Just as he was settling in, he felt movement beside him. Turning his head, he saw Lyra slip under the blanket as well. Unlike the others, she still wore her clothes, but she had clearly decided she didn't want to be alone right now.
He gave her a small, weary smile. She returned it with one of her own before closing her eyes.
Exhaustion finally caught up to them, and soon, the two of them drifted into a much-needed sleep.
Their rest was deep, helping them recover from the mentally exhausting ordeal they had endured.
At least, that was true for Mikael. Lyra, on the other hand, stirred not long after.
"No, I can do it!" she mumbled in her sleep, her face tensing with discomfort as she shifted under the blanket.
A sudden gasp escaped her lips as she jolted upright, breath quick and shallow, nearly panicked.
For a few seconds, her eyes wandered blankly around the room, unfocused. Still trapped between sleep and wakefulness, her gaze slowly sharpened as understanding flickered in her violet eyes.
Clutching her head, she muttered, "I was with Amelia… during her transformation…"
Memories of the harrowing ordeal with her friend resurfaced. The image of Amelia writhing in agony returned so vividly that it made Lyra's stomach churn. Instinctively, she tried to push the memory away, to bury it and think of something—anything—else.
But another part of her resisted. She knew that avoiding it would only be running away… a coward's choice.
So, with clenched fists and gritted teeth, she forced herself to confront her fears. And surprisingly… it wasn't as terrifying as she had imagined.
It was far from pleasant, of course. But as Lyra replayed the memory again and again, something began to shift. The more she examined it, the more detached she became. Slowly, the emotional weight started to dull.
Time passed as she continued this mental exercise, pushing herself through the discomfort. Eventually, a small, proud smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"I faced my fear and surmounted it," she whispered joyfully, her heart swelling with quiet pride. She almost bounced where she sat, barely restraining herself out of fear of waking the others.
Words couldn't begin to capture the sheer satisfaction that bubbled within her. She was nearly giddy. "I could even go do the transformation myself."
But the instant those words left her mouth, the smile froze.
She quickly shook her head. "No, no. There's no need for that. It really isn't necessary…" Her voice trailed off near the end, losing strength—because deep down, she knew she was lying.
She understood perfectly well how important this transformation was. No matter how Mikael tried to soften the truth, she couldn't deny it. If she didn't do it, she would fall behind.
And yet… even with the high of having faced her fear, the idea of undergoing the transformation herself still terrified her.
Who could truly say, with confidence, that they'd accept to endure unimaginable torture just to grow stronger?
The majority wouldn't—not really. No matter how much they tried to convince themselves, when the moment of truth came, they'd flinch. That went doubly for her, someone who didn't particularly care about becoming stronger in the first place.
Resting her head on her thighs, she murmured, "I really should do it…"
She knew she had to. But even knowing didn't make it easier to gather the necessary resolve. After spending a long while lost in thought, she eventually let out a deep, heavy sigh and raised her head.
Her eyes landed on Mikael's peaceful, sleeping face.
Instantly, a faint smile surfaced on her lips. She closed the short distance between them and gave him a brief, fleeting kiss.
Then she pulled away slightly. "This is my good luck kiss… hope it would help…" she whispered with a somewhat gloomy tone, the kiss doing little to raise her spirits.
With another sigh, she quietly slipped out of the bed, making sure not to wake anyone, and silently exited the room—determination shining in her eyes. She had made her decision.
It wasn't until several hours later that an extremely tired-looking Lyra returned to the bedroom, dragging her feet before letting herself collapse onto the bed.
Even before she fully landed, she was already asleep, her exhaustion overwhelming everything else.
Fortunately, despite her rather heavy-handed return, the others didn't wake up—they were still fast asleep, their bodies deeply worn out.
And so, a few more hours passed before all four of them finally began to wake.
That was when Mikael, Amelia, and Kiara received a shocking yet pleasant surprise: during the night, Lyra had changed her mind and gone through the transformation all alone.
They were all extremely happy with the news. Especially Mikael and Amelia. As for Kiara… being Kiara, she didn't care much, but even she was a little happy.
Afterward, they still had other things to take care of if they wanted to grow stronger, but even after a night of rest, none of them were in the mood. In the end, they all agreed to take a break and relax for a while.
The race transformations had shaken each of them in different ways, and resting seemed like the best thing to do for now.
