Chapter 63: Diana Lionheart

Even with spiritual force, increasing one’s spiritual force was incredibly difficult.

Jackson stared at the numbers on his status window and let out a resigned sigh. In just a single meditation session, both of his primary stats had increased by more than forty percent. By any reasonable standard, such growth was already absurd.

Yet Jackson couldn’t help feeling that it was too slow.

If the Awakened browsing the forums knew what he was thinking, they would probably spit blood in anger.

Everyone knew that an Awakened’s primary stats could be rapidly increased with the help of treasures and resources. However, the final results depended heavily on the individual’s talent and foundation.

If an Awakened’s talent was limited, then no matter how many treasures they consumed, their body could only absorb and refine a certain amount of energy.

It was impossible to force an extraordinary result from an ordinary foundation.

Hell, if an average genius consumed the same treasures Jackson had just consumed, it would already be a miracle if their primary stats increased by even ten percent.

Jackson’s growth was simply monstrous.

The problem was that he didn’t realize just how monstrous it was.

His expectations had been raised too high.

After all, ever since awakening his mysterious talent, his rate of growth had repeatedly exceeded what ordinary Awakened considered possible. What seemed mediocre to him would probably be enough to leave most people staring at their status windows in disbelief.

Jackson closed the status window and continued strengthening his body for a while.

Once he was satisfied, his thoughts drifted toward another problem.

"I need to get my hands on a spiritual-space boundary-nourishing technique..."

Jackson frowned slightly.

Although the Twin Dragon Visual Method was formidable, its primary purpose was to strengthen and expand the spiritual space during the First Sequence.

That method had served him extremely well when he had been trying to increase the size of his spiritual space.

But now that he had reached the Second Sequence, the situation was different.

The size of his spiritual space had already reached its limit.

What he needed now was a technique capable of continuously nourishing and strengthening its boundaries.

If he had possessed a proper boundary-nourishing technique, Jackson believed that the progress he had made during this night’s cultivation could have been at least twice as fast.

Unfortunately, knowing what he needed and obtaining it were two entirely different matters.

Jackson immediately opened the virtual network and began searching for techniques related to spiritual-space boundaries.

He searched through one database after another.

Nothing.

He changed his search terms and tried again.

Still nothing useful.

After searching for quite some time, Jackson finally gave up.

"It seems I’ll have to find another way."

He closed the virtual interface and left his room.

It was already morning.

Rather than continuing to waste time searching, Jackson decided to head downstairs and have breakfast with his family.

...

The moment Jackson entered the dining area, the strong aroma of freshly roasted potatoes filled his nose.

The smell was warm and comforting, immediately making him feel more relaxed.

A balanced breakfast had already been prepared on the table.

Jackson’s lips curled into a faint smile when he saw it.

Little Aella and Mother Rose were already sitting at the dining table, seemingly waiting for him.

Aella, in particular, looked as though she had been waiting for far too long.

Her eyes remained fixed on the food in front of her, while a thin line of drool slowly escaped from the corner of her mouth.

She was clearly struggling to control herself.

Jackson couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Apparently, no amount of cultivation could make a hungry child understand the concept of patience.

The moment she spotted Jackson, Aella looked at him curiously. Her little eyes narrowed slightly as she tilted her head and asked in her tender voice,

"Brother, these days you’ve been late for breakfast almost every day. Could it be that you’ve been chatting with some big sister all day...?"

Jackson almost slipped and fell to the ground.

He stared at his little sister in disbelief.

Girl, what do you mean? Your brother is working hard to provide for the family, and you dare accuse me of...

Of course, none of those words actually left his mouth.

From his past experience, Jackson had already learned that the best response to such accusations was to pretend he hadn’t heard them.

The moment he tried to explain himself, things would only get worse.

However, Aella’s words still reminded him of something from his own past, and his face couldn’t help but turn slightly red.

When he had first started dating Grace, he had been completely absorbed in the relationship. He would spend entire days chatting with her, losing track of time and forgetting about almost everything else.

Even his family had been neglected because of it.

At the time, he hadn’t realized how much that behavior had hurt them.

But now, looking at Aella’s expression, Jackson suddenly understood.

Perhaps his family was feeling the same way back then.

No wonder the little girl had been so concerned about his recent behavior.

Jackson quietly pulled out a chair and sat down.

Before he could say anything, Mother Rose looked at him and asked,

"Jackson, there’s less than a month left now. Have you decided which academy you’re going to join?"

Originally, Rose had believed that her son wasn’t suited for humanity’s elite academies.

She had thought that after graduation, Jackson would probably have to settle for a trade-based academy and find an ordinary career.

But the experiences of the past few days had completely changed the way she looked at him.

