"Jake! You did awesome!" Mio said excitedly before she threw her arms around me, and I let out a chuckle at feeling her soft form pressing into me.
All the while as I held an arm around the waist of my girlfriend. I heard a soft tsking noise as that brat Runeas committed teasingly.
"Wooow! As soon as she runs up to her boyfriend, she just jumps him!"
Rias, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes... Though after doing so, and outside of her vision as Mio's red hair covered where I was looking. I noticed that Rias was likewise giving me a weird, heavy look to boot.
Then Mio partly left my arms and instead burrowed into my side with my arm going around her shoulder instead, as she asked me.
"By the way, Jake, when do you want to head back out to hunt?" She asked with some excitement.
I hummed thoughtfully, and then I said. "There is a couple things I need to take care of inside the Sanctuary so I would have to say... At the latest, a week from now. We can go on a long hunting trip."
I then kissed Mio's head as I said confidently. "And then we can fill out the rest of your Sacred Blood geno points on that hunting trip."
Rias and Runeas gave the two of us disgusted looks with Runeas snapping out. "Ewww! Can you even be more realistic Jake! You don't need to sweet-talk her so hard; she is already head over heels for you."
With Rias then saying with a frown. "And Mio already said you have already filled out half of your Sacred Blood geno points already. How do you plan to help her who only has twenty-five geno points get the other seventy-five?"
I looked Rias dead in the eye as I said bluntly. "I am taking her to a tribe of sacred blood-tier beasts... I am going to slaughter them, and we will feast upon their flesh to fill out our geno-points."
After all. I already had ten Super gene points at this point. And once I got a full set of 25 super geno points.... Assuming I survived fighting that tiger and lion. Literally not a damned thing in the first sanctuary would be a threat to me in the slightest.
Rias's expression in response to my blunt rebuttal was certainly something as she just snorted. But I could tell my blunt honesty had hit something inside of her.
But regardless, she wasn't my girlfriend after all. So I wasn't worried about her or whatever future she had... I wasn't blind to her being literally fucking Rias Gremory tits and all. And with Rias Gremory and her tits, came the fiancée issue with Riser Phoenix.
But once again. Not my girlfriend, not my fucking problem. I already had a big titty red head I was busy being a caveman provider for.
"Sooooo Jake, I am curious. Have you seen any camel-type beasts?" Runeaus asked excitedly making me blank at her question before I shook my head.
"Nope! I haven't been anywhere near a desert region of the Sanctuary, actually."
Though inwardly I was actually worried about her seeing my mount/pet in Woody... I really, really didn't want her to fixate on my giant water buffalo with her saying it was close enough to her 'camel' obsession.
"Want to go out and get lunch, Jake? I don't want to go home yet." Mio said softly as she leaned against me a bit more and gave me an adorable look upwards to my face.
Just before I could respond however, Runeas grabbed Rias by her wrist and said in annoyance. "Alright fine Mio, we won't be the third and fourth wheels for your date!"
With Mio saying in a teasingly cross tone. "I wasn't the one who said it, cousin."
With the two Gremory girls making another tsking noise before Rias said with a roll of her eyes. "Alright alright. We still get the message though. You two have fun, and Mio you just call for a lift back to the clan's estate."
Mio nodded with the other two redheads, just giving me a look... Weird look of some hidden female language that I couldn't understand in the fucking slightest before they left the private booth that Mio had pulled us into
And with a moment of comparable privacy, Mio exhaled heavily before she said quietly. "Rias was being snippy because she is jealous we have a real relationship."
'What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Uhhh, good for her?' I thought helplessly before I responded with a thoughtful grunt.
Mio went quiet for a moment before she kissed my neck softly and then with a giggle she pulled back, still holding my arm.
"Come on Jake. I know a nice restaurant just down the road from the Event Center." She said happily as she pulled me along.
I just chuckled as I followed with our hands interlinked, and thankfully after spending that time flirting. And of course, the time messing around with Rias and Runeas. Most of the massive exit rush was dealt with.
