142: Chapter 142 Upgrade

Outside the door, the clatter of pots and pans and the aroma of frying bacon drifted up from downstairs.

"Qin! Emma! Come down for breakfast!" Rob Lowe's gentle and vigorous voice called out from downstairs. "I tried my hand at a newly-learned Eastern breakfast today!"

"Coming."

Qin Ming pushed open his bedroom door, just as Emma was stepping out from the room opposite his.

The two of them walked down the stairs.

In the dining room, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling onto the log dining table.

Robert was dressed in a casual suit, with a bear-patterned apron comically tied around his waist.

He was carrying two plates out of the kitchen.

"Come and try it—authentic Eastern Youtiao and soy milk.

I even added a bit of sugar specifically," Robert greeted them enthusiastically.

Qin Ming pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at the dough lump on the plate that was fried as black as charcoal, then glancing at the white liquid in the cup that was as thick as some kind of chemical paste.

Clearly, this single father's culinary talent was limited to simply making ingredients cooked.

"It looks... very special." Qin Ming picked up a fork and poked the carbonized Youtiao without changing his expression.

"Thanks, Dad! I knew Dad's cooking is the best!" Emma, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to pick up a Youtiao and take a bite.

Looking at his two children, happy crow's feet crinkled at the corners of Robert's eyes.

He wiped his hands on his apron, untied the straps, and draped it over the back of a chair.

"Kids, there's a sudden situation today," Robert said while sipping his coffee. "I have to go to Jericho for some official business today. It might take until very late, so I might not be back tonight."

Qin Ming's chewing motion paused slightly.

Jericho? That name was certainly not unfamiliar.

That was a place teeming with outcasts, werewolves, Vampires, and all sorts of bizarre creatures.

Nevermore Academy was located right near there.

"It's okay, Dad. Take care of yourself," Emma said, swinging her legs obediently. "Big brother and I will be good and watch TV at home."

"Stay safe at work," Qin Ming advised calmly after swallowing the unidentified mush in his mouth.

"I know, I know." Robert walked over and affectionately ruffled both Qin Ming's and Emma's hair. "You're still children; I certainly can't leave you home alone overnight. I'll have your aunt come over to look after you for the night."

"She'll be here by evening. Be good and don't give her any trouble, okay?"

Emma: Okay

"Mission guaranteed!" Emma raised a small hand in a salute.

Watching this scene, Robert let out a long sigh of relief.

The morning sun shone on the children's clean, innocent faces, and a great sense of satisfaction filled his chest.

So what if he was a single father? He had a pair of the most well-behaved, obedient, and worry-free divine children in the world.

"Having children like this is truly a blessing," Robert remarked emotionally, picked up his briefcase, and hurried out the door.

The front door closed with a "bang."

"Dad's cooking tastes even scarier than that water ghost from yesterday," Emma said, sticking her tongue out.

Qin Ming pulled a tissue to wipe his mouth, stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Watching Robert's car drive away, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Let's go eat at the school cafeteria."

---

Night gradually deepened.

As expected, Robert didn't come home. He sent a text saying he'd run into some trouble with his business in Jericho and would have to make do at a local motel for the night.

As for the aunt who was supposed to come look after them, she was forced to turn back halfway because of a blown tire.

Faced with these sudden circumstances, Qin Ming and Emma showed surprising "maturity."

They obediently comforted Robert and their aunt over the phone, then decisively hung up.

In the large house, only two seemingly harmless "children" remained.

Second floor, bedroom.

With a thought from Qin Ming, a translucent panel that only he could see popped up.

[Current remaining points: 53,800.]

"Let's start with an appetizer."

Qin Ming's gaze swept across the consumables section of the system mall and locked onto an item.

[Holy Light Scroll: Contains extremely compressed pure Holy Light power. Can be disguised as ordinary parchment or a contract. Once triggered, it instantly releases a burst of purification energy.]

"Exchange."

[100 points deducted.]

With a shimmer of light, an ancient parchment scroll appeared out of thin air on the desk.

Qin Ming picked it up and weighed it in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Witch-Heart Demon wanted the Contract of San Venganza in his dreams, so he would show some mercy and hand-craft a "high-quality counterfeit" for him. When that kid excitedly snatched it and opened it, the Holy Light in this scroll would definitely blast his face flat.

Putting away the scroll, Qin Ming turned his attention back to his core abilities.

His current weaknesses were obvious. Although his halo and Gabriel's suppression were extremely strong, his own perception and melee defense still had room for improvement.

"System, upgrade Intermediate Danger Perception."

[Upgrading to Advanced Danger Perception requires 1,000 points. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

Hum—!

[Advanced Danger Perception: Warning range expanded to 30 meters. Can precisely lock onto the positions of spirits/evils and perceive the trajectories of energy attacks (such as fire/frost) in advance. Automatically marks high-threat targets and triggers a strong stinging warning before encountering a 'certain-death attack'.]

"Not bad, a god-tier anti-gank skill." Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction.

Next was a trump card for physical combat.

"Upgrade Basic Melee Combat."

[Upgrading to Advanced Melee Combat requires 1,000 points. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

"Ssh!"

Without summoning the physical halo behind his head, a layer of dazzling golden Holy Flame actually ignited out of thin air over his fists.

This Holy Flame quickly condensed, transforming into a pair of Holy Light Gauntlets with a strong metallic texture.

Beowulf

[Advanced Melee Combat: Punch and kick attacks are automatically imbued with Holy Light Gauntlets/greaves. Can forcibly break through the physical defenses of low-level evils/undead. Grants mastery of Holy Light melee parrying techniques, allowing for the perfect deflection of physical and magical impacts.]

Qin Ming looked at the armor encasing his fists and casually threw a punch into the air.

"Pop!"

The air was directly blasted apart, letting out a crisp sonic boom.

No fancy special effects, just pure violence.

In the future, if any blind demon dared to rush him for a melee fight, these enchanted iron fists would teach them how to be a proper demon.

The previous upgrades were just appetizers. He had searched through the system mall for a long time to find this broken ability that could completely flip the table.

"Search for special ability: Holy Divine Domain."

The screen jumped, and a line of golden text emerged.

[Holy Divine Domain LV1: Forcibly deploys an Absolute Domain with a 10-meter radius. During the domain's activation, any high-level abilities such as Rule-based, Causality-based, Future Sight, or Omniscience/Omnipotence are all rendered invalid. Within the domain, both sides are left with only four hard attributes to compete: Spiritual Power, Speed, Strength, and Defense.]

[Exchange Price: 10,000 points.]