--

Stage 6 really didn’t give Ren too much trouble. In fact, it’s quite easy to clear, especially since he located the settlement right away.

Exploring the map and gathering resources scattered around took most of his time instead of killing the goblin requirement.

Once he was done with that, Stage 6 was cleared.

He returned to the archstone plaza, rested for a bit, and then used his remaining exploration quota for the day to repeat stage 6.

By 9:30am, he was done and had already made his way back to the clan. He chatted with his party for a bit and then used the rest of the morning to train.

After lunch, he’s off to the Apothecary Hall to brew potions.

Having already mastered the Health and Energy Potions, Ren usually helps out with the load of the clan. He gets a cut, yes, but since his success rate was high, especially for someone who’s just getting started, he was taking off a decent chunk of pressure from others by doing this.

He also started learning other potion recipes from Raymond. The man has deemed him ready to learn the more complicated brews, starting from a potion called 10 Poison Cure Brew, Anti-Bleed Solution, Mind Calming Solution, and Elixir of Strength.

These potions were a cut above the common health and energy potions. They needed more time to brew, needed more and rare ingredients, and had very strict requirements.

But Ren was patient and skilled. It didn’t take long for him to gather enough experience to start successfully brewing each one. He’s had some failed brews, sure, but that’s to be expected.

It would be more surprising if he could brew them successfully at his first try.

Since this wasn’t considered martial arts, the unparalleled comprehension doesn’t work on the art of potions. Ren also wasn’t some potion-making prodigy; he just had a good memory and long patience.

Once he was able to brew these comfortably enough without needing supervision, Raymond declared him good enough to also learn the Vital Pulse Art from his wife, Venina.

Truthfully, she’s been long informed about Ren’s skills and had been prepared to teach him. It was Raymond who wanted to delay and test Ren’s patience first before sending him to her.

In his mind, Raymond thinks that Ren would be better suited for potion making rather than healing.

Ren learning the Vital Pulse Art was adding more skill to his arsenal at most. It will keep him and his party alive, that’s for sure. But Ren isn’t suited to be a healer, not with the skills he’d shown so far.

He was destined to be at the front lines, not at the back tending to the injured. He will be out there bashing monster skulls left and right.

Ren learning potions to reduce the clan’s burden was more than enough. He doesn’t need to learn the finesse of a healer. He could brew enough potions ahead of time to reach the same outcome.

Of course, he also knows that it was Ren’s decision in the end. And it’s also Ren’s decision to learn the Vital Pulse Art. What he pursues moving forward will be up to him.

But at the very least, Raymond wants to guide him in the direction he thinks is more suited for the young man.

Ren wasn’t blind or a fool. He wasn’t clueless, either.

He could tell what Raymond was trying to tell him. And actually, he agrees. Sticking to potion making as his side profession seems to be working just fine for him. He wasn’t against the idea either.

But he still wanted to learn how to use the Vital Pulse Art...even though he already knew how to do it.

For the moment, it’ll be just for show. Just for the sake of letting the clan know that he could use it and that he’s got another option to keep himself and his party safe and able to return from the dungeons.

But in the future, Ren had plans.

He’s got a lot of plans for himself and the clan. He wanted to lift the clan’s reputation to the same level as that of a real ancient martial arts clan.

And he’s working on that.

The Vital Pulse Art was born from this clan. It’s been shared anonymously to the public out of the goodness of his ancestor’s heart. But the clan barely benefited because of that.

Ren wants to change things around here, especially since he has the ability and potential to do so.

It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure. But Ren wasn’t afraid of hard work.

Just like the Pain Demon Art, the Vital Pulse Art had still more potential to be explored and unleashed. With his cheat, he could totally improve it even more.

But that’s going to have to wait.

For now, learning it to send a message is enough.

**

"Lady Lily, Master has summoned you to his office."

Somewhere north of the Desolate City, inside a spacious room of a large compound, a young lady with long pink hair sat straight, prim and proper, before a table. She’s wearing a cream-colored gi and had been staring at the window listlessly before she heard the servant’s voice outside.

Her cherry blossom-colored eyes dimmed for a bit when she heard the message. A soft sigh escaped her plump lips, and her spirit seemed to be down.

"Give me some time to change, at least," she replied.

"Of course, young lady," the servant outside respectfully replied and bowed.

The pink-haired lady stood up from the chair and tied her hair into a high ponytail. Then, she took some presentable clothes. She then changed into it and gave herself a glance at the mirror.

Once she was sure that she looked presentable at least, she let out another sigh before walking out of the room.

The servant was outside, respectfully waiting for her. His head was lowered humbly, as if he didn’t dare to look up and stare directly at her.

The young lady seemed to be used to this treatment. She wordlessly walked ahead with the servant following her ten steps behind. She was heading to the office of the master...her father, actually. But proper address still had to be observed since this sounds like official business.

Once they got close to the office, the servant hastened his footsteps to open the door for her. Lily didn’t say a word and just walked in. The servant stayed behind to guard the door.

Lily saw her father sitting in his office chair in front of the table. He was surrounded by multiple hard-light screens, like holograms from a sci-fi movie.

She didn’t greet him. She doesn’t need to. He probably wouldn’t even reply if she did since he seems too occupied. Instead, she just sat down on one of the chairs available and waited.

At least there’s warm tea available. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting. Will his father notice her presence before she finishes her tea or not?

"Ah, you’re here. Sorry, I got distracted."

He cut it close. Lily nearly finished her tea when he finally noticed her presence. And she was taking her time too.

"What have you called me for, Family Head?"

"Nothing much. Just some little matters." The man didn’t seem offended or displeased by the way she addressed him.

He sat down on his chair, took off his reading glasses, and massaged his temples for a bit before saying:

"Some kids reported your activities to me again."

Hearing this, Lily’s movement froze. Her head instinctively lowered, as if she were admitting something.

"They told me they’ve seen you wasting resources on that...young man, again."

Her father definitely held back and used a more forgiving term when referring to the person he was talking about; that much was obvious.

"Is it true? I want to hear it from you directly."

Lily sighed and nodded. There’s no way she could lie. Not to her father at least. He’s got dozens of ways to investigate, and she’d be in deeper trouble if she lied.

"It’s just a few health potions and healing ointments, all bought from my allowance. Just a little assistance for a hard-working friend, nothing more."

Lily pointedly avoided the searing gaze that his father directed at her. She feels guilty for some reason even though she rationalized that her conscience was clear.

"You know that money isn’t the issue here, right?" He asked softly, as if he were trying to remind her of something.

Lily didn’t reply right away.

Of course, it isn’t the money. It’s never been, especially not when it comes to that person. It’s not about how much she spent; it’s about who she spent it on—that’s the whole issue.

"Sieg just needs a little help, that’s all. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m not violating the family rules." She defended herself.

Oh how she hated this...denying her true intentions, telling them that they’ve got it wrong. She hated hiding her truth.

But what can she do? She’s the young mistress of the Heartveil family, and her every action reflects on the reputation of the family.

If the fact that she’s even friends with Sieg was already offensive to them, imagine how crazy they’d go once they discover that she’s romantically interested in him.