Letting Go

The news that Reke had returned to the Budaso Adventure Team building injured spread to every member of the team in less than a minute.

The reason it spread so quickly was that the entire team was in training, with everyone following Four-Eyes in sensing ki.

As it happened, one member had just returned from an errand and saw Reke's injuries.

When he rushed to the training room and told them, all hell broke loose. Those who didn't know how strong Reke was assumed someone had picked a fight with their team.

They all clamored to go get revenge. One said their team had never suffered such a huge loss, while another said that if they didn't teach the other side a lesson, any stray cat or dog would think it could climb on their heads and shit.

The few who knew how strong Reke was were dumbfounded, and paid no attention to the other members' shouting.

They simply couldn't imagine how someone as powerful as Reke could have been injured, or who could have hurt him.

As the leader, Four-Eyes was the first to lose his composure.

He jumped to his feet and paced around like an ant on a hot pan, frantic with worry. He wanted to go to Lola's room and ask Reke what had happened, but didn't dare.

The others crowded around their leader, looking at him with anxious, despairing eyes.

It was precisely because they knew how powerful Reke was that they understood how terrifying the situation was.

Compared to Reke, they were hardly any stronger than ants.

If the other side came looking for them, they would inevitably get caught in the crossfire and be wiped out in an instant.

"Fifth, come here."

With the others staring at him, Four-Eyes felt their unspoken pressure nearly crush him. Spotting Fifth sitting in a corner, his eyes lit up, and he shouted for him.

Fifth's face was unusually calm. He was neither as anxious as the leader and the others nor as indignant and furious as the rest.

"Boss, what do you need me to do?"

Fifth walked over to the group and asked.

Four-Eyes first pointed at Fifth's ear, then pointed upstairs.

Fifth understood what his leader meant: he wanted him to listen for any sounds coming from Lola's room.

Although Fifth understood, he shook his head and refused his leader's suggestion. It was the first time he had ever refused him.

Four-Eyes stared at Fifth in disbelief and asked, "Why?"

"Boss, you wouldn't understand."

Fifth shook his head again, not intending to explain.

Seeing his leader look at him almost pleadingly, Fifth felt awful too and let out a deep sigh.

"Boss, come over here with me. I'll tell you in private." Fifth hadn't wanted to share his suspicions with anyone else, but he simply couldn't bear his leader's gaze any longer.

The two of them left the training room and stepped aside. Fifth took a deep breath, as if mustering his courage.

Four-Eyes watched him quietly, waiting. He really couldn't understand how Fifth had become like this. It felt as if he were a different person.

Fifth spoke up. "Boss, I suspect the roar we heard that night came from Reke."

Bang!

It was like a thunderclap going off right beside him. Four-Eyes's mind went blank. He couldn't understand why Fifth would link Reke to that roar.

He had heard Reke himself describe how terrifying the creature that made the roar was. He had always thought they were two different people, but now Fifth had given him another answer—one he didn't want to believe.

How was he supposed to accept that? As if making one last effort to resist the idea, he asked hoarsely, "Why do you think that? They shouldn't have anything in common, right? That roar was obviously a beast's growl. It didn't sound like anything a person could make."

"I don't know. I can't explain it either, but I've felt that way ever since the first time I saw him."

"To be honest, I don't want to see him. The feeling he gives me is too terrifying, so lately I've been doing my best to avoid anything to do with him. That's why I refused you just now."

"Fifth, I really can't imagine what you're feeling. I can tell you that Reke used the energy detector to test himself before."

"He removed the instrument's upper limit, but when the reading reached fifty thousand, the machine exploded."

"He also let us experience his aura. We couldn't even withstand a tenth of it before we all passed out."

Four-Eyes blurted out everything on his mind, and immediately felt much lighter.

After they had confided in each other, the pressure eased considerably for both of them.

Four-Eyes looked much better. He had come to terms with things and even turned around to comfort Fifth.

"Fifth, don't overthink it. From what I've seen while spending time with him, he's actually easy to talk to."

"Just look at what he's taught us. It's clearly no ordinary stuff. The more I practice, the more profound it feels. Yesterday, I tested my energy level, and it had gone up by two hundred."

"Can you believe it? In just a few short months, I've improved faster than I did in the past few years. And I have a feeling that as I delve deeper into my training, I'll be able to reach heights I never dared to imagine."

The more Four-Eyes spoke, the more excited he became, and he had already put all his earlier negative feelings behind him.

Hearing this, a smile gradually appeared on Fifth's face too.

Reke had no idea that simply getting injured had thrown the entire team into an uproar.

Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

Right now, all his energy was focused on battling the food. He finished a whole plate of meat in no time.

The moment the food reached his stomach, it was digested almost immediately. A wave of warmth spread through his body, and even his injuries seemed to be showing signs of healing.

Of course, it wouldn't be entirely right to say he was imagining it.

Once digested, the food really did provide his body with a huge amount of energy, speeding up the rate at which his cells divided. His injuries had indeed eased.

Lola was on the verge of going crazy. Every dish she put on the table went straight into Reke's stomach, and then he kept urging her to bring more.

An hour later, Lola didn't care whether Reke was full or not. She sat on the sofa and refused to get up, too exhausted to move.

Seeing Lola like that, Reke stopped asking for more food.

He rubbed his stomach and held out his hand to ask Lola for money.

"Lola, you're not up to the task. I've only eaten half my fill, and you've already collapsed. Give me some money. I'll go out and eat by myself."

Hearing this, Lola thought to herself, I worked myself to the bone and got no thanks for it, and now he's insulting me too. She nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.

She rolled her eyes at Reke, then forced herself to get up and brought him a change of clothes and some money. Pointing at his tattered Battle Suit, she said, "Go take a shower and change first, then you can go."

Looking at Lola, Reke felt a warmth in his heart. Sensing her concern for him, he took the clothes and money and went into the bathroom.

When Reke came out after his shower, he saw Lola asleep on the sofa.

She was still mumbling, "Coming, coming!"—the same reply she gave when Reke urged her to bring out another dish. Her adorable appearance amused him.

"Heh!" Reke laughed aloud. After a brief pause, he sighed softly, as if he'd thought of something.

"Alas. I'll have to leave eventually."

He shook his head, his smile returning, and walked out.