"..."
Darius Morvain hovered silently in the air, a hundred meters above the modest house in Graywood Quarter.
The wind tousled his perfectly styled hair, but he paid it no mind. His eyes, warm and affectionate just moments ago, were now cold and calculating as they stared down at the roof below.
His lips moved, barely a whisper.
"What are the results?"
In response, a melodic voice echoed in his mind, soft and feminine.
[I've finished my examination, Master. Her condition remains unchanged.]
Darius's eyes narrowed slightly.
[The curse is still there. Her pathways are the same as before. Her core...] The voice hesitated briefly. [It's still broken, Master. I'm sorry.]
Darius absorbed the information without reaction, his gaze shifting to the window where he could sense his daughter's presence.
"And the boy?"
A different voice answered, crisp and clinical.
[Soren Valmere matches what you said earlier. Ice affinity Grade 7. Wind affinity Grade 5. Two low-grade abilities. Nothing worth mentioning.]
Darius narrowed his eyes, focusing his perception downward until he easily located the two familiar presences inside the house. One felt cold and broken, belonging to Ethea. The other was pure and warm, belonging to a young man who was growing much faster than normal.
"He awakened two days ago, and he's already First Circle," Darius murmured. "That's not 'nothing'."
[The affinity is high,] the clinical voice conceded. [Grade 7 ice is rare. But talent without guidance amounts to nothing. He has no teacher, no resources, no backing. He'll plateau quickly.]
As Darius turned this over in his mind, a third voice spoke, though this one was different, sounding undeniably sinister.
[Master. Should I finish the job that fool failed?]
The other voices fell silent.
Darius's expression didn't change, and for a long moment, he said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on the house below.
Then he exhaled slowly."...No. That won't be necessary. For now, at least."
The dark voice didn't respond, but its disappointed silence spoke volumes.
Darius lingered for just one more moment, soaking in the quiet before vanishing into thin air. High above, the wind continued to howl through the empty space he had occupied, and the sun finally reached its peak in the sky.
Far below, completely unaware of the powerful gaze that had just been fixed upon him, Soren stood at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes in silence. As his hands worked through the soap and water, he focused his mind, pulling up the glowing blue status window that had appeared the exact moment Darius first stepped onto the porch.
═══════════════
Name: Darius Morvain
Status: Healthy
Age: 48
Rank: 7th Circle (Mid Stage)
Current Mana Level: Very High (2,847,391)
Mental State: Warm, Content, Conflicted
Ability: Spirit Contracts
Investment Value: High
Potential: 8th Circle (Estimated)
═══════════════
Soren's eyes lingered on one word in particular.
...Conflicted.
Aside from that, there was nothing particularly unusual. The rest matched what he'd observed during the meal.
'Was he conflicted because of what he did?'
Soren glanced over his shoulder at Ethea, who sat quietly in her wheelchair, staring at nothing in particular. Her expression was as unreadable as always, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking or feeling.
Even so, he could tell she hadn't been happy about her father's visit. It made sense that she would resent him after he abandoned her like that.
'No, I can't judge quickly without knowing the real story.'
Soren shook his head and quickly finished the dishes.
He wheeled Ethea back to the living room and turned on the television, flipping to a comedy TV show.
"I'll be cultivating for a while," he said quietly. "Call if you need anything."
Ethea gave the faintest nod.
Soren settled onto his futon in the corner, crossing his legs into a lotus position. Closing his eyes, he began circulating mana under the guidance of the Glacial Emperor Scripture. A cold energy started flowing through his pathways, just enough to keep his core active while his body recovered.
Hours passed in quiet meditation until the sudden ring of the doorbell pulled him back to reality.
Soren opened his eyes and immediately looked down at his injured hand. It felt significantly better. Unwrapping the bandage, he flexed his fingers experimentally; the skin was still pink and tender, but the deep cracks had sealed completely. Give it another hour, and it would be good as new.
He stood up, walked over to the front door, and pulled it open. Clara was standing on the porch, her usual warm smile already in place.
"Good evening, Mr. Valmere."
"Good evening, Lady Clara. Please come in."
Clara stepped inside, her eyes immediately scanning him. They landed on his hand, now unbandaged and clearly healed.
She let out a small sigh of relief.
"I see you weren't exaggerating this morning. It's already healed." She shook her head slightly. "I was worried all day, you know. Seeing you come back covered in blood like that."
Soren smiled apologetically. "Sorry for making you worry. It looks worse than it actually was."
"Hmm." Clara gave him a knowing look but didn't push further. "Well, as long as you're alright. Where is Mrs. Valmere?"
"She's in the living room, watching TV."
Clara nodded and headed inside.
Soren grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door and slipped it on.
"Clara, I'll be heading out for a few hours."
"Of course. Take your time."
Soren glanced toward the living room one last time. Ethea was still watching the TV show, seemingly oblivious to his departure.
He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"Hmm..."
The afternoon sun was warm against his skin as he walked toward the main street. His first stop was the Hunter Market to sell the mana cores from today's gate run. Between the fifty-four regular cores, twenty-three elemental cores, and the boss core, the haul should net him a decent amount.
He pulled out his phone and hailed a taxi. While waiting, he opened the Hunter Network app and navigated to the Gate Schedule. The Azure Slime Forest listing was now grayed out, marked with a small icon indicating it was recharging.
[Estimated Recharge Time: 3 days]
Soren nodded to himself.
Gates needed time to regenerate after being cleared. Inside the closed pocket dimensions, the monsters would respawn, the environment would reset, and the boss would reform from the ambient mana. For low-grade gates like the forest, three days was the standard cooldown.
He scrolled through the other available options on his screen. While there were several First Circle gates currently open, most of them required a full party or were already booked for the week. A few allowed solo entries, but they were either located too far outside the city or were simply too dangerous for his current skill level.
'Guess I'll have to wait or join a party.'
The taxi pulled up to the curb.
Soren climbed inside and gave the driver directions to the Hunter Market before leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes as the car joined the city traffic.
Today had been exhausting, but deeply satisfying. His first gate was officially cleared, his first real fight was over, and he had walked away with valuable lessons about his limits and his techniques.
The Frost Palm Strike clearly needed more work. Relying on it in the heat of battle had nearly cost him his hand, proving it required far more practice. His Quick Step technique had proven useful, but it consumed too much mana to be used frequently; he would need to train until the movement became more efficient. As for his spearmanship, Marcus was right. Three or five sessions simply weren't enough. He needed serious training before he even thought about attempting another solo gate.
'Tomorrow, I'll hit the dojo again. Keep building fundamentals. Keep cultivating. Keep growing.'
The taxi continued onward, and Soren allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction.
He was no longer the unawakened failure his family had discarded.
He was a hunter now, and he was just getting started.