Chapter 119 He’s Dying

Nathan gazed down from his lofty vantage point as Lily and her companions fought against a range of monsters, including Elite Monsters. Even though they were clearly exhausted, they were able to defeat the creatures in a timely manner.

Nathan considered going down to the group, but instead, he instructed Geen to fly close to them and make a circle. The group noticed the spirit beast and huddled together, attempting to figure out why it was flying so close.

Geen swooped low and hovered close by, then gradually descended to the ground when Nathan realized they were not feeling threatened by Geen's arrival.

With her short blonde hair, Lily smiled and stepped closer to Geen, but Lewis quickly grabbed her by the shoulder. "What do you think you're doing, Lily?!" he asked, his voice stern.

Nathan, miraculously, was able to understand their conversation just by the movement of their mouths, though he couldn't actually hear what they were saying.

"I'm going to see if I can communicate with this spirit beast." Lily replied," I might be able to find out which participant it belongs to." She said with a troubled expression on her face.

"Are you serious?" Lewis scoffed. "Since when can you talk to birds?"

Lily pushed Lewis' hand away gently and smiled at him. "Don't be so annoying, Lewis." she said before running over to Geen.

Lily crouched down in front of Geen, "Do you understand me?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

Nathan hesitated, uncertain of how to respond. Although he couldn't actually hear the dialogue, he had a sense of what was being said.

Geen shook its head twice and then nodded at her. It shot a quick glance back at Lily.

Nathan felt a wave of emotion wash over him as he was reunited with his two half-siblings. It had been years since he had last seen them, his memories of them being a combination of Lewis's harshness and Lily's kindness, who had always tried to protect him back then. That was five years ago, yet it felt like no time had passed.

Lily smiled weakly, her pale face showing her exhaustion. She glanced back at Lewis and remarked, "It appears that I actually can communicate with birds!"

At 13 years old, she had already achieved a level of power that exceeded most humans on New Earth. She and Lewis had a blessing that few possessed as they received their awakening at the young age of nine. The resources of the Gardner Family allowed them to ascend quickly, and they truly lived up to the idiom of being born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Lily asked Geen, "So, do you understand me, but can't hear me?"

Geen nodded, confirming. "Screee, screee…"

Nathan was the one who requested that Geen make his signature bird call.

Another woman with a stern face and back-length blonde hair walked over and crouched beside Lily.

Nathan didn't recognize her face. "Perhaps she was an important person from CEHA?"

"I believed it was a spiritual creature that could be controlled by a vision-based technique or something similar. But it's quite obvious that it can comprehend our conversation." The girl mused.

Lily smiled and replied, "Indeed, Olivia," before turning back to Geen.

Nathan uttered the name "Olivia" without realizing it.

"Olivia?" Linda swiftly replied. "Is that Muramoto's imaginary girlfriend, Oppa?" she inquired, her voice full of curiosity.

Nathan heard Linda's question loud and clear, as his body was right there with her.

Nathan finally remembered the name 'Olivia', who Muramoto had mentioned multiple times. She was the student council president at CEHA, and this further reinforced Nathan's suspicions that the four of them had been brought to this pocket dimension for some unknown purpose.

Nathan refocused his attention on Lily as she began to ask Geen some questions.

"Are you one of the participants in this challenge?" she inquired.

"What a ridiculous question!" Lewis interjected from behind.

Geen nodded in response to Lily's query.

"Are you all doing okay?" she asked again.

Nathan was perplexed by this question, so he simply nodded in agreement since their last battle hadn't resulted in too many casualties.

"We have come to help. We'll set off right away to the location where you have gathered," Lily declared.

Geen nodded in agreement to her words.

Lily smiled and asked, "Are you Nathan Gardner?" The unexpected follow-up question from the girl made Nathan a little surprised.

Lewis instantly shot Geen a hard look, who, at that moment, also nodded affirmatively in response to Lily's inquiry.

Lewis lunged at Geen, brandishing his sword and prepared to strike, but the attack came to an abrupt halt when Olivia rose to her feet and blocked him with her own blade. "Lewis," she said firmly, "you don't need to hunt this bird for food, do you?"

Lewis remained undeterred and swiftly brought his sword up, crossing his arms in a defensive stance. "For some reason, I really feel like killing it."

