Chapter 53: Talent evolving (II)

Jackson glanced around before realizing where she had probably gone.

She was likely outside in the garden, tending to her plants.

These days, if Mother Rose wasn’t busy taking care of her children, she could usually be found outside with her hands buried in the soil, happily digging around and smearing dirt all over herself.

Looking at how much she seemed to enjoy it, Jackson couldn’t help but feel a little happy.

It reminded him of the past.

Back then, before all the worries and hardships had piled onto her shoulders, Mother Rose had also been like this. She had been able to spend her days taking care of the family and enjoying the simple things in life without constantly worrying about money or their next place to live.

Now that they finally had a home of their own, it felt as though a small piece of that life had returned.

Jackson shook his head with a faint smile before walking over to Aella.

He reached out and casually ruffled her hair.

"Little Aella, why are you still sulking? Don’t tell me the dojo rejected you too..."

By the end of his sentence, even Jackson’s expression became slightly awkward.

Surely that couldn’t be the case.

After settling into their new home, Aella had once again expressed her desire to join a dojo and continue her training. Jackson hadn’t thought much about it. Wanting to resume her training was completely normal.

Unfortunately, reality had been less kind.

Almost every dojo she had approached had rejected her the moment they saw her blackened arm.

The corruption covering her arm had become an obvious barrier, and none of those dojos were willing to take the risk of allowing her to train there.

Just as Jackson finished speaking, Aella raised her small hand and pushed his arm away.

"Brother, you’re ruining my hairstyle. Take your hand away."

Aella pouted as she struggled to escape his hand.

Unfortunately for her, Jackson was far stronger than she was.

Ignoring her complaints, he ruffled her hair even more before reaching down and pinching her cheeks.

Aella’s face immediately scrunched up.

"Mom! Big brother is pinching me again!"

Her loud complaint echoed through the room.

A moment later, Mother Rose entered.

She was wiping her dirt-covered hands with a cloth, apparently having just returned from the garden.

Seeing the two siblings bickering with each other, a warm smile immediately spread across her face.

She had been about to say something when her expression suddenly changed.

Mother Rose’s gaze settled on Jackson.

She stared at him carefully.

Something was different.

It was difficult to explain.

Jackson looked almost exactly the same as before, yet there was an unfamiliar pressure faintly radiating from his body.

It was incredibly subtle.

An ordinary person probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

But Mother Rose wasn’t an ordinary mother when it came to recognizing her own son.

She had watched Jackson grow up.

She knew his presence better than anyone.

And now, standing only a few steps away from him, she could clearly sense something had changed.

Her eyes slowly widened.

A possibility suddenly appeared in her mind.

"No, there’s no way..."

The words escaped her lips almost unconsciously.

Could it be...

Had Jackson broken through?

Mother Rose’s heart trembled.

She wasn’t an awakened herself, but she knew far more about awakened beings than an ordinary person should.

Her husband, Jackson’s father, had once been a powerful awakened.

Although many years had passed, Mother Rose had never forgotten the feeling his presence had once given her.

That faint pressure.

That subtle sense of strength hidden beneath an ordinary appearance.

The sensation she was feeling from Jackson right now was strangely similar.

But that was impossible.

How could it be?

How long had it even been since Jackson awakened?

Mother Rose stared at her son in disbelief.

He had only awakened recently.

Yet somehow, he had already reached a level that even she could faintly sense.

Countless thoughts whirled through Mother Rose’s mind as she stared at Jackson, a dazed look lingering in her eyes.

The two siblings quickly noticed her unusual expression.

"Mother, are you okay?"

Jackson immediately moved closer, concern flashing across his face. He placed a hand against her forehead, checking whether she was feeling unwell.

It was only then that he heard her muttering something under her breath.

Jackson’s eyes flickered.

So she really could feel it.

His breakthrough had apparently changed his presence enough for someone familiar with awakened power to notice.

There was no point hiding it anymore.

Jackson withdrew his hand and gave a small sigh before telling her the truth.

Once he explained that he had already broken through to the Second Sequence Realm, Mother Rose simply nodded.

Surprisingly, she didn’t bombard him with questions.

Perhaps she had already accepted that her son was no longer the ordinary boy he had once been.

Aella, however, was far more expressive.

She might have been young, but she wasn’t so young that she couldn’t understand the significance of what her big brother had accomplished.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Wow, brother! To think you actually achieved something like this!"

She threw her arms into the air, celebrating as though Jackson had just accomplished something impossible.

Hearing her words, Jackson couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

"Little girl, what do you take me for? Don’t you know how hardworking your big brother is?"

His words brought a faint smile to Mother Rose’s face.

They also helped lessen the shock that had been lingering in her heart.

Indeed, Jackson had always been exceptionally clever from a young age.

He had also been unusually hardworking compared to other children his age.

Perhaps breaking through so quickly wasn’t as impossible for him as it initially seemed.

Jackson spent some more time with them before finally explaining that he would be away from home for a while.

Mother Rose accepted it without making things difficult for him.

It was common for awakened individuals to spend long periods outside on missions. She had already grown accustomed to the dangers that came with this path.

She only reminded him to stay safe and not take unnecessary risks.

Jackson nodded.

Then, before leaving, he looked toward Aella’s corrupted arm.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Perhaps his breakthrough had finally given him enough spiritual force.

He summoned the Golden Brush once again and attempted to remove the corruption.

Golden light flickered across the room as Jackson poured his spiritual force into the brush.

For a brief moment, hope appeared in his eyes.

But the next instant, his expression darkened.

The corruption remained completely unmoved.

Even after his spiritual force had increased dramatically and his control over the Golden Brush had improved, he still couldn’t get rid of it.

Jackson stood silently for a moment before finally returning to his room.

His heart felt heavy.

It seemed he had celebrated too early.

If reaching the Second Sequence wasn’t enough, then he would try again after reaching the Third Sequence.

And if even that wasn’t enough...

Then perhaps he would have to wait until his first transformation of life.

Although disappointed, Jackson didn’t allow those feelings to affect his state of mind for long.

Thankfully, the corruption had stopped at Aella’s arm.

It showed no signs of spreading further.

As long as that remained the case, he still had time.

He would find a way eventually.

After gathering all the essential items he needed, Jackson finally headed out.

Then, just as he stepped outside, he suddenly remembered something important.

"Damn, I need to hurry. Chatting with Aella and Mother made me so engrossed that I completely forgot Alchemist Dawn was waiting outside."

Jackson immediately increased his pace.

Thankfully, he hadn’t spent too much time talking with them.

If he hurried now, he should still be able to catch up with Alchemist Dawn in time.