After making sufficient money, Selarion walked slowly along the quiet path leading through the edge of Aetherwyn. The small pouch of coins rested in his palm, the faint metallic clink sounding each time his fingers moved. "Hmm, let's see," he murmured thoughtfully. "What should I do with this money ?" He tilted his head slightly as another thought came to him.
"Hey System, what do you think I should do with this money?"
The response came immediately.
"Figure it out yourself, Host."
Selarion stopped walking. For a moment he simply stared at the translucent system panel floating before his eyes, disbelief written across his face. " What?"
He rubbed his forehead before speaking again. "Aren't you the one guiding my path to what I'm supposed to do?"
The system responded calmly. "Even if I am guiding you, you must make many choices yourself. Or would you prefer that I begin choosing everything for you?"
Another line appeared beneath it. "What you wear. What you think. What you eat. What—"
"Okay, I understand!" Selarion quickly interrupted. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I won't ask you what to do for most things."
The system panel flickered briefly before disappearing. By the time the conversation ended, Selarion had already arrived at the familiar wooden house near the edge of the village.
Tarya's house.
The small garden beside it swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, herbs and flowers growing in careful rows. Though the house itself looked simple and somewhat worn, there was a quiet warmth to it. Selarion stepped forward and pushed the wooden door open.
The moment he stepped inside,someone suddenly rushed toward him. Before he could react, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Selarion!"
He blinked in surprise. The familiar scent of herbs reached his nose as the person hugging him spoke again, her voice carrying a mixture of concern and relief.
"Selarion, I see you are working hard, but why didn't you come and ask me for money?"
She pulled back slightly, her amber eyes looking up at him with a soft but slightly scolding expression. "Don't think that I don't have money just because my house doesn't have many things."
It was Tarya. Her chestnut hair was tied loosely behind her head, a few strands falling across her face as she looked at him with quiet concern.
Selarion scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't want to trouble you," he said honestly.
Tarya crossed her arms, though the faint smile on her lips softened the gesture. "You're stubborn, you know that?" She stepped away slightly before continuing, her voice calmer now. "You shouldn't judge someone's wealth just by looking at their home."
She glanced around the modest room for a moment before continuing. "My family used to be merchants in Aetherwyn many years ago. My parents traded medicinal herbs and rare forest plants with travelers and nearby towns. We weren't nobles or anything like that, but we were comfortable."
Her gaze softened slightly as she spoke. "But when I was younger, my parents died during a caravan journey. Bandits attacked them on the road."
For a brief moment her voice lowered, though there was no bitterness in it. "After that, I inherited what little they left behind. Some money, a bit of land, and their knowledge of herbs and medicines." She gestured lightly toward the shelves filled with dried plants and bottles.
"So I continued what they taught me. I gather herbs from the forest, make medicines, and sell them to the villagers." She looked back at Selarion with a small smile. "That's why my house looks simple. I don't spend much on decorations. Most of my money goes into buying tools, ingredients, and helping people who can't afford medicine."
Her amber eyes met his again, warm but firm. "So next time you need money, you can ask me." She poked his chest lightly. "Alright?"
Selarion looked at her quietly for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. He sighed "Alright," he answered.
Then Tarya turned and asked, "So what do you want to use the money you worked for, for?" The moment she asked, his face turned red with embarrassment as he answered, "I don't know," in a low voice.
When Tarya looked at him with interest on her face, she said softly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, so tell me when you are ready."
He looked at her and said, "Thank you."
The system immediately chimed. "Host, why didn't you check her status panel when you decided to follow her to her house?"
The moment he heard that, he muttered, "Damn, you're right! Why didn't I check her status?" Then he immediately invoked Divine Perception.
