Chapter 80: Reward for hardwork

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Reward for hardwork

Far away from the Winterbourne Mansion...

Several figures stood inside a dark room.

A scout had just finished his report.

"The Winterbourne family survived."

Silence.

Then a fist slammed against the table.

"Again?"

The scout lowered his head.

"Yes."

"They managed to stabilize the attack."

A bitter expression appeared on one man’s face.

"We were certain this would be the breaking point."

Another man leaned against the wall.

"It should have been."

The plan had been simple.

The beasts would overwhelm the Winterbourne family.

Their resources would be exhausted.

Their strongest fighters would be injured or killed.

And eventually, the family would have no choice but to retreat.

But once again... they had survived.

And there was another problem.

"Their daughter returned."

The room became quiet before someone finally spoke.

"Caelia?"

"Yes."

"She disappeared for days."

"And now she’s back."

The scout hesitated.

"She also brought someone with her."

That immediately caught their attention.

"Who?"

"We don’t know."

"Then what do you know?"

"He uses lightning."

A few people exchanged glances.

"Lightning?"

"Yes."

"And he has a Wind Sovereign Roc."

That caused even more confusion.

"A Roc?"

"Contracted?"

"We couldn’t confirm it."

The scout nodded.

"But it fought beside him."

He continued explaining what he had seen.

The young man had moved through the battlefield with the spirit elemental.

He used lightning.

The Roc controlled wind.

And somehow...

They fought together like they had done it for years.

"They weren’t struggling."

The scout’s voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"They were enjoying themselves."

No one spoke for a moment.

Then the man sitting at the center slowly smiled.

"So the Winterbourne family found a monster."

His fingers tapped against the table.

"Investigate him."

"Find out who he is."

"And if possible..."

His smile widened.

"Bring him to our side."

"And if that fails?"

The room became quiet again.

"Then make sure he doesn’t remain close to the Winterbournes."

******

Damon knew nothing about any of this.

He had already arrived at his room.

The servant opened the door.

"If you need anything, please let me know."

Damon looked around.

"I think I’ll be fine."

The room was spacious and comfortable.

It wasn’t quite as luxurious as the Calloway Mansion, but it was still far better than anything he had experienced in his previous life.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

The servant smiled before leaving.

Once the door closed... Damon finally relaxed.

"Alright."

He looked toward the spirits.

"You two can come out now."

Freya immediately changed forms.

Her body shrank as silver lightning wrapped around her.

A moment later, the nine tailed fox landed directly in his arms.

Damon caught her without trouble.

"You’re really getting used to doing that."

Freya happily rubbed her head against his chest.

Sylphie floated over and landed on his shoulder.

Damon reached up and gently scratched her head too.

"You both did well today."

Both spirits became noticeably happier.

Damon smiled.

They had fought hard.

Freya had used her weapon form in a real battle for the first time.

Sylphie had shown how much stronger she had become after her evolution.

And together...

They had completely changed the battlefield.

He was proud of them.

But he knew what they wanted next.

Damon looked at their expectant faces.

"...I didn’t forget."

Their eyes immediately lit up.

He laughed.

"I know exactly what you’re waiting for."

He reached into his storage.

There wasn’t much left yet Damon poured out the last of their snacks for them.

And their reaction was immediate.

Sylphie dove in and Freya followed.

The two spirits happily ate beside him as Damon watched.

"I really need to restock."

He shook his head with a small smile.

"At this rate, you two are going to bankrupt me."

Freya looked up while chewing.

Damon stared at her.

"...Don’t look at me like that."

She continued staring.

"Fine."

He sighed.

"I’ll buy more tomorrow."

That was enough.

Freya happily returned to her food while Sylphie chirped beside her.

Damon soon took his position on the floor.

He crossed his legs and settled into the cultivation posture he had used since arriving in this world. His body was tired, but his mind was still clear.

For now, his goal was simple.

Restore his Aether.

And nurture his Spirit Elementals.

Freya and Sylphie seemed to understand immediately. After finishing the snacks Damon had given them, they settled down as well, and the familiar pull of their contract soon carried them into his second core.

Damon opened his eyes for a moment.

The space inside had changed again.

It was no longer the small, cramped area it had once been. The second core had grown into a proper space, large enough for both spirits to move around comfortably.

He still found it strange.

A simple second core had somehow become a place capable of housing two Spirit Elementals.

And what happens if I get more?

Damon frowned slightly.

Would the space continue growing?

Would there eventually be a limit?

He didn’t know.

And there was no point wasting time thinking about questions he couldn’t answer.

"Guess I’ll find out when I get there."

With that, he closed his eyes again.

The Aether inside the room was nothing compared to what he had experienced in the treasure chamber. Still, it was much more stable than the Aether inside the Distorted Zone.

After spending so much time there, Damon could now feel the difference clearly.

The Aether inside a Distorted Zone was rough and unstable. It was still a bit usable, but it never flowed as smoothly as the natural Aether outside.

This room was calmer, but there was simply less of it

Fortunately, that had never been a problem for Damon.

His White Core had forced him to get used to cultivating under poor conditions from the very beginning.

But things were different now.

Damon reached into his storage bag and brought out several Aether crystals.

The moment they appeared, the Aether inside them began flowing toward his core.

His White Core rotated faster.

And the crystals dimmed almost immediately.

"Much better."