Chapter 37: It’s Not Mine
Resolved, he nodded and accepted Sophie’s advice.
“Before that… why don’t you check your phone first?”
At those words, his expression faltered for the first time as he quickly grabbed his phone.
Though he had found it earlier when changing clothes, the thought of checking it hadn’t crossed his mind, preoccupied as he was with his current situation.
When he tapped the screen, multiple holographic windows popped open.
Ding! Ding!
Most of the messages were from his younger sister, Marina, and Amara. There was also one from his school, but he chose to ignore it, focusing instead on the ones from Marina and Amara.
Both were worried because he hadn’t returned to the hotel and hadn’t responded to their calls.
As soon as he replied to them, his phone rang.
Marina was calling.
He glanced at Sophie before answering.
Shortly after, Marina’s anxious face appeared on the holographic screen from the hotel room.
“Brother! Where are you? Are you alright?”
Vincent could only offer a sheepish smile as Marina bombarded him with a series of frantic questions. He patiently waited for her to settle down before assuring her that everything was fine.
“I’m okay, stop worrying. Just let sister Amara know I’m alright and that I’ll be back later, alright?”
“I understand, but please come back as soon as possible, okay?”
“As you wish, your highness.” He teased.
Marina giggled at her brother’s playful tone before suddenly noticing something behind him.
“But, brother, where are you? That place looks fancy. Wait… is that the limited edition Lone Leveler – Sang Jenwoo figurine?”
Her words made him glance over his shoulder, where he saw a figurine, encased in glass, resting on a table.
He turned toward Sophie, who remained impassive, though she averted her eyes.
Facing the screen again, he offered a casual excuse, “I’m at a friend’s place, don’t worry. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. Bye~”
He ended the call before she could respond.
A tense silence followed, broken only by Sophie’s quiet voice, which contrasted with her usual composed tone.
“That’s not mine…”
“What?”
“That figurine—it’s my younger brother’s…”
“Oh, no worries. I understand.”
—
At the villa’s gate.
Vincent cast one last glance at the villa before stepping into the backseat of a sleek, black hover car. Sophie’s personal driver was already waiting inside.
Though the car had an advanced AI driving system, Sophie insisted that her driver accompany him for the journey.
At the wheel sat a stern, white-haired man—Gordon, middle-aged but clearly not an ordinary driver.
Without needing to use his Heaven Eyes ability, Vincent could sense Gordon’s formidable presence.
Catching his gaze in the rearview mirror, Gordon’s tone was calm yet firm.
“Shall we depart, Young Master?”
Vincent no longer contested the way they addressed him, so he simply replied, “Yes, let’s go.”
As the cityscape blurred past them, Vincent’s curiosity grew, and he decided to learn more about Sophie.
“Mister Gordon, could you tell me a bit about Miss Sophie’s background?”
Gordon, much like Victoria had earlier, gave him a strange look, as if questioning how he could be so uninformed.
“I believe it would be faster if you searched for her online, Young Master, rather than me explaining,” Gordon replied.
Raising a brow, Vincent took his advice and began searching the internet, his interest piqued.
Before he could even finish typing her name, the search bar auto-filled, revealing Sophie Iris’s renowned title.
“She’s the Floral Witch?!” he exclaimed inwardly.
From the corner of his eye, he caught Gordon’s brief smirk before his expression returned to its usual seriousness.
“I was saved by the Floral Witch herself?” Vincent muttered, his brow furrowing in confusion.
His curiosity deepened. What sort of master did Sophie have, and why had they gone to such lengths to protect him?
For what purpose?
Despite his desire to figure it out, he found himself at a loss. He couldn’t yet unravel the mystery of his missing parents, and now there was another enigma to solve.
Unable to grasp any clear answers, he resolved to focus on something he could control—his strength.
He needed to strategize further, to be prepared for whatever might come his way.
Still in transit, Vincent asked, “Mister Gordon, which district are we in right now?”
Without glancing back, Gordon answered impassively, “We’ve just left District 2. We’re now entering District 3.”
“District 2…?”
She brought me all the way from District 12 to District 2? Vincent wondered, astonished at the distance they had traveled.
Although the speed of the journey surprised him, he chose not to comment, keeping his thoughts to himself and waiting until they reached their destination.
Several hours later, they arrived near the Origin Warrior Association branch in District 12. Vincent decided it was time to leave.
