Even standing on the spacious training ground, Ryu was still somewhat reluctant.
She wasn't the type to be competitive and fight fiercely with newcomers.
And in her stubborn opinion, this didn't fit her demeanor as a 'senior'!
Finally, after so much effort to go from the youngest to a senior, she hoped to be respected and admired by her juniors, rather than leaving a strange impression.
However, Che Huiyi, standing opposite Ryu, had alarm bells ringing in her heart!
This seemingly somewhat naive Fairy Girl, merely standing there, gave her a terrifying pressure, as if she were facing a BOSS alone!
She secretly swallowed her saliva.
Are adventurers in this world... all so strong, just casually?
Rod is watching me not far away; I can't let them think Rod's judgment is nothing special!
With a rare surge of competitiveness, Che Huiyi drew her beloved longsword from her waist.
"Excuse me!"
She gripped the hilt with both hands and, with all her might, plunged the tip of her sword into the stone slab ground beneath her feet!
Skill: Provoking Tremor!
Buzz!
Centered on the longsword on the ground, a ripple of magic power, visible to the naked eye, suddenly spread outwards!
All the girls affected instinctively prepared to attack, their eyes filled with hostility.
But fortunately, due to the distance, they quickly regained their clarity.
The girls' expressions subtly changed.
A glint flashed in Lyla's eyes as she spoke in surprise.
"It's actually a rare forced area taunt skill, and it's also a vanguard type?"
This is a natural PVE aggro magnet!
As the core target of the skill, Ryu's body's instincts had already taken over before her brain could react.
She instantly transformed into a gust of wind, her wooden sword whistling through the air, sweeping mercilessly towards Che Huiyi's neck.
—Damn it! I hit too hard!
Only when the fierce wind pressure hit her face did Ryu suddenly snap back to reality, startled, and it was already too late to forcefully retract her sword!
Che Huiyi was also slightly stunned by Ryu's unimaginably fast speed, but her combat intuition was equally top-notch.
She bent her upper body backward at an incredible angle like a nimble cat, and the sharp wooden sword whistled past her nose!
The sharp wooden sword whistled past her nose!
"Oh?"
Ryu was surprised for a moment, and after realizing that her opponent was not weak, a soaring fighting spirit rose in her eyes!
"Be careful, here I come!"
"I couldn't ask for more!"
Che Huiyi took a deep breath, charged forward, and in an instant, swung dozens of sword lights at Ryu!
Ryu unceremoniously raised her wooden sword and returned them all!
Clang! Clang clang clang clang—!!!
In the blink of an eye, countless sparks of slashes exploded and bloomed in the center of the training ground.
In the high-speed offense and defense that ordinary people couldn't capture with their naked eyes, the two girls' battle-filled gazes fiercely intersected in the air.
All the girls watching could see that, in terms of sword skills and moves alone, the two were evenly matched!
They probably also understood why Rod specifically wanted Ryu to spar with Che Huiyi.
Because their fighting styles were too similar!
Che Huiyi gritted her teeth, feeling an unprecedented immense pressure.
It wasn't the despair of facing a Ruler-Rank Hunter's aura.
Instead, it was a sense of powerlessness, unable to find even a single flaw in her opponent, no matter how she attacked or changed her moves!
This was... a pure crushing defeat in practical combat experience!
This Fairy Girl... how many life-and-death battles has she been through?
But, I still have a trump card!
"Here I come!" Che Huiyi shouted, warning Ryu.
Skill: Sword Dance!
This was her most confident skill!
Che Huiyi's movements instantly became fluid and graceful, as if she wasn't fighting, but dancing under the moon.
The longsword in her hand drew one beautiful, visible silver curve after another in the air!
However, these beautiful curves concealed killing intent.
They surrounded Ryu from all directions, at completely unpredictable angles!
The watching girls cheered in surprise at this sight.
"So beautiful!"
Rod clapped softly, enjoying the scene with a pleasant mood.
"As expected of the 'Dancer'!"
However, while the girls cheered for Che Huiyi, they didn't show the slightest worry for Ryu.
Ryu's face also showed no signs of panic, but instead skillfully performed fluid slashes.
She possessed the techniques of the Fairy village, the sword arts of the Far East, the wisdom of the Pallum, and a fighting style that fully showcased her advantages, reminiscent of the sun-like girl.
Even Kaguya, who always outwardly mocked Ryu, had a relieved smile in her eyes.
That was the crystallization of justice Ryu had forged after countless trials by the Star Maidens!
Just then, Che Huiyi poured all her magic into her sword!
