Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
The trance-like state he experienced lasted for an unknown amount of time until he was brutally awakened by his rumbling stomach. ‘God, I’m starving.’ He thought as his gaze was attracted by the three women practicing on the side. Adeliya and Sera were moving along the Basic Technique movement patterns, making some small mistakes here and there. The fact that he could so easily spot them despite having recently learned the technique puzzled the young man. ‘I’m not sure if I’m a genius or it's because of my physical perk... Who am I kidding, if I was a genius, I wouldn’t have had such a weak body previously!’
The technique, as its name implied, was easy to learn. However, mastering it still took some time, at least for normal people. That particular logic did not apply to him, however. At least from what he could observe. Shoving that thought aside for now, his eyes were swiftly attracted to his oldest cousin’s seated figure. Her legs were crossed, her eyes closed and her breathing deep and regular. His senses even told him that there were some spiritual energy movements around her, convincing him that she was probably cultivating.
Unlike the previous time, she was fully clothed, although not with the usual long sleeves and pants she used to hide her burn marks. Instead, he found her wearing a dark blue sports bra with one of those pair of tight-fitted shorts inside and looser outside. Her physical appearance aside, the fact that she seemed to have completely recuperated from her breakthrough made him feel relieved. Despite wanting to ask her many questions, he decided not to bother her and instead checked the time on the wall clock. ‘Noon already? No wonder I feel like there’s a hole in my stomach.’ He thought before gesturing to his Aunt that he would go grab something to eat. He then started to quietly leave the room. A few minutes later, as he was sating his hunger, the latter increasing along with his strength, He noticed his Aunt and Seraphine walking together toward him. Cocking his brow, he swallowed the rest of the food still in his mouth and asked. “Finished with your training?” The other two nodded tiredly before Sera explained. “We haven’t slept a wink since you woke us up this morning. It was only training, training, and training.”
“How come? I mean, I’ve reached the Mid Ninth Level, so I don’t need to sleep too much. But you girls are different.” Adeliya had a surprised look on her face at his words, but Sera seemed to have guessed as much. Demian quickly added. “I think I should have been around the Eighth Level before drinking the wine yesterday. But then I’ve had... ‘fun’ with Sera and practiced the technique for the entire morning. And don’t forget that I’ve got my perks boosting my strength gains!” Throwing him an envious look, his Aunt exclaimed jokingly. “You’re really a cheater! I’ve only reached the Peak Third Level. And that’s with the wine from yesterday.” Chuckling at her words, he retorted. “It’s already pretty good. With a bit more training, you’ll quickly catch up to us.” With a deadpan look on her face, the middle-aged woman replied. “You’re lying and I know it, you know it and Sera knows it.”
The following laughter coming from the petite redhead made him scratch his chin in slight embarrassment for a bit before he mumbled. “I’m just trying to be nice...” Patting his shoulder, the mature redhead remarked. “Nice compliments and fake compliments are two different things. The latter only makes other people feel worse.” Lowering his gaze for a second, he then looked into her eyes and declared firmly. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to feel bad. I won’t do it again.” Nodding her head, she did not harp on the topic but instead moved to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for both herself and her daughter. While his Aunt was busy in the kitchen, Sera sat on the seat beside him and while slightly bending her body toward him, she whispered. “Babe, don’t patronize Mom or she’ll resent you.”
Taking her into his embrace, he moved his mouth close to her ear and replied. “I know, Love. I guess I got carried away with the increase in my cultivation Level.” Her answer was a gentle tap on his chest and a soft remark. “Sometimes, too much is as bad as not enough. Mom is a strong woman, so you should treat her as such.” The young man fell silent for a few seconds before replying. “I will.” The two then switched topics and went to talk about what happened while he was engrossed in practicing. Once Adeliya was finished with her preparation, she joined the two and the three then went on to polish off their plates. “What are your plans for this afternoon?” Demian asked as he moved the dirty utensils in his hands to the dishwasher.
“I’ll be training.” Sera exclaimed, quickly followed by her mother. “Me too. I feel like I’m getting close to the Fourth Level, so I might as well focus on it.” Thinking about something, the young man questioned. “I’ve been meaning to ask you... What about your job? You haven’t gone to work for a while now.” Nodding her head, the mature redhead responded. “I’ve notified my usual clients so it won’t be a problem. After all, we’ve got enough on our plates, now, don’t we?” “Makes sense. In any case, I’ll do the same thing and train for a while.” Having decided on a course of action, the three quickly went back to the Gym before they each moved to one side of the room and started their cultivation practice. Unlike the other two, however, his movements were quickly different. They exuded an air of simplicity, a feeling of being connected to nature, as all his worries and extraneous thoughts were washed away, while his unconscious mind noted a light but constant physical improvement as time imperceptibly passed by.
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At one point, Demian’s focus slipped slightly as he noticed the stares focused on his movements. Since he knew whose gazes they were, he swiftly shifted his mind to the technique he was performing, plunging him back into that previous state of obliviousness. Maybe it was due to his higher cultivation base or because of his physical perk, but the young man did not feel any exhaustion during his whole training session which lasted until late evening. To be honest, the only reason he even halted his practice was due to the impossible to ignore hunger taking over his body and forcing him to stop. Letting out a sigh, the young man had a delighted smile on his face as he examined the gains of this particular session. ‘I’m very close to reaching High Ninth Level! I should be able to get there by tomorrow morning...’ The idea of being a stone’s throw away from the Chi Gathering Rank excited him and a few happy chuckles escaped his lips.
