Chapter 422: Scolded

"Haa, I am beyond redemption," Luke breathed as he finally stepped out of Nadia’s room and began putting his clothes back on.

He had to buy a fresh pair considering the last one was in no condition to be worn again.

Back in the room, the woman was already fast asleep after their little "friendly greetings," which had lasted for nearly an hour.

By now, he had finished cleaning the room and the dining hall. He had even told Nadia to take care of the kitchen, and fortunately, she had been awake enough to hum in response.

Now, Luke decided it was time to leave. He simply couldn’t trust Nadia and her insatiable hunger. He would much rather return to his own place and take care of a different kind of hunger.

He had left in a hurry this morning and he knew his mates must be worried considering how he just fell unconscious yesterday.

And above all, he was missing Monica terribly. He just wanted to cuddle with her and feel her warmth against him

Click.

As he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, Luke rubbed the back of his head, a troubled expression settling over his face as he looked at the spot where he had a conversation with Dart earlier.

He had no idea how Dart would react if he discovered that Luke was still having an affair with his mate, especially now that she was pregnant. For the sake of their friendship, however, Luke had decided to keep the matter a secret.

I had better avoid visiting Nadia unless Dart is around.

Even that didn’t seem like a particularly reliable solution. Considering how easily Nadia could seduce him right under her mate’s nose, Luke wasn’t convinced Dart’s presence would make much of a difference. He needed to work on his resistance and, more importantly, make it clear to Nadia that he wouldn’t entertain any such advances again if she tried what she had today.

Knock. Knock.

Upon reaching home, Luke knocked on the door. When it opened, he found himself face-to-face with a familiar figure.

"Luke."

Luke offered him a wry smile. "Father."

Gustav’s expression was sullen, and for obvious reasons. He had spent the entire previous day sleeping after Luke had forcibly made him drink a potion to knock him unconscious.

As Luke stepped inside, Gustav finally voiced the question that had evidently been bothering him.

"What happened to you last night? When I woke up around mealtime, I found you knocked out." He snickered. "Perhaps you swallowed the same sleeping potion you fed me."

Luke grumbled in response. "You know it was necessary. You would have insisted on fighting alongside the others otherwise."

Luke knew his father well enough to understand the kind of man he was. Gustav would rather die fighting an enemy than surrender to the indignity of growing old. It was a sentiment Luke could respect, even admire, but that didn’t mean he was willing to indulge it.

The battle had been far too dangerous. Allowing his father to participate would have risked an entirely needless death, one that would have devastated everyone close to him. Neither Gustav nor the others possessed Gamma, and against monsters of that caliber, its absence was a crippling disadvantage. In a battle like that, Gamma wasn’t merely an advantage. It was one of the most basic requirements for survival.

"I don’t doubt your skills or experience. I simply chose not to fight two battles at once," Luke explained earnestly. "Knowing how dangerous that onslaught could be, how was I supposed to let you join me?"

Gustav turned toward him, his expression hardening as he finally addressed the real reason behind his displeasure.

"I am not upset about the decision itself. After hearing the scale of the battle, I realized I would have been little more than a burden out there."

He crossed his arms, his gaze fixed firmly on his son.

"But what gave you the right to take away my duty to protect this house and our family?"

Luke fell silent.

Gustav shook his head, his expression growing more solemn.

"I know I am no longer in my prime, and losing an arm puts me at a natural disadvantage. I understand that better than anyone." He paused briefly before continuing, his voice carrying a quiet conviction. "But Luke, I could at least have used my body as a shield. Even if I couldn’t defeat those monsters, I could have bought the others a few precious moments to escape."

Luke stood in silence, unable to find the right words to respond. He had already regretted his decision and even apologized to Lex for it. Looking back, he should have trusted them more, but he had been in such a rush that night, his thoughts scattered in a dozen different directions. In the end, he had simply acted on instinct, doing what he believed was necessary at the time.

"Now, don’t scold him too much."

An unexpected voice interrupted their conversation as Lex stepped out of the room.

"You were listening the whole time, yet you only decided to step in now?" Luke asked with a wry smile.

Lex huffed. "Of course. You needed to be scolded a little."

Gustav’s tense shoulders finally relaxed. He stepped closer to Luke and rested a hand on the young man’s shoulder, his expression softening as he looked at his son.

"Luke, we’ve somehow managed to protect this family all these years. Yes, the threats we’ve faced in the past were nothing compared to what you’ve already encountered, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had our fair share of dangers."

Lex hummed in agreement. "Exactly. So, next time, don’t try to act all mature and shoulder every burden yourself. Let us do our part, too."

Luke chuckled, raising both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I’ve heard you two loud and clear." He glanced between them before changing the subject. "Anyway, haven’t the others woken up yet?"

Lex shrugged. "Dalia was chatting with Ginna until quite late last night, so she’s still asleep."

Luke nodded in understanding. The unusual silence coming from the kitchen made him realize that Ginna and Monica were probably still sleeping as well.

On that note, Luke glanced at the two men and suggested, "Why don’t we prepare the meal and let them rest for today?"

It was unusual for Monica and Ginna to sleep in so late, and since they were making an exception today, there was no harm in taking advantage of the opportunity to share some of the household chores. After all, there was no reason to let the women handle everything when the men were perfectly capable of helping out.

"Good idea. I’ll clean the house," Lex offered.

"I can fetch the meat and firewood," Luke added.

"I’ll prepare the food," Gustav volunteered.

With the work divided among them, Lex and Gustav took care of the indoor chores while Luke headed out to gather the necessary ingredients.

Upon entering the kitchen, however, he quickly realized they were running short of other supplies. They needed herbs, rice, and several other essentials before he could prepare a proper meal.

After making a mental note of everything they needed, Luke left the house.

As he walked down the street, he decided to question the system about something that had been bothering him for a while.

’Tell me something, System. Why are you torturing me?’

He wasn’t asking without reason. The Element Wheel had stopped working halfway through its operation, and the system had promptly informed him of the reason.

[Player Level needs to be upgraded to acquire a second element.]

So, despite everything he had accomplished, he still hadn’t awakened his second element simply because he remained at Level 3.

[Host, this decision was made for your safety. You have already acquired another class, and your attributes have increased considerably. Yet, your level remains at three. Considering your other attributes and your newly acquired class, your level should have reached at least Level 5 by now.]

[Additionally, the host can only access the next floor of the dungeon upon reaching Level 5.]

[All other requirements have been fulfilled]

"..." What a convenient way to delay his awakening.

Still, Luke couldn’t deny that the system had a point. He needed to level up and accumulate more experience points before he could proceed. Besides, he had been itching to return to the dungeon and explore the second floor.

He was fairly certain that the second floor would transport him to the elven territory, just as he had anticipated. Naturally, there would be new quests waiting for him to complete, along with whatever opportunities that unfamiliar territory might offer.

And if he did end up there, he would definitely pay Grella a visit.

After all, he hadn’t forgotten that clumsy woman, nor had he forgotten the rather memorable way she had bent over in front of him.

’Can’t wait...’

~~~

A/N:- Thank you for reading and continuing the story thus far.