Precedence System: I Take My Rewards In Advance

Noxelle exchanged a glance with Fadrieth.

”We’ll leave once you’re capable of protecting yourself without relying on us,” she answered. ”And before then, we would like to find you a suitable husband. He doesn’t have to be stronger than you. Finding someone stronger than you might make the search impossible in this part of Cyrune anyway. I would rather have someone who knows how to take care of you and will love you for the rest of your life.”

Elinox’s eyes narrowed. ”So you’re going to leave me here alone, huh?”

”Noxi...” Noxelle’s face softened. ”Your father and I came from two distinguished families in the Central Continent. I came from a noble family, while your father is the son and prime successor of one of the largest Guilds in Cyrune. His family also has enough standing that neither side would ever consider the other insignificant.”

Fadrieth rubbed part of his forehead. He already knew what his wife was going to say next.

Noxelle then continued, ”Once they find out we married and even had children of our own, including your brothers, those two families may very well go to war. Imagine them learning that their precious Noxelle got deflowered by another family’s heir without their consent—”

”Mom.”

Noxelle stopped.

Elinox pressed two fingers against her forehead. ”You don’t have to explain yourself like that. I understand.”

Fadrieth quietly turned his face away.

Noxelle seemed completely unbothered.

Elinox dropped her hand before continuing. ”Besides, maybe years from now, I’ll go to the Central Continent myself.”

Her parents became more attentive.

”I’ll make a name for myself there,” Elinox said. ”Once I reach a point where neither family can dictate what happens to you or Dad, their opinion about your marriage won’t matter anymore.”

Noxelle studied her daughter.

Elinox’s lavender eyes carried none of the uncertainty her mother might have expected. ”I’ll reach the strength where I can effortlessly topple every Kingdom and Guild there and turn them upside down if I have to.”

Fadrieth raised an eyebrow.

Noxelle smiled faintly.

Elinox continued as though she had merely described an ordinary goal. ”As for my brothers, we can leave them here to rule over the Holmes Family.”

Her expression suddenly changed slightly. ”But it seems we need to discipline some of them before we fly away from this Kingdom.”

Noxelle’s smile widened, while Fadrieth closed his eyes. Neither of them needed to ask which recent incident had brought that thought into their daughter’s mind.

Inside another section of the estate, Zishan had already settled on his bed.

Ollie had fallen asleep beside him after spending enough energy telling Zishan about everything he and Silvy had done while he was away. The boy had somehow managed to keep talking even while his eyes were already closing, until his words became quieter and finally stopped.

Meanwhile, Silvy was on Zishan’s lap.

One of his hands moved gently between her little backward-curving horns while his attention remained fixed on the green System interface floating before him.

His Status had become almost unrecognizable compared to what he remembered seeing when he first arrived in Cyrune.

He was already Level 99 now, with multiple Mana Affinities, Skills he had never imagined possessing, a Mythical Physique, several beasts under him, and even a military rank.

He had more Stats than anyone at his Level should reasonably have, and somehow, despite everything that had happened, he had not even completed his First Ascent yet.

Zishan leaned against the headboard while his fingers continued rubbing Silvy’s scales.

’Level 1...’

It felt much farther away than it really was.

He remembered waking up on a battlefield without knowing where he was. He remembered the masked person who had pointed him in the wrong direction, though at the time Zishan had been far too confused to realize how suspicious that was.

He remembered reaching Olmost’s forces, barely understanding the world around him, then discovering that Levels and Magic were things people treated as naturally as breathing.

There had been the military assessment that somehow pushed him from Level 10 to Level 20, followed by the horde, the Western Stampede, Larper Forteza and his tamed beasts, and Commander Holtz wondering what kind of creature had somehow ended up in his military formation.

Then, Elinox had arrived.

Zishan’s hand slowed slightly against Silvy’s head.

The Western Defensive Line came next. Enemy soldiers. High-Level officers. The Highland Griffin. More Quests. More rewards. The strange progression that had carried him from Level 50 until he eventually reached Level 99.

He had entered the world as someone who barely understood what Mana was.

Now, he was a Captain.

He had an adopted little brother sleeping beside him, a newborn dragon calling him Papa, a High General whose relationship with him had somehow become more confusing every day, and a noble family from his forgotten past that might have tried to kill him.

’My life became fucking complicated.’

[Accurate.]

Zishan sighed. ”Thank you for that incredible analysis.”

Silvy raised her head. ”Papa?”

”Not you, baby.” Zishan rubbed between her horns again. ”Papa is arguing with the annoying thing in his head.”

Silvy seemed satisfied with that answer and settled back against his lap. Zishan smiled as he continued petting her, only to remember the other beasts he had not checked on for a while.

He opened the Tamed Beast interface and reached into the connected space.

A disturbance formed inside the room several meters away from the bed. One after another, the beasts he had acquired earlier emerged from it.

The three Ridgefang Hounds appeared first.

The Razorboar followed.

Their condition had improved since the battlefield, but several injuries remained visible. They had survived far more punishment than their Levels should have allowed, and Zishan had been wondering what he was supposed to do with them now that he was no longer moving between military stations.

Silvy raised her head again, though her reaction this time was completely different as her silver-gray eyes settled on the other beasts. Something about her expression changed, but Zishan was too focused on the System to notice.