[Status: conflicted, feels fuzzy from inside, wants to ask you to stay with her but won’t.]
He sat there for a second, watching her.
Just a few days ago, her status had been filled with resentment. Now it was changing. There was hesitation instead of anger, and warmth instead of distance.
’At this rate, it won’t take long before she accepts the idea of polygamy.’
’I just need to make sure it’s clear that I want her too, but I can’t make too open moves or she would say no because of the abruptness.’
Isaac had to be careful. He couldn’t rush things since they were starting to look hopeful.
He placed a hand on her head, gave it a gentle pat, then stood and left the room quietly.
Once outside, he headed to the fields. The morning air was cool.
As usual, Leora appeared right beside him. He picked up his hoe, and he harvested the crops in several swings.
1000 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +500. Constitution +500.
You have obtained 5000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
3960 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +360. Constitution +360.
You have obtained 19,800 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
He finished spreading the ash and began planting new seeds.
It took a while, but he treated it as a form of training.
By the end, a message appeared.
Sovereign of Land has reached Level 6 → 7
Active and passive effects strengthened by 120%.
Cooldown: 16 hours → 12 hours
Sovereign of Land was reaching staggering levels. Since it was an SSS rank skill, the power it displayed at Level 7, only three levels away from maximum level, was otherworldly.
Isaac could feel that he could summon numerous gigantic roots with a single thought.
Now, he could control the roots easily.
It was also thanks to Sovereign of Land’s boost that the Astral Lotus was growing rapidly. The flower now boosted 15 hectare, rather than the 1 hectare when it was first planted.
“Everything is coming along nicely.”
He took a quick trip to the gym, ran through his workout routine, and returned to clean up.
By the time he was done, the smell of breakfast was coming from the kitchen.
They had the breakfast early.
Emily was seated beside him, smiling brightly as she looked at the food. She had cooked most of it alongside Leora, and the pride in her eyes was obvious.
Isaac picked up the spoon and started feeding Emily gently.
Each bite brought with it the familiar system prompt.
+0.5 AP
+0.5 AP
+0.5 AP
It was almost mechanical now, but Emily’s soft laughter every time she was fed made it feel warmer than numbers on a screen.
Still, Isaac’s eyes flicked to Alice from time to time. He used Inspect.
[Status: Jealous, conflicted, wants to be fed by you too.]
After breakfast, Professor Catherine stood up first and adjusted her coat.
“Alright, Alice. Let’s go. We have to set up early or we’ll miss the morning wave.”
Alice nodded and stepped towards the jeep after Emily’s Zephyrs loaded it with crates.
Just before Catherine walked out the door, she leaned toward Isaac.
“Come visit the shop during your break,” she whispered. “It’ll make Alice happy. Might even increase your odds of pulling her into your harem.”
Before he could react, she winked and turned away.
Isaac sighed and shook his head. “Unbelievable woman.”
Now only three people remained in the house. Isaac, Emily, and Leora.
Isaac looked at Emily. She had a sly smile on her face, like she was waiting for something.
“I’m staying here for a week!” she announced suddenly. “Surprise!”
He blinked, doing his best to put on a surprised expression. “Really?”
Emily nodded enthusiastically, clearly proud of herself. “Yes! I’m not going back to campus until my class advancement trial is done.”
“Wait,” Isaac leaned back in his chair. “How?”
Leora answered for her. “Top students from the special classes were brought to strongholds for real-world experience.
“Emily’s growth has been exceptional, so she was selected. She’ll undergo training here, and later enter the Akaza Ruin to complete her quest.”
“So she’s not the only one?”
“No,” Leora replied. “She’s just the one who ended up here thanks to Catherine’s arrangement. The others are under General Magnus.”
’No wonder her skill levels were climbing so fast. She was training for this.’ Isaac thought
Emily crossed her arms, grinning. “I worked hard to get selected.”
Isaac smiled and patted her head. “Good job.”
+0.6 AP
After breakfast, they moved into the study room.
Leora stood in front of the board and began the lecture.
She covered stat disruption theory, detailed models from Faladay’s skill level-awakener level equilibrium law, and broke down advancement trends from Adept all the way to Champion rank.
It wasn’t basic knowledge. It was strategic, technical, and occasionally overwhelming.
