Chapter 19
The fading sun bathed the family home in a warm glow, the peaceful evening silence broken by a soft knock on the wooden door.
Lolly's heart skipped a beat. With a bright smile and tiny footsteps echoing on the wooden floor, she dashed to the door, her eyes shimmering with hope.
"Big brother?" she whispered under her breath, fingers gripping the doorknob.
But as the door creaked open, her expression fell—not with disappointment, but with a quiet sigh. Standing on the porch were two familiar figures—Mephina, ever radiant and composed, and the towering shadow behind her, Toph, arms crossed and face expressionless.
Even though she liked them both, they weren't the ones her heart longed to see.
"Is Jayden home?" Mephina asked kindly, her eyes softening when she saw Lolly's dimmed expression.
Lolly shook her head, lips forming a silent "no."
Without further words, they stepped inside, greeted by the rich aroma of spiced stew. Lolly's mother welcomed them warmly, setting down cups of tea with graceful hands and expressing her gratitude.
"Thank you again—for saving my daughter," she said, bowing her head respectfully. "It's hard to believe it's already been a month and a half since that night… since you tore through the Morphoen Faction's wrath."
Toph gave a light shrug, and Mephina smiled modestly, "She's strong. And brave. Just like him."
"Speaking of which…" Mephina turned her gaze to the old man sitting near the fireplace. Though quiet, his presence had weight. His eyes were closed, as if listening to the flames crackle rather than the conversation. "Has Jayden… broken through to the Blue Plane yet?"
Unlike Lolly or her mother—who, despite being a Late Pink Plane cultivator, had never stepped into combat—the old man was already at the 2nd Stage of the Blue Plane. While that meant little in higher circles, in this region, it was impressive enough.
The old man opened his eyes slowly and gave a single shake of his head.
"No."
Silence struck the room like a sudden chill. Mephina blinked, genuinely surprised. Toph stared for a second—then burst into laughter.
"I won the bet!" he said, grinning like a kid and pointing mockingly at Mephina.
She rolled her eyes, folding her arms. "I thought he would've at least broken through. He's… not normal."
"I told you," Toph said smugly, "Only a genius can break through to a new Plane within a month. No way he—"
"But I think," the old man interrupted calmly, sipping his tea, "he's hiding it."
Toph's smirk faltered. "Hiding it? That's impossible."
"Not if he's two—maybe even three—Planes ahead," the Toph said, voice steady.
Mephina's eyes narrowed. "But… he seemed weaker than us before. And unless you're in the Grey Plane or beyond, hiding your cultivation from me should be—"
"He's not weak!" Lolly's voice suddenly cut in, her cheeks puffed in annoyance. "Don't call my big brother weak!"
Toph raised a brow in amusement. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
"A weakling can't attack a C-Rank faction!" she declared, puffing her chest.
"WHAT?!" Mephina and Toph both shouted, shooting up from their seats.
Lolly nodded proudly, "He and another crazy guy attacked the Orbius Faction."
Mephina froze, her eyes wide in disbelief. "The Orbius… They're C-rank. They've got warriors in the Purple Plane!"
Fear flickered across her expression—not fear of the faction, but of what Jayden might have gotten himself into. For someone at the Pink Plane, it was a suicide mission.
Even the old man's expression darkened. "Mid Purple Plane?" he echoed. "That's…"
Just as Mephina and Toph prepared to rush out, panic threatening their usually calm demeanor—
"Don't I tell you he's strong," Lolly said again, this time quieter, pointing out the window. "See?"
The two turned toward where she pointed. Down the winding path, two figures walked toward the house—slow, steady, calm. One of them bore familiar dark hair and an emotionless expression that never seemed to change.
Jayden.
Mephina blinked once. Then twice. A grin tugged at her lips.
"I won the bet," she said smugly.
"Alive doesn't mean he broke through," Toph said, clearly still skeptical. "Let's see for ourselves."
He cracked his knuckles.
Toph's eyes gleamed with challenge.
"I want to test him. Everyone, watch closely."
