The three finished their conversation but didn't engage in any further activities in the small grove. They went straight back to the makeshift camp.
"This is…" Haruno noticed Kanae's presence. She was certain she hadn't seen her before.
"This is Kanae, my girlfriend and the spirit within the blade." Kanae was his person, so he certainly couldn't just call her a blade spirit; he had to show her respect.
"…" A girlfriend and a spirit within a blade. What a strange combination? Haruno was too lazy to complain. Since she was Ren's girlfriend, and she seemed gentle, they needed to get along well. She walked forward and began conversing naturally with Kanae.
When Ren mentioned the word "girlfriend," Marin and Chika clearly reacted. Kitagawa Marin's tail wagged. Fujiwara Chika's elf ears twitched.
"…" Kato Megumi sat beside them, silently observing. She could already make a judgment about Yukino and Haruno. These two… she needed to continue observing.
Yukino bought food with the survival points obtained from killing monsters. While eating, Ren also told them about his current plan. Based on the information he had gathered, there were nearly twenty giant beasts on this monster-infested barren planet. All of them were around a hundred meters tall. Among them, the King of Monsters was Godzilla. This was quite similar to the setting in Godzilla.
These giant beasts were too scattered, so Ren didn't intend to go looking for them. He had originally wanted these giant beasts to commit suicide, but he found that some of them found it very difficult to do so. They could commit suicide, but the process would be very long. Some even had a reincarnation-like ability. It seemed he would still have to kill them himself. Therefore, he directly dominated the entire planet, making them crawl over to him. One wave, and he would take them all. All the points would be his. An incomplete skeletal giant lizard was worth 10,000 points. A complete giant beast would surely be worth several or even ten times that. Wouldn't a dozen or so be over a million?
They couldn't just sit idle during these waiting days. The most important thing was for Yukino and the others to earn points themselves, especially Haruno. Haruno currently had no abilities.
*****
After a simple dinner, everyone went into their respective tents to rest. One person, one tent. Kanae, as a special existence as a blade spirit, naturally stayed with Ren. With him there, they didn't need to worry about danger or mosquitoes in this large area. They didn't even need to worry about the noisy cries of insect beasts; they could sleep soundly.
However, being in an unfamiliar environment, it wasn't easy to just fall asleep. Some lay with their eyes wide open, staring blankly, or tossed and turned in their tents.
Rustle, rustle.
There was movement in the night. After lying down and thinking about many things, Yukino decided to get up. She gently unzipped her tent and quietly walked out. Under the cover of the vast darkness, she entered Ren's tent.
Kanae glanced at the newcomer and tactfully disappeared from Ren's embrace.
"Yukino? Why did you come over to my side?" Ren asked curiously.
"…" Yukino first gave a silent gaze, then slowly and haltingly said, "The unfinished… unfinished business from before… do we… continue?" Her voice was so soft that she probably could barely hear herself. Ren, however, heard it clearly and instantly understood what she was referring to. It was the matter that had been interrupted halfway by Haruno in Yukino's apartment. At that time, they had only just begun, and the two of them hadn't even gone all the way once.
Yukino's boldness surprised him, yet it also excited him.
"Of course."
"…"
The moon was dark and the wind was high. Inside the tents, some had their eyes wide open, some had their ears listening, and some even took action.
*****
Daybreak.
Three people emerged from their tents early: Marin, Chika, and Haruno, with faint dark circles under their eyes. They exchanged awkward smiles. Kato Megumi walked out of her tent, merely gave them a calm glance, and then busied herself with her own affairs. Ren had created all the toiletries.
The three women's gazes subtly observed Ren's tent.
"Haah!!!" Ren crawled out of his tent and stretched with a big yawn. He had relaxed his body and mind well last night.
Three pairs of eyes stared intently at the tent behind him. At the same time, behind them, "Good morning, Yukino."
"Good morning, Megumi-chan." Kato Megumi greeted Yukino.
