Gate of Opening, Urgh, Kill Me!

"...Yes."

Mikami Yu hesitated for a moment before making his choice.

The next second,

A line of dynamic text wreathed in burning flames appeared before him:

[Eight Gates: Yo! Big brother! Are you here to burn with the fiery passion of youth too? Looking at that scrawny body of yours... you don't seem like the type who can handle me. Come on, run a hundred laps around the training ground first and let me see what you're made of! (She swiped her thumb across the tip of her nose and flashed a sparkling smile)]

[A: (His eyes lit up, passion surging through him) Ooooooh! This is youth! Please let me join too! No matter how exhausted I get, I'll persevere until the very end!]

[B: Rather than running, why don't we discuss philosophy first? That powerful physique of yours is simply too captivating! Let me feel that scorching heat too!]

[C: Please wait! Wouldn't that kind of training destroy your body first? I want to observe for a while before deciding.]

"..."

Mikami Yu twitched at the corner of his mouth.

As expected of an [Encounter] triggered through the Might Duy father and son...

He had never expected even this personified "Eight Gates" to go on and on about youth, looking like her head was not quite right. And these choices all seemed pretty bizarre too. It felt like any one of them could lead him into a trap.

However,

After a brief consideration, Mikami Yu still chose the most reasonable option, A.

[Eight Gates: Oh? Instead of running away, you're coming closer? What a brave big brother! (She grinned, revealing her canine teeth) But shouting slogans alone won't do. Prove yourself with actions! Are you prepared?]

At the training ground,

Might Duy released the Eight Gates state, and the violent chakra around him receded like a tide. He panted heavily before speaking. "This is how to open the first three gates... Yu. Remember, the body is the vessel, and willpower is the key. Only when the two come together can you break past your limits."

"Now, do you want to give it a try..."

"Wait a moment, Uncle Duy."

As Mikami Yu spoke, he jumped down from the tree root under Might Duy's stunned gaze, then began sprinting around the open training ground!

"Hey! Yu! My passionate explanation of youth isn't finished yet..."

Might Duy had barely shouted twice when Might Guy beside him also cried out and gave chase. "Damn it! Yu, you actually snuck off to train by yourself! Wait for me! Youth isn't allowed to bloom alone!"

"?"

Might Duy watched the two boys sprinting around the field, scratched his head, and stood dazed for a few seconds. Then the blazing flames of youth ignited him as well. He raised both arms high, his face overflowing with excitement.

"Ooooooh—!! Is this the resonance of youthful bonds?! This is amazing! Guy! Yu! Keep it up! Burn! Run a hundred laps around the field! Let youth have no regrets!!"

This training ground was not particularly large, but one lap was still three to four hundred meters.

A hundred laps meant over thirty kilometers.

Compared to the intensity of Mikami Yu's recent routine of running ten laps around the village every day, it was not that extreme. The problem was that he had already run ten laps this morning. His stamina was nowhere near as abundant as it had been when he first woke up, so running another hundred laps in this state was no easy task.

Might Guy, on the other hand, did not seem tired at all. He ran while howling at the top of his lungs, as if he would not feel satisfied until he had roared out every ounce of his strength. Duy's drumbeat-like cheers from the side were equally thunderous.

Gradually,

The sun began to tilt westward.

Sweat soaked through Mikami Yu and Might Guy's clothes, then dripped from their hems onto the dry dirt, leaving tiny dark marks. A damp trail had already formed around the training ground, reflecting the sunlight.

When they finally finished the last lap,

Mikami Yu staggered several steps from inertia before stopping. Then he collapsed straight onto the ground, sprawled out like a starfish. His chest heaved violently as he struggled to calm the lungs that felt ready to burst. He did not even have the strength to speak.

Might Guy behind him was not quite as bad off, but he still braced both hands on his knees and gulped down great breaths of air.

"Puff... puff..."

As Mikami Yu panted, the text box appeared again:

[Eight Gates: Wow, big brother, you really ran?]

[Eight Gates: But I really like that decisive personality of yours! This is how it should be—run without holding anything back, let your blood boil, and prove that you have what it takes to carry me! Come on, keep running! Run even faster! Let youth explode! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]

[A: Ooooooh! I can do it no matter how many times! Let youth and power burn together!]

[B: Spare me, I don't have a single drop of chakra left... Can we run tomorrow instead...?]

[C: Urgh, kill me!]

"..."

For a moment, Mikami Yu wanted to choose C.

But reason made him choose B.

As for A... forget it. He did not want to die yet. If he got up and ran another hundred laps in this condition, his muscles would probably dissolve for real.

Unfortunately...

That forbidden technique clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily:

[Eight Gates: (She instantly moved close, her face practically pressing up to yours, her aura overwhelming) No! Youth has no tomorrow! It is now! Not a single drop left? Who are you trying to fool? I can feel a flame still flickering inside you. Come, do as I do. Take a deep breath—]

[Eight Gates: How was that? Don't you feel a little better? I told you that you weren't completely drained. Come on, get up and try opening a gate. It'll feel amazing! It's practically like ascending to heaven!]

[Eight Gates has sent you a "Gate of Opening" trial invitation: Accept/Decline]

Mikami Yu finally understood.

No wonder the Gala System had warned him that pursuing the "Eight Gates" carried risks... This thing was clearly trying to torture him like some Japanese variety show!

If only this pursuit target could be outsourced. Otherwise, Mikami Yu really wanted to outsource the "Eight Gates" to Might Guy, let him complete the pursuit task, and take just thirty percent of the affinity himself...

At that moment,

Might Duy came over and stuffed a Soldier Pill into each of Mikami Yu and Might Guy's mouths, then handed them two bottles of water. He grinned and said, "Yu, how is it? Are you ready to try opening the first gate of the Eight Gates?"

"...Damn it, if I die, I die!"

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, so Mikami Yu hardened his heart. He crushed the Soldier Pill between his teeth and swallowed it. After resting for a few minutes and recovering some chakra, he pushed himself upright and sat back up.

Then, following Might Duy's earlier explanation, he tried to mobilize his chakra and turn it into a sharp "drill" that surged toward the Gate of Opening located in his brain!