The room was quiet again.
Lyra's question still hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.
"…Why?"
Evan sat on the edge of his bed, scratching the back of his head while trying to maintain the most innocent expression he could manage. Unfortunately, Lyra had spent years watching him think, scheme, and occasionally do something incredibly stupid.
That innocent expression fooled absolutely no one.
Still, Evan tried.
"Well…" he said slowly, dragging the word out as if searching for the correct explanation mid-sentence. "It's more of a… hypothetical situation."
Lyra did not respond.
She simply crossed her arms.
The silent pressure she created was far worse than shouting.
Evan coughed.
"Let's say," he continued, "purely hypothetically, someone wanted to gather information. Maybe enter places where people might not take a kid seriously."
Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
Evan quickly pushed forward before she could interrupt.
"So this person might want to disguise themselves as… You know… a powerful adult cultivator."
He waved his hand vaguely.
"Deep voice. Mysterious robes. Hidden cultivation level. That kind of thing."
Lyra stared at him.
For a long moment.
Then she asked calmly,
"…Why would a twelve-year-old need to do that?"
Evan opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"Information gathering?"
Lyra did not blink.
The silence grew heavy.
Evan leaned back slightly and decided to push the conversation into safer territory.
"So hypothetically," he said, forcing a casual tone, "if someone had the choice between buying things that help them look like someone else…"
He paused and shrugged.
"…or just buying a better sword."
His eyes flicked upward.
"Which one would be smarter?"
Behind his calm expression, Evan's mind was a battlefield.
The glowing shop interface floated just out of sight.
[Mimic's Voice Box – 6,500 SP]
[Cloak of Maturity – 8,000 SP]
[Pill of Concealment – 40 SP]
They were perfect tools for his idea.
A mysterious wandering cultivator.
Someone older.
Someone respected.
Someone who could move through the world without constantly being treated like a child.
But—
Another option floated beside them.
[Experience Multiplier Voucher – 12,000 SP]
It didn't look impressive.
It didn't sound impressive.
But doubling training efficiency during Lyra's brutal sessions?
That was… terrifyingly powerful.
Evan rubbed his chin.
Cool factor versus actual power.
It was a painful dilemma.
Across the room, Lyra studied him carefully.
She did not see the floating windows.
But she had seen this exact behavior before. The distant focus. The subtle eye movements.
The way his attention drifted slightly upward when he was "reading" something only he could see.
Over the years, she had come to understand something strange about Evan.
He had… access to things through the system. Knowledge, tools, and opportunities that did not exist for normal people.
She only had a basic understanding of how it worked.
Lyra's gaze sharpened slightly.
And more importantly—
She knew Evan.
A twelve-year-old wanting to disguise himself as a forty-year-old cultivator only meant one thing.
He was planning to sneak into places he absolutely did not belong, places filled with people who would kill a child without hesitation.
Lyra exhaled quietly.
She could confront him directly.
But that would only make him defensive.
Instead—
She decided to guide the outcome.
"Your question is flawed," she said calmly.
Evan blinked.
"Huh?"
Lyra stepped closer to the bed.
"A true master is not defined by the mask they wear."
Her black eyes met his.
"They are defined by their foundation."
Evan felt a small chill run down his spine.
Lyra continued,
"If someone must rely on disguises to command respect, it means they lack the strength to earn it."
Ouch.
Evan winced slightly.
Lyra folded her arms again.
"If you have resources to spend, they should reinforce your survival."
Evan's ears perked up slightly.
Survival upgrades sounded promising.
Lyra gestured toward the wooden training sword leaning against the wall.
"That blade is worn."
Evan glanced at it.
She wasn't wrong.
The sword he had used during the wolf hunt was dented, scratched, and notched. He got that sword back from Lyra after it launched somewhere while he was injured.
"It cannot properly conduct Qi," Lyra continued.
"If you face a real cultivator, it will break."
Evan nodded slowly. That was… true.
Lyra continued her quiet lecture.
"A proper weapon should be your first investment."
Almost immediately, a system window popped open.
[Tier 2 Steel Sword]
[Price: 500 System Points]
[A balanced weapon capable of conducting basic Qi flow.]
Evan's eyebrows lifted.
Five hundred?
That was actually… cheap.
Lyra continued.
"Second."
Her gaze shifted slightly.
"You rely too heavily on your sword."
Evan frowned.
"That's… my main weapon."
Lyra shook her head.
"In close combat, speed decides life or death."
Another system window appeared.
[Tier 2 Twin Daggers]
[Price: 600 System Points]
[Lightweight weapons designed for rapid strikes and close-range combat.]
Evan leaned forward slightly.
Daggers. Fast. Deadly.
That could actually work well with his mobility training.
Lyra wasn't finished.
"And finally," she said calmly, "time."
Evan's eyes flicked upward again.
The glowing voucher hovered silently in his vision.
