Chapter 216: Reverence
The dome surrounding Emily and N’theris Serpent’s corpse faded.
Alice and Eleanor were waiting outside.
Eleanor immediately asked, "Is it done?"
Emily beamed and nodded. "Yup."
Eleanor took in a sharp breath.
She hadn’t really expected Emily to pull it off.
She had tamed a creature from hell.
There was a lot Eleanor wanted to ask.
But she didn’t comment further.
Too many people were still around, and she didn’t want to draw attention.
Alice, without a word, stepped forward and patted Emily on the head.
"Good work."
"Hehehe."
Emily practically glowed with happiness.
Then Alice glanced at the massive corpse still lying nearby.
"So... who’s going to get the corpse of the N’theris serpent?"
....
Isaac’s POV
Dozens of awakeners had gathered around him, forming a loose half-circle. Some were armed, others looked uncertain, but they were all watching him closely.
They were asking him what had happened here.
"I killed the N’theris Serpent."
There was silence.
No one moved.
A few exchanged looks, some raised their eyebrows.
Clearly, they didn’t believe him.
But they hesitated when Isaac calmly pointed out the direction where his attack had gone.
When they followed the path with their eyes, they saw the destruction.
Earth was carved into a trench that stretched into the distance.
Buildings along the way were pierced through, like something had punched through them cleanly.
Some of the structures had perfectly circular holes in them, almost too clean to be real.
"What the hell did he even do..." someone muttered under their breath.
A few awakeners were already moving closer to inspect the trail of destruction, whispering as they traced the path with their eyes.
That’s when the General’s comm device buzzed.
He took the call in front of everyone.
The voice on the other side was calm, giving a quick, clipped report.
"...N’theris Serpent is confirmed dead. Still gathering full details, but... something pierced through its skull. The path of the attack came from your direction."
The General blinked.
"From our direction...?"
The words came out quiet, almost like he didn’t mean to say them out loud.
But everyone heard him.
And everyone turned to look at him.
He lowered the device and stared at Isaac for a long moment.
"What kind of weapon did you use?" he asked slowly, cautiously.
"Spear."
"You threw it to the region near the central sector... from here?"
"I threw it very hard."
The General just stared.
Threw the spear hard?
Was that enough?
The General could use all his skills, and he wouldn’t be able to launch a spear with that kind of power and range.
The General was a physical class fighter! Physical strength was his specialty!
Why is a farmer like you stronger than me!?
"General?" someone asked, noticing the silence in the air. "Is there a problem?"
"I just got confirmation," the General said, eyes still on Isaac. "The N’theris Serpent is dead. From the looks of it... Isaac took it down."
The silence broke.
"You’re joking."
"Wait, seriously?!"
"No way! He really did that?!"
"Holy hell, that explains the shockwave!"
Voices started to rise all around him.
What was once disbelief had turned into something else.
Admiration. Respect. Awe.
People were crowding closer now, throwing questions at him, praising him.
"I can’t believe a Farmer did that!"
"Hey, can I shake your hand?"
"Is it true you don’t even have a Class yet?! What happens when you do get one. Are you going to start throwing mountains!?"
"I wish I had a Farmer Talent too."
"Dear God, please let me be a farmer in my next life."
Isaac smiled lightly at their praises.
He didn’t say anything, but their excitement was infectious.
The air had shifted completely.
"Alright, that’s enough," the General finally said, raising a hand. "Let Isaac rest for now. He must be tired."
The crowd parted as if on command.
A few people gestured respectfully toward a nearby building, giving him a clear path to head in.
Isaac nodded and walked, the mood still buzzing behind him.
If they had respected him before, they looked at him with reverence now.
He reached the door of the building, paused for a moment, and glanced back.
The General was there, just behind him.
"You can rest for now. But tomorrow, I’ll need you to explain everything in detail," the General said.
"Understood," Isaac replied.
The General gave a curt nod and walked away, leaving Isaac to enter the quiet building.
He made his way inside and dropped onto the bed.
The adrenaline was still fading.
It didn’t take long for his eyes to grow heavy.
He wasn’t sure when he drifted off.
But when he opened his eyes again, something in the room had changed.
Emily was curled up beside him, sound asleep.
She had wrapped her arms around him sometime during his rest and now lay tucked against his side.
Her breathing was slow and relaxed.
Her body clung to his as if she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Isaac blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes.
He turned his head and noticed Celia sitting on the sofa nearby.
She was scrolling through her device, likely catching up on reports or scanning news.
Alice wasn’t in the room.
Celia looked up when she noticed him moving.
"Oh, you’re awake," she said softly. "I hope my presence didn’t disturb your sleep."
"It’s alright," he replied, voice still hoarse from the nap.
As he sat up, Emily stirred.
She was still half-asleep.
"Isaac..." Without fully waking, she mumbled his name, and shifted.
She climbed onto his lap as if the place belonged to her and slumped against his chest with her back resting on him.
Her breathing remained slow, clearly not ready to be awake just yet.
Celia chuckled softly at the scene.
"She said she wanted to rest the second her work was done. I guess she meant this ."
Isaac gave a faint smile.
He didn’t move too much so he wouldn’t wake Emily.
His arms were loosely wrapped around her sides to prevent her from falling.