Chapter 38: Siri Is More Useful Than You
Elias staggered alongside the river, dragging his sore, trembling limbs. Loud crunches and low groans accompanied each step. He'd been abusing his Berserk Sprint skill for several miles, and now his legs were paying the price. His thighs and calves burned and twitched, but he couldn't stop. He didn't want to. He needed to put as much distance between himself and Chameleon as possible. He wouldn't feel safe otherwise.
Even if he'd won the battle, there was no way he'd win a second. He knew that—very well. His victory had only been possible because Chameleon had let his guard down.
Though really, could you blame him? Who would expect their opponent to start spewing random fictional references and nonsense in the middle of a life-or-death fight? If Elias had been in his shoes, he would've thought his enemy had completely lost it.
But if they fought again? Elias doubted Chameleon would be so easily caught off guard. Which meant running was the only option.
"I've probably run, what… eight to ten miles by now?" he muttered, grimacing at the seemingly endless stretch of river ahead. Still no settlements. No signs of help. Should he have gone the other way? There was no way to know. Without a map or compass, there was no telling if he was heading in the right direction.
Wait. His system had a clock function, maybe it had a mini-map too?
But just as that flicker of hope sparked, his system promptly shut it down:
[Mini-map function, currently unavailable.]
Elias muttered several obscenities under his breath. "Not currently available? What, do I have to unlock it or something? How? Couldn't you throw me a bone here?" he grumbled, fingers twisting his hair into knots. His system was even more useless than his phone. At least that had GPS and a call function. But since his phone was gone, he could only complain in silence.
He paused before he gave himself a bald spot.
That's right! His system had granted him a reward for defeating Chameleon earlier, but he'd been too distracted to check it at the time.
A familiar translucent panel flickered to life in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have completed Hidden Quest: (UR) Defeat an Assassin in Battle!]
[You have earned the following rewards: +300 LP, +10 Free Stat Allocation Points, +Title (UR) The Calm Warrior]
---
(UR) The Calm Warrior
You are a warrior who knows how to keep a level head—even when death is only a breath away.
Passive:
+10% chance to auto-correct minor combat mistakes (e.g., missteps, targeting errors) when facing mortal danger.
Active: (Usable once per day)
For 5 minutes, the Host becomes immune to psychological erosion and all negative mental status effects.
Warning: This ability suppresses the Host's emotions entirely during activation. Delayed emotional or psychological backlash may occur afterward. Use with caution.
---
He tugged at his lip in thought, eyes fixed on the title's active ability. Yet another power he'd have to use carefully. Did it simply suppress his emotions until the effect wore off? This wasn't the right time to test it. What if the aftereffects left him vulnerable—or worse, incapacitated?
As for the unallocated stat points… he would save them. He wasn't sure how to divide them up for the time being.
Besides, it only worked once per day. It'd be a waste to use it now. Still, it could be a valuable tool if his emotions ever clouded his judgment or if he faced an enemy who specialized in psychological warfare.
For now, he had a different problem. His face scrunched up as he pressed a hand to his grumbling stomach. His stomach churned in discomfort. Maybe he should've waited until after breakfast to escape.
The image of Chameleon butchering the bear earlier this morning flashed through his mind. 'Absolutely not', he thought with a shiver. Even if he was starving, there was no way he could work up an appetite for bear meat. Didn't bears often carry parasites? His vitality was pretty high now, but he didn't dare risk it.
Besides, that was a bear, not a cow or a pig. He didn't have the psychological fortitude to eat something like that.
He turned to the rushing river. Should he try fishing? But he didn't have a rod. He could try using his hands or knife, but that would mean standing in the water and waiting for a fish to swim close enough. It was autumn. The water would be freezing. He didn't have any spare clothes, either. And even with his high vitality stat, he didn't dare gamble with his health—not when there were already too many unknowns stacked against him.
There was another issue Elias hadn't considered: cooking.
He couldn't even make a proper meal with kitchen tools. What was he supposed to do now, with nothing? Some might wonder why he hadn't practiced cooking in the time capsule—but the time capsule had been a place where he never felt hunger. Naturally, he hadn't thought to learn. He hadn't remembered that hunger would return once he got out.
Now, Elias could only cry silent tears of regret over his poor life choices.
Still, he wasn't entirely without options. The combination of his foraging and gardening skills might help him find something edible. And besides… he was lucky. He'd definitely find something.
It didn't take long before his luck came through. He spotted several edible plants: morel mushrooms, wild onions, and a shrub full of elderberries. It wasn't much, but it would keep him going for now.
He built a small fire to cook the morels and onions. They didn't taste great on their own. He ate them— his face scrunched as if he swallowed a lemon. After rinsing the elderberries in the river, he popped a few into his mouth. Bitter and tart. He felt tempted to spit everything out, but forced himself to keep eating. He needed the food, even if it didn't taste good.
He cursed Chameleon under his breath, even flipping his middle finger at the sky. If it weren't for him dragging Elias out here, wouldn't he still be at home, eating whatever he wanted in comfort? The bitterness of the situation was never ending.
Once he was done complaining and his stomach was full, he offered a quiet prayer.
'Rose, if you can hear me… thanks for everything.'
He didn't know if the AI from the time capsule could hear him now, but he hoped they could…even if they couldn't reply. Rose had been the one to teach him foraging. And that skill had just saved him from starving… all because he'd made the mistake of not learning how to cook.
