Chapter 10: A Spark Of Hope
Without even thinking, Asher brought out the sword from his storage. Instantly, the white blade’s energy burst out all over the car, causing the two to close their eyes shut for a couple of seconds. The sheer pressure in the confined space felt suffocating, a raw manifestation of power he had never witnessed, let alone wielded, before.
Asher slowly opened his eyes, staring at the sword before him in shock, and disbelief. The weight in his hands was undeniable. The system was real, it was so fucking real. Twenty years of being called a "Waste" evaporated in the radiant glow of the blade.
He slowly touched the weapon, feeling the warmth around its hilt. The blade was made from an unknown material, and it was completely white, even the sheath was white. He slowly grabbed the sheath.
’Among Awakeners, such a weapon is more valuable than the lives of ten thousand ordinary people... A Heaven-Tier, even the leader of the top 20 guild might not have one. But can I actually use it? There are a total of 9 Tiers in weapons and gears....’
’Common. Bronze. Mortal. Earth. Celestial. Heaven. Divine. Mythic. And Supreme Mythic... And there are also 9 ranks an Awakener can reach, from F-Rank to SSS-RANK. Each rank open the tier of weapon you can use, for example, an F-Rank can never bring out the full strength of a Bronze-Tier weapon, but can still use it in a battle... Unless that F-Rank increases his rank to E-Rank, then he can bring out a Bronze-Tier weapon’s full force. This rule isn’t set in stone.’
He slowly pulled the sheath, revealing the Space splitting sword’s blade:
’There are some prodigies out there that can use the full might of a weapon higher than their rank, just like some of my siblings.’ He fully pulled out the sheath, and the brightness of the sword filled the car again.
Juliana stared at the ordinary kitchen knife in her hand, then turned to the glowing weapon in Asher’s. A disapproving frown appearing on her face. The contrast between the cheap steel and the divine artifact was laughable, and her gangster pride flared up at the perceived slight of the initial gift.
Noticing her gaze, Asher turned to her with a smile, then sheathed the sword: "My beautiful wife, this here is yours."
"What?!! Really??!" Juliana asked in shock, tossing the kitchen knife into the back seat, her wide eyes fixed on the weapon, not even bothered by how Asher called her. The prospect of absolute power bypassed her usual hostility. For a girl who relied on aggression, a Heaven-Tier weapon was the ultimate blanket.
’Wow, I didn’t know she can make such an expression before this.’ He chuckled inwardly, seeing the terrifying thug melt into an awestruck teenager, and handed the sword to her.
Juliana quickly took the blade, hugging it to her chest: "So beautiful!! I can feel the powers in this." She murmured, caressing the blade like it was a baby.
’So sad... Kitchen Knife, it seems we both lost to this sword.’ Asher thought, amused by her sudden obsession, turning his head to the system’s screen.
{Congratulations Master for Investing in your wife Juliana.}
{Congratulations Master!! Wife Juliana’s Affection: +10%.}
{Third Wife’s Affection: 50%.}
’50%?! She looked down on me that much? Well, at least it’s better now.’ He thought to himself, staring at the remaining notifications. It stung slightly, but it made sense. He had been a passive, useless ghost in their lives for two weeks. Earning her true trust would take more than just handing over a shiny sword—it required consistent protection and understanding.
{Investment: Heaven-Tier Space splitting sword.}
{Master Triggered the 50,000x Return.}
{Gained The Mythic-Tier Devouring sword!! [Can’t be used to Invest].}
{Item Has been stored in your storage.}
’Holy fuck?!!! That’s a Mythic-Tier sword!!’ Asher almost jumped from his seat, but held himself back. Although he couldn’t use the sword’s full strength, but such a weapon, even without its full strength is still stronger than other tiers.
{Congratulations!!}
’Huh? There is more?’
{For increasing your Wife’s Affection towards you. Master Triggered the 20,000x return.}
{Gained the Celestial-Tier Sword Physique. [Can’t be used to Invest].}
{Master Can activate it anytime.}
’A physique!!! Am I this lucky?! Only one in a million people can have such a physique, and mine is a Celestial-Tier!! Just because I increased her affection.’ He clenched his fist. The power to protect his wives was just a thought away, and with this Physique, he could easily deal with that Fat pig.
{DING!}
’Huh? Another reward?’ He asked himself, stunned. The universe was overcompensating for twenty years of neglect all at once.
{Master, you are bonded with the system, so you can unleash the full strength of any weapon, and skill tiers, no matter your Rank.}
"...?!!!"
Asher froze in his seat. With such an advantage, and with the current weapon in hand, he is technically overpowered, all thanks to one wife. What about the other two???
A thrilling realization swept through him. The Starfire family hadn’t thrown him into the trash; they had inadvertently handed him the keys to defy the very laws of the world.
He quickly started the car: ’I should hide the Devouring sword for now, unless, Juliana might target it... Not to mention I can’t use it to invest.’ He thought, and drove straight towards the house.
If one wife gave him so many valuable items, and even a physique, what will he get from the other two?
__
Asher stopped in the garage, and got down with the bags of food. He turned to Juliana, who also got down, still hugging and whispering words to her new sword, completely lost in her own world of newfound security.
’She is just an F-Rank, she can’t even bring out its full strength, well, that weapon is five ranks higher than her.’ He sighed, a fond smile gracing his lips anyway as he started walking towards the entrance, following behind Juliana.
{DING!}
{Juliana’s profile.}
"....?!"
{Name: Juliana Asher.}
{Race: Human.}
{Height: 163 Cm.}
{Rank: F-Rank.}
{Talent: SSS-RANK.}
{Affection: 50%.}
{Position: Third Wife.}
{Health State: Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).}
{Current emotion: Extremely Happy.}
{Cure: Everlasting Mind Pill.}
{Note: Everlasting Mind Pill merges all Personalities into one, and also unlocks her cultivation speed to match her talent.}
"....?!!"
Asher stood frozen at the porch, staring at the system screen in shock, not just by her talent, but also by the cure. There is actually a way to cure Juliana.
She wasn’t permanently broken. None of them were. For the first time in his life, Asher felt a genuine, burning spark of hope. He wasn’t just going to protect his wives from the world; he was going to heal them.