Ohhhh.

The Elder’s explanation made sense to the dungeon owner. Luca pressed his lips together, clearly conflicted about whether to step in and help.

He wasn’t sure how to help in this case, since it seemed less about technique and more about calming the usually steady Jax. But how exactly were they supposed to do that?

However, before he could decide, his husband already had.

Bonk!

Jax, the alleged tree-hugger, flinched in surprise and clutched his head as Xavier casually knocked on it.

"Ow! What the—"

Xavier didn’t even dignify that with a response. Instead, he simply looked at him.

Judgmentally.

"Urk! Captain?" Jax frowned, rubbing the top of his head.

"What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Princess Nina?"

"She already wants to practice on her own."

"But you... Stop using your brain to think," Xavier said flatly. "It’s slowing you down."

"...Huh?"

It was advice that would have turned heads had they been in earshot, because who would dare voice such a thing.

But not only did the Prince say that, he even expounded on it.

"In your case, thinking is bad for your health," Xavier continued. "So just stop it."

"Hey!"

Now, Jax might have been easygoing, but that still sounded like an insult.

And yet, as he rubbed the spot where a bump was definitely forming, he could not help but admit that there was some truth to it.

He already felt tired.

And nothing was working.

Fine.

If that was the case, then he would just stop for a moment and clear his head.

Xavier raised a brow, clearly unimpressed.

Because now this idiot had taken it literally.

Jax simply gave up and slumped onto the ground, lying flat on his back like he was about to take a nap. He even closed his eyes for a second before opening them again to glance at his Captain.

"I’m just going to rest first," he said casually. "You’re probably right, Captain. I worked a bit too hard, and now I’m tired."

"..."

"..."

Now, Xavier Aeric Theron Solaris, someone who had likely been born already working hard, was about to comment on that, but was stopped by the embodiment of kindness.

His little wife had already come over to restrain him.

"Husband! I-it’s good to rest! Like Nina, maybe a little rest would work wonders for him too!" Luca said as he wrapped both hands around Xavier’s arm, holding on tightly.

"Right? If it worked for her, then maybe it’ll work for me," Jax muttered.

Jax, the person who had just been saved from meeting his ancestors this early, shifted his weight and closed his eyes.

He seriously stressed himself too much back there, and that was really unusual for him.

Haaay!

Oh well!

Doing this was fine, too. They said not to rush it anyway!

If only there were a better backrest, he thought. Just a little higher ground behind his neck so he could breathe better while enjoying the fresh air.

He wasn’t complaining, but was simply having wishful thoughts that were better than focusing on endless worries.

"Mnnn... just like that... ahh... totally better," Jax sighed as he adjusted slightly, feeling his body relax almost immediately.

Like this, his back felt more supported, just as he had imagined.

"Hmmm..."

Yes. Perfect.

Well, of course, if only he had any idea what had just happened.

Then, all of a sudden, Luca gasped.

"Jax!"

The tone was different.

Jax’s eyes snapped open, though his expression remained lazy. "Yeah... what is it?" he asked, still sounding far too comfortable.

"JAX! THE GROUND!"

This time, Luca looked genuinely alarmed.

Jax frowned and pushed himself up, finally looking down. "Why? What’s wrong with the ground? Did I crush a flower?"

But then—

He saw it.

The ground wasn’t flat anymore.

It had risen.

There were several mounds of earth shaped almost perfectly to match his upper body.

"Eh?"

This... hadn’t it been flat earlier?

Elder Pao Xi, who usually preferred to stay composed, could no longer hold back.

"You brat! That’s your ability!" he snapped. "If you actually looked, you would have realized that already!"

"WHAT?!" Jax shot up, completely stunned.

"But what about the plants?!" he added, clearly still stuck on his original idea.

Elder Pao Xi walked over and bonked him on the head.

"At the very least, consider where those plants are rooted!"

"!"

"Oh."

"OHHHHH!"

The Elder closed his eyes for a moment and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Still, it was fine.

Because Luca’s reaction more than made up for it.

"WOW! Jax! That’s so cool! You can actually make backrests!"

Both Xavier and Elder Pao Xi turned toward Luca at the same time.

They looked at his bright, delighted expression.

Then, in perfect sync, they raised their hands and pinched the bridge of their noses.

__

But see, under that same inexplicable sky, there were also those who were in the middle of driving themselves crazy.

Like one blonde who was currently being hauled away by his husband after wilting in the most unceremonious manner.

"You know, there’s no need to rush the awakening. It’s alright if you take a bit of time," Kyle said as he carried his limp wife in his arms, bringing him over to a quieter corner to sit down.

"If you keep pushing yourself like that, something might sprout on top of your head."

Ollie, who looked like he had lost the will to live, made strange noises at those words. His complexion had turned a tragic shade of grey, and he hung over Kyle like wet laundry.

"Noooo! You’re only saying that because you already figured out your ability!" the blonde accused weakly, his voice sounding thoroughly defeated.

See, it had been about half an hour since Kyle managed to manifest his ability.

After seeing what had happened with his older brother, the adjutant figured there was a higher chance of success if he focused on water. So he tried standing in the pool.

"..."

"..."

Nothing happened.

Well, that was anti-climactic.

Still, he didn’t get discouraged. He knew there was some element of luck involved, along with his current spiritual rank. Instead of forcing it, he watched how the others were approaching it.

When he saw the Princess succeed by narrowing her focus to a smaller working area, he decided to try something similar.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t the perfect form. If he could just get it to appear even once, then he could then retrace the steps.

Unfortunately, that attempt also failed.

A tidal wave was clearly not the answer.

And making it rain was not happening either.

He paused, thinking.

Maybe he needed something less abstract. Something with structure. That maybe even within his bloodline ability, maybe that preference for stability hadn’t changed.

Almost as if responding to that exact thought, Elder Shen tossed a sword toward him.

"Stand in the water while holding this."

"I have to... stand in the water?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. Until you can draw water from the air, it’s better to stay near a source."

"Since this is your first time, remain in contact with it while you learn control. Once you can make it obey, then we can refine your source."

Kyle nodded, though he barely had time to process before he was physically dragged back into the pool by an overly enthusiastic blonde.

"Try it, Kyle! Elder Shen said so, it might work!"

"But this sword... what should I do with it?" Kyle asked, turning it in his hand as he tested the balance.

Definitely a well-crafted sword, but what did it have to do with water?

"Let’s not even imbue, at best, just trace the blade first," Elder Shen instructed. "Imagine a thin layer of water surrounding it, something like a sheath."

Kyle followed the instructions exactly. He closed his eyes and visualized it, carefully forming the image of water wrapping around the blade in a precise, controlled layer.

Slowly—

It happened.

Ollie froze, both hands flying up to cover his mouth as the sword in Kyle’s hand became encased in water. It clung perfectly to the metal, holding its shape as if it had always been part of the weapon.

"!!!"

"KYLE! OH GOD, KYLE!!!"

The ecstatic blonde looked two breaths away from hyperventilating.

Meanwhile, Kyle simply stared.

It took him a moment to process what he was seeing before he finally spoke.

"Elder Shen... what exactly can I do with this?"

It was clearly overwhelming and, honestly, required a serious suspension of disbelief in his case. But after thinking it through, he wasn’t entirely sure what a blade coated in water could actually accomplish.

"If you can do that," Elder Shen replied calmly, "then why not create a blade using only a hilt?"

He continued without pause.

"If your opponent believes they have already blocked your attack, only to see your blade disperse and reappear in a completely different position, wouldn’t that give you an advantage?"

Kyle felt a chill run down his spine.

Because even he—

Would not want to face someone like that.