behind. People who hurt, who killed, who assaulted. Sirius had no sympathy for monsters like that—no matter how useful they might be.
"Extract essence."
[Option selected]
[Proceeding with extraction]
Purple light flared from Sirius's arm, extending into the air like shimmering dust. It swirled, dancing through the darkness before settling over Fignar's corpse. The particles thickened, forming a cocoon of mist that wrapped around the body.
And then—just like corrupted data being wiped from a screen—Fignar began to vanish.
Bit by bit, his massive form was erased from existence.
The light pulsed once more, then reversed course, streaming back into Sirius's arm like a tide drawn home.
[Extraction successful]
[Element acquired: Lightning]
[Items gained: Minotaur king's horns (Craft material), Minotaur king's hooves (Craft material), Minotaur kings ring finger(enhancement material), High vitality blood vialx3]
[Race added: Minotaur]
[Title gained: Minotaur King]
[Title gained: Beast killer]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[Level up]
Sirius blinked.
And waited.
Nothing else came.
No special skill. No weapon. Not even the devastating technique Fignar had tried to kill him with multiple times.
Just materials he couldn't use.. A title, that meant nothing. A race, he didn't even want and some vials, well, the vials were actually useful.
His fingers twitched at his sides.
"That's it?" he muttered, jaw tightening. "That's all I get?"
After everything—
The pain. The fear. The loss.
And all he got were crafting parts?
No weapon. No technique.
Sirius exhaled hard through his nose.
The world didn't owe him anything. But still... sometimes it really felt like it was messing with him on purpose.
He turned to his side.
STATUS.
[Name: Sirius Elantris]
[Age: 18]
[Level: 30]
[Race: Human, Arachne(?), Minotaur(?)]
[HP: 400/400] (+150)
[MP: 150/400] (+150)
[Strength: 32] (+13)
[Endurance: 27] (+13)
[Agility: 37] (+13)
[Intelligence: 25] (+13)
[Element: Lightning, Fire, Wind]
[Spells: Searing flame]
[Skills: Extract, Gift, (*Nemeses Link)]
[Equipment:]
[Materials: Spider King's Hide (Craft material), Spider King's Silk (Enhancement material), Thick Goblin Hide (Craft material), Minotaur King's Horns (Craft material), Minotaur King's Hooves (Craft material), Minotaur King's ring finger (Enhancement material), Medium Vitality Blood Vialx12, High vitality blood vialx5]
He glanced over his stats. A new race. A landmark level-up. A solid boost in attributes. New crafting materials he couldn't even use yet. But what really caught his eye was the new skill.
"Nemeses Link?" he muttered.
[System Notification: ...]
[System Notification: Blessings held by individuals cannot be transferred.]
"Blessing?" Sirius tilted his head. "Did it mean Fignar's?"
[Nemeses Link – (Reconstructed Replica of Original Blessing)]
[System Notification: Blessings in this world are not tied to mana, names, or any transferable medium. Unless a foe's form is taken through Extract, their blessing cannot be inherited. To combat this, the system copied the blessing and reconstructed a version for user application.]
"So that's why you were freaking out when I was fighting him," Sirius muttered, thinking back to the wild surges and weird feedback during the battle.
While it was interesting—maybe even thrilling—that the system could find a way and replicate a blessing it couldn't even analyze mid-battle.
Blessings were scary.
There were definitely other kings out there. Stronger. Smarter. With blessings far more dangerous than Fignar's.
Blessings that'd be used against him.
And not even the system could stop that. Not even the system could analyze them.
"Still," Sirius said, "how does this reconstructed version work?"
[System Guide – Skill: Nemeses Link]
[Unlike the original, which could read emotions, feelings, and—at higher levels—thoughts of any entity with mana, the reconstructed version provides a sixth sense. The user automatically senses any being in their vicinity whose mana equals or exceeds their own.]
"I see," Sirius muttered. "So it's like a passive skill."
He turned slowly. "Is it on now? Or do I have to—"
[Skill: Nemeses Link – Activated.]
Sirius whipped through the air, blades spawning in his hands. His feet moved quickly against the ground, his body blurring mid-motion, until his blade came just shy of something—something there.
He glanced at the figure standing beside him, her form highlighted by the skill. Green hair, green eyes, and a body adorned with petals of every color and size.
She turned toward him. "I could've sworn my presence was hidden."
Sirius narrowed his eyes, the blades drawing closer. "What do you want?"
She sighed. "First, can you take your blades off me? I'm afraid you'll scare my flowers to death."
He didn't lower them. "You don't have that privilege anymore—"
Before he could finish, the webbed blades in his hands turned into rose petals, drifting down to the ground.
She smiled, unbothered. "Firstly, my name is Raya Goldanten. And you are?"
"...Sirius Elantris." He muttered, mana charging in his palm. She glanced at his hand and chuckled softly.
"I am the overseer of the Forest of Mehr and one of the leading ambassadors. In light of your slaying of Fignar, the ruthless beast, we've recognized your strength and new position within the forests hierarchy."
"And that means... what exactly?"
She stretched out her hand, her smile calm and inviting.
"You, Sirius Elantris, are now the sixth ambassador of Mehr.