NOVPUBEthan spat out the curse, but when the other party didn't respond, he shrank his neck and bolted.
Only an idiot would stand around after running his mouth. Clearly, he wasn't a match for the guy anyway. Fortunately, it seemed like the man had no intention of chasing him.
He dashed all the way back to his quaters, flung open the door, and slipped inside.
'Thank god Ryan and Leeroy are in Ethereal with their headsets on. If they saw me like this, I'd never live it down.'
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a voice rang out.
"Ethan, you're back! You—Ahh! You perv!"
Ethan had barely stepped inside, hadn't even closed the door yet, when Evelyn appeared in the doorway, hands covering her eyes—though she was peeking through her fingers.
Behind her, Ryan and Leeroy stood, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.
Even though the three of them had been logged into Ethereal, the game's alert system had notified them the moment Ethan returned. Sensing movement nearby, they had all logged out and rushed over, just in time to witness Ethan looking utterly disheveled.
His shoulder blade was shattered, pain shooting through him like fire. But hearing Evelyn's voice, he instinctively turned his head—crack!—sending a fresh jolt of agony down his neck.
Sweat beaded and trickled down his face.
Ryan and Leeroy, noticing his state, immediately stepped forward to support him.
Evelyn, meanwhile, was still standing there, having just called him a pervert—yet she continued to openly observe him, amusement flickering in her gaze.
There was even a small, satisfied smirk on her lips.
"Eve, quit staring and check him already," Leeroy called out, exasperated.
"Oh… right," Evelyn mumbled, cheeks flushing.
She hurried inside, stepping closer and gently pressing a hand to his injured shoulder.
Hiss…
Ethan sucked in a sharp breath as a wave of pain wracked his body, sending shudders down his spine.
"Your shoulder blade is completely shattered. Who the hell did this to you?" Evelyn frowned, a golden glow beginning to gather around her fingertips as it seeped into his wound.
"No clue—some old bastard, but he was definitely a pro. The guy took me out with a single pebble," Ethan gritted out.
The warm energy flowing from Evelyn's touch had a slight cooling sensation, tingling and numbing at the same time. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
To his surprise, it even dulled the pain. He could feel the fragments of his bone shifting, realigning. Evelyn was clearly repositioning the shattered pieces.
Ten minutes later…
Evelyn finally pulled her hand away. When Ethan turned to look at her, he noticed beads of sweat forming on her small nose.
But she let out a relieved sigh. "Alright, that's all I can do. The rest is up to your body to heal. For now, you won't be able to move this arm."
"I'll make you a brace and strap it around your neck—pfft, haha…"
She suddenly burst into laughter, probably picturing him wearing the sling.
"Heal?" Ethan repeated the word.
"Yeah, I can only set the bones and help them fuse. You'll need time to fully recover."
She paused before adding, "Though… even after healing, you might have lingering damage. When it's cold or rainy, it might ache.
But don't worry! Once it heals, I can treat you a few more times and get rid of the problem completely."
Evelyn puffed out her chest with confidence, patting it as if making a grand promise.
Ethan, however, wasn't repeating her words out of doubt. It was because…
"Tree Form…"
"Heal… Cast!"
Bzzzz…
Ethan raised his right hand, and to everyone's shock, a glowing sphere of emerald light formed in his palm.
Even he was stunned. He had never considered that his healing skills could be used outside of Ethereal.
Wasn't this a bit too overpowered? Did this mean he could actually become some kind of godlike healer in real life?
Slowly, he pressed the orb against his injured shoulder. A wave of cool, soothing energy surged through him—impossible to describe, yet utterly relieving.
Then, the sensation changed. A deep, gnawing itch spread across the injury, sharp and unbearable, even worse than the pain itself.
Ethan clenched his jaw and powered through, casting Heal again. And again. And again.
By the time the last one landed, the unbearable itch faded.
Testing his arm, he moved it slowly. No pain. No restriction. No sign he had been injured at all.
Grinning, he turned to Evelyn. "Sorry to disappoint you, but looks like I won't be needing that sling after all."
Ryan and Leeroy, still in disbelief, stepped forward and poked at Ethan's arm, trying to confirm for themselves.
Evelyn, on the other hand, gathered energy and performed her own scan. After a moment, she stumbled back, muttering under her breath, "No way… That's impossible…"
Ryan and Leeroy exchanged looks, their expressions growing increasingly complicated.
Ethan was already strong, but now he had healing abilities too?
Judging from Evelyn's reaction, his healing skill was even more advanced than hers. It had erased an injury that should have taken weeks to heal in mere seconds.
Ethan, however, didn't care what they were thinking. He turned and walked into his bedroom, ready to change into fresh clothes.
He couldn't exactly stand around half-naked in front of everyone—especially with a girl present.
If not for the severity of his injury earlier, he would have changed a long time ago.
As he got dressed, his mind was unsettled. He had been excited to regain access to his abilities, finally able to move freely around the Silverwood estate.
Yet, he had immediately run into someone so powerful that he had been crushed in an instant.
Who was that old man?
More importantly, why had he been stationed at the training grounds? Was there some hidden secret there?
Or was it simply because that area served as the only entrance to the core of the Silverwood estate?
A dozen theories ran through Ethan's mind, but they were all just speculation.
By the time he stepped out of his bedroom, the three Chase siblings were still waiting for him. Leeroy, arms crossed, asked bluntly, "So… what exactly happened? Who the hell did that to you?"
Ethan recounted the incident in detail.
Leeroy's brow furrowed. "Yeah… That guy was definitely from the Silverwood family's main bloodline. The technique he used was unmistakable—it's their signature ability, Veilhand.
It's an elite skill. From a distance, it allows the user to turn anything into a deadly projectile, hitting with pinpoint accuracy. In close combat, it's even worse. Every strike aims for vital points, capable of dislocating joints or breaking bones with surgical precision."
Hearing that, Ethan was reminded of a past incident.
Back when he first met Ivy in this timeline, Lyla had casually smacked a stack of cash into her face, which had instantly made Celeste recognize Lyla's technique.
She had even complimented it.
And in his past life, when Lyla saved him, she had struck a thug's arm with a single palm strike—completely shattering the guy's limb at a perfect 90-degree angle.
That must have been Veilhand as well.
"You said that guy was part of the main Silverwood family?" Ethan asked.
Leeroy nodded. "Yeah. Only direct blood relatives of the Silverwoods are allowed to learn that skill. Even their best members—whether inner-circle or personal students—are forbidden from studying it.
If anyone tries to steal it… best-case scenario, they get crippled. Worst case? Executed."
After that explanation, Leeroy fell silent.
Evelyn, however, was still curious. "Wait… How do you know so much about this?"
Leeroy shot a glance at Ryan, who immediately looked uncomfortable.
After a long pause, Leeroy smirked. "You'll have to ask your dear second brother about that."
Ryan coughed awkwardly. "Ahem… uh… you see, back when I was younger… uh, why are we even bringing that up now?"
Trying to dodge the topic, he waved it off.
Evelyn wasn't having it. She huffed. "Fine. Don't tell me. But don't expect me to make you any more rabbit stew."
"Wait—what?! Eve, my dear sister, come on, don't be like that! Fine, fine, I'll talk!"
And just like that, she had him completely cornered. Ryan's greatest weakness—rabbit stew. A single threat, and he folded instantly.
