UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 32 : mother

[Negative...]

Marcus let out a disappointed sigh when he heard the bracelet’s reply.

"Isn’t there any way? Can I get the genetic code from corpses?" he asked again.

[Negative...]

"Damn it!! Can't you use a better word than that...?" Marcus cursed angrily, then sighed again, frustrated.

But as if the bracelet sensed his disappointment, it suddenly responded:

> [Access granted: Temporary Gene Storage]

[The host can use the temporary storage function to hold up to three genetic codes for a maximum of six hours before they vanish if not fixed into the genetic library.]

Marcus’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"Perfect! Finally something good. I knew you could do it, bracelet..." he thought happily.

Then he calmed his excitement, frowning as he thought,

"Now all that’s left is figuring out how to kill that guy without getting myself killed too..."

"And also... where do I hide these crates? They must have something important..."

Marcus remembered seeing the Shadow Squad agents searching for those crates. At first, he thought they were there for him, but when they started rummaging around the ship looking for something, he guessed they were actually after these crates.

"Damn it! None of our attacks landed on him..." Erin cursed, breathing heavily from the massive drain of his flame energy.

"I haven’t fully mastered this ability yet..." he muttered, catching his breath. Then he glanced at Dice, who was reloading his pistol, and asked,

"Do you have a plan!?"

Dice paused for a second, then said,

"Oh! I’ve got a great plan..."

Erin immediately perked up, interested.

"Really!? What is it!!"

Dice gave him a mocking grin.

"It’s simple... we run away. Since he wants the ship, let’s give it to him."

"What!!? But this ship..."

Before Erin could finish, Dice cut him off sharply.

"Stop! I know what you’re going to say, but do you see Marcus anywhere near you? That cowardly bastard dragged us into this and then ran..."

His words shut Erin up, though he wanted to argue. Dice patted his shoulder and said,

"Keep him distracted for a bit while I prep the boat..."

Erin sighed and nodded.

"Alright! Leave it to me..."

While Erin kept attacking the Shadow Squad agent named Tavar, Dice ran to the back of the ship to ready their escape boat. But he froze in shock, swallowing nervously as he stared at the blade pressed to his neck.

Dice’s eyes widened in terror as he looked at the woman before him, her aura terrifying.

"I didn’t even see how she appeared..." he thought, horrified.

"Hello!" the woman said sweetly, then gestured to his weapon with a lovely smile, though to Dice it was utterly frightening.

"Place your weapon calmly on the ground..."

"Don’t worry, I don’t intend to kill you."

"Ma’am... that actually makes it even scarier..." Dice replied bitterly, slowly putting his gun down.

"Damn it! Looks like this is the end, Erin..." he thought sadly, believing the woman must be one of the Council’s agents.

She moved her sword away from his neck, then pulled a photo from her pocket and held it up.

"Have you ever seen this person before?"

Dice’s eyes went wide in shock, making the woman smile even more.

"From your expression, I see you’ve met him already..."

Dice nodded and, without hesitation, began telling her about Marcus abandoning them.

Susanna’s face showed utter astonishment as she listened to Dice’s story.

"You mean... he turned into a giant serpent and destroyed a Grand Council ship!?" she asked again, unable to believe it.

Dice nodded.

"Yes, ma’am, that’s exactly what happened... but he vanished after that." He then added angrily,

"That bastard ditched us just...."

But he cut himself off immediately when he saw her sword back at his throat.

She ignored Dice’s reaction and whispered, biting her lip hard,

"Looks like you’ve been through a lot... my dear son..."

Dice’s eyes widened.

"You... you’re his mother!!?" he asked, stunned.

Susanna nodded, speaking with a tender tone.

"He truly is my firstborn son..." Then her tone changed as she lowered her sword again.

"Since I sense no ill will from you, you’re free to go... but..."

She picked up his gun.

"This is mine now..."

Dice nodded bitterly, then bolted for the escape boat, not caring if she might strike him from behind. If she’d wanted to kill him, she could have done so easily from the start.

She turned away and began walking toward where Erin was fighting.

---

Marcus, who had been racking his brain for how to kill Tavar without dying in the process, suddenly felt something. His sixth sense flared, but this time it wasn’t a sense of danger, it was something different, something he only felt when...

"Mother..." he murmured without realizing.

"I only feel this when she’s around..." he whispered, as his mind raced to process what was happening.

"She’s here..." His excitement spiked immediately at the thought, confirmed when he clearly heard a woman’s voice he knew all too well, thanks to his heightened senses.

"Out of the way, boy..." Susanna said to Erin, who quickly jumped aside then launched a flaming fist at the unexpected visitor.

Boom!!

Susanna easily blocked the attack by raising her sword like a shield.

"Do you want to die!?" she snapped sharply, then pointed behind her.

"I’ll overlook this for Marcus’s sake, since you seemed like his friends. Go back to your companion, he’s waiting for you at the stern..."

Erin backed away, not lowering his guard. Once he was far enough, he ran quickly to check on Dice, worried the woman had harmed him.

He reached the back of the ship and let out a relieved sigh when he saw Dice was alright.

"Hey, Erin! Help me out here..." Dice called when he saw him arrive.

"Did you meet Marcus’s mother?" Dice asked as he undid the rope tying their small boat.

"Huh!? Wait... are you telling me that terrifying woman is Marcus’s mother?" Erin asked in shock.

"Incredible... is their whole family just monsters like that...?"

"Huh!!? What’s that!?" Dice suddenly shouted, staring at the sky.

Erin looked up too, instantly stunned.