Amelia and Lyra focused on unwinding, while Kiara sadly couldn't because she had a different task ahead of her—she still didn't have her 'race' properly set. She needed to undergo another transformation to regain her status as Mikael's Personal AI, but this time, with aura and mana as an added bonus.
The only problem was that Kiara dreaded the pain. She knew exactly what was coming, and the thought of experiencing that agony again scared her. But when she considered the outcome—once again becoming Mikael's EXCLUSIVE Personal AI—her resolve strengthened.
Summoning her courage, she chose to undergo another race change. Mikael remained by her side, watching over her, offering his silent support.
Initially, Kiara hadn't wanted him to witness her suffering again, knowing how difficult it would be for him to stand there and silently watch her in pain. When she imagined herself in his place, forced to watch him suffer, she dreaded the thought. But Mikael had insisted on staying with her through the ordeal…
And so, just like before, a nearly identical scene played out. After a while, Mikael once again carried an unconscious Kiara to the enormous bed in the master bedroom.
After ensuring she was settled, he retrieved the mana and aura generator from his inventory and began meditating, focusing on increasing his mana and aura reserves.
For several hours, Mikael made steady progress. Both of his cores, now at E+, were well on their way toward breaking through to D-.
By the time Kiara finally woke up, her body was stronger than ever, having reached the absolute limit of 2,000 in all her stats!
At first glance, one might assume that this made Kiara the strongest in the group. After all, she had the highest raw stats. However, that wasn't the case—not even close. Stats alone didn't account for the power granted by mana and aura cores or the various techniques they had mastered.
Despite her high stats, Kiara's mana and aura cores were both at a mere F-. In comparison, Amelia, with her aura core at E nearing E+ and her mana core at F-, still held a significant advantage in this aspect. While Kiara completely outclassed Amelia in raw stats, the actual combat disparity wasn't as extreme as the numbers alone might suggest.
Lyra's situation was similar, though this time, the balance of power tilted only slightly in Kiara's favor. Lyra possessed a C rank mana core but only an F- aura core, making their overall strength closer than one might initially assume.
And Mikael? The gap between him and the others was immense. Even without considering the unique techniques he had developed—ones that let him fight well above his weight class—his sheer stats alone placed him far ahead. His 500+ Spirit stat, combined with his E+ mana and aura cores, allowed him to overpower Kiara even in raw numbers.
Once Kiara was fully awake, the four of them spent time together in the living room, finally allowing themselves to relax. The ordeal of the race transformations was behind them. Allowing them to simply pass time together in the living room while relaxing and enjoying each other's company.
Before they knew it, night had passed, and morning had arrived.
Thanks to their stats, none of them required a full night's rest, nor did irregular sleep schedules affect them in the slightest.
Now that it was morning, the four of them returned to their original goal—strengthening themselves. This would be the last thing they did before taking on a military mission together.
Their current focus? Increasing their levels, and by extension, their stats—especially Spirit.
If the girls could gain a few levels in Spirit-related classes, their combat power would increase exponentially. With a higher Spirit stat, the effectiveness of their aura and mana cores would multiply drastically.
For example, if they could raise their Spirit to 50, they would immediately become five times stronger than before!
With such a straightforward path to power in front of them, they didn't waste any time. Without delay, they set off for a world where they could quickly gain levels and grow stronger.
The world they chose to explore was a Tier 1 world devoid of intelligent species. The only living creatures there were beings similar to dinosaurs.
These creatures were massive and looked impressive, but they were biologically limited. This meant they lacked any form of magic, making them entirely reliant on their natural physical capabilities without any supernatural reinforcement.
For example, Mikael's current body defied scientific explanation—a normal-sized human shouldn't be capable of superhuman feats, yet he was. In contrast, these dinosaur-like creatures had no such enhancements and were bound by the limitations of their natural physiology.
As formidable as a multi-meter-tall flesh-eating dinosaur might seem, against the four of them, these beasts were nothing more than prey.
A few hours passed as they hunted, steadily increasing their strength. Eventually, they decided to halt their hunt and proceed with a military mission. The results of their hunt were satisfactory—Amelia and Lyra gained several levels, significantly boosting their stats, especially their Spirit stat, which exponentially increased their combat potential.
Kiara and Mikael, on the other hand, gained fewer levels due to their higher experience requirements. However, alongside their leveling gains, they also completed several hunting quests related to this world, earning a total of 1,320 LP.
With their leveling session complete, they left the world and returned to the Hub. Mikael then mentally commanded, "Records, I would like to take a military mission with my party only."
