Ch. 81..90

Chapter 81 I Need Her Good Luck

After an hour, Lux left the conference room, while the others remained.

The Captain of the Riders of Norria and the Elders of Leaf Village were about to discuss something on a national level, so the Half-Elf politely took his leave. He didn't want to meddle in those affairs.

What he cared about were the weapons and the mount that were promised to him by both Boreas and Nevreal.

'Fortunately I haven't chosen anything from my mission rewards yet,' Lux thought as he praised himself for not being in a hurry to choose rewards from the Abomination Mission that he had cleared recently.

Now that he had an Alpha Monster Egg, which could spawn a monster that was completely random, an Honorary Title, and a mount for Diablo, he no longer needed to choose those things from the four choices that were available to him.

'Now, I just have to choose between the Golden Token of Gweliven, and the four Teleport Scrolls that could take me anywhere I have visited previously,' Lux mused. 'I guess, I'll just wait for a good opportunity to use either of those two rewards in the future.'

As soon as Lux stepped onto the street, he saw Colette and the others waiting for him on the opposite side.

"Big Brother!" Colette waved her hand enthusiastically the moment she saw Lux. In truth, she and the others had been worried because they thought that the Half-Elf was in trouble.

After seeing him unharmed, and his expression which implied that he seemed to be in a good mood, their worries disappeared completely.

"You guys waited for me?" Lux asked. Deep inside he was quite touched. He had really gotten close to the Dwarf children, which had been his first party members in the world of Elysium.

"It's not that we care about you. We just came here to accompany Colette," Matthew replied in a cranky manner. "Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

Lux smirked as he looked at the future hen-pecked-boyfriend, who was doing his best to look irritated. The Half-Elf then patted Colette's head as he gave her some good news.

"I'll be traveling to the Stronghold of Norria ten days from now," Lux said. "Why don't you guys come with me? They might have some interesting things over there that we can't find in the Beginner Zones."

Colette blinked once then twice before latching onto Lux's arm and looking up at him with a serious expression on her face.

"You're not lying right, Big Brother?" Colette asked. "Can we really go with you?"

Lux nodded. "Of course. I asked Captain Boreas earlier if I could bring you guys, and he said that he didn't mind as long as we don't cause trouble when we are there."

"We won't cause trouble!" Colette replied happily. "Hehehe, even my sister wasn't able to go to the Stronghold of Norria. I bet she will be surprised when I tell her about this."

"Eh? Your sister hasn't been there? How come?"

"Big Brother, the Stronghold of Norria is off limits to everyone. Only high-ranking nobles and those with high-status are allowed to enter the fortress."

Lux nodded his head in understanding as he gave Colette a knowing smile. He knew that the adorable, little, blonde Dwarf adored her older sister like an idol that she hoped to become like her sister someday.

Colette always boasted that her sister was a genius, very beautiful, and had many suitors. She also constantly reminded Lux that she would be more than happy to play matchmaker, and pair him up with her sister in marriage.

The Half-Elf just laughed it off because he thought that Colette was just being childish and teasing him. Although he had to admit that he was quite curious to meet the little girl's sister, he wasn't in a hurry to do so.

"Well then, do you guys have any plans for the time being?" Lux asked.

Colette gave Lux a sweet smile as she told him that she planned to return home for a few days in order to have the monster egg that she had received from their battle hatched in their family's residence. Although she could hatch it in Leaf Village, Colette wanted her sister to be there to see the hatching process with her.

Helen also planned to return home to ask her parents for advice on what to do with the Carbuncle Fur that she got from the expedition.

As for the three boys, they planned to go back to Solais in order to sell the Carbuncle's Jewel. They would then split the coins among the three of them and get better gear from their parents, in preparation for their graduation from Leaf Village.

Everyone parted ways and promised to meet again after ten days in Elysium. Lux's main purpose in going back was to also hatch the egg that he caught. However, the one that would be hatching it wasn't him, but someone who he considered to be blessed with Lady Luck.

Since the monster that would come out of the egg was completely random, he decided to let someone lucky do the honors, so he would get the best possible results.

—--

"Welcome back, Lux," Vera said with a smile on her face as she arrived at the training room. "Have you eaten? I was just about to eat dinner. Why don't you join me?"

"I'm back, Grandma," Lux replied as he gave Vera a loving hug. "What's for dinner?"

"I didn't know you were coming, so I just made rice porridge. Do you want something specific to eat? Just tell me. I will prepare it for you."

"Porridge is fine. Actually, I ate a bit before coming back home, so I'm not that hungry."

Vera smiled as she led Lux to the dining table. The two of them ate, and after that, Vera asked her grandson about his adventures in Elysium.

The Half-Elf didn't hide anything from his grandma and told her everything. He told her about the member of the secret organization that he fought, the Abomination Monster that had threatened the safety of Leaf Village, the rewards he had received, and rewards that he was about to receive.

Vera listened with a calm expression on her face, but deep inside, she was greatly shocked about the experiences that her grandson had faced while he was away from home.

"That is very generous of you to give the monster drops to your friends," Vera said. "But, make sure to also think of your own benefits in the future, okay?"

"Um, about that Grandma, I need to tell you something," Lux replied.

He then explained that he had obtained a reward after the Mutated Carbuncle was slain, which led him to take a pass on the distribution items after the Alpha Monster was killed.

"Strange," Vera thought. "I've never heard of this phenomenon before…"

Vera thought long and hard, but she didn't know anyone that could receive items directly into their Soul Book after killing an Alpha Monster.

"Lux, keep this a secret for the time being," Vera stated. "This is a good thing, but since I haven't heard of this incident happening in the past, those who also have the same ability must have made sure to keep it to themselves. I mean, when you think about it, isn't this a fantastic ability? You don't have to fight for Monster drops because you get them directly.

"If anyone discovers this, they will be very jealous. During dungeon expeditions, and fighting against Field Monsters, parties often distribute the monster drops due to merit. This allows only a select few to benefit from the hunt, but you don't have this problem."

Vera smiled because her grandson had this cheat-like ability. Back then, she was worried that Lux would be too nice, and people would take advantage of him. Now that the Half-Elf had this ability, she wouldn't worry about Lux not getting enough resources, or being treated harshly in Elysium.

'With this, Lux will definitely not lose out when forming teams with other people,' Vera thought. 'Although I feel sorry for his party members, this is still a good thing for my grandson.'

Lux, who had just finished drinking his tea, looked at his grandma with a hopeful expression.

"Grandma, I need a favor," Lux said.

"As long as it is within my ability, I will do it," Vera replied. As long as it was for her grandson, she would do her best to make it happen.

"Grandma, I want to see Iris," Lux stated. "I need her goodluck."

 

Chapter 82 Welcome To Barbatos Academy

Both Lux and Vera stared at the towering, and majestic structure in the distance as they sat on the back of a White Hippopotamus.

They had traveled through a teleportation gate from within the Wildgarde Stronghold, and got transported at the closest relay station from their destination. Even then, they still had to travel on land for a day and on water for half a day.

But since they had Sophie, the White Hippopotamus, the length of their journey was cut in half. When compared to most boats in the water, Sophie was still faster.

As they neared their destination, Lux wasn't able to keep a sigh from escaping his lips as he looked at one of the grandest academies in Solais.

"Barbatos Academy," Lux said softly. "It has been nearly a year since we last came here to visit them. Right, grandma?"

Vera nodded. "Indeed. You were so preoccupied with training and trying to pass the entrance test to Elysium that you refused to visit your step sister. I'm sure Iris still feels bad about it. Make sure to treat her nicely this time around, okay?"

Lux scratched his cheek as he nodded his head.

Vera only had three family members in the entirety of Solais. The first one was her son, Alexander, and the second was her granddaughter, Iris. The third was Lux, of course, whom she had adopted as her grandson, making him Iris' stepbrother.

"Ah, by the way, Iris sent me a letter two months ago," Vera said with a smile. "She is asking me when you are going to see her. I only said that you are busy with your training because you failed again this year. Even so, I promised that both of us would visit her before her birthday six months from now."

"Time sure flies quickly," Lux commented. "She will be sixteen this year."

"And you will be seventeen, Lux. Should we proceed with making Iris your fiance? My son is acting stubborn about it, but if I smack his head, I'm sure that he will agree. So, would you like Iris to be your future wife?"

"Grandma, I don't think smacking the head of a Saint is a good idea. Besides, Uncle Alex only wants what is best for Iris. There are more eligible candidates aside from me that can make her happy."

Vera snorted as she ruffled Lux's hair.

"I only plan to share good things with my family," Vera stated. "Since both of my grandchildren are good, why not match them up? That way, the bonds of our family will be stronger."

"Grandma, let's talk about this when I become a Ranker."

