Chapter 66: Peak of Second Sequence (I)

After receiving his upgraded hunter license, Jackson had no reason to remain at the Association any longer.

He exchanged a few more words with Albert, and the two agreed to meet again when they had the opportunity. Albert was still visibly excited about Jackson’s sudden rise, but Jackson didn’t have the time to stand around answering questions all day.

Just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell upon Diana.

The girl was standing a short distance away, her expression noticeably different from before.

She looked as though she wanted to say something.

Her lips parted slightly.

Then closed.

A moment later, they opened again before closing once more.

Yet not a single word came out.

Jackson immediately understood what she wanted to say.

She was probably embarrassed about her earlier judgment of him.

After all, she had clearly believed that he was nothing more than an attention seeker. Now that he had actually proven himself to be a Second Sequence Awakened, admitting that she had been wrong in front of everyone would naturally be awkward.

Jackson couldn’t help shaking his head.

He wasn’t petty enough to hold onto a few careless words spoken by a girl he had only just met.

He turned toward Mrs. Lionheart and politely thanked her for accompanying him before bidding the mother and daughter farewell.

He didn’t linger.

A moment later, Jackson walked out of the Hunter Association, leaving behind a hall filled with hundreds of Awakened who were still trying to process what they had witnessed.

...

Once outside, Jackson lowered his gaze toward the hunter license in his hand.

The metallic badge glowed faintly under the sunlight.

He injected a wisp of spiritual force into it, and the space contained within immediately expanded.

Jackson’s eyes brightened slightly.

The storage space had nearly doubled compared to his previous Iron-Rank license.

Even more surprisingly, every item stored inside his old license had been transferred to the upgraded one without anything being lost.

Jackson inspected the contents carefully before nodding in satisfaction.

The Hunter Association really is reliable.

At least when it came to something as important as a hunter’s storage space, they hadn’t given him any reason to doubt their system.

As he continued examining the license, Jackson soon discovered several changes.

A number of functions and communication channels that had previously been inaccessible to him were now available.

His Bronze-Rank authority had opened an entirely new layer of information.

Naturally, Jackson’s attention was quickly drawn toward the information concerning higher-ranked hunters.

The more he read, the more serious his expression became.

After going through the available information for a while, Jackson couldn’t help muttering,

"Silver-Rank hunters are really formidable, huh..."

Most of what he had been studying concerned Silver-Rank hunters.

Their physical capabilities.

Their combat methods.

The differences between their realms.

The privileges and restrictions associated with their rank.

More importantly, he was trying to understand exactly how large the gap was between himself and a Silver-Rank hunter.

He had taken Locke’s warning seriously.

If the elder brother of the Desolate Troop leader really came looking for him, Jackson needed to be prepared.

Although attacking other hunters within human territory was strictly forbidden, Jackson had never been the kind of person who placed his life entirely in the hands of rules.

Rules were written by humans.

And humans had a rather unfortunate habit of breaking them whenever they thought the consequences wouldn’t catch up to them.

Jackson continued studying the information on his license, his expression gradually becoming more focused.

He needed to understand his potential enemy before that enemy ever appeared.

Only by knowing the gap between them could he determine how much preparation would be necessary.

When Jackson returned home, he soon spotted Mother Rose and little Aella working in the garden.

These days, since Aella could no longer visit a dojo to train, she had started helping Mother Rose take care of the small garden around their house.

The transformation was surprisingly dramatic.

When they had first moved in, the garden had been little more than an overgrown patch of bushes and weeds. Now, after days of careful work, it had become neat and orderly. The plants were arranged properly, the weeds had been cleared away, and the entire space looked much more pleasant.

Jackson had barely stepped into the garden when he noticed Mother Rose struggling to lift a heavy flowerpot.

He immediately forgot about everything else and hurried over.

"Let me do that."

He reached out and easily took the pot from her hands.

Mother Rose smiled faintly but didn’t argue.

At almost the same moment, Aella noticed him.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Brother, how did you return so early today?"

Before Jackson could even answer, the little girl had already thrust a pair of gardening tools into his hands.

The tools were covered in dirt and clay.

Jackson stared at them.

Then at Aella.

Then back at the tools.

He subtly tried to step away.

Unfortunately, Aella was already watching him expectantly.

Jackson looked at her little face and found himself unable to refuse.

He sighed inwardly.

How did I end up becoming free labor?

He reluctantly accepted the tools.

"What do you mean? Can’t your brother come home early?"

"No, no, I didn’t mean it that way..."

Aella hurriedly shook her head.

The two siblings soon fell into another familiar argument.

Jackson teased her relentlessly, while Aella tried her best to defend herself. Every time she came up with a response, Jackson found another way to tease her.

Before long, her little face had turned as red as a tomato.

Jackson simply couldn’t help himself.

Teasing Aella was far too entertaining.

"Brother!"

"Hmm?"

"Stop laughing!"

"I wasn’t laughing."

"You were!"

"I was merely smiling."

"You’re definitely laughing!"

Their voices continued to echo through the garden.

Eventually, Mother Rose could no longer stand watching the two of them bicker.

"Jackson."

Her voice carried a hint of warning.

Jackson immediately stopped.

He glanced toward his mother before looking at Aella.

By now, the little girl had puffed up her cheeks like a balloon. She sat on the ground with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her lips pursed as she glared at her annoying older brother.

The expression on her face was so exaggerated that Jackson nearly laughed again.

But this time, he managed to hold it back.

Maybe I went a little too far.