Overeating, indulgence, even competing with children…
Watching Ryuji and Rosh race each other in eating until their faces turned pale, Sizki couldn't help but shake her head.
This—this was nothing like the demeanor of someone destined to become strong.
He doesn't even know his own limits. Truly…
Sizki let out a quiet sigh. She had already decided she'd teach Ryuji a harsh lesson later—not out of dislike or resentment, but for a simple reason:
Seria took good care of her.
While Ryuji was away, Seria had nursed Sizki's injuries, given her food and shelter, even mended her clothes.
All because of Ryuji. It was thanks to him that Sizki and Rosh received such kindness. And in return, she and Rosh had hunted the monsters near the village, keeping the area safe for a while.
After all, she wasn't blind—anyone could see what was going on between Seria and Ryuji. Still, she and Rosh had become good friends with Seria regardless.
That was why, if Ryuji truly wasn't cut out to grow stronger, then he needed to realize it sooner rather than later. Better for him to stay by Seria's side and live a peaceful life than to blindly chase strength and throw his life away.
His talent, honestly speaking, was nothing remarkable. Without discipline and willpower, he had no chance of becoming powerful. Adventure would only waste money… and cost him his life.
Of course, Ryuji had no idea what Sizki was thinking. Right now, he was just miserably stuffed.
"Damn it… I can't even use Life Return like this…"
Feeling the heavy food in his stomach, Ryuji looked at Rosh and thought she was a monster.
The only reason Ryuji dared to overeat was because he had Life Return, which allowed him to rapidly digest food. But he hadn't expected that Seria had drained him so thoroughly that he couldn't even use the technique while eating.
So after a little more food, he had no choice but to stop. Rosh slowed down triumphantly while Ryuji sat back, focusing on digesting his overloaded stomach with Life Return.
Gradually, his strength and focus returned. After helping Seria wash dishes, tidy up, and handle some chores, Ryuji and the others gathered at the clearing behind Seria's tree house inn.
Sizki stretched, loosening her body. Her eyes fell on Ryuji, who was also warming up, and she spoke without hiding her doubts.
"You must've improved during your absence. But Ryuji… are you truly prepared to keep walking the path of strength? Do you understand how cruel that road really is?"
In her memory, Ryuji had never understood just how harsh that path was. He carried an odd arrogance in everything he did. If not for Chobung's request, she wouldn't have adventured with him at all.
And she hadn't forgotten how he had left them waiting all that time.
"…I understand it a little now."
Ryuji didn't dare say he fully understood. He hadn't—and didn't intend to—become obsessed with power at the expense of the journey or the people who mattered to him.
After all, being able to cross between worlds already placed him above countless others.
"Then let me see just how much you've grown since leaving the team!"
Sizki lunged at him, her fist cutting through the air.
Her speed was sharp, closing ten meters in an instant. But in Ryuji's eyes, it still seemed slow. He sidestepped casually, dodging the blow—though his legs faltered since his legs were weak form having sex with Seria, and the force of her punch grazed his cheek.
The gust alone stung his skin. Seeing him evade so easily, Sizki's expression hardened. Spinning, her long, trained leg lashed out at his shin without hesitation.
Ryuji dodged swiftly—only for her leg to twist midair, slamming toward his waist!
So fast!
He barely got his arm up to block. Sizki's speed left even Mai's in the dust.
And she didn't stop. Her foot landed, her elbow immediately driving toward his throat.
Just two exchanges were enough for Sizki to realize—Ryuji was no longer the same man she once knew.
Ryuji caught her elbow with his palm, his weakened legs forcing him back a step. Pain flared in his hand as Sizki's determined eyes bored into him.
"…Do you have to be this serious?" he muttered.
That strike could've snapped a tree trunk as thick as a bowl. Even blocking it, his fingers and palm throbbed in pain.
"Of course. This is a test of your strength. But… you've surprised me. To improve this much in such a short time—it's unbelievable."
Seeing how effortlessly he held his ground, Sizki didn't hold back any longer. His growth had outstripped her expectations. Stepping back, she adjusted the weighted rings on her arms, dispelling the gravity enchantment on herself.
