"You have a clear idea of what you need to say, right?"
"I'd say so."
They exchanged a knowing glance before knocking on Beatrice's door.
Moments later, the door opened and Beatrice appeared.
"Who's knocking this early… YOU!"
The moment she saw Ronald, her expression stiffened with rage.
"Hey Betty, we're back—"
He didn't even get to finish the sentence before Beatrice smacked him on the head. Ronald could've easily dodged it, but he knew that would only make things worse… it was better to let her vent a little.
"That actually hurt, you know?" Ronald said dramatically.
"Where. The hell. Have. You. Been?" Beatrice growled, emphasizing each word with what little patience she had left.
"A little excursion… that took a bit longer than expected."
The nonchalant way he said it made a vein throb on Beatrice's forehead.
"A little excursion that lasted a whole week without telling anyone?"
"I know, I know, but hear me out, there was something important I had to take care of."
With that, he pushed Kael forward.
"What the hell…"
"H-Hi, Grandma."
Beatrice's jaw dropped. She stared at him in disbelief.
"Mom? Who's at the door—Oh my..."
Angela, who had come to check, froze in place.
"Everything okay he—by all the gods…"
Then it was Luke's turn to be cut off mid-sentence.
"Hm? What's going on he—Kyaa!"
Alice's reaction was the most dramatic: she let out a high-pitched squeal and covered her eyes.
"Well… it could've been a worse first impression, right?"
Kael shot him a deadpan look in response to the joke.
****
Shortly after, everyone was gathered in the living room.
Kael sat stiffly on the couch, with Ronald next to him, looking far too relaxed. In front of them, Beatrice, Angela, Luke, and Alice watched them with eyes full of suspicion.
With an awkward cough, Ronald began explaining the story they'd prepared the night before.
"Since there's no avoiding it... the truth is, during the excursion, we had a rather unusual encounter. We came across a half-star monster, and inside its body, we found a mana stone."
At the mention of the stone, everyone raised an eyebrow.
It was common knowledge that some monsters could develop mana stones inside their bodies, crystals formed from condensed mana. These stones were extremely rare and valuable. When absorbed, they could greatly increase a person's mana reserves. However, using them carelessly or in excess could seriously harm the body.
The real problem was their rarity. Finding one in a regular monster was a miracle. Among elite monsters, perhaps one in a thousand had one. Boss monsters had about a fifty percent chance. Only monster kings were known to have them consistently, and even then, they were far from common.
"Since we had the chance, I pushed Kael to absorb it," Ronald continued. "And the result... well, you can see it yourself, physical reconstruction. Enhanced strength, refined body structure… honestly, it's a miracle."
A heavy silence followed.
Beatrice pressed her lips together, while Angela crossed her arms with a skeptical look. Luke seemed like he wanted to speak, but held back, and even Alice, still red in the face, peeked at Kael from behind her hands with a doubtful expression.
The story was… hard to believe.
But as much as they tried, none of them could find any solid reason to deny it. Physical reconstruction, although rare, was a known phenomenon. It usually happened among noble families who could afford to bathe in or drink rare elixirs.
In other words, the excuse was flimsy… but possible.
Eventually, Beatrice broke the silence with a deep sigh.
"I don't like it... but I have no proof you're lying," she said, casting a hard look at both Kael and Ronald. "I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"…Alright," the two replied awkwardly.
The reason they were going so far to hide the truth about Kael's past, and what had happened just days earlier, was simple: not even they knew the full story. All they knew was that something terrible had happened to his family. And the less people knew, the safer everyone would be.
"Still, I'm a little disappointed… No one's congratulated him yet."
Everyone looked at Ronald in confusion, tilting their heads.
"Come on, Luke, I thought at least you would've noticed. Kael is officially a Beginner Rank Novice."
Luke's eyes widened. He turned to Kael and, focusing more carefully, finally sensed the faint mana flowing from him.
"You're right… It's weak, but I can feel it," he said, barely holding back a laugh of joy.
'Looks like it's working,' Kael thought, sneaking a glance at the ring. But his thoughts were interrupted when someone jumped on him.
"HAHAHA! I knew you could do it!"
Alice hugged him tightly, laughing with joy. She had always hoped his efforts would pay off. Now that he'd made it, their promise to explore the world together didn't seem so far away anymore.
