"You... you..." Rina's mouth trembled, staring at the young man in the water tub without blinking. Skin white and radiant like pearls. Jet-black hair like ink. Prominent nose bridge. Eyes were precious deep green jade. She couldn't connect childhood friends with the handsome young man before her at all.

  Jinyo was born in the Southerncross family already famous for having good-looking genes as original capital. But his personality was too bland and weak. Jinyo never drew out the charm Mother and Grandmother left behind to use even once. He didn't like dressing up but maintained himself regularly. Classified as better-looking men than average. But him now was like insects shedding shells. Like celestial immortals from Heaven descending to incarnate in the human world.

  "Can stop staring at me. As a man, I'm embarrassed." Jinyo's face flushed red with embarrassment. Rina realized she accidentally looked at him too long.

  "Who'd be interested in a scrawny body like yours? If you have strength, get up and put on clothes yourself." Rina hurriedly ran away from Jinyo's sight. He got up from the water tub full of waste molecules decomposed through bloodline improvement processes. Jinyo looked at hand line marks different from before. His body changed until the owner couldn't remember.

  Jinyo put on new clothes Rina left, then walked back into the hut. Rina sat clutching her forehead as if fighting something in her heart. She looked at the man stepping in through finger gaps, then hurriedly turned her face away.

  "Why disgusted with me that much! Did I become uglier?"

  "Ask the mirror yourself."

  "Rina, at least when talking, can you help look at my face?" Jinyo walked closer. Rina was pressured to look up at the young man's changed face. A face she saw since childhood but made her heart turbulent. Fascination and bitterness filled her chest. Rina wanted to avert her gaze elsewhere but had to force herself to endure looking at that face until accustomed. Plus sharp as if angry too.

  "This much satisfies you, right?" She punched his chest lightly once. Jinyo seemed slightly startled. When in the tub, Rina seemed to make dreamy faces seeing him. But now Rina returned to normal. It made Jinyo lose confidence a bit. He didn't see at all that ears hiding under black hair changed to bright red.

  "Explain concisely. Everything."

  "Mm."

  Jinyo recounted that the enemy he fought was Chimera Wolf. Had three elemental planar plus skillfully used magical techniques like Punishment Wave and Double Impact. Finally, the matter that it was controlled by Unknown. Rina sat listening quietly without abnormal symptoms. Until hearing the word Unknown slip from Jinyo's mouth.

  "Hey you, when fighting Unknown, how much planar value did you have?!"

  "Probably just 120, I think."

  "Too little!"

  "I just returned to cultivate a few days. Where would I get abundant planar from?"

  "You only know what Unknown can do but don't know how to kill Unknown, right?"

  "Mm." Jinyo nodded. Unknown was a disaster with consciousness. Had power to control and possess living beings. Living beings possessed by Unknown would receive tremendously increased power but lose consciousness. Jinyo heard faint voices saying help. Perhaps that was a cry for help from real Chimera Wolf.

  "If not killing the right way, Unknown will erase identity and move to possess new bodies. The Unknown you killed isn't dead and is somewhere in this city for sure."

  "I... was confident I already killed it. The system itself notified." Jinyo opened system windows to check again. But what displayed was only Chimera Wolf's death. No words [Enemy from Heaven] like he thought. Raised hands stopped frozen with trembling heart.

  "It's really not dead yet... what should I do, Rina?"

  "If I came earlier, could've killed it already. Regrettable. But can't blame you. Because killing Unknown is complex. Ordinary people unprepared can't kill it."

  "How does Rina know? Or... is it military classified information?" Jinyo questioned further.

  "Mm. First, planar must exceed 300. Must have Ether weapons or Territory magic. Best case needs all three. But you don't have even one. So I'm confident it's not dead yet."

  "Then must do something. That thing saw our Garden of the Sword."

  "Calm down first. Even if it knows, we can't do anything. Even this era's technology still can't detect Unknown's position. Can only think we're extremely unlucky. But it won't go far. Because Unknown is vindictive. It must return to find you sooner or later."

  "Then hope it comes quickly. Me alone, no problem. But don't want the kids and Naho involved. That's right, what about Naho?!"

  "Seems Happy Carrots helped detoxify better than expected. After sending to hospital, medicine for just two hours, she could walk home. Truly durable as buffalo." Rina smiled mockingly. Jinyo hearing it was like lifting mountains off his chest. The irreplaceable younger sister was an important family member he had left. Without Naho, his life would be lonely, worthless, aimless.

