Half an hour into the session—
Even Chaldeo was starting to feel surprised.
He wasn't surprised by their injuries. Those could be repaired.
He wasn't surprised by their exhaustion. That could be replenished.
What caught him off guard was sothing far harder to change:
their will.
He hadn't used much raw force at all—just enough to keep them from dying instantly.
But his pressure was not restrained in the slightest.
And under that crushing, suffocating presence, these youngsters were still standing.
Not one or two.
Most of them.
Especially those two.
Their eyes—those stubborn, burning eyes—refused to dim.
Chaldeo stared at them, and for the first ti, a thin thread of confidence appeared in his heart regarding the plan he and the others had been weighing.
Yes…
Hope might actually be right in front of us.
If it's these people… maybe… just maybe…
A Limit, Not a Finish Line
The first training session lasted a little over an hour.
That was the group's limit—mind and body pushed to the brink.
So things couldn't be rushed. Even with Xien as a healer, this kind of double-extre training—spirit and flesh—couldn't be prolonged endlessly without consequences.
Chaldeo left.
The family finally crawled out from under the terror of a higher-tier adventurer's dominance, gasping like divers returning from deep water.
They all knew it.
This would be one of the most unforgettable periods of their lives.
It wasn't training.
It was hell.
And precisely because it was hell, the growth was terrifyingly fast.
That night, when their status was updated—
Two Level 2s advanced.
In a single afternoon, they had accumulated everything they needed.
The "experience pack" Xien had dragged into their lives had done exactly what it was ant to do.
But even more worth celebrating—
Captain Alise leveled up as well.
From that night onward, she beca the family's only Level 4.
As for Xien, his own paraters and achievents surged as well.
Training under a Level 7—if you could endure it—was no joke.
And with Xien's healing and Alise's relentless call to keep moving, they endured.
Everyone was ecstatic.
Even knowing there'd be more training tomorrow, nobody wanted to waste the night on sleep.
They celebrated.
Because the captain leveling up was sothing every one of them could feel proud of.
Xien personally took over the kitchen, cooking a rich, satisfying victory feast for the entire family.
Astraea's Garden, Late Night
That night, in the garden of Astraea Familia's residence—
Alise, too excited to sleep like a child on festival night, wandered out for a walk.
And then she saw soone sitting quietly on a garden bench.
A figure she hadn't expected to find awake at this hour.
"Lady Astraea?"
Alise approached and greeted her.
The goddess shifted slightly, making room beside her.
"So it's late," Astraea said with a gentle smile. "Can't sleep?"
"Hah… you got ," Alise admitted, scratching the back of her head. "I just… didn't think I'd level up this cleanly."
It wasn't strange for her to be this wound up.
She'd only been Level 3 for a little over a year.
And this ti, the jump to Level 4 had taken less than half the ti of her previous climb.
How could she not feel like she was floating?
Astraea chuckled softly.
"I didn't expect you to have such a childlike side."
"Sorry. That's kind of embarrassing."
"Don't apologize," Astraea said. "In so ways, that kind of heart is your greatest strength. It's uniquely yours."
Alise hesitated, then asked:
"Then… why are you still up, Lady Astraea?"
Astraea raised a finger and pointed.
In the darkened residence, where nearly every window had gone black—
One room still glowed with lamplight.
Alise followed her gaze.
"That's… Xien's workshop. He's still studying?"
She couldn't hide her disbelief.
After the afternoon's brutality, everyone else was sleeping like the dead.
Xien had cooked an entire feast on top of it.
And now he was… studying?
It was almost unfair.
Astraea's expression softened.
"Yes. He really is that diligent."
Alise's excitent dimd into worry.
"So he's… anxious? Keeping himself tense because of what happened before?"
She feared the near-death experience had carved insecurity into him—an invisible blade pressed against his throat, forcing him to run without rest.
But Astraea's next words caught her completely off guard.
"No," the goddess said. "From what I've seen… this is simply his normal state."
Alise blinked.
"You an… he's always lived at this intensity?"
"Correct," Astraea replied. "He's used to organizing his days and executing them strictly. And as for boring hardship—he drinks it like sweet water."
"That's likely why he grows so fast."
Alise stared, half stunned, half impressed.
"Can he… really keep this up?"
Astraea answered calmly:
"You don't need to worry. His stamina—this isn't an exaggeration—is at least twice yours."
Alise almost slapped a hand over her mouth.
"That can't be real…"
Astraea continued, unfazed.
"Maximum, exceptional growth across his paraters. Skills like the one he carries. This kind of endurance isn't strange."
"Honestly," Astraea added thoughtfully, "if he truly matures… I even suspect his physicality might one day rival the monsters tied to the Great Quests."
Alise felt her mind go blank.
So if he beca a first-class adventurer, he might actually trade blows with those calamities?
The image was… too insane to process.
Astraea smiled, teasing but warm.
"Treasure him. Before long, you may not be able to beat him."
Alise's reply ca without hesitation.
"If that happens, I'll be genuinely happy for him."
"Good," Astraea said softly.
Then her tone shifted.
"About yesterday. What he said at the Hostess of Fertility… do you think it was wrong?"
Alise answered honestly.
"I think it was normal."
"When that hooded man attacked, most people in the tavern were just watching like it was entertainnt."
"He didn't even lash out at them. If anything, I think he was restrained."
"Of course," she added, eyes narrowing slightly, "if his actions were just anger, then yes—his thinking would still be immature."
"But what he did afterward… that felt mature."
Astraea's lips curved.
"You an the 'threats'?"
