Chapter 195: Morning Breakfast In The Spirit Dungeon Realm

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Hearing all the praise from the ninjas who were still amazed by her, Elisa couldn’t help but get a little cocky. A prideful smile spread across her face as she lifted her chin slightly.

"Heh! I see you’ve finally realized my greatness? Ohohohohoh! Fine, I wouldn’t mind teaching you a thing or two about proper Mana Control and not the brutish thing you people do all the time without realizing! OHOHOHO!"

Daniela smiled lightly while her eyebrows twitched in mild exasperation. "There she is... her particular ’young lady laughter’ that Riven mentioned."

Carlos sat beside her and nodded. "Yep, it’s very characteristic of her. She does it all the time actually."

As the house became lively with everyone talking and interacting, Riven let out a faint smile. He quietly realized just how much things had changed from one day to the next. What had begun as a tense and uncertain situation was slowly turning into something warmer and more connected.

"Alright, you three, sit down. It’s time to talk about something serious," Riven said, his tone shifting. "Kagehisa, wake up already."

Riven lightly kicked Kagehisa’s stomach until the ninja finally stirred. "Ugh?! Stop kicking me, you animal!"

"Animal?" Riven glared at him with a sharp look.

"Eek! I mean... master...?" Kagehisa muttered, quickly standing up with a nervous expression. "Please stop throwing flowerpots at my head."

"Maybe if you behave next time," Elisa said firmly. "Now, let us eat in peace. Riven has something important to say!"

"Actually, how about we move to a nicer place?" Riven asked with a small smile. "You’ll like it."

"???"

Everyone looked confused about what he meant. Then Riven snapped his fingers.

Reality around them shifted in an instant. Countless colors spiraled through the air as the house disappeared completely. The kitchen table and the entire breakfast remained exactly as they were, and everyone stayed seated in their places, but the world around them had been completely replaced from one moment to the next.

Beautiful mountains stretched along the horizon. A clear blue sky filled with soft white clouds hung overhead. A faint, refreshingly warm sunlight spread across the land despite the gentle dimness of the light. Green and blue grass waved under the wind.

Forests stood not too far away. The clear sound of birds singing filled the air, mixed with the distant rush of large rivers flowing beneath this elevated area near a tall mountain.

"W-Woah?!" Elisa cried out, her eyes wide. "W-What...! What is this?! Riven?!"

"Unbelievable...!" Kagehisa said, staring around in shock. "Is this the Spiritual Realm you took?! No... it’s completely different! What is this place?!"

"A-Amazing..." Ren muttered under his breath, his usually calm expression breaking into quiet wonder. "It’s... so beautiful."

"Like we’re on another world...!" Goki said with a wide, boyish smile. "SUGEEE!"

"Uwah! Nature... it’s so refreshing to eat surrounded by it!" Hinata said with a soft smile, breathing in the clean air.

"W-Wow..." Label swallowed hard, slightly overwhelmed. "Ahh, the light is too strong... my eyes..."

"Carlos, look! It’s so amazing!!!" Daniela said, leaning forward in her seat.

"Hm..." Carlos nodded, clearly stunned by everything around them. "Awesome."

"RIVEN!!! Answer me already, what is this place?!" Elisa demanded, still trying to process the sudden change. "Is this the Dark Cave Labyrinth?!"

"Hah, well, technically it is," Riven nodded as he walked toward her. "But it’s also the Spiritual Realm I told you about. I’ve combined them both into this Spirit Dungeon Realm. It’s practically a small world of its own."

As Riven explained, a gigantic five-meter-tall white stag emerged from the nearby forest. It glanced at them in silence for a moment before calmly turning and disappearing back into the trees.

"Don’t worry," Riven said. "They won’t harm you. It’s just nature."

Elisa stared at the vast landscape surrounding them. For a moment she felt somewhat "free" of the world outside. The weight she usually carried seemed to lighten. She slowly relaxed and looked up at the sky in silence, watching the passing clouds and feeling the gentle wind against her face. It was so calming that she closed her eyes and simply let herself feel it — all of nature surrounding her, quietly embracing her.

"It’s beautiful..." she whispered.

As she spoke those words, the wind shifted for a brief moment. Riven noticed it immediately. The natural flow of spiritual energy in the area began to move toward her, swirling softly around her legs and body.

"Huh?" Elisa noticed it as well, looking around herself and seeing the light moving around her. She lifted her hand and watched as the colorful energy gathered in her palm. "Ah... Spirit Energy... I thought you had long forsaken me. But why now? Why... not before?"

The Spiritual Energy continued to gather around her body, gently embracing her before entering her bloodstream and fusing with her internal mana. A soft warmth spread through her chest and arms.

"Ahh... It’s been so long," she sighed quietly. "Spiritual Energy is really... quite something, isn’t it? It somehow returned to me... when it never answered for years."

Riven smiled warmly as he watched her. "Perhaps you’ve begun to heal more. Or perhaps you’re beginning to forge a new destiny, Elisa."

"A new destiny..." Elisa muttered under her breath.

She fell silent and began thinking quietly, without saying another word. Riven could tell that she wanted to express something, but she still seemed to lack the courage to put those thoughts into words.

"Elisa," he asked gently, "do you want to grow stronger?"

"...Huh?"

Although he had yet to gather all the necessary ingredients, thanks to the Investment Authority she had been rapidly healing — at least her arms and upper torso. She was also slowly regaining her control over Mana and Spiritual Energy.

Even if she was still bound to a wheelchair, unable to fully move, and with most of her previous strength sealed away, she was now beginning to forge something new as well.

And it was all thanks to him.

But Riven knew that Elisa could do more, if she started growing stronger now, she could easily bypass her previous limits, and go even beyond.

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