Chapter 97: The Hunter Team.
Chapter 97: The Hunter Team.
Kael casually swept his senses across the crowd.
There was no sign of Ezra or the rest of her team.
He looked toward Lyra.
"You see?"
"They’re not even here yet."
A helpless sigh escaped him.
"You rushed me out of bed for nothing."
"I could’ve slept a little longer."
Lyra folded her arms.
"Don’t be lazy."
"They’re practically helping us level up."
"The least we can do is not keep them waiting."
Kael snorted.
"Helping us level up?"
"You shouldn’t have accepted the offer."
He puffed out his chest dramatically.
"This amazing brother of yours could’ve helped you level much faster."
"I’m pretty strong, you know."
As he spoke, he casually flexed one arm.
The sleeve of his combat suit tightened around the lean muscle beneath.
Following the reconstruction of his body and the cultivation of the Primordial Genesis Sutra, his physique had undergone tremendous changes.
He wasn’t bulky.
Nor was he thin.
Every muscle seemed perfectly proportioned, giving his body a naturally athletic appearance that balanced power with agility.
Lyra blinked.
Her eyes unconsciously lingered on his arm for a second longer than usual.
’...When did that happen?’
At home, Kael almost always wore loose, comfortable clothes.
Combined with the fact that she had never paid much attention to her brother’s physique in the first place, she simply hadn’t noticed the changes.
Now...
Seeing him openly flexing his arm caught her completely off guard.
’Did he secretly start working out?’
The thought flashed through her mind.
In the end, she simply assumed it was one of the physical changes brought about by Awakening.
She rolled her eyes.
"Stop showing off."
She pointed toward a relatively empty corner nearby.
"Let’s wait over there."
Kael shrugged.
"Sure."
The two siblings walked over together.
After reaching the empty spot, Kael reached into his inventory.
A moment later...
Two foldable reclining chairs appeared in his hands.
Without the slightest hesitation, he unfolded both of them before placing them neatly on the ground.
One for himself.
One for Lyra.
The moment the chairs appeared...
Several nearby hunters stopped what they were doing.
"..."
"..."
Confused expressions spread across more than one face.
Someone quietly muttered,
"Who’s that kid?"
"Some rich young master or something?"
Another hunter shook his head.
"I doubt it."
"He looks like he only awakened recently."
"Probably doesn’t know how valuable inventory space is."
A few others nodded in agreement.
To them...
Using precious inventory slots to store reclining chairs was simply absurd.
Kael naturally heard every single comment.
His enhanced hearing left little unnoticed.
Still...
He couldn’t be bothered explaining himself.
He simply sat down comfortably before gesturing toward the empty chair beside him.
Lyra looked at him.
Then at the chair.
Then back at him.
Her expression became increasingly complicated.
"...You used your inventory space..."
"...For this?"
Kael merely shrugged.
He understood exactly why everyone found it strange.
Every newly Awakened Hunter received twenty inventory slots.
No more.
No less.
Leveling up didn’t increase them.
To Hunters, every single slot was incredibly precious.
Many would rather carry heavy equipment on their backs than waste even one inventory slot.
Meanwhile...
He was storing reclining chairs.
From their perspective...
It was unbelievably wasteful.
The truth, however, was different.
Kael had noticed something unusual.
His inventory seemed significantly larger than everyone else’s.
Exactly how much larger...
He didn’t know.
He had never managed to fill it.
Curious, he had started stuffing all sorts of random items inside just to test its limits.
The chairs happened to be among them.
Since the inventory still showed no signs of reaching its capacity, he simply stopped worrying about it.
Even if it eventually became full...
He could always throw the chairs and the other random items out.
It wasn’t as though they were irreplaceable treasures.
As for why his inventory was larger...
He had no answer.
Perhaps it was because he had achieved an SSS Rating during the Tower Tutorial.
Perhaps his Multiplier Talent had affected it somehow.
Or perhaps there was another reason entirely.
Whatever the answer was, there was no point dwelling on it now.
Lyra stared at her brother.
A sigh escaped her lips.
She clearly had plenty of things she wanted to say.
But after thinking it over...
She chose not to.
Knowing Kael he would simply brush everything aside anyway.
She sat down beside him.
The moment her back rested against the reclining chair, her eyes brightened slightly.
"...It’s actually comfortable."
Kael smiled.
"See?"
"That’s exactly why I bought it."
Lyra couldn’t argue with that.
"...Fair enough."
The siblings quietly enjoyed the morning sunlight.
Around them, Hunters continued moving busily in preparation for entering the Rift.
Meanwhile...
The two of them simply relaxed in their chairs.
The strange scene naturally earned them even more curious glances.
Neither sibling paid those looks any attention.
Kael leaned back comfortably.
The warm sunlight rested against his face while a gentle breeze drifted through the gathering.
For a brief moment...
Everything felt surprisingly peaceful.
If someone ignored the enormous Rift towering nearby, this almost resembled a quiet vacation.
The thought made Kael pause.
Maybe, once everything settled down, he should take Lyra somewhere.
Not to become stronger.
Not to fight monsters.
Just...
A normal vacation.
Somewhere peaceful.
Somewhere neither of them needed to worry about anything.
The thought lingered for only a second.
Kael shook his head.
"...Have I gotten stronger too quickly?"
"I’m actually starting to think about taking breaks."
He silently laughed at himself before pushing the idea aside.
Strength came first.
Everything else could wait.
Time continued to pass.
Eventually...
A familiar group appeared in the distance.
Ezra and the rest of her team were finally approaching.
Kael stood up before folding both reclining chairs and returning them to his inventory.
Beside him, Lyra also rose to her feet.
The siblings walked toward the approaching team.
Likewise...
Ezra’s group noticed them almost immediately.
The instant Ezra saw Lyra, her face lit up.
She happily waved in their direction.
"Lyra!"
However...
The very next moment, her gaze shifted onto Kael.
Her cheerful smile froze for the briefest instant.
A faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.
Kael noticed it immediately.
He sighed inwardly.
’Yeah...’
’There’s definitely something wrong with her.’
This wasn’t how she had behaved the last time they met.
Something had clearly changed.
His thoughts wandered.
’Don’t tell me...’
’She’s really got some weird split-personality situation going on.’
He was already considering activating the Eye of Judgment to investigate further.
But before he could...
One of Ezra’s teammates suddenly stepped forward.
He wore a confident smile as he looked between the siblings.
"You two must be the ones we’re carrying today."