"Where are you going?" the blue-haired woman asked when she saw her mate waking earlier than usual and slipping on his sandals.
Lex replied in a hoarse voice, clearly not fully awake yet, but the urgency of the matter would not let him rest any longer. "I'm going to find out how such a miracle took place."
Dalia let out a long breath and said, "Why are you so obsessed with that small achievement? It's not like that brat suddenly grew guts and started hunting magical beasts." Shaking her head, she added, "I believe he must have stumbled upon a corpse and sold it for toras."
Lex shook his head. "Even if that's true, I still need to know how that asswipe became so wealthy in a single day. Not only did he pay the rotation fees, he was even generous toward Father, as if he found a tree that grows toras."
Dalia did not protest. She herself had been shocked after hearing about Luke's achievement yesterday.
Lex was about to step outside when he turned back to look at his mate. "How is your back now?"
Dalia grumbled, "It still aches. I'll need a few more days to recover."
Lex gave a faint nod. "I understand. I'll let Mother know."
For the past few days, Dalia had been feeling a dull ache in her hips. Lex had suspected it might be a sign of new life growing inside her, but a quick check-up with the medic cleared that misunderstanding.
He planned to ask the medic for a solution to the pain, but the real concern was money.
Medicine was costly in this world, and Lex had mostly been confined to the village lately.
I need to find a way to earn more.
….
Yawn.
Luke stretched his arms as he woke from a long, peaceful slumber.
Then the soreness hit. "Fuck." He winced as he shifted, his body protesting the movement. His legs felt numb, calves screaming as if they might burst, and his thighs trembled with lingering fatigue.
'System? Why are my legs so weak when I mostly used my arms during the battle?'
[Host, when you removed your defense stats and jumped from the tree, your legs sustained damage. That is the primary source of the pain you are experiencing.]
Luke hummed in understanding. So it wasn't the battle itself, but his lack of awareness during combat that caused this.
'Looks like I need to be more careful about how many points I take away from my defense.' He leaned back, resting a hand on his lap.
The space beside him was empty, which was expected. His mother was an early riser and usually took care of the chores by this time.
After a brief pause, he asked the system, 'Tell me something. What changes when I remove intelligence points? As far as I remember, I didn't feel any difference there yesterday.'
[Taking away intelligence stats affects several aspects, Host: reduced concentration, inability to regulate Gamma properly, increased difficulty in decision-making, and dulled senses.]
[Yesterday, the Host's objective was singular, and the Host was high on adrenaline, which prevented proper self-assessment.]
Luke hummed in understanding. That was true.
The battle with the wolf had been exhilarating, and thanks to the increased strength, he had managed to defeat the creature without receiving a single scratch.
Then Luke asked, 'How many Gamma points do I have?'
[Gamma reserve: 920.]
Luke nodded before giving his command. 'Use two hundred to level up.'
[Command accepted!]
[Level up!]
[Ding! The Host has been rewarded with the skill: Inspect.]
[Dimg! The host has been rewarded with five attribute points.]
[Inspect: Allows the Host to assess surroundings, see through traps, thin walls, and appraise materials and individuals alike.]
[Note: This skill can be upgraded using Gamma points.]
[Note: At the current level, the Host can only assess targets up to a limited threshold.]
[Note: This skill consumes 0.1 Gamma every 10 seconds.]
Luke hummed. 'Nice… but I have a few questions.' He leaned his back against the wall before asking, 'Can I see other people's stats using this?'
[Yes, Host, but only those who are not exponentially stronger than the Host.]
Luke nodded and continued, 'What about other things? If I look at a herb, will you tell me what it is?'
[Indeed, Host. The skill Inspect is connected to the World Library, so identifying beasts, herbs, and other materials is possible. However, complex materials or those that exceed the skill's current level cannot be appraised.]
Luke nodded again. 'Understood. Then what's the requirement to advance this skill?'
[Requirements to level up the skill
Use the skill for a total of 100 minutes
20,000G
Host level 5.]
Luke's eyes widened slightly. Such an amount sounded absurd. Still, he wasn't in a rush.
After a brief pause, he stretched one last time and decided to head out.
'Let's see how Mama is doing~'
…
[A few minutes earlier]
Monica moved about the kitchen, preparing food for her family. A simple stew simmered over the fire, bread set aside to warm.
A gentle smile rested on her face. After what her youngest had accomplished yesterday, she could finally give him a proper, hearty breakfast.
In the past, whenever Monica tried to feed him better, sometimes even reducing her own portions, her elder son would frown, and her mate would do the same. They believed that only by punishing Luke through small deprivations would he learn the importance of going out and earning his keep.
Just then, a voice came from behind her.
"So… what happened last night?"
Monica turned slightly. "What?"
Gustav grinned wider. "I mean, what did you two actually do last night? Or did Luke just invite you over to sleep beside him?"
Monica's cheeks warmed instantly as last night flashed through her mind.
"W-We just… slept. That's all," she said quickly.
Why did she lie?
She could have told him the truth: that her son had leaned in to taste the sweetness still lingering on her tongue, that his hand had slipped under her top to rest on her breast — simply to calm himself. But what came after that… that part had been completely unexpected. And completely wrong.
Even now, remembering it, she felt warmth bloom low in her belly, a slickness between her thighs she had no business feeling — especially not because of her own son.
That same molten ache she used to feel only when she and Gustav were mating in the past.
The kind that usually meant her body was ready… ready to be bred.
But why would her body react like that to her son?
Did that mean—
"Hey. You okay? Your face is really red."
Gustav's voice pulled her out of the spiral.
She shook her head quickly and said nothing.
He stepped closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper near her ear.
"For the sake of our future… I think you should keep sleeping in his room. Regularly."
The ladle nearly slipped from her fingers. She whipped around to face him. "Huh?"
Gustav's grin turned almost lazy, satisfied.
"He adores you. And if letting him have that closeness is what it takes to secure our future — then don't hesitate. Wait for him in his bed whenever he needs you."
He raised his thumb like he was giving final approval.
"You have my permission. Sleep with our son as many times as you want."
°°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Add the book to your library.