"Nonsense. By the time you become a Ranker, a moron might have already swept Iris off her feet! I'm not going to wait that long. Besides, Iris keeps on pestering me to ensure that no flies will gather around you until she comes of age. We just need to wait for a few months. After her birthday, the two of you can get married the very next day."

Lux subconsciously gulped. He knew that his grandma was serious about pairing him and Iris together. Truth be told, Iris had told him time and time and again that she would only marry him when she grew up.

The Half-Elf found her words amusing back then, and even casually replied that he would wait for her to grow up and marry her every time. Iris took his words seriously back then and even told Vera about it.

Vera was overjoyed and even agreed to it on the spot. Lux and Iris were only twelve and eleven years old back then and, for some reason, he felt that he had shot himself on the foot when he made that promise to her.

Naturally, Alexander didn't agree to it. As Iris' father, he was very overprotective of his daughter. Even though Lux was Vera's adoptive grandson, he rejected his mother's proposal to let Iris become Lux's fiance.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to convince that no-good-son of mine," Vera promised. "All you have to do is say yes, and we will host the wedding right away."

Lux chuckled nervously as he stared at the looming academy that was hailed as one of the best in the Western Regions of Solais.

Barbatos Academy was right at the center of six kingdoms. Most children of the nobility, as well as the members of the Royal Family, all went there to study and expand their horizons.

Just like the Wildgarde Stronghold, the Barbatos Academy had its own faction in Elysium and was based in the Regulus Empire.

The Wildgarde Stronghold's faction was stationed in the Azrael Kingdom, which was a neighbor of the Regulus Empire. Both of them were allies, and enjoyed trade, as well as other lucrative businesses between their two nations.

'I just hope Iris doesn't mention anything about marriage when we meet her,' Lux thought as he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Truth be told, he didn't dislike Iris. In fact, he was very fond of her and treated her like a real sister.

As for his feelings for her, he would be lying if he said that he didn't like her. In fact, there had been times when he thought that it would be nice if she could become his fiance, but he would also remember the things that he needed to do in Elysium. With his priorities shifted a bit, he would often brush off that thought.

'Also, I'm sure that Uncle will make it difficult for the two of us to be together,' Lux sighed internally. 'Well, I don't have to worry about these things. If grandma really wants us to be together, she will turn the world upside down to make it happen. For now, I'm sure that she is holding back, in order to respect Uncle's wishes.'

When Vera adopted Lux, his uncle, Alexander, registered his name in their family tree. Their relationship was civil enough, but Lux couldn't really tell if they were close or not.

While Alexander never made any effort to make Lux feel that he was happy with the latter, he also never made any effort to keep him at arm's length.

If Lux could use a word to describe their relationship, it would definitely be "lukewarm".

Iris was the only one that could make the cold and indifferent man, who was respected and feared by many, break out into a smile.

"We're here, Lux."

Vera's words broke Lux out of his daydream as they neared the portside of the academy.

Sophie swam towards the shore, which caught the attention of several people who were present in the area.

After Lux and Vera dismounted from her back, Sophie's size shrank to only half a meter tall. This was the form that she took whenever she was in the Wildgarde Stronghold, because her original size prevented her from entering into most of the houses in the stronghold.

"Welcome to Barbatos Academy, Lady Vera," a lady who was wearing the uniform of the academy, and seemed to be in her early thirties, said as she bowed her head towards Vera.

"Alicia, have you been well?" Vera replied with a smile. "I hope my no-good son is not overworking you."

Alicia waved her hand as a tinge of redness spread across her face. "The Headmaster isn't making things difficult for me. I am happy with my current work, Lady Vera."

Alicia then shifted her gaze to Lux and grinned.

"It's good to see you again, Young Master Lux," Alicia said as he gave Lux a brief bow. "It seems that you have gotten a little taller since we last met."

Lux smirked as nodded his head in acknowledgement. "It's good to see you again, Alicia. You've gotten more beautiful since the last time I saw you."

"Keep that up, Young Master, and you will not have a hard time finding a lover," Alicia replied, "but make sure to hide your affair from Lady Iris. She will definitely throw a tantrum if she finds out that you are meeting girls behind her back."

Lux chuckled nervously because it seemed that Iris had managed to make Alicia one of her people. If he wanted to enjoy his short visit to Barbatos Academy, he'd better stay clear of the young noble ladies, who usually flirted with him whenever he visited the academy with Vera.

After seeing Lux's nervous expression, a smile appeared on Alicia's lips before shifting her gaze to Vera.

"Lady Vera, please, come with me," Alicia said respectfully. "The Headmaster has been waiting for your arrival."

Vera nodded as she held Lux's hand. The academy had many beautiful girls in it, so she decided to keep Lux by her side to ensure that no random girl would ensnare him during their visit.

After all, she was dead set on making her two grandchildren a couple. That way, she could have the best of both worlds. She wouldn't have to worry about other people trying to use Iris as a political tool in order to form connections with her son, Alexander, who was the Headmaster of the strongest military academy in the Western Regions of Solais.

 

 

Chapter 83 That Was My First Kiss!

"Headmaster, Lady Vera has arrived."

"Let them in."

Alicia bowed to Vera as she opened the door, welcoming the latter and Lux to enter. She remained outside because this was a family affair and she didn't want Lux teasing her after their meeting with the Headmaster.

As soon as Lux entered the room, he saw a man who seemed to be in his late twenties signing a few documents that were piled up on top of his table.

With just a glance, one could tell that he wasn't an ordinary person. Although he did his best to suppress it, his overwhelming powers would fluctuate from time to time, causing the air around him to ripple.

Contrary to his very young appearance, Alexander Von Kaizer was already fifty-five years old. He had attained Sainthood at a very young age, so his growth had drastically slowed down.

In fact, Lux wouldn't be surprised if his Uncle looked like someone in his early thirties once the latter reached a hundred years old. This was one of the perks in breaking through the limits of the mortal realm in the world of Solais.

When Vera and Lux sat on the seats in front of him, the Headmaster placed the last document at his side and looked at his mother with a smile.

"Mother, it's good to see that you are doing well," Alexander said. He then shifted his attention to Lux and gave him a brief nod. "Boy, according to my informant in Wildgarde Stronghold, you once again failed the entrance exam to Elysium. You better man up if you want to have even the slightest chance of leaving your mark in the world."

Lux's neck shrank because his Uncle didn't bother to mince words when telling him that he needed to "Git Gud".

Vera, on the other hand, chuckled when she saw this exchange. She knew her son's temper better than anyone else because she was the one that raised him. The fact that he even bothered to remind Lux to step up his game meant that he didn't want the Half-Elf to spend his time feeling sorry for himself.

What Alexander wanted was for Lux to think of ways to improve himself, instead of moping like a useless bum.

'I guess, there is still hope in making my grandchildren become partners in life,' Vera thought as looked at her son with satisfaction. The latter rolled his eyes at his mother, whom he could read like an open book.

"I've received your letter, Mother," Alexander stated. "I don't think that you should spoil Lux so much. You even got him a rare monster egg for him to raise. How will he grow up to be an outstanding man if you spoon feed him each and every time?"

Lux lowered his head because he didn't want his uncle to see the smirk that was about to appear on his face. He and his grandma, Vera, both agreed that they should keep his entry to Elysium a secret for now.

The two wanted to surprise, not only the Wildgarde Stronghold, but also Alexander, at the next Gathering of Heroes by showing them how awesome Lux was.

Once every four years, a grand tournament would be held in Barbatos Academy to showcase the young talents within the Western Regions of Solais. All participants must be Grade A Apostle or below in order to join this prestigious event.

The Final Four would receive amazing prizes from the sponsors of the event. The six kingdoms that backed Barbatos Academy often used this opportunity to gather young talents and bestow upon them the rank of nobility in order to bring them under their wing.

Naturally, those who wished to serve a different king could take this opportunity to jump ship, and start their careers in greener pastures. This had been the established rule since the tournament was created.

If a ruler were to lose a talented individual, it just meant that the benefits they presented weren't enticing enough to make the young prodigies serve them. In the end, the only one that they could blame was themselves for being stingy.

Vera wanted her grandson to step on that grand stage and show the world how awesome he was. That way, the past grievances that Lux had suffered would be washed away completely, which in turn would force everyone to look at him in a new light.

"Don't be like that, Alex," Vera replied. "Lux was the one that found the egg while we were out camping. We just don't know what kind of monster is inside it, so I proposed that we bring it here so that Iris could help him hatch it."

"A good tale, but I don't buy it, Mother."

"I won't force you. Now, where is Iris? I want to see my granddaughter."

p Alexander sighed as he rang a small bell in order to call for Alicia.

The moment the pretty lady stepped inside the office, Alexander ordered her to escort Vera and Lux to the training area.

The Barbatos Academy followed a strict rule. All students could stay in Elysium for the duration of five days before they needed to return to the academy, then they had to stay there for two days in order to give their reports to the academy.