Lily ignored Lewis and kept talking to Geen.

"I saw you on a live broadcast, summoning a spirit beast. I was curious if it was yours, and it turns out that it was," she said with a warm smile. "Did you like the gift I gave you?"

"Stop your chit-chat, Lily." Lewis interjected, "Do you think we're here for a reunion?" He said with disdain.

"Alright, Nathan Oppa," Lily spoke again with a smile towards Geen.

"Oppa" is a term of endearment used in Korean culture, indicating a close relationship between the speaker and the person being addressed. Nathan felt a little strange when Lily called him that since he wasn't familiar with her calling him that.

Nathan lived in the 7th Nation, a place predominantly populated by people who had been residing in the Asian Continent prior to the great war. During the war, a phenomenon known as the 'awakenings' occurred, but Nathan had little knowledge about it and only had a basic understanding of it. He was excited to learn more about world history when he enrolled at CEHA.

"Me, Lewis, Olivia, and James are representatives of the second-year students from CEHA," continued Lily, attempting to give Nathan a reassuring smile.

"We noticed that the energy concentration in this pocket dimension was too high, and so we decided, despite our limited resources, to send out help. We have fought various Elite-grade and high-Level monsters since arriving here, and I hope we'll be able to assist you in completing the challenge in this pocket dimension soon."

"That would be amazing," Nathan thought to himself. "Although I would have to share my Elite Monsters with them, it's better to complete the challenge sooner rather than later. I'm already bored enough with all the drama here. It's even more depressing than dealing with monsters."

Geen nodded in agreement with Lily's words.

"Okay, Nathan Oppa. I'll be right behind you to the place where you've gathered. See you there!" Lily waved her hand as she said this.

Geen flapped its wings again, soaring low before shooting back into the air. Nathan quickly scanned the area, feeling relieved that he didn't detect any other monsters nearby.

"It'll take a few hours for them to get to the safety of the Alliance's shelter," Nathan reassured himself, "which should be plenty of time before the next attack arrives."

Nathan quickly exited Visual Linking mode and returned to his physical body. His eyes snapped open, and he was shocked to see Linda sitting right in front of him.

"Hi, Oppa..." She said with a smile. "Are you imagining other girls when you're with me?"

"No," he responded without hesitation. "There are only Lily and Lewis, my twin half-siblings. Then there's Olivia, Muramoto's girlfriend, and another guy in this pocket dimension."

"What?! Olivia, Muramoto's imaginary girlfriend, is actually here?!" Linda said, her expression one of eagerness. She then rapidly bobbed her head up and down in confirmation. "I can't wait to see the look on Muramoto's face when I reveal his absurd imagination!"

"Uh?" Linda raised her eyebrows. "Wait, aren't they CEHA's second-year students, Oppa?"

Nathan then proceeded to explain the entire situation to Linda. "Woah..." Linda replied with a bright smile. "That's great news, so we can get out of here more quickly, right?"

Nathan nodded with assurance. "The four of them are incredibly strong. They took down those high-level elite monsters like it was nothing. I'm sure they could each match Gydarra, if not easily best him," he said confidently.

Linda nodded eagerly. "That's fantastic news," she said, her voice filled with joy.

Nathan smiled and tenderly brushed his fingertips across her cheek, gently encouraging her to turn her gaze away from him.

"I'll be right back to the shelter," he said. He stepped out of the hot spring, and the warm water cascading down his strong back and legs made it clear how much he had enjoyed his bath.

Linda smiled, watching Nathan as he stood up and made his way away from the hot spring. She soon followed.

Nathan hastily changed into the extra outfit he had packed beforehand and strode away. Linda, who had been trailing him, grabbed his arm.

At that moment, Nathan felt something vibrate in his hunter device and saw Yudan's name flashing on the screen. "Yudan?," he said.

"Nathan... Muramoto..." Yudan said hesitantly, his expression filled with dread.

"What happened to Muramoto?" Nathan asked, his heart sinking.

"Someone has hurt him," Yudan replied in a fearful tone. "They stabbed him, and he's dying."

Nathan's face tightened as he clenched his fists and said hastily to Linda, "We need to get going, let's go!" Without waiting for a response, he sprinted away.