Awakening : Becoming The World's Strongest Beast Master

Finn was sleeping soundly on the sofa when Mia opened the door to greet them.

As soon as Lia entered, Mia ran to her and threw herself into her sister's arms with a wide grin.

"Sister, you're finally healed!" Mia exclaimed, burying her face into Lia's embrace, her happiness evident.

Lia held her tightly, sharing in the joy, as they walked past the still-sleeping Finn and into the next room.

As the three settled into the room, Lia hugged Mia while brushing her fingers through her sister's hair, a warm smile on her face. Despite the recent developments, her expression grew worried as she turned to Leo.

"What are you going to do next?" Lia asked softly, her voice tinged with concern as she began braiding Mia's messy hair.

Leo, who had already considered his plan, responded calmly, "Now that we have the money, I'll pay back what we owe. Once the debt is cleared, they won't have a reason to bother us anymore."

He spoke with confidence, but his tone remained serious. Refusing to repay wasn't an option—not only was it morally wrong, but the laws in this world were strict, and creditors had significant power.

"Sister, you're supposed to report to the top ten academies soon, right?" Leo asked with a faint smile.

Lia nodded reluctantly, her gaze clouded with mixed emotions. "Yes… I leave in three days."

The words carried a sense of finality that made Mia hug her sister tighter. Lia was deeply worried about leaving her two siblings behind—especially Mia, who struggled with even basic self-care. Despite their efforts to teach her, Mia's condition remained a challenge.

Leo, sensing her concerns, gave her a reassuring smile.

"Sister, don't worry. Now that Augustus has agreed to be your backer, no one will dare mess with you at the academy," Leo said.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "It's a shame you were in a coma for a month. You'll probably have a lot of catching up to do when you arrive, but you'll manage. Focus on working hard, and leave everything else to me."

His words were steady and filled with conviction.

"And," he added, "I'll be starting at the Advanced Ability Academy soon. With my Beast Control ability, I'll probably fly under the radar, but that doesn't bother me. All I need is to graduate so I can enter the top ten academies later."

Leo's calm and strategic thinking made Lia's heart feel a little lighter.

"Besides," he added with a smile, "I have enough free time to look after Mia. You don't have to worry about either of us. Just focus on your studies, okay?"

Lia nodded, relief softening her features. Despite how much Leo had changed, he now seemed far more reliable than ever before.

Leo stood up and stretched, a playful grin spreading across his face.

"Sister, give me the card. I'll go settle the debt right now. When I come back, we'll take Finn out for a big meal!"

"Big meal!" Mia cheered enthusiastically, clapping her hands.

Lia hesitated for a moment but knew her brother was right. She had to prepare for her departure in just a few days. With a sigh, she reached into her pocket and handed him the card.

"The password is still our three birthdays," Lia reminded him.

Leo grinned, taking the card and heading for the door.

Just as he stepped into the living room, he saw Finn sitting up groggily, his sleepy eyes fixed on him.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow at Finn's strange expression.

Finn yawned but looked serious. "I had a dream… It felt like you were going to do something dangerous. Do you want me to go with you?"

Leo hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with a smile.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it," he replied confidently before leaving.

Finn opened his mouth to argue but quickly fell back asleep. However, just moments later, he jolted awake with a start, his face pale. His dream had become clearer, and he was now certain that Leo was heading into trouble.

Rushing to the door, Finn saw no sign of Leo. His body, still weighed down by fatigue, kept him from chasing after him. All he could do was sigh, worry filling his eyes.

Leo, unaware of Finn's concerns, headed straight to the bank. After withdrawing the cash needed to clear the debt, he made his way toward the home of the debt collector, Brother Hu.

Despite his outward confidence, Leo wasn't careless. He still had an ace up his sleeve.

"System," he thought, "I still have two ability draws left, don't I?"

When the system first bound itself to him, it granted him two random ability draws, but he hadn't had time to use them until now.

[ Yes, Would you like to use them now? ]

Without hesitation, Leo chose to proceed.

[ Congratulations,You've obtained the B-level enhancement ability: Physical Strengthening. ]

[ Congratulations, You've obtained the C-level elemental ability: Fire Origin. ]

A rush of energy surged through Leo's body. It felt as though he had bathed in a revitalizing hot spring. His muscles became denser, and his overall physical strength doubled.

[ Physical Strengthening: Improves overall physical capabilities. The degree of enhancement depends on the ability's level.

Fire Origin: Allows the user to amplify existing flames, but it cannot create fire independently. ]

Leo smiled wryly. While the Physical Strengthening ability was a great addition, the Fire Origin ability felt far less useful to him.

"Can abilities be fused?" he asked curiously.

[ Yes, However, the difference in levels between the abilities must not be too great. For example, fusing an S-level ability with a C-level ability may result in a D-level ability. Fusing two similarly leveled abilities, however, will maintain or improve their strength ]

The system also explained that fusions could either be random or focused on enhancing one specific ability.

"I want to fuse Physical Strengthening and Fire Origin," Leo decided, "and focus on Physical Strengthening."

[ Understood ] the system confirmed.

[ Consuming Physical Strengthening and Fire Origin abilities… Fusion complete. Congratulations, you've obtained the B-level enhancement ability: Absolute Amplification. ]

[ Absolute Amplification: Enhances physical capabilities to a significant degree and temporarily boosts power under specific conditions. ]

[ For the first fusion ability, you will get 1000 reward points, 1000 energy points, and one fusion time. ]