The others hurried over too. Bulat enthusiastically swept Tatsumi into a hug, and even from three meters away, Lin Ran could feel Tatsumi's resistance. It seemed the rumors that Bulat was gay had not come out of thin air.
If Tatsumi and Bulat got together, a justice-minded, chuunibyou boy and a powerful, aloof soldier-hiss, that image would scorch the eyes. Lin Ran hardly dared imagine it. Unfortunately, Bulat was a total goofball.
After they returned to the base, Tatsumi tried the Teigu with high hopes, only to discover that it was incompatible with him. Somewhat disappointed, Boss put it away and set off that very night to deliver it to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.
The next morning, Akame, their little cook, made breakfast for everyone, then went to wake Sheele and Mine. Of course, Lin Ran had instructed her to do this. He planned to take the three of them out hunting Danger Beasts today.
When Sheele and Mine learned that they could grow stronger by leaps and bounds just like Akame, they finished breakfast at the speed of light and followed her out.
Their target this time was the mountain behind the base. According to the information Boss had provided, at least three Special Class Danger Beasts lived there.
To Lin Ran's surprise, they sensed several powerful auras while they were still far away. When Akame arrived, she discovered two Danger Beasts attacking a third. All three were Special Class Danger Beasts!
Lin Ran examined them closely and discovered that the two attackers had both been corrupted by that strange energy, while the one under attack had not.
"Could that strange energy be the reason?"
"Move. Deal with those two Danger Beasts first. We might be able to tame the remaining one," Lin Ran instructed Akame.
Akame nodded, kicked off the ground, and shot toward one of the Danger Beasts like a cannonball, severing an incoming claw with one slash.
Akame's figure darted and weaved around the two Danger Beasts. In less than three minutes, both crashed to the ground. Sheele and Mine stared blankly at Akame, unable to understand when their dear friend had become so strong. Then a trace of fervor flashed through their eyes. If they could become that strong too, why would they fear that bullshit Empire?
"Sheele, Mine, come here. Divine Abyss said to use his avatars to kill these two Danger Beasts. That way, you'll become stronger."
Sheele and Mine nodded and charged toward the two Danger Beasts with their Blades of Devouring in hand, while Akame walked toward the Danger Beast that had been ganged up on.
Fortunately, they had arrived in time. A little later, and this Danger Beast would have been torn apart alive.
It was a spider-type Danger Beast, and several of its long, sharp claws had been broken off. Seeing Akame approach, it shifted backward in fear.
"Don't be afraid! Stay with us from now on. We'll protect you!" Akame told the giant spider.
The Danger Beast looked at Akame doubtfully before finally lowering its enormous head and bringing it close to her. This was its sign of submission.
"System, give me one of those contracts!"
Lin Ran bought a contract scroll and had Mine sign a contract with the Danger Beast. It gave two joyful cries, then slowly shrank until it became a palm-sized purple spider.
The reason he had Mine sign the contract was simple. Mine was the weakest, and in certain places, this Danger Beast could construct better firing positions for her, so he gave it to her.
"I'll call you Little Purple from now on," Mine said with a smile, stroking Little Purple. Little Purple nodded and happily rubbed against Mine's palm.
After Sheele and Mine received Feedback from the Blades of Devouring, their physical capabilities increased dramatically. Their foundations had been poor, so their gains were comparatively large.
Mine threw her arms around Akame and planted two hard kisses on her.
"Akame, thank Divine Abyss for me! I feel like I could kill my old self with one punch!" Mine said excitedly, clenching her fists.
Sheele went even further, directly hugging Divine Abyss, who was floating nearby. Lin Ran immediately felt warmth and softness. Unlike Akame, Sheele had a more mature charm. Lin Ran could not help secretly resolving that, sooner or later, he would give Sheele a physical examination!
Since Lin Ran still had a transformation opportunity remaining, Akame continued taking Sheele and Mine to the next mountain range to search for Danger Beasts at his instruction.
Two days later, under the gazes of Bulat and Tatsumi, who had been waiting as eagerly as if for the stars and moon, the three girls appeared at the base entrance.
