Chapter 22: A Mansion? In This Economy?

After the awkward moment with Lilly, Nero eventually returned to his room.

He lay down on his bed, but couldn’t fall asleep immediately. His mind kept returning to what had happened in the kitchen.

He was still a little troubled by the System. If it continued giving him such ridiculous choices, wouldn’t it eventually get him killed?

Even now, he could remember the warmth of Lilly’s body against his and the faint scent of lavender from her hair.

He was a growing young man, after all. Although his improved emotional control allowed him to suppress his reactions, being that close to Lilly had genuinely felt pleasant.

Nero sighed and shook his head.

’I need to stop thinking about this.’

Besides, there was something else he wanted to try.

Perfect Sleep.

He had obtained the ability earlier but hadn’t gotten around to testing it yet.

Nero knew how important quality sleep was for cognitive function, and from what he had read, practically nobody in the world experienced truly perfect sleep.

Yet this Uncommon ability could apparently provide exactly that.

’Well, let’s give it a try.’

Nero activated Perfect Sleep and closed his eyes.

Within moments, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The following morning, Nero slowly opened his eyes.

Almost immediately, he noticed something different.

His mind was exceptionally clear, without any of the usual grogginess he experienced after waking up. His thoughts flowed smoothly, and he felt more alert than ever.

’So this is what perfect sleep feels like?’

The improvement in his cognitive functions was remarkable.

Nero got out of bed and headed outside to get some sunlight before returning to the kitchen to brew himself a cup of coffee.

While drinking it beside the window, he noticed someone standing near the pond in the garden.

It was Lilia.

She was dressed in casual clothes, with her blonde hair swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Nero knew that Lilia was an extremely powerful Psychic, so he wasn’t particularly surprised when she raised her hand and lifted a large amount of water from the pond.

The water gathered into an enormous sphere, floating several meters above the surface.

However, what happened next caught his attention.

Lilia casually waved her hand, causing the sphere to divide into countless tiny droplets.

Thousands of them remained suspended in the air, perfectly separated and completely motionless.

Not a single droplet fell.

"Such perfect control..."

Nero was genuinely impressed.

What Lilia was doing might have looked simple, but controlling thousands of individual droplets simultaneously required an absurd amount of precision.

The human mind shouldn’t even be capable of maintaining that many separate points of control at once.

Most Awakeners also lacked proper mastery over their abilities. Even a C-Rank Awakener would 100% struggle to achieve something like this.

After maintaining the droplets for a while, Lilia casually released her control.

The water fell back into the pond, merging together with a loud splash.

She then stretched her arms above her head, causing her casual clothes to tighten around her voluptuous figure.

Her generous chest lifted slightly with the movement, while her wide hips shifted as she twisted her body.

Nero briefly found himself distracted before quickly looking away.

Unfortunately, Lilia had already noticed him.

"What do you think, Nero?"

She adjusted her glasses with a faint smile.

"How was the display of power I just demonstrated?"

Nero cleared his throat.

"It was incredible."

Lilia smiled.

"However impressive it may seem, it’s still far from enough."

She approached him before continuing.

"There are beings in this world capable of manipulating Mana and their abilities on a far more terrifying level. The world of Awakeners is much larger than you currently understand."

She stopped a few meters away.

"E-Rank is merely the beginning. As you climb higher, the difference between each rank becomes increasingly enormous."

Lilia continued, "Strength is important in this world, but raw power alone isn’t everything. Proper control, experience, understanding of your abilities, and continuous improvement are all necessary if you want to survive against stronger opponents."

Nero listened carefully to all of her words.

He had already begun understanding the importance of combat techniques, so her words made plenty of sense.

After finishing her explanation, Lilia checked her watch.

"Anyway, I have some business to attend to. I need to leave now."

She turned and began walking toward the mansion.

"Good luck," Nero said after some consideration.

Lilia stopped hearing him say that.

She turned her head slightly, seemingly surprised by his words, before letting out a soft chuckle.

"Thank you."

With that, she continued toward the mansion.

However, just as she was about to disappear from view, Nero’s Enlightenment ability suddenly activated.

[Ding! You have gained Enlightenment into the concept of High-Human.]

"Huh?"

Nero frowned.

’High-Human again?’

This was already the third time he had received a notification related to High-Humans.

He was becoming increasingly curious about the concept, but decided to look into it more carefully later.

For now, he returned inside the mansion.

While walking through the main hallway, Nero encountered Lilly.

She appeared to have just finished her morning routine and was heading toward the gym.

She wore tight athletic clothes, with a loose tank top over her sports bra and leggings that hugged her curvy figure.

Nero briefly found himself distracted by her appearance before remembering what had happened last night.

