Chapter 39: June? Scammed for Looks? Impossible, Right?
[🎉 Shoutout to CyberArsonist for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
This was a fact that couldn't be denied.
The harder June and the little fire fox trained, the faster the little fire fox's strength skyrocketed.
In just three days, the little fire fox had broken through to Level 3 Lower Tier and was on the verge of reaching Level 3 Intermediate Tier.
It was far faster than the growth June had achieved training it for half a month before.
Not to mention...
Her prior training with the little fire fox mainly focused on skill mastery and learning. Leveling up was just a bonus.
June: "Speaking of which, the expedition team Asher recommended is pretty reliable."
The Forbidden Zone was dangerous. June lacked the strength to stay at the mines for half a day alone, so venturing in by herself would have been unwise. To avoid accidents, Asher had introduced her to Benjamin's expedition team.
Faced with the opportunity to accompany June into the Forbidden Zone for training, Benjamin had no reason to refuse.
Not to mention, for June, problems solvable with money weren't problems at all.
Once the money was in place, Benjamin's team immediately became her bodyguards and sparring partners without complaints.
While fighting against the little fire fox, the team members practically spoon-fed it moves, no longer aiming to improve themselves but to help the fire fox figure out how to fight more effectively.
With the right time, place, and people all aligned, if the little fire fox didn't become stronger, who would?
In addition to mastering the skills Flame Bite, Fire Strike, and Fireball, the little fire fox also learned a fire-type skill called [Thermal Surge]. This skill allowed it to unleash greater power for two minutes but left it in a weakened state afterward.
Thinking about this, June couldn't help but complain:
"I seriously suspect that it learned this skill just because it was too hot at the mines."
June spoke so confidently.
Ivy's expression turned helpless—'what kind of logic is that?'
But she didn't argue back because she knew June was genuinely exhausted. If it weren't for not wanting to break her promise to Asher, June would have given up long ago.
After all, this wasn't the first time something similar had happened since they were kids.
That June managed to endure three full days before complaining surprised Ivy.
"Not bad. Really not bad!"
"Are you going again tomorrow?" Ivy blinked her bright, innocent eyes and asked.
June fell silent.
She hesitated.
Hugging the little fire fox, she collapsed on the sofa, closed her eyes, and placed her hands over the fox. She looked utterly defeated.
Ivy repeated, "Are you going tomorrow?"
"You're so annoying, Ivy." Without opening her eyes, June complained, "You were the one encouraging me before. Now you're asking in that indulgent tone..."
'How frustrating!'
'It is making me waver!'
"Are you going tomorrow?"
"I'll go! I'll go!"
June sprang up, sitting cross-legged, glaring at Ivy in frustration.
Ivy maintained an innocent expression, her clear gaze holding a hint of amusement.
"I'm doing this to get stronger. I want to be an excellent Beast Master. The little fire fox must grow stronger and evolve." June declared indignantly. "It's not because I feel bad about Asher."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. I get it." Ivy nodded.
"Yip-yip! Yip-yip-oww!"
The little fire fox nestled in June's arms nodded along in agreement.
It's the fox that wants to be strong, the fox that wants to fight birds, the fox that... yip-yip... is so tired.
But thinking about beating up birds next time, the little fire fox felt it could push on a bit longer.
June and the little fire fox shared the same mindset, spurring their bodies and spirits to continue their relentless trips to the mines.
———
June's uncharacteristic persistence finally caught her parents' attention.
"Hm?"
At the edge of the Forbidden Zone, Harry was leading his students to a newly discovered extraordinary creature nest. Noticing the name on his ringing phone, he signaled the nearby security teacher to take over and stepped aside to answer.
"Honey, what's up? Finished your work already?" Harry's voice was gentle, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses. "I'm teaching outside right now, but I'll come home early today."
On the other end of the line, Jane wasn't so easily placated. She cut straight to the point: "Harry, have you forgotten you have a daughter? Do you even know what June's been doing at home lately?"
Hearing the news from Don had Jane frowning.
"All you care about are your students. Why don't you pay attention to your own daughter?"
"Don't worry, honey." Harry wasn't rattled by Jane's fiery tone. "Whatever you've heard, it's already happened. We can't change it now. No matter how anxious you get, we can't just fly back to NY City. Let's talk it through calmly. As long as June hasn't crossed any legal boundaries, it's not a big deal."
"And honestly, if she's done something wrong, it's on both of us for not being there for her."
Harry's reasoning soothed Jane.
"Fine, but come back early." Jane said, "I'm worried she's being scammed for money—or worse, her looks."
'Oh boy.'
Harry's eyes opened, 'This sounds serious.'
He'd been planning to squeeze in some extra work, but now he didn't dare delay. For once, he clocked out on time and returned to their faculty housing.
The moment he stepped inside, he greeted his wife with a big hug. Jane's anger lessened considerably.
"You only know how to do this." Jane rolled her eyes at him.
Harry didn't argue, pulling her to the sofa and holding her hand as he asked,
"So, what's this about June being scammed for money or looks?"
"Money... maybe. June's always been a spender, but we can't blame her for that when we've prioritized work over her company." Pushing up his glasses, Harry added, "But scammed for looks? Not likely. June isn't even as pretty as her mom." [T/N: Dad's a certified player.]
Jane rolled her eyes again,"You're just sweet-talking me. June may only have half my looks, but with our family's wealth, plenty of people would try to deceive her."
She pulled out her phone and handed it to Harry.
"Look! Don laid it all out clearly. Your daughter's been charmed by some penniless pretty boy. She even dragged Ivy into it."
Harry scanned the photos and text detailing how a boy named Asher shamelessly clung to June and Ivy, maintaining ambiguous relationships with both.
He opened a picture of Asher and nodded. "He's handsome. Not a bad deal for June if they're dating."
Jane: "???"
"What kind of father are you?" Jane was livid.
"That boy's tricked Jume into believing he can help the fire fox evolve. Does he think discovering new evolution routes is easy? Even the Epstein family couple only has vague leads after years of research. What proof does he have?"
"Empty promises, that's all!"
"And he's guiding June on how to train the fire fox? June's actually listening to him? When I was training her, she never listened like this "
Harry: 'Ah, got it. I see what's really upsetting her.'
He patted Jane's back to calm her before saying, "Kids rebel. It's normal. And since we're not always around, it's even more expected."
"As for this Asher, I do know a little about him."
Jane, who had been about to blow up again, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Given Harry's busy schedule, it was surprising he even knew their daughter's name. How did he know about Asher?
Her curiosity piqued.
"You've been busy with research and haven't kept up with the news," Harry explained. "A few days ago, Professor Iris from NY City held a conference about a breakthrough in the evolution of the Honeybug."
Jane's eyes widened in shock,"Honeybug? Evolution? Are you joking?"
Harry smiled faintly. "It's true."
He then pointed at Asher's photo on her phone.
"Not only that, Professor Iris publicly thanked a young man named Asher at the conference."
Instantly, Jane's view of Asher shifted.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y