  "And don't worry about Unknown. Because I'm still here. At least until returning to active duty, you'll be safe." Rina crossed arms, speaking confidently. Confidence embedded through words. Like she wasn't afraid of enemies from Heaven at all. Unknown was a disaster few knew its identity. Why wasn't she fearful? Jinyo questioned in his head and accidentally spoke it out.

  "Rina doesn't work as an ordinary hunter, right?"

  "..."

  "I only know Unknown made me lose power 15 years ago. Was the perpetrator making Mother die. But Rina knows its behavior and how to deal with it. Or..."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "If you know more than this, it won't be good, Jinyo. It's government secrets. I can't speak."

  "Even to me, Rina can't tell?"

  "Because it's you, I don't want to tell."

  "Then can't help it." Jinyo sighed. He sat relaxing on the white bed. But too energetic until couldn't sleep. Rina looked at him while furrowing brows, looking at Jinyo with suspicious untrusting gazes.

  "Not stubbornly asking further? Not like you at all."

  "Getting Rina to speak is harder than fighting another hundred Unknowns."

  "Know it well." Rina smiled. Jinyo saw notification messages that affection value increased 5 units. It made him not understand at all what affection value ups and downs depended on. Sometimes increased for no reason. Sometimes decreased without understanding what he did wrong. But Rina seemed very happy. Her smile relaxed and bright when staring at him.

  Though no evidence, if not thinking favorably toward himself, perhaps he didn't imagine it—the gaze Rina used looking at him then had true feelings hidden.

  "Wow!" Ryse was dressed in rabbit ear outfit. Red layered skirt, ran to the Garden of the Sword without needing anyone to guide. Golden radiant rice fields. Plump bright-colored carrots appetizing with potatoes still hiding underground. The garden once desolate now full of produce flowering, fruiting, ready for harvest.

  Fresh air with spirit in every molecule. She ran playing, trampling on land comparable to heaven on human world. Gretel's eyes widened, consciousness drifting. The boy's heart connected as one with nature. Pure aura without adulteration. Just breathing in and out made him not want to step away from here.

  "So big. Rice so very big." Ryse looked at Immortal Rice grains large, many times bigger than ordinary husked rice. Radiant yellow that if not knowing was grains, might be fooled as gold ornaments molded to resemble rice grains.

  "Carrots are big too. Even though I don't like carrots." Gretel pointed at carrots, some large as children's arms.

  "Ryse really wants to eat potatoes. Potatoes are very delicious. Gretel wants to eat too, right?"

  "Mm."

  "Let's ask Brother Yo." Ryse clapped hands, creative ideas sprouting in her head.

  "Ryse ask." Gretel evaded.

  "Why?"

  "Because Brother Yo likes Ryse. Adults like cute girls acting spoiled anyway."

  "Brother Yo likes Gretel too. If Gretel asks, Brother Yo will definitely give extra lots of potatoes." Ryse smiled, speaking to her brother. Jinyo cared quite specially about Gretel's gaze. Because Gretel expressed not quite liking Jinyo. The father was uncomfortable, always careful approaching his son. If opportunities to create affection points arose, Jinyo definitely wouldn't let them slip.

  Gretel escaped from those innocent clear eyes. Ryse ran in to grab his hand, then gripped it tightly.

  "Let's ask Brother Yo together!"

  "If Ryse doesn't dare ask alone, I'll help talk too." Gretel surrendered to his younger sister's brilliant smile.

  "Yay! If we two cooperate, Brother Yo will definitely give potato sacks for sure." Ryse was planning to establish herself as Potato Princess. She opened video clips watching what potatoes could make. Crispy fried potato chips. Powdered spiral potatoes. Salted mashed potatoes. Buttered potatoes. Cheese-baked potatoes. She wanted to eat them all. Greed not knowing where it came from clamored for her to run in, acting spoiled to the super handsome dad.

  Ryse and Gretel walked in to open the hut door. The person they saw was a young man glowing in darkness. In the tightly closed hut devoid of light. But could clearly see this man's appearance. Jinyo sat looking at status values at windows with drifting gaze.

  "Hmm?" Jinyo turned to look at two small visitors.

  "Wow, wow wow wow! Brother Yo, Brother Yo is so handsome!" Ryse ran in to clearly look at Jinyo. Her birth father changed into a different person until couldn't remember.

  "Thank you for complimenting. Ryse herself is also very cute."

  "Hehe." Ryse was embarrassed being complimented. She turned toward her brother standing dumbfounded at the door.