[Experience Multiplier Voucher – 12,000 SP]
Lyra continued,
"Strength is not only about tools."
"It is about how efficiently you grow."
Evan groaned.
"You're seriously recommending the twelve-thousand-point piece of paper?"
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"You think your time is worth less? And what is that paper you're talking about?"
Evan explained what this Experience Multiplier Voucher actually is to Lyra.
"That's a good investment. Even though it only lasts for an hour, it's worth the points."
Evan opened his mouth.
Closed it.
He hated it when she was right.
If his brutal training sessions were already pushing his limits…
Doubling their efficiency would mean progress twice as fast.
Which meant—
Fewer years would be needed to reach real strength.
Still…
"Man…" Evan muttered. "That hurts."
Lyra allowed the faintest trace of amusement to appear on her lips.
"You asked me for advice. Even though you shouldn't use those immediately, it will be useful when you do heavy training in the future."
Evan leaned back, staring at the ceiling while mentally calculating the damage.
Five hundred.
Six hundred.
Twelve thousand.
Total:
13,100 points.
His chest tightened. He took a deep breath. Then he spoke quietly.
"Echo."
[Yes, Master.]
"…Confirm purchases."
A pause.
Then the system responded.
[Purchasing Tier 2 Steel Sword…]
[Cost: 500 System Points]
[Purchasing Tier 2 Twin Daggers…]
[Cost: 600 System Points]
[Purchasing Experience Multiplier Voucher…]
[Cost: 12,000 System Points]
A final message appeared.
[Remaining System Points: 34,350]
Evan felt like someone had ripped a chunk out of his soul.
"Thirteen thousand points…" he muttered weakly.
[Investment confirmed.]
Echo sounded entirely too cheerful.
Lyra watched him quietly as his expression shifted through several stages of emotional pain.
Finally, she nodded slightly.
"Good."
Evan blinked.
"…You knew I was going to buy something."
"I assumed."
She turned toward the small table near the window.
Only now did Evan notice the tray she had brought with her.
A rich aroma filled the room. Roasted meat. Steamed vegetables. Warm broth infused with faint herbal notes.
Lyra placed the tray down in front of him.
"The meal I promised. After your hunting in the forest, this food will help you gain some strength back. You exhausted everything that time."
Evan stared at it.
Then his stomach growled loudly.
Very loudly.
For a moment, he had forgotten.
The adrenaline from the wolf hunt. The system notifications. The spending debate. But now that everything had calmed down, His body remembered.
Forty-seven wolves.
Hours of combat.
Running.
Bleeding.
Surviving.
Every muscle in his body suddenly felt like it had been beaten with a hammer.
Evan grabbed the bowl of broth first.
He drank half of it in one go.
Lyra watched silently as he attacked the meal with the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't eaten in weeks.
Which… wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Between training and recovery, his appetite had grown monstrous.
Within minutes, the tray was nearly empty.
Evan leaned back against the wall, stomach full and eyes half-lidded.
"…That was amazing."
Lyra collected the empty dishes calmly.
"The herbs will help your recovery."
Evan nodded sleepily.
His body was rapidly losing the last of its adrenaline.
The exhaustion from the wolf hunt was finally settling in.
His limbs felt heavy.
His eyelids felt even heavier.
Lyra lifted the tray and turned toward the door.
Then she paused.
"Oh."
Evan looked up lazily.
"Yeah?"
Lyra glanced back over her shoulder.
"Sleep well, my Prince."
Evan blinked slowly.
"Okay…"
Lyra continued,
"Tomorrow, you are coming with me to the city market."
Evan's brain froze.
"…The market?"
"Yes."
He sat up slightly.
"Wait."
His confusion was immediate.
"You usually go alone. Why do you need me tomorrow?"
"Why don't you find out that tomorrow, my prince?"
Evan rubbed his eyes.
Lyra studied him for a moment.
He had grown.
Not just stronger.
Taller.
Broader in the shoulders.
His clothes were beginning to look slightly tight.
But that wasn't the only reason.
The world was changing.
And Evan would soon need to step into it.
...
She opened the door.
The hallway beyond was dark and quiet.
Before stepping out, she added one final sentence.
"And there are some things you need to see and learn."
Evan frowned slightly.
"…That sounds ominous."
Lyra did not elaborate.
The door closed behind her.
Leaving Evan alone with a full stomach, a lighter wallet of system points, and a growing sense of curiosity.
The city market.
Crowds.
People.
Noise.
Exactly the opposite of the quiet estate he had spent years training in.
Evan slowly lay back on the bed.
His eyes drifted closed.
"…Maybe I should have bought the voice changer," he murmured sleepily.
Inside his mind, Echo responded.
[Master Lyra made a logical decision.]
Evan yawned.
"Yeah…"
He couldn't really argue with that. Within minutes, sleep claimed him.
Tomorrow—
The quiet world of the estate would open just a little wider.