"My ladies, you're finally back! We're practically starving to death!" Tatsumi dashed toward them, only for Mine to send him flying with a kick.
"What are you yelling about? If you're hungry, go dig up wild vegetables yourself!" Mine looked at Tatsumi with disdain.
"So fast!" Bulat's pupils contracted. Had Mine improved this much in just two days?
Over those two days, the three girls had wiped out every Special Class Danger Beast nearby! Along the way, they had even encountered two Danger Beasts that had used the strange energy to reach the Super Danger Beast level. Lin Ran killed them and gave the Feedback to Akame.
The Feedback from devouring Super Danger Beasts still provided Akame with substantial gains, so Lin Ran would only leave Special Class Danger Beasts to Sheele and Mine. After all, their physical capabilities still lagged far behind Akame's, and Special Class Danger Beasts also gave them considerable gains.
"Akame! I challenge you!" Bulat shouted, brimming with fighting spirit. Akame nodded. Neither used weapons; they simply fought hand to hand.
Their fists collided. Akame remained rooted to the spot, while Bulat stumbled back more than ten steps before barely steadying himself.
Tatsumi and Lubbock swallowed, finding it hard to imagine that Akame's small, slender body actually contained such tremendous strength.
Bulat sat on the ground, looking somewhat deflated. It seemed he had taken a blow.
"Bulat, stop comparing yourself to Akame. She's a freak now! Even if we all attacked together, we wouldn't be her match," Mine said, walking over to comfort her.
"No, I was just wondering whether I could get an avatar too. I want to grow stronger as quickly as you do." Bulat's expression suddenly changed, and he gazed pleadingly at Akame, all but dropping to his knees.
"Bro!" Tatsumi looked at Bulat disdainfully even as he gave Akame the same pleading look.
Mine sent Bulat flying with a kick and stormed toward her room. That bastard had dared trick her!
Leone activated her Teigu, King of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle, and traded blows with Akame, only to discover that she needed her Teigu just to fight the barehanded Akame to a draw.
Leone turned into a fangirl too, hugging Akame and asking for an avatar of Divine Abyss. Akame could only look pleadingly toward Divine Abyss, who was cradled in Sheele's arms.
Lin Ran had no choice but to buy four more Blades of Devouring and hand one to each of them. However, if they wanted to improve their strength, they would have to hunt Danger Beasts themselves. Lin Ran could not be bothered to look after them, and there was an upper limit to the gains these Blades of Devouring could provide.
Leone and the other three were excited, planning to set out hunting Danger Beasts the next day. With Bulat and Leone's strength, taking down Special Class Danger Beasts would not pose much of a problem. Bulat in particular could easily hunt ordinary Special Class Danger Beasts once he donned his operated armor, but against those corrupted by the strange energy, it was hard to say.
Once Akame finished cooking, Bulat and the other three each wolfed down five large bowls, then reclined contentedly in their chairs, rubbing their bellies.
After eating, Akame returned to her room to catch up on sleep. Lin Ran slept soundly too, held in her arms.
By the time they woke, it was already evening. Bulat and Tatsumi returned carrying several large fish, and Akame once again took on the role of their little cook, preparing dinner for them.
Mine and Sheele were hungry too, having slept all day. Like a gale sweeping away scattered clouds, the seven of them demolished a whole table of meat dishes.
"Ah! Days when you can eat your fill really are wonderful!" Bulat sighed.
"Tatsumi! As your big brother, I'm telling you in no uncertain terms that cooking is a skill too, and you still have a long way to go. You need to study hard. For the foreseeable future, I'll test your cooking every day!" Bulat declared with righteous conviction.
Akame and Mine rolled their eyes. He was clearly afraid that the next time Akame went out, they would have no delicious meals to eat.
Over the next three or four days, Bulat and the other three also went out to roam around whenever they had nothing to do, hoping to encounter Special Class Danger Beasts. In the end, they found not a single one. It seemed there truly were no Special Class Danger Beasts left near the base.