Chapter 171: Recovery and Five Peaceful Days

8:00 PM. Survival Space.

Ethan sat cross-legged in front of the Life Crystal Stone, his eyes closed as he absorbed its energy.

A soft, steady glow illuminated the area around him. Warm energy flowed from the crystal, spreading through his body and reaching the damaged tissues beneath his skin. The injuries he had suffered during his battle with the Blackscale Drake were gradually healing.

His breathing had finally returned to normal, and the constant ache in his back had faded to a dull discomfort.

Beside him sat Rose.

Her condition had improved considerably since awakening. Her SS-Rank Plant Growth Ability was active, and a faint green glow surrounded her body. It blended with the white light radiating from the Life Crystal Stone, creating a strange but beautiful display.

Every now and then, she would glance at Ethan.

Whenever she caught him looking in her direction, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Yet there was still a trace of shyness in her eyes.

Ethan noticed her little glances.

Remembering what had happened in the villa earlier, he couldn’t help smiling.

After waking up, Rose had been overwhelmed with emotion. She had hugged him, cried against his shoulder, and kissed him without giving him much opportunity to react.

If he hadn’t stopped things when he did, the newly awakened beauty might have taken their relationship considerably further.

It wasn’t that he lacked interest.

Quite the opposite.

However, his three SSS-Rank Abilities were far too valuable to risk losing. Until he had a better understanding of the system’s fusion requirements, he couldn’t afford to make careless decisions.

Besides, Rose had only just awakened. Her body and Ability hadn’t fully recovered.

At the time, he had used that as an excuse to convince her to slow down.

Although she had looked a little disappointed, she had eventually agreed.

Ethan cleared his throat.

"Rose, how’s your Ability coming along?"

Rose withdrew her gaze and raised one hand.

A cluster of emerald-green vines emerged from her fingertips. They twisted around one another, growing longer and thicker before stopping in midair.

Tiny thorns covered their surfaces. A faint blue sheen shimmered along their edges, indicating the paralyzing toxin contained within them.

Rose studied the vines with satisfaction.

"I’m probably at seventy or eighty percent of my previous strength."

She gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks to the Core you gave me, not only did I wake up, but my Ability has become considerably stronger."

She closed her fingers.

The vines immediately withdrew, disappearing into her palm.

After a brief pause, her expression changed.

"There’s something I’ve been wondering about, though."

"What is it?"

Rose looked directly at him.

"You knew I was still a virgin. How?"

Ethan wasn’t surprised by the question. He had already considered how to answer it.

"I have a special Ability that lets me perceive certain things about people."

He shrugged casually.

"I noticed it the first time we met at Century Skyline."

Rose’s eyes widened slightly.

Then she seemed to understand.

"So you also knew that Sofia isn’t my biological daughter?"

Ethan nodded.

Rose looked away, her gaze settling on the distant lake.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then she began speaking.

"Sofia’s biological mother is my older sister, Miriam Lynn."

Her voice softened.

"After giving birth to Sofia, she told me she wanted to study abroad. She left the baby with me and promised she would return."

Rose paused.

"She never did."

A faint breeze passed through the trees.

"I raised Sofia as my own daughter. She’s been with me for so long that I’ve never really thought of her as anything else."

Ethan hadn’t expected that.

He glanced toward the lake, considering what she had just told him.

’Leaving your own child behind and never coming back?’

He couldn’t help feeling a little disgusted with the woman.

Rose had taken responsibility for a child who wasn’t even hers and raised her through years of hardship.

And now, in the middle of the Apocalypse, she was still protecting her.

"Sister Rose, you must have had a difficult time."

Rose shook her head.

"That was a long time ago."

She turned back toward him, a gentle smile returning to her face.

"Besides, things are different now. With you around, everyone feels much safer."

Ethan smiled but didn’t respond.

Instead, he opened his system panel.

After the battle with the Blackscale Drake, the system had rewarded him with 20,000 energy points. Rose’s gift had also returned another 4,000.

His current total stood at 78,050.

[Energy Points: 78,050 / 100,000]

He was getting closer to S-Rank.

Only 21,950 points remained.

Ethan reached into his pocket and felt the three Cores he had kept as reserves.

Two Elite-grade Cores.

One Leader-grade Core.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

They would come in handy when he encountered his next gift targets.

For now, however, he could afford to relax.

The next five days passed peacefully.

For once, there were no monsters tearing through walls, no desperate escapes, and no life-threatening battles.

The atmosphere inside the Survival Space was unusually pleasant.

Debbie and Daisy often visited Ethan together. They would discuss ways to improve their Abilities, sometimes staying with him until well past midnight.

Dr. Elena and Aria also came by frequently. Their conversations usually revolved around combat techniques and how to make better use of their respective Abilities.

Rose became one of his most frequent visitors.

Her Plant Growth Ability had only recently evolved to SS-Rank, and there were still many aspects she needed to understand. Ethan helped her experiment with different techniques, test the limits of her vines, and explore their offensive and defensive applications.

Their sessions often stretched late into the night.

And whenever they were alone, that faint sense of intimacy from their earlier encounter seemed to return.

The fifth night arrived.

Ethan was preparing to rest when someone gently knocked on his door.

Knock. Knock.

He frowned slightly.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Clara stood outside, holding a small clump of soil in her hands.

Her cheeks were faintly red, and she seemed unusually hesitant.

"Brother Ethan..."

Her voice was quiet.

"My Earth Manipulation Ability still has a few things I can’t control properly. Could you help me?"

Ethan glanced at the soil in her hands.

Then he looked at her embarrassed expression.

A smile spread across his face.

"Come in."

Clara quickly stepped inside and closed the door.

What followed was a practical lesson.

Ethan showed her how to manipulate the soil beneath her feet, how to control its density, and how to shape it into solid defensive structures without wasting too much energy.

Clara learned surprisingly quickly.

She followed his instructions carefully, testing each technique until she could reproduce it without assistance.

Every time she made a mistake, Ethan patiently corrected her.

By the end of the session, her control had improved noticeably.

Yet Clara still seemed reluctant to leave.

Ethan couldn’t help finding her behavior amusing.

’Is she really here just to learn?’

He didn’t say anything.