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Ryu glanced at his own panel.
He had discovered this by chance; as long as he and Karupin were within a certain range, he could automatically check their information panels.
[Name]: Shirogane Ryu
[Age]: 12 years old
[Height]: 177 cm
[Weight]: 65 kg
[Strength]: D
[Speed]: D
[Stamina]: D
[Mental Strength]: A+
[Ball Skill]: None
[Ability]: Eye of the Ice Emperor - Insightful Vision (Evolvable)
Karupin's Panel
[Cat Food]: 1000
[Cat Energy]: 0
[Activity Range]: 10 meters
Meow…
Just then, Karupin suddenly meowed.
Then Ryu noticed that the [Cat Food] value instantly reset to zero, while the [Cat Energy] value became 1000, and the [Activity Range] changed to 1010 meters.
Ryu stared blankly at everything.
"All the cat food I worked so hard to get, you just ate it all?"
Karupin licked its lips, looking utterly delighted. "That feels great! Keep trying next time; get more cat food."
Ryu's face darkened. "You bastard! All the cat food I worked so hard to get, you just ate it all?"
Karupin didn't care about Ryu's attitude at all, replying, "This stuff is useless to you. I used up a lot of energy modifying your eyes before; this will replenish it."
"Useless to me?" Ryu was utterly confused.
Wasn't he doing the mission for cat food? How could it have nothing to do with him? "No, the quest was given to me; how could the rewards be useless to me?"
Ryu lifted Karupin off his head, squinting and staring intently at him.
"You're lying to me, aren't you?"
Karupin seemed quite annoyed at being held like that, looking at Ryu as if he were an idiot.
"After what happened yesterday, don't you understand?"
Ryu was stunned.
Understand what?
He was completely baffled.
Karupin said impatiently, "When I modified your eyes yesterday, I used energy. Cat food is my energy source. Only when I have enough energy can I help you become stronger."
Hearing this, Ryu finally understood, then fell into deep thought.
Is that so? It seems that's really the case.
He asked Karupin with some skepticism, "So, after eating so much cat food, what can you do now?"
Karupin struggled to free itself from Ryu's hands, then leaped onto Ryu's shoulder, head held high, exuding an air of absolute dominance.
"Kid, didn't you think your physique was weak right now? Now, I can improve your physical condition."
"Really?" Ryu's tone became noticeably more eager, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Karupin didn't keep Ryu in suspense.
Its eyes gleamed with a faint blue light that only Ryu could see, the light growing brighter and brighter.
Unbeknownst to Ryu, a change occurred before his eyes.
Now, rows of figures appeared in Ryu's vision: tall and short, fat and thin—at least dozens, perhaps hundreds.
Ryu immediately recognized these people as characters from the series The Prince of Tennis.
Each figure had a name above their head, next to which was a number varying from 500 to 1000 [Cat Energy].
Beside the characters were also some physical data.
Karupin then spoke up, "These are characters from my previous world. They all have corresponding prices. Those prices refer to Cat Energy. Now you understand!"
Ryu nodded blankly, completely dumbfounded.
...
Echizen Ryoma: 500
Kikumaru Eiji: 500
Fuji Syusuke: 700
Tachibana Kichihei: 800
Niou Masaharu: 900
Toyama Kintaro: 900
...
Atobe Keigo: 1000
Tezuka Kunimitsu: 1000
Akutsu Jin: 1000
Shiraishi Kuranosuke: 1000
Sanada Genichiro: 1000
Byodoin Phoenix: 1000
...
He had watched The Prince of Tennis more than once, and he was quite familiar with these characters, but for a moment he was at a loss, unsure of which to choose.
"So many people, how am I supposed to choose?" Ryu asked. "And these prices are way too expensive! The prices vary; does that mean the more expensive ones have better physical attributes?"
Karupin replied irritably, "Kid, you should be content! This time I used some tricks to bring the price down to a tenth of what it should be. Otherwise, what do you think 1000 cat points can do?"
Huh? Hearing Karupin's explanation, Ryu was dumbfounded.
A tenth of what it should be? Then the original price for these characters would be at least 10,000 cat points.
Ryu gasped, then looked intently at the few people with 1000 cat points: Atobe Keigo, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Akutsu Jin, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Sanada Genichiro, Byodoin Phoenix...
These people were all incredibly powerful, and Ryu was momentarily caught in a dilemma.
Seeing Ryu's expression, Karupin said irritably, "Hey! Look at you, so conflicted. Are you overthinking things?"
Ryu looked at Karupin, puzzled. "Overthinking? What do you mean?"
Karupin rolled his eyes. "You're choosing their physical attributes, not their abilities. Simply put, it's their inherent physical talent."
"Is that so?" Ryu understood. Oh, I see. If that's the case, then these people's physical attributes seem pretty much the same; at most, they each have a few outstanding abilities.
At this moment, Karupin's voice entered his ears: "Kid, I have a suggestion. Do you want to hear it?"
"Hmm? What suggestion? Tell me." Ryu was curious.
Karupin continued, "I suggest you choose Akutsu Jin."
"Akutsu Jin? Why him?" Ryu was puzzled. He felt that Akutsu Jin's physical attributes were not even comparable to Byodoin Phoenix's.
Seemingly sensing Ryu's doubt, Karupin snorted irritably, "Hmph, the reason I suggest Akutsu Jin is because his body is the most perfect."
Ryu frowned slightly: "Really? But Tezuka Kunimitsu, Sanada Genichiro, Yukimura Seiichi, and Byodoin Phoenix are all much stronger than him!"
Karupin glanced at Ryu disdainfully: "Kid, strength doesn't equate to good physical attributes. You need to understand that excellent physical attributes have unlimited potential for growth. Akutsu Jin's body is perfect because his various abilities are extremely balanced, which is extremely rare among athletes. To put it bluntly, it's a physique born for competitive sports. Have you heard of a 'Chosen One's Body'?"
Ryu's breathing quickened, becoming increasingly excited as he listened: "You mean, Akutsu Jin has a 'Chosen One's Body'?"
Karupin shook his head: "Yes and no. To be precise, Akutsu Jin has the potential for a 'Chosen One's Body,' and also the potential for a 'Demon King's Body.' The so-called 'Demon King's Body' and 'Chosen One's Body' are similar. Because Akutsu Jin's physique is balanced, it's not as pure as a true 'Chosen One's Body' or 'Demon King's Body.' But this physique is the most special, completely comparable to those two. You can call it the Divine-Demon Physique."
Ryu stared blankly, lost in thought.
Hearing Karupin's explanation, he suddenly felt that Akutsu Jin seemed infinitely powerful.
He was truly tempted.
The Divine-Demon Physique, huh? That doesn't seem so bad.
Ryu made up his mind: "Alright, since that's the case, I'll listen to you and choose Akutsu Jin."
Hearing Ryu's words, Karupin immediately activated his ability.
His sapphire-like eyes shimmered, and golden light emanated from his body, gradually enveloping Ryu's body.
Ryu seemed to be wrapped in a golden cocoon.
At the same time, this golden light gradually merged into his body.
A surge of heat spread throughout Ryu's body, followed by waves of burning and stinging sensations.
Ryu felt as if countless bombs were exploding inside him; every bone in his body seemed to be throbbing.
Although the burning and pain persisted, it was all within Ryu's tolerance.
This state didn't last long; after three minutes, the golden light enveloping Ryu completely merged into his body.
Only Ryu and Karupin could see all of this; to those around them, Ryu simply appeared to be standing there in a daze.