CHAPTER 81: SAPLING

Outside their tent, Max found Charlotte preparing some succulent meat for their meal. They weren’t truly starving, but sharing a hearty dish with everyone would definitely soothe their rattled nerves.

Besides, the sky on the Third Floor always remained exactly the same, so there was no proper day or night, and one simply needed to maintain their own personal sense of time.

After all, even the clocks refused to work on this peculiar floor.

Even though it had been such a long while since the Labyrinth descended upon the world, it was still brimming with strangeness and mysteries nobody could explain.

Max went to sit on a wooden log beside her and asked, "Looks delicious. How long will it take?"

"Should be done in a few minutes," Charlotte replied, still focused on her work. "You already assimilated the Mana Shards of the Forlorn Mimic?"

"Yeah, about that—can you take a look at me?" Max asked. "I’ve heard this type of monster leaves marks in its Mana Shards, sort of like a curse, and sometimes even a sapling of its core."

By then, Charlotte had finished cooking the meat and handed the juicy meal to him. It was stuffed with her special seasoning, which she had actually mixed specifically for their group.

His words intrigued her, and she asked, "I’ve never heard anything like that. How does it work?"

While enjoying the meal, Max explained, "Only Diamond Rank and higher can sense that mark on others, and those who carry it can’t distinguish it from their normal mana. So, it’s probably hidden information to keep mass panic under control."

"But that’s dangerous."

"It’s not really that dangerous, because the monsters are usually weaker, so whatever mark they leave behind isn’t very effective. It mostly acts passively—slowing reaction speed or the regeneration rate of mana. Sometimes it even causes headaches, making people hear voices in their heads."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and asked, "Isn’t that dangerous still? Also, how am I supposed to check those marks when I’m so weak?"

"Because I’ll tell you the signs that show whether I’m marked or not," Max said with a smile. "Another reason it isn’t widely known is that people usually have a healer treat them on a regular basis—almost every hunter does. That healing touches their mana almost every time, so the marks slowly disappear."

"I understand. That’s actually a relief," Charlotte breathed out, then asked, "What do I need to do?"

"Just touch my temples and try to inject your mana into my eyes," Max explained as he set the dishes aside. "By the way, the meat was delicious—almost rivaling my heavenly cooking."

Charlotte blinked, confused by the sudden change of topic. Still, his compliment brought a wave of unexpected happiness.

With a rosy, sweet smile, she said, "Thank you! I’ll improve myself, so expect even better results next time."

"Hehe, of course. I can also teach you if you want," Max grinned. "Anyway, do what I said, and if you see white lines shaped like lightning currents in my eyes, it means I’m marked."

Charlotte nodded and shifted to sit properly in front of him. The distance between them was a bit too close for her comfort, but since this concerned his life, she forced herself to ignore any distracting thoughts and focus on the mission.

When it came to healing and helping, Charlotte took those matters very seriously, so she quickly slipped into her healer mindset and forgot her embarrassment.

Placing her index fingers on both sides of his temples, she slowly circulated her mana to enter Max’s body.

Normally, she would have met some resistance, but he allowed her entry, so she slipped in effortlessly.

Before long, she had transferred enough mana and guided it toward his eyes, where the true objective lay.

As she observed his closed eyes, she found herself drawn to them. Those abyss‑dark pupils seemed to invite her to drown within them.

’Beautiful!’

She couldn’t help but think they were exquisite. There wasn’t anything uniquely striking in them, yet they held a strange allure that captivated her.

Her train of thought was broken when she noticed a strange pattern slowly growing in the corner.

Her pupils dilated as she recognized it; it was eerily similar to what Max had described. But there was something odd that didn’t match his explanation.

The pattern was coiling around itself into a messy tapestry, and if Charlotte hadn’t been paying absolute attention, she might have missed it.

"By the dead gods, you’re actually marked," Charlotte muttered in astonishment.

"I am? Well, I expected it, but it isn’t something to worry about," Max sighed, having already anticipated the news.

"But there’s something strange. The pattern is coiling around itself," Charlotte said, backing away slightly.

"Wait—for real?"

This time, Max was truly surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure. Is that different from the mark you mentioned?"

"Of course it is," Max groaned, annoyed. "Monsters don’t always intentionally leave a mark—or rather, they never intend just a mark. Their real objective is to plant a sapling of their essence and let it grow like a baby before they hijack someone’s body."

Charlotte was dumbfounded; it was the first time she’d heard about such a bizarre and frightening thing.

"What? You thought stealing and killing to become stronger would have no consequences?" Max chuckled. "Usually there aren’t, but cases like the Forlorn Mimic exist."

"W‑What do we do?" Charlotte asked, worry etched on her delicate face. "If you know about it, then you should know the solution, right?"

"Hehe, of course. Who do you think I am?" Max flashed a cheesy smile, helping Charlotte relax a little.

If he was in the mood to flash that grin, then the situation had to be under control.

"Just tell me everything at once. Why are you taking me on a roller‑coaster ride of emotions?" Charlotte pouted and complained.

Max had to muster every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to squeeze her cheeks, and even then, he forced himself to look away.

"It’s pretty simple and uses the same method we use for regular marks. You just need to heal me continuously, and it’ll slowly be destroyed. The healing has to be directed at it, so you need to give me some personal healing time every day."

Charlotte fell into thought. "Do you have any idea how long it’ll take?"

"Depends, but I doubt it’ll be less than a month."

"That’s a problem, but don’t worry, I’ll manage it. Just show me how it’s done. It’s too dangerous to leave inside you, so isn’t there a method to remove it permanently?"

’There is, but how would I meet you as often then?’ Max thought, then said aloud, "Not that I know of, but I can guess a few methods. Still, I don’t want to take them. So please help me."

He brought his hands together and bowed his head dramatically. "Please help me, oh beautiful Goddess!"

The young healer covered her mouth and whispered, "Don’t make me a goddess so randomly. I’ll help you anyway."

[True, but I’ll let it slide just because she’s cute.]

’You shallow... Wait! What do you call people who discriminate based on looks?’

[What an author you are...]

’Hey! I have Google back at home!’

Ignoring his petty companion, Max focused on Charlotte. "Nice! The healing part is pretty straightforward—you just have to heal my eyes for a full two minutes every day."

"That’s... pretty simple," Charlotte admitted, surprised the solution was so easy, even though Max had hinted at it before.

"Yeah, but there’s no need to start right now." Max leaned back comfortably on the wooden log.

[You really are too chill about this. Aren’t you worried about it taking over you?]

’Heh, it’ll invade my mind to take control, and guess who already lives rent‑free there?’

[...Shameless!]

’All is fair in love and rent!’

[...]

"Just remind me when I need the treatment, okay?" Charlotte said, making Max feel a pang of guilt for using her kindness to get closer.

"Don’t worry. A little ugly monster like that can’t take over this charismatic and brilliantly handsome man," Max said with an exaggerated wink.

Charlotte snorted at his words but didn’t argue.

Something clicked in her mind, and she said, "You reminded me of something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Remember when you told me you’re uneducated? I thought about it and brought some materials so I can teach you how to read and write."

Max blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly, realizing how much Charlotte genuinely cared about the people she liked.

Charlotte paused for a second before adding, "Though I’m still confused, because sometimes you show signs of being educated."

"I just have my own methods for those things," Max sighed. "Like making that map. It wasn’t easy, you know."

It really wasn’t, since he had to ask Kafka’s help every time he needed to read or write something, and it was never easy.

"I see. Well, that makes it easier. I’ll still teach you if you want," Charlotte said with a gentle smile. "I’ve already prepared the materials for you. We can start, since Stelle is still busy with assimilation."