My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

Leon turned his gaze toward the direction Jasmine was pointing. Unconsciously, his eyebrows lifted slightly—something about it felt strange... yet familiar.

He walked over, crouched down, and scooped up a handful of sand.

As he raised his hand and stared intently at the grains in his palm, his heart skipped a beat.

"Holy power and chaos power? No... not both. But there's a similarity," he whispered to himself.

He scanned the area, sensing faint traces of that familiar energy lingering in the air.

"How strange... Could the one who holds this power be the same person who helped me?" he muttered quietly.

Nearly two weeks ago, he'd discovered that all his wounds had healed—except his eyes, which remained blind.

Given how impossible it seemed, his mind was filled with questions—was someone truly helping him from the shadows?

And now, he could feel it—that same power. What once seemed like baseless speculation was starting to take shape.

But who that person was... and why they helped him... remained a mystery.

"What is it, Leon? Did you find something?" Jasmine's anxious voice came from behind.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Leon took a deep breath and slowly shook his head.

"Nothing. Don't worry," he replied gently as he stood up.

Although she didn't fully believe him, Jasmine said nothing and simply gave a small nod.

"Come on, let's go catch some fish for dinner," she said, inviting him along.

Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Leon's hand and led him toward the shallow sea, about thirty meters from where they stood.

***

"Is it really okay to let Jasmine get that close to a stranger, Elaruk?"

Inside a spacious room, a middle-aged woman looked up at the tall, authoritative man beside her.

She was short, with noticeable wrinkles on her face. Red markings decorated her forehead, cheeks, and chin—distinct features common among members of their tribe.

Elaruk let out a deep breath and slowly shook his head in response.

"I understand your concern. But that man—Leon—doesn't seem like a bad person," he said calmly. "Even so, I know some members of the tribe may be unhappy about this. I'll ask Jasmine to send him away soon. After all, he and we... are different."

The woman fell silent for a moment before releasing a long sigh.

"Alright. I won't say any more. You're the chief—the decision is yours," she said with resignation.

"Chieftain, something's wrong!" KeepusgoingbyreadingonMV_LEM_PYR.

Just then, a young man burst into the room, his face filled with panic and urgency.

Seeing him, Elaruk frowned and asked, surprised, "What is it, Khalit? Why do you look so alarmed?"

Khalit panted heavily before answering in a strained voice, "Chieftain, the turtle monster has appeared again!"

Elaruk's eyes widened, and his body tensed.

"What? That turtle? I thought it died two years ago!"

"I'm not sure either, Chief. But it's on the beach right now. Some of the young men are trying to hold it back, but they won't last long. Its shell is too tough," Khalit explained between breaths.

Elaruk's face flushed with urgency. He quickly grabbed a spear from a nearby weapon rack.

"Mother, stay here. I have to go," he said respectfully.

"Alright. Please be careful," the woman reminded him.

Elaruk gave a brief nod, then turned to Khalit.

"Show me where it is."

Without another word, Khalit quickly led Elaruk out of the room.

***

"Got it! Hehehe… I caught two fish!" Jasmine cried out proudly, holding up her catch.

Both fish were plump, brown, and looked incredibly tasty.

Leon grinned mischievously and held up four slightly larger fish. "Only two? Tsk! Jasmine, I'm disappointed in you."

Jasmine's eyes widened in disbelief. "Four? How is that even possible?"

Catching fish in the sea without a rod required a special technique—one that usually took one to two months to truly master.

And yet, Leon had caught four at once. Unbelievable!

"Pfft!" Leon chuckled softly at the stunned look on her face.

Of course, Leon had used his dragon power to catch those fish.

As he had said before, dragon power was drawn from nature—a pure energy favored by all living things, including animals.

So without even moving, he could easily lure the fish toward him.

Still, to keep Jasmine in good spirits, he deliberately took only four—no more.

"That's not fair! You're cheating, aren't you?" Jasmine accused, narrowing her eyes.

"Cheating?" Leon winked, pretending to be innocent. "How could you say that? Do I look like someone who would cheat?"

His question made Jasmine pause. They had known each other for less than two weeks, after all.

But in her eyes, Leon seemed honest and decisive—not the type to cheat.

With a defeated sigh, she lowered her head, a sad smile forming on her lips. "Alright, you win. Tonight, I'll cook your favorite meal."

"Perfect," Leon replied with a satisfied nod—though deep down, he felt a little guilty for lying.

*Roar!*

A sudden roar echoed in the distance, freezing them in place.

"A monster?" Leon squinted, alert.

"That's the Merzen's roar!" Jasmine cried out, her face paling with fear.

"Merzen?" Leon gave her a puzzled look. "What kind of monster is that?"

Holding her pounding chest, Jasmine quickly explained, "It's a turtle-shaped monster. Stories about it have been passed down for generations."

"It's said that Merzen is the guardian of this region—a monster that demands the offering of two virgins every month. The first chieftain was forced to comply with her demands, and over time, it became a tradition in our tribe."

"However..." She paused, her expression clouded with emotion. "Ever since my father became chief, he refused to continue the tradition. He ended all forms of sacrifice—rituals that had claimed tens of thousands of lives over the years."

"But about two years ago, Merzen reappeared and attacked our tribe. Fortunately, my father managed to kill it. But... my mother—"

Her voice faltered, and Leon immediately understood what she was trying to say.

"So her mother died because of that monster..." he thought silently.

Jasmine, still weighed down by emotion, looked in the direction of the distant roar and continued in a low voice, "I remember it clearly. The monster was dead. We even ate its flesh, and its shell was displayed as proof of our victory. But now... why has it returned?"

"It's possible there are actually two Merzens," Leon said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The one your father killed might've been its mate—or its offspring. And the one attacking now… could be the true Merzen."

Jasmine fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, that's possible. Either way, we need to check on the tribe—I'm afraid there might be heavy casualties this time."

"Alright, let's go," Leon said with a nod.

They packed their catch into a bag and ran toward the source of Merzen's roar.