"Damn it, Gustav, you really have the perfect life. A caring family, two brave sons, and now one of them has become the guardian of the village too," someone at the table said.

Seven men had gathered there, all familiar with one another from their hunting days or simply because they belonged to the same settlement.

Lex was among them, though he sat slightly to the side with his own small group of friends.

"Well, what can I say?" Gustav replied with a proud grin. "I must’ve traded my arm for immense luck."

The remark made everyone snicker and chuckle.

"But old man, you should be careful now. The stronger the younger one gets, the less respect you’ll receive," someone from Lex’s group joked, making Gustav scoff.

"My sons will always look after their family and me. I know it," he said firmly.

As he spoke, he glanced toward Lex before adding, "They are the pillars of our family... always standing tall together."

Lex knew exactly what his father meant by those words.

It was not the words of a confident man but someone with doubts.

And those doubts arose from Lex’s tendency to remain always dominant in the household.

Now, what Lex truly felt this change in the family was something only he knew.

....

Returning home, Luke was met with the sudden request to sit at the table first.

"What’s all the excitement about?" he asked as he watched his mate’s sparkling eyes while she pulled him toward the table.

"Nothing. Just our little celebration."

Luke smiled and said nothing.

Once he sat down, Ginna, Dalia, and Laila soon came out carrying dishes one after another.

On the left was a cooked fish coated in spices, its skin slightly charred, giving it the perfect texture and fragrance.

On the right was a slab of red meat with a single bone jutting from the center. Juices slowly seeped from the meat and pooled around it. The aroma was so tantalizing that he could already feel his stomach churning in anticipation.

And in the middle were several other dishes, like rabbit legs, rice, and a small pitcher.

He picked it up and asked, "What’s in this?"

"That’s Dalia’s creation. Try it," Ginna urged.

Luke glanced at the woman and found her averting her gaze.

With a grin, he tilted the pitcher and took a sip of the fragrant, sweet drink. It carried a faint floral hint, and the coolness soothed his throat as it went down.

"Woah..." he said after lowering the pitcher. "This is really sweet."

Dalia faintly smiled, but the expression vanished instantly, as if showing emotion had always been a crime to her.

"Try my dish too, Luke!" Monica urged while leaning against his shoulder.

Luke grinned and suddenly pulled her onto his lap, much to everyone’s surprise and Monica’s chagrin.

Luke smirked and said, "Why don’t you feed me? I bet it’ll taste even better."

Monica’s cheeks turned rosy, her earlier excitement melting into bashfulness, but she still didn’t hesitate. She tore off a piece of meat, dipped it into the juices, and brought it to his lips.

Luke leaned forward and took a bite. "Hmm? It’s so soft... Ah, it practically melted on my tongue."

The meat was unbelievably tender, carrying a slightly spicy-sweet flavor that made it both unique and addictive.

Laila then served some rice into a bowl and urged, "Eat it with this."

Luke nodded, but Monica took the bowl from him, added some meat into it, and presented it to him herself.

"Here."

Seeing her serve him so sweetly made the man smile.

After that, the atmosphere around the dining table became warm and gentle.

Luke ate everything they made and even shared a few bites with Monica too.

At his insistence, the others joined the table as well. Normally, Ginna and Monica never ate together with others, but since it was just Luke, he urged them to sit with him.

"Ah, this is perfect..." Luke said as he placed the pitcher back on the table after finishing nearly half of its contents. "The food’s so good I can’t stop eating."

He lifted the pitcher slightly and asked, "But how is it still so cool?" Obviously, they had neither ice nor a refrigerator. "Then how..."

"Actually, she used an earthen pot, covered it with wet fabric, and stored it somewhere cold," Ginna explained in Dalia’s stead, knowing how little her daughter spoke around others.

"Damn, that’s impressive. I might get addicted to this," he said before taking another long drink.

Ginna glanced at her daughter and silently urged her on.

Dalia pursed her lips for a moment before quietly muttering, "I’ll make more in the future."

Her meek voice reached him, but Luke simply smiled without teasing her about it.

Soon, dinner came to an end.

During the meal, they laughed, chatted, and genuinely enjoyed themselves.

Monica couldn’t remember the last time she had shared such a carefree conversation at the table.

As someone always busy serving food to others, it was a rare occasion for her to simply sit down and enjoy the moment alongside everyone else.

"Let me help," Luke said as he tried to pick up the dishes, only for Ginna to stop him.

"It’s nothing much. Don’t worry about it."

As she spoke, she and Monica effortlessly gathered the dishes and headed toward the kitchen.

Luke let out a quiet sigh and slowly rose from his chair as well, making his way to the back to wash his hands.

On the way, he asked the system, ’By the way, tell me something. Didn’t you say you’d teach me how to enhance my body using Gamma?’

[Indeed, Host. However, circumstances did not allow the system to interfere with the host’s battle last time.]

Luke hummed. "Well, make sure you teach me next time. Who knows what kind of beast you’ll let loose next."

Just the thought of what he could achieve with distributed stats alongside magical enhancement made his blood stir. He needed to learn more tricks for emergency situations like the one he had recently faced.

As he reached the back of the house, his thoughts drifted to the potions he had brewed last night.

Right. He had to gather herbs tomorrow since he only had one day left to prepare for another dungeon dive.

As he entered the room, he heard Laila’s voice.

"Luke..."

He turned toward the brunette. "What is it?"

"Can you help me with something?" she asked, her voice unusually quiet.

Luke tilted his head. "What happened?"

She glanced around before quietly saying, "Not here. In my room."

The way she reacted had him a little excited. What does this little bitch have in mind?

Saying so, Laila entered her room instantly since she was standing at the doorstep.

Luke slowly approached the room and the moment he stepped inside, he saw Laila removing her top, revealing her bare smooth back and the thin strap of her bra digging into her flesh.

She lifted her hair with one hand and looked over her shoulder and asked, "Mind helping me remove it?"

••••••••

A/N:- Thank you for reading. Mind dropping a review for future readers? I would appreciate that