Just like Wildgarde Stronghold, the Barbatos Academy had managed to create a kingdom of their own within Elysium. It was jointly managed by a council, composed of representatives from each of the six kingdoms, as well as Alexander, who served as the Head of the Council.

As a Saint, he held the strongest deterrence force that kept those who eyed the academy, as well as their kingdom in Elysium—that they had named the Barbatos Kingdom—at bay.

The purpose of the students inside the academy was to become stronger and help expand their Domain. Only those who had attained the rank of Apostle were allowed to enroll at Barbatos Academy.

They simply had no need for the weak to join their ranks, which was the main reason why Lux wasn't one of their students.

As they neared the training area, Lux and Vera could hear the cheering of a crowd. A few minutes later, they saw two young combatants fighting an intense battle in an arena.

Lux could tell that both fighters were at least the Grade B Apostles due to the intensity of their battle. Vera gave her grandson a side-long glance to see his expression, and was quite satisfied with what she saw.

The Half-Elf was currently focusing on the match, and watching the two combatants very closely. He was trying to put himself in the shoes of the two opponents and was trying to emulate how to best dodge or counter-attack their moves.

'He has really grown up after entering Elysium,' Vera thought with a smile. She then shifted her attention back to the two young fighters, who seemed to be fighting with their life and honor on the line as they continued to clash against each other.

Five minutes later, a young man with light-brown hair and blue eyes raised his sword towards the heavens to declare his victory.

The crowd cheered and gave him a thunderous applause.

"Sir Lawrence is so amazing!"

"Yes! Simply the best among the other boys in his year."

"I feel faint whenever I see him fight. I wonder if he has a girlfriend yet?"

"He doesn't have one. As if you don't know, he only has eyes for Lady Iris."

"I'm so jealous! She's such a lucky girl!"

The girls talked among themselves, while the boys looked at Lawrence in envy. He was simply too perfect in their eyes, and someone whom they aspired to be.

"I have won, My Lady Iris," Lawrence said as he gave a respectful bow to a young beauty with light-blue hair and eyes, which made anyone who saw them feel as if they were looking at a beautiful painting.

"Un, congratulations," Iris gave Lawrence an awkward smile.

This whole battle started because the combatant that Lawrence fought had confessed his feelings to Iris a day ago. Iris politely declined his confession and told him that she already had someone in her heart.

It should have ended then and there, but when Lawrence heard that someone had confessed to the girl he liked, he immediately challenged that person to a duel. Since the other guy had just been rejected, he wanted to vent out his frustrations, so the young man was more than happy to accept Lawrence's challenge.

And so, this duel, which Iris didn't want to happen in the first place, happened, and had turned into a spectacle for hundreds of people who were looking for entertainment inside the academy.

Just as Iris was thinking about how to get out of this mess, she saw something red appear in the corner of her vision, which made her turn her head.

It was at that moment when she saw Lux, who was standing beside her grandma, waving at her.

"Brother!" Iris immediately shouted as she broke free from the crowd and left the handsome Lawrence behind with a confused look on his face.

The crowd parted for Iris because she was a very important figure within the academy, and was treated like a princess.

"Brother Lux! I missed you!" Iris said as she gave Lux a very tight hug, which the latter returned by lightly wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I missed you too, Iris," Lux replied. "Have you gotten a bit taller?"

"Have I?"

"Yes. By a few centimeters I think."

Lawrence frowned when he saw someone whom he hadn't seen before hugging the apple of his eye. He immediately walked towards the stranger with the intention of knowing who he was.

Iris, who hadn't seen Lux for a very long time, stood on tiptoe and pressed her soft lips against his, kissing him in front of all the students who were present at the training ground.

'Oh my!' Vera covered her own lips as she gave her granddaughter two thumbs up in her heart. 'She really has the Kazier bloodline flowing inside her veins. She's so bold.'

Lawrence's body froze after seeing the scene unfold in front of him.

He was not the only one to react this way. Several boys, as well as girls, looked at the unexpected incident in front of them with shock and disbelief.

Even Lux, who had just been kissed by Iris, stiffened after realizing what just transpired.

The young lady in question pulled back with a smile. However, her smile didn't last long as the realization of what she had just done hit her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Iris stuttered as her whole face turned beet red. "I missed Brother Lux so much that my brain momentarily went blank! That was my first kiss! I was hoping to do it in a more romantic way. Oh, no! What have I done?!"

The beautiful young lady was about to panic when she found herself being wrapped up in a protective embrace.

"I missed you, Iris," Vera said as she kissed her granddaughter's forehead. "Why don't we visit your father, so that our family can have afternoon tea together?"

"Y-Yes! Let's do that, Grandma!" Iris immediately grabbed Vera's hand because it was the perfect excuse to get out of this tricky situation. She half-dragged her grandma towards the exit of the training ground. "Let's have afternoon tea together! Alicia, please, prepare some snacks as well!"

"As you wish, My Lady," Alicia bowed, but wasn't able to hide the smirk on her lips upon seeing Iris' flustered expression.

When the young beauty felt that there was something amiss, Iris immediately remembered that Lux was still rooted on the spot and was looking at them with a dazed expression.

"Brother Lux! What are you zoning about there for?" Iris asked with an embarrassed look on her face. "Don't tell me you fainted standing up? Let's go have tea together!"

Iris let go of her grandma's hand and ran back towards Lux. She then grabbed his hand and ran back to Vera's side, forcefully dragging the Half-Elf along.

"Now, let's go," Iris said as she held the hands of the two most important people in her life, aside from her father. She led them towards the exit of the Training Ground, leaving a dumbfounded crowd behind.

Lawrence, who had initially wanted to confront the red-headed stranger, stood rooted on the spot, as he watched them leave with a frustrated look on his face.

It was at that moment when the young man realized that the students inside the academy, who also pursued Iris, weren't his true love rivals. His greatest rival was none other than the red-headed teenager who stole his crush's first kiss!

 

 

Chapter 84 Brother Lux, Our Baby Is Finally Born!

"Brother, say Ahhhh!"

".... Ahhh."

Iris happily spoonfed Lux some apple pie with a sweet smile on her face. Vera looked at his scene happily. Ever since Lux turned ten and Iris turned nine, she had been thinking of pairing the two of them together.

Both of them were her grandchildren and she wanted the two of them to live a happy life together. Fortunately, Iris was more than happy with the idea, and even asked her Grandma to make sure that no other girls became close with Lux while he was in Wildgarde Stronghold.

Truth be told, there were many girls that had a crush on Lux in the stronghold, but their parents told them that it would be better to choose someone else. The first reason was due to Lux's sickly constitution, the other reason being his inability to go to Elysium.

​ The people of Solaispursued strength, stability, and resources. Lux might be good looking, but that was all he had. He neither had power, stability, nor resources. His good looks made him popular, but good looks and popularity alone wouldn't put food on the table.

When it came to choosing a son-in-law, the parents would prefer men who were strong enough to protect his wife. This was why Lux was not a good prospect in the eyes of those who lived in Wildgarde Stronghold.

But Iris didn't care whether Lux was strong or not. She had fallen in love with him because, although he was sickly, he always played with her and did his best to be there for her whenever her father was away.

Admittedly, Vera also played a vital role in how the two became close because. She always created opportunities for the two of them to always be together.

However, the time they spent together became scarce as Lux focused on his training in order to enter Elysium.

Iris did the same, but her environment was special. As the daughter of a Saint, she was well protected at all times.

Iris' profession was a Beast Tamer, who also specialized in Monster Breeding. The reason Lux came to see her was because there was something that not many people knew about Iris, and that was her unbelievable luck.

It would not be an exaggeration to call her Lady Luck's daughter. If a flock of birds were to drop their poop on a crowd of people. You could be certain that everyone would get hit, except her.

She also stumbled upon monster eggs in the fields and, when she hatched them, rare and legendary monsters would be born 100% of the time.

Right now, Iris had five Beast Companions that she had raised from eggs.

A Blue Dragon, a White Tiger, a Red Phoenix, a Black Turtle, and a Unicorn.

Lux had even joked at one time that if she planned to rule the world, it would definitely become a reality.

After Iris' one-sided display of affection which was sweet enough to rot Lux's teeth, the Half-Elf brought up why he had come to see her.

"An Egg that came from an Alpha Beast?" Iris' eyes sparkled immediately at the mention of the monster egg. "Fufufu. So, Brother came to see me so I could hatch your egg, right?"

"Yes," Lux nodded as he took his egg out of the special storage ring that Vera had given him, which was exclusively used for carrying monster eggs. "Please, help me, Iris."

Iris smiled as she placed the two-foot-tall monster egg on her lap, and lightly caressed its surface.

