Chapter 1006 - 1004 Ethan’s Awakened Ability
The experience had been terrible.
And she absolutely did not want to go through that again.
With that in mind, Kisha quickly steeled her resolve. She had to complete this mission no matter what. Besides, upon closer inspection, the task did not seem particularly difficult; she had already intended to capture mutated animals in the first place. In fact, the system issuing this mission worked entirely in her favor.
The rewards alone were enough to tempt her. Strength, Agility, Defense, and even Mental Capacity Pills... all of them were incredibly useful. She was already subconsciously considering which of her people would benefit most from each batch to enhance their overall combat power.
The thought alone filled her with anticipation.
Unknowingly, her pace quickened, her steps growing lighter and faster as excitement replaced her earlier frustration. At this point, she was practically eager to encounter her first mutated animal.
Only then did Kisha remember Ethan’s earlier, overly enthusiastic offer to help.
"There’s no need," she replied calmly. "I already have someone who will handle the battles."
As she spoke, she lightly patted Zeus’s side. The beast stood tall enough to reach her chest, its massive frame resembling a bear so closely that anyone who saw it for the first time would naturally mistake it for one.
However, as her hand rested against it, Kisha suddenly realized something: Zeus seemed to have grown bigger without her even noticing.
For a moment, she fell into thought. Considering his enormous appetite and the dense spiritual energy within her territory, it was only natural for it to grow stronger and larger over time. With such conditions, its rapid development was hardly surprising.
Her gaze lingered on it as they walked. Its fur looked exceptionally soft, thick, and glossy, practically radiating vitality and health. Then her eyes shifted to Bell, who hovered nearby just as lively as ever. Its scarlet body gleamed vividly under the light, so richly colored that it almost looked as though fresh blood was coursing across its surface.
Perhaps it had also been far too long since her two battle pets had been brought outside to properly exercise or train their coordination and combat abilities. Life within her territory had been so peaceful and abundant that they rarely faced any real threats.
In fact, anyone who saw the two beasts beside her would likely think they lived far better than most survivors in this apocalypse, well-fed, strong, and brimming with vitality.
Because of that, bringing them out now was undoubtedly a wise decision.
Kisha quietly decided that she would not interfere in the battles unless absolutely necessary. Instead, she would leave the fighting entirely to the two of them and simply step in to capture the mutated animals once they had been subdued.
After hearing Kisha’s response, Ethan’s gaze shifted toward the bear-like beast walking calmly beside her and the massive scarlet bee hovering nearby.
For a brief moment, he couldn’t help but second-guess their usefulness.
After all, he, too, had already awakened his ability. Ever since training with Eagle and the others, and after personally witnessing the overwhelming strength of Kisha and Duke, as well as the true potential of awakened abilities, he had pushed himself relentlessly. The results had been significant, and he was no longer the same as before.
While he knew he could not compare to Kisha’s level of power, he was far from weak.
Because of that, he genuinely believed he could be of help to her.
More than anything, he was eager to prove his worth, to show her that she didn’t have to rely solely on her battle pets and that she could also depend on her brother.
"How about I help capture the mutated animals? I can coordinate with your battle pets," Ethan offered.
Although he felt somewhat intimidated by the massive creatures accompanying his sister, his eagerness to assist outweighed his hesitation. On ordinary days, he was never this forward, but opportunities to spend time with Kisha were rare, and he wanted to show her his capabilities, to let her see a more dependable side of him.
After all, most of their family’s past interactions with her had been far from pleasant. There had even been open conflict, especially the incidents Melody had instigated. Ethan was well aware that Kisha likely did not hold a favorable impression of their family, and he couldn’t blame her for that.
But he wanted to change that perception, even if only little by little.
If things continued as they were, she might forever keep her distance and treat them as mere outsiders. His mother already carried deep guilt for losing her decades ago; if the truth had long been revealed and yet they still remained strangers, it would only deepen that heartbreak.
More than anything, Ethan simply wanted the chance to spend more time with his sister. For now, offering his help, even in small ways, was the most sincere thing he could do.
After all, even the base they were currently using as their safe haven had been provided by Duke, who was now Kisha’s husband. Learning that their childhood betrothal had still come to pass, despite all the twists and turns of fate, had been a source of quiet relief for the family.
However, the fact that the base belonged to Duke also meant that they had little material to offer in return. The only thing they could truly contribute was their effort and labor.
Because of this, nearly everyone in their family had begun working twice as hard within the base, doing whatever tasks they could to support its operation. In their own way, it was both a gesture of gratitude and a silent promise to Kisha that they stood on her side and had no intention of becoming a burden to her or her people.
"Whatever..." Kisha replied flatly, already sounding resigned.
It was obvious that no matter what she said, Ethan would still find a way to help her. And honestly, if someone was practically volunteering to be her working donkey and do as she asked, why would she bother pushing him away?
So she simply allowed him to follow.
Besides, he and the others had already witnessed her use her spatial ability before, back when she treated everyone to that seafood feast. There was no longer any real reason to hide that much from him, at least not that part of it. As long as he believed it was just a common Space-Type ability, that was enough.
What truly needed to remain hidden was her territory space.
The Space-Type ability and her territory space were completely different in nature.
A spatial storage ability was rare, but not unheard of. There were even two awakened Space-Type ability users that Tristan put in Dracon’s team that just recently left to do a mission, which meant people could still rationalize it within the bounds of known abilities. But a self-sustaining territorial space dimension like hers? That was on an entirely different level.
It wasn’t just an ability.
It was a resource vault. A sanctuary. A private world that could endlessly produce supplies.
And in an apocalyptic era where resources equaled survival, and survival equaled power, such a space would be enough to ignite greed in anyone who learned about it. Whoever possessed it would essentially hold the means to reshape influence, control trade, and gather loyalty with ease.
The more resources one had, the more tempting it became for others to covet, seize, or steal.
Kisha had no intention of gambling on human nature.
Because one wrong revelation wouldn’t just put her at risk, it could drag her entire family into danger.
Especially since she didn’t truly know the Evans family that well.
On top of that, Melody, who had repeatedly opposed her, was also a member of that family, which naturally made Kisha even more guarded around them. They weren’t close, they didn’t share trust, and their interactions so far had never been warm enough for her to lower her defenses.
Because of that, Kisha could only allow them to see exactly what she chose to reveal, nothing more, nothing less. Anything beyond that would be unnecessary risk.
Unless they were bound to her the same way the others were.
Only through absolute loyalty, the kind ensured by a slave contract, could she truly feel at ease knowing they would never betray her. In a world like this, trust wasn’t built on words, but on guarantees.
And yet...
The thought alone made her hesitate.
No matter how distant they felt, the Evans were still, by blood, her biological family. Even if the "slavery" she imposed was more of a safeguard than actual oppression, the idea of placing such a restraint on her own kin left an uncomfortable weight in her chest.
It felt wrong. Awkward. Distasteful.
So, for now, the most rational choice was simple: maintain a careful distance. Close enough to observe, polite enough to avoid conflict, but far enough to keep her secrets, and her true power, safely out of their reach.