Yukino smiled in response. Kato Megumi's normal presence, which was usually unnoticeable, had been controlled by Ren to a level where normal people could perceive her. Although she didn't mind being invisible in front of others now, Ren didn't want her to disappear in front of their own people. Ren also planned to further adjust her presence later, at least to the point where Megumi could freely control the strength of her presence. This would not affect her use of Presence Concealment.
"!!!" Hearing the sound, the three women suddenly turned their heads. They saw Yukino emerging from her own tent. Her face was full of energy and spirit, showing no signs of discomfort or fatigue.
Kitagawa Marin felt a sudden doubt in her heart: Did I hallucinate last night?
Fujiwara Chika's gaze swept back and forth between Yukino and Ren. Ren's face was unperturbed. Yukino was also calm and composed.
"…" Haruno felt that she definitely hadn't hallucinated. The sounds that had echoed throughout the night must have existed! She was just wondering if Ren's combat power had become stronger again? She couldn't defeat the former Ren at all. Yukino had lasted an entire night and was still full of energy? Walking normally? This was unscientific! If it were her, she definitely wouldn't be able to bear it. Had Yukino done too much and gotten used to it?
"This is impossible!"
Yukino naturally noticed their gazes. She appeared calm and composed, not blushing or showing any signs of distress. In reality, she was using her ability to cool herself down internally. She herself found it hard to speak of the boldness and madness of that night. Of course, she couldn't bear it either. The last time, it only went halfway. It was the first time in the Doomsday Game. Although this wasn't the first time, during the Doomsday Game, she was as muddled as if she were drunk. The experience was completely different. It was very different from experiencing it soberly. The tearing pain was intertwined with intoxicating pleasure. Even now, just thinking about it, her body would involuntarily react. Fortunately, Ren used Primal Energy to fully restore her body and mind. This was also a key factor in Yukino's ability to remain normal now.
"Hmm? Marin, Chika-chan, Haruno, what's wrong with your hands?" Ren asked with concern. At this moment, all three of them were consciously or unconsciously rubbing the fingers of their right hands.
"Uh… it's just a little sore." Chika-chan scratched the back of her head, her face red, and put her hands behind her back. Marin and Haruno gave similar excuses.
"Do you need me to restore you?"
"No, no, no!" They shook their heads almost simultaneously.
*****
Staying here for seven days, the outside time remains unchanged. So, this period can be fully utilized. Ren planned to use this opportunity to give them special training. There were too few opportunities to train their abilities in reality. This place could just serve as a trial ground.
Through domination, he summoned the not-so-huge monsters from the surroundings. These would be used for their special combat training, to familiarize them with their combat abilities. Before that, Haruno's problem needed to be solved.
"Yukino, Haruno, make a wish to me."
"Okay." Yukino and Haruno immediately understood Ren's meaning and did as he said. Similar to Megumi, he immediately felt the love or affection of the two. One was passionate like fire. The other was cool and gentle.
Faith bestowed. Angel created. Two more Redemption Angels!
Fujiwara Chika was dumbfounded… Isn't Haruno Yukino's sister? How did she suddenly fall in love with Ren? She firmly believed Ren's words. Of course, Haruno's reality was also like this.
"I feel my body is full of strength." Haruno incredulously flapped her wings and flew in the air. She was like what was said in novels. "I can now kill a cow with one punch!"
Yukino was also very curious about this state. She flew up and down in the air. Not a single bit of airflow was generated when flapping her wings.
Ren was quite satisfied. The current physical strength of the few of them was the highest he could achieve, equivalent to Physical Enhancement Level 4. Yukino had a Level 4 body, Level 4 ice power, and her combat strength had greatly increased.
Finally, the gazes of several people all fell on Fujiwara Chika.
"!!!" Only then did Fujiwara Chika realize. "Ugh! I'm the only one who can't!"
Ren smiled and said, "How about it, Chika-chan, want to try?"
