Genos, however, completely agreed. Kaito Ren's combat skills were already highly refined; his movements flowed seamlessly, rivaling any martial arts master Genos had encountered. As Kaito Ren himself had said, he lacked strength, not technique.
There was no need to waste time on apprenticeship.
"Next time we meet, I'll be stronger! I'll defeat you!"
Unbeknownst to them, they had already returned to the Reserve Hero School. Before parting ways, Genos addressed Kaito Ren.
"Yeah, you do your best."
Kaito Ren smiled, offering words of encouragement.
"Teacher! Teacher, you're finally back!"
At that moment, Saitama rushed over anxiously.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Seeing Saitama's agitated state, Kaito Ren's heart sank. Had his beloved disciple caused trouble again, requiring cleanup?
"It's… it's… just… go see for yourself, Teacher. I don't know how to explain it."
Saitama, flustered, wrung his hands, unable to explain the situation.
"Let's go, check it out!"
Kaito Ren's heart grew heavy as he followed Saitama towards the dorm.
"Kaito Ren, you're finally back!"
Asaka Hanako immediately approached upon seeing Kaito Ren.
"What happened? What's going on? What are you all trying to say?"
Seeing Asaka Hanako's hesitant expression, Kaito Ren was utterly confused. What was going on?
"Come see for yourself."
Hellish Blizzard pointed to a corner of the living room.
"Hmm?!"
Kaito Ren followed her gaze. It was…
Little Black was lazily napping on the coffee table. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but several bumps had appeared on its abdomen, as if it had indigestion.
The bumps were perfectly symmetrical, as if something were about to emerge.
"Kaito Ren, is Little Black alright?!"
Asaka Hanako's worried expression reflected her concern for Little Black. Kaito Ren was equally concerned and immediately used his Observation Eye.
[Pet: Little Black (Juvenile)]
[Species: ?]
[Quality: ?]
[Abilities: ?]
[Strength: Wolf-level Upper Peak]
What?! This little guy, who only eats and sleeps, had gotten stronger?!
[Ding… Pet Little Black's strength increased, reaching Tiger-level Lower. Host gains Strength Enhancement Agent +20.]
[Ding… Pet Little Black's strength increased, reaching Tiger-level Lower. Host gains Constitution Enhancement Agent +20.]
[Ding… Pet Little Black's strength increased, reaching Tiger-level Lower. Host gains Speed Enhancement Agent +20.]
Kaito Ren was still processing this when another system notification arrived.
WHAT THE HELL?!
His mind was blown! He'd toiled endlessly, battling monsters, only to reach Wolf-level Middle. Little Black, merely sleeping, had continuously leveled up?! This was unbelievable!
He was jealous! He felt like he'd cheated, expecting an invincible run, only to discover there was an even bigger cheater. How was this even possible?! It was impossible!
At least this ultimate cheater was his.
At that moment, Little Black slowly opened its eyes, then… looked at Kaito Ren with excitement.
Before Kaito Ren could react, he felt a sharp pain in his finger, followed by swallowing sounds. He could feel his blood rapidly flowing into Little Black.
Perhaps due to the energy expended in leveling up, or increased appetite, Kaito Ren felt drained, his legs weakening.
Just as he was about to collapse, Little Black finally released its grip, burped, and teleported from his hand to his shoulder, where it comfortably fell asleep.
Help! I need kidney pills! Two, no, a whole bottle!
Kaito Ren's inner monologue screamed. He couldn't take it anymore. Before, he'd felt drained; now, he felt completely empty. He'd need kidney pills by the pound to survive.
"System, is there any other way besides bloodsucking?!"
Kaito Ren pleaded with the system. Another round might kill him.
[Energy can be obtained by absorbing monster cores.]
Cores?!
Kaito Ren was confused. What were cores?
Cores are energy sources stored by monsters. Wolf-level monsters rarely have them. Tiger-level monsters sometimes have them. Demon-level and above monsters always have them!
Demon-level monsters?!
Kaito Ren's face twitched. Challenging a Demon-level monster was suicide. Tiger-level monsters…
Kaito Ren glanced at Little Black, sleeping soundly on his shoulder. With Little Black, there was a chance.
Hee hee hee…
Tiger-level monsters! The thought was exhilarating! Wolf-level Peak monsters yielded almost 20 stat points each. Tiger-level monsters…?
A smile returned to Kaito Ren's face.
"Kaito Ren, is he alright?"
Asaka Hanako, observing Kaito Ren's fluctuating expressions—from anger to giddy laughter—was deeply concerned. He seemed to be having a mental breakdown.
"Teacher probably just thought of something upsetting, then something happy."
Saitama scratched his head, unsure of Kaito Ren's condition. Little Black's strength… it seemed…
Hellish Blizzard frowned. As a psychic, her senses were far keener than normal humans. She'd sensed a change in Little Black. She couldn't pinpoint the change, but it was definitely different.
"Saitama, Asaka, Hellish Blizzard, I'm going out for a bit."
Kaito Ren, oblivious to their worried expressions, was focused on Little Black. He planned to take Little Black out. With luck, they might encounter a Tiger-level monster!
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