n

n

n

nA while later, the battle had come to an end.

n“Tsk, there are a few who escaped,” Lily complained.

n“We are here to explore the maze, not to fight,” Liam said.

n“Who cares? I just want to eliminate all those hateful bastards,” Lily said.

n“That’s right! How dare these bastards ambush us,” Max agreed, eager for more battle.

nBy now, he had already been healed by Lydia.

n“You’re just a weakling, you should stay put,” Ella said, forcefully patting Max on the back.

nElla’s impressive battle prowess took down almost half of the group without much of a scratch.

n“Hmph, you don’t know how strong I am!” Max exclaimed, looking into Ella’s eyes intently.

n“U-uh, fine, you’re a little strong,” Ella couldn’t handle Max’s intent staring, so she just agreed.

n“I’m glad you know…” Max smiled.

n“Let’s go; we only have a few seconds left,” Nathan said quietly.

n“You’re here, brother! You’re quite cool earlier!” Max praised.

n“Hmm, thanks,” Nathan nodded as he walked through the exit.

n…

n“Sister, it’s time to leave,” Lydia shook Lyla, who was still sleeping.

n“Huh? Did the test end?” Lyla asked.

n“No, sister, we won. Now we need to leave here.”

n“Won? Leave?” Lyla repeated, looking at her surroundings.

n“Brothers? Sister?” Lyla muttered, processing what happened.

n“Let’s go, sister,” Lydia dragged Lyla to the exit.

n“Oh! Right.”

nSoon before the time ran out, they managed to walk out of the exit.

nThere were also others who were hiding, and they luckily managed to get out.

n…

nTest Complete!

nCongratulations to the 152 students who passed!

nAfter the announcement, the whole place morphed back to its previous state.

n“152? It’s a little small,” Liam commented as they came back to their father’s stand.

n“It’s because of those hateful bastards!” Max replied, eager for another battle.

n“I wonder what gift Dad will give us,” Lyla muttered.

nAs for the trial or whatever it was, it had long been forgotten.

n“That’s right!” Max and the others suddenly became excited, wondering what kind of gift it would be.

n“Gift? Your father is giving you a gift for passing this test?” Ella asked curiously.

n“That’s right? You don’t have any reward?” Max asked, arrogantly.

n“U-uh no…” Ella replied sadly.

n“This… Don’t worry, I’ll share whatever gift I have with you,” Max comforted.

n“Hmm,” Ella said, but she was already thinking of asking for a reward later.

n…

nMaximus’s Stand:

n“Here are our top achievers!” Erica said, looking at the brothers and sisters who had just arrived.

n“Congratulations on passing the test,” Hazel added.

n“You’re good kids! You’ve impressed Mommy!” Luna said, hugging Lyla and Lydia.

nWhile they were celebrating, Ella came over to her auntie Denice.

n“Congratulations, Little Ella,” Denice said, rubbing her head.

n“Hmm, it was easy.”

n“Anyway, you’re quite brave on the battlefield.”

n“How about the reward, Auntie?”

n“I heard that Max and his siblings can get rewards,” Ella said with a pout. 𝞸𝗏𝑳xt.𝗰𝗈𝑚

n“Reward?” Denice repeated, catching everyone’s attention.

n“That’s right! The reward…” Maximus’s children remembered that their father had promised them a reward.

n“What kind of reward do you want?” Denice asked.

nElla could get anything she wanted just by opening her mouth.

nSo what kind of reward was still needed?

n“I want to live next to Max’s house,” Ella said without thinking.

n“Huh?”

nThere was a moment of silence as Ella’s words sank in.

n“Max?” Denice muttered, looking at the bewildered Max.

nEarlier, she had thought that Max was merely a friend of Ella’s.

nBut now, looking at Ella’s blush, there might be something different.

n“Are you…” Denice looked at Ella with questioning eyes.

n“I-I, Max is only a friend. I figured that by staying next to his house, we could play more,” Ella hurriedly explained.

n“Is that so?” Denice momentarily believed it but decided to keep an eye on Ella from now on.

nIt’s not that she was against it.

nAfter all, Maximus was a core student, and there was a high chance that he would reach Tier 9 and become one of the Apex Sovereigns.

nSo in terms of status, there wasn’t much difference.

nThe only worry she had was Ella’s so-called grandfather.

nThat old man was quite difficult to deal with.

nLooking at Max, who was still growing up and acting like a brat, Denice silently wished the little kid good luck.

n“Alright, I’ll rent a place near their house.”

n“Really? Thank you, Auntie!” Ella jumped in happiness.

n“Hmm, by the way, where is your house?” Denice asked.

nAlthough she could investigate it, since Maximus was here, it was easier just to ask.

n“About that, why not come with us? I will also show my gift to them,” Maximus suggested.

nAs for the test, it had already finished.

nThis venue was only for Grade 1 and Grade 2, as other grades required a larger space.

nAs for the rewards, in addition to school credits and recognition, there weren’t any other rewards.

nHowever, if you accumulated 10 passes, you could automatically enroll in the Origin Arcana Institute.

