Ethan returned home as the evening shadows stretched across the city. His parents were already backāJack lounged on the couch watching TV, and Elina was chatting on the phone.
"Hey, Iām back," Ethan greeted casually as he stepped inside.
Jack glanced over and raised a brow. "Where have you been, son?"
"Nothing much," Ethan replied nonchalantly. "Just went to the Alliance hall to register as an official martial warrior."
He spoke with such indifference, as if heād merely run an errand.
Jackās fingers paused mid-press on the TV remote. "Oh, so you went to the Alliance hall to register as warrāWait. What did you just say?" His voice grew sharp with confusion. "Son,can you tell me again,maybe I heard that wrong?"
Ethan expected this reaction and was inwardly gloating, but on the surface, he remained calm. "I said I went to become an official warrior."
The remote slipped from Jackās fingers and clattered to the floor. He stood up abruptly, his eyes wide as saucers, as if heād seen a ghost.
Elina, who had been talking on the phone, froze. Her phone dropped from her hand as the other partyās voice kept calling, "Hello? Hello?"
Both parents stared at Ethan in disbelief.
Then Jack suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! Elina, did you hear that? Ethanās grown up. Heās got a sense of humor now. That was a good one, son. Even your old man never had such timing back in the dayābut hey, I still managed to win over your beautiful mother. Youāve got potential with the ladies, kid. Iām proud of you!"
With a smug grin, Jack picked up the remote and went back to channel surfing.
Elina rolled her eyes. "Enough joking. Go wash your hands, Iāll get you some snacks." She didnāt believe him either. She bent down to pick up her phone, the other side still saying "Hello?"
Ethan looked at his parents, speechless.
Without a word, he took out the black warrior card from his pocket and handed it to Jack.
Jack took one look at itāand dropped the remote again.
The remote: š
This time, Jack wasnāt joking.
He came from a prestigious background and knew exactly what that black card signified. Ethan wasnāt pulling a prank. He had truly become a warrior.
The room fell silent. Only the murmur of the television filled the air. Then, Jack began to laughāloud, uninhibited laughter that echoed through the house. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I, Jack Hunt, have raised a dragon! Hahahahaha! I wasnāt wrong when I made that decision!"
Elina didnāt speak. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Ethan was stunned by their reaction. The memories of the bodyās previous owner didnāt contain anything about this. He frowned slightly and asked, "Dad... what are you talking about? What decision? Do you have a past I donāt know about?"
Jack slowly wiped his tears and looked at Ethan, a mix of pride and sadness in his eyes. It was the gaze of a father seeing the future of his family in his son.
"Itās already late. Youāve had a long day. Go rest for now. Weāll talk in the morning."
Ethan didnāt press further. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Mom." He turned and walked toward his room.
As they watched him leave, Jack murmured, "Our son has truly grown up. Maybe... just maybe, with Ethan by our side, we can face that family again."
Elina didnāt respond. She sat beside him and hugged him tightly. Jack wrapped his arms around her in return.
---
Later that night, Ethan entered back to the Alliance market.
He would be going hunting in two days once his new sword arrived, but there were other things he needed. Since he could now manipulate objectsāat least ten at onceāhe decided to buy some flying knives.
A set of "C" series flying knives was priced between 100 to 200 million. Each set contained ten knives. Ethan placed an order for the C-9 set.
He still had 300 million Alliance coins left. His sword would cost around 100 million; the remaining half would be covered by the Alliance itself. That left him with 200 million to spend.
He browsed the available sword techniques. The cheapest one was the Light Sword Technique, priced at 100 million. He selected it.
He also picked out a D-9 grade soft armorāanother 100 million.
In an instant, he became a pauper again.
Ethan sighed. "I thought 500 million made me rich... itās all gone, just like that. Sigh... sigh..."
He sighed a few more times dramatically before placing the order. The system confirmed that the items would be delivered within three hours. The supreme-grade body-strengthening fluid was likely to be delivered with them as well.
He had hoped to start learning the sword technique immediately, but a note on the order stated that this particular technique would be handed over by an official.
He realized that while Basic Foundation Sword Art was a general technique anyone could learn, more advanced techniques required personal delivery and clearance.
With nothing better to do, Ethan took an old sword from his room. The bodyās previous owner had bought it as a hobby item.
He stepped outside and began practicing the Primordial Foundation Sword Art. This time, though his movements were sharp and clean, no sword intent leaked into the airāhe had learned to control it.
Two hours passed in focused training.
[Ding! Sword Intent upgraded to Level 2]
[Ding! Sword Intent upgraded to Level 3]
In just two hours, his sword intent advanced by two levels. His force multiplication had increased to 4 times. With a base strength of 30.8 tons, he could now unleash a staggering 123.2 tons of forceāalready standing at the threshold of a Martial Master. And not a weak one at that.
Eventually, he returned to his room, took a shower, and came down for dinner.
Jack didnāt say much. He simply asked, "So, whatās your next plan?"
Ethan answered calmly, "Dad, I want to become a full-time warrior. In two days, Iāll be joining a team for monster hunting." He handed Jack a copy of the contract.
Jackās eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Damn it! I thought I couldnāt be shocked anymore. But this contract... these terms... What kind of absurd conditions are these?"
After a moment, he composed himself and went back to eating. He didnāt want to say more. Deep down, his confidence had taken a hit.
Having a talented child was one thing. But having a monstrous genius for a son... it shook his very foundation. Still, his lips betrayed him. They kept twitching, trying not to smile.
Elina gave him another one of her eye-rolls.
---
After dinner, the family chatted casually until the doorbell rang.
Ethan opened the door to find a tall, broad-shouldered man in military uniform.
"Are you Mr. Ethan Hunt?" the man asked. "You have parcels. Please confirm the contents and sign."
Ethan checked the items carefully. Everything was thereāincluding the supreme-grade body-strengthening fluid.
"Everything looks good," he said.
The man then handed him a sealed scroll. "This is your special technique. As a reminderāthis is restricted to your use only. Sharing it is a serious offense. If leaked, the Alliance will hunt you down. Understood?"
Ethan nodded. "Understood."
He signed the form, took the packages inside, and returned to the living room.
"I told you it would arrive tonight," he said to his parents with a smile.
Then, from the set, Ethan pulled out two vials and handed them to Jack and Elina. "These are for you. Supreme-grade body-strengthening fluid. Itāll help you increase your physical strength significantly."
Jack took the vial and stared at it, eyes gleaming with unspoken emotions. A flicker of melancholy crossed his faceāwell hidden, but not enough to escape Ethanās notice.
Ethan didnāt ask. He knew the answers would come tomorrow.