I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 24: The Inevitable Differentiation

Chapter 24: The Inevitable Differentiation

Yuri eyed Tuss with an inexplicable twinge of embarrassment as he savored the metallic genesis, wondering if she also had the same weird expression when she absorbed it.

Tuss opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing across his gaze. "What is this?"

"You can call it Enova," Yuri replied, picking up a small piece of metal from the ground. "Watch closely..."

She held the metal in her palm, activated Enova, and manipulated it into various shapes. Not content with that, Yuri had it jump into Tuss’s hand.

Tuss’s pupils dilated in surprise. Almost reflexively, he reached out and grabbed the hopping piece of metal.

"You should try it too," suggested Yuri.

Tuss glanced at her and then at the piece of metal in his hand. "How do I do it?"

Yuri faltered, contemplating for a while before replying, "You’ll have to figure it out bit by bit. Start with the basics, like learning to walk before you run."

Nodding his understanding, Tuss’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. "So, should we go absorb more metallic genesis?"

Yuri touched her forehead, asking herself, "Is he addicted already?"

Yuri and Tuss lingered in the mine until dark, only reluctantly leaving when Zeek’s call came through. Their dwelling was a renovated office and dormitory, which now looked like a small manor.

Yuri and Tuss’s rooms were adjacent, separated only by a single wall.

After taking a shower, Yuri sipped on her Nutrient Fluids and began studying on the Interstellarnet. The educational journey in this star system was divided into three stages: elementary, middle, and university, spanning a total of thirteen years. Yuri was currently studying the elementary curriculum.

On the other side of the wall, Tuss was lounging on his bed, examining a piece of metal. He pondered the series of "surprises" Yuri had given him that day. If she didn’t have immense trust in him, she wouldn’t have done all this.

Tuss chuckled lightly. He knew that Yuri was evading his feelings, evading him. But he wasn’t in a rush, as the saying went: ’time reveals a person’s true heart’.

For now, he was focused on improving his control over Enova, which hinted at a world of new "possibilities".

The following days saw Yuri and Tuss spending their days in the mine and their nights in their separate rooms: one studying on the interstellarnet, the other learning to control metal with Enova.

To Yuri’s astonishment, Tuss managed to shape the metal in all sorts of ways within two days, a feat that had taken her ten.

However, Tuss still couldn’t enter his Sea of Consciousness.

"Perhaps it’s because you were once an alpha," Yuri suggested.

Tuss looked at her, his gaze somewhat pitiful.

Biting her lip, Yuri said, "I’ll teach you how to cultivate psychic power." She was even willing to share her most guarded secrets with him.

Tuss finally smiled and responded, "Okay."

A month passed. Yuri’s Enova had reached level two, and Tuss, thought having started late, had also reached level two. However, his psychic power cultivation was slower, which restored some of Yuri’s dwindling confidence.

"Level three and four are turning points. Before level four, you can advance by absorbing external energy. From level four onwards, progression depends on constant battle and personal insight, as well as talent," Yuri explained.

Tuss nodded thoughtfully.

"I hear from Zeek that you’ve had a training room built?" Yuri abruptly switched the subject.

"Yes, it was finished just yesterday." Tuss, catching her eager gaze, felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Yuri’s next words were, "Let’s go take a look."

They proceeded to the training room.

"You have no legs, and I lost an arm, so I’ll have mercy," Yuri declared with breezy confidence.

"But you’ve still got another arm. I’m out of legs," Tuss objected.

"You’re a man; I’m a woman," Yuri retorted, holding her ground.

Tuss, suppressing a grimace, relented, "Fine then."

Knowing Yuri’s strength, he quietly prayed she wouldn’t batter him too harshly.

Much to his disappointment, Yuri didn’t just hit hard, she hit with a ferocity that made him question if her intention was to actually kill him, to seize his wealth and his ore planet.

As a top graduate of Military Academy No. 1, he’d never been so humiliated.

While getting hit, Tuss urged himself to remain calm. Yes, he was without legs, but his arms and brain were intact.

Slowly, Tuss transitioned from simply dodging and getting hit to occasionally striking back, adapting to his new limitations and learning to play to his strengths.

With a resounding thud, Tuss was slammed into the ground by Yuri.

"Stop, I can’t go on," Tuss pleaded.

"Man up and don’t give up!" Yuri shot back.

Tuss’s face darkened as he struggled to get up, only to crumble again.

Yuri approached him, shaking her head with a regretful expression, "Guess you really can’t go on."

Tuss, feeling utterly defeated, closed his eyes.

When they got back, and upon seeing Tuss’s bruised and battered figure, Zeek asked hesitantly, "Did she really hit you this hard?"

With a weak nod, Tuss responded, "She said they’re all superficial wounds. A dip in the healing pod will do the trick. Zeek, did she see you when you bought that pod?"

With a regretful expression, Zeek admitted, "I should’ve hidden it better."

Tuss sighed, foreseeing that he would be spending a big amount of time in the healing pod in the near future.

Unfortunately, his prediction turned out to be spot-on.

After two more months, both Yuri and Tuss’s Enova had advanced to level three. Tuss, initially on the receiving end, had become more proactive in his attacks, and the two of them seemed to be evenly matched.

After another hour-long bout one day, they both collapsed to the ground.

"You’re doing great, your progress is impressive," Yuri praised sincerely.

"You’re not bad yourself, getting stronger each day," Tuss responded honestly. Not only did he have to adapt to his disability, but so did Yuri.

Yuri chuckled, feeling an itch at the nape of her neck. The skin there had become increasingly sensitive. She didn’t dare scratch it, just saying, "I’ll use the healing pod first tonight."

Tuss shrugged, "Go ahead. Get out of those wet clothes before you catch a chill."

"The same goes for you," Yuri said as she got up to leave. But suddenly, her world spun, and she fell back to the ground.

Tuss, startled, rushed over to cushion her fall. "What’s wrong?" he asked anxiously.

Yuri’s eyes were hazy. It took her a few seconds to respond, "I suddenly feel weak."

"Did you overdo it? I’ll call Zeek," Tuss reached for his communicator to call Zeek. The next second, he paused, "What’s that smell?"

It was familiar.

Like the fresh scent of grass after rain, only much stronger than the last time he smelled it.

Tuss’s eyes widened, "Is this... the scent of your pheromones?"

"Probably," Yuri sighed, staring at the ceiling. This day had been inevitable. She was about to differentiate.

Tuss took another deep sniff, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction. Even though he was no longer an alpha, he could still smell her pheromones. It was comforting.

Zeek helped Yuri back to her room and moved the healing pod there.

"I’ll go take a shower first, then come back to keep you company," Tuss said. He knew that if Yuri was to become a beta, her senses of smell and taste would become super sensitive, and he didn’t want her to smell the sweats on him.

Yuri curled up in the blanket, every inch of her body itchy, sore, and painful. The sensation was more agonizing than being stabbed with a knife.

It was unbearable.