His mother smiled slightly, her lips curving up before she finally let the cat out of the bag.
"The imperial order has been approved, and according to the letter received, we were granted a ten-year absence from the battlefield. Isn't that good news? By the time we leave, you will almost be an adult!"
Modret listened to his mother's words, his mind trailing off excitedly. 'By then I should be strong enough to protect myself, and my strength should have reached another peak. I wonder how many abilities I will have awakened by then?' Modret guessed in his heart.
He smiled at his mother and said, his voice tinged with emotion, "I am glad to hear this. At least I don't have to live the rest of my childhood in solitude."
Hearing him speak with such an adult tone, Anna laughed, and even Donald couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle.
'Our son is truly quite mature for his age.' They both held the same thoughts. After relaying the information, they chatted for a bit… then, recalling something, Modret couldn't help but ask,
"Mother, previously you mentioned that I was too young to absorb mana."
Anna shrugged slightly, then replied evenly, "Of course. Only at the age of fifteen can you come in contact with an awakening stone, awaken an ability, and then embark on the path of strength."
Modret's eyes widened slightly. "So far away?" he couldn't help but frown.
Just as Anna opened her mouth to speak, Donald's deep voice resounded faintly in the dining room, "Don't think too much about it, son. It's the rule for most awakeners—awaken at the age of fifteen, then enter an academy of your choice if your awakening particularly catches their eyes, and try to improve your strength."
Modret nodded in understanding.
Feeling that this topic might be too much for Modret, who was still too young, Anna changed the subject. "Son, what kind of ability do you want to awaken? Your mother here awakened an S-rank ability—Spirit Fire…" Her excited, chatter-filled voice trailed off…
Modret's eyes flashed with understanding, absorbing the information.
'No wonder her flames are particularly special. But mine is the Null Fire, an SS-grade. So they're stronger than Mom's own? Could it be that that's normally the ability I'm supposed to awaken, but the roulette tricked me? That would explain why my 'luck' is turning out bad.'
'The roulette spin seems to be a scam?' Modret frowned at the thought, then made a decision in his heart and returned to the conversation with his mother. As for the decision he had made, that would only come to fruition in the future.
The night was filled with rhythmic laughter and giggles all the way until the couple and their son departed to their bed.
Laying on his bed, Modret sighed lightly, feeling a burden lift off his shoulders. In the meantime, he could mooch off his parents' strength.
'After ten years, that's when everything will change. By then, the abyssal-level difficulty of this world will truly start.' Having the system's remark as company, Modret knew that this was the calm before the storm. Although everything may seem peaceful on the surface, it was only a matter of time. Soon, everything would blow up!
'Before then I need to be strong enough!' Modret clenched his fist. Only by having sufficient strength could he overcome the coming crisis. With that thought, he closed his eyes, and the next moment wisps of mana began surging toward his core…
…
The night was meant to pass peacefully. However, underneath an umbrella tree, three figures with pale blue masks, which reflected the light of the moon, were in a gloomy mood upon receiving the information from their master.
"To think this detestable couple would use the imperial sigil just for such a minor thing. They would have gotten many times the value of this treasure if used at a different point in time!" The voice was that of a lady, filled with anger.
She waved her hand lightly, causing a pale green wind blade to slash at the tree not too far away. With a bang, the tree shattered and exploded, fragments of wood splintering into the surroundings.
Another voice, a male, resounded with a teasing tone laced into his words. "You're just aggrieved because you expected to utilize it wistfully… how unfortunate. Speaking of which, none of us saw that coming. Should we just leave this branch capital and eliminate other children from other branches? There doesn't seem to be much to do here anyway…"
The other blue-masked figure beside him nodded, agreeing with his thoughts. Suddenly, the lady from before spoke in a freezing tone, "Have you guys forgotten the reason why the master sent you here? I can eliminate that boy by myself; however, there's something else I need to watch out for…"
The third blue-masked figure spoke in a solemn voice, "The Enigma!"
The man felt the urge to roll his eyes. "How are we sure that entity is real? Perhaps you just fell into a scheme prepared for you. You don't have to take life so seriously all the time." Staying in this boring city for a few days, he already felt drained.
The blue-masked lady glanced at him coldly, then shook her head. "Someone who can control the dead, unlike the necromancers from the organization, is to be feared…"
The man sighed, then his figure faded. There was no need dwelling on it; he knew that he wouldn't be leaving this stupid branch city anytime soon…
…
Unaware that his identity as the Enigma was being discussed, Modret passed the night peacefully in cultivation, feeling a slight increase in his strength. The morning came and passed, and so did the afternoon and night…
Time passed slowly for Modret, but for others, it was exceedingly fast. It was as though time couldn't be stopped in the least bit. The river of time flowed freely, unobstructed by anyone or anything…
…
"It didn't increase this year again…" The voice of a teenager who looked to be around the age of sixteen resounded faintly in the mansion room, glancing up toward the skies.
Behind him, a youth with jewel-like eyes responded despondently, "Young master, it's been three years and it hasn't increased from 99 percent. Rather, the density and saturation of mana keep increasing slightly daily… There is no need to dwell on it, it can't be anything bad."
Hearing his words, the youth turned his gaze away from the distant skies and let out a sigh, collapsing into his seat. "Axel, you truly have your way with words…"