Watching her do this, Ryuji suddenly realized his own weight bands were gone.
"Did I lose them back in One Piece's world? Maybe during training in the sea…"
He couldn't remember exactly. Oh well—he could always buy new ones later.
Sizki inhaled deeply, her body feeling light again, then burst toward him.
Her speed was frightening, but Ryuji could tell—she wasn't used to it.
Her stance wavered.
Ryuji flickered aside as her fist crashed into the stone ground, shattering thick flagstones. From the way her chest heaved, she'd probably meant to stop—but her body had moved too fast.
Before he could dwell on it, she was on him again.
Her attacks were brutally simple—punches and kicks, quick, efficient, precise. Pure fundamentals.
But—
So solid!
Ryuji found himself constantly evading or deflecting. She was faster than he anticipated. The moment he tried to counter, Sizki would read his intent, intercepting before he could even build momentum.
If he struck too early, his attacks lacked power and got cut off. If he braced to endure, even a split-second of stiffness would give the veteran martial artist all the opening she needed to knock him down.
The sharp wind of her blows, the pressure of her presence—it stirred his blood.
"…You're really serious, huh?"
Blood Qi Arts surged through his veins. Life Return accelerated his body. Fixing on Sizki's every motion, he launched a punch at her abdomen the moment she struck—
But her knee rose instantly, his fist colliding with her thigh instead.
The impact made her body seize up, but Ryuji didn't think she would be beaten that easily. Almost simultaneously, both drove their elbows forward.
Their strikes missed a direct clash, shoulders and arms colliding instead.
But Sizki's chest, unrestrained by her cheap martial outfit, bounced violently with the force, smacking against Ryuji's arm. Soft, elastic—pleasant, but distracting enough to leave him faintly regretful.
Cheap martial gear—durable and breathable, but impossible to control if your chest was too large.
"…Unbelievable. You're still not using your full strength. How long has it been, and you've grown this much…"
Sizki's voice carried equal parts shock and dismay.
The last time they met, Ryuji was someone she could've floored in three moves. Yet now, even after years of her own grueling training, she was being pushed back.
Worse, she sensed it clearly: his combat intuition was terrifying. He read her movements as though her body itself betrayed her intentions. If he hadn't chosen to face her directly, she might not have even touched him.
Such growth—it was absurd.
No, impossible.
Only recently, Ryuji had been a novice. Weak. Inexperienced.
"…Let's just say I had a little stroke of fortune."
He relaxed slightly. Without those three bursts of genius mode, and without poring over anatomy and countless martial arts techniques, he never could've predicted her movements like this.
The human body had patterns. Muscles, bones—they followed rules. Once you knew them, predicting was only a matter of watching closely.
But to make such reactions instinctive usually took decades of training and experience.
That was what "adaptability" truly meant.
Sizki had spent over ten years honing hers, refining her fundamentals until her fighting style became pure, quick, and brutally effective.
And yet now, her heart sank.
"…I understand. You can continue on the path of adventure."
She pressed a hand to her chest, sore from overexertion, and sighed.
"I just hope you won't come to see me as a burden."
She hesitated, then asked, "Are you setting out today?"
Ryuji shook his head quickly. He needed to figure out what was happening with Seria before anything else. No way he'd leave now. At the very least, he needed to know whether she'd remain in her current state before heading to Hendon Myre to find G.S.D for his Blood Qi Arts upgrade—and maybe prepare a gift for Mai.
"No. Not today. Why?"
"It's nothing. If you're not going, I'll train instead."
Sizki picked up her backpack, reset the weight rings with a faint smile.
"After all, I still have to keep pushing myself."
Her own talent wasn't much better than Ryuji's had once been. Sickly as a child, she'd been sent to train in martial arts just to survive. She could never compare to true prodigies.
But she had kept fighting, kept grinding forward, until she became who she was now.
Failure? Being surpassed?
For her, those were old companions.
And yet still, she would keep walking—until death stopped her.
Still…
"…I really do envy you."
~~~~~~~~~~
You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read up to 15 chapters ahead.
patreon.com/Ranabir_20