Lilly also noticed him, although her expression seemed a little strange.

Nero decided to greet her.

"Morning, Lilly."

"Hmph."

She simply huffed and walked past him without another word.

"...?"

Nero was confused.

’What did I do?’

Was she still embarrassed about what happened in the kitchen?

He had no idea, but after thinking about it for a moment, he decided not to bother himself with it.

Besides, he had something important to do today.

He had promised to meet Old Man Drake.

After contacting him to confirm the location, Nero got ready and headed out.

He planned to meet Drake before going to university.

Old Man Drake’s residence was huge but it turned out it wasn’t even his main residence. He got to know that little fact when he welcomed him in.

"Young Nero! My savior!"

He enthusiastically shook Nero’s hand.

"I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done!"

"Ah, it’s nothing..."

However, Drake suddenly became serious.

"Tell me honestly, Young Nero."

"Are you actually a reincarnated immortal from one of those stories?"

"..."

Nero was bewildered by his question.

"How could immortals even exist in this world? This is a fantasy world, not some cultivation novel."

Drake sighed helplessly.

"I suppose you have a point."

He shook his head before continuing.

"But you must understand my confusion. You’re the first person who has managed to provide an effective medicine for demonic corruption."

His expression became serious.

"Demonic corruption originates from demons, and it’s notoriously difficult to treat. Researchers have spent decades trying to develop effective medicines, yet nobody has achieved much success."

Drake looked at Nero with genuine respect.

"Your contribution is far more significant than you realize."

Nero didn’t know how to respond to such praise.

After all, he had simply followed the knowledge provided by the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge.

Fortunately, Drake soon changed the subject.

"Anyway, as thanks for saving my life, I’ve prepared something for you."

He gestured toward Marcus, who stepped forward carrying a folder.

"A house. Well, to be precise, a mansion."

Drake chuckled.

"It’s one I rarely use, and I believe giving it to you is the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me."

"...Huh?"

Nero almost couldn’t believe what he had heard.

’A mansion? Just like that?!’

He was beginning to think Old Man Drake had read far too many webnovels.

Wasn’t giving a mansion to someone who helped you another classic trope?

Drake noticed his expression and laughed.

"Speaking of which, Young Nero, have you read ’The Light Sovereign’s Return’?"

Nero raised an eyebrow.

"That’s actually one of my favorite novels that I follow."

Drake’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Mine too! The part where the protagonist reveals his true identity at the tournament? Absolutely brilliant!"

"I know!" Nero couldn’t help smiling. "His master being part of the Demon Race was really unexpected."

It turned out this old man was just like him!

Nero also read webnovels in his free time, but he had never really participated in discussions about them, even online. He mainly wanted to avoid unnecessary drama, so having someone who knew about one of the novels he read was a rare opportunity for him.

For once, he could freely talk about something he enjoyed, and he found himself having quite a bit of fun.

The two ended up discussing the novel for several minutes, completely forgetting about the mansion.

Nero found the situation rather amusing.

Who would’ve thought he would end up making an elderly friend simply because they enjoyed the same webnovel?

Eventually, Drake calmed down and returned to the original topic.

"Thank you again, Young Nero. I truly appreciate what you’ve done for me."

"You’re welcome."

Marcus then approached them with a contract.

"This document will officially transfer ownership of the mansion to you," he explained. "Please sign here."

Nero briefly reviewed the contract before signing it.

And just like that, the transfer was complete.

He now owned a mansion.

After thanking Drake once more, Nero left the residence and headed toward Pride University.

However, while he was on his way, his phone suddenly rang.

It was Lucas.

Nero answered the call.

"Hey, Nero!" Lucas’s cheerful voice came through. "Where are you? I’ve been waiting at the training room!"

"I had some errands to run," Nero explained.

"Well, hurry up and get here! I’ve already made space for you. Let’s train together!"

Nero smiled.

"Alright, Lucas. I’ll be there."

He ended the call.

For some reason, he felt a strange warmth in his chest.

’Is this what having a friend feels like?’

Nero had never really had friends before.

The only person he had been close to was Lyris, but ever since she entered a relationship with Richard, she had barely spoken to him.

Now, he had a friend that called him to check up on him.

Before long, Nero arrived at the training facility, where Lucas was already waiting for him.

"Finally!" Lucas greeted him with an excited grin. "Let’s get started!"

"Yeah, let’s do it."

The two were about to begin training when someone suddenly appeared at the entrance.

Knock! Knock!

A gentle knock sounded against the doorframe.

Then, a familiar voice called out.

"Is Nero here?"

Nero froze.

He recognized that voice immediately.

It belonged to Lyris.