Point of view: Maki

The round of questions lasted much longer than expected. We ended up talking about all sorts of things related to my experience—similar situations my father had lived through, advice from my mother on what I should do, and my grandmother taking every opportunity to tease me while offering another perspective.

"I hadn't told you this, but... the dungeon was grade 3. To finish it, I fought ogres for a long time. I killed so many grade 3 monsters I lost count after one hundred." Everyone's eyes in the room narrowed, suspicious of my words. But once they confirmed my Imra and realized I wasn't lying, their expressions shifted completely.

My grandmother, seated comfortably, lowered her head a bit and rested her chin and mouth in her right hand, striking a perfect thinker's pose. My father tried to say something but couldn't find the words—his face unreadable and his Imra a chaotic swirl. My mother's expression mirrored concern, her eyes filled with regret that I had gone through such an ordeal.

They all calmed down when I told them they didn't need to worry—I had returned after clearing it, and there were a few secrets I needed to explain. I began to describe how I gradually annihilated the ogres, how I was surprised by their intelligence as they started forming different types of coordinated groups, and how, after that, I trained with different types of rank-two rabbits.

"At that point, something unimaginable happened—all my skills hit a bottleneck." This night had been a storm of surprises for them, and before they could ask anything, I went on. "I was given some rewards. The one I chose was a pseudo law—one related to ice." I created a v1 orb and infused my pseudo law of ice into it as an example.

The first to react was my mother. Her eyes didn't stop blinking as she stared at the orb to verify it. After a few seconds, everyone realized it: there really was a pseudo law inside the ability. I raised my hand to continue.

I felt bad but also amused seeing their expressions. I wasn't sure how hard it was to acquire a pseudo law, but their reactions made it clear that what I had achieved was impressive.

"I trained for a long time until I received multiple notifications at once." Their expressions shifted from surprise to ones of curiosity and confusion. They were clearly wondering: What could be more impressive than a pseudo law?

"I obtained an ability related to my other element—I finally have a gravity affinity skill, although it's only grade (II) for now." My mother clapped, my father congratulated me, and my grandmother praised me in her own way, saying I'd taken too long.

"I also obtained a rank (IV) skill related to my death affinity." Their eyes slowly widened. I pulled out the only sword I still had, and after a quick construct, the power of the skill radiated through the blade. For the first time, my mother sat up straight on the couch, and my grandmother also moved closer to inspect it.

This time, their congratulations were far more enthusiastic. My grandmother asked about the other twin sword, and I had to admit I'd lost it in battle. As they discussed my achievements and how I could probably ascend to sapphire rank if I wanted to—which I wouldn't for now, since I wanted more rank (IV) skills first—I interrupted them.

"That's not the most important thing." They all stopped talking and turned to look at me, their eyes questioning my judgment as if I didn't understand the weight of a rank (IV) skill. I rolled my eyes for a moment and smiled before revealing: "I also obtained a law related to life and death. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems pretty powerful."

I infused my yin-yang law into the sword and created a life affinity orb with the law inside it as well. At that moment, all three of them appeared beside me, having moved in an instant from their seats. Even with my domain active, their speed was hard to follow. This was the difference between us and a ruby rank.

"You're not lying—I can feel an incredibly strong law in both abilities." my mother said first.

"Yes, it's stronger than any of my laws. Could it be because it's a fusion of two affinities?" my father asked, apparently encountering something like this for the first time.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"That's possible. And adding the fact that these are supreme affinities, it makes the law incredibly strong. Now Maki has a solid base to obtain a ****** and maybe form a ****** in the future."

My grandmother's opinion echoed my father's, but when she said those last words, my brain couldn't process them—I either misheard or they were blocked from my perception entirely.

"Grandma, what did you just say? I didn't catch two of the words—it felt strange." They all looked at me and realized what had happened. They smiled faintly, and after examining my abilities a little longer, they returned to their seats. I dismissed my abilities and sheathed my sword.

