Darkness, darkness...
He squinted, trying to pry open a slit. Through his blurred vision, he saw the familiar ceiling of a tent. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief at having survived, the agonizing pain in his body made him groan softly.
How long had it been? Ever since he had come to understand the past and stopped fighting, ever since he had gained steel-like defenses in this life, Mirai had never felt pain again. But now, his entire body was in unbearable agony. This was not like scraped skin from a fall, a cut wound, or the pain of a broken bone—those were localized and mostly external. Right now, Mirai felt as though tens of millions of tiny blades were slicing through his body, one after another, while countless tiny insects gnawed away at him, shredding all his internal organs and sinews.
The terrible pain instantly covered his forehead in cold sweat. His face and lips turned white, his hands clenched tightly, and his entire body tensed and trembled slightly.
"Ahahaha, you're finally awake! That's great! Hahaha, I knew you brat wouldn't kick the bucket that easily!" Only Rituo could say something that stupid. The moment he heard Mirai's groan, he pulled open the tent flap and rushed in. Seeing Mirai's eyes open, the bastard laughed exaggeratedly before smacking him twice hard.
Those two slaps were so forceful that Mirai's fingernails nearly dug into his palms, while a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped from his back.
You bastard! Once I recover, I'll tear you to pieces! Mirai was in too much pain to speak and could only curse inwardly.
Seeing Mirai's fierce glare, Rituo showed no awareness that he had done anything wrong. He planted his right elbow on Mirai's body, leaned close to his face, and