"I can sense its strong will to live," Iris commented as she closed her eyes. "Don't worry. I will hatch you soon."

The young beauty with light-blue hair smiled as she carried the egg towards the Bestiary. Lux followed behind her because he was quite excited to see the kind of monster that would be born from the egg.

Neither Vera nor Alicia had gone with them because they didn't want to get in the way of the two youngsters.

—-

"Fufufu. Brother Lux, somehow, I feel like I'm going to hatch our baby," Iris said as she placed the egg on an incubator. "So, what would you like to have? A boy or a girl?"

"Um, either one is fine," Lux replied. "As long as they are born healthy."

Because it had been a while since he had seen Iris, Lux had completely forgotten what kind of girl she was. The young beauty beside him was a complete brocon.

However, Iris wasn't just an ordinary brocon. She was the kind of brocon who had the intention of marrying her bro.

Iris smiled as she nodded her head. "Yes. That is the important part. Don't worry, I will make sure to give birth to our baby properly."

Lux was already used to Iris' way of speaking after spending many years with her, so he decided to remain silent and pretend that he didn't hear what she just said.

Iris chanted as her hands wrote runic engravings on the surface of the monster egg. Usually, monster breeders had the ability to inject some of their magical powers, as well as their lifeforce, in order to assist the birth of a monster.

This would ensure that the monster would be born safely and, at times, awaken a rare skill or ability that would set it apart from monsters of its kind, similar to Named Creatures like Diablo and Ishtar.

After she finished her chanting, the egg started to glow, and a small crack appeared on its surface. Soon, the cracks spread until the entire egg was covered by them.

Lux stared at it with bated breath as he thought about the monster that would be born from it.

'Knowing Iris, this will definitely be a mythical monster. Could this be a dragon? Or perhaps a phoenix? Wait. She already has both of them, so what is the thing that is missing from her lineup? The only one I can think of is a Qilin…"

Lux then pushed this thought aside because the egg finally split apart revealing the monster inside it.

"Brother Lux, our baby is finally born!" Iris happily picked up the monster and gave her a kiss. "Isn't she cute? Um, from now on, your name will be Eiko."

The newly born monster, Eiko, pressed her body against Iris' right cheek, as if returning the kiss that she gave her.

Lux, on the other hand, looked at the monster in Iris' hand with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

He was expecting that he would get a mythical or legendary Alpha Beast, after getting Iris' help, but the monster that had been hatched was a very common monster, which made Lux question whether Iris had somehow used up all of her luck hatching her own beast companions.

"Brother Lux, isn't she adorable?" Iris asked as she presented the baby monster to Lux.

"Y-Yes," Lux replied. "She looks so… jiggly."

Iris giggled as she once again planted a kiss on the baby monster before placing her in Lux's hands.

The Half-Elf stared at Eiko, and Eiko stared back at him.

This was their first meeting, and it also marked the start of Eiko's journey alongside Lux, as they explored the world where miracles, and wishes, could become a reality.

 

 

Chapter 85 Mama’s And Papa’s Girl

Lux had a confused look on his face as he stared at his baby monster, Eiko.

The Half-Elf had no idea how a two-foot tall egg could give birth to a blue slime that was only as big as his hand.

"Brother, you still need to give her a drop of your blood," Iris reminded. "This is how we put our imprint on baby monsters, so that they will fully recognize us as their parents."

"Is that so?" Lux thought as he allowed Iris to lightly prick his left index finger to draw blood. He wasn't an expert when it comes to monster breeding, so he decided to let his step sister guide him to do the finishing touches.

Once enough blood pooled on the tip of his fingertip, Lux then placed it over Eiko's head, but the baby slime did something unexpected.

As if sensing Lux's blood, Eiko raised her head and extended her body to bite his fingertip. The Half-Elf almost jumped back in shock, but was able to stop at the last minute out of sheer willpower.

After consuming his blood, Eiko's body glowed briefly and rows of text appeared inside Lux's Soul Book.

Iris giggled as she picked up Eiko with both of her hands. She then used an ability of hers to draw blood from her fingertip, and allowed Eiko to absorb her blood as well. Just like what happened after Eiko had taken Lux's blood, Eiko's body glowed briefly, which meant that Eiko recognized Iris as her parent as well.

"With this, I will be your Mama and Brother will be your Papa," Iris smiled sweetly as she gave Lux a sidelong glance, before giving Eiko a kiss, which made the blue slime's small body jiggle.

The red-headed teenager could only scratch the back of his head because he didn't know how he should react to Iris' teasing.

'I guess I'll just check on Eiko's stats first,' Lux thought as he opened his Soul Book.

Just as he expected, a new page had appeared that was exclusive for Eiko. However, what he saw in the information sheet of the baby slime made Lux wonder if he was just seeing things.

—--

< Eiko >

"The world is my oyster!"

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: E-

– Progress (0 / 1000)

Health: 40 / 40

Mana: 400 / 400

Strength: 2

Intelligence: 20

Vitality: 2

Agility: 2

Dexterity: 2

Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX]

Active Skill: None

Passive Skill: None

Title: Mama's and Papa's Girl

Note: This baby slime will someday rule the world.

—-

< Mimicry [EX] >

– Eiko is able to copy up to six skills or abilities from anyone, and anything, within a fifty meter radius around her.

– Copied skills are only temporary and only last for a maximum of two hours before disappearing completely.

– This skill can also copy the appearance of the target creature, allowing Eiko to transform into that form. Duration of transformation lasts for a maximum of one hour.

– Eiko's stats remain as they are, regardless of what type of creature, or non-living creature, she copied. Even if she transforms herself into a dragon, her stats will remain the same.

—-

< Regeneration [EX] >

– Increase Health and Mana Regeneration by 500%

– This ability can also regenerate any injuries that Eiko received in battle. Even if she was cut into a hundred pieces, as long as a part of her exists, she will be able to fully regenerate her body without fail.

—--

Title: Mama's and Papa's Girl

– If either Lux Von Kaizer or Iris Von Kaizer is within a fifty-square meter radius of Eiko, all of her stats will increase by 50% during battle.

– If both of them are present, Eiko will receive a 100% increase in all of her stats during battle.

—-

'... Dafuk is this sh*t?' Lux cursed internally as he looked at the cheat-like abilities that were available on Eiko's Status Page.

The first thing that he noticed was the incredibly high progression rating that Eiko currently had. Even Diablo's and Ishtar's ratings started with only a 100 points, but Eiko's rating had jumped straight to 1,000!

This was something unexpected, and Lux was starting to feel his head aching at the thought of how he would be able to get Eiko to upgrade with the measly amount of resources he currently had. Also, unlike his two other Named Creatures, Diablo and Ishtar, Eiko didn't have a 50% bonus when absorbing beast cores.

This meant that the baby slime needed to eat one hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores, in order to get her first upgrade.

Lux also believed that Eiko's two skills, Mimicry [EX], and Regeneration [EX], were nothing to scoff at. Those two skills alone was enough to tell him how powerful Eiko would be if she reached a higher rank.

'I knew that I would get something insane if I left the hatching of the egg to Iris, but I didn't expect to learn that this kind of insanity existed,' Lux pinched the bridge of his nose because his stepsister was truly a lady blessed by luck.

Just as Lux was wondering how to upgrade Eiko to the next level, he saw Iris holding a blue Rank 1 Beast Core that was the size of a quail's egg, and fed it to the baby slime in her hands.

The Half-Elf watched this endearing scene with a smile on his face, but his smile froze when a row of text once again appeared on Eiko's Status Page, catching him completely by surprise.

—-

– Eiko has learned the skill Water Bullet!

< Water Bullet >

(Mana: 5)

– Shoot a small ball of compressed water at your target dealing 20 - 30 Magical Damage.

– Deals 100% additional damage to Fire Type Monsters.

—--

Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]!

– Target Lux Von Kaizer.

– Successfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]!

—--

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Water Bullet will be upgraded into Hydro Ball once the requirements have been met.

< Hydro Ball >

– Shoot a ball of compressed water at your target dealing 100 - 200 Magical Damage.

– Deals 100% additional damage to Fire Type Monsters

– Requirements to upgrade: Use Water Bullet 10x

– Progress ( 0 / 10 )

—--

Before Lux could even digest the words that he had read, Eiko turned around and spat a blob of water at the floor. She did this ten times, with an interval of a few seconds in between.

Immediately after that, Lux received a notification that Eiko's Water Bullet Skill had successfully evolved into Hydro Ball.

"Wow! You're amazing Eiko!" Iris praised the baby monster who jiggled in her hand in happiness. "But, let's go outside, okay? We don't want you damaging this place."

Iris happily left the Bestiary and headed to her personal training ground with the baby slime in her arms. Lux could only stare at them in disbelief as he tried to understand what had just transpired a moment ago.

