Free Web NovelChapter 5: 5 | Flame Demon Bloodline
Dexter slowly raised his hands, staring at them in the dim light of the bedroom. They still looked the same but he felt raw power coursing through his muscles.
He hadn’t expected the bloodline to be so powerful.
With his current strength and skills, he felt like he could handle the three thugs and even Kreg easily now.
He was currently a Tier 2 Awakened Hero and while it wasn’t impressive, to a man who had spent his life at the bottom, this was like learning to breathe after years of drowning.
The moment his mana affinity shifted from F-rank to E-rank, he felt his meridians changing slowly widening by a few millimeters at most.
At this rate, mana easily flowed through his system with less resistance.
```
[Talent: Enhanced Hearing]
Type: Auxiliary
Rank: E
Ability: Hear sounds within a 200-meter radius under normal conditions, and up to 1 kilometer in a straight line when focusing. Permits sound differentiation and heart-rate tracking.
```
Nor just increasing his affinity, gaining bloodline and strength, he also awakened talent too!
Dexter closed his eyes, focusing his mind on his ears.
Instantly, the world exploded with sound. He could hear the slow, rhythmic dripping of the leaky faucet in the kitchen three walls away. He could hear the rustle of dry leaves scraping against the backyard fence.
More than that, he could hear the distinct, separate heartbeats of the three women in the living room.
Mira’s heartbeat was slow, steady, and heavy, carrying a deep, sluggish rhythm. Lyra’s heart beat with a rapid, light pattern, like a bird trapped in a cage. And Selene’s heart was weak and erratic.
Satisfied, Dexter stood up. The movement was incredibly smooth, his joints no longer making sounds. He walked to the bathroom, stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, and stepped into the shower.
As the hot water washed over him, he looked at his reflection in the small, fogged-up mirror. The purple bruise on his jaw was gone. The sharp, deep pain in his ribs had completely vanished, leaving only a faint red scratch on his side. His body looked more fit, the muscles more defined and tight.
He dried himself off, dressed in a clean black t-shirt and grey joggers, and walked out into the hallway.
***
Dexter decided to check on the girls if they needed anything.
The moment he entered, Mira, Lyra, and Selene all turned their heads toward the hallway at the exact same instant.
Their eyes locked onto him, their expressions filled with a strange, sudden intensity.
Dexter paused, feeling a bit self-conscious under their combined stare. ’Why are they looking at me like they’ve seen a ghost?’ he thought, blinking.
Lyra’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze moving from his face down to his shoulders, then to his hands. Even though she could not hear, she was still connected to mana and could feel the sudden, dramatic shift in his presence.
Selene’s head remained tilted toward him, her sightless eyes wide.
The two of them stared for only a 2 seconds before turning their heads away, returning to their quiet states.
But Mira continued to look at him with her crimson eyes.
"Is... something wrong?" Dexter frowned as he asked, clearing his throat.
"You’ve awakened," Mira said. Her voice was quiet, but there was an unusual weight behind it.
As a former Super Hero, even with her meridians blocked, her she could still perceive mana due to her high affinity.
Dexter hesitated for a moment, then gave a slow, honest nod. "Something happened while I was resting. After the fight with Kreg’s men... it felt like a barrier inside me broke."
Mira gazed at him for half a second and gave a simply, quiet hum then closed her eyes and returned to darkness.
Dexter was about to leave but he suddenly thought if something.
He expanded his system interface then focused on Mira’s name under the investment targets, and the screen expanded into a detailed panel of golden text.
```
[Name]: Mira Calloway
[Age]: 22
[Relationship]: Wife
[Cultivation]
Former Rank: A-Rank Hero
Former Level: Super Hero (7th Tier)
Current Level: Awakened (4th Tier)
Current Mana: 12% (Sealed)
[Body Condition]
Meridian Damage: 89%
Neck-Down Paralysis
• Paralysis from the neck down
• Chronic nerve pain
• Muscle atrophy
• Core instability
[Mental State]
• Depressed
• Suicidal
• Angry
• Hateful
• In Pain
• Slightly Amused
```
Dexter felt a sudden, deep ache in his chest as he read the description. A level six out of ten chronic nerve pain, constantly firing through her body while she sat there, unable to move a single finger to soothe it. No wonder her voice was always so bitter and cold.
"I can feel your eyes on me," Mira said suddenly. "See something you like, husband?"
Before Dexter could find a response, a sharp, choked gasp shattered the silence.