And inwardly, I was also happy that with winning the tournament, my bank account was flush with funds. An actually strong amount of money that I could rely on for easily the next... Fucking decade at the VERY least unless I tried to live like a noble.
But I was also very aware that life after I entered the Second Sanctuary was going to be so much more different. The second sanctuary was the most populated sanctuary for a variety of reasons. Which meant that there was actually a massive supply of tier two Beast Souls I could buy.
And my goal was to buy some decent Ordinary and Primitive Beast Souls to then upgrade into better ones as soon as I got into the Second Sanctuary.
Still, those beast souls, even just Ordinary and Primitive Beast Soul's, were going to be expensive.
Mio and I walked hand in hand towards the restaurant that served in an Italian style. And after paying and walking Mio to the hover car that would be taking her home. With a strong pep to my step, I all but skipped my way to the train that would take us home.
But there was... Something that was eating at me. Something I swear I was forgetting?
Did I forget to lock my apartment's door? Did I leave my computer running for the last few days nonstop?
I could feel it, there was something important that I was forgetting as I was riding the train back home. But I couldn't remember for the life of me what it was.
Finally, in order to push this thought of something going on down. I just brought up a list of military colleges as I knew it was best for me to start applying the sooner the bettle.
And for a good while, that was it. I boredly surfed the intergalactic web to research mega colleges based in far-off worlds that nonimally followed certain military doctrines or even had elemental affinities based on the talents of their students and teachers.
'Hmm, the Jade Skin Sutra, although 'cold' doesn't actually have an ice attribute, and my raw strength, which is enhanced by my One Piece style body, is also not all elementally attributed. So I am sure as hell not going to Blaze Heaven Academy.' I thought as I scrolled past that college.
But then a heavy thrum hit me. The thrum of a bomb going off but without the sound and for a brief moment, I was confused as fuck as several civilians screams and vomited blood as they hadn't enhanced their bodies much in the Sanctuary.
Then, the grav-train screamed. I was thrown into the air, and as I floated in the air, I instantly equiped my armor before I was slammed into the ceiling as the train spun through the air.
And then I groaned as the grav train slammed into the surrounding city and thick dust filled my vision as the train car thankfully didn't break apart as we slammed through a small building.
'And whatever poor bastards were inside said building.'
I leaned upright as I wondered what the hell happened. Did some terrorists attack the public transport fucking train I was on?
But as I took in my surroundings. I heard the loud groan of twisting metal followed by a louder groan of pain.
And then the voice of the Shura race hit my ears. Their humanoid forms were covered in spikes and astral energy-infused bone armor plates. And their voices, one and all, had a twisted metallic tone to it.
Then it hit me. The fucking 'canon event' was here. Where Han Sen, just after winning the tournament, I just won myself. Got tangled with this wounded Shura and in his dumbass disguise of 'Dollar' killed it and made himself even more famous.
But I wasn't interested in hiding, regardless. I summoned my Super-tier Aura Beast Soul, and with my spear in hand. I shot forward with lethal intent!
"Human!" The male Shura snarled, and I couldn't help but think how he looked honestly, so much like Doomsday from the DC Comics universe.
"Die Shura rat!" I snarled as I knew our races were kill on sight. There were many races in this universe. But the Shura were our neighbors, and they hated us, wanted to enslave us, and looked down on us for not having their equilvalent of royal bloodlines of inborn power.
My spear screamed as the blade skated across it's bone armor-covered form, and he snarled as the super-tier acid buff from the Aura, Beast Soul began visibly melting his flesh.
But my blow was lesser with him trying to grab my spear and as I blocked his next punch. I was reminded why these bastards were innately the match for even demi-gods from the fourth Sanctuary at their peak.
I was smashed back through the reinforced metal plate of the train's passenger car, and I hit the plasteel concrete of the building behind before I stopped with my back screaming in pain at me.
