My Scumbag System Chapter 467: The Stray Dog Learns a New Trick

"It’s fine," I repeated, sensing Soomin needed the reassurance twice before her mind could fully grasp the concept.

"The Fox is getting jealous!" she exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush. "She believes you belong to us because you assisted with the breathing exercises and the fruit arrangement—"

I kissed her.

It was a quick, gentle kiss, just enough to interrupt the panicked rambling about to spill from her lips. Her mouth was warm, tasting faintly of the strawberry lip balm she likely applied as a nervous habit before arriving. The contact lasted merely two seconds, sufficient to make my statement clear without escalating into something more complex.

Her face flushed a deep crimson.

It seemed as if steam might rise from her ears as her brain struggled, and failed, to process the event. Her eyes, typically a gradient blue, widened progressively, as if she had just been informed that gravity was merely a suggestion, not a fundamental law.

"Welcome back," I said, pulling away with what I hoped appeared as a casual smile.

"I, um. Yes. Back. Here. Present." The words came out in clipped, staccato bursts as she awkwardly scrambled away from me, exhibiting the grace of a newborn deer on an icy surface. Her hands flailed, seeking purchase on empty air. "Training! You were training! I’ll just. Go. Elsewhere."

She made a hasty retreat.

In fact, she sprinted from the gym as if her life depended on it, nearly stumbling over her own feet in her eagerness to escape the mortifying reality of what had just transpired. The door slammed shut behind her, its echo resonating through the empty exercise space.

This left me standing alone in the gym, with Raphael peering through the doorway, one eyebrow arched so high it seemed poised to disappear into his hairline.

"That was quite interesting," he commented, his voice laced with a familiar brand of amusement that signaled I would never live this down.

"Shut up."

"The Fox referred to you as Master."

"I said, shut up."

He re-entered the gym, still shirtless, maintaining a grin that belonged to a smug individual who had just uncovered a decade's worth of blackmail material. His amber eyes gleamed with a distinctly mischievous light.

"You've got yourself a full-blown harem situation," he observed, retrieving his discarded water bottle from the bench. "It’s rather impressive, in a dangerously foolish way."

"It’s a nightmare," I grumbled, running a hand through my sweat-drenched hair.

"Looks like a rather pleasant nightmare from my perspective." He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. "So. Are you going to enlighten me on how you achieved such strength, or should we maintain the pretense that you didn't just absorb my strongest hit and convert it into a speed advantage like some kind of video game character?"

It was my turn to smirk.

"Trade secret."

"I figured." He drained a significant portion of the bottle, his throat working as he swallowed. As he lowered the bottle, a shrewdness entered his gaze—the look of a warrior encountering a puzzle he was determined to solve. "Reyna is going to decimate you on Wednesday."

"Perhaps."

"Definitely." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "But you won't back down, will you?"

"Would you?"

"Hell no." He tossed the bottle aside with enough force to send it skittering across the floor. "Alright. Let’s see what else you're hiding, Stray Dog."

We resumed our sparring.

This time, he held nothing back. Each punch he launched possessed the kinetic might to shatter ribs, rupture lungs, and liquefy organs. Every kick was precisely aimed at joints, pressure points, and the vulnerable areas of the human body that most people conveniently forget exist until reminded by force. The very air seemed to shriek with every impact, the sharp crack of displaced atmosphere filling the gym like a metronome dictating the rhythm of our destructive dance.

However, my Kinetic Absorption was now operating at peak efficiency, the remarkable Trait humming beneath my skin like a second heart. Each landed blow fueled the enhancement, the absorbed energy transforming into raw physical power that coursed through my muscles and bones, making me stronger with every impact, faster with every evasion, and superior with every exchange.

By the fifteenth minute, I was matching him blow for blow, my fists colliding with his in a concussive force that would have pulverized the hands of the former Satori.

By the twentieth minute, I activated Steel Body.

Ten seconds of absolute invulnerability. Ten seconds during which I transformed from a mere man into a force of nature clad in human form. The change was instantaneous—my flesh, muscle, and bone transmuted into a substance possessing the tensile strength of mythical steel.

I advanced through his onslaughts as if they were mere inconveniences.

His fists slammed against my body with dull, metallic thuds that must have caused him more pain than they did me. His kicks met only unyielding solidity, each impact sending a shockwave up his leg that had to be incredibly agonizing. I witnessed the precise moment comprehension dawned in his eyes—the instant he grasped that for these fleeting seconds, his efforts were akin to attempting to shatter a mountain with his bare hands.

When the duration of ten seconds concluded, the distance separating us had vanished entirely.

I seized him by his shoulders with hands that still harbored the memory of invincibility.

Executing a flawless judo throw over my hip, a maneuver so perfect it would have brought tears of joy to any martial arts master.

He impacted the mat with a force that made him rebound, his limbs flailing momentarily before settling into an ungainly heap. There he lay on his back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