'I think I discovered a bug in the system,' Lux thought as he forced himself to follow Iris and Eiko to her private training room.

Deep inside, he was starting to have a feeling of anticipation. Although Eiko was still a baby right now, her possibilities were endless.

The Half-Elf couldn't even imagine what kind of upgrade the baby slime would have, once she consumed the necessary amount of beast cores to upgrade her rank to the next level.

 

 

Chapter 86 Not An Ordinary Baby Slime

Iris hummed, holding Eiko in her arms, as she headed to her personal training field, while Lux followed a few steps behind them.

The Half-Elf had lent her his Soul Book, so she could also see Eiko's stats. Lux was hoping that Iris would be surprised after seeing Eiko's status page, but the blue-haired beauty didn't even bat an eye after seeing the information that was in front of her.

"Iris, don't you think it's strange?" Lux asked. "Eiko's progression bar requires 1000 Points although she's only at Rank E-. Isn't this a bit too much?"

Iris stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at Lux with a confused expression on her face.

"Isn't that normal?" Iris blinked. "My Beast Companions had the same progression point when they were hatched from their eggs."

The corner of Lux's lips twitched when he realized that he had forgotten that Iris' Beast Companions were all Mythical Beasts. Her standards for normal were already very high at the start, which made Lux feel sorry for his own Summoned Creatures, like Diablo and Ishtar, which started at 100 Progression Points at their lowest rank.

"Oh! Are you worried about raising her rank, Brother?" Iris smiled. "Don't worry. I will give Eiko a hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade her Rank. This is my responsibility as her Mama. But, the rest will have to depend on her Papa, okay?"

Iris winked at Lux before she continued walking towards their destination while humming a song.

Lux could only scratch his head. Iris was really treated like a Princess in Barbatos Academy. A hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores were nothing to her. On the contrary, he had to fight against hordes of monsters in order to secure the same amount of Beast Cores.

'Well, I guess this is also a good thing,' Lux thought. 'My supply of Beast Cores has dwindled as of late. I don't even have enough to upgrade Diablo, Ishtar, and the other skeletons. I guess I'll have to farm beast cores when I return to Leaf Village.'

While Lux was still thinking about the most ideal place to go to hunt for Beast Cores in the Beginner Zone, they finally arrived at their destination.

The moment Iris appeared in the training room, two monsters immediately ran up to her. One was a White Tiger, and the other was a Unicorn. Both monsters were two meters tall, which would have been intimidating to those who were not familiar with them. However, since Lux had visited Iris many times in the past, her two guardian beasts recognized him immediately.

The White Tiger nudged its head against Lux's chest, and the latter rubbed its neck, which made the tiger purr.

"Have you been a good boy, Hanz?" Lux asked the White Tiger who seemed to be enjoying the attention he was receiving from Lux.

Hanz growled lightly as if replying to Lux's question. Among Iris' Beast Companions, the White Tiger and the Half-Elf got along the most, and would play with each other whenever Lux visited Iris in the academy.

The Unicorn stared at the blue slime in Iris' arm and neighed. Clearly, it wasn't happy seeing its owner pamper a monster aside from them. It even moved its head closer to look at Eiko who was also looking back at it.

"Eiko, this is Astra," Iris introduced her unicorn to the slime that was looking at it with curiosity. "Astra, this is Eiko. She is mine and Brother's baby. Please, get along with her, okay?"

The Unicorn gave a light snort, as it moved its head closer to the baby slime. Astra didn't like it when other monsters, aside from its companions, got near Iris. Unicorns get jealous very easily. This was why it decided to intimidate the baby slime, who was currently monopolizing its Master's good graces.

Eiko stared at the unicorn for a few seconds before spitting a blob of water at its head, drenching it completely. The Unicorn hastily backed away as it shook its head to dry itself from the unexpected attack from the baby monster.

The baby slime giggled after seeing the unicorn's antics, and immediately spat one water bullet after the other.

Astra raised its head arrogantly as it easily dodged Eiko's attack, making the baby's smile turn into a pout. Seeing that its attacks weren't hitting its target, Eiko stopped spitting Water Bullets and cried!

"Oh, don't cry little Eiko," Iris coaxed the baby slime as she cradled her in her arms like a baby. "It's fine. Astra will play with you some other time."

The baby slime instantly quieted down when Iris started to feed it Beast Cores. However, she didn't expect that what she was doing could make anyone green with jealousy if only they were able to see Eiko's Status Page.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Fire Bullet will be upgraded into Fire Bolt once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Wind Bullet will be upgraded into Aero Ball once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Stone Bullet will be upgraded into Stone Spike once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Shadow Bullet will be upgraded into Shadow Ball once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Blink will be upgraded into Teleport once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Cure will be upgraded into Cure-All once the requirements have been met.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Dodge will be automatically upgraded into Uncanny Dodge.

—-

Although his Soul Book was currently in Iris' hand, the rows of text that appeared in front of Lux made his throat dry.

Iris kept on feeding Eiko until her progression bar hit 1,000 points, which allowed the baby slime to upgrade its rank.

—--

Eiko has acquired the skill Family Bond.

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Since the skill Family Bond is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Family Bond [EX].

—-

< Family Bond [EX]

– Twice a day, Eiko will be able to teleport to Lux Von Kaizer's, or Iris Von Kaizer's, location wherever they may be.

– This skill works even if they are inside a dungeon, a domain, or a special plane of existence.

—--

Eiko has acquired the skill Speech.

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

Since the skill Speech is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Speech [EX].

—--

< Speech [EX] >

– Eiko will be able to talk to any creature, as long as they use some kind of means to communicate.

—--

< Select two options from the list to bestow upon Eiko. >

– Health +2000

– Intelligence +100

– Underwater Breathing

– Lava Walking

– Air Steps

– Dig

– Summon Metal Slime

– Summon Fire Slime

– Summon Water Slime

– Summon Rock Slime

– Summon Aero Slime

– Summon Saber Slime

– Summon Berserker Slime

– Summon Hunter Slime

– Summon Shadow Slime

– Summon Devil Slime

– Summon Angel Slime

—--

"... Damn," Lux muttered as he scanned the long list of bonuses that Eiko gained after being upgraded once. He finally understood that the baby slime in his stepsister's arms was definitely not an ordinary baby slime, but a baby slime that matched the power of the mythical beasts in Iris' Bestiary.

 

Chapter 87 Eiko Vs. Astra [Part 1]

"Eiko, say Mama."

"Ma."

"Mama."

"Ma."

"My baby is so smart!" Iris said as she rubbed her cheek against Eiko's body, which made the baby slime giggle. On the other side, the Unicorn snorted in irritation.

Lux and Hanz only looked at this scene with amused expressions on their faces.

'I'll choose two from the options later, once I have a better understanding of what would be more beneficial for Eiko,' Lux thought as he walked towards Iris who was humming happily, while dancing with the baby slime in her hands.

"Thank you, Iris," Lux said. "I wouldn't have been able to upgrade Eiko's rank without your help."

Iris stopped dancing and smiled at the red-headed teenager who rarely visited her due to his training.

"You're welcome, Brother," Iris replied as she presented Eiko to Lux. "Eiko, call him Papa."

The little slime looked at Lux with curiosity before spraying water on his face, drenching him completely.

Iris hurriedly took a step back and moved Eiko away, preventing the mischievous baby slime from continuing to spray water on her beloved brother.

Eiko stopped spraying water before giggling like a naughty kid that had succeeded in its prank. Iris then gave Lux an apologetic look, while the latter just waved his hand to tell her that he was fine.

As Lux dried his face with a towel, Iris admonished Eiko for being naughty, which made the baby slime look at her with a teary-eyed face. Seeing her adorable daughter look at her that way, Iris couldn't find it in herself to further chastise the baby in her hand.

"Just don't do it again, okay?" Iris said in a gentle tone. "That is your Papa. you should always treat him as you treat me. We're family, so you shouldn't play pranks on your Papa, okay?"

"Family," Eiko repeated Iris' words before nodding her head in understanding.

Iris smiled with satisfaction "Good girl! Now let's say sorry to your Papa, okay?"

"Un!" Eiko nodded.

Iris once again approached Lux with Eiko in hand. The Half-Elf had just finished wiping his head, and looked at the baby slime with a guarded expression on his face.

Eiko looked at Lux innocently as Iris held her up until the baby slime was only two feet away from Lux's face.

"Pa!" Eiko said.

Lux smiled and lightly patted Eiko's head. "Mmm."

Eiko didn't move and allowed Lux to lightly pat her head. When the Half-Elf pulled his hand away, the baby slime jumped off of Iris' hand and landed on her Papa's head with excellent precision. The baby slime then turned around to face Iris with a smile on its face.

"Ma!"

"Well done, Eiko!" Iris clapped her hand as she praised her baby. "That's my baby girl!"