[Understood. Military Rank: Private allows the selection of a military mission between two choices.]
[Military Mission: Defensive War of the Alderian Kingdom]
Minimum Power Level Required: Tier 2
Recommended Power Level: High-Peak Tier 2
Details: This mission takes place in a relatively low-level medieval world where two powerful kingdoms are locked in a prolonged and brutal war. Unlike standard medieval societies, this world is dominated by Knights—warriors who enhance their physical abilities using life force, granting them superhuman combat prowess.
Power System of Knights
Knight Apprentice – The lowest tier, superior to normal humans but still limited. They possess enhanced endurance, strength, and speed but cannot wield advanced life force techniques.
Knight – Trained warriors capable of harnessing life force to enhance their abilities. They can crush boulders with a single strike and react faster than an ordinary person can perceive.
Master Knight – Elite combatants capable of reacting at hypersonic speeds, enduring fatal wounds that would instantly kill normal humans, and shattering castle gates with their attacks.
Grandmaster Knight – The pinnacle of knighthood. They move at supersonic speeds, cut through steel effortlessly, and can fight entire armies alone for extended periods. Only a handful of these legendary warriors exist across both warring kingdoms.
Mission Objective
The objective of this mission is to help the Alderian Kingdom win its defensive war against the Zelphir Kingdom. This war has raged for nearly a decade, with the Alderian Kingdom's weaker army gradually losing ground. Now, in desperation, they have prayed to their goddess for salvation.
The goddess answered their plea and paid the Records to send warriors to aid the Alderian Kingdom in their defense. While she is immensely powerful, she is unable to interfere directly in mortal conflicts.
Additional information has been provided due to the party leader's military rank: Private.]
[Military Mission: The War of the Twin Kingdoms]
Minimum Power Level Required: Tier 1
Recommended Power Level: High Tier 1
Details: This mission takes place in a low-level medieval world where two powerful kingdoms are engaged in a relentless and bloody war. This world adheres to a classical medieval structure with no magical or supernatural abilities. Wars are waged purely through strategy, tactics, and conventional warfare using swords, bows, and siege engines.
Mission Objective
The objective of this mission is to help the Rithen Kingdom win its defensive war against the Valden Kingdom. The war has been ongoing for three years, with an immeasurable death toll. The goddess worshiped by the people of the Rithen Kingdom can no longer bear to see her followers suffer and has made a deal with the Records to send powerful warriors to turn the tide of battle.
Additional information has been provided due to the party leader's military rank: Private.]
As soon as Mikael saw the two available military missions, he used the Records to share them with the girls. A brief discussion followed, but they struggled to reach a definite conclusion—they simply weren't sure what to do.
The issue was that neither mission was ideal, nor were they even particularly good choices. They debated whether to take one now or wait 24 hours for a refresh, but there was no guarantee that the next set of missions would be any better. It was a gamble either way.
The first mission was too difficult, while the second was too easy. The high-peak Tier 2 mission required them to face an army that included Grandmaster Knights—warriors capable of moving at supersonic speeds. While Mikael didn't necessarily fear fighting a single Grandmaster Knight, an entire army filled with knights of various strengths, including multiple Grandmasters and Master Knights, was another story. And with the girls at his side, taking such a risk was out of the question.
The second mission, on the other hand, was the opposite—it was too easy. Even if they had to face an entire army of normal humans, it wouldn't be dangerous as long as they remained a minimum cautious.
Given that, the second mission seemed like the better choice since the risk was almost nonexistent. However, there was a problem—rewards were proportional to difficulty. A mission with an extremely low difficulty wouldn't grant them many military points, which would slow their goal of having all of them reach a Military Rank 2.
Ideally, a mission that balanced the two extremes would have been perfect, but unfortunately, no such option existed.
After further discussion, the group finally reached a decision. They would take the War of the Twin Kingdoms military mission!
As soon as Mikael accepted the mission for the party, a notification appeared before him.
[Mission accepted. Teleportation to the party waiting room in 3... 2... 1... 0.]
"So this is the waiting room," Lyra murmured as she scanned her surroundings, her eyes taking in the featureless white space around them.
After her initial excitement faded, the four of them simply waited for the timer to reach zero and for their mission to begin.
Thirty minutes passed quickly, and as they had hoped, since Mikael had specifically requested a mission for his party alone, no one else appeared. That meant they could complete the mission without any outside interference.
Finally, as the countdown reached its end, the four of them vanished in a flash of light.
Author Note:
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