"Deterrence," Alise corrected imdiately. "His power will attract greed. That's inevitable."
"What he did made it clear he understands the value—and danger—of what he holds."
"Beating the provocateur, repairing the floor afterward… all of it was warning."
Astraea asked quietly:
"And do you believe that was right?"
"Yes," Alise said. "I think that's justice too."
"Justice that protects himself and the familia."
"It reduces unnecessary trouble, and it safeguards the real beneficiaries."
Alise's voice turned sharper, not out of anger, but clarity.
"People always push for more."
"Especially adventurers."
Give them a gift, and sotis you don't get gratitude—
You get greed.
That city's core didn't change just because Astraea stood for justice.
Orario still ran on a fundantal rule:
The strong are respected.
Astraea represented the strong choosing kindness.
But that was never the whole world.
Astraea nodded slowly, pleased.
"Xien is clever. He kept full control of his ability."
"The rule 'those I dislike won't be treated' leaves no room for moral coercion."
"Exactly," Alise agreed. "And today's clinic proved it. It went smoothly."
"If he hadn't laid the groundwork, we'd be watching frauds and predators exploit his compassion."
"They'd pretend to be pitiful, block the line, steal the miracle."
"That's sothing we cannot allow."
Astraea's eyes drifted toward the workshop window again.
"Still… one elf girl doesn't understand him yet."
"She sees only coldness. Over ti, she might grow bitter."
Alise exhaled.
"She only sees his 'no'."
"She doesn't see what happens if he looks soft."
Astraea smiled faintly.
"That's our responsibility, isn't it?"
"To guide her correctly."
Alise nodded.
"Yeah. You're right."
The Miracle Reaches the Bottom
Ti slipped by quietly while everyone worked and trained.
That night, a man nad Hista ran through Orario drenched in sweat.
He was nothing special—just an ordinary worker scraping by in the city of adventurers.
But tonight, he ran like a madman, retracing every route he'd taken over the last five years, visiting every place he'd once hoped for help.
Not because he was desperate.
Because he was ecstatic.
He had found hope again.
The kind of hope that ant living.
When evening finally deepened, he returned to his ho—an old, worn house in the western district.
He inhaled hard, forcing his shaking heart to steady, and knocked.
A few monts later, the door opened.
A woman of plain looks stood there, her eyebrows heavy with fatigue.
It was his wife.
She froze when she saw him—especially the bright, almost frantic excitent on his face.
Hista didn't explain.
He stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms like she was the only thing anchoring him to reality.
"I'm sorry, Milan," he whispered, voice breaking. "You've suffered all these years."
"But… it's okay now."
"It's all okay now."
"Because… I'm whole again…"
As he spoke, tears poured down his face.
Milan's eyes widened.
Her gaze dropped—instinctively, almost fearfully—toward his legs.
And there—
The missing part of their world had returned.
Her mouth opened, but no sound ca out.
Then she started crying too.
Their dream—sothing they hadn't dared to imagine—had beco real.
Five years ago, Hista had lost both legs in an accident.
In an instant, the family collapsed.
They received a little compensation, but it was nothing compared to the cost of proper prosthetics.
The entire burden landed on Milan.
Three jobs a day.
Barely surviving.
Occasional aid from Astraea's people.
A life of grinding exhaustion.
Then yesterday, Orario had heard the announcent:
A new star under Astraea's banner claid he could heal disability, curses, and more.
One free chance for every citizen.
His tone wasn't gentle—but he was Astraea Familia.
And Milan trusted Astraea's people enough to urge her husband to try.
She never expected it to be true.
But it was.
Hista clutched her tighter, voice trembling with devotion.
"Milan… I've decided."
"From today on, our family will be faithful believers of Lady Astraea."
"And Xien… Xien's kindness…"
"We will never—never—forget it."
Milan nodded through tears.
"Yes… we should."
Scenes like this unfolded across the city's lowest streets.
In countless fragile hos.
And as they did, the na Xien spread—fast, and deep.
Not as a rumor.
As salvation.
A wave of people beca loyal—not out of politics, but gratitude.
Three Afternoons, Two Level 4s
Chaldeo trained them three tis.
Three afternoons.
And by the end, Astraea Familia gained their second Level 4.
Ryu Lion.
She'd already been close.
But the possibility Xien opened for her—combined with the Level 7 pressure—forced her to break her limits again and again.
She rose to Level 4 with paraters that made the others stare like they'd seen a monster:
Agility and Dexterity pushed to extre heights.
The familia was stunned.
Alise had been Level 3 for so ti; her leveling made sense.
She carried the most weight in operations.
But Ryu?
People could only gape.
Was she cheating?
Whatever the answer, it didn't matter.
A second Level 4 was unquestionably good news.
The residence filled with genuine, uncontrollable joy.
A Healer Who Becos a Weapon
anwhile, the clinic beca a daily fixture.
Because of Xien's declaration at the Hostess of Fertility—and the testimonials from those he healed—people ca in an endless stream.
Xien worked at full capacity.
And in return, his healing skill sharpened explosively.
His control over the power of abundance grew more refined by the day.
With his newly learned nature magic woven into it, he stopped being a pure backline dic.
By manipulating plant life and channeling vitality offensively, he gained real combat tools that weren't just "heal or run."
He also kept studying magic.
With his brutal learning schedule and near-zero concern for practice cost, he mastered two highly practical spells:
"Giant Fireball"
"Hardwood Binding"
Step by step, Xien was turning into sothing rare in Orario:
A miracle-worker who could save you—
And if necessary, crush you before you ever beca a threat.
....
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