100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?-Chapter 417 - Farewell

Only one more round of charging remained before the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty would hold enough reserve for a direct leap to the West Continent.

Which meant Lucien had only one more day left in the Liberators’ branch.

The mood across the hidden base had shifted.

It was subtle at first.

Training still continued. Patrols still moved. Research still progressed. But beneath all that motion, there was an awareness hanging in the air, a quiet reluctance that no one spoke of too loudly.

They knew he would be leaving soon.

Some were sad. Some looked oddly lost. Some wanted to convince him to stay.

None of them tried.

They knew better.

Lucien did not belong to places that could keep him by asking.

And right now, he was inside his divine energy core.

•••

Marina had settled in more smoothly than he expected.

Not socially.

That would have been a miracle.

But functionally.

She still spent most of her time within the ocean world he had brought into himself, still half-goddess and half-shut-in, still most comfortable when separated from other people by either walls or entire bodies of water.

Lucien had tried introducing her to those inside his inner realm.

Only some. Never too many at once.

He did not force her.

He had learned enough by now to know that frightened people only built thicker shells when pushed.

So he approached it little by little.

And to his quiet satisfaction, he could already see that Marina was trying.

She would appear for a while, speak a few words, then retreat before her social battery died dramatically.

Among the ones he had managed to introduce, she had already developed favorites.

Aerolith was her second favorite.

"She is innocent," Marina had said earlier that day, watching Aerolith crouch in the farms with total seriousness while arguing with a pumpkin. "Simple too. She says what she wants without wrapping it in ten hidden meanings. I like that."

Lucien had not argued.

Marina’s first favorites, however, were the slimes.

Naturally.

She had watched them bounce around while speaking in their small enthusiastic voices, then placed both hands over her heart and declared them "criminally cute."

She did not yet realize that those same slimes were stronger than she was.

Lucien had decided not to ruin the illusion too early.

Before he could introduce her to the louder ones, Marina had already pressed a hand to her chest and said with grave sincerity, "My social battery is at one percent. If I continue, I will evaporate."

So he let her go.

He still had not introduced her to Kaia, to Starforge, or even to Sylra.

That could wait.

Marina returned to the small ocean world resting in the inner void of his core, and Lucien let her have her peace.

There was no need to rush.

•••

That small world interested him more the longer it remained within him.

The firmament was still intact.

Even after everything it had endured, after surviving the crushing water-pressure of its former cosmic sea, not even a crack marked its dome.

It was absurdly sturdy.

Lucien had already made a few changes, of course.

Now that the world rested inside his core, its laws fell under his greater jurisdiction. He had adjusted its inner and outer boundaries so the waters contained within would not seep into the rest of his inner realm.

He had also made it possible for himself to pass through the firmament freely, ignoring the natural restrictions that once defined the world.

Now, inside the vastness of his divine energy core, a strange enclosed world floated quietly in the void.

Lucien looked at it more than once that day and nodded to himself.

He had already asked Marina to guide her people toward becoming stronger. If they lacked resources, he would provide them.

They agreed to send people in batches to train at the training facility, allowing them to break through into the Metamorphosis Realm and shed their mortal shell.

...

The others continued progressing as well.

Only the slimes, for now, had reached Ascendant Realm.

The Lithrens were still some distance away. They had talent, but Lucien had not yet produced the continuation of the Law Books they needed. For the moment, they relied on their own comprehension.

The monsters were changing too.

They no longer looked like mindless beasts.

Training under the ancient beasts had sharpened them. They were fiercer, more disciplined, more aware. But even with their growing intelligence, they still recognized Lucien as their master without question.

That was good.

What was not good was the resource problem.

Lucien realized it clearly now.

He was still too stingy with the environment he provided them.

Monsters did not always advance through pills, manuals, or quiet meditation. Many needed the correct habitat, pressure, prey, or elemental density to push beyond their limits.

He would have to revise the Monsterdex sooner rather than later.

He would have to design better zones, better training ecologies, and better pressure systems.

To raise monsters properly, one needed the right environment.

Lucien was already thinking about it when night fell.

•••

That night, he stepped out of the house to pass Cassian a few drops.

They would help with crop cultivation and reinforce the branch’s attempts to scale the substitute herbs for the cure.

But then—

The air outside felt wrong immediately.

Lucien paused.

Usually, even at night, the branch remained alive with motion. Training courts glowed. Spars still sounded in the distance. Some Liberators preferred moonlight to daylight.

Now there was almost nothing.

Lucien’s eyes sharpened.

His instinct did not ring.

Which only made the silence stranger.

He moved deeper into the compound.

Then suddenly—

Light exploded overhead.

Lucien’s whole body tensed.

Another burst followed.

Then another.

They are...

Fireworks.

He froze.

Color bloomed across the sky, scattering gold, blue, and scarlet over the hidden branch.

For one suspended breath, Lucien was no longer in the Big World.

He was back in memories that did not belong to competition, wars, or cosmic strategy.

Back in a life where nights like this meant celebration.

He stood still, speechless.

Then the darkness around him peeled away.

Figures stepped forward from every side.

The Liberators.

They had hidden themselves well. They even used treasures to suppress their presence entirely.

Cassian walked out first, smiling.

"Brother," he said, "since this is your last night here, everyone decided to throw a farewell gathering for you."

Lucien looked at him.

Then at the others.

Then at the fireworks overhead.

For once, he did not know what to say.

Kaia, of course, strode forward with the expression of someone very pleased with herself.