Skill: Sword of Light!
Dazzling light erupted from the blade, and a giant holy sword of light instantly formed!
And Ryu, who had fully entered combat mode, also completed her parallel incantation.
"Luminous Wind!"
The moment the two were about to unleash their final blows, their expressions changed simultaneously.
—Damn it! Because I hadn't met such a suitable opponent in a long time, I got carried away and forgot to hold back!
Just as the two women were burning with anxiety, even envisioning the tragic future of the training ground being destroyed and themselves being lectured with a smile by Goddess—
Rod appeared between the two of them without warning, as if teleporting.
"Alright," Rod said flatly, and the shadow behind him instantly transformed into a ravenous, inky black beast, opening its massive maw and casually swallowing the Sword of Light and Luminous Wind, which were powerful enough to destroy the entire training ground!
Not even the slightest ripple of magic power escaped.
Ryuu and Che Huiyi's mouths hung open.
The entire training ground was deathly silent.
"..."
"..."
The two girls' battle also made one thing completely clear to Rod.
Sure enough, at this stage, Ryuu's overall strength was still far superior to Che Huiyi's.
Especially Che Huiyi, who lacked a powerful magic spell to deliver a decisive blow.
The watching girls stared in astonishment at the extraordinary scene that had just unfolded.
Selty's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
"If I wasn't mistaken… Rod didn't use any magic, he just used his raw physical speed to appear between the two of them, reacting after they had already moved?"
Nize also clicked her tongue in wonder, her eyes sparkling with proud excitement.
"And, even though neither of them used their full power to cast spells, Rod was able to take them both on head-on, so effortlessly… The Rod from before definitely couldn't have done something like this…"
Laila couldn't suppress her curiosity and loudly asked,
"Rod! How many levels do you… roughly equate to for us now?"
Rod turned his head, meeting the girls' gazes, which were a mix of curiosity, shock, and anticipation, and showed a gentle smile.
"Not high, only Lv.7."
After a suffocating silence.
""Lv7?!!"
Incredulous, perfectly synchronized gasps of surprise echoed through the night sky of the Court of the Stars.
Night fell, and the dining room of the Court of the Stars was brightly lit, with a long table laden with a delicious and abundant dinner.
However, the girls were still immersed in Rod's unbelievable level, unable to extricate themselves.
"Hmph…"
Asta fiercely bit into a large piece of roasted meat, exuding an enticing charred aroma, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. While chewing vigorously, she mumbled weakly,
"This feeling… it's like your childhood friend, whom you've always looked after like a younger brother."
"Then, after just one sleep, you wake up the next morning and he's suddenly become the strongest hero in the country… It's simply like a dream."
In contrast, Ke Luoyi seemed carefree. She hugged a roasted fish thicker than her arm, munching on it happily, while excitedly raising her small fists and shouting,
"Rod~ When will you become Orario's number one, meow? Today! Today, meow!"
"Smack!"
A tightly crumpled paper ball accurately hit her bobbing head.
Runova retracted her throwing hand and said exasperatedly,
"Play less with that tablet of yours! Heaven knows what kind of messy things are in that stupid cat's head…"
Che Huiyi quietly savored the noisy yet incredibly warm atmosphere. A genuine smile bloomed on her face involuntarily.
Everyone here… doesn't have that smell I dislike…
Indeed, is this where I belong?
Just then, Maliu, who had been sitting quietly beside Rod, gently poked Rod's arm with her slender finger.
She tilted her head slightly and asked softly,
"Rod… You're already Lv.7, do you still need to… rush to the next world?"
This question instantly silenced the boisterous dining room.
Rod had just forked a piece of sweet and sour tomato pie. Hearing her, he put the food into his mouth and pondered for a moment.
Indeed, there's still more than a month until the crucial Jeju Island incident in the world where I level up alone, so there's no rush to go back immediately.
And in the One Piece World, the ability of that diligent Koby, theoretically, the sooner I get it, the higher the future returns, but…
He looked at his not-so-abundant wish points. If he went now, he probably wouldn't be able to replicate many decent abilities, making it too cost-ineffective.
So, he put down his fork and looked around at all the girls who were watching him with expectant eyes.
"How about this," he said with a cheerful smile, "When everyone's total wish points reach fifty thousand, we'll all go to the next world together and have a good vacation, how does that sound?"
Rod paused, then turned his gaze to the Goddess at the head of the table, who had been gently watching everyone, and his smile grew even brighter.
"Of course, that includes our dearest Goddess."