However, his mirthful reaction instantly halted as a female voice reached his ears. “What’s so funny?” Turning his head toward its source, the young man noticed his now colossal cousin standing a few meters away, with her strikingly blue eyes reflecting the combination of curiosity and amusement she was experiencing while her gaze was focused on his face. Unlike her usual emotionless look, Bryn had a small smile on her face this time, which seemed strikingly similar to her mother’s and sister’s. Her face also seemed more relaxed, softening the wild and powerful atmosphere she otherwise emitted. Despite being a taken man, he could not help but lose himself for a brief moment in her intense beauty.
Tilting her head in puzzlement, the young woman asked. “What’s wrong? Hello?” The young man was startled awake as he noticed her waving her hand in front of his face in a bid to wake him up. Feeling slightly awkward, he faked a cough before ‘explaining’. “I got a bit tired from my training. Anyway, what was your question again?” Despite the doubtful look painted on her face, Bryn did not push the previous line of questioning. “I was asking why you looked so happy.” Her words instantly jogged his memory, prompting him to reply, with a joyful grin. “Right! I was happy because I realized I was about to reach the High Ninth Level. That means I’m very close to breaking through to the next Rank!”
Unlike the mixed emotions he could usually read in her eyes, the redhead only had a sort of quiet happiness filling her gaze. “That’s great. With the both of us, our family will definitely be safe from now on.” Nodding his head slightly, he retorted while cranking his neck up to be able to look at the woman in the eyes. “You’re right. I still need to train a bit more to reach that level, though.” Pausing for a second, he added. “By the way, out of pure curiosity... How tall are you now?” From a quick estimation, she seemed closer to 2m30 or 2m40 than his initial assumption of 2m10. “I should be around 2m50.” Her words stunned the young man who commented. “That’s...” “Very tall, I know. It was a pain in the butt to find clothes big enough to fit me. Thankfully, the Internet exists.” She answered with a slightly frustrated look.
Her words made him chuckle lightly as the idea of his colossal cousin shopping for clothes on the internet felt hilarious to him. His reaction, however, made Bryn narrow her eyes at him and claim. “Stop laughing. I can’t wait to see you when you finally reach the Chi Gathering Rank. I’ll be the one laughing then.” That made him speechless since he knew that he would be even more annoyed than her if her words came to fruition. His previous hilarity thus instantly disappeared and staring at her seriously, he claimed. “I sincerely hope that won’t be the case!” This time it was the female giant’s turn to giggle at his expense, quickly joined by the young man himself before the two calmed down a few moments later. At that point, Demian had a curious look on his face as he asked.
“Big Sis, I was wondering... How strong are you now? Since it’s a whole other Rank, you should be super powerful, right? At least compared to Body Strengthening cultivators like me?” Pondering for a second, the young woman responded. “I can’t exactly test my new strength because I’m afraid I’d wreck the place.” Pausing for a brief moment, she continued. “However, if you asked about what I think... I’d say I could destroy brick walls easily... Maybe metal walls too? I’m not entirely sure about that one.” Feeling amazed, he replied half-jokingly and half-seriously. “That sounds... scarily powerful! I think we should postpone our usual spars for after I break through. I... Really don’t want to accidentally get punched or kicked to death!”
Shaking her head with an amused smile on her face, she retorted. “Don’t worry, I already thought about that earlier.” As if something suddenly came to her mind, she added. “Also, I got something else when I reached my current Rank.” Intrigued, Demian questioned. “What is it?” To his question, she answered curtly, while wearing a mysterious smile on her face. “This!” As soon as the words left her lips, shimmering dark golden patterns started appearing on her light golden skin increasing the primal aura she constantly emitted. Fascinated, the young man had his gaze attracted to those symbols marking all her visible body parts. Those markings had a sort of unworldly appeal that his mind had trouble resisting and only with Bryn’s voice resounding in his ears could he finally shake himself from his trance. “I don’t really know what those symbols mean, but when I activate them, I can feel a great increase in my physique. Of course, I’d need to do more tests to be sure of their exact effects.”
Her explanation plunged him into deep thought for a few moments before he commented. “Take what I’m gonna say with a grain of salt, but I feel like there might different kinds of superhumans. I’m guessing that besides the ‘basic’ perks that cultivating gives us, we might be able to awaken other powers. And those patterns on your skin might be one of those powers.” Nodding her head, the young woman retorted. “I thought about that too. In any case, we know next to nothing about that world, so being careful is a must.” “And not making enemies too powerful.” He added firmly before his expression relaxed and a grin appeared on his face. “By the way, Big Sis... Your new look is... I mean you look amazing!”
Following his compliment, he noticed her cheeks darkening slightly, which he assumed was her evolved body’s way of blushing. Faking a cough, she ignored his previous words and commented curtly. “You should focus on training.” Before turning away to walk through the entrance. Shaking his head with a wry smile, he pondered. ‘Why do I always have to tease her? I already have Sera...’ Another thought brought a mix of emotions to his face. ‘But then again, the latter doesn’t seem against the idea...’ Pushing that idea away for now, he started stepping toward the dining room as his stomach was constantly reminding him that ingesting a great amount of food should be his current priority.