'Yeah... Han Sen being the rat he was. Fought this guy a bit after he landed, the city security system is already attacking him as well!' I thought as I got up with a scowl as I flooded my spear with my Haki to make it stronger before I went back in.
As the slipstream rogue teleport the bastard used wasn't subtle. The city's defense system quickly picked it up, and it just took a minute for the automatic turrets and laser batteries built into the buildings to leave their hidden state built into the nearby buildings.
But even as I got up and ran back at the Shura warrior, I saw the broken remains of a few others who had tried to jump him before the laser batteries got to work.
And as thick beams of laser energy slammed into him. I watched for a good minute before I scowled as I saw him grab a piece of metal from the ground.
Then, with insane aim, he yeeted the bar of metal into the delicate laser battery that exploded with the impact of a hundred pound bar of metal hitting it at high speed.
'Someone is fucking skimming... These lasers are far weaker than they should be. I swear to god, if someone is diverting the power from these laser batteries to a fucking Bitcoin farm. I am going to kill someone!'
"Human! You will make a good sacrifice for my own life haha!" The Shura roared happily before he shattered the ground beneath himself and charged at me.
I took a deep breath and I felt my body cool and then harden with the active buff of the Jadeskin Sutra. And with my spear colored black with my Haki I met his blow with a loud crashing noise as I met him evenly!
No, not evenly! The acid boost from my Aura beast soul was melting his armor, and as his armored hands started to melt.
The venom from my spear also began to enter his bloodstream making him roar in anger and press harder on me.
But he was still just a 'base soldier' of the Shura Race... There was a reason that Humanity commonly used mechs and giant war machines and didn't just rely on our bodies augmented by geno points and beast souls.
Even with those geno point boost, even with our beast souls... Even with bullshit geno martial arts. We were still far weaker than even the weakest blooded Shura at the same level.
A loud crack rang out as I swirled my spear around. A slap to his arm pushed it aside, and with a shout, I slammed my spear into his chest. That crack was his central chest plate that could tank instantly, metal melting lasers shattering with my spear entering his chest cavity.
Even with a spear in his chest, he sent a brutal haymaker aimed at my head down at me with our almost meter height difference. And I leaned back, putting the weight on my spear to dodge the punch before I spun around with my leaning position as he pulled back.
And then with a shout, I kicked the shaft of my spear, and with another crack my spear shot out of his back with him going stiff as his right shoulder shattered.
As he went stiff like that, I quickly summoned a Mutant-tier Water Arrow gun and with the acid boost from my aura beast soul... The water arrow I shot at him exploded with a horrific hissing noise as his armor and exposed flesh exploded into steam as he finally screamed in pain.
"I can't-" I could tell what he was about to scream. He was going to scream that he couldn't see anymore with his eye's boiling in extremely powerful acid.
But he just breathed in to scream and yeah. Superpowered acid directly to his already melting lungs from my spear's venom.
I stomped on the ground in a shunpo which sent me flying towards him through the air so he couldn't hear me. And as I came in... I came in with two Sacred Blood tier dagger's that I slammed into his giant eye sockets with a loud crunching noise.
The dagger's slammed home into the thick armored bone of his skull even from behind his eyes. And I held on, I pressed those daggers into his eye sockets even as he weakly punched my chest and finally.
Finally, the acid melted his skull enough for me to slam my daggers home into his brain matter.
And he fell backwards with my body falling onto his sizzling armored chest next to my spear's shaft as I kept my dagger buried into his fucking skull to poison and wreck his brain with the acid.
I remained there for a good moment... Breathing heavily, as nothing. Nothing had challenged me in this way before. Not even the alpha of the Minotaur's had half the strength that this wounded commoner Shura had.
With a groan, I rolled off of the corpse, and with a tired hiss I turned off the Aura beast soul that was draining my stamina greatly. And then I got up to my feet with my back and chest screaming from his punches.
And giving the Shura corpses a dark look... I kicked his head almost petulantly before I collapsed against a part of some building wreckage, even as I could hear the scream of sirens approaching.
