Free Web NovelChapter 7: My theory was correct
The staff member pointed at the Appraisal Orb and said,
"Sir, just put your hand on it."
I nodded and placed my hand on the Appraisal Orb.
In the blink of an eye, the Orb emitted the brightest light the room had ever been, drawing everyone’s attention.
Soon, cracks began to appear across the Orb, causing the staff member to frown in disbelief and bewilderment.
Then, the next second, a virtual screen appeared above the Orb, though it was heavily glitched.
[Rank: F–]
[Potential: S]
Finally, the virtual screen flickered off completely as the Orb broke in half.
"S?"
The staff member gulped.
Some people shared the same look of surprise.
"Who is that guy with such potential? I’ll recruit him into my guild immediately."
Others whispered among themselves.
"Choose your words carefully. You’re talking about a noble."
...
"I see. If he’s a noble, then it’s not surprising at all. He must be the heir of his family. Most nobles have potential ranging from A to S."
The chatter spread through the crowd like a storm, but I didn’t really care much about it.
I glanced around. It seemed that a few people had already realized my identity. I figured the news would reach my father sooner or later.
I received my Hunter ID before glancing at my wife. There was something different in her amber eyes at that moment.
Surprise? Shock? I didn’t know.
A few minutes later, my wife also underwent the appraisal. Since she couldn’t move her hands or feet, I helped her place her hand on the Orb.
As I expected, the Orb experienced the same thing as mine. It broke after appraising my wife’s potential.
A few minutes later, I led my wife toward the F-rank Gate. Along the way, she finally asked me,
"Why? Why did you hide your true strength and your real nature?"
I said nothing, as I saw no benefit in answering. I remained silent and continued pushing the wheelchair.
[POV:] Arthea.
I felt confused and uncertain. I had many questions I wanted to ask my husband, but he only gave me an indifferent look and remained silent.
He had changed a lot since the last time I saw him at that banquet, as if he were a completely different person, no longer the trash I once knew.
He was like a block of ice. At first, I thought I could understand him, but the more I tried to, the more he looked at me as if he could see through my entire soul.
I was afraid of him, yet I still wanted to kill him.
Why did he hide his power and his true personality? That Appraisal Orb from the Hunter Association wasn’t enough to properly assess him.
I knew that from experience. Only the Appraisal Orb of the Royal Pendragon Family had been able to evaluate my potential – [SSS+] Rank.
It was the highest potential ever recorded in history. Even my father only possessed [SSS–] Rank potential.
I could tell that my husband’s potential was at least [SSS –] or higher, perhaps even equal to mine.
He was a genius.
When we entered the [F]-Rank Gate, I wondered what he was going to show me—his bloodline skills, his martial arts, or something else.
Soon, we headed to the edge of a small hill. From here, I could see the entire landscape. Trees stretched endlessly into the distance, and mountains stood far ahead.
I looked down, seeing a grassy slope covered in green and slimes rolling back and forth across it.
’’It’s a beautiful place, but I’m a little afraid of heights.’’
But the next moment, my wheelchair was suddenly lifted into the air for some reason. I lost my balance and fell out of the wheelchair.
I plunged downward.
Time seemed to slow down for me. I glanced back and stared into my husband’s cold eyes, trying to read his thoughts, but it was useless.
But I could be certain of one thing: He wanted to get rid of me. It was true.
After a few seconds of free fall, I landed on the soft grass and tumbled down the slope like a broken puppet before finally coming to a stop in front of a group of slimes.
[POV:] Henry.
I wanted to run a test.
I wondered what would happen if I left my wife in a dangerous situation on purpose. I had always taken care of her, feeding her and looking after her, but those simple tasks never gave me the rewards I wanted.
Because they were too easy, the system assessed them as low-level support. If my theory was correct, then putting her life in danger and saving her afterward would count as an extreme-level support.
Could I exploit it?
If things were about to get out of control, I would save her anyway.
Ting!
[Mission: Save Your Wife]
[Support Level: Extreme (She is in mortal danger.)]
[Warning: You need to act immediately.]
[Suggestion: A slime’s weakness is its mana core.]
I blinked several times as I stared at the bright text floating before my eyes.
My theory was correct.
I summoned a sword from my Storage Ring before rushing toward my wife, who was being overwhelmed by the slimes’ attacks.
Using [Abyssal Shadow Step], I crossed the distance in just a few steps. My speed was so fast that I was even surprised.
I kicked away a slime that was spraying acidic slime at my wife’s back before driving my sword straight through its mana core.
Then, I unleashed a series of precise slashes against the remaining monsters. Even though I had never used a sword before, thanks to [Rapid Sword Technique], it wasn’t much of a problem.
Soon, I slaughtered all the nearby slimes—around thirty of them.
Rank: [F–] (0/1000) → (30/1000)
I nodded and took out a fresh set of clothes and a recovery potion that I had prepared for my wife beforehand.
I approached my wife and carried her to a secluded spot. After setting her down against the trunk of a tree, I looked into her eyes.
They were red and wet with tears. She sobbed quietly, trying her best to hold it back. She didn’t want to show her weakness in front of me.
I had nothing to say to her. Instead, I inspected her injuries. Scattered burn marks from the acid covered parts of her body.
Looking at her injuries without a trace of sympathy or pity, I began to remove her clothes, treating her wounds before dressing her in a fresh set of clothes.
There was no hesitation, nor the embarrassment one would normally expect from a young man.
I took care of her as a husband would care for his wife after many years together.
A few moments later, she finally spoke to me.
"Y-You’re a bastard."
I wasn’t surprised.