"Ugh… O-okay…" Fujiwara Chika closed her eyes hesitantly. In her mind, she recalled whether she liked Ren. The first time they met, because of Kaguya's bizarre actions, she developed some curiosity. The second time, she was dragged into the Doomsday Game. Her body was directly exposed multiple times. And she was teased and bullied by him. The third time, she was bullied again in the Student Council, and it was the kind where he entered her fiercely.
Ugh… In this situation, how could she possibly like him!
"Hmm?" Ren raised an eyebrow strangely. This guy really had feelings of liking him! But… it seemed he had been bullying her ever since they met, right? Had he ever truly cared for her properly? He asked himself, he hadn't cared. Could it be… Fujiwara Chika is a masochist?
Immediately after, to Fujiwara Chika's utter disbelief, she really turned into a Redemption Angel!
"Eh!!!" Fujiwara Chika screamed loudly. How could I fall in love with this guy who bullies me?
Until she landed and reverted from her Angel form, Fujiwara Chika remained stunned. Ah ah ah… My head is going to explode!
"Chika-chan, I felt it, you know."
"Wah! Don't say it, don't say it! Let's start the special training quickly!" Fujiwara Chika wailed loudly, desperately trying to stop Ren from speaking.
*****
Special training began. The examiner was Kanae. What was Ren doing? Chatting with whoever finished training and collecting a small fee for his troubles.
The monsters on the entire planet couldn't be described as numerous, but they were definitely not few. In just one day, hundreds of monsters of varying sizes came from this jungle alone. All of them were very weak. So weak that they could be killed with a single punch or kick by the few of them in their Redemption Angel or Sin Apostle forms.
The first four days were pure physical training: hand-to-hand combat, and the learning of Six Styles and Haki. With their current physiques, learning was easy. Moreover, with Ren's Primal Energy for stamina recovery, every day was non-stop combat, and their improvement was rapid. After four days of super-intensive training in Six Styles or specializing in Armament Haki and Observation Haki, they reached Level 3. Ren had reason to suspect this was related to the transformation into Redemption Angels and Sin Apostles. It might have greatly enhanced their learning ability.
Their cultivation speed was also different. He didn't specialize, taking a few minutes each day to practice, and only slightly. Now, his Armament Haki had long reached Level 4. They, however, were cultivating desperately.
Kanae truly implemented the eight characters of strictness, severity, seriousness, and conscientiousness in this wave. Whoever slacked off would immediately be dominated and forced into extremely embarrassing actions and poses. Ren, on the other hand, watched with great interest, even deliberately tempting them to be lazy. The one who fell for it the most was Fujiwara Chika.
Kanae had maximized the benefits! Indeed! Kanae is truly the eternal divine being!
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[Apologies if this note is disruptive, but it will be present on every bonus chapter. Feel free to skip it if you wish]
Hey everyone, InorinTL here!
Just wanted to share some exciting news: About 12+ hours ago, I actually got my very first Patreon membership! I'm still working on setting up the Patreon page itself, which might take anywhere from 2-3 days at the fastest, or up to 4-7 days at most. But honestly, this has made me incredibly happy and is a massive help with my current financial situation. What's even more surprising is that my first member didn't just join—they chose the most expensive tier, "The Plot Uncoverer"! You can imagine how shocked I was!
Since my Patreon isn't fully ready yet, I want to show my appreciation right away. So, as a bonus, I'll be releasing 5 extra chapters starting now, with one chapter dropping every hour. Get ready for them!
For those wondering about bonus chapters:
The first 25 members who join Patreon will receive bonus chapters here on the platform. The total number of bonus chapters depends on the tier they join:
The Curious Reader: 2 Bonus Chapters
The Dedicated Fan: 3 Bonus Chapters
The Lore Diver: 4 Bonus Chapters
The Plot Uncoverer: 5 Bonus Chapters
Also, I'll be releasing 1 bonus chapter for every 150 Power Stones reached each week.
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