Isaac POV
After Alice and Professor Catherine left for the shop, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Leora called Isaac and Emily to the empty grounds. It was time for their combat session.
Isaac cracked his knuckles as he stepped into the open yard behind the house. Emily stood beside him, already stretching and warming up.
Leora waited across from them, arms folded, and a calm look on her face.
“Today, we’ll spar together,” she said. “You don’t need to hold back. Use everything you’ve got.”
Isaac nodded, activating Sovereign of Land.
Emily summoned her spirits.
Four of them appeared behind her—two Ember, two Zephyr. A calming breeze stirred as they worked together to generate a powerful fireball.
“Begin,” Leora said.
Isaac charged forward. Leora met his attack with a sweep of her leg and a block that stopped his punch mid-air. Her movements were efficient and fluid.
Emily gave her support from behind.
Whenever Leora tried to trip Isaac, Emily’s spirit Zephyr pushed him forward with bursts of wind, and when there was an opening, the Ember spirit would launch fireballs.
Isaac’s attacks weren’t weak either.
His high stats, fluid motions, and quick reflexes made him a force to be reckoned with.
The match continued like that for nearly half an hour.
By the end, Isaac was gasping for breath, sweat dripping from his forehead. Emily had slumped to the ground, catching her breath with her arms resting on her knees. Her spirits flickered lightly before fading.
Isaac sat down beside her and a notification came from his system.
[Several skills of your wife, Emily Warren, have leveled up.]
Phantom Parade has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Phantom Ward has reached Level 2 → Level 3
Demonic Eyes has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Isaac wasn’t surprised from the skill gains. Emily’s skills must have been on the cusp of leveling up, and the brutal training session today helped her push her skills to the next level.
’Show me what else has changed in Emily’s status,’ he said in his mind.
It had been days since he shared anything with Emily, so he was looking forward to the good harvest!
Strength: 30 → 32
Agility: 49 → 50
Constitution: 30 → 31
’Her Spirit Power and Mana didn’t increase, but that makes sense. They were already high so they won’t increase from simple training.’
As he stared at her increased stat, a grin broke on his face.
’Share!’
Strength: 60 → 62
Agility: 84 → 85
Constitution: 100 [1000 → 1000]
Phantom Parade has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Phantom Ward has reached Level 2 → Level 3
Demonic Eyes has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Just when he closed his status window, Emily announced happily.
“Two of my skills reached Level 4, and Phantom Ward reached Level 3!”
Leora didn’t respond immediately. She blinked, then slowly nodded.
“Level 4 already?” she repeated.
Her expression didn’t change, but Isaac noticed something behind her eyes. Surprise. Maybe even disbelief.
She took a breath and spoke evenly.
“According to Faladay’s Skill-Leveling Law, most skills rise quickly until Level 3. After that, the growth slows dramatically. Past Level 5, it’s almost impossible to keep leveling at a consistent rate.”
Emily smiled brighter, knowing what Leora would say next.
Leora continued. “The only ones who push beyond that are usually high-Talent awakener, and even then, the process is slow. Slower for high-rank skills. Some S-rank awakened purposely pick B or C-rank classes so that their skills level increase faster.”
She paused and looked at Emily.
“But even they can’t reach Level 4 in a little over a week. Good job.”
Emily smiled, glowing from the praises, then she looked towards Isaac.
“Nice going!” Isaac patted her head.
+0.6 AP
Isaac kept quiet about his own Level 7 Skill. He saw no reason to undermine Emily’s achievement by bragging of his own Level.
Leora stared at Isaac for a moment. She saw the roots he summoned were strong, and expected him to reveal its level.
But he only smiled.
“Anyway, keep it up. Just don’t forget to let your body rest too,” Leora said when she realized he wouldn’t speak up.
The training ended shortly after.
Emily, still sweating, headed for a shower.
Isaac returned to the fields and began harvesting the grain.
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.
After he stored the grain, he began planting new seeds.
But something pulled his attention away.
Leora stood near the farm’s edge, speaking into a small black device. Her back was to him, but her posture was stiff. Her free hand was clenched tightly at her side.
Isaac didn’t move at first. He simply watched.
She finished the call a few seconds later and turned around.
Her expression was the same. Calm, collected. But there was tension in her eyes. Something wasn’t right.
Isaac walked over. “Something happened?”
Leora looked at him, hesitated, then finally sighed.
…
Alice POV
Alice stepped into the inner room of the shop.
“Catherine, why did you call me?”
There was a subtle hesitation in the way she said the name. It still felt strange to call Professor Catherine that so casually.
Catherine looked up from the table. She wasn’t smiling like her usual self. “Come, sit.”
That alone made Alice’s stomach twist. She obeyed, lowering herself into the chair across from her.
“What is it?”
Catherine folded her hands on the table and looked her in the eye. “Selene was kidnapped.”
The words hit like a slap.
Alice’s mind blanked for a moment, then her eyes widened in shock.
“What?” Her voice cracked.
“She was taken during a meeting,” Catherine added softly.
“We have to save her!” Alice stood up, the chair scraping loudly behind her. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
The memory of the past resurfaced without warning.
When she and Selene had been children, they were kidnapped once before. It had left deep, lingering scars.
From then on, their family had made sure they always had Champion-rank guards. Yet now, somehow, it had happened again.
Catherine blinked in surprise at Alice’s reaction. She had rarely seen her this rattled.
“Calm down, Alice,” she said. “We’re organizing a search party. It will set out soon.”
Alice shook her head, trying to keep her breathing under control. “Who? Who took her?”
“We’re still investigating that,” Catherine replied. “But we’ll find her. You need to stay calm right now.”
Before she could respond, the door opened. Isaac stepped in with Emily and Leora behind him.
Isaac noticed Alice’s crumbled expression. He moved toward Alice without a word.
He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her into a hug. His hand rubbed slow circles across her back.
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright.”
Alice didn’t resist his hug. She leaned into him, her voice shaky. “My sister… she’s kidnapped.”
“I know,” Isaac said, voice steady. “We’ll bring her back.”
Alice froze, pulling away from the hug. Her eyes searched his face. “What do you mean ’we’?”