Shun POV:

“Hurry it up.”

Sweat trickled down the Bloodied Deadmin’s forehead. The monster roared at the hundreds of Deadmin training in front before glancing back in my direction.

The Deadmin improved.

Tailored lessons made their growth rapid, and competition complimented the desire to outdo one another. The craving to perform Deadmin Rituals was converted into a form that would benefit me.

It was temporary but so were their lives.

I kept an eye on the map while the monsters trained. Once the party members began to move toward my current location, their lesson would end.

“Time’s up.”

I got to my feet and reappeared in the middle of the Deadmin.

“All of you kill me.”

“GRUAAGHH!!!”

Their Monzen Ki exploded without hesitation. They pounced on their supposed prey, revelling in the growth they had received. I spun a kunai around my finger and vanished.

Every exchange widened the smile on my face. Every exchange led to the improvement I needed.

I parried their blows with an efficiency they couldn’t react to. I grabbed their heads, using them like shields—like stepping stones before bursting them apart.

The Floor Boss was no different.

The monster’s head popped like a hot-air balloon once I was done with it. Flames consumed the fountain of blood, and the Bloodied Deadmin’s HP dropped to zero.

“...”

I clenched my teeth in annoyance while kicking what remained of its dead body to the side.

“If I had more time...”

The Deadmin only had around an hour to grow. When I ran through dungeons alone, I spent up to 36 hours teaching monsters that were good enough. Whenever their growth declined, I killed them. When time was up, I killed them too.

“Everything alright, Shun?”

I cocked my head to the side and glared at Phoebe. Despite how irritating she could be, she wasn’t an airhead; it was no coincidence that she was the first to arrive either.

“...Yeah.”

Phoebe walked forward, stopping once she reached my side.

“Do you have any hobbies?”

‘Is she... trying to flirt with me? Or should I regard this as her just being friendly?’

The silence only made her smile grow brighter with time. It highlighted the confidence in her vibrant amber eyes that gazed deep into mine.

“We’re in a dungeon.”

I moved away when Phoebe’s soft fingers rested against my own. Her touch was as light as the clouds, yet her cheeks still turned a faint shade of red from the skin contact.

“This area is clear, so we have some time. Should I go fir—“

“Don’t touch me.”

I smacked her hand to the side and widened the distance between us. The only thing I cared about was growing strong enough to kill Chloe Ravendawn.

“Sorry. I... jumped the gun there.”

Phoebe held her hand; her smile changed into one of understanding, but she didn’t know me.

I avoided her gaze.

She didn’t need to know me.

“...Phoebe, tell your party to either slow down or hurry the hell up.”

It was annoying rushing the process of teaching dungeon monsters. If I wasn’t going to have an adequate amount of time to train them, then the better alternative was to increase the speed of our dungeon runs, which would increase the quantity too.

“Uhh... Shun, we’re already giving you the Floor Bos—“

“It’s not enough!”

Bloodlust leaked into the surrounding area. The veins on the side of my forehead bulged, taking away the little patience I had remaining.

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Phoebe’s eyebrows quivered, yet still she didn’t look away.

“...Alright.”

I walked off and dashed a kunai to the right. It sliced through a stray Deadmin’s head, dropping its lifeless body back into the depths of the darkness it had crawled out from.

***

[Your party has cleared the dungeon. A gate has been summoned inside the Boss Room.]

“Retsu.”

Abilities were flexible and diverse. They could be expanded to create a fixed area where certain rules/restrictions had to be followed. Within that space, the Ki Practitioner could also receive benefits. This was known as a Territory.

My Ki spread across the cave floor, covering a large area until red and white Shinobi Banners marked off its borders.

Domains went beyond that.

They were a fixed space around the Ki Practitioner, not separate ones cut off from Ayadell. In other words, Domains moved with the Ki Practitioner at its centre; they overlapped with the physical world.

Domains also focused more on buffs. For example, Retsu drastically boosted all of the Kuji-kiri’s effects. They could still carry debuffs as well as rules/restrictions, but these were less common when compared to Territories.

I obtained this information from that talkative Goblin Warlock.

‘Do monsters not go through Shin the same way humans do?’

All the dungeon monsters I encountered utilised their own Styles of fighting but had no abilities. Even that Warlock’s undead army came from its Goblin Warlock Style.

‘...Pointless.’

I discarded those thoughts. They wouldn’t help me improve either way.

“Sha.”

I performed another hand seal. It was more accurate to call them ‘Mudra,’ but this world seemed to use that term when referring to meditation.

On its own, Sha was a technique that allowed me to heal myself. When used in Retsu, that healing could be extended to everyone inside of my Domain.