All too soon, the military surrounded the wreck of the Shura escape pod that had crash-landed here and a couple of officers surrounded me to debrief me.
And after handing over my ID, I wasn't held up or anything, even though I couldn't help but ask. "How the hell did a Shura escape pod land here? The war front isn't anywhere near the planet, is it?"
To which the officer said helplessly. "A Shura Prince, and one of the War God's got into a fight in the next system over. Space and time were twisted as our War God directly attacked their advancing fleet. According to the upper brass, shit just gets weird when planet-shattering warriors throw all their strength around."
And you know what... Yeah, that was a fair enough answer, actually.
Still, thankfully, one of the soldiers who rushed here also had a healing Beast Soul so after a good twenty-minute healing session. My bruised ribs and the fracture running through my shoulder in the back were healed, good as new!
Not only that, but the commanding officer was nice enough to order me a grav-lift to take me home at the fastest speed so I could rest.
I didn't even check my phone as I went home... I just stared out the window as I mentally replayed that fight. I should have fully engaged my Haki to begin with. But I got cocky as I thought that with my super geno points I would be so much stronger then it.
But unlike Han Sen who fought him after he was attacked by blocks of automatic defenses and then tore his way out of those military guys who had just arrived. I fought him 'fresh' as it were.
So I needed to live by the maxim of always hunting even a rabbit with all of my strength. In order not to get a fucking rib bone cracked by a chitin and bone armor-covered fist.
And it was only as I staggered into my apartment, and collapsed face-first into my couch that my phone started to explode in messages and calls.
I pulled my phone next to my single exposed eye as I tilted my head to the side... And I sent a mumbled voice message to Mio. Because she was the only one I was remotely obligated to speak to.
[I am fine. The little hits were healed on site. I got home fine, and now I'm going to sleep for the next couple days. Tell Yang Manli and such I am fine as well.] The text message read.
And then, with zero fucking shame I silenced my phone. Turned it upside down so the light woudn't bug me. And I was out like a light.
-
Mio finally exhaled with relief after recieving Jake's message. A message that clearly told her that her boyfriend she loved was out for the count and was currently utterly exhausted.
"You know... Jake is talented for sure. But this? This kinda talent and strength is just outlandish." Runeas spoke as she had crowded and basically threw herself atop Mio as they watched an already viral videa of Jake killing that low class Shura warrior.
Because teenager's and young adults that were still the first sanctuary weren't supposed to survive a fight with a Shura warrior, even of the weakest bloodline. It just wasn't a thing, even if they had a full load out of Sacred Blood Beast Soul's and maxed out geno points.
It was only through the baptism in which someone had all those previous geno points truly merged with their body as the Sanctuary's Will moved them to the next level. That they could truly fight a Shura warrior on even barely even grounds.
"Soooo, are you finally jealous." Mio teased her less annoying cousin. As while Runeas was a hassle, she wasn't as much of a bitch as Rias could be at times.
And then Mio's face went dark as Runeas cheerfully said. "Yup! Makes me wanna take a bite out of him haha! He is handsome, strong, and he is a commoner. He will be far easier to handle compared to the young master's we could be married off to."
A smacking noise rang out as Mio smacked Runeas on her backside with Runeas letting out a fake moan as she called. "Ohhh! Harder Jake! Call me Mio while you-"
Mio rolled her cousin over and with a scowl she pretended to put the bustier red head into a headlock as she snapped out in annoyance. "Don't even joke about stealing my boyfriend you camel obssessed weirdo!"
And past a fake gasp of air that Mio 'graciously' allowed her enemy. Runeas sealed her fate as she teased her younger cousin. "Nah, you better worry about the elder's pushing me to marry him with how they already tried to set Rias up with that spicy chicken sandwich of a noble brat Riser."
"Riser is even older than you! " Mio huffed as she pushed Runeas away with a scowl as she hid her phone in her bra so that Runeas woudn't be able to... Easily snatch it again.
But Runeas still just shrugged and said carelessly. "Meh, he is still just a brat to me. He treat's his harem like toys and women in general as stress balls after he get's back from his own hunts in the Sanctuary."
