Chapter 324: Athom Returns.

Kael stared at her as Nora continued with complete sincerity.

"You’re the person Mother instructed us to find. The one who will help restore our race."

Her expression softened. "From our perspective, you’re someone we’ve been waiting to meet for many years, long before you ever knew we existed."

Kael opened his mouth.

"Well, about that..."

He wanted to point out that he hadn’t actually agreed to help them yet, and in fact, he hadn’t even decided whether he wanted to get involved in their conflict at all.

Being told he was destined to save an entire race was one thing. Actually agreeing to fight the civilization responsible for nearly exterminating that race was something else entirely. And considering he didn’t even know how powerful their enemies were, making such a commitment on the spot would be nothing short of reckless.

Unfortunately, before he could voice any of those thoughts, Nora had already begun moving.

"Please, allow me to show you."

Kael paused. "Hm?"

Then something completely unexpected happened. The surface of Nora’s chest began to ripple.

Kael blinked. What?

At first, the movement was subtle, a faint wave spreading across the front of her clothing, almost as though something were shifting beneath the fabric. However, the disturbance quickly grew more pronounced as the material covering her chest began separating into countless microscopic particles.

They flowed smoothly away from one another, revealing a series of intricate metallic structures beneath. Then, with a faint mechanical sound, a section of her chest opened.

Kael’s eyes widened.

"..."

For a brief moment, he completely forgot what he’d been about to say. The sight was so unexpected that he genuinely didn’t know how to react.

Up until now, Nora had looked almost entirely human. Her facial expressions, her movements, even the way she spoke, all of it was indistinguishable from an ordinary person. If she hadn’t explained it to him personally, that she belonged to the Automaton race, Kael would never have suspected her body was composed of mechanical components at all.

He stared at the sight before him, genuinely torn between amazement and mild unease.

On one hand, watching someone’s chest suddenly open wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing to witness. On the other hand, it was, admittedly, pretty cool.

The way the particles had separated and rearranged themselves reminded him of the advanced transformation sequences he’d seen in movies, except this wasn’t some fictional scene playing out on a screen. This was happening right in front of him.

His attention soon shifted, though, toward something else entirely, something hidden within the open compartment. At its center rested a peculiar object.

Calling it a sphere wasn’t entirely accurate, though it came close. Its surface was irregular, formed from what appeared to be several different kinds of metal twisted and intertwined together. Some sections were dark, nearly black, while others carried faint silver, bronze, and other metallic shades Kael couldn’t immediately place.

And yet, despite the variety, the different metallic sections didn’t look as though they’d been forcibly joined together. Instead, they blended into one another with an unsettling naturalness, as though the entire object had simply formed that way from the very beginning.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

Is that the Prime Ore?

It certainly wasn’t what he’d expected. When Nora first mentioned an ore, he’d pictured some kind of unusual mineral, maybe a crystalline material, perhaps a glowing gemstone, or some rare metallic substance humming with extraordinary properties.

Still, Kael didn’t underestimate it. Appearances meant very little when it came to dealing with extraordinary materials, he’d learned that lesson more than once already.

He was just about to ask Nora another question when a voice suddenly sounded inside his head.

"Kid! You’ve struck a gold mine!"

Kael froze.

The voice continued, urgent now. "Whatever you do, you must get your hands on that thing!"

Kael’s expression shifted instantly. That familiar, irritating way of addressing him, there was only one person it could belong to.

Athom?!

The realization sent a surge of irritation rushing through him. That motherfucker. Kael nearly cursed aloud but managed to rein himself in at the last second.

Disappearing whenever he pleased and resurfacing whenever something caught his interest, as if Kael’s mind were nothing more than a waiting room he could wander into and out of at will.

"Do you have any idea how many questions I’ve been wanting to ask you?" Kael complained silently, directing the thought inward with no small amount of frustration.

However, Athom didn’t seem the least bit interested in listening.

"Stop whining, kid."

Kael’s expression darkened. Whining?

"I don’t have much time to talk right now, so listen carefully, because I won’t repeat myself. No matter what happens, you must get your hands on that item." Athom’s voice turned noticeably more serious, the usual mocking edge in it fading away almost entirely.

Kael paused. The irritation he’d been feeling gradually ebbed as he glanced back toward the strange metallic orb resting inside Nora’s open chest compartment.

"That thing?"

"Yes. That thing."

Kael furrowed his brows. "Is it really that important?"

This time, his question was completely serious. He knew better than to brush off Athom’s words when the mysterious being spoke in that particular tone.

Who exactly was Athom?

Even now, after everything, Kael couldn’t offer a proper answer to that question. All he knew was that Athom was an existence far beyond his current understanding, a being whose origins and true capabilities remained almost entirely shrouded in mystery.

More importantly, Athom was apparently connected, somehow, to the Infinite Reward Multiplier itself, the very talent that had completely rewritten Kael’s fate after his regression.

And through that talent alone, Kael had already obtained treasures that defied ordinary common sense, items whose value and capabilities were so extraordinary that even powerful Hunters would struggle to fully comprehend them.

And yet now, this same mysterious being was practically demanding he obtain the Prime Ore.

That alone was enough to make him reconsider its importance entirely.

Just what kind of treasure is this?

He stared at the peculiar orb with fresh eyes. For even Athom to react this way, Kael couldn’t shake the feeling that he might have seriously underestimated the object sitting right in front of him. His curiosity, already piqued, intensified further still.

"Alright, I’m listening." He directed his thoughts toward Athom, fully focused now. "Tell me. What’s so special about it?"