He looked at the time and realized thirty minutes had passed. He'd lingered too long—he needed to keep moving. Stomping out the small fire, he resumed following the river.
An hour after Elias left, an irritable Chameleon arrived at the spot where the fire had been snuffed out. He crouched down and touched the ashes, the cold soot meeting his fingertips. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. Elias's footprints were clearly visible, forming a trail.
"Looks like he left this place a while ago," he muttered, his gaze following the winding river path. A small smile tugged at his lips. "You're an impressive fighter, kid—but you don't know the first thing about covering your tracks."
He resumed the chase, sprinting and even swinging from tree branches to gain momentum. It wouldn't be long before he caught up.
And this time, he wouldn't be merciful. The kid had seen his weakness. Even if Elias wasn't reckless enough to try and kill him like Jackal, Chameleon wouldn't hesitate to shoot or slice off a limb just to teach him a lesson.
As he ran, he reached into his collar and fished out the talisman. Half of it already blackened, the surface brittle and crumbling. His eyes flashed with worry.
He had to find the kid soon. And Sable needed to return before the talisman burned out completely. Because once it did… Chameleon didn't want to find out what would happen to him. Based on what had happened to Jackal, there was a real chance he could die.
He'd worked too hard to get to this point.
He clenched his jaw.
He was so close to gaining his freedom. There was no way he'd let bad luck get in his way now.
He accelerated through the trees, dislodging leaves with each leap. His red hair snapped in the wind, streaking behind him like a flame. The forest blurred, flashes of orange and crimson melting into the rush of motion, as his eyes stayed fixed on the trail ahead, like a wolf on the hunt.
Elias didn't realize that, despite all his progress and effort, Chameleon was still hot on his trail.
—-
At one of Everett Falls' hospitals, Syler lay on his side in the bed, eyes vacant. His arms were cuffed to the rails. Earlier, he had begun striking himself in the head with his fists as his thoughts spiraled out of control.
The night before had been hell.
Over and over, he saw Hans smiling, in his dreams, with that sinister glint, walking away with his arm around Elias—who remained completely unaware of the malice beside him. Every time Syler tried to scream, to tell Elias that person wasn't Hans, his words turned to bubbles—rising, popping, and vanishing before they ever reached him.
No matter how hard he shouted, Elias couldn't hear him.
And when Hans took Elias with him, Syler's legs turned to stone. No matter how hard he tried to move, to run after them, his body wouldn't budge as if cemented to the ground.
And there was no relief when he woke up—because he'd failed in reality, too. Elias was gone. And it was all his fault. He should've told Elias everything the moment he began to suspect that Hans had bad intentions.
But now it was too late. They didn't even know who this "Hans" really was, or what he wanted, or where he'd taken Elias.
How were they supposed to find Elias with no leads at all?
"Child," came a gentle voice.
Syler turned his head to see his grandmother sitting beside the bed. The dark circles under her eyes didn't escape him. Guilt hit him like a wave. Here he was, lying in bed, drowning in self-pity, while his elderly grandmother stayed up to take care of him.
"Bibi…" he croaked, and tears broke loose again.
Zora let out a soft, speechless laugh and reached over to rub his head.
"Haven't you cried enough today, child? I thought you'd be out of tears by now," she teased gently, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, voice cracking. He tried to wipe his face, but his arms were still strapped to the bed. Zora took out a handkerchief and dabbed the tears away for him.
"I'm not scolding you, dear," she said softly. "Syler, you're my baby. Scold you? Blame you? I couldn't bear it. You're such a good child—so kind and sweet. Why do you insist on thinking so little of yourself?"
She brushed a bit of hair off his forehead and continued, "I don't think your friend would blame you for what happened. You need to understand: this wasn't your fault. It reflects badly on the criminal, not on you."
She placed her hands on her hips and closed her eyes in mock indignation. "And besides, don't you think your friend would be mad at you if he knew you didn't believe he could come back?"
"I know I would be!" she added, cracking one eye open to peek at her grandson.
Syler let out a snort in spite of himself.
Zora smiled, relieved by the small sound of laughter. She relaxed and used her fingers to gently push up the corners of his mouth.
"There it is," she said. "Now keep that smile. Hope, child—that might just be the very thing that saves him."
Syler nodded, albeit reluctantly. He wanted to pull her fingers away from his face, but with his hands restrained, all he could do was wrinkle his nose in protest.
Just then, a loud blare erupted from Zora's phone. She pulled it out and squinted at the screen.
"It's an Amber Alert," she said, then turned the screen toward him. "Is this your friend?"
Syler read the alert, and his eyes widened with every word. "T-they found something? A clue about the kidnapper? About Elias?"
His voice cracked—this time with hope.
Zora clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes lighting up. "See? Things are looking up, my child," she said, tucking the phone back into her pocket.
As the two laughed and shared a moment of relief, someone silently watched from the hallway and headed for the exit.
A bulky teenager with blond hair stood just outside the hospital room, arms folded. It was Kevin.
After the room fell quiet, he lingered a moment longer, watching the grandmother and grandson interact sweetly. An unreadable emotion brewed in his blue eyes as he clenched his fists. Then, without a word, he turned and walked down the hall.
"Heh. Thought he grew some balls," he scoffed under his breath, "but turns out he's still the same loser as always."
With that, Kevin vanished into the crowd, leaving the hospital behind, like he'd never been there at all.