Damon sat quietly in the chair, watching Sara Hellpile and Alice Lightstone as they finished composing themselves.
The private training annex had grown silent. What had happened between them was unexpected, but Damon knew he needed to handle the situation carefully.
Sara adjusted her uniform, gradually regaining her usual composure. Alice glanced at Damon, her cheeks still faintly flushed.
Damon broke the silence.
“I don't want either of you to feel that what happened changes your position in the guard. You are free to make your own decisions. I won't use my status as the Jubo heir to influence you.”
Sara studied him. “Good. I wouldn't appreciate being treated as though I couldn't speak for myself.”
“Neither would I,” Alice added. “If anything happens between us again, it should be because we choose it.”
Damon nodded. That was fair. Completing a system quest didn't give him ownership over another person's choices, and he had no intention of confusing the two.
A familiar chime sounded inside his mind.
[Special Quest Completed: Desire on the Battlefield.]
[Objective fulfilled.]
[Rewards granted:]
• 5 Unallocated Stat Points
• 20 System Points
• Hidden Bonus Skill: Discerning Eye
Damon's eyebrows rose.
Five stat points were useful, and twenty System Points would give him another resource to investigate. But the hidden bonus skill immediately caught his attention.
[Skill Acquired: Discerning Eye.]
[Description: Allows the user to examine objects, details, and observable situations with enhanced insight. With sufficient information, the skill may reveal inconsistencies, hidden characteristics, and overlooked clues.]
[Warning: Discerning Eye does not provide absolute truth. Its findings depend on available information, the user's perception, and the difference between evidence and assumption.]
Damon's expression grew serious.
This was exactly the kind of ability he needed.
His mana remained obstructed, and he still had no proof that anyone had deliberately sabotaged his awakening. He couldn't simply accuse the Gassi family or anyone else based on suspicion. He needed evidence.
A skill that could help him notice what others overlooked might make the difference.
Before examining it further, he opened his status window.
Name: Damon Jubo
System: Universal Desire System
System Level: 2
System EXP: 10/150
Strength: 8
Agility: 5
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 8
Perception: 7
Spirit: 10
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
System Points: 20
Desire Points: 200
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Mana Stabilization Technique, Desire Perception, Discerning Eye.
Mana Condition: Obstructed.
Mana Control: Severely Deficient.
Physical Condition: Peak for Current Development Stage.
Damon considered his options.
His strength and constitution still needed improvement, especially with formal guard training underway. His agility was also a weakness, but spreading his points too thinly would slow his immediate physical development.
After a moment's thought, he made his decision.
[Stat Allocation Confirmed.]
[Strength: 8 → 10]
[Constitution: 6 → 8]
[Agility: 5 → 6]
Visit g.com for the full chapter.
[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]
He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders, noticing a subtle improvement in his physical readiness. The increase wasn't enough to transform him into a formidable fighter overnight, but every improvement mattered.
He closed the status window.
“We should return to our duties,” he told Sara and Alice. “Staying here much longer could attract unnecessary attention.”
Sara nodded. “Agreed. We have responsibilities.”
Alice straightened her uniform. “And if anyone asks, we were discussing your training progress.”
“Which we did,” Damon replied.
She laughed softly.
Before they parted, Damon reminded them that they could decide for themselves what their relationship with him would become. Sara acknowledged his words with a measured nod, while Alice gave him a thoughtful look.
Neither promised anything about the future.
They left separately, and Damon remained alone for a moment.
The system had rewarded him, but he had more important matters to consider than collecting rewards. His family, his future, and the mystery surrounding his awakening still demanded his attention.
The training grounds were busy when Damon returned.
Captain Roderick stood beside the weapon racks, observing several guards practising their forms. His gaze settled on the young heir as he approached.
“You took your time returning from the annex,” Roderick remarked.
“I needed to settle a few things before continuing.”
The captain studied him briefly but didn't press further.
“Then settle them after training. Your body may have recovered, but that doesn't make you a swordsman.”
“I understand, Captain.”
Roderick handed him a practice sword.
“Show me your basic stance.”
Damon positioned his feet and raised the weapon. His movements felt more natural than they had before, but Roderick immediately corrected his posture.