I ignored the party’s look of surprise at the light wounds across Gerard’s body, sealing shut before fading.

“Shun, are you aware of why Ki Practitioners do not have so many abilities?”

Katherine walked toward me; a slight seriousness coated the tone of her gentle voice.

“Why?”

“It is because the more abilities you possess, the more likely you are to experience Ki Deviation.”

The slight upward shift of Katherine’s eyebrows tightened the smooth skin on her forehead. It transformed the seriousness into something else—something much softer.

“Your Ki will spiral out of control, breaching past your Ki Channels. This violent flow will cause the body to implode from within.”

She walked toward me without breaking eye contact.

“It was a technique, not an ability.”

“That is not the issue. I can already feel the instability in the flow of your Ki.”

Katherine’s words made me question if Koli really was trying to help me lighten the burden of the ability I created. Her cultivation techniques would have given me the stability needed.

Or would they?

All she mentioned was the slow growth and increased likelihood of experiencing Ki Deviation in the event I ‘messed up.’ The latter part was vague but intentional. It’s why I hardly took anything that came out of that giggling idiot’s mouth seriously.

That didn’t mean I discarded what was said. It only meant that I shifted most of the information obtained from her into categories with the lowest priority.

‘Tch. I don’t need nor do I want her help.’

I looked down at my own two hands. Koli’s time would come soon enough, but Chloe Ravendawn was first.

“I need this much to kill her.”

“...As you will, Shun.”

Once the others finished storing the loot, I dispelled my ability and got to my feet. I stared at the whirlpool of white light for some time before stepping through it.

***

I sat down by a nearby tree and rested my arm over my knee. By now, I would already be on my way to another dungeon; instead, I was watching the party members sort out the loot on the ground.

Byeol took a seat next to Gerard. She had pushed her Scout duties aside in order to wait by the dungeon entrance for his safe return. Her anxiety forced her to pace back and forth. Her distress made her mumble silent prayers, but her reality was jumping into Gerard’s open arms. Embarrassment separated their brief hug before she left with the Ki Artifacts.

I observed Phoebe pull out a small purple box with stars that ran across its centre. They varied in size, forming a waving line that continued in an endless loop. A few sharp points jutted out of its corners, completing the design of the object.

“Byeol, you’re sure we can keep the Ki Artifacts, right?”

She raised her hand to her forehead in the gesture of a salute. Her light yellow eyes shone along with her deep blonde hair.

“Experienced Scout Byeol reporting for duty! According to the assessment provided by the guild, these Ki Artifacts are yours to keep!”

Phoebe laughed with Gerard while Aiden’s lips formed a content smile.

“You work hard, Byeol. Gerard should take you out on a date, right?”

“U-umm... Possibly, yes... I-I don’t really know...”

Her eyes fell to the grass, and her energy evaporated. Byeol’s entire face turned into a ripe plum, leaving her incapable of saying another word.

“There was a Scout we hired before, and she...”

The sparkle in Phoebe’s eyes faded once Gerard shook his head from side to side in quick succession. He put an end to Phoebe’s gossip before it could even start.

“She moved to Gem City.”

Phoebe coughed and corrected her original sentence with something more restrained.

“Gem City? In Gemland?! The country owned by the Crystalblade Family?!”

Byeol’s renewed intensity made Phoebe sweat somewhat.

“Yep.”

“But how could she afford to live there? She must be strong for a Scout!”

Byeol shifted her gaze to Gerard, who narrowed his eyes in response. Katherine remained silent and observed the party with her usual warm smile.

“You’re strong too. Didn’t you break through to Jikki recently?”

“Y-you remembered...?”

Gerard looked away before peeking back at Byeol to continue their little romance script.

“Yeah...”

I clenched my teeth, annoyed by the slow progress of this stupid party. Instead of crushing another dungeon, they’d rather sit around and talk about worthless topics.

‘Should I threaten Minji?...’

My eyes narrowed at the thought, since Minji was the one refusing to give me those higher-ranked dungeons. I ruffled my hair while my irritation grew.

Then again, I couldn’t sense Minji.

Then again, I still couldn’t make a damn scene yet.

“How do you all store this loot?”

Katherine examined the equipment and other miscellaneous items laid out on the grass.

“With this. It’s a rare grade Ki Artifact called Purple Dimension.”

“...Think of it as a portable backpack. We can store up to 200 items inside.”

Aiden’s explanation confirmed it. It meant that the system’s Inventory was inferior to a damn Rare Grade Ki Artifact possible of even storing food.

The veins around my mouth popped at this verification when Katherine parted her lips to speak.

“Wouldn’t it be more convenient to store it in the Soul Realm? Though most people can’t access it, I believe you are all capable of reaching that place.”