"You are always thinking about everyone else," she said. "Tonight, we thought about you."

Lilith came up more awkwardly from the other side.

"I... helped too," she said, avoiding his eyes in a way Lucien found unexpectedly funny.

He looked around again.

At the decorations.

At the tables of food.

At the grinning faces.

At the effort.

And slowly, a genuine smile spread across his face.

"I see," he said quietly.

That was enough to make several of them cheer.

•••

The feast that followed was warm in a way battles never were.

People who had grown close to Lucien over these days came one by one with gifts.

A hand-bound notebook. A lucky charm carved from sea-bone. A handmade cup. A training wrap. A polished shell. Etc.

None of them were expensive.

None of them were rare.

And yet Lucien found the gesture strangely ticklish somewhere in his chest.

He accepted every single one.

Cassian eventually raised a cup and called over the crowd.

"Brother Luc," he said with easy formality, "say something before they start crying and blame me for not stopping you."

That earned laughter.

Lucien looked around at them.

Then he spoke.

"Everyone," Lucien said, "I can only say this: we will meet again." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The crowd quieted.

"Maybe not in a month," he continued. "Maybe not in a year. But as long as we stand beneath the same moon, there will come a day when we cross paths again."

That was not a dramatic promise.

It was a calm certainty.

And somehow, that made it stronger.

The Liberators cheered.

Kaia even whistled.

Cassian shook his head with amusement.

For a moment, the branch felt less like an organization and more like something dangerously close to home.

•••

But when the cheers died down, Lucien’s eyes moved across the crowd.

He was looking for someone.

He did not find her.

Seraphine... was not there.

He exhaled quietly.

Her absence left a small, annoying weight in him.

Cassian noticed.

Without a word, he stepped closer and handed Lucien a book.

"Sister Seraphine told me to give you this," Cassian said.

Lucien blinked.

"She could have done that herself."

Cassian shrugged his shoulders.

Lucien opened the book.

Then his expression changed.

Inside were pages upon pages of medical formulae.

Remedies for illnesses of every kind. Treatments for Law injuries. Recipes for pills and potions meant to strengthen the body, restore energy, and stabilize dangerous conditions. Notes on rare ingredients, preparation methods, and countless observations gathered from years of careful research.

It was not just valuable. It was absurdly valuable.

It was a lifetime of her research.

Lucien smiled despite himself.

Then something slipped from the pages and fell into his hand.

A note.

He unfolded it.

The words were written in English.

And the moment he read them, he froze.

"Even if you eat an apple, it won’t keep me away. So don’t get sick if you don’t want me to cross the continent for you."

Lucien stared at the note.

Then he laughed.

Unrestrained and bright and startling enough that even the people nearby turned in surprise.

He laughed until he had to lower the paper and rub his eyes once.

Was it relief?

Happiness?

Perhaps... something stranger?

He did not know.

He only knew that it felt... good.

And for tonight, that was enough.

•••

The next day arrived clean.

Everyone gathered in the training grounds.

The mood was no longer festive.

It was heavier now. Still warm, but weighted by the reality of departure.

Lucien stood alone in the center.

The others who would travel with him were already inside his core.

Around him, the Liberators formed a wide ring.

Cassian stood at the front.

Lucien raised the Waystone Fragment and sent a message to Astraea first.

[Sister, it is time. Do not be surprised when I appear directly. Please tell Sister Eirene to place the linked Waystone Fragment in an empty area where I can teleport cleanly.]

Astraea’s voice came back at once.

[Good. We are ready on this end. We have only been waiting for you.]

Lucien nodded.

Then he raised the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty.

"Please," he said.

That was all.

At once, the Liberators around him began channeling mana into the disc.

The covenant brightened.

Little by little, the amount reached the threshold Lucien had calculated.

He glanced once at the linked Waystone.

Then nodded.

"This is enough."

Disappointment flickered across several faces.

The process had ended too quickly.

Which meant so had the final excuse to delay goodbye.

Lucien did not activate it immediately.

Instead, he reached into his storage and tossed two rings to Cassian.

Cassian caught them instinctively.

Inside one were drops suited for crop cultivation and growth enhancement.

Inside the other were general resources, distributed as thanks for the gifts, the training, and the hospitality of the branch.

Instructions were included.

Cassian peeked inside and his eyes widened.

He looked up as if to thank Lucien—

But Lucien’s gaze had already shifted past him.

"Sister Seraphine," he said, "you do not need to hide. I already saw you."

A stir moved through the gathered crowd.

Then, reluctantly, a figure in a white gown stepped from where she had been concealing herself.

The others parted to let her through.

Lucien smiled when he saw her.

They locked eyes.

Then she gave him the smallest nod.

Lucien flicked one more ring toward her.

"For you," he said. "Thank you for the gift last night."

Seraphine caught it automatically.

She stared at it.

And froze.

Lucien did not explain.

The Covenant’s light swelled around him.

He was about to trigger it—

Then Seraphine’s voice finally broke through, edged with alarm.

"Wait," she said. "This ring..."

Lucien looked up.

Her expression was unreadable for half a second.

Then she blurted, "Are you proposing to me?"

The entire training field went still.

Lucien stared at her.

Then laughed.

A full laugh this time, warm and helpless and utterly unfit for a dignified farewell.

"Guess?" he said.

Before she could answer, the Covenant flared.

Light surged upward.

Space folded.

Lucien vanished from their sight.

And the last thing the Liberators heard before the light swallowed him completely was the echo of his laughter lingering in the air.