Without warning, Toph shot forward, launching a punch—precisely measured to match someone at the early stages of the Purple Plane. It was fast and powerful—but still something Jayden should struggle to react to.
Except...
Whoosh!
Jayden side-stepped the punch so casually it looked choreographed. Not only that—he spun smoothly and unleashed two wind-based techniques, a compressed air balls that sent him flying several meters backward.
Toph crashed into the grass, flipping twice before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop. Dusting off his blue armor, he looked stunned for a split second—then straightened up.
"Okay, no more jokes."
He stared at Jayden, eyes narrowed with a strange mix of amusement and disbelief.
"…Tell me honestly, Jayden. What Plane are you really at?"
Jayden's eyes locked onto his. Still expressionless. Still silent.
The next moment the rest of the family stepped outside, Lolly leaped into Jayden's embrace like a bullet from a crossbow, squeezing him tight. "I'm so proud of you, big brother!" she squealed, refusing to let go. Jayden, still wearing his signature deadpan expression, simply placed a hand on her head. "I didn't do much," he said—but even that earned a beaming grin from Lolly.
Mephina walked up, arms folded and eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Alright, Jayden," she said, her tone playful but serious. "How exactly did you manage to conceal your plane from someone stronger than you?"
Jayden blinked slowly, knowing full well the jig was up. With a thought, he commanded the System, "Set my displayed cultivation level to 6th stage of the Blue Plane." A small ding echoed in his mind.
> [System Update: Plane Status — Pink Peak → 6th Blue Stage.]
"It's… just something I can do," Jayden said flatly, lying through his teeth. He could've asked the system for an accurate update, but if he did, he had a feeling it would show something far more outrageous—likely mid or late Purple Plane. That was attention he didn't need. Not yet.
Mephina exchanged a glance with Toph, both of them visibly impressed.
"A monster in disguise," Toph muttered, half grinning. "I guess the Scarlet Faction just hit the jackpot."
But Rictor, who stood off to the side, shook his head quietly. 'There's no way he's just at the sixth stage of the Blue Plane,' he thought. ' Someone who can take down a Purple Plane warrior doesn't just hide power—he's suppressing something deeper.'
Before more could be said, a sudden rumble echoed in the distance.
They all turned.
A horde of people—villagers, merchants, even wandering bards—came rushing from the direction of Orb City. Men carried baskets of rare fruit, women had cloths of vibrant dyes, and even children dragged little crates of bread or sweets. Cheers filled the air.
"HAIL TO THE HERO!"
"The savior of Orb City!"
"The one who crushed the Orbius Scourge!"
One overly enthusiastic woman ran straight to Jayden with a heavy jar of fruit—nearly crashing into his face—when Rictor smoothly stepped forward, hand over his chest like some knight in a theatre play.
"Citizens," he announced dramatically. "We did not defeat the Orbius faction for praise or gifts… but for justice, order, and the righteous flow of peace in this world!"
The crowd paused, some clapping, others murmuring in agreement.
"So... should we just take the gifts back?" a young man holding silk robes asked awkwardly.
"STOP!" Rictor suddenly shouted, arms flailing.
Everyone froze.
"Wouldn't it be... impolite to reject your sincerity?" Rictor said with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, we shall accept your gifts—not because we want them, but because to deny them would be to deny your hearts."
The crowd erupted in cheers again. Jayden just facepalmed. "This guy's a clown."
One curious little girl tugged on Rictor's cape. "Sir Rictor! I heard the Orbius leader was really strong. How did you beat him?"
Rictor's eyes gleamed. With the flair of a street magician, he pulled out two black spheres. His pupils turned green with a black semi-circle around them—his visual prowess activating.
"The leader of Orbius was terrifying," he said gravely. "But against these—" the orbs shifted into sleek black pistols with green engravings "—he was nothing but a dust particle in the wind."
"Oooh!" the kids gasped.
"What were his last words?" someone asked.
Rictor paused, dramatically stroking his chin. "Ah yes... he said, 'Nooo! Not the pistols of infinite sorrow!' Then he exploded."
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't have time to say a word."