Kael, surprised at first by her sudden reaction, relaxed and returned the hug with a genuine smile.
"Thank you."
"!..."
Only at that moment did Alice realize how close they were. Embarrassed, she tried to quickly step back... but it was too late. The others joined the group hug, sweeping both of them into a wave of affection and congratulations. Everyone was happy and proud of the boy who, despite everything, had never stopped fighting to achieve his dream.
Everyone except Alice, who had turned as red as a tomato in the middle of the celebration.
"He's... too close!" she muttered, her face burning.
When they finally broke apart, Alice quickly stepped back, fanning her face with one hand in an attempt to cool down.
"He used to be dangerous... now he's a walking weapon," she whispered under her breath, trying in vain to hide her embarrassment.
"How does it feel to finally become a Novice?" Angela asked with a bright and curious smile.
Kael scratched the back of his head, looking a bit awkward. He had already reached the Higher tier, but decided not to mention that, he preferred to describe what he had felt during the awakening instead.
"It was... amazing." Kael couldn't find better words.
"I can imagine! I still remember the rush from that moment," said Luke with a nostalgic tone. Then, a slightly mischievous look crossed his face. "In that case, we absolutely have to test you."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"A light sparring match. You were already one of the best without mana, I can't help but wonder how much you've improved. What do you say?"
The suggestion caught Kael off guard, but soon a faint smile tugged at his lips. Training with Ronald and fighting monsters had been exciting, but Kael couldn't hide his curiosity to face Luke, who was already an Expert.
"Let's do it."
Moments later, they were in the backyard, each holding a wooden sword. Luke rotated his shoulders to loosen up, while Kael took his stance.
Of course, he wouldn't use Crimson Sun Flame or Blazing Steps, explaining where he had learned those would be too complicated. He'd stick to what he'd learned at the academy, and that was fine.
This sparring match wasn't meant to test the power of his martial art, but rather to measure how far his body and mana control had come.
Angela shouted, "Honey if you hurt Kael, don't even think about sleeping in the house for the next month!"
The man looked at her pitifully, which made Kael chuckle.
Beatrice, on the other hand, remained silent, though her worry was clear. Ronald and Alice, however, stayed calm, knowing the abilities of both fighters.
"If you're ready... begin!" Ronald called out.
Kael was the first to strike, lunging for Luke's side, but the older man parried. The impact made Kael's entire arm tremble, but he held firm, quickly sidestepping a counterattack and deflecting the next strike with precision. He tried to counter, but Luke blocked again.
"You're quite the little monster, huh?" Luke joked though he could feel sweat trickling down his forehead.
It was true that he was holding back, but Kael's fighting style and mana control made it clear, that he was far beyond what you'd expect from a newly awakened Novice.
"Shall we raise the bar a little?" Luke said with a grin, increasing the pressure.
Kael was soon caught in a relentless flurry of attacks, but even so, he stayed focused, dodging and parrying with remarkable precision, though he couldn't find an opening to strike back.
The rhythm continued for another five minutes until Kael spotted a chance.
Luke lunged too far forward, clearly aiming to finish the match. Perhaps due to his recent monster battles, he didn't hold back at all.
'Shit!'
With a burst of mana, Kael launched a fast and powerful attack toward Luke, whose eyes widened in surprise.
There wasn't enough time to fully block it. He activated a thin aura protection on his arm just in time, and Kael's wooden sword crashed into it with a sharp crack, breaking clean in two. Luke was completely unharmed.
"That was... incredible!"
Luke ruffled Kael's hair, clearly impressed by the blow, while Kael let out a relieved sigh that he hadn't hurt him.
'Good thing it was Luke. If it had been anyone else, I probably would've broken their arm.'
That realization hit Kael like a bucket of cold water, washing away the thrill of the fight.
"Wait—so Kael won?" Alice asked.
"Looks like it. I didn't expect that last strike, I had to use my aura. How did you manage it?"
"I guess it was just a lucky hit..." Kael replied with a nervous laugh.
"Luck or not, you've got talent, and I can't wait to see how far you'll go."
Luke gave him an encouraging pat on the back. The others congratulated him too, but Kael couldn't bring himself to feel truly happy.
What he had shown in the sparring match wasn't the performance he had hoped for. And the fact that he had unleashed a full-force attack without realizing it, was the biggest disappointment.
He wanted to get better. That was all he could think about.