A Few Years

Anita came out and welcomed Nathan and Sillia back when they returned. She looked at the tuckered-out Sillia with a worried expression.

"Is everything okay?"

Nathan nodded.

"Yup. She's just tired."

Anita crossed her arms.

"You didn't do anything to her, right?"

"Like what? No, we just trained."

Anita frowned.

"Trained? You didn't put this poor girl through some hard-core, dystopian, extreme training?"

"Mom."

Nathan raised his eyebrows and tilted his head downward slightly like he was asking Anita if she was serious.

"What do you think of me?"

Anita raised her hands and shrugged.

"You said you were one of the strongest. Don't you need to train until even your bones bleed for something like that?"

"Not at all."

Nathan put down Sillia by a table.

"Besides, after, well, you know, I looked for meaning. I wanted to do things I might enjoy or find fun. Sure, I had a couple of self-destructive periods. But I never put myself through needless torture just to get stronger. That's not my style."

Anita narrowed her eyes slightly as she followed Nathan to the kitchen.

"It might not be your style, but you obviously have something planned for Sillia—"

"Don't worry."

Nathan smiled as he returned with a pile of leftover fried chicken.

"She wants to tell you herself, so I won't give you any of the details."

Nathan grinned as he carried over three full portions to Sillia's table.

"I know where the line is, and I won't cross it. I'm just making sure she gets as much value as possible from the training."

"Hmm."

Anita wasn't completely satisfied. But since it was Sillia who wanted to keep it secret, she didn't worry too much. Besides, Sillia looked tired, not injured or anything. And when she woke up, at least somewhat, she stuffed the chicken in her mouth while her eyes were about to close again.

She was hungry, and she knew she needed to eat a lot. And when she started feeling full, Nathan encouraged her to eat more by telling her how many pieces she needed to gain as much as possible from tonight's exercise.

Anita didn't know how he knew it to such a degree, but she just shrugged.

"Don't stay up too late."

"Yep."

Sillia, half-asleep, mumbled something through a mouthful of food. Anita didn't even bother trying to make it out. She just waved goodnight and returned to bed.

Nathan helped Sillia to bed when she was done before taking a break of his own. He had used his skill until he got a headache. It was time to rest and let his body rest and adapt.

Nathan yawned and stretched his stiff body while thinking about how long it would take before he could leave the restaurant for more than an hour at a time. He hoped it wouldn't take too long since he wanted to eradicate the pests that filled up the Vijang Syndicate.

But he had also gradually calmed down after his regression. His emotions and wounds weren't quite as fresh. Helping Sillia train had also reminded him that he was still pretty weak. 

Peerless Perception was a fraudulent skill, especially with Nathan's experience.

However, Nathan couldn't make full use of his skill yet. He was noticeably stronger than the average man. But he was far from the strongest person in Avalio. He figured that it wasn't such a bad thing to take a few days or weeks to relax, spend time with his parents, and train.

Nathan decided to take it a little slower than he had initially planned. But he wasn't going to stay home and do nothing. He was just going to scout ahead instead of charging into the first bundle of Vijang rats he saw. He needed to grasp their locations, strengths, and key players.

Nathan fell asleep with a smile.

He was looking forward to it. The only one who challenged him before his regression was the Shrouded Hero.

Nathan had been disappointed to realize that the Shrouded Hero probably didn't exist in this timeline since it meant he wouldn't have anyone who could keep up with his games.

But his current situation reminded Nathan that he was far from the strength he had accumulated over several decades. There were many foes who could still pose a threat to him—who he could still have fun playing with.

Nathan slept like a baby. He was diligent when he woke up.

Sillia was dead-tired, but she wasn't in as bad a state as she thought she would have been, considering how exhausted beyond reason she had been last night. Nathan smirked as he informed her about the greatness of awakening. He then told her that as long as she kept up this routine and degree of exhaustion for a few years, she would rise to the top of Avalio City.

Sillia froze, and her expression darkened, the excitement of being an awakener all but gone.

Nathan nodded in satisfaction as Sillia got to work. He wasn't sure if he had gone too far, but it looked like Sillia wouldn't go crazy with the desire for strength any time soon.

After the restaurant closed, they went to the gym again. Nathan worked Sillia to the bone. Sillia fell asleep on the way home, ate until she turned into D when she returned, and then she slept like the dead.

If Sillia hadn't felt her improve by the day, she would have given up sooner than she would have liked to admit. But since she felt herself grow more accustomed to her skill and could use it for longer, Sillia stuck with the training.

After a couple of weeks, Sillia could maintain a bulletproof barrier around the clock. She could raise its strength in shorter bursts. However, she didn't have a way to test the strength of her barrier, so it was difficult to determine how strong of a barrier she could make.

Still, Nathan was satisfied with Sillia's progress. Like this, he could leave for a day or two without having to worry about his parents' safety.

Nathan informed Anita about how it was time for him to start making moves. Anita knew the day would come, so she nodded. Sillia and Julian could pick up the slack in the restaurant.

"Be careful. No matter what, you have to come back."

"Of course."

Nathan smiled and left the restaurant. He fished his phone out of his pocket and made a phone call.