Her praise made Eiko giggle, which made the baby slime jump back to her. The young lady caught the mischievous baby effortlessly.

Iris had a lot of experience from raising many monsters that had been left behind by their owners in the academy because they were still too young to accompany them on their journey to Elysium.

Baby Monsters were often targeted by other monsters because they were deemed as easy prey, which in turn resulted in their early demise. To prevent this from happening, Barbatos Academy had opened up a nursery for these monsters. Their owners only had to prepare a good number of beast cores in order to hasten their growth.

Iris was a Beast Tamer, so she would frequent the nursery in order to take care of the baby monsters that were left behind. She was not new to the mischievous antics of these monsters because, most of the time, newly born monsters just wanted to seek the attention of their owners.

Depending on their personality, some would play pranks to their owners because this was their way of showing their affection to them.

"Big Brother, I think Eiko is a prankster," Iris said as she lightly patted Eiko's head as she faced her stepbrother. "Monsters like these are very hard to raise because they do things at their own pace. Sometimes, they will even take the initiative to attack other monsters out of curiosity, which often leads to them getting seriously injured.

"If you plan to take Eiko with you to Elysium, make sure to always have an eye on her, so she doesn't go and cause trouble for anyone."

Lux nodded. "Thanks for the reminder. I'll keep that in mind."

As someone who had no experience with raising pets, Iris' insight was very helpful to him. Eiko was his first Beast Companion, so he needed to understand her character. This way, he would know how to handle certain situations when he was traveling, while bringing her with him.

Iris was about to say something else, but she stopped after hearing Astra's irritated neigh.

"What's wrong, Astra?" Iris asked.

Astra once again neighed as it used its horn to point at the baby slime who had crawled on top of Iris' head.

Eiko glanced at the Unicorn and narrowed her eyes. Because of her ability to understand all creatures, she understood that the Unicorn wanted her to leave her Mama's head.

The baby slime didn't want to leave, so she decided to show the arrogant Unicorn that she wasn't someone that it could mess with.

Eiko spat several Fire Bullets in rapid succession towards the Unicorn that was trying to make her stay away from her Mama.

Astra had already expected that this would happen, so it casually dodged Eiko's attack with ease, while looking at her in contempt.

The arrogant expression on the Unicorn's face didn't sit well with Eiko, so she unleashed a barrage of spells that she had just recently learned.

Astra neighed with disdain as the little Slime pelted it with elemental attacks in rapid succession.

As a monster that had been cared for by Iris for many years, Astra's rank was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. Since the Unicorn specialized in speed, it was very easy for it to dodge the attacks of a low-level monster like Eiko.

After seeing that her attacks weren't connecting, Eiko's body glowed briefly as it shouted with its adorable voice.

"Arise!"

Suddenly, a scene that Lux and Iris didn't expect to happen in front of them happened.

Seven Skeleton Fighters, and Four Skeleton Grand Archers appeared in front of Iris.

Eiko raised its head and shouted. "Attack!"

The Slime's seven Skeleton Fighters charged at the Unicorn with fury. The Skeleton Grand Archers also used their Crippling Volley attack in order to limit the number of places that Astra could move.

The Unicorn was caught by surprise, but it wasn't entirely helpless either. As one of Iris' guardians, it had faced this situation numerous times when it accompanied her to Elysium.

Astra disappeared from where it stood using its Blink ability, then fired a beam of light from the tip of its horn at the approaching skeletons.

The attack blew the Skeleton Fighters away, and shaved off half of their health. The Unicorn once again Blinked and instantly appeared behind the Skeleton Grand Archers and used its Thrash attack, kicking them in different directions.

Lux had already pulled Iris and helped her back away from the intense battle, so she wasn't in any danger from the battle that was currently being waged by Eiko's summons as well as Astra's skills.

Hanz stood in front of his Master, ready to block any wayward spells or attacks that might head in her direction.

Unknown to the three of them, Eiko had Blinked away from Iris' head, and was currently jumping towards her minions in order to fight alongside them. Astra wanted Eiko to stay away from Iris, which upset the baby Slime.

Because of this, she decided to fight against the annoying Unicorn, and show it that she was not someone that could be bullied easily.

 

Chapter 88 Eiko Vs. Astra [Part 2]

"Brother, what is happening?" Iris asked. "Where did those skeletons come from?"

"Eiko copied my Summoning Skills," Lux answered. "Iris, the baby Slime you hatched from the egg I gave you might be the strongest Slime in existence."

"Brother, Eiko is our daughter. Of course, she's bound to be the strongest."

"Um. Now that you mention it, how can my daughter be a weakling?"

"I know, right?"

—-

While Lux and Iris were spectating from the side, Eiko was spitting one spell after another at the Unicorn that was trying to bully her.

Astra merely looked at the baby Slime with contempt as it deftly evaded her attacks with ease. For the attacks that were impossible to evade, it would just use Blink and instantly appear several meters away from its original position.

If Astra didn't have the Blink skill, it would be hard pressed to fight against the skeletons that Eiko had summoned. However, since it could use Blink, it had complete control of the current pace of the battle.

Not wanting to lose, Eiko copied Lux's skill, Mana Drain [EX], and tried to drain the Unicorn's mana in an attempt to prevent it from Blinking away.

When the baby Slime activated her Mana Drain skill, the Unicorn instantly felt that some of its mana was being siphoned to the baby Slime who had its mouth open wide.

Neighing in anger, Astra Blinked towards Eiko's location, wanting to punish her for trying to defy it. However, just as Astra appeared in front of Eiko, the baby slime disappeared using her own Blink ability.

As soon as Eiko reappeared in the distance, she spat a Void Arrow towards the Unicorn, planning to blind it. Unfortunately for her, the one she was fighting against was a veteran beast.

Astra also blinked away, and this time, it Blinked behind Eiko.

Sensing that the enemy was behind her, Eiko Blinked away, preventing herself from being pressed down by Astra's hoof.

Starting from that moment, both beasts fought by using Blinks consecutively. The Unicorn was doing its best to get close to the baby slime, while Eiko was doing her best to escape from Astra.

This game of tag lasted for two-full minutes before the baby slime reappeared in the corner of the room, panting for breath. Eiko had used all of her mana with the constant Blinking, and could no longer move away from the Unicorn who had a devilish smile on its face.

Just as Astra was about to close in on the baby Slime, whose body had almost turned into a small puddle due to fatigue, a skeleton with burning golden eyes in its sockets appeared in front of it.

Soon, a clang resounded in the training field as Astra's horn met Diablo's shield head-on.

Lux's Named Creature held his ground, as he blocked Astra's attack. Although Astra was stronger than Diablo, his appearance had unnerved the Unicorn, which made the latter unable to use its full power, resulting in their clash becoming a tie.

"Alright Astra, I think that's enough," Lux said as he extended both of his hands to scoop up the exhausted baby slime that was lying on the floor. "Eiko is still a baby. Don't bully her too much."

The Unicorn snorted, but it no longer pursued the matter. Its main reason was because it felt that it was beneath it to keep bullying a newborn baby monster. Astra only wanted to teach Eiko a lesson for trying to disobey her superior.

It didn't expect Eiko to have a stubborn personality with no intention of backing down, which resulted in the short skirmish between the two of them.

Iris looked at this scene with a smile on her face. As a Beast Tamer, she understood that Astra was just feeling a bit jealous of Eiko because Iris was pampering her. Among her five mythical beasts, it was Astra who had the least tolerance towards strangers approaching Iris casually.

Luckily, after repeatedly reminding it to not attack the students in the academy who were trying to get close to Iris, the Unicorn finally managed to reign in its emotions.

Unfortunately, while it had developed sufficient tolerance against Humans, it still didn't like other Monsters being chummy with its mother tamer.

"Pa…," Eiko said as she weakly raised her head. "Wuwuwuwu."

The baby slime started to cry, and tears streamed down from her eyes. Lux lightly patted her head and allowed Eiko to cry on his chest.

Truth be told, he was shocked at how much of a Battle Junky Eiko was. Maybe she knew deep inside that Astra wouldn't really hurt her, so she decided to fight against the Unicorn in order to get back at it.

Unfortunately, the baby Slime was still a baby. Even with her cheat-like abilities, she was still not a match for a battle-hardened veteran that had protected Iris from the dangers of Elysium.

"It's fine, Eiko," Lux coaxed the baby slime. "Let's get back at it when you grow stronger, okay? Just give it a year and we will be clapping Astra's butt cheeks."

Astra neighed angrily at Lux as if telling him "Bro, what the f*ck? You are a bad influence on your daughter!"

Iris, who had also approached the crying baby, pouted as she lightly pinched Lux's ears.

"Brother, don't teach Eiko to carry a grudge," Iris said with a serious expression. "She's still young and must be taught what is right and wrong. Do you want her to grow up to be a rebellious child?"