"Eryth vael lumir revealo…"
The world around him fractured into layers of energy. Ever
System Status Panel Activated:
Name: Tarya
Race: Human
Age: 18
Height: 149 cm
Status: Healthy
Bloodline: God of the Void (Dormant)
Physique: Void World
Level: ?????? (Sealed) 2 initiate
Health: ??????(Sealed) 20
Strength: ??????(Sealed) 11
Agility: ??????(Sealed) 16
Stamina: ??????(Sealed) 17
Constitution: ??????(Sealed) 9
Energy: ??????(Sealed) 5
Intelligence: ??????(Sealed) 15
Charisma: ??????(Sealed) 9
Life Mastery: 1% (Luminis)
Void Mastery: 0% (Nihyra, dormant)
Concepts: 0
Mastery of Concepts: 0%
Mastery of dagger Techniques: ??????
Mastery of Energies Wielded: ??????( Sealed) 1%
Axions: Healing Light, Purifying Aura, Regeneration, Plant Manipulation, Luminis Steal
Selarion's jaw clenched as he took in the panel . Every stat was hidden, every ability masked, her true strength veiled. She could casually annihilate him without breaking a sweat. The frustration was immediate. First Lysera, now Tarya. Why was it always girls who seemed stronger than him?
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, pacing slightly. "First Lysera… now Tarya… I can't believe it!" Pride and irritation roiled in his chest, clashing with the awe he felt at her dormant power.
Tarya, unaware of the storm within him, smiled gently. "You're quiet. Thinking about something?"
He forced a calm tone answering while stuttering "Yeah ,Yeah, Yeah , thinking. Just, thinking."
But the truth gnawed at him. Every instinct, every training session, every ounce of energy he had spent mastering the seven primal energies,Terra Essence, Aqua Vitae Flow, Ignis Inferna, Ventus Gale, Aetherial Pulse, Lumen Flux, and Umbral Veil,was still insufficient to measure against her full strength.
The afternoon faded into evening as Selarion lingered quietly, letting the weight of her presence and the sheer immensity of her hidden power settle over him. He could feel the coiled might of her Void World physique, the way her dormant energies pulsed subtly even in repose. It was a living reminder of the gap he had yet to bridge.
"I won't let this happen again," he whispered to himself. "Lysera, Tarya… I'll surpass you both. I have to."
And with that thought, a spark of determination ignited deep in his chest, burning brighter than any flame he had ever channeled. This was not just frustration, it was a challenge, a crucible, a call to grow beyond his current limits.
The shadows of the room lengthened, stretching across the modest walls of Tarya's home. Her movements were quiet and gentle, yet every step, every gesture, radiated potential that Selarion could barely comprehend. And as he watched, he knew one thing for certain: one day, her full power would awaken.
When that day came, he had to be ready.
The Primeval Forest trials had tested him. The Ignis Drake and the Solithrae had pushed him to his limits. But this, this quiet, restrained force that Tarya carried,was a different kind of trial. One that would test his mind, his strategy, his resolve, and his pride.
Selarion exhaled slowly, gripping the hilt of Luminara. "I won't be left behind," he murmured. "I will grow. I will master everything. And when the time comes… I will meet her strength head-on."
The evening breeze drifted through the room, stirring the herbs gently. Outside, the last rays of the sun painted the sky in deep gold and crimson. Selarion's gaze returned to Tarya, to her quiet smile, to the hidden storm of her Void World physique. In that moment, he swore to himself: he would not falter. He would rise. And no one,not Lysera, not Tarya, not even the concepts themselves,would outshine him again.
But just as the determination settled deep in his chest, the System chimed, voice dripping with mockery:
"You see, even girls are stronger than you. Yet, fundamentally, men are supposed to be stronger. What a loser, Host. What a loser."
Selarion froze, a mix of irritation and disbelief, twisting across his features. His jaw clenched, but deep inside, the words lit a spark he didn't even know he needed.
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading. Let me ask something from the depth of my soul, with all my power and all my heart: can you please tell other readers about my novel?
I know I don't post enough chapters, and the ones I do post can be messy. I am deeply sorry for that. From now on, I promise to try harder and improve my story writing. Thank you for your patience and for being part of this journey with me.