Gulp.
'I wonder if he will accept my request.'
Sorath was standing in front of the door. A sign labeled with "Patriarch's Office" hung above it. The reason he stood there was he needed something. Something that would help him pass with his awakening trial.
Based on the old and remade novels, Sorath had struggled to clear his solo trial because he was neglecting his combat and physical training.
However, he pushed through the other tests quite smoothly. He recruited the strong would-be Ascenders into his group, using them to carry him through the highest floor of the tutorial floors or awakening phase floors.
'I can't do that this time if I want to take all the hidden treasures in the tutorial floors.'
So, that "something" he needed was training. And not just a typical training. But a special course that could harbor a result in a short time, approximately three weeks.
The new year, the time when the awakening phase started, was approaching in a few weeks. Sorath didn't have the luxury of time to take regular swordsmanship or the other courses that needed a long time to master.
What he needed was something fast but useful. Also, ones that didn't burden his weak body. What could it be?
Knock. Knock.
He knocked on the door and waited for a response. After a while, a faint voice came from the other side, telling him to come in.
Sliding the door, Sorath found the Patriarch sitting at his desk doing paperwork. While the Patriarch was busy with the documents, Sorath was thinking about what should he call him.
Would the Patriarch mind if Sorath called him father? Or would he prefer if Sorath called him patriarch?
All that thinking was happening in a split second. In the end, Sorath decided to call him Father, just like what the Author did in the previous timeline. He hoped that the Patriarch would react the same way this time.
After all, he had done the work to get some scores in the grand dinner a week ago.
"Father?"
The Patriarch's ears twitched. He stopped his work and looked forward, finding his son fiddling with his finger. Noticing the subtle gesture his son made, the Patriarch couldn't help but feel flowers grow in his heart.
Noticing the Patriarch's expression, Sorath concealed his inner triumph with a hidden smile.
"Sorath, what brings you here today?"
'He called my name! This is working!' he thought.
Still maintaining his acting as a sweet and innocent child, Sorath said:
"Father, how are you today?"
"As you can see, I'm good."
Sorath surveyed the room. Beside the Patriarch's desk, which was full of documents. Everything else was neat and clean. The Patriarch, too, his face looked fresh. There was no sign of weariness under his red eyes.
'What's his age again? I think it's around 40. But…' Sorath studied the Patriarch's face. 'He looks young!'
It had been a normal occurrence for the awakened individuals who had reached a certain level of awakening rank to have significant changes in their body such as retaining their appearances before reaching that level.
Evolution. Was what people called that phase.
There were 5 stages of awakening. And each stage offered an immense increase to the awakened individual limiters. Starting from the initial rank, it was like this: Awakened, Evolved, Bloomed, Transcended, and lastly, Prime.
Among the awakening stage names, Evolved, Bloomed, and Transcended ranks were often referred to as Master, Grandmaster, and Saint (It would be Saintess to refer to female awakened), respectively.
The Patriarch himself. He had reached the Bloomed stage, the highest of awakened rank in the tower at the moment.
'For now, only a handful of people have succeeded in reaching that stage. But after the countdown for floor 50 is done, the people of this tower will meet the batch from the other towers whose levels are higher than us.'
Putting the thought aside, Sorath focused on his current matter first.
"Father. Do you know what day it was yesterday?"
"December 5. Friday." the Patriarch said, raising his eyebrow.
Sorath let out a dejected sigh. He deliberately, yet naturally contorted his face from the happiest kid to a dejected and disappointed one.
"It was my birthday…"
As soon as the Patriarch heard his son's dejected voice, a guilty feeling seized him, much like a hunter's net ensnaring its prey
"Oh…" He was silent for a moment.
Then he deliberately coughed.
"I'm sorry, Sorath. I have… forgotten about that."
Sorath didn't say anything. He played his role perfectly. Thus, that behavior made the Patriarch feel more guilty.
"As an apology, is there anything you want? I'll get it for you whatever as long as it is something within my power."
After that statement, Sorath returned to his sweet, innocent, and happiest son in the world's acting.
He was so good of an actor that even the visual effect of a star-shaped pupil you often see in anime replaced his circular pupil.
Not gonna lie, he could have gotten an Oscar award if he pursued an acting career…
"Really?! You will get me anything?!"
Warmth enveloped the Patriarch's face. For a person of his caliber, who was cold and stern on the outside, he was actually weak against innocent or sweet creatures, much like his wife who once filled his world with colors.
He nodded. "Yes. Tell me what you want."
"Then, I want to have a training."
The Patriarch raised an eyebrow. "A training?"
"I turned 16 yesterday, which means I will have my awakening phase in a few weeks," Sorath said, acting nervous, constantly fiddling with his fingers and glancing here and there. "But… I've never had proper training before because of my temperaments at the time."
Sorath lifted his face, determined eyes locked on the Patriarch.
"Now I've realized the importance of combat education at an early age to prepare for this moment…"
Letting out a sigh, Sorath looked down at the floor, deliberately expressing his disappointment in himself.
He went silent for a while, letting the mood grow.
Then as a final attack, he said:
"Do you think it's too late for training, Father?"
Those words hit the Patriarch like a truck hitting an ordinary citizen and sending them to another world (isekai).
"Nonsense!"
Feeling his sense of responsibility and empathy as a father and the head of the family, the Patriarch stopped everything he was doing at the moment. Getting out of his chair, he approached and put his hands on his son's shoulders.
"Sorath, my son, it's never too late for learning. Life is a journey of continuous growth, and each step, no matter how small, leads us closer to who we are meant to be. Remember, it's not about when you start, but how earnestly you pursue knowledge and mastery. That, my son, is the true essence of a Shedever."
That left Sorath stunned. He never expected his father to say those inspirational words to him. Not even the Author received the Patriarch's wisdom.
'I'm speechless…'
"However, you only have 3 weeks for training. Any weapon courses won't help you with your awakening phase. And considering your constitution and capabilities, I have 3 suggestions on what training you may take."
"Stamina training, agility training, and tactical combat training."
Sorath nodded approvingly.
"Besides those three, can I add another course?"
"What course do you want to add?"
"Shooting."