'Ha!' Stefan sighed, opening his eyes and then closing them. He turned to the right, groaning once again.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and he sat up. Walking into the bathroom, he paused again in front of the mirror.
'Not again,' he gasped, inspecting his hair and examining his skull. While his hair remained white, the roots were red. Although it seemed attractive, Stefan only hoped this sudden change had stopped there.
As he removed his shirt, he noticed his skin had lightened, almost matching his mother's complexion, and his physique had become leaner. Considering his position, it was an improvement from his previous average physique.
'Don't tell me my eyes will start glowing next time! I hope there won't be a next time,' he grumbled inwardly, widening his eyes. If before his red eyes weren't that striking, now they took the spotlight. Before anyone could even notice his face, his eyes would capture their attention.
'I'll brush it off as an adjustment to my abilities,' he muttered to anyone who might ask.
Tapping his Phase Venom Bracelet, a screen appeared on his retina, displaying bold blue words. Scrolling through with a casual thought, an interface showing his full body with several descriptions appeared.
'193.04 cm! That's 6 feet 4 inches. This is getting scary,' Stefan gasped, staring at his height. According to the statistics, his muscles were as compact as a titan at the Continental rank.
This advantage made a smirk tug at his lips. Those with stronger physiques ended up becoming much stronger as they cultivated, so it was up to those weaker to find a means to close the gap.
Going from 179cm to 193cm was tremendous growth, especially for a man over a century old. After washing up, he wore his Eternal Era attire and cool-looking white sneakers.
With both hands in his pockets, he walked out of the room and quickly spotted Jason's car parked among several sleek vehicles behind the transparent wall.
Too bad Stefan was more into motorcycles. Despite his cheerful personality in the past, he still preferred moving alone, and the motorcycle suited that preference nicely.
Upon reaching the ground floor via the elevator, Stefan saw Jason chatting with Emberly at the entrance of the golden skyscraper.
'Can't believe this guy was so lucky to marry a beautiful wife and yet was still blessed with a girl. He must have hoped for a boy.' Knowing the coach's personality, Stefan was certain he would have preferred a boy to continue his passion.
Luckily, Emberly was incredibly talented and became obsessed with soccer after witnessing martial artists perform incredible skills and jaw-dropping techniques on the pitch.
"Good morning, Coach."
"You look great. You seem like a changed man, or am I getting too old," Jason chortled, shrugged it off, and they drove off.
"How's camp?"
"It's alright," Stefan replied, flashing a slight smile.
"I've met your little Lockwood," he continued.
"Hehehe, she has my spirit. You better keep up, kid. While she doesn't have dual alpha abilities, she possesses two abilities, and believe me when I say, I haven't seen anyone train more than her. That brat doesn't know when to stop," Jason chortled, his eyes shining brilliantly as he spoke about his daughter.
"Is that so," Stefan replied, his thoughts circling around their conversation in the gravity room.
She had actually warned him about overexertion. Was it pity? Or was she genuinely concerned about the sole person in Eternal Era's City X's training camp who could push her beyond her limits?
'The nerve of that…!' Stefan paused, realizing he would do the same thing if placed in her shoes.
"The city looks nice, doesn't it?"
"It's bright and quite entertaining," Stefan replied as he stared out the window, taking in the splendor of the bustling city.
"You're the only one who gets this view. We all watched things gradually change, so nothing seemed to have changed as we accepted them one by one," Jason chortled, nodding softly.
Thirty minutes later, he drove into a serene compound with beautiful gardens and nurses tending to patients dressed in blue gowns.
The huge plus sign hoisted at the top of the grand building made Stefan's lips twitch.
"Mum!" Stefan exclaimed excitedly, rushing into his mother's embrace. He closed his eyes and relished her warmth as she stroked his hair.
Although Sang-hee quickly noticed her son's new height, skin tone, and the color of the roots of his hair, she acted oblivious.
With a smile, they entered the doctor's office, along with Jason.
Unfortunately, a few hours later, after a proper check-up and several tests, not even a flicker of warmth remained in Stefan's eyes.
"What!" He bellowed, grabbing the doctor's coat.
"Stefan," Jason quickly dragged him away even as Stefan struggled.
"That bastard is lying! She has been fine, always fine, ALWAYS!!" Screaming, Stefan turned to his mother, who lowered her head, sobbing softly.
Her pain didn't stem from her diagnosis, but she could feel the anguish her son was going through.
"I'm sorry, but her illness has no cure. It naturally develops in those whose systems can't handle the energy infused rain used to boost human lifespan at the beginning. The others who have it are dead, so I suggest you try to…"
"SHUT UP! TELL HIM TO SHUT UP!!" Stefan screamed, the sound of his heart booming so loud that everything Jason said became inaudible.
"Honey…" Sang-hee stood up, about to approach him, but Stefan roared. "IT'S ALL RICHARDSON'S FAULT!"
Chuckling like a deranged man, lightning crackled through his body, and he dashed out, causing Sang-hee to chase after him, but Jason held her wrist.
"Let me go!" She hissed.
"He'll be back. Stefan just needs to accept the truth and he needs some alone time for that," Jason said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
In the end, his affection for Sang-hee still lingered in his heart, even though she wasn't the beauty she used to be.