Her son had changed far more than she had realized.

Jackson, however, was far too focused on the breakfast in front of him to notice the change in his mother’s expression.

He picked up a roasted potato and took a large bite before casually answering,

"Of course. It’s going to be Golden Radiance Academy."

Aella, who had been waiting for him to respond to her earlier accusation, immediately realized that her brother had completely ignored her question.

Her little cheeks puffed up like a balloon.

She stared at Jackson with an expression that could only be described as murderous.

Jackson remained completely oblivious.

At that moment, apparently, breakfast was far more important than surviving his little sister’s wrath.

After finishing breakfast, Jackson returned to his room and began getting ready.

It was time to head to the Hunter Association and have his rank reassessed.

Now that he lived in the core area of the Golden Radiance District, the Hunter Association office was not far from his home. It was only about a ten-minute walk away.

Since he also wanted to familiarize himself with the surroundings, Jackson decided not to bother with a cab. He simply stepped outside and began walking.

Until now, he had been too busy to pay much attention to the area where he lived.

Still, he knew one thing for certain.

This was one of the safest areas in the entire sector.

The surrounding space had been reinforced by powerful hunters from the major corporations, making the possibility of a random portal opening in this area extremely low.

For ordinary people, living here was almost equivalent to having a protective barrier surrounding their homes.

But Jackson wasn’t foolish enough to let his guard down completely.

After what had happened at the dojo, he understood better than most that danger could appear when least expected.

One could never be too careful.

Jackson had just walked through the gate when the door of the house opposite his opened.

A girl around his age stepped outside.

She was wearing an oversized white hoodie that hung loosely over her body. The hood was pulled forward slightly, partially obscuring her face and making her features difficult to distinguish from a distance.

A moment later, another woman walked out behind her.

She appeared slightly older and more mature than the girl.

Unlike the younger girl, however, she wore tight-fitting clothes that clearly outlined her figure.

The woman noticed Jackson almost immediately.

Her eyes briefly lingered on him before her expression brightened with recognition.

"Oh, you must be the new neighbor."

She smiled and walked a little closer.

"Fancy meeting you today..."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Lionheart."

Jackson returned the greeting with a polite smile.

Although he wasn’t particularly familiar with his new neighbors, he knew a thing or two about the Lionheart family. After all, their name had been mentioned several times around the neighborhood.

From what he had gathered, Grey Lionheart was a Silver-Grade hunter and a well-renowned expert who had reached the peak of the First Sequence. In a place like the Golden Radiance District, someone at that level was already considered a formidable figure.

Since Jackson was in a hurry, he didn’t intend to spend too much time chatting. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he quickly bid the Lionheart mother and daughter farewell and continued on his way.

However, he soon realized that the two of them were heading in the same direction.

Don’t tell me they’re going to the Hunter Association too?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Mrs. Lionheart’s cheerful voice confirmed his suspicion.

"Don’t tell me you’re also going to the Hunter Association... Ah, that isn’t surprising. Given your age, you must have awakened recently. No wonder."

Jackson’s eyebrows rose slightly.

His gaze shifted toward the young girl beside her.

Diana Lionheart.

Compared to her mother, Diana had remained completely indifferent from beginning to end. She hadn’t said a single word since leaving the house, her expression calm and unreadable beneath the oversized hood.

Jackson couldn’t help taking another glance at her.

Mrs. Lionheart, however, seemed completely oblivious to her daughter’s silence and continued chatting.

"Little Jackson, being a hunter isn’t a simple job. Every day, hunters have to venture outside and risk their lives fighting monsters. Many of them don’t survive for very long."

She spoke with the tone of someone offering sincere advice.

"It would be much better if you could join a reliable squad."

Mrs. Lionheart suddenly seemed to think of something.

"Hmm, you know what? Why don’t you join my daughter’s father’s squad? You two are around the same age, so there shouldn’t be any problem with you looking after each other."

The moment those words left her mouth, Diana finally reacted.

Her previously indifferent eyes slowly turned toward Jackson.

She examined him from head to toe.

There was no hostility in her gaze, but the intensity of her scrutiny made it clear that she was silently judging him, as though trying to determine whether this unfamiliar neighbor was even worthy of joining her father’s squad.

Jackson remained calm under her gaze.

After a few seconds, a faintly cold glint flashed through Diana’s eyes.

Apparently, she had reached her conclusion.

She turned her head away and returned to her previous expression of indifference.

From that moment onward, she no longer paid Jackson any attention.

Jackson blinked.

That’s... quite the reaction.

He didn’t take it personally.

After all, he had only just met the girl.

He simply continued walking toward the Hunter Association, leaving the strange mother-and-daughter pair behind.