"…D-damn it… I won't lose… I won't…!"
Chobung murmured in her sleep, her voice hoarse yet stubborn. Cradled in Ryuji's arms, her body twitching faintly, she was clearly still stuck in the aftershocks of their wild night.
Ryuji, however, knew exactly what she was muttering about.
She was talking about that.
The brawler's body had long become resistant to toxins—her nerves dulled, her muscles honed through countless battles. But Ryuji… his body hadn't adapted to the intense, near-alchemical exchange that had happened last night.
Simply put: she couldn't outlast him.
And that led to a very simple result.
He'd overwhelmed her.
A clean, one-sided victory.
Of course, for someone like her—a fighter through and through—admitting defeat was harder than death. Especially in this kind of fight.
But this wasn't something that could be rushed.
Ryuji didn't mind.
Because what he got out of it… was massive.
He opened his status screen, eyes widening in disbelief.
Energy: 1127 points.]
It was a ridiculous number.
The sheer amount blew past anything he had seen before. Even Tsunade, with all her emotional baggage and explosive affection, hadn't produced results like this. Erina had begun to fall for him too, and yet—nothing came close to this.
He frowned.
It didn't make sense.
Why did Chobung give me this much energy?
"Not normal, absolutely not normal."
It couldn't just be the emotion. Sure, there was affection, maybe even desire. But was it love? Or… something else?
He wasn't a romantic fool. He didn't believe in fairy tales. But…
"…Could she actually be falling for me?"
He muttered the thought under his breath, lightly tracing the scars down her bare back. She curled up against his chest, a deep, instinctual trust in her sleep. It was raw. Honest. Unfiltered.
Maybe it was love. Maybe this was one of those impossible "love at first fuck" stories.
After all, she was a virgin.
"Unlike that Rose lady… only gave me five measly points after all that effort."
Ryuji clicked his tongue, recalling how many times he'd gone at it with the infamous Yellow Rose, only to get nothing but empty balls and disappointment in return.
"This can't be right… it needs testing."
He exhaled, watching her breathe softly against him.
If it really was love, then there should be some kind of consistency. He couldn't draw conclusions just yet. A hypothesis was only as good as the data.
"…Tomorrow, then."
He tightened his hold on her. She didn't resist.
Soon, his breathing synced with hers, and sleep took him.
When Ryuji woke up the next morning, the bed was empty.
She was gone.
No goodbye. No awkward farewell. Just a piece of paper left on the nightstand—her address scrawled on it in bold, sharp letters.
If you need anything, come find me.
He stared at the note for a moment, then chuckled.
"Playing tsundere Chobung? "
He freshened up, only to bump into Rosh on his way out—who, of course, came to freeload a meal again.
After breakfast and a bit of language practice, they headed out into town.
Ryuji brought some iron ingots to a merchant, and after confirming their value, he sold off his stash and walked away with a hefty pouch of 300 gold coins.
With money in hand, he did what any new adventurer would: he bought gear. A decent iron sword, lightweight armor, and most importantly—
He started recruiting for a party.
Why?
Because of the skill book.
The Blood Qi Secret Art was still awkward and clumsy, but it had immense potential. The more he killed, the more skills he could unlock. And for that, he needed bodies—monsters, preferably.
Lots of them.
He glanced at Rosh, who had been tagging along like a happy little sister all morning, tossing out suggestions at every merchant stand.
"So, want to form a party with me?" he asked.
She tilted her head. "Mmm… I think you should at least find one more person before heading out big brother. But with your weapons… yeah, if you're careful, it should be fine."
She was referring to his guns.
Despite the world's magic-heavy combat, modern firearms still packed a punch—especially against things like goblins or beastkin. Even Rosh, who could easily flatten Ryuji in a fight, acknowledged the raw firepower.
"I'd love to practice my sword skills more, honestly. But I don't have time for that," he sighed.
From the moment that swordsman had dropped the Blood Qi Art, Ryuji Knew—he was addicted. The idea of absorbing power from kills was simply too efficient, too seductive.
But this world wasn't like a game.
He couldn't just walk around slaughtering humans for XP. Most "monsters" here were sapient to some degree—dragonkin in Sky Tower, cursed priests in GBL, dark elves guarding tombs…
All of them required strength. A real party. Proper preparation.
So, he planned to build his own team. One that could help him explore dungeons, hunt minotaurs, and take down goblin chiefs—all in the name of absorbing their strength.
Muscle growth. Dexterity. Maybe even racial traits.
If goblins and beastmen counted as intelligent species, then maybe—just maybe—they'd drop something valuable too.
And if not? No harm done. He'd still get the combat experience.
Because fighting zombies back in the 7 Days to Die world didn't count. That wasn't real combat. That was a shooting moving targets.
The Blood Moon…?
That was a massacre.
No tactics. No finesse. Just survival.
"No time, huh?" Rosh asked, tilting her head again.
He didn't answer directly.
"Anyway, as long as you're buying food," she grinned, "I'm in!"
"…You're just here for the free meals, aren't you?"
She flashed a thumbs up.
Ryuji facepalmed.
Then, after a moment of consideration, he asked again.
"So… do you know how to properly prepare for an adventure in Arad?"
That question made Rosh freeze.
She blinked, her big, curious eyes shifting between Ryuji and herself. Then she shrugged with both hands, completely unfazed.
"Prepare? Isn't it just… catch whatever you can and eat it?"
Ryuji nearly choked.
How the hell did you even survive in the Demon World?!
He wanted to scream, but held it in, sighing instead with pure helplessness.
With a resigned shake of his head, he reached into his coat and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper.
"Looks like we're going to need a professional."
He glanced at the address scribbled on it—the female brawler's.
If anyone knew how to prepare for the chaos of this world… it was her.
And, well, it couldn't hurt to pay a certain someone a visit again.
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.