But Isaac was doing something else in parallel.
He activated Reaper’s Bounty, silently extracting antidotes from the Velumbra Lily stocks Professor Catherine had given him earlier that morning along with the ten seeds of Dreambloom, Viperthorn, Miragepetal each.
Extracting antidotes while taking notes was tough.
But it was a necessary step to push his skill to the limit, and increase it’s level.
Mind Echo helped him. It allowed him to store all information from the lecture inside his head like a perfect recording.
By the time class ended, he had crafted twelve antidotes.
A notification popped up in front of him.
Reaper’s Bounty has reached Level 4 → 5
Isaac closed the notification and stood up.
“I’m heading out,” he said.
Leora raised a brow. “To the shop?”
“Yeah. I’ll take the grains and deliver them to Alice.”
Emily was a bit tired and she had to complete her notes from the lecture. She couldn’t come with him.
Isaac turned to Leora. “You should stay here with Emily.”
“What about you?”
“I’m taking the Deathwood Guardian scarecrow with me.”
Leora paused for a moment, then gave a small nod of approval.
Deathwood Guardian could fight a Champion-rank awakeners. So there was no problem of security.
Isaac placed the scarecrow inside his storage ring, then harvested grains.
1000 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +500. Constitution +500.
You have obtained 5000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
3960 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +360. Constitution +360.
You have obtained 19,800 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
He spread the fertilizer, replanted new seeds, and loaded the crates of grains with Tyr’s help.
Soon after, they set out for the market, and the moment Isaac stepped into the market district, he noticed the line.
It stretched around the block and was longer than what he’d seen yesterday.
Only a few among them wore student uniforms. Most were in combat gear.
They wore light armor, tactical suits, or custom-made robes. Some wore loose cloaks that looked dusty from long travel. Almost every one of them carried weapons openly.
“Mercenaries,” Isaac muttered under his breath, “and guild members.”
He slowed his pace as he looked over the crowd.
’So many awakeners showed up in just one day. This is way beyond what I expected.’
He scanned a few of the crests and symbols worn on their gear. Some of them belonged to mid-level guilds.
A few bore no insignia at all. They must be lone freelancers or small teams.
’I guess I underestimated the influence of top guilds.’
In the current era, awakeners weren’t just fighters.
They were symbols of strength. Soldiers, idols, influencers, and superheroes all rolled into one. People looked up to them, and wherever they went, crowds followed.
And where crowds went, business did too.
He entered the shop.
Inside, Alice stood at the front counter, dressed in a neat coat and black slacks.
She had her hair tied back loosely, strands of it falling across her cheek. She was multitasking by counting grain orders, checking names, and handling payments at the same time.
Tyr stood beside her in his tree form.
His branches moved smoothly, handing over sacks of grains whenever Alice gave him a number.
Professor Catherine was, of course, nowhere to be seen. Not that it surprised him anymore.
Alice looked up as Isaac stepped in, surprised for a second. Her eyes flicked to the crate in his hand.
“I came to deliver these,” Isaac said simply.
He didn’t expect a smile or a thank you. He didn’t get either.
But having spent three years with her, he could tell she was happy.
Alice stepped back from the counter, signaling Tyr to switch roles. Tyr began carrying crates inside one by one while Isaac took over the selling.
The line moved quickly.
Isaac handed out grains and offering basic instructions on storage and dosage to newcomers.
The buyers were polite for the most part. A few recognized him and offered a brief greeting or a compliment. Isaac answered them with short nods or a quick smile.
But then, a ripple went through the crowd outside.
It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to change the atmosphere.
People stopped mid-sentence. Heads turned. A few pulled out their devices to record something. The soft murmur of conversation sharpened into low gasps and whispers.
Isaac’s eyes narrowed.
He didn’t need to ask what was happening.
’Celia Rae.’
An SSS-rank support-type awakener. Idol of Fortified City 89. Younger sister of Vale Rae, the leader of Titan Edge Guild.
Isaac didn’t look towards the door excitedly like everyone.
He kept a calm expression. However, his thoughts churned.
’Their timing is strange.’
’There’s no way they coincidentally came just when I was here.’
’Why go such a roundabout way to meet me?’
’They could’ve just asked for an appointment.’