Chapter 81: Stay with me

Stepping out of the bathroom, completely washed up and dressed in fresh clothes, Kai finally felt like himself again.

It was as though he had been dipped into a tub of tar, every movement weighed down by its suffocating presence, even his thoughts sluggish beneath the lingering sensation.

The blood had not harmed him physically, but having it smeared across his body for so long had been deeply unsettling.

When he entered the living area, he found Jean standing there with Elara in her arms. The little one appeared to be in the middle of a short nap, her tiny body relaxed against her mother’s chest.

"She wanted to see you too, but she’s been moving around a lot today," Jean said with a smile.

The new house had brought a noticeable change in their daughter. With more space to explore, Elara had been crawling around more than ever, eagerly venturing from one corner to another whenever she was awake.

Her little expeditions, however, took their toll. She tired easily these days, especially after spending so much energy crawling around and satisfying her endless curiosity.

"It’s better this way. The more she moves around on her own, the more she’ll eat, and the better she’ll grow," Kai said as he gently took Elara from Jean and carried her toward the couch.

Before he could sit down, Jean swiftly plucked the damp towel from his shoulder.

"Thanks," he said with a sheepish smile. "Old habits die hard."

Jean only smiled as she draped the towel neatly over the back of a chair, spreading it out so it could dry properly.

She then walked over and sat beside him.

Kai cradled Elara gently in his arms, his expression softening as he looked down at her sleeping face.

Under normal circumstances, Jean would have taken her time appreciating the sight. There was something strangely peaceful about seeing Kai with their daughter, a warmth she never grew tired of witnessing.

But today, something had been weighing on her mind, and she could not push it aside any longer.

"Kai... did you get involved in another incident?"

Recently, something similiar happened. He had told her that he had been caught in a dungeon outbreak at the underground station and had been forced to fight a monster.

Then there was the injury to his shoulder, something she had only learned about when two officers came knocking on their door.

She believed something similar happened today as well.

Kai leaned back against the couch, his eyes remaining on his daughter as he quietly replied, "I actually went on a raid today."

He glanced toward Jean before adding, "Sorry. I didn’t tell you."

Jean froze for a moment.

"So this was your plan?" she asked. "After leaving your previous line of work, you’ve decided to start diving into dungeons again?"

She clenched the hem of her dress, her fingers tightening around the fabric without even knowing her.

"Kai, I might sound rude, but didn’t you tell me before that you had a terrible record when it came to entering dungeons? That’s why you eventually thought about starting your previous profession."

She was careful with her words to not hurt him. There were only few who could make the tough choice to not become a hunter despite being awakened. And Kai had made that decision for a reason.

Kai simply nodded.

"You’re right. I was so bad that the only positions I could get were either porter or collector for a team. And even then, I was nothing more than a burden. I used to remain on the edge all the time and had been rescued a couple of times as well."

He exhaled slowly.

Then, with surprising calm, Kai made a big decision of revealing something,

"But I recently reawakened, Jean."

"...What?"

Jean’s eyes widened.

She was familiar with the term. In the modern era, reawakening was almost synonymous with the birth of a living legend.

She had heard countless stories of hunters who had accomplished incredible feats after reawakening, etching their names into history in golden letters. She had also heard darker stories, tales of those who had gained overwhelming power and used it to cause unimaginable destruction.

Yet reawakening itself was so rare that many people dismissed it as little more than a myth, an exaggerated rumor passed around by hunters.

But now, she had a living example sitting right in front of her.

And she knew Kai well enough to understand that he would never lie to her about something like this.

"This happened recently. I awakened once again and was able to level up. That’s why, that day..." Kai paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing, "I... was able to deal with those thugs."

"Ah..."

The realization slowly dawned on Jean.

Those bastards had clearly been high-ranking hunters, yet Kai had dealt with them without suffering a single injury, and he had done it in less than a minute.

"So... that’s why you chose to abandon your previous profession."

She finally understood.

Kai had not suddenly become reckless. He had simply found a new reason to change his life, along with the power to pursue it.

"Didn’t I tell you?" he said fondly. "You and our little angel have blessed me in more ways than you realize."

His free hand moved across the couch until his fingers found hers.

Jean’s cheeks warmed as his hand gently closed around hers.

She lowered her gaze, trying to hide the small smile threatening to appear.

"You can’t escape my questions by doing things like this. I still need to know what that fluid was and whether you’re hurt."

Kai chuckled.

"Well, how about we talk about all of that over some coffee?"

She nodded immediately and started to get up.

Only for him to keep holding her hand.

Jean turned back and found him looking at her with an innocent expression.

"Not now, though... please sit with me."

That gaze was absolutely unfair.

And what was that adorable little plea?

Was there really any reason for her to refuse?