Early the next morning, Bai Mo awoke in his room.
But this time, he wasn't alone in bed.
Looking down at Kobayashi Rindou curled up in his arms, Bai Mo couldn't help but swallow hard.
The Star of Life inside him began to stir again.
Feeling the movement, Rindou slowly opened her eyes, her voice weak.
"I... I can't move anymore…"
"It's alright, just rest. I'll make you breakfast!"
Seeing Bai Mo get out of bed, Rindou finally let out a sigh of relief.
Yesterday had been her first time seeing such mysterious ingredients—and her first time tasting such delicious food. The emotions of the moment overwhelmed her, and she unknowingly gave up her first time.
But Bai Mo... was not human at all!
His body had long surpassed its limits, already transforming into a Magnetic Field War God. There was no way a normal human like her could handle that kind of intensity.
Even after trying everything, she couldn't even survive a single round. Her whole body felt like it had been disassembled!
Damn it...
This kind of man might be delicious, but he's just too much to handle!
As Rindou pondered her future, the scent of something delicious wafted into her nose.
Moments later, Bai Mo returned to the bedside with a bowl of lean pork congee.
"Ahem—uh, eat up. I added red dates and ginseng to help you recover."
"Hmph~ this is all your fault!"
"Yes, yes~" Bai Mo could only smile awkwardly. At a moment like this, what else could he say? To be fair, Rindou really was more decisive than most.
And more importantly, she knew her place well.
"As we agreed last night, once I return to Totsuki, I'll help you recruit the right people," Rindou said while leaning on Bai Mo and sipping the congee. "But doing this might stir up some trouble with the Director. And... I heard you're quite close with the residents of Polar Star Dorm. Are you planning to recruit them directly?"
"Mm," Bai Mo didn't hide it. "Other than a few exceptions, most of Totsuki still operates like a survival-of-the-fittest experiment. I've got ingredients that would drive any chef mad with desire—but I need to filter out the truly qualified ones."
"Heh, I'll do my best then," Rindou flashed her sharp little tiger fangs in a grin. "But Erina and Alice from the Nakiri family are really good-looking, you know. You sure you're not tempted?"
"Of course I'm tempted. But getting involved with the tangled mess that is the Nakiri family right now? No thanks. It's better to maintain basic cooperation for now. Give it a few years—or maybe even less—and I'll be in a position where I don't need to play by their rules anymore."
Watching the confident gleam in Bai Mo's eyes, Rindou couldn't help but lick her lips and teeth.
Wasn't it exactly this kind of confidence that had drawn her in?
"Then I'll be looking forward to it~" she said, finishing the congee. "But now I'm hungry for something else~"
"Hiss~" Bai Mo looked at the seductively smiling Rindou licking her lips and muttered, "What a little minx…"
In the end, Rindou, completely drained of energy, had to be carried by Bai Mo to her off-campus apartment.
Afterward, Bai Mo headed back to the late-night diner to pick up Haruno Sora, whom he'd forgotten there the previous evening.
Sniff, sniff~ Hugging Bai Mo from behind, Sora muttered, "Nii-chan, you smell like another girl…"
"Ah—your cousin, Kobayashi Rindou. We spent last night cooking together in the kitchen. She agreed to help me with some work!"
"Eh? Helping Nii-chan with work? Then can I help too?"
"Thanks, Sora. But this is culinary work. You should focus on learning the basics of cooking first."
"Okay! I'll try my best!"
Unknown ingredients meant new opportunities. Thankfully, Bai Mo had sprayed the room and kitchen with air freshener before leaving that morning—Sora hopefully wouldn't pick up on anything strange.
After the weekend passed, it was Monday again.
Every Monday morning was Bai Mo's usual time to travel to another world, since he could cross over once every seven days.
He checked his interdimensional notebook and made a quick note about visiting Totsuki to watch Tadokoro Megumi cook. Aside from that, there wasn't much on the agenda.
As the countdown finished, Bai Mo found himself not entering the Monster Hunter world, but instead landing in a new, random world.
Compared to Monster Hunter, where he had already collected some ingredients, or Teyvat, which he could access anytime, opening up a new world was far more exciting.
As the portal opened and he stepped through, the familiar feeling of interdimensional travel hit him once again.
Above him, a moonlit sky. Around him, the rushing wind.
Bai Mo's expression soured.
"System, can you not arrange a more elegant landing for once?"
Flipping off the moon in frustration, Bai Mo looked at the rapidly approaching ground and touched his hair.
With the physical enhancements he'd gained, would a fall from this height even hurt him?
As the ground drew closer, he noticed something odd—part of the forest below had been completely destroyed. Some kind of impact crater?
A meteor strike, maybe?
Looking further ahead, he saw lights in the distance—it looked like a modern civilization.
Perhaps there'd be some interesting ingredients here.
Then, at around 2,000 meters above ground, Bai Mo's sharp eyes spotted someone—or rather, something—already in the crater.
A Western-style dragon lay sprawled in the center, with a giant sword lodged in its body.
This scene… felt oddly familiar.
Bai Mo's mind quickly spun into overdrive, searching his memories.
"This world… could it be that one?"
Still falling through the sky, he called out toward the ground.
"Hey! Down there! Mind clearing some space?"
"Hmph. Pathetic human. Once you splatter on the ground, I'll burn your corpse with dragonfire!"
"Aw, how kind. If I do die, could you bury me next to you? From the looks of it, you're not long for this world either."
"Silence, human!"
The dragon glanced up at the falling Bai Mo and then ignored him. No magic. No aura. Probably just a fool who'd appeared out of nowhere and was about to die.
And if he didn't die, she'd make sure to kill him herself.
Her slumber was not to be disturbed.
Unfortunately, before the dragon could make a move, Bai Mo landed lightly on the ground.
Simple parachutes are the best!
After adjusting his gear and looking up at the massive dragon just ten meters away, Bai Mo asked calmly,
"Since we're here together, want me to help you pull that sword out?"
"Hmph. That's the Dragon-Slaying Holy Sword, forged by the gods. Any human who touches it will suffer instant mental collapse!"
"Sorry, but I don't believe in gods," Bai Mo replied, walking up to the dragon's side. "Pardon my footsteps."
Before the dragon could even respond, he stepped onto her scales and climbed up her back.
Touching the massive sword, he felt… nothing unusual.
With a swift tug, Bai Mo yanked the holy sword free.
Just as the sword began to glow and tried to merge with Bai Mo's body, he coldly snorted and instantly transferred it to his personal pocket dimension.
He had no intention of letting some semi-sentient divine relic take over his body.
----------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my Patreon:patreon.com/multiversalfeast [Images Included]
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!