Chapter 443: Learning How To Walk Again

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At first, Elisa struggled to control her movements, but the machine adapted to her intentions as she continued practicing. She eventually managed to kick the ball properly, sending it rolling toward Riven.

"Got it!"

"Nice shot!"

"Again!"

She fell many times, but the armor protected her from any damage.

Riven occasionally retrieved the ball whenever it rolled too far away, and they continued playing for quite a while. Elisa was having so much fun that she almost forgot how exhausted she had been feeling just a little while ago.

Eventually, those who were around the house or returning appeared, watching the scene in disbelief.

The ninjas were first, having just arrived from training inside the Spirit Dungeon Realm.

"I-Is that Lady Elisa?! She’s walking!" Goki screamed. "How?!"

He almost dropped the equipment he was carrying.

Hinata immediately looked toward the garden, her eyes widening when she recognized Elisa running around with Riven.

"Was she cured?" Hinata asked.

"No... I don’t think she was..." Ren said, narrowing his eyes. "She’s wearing some kind of special contraption that allows her to walk."

He examined the mechanical armor from a distance, noticing how its components moved whenever Elisa changed positions. It was clearly something technological, but there were also strange energy fluctuations surrounding it.

"That’s... some armor, right?" Kagehisa asked. "Incredible... Did you do this, Riven?! Hah...! Hahaha! You never cease to amaze me."

The others nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t the first time they had witnessed Riven creating something extraordinary, but seeing Elisa walking around like that was something they hadn’t expected.

They had all known about her condition, and while they had never treated her differently because of it, they understood how much being confined to a wheelchair could limit her daily life.

Seeing her running around and playing with Riven was genuinely heartwarming.

"Look at her! She’s having so much fun!" Goki laughed.

"It’s good to see her like that," Hinata smiled.

"Indeed," Ren nodded.

Meanwhile, Elisa finally noticed that they had arrived.

"Ah! Everyone!"

She waved at them, almost losing her balance because she was too excited.

"Careful!" Riven immediately called out.

"I’m fine!"

The ninjas laughed, and Elisa continued waving at them.

Label, Daniela, and Carlos joined, followed by Natalie and her friends.

"Elisa! You’re walking!" Label cried in happiness. "Wow! What is that amazing armor?!"

She immediately approached Elisa, looking at the mechanical components with great interest. She had seen plenty of Riven’s inventions, but this one was particularly impressive because of what it represented.

"It’s amazing, isn’t it?!" Daniela asked. "It’s so cool! I wish it could’ve been something we got from my drops, but it’s something way better, I guess!"

She walked around Elisa, examining the armor from different angles.

Daniela was naturally curious about anything related to equipment and unusual abilities, and this was no exception. She even tried to identify some of the materials, although she couldn’t recognize most of them.

"It looks like it was made by some genius in technology..." Carlos analyzed.

He approached carefully, examining the joints and the mechanical structures surrounding Elisa’s legs.

The way the armor moved was particularly interesting to him. It wasn’t simply following predetermined movements. It seemed to be responding to Elisa’s intentions in real time, making tiny adjustments to preserve her balance and improve her mobility.

"There’s some kind of automatic stabilization system here," he muttered. "And these connections... Are they reading her neural signals?"

"Something like that," Riven nodded.

"That’s incredible. The technology behind this must be quite advanced."

"Yeah, the mutants helped me with the construction. I provided the design, and they handled most of the technical work."

"Oh! So that’s what you meant when you mentioned them before," Carlos nodded.

"Yep!"

Vladimir, who was watching from behind, sighed while shaking his head.

"Huh... so he commissioned that too, huh?" Vladimir wondered while crossing his arms. "Hah, that bastard... he really commissioned something so amazing from the mutants too! Hmph... good for him and her, I guess... whatever."

He looked away, although he couldn’t help glancing at the mechanical armor again.

It was another example of Riven doing something that he couldn’t even imagine accomplishing himself. The man seemed to have an endless supply of resources, ideas, and people willing to help him carry them out.

And now he had even managed to create something that could help someone with paralysis walk again.

Vladimir clicked his tongue.

He really hated how effortlessly Riven managed to accomplish these things.

Natalie noticed his new arm.

"Nice arm, Vladimir! Is it new?"

"Yeh," he said with a nod, glaring at her and her friends. "You weaklings still hanging around? Has any of you bastards even grown remotely strong?"

His question immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Natalie blinked, while Emma and Clair exchanged glances.

"A little!" Emma said.

"We’re progressing, jackass!" Clair said.

"Little by little, steady wins the race, as they say," Philip smiled kindly.

"Kinda," Natalie chuckled, shrugging. "We’ve still got a loooooong way ahead, but hey, we’re progressing somewhere?"

"Hm..." Vladimir nodded as he glanced at them in silence and sighed. "Whatever. I’m getting out of here."

He didn’t seem particularly interested in continuing the conversation.

Natalie watched him walk away, then glanced at his new arm again.

"What’s gotten into him?"

"Probably his usual attitude," Clair shrugged.

"Maybe he’s training more?" Emma wondered.

"Could be," Philip nodded.

They didn’t know what had happened to Vladimir, nor did they understand why he seemed so irritated whenever Riven was involved. However, it wasn’t particularly unusual for him to act that way.

Vladimir had always been a difficult person to deal with.

Still, there was something different about him now.

He walked back to his room and closed the door. He sat down cross-legged and began reading a book that he’d bought somewhere, a basic cultivation method manual for Body Refinement.

The room was relatively simple, with a bed, a small table, and a few belongings scattered around. He had placed the book on the table before sitting down, and now he was carefully examining its contents.

It wasn’t particularly advanced, but it was enough for someone who wanted to begin cultivating properly.

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