"Eh?!"
Astrea's mouth slightly opened in surprise, and then a captivating blush spread from her fair neck all the way to her earlobes.
She shyly and somewhat awkwardly lowered her noble head, speaking in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum,
"C-cute or anything… Rod, you seem to have gotten a bit bolder lately!"
To this, Rod replied in his heart, as if it were only natural.
I'm working so hard to become stronger. If I still can't… cough, if I still can't be with the people I want to protect, then even if I die, I won't be reconciled!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the dining room instantly erupted in thunderous cheers!
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh—! Long live Rod! Long live Goddess!"
"Let's go on vacation! Let's go on vacation!"
The girls, who had been somewhat tired from a day of fighting and training, seemed to instantly be injected with boundless energy, each one full of spirit, their eyes gleaming.
They wished they could rush out of the base right now and continue to fight crime and eliminate evil in the streets and alleys!
Watching this somewhat familiar scene, Che Huiyi felt a subtle mix of emotions.
She secretly glanced at the culprit who was secretly snickering. The next second, she met Rod's gaze, which contained a hint of "warning" in the air.
The blonde dancer instantly tensed up like a hamster caught stealing food, immediately lowering her head obediently and frantically shoveling rice into her mouth, not daring to have any more extraneous thoughts.
Rod sighed contentedly in his heart.
See? They willingly work overtime for me, and in the end, they even have to thank me in return.
Where else could I find such innocent and kind girls?
Now, I absolutely must protect them well!
However, he wasn't exactly mercilessly exploiting the girls.
Currently, there are 16 combat-capable girls in the Familia. Even with a 1.5x wish point exchange rate, on average, each girl only needs to complete 6 A-rank wish quests to easily achieve the goal.
The workload still seems a bit under-saturated…
Sigh, I really am too kind.
After dinner, the girls went to bathe in twos and threes, or continued their table talk in the living room.
Rod, after a brief word with Goddess, returned to his room alone.
He closed the door, and with a gentle wave of his right hand over the table.
A pitch-black one-handed sword and several bottles of potions shimmering with different lights appeared on the table.
"System, extract the 'Indestructible' attribute from the vulcan's blade."
"Extraction successful. 1600 Wish Points consumed."
"Congratulations! You have obtained the passive skill — Indestructible Body!"
"Skill Effect: Your divine body will not be damaged by any form of physical or magical attacks!"
The "Indestructible" attribute, when applied to a weapon, would guarantee it would never be destroyed, but in sustained intense combat, its sharpness, toughness, and other key performance metrics affecting attack power would still inevitably decline.
However!
If this
Noin, who was curled up like a lazy cat on the soft sofa, engrossed in her game, suddenly saw her vision go white.
She instinctively looked up, but only saw a giant, exaggerated marshmallow that completely filled her entire field of vision, obscuring any face.
Noin's lips twitched slightly, and a complex emotion, a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment, instantly surged in her heart. She reluctantly put down her game console.
"... Maliu, is there something you need?"
Maliu's two slender, snow-white fingers were nervously poking each other, and her pure, pretty face was slightly flushed, as if she was a little embarrassed.
"Th-that... I... I'm a little nervous..."
She said in a barely audible voice.
"Noin, you... you've spent so much time with Rod. Do you... do you know what he... what he likes?"
"What Rod likes?"
Noin leaned against the back of the sofa, resting her hand on her chin, and gave a "leave it to me" expression, thinking very seriously for a moment.
"Although he often visits new shops, when it comes to what he likes best, 'this' is definitely the most suitable!"
She showed an incredibly happy smile, her right hand seemingly grasping a void, rod-shaped weapon, and then... she wiggled it with a strong sense of rhythm.
"Eh?!!!"
A "boom" sounded in Maliu's head, as if a volcano had erupted instantly.
She immediately imagined some unhealthy scenes that absolutely could not be described in public!
"Whoosh," her face turned as red as a cooked apple.
Maliu abruptly lowered her head, almost fainting from shame and an overloaded imagination.
"Th-this... th-that..."
Noin seemed completely unaware of Maliu's abnormality. Instead, she enthusiastically shared her "exclusive secret" with her, gesturing wildly.
"It's like this~ First, use that soft thing to... yes, that thing... fix it! Then, like this, gently and softly rub it~"
"!!!"
"Then, that... sticky stuff will ooze out from inside~ And then..."
"Ugh...!"
Maliu finally couldn't listen anymore.
She covered her almost smoking hot cheeks with both hands, turned abruptly, and ran, shouting as she ran.