In the dense jungle, a girl moved swiftly through the terrain.
Darting across the forest floor, she leaped onto a tree branch with a light, effortless step.
With barely a pause, she pushed off, her body soaring upward.
In just three seconds, she had reached the treetop, allowing her to survey the area ahead at a glance.
"It's amazing… It feels like this has been ingrained in my body for ages."
"This is a boon."
A small flame ignited on a nearby branch, and as the fire flickered, another figure appeared.
"It's fine if the boon I grant others is of a low sequence, but once the sequence becomes too high, your growth trajectory will inevitably start leaning toward me."
"Leaning…? What do you mean?"
"To put it simply, the more powerful the boon, the more you will become like me. Eventually, you'll turn into something akin to my dependent—a puppet, to be blunt."
"Oh."
Ran was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected such a heavy price for obtaining Ren's power.
But then, with a troubled expression, she asked,
"If you take the power back, will all of this training still count?"
Ren smiled slightly. He had considered this issue beforehand.
"Don't worry. Right now, you're using the knowledge gained from the boon to familiarize yourself with your body. Once you've fully adapted, I'll retrieve the gifted power."
"But I'll leave behind your physical memory of it."
"For now, your main focus should be on mastering the overwhelming strength, essentially, learning the technique."
"Although you won't maintain your current level exactly, after proper training, you'll be able to regain this level of strength on your own."
This was the best method Ren could think of to help Ran master her abilities.
The process was tedious and complex, but it avoided any dangerous side effects.
Compared to the Potion Pathway, the Boon Pathway was far more stable—especially when dealing with low-sequence boons.
"Ran, test your power."
"Understood."
Ran leaped down from the treetop. Her movements were fluid, and she descended from a height of dozens of meters almost instantly.
Not a single sound accompanied her landing.
She had reached a level where she could ascend and descend extreme heights with ease, utilizing her body weight and technique perfectly.
As soon as she landed, Ran turned around and struck a massive tree behind her, a tree so large it would take seven or eight people to encircle it.
"!"
A sharp tearing sound echoed through the jungle.
Ran's seemingly delicate hand effortlessly pierced through the tree's tough outer bark and even penetrated its dense core.
"Haa…"
Exhaling softly, Ran swiftly pulled her hand out, clenched her fist, and struck again, this time with a full-force punch.
BOOM!
The massive tree exploded as if someone had stuffed it with TNT.
With a loud rumble, the splintered trunk collapsed to the side.
"Not bad. Your strength and technique are both solid."
As flames flickered, Ren descended, placing a hand on the fractured remains of the tree trunk.
Just from examining the damage, he could tell how terrifying Ran's strength had become.
"That was about 70% of your power, right?"
"Only 40%."
Ran corrected him, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Even though Ren had overestimated her power, the reality was even more astonishing.
If just 40% of her strength was enough to cause this level of destruction…
By his calculations, that strike could easily pierce through a human body.
The phrase "kill with a single punch" was not an exaggeration.
Even with the Warrior Pathway enhancing her, low-sequence augmentations had limits.
But considering Ran's base physical strength, even without the Warrior Pathway's enhancements, she could likely still kill with a single punch.
In terms of sheer brute force, normal humans were simply no match for her.
However, there was one important thing to celebrate.
"You can control your power, you know your limits now, right?"
"Yeah."
Ran nodded enthusiastically.
"Although my grasp of it is still a little vague, after receiving Ren's power, I now have a clearer understanding of my upper limit."
"This is probably my biggest achievement so far."
Ren let out a relieved breath.
He was never worried about Ran growing too strong.
Rather, he was worried that she'd become too strong before she was mentally ready for it.
After all, the world was full of terrible people.
If Ran ever encountered someone insulting her in a fight, she might instinctively lash out and accidentally obliterate them.
"Now then… Shinomiya and Hayasaka—"
CRACK!!
Suddenly, the sound of shattering rang out from the distance.
Ren's senses screamed in alarm.
"!?"
Reacting instantly, he grabbed Ran, who hadn't even processed what was happening yet, and teleported several times using Flame Jumps.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted behind them, sending a thunderous shockwave through the air.
BZZZZZZZ!!
A powerful buzzing noise filled the surroundings, causing Ren's ears to ring violently.
For a brief moment, his hearing was completely wiped out.
And if he was struggling—then Ran, with her far more sensitive senses, must be suffering twice as much.
It took a few moments for the ringing in their ears to subside.
Only then could Ren finally take in the sight before him.
A massive iceberg had suddenly materialized in the middle of the island.
As if… an entire glacier had been dropped from the sky.
"Looks like the Door-Door Fruit's alternate dimension has its limits, after all."
Ren swiftly used his ability to help Ran recover from the sensory overload.
Ran, now regaining her senses, also took in the jaw-dropping scene.
"Did… something happen to Shinomiya?"
Ren put her down and shook his head.
"It's not Shinomiya—it's Hayasaka."
"The Door-Door Fruit still has restrictions."
"Judging by this, they're running into serious trouble in that other dimension."
"Hmm?"
Ran, now steady on her feet, lightly nudged Ren.
"Don't tell me… Shinomiya got jealous again?"
"…"
Ren turned to look at her.
Even though Shinomiya's abilities were mainly ice-based, Ran's body had been enhanced to its absolute peak, resulting in a figure even more stunning than Fujiwara Chika's.
If Shinomiya saw this and got jealous, it wouldn't exactly be surprising.
"…Not impossible."
Ran smirked playfully.
"After all, Shinomiya loves getting jealous. It's totally possible."
This time, even Ren wasn't entirely sure.
"Ran, I'm heading over to check on them. Can you handle things here?"
"I'll be fine. But wait—are we still continuing?"
"I'll check on the situation first."
(To be continued.)
***
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