n…

nNear the center of the City of Arcana:

n“Is the reward here?” Lyla asked, looking around.

n“It’s inside.”

n“Inside?” Lyla asked, puzzled.

nThey couldn’t see what was inside because a hidden array was activated.

n“This will be our new home,” Maximus said, operating the array.

nIt’s one of the privileges of a core student.

n“New home?” Lyla repeated, following Maximus inside.

n“Wow! It’s much more beautiful than the previous house!” Lyla exclaimed.

n“It’s also much bigger!” Max added.

n“Is this the reward, Daddy?” Sam said in disappointment.

nHe thought it would be much cooler.

n“Close, but it’s not,” Maximus smiled mysteriously.

n“Come with me, to Liam’s place.”

n“Liam’s place?”

n…

nWith puzzled expressions, they followed Maximus to Liam’s place.

n“This is a training field?” Liam said in surprise.

nIn front of them was an advanced training field with the highest specification devices.

n“Indeed. Also, here,” Maximus tossed a device.

n“What is this?”

n“It’s a control device for this place. You can modify it accordingly, except for the training devices,” Maximus explained.

nLiam tried various layouts until he was satisfied.

n“Thank you, Father,” Liam said.

nIt might not seem like it, but Liam was quite obsessed with training.

nGetting advanced equipment could help him achieve more detailed results.

n“Hmmm, then let’s go to Lily’s.”

n“I wonder what kind of place your sister Lily has,” Lyla said, excited to see her own.

n…

n“A laboratory?!” Lily muttered excitedly.

nThe whole place was filled with various advanced instruments that she didn’t even know the function of.

n“Are you satisfied?” Maximus asked.

n“I like it very much, Dad!”

nLily’s hobby is to create and study, whether it’s weapon making, human anatomy, or plant uses.

nAnything that interests her will be studied.

n“Hmm, I’m glad you like it,” Maximus said, giving her the control device for the place.

n“Then let’s go to Max’s.”

n…

n“Wow, brother, your place looks so cool!” Sam said excitedly.

n“Brother, you should let us play here sometime!” Luke added.

n“Hehe, I’ll let you play here if you want!” Max smiled happily.

n“I’ll play here later~” Ella chipped in.

n“S-sure, you’re welcome anytime!”

nThe place was like his dream come true, filled with various weapons like an arsenal.

nFrom alchemy swords to mechanical guns, any weapon you could think of was there.

nAlthough they were low-tiered weapons, the variety was impressive.

n“How is it?”

n“It’s awesome, Dad! You’re the best ever!”

nAlthough Max didn’t use weapons in fights, he still liked showing them off or playing with them.

nAfter all, a bare body wasn’t cool or handsome enough.

n“Alright, then let’s go to Nathan’s next.”

n…

n“Huh, why is it so peaceful here?” Hazel muttered.

n“It really is. I feel like all the troubles I’m thinking of are gone,” Rose agreed.

nThe others also noticed this.

nAs for the children, they suddenly felt sleepy and relaxed.

n“What is this, Dad?” Nathan asked.

nThe place had towering pillars with various runic formations.

nIt seemed simple compared to the others, but Nathan felt peaceful as if he wanted to live here all the time.

n“These pillars are filled with various formations.”

n“The surface level can calm you down, but the higher it is the more distracting thought there will be”

n“If you can climb above, you can manifest illusions to your liking to fight,” Maximus explained.

n“Oh, thank you, Dad,” Nathan said sincerely.

nNathan aspired to become an assassin.

nHowever, as he was still a child, many distracting thoughts came to his mind.

nBut staying here calmed all of that down.

nFurthermore, he could train his mental fortitude the higher he climbed.

nThis was truly a training paradise for him.

n“Now let’s go to Lyla’s and Lydia’s.”

n…

n“Wow, what is this fairy-like garden forest!” Lyla’s eyes lit up as she looked around.

nEven the usually silent Lydia smiled widely as she looked at the place.

nThe place was twice the size of the previous ones and filled with various higher-tiered plants.

nIt offered various plants, trees, and flowers from eating and drinking to ornamental and medicinal.

n“This is a combined garden for you two.”

n“I’ve turned this place into a paradise and a treasure-hunting place at the same time.”

n“Treasure?!” Lyla repeated.

nShe had been obsessed with treasure lately, not in buying them, but in finding them.

n“Yes, from time to time, this place will generate hidden treasures for you to find.”

n“Of course, it’s also filled with challenges so you will not be bored.”

n“Amazing! Thank you, Daddy!”

n“As for Lydia, this place also has the most diverse and beautiful species of plants.”

n“Thank you, Daddy,” Lydia muttered as she couldn’t take her eyes off the place.

nShe had a soft spot for beautiful things, especially plants.

nSeeing the place was like a dream come true.

n“It’s beautiful here, sister,” Serere said to Lydia while looking at the bright flowers.

n“Can we play here sometime, sister?” Cyra asked, holding Lydia’s hand.

nAs for Lyla, she was already off to find the hidden treasure.

n

n