Lux only smiled as he continued to pat the crying slime's head. Although he was still struggling to grasp the concept of treating a Monster as his daughter, he thought that it might not be such a bad idea.

Perhaps, feeling his change of heart, Eiko's body relaxed in his hand and fell asleep.

Iris peered at the sleeping baby's face with a smile.

"Brother, raising a Monster is not easy," Iris said. "Some people treat them as pets. Others treat them as friends, while the majority treat them as tools. I hope that you won't treat Eiko as a tool in order to advance in Elysium. If you do, I'll make sure to take her away from you. Anyway, I can raise our daughter myself!"

Lux glanced at the young lady who was staring at him with a serious expression on her face. Clearly, she meant every word that she had said, and would definitely take Eiko away from him if he treated the latter wrongly.

"I promise that I won't treat her as a tool," Lux met Iris' serious gaze with his own. "I will also not treat her as a pet. Since you wanted to raise her as part of our family then I will do my best to treat her as one. However, I admit that this concept is new to me. Please, give me time to adjust."

"Oh~ You don't have to worry about that, Brother. If you're not comfortable calling Eiko your daughter, that's fine too. When I turn sixteen, I'll ask grandma to help me prepare our wedding," Iris said with a smile. "When that happens, we can make a real baby. That way, you will have plenty of time to practice how to become a father."

'... Well, that escalated rather quickly,' Lux thought as he took a step back, while looking at the young beauty whose eyes started to turn dreamy. The Half-Elf didn't reject the idea of the two of them getting married.

However, after regaining his memories, he remembered his main goal and the reason why he had to go to Elysium. In order to make his stepsister and his grandmother happy, he must do his best to find a way to keep the world of Solais from dying.

Only by doing so would they have a future and a place where they could raise a family together.

As Lux was lost in his thoughts, working out how he would achieve his goal, Iris had already closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't hold him tightly, and even allowed the Half-Elf to break out of her hold if he really wanted to do it.

"Brother Lux, I know that you might be tired of hearing me repeat things over and over again, but these are my real feelings," Iris said softly as she gazed at her beloved stepbrother's beautiful green eyes that she liked so much. "Although it was Grandma who tried to matchmake the two of us, I sincerely hope that you will consider making me your wife."

"I promise that I will do my best to make you happy. I know that for the longest time, your goal has been to go to Elysium. I respect that, and I wish for you to succeed as well. However, know this, I have liked you for a very long time."

Iris smiled as she pressed her finger over Lux's lips in order to stop him from saying anything.

"Don't give me an answer now." Iris looked at him with a tender gaze. "Think about it and give me your answer in a year or two. But know this, if your answer is no then I will have no choice but to ask for Grandma's help to tie you up and have the two of us wed whether you like it or not."

The corner of Lux's lips twitched. Iris had managed to pluck his heartstrings with the first half of her confession. However, everything went south at the end, which made him unable to decide whether he should laugh or cry at her subtle threat of a shotgun wedding.

"Understood." Lux nodded his head in understanding. He had long known that Iris liked him, and he was no longer a child who would pretend that he didn't understand. Since that was the case, he would also be open with his own feelings, and ask her a question that had been in his mind for quite some time.

"Um, Iris, I have a serious question to ask you."

"Go ahead, brother."

"Let's say, for example, that I fell in love with someone else. What would you do then?"

The corner of Iris' lips curled up into a smirk as she looked at Lux's handsome face.

"Whoever they may be, they must first get my approval," Iris answered. "Then and only then will I allow them to enter your harem."

Lux blinked as he stared back at Iris who was looking back at him with a smile.

"You're not angry about me having other ladies aside from you?" Lux asked.

"Well, I will be lying if I said that I don't feel sad about it," Iris replied. "However, if they were capable of making you fall in love with them then that means they have the qualifications to get my approval. So, dear brother of mine, promise me this. If you truly find someone that you love, do not hide her from me, okay?"

"Understood. I can make this promise to you."

"Good. That is all I ask, Brother."

Iris reluctantly took a step back as she looked at the Half-Elf in front of her, who had grown up with her since she was young.

Even now, she didn't know if the feelings she had for him were familial love or true love. However, one thing was clear. She liked Lux from the bottom of her heart.

She also knew that Lux liked her, too. It was only her father, Alexander, who opposed their relationship. Although the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy never talked about it, Iris could tell that he didn't think that Lux was worthy of becoming her groom due to the latter's repeated failures to get the qualifications to enter Elysium.

'Just you wait, Father,' Iris thought with an amused expression on her face. 'Brother Lux isn't the incompetent person that you thought he was. I can't wait to see the look on your face when he wins the tournament that you have prepared in order to look for my fiance.'

The Princess of Barbatos Academy smiled sweetly. Although there were many geniuses that would join the competition to win her hand in marriage, for some reason, she wasn't afraid.

She didn't know where this confidence of hers was coming from, but after seeing Lux's Soul Book today, she understood that his potential was limitless.

Deep inside, she was very happy. How could she not be? She knew that if Lux was given a year or two, he would definitely surpass all those so-called geniuses that had graduated from the Apostle Grade and stepped into the rank of Initiates.

Her gaze softened when she saw Eiko crawl towards Lux's neck to give him a kiss. Although this little family of theirs might look like they were merely 'playing house' to other people, Iris firmly believed that one day her wishes, and dreams, would finally become a reality.

 

Chapter 89 I Don’t Have Much Time Left

After Eiko's battle with Astra, the baby slime slept peacefully in Lux's arms.

Iris walked beside Lux as they went to find Vera in the Sky Garden of Barbatos Academy. This particular garden was divided into four areas.

The first one was for the students with commoner backgrounds.

The second was for those with noble backgrounds.

The third was for the elite students of the academy who had shown exceptional talent in Elysium. This special area didn't care whether you were a noble or not. As long as you had results, you would be a part of this exclusive club.

Everyone wanted to enter this circle of the Elites because they were truly the recognized prodigies of the six kingdoms that backed Barbatos Academy. Even Princes and Princesses could not enter the Elite Circle, regardless of how much influence and money they tried to use.

And last, but not the least, was the private sanctuary of the Kaizer family. Since Alexander was one of the strongest humans in the Western Regions of Solais, no one dared to defy him whenever he made a decision.

This was also the case for the part of the garden where Iris usually stayed with her Beast Companions whenever she wasn't training.

When Lux and Iris arrived at the garden, they saw Vera enjoying some tea, while being served by Alicia, who wanted to score some brownie points with Alexander's mother. Vera knew that the beautiful secretary admired her son, and had already approved of her.

However, Alexander had become distant and indifferent after Iris' mother died due to her poor health. Since then, he never remarried nor even looked at other ladies with the intention of marrying them.

For him, Alicia was only his secretary and their relationship was pure business. Nothing more, nothing less.

'Poor girl,' Lux thought as he looked at the beautiful lady, who was trying to aim for the moon, but was given rice crackers instead.

"Grandma!" Iris smiled brightly as she ran towards Vera to give her a hug, and a kiss on her left cheek.

After giving her greeting, the young beauty gave Lux a side-long glance before whispering something in Vera's ear, which made the old woman smile sweetly.

As if it was a planned move, both ladies gazed at Lux's with faces that screamed "Mission Accomplished!"

The Half-Elf could only chuckle nervously because he could already hear the wedding bells ringing in the distance. His only hope was his stepfather, Alexander, getting in the way of the two ladies' plans.

"Grandma, please meet your great granddaughter," Lux said with a teasing tone as he presented the still sleeping baby Slime to his grandmother.

As if sensing someone staring at her, Eiko opened her eyes and saw an old woman staring at her with an amused expression on her face.

"Manma!" Eiko said happily as she looked at Vera.

Lux was quite surprised that his baby Slime had called Vera "Manma", which was the endearment he used to call her when he was young.

Vera was also surprised and gave Lux a glance, as if asking him if he had asked Eiko to call her in this manner. The Half-Elf shook his head firmly in response, which made Vera shift her attention back to the little Slime who was lightly jumping on Lux's hands.

"Come here, Little One," Vera picked up the baby slime with both hands and brought her close to her face, to take a better look at Eiko.

Eiko didn't resist, in fact when Vera tried to scoop her up, she jumped on Vera's hands and giggled. Perhaps, she thought that her great grandmother was playing a game with her, so she decided to play with her.

"Manma! Kiss!" Eiko said as she jumped up and down on Vera's hands.

Vera chuckled because this was the first time she had seen a Slime act like a spoiled child, which tickled her heart. The old lady then kissed Eiko's cheeks, and the baby Slime returned the favor. After sharing a kiss, Eiko crawled from Vera's hand, to her shoulder, until she stood beside her neck.

