Time passed quickly.
Eventually every dish on the table disappeared.
Not a single scrap remained.
Kael leaned back in his chair and released a long breath.
His stomach felt completely stuffed.
If someone poked him right now, he was fairly certain he would explode.
Across the table, Lyra shook her head.
"I told you to slow down."
Kael placed a hand over his chest.
"I couldn’t help it."
"You absolutely could."
"No. You don’t understand."
He looked at her seriously.
"When food reaches this level, self-control ceases to exist."
Lyra scoffed.
"You’re ridiculous."
"Maybe."
Kael grinned.
"But your cooking is still the best."
A faint smile appeared on Lyra’s face before she quickly hid it.
"Hmph."
The two continued chatting for a while, exchanging playful jabs and jokes as they cleaned up the dining area together.
By the time everything was finished, the kitchen looked spotless once more.
Kael headed off to freshen up while Lyra settled into the living room.
A short while later he returned wearing a much more comfortable set of home clothes before dropping onto the couch opposite her.
For several moments, neither spoke.
The comfortable silence between siblings settled naturally over the room.
Then Lyra suddenly broke it.
"So what level are you now?"
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"A bit higher than before."
His grin returned.
"Why? Need your amazing older brother to carry you already?"
A cushion immediately flew across the room.
Thump.
It struck him squarely in the shoulder.
"Quit being silly."
Kael rubbed the spot dramatically.
"Violence. Truly heartbreaking."
Ignoring him completely, Lyra continued.
"I was asking because Ezra invited me on a hunt."
Kael blinked.
"A hunt?"
"Yeah."
She nodded.
"She wanted to take me along since I’m newly awakened. I asked if you could come too and she agreed."
Kael frowned slightly.
Ezra wanted to carry him?
Although she had awakened a year earlier than them, he honestly didn’t think she was stronger than him anymore.
Maybe that sounded arrogant.
Maybe it was.
But Kael didn’t particularly care.
Considering everything he currently possessed, he was fairly certain he could handle threats that would give most beginner hunters nightmares.
Not to mention Ezra was primarily a healer.
Still, he kept those thoughts to himself.
There was no point explaining.
Lyra probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.
He could simply accompany them and make sure nothing went wrong.
"When is it?"
"Three days from now."
Kael nodded.
Three days.
That was plenty of time.
By then he planned to make several more tower runs. If everything went well, he would be significantly stronger than he already was.
"Alright. I’ll come."
"Good."
Then something occurred to him.
"Oh right."
Kael suddenly sat up.
"Since we’re celebrating, there should be gifts involved, right?"
Lyra blinked.
"What?"
Without answering, Kael reached into his inventory.
A flash of light appeared.
Two items materialized in his hands.
The Staff of Unmaking.
And the Seal of Reversal.
The moment the items appeared, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Lyra’s eyes widened.
Even without inspecting them, she could tell they weren’t ordinary equipment.
The aura surrounding them alone made that obvious.
Especially the staff.
It radiated an indescribable sense of power.
Without hesitation, Kael extended it toward her.
"For you."
Lyra stared.
Then she slowly accepted the staff.
The moment her fingers touched the staff, her eyes widened even further.
Information flooded into her vision.
She quickly read through the details.
The more she read, the more unbelievable it became.
Then her gaze suddenly froze.
She looked up.
Looked back down.
Then looked at Kael again.
"It says SSS Rank."
Her voice sounded dazed.
"What’s that?"
"This is literally the first time I’ve ever heard of something above S-Rank."
Kael simply shrugged.
"I got lucky."
Lyra stared at him.
Then rolled her eyes.
The same excuse again.
At this point she was convinced luck had become his answer for everything.
Still, she didn’t push further.
Instead, her attention returned to the information window before her.
The longer she read, the more unbelievable the staff became.
Every ability was absurd.
Not only was it powerful, but it was also Soulbound.
Everyone knew what that meant.
Soulbound equipment existed in a category of its own. Items of similar rank simply couldn’t compare. The only drawback was that once bound, ownership became permanent. The item could never be sold, traded, or transferred.
For most people, that might have been unfortunate.
For Lyra, it couldn’t have mattered less.
This staff suited her perfectly.
It was as though it had been created specifically for her class.
Items themselves were already difficult to obtain. Finding one that matched your class was even rarer. Finding one that matched your class while possessing overwhelming power was something many awakened spent years dreaming about.
Yet she had been awakened for less than a week.
And she was already holding something like this.
It completely changed her future.
Her path forward had just become infinitely smoother.
Eventually her gaze shifted toward the second item.
The Seal of Reversal.
Compared to the Staff of Unmaking it wasn’t nearly as flashy, but that didn’t make it any less impressive.
For a D-Rank item, its abilities were incredible.
The defensive utility alone far exceeded what most equipment of its rank could offer.
Unfortunately, there was one problem.
Level thirty.
She couldn’t use it yet.
Still, that wasn’t a real issue.
If she worked hard, reaching level thirty within a few months was entirely possible.
By then she would be able to use both items together.
As that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly felt a connection form between herself and the staff in her hands.
The binding process had already completed.
A slow smile spread across her face.
She tightened her grip around the Staff of Unmaking.
Once she reached level thirty and equipped the Seal of Reversal as well, her combat ability would rise to an entirely different level.
Lyra looked up from the information window floating before her and turned toward Kael. Her fingers tightened slightly around the Staff of Unmaking before a small smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you."