Chapter 191: Who is Stronger?
After the entrance test, there were still two weeks left before the official welcoming ceremony. During that time, Gara, Fian, and Madha planned to stay inside the dimensional home.
Yuvika and Orman were a little puzzled since the three seemed busy with their own things in their respective rooms—and they’d already made it clear that no one was allowed to enter their rooms.
Anyway, after Fian’s celebration party yesterday, everyone had gone back to work.
Fian and Madha were building a treehouse for Rea and her children, while Gara was sorting through the storage room that had yet to be organized.
Inside, he discovered piles of seeds—everything from herbs and fruit trees to crop plants.
A heavy sigh escaped him. He couldn’t help but remember the neat herb plots he once grew back in Suruta Village and Bota Village.
He’d already examined the soil around dimensional house—dry and poor, not suitable for herbs that needed rich earth to thrive.
And besides, not every herb could survive in autumn. Winter? Forget it.
So, Gara searched for an old book about plants that could grow through all four seasons. Along with it, there were many other books Hilda had prepared for him.
With a wave of his hand, streams of water gently lifted the books and carried them into the living room.
Gara was skilled enough to move things with water without allowing water molecules to cling to them. The books stayed perfectly dry.
At the same time, Fian entered from the side door.
Seeing Gara moving books—with water—Fian immediately rushed to the storage room to carry out the remaining ones.
"Is the treehouse done?" Gara asked as Fian came out of the storage.
"Continue tomorrow," Fian said.
Gara blinked, glancing up at the sky—only then realizing it had already grown dim.
Ares must’ve been working hard, making sure to check the light bulb the moment dusk fell, and lighting the house brightly.
With a soft sigh, Gara sank into the sofa, a book in hand. But before he could even open the first page, Fian—who’d been standing nearby—caught his attention.
The young elf was staring straight at him, silent, yet clearly wanting to say something.
Gara lifted a brow. He wasn’t the type to pry. If someone wanted to speak or ask for help, they should do it on their own—no need for him to drag it out of them.
But that principle didn’t really work with Fian.
The elf wasn’t just quiet—he never spoke unless absolutely necessary. Gara had learned patience the hard way since their first meeting.
"What is it, Fian?" he finally asked.
Fian stepped closer, his gaze firm. "I want to become strong."
"Strong?" Gara tilted his head. "You’re already strong. You ranked first in the entrance test."
"Not as strong as you," Fian replied without hesitation.
That made Gara pause.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure who was stronger between them.
He might have his Unlimited Water, which let him pull off all kinds of ability... But Fian’s Ghost Walk was nearly impossible to counter.
"Fian," Gara said after a moment, "I’m not necessarily stronger than you. It could be the other way around. But if you truly want to grow stronger, the only path is training.
Once we’re at the academy, we’ll learn from skilled instructors and meet countless other Liners with unique bloodlines and talents. We can learn from them too."
"What should I train?" Fian asked, eyes still dead serious.
"Uh..." Gara thought for a moment, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "How about... practicing Ice Spike while using Ghost Walk at the same time?"
Honestly, he’d just made that up—hoping it would distract Fian from pressing him for deeper answers he didn’t have. It was impossible to make Ice Spike while using Ghost Walk—right?
But Fian nodded with determination, as if he’d just been handed divine guidance, and turned toward the door.
"Wait—don’t train at night!" Gara called quickly. "It’s cold out there."
Fian froze mid-step... then obediently turned back inside.
What Gara didn’t notice was the quiet observer standing near the side door by the kitchen—Madha.
Their conversation hadn’t gone unheard.
Madha’s eyes met Ares, who stood in front of their rooms.
Neither of them said a word, but their gazes burned with unspoken fire.
The next morning, all three men—Fian, Madha, and Ares—turned into training maniacs.
Aside from completing chores, eating, and sleeping, they spent every spare moment pushing their limits with fierce, relentless focus.
Gara could only watch them in disbelief.
He still hadn’t finished organizing the storage room—yesterday he’d spent most of his time reading about four-season plants.
In the end, he found a few species that still existed and could be grown during autumn. But before planting, he needed to prepare fertilizer first. For that, he’d have to wait for Hilda’s help.
So for now, Gara returned to the storage room. The seeds had already been sorted and neatly stored in the cabinet. He planned to check on them regularly to prevent any mold from forming.
His eyes then landed on a wooden crate that looked very familiar. He immediately knew what was inside—Enhance Crystals.
"Three earth-element crystals," he muttered. "Should I just hand them over to Orman? If I could still contact Uncle Tristan, I’d really want to give these to him."
For now, Orman andTristan were the only earth-based Liners close enough to him to receive them.
Still undecided on what to do with the three earth-element crystals, Gara’s gaze shifted to a different one—a space-type Enhance Crystal.
"I wonder... could this one affect the Dimensional Home? But technically, the Dimensional Home is an item, not a Talent."
He reached out and picked up the blue crystal.
Whoosh—
The crystal suddenly glowed brightly, so intense that Gara instinctively shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, a transparent blue panel floated before him.
[Space-type Enhance Crystal Detected! Would you like to use it to upgrade the Dimensional Home Pocket?]
Gara’s eyes widened. "So it works on system item too?!"
He grinned, excitement bubbling up.
"Yes! Upgrade the Dimensional Pocket Home!"
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