Then Runeas pouted and said. "And you! Why are you making me wait for you to head to the second Sanctuary!?"
To which Mio gave a shrug and said rather blandly. "I want to be strong Runy... I want to be strong so that the clan thinks of me as a pillar and pride. Not just a piece of meat to be used to connect to another great family several systems away."
"So I am not just going to rush to the Second Sanctuary." Mio finished firmly.
But then Mio paused with a thoughtful look crossing her face as a loud chime played from her phone. A message ringing that was set to only come about when Qin Xuan the heir of their whole clan sent a message to her.
[Tell Jake to contact me when he can. I would like to talk to him about some things.] The message read.
But Mio Naruse was no fool. She knew that, any 'talk' between Qin Xuan and Jake was to be about the Qin family trying to pull a talent like Jake firmly into the family's own forces. Not just a part-time member of Qin Xuan's extremely loose Steel Legion.
As the moment Jake left the first Sanctuary and Qin Xuan was still left in the first. How could anyone expect for him to still follow her when he was so much stronger?
And a part of Mio knew that already, people were wondering why Jake was part of Qin Xuan's Steel Legion with his clear talent.
Mio's thoughts were cut off as Runeas utterly broke her mind as she teased her. "Who asked for Jake's nudes, huh?"
That was it... Mio was going to kill her cousin right now!
-
I literally slept for a good fifteen hours straight with Mio sending a few messages along with Yang Manli likewise sending messages about how Qin Xuan wanted to meet with me...
But I knew deep down something was up. And I didn't want to get pulled into noble games.
So in the end. After resting for another day, and telling Mio that I was resting. I decided that it was do-or-die time. I was going to get that Super-tier tiger.
More points to myself now, being a person of interest as I noticed a whole new set of public cameras were put on my street.
'The people who are watching aren't a threat... Normally anyway. Humanity in this universe is for the vast majority. Are working together. to deal with the actively hostile xenos.' I mused as I quickly made my way towards the Sanctuary portals.
And thankfully, getting into the sanctuary wasn't too much of a trial nor was getting some supplies and quickly leaving the Black Steel Shelter before anyone noticed me too much with how I wore a different set of Beast Soul armor I had.
'Alright, so that tiger has been seen messing around with the Golden Lion Beast towards the mountain region to the north. Time to go see if I can find them.' I thought to myself.
But... Even though I inherited a good bit of fake memories of this likewise pseudo body I was dropped into. This included survival and wilderness lessons. I still wasn't good at tracking.
And even though that Luo clan woman's map had some great detail to it and descriptions of the directions the lion and tiger went.
It still wasn't easy to just... Find a single animal's tracks, even if the tiger in question was as fucking large as an elephant itself.
And supposedly, the Golden Lion Beast was even larger than what I remembered from the novel.
While riding atop Woody's back, I muttered out in annoyance. "The tiger is still stupidly fast, even if it doesn't have an outright elemental ability in reality. The lion, I am not worried about with how it is so far into its pregnancy as well."
Woody let out a loud groan of agreement to my words. Which was a delightful lift to my spirits as I chuckled and leaned against the back of the massive water buffalo mount.
And as Woody kept moving us through the thick forest and towards the distant mountains. I had an idle thought. Once I drag Mio up to the second level of the Sanctuary. What was I going to do with Woody, who still had his soul and will in his beast soul?
I couldn't set him free even if I wanted to. And in the second sanctuary, I couldn't just let him roam around as it was still a drain to my stamina to an extent.
And I couldn't evolve him into a higher-tier beast soul either. The geno gem that was in my mental space with the rest of my beast souls couldn't cross the chasm between Sacred Blood and Super tier beast souls.
'Hmm, maybe I should just sell him to Qin Xuan... She is likely going to be stuck here in the first sanctuary for a good six months at least. And a Sacred Blood tier mount will last her a good while even in the second sanctuary.' I mused to myself.