Paige Summers considered herself quite generous, giving away such amazing information for the small price of a single person.

’Of course, this didn’t rule out the fact that she’d rather Marcus Monroe get those supplies than let them fall into the hands of Shawn Monroe and Nora Lowell. She also understood that her own chances of taking everything for herself were even slimmer. Instead of letting some other random person get them, she might as well use the information to do someone a favor.’

All in all, after everything they had been through, she found she trusted Marcus Monroe more than most.

’If he really managed to get that cache of supplies, he wouldn’t short-change her!’

So, after returning from her meeting with Marcus Monroe, she became very busy.

On one hand, she was racing against time to train and work on her Promotion. On the other, she began using the materials she had to craft more suitable weapons.

Her housemate, Levi Young, wasn’t idle either.

Business at the pharmacy was booming. They still wanted deliveries every three days, but they had requested double the quantity. It was as if he could see piles and piles of Crystal Cores waving at him, and he worked with cheerful enthusiasm.

Paige Summers, however, warned him not to neglect his superpower Cultivation, telling him that Promoting to the Fourth Rank as soon as possible was what truly mattered.

She said this partly out of concern, but also because she had a feeling she wouldn’t be staying in The Dead City for much longer. After all, her original plan had always been to leave after dealing with Leanne Walsh.

And now, it seemed that time was fast approaching. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

If Levi Young’s own power didn’t increase, it wouldn’t matter how many poisons he concocted for self-defense. It was just like that day at The Dueling Ground—all it took was a single glance from Jayden Yeats to make him cower.

’So, true power came from within; you couldn’t just rely on external items. It wasn’t that you couldn’t use little tricks, but in a life-or-death situation, real power was all that mattered!’

These words were as much for herself as they were for Levi Young.

「Several days later.」

Just as she finished crafting her weapons and her frantic, time-blurring work schedule finally eased up, two things happened in quick succession.

Early that morning, her pet, Sweetie, woke up.

It had slept for what felt like an eternity; Paige Summers had even started to worry it might never wake up. Fortunately, when a clear, pleasant chirp sounded early that morning, she rushed over to find Sweetie already perched on the windowsill, seemingly contemplating whether or not it could break through the glass.

Its new appearance left her breathless.

The color of its feathers had noticeably darkened, now close to a shade of brown. Its frame had also become solid and muscular. The baby fat was completely gone, replaced by an agile, athletic build. Its wings were much larger, too; fully spread, they were no smaller than those of an ordinary eagle!

Paige Summers rushed over excitedly. "Sweetie, my baby, you’re finally awake!"

"Congratulations on a successful Promotion!"

"You’ve gotten so big! Here, and here, and here!"

"..."

Sweetie patiently endured all her verbal and physical fussing. Though it had grown, it was still very attached to her, affectionately rubbing its head against her fingers.

After a while, it belatedly dawned on Paige Summers. "You should be able to fly now, right?"

Hearing this, Sweetie immediately perked up. It stood tall, puffed out its chest, and flapped its wings as if to say, ’But of course! Obviously!’

"Come on, let’s go to the courtyard for a test flight. Just don’t fly too high, or some bored person might shoot you down for a meal!"

Eaten...

Sweetie shivered and obediently began its test flight, staying level with the top of the courtyard walls, absolutely refusing to go any higher.

At first, its flight was a little clumsy and wobbly. Soon, however, it found its balance, flying more and more smoothly as its speed began to increase... By the time it had its fill of flying and landed back on Paige Summers’s shoulder, her eyes were spinning in circles!

Alright, despite the slight dizziness, Paige Summers was incredibly excited.

’This is a ready-made scout!’

However, as she looked at Sweetie—completely exhausted from its maiden flight and slumped ungracefully on the table, panting for breath—Paige Summers shook her head gravely. ’You still have a long way to go, little one. You need more training!’

The opportunity came very soon.

「The next day.」

Howard Everett came to visit, bringing news that was both expected and yet, somehow, a surprise.

"We’ve received reliable intel on that cache of supplies. We’re heading out tonight. The boss gave the order: get ready and come with us."

Paige Summers blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

’They already said it was an important cache of supplies. Were they really this casual about sharing all the details with her?’

’They trusted her a bit too much!’

Fortunately, she wasn’t a greedy person and genuinely held a friendly attitude toward them. With that thought, she felt at ease.

"Alright. I’ll get ready." After a pause, she couldn’t help but ask, "This reliable intel... you got it from Leanne Walsh, didn’t you? Does that mean you’ve already captured her?"