“Your grip is acceptable. Your balance isn't. You're too focused on the sword and not enough on your body.”
Damon adjusted his stance.
“Again.”
He repeated the movement.
“Again.”
The captain made him practise the same basic cut until his shoulders ached. Then came footwork, thrusts, defensive transitions, and simple combinations.
His system might provide a skill, but it couldn't replace discipline.
During a short break, Damon noticed that he was recovering between exercises slightly faster than expected. The Harem Resonance connection with Melissa seemed to offer mild support, helping him regain his stamina without removing his fatigue.
He was still tired. His muscles still protested.
But he could continue.
Roderick eventually brought him to a rack containing three training manuals.
“I've selected techniques suitable for your current condition,” the captain explained. “Don't chase impressive movements. Learn the fundamentals first.”
Damon examined them.
The first was the Ironbound All-Body Tempering Technique, designed to develop the entire body through steady conditioning. Its progress was slower than specialised methods, but it offered balanced development.
The second was the Crosswind Sword Art, built around efficient cuts, direct thrusts, and smooth transitions between attack and defence.
The third was the Silent Step Movement Art, which focused on balance, footwork, and changing direction without wasting movement.
“These will be my foundation,” Damon said.
“They will be,” Roderick replied, “provided you practise them properly. A technique is only as useful as the person who trains it.”
For the rest of the session, he concentrated on the simplest movements of the Ironbound technique and the Crosswind Sword Art. There were no dramatic breakthroughs or miraculous leaps in ability.
There was only repetition.
By the end, his arms were heavy, his legs ached, and sweat soaked through his training clothes.
Yet he had learned something valuable: progress didn't always announce itself with a system notification. Sometimes, it was simply the ability to perform one movement better than before.
Later that afternoon, Damon returned to his private quarters and opened the note his father had sent earlier.
Marcel had been investigating the irregularities discovered in the preparation of Damon's awakening potion. The healers had confirmed that several people had access to its ingredients before it was administered.
More troublingly, one name on the preparation record didn't match the original inventory.
It wasn't proof of sabotage. The discrepancy could have an innocent explanation, and Damon refused to let suspicion become an accusation without evidence.
Now, however, he possessed a new tool.
He focused on the folded note.
[Skill Activated: Discerning Eye.]
For a moment, the information before him seemed to separate into details he might otherwise have overlooked. The handwriting, the wording, and the limited facts in the message became easier to examine.
But the skill couldn't reveal the identity of a culprit from a short note alone.
Instead, a subtle prompt appeared in his vision.
[Potential investigative leads identified:]
[1. Compare the preparation record with the original ingredient inventory.]
[2. Establish who had access to the ingredients before the awakening.]
[3. Determine when the discrepancy first appeared.]
[Current Evidence: Insufficient to identify a culprit.]
Damon leaned back.
The skill hadn't handed him the truth. It had given him a better way to search for it.
That was even more useful than a baseless revelation.
He folded the note and placed it safely inside his drawer. His next step would be to ask his father for access to the relevant records, preferably without attracting attention. If someone had deliberately interfered with the potion, that person might still believe the secret was safe.
Damon intended to find out.
A notification appeared.
[Investigation Update: The First Thread of Suspicion.]
[New lead identified: A discrepancy exists in the awakening potion's ingredient records.]
[Objective: Determine which ingredient was altered or misrecorded, and establish who had access to it.]
[Warning: A careless investigation may alert interested parties.]
Damon dismissed the notification.
His strength was improving, his swordsmanship was beginning to take shape, and Discerning Eye might help him uncover the truth behind his awakening.
But as the afternoon light entered his room, his thoughts unexpectedly drifted away from training and investigation.
Melissa.
He remembered her expression, her voice, and the connection between them that the system had stabilised. Even after a demanding day, the thought of seeing her brought a warmth that had nothing to do with stat points or system rewards.
He wanted to speak with her.
More than that, he wanted to be near her.
Damon glanced toward the door, wondering whether he could find a reasonable excuse to visit her before the day ended.
Then he smiled faintly.
For once, his next move wasn't about a quest, a rival, or his obstructed mana.
He simply wanted Melissa.