"You can't hear those words yet—you haven't unlocked the right conditions. The voice in your head won't let you until you meet the requirements." She looked at me and began waving her right index finger in front of her face. "First, you must reach sapphire rank. At that stage, you need either two laws or one law and two pseudo laws. Your Imra must also be strong enough to carry the weight—though that last requirement you've already met."

Was it really that important? The world itself won't let me hear it until I'm ready? My mind began to drift. I wanted to be strong, yes—but I also wanted to enjoy life as a teenager. Sus had recommended I make friends and build meaningful experiences while getting stronger.

How long would that take me? If I really push myself, maybe I can do it before entering school… but a 12-year-old sapphire rank in his first year? I'd be a total weirdo no matter how you look at it.

"I'm not sure that rule applies to you." My grandmother's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "This is the first time in 63 years I've seen an emerald rank with a law. Maybe you'll receive a special benefit—I'm not sure." The finger she was playing with created a tiny orb of light that flew toward my forehead. I could've dodged it easily, but I let it hit me, throwing my head back and sinking into the sofa.

"The more you explain, the more curious I get. I just wanted a peaceful life after clearing that dungeon. Now I don't know what to do anymore." My family heard my lament and burst out laughing, easing the tension in the room.

"You sound like a grumpy old man, son." My father's comment made me crack a half-smile. I'd be over 30 between both my lives.

"I can't believe you achieved so much in three years. A 12-year-old with a law and a pseudo law, a rank (IV) skill, and the ability to fight higher-grade monsters—you're full of surprises, son." My mother recapped everything I had just told them with a clear, amused smile, playing with her hair as she leaned on my father's arm. I could only stare at the ceiling and reflect on it all.

"Don't forget, he's also the tamer of a grade six beast, with high affinity for two supreme elements and a ridiculous amount of mana inside him. More than a box of surprises, he's a walking treasure filled with luck." My grandmother conjured another light orb and tossed it at me. Without moving, I created an ice orb the same size in its path, and the two vanished with a soft pop.

She gave me a fake frown, and I just laughed at her expression. "Accept my attacks, little one—they're to bring you back to reality." She chuckled and threw another tiny orb, which I let hit me on the forehead.

"That's not all—there's still the final part of everything: my last days of battle." I began recounting my fight against two different types of ogres and a bunch of brainless fools, fighting against endless waves of ogres for several days.

My father was the most excited about all this. I could see the pride in his expression, the fire in his eyes longing for the days when he cleared dungeons and wasn't stuck at a desk doing paperwork.

My mother, on the other hand, looked less worried now. Knowing the extent of my skills and all my trump cards had allowed her to relax and enjoy the story from a more composed perspective.

My grandmother kept listening attentively to my tale while launching light orbs at me from time to time—usually when I said something dumb, like fighting huge numbers or getting myself hurt. I ended up getting hit with more orbs than I expected…

Throughout the whole story, I also felt distinct emotions from all three: love for me, and the relief of having me home again. That feeling filled the room, where each of them left their Imra unsealed, being as open as possible.

The questions, critiques, and advice came rushing in right after the story ended. We talked for hours, and before we knew it, morning sunlight was streaming in through the windows.

"Son, it's late. We need to sleep. The three of us are canceling our responsibilities these days to spend time with you and the guests." I must've looked worried. "It's okay, this was already planned. We found two trustworthy people who'll take care of the villages this week." My mother's assurance helped ease my mind.

"Son, you already know—we've said it before, but... we're so happy you've come back. We never doubted you'd return—we just didn't know when." My father grinned from ear to ear, his wrinkles more visible than ever. My heart warmed at his words.

"Little one, you always come back with the most interesting stories. We'll always worry about you. In the future, you'll be caught up in even more trouble—maybe worse than this. We only hope you return alive." My grandmother's words made my eyes water.

"Thank you—all three of you. I love you and missed you every second in that dungeon." I hugged each of them before heading off to sleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.