Vera then picked up a small cookie from her plate and fed it to the baby Slime, who was more than happy to eat some snacks after her battle with the Unicorn, who bullied her.

"Although I didn't expect that my first granddaughter would be a Slime, this feeling isn't half bad," Vera commented as she gave Eiko another cookie. "But Lux, make sure to give me another great grandchild in five years, okay? I don't have much time left, and I still want to hold your baby."

"Grandma, you're still young," Lux replied as he rested a hand on his grandma's other shoulder. "I'm sure that you'll be able to live for another hundred years."

"Silly boy, my ears are not as long as yours."

"Grandma…"

Lux suddenly felt sad after seeing the wrinkles on his grandma's face. He hadn't paid any attention to this in the past because, for him, Vera was strong and healthy.

Also, Vera rarely showed any signs of weakness. For her to tell him that she didn't have much time, and wanted to see her great grandchild, made him realize that he had only been thinking of himself as of late.

He had never paused to consider his Grandma who had raised him since he was a baby. The Half-Elf thought that because Vera was strong, she would be able to live longer.

The people in Solais lived longer lifespans, compared to the Humans back on Earth. Most of them could live up to two hundred years old without any problems.

Lux had never asked Vera how old she was because he had long been told that asking a woman's age was disrespectful. But, seeing how old Vera looked, the red-headed teenager felt a tightening in his heart, as he thought about a future without her.

"Don't worry, Grandma," Lux said softly. "I promise you that before I turn twenty, you will be holding another great grandchild in your hands."

Vera looked at her grandson and nodded her head with satisfaction. "I look forward to it."

Iris who was listening from the side held her burning cheeks with both hands as her face turned beet red.

"Grandma, I will also do my best," Iris commented. "What do you want? A girl or a boy?"

"Hm… I don't mind if it's a girl or a boy. As long as they are born healthy."

"Understood! Let's do our best, Brother!"

,m "Mmm."

Eiko, who was listening to their conversation, also smiled. It was as if she was also excited to see her future brother or sister, who would be born a few years from now.

 

Chapter 90 Feeling Like A Novel Protagonist

"Look after your Papa for me, okay?"

"Ma!"

"Make sure he doesn't cheat on me, okay?"

"Ma?"

Vera chuckled as she patted Iris' head.

"Don't teach Eiko things like this, Iris," Vera said with a smile. "She's still a baby."

Iris stuck her tongue out at Lux, while the latter just shook his head helplessly. After spending a few days in Barbatos Academy, the Half-Elf had been targeted by several students who had a crush on Iris.

Naturally, Lux didn't fight them and simply told them that he was Iris' stepbrother. Instead of feeling relieved, the boys became even more aggressive, and some even cursed him saying how jealous they were of him.

Fortunately, Vera was always with him whenever he toured the academy, so no actual harm came to him. However, Lux's grandma told him that if he wanted the harassment to stop, all he needed to do was marry Iris after she turned sixteen and the problem would be solved.

Lux knew that his grandma was being serious about it, so he chose to stay silent and just turn a blind eye on it. He and Iris had already had a heart-to-heart talk about this and came to an agreement.

For now, the Half-Elf would focus his attention on the thing that mattered, and that was to get stronger in Elysium, and find a way to save the world of Solais from destruction. That was his reason for being born in the world.

After Iris clung to Lux for five-full minutes, under the glares of thousands of teenage boys who were wishing for his death, the young beauty finally took a step back and gazed at Lux with eyes filled with tenderness.

"Make sure to take care of our daughter, Papa," Iris said in a volume that was only loud enough for Lux to hear. "If anything happens to Eiko, I'll make sure to give you a piece of my mind."

Lux smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best."

Since Eiko and him were now bounded together by Fate, Lux decided to take good care of the baby slime and ensure that she became a strong monster.

"Goodbye, Grandma," Iris hugged Vera affectionately. "Please, visit as often as you can. Just a few days is not enough for me to tie up big brother and give you your great grandson."

"Don't worry, next time, I'll tie him up personally," Vera replied as she hugged the young beauty back. "Take care, Iris. Also, make sure that your father doesn't overwork himself."

Iris nodded. "Un!"

The White Hippopotamus, Sophie, transformed and became bigger, allowing Vera and Lux to mount her back.

Lux wanted to stay a bit longer to allow his grandma to spend more time with her son, and granddaughter, but he was on a tight schedule. He had made a promise to go to the Stronghold of Norria with Colette and the others, so he needed to return to Elysium as soon as possible.

The Half-Elf and his grandmother looked in the distance as the academy slowly disappeared from their sights.

"Lux, did Iris tell you about the upcoming tournament?" Vera inquired.

Lux nodded. "Mmm."

"Are you planning to enter?"

"Yes. If I don't, Iris will get mad at me. She will shout like a mandrake and wake up the dead."

Vera chuckled as she rested her hand on her grandson's shoulder. She knew what her son was planning as a reward in the tournament, but she didn't say anything about it. Even though Lux might not become the champion, Vera would not allow her granddaughter to marry anyone else.

After an uneventful journey, the two safely arrived in Wildgarde Stronghold. Lux decided to rest in his room for a bit and have dinner with his grandma before returning to Elysium in the morning.

There was also the matter of Eiko's skills, which he still hadn't chosen. Lux decided to rule out the summoning options that were available to her because she didn't need those at this point in time. This removed more than half the options from the list, allowing the Half-Elf to focus his attention on the remaining choices.

—-

– Health +2000

– Intelligence +100

– Underwater Breathing

– Lava Walking

– Air Steps

– Dig

—-

"There are no volcanoes here in the Beginner's Area so I can skip Lava Walking for now," Lux muttered. "Underwater breathing is good, but slimes can already float in the water, and are good swimmers. She doesn't need to become a submarine. The additional 100 Bonus to intelligence is good, so I guess I'll choose this one. As for the last one…"

Lux had to choose between Air Steps and Dig. in order to better understand them, Lux decided to look at the information about the two Skills, so he could finalize his decision.

—-

< Air Steps >

– Allows Eiko to move in the air as if she was moving on land. This skill consumes five Mana Point every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of a minute.

– Skill Cooldown: 2 minutes.

—--

< Dig >

– Allows Eiko to dig a hole and move underground. This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds.

– This skill has no cooldown and can be used as long as Eiko has mana.

—

Lux rubbed his chin as he gazed at the two choices. Both were self explanatory, but he was still finding a hard time to decide which skill to pick for the baby slime.

If he chose Air Steps, Eiko would be able to maneuver in the air, assisting him in battle. Dig, on the other hand, would allow her to safely dig underground, preventing anyone from running after her.

Both were life saving skills, and their only difference was their usage. After a long struggle, Lux finally decided to choose Air Steps. Although Dig was a good choice, Air Steps was more versatile. It also gave Eiko the ability to attack from above as she unleashed a barrage of spells that she had learned after absorbing the Beast Cores that Iris gave her.

—--

You have chosen the skill Air Steps.

—--

Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]!

– Target Lux Von Kaizer.

– Successfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]!

—--

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

< Since the Skill is not learned from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. >

– Air Steps has successfully been upgraded to Air Strider [EX]!

< Air Strider [EX] >

– Aside from traversing on air, this skill also gives Eiko the ability to fly for a short period of time.

– This skill consumes five Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of a minute when traversing on air.

– This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of five minutes while flying in the air.

—-

< Eiko >

"The world is my oyster!"

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: E

– Progress ( 0 / 2000)

Health: 850 / 850

Mana: 7,500 / 7,500

Strength: 17

Intelligence: 150

Vitality: 17

Agility: 17

Dexterity: 17

Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX], Air Strider [EX]

Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All.

Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge

Title: Mama's and Papa's Girl

Note: One small step for men, one giant leap for baby slime.

—---

After looking at Eiko's stats, Lux couldn't stop the corner of his lips from twitching at the cheat-like abilities that his baby Slime possessed.

Looking at her stats alone, Eiko was now considered a Rank 1 Monster because her combined stats had already surpassed 200 points.

Not only that, she had a vast array of skills at her disposal. The best thing of all was that she could copy any move with the help of her Skill, Mimicry [EX], This allowed her to double Lux's Skeleton Army in a heartbeat.

With such a cute baby Slime by his side, Lux felt that he was like one of those novel protagonists, whose cheat-like abilities would make the readers reading it scream "OP!"

"Let's sleep, Eiko," Lux said as he lightly patted the baby Slime that was yawning on his pillow. "Tomorrow, I'll let you meet my friends. I'm sure that you will get along with them."

"Fwen?" Eiko sleepily muttered before closing her eyes to sleep.

Lux smiled as he envisioned Colette's and Helen's reactions after seeing Eiko. Knowing the two little girls, they would surely pamper and spoil the baby Slime, who would give them a wonderful surprise as they continued their journey in Elysium.