  "Gretel, come."

  Gretel trembled. He wasn't stunned by changed appearances but the aura spreading from his birth father. It was an aura rushing up his nose. Crazed, calm cool and lofty. Had sweet flower scents and ice-cold scents. Like evening wind at sunless nights.

  Power amounts not high compared to ordinary people. But just one day, Jinyo increased power twofold. Normal humans Gretel knew had just one scent, but Jinyo had two. This sudden change affected the boy's narrow worldview. It collapsed before him, confused that the weak father met the first day was so completely distant from the current father.

  "Gretel! Don't break promises."

  "Boys never break promises." Gretel was urged. He walked closer to Jinyo. Jinyo opened windows, letting light leak in. He wanted to rest quietly. But whenever hit by sunlight, Nature Synthesis Technique would work automatically. Made him feel good but also annoying at the same time until mind unsettled. Light leaking through windows swept away pitch darkness to see every part in the hut.

  Jinyo returned to normal people, making Gretel relax. Because earlier, his father was like something indescribable and not human.

  "Brother Yo, we want to have a potato party. Want to eat lots of delicious things. Can we?" Ryse reached out to tug Gretel's shirt hem not escaping thought trances. Gretel's eyes startled awake.

  "I also want to eat delicious things."

  "Sure, no problem. But must wait a bit because I haven't finished work. Tomorrow let's have a big meal party. Not just delicious potatoes but also lots of delicious side dishes. Good?" Like Ryse calculated in advance. Opportunities to create affection points were right in front—what reason did he have to refuse? Jinyo already planned to arrange excellent meals on the occasion of successfully upgrading land. The boy and girl looked at each other. Both high-fived, communicating understanding—operation success!

  "But there's one condition." Jinyo smiled, speaking to both children. Gretel turned to look at Father with suspicious gaze.

  "I won't call you Father!"

  "No, no." Jinyo wanted to cry without a single tear flowing. He was a real father. But this boy had not a shred wanting to call him Father. Trying to make his son call himself Father was that difficult?

  "Want both of you to help go play with Naho. If making Sister Naho happy, I'll be very happy." Jinyo's words ended. Ryse and Gretel confused by the strange request.

  "For Sister Naho?"

  "Mm. That's right."

  "What about Brother Yo?"

  "If Naho's happy, I'm happy. Plus, just you all being happy makes me happy already." Jinyo wanted to reach out to touch his little flesh and blood. Ryse walked in to pick his hand, placing it on her head. The girl smiled brightly like a tiny sunflower giving light healing weary minds. Ryse and Gretel left the hut to find Naho. Their job was making Naho happy. Just both existing already made Naho smile nonstop.

  Jinyo closed windows, making the hut pitch dark again. Opened status windows checking garden management.

  [Nameless God's Garden of the Sword (Class 1)] [Area size: 10 rai] [Money: 1,012 spirit coins] [Buildings: 1] [Bonus: Earth Spirit Blessing (Chisato)] [Livestock: None] [Crops: Immortal Rice, Happy Carrot, Exploding Potato] [Spirit: 27.2 16.2 Produced from (Immortal Rice 3 per rai X 5) (Happy Carrot 0.5 per rai X 2) (Exploding Potato 0.2 per rai) +11 (permanent)]

  [Conditions to upgrade to Class 2] [Money 500,000 spirit coins (Failed)] [Expand land to 25 rai (Failed)] [Sold 30,000 kilograms agricultural produce (Failed)] [Obtained teacher professional license and opened 1-star sword school (Failed)] [Eliminated 3 enemies from Heaven (Failed)] [Made Southerncross family fame known at city level (Failed)]

  "Open school..." Jinyo fell into thought realms. Opening a school was something he always wanted to do. The Southerncross family had foundations as a swordsman family. Whether prosperous or declining times, always had sword schools as pillars of fame and income. Since the previous school master died, Song of a Hundred Flowers school was closed and faded from people's memories.

  Southerncross became just a name remembered as a family already extinct. No fame or wealth. Not even members. Except women who couldn't bear children with trash who couldn't cultivate. System demands strangely aligned with what Jinyo wanted.

  Now Jinyo knew who his enemies were. Made guessing system purposes possible.

  This was just speculation. It was a system born to oppose enemies from Heaven, or what his world called Unknown. Jinyo was probably a tool used to eliminate their enemies. But reviving Southerncross family fame gave them what benefits? Jinyo didn't know, but he would exploit it to revive the family to prosperity again as well.