Free Web NovelChapter 82: Not Bowlcut Anymore
Nobody walked through the halls of the tutorial space with a confident stride.
Now, he wasn’t limping anymore. Wasn’t exhausted and covered in monster blood. Well... mostly.
Beside him, Blossom Bunny hopped cheerfully. "Atta!"
Nobody grinned. "You know Blossom...I think I look pretty cool now."
"Atta." The bunny nodded immediately.
The confirmation boosted Nobody’s confidence even more.
A few moments later, they arrived at Ren’s chamber. The large doors slid open.
CREEEEAK.
Ren was sitting lazily on a floating chair while reading something from a glowing screen.
Before Nobody even entered....
Ren sighed. "You finally woke up."
Nobody froze. "How did you know I was coming?"
Ren didn’t even look up. "Your ego arrived five seconds before you did."
Nobody gasped. "That’s rude."
Ren finally looked up. Then immediately frowned. "Eww."
Nobody blinked. "What?"
Ren pointed. "Put some clothes on. Why are you walking around shirtless?"
Nobody looked down at his newly acquired abs.Then proudly flexed. "Because look at this."
Ren immediately covered his eyes. "I regret healing you."
Nobody ignored him. He stood proudly. "Ren. Look...I got taller."
Ren nodded. "Yeah...Congratulations."
Nobody continued. "And I’m not bowlcut anymore."
Ren stared. Then nodded again. "Yeah. Congratulations."
Nobody looked offended. "Why are you acting like this isn’t a major event?"
Ren sighed. "Because you almost died...Your first concern shouldn’t be your haircut."
Nobody immediately pointed at himself. "My haircut was a national tragedy."
Blossom nodded. "Atta."
Ren stared at both of them. "..." Then he said,"You two deserve each other."
Nobody laughed. Then clenched his fist. His muscles tightened naturally. The strength felt different now. More solid and refined.
He looked toward Ren. "Seriously though. I feel way stronger."
That finally caught Ren’s attention. The rabbit coach leaned back slightly. "Of course you do."
Nobody blinked. "Huh?"
Ren casually explained. "The poison and healing cycle strengthened your body. The poison destroyed. The healing repaired."
"Again."
"And again."
"And again."
Nobody slowly nodded.
Ren continued. "Your body adapted to survive. Your muscle density increased. Your endurance improved. Your resistance to toxins skyrocketed. The poison that almost killed you basically became a training program."
Nobody’s jaw dropped. "Holy moly."
Ren shrugged. "It wasn’t ordinary poison. That was Aconite’s poison. Most people die within hours. You lasted over two weeks."
Nobody rubbed the back of his head. "Now that you mention it...I was kinda awesome."
Ren rolled his eyes. "There it is...The ego."
Nobody laughed. Then suddenly remembered something. "Actually..." He looked toward Ren. "There’s something I’ve been wondering."
Ren immediately looked suspicious. "What?"
Nobody pointed at him. "How strong are you?"
Even Blossom looked curious.
Ren remained quiet for several seconds. Then sighed. "Well..." He leaned back. "Let’s just say...You only witnessed a fraction of my strength."
Nobody blinked. "A fraction?"
Ren nodded. "A very small fraction."
Nobody immediately remembered Aconite. The demoness that had nearly killed him. The demoness who had terrified everyone. The demoness who lost her arm in one attack. His jaw dropped. "...A very small fraction?"
Ren smiled. "Yep."
Nobody stared. Then stared harder. "You’re joking."
"No."
"You’re joking." freewēbnoveℓ.com
"No."
"You’re definitely joking."
"No." Ren looked away. His expression becoming slightly distant. Inside his mind, old memories surfaced.
Ancient battlefields, destroyed worlds, countless enemies. Things he preferred not to remember. Things he had left behind long ago. He siad on his mind, "Kiddo...You really don’t have a clue what I was before. And honestly... I’m glad you don’t." His eyes softened slightly.
People changed. Even monsters. Even legends.
Even him.
Then Nobody suddenly waved his hand in front of Ren’s face. "Hello? Coach Rabbit Ren? "
Ren blinked. "What?"
"You zoned out."
"No I didn’t."
"You absolutely did."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
Blossom raised one paw. "Atta."
Ren pointed at the bunny. "Don’t encourage him."
Nobody suddenly looked down at himself. Then frowned. "Wait."
Ren sighed. "What now?"
"Am I supposed to stay shirtless forever?"
The rabbit coach stared at him. "...Why would you stay shirtless forever?"
Nobody shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe it’s part of becoming stronger."
Ren looked horrified. "Who told you that?"
"Nobody."
"Exactly. You told yourself"
Nobody nodded. "Fair point."
Then he immediately grinned. "Give me something cool to wear."
Ren groaned. "You are impossible."
Nobody gave him puppy eyes.
Blossom copied him. "Atta."
Ren looked away. "No."
Nobody kept staring. Blossom kept staring.
Five seconds passed.
Ten seconds passed.
Finally...
Ren lost. "Fine."
Nobody cheered. "YES!"
SNAP.
Ren snapped his fingers.
Purple pixels exploded around Nobody. The particles swirled across his body. A new shirt materialized instantly.
Nobody looked down. Then froze.
The shirt was black. The kind of black that seemed to absorb surrounding light. Across the chest was a crude white sketch of a monstrous face. Jagged teeth, hollow eyes, chaotic lines. Like something scratched into existence by a lunatic. The design looked worn.
Unfinished. Yet strangely cool.
It gave off the feeling of an underground street gang symbol. Under the blue glow of the tutorial chamber, the design stood out even more.
Nobody slowly touched the shirt. Then looked into a nearby mirror.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Then...
"DAMN!" He spun around dramatically. "This shirt is sick!"
He struck a pose. Then another.
Blossom immediately clapped. "Atta! Atta!"
Nobody pointed at the mirror. "I look awesome."
Ren rubbed his forehead. "I’ve created a comedy monster."
Nobody ignored him. He admired the shirt again.
The more he looked at it the more he liked it. Then he suddenly noticed something. "Wait."
The monster face on the shirt... looked strangely dangerous. He squinted.
Then pointed at himself. "Ren."
The rabbit sighed. "What?"
"Why does my shirt kinda give me a feeling that I might face something dangerous in future?"
Ren immediately looked away. "No reason."
Nobody narrowed his eyes. "...Ren."
"No reason."
"Ren."
"No reason."
"REN."
The rabbit coach finally sighed. "Because your future enemy is gonna wear the same t-shirt. It was the easiest design to give both your enemy and you."
Nobody stood there in silence. "..." He asked,"...Is my enemy gonna be humanoid this time?"
Ren grinned. "Maybe."
Nobody looked horrified.
Blossom laughed. "Atta!"
Nobody said," Damn..last time Aconite scared me!!"
"Now, even more humanoid monster upcoming."