“Mister Gordon, I’ll be fine from here.”
“Young Master, I’ve been instructed by the Young Lady to see you safely home.”
With a resigned sigh, Vincent nodded in agreement. “Alright, just drop me off at the Stellar Plaza Hotel.”
A few minutes later, they arrived. After expressing his gratitude, Vincent exited the hover car and exchanged contact details with Gordon.
“If you ever need assistance, Young Master, just call. As long as I’m nearby, I’ll come immediately.”
“Thank you, Mister Gordon. Have a safe trip back.”
—
Finally, back at the hotel, the door swung open after just a single knock, and a figure rushed to embrace him.
“Brother~”
“Marina…”
“I’m so glad you’re safe. I heard about what happened at your school from a classmate…”
“I’m sorry for making you worry…”
As he gently stroked her hair, Vincent noticed Amara standing at the doorway, offering a rare smile.
He spent some time explaining what had happened to him the previous day, careful to omit anything that might alarm them further.
“Alright, little Rina, let your brother get some rest,” Amara said gently.
Marina hugged him one last time before finally letting go.
And Amara’s soft gaze lingered at him for a few moments before he entered his room.
—
Finally alone, Vincent began to replay his conversation with Sophie before he left.
“If I want to pass the entrance exam next month, I need to raise my strength. It’s wishful thinking to expect to pass the Bronzehaven Academy examination with just a Tier 1 cultivation level.”
He sighed and glanced at the three items laid out on his bed.
The first was a box containing the Sunspire Lily he had acquired during his encounter with the Mutated Lake Serpent during the Primal Hunt.
The second was a wooden token intricately carved with the letters B and H.
The third item was a blue book.
The second and third items were gifts from Sophie.
She hadn’t specifically mentioned the use of the token, but she had clearly explained the purpose of the third and most important item—a Tier 2 cultivation technique manual.
Sophie had explained that breaking through to Tier 2 wasn’t as simple as accumulating experience points. One had to cultivate their Origin Energy by following specific techniques to strengthen themselves and advance. She gave him only a general overview before handing him the manual.
Flow of Origin Energy
Level: Tier 2
Quality: Rare
Effects: Purifies Origin Energy, enhancing overall attributes by a factor of two…
“Flow of Origin…”
The basic information felt vague, but Vincent decided to start learning the technique immediately.
As soon as the book vanished into thin air and entered his consciousness, he instantly absorbed its fundamental concepts and methods.
“So… I need to gather experience points and cultivate by following this process… purifying Origin Energy to enhance my basic attributes and break through Tier 2.”
Setting aside the other items, Vincent sat cross-legged on the bed. He closed his eyes, focused, and began to follow the guidance he had just learned.
He still had 250,000 experience points left, and his Origin Energy was fully replenished.
He started by channeling the energy from his Origin Core to specific acupoints in his body, circulating it in a pyramid-like formation.
As the energy flowed smoothly through him, a notification echoed in his mind three minutes later.
1,000 experience points and 100 Origin Energy have been consumed!
+1 purified Origin Energy!
He was a bit surprised at first, expecting another notification in three minutes, but it didn’t come.
Confused, he dismissed the thought and cleared his mind, focusing only on the process.
As soon as he let go of any expectation, the next notification sounded.
1,000 experience points and 100 origin energy have been consumed!
+1 purified Origin Energy!
This time, he wasn’t distracted and remained focused.
The notifications started coming regularly, every minute, as he purified more energy without losing concentration. He continued until he had consumed all his experience points and accumulated 250 units of purified Origin Energy.
“The conversion speed definitely stabilized when I kept my focus…”
He summoned his interface with a thought and noticed the “+” symbol next to his attributes.
Without hesitation, he tapped the plus sign next to his Force attribute.
Would you like to consume 100 purified Origin Energy?
As soon as he confirmed, his remaining purified energy dropped to 150, and he felt a warm sensation surge through his body and muscles as his Force attribute increased slightly—from 7.5 to 7.6.
“That’s it?” he muttered, frowning at the slight increase.
Realizing that improving his attributes would take much more effort, Vincent shifted his thoughts, his gaze hardening with determination.
“I think it’s time for me to return to the Origin World.”
Sorry for not updating yesterday I was at my Aunt’s birthday party.
Anyway, we gonna start the adventure and excitement please send me your golden tickets!