"How long did the faction last?" another asked.
"Exactly…30 secs ," Rictor said confidently, before blinking. "Wait, no... maybe 49 secs. Eh, who's counting?"
The questions kept rolling.
"What's your cultivation plane?"
"Top of the Rainbow Plane," Rictor replied.
"…That doesn't exist."
"It does if you believe hard enough."
Meanwhile, Jayden's system pinged quietly in his mind:
> [Quest Complete: Defeat the Orbius Faction.]
Reward: +2000 SP
Bonus Reward: 1x Special Roulette
Jayden's usually indifferent expression flickered with a brief flash of shock. Three spins on the special roulette? This was definitely his lucky day.
"When did you even meet that crazy guy?" Toph asked, watching Rictor dancing with kids as he suspiciously pack the gift into a large backpack "
"I met him this morning," Jayden replied with a sigh. 'Can't believe all this happened in one day…'
As Jayden was about to sneak off to enjoy some silence, Mephina's voice rang out with terrifying clarity.
"Prepare for tomorrow. We leave at first light."
Jayden froze. "I wish you a safe journey," he said deadpan, inching away.
"You're coming with us," Mephina declared, grabbing his collar.
His face dropped. 'Damn… I knew this was coming. I prayed they'd forget... but the gods hate me.'
"I… I have things to—"
"Handled," Mephina cut him off. "Everything's packed. Clothes, supplies, weapons. Just bring your body."
Jayden's shoulders slumped. 'This is kidnapping,' he thought. 'Fancy, well-fed kidnapping.'
That night, Jayden bathed, then collapsed on the soft bed. Normally, Lolly would be beside him, curled up like a kitten, but tonight, her giggles echoed outside.
She was watching Rictor vs. Toph.
Or more accurately, watching Rictor get flattened.
To prove his worth to the Scarlet Faction, Rictor had proudly declared a spar with Toph. Within seconds, Toph had him airborne with a single leg sweep. A moment later, he was buried halfway into the ground.
"Mercy! I yield!" Rictor shouted, covered in dirt and leaves.
"You said you were top of the Rainbow Plane," Toph reminded him, stomping closer.
"I meant metaphorically! Spiritually! Emotionally!"
Jayden stared from his window. 'This idiot really decided to join the Scarlet Faction too… He's going to get himself killed.'
Now for the final task before sleep… Jayden exhaled and sat up in bed, the moonlight casting soft shadows across the wooden floor of the guest room.
He had a strange day—almost die, saved a city, watched Rictor lie his lungs out while swindling fruit baskets, and was basically conscripted into the Scarlet FACTION. And now? It was time to spin the roulette.
Three chances, he thought, opening his system interface. The faint chime of a bell echoed in his mind, and then—whoosh—a dazzling blue roulette wheel materialized in front of his vision. It gleamed with neon symbols under an invisible spotlight, rotating slowly as if to tease him.
Below it, in gold letters, blinked the words:
SPIN: 3
Each section of the roulette glowed with faint text:
Jutsu
Weapon
Special Item
Costume
System
Bloodline
Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Of course," he muttered, "the Costume section takes up like half the wheel." It was massive and obnoxiously shiny. Compare to it, the System section looked like a skinny slice of pizza crust—basically microscopic.
"Who even designed this? Whoever it is deserves to be put in the middle of an anime battlefield with zero plot armor."
Still, he continue. "Well, I guess it's time to get stronger."
He said the word:
"Spin."
Immediately, the wheel whirred with terrifying intensity, spinning so violently that the surrounding visual space blurred. Jayden winced, covering one eye. "Yup. Should've worn sunglasses for this," he grumbled.
It kept spinning.
And spinning.
And spinning...
Did it break?
Then—it began to slow.
Click. Click. Click...
Jayden leaned forward, eyes narrowing as the pointer bounced closer to Costume. "No, no, no—please not that one. I don't need a magical sailor uniform or some cosplay disaster."
It clicked past Costume, then past Bloodline.
And then—click.
The wheel stopped.
At the sliver Jayden would never believed was even reachable.
System.
To be continued