Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

’Thank goodness.’

Soren sighed in relief, grateful he hadn’t canceled the skill. Then, with a swift mental command, he recalled the hidden interface, bringing it back into view.

’Let’s see...’

───────

Name: Darius Morvain

Age: 48

Status: Healthy (Experiencing minor mental fatigue)

Rank: 7th Circle (Mid Stage)

Current Mana Level: 2,847,105

Mental State: Warm, Concerned, Relieved

Abilities: Spirit Contracts

Affinities: Water (Grade 6 - A Rank), Wind (Grade 6 - A Rank), Darkness (Grade 8 - SS Rank), Space (Grade 4 - C Rank)

Hidden Talent / Traits: Linguistic Mirror, Symmetrical Perfectionist, Acoustic Memory, Mental Sanctuary

Potential: 8th Circle (Estimated)

Investment Value: Very High

───────

’Hmm, so he doesn’t have an ice affinity.’

Soren blinked at the screen. He had always thought Darius had an affinity for ice because of his background and the cold aura he gave off. But the information in front of him said otherwise.

Having two A-rank affinities was already impressive, but the other two stood out even more. A Grade 8 Darkness affinity was almost unheard of. Alongside it was a Grade 4 Space affinity, which was one of the rarest in the world.

It was no surprise he seemed so powerful. Combining high-level darkness with spatial abilities made him extremely dangerous.

Soren’s attention shifted to the section listing hidden talents and traits.

’...He has four of them?’

Based on the few statuses he’d seen, Soren knew it was extremely rare to have more than one trait. Even the Icebreaker Emperor only had one.

Curious about what each trait did, Soren focused on the first one in the list.

The description for Linguistic Mirror was simple. Darius could instantly learn and perfectly copy any foreign language or dialect he heard. This would be incredibly useful for espionage or high-level diplomacy.

The second trait, Symmetrical Perfectionist, was clear from its name. It seemed more like a compulsive habit than a combat skill, making Darius need everything around him to be perfectly balanced and orderly.

Acoustic Memory was different from the language trait, but the two worked well together. With this ability, Darius could remember and perfectly copy any sound or voice he had ever heard.

Soren paused, quickly thinking through the possibilities. Having both Linguistic Mirror and Acoustic Memory was a frightening combination. Someone with those traits could pull off perfect identity theft or easily infiltrate the highest ranks of any foreign power without raising suspicion. He could hold a conversation in an enemy’s native tongue, using the exact vocal pitch and cadence of a trusted ally.

Soren felt a slight chill. The usefulness of those two traits explained how Darius managed his vast information network so seamlessly.

’If he could change his appearance and mana signature as well, it would be a truly deadly combination. With some preparation, he could become anyone. He could even mimic me. Or... Urgh. Off-topic.’

Shaking his head to clear the thought, he focused on the final trait.

The description of Mental Sanctuary expanded before his eyes, and as he read it, Soren’s breath hitched.

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[Mental Sanctuary (The False Mind)]

- Splits conscious thoughts into two entirely separate, parallel tracks.

- Directs all external mind-reading, telepathy, or mental manipulation to a fabricated surface mind containing mundane, normal thoughts.

- Leaves the true tactical awareness deeply hidden, active, and completely untouched by external interference.

───────

’T-This is it!’

A chill ran down his spine as the realization hit him.

When he had seen Darius’s mental state, it had been displayed as ’Warm, Concerned, Relieved’. Soren had taken those emotions at face value, letting his guard down slightly because the old man seemed genuinely invested in Ethea’s well-being.

But it was all a lie.

Those emotions weren’t his true feelings; they were just the output of his surface mind, a flawless defensive layer designed to deceive anyone looking too closely. While Soren thought he was reading the old man’s genuine relief, Darius’s true tactical awareness had been running completely untouched beneath the surface, calculating every move.

The terrifying truth was right in front of him: Darius hadn’t discovered Soren’s power, but Soren hadn’t truly seen through Darius either.

That made him even more terrifying.

Because no one could ever know what he was actually thinking, unless they possessed a specific ability to counter that hidden trait.

’I should never trust him,’ Soren thought, his jaw tightening. ’No matter how convincing he acts or sounds.’

Nodding to himself, he quickly scanned the remaining lines of Darius’s status. Finding nothing else out of the ordinary, he finally closed the floating window.

The room fell silent again.

Soren stood still, a heavy thought weighing on his mind. If Darius’s emotions were a lie, was everything he said a lie too? Well, the ’good husband’ was definitely a lie. But did he fabricate the entire story about Ethea’s past as well, or was there some twisted truth hidden within it?

Soren shifted his gaze to Ethea, who was still sleeping peacefully. He decided he would just have to ask her directly once she woke up and recovered.

’...It won’t hurt to try anyway.’

Letting out a sigh, he activated Advanced Appraisal once more, focusing on Ethea. If Darius was packing four hidden traits, it was highly likely his daughter had some of her own.

The new translucent interface flickered to life before his eyes.

He quickly scanned the data, but his eyes were abruptly drawn to a specific line.

[Abilities: Unshackled Soul (S-Rank), Sovereign Swordsmanship (SS-Rank), ? (SSS-Rank), (Absolute Zero)]

Soren paused, falling completely silent.

’Come to think of it... Her abilities were never shown before. I almost forgot they might have existed.’

He stared at the newly revealed lines, wondering why they had suddenly appeared now. He carefully scanned the rest of the window to see what else had changed, but noticed that only the affinities had been added as new information. Aside from that, there was still no hidden traits or hidden talents line anywhere on the screen.

A sudden thought hit him, making his brow furrow.

’Does that mean... I have to upgrade the ability again in order to be able to see it?’

’Or... is it directly connected to Authority?’

If so, he had no choice but to wait for the Advancement to complete.