“What are you doing, Eli?” Peter asked, looking down at his son, who was sprawled on the floor trying to peer through the gap beneath the door.
“Can’t I come in already?” Elias asked, flashing his most pleading smile.
Peter sighed and shook his head. “You can come in, but you have to promise to be quiet. Your mother is very tired.”
“Yes!” Elias whispered triumphantly, scrambling to his feet and pumping a fist in celebration. But when he finally noticed his father’s unamused expression, he froze and quickly tried to rein in his excitement. “I promise I’ll be quiet…”
Elias followed his dad into the room he’d been trying to access for hours. Inside, his mother sat propped up in bed, gently rocking a small pink bundle in her arms, a radiant smile on her face. She turned to him with warm, welcoming eyes as he entered, her smile never wavering.
“Eli, come meet your little sister,” she said softly.
Those quiet words boomed in his ears, and he hurried to her bedside. He threw his arms around her in a quick hug before leaning in, eyes wide with curiosity.
“This is Isabela,” Vivian said, carefully adjusting the bundle so Elias could see. And the moment he did, he fell in love.
Elias gazed into wide blue eyes that stared right back at him, a tiny tuft of blonde hair already adorning her head. Isabela opened her mouth and let out a small sound—half burp, half greeting—and Elias' heart melted. He had the overwhelming urge to pinch those rosy cheeks but remembered his parents’ warnings about how delicate babies were.
Slowly, Elias extended a hand and gently poked one of her puffy cheeks. She responded with a soft giggle, and he grinned, knowing deep in his heart that this was the beginning of something special.
As much as he wanted to keep playing, Isabela’s eyelids soon began to droop, and moments later she was fast asleep in their mother’s arms.
Elias lingered a while longer, content just to watch over her, until his dad finally ushered him away. He didn’t resist—he could feel the weight of the day catching up to him.
On his way out, he spotted Kitty staring unblinkingly at the sleeping Isabela, her expression oddly intense—more focused than Elias had ever seen from the cat.
 
*******
 
“Are you tired already, Eli? Weren’t you just telling Isabela this morning that you were going to protect her from the monsters in the dungeon? You said you were training to be even stronger than the Wild Warrior. Wild Warriors don’t quit so easily,” mocked the callous brute wearing his mother’s skin.
Elias pumped his small legs even faster, despite feeling like they were about to melt off from how badly they burned. Using the Wild Warrior—his favorite character from the dungeon stories his dad read to him—against him was just the latest and dirtiest tactic his mom had used to push him harder.
And it worked—he desperately wanted to be like his hero.
The Wild Warrior was a powerful adventurer, one of the founders of the World Government. Famous for his boisterous nature and heroic deeds, countless stories had been told about him over the years. Elias’ favorite was about the time he’d escorted a young girl through a Master-ranked zone deep in the dungeon so she could finally meet her father—an adventurer who’d been delving for years.
Sometimes, Elias imagined himself doing the same—escorting Isabela through dangerous zones deep in the dungeon, facing powerful monsters to keep her safe. Unfortunately, he’d made the mistake of boasting about it in front of their mother.
It was a rookie mistake.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
According to her, it was possible—if incredibly difficult—to raise his Vitality through training and the right potions. Elias wasn’t sure he believed her anymore; he’d been at it for years and hadn’t seen a single result. Still, he trained hard—mostly because his dad refused to start combat training until his mom was satisfied with his physical condition.
She was not easily satisfied.
Today, Vivian was being particularly brutal. She was pushing him harder than ever, to the point it was starting to worry him.
His whole body burned. It felt like his heart was trying to punch its way out of his chest. He clenched his jaw and fought the urge to crumple to the floor again, knowing it would only drag out the training session. He’d already been at it for almost an hour and he didn’t even have the strength to beg for a break anymore.
So he pushed on.
For what felt like the tenth time today, Elias felt his aching body begin to go numb. It started in his arms, spread to his legs, and then began to creep into his torso. His limbs gave out, and he collapsed—unable to keep running.
Before he could hit the ground, his mother was there, catching him with ease and shoving the lip of a potion bottle into his mouth.
Elias drank the icy liquid with her help, savoring the taste of strawberries and seawater. His starving body absorbed the potion before it even reached his stomach. Cool, refreshing energy spread through him, returning sensation to his limbs and easing the worst of the pain.
“Did it work?” Vivian asked, her eyes locked on him and gleaming with hope.
Elias didn’t answer right away. He was too busy trying not to throw up—again.
Then it hit him. A powerful warmth surged from the base of his spine and spread through his body.
He gasped as a translucent screen bloomed before his eyes.
 
Congratulations! Your Vitality is now Level 2.
 
“It worked!” Elias rasped, a triumphant grin breaking across his exhausted face.
He glanced at his mom. Her eyes were glistening, a relieved smile spreading across her face right before she pulled him into a crushing hug.
“Good job, Eli! I told you all that effort would pay off!” she said, laughing and sobbing in equal measure as she squeezed him tighter. Then she turned and bellowed, “Peter! We did it!”
Before Elias could blink, his father was beside them—appearing out of thin air without a sound. His smile was wide, pride shining in his eyes as he joined the celebration.
“Good job, Eli. This isn’t something easily accomplished, especially not in just four years of training. We can spend more time on your combat training now, huh? What do you think of that?” he asked with a playful wink.
Elias beamed, riding the high of his success. The thought of easing up on the torture his mother called physical training only made the moment that much sweeter.
“Now,” Vivian said, poking his ribs, “who wants some ice cream to celebrate?”
She waved her hand dramatically, and a large bowl of ice cream appeared by magic. It was his favorite flavor.
He practically pounced on it, digging into it to the sound of his parents’ laughter. While devouring his reward, Elias pulled up his newly updated Status.
*******
Name: Elias Oliveira Exp: N/A Rank: N/A
Spirit: 10 Skill: None (21,000 exp to level)
Wisdom: 7 Skill: None (15,000 exp to level)
Intelligence: 7 Skill: None (15,000 exp to level)
Charisma: 5 Skill: None (11,000 exp to level)
Agility: 6 Skill: None (13,000 exp to level)
Strength: 4 Skill: None (9,000 exp to level)
Vitality: 2 Skill: None (5,000 exp to level)