Chapter 79: Thank You, Edgar

Looking closely at the metalwork, the daggers looked as though the base forging had already begun some time ago, but the intricate, custom details I had texted him were added today... As if these blades had been made specifically for me from the very start.

I bowed my head, staring down at the silver reflection. I was probably reading too much meaning into it, but I couldn’t help the thought from taking root.

People always say an assassin can make a weapon out of anything and everything—and while that was true—what they don’t tell you is that an assassin’s true main weapon is their lifeline. It’s like a reliable partner; when lost, your efficiency drops, the stakes rise, and death comes knocking twice as fast in a fight.

And Edgar had just handed me my lifeline without hesitation. He had no idea that I planned to use these very daggers on his own flesh and blood.

Let’s not dwell on that right now, I thought, shaking the distraction from my head.

I stood up straight, peeled off my clothes, and let my bare skin acclimate to the cool air of the room. I shut my eyes, taking a deep, slow breath.

Faint, warm shimmers began to rise from my skin. I could feel the spiritual energy coursing through my veins like liquid heat—Silas’s midnight-blue flames circulating through my bloodstream, strengthening my soft muscles, densifying my bones, and tightening my core.

When I opened my eyes, a faint blue shimmer flickered in my pupils before melting back into the shadows.

If I have this much control, I won’t have to worry about anyone casually tossing me around in the tournament.

Still, my former instincts reminded me that raw spirit power was useless without physical conditioning. I needed to adapt this weak, unrefined body to the absolute basics.

I dropped to the floor and got to work. More push-ups. More squats. Core holds, lunges, and rapid footwork drills. I had to force this body to sweat out every last drop of its former weakness.

And I did. All night long.

I didn’t have the high-end equipment from a proper training facility, but a true killer didn’t need fancy machines for the fundamentals anyway. Though it’s not like a training facility isn’t important for proper conditioning.

Well, better to do it the old fashioned way. I’ll hit the training facility when I can.

By the time the sun began to peek over the horizon, painting the grey sky with pale light, I was sitting on the floor in a lotus position. My skin glistened with sweat, and the faint, ghostly shimmer of Silas’s blue fire flickered steadily around my shoulders.

I took a deep breath in, holding it until my chest expanded, then let it out. I took a second, more even breath, and let it out. I took a third, channeling the remaining friction in my limbs, and blew it out softly before snapping my eyes open.

That sharp, brilliant blue glint flashed in my gaze once more.

I had done it. I had successfully integrated and balanced the 30% spirit power into this physical vessel. I was no longer fragile, and I was no longer weak.

Rising fluidly to my feet, I dropped into a tight boxing stance. I snapped a single, lightning-fast thrust punch into the empty air—and a sharp, audible crack of compressed force echoed through the room.

My lips curved into a dark, satisfied smile.

It was beyond worth it.

Thank you, Edgar.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, my breathing steady and controlled despite the intense all-night session. My muscles ached in that satisfying, familiar way—not from weakness, but from being pushed, forced to adapt, and forged anew.

With Silas’s 30% soul power fully integrated and balanced into this body’s core, my reaction times, bone density, and speed had surpassed the threshold of any ordinary wolf.

I picked up the twin silver daggers from the desk, letting my thumbs brush over the sleek, crescent fullers. They felt weightless now, perfectly attuned to my newly reinforced strength.

I checked the time on my phone. It was just past six in the morning. Downstairs, I could hear the faint, quiet sounds of my parents waking up—the clatter of a teapot and the soft murmur of Bradford getting ready for his day.

I rushed into the bathroom to take a thorough bath to wash off the grime and sweat that had seeped out of my body during my training.

Nothing felt better than a bath after an intense workout.

Tucking the daggers into their leather casing, I hid them inside my jacket’s inner lining. I texted Edgar a short, concise message:

—Using your name for my brothers to browse housing listings today. Don’t put me on a tight spot if someone calls to verify... Please.

Let’s be polite since I’m the one on the receiving end.

Without waiting for his reply, I grabbed my coat and walked downstairs.

Bradford was standing near the door, adjusting his worn coat with a stack of loan papers tucked into his envelope. When he saw me coming down the stairs fully dressed, he paused, a gentle, worried look in his eyes.

"Brianna, you don’t have to push yourself to wake up this early," he said softly. "I can handle the loan office alone."

Early? It’s already seven at this point.

"I told you yesterday, Father—I’m coming with you," I replied, stepping up beside him and offering a firm, reassuring smile. "Let me walk with you. I want to see this Chapter closed for good."

Bradford looked at me for a long moment, a proud, quiet warmth shining through his tired face. "Alright. Let’s go."

As we stepped out into the crisp morning air, the neighborhood was just starting to wake up. Brianna, I’m already a step too deep in this act. It seems... I’ll be involved with your family a lot more than I planned.

As we approached the loan office, Bradford turned to me a couple of times, trying to talk me out of going in with him, telling me a young girl should not be exposed to that kind of environment, yada yada.

I know he was worrying about me but it all went into one ear and flew out the other. He was afraid, but I wasn’t.

I stepped around Bradford’s arm, keeping my hand gently resting over his trembling fingers to reassure him, though my gaze wasn’t warm. It was filled with resolve.