Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

"Who are you?"

Startled, the intruder spun around.

Lit only by the fridge light, Vincent's eyes widened. Standing before him was a long, black-haired woman with fair skin, her hair partially concealing her ample figure. Her golden eyes gleamed as she held a piece of bread in her mouth.

"?!"

Vincent did not recognize the woman, but his eyes couldn't hide his shock. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen—even Amara paled in comparison. His heart skipped a beat when the woman suddenly leaned closer.

For some reason, his body betrayed him, and he stood frozen until the woman let go of the bread in her mouth, and her lips connected with his.

In the next moment, Vincent felt his vision blur as he lost consciousness.

The woman gently caught him before he fell to the floor. With a snap, they appeared inside Vincent's room, where she gently laid him on the bed.

"That was close…" the woman muttered to herself as she gazed lovingly at the unconscious Vincent.

After one more look, the woman turned and, before she left, muttered to no one, "It's not time for you to know yet…"

…

The next morning, Vincent woke up to his phone vibrating continuously.

With his eyes still closed, he instinctively reached for his phone next to his pillow. A hologram screen popped up.

"Wakey, wakey! You're wasting your time by still sleeping at this hour."

Vincent's blurry vision slowly regained clarity, revealing the owner of the voice: Valyn.

As usual, she wore a complete set of pink-colored attire.

"It seems you enjoyed your day off, my younger brother," she remarked upon seeing the absentminded Vincent, who had just woken up and seemed to have a hangover.

At her words, Vincent suddenly remembered the woman he had seen last night. Realizing he was already on his bed, panic struck him.

In a rush, he released his mental energy to scan the entire hotel room. Soon, he sighed in relief; he found his younger sister peacefully sleeping in her own room, and even Amara was soundly asleep in hers.

Although he had no idea when Amara returned, his focus shifted back to the woman he had seen the night before.

'Who was she? Was it all a dream?' he wondered, but it had felt so real when their lips connected.

"Hello? Are you alright?"

Valyn's voice brought him back to his senses, and he set aside his thoughts.

"I'm fine. Good morning, Big Sis Valyn."

Valyn looked doubtful but smiled and replied, "Hmm, good morning."

"You called this early for my training today?"

"You are correct."

'So the Special Instructor still hasn't come back,' he thought, refraining from asking her further.

"So, what do I have to do today?"

"I already told you about the Tower of Fundamentals, right?"

Vincent simply nodded.

The Tower of Combat was one of them. The others were the Tower of Speed and the Tower of Illusion.

"We are going to visit another Tower of Fundamentals," Valyn continued.

"Which one?"

"Hehe, let's meet outside your Sanctuary, and I'll tell you on the way."

"I understand."

"All right, see you later."

After the call with Valyn, Vincent exited his room and went to the kitchen, still trying to recall if the woman he saw was just a dream.

He made a quick breakfast, took a shower, and ate alone. He chose not to wake Marina and Amara, who were still peacefully sleeping. Since it was the weekend, they didn't have school or work.

Vincent left a note to let them know he would be in Origin World.

As he prepared to leave for Origin World, he felt as if he was forgetting something.

'Hmm, am I missing something?'

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Stupid Master! Are you going to leave me here?"

At that moment, Marina's door slowly opened, and the fat, black rabbit stepped out.

"Oh, Mochi…" Vincent subconsciously murmured.

"What do you mean, 'Oh, Mochi?'" Mochi's child-like voice pitched higher.

"Nothing. Let's go. We are leaving."

Vincent quickly changed the subject, fearing Mochi might realize he had actually forgotten about her.

He had been so engrossed in scrolling through the Origin Astrum Hub that he forgot to retrieve Mochi from Marina.

"Hmph!"

Mochi harrumphed in his mind but squeaked in reality as Vincent placed her inside the capture ball.

…

Hyena Gang Manor.

As Vincent exited the chamber, he was surprised to find a familiar creature cleaning the Manor's living area with an innocent expression.

He might have believed this creature to be innocent—if he didn't know better.

It was one of the captured members of the Hyena Gang, Raytand.

Raytand stood like a normal human, but his features bore the distinct characteristics of the Hyena Race.

With a slight frown, Vincent asked coldly, "How are you here? Where's Lizno?!"

Raytand, holding a feather duster, was startled at Vincent's sudden voice. With a quick spin, his startled expression turned fanatical.

He straightened and bowed deeply.

"Welcome back, Big Boss!"

Raytand shook his head, muttering, "No, it should be 'Young Master.'"

"Welcome back, Young Master."

Vincent raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Just as he was wondering what was happening, Lizno appeared and greeted him immediately upon seeing him.

"You're back, Young Master."

Curiosity growing, Vincent frowned and asked, "What's happening here, Lizno?"

Lizno glanced at Raytand briefly before explaining.

"It's like this, Young Master…"

Vincent listened attentively as Lizno detailed what had occurred in his absence.

When he had been in his world, Lizno realized he couldn't keep the captives locked up forever. Once their time in Origin World ran out, they would be forcefully returned to their real world.
Experience tales at empire

This fact had also slipped Vincent's mind.

Fortunately, Lizno realized it before it was too late. Since Tier 2 Origin Warriors could stay much longer in Origin World than Tier 1 Warriors, Lizno used his remaining time to "train" the captured Hyena Gang members.

Lizno didn't specify what sort of training it was, but judging by Raytand's fanatical expression, Vincent guessed it involved brutal torture.

According to Lizno, the captives were now dead loyal to Vincent. Even when returned to their real world, their loyalty would remain steadfast.

Although skeptical, Vincent chose to set the matter aside.

"Where's the rest of the Hyena Gang?"

"I've sent them to do some chores," Lizno answered respectfully.

"What about Garmus?"

"I'm sorry, Young Master, but that guy is a tough nut to crack. He's hell-bent on following the Blackthorn Clan."

Vincent simply nodded.

It wasn't Lizno's fault. According to an article Vincent had read, the Blackthorn Clan bred unbelievable loyalty among its people.

Vincent furrowed his brows.

He knew Grarik would eventually find out about his current strength. However, he hadn't accounted for this detail. Now, Grarik would discover his strength much sooner than expected.

Grarik would undoubtedly send stronger warriors to eliminate him.

"How much longer before Garmus' time in Origin World runs out?"