"Then stay here for a couple of days."
"That is wonderful."
Karen practically squealed with joy.
She immediately threw herself at Kabe, arms hooked around his neck as she blew gently into his ear.
"Do you like kittens? I have a very naughty little cat at home. Do you want to see it?"
There was no way Kabe could hold back after that. He hoisted her up on his shoulder and headed off to "see the cat."
That night, Kabe had a very strange dream.
He dreamed that he had gone back to his original world and was sitting at his computer playing League of Legends.
In the game he had picked Wukong in the jungle. While invading the enemy's side, he bumped into the opposing team's lost support, Nami.
Enemies who met on narrow paths were inevitably going to clash. With a loud shout he raised his golden staff and slammed down a Crushing Blow.
Faced with the bonus damage and armor shredding power of that staff, little Nami's fragile body did not stand a chance.
Her head was bashed open, health bar chunked, and she staggered backward, shrieking as she scrambled to escape.
But how could Wukong let such an easy target get away?
He instantly used Nimbus Strike to dash after her, golden staff whistling through the air as he stuck to her heels.
The Nami on the other side was obviously a newbie.
She took several more hits for free before she finally remembered to throw out her Aqua Prison in panic, trying to pin down the monkey who was mauling her.
Kabe as Wukong had not expected this little support to still dare to fight back.
He underestimated her for a moment and actually got caught inside the water bubble, losing the ability to chase.
Nami seized the chance, waving her staff to heal herself with Ebb and Flow, then turned tail and ran again.
Unfortunately for her, Wukong had already bought Mercury Treads, his tenacity maxed out.
He shook off the crowd control quickly, the staff in his hand now drenched with seawater and blood as he charged forward once more.
The penniless Nami, who still did not even have boots, saw the monkey bearing down on her again and panicked.
She flung out her Tidecaller's Blessing and hurled wave after wave of water shots, trying desperately to slow his advance.
But Wukong had already closed the distance and brought her firmly into the radius of his ultimate.
Before her skill shots even landed, the golden staff had already begun to spin, leaving afterimages in the air as he activated Cyclone.
Nami screamed as she was knocked into the air.
Her health bar plummeted to a sliver under the raging whirlwind and, on the brink of death, she retaliated with her own ultimate.
A roaring Tidal Wave surged forward, flinging Wukong skyward as well.
However, that last sliver of Nami's health did not hold.
After one final miserable wail, she collapsed lifelessly on the ground, giving Wukong the coveted First Blood.
Watching the man beside her still smiling faintly in his sleep, Karen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little.
She used the very last of her strength to lean over and plant a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Good night," she whispered.
Then, finally unable to hold on any longer, she closed her eyes and sank into deep sleep.
A few minutes later, only when quiet, faint snores began to sound in the room did "sleeping" Kabe slowly open his eyes.
"Hmph, so that is what you were trying to pull on me.
"You really think all the thousands of Japanese movies I watched in my previous life were for nothing?"
He sneered inwardly, then turned his head to quietly study Karen's profile.
Her face was strangely pale with exhaustion, and the image of that faint trace of blood from the "dream" surfaced in his mind.
Kabe let out a silent sigh in the end.
He gently tugged the blanket up higher over her shoulders, then lay back down and closed his eyes again.
He had no idea that the moment his eyes shut, a sly smile immediately crept across Karen's lips.
"Hmph, I do not care what you are planning. Either way, I am not missing out on this piece of meat.
"As for those two little brats from Fairy Tail, they have a long way to go before they catch up to me."
Kabe had thought he was the hunter pretending to be prey.
He never realized that Karen, the real hunter, did not care about such games at all and was only focused on pushing herself straight into his jaws.
The next morning, at dawn.
Soft sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and fell across the bed.
Kabe frowned in his sleep, then slowly woke.
Karen had been awake for quite some time.
She was lying on her side with her head propped on one hand, completely absorbed in watching his sleeping face.
As soon as his lashes trembled and his eyes slowly opened, she swooped down to press a good morning kiss to his lips.
The half-awake Kabe was caught entirely off guard.
It took him a few seconds after their lips parted to register what had happened.
He then irritably pulled the blanket higher over her chest and scolded:
"Stop messing around. After how many times you almost rolled your eyes back last night, you still dare to tease me.
"If you keep this up, I really will break that little body of yours."
"If you are willing, then even if my body falls apart I am happy," Karen hummed.
She did not tug the blanket back down again.
Instead, she grabbed his hand, hugged it to her chest and used it as a pillow, looking utterly content.
"I did not expect you to have such a gentlemanly side.
"You are actually this considerate about my body. I am really touched."
Her eyes sparkled like little stars.
Clearly, that simple gesture had scored full marks in a girl's heart.
Kabe could only roll his eyes in exasperation.
"Less talking. From now on you are training at least two hours every day. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I will listen to you," she replied sweetly.
After last night, Karen had become even more soft and obedient, completely conquered by the man's "technique with the staff."
It was just hard on Kabe.
With such a soft, fragrant beauty lying right next to him, he actually had to hold himself back.
Seeing the way his brows were drawn together in frustration, Karen did not feel great about it either and secretly blamed herself for dragging him down.
Suddenly, a spark lit up in her mind.
Under Kabe's puzzled gaze, she pulled the blanket over her head.
A moment later, Kabe's eyes flew wide open.
His fingers dug tightly into the sheets as he sharply sucked in a breath.
"Ha…"
Two hours later, Kabe had changed into his clothes and opened the bedroom door.
Before leaving he glanced back at Karen, whose lips were slightly swollen, and reminded her:
"Stay in bed and rest properly. You are not allowed to get up today. Wait for me to come back tonight."
Karen nodded obediently.
"Do you really not need me to cook for you or bring you something?" he asked again.
She shook her head vigorously.
"All right then, you sleep. I am heading out."
Karen smiled and waved him off.
Bang.
The door closed softly.
Karen curled back up in the quilt for a second.
Then she immediately popped up full of energy, nothing like someone who had been told to stay in bed.
She quickly slipped out of bed, went to the glass box on the bedside table, and took out one of the golden keys inside.
Raising it, she chanted with practiced familiarity:
"Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries."
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