Free Web NovelChapter 245: Take care of her
"Lex..." Dalia called out as she saw her mate enter the room.
"I finally found it. It was under the hearth," Lex said with a satisfied smile, looking at the hunting knife he had been searching for.
Seeing that enthusiastic glint in his eyes, her heart eased. "Give it to me. I’ll clean it."
Lex shook his head. "Even though it’s rusty, it’s still sharp. I’ll clean it later."
A faint smile appeared on Dalia’s lips at his consideration.
A moment later, however, her smile faded.
"Lex... did you know about it? Monica and Luke?" she asked. Earlier, Lex had reacted the least out of everyone, almost as if he had not been listening to the conversation at all.
Lex shrugged. "To be honest, it was pretty obvious to me. But I never said anything because it concerned the consent of three people. Since all of them were in agreement, why should I stick my nose into their business?"
Dalia looked at him with surprise. "You’re taking it rather casually."
Lex shrugged again. "Call it intuition, but I have a feeling that when it comes to Mother, that guy becomes a man none of us truly know. I saw it in his eyes today, and I just hope Terek saw it too and doesn’t make another foolish mistake."
Dalia’s expression turned grim as she nodded.
"I hope so too."
.....
"Are you going to participate in the contest?" Monica asked as she straightened her clothes after they finished cleaning up.
"Yeah, why not? It’ll be fun seeing what kind of beast Dart hunts and then teasing him when he loses."
Monica smiled warmly at his enthusiasm. Moments like these made him seem like someone his age.
"But Luke, don’t go overboard, okay? This is just a fun test. You don’t need to push yourself to prove anything."
Monica understood a man’s pride, and with Terek participating as well, she had a feeling Luke would try his best to outdo him.
Luke reassured her, "Don’t worry. My goal is simply to beat my opponents by hunting bigger beasts in greater numbers and somehow bringing them back here. Besides, bears can’t really do anything to me anymore."
Monica could only smile wryly.
For someone like her, a bear would be more than enough to leave a lifelong fear. Yet her mate regarded such a creature as an easy target.
With a sigh, Monica said, "Just take care of yourself. And don’t rush things with the house. We don’t have to move out tomorrow."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, but we’ll most likely leave the day after tomorrow. Could you tell Laila to start packing her things? The same goes for Ginna."
Monica hesitated. "And what if Ginna wants to stay? I mean, with two rooms vacant, she could live comfortably here. She’d also be close to her daughter."
Luke paused for a moment before turning to her. "Monica... I won’t say she’d be wrong for wanting to stay. It’s natural for a mother to want to live close to her child. But if Ginna refuses now, it’ll only become harder for her to join us when we eventually leave the village."
Monica lowered her gaze. He was right about that.
Luke stepped closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t bring any of this up when you tell her about our plans to move. Let her make her own decision instead of influencing it, okay?"
Monica looked up at him. "Luke... is this some kind of test?"
A faint smile appeared on Luke’s face as he gently pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don’t overthink it, my cutie. Now get some more rest before taking a bath. Your body temperature is still quite high."
Monica nodded before asking, "Are you leaving now?"
Luke hummed in response, then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Go on. Get some rest."
....
On his way out, Luke came across Laila, who appeared to have been waiting for him.
"What’s up?" Luke asked. "Need something?"
Laila shook her head before asking, "Are you still upset?"
Luke crossed his arms. "What do you think?"
Laila pouted. "You look mad most of the time anyway."
Luke’s expression faltered for a moment before a chuckle escaped his lips.
Shaking his head, he asked, "So? What did you want to tell me?"
Laila let out a quiet sigh. "Zuri seemed a little flustered earlier and rushed out of the house. I tried asking where she was going, and she said she was heading out to hunt."
A faint grin appeared on Luke’s face at those words.
So he hadn’t heard it wrong.
While he had been spending some quality time with his mate, someone had been eavesdropping on them.
And that someone was the certain redhead who got all worked up by the loud noises of their love making.
"Luke... what are you going to do about Terek?"
Luke looked at her. "What do you think I should do?"
Laila frowned and lowered her gaze before muttering, "I’m upset about the way he spoke to Mother. He’s being far too nosy in someone else’s matter. If Father has no issue with the changes, then who is he to talk to you like that?"
Luke’s shoulders loosened at her grumpy expression. Honestly, it was adorable watching her cross her arms and mumble complaints under her breath.
He pulled her into his arms, earning a small yelp from her before saying, "Stop worrying so much and go take care of Monica. I’ll figure out a way to sort this mess out soon."
Laila’s eyes widened in surprise before a sheepish smile spread across her face, and she nodded.
Such an affectionate gesture was rare coming from him, which explained why her face had turned as red as the potato she had eaten that morning.
Soon, Laila stepped away, and Luke headed toward the door.
As he stepped outside, he stretched his arms and muttered, "So, Mister System, care to show me my stats?"
After all the chaos yesterday, he had not gotten the chance to check them. This morning had not been any calmer either.
The system screen instantly appeared before him.
[Level: 3
Str: 33.5 -> 36
Spd: 28.5 -> 30
Def: 35 -> 40
Int: 23 -> 25
Gamma: 7000 -> 7900/7900
GP: 700 -> 1550
Attribute Points: 0
To Level Up: 2000 GP
To Level Up Gamma POD: 9000/10000
Abilities:
1. Echolocation: Level 1 -> 85/100 EXP
2. Concentrated Burst: Level 2 -> 100/200 EXP
3. Enhanced Perception: Level 2 -> 50/200 EXP
4. Shadow Walk: Level 2 -> 10/200 EXP] freewёbnoνel.com
[Host, upon reaching Level 3 in any skill, you will unlock a branch ability related to that skill. Additionally, the usage requirements of the skill will be reduced.]
Luke grinned. Nice.
What pleased him the most was the sudden jump in his Gamma Points.
He had only briefly glanced at the notifications when they appeared, but it seemed that the system had rewarded him not only for clearing Level 2 but also for defeating that human.
To Luke, the man had been nothing more than an inconvenience. Yet, thanks to him, Luke had gained valuable experience, improved his stats, developed new skills, and earned a respectable amount of points.
"Ah, you’re joining the hunt too?" Dart’s booming voice came from the left.
Luke turned toward him with a grin. "Ready to eat the dust?"
Dart flashed a cheeky smile of his own. "We’ll see about that."
Not long afterward, the two men set off on their journey.
