Target meets the minimum adopter threshold. Taking in this target will stimulate further growth of the Devil Fruit Tree.
"Elric looked at the trembling girl in front of him—white-and-pink Lolita dress, soft curls, wide terrified eyes—muttering to himself:*
"Barely passing the line, huh?"
In a post-apocalyptic America, a girl with looks and a figure like this would still have over a hundred guys lining up to protect her. But now, she just barely met the adoption threshold.
Elric didn't care.A pass was a pass.As long as she made the Devil Fruit Tree grow, it was enough.
"ROOOOAR!"
Just as Elric was sizing up the girl, the massive two-headed centipede—the one he had already blasted a hole through—twitched violently and suddenly scrambled toward the supermarket entrance, trying to flee.
Its earlier arrogant composure was gone.Now it only radiated fear.
"As if I'd let you go."
To Elric, the monster wasn't prey—it was loot.And its red ability crystal was one of the main reasons he came here.
BOOOOM!
Elric launched another magma-fist strike—this time unleashing far more power, unconcerned about damaging supplies or the girl behind him.
BOOM!!!!!!!!
The centipede's body ignited, melted, and dripped into steaming sludge.
A crisp clink echoed as a glowing red crystal fell from the remains.
Elric blinked beside it using Position Exchange and pocketed it casually.
The Survivors Realize They're Saved
"W-We're… alive?"
"Oh my God… it's dead? He killed it?!"
Only now did the twenty-some survivors of the Sam's Club supermarket fully react.Elric had ended the monster so fast that most of them didn't even see clearly what happened.
Tears, sobs, joy—But not a single one of them stepped forward to thank him.
Elric didn't care.
His attention was on the petite girl still frozen in fear—the one who had been seconds from being eaten.
He approached her slowly.
"You don't have anything to say to your savior?" Elric asked calmly.
"T-Thank you…! Thank you so much, sir!"
The girl finally snapped out of her shock and bowed quickly.
Her gratitude was sincere—without Elric, she would've been in a monster's stomach right now.
Not Enough.
"Just 'thank you'? Is that all?"Elric's smile was soft—but meaningful.
He had already made up his mind the moment he saw her system evaluation.
She needed to be taken in.
And he needed her Devil Fruit rewards.
"I… I—"The girl's pale face flushed instantly.She had clearly guessed what Elric wanted.
"Follow me," Elric said simply.
"Become my woman."
"I'll protect you… and give you enough supplies to survive in this world."
The old Elric might've been patient.But with his power rising and the apocalypse pressing in, patience was becoming unnecessary.
If she refused?
He would simply knock her unconscious, bring her back to the luxury community, and handle the "adoption" later.
After all—
He saved her life.If she didn't repay it willingly…returning that life was only fair.
"A-Ah—!""I… I…"
Hearing Elric's direct statement that he wanted her to be his woman, Lily's face instantly turned red—bright red, like a cherry slapped onto her cheeks.She stammered, hands twisting around the hem of her frilly Lolita dress, unable to form a full sentence.
Around them, the survivors hiding in Sam's Supermarket whispered among themselves.
"I swear… did he just flirt with a girl at a time like this?""Shhh! Are you insane? Don't get involved. He's a superpowered guy—just mind your own business."
No one dared speak up louder than a whisper. No one wanted trouble with someone strong enough to destroy a mutant centipede.
"Are you still hesitating?"Elric frowned at Lily's silence.
If she couldn't decide, he had no patience for it. He was ready to simply knock her out and take her back with him to the community. They could "discuss" adoption later.
But just as Elric raised his hand—
"I— I… I do!"
She practically squeaked the words out.
Lily felt overwhelmed and embarrassed, but more than anything, she feared losing Elric because of her hesitation.In a world like this, someone handsome, overwhelmingly strong, who saved her life and promised protection and food? The kind of man women would fight each other for before the apocalypse?
A chance like this was priceless.
And she wasn't stupid. She knew this world was no longer normal.Death could come at any moment—from a monster or another human.
If she missed this man because of shyness, she would regret it for the rest of her short, doomed life.
"Good. From now on, you're my woman."
"My name is Elric. I'll take you back to my place later. For now, help me gather supplies from this supermarket."
Elric nodded and spoke calmly, satisfied with her answer.
Today had been a profitable trip—he gained a mutant crystal, found a new adopter who met system standards, and now needed only to loot whatever useful supplies remained.
"Okay… Elric…"Lily repeated his name shyly, then grabbed a giant duffel bag from the shelf and followed him closely.
Elric's words must obey.And she understood that perfectly.
So when Elric swept the supermarket, Lily quickly stuffed anything he pointed to into her bag.
Fruit first—fresh, uncontaminated, rich in vitamins. Perfect for the women around him.
With a thought, Elric activated Surgical Fruit: Baton, and all untainted fruit flew neatly into the duffel bag.
Next: vegetables, beef, power banks, kerosene stoves—anything useful.All bagged.
Just as Elric scanned for more…
A voice cut through the air like nails dragging across glass.
"Hey! Everything in this supermarket belongs to everyone! You can't just take all of it!"
"The greater your ability, the greater your responsibility! A superpowered person should think about the community, not hoard everything."
It was the local loudmouth who desperately wished he had power.
He stood there holding up his phone like he was livestreaming some hero intervention, directing all his sanctimonious nonsense at Elric.
Normally, he wouldn't dare.
He'd seen Elric kill mutated beasts with ease.
But greed was eating him alive—he didn't want Elric walking off with the supermarket's precious supplies.
So he gambled.
He hoped this young man—powerful, yes, but still probably a college-age kid—would be a softhearted "hero type."
"A student," he thought. "Students are naïve. Kind.
Maybe he won't hurt me."
"So… uh… young man, I'm right, aren't I?" he pressed, self-righteousness dripping from his voice.
There is 50 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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