Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent-Chapter 35: Everyone for themselves

Everything has a beginning and an end. Ethan and Menir’s team was no exception to this rule.

If not for their months of working together, they would be strangers. They were not bound by long-standing relationships, friendship, or blood.

Sure, after everything that happened, they weren’t complete strangers, but that didn’t mean they had to be together forever. Even very long alliances had to end when the time came.

At least that’s what Menir believed.

The only thing she could hope for was that Ethan would accept her position and not try to keep her on the team by force, no matter the reason.

Ethan blinked several times, trying to understand if Menir was serious.

Then...

"Alright, but where are you going to live?" Ethan asked. "I mean, earlier you said that if I didn’t let you stay at my place, you’d be out on the street."

Menir’s eyes widened in surprise that Ethan asked her that.

"Don’t worry about it. I have my share of the Energy Core sale, don’t I?"

"Of course!" Ethan quickly opened the pouch.

He paused because after buying the Hollow Orbs, they only had 15 one-ring coins left. Sure, they could split them 75 each, but that would require exchanging them for zero-ring coins.

"Five is enough for me, considering my Hollow Orb costs more than yours."

Ethan shook his head.

"Nah."

Then, he took three coins, put them in his pocket, and handed the bag to Menir.

"Here, take it. Now that I’m a Carrier, I’ll earn money quickly. Besides, you helped me with the gold earring at the beginning."

Thump.

Menir collapsed to the ground before Ethan could react, as he was looking in the other direction. The exhaustion hit her harder than she expected.

... 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The next time Menir opened her eyes, she was on the couch in Ethan’s house.

On the table was a long-cold cup of coffee, a pouch with 12 coins, and a note torn from a piece of paper.

[Good Luck.]

There was nothing else on the note.

Sip.

Menir took a sip of coffee and smiled bitterly.

’No money, no lust, no desire to use my abilities... None of that attracted him, and he just accepted my wish? Not only that...’

She glanced at the coffee and the coins.

’This is the best farewell I’ve ever received. Hah, maybe we’ll meet again in the future. He would be the only person I wouldn’t mind seeing twice.’

Black Horn kept Menir in his ranks because of her abilities. She was his most valuable asset.

Menir’s mother, while she was still alive, had tried to sell Menir as a young and intelligent bride, preferably to a rich and influential Carrier. This was the reason why Menir knew so much, especially about the Carriers, and not because her mother cared about her.

It seemed that after the death of her mother and Black Horn, Menir made a big mistake by deciding to end her alliance with Ethan, because he valued her as an ally and not as a treasure hunter or romantic partner.

"I have to move on," Menir decided firmly. "I can’t always depend on someone else, even if they’re kind to me. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to follow my own path."

Now she was a True Carrier, just like Ethan. They both had enough strength to build their future.

Still, Menir couldn’t hold back her emotions.

A single tear fell on the note as she smiled faintly.

"I wonder what he’s doing now? Judging by everything, he went after his fragments."

...

At the same time, Ethan was climbing a slope surrounded by dark trees with sparse foliage. He had set out at noon, but evening was gradually approaching, and he had no idea when he would reach his destination.

"Fuck! Where the hell am I supposed to go? I tried three other routes, but ended up at a dead end! Tsk!" Ethan complained, climbing higher with each step.

It seemed like he shouldn’t had any difficulties since the fragments showed him all possible routes, but unlike energy, he couldn’t pass through walls or cross rocks.

He had never been here before since he tried to reach the Desolate Meadow. This area was south of Orsire City and was located between the Rotten Forest and the Grim Peaks on the maps.

It was also a fairly high point, continuing into the mountains in the distance.

’Hmm, I need to be careful. Unlike the Rotten Forest, there may be people here, and possibly enemies...’ Ethan frowned as he continued to climb.

Orsire City was one of the four cities of the Exalted Claws, as well as the southernmost and most remote of them all. Thus, the other three cities were located much further north, along the Corrupted Shore, which was more to the west than the Rotten Forest.

The Rotten Forest and the Grim Peaks were much closer to Orsire City than the Desolate Meadow, which meant there was a risk of encountering people who were not part of the Exalted Claws.

In a way, the Desolate Meadow was a border zone. There was no physical border or wall, of course, but everyone was aware of the potential threats.

Sure, the fact that Ethan, Konrad, and Black Horn were from the same city didn’t stop them from fighting to the death. Conflicts constantly arose between people living on the same street, but that couldn’t be compared to confrontations with strangers.

In a small town, especially one that wasn’t very big, everyone knew each other. There was always the possibility of revenge or negotiation. But if Ethan encountered someone from outside the Exalted Claws at the Desolate Meadow, any outcome was possible, from a new friend to a mortal enemy.

Step. Step. Step.

Breathing heavily from what seemed like an endless climb, Ethan stopped as he reached the top.

Through a row of dry bushes, he could see a spacious field covered with tall, dark grass and sparse yellow flowers hiding in their shadows.

Four tilted stone pillars, as if from ancient ruins, stood in the middle, seemingly waiting for something.

"Finally, I’m here... Now it’s just a matter of time."

Unnoticed by Ethan, clouds were gathering in the evening sky, covering the dim moon just as in the fragments he saw, along with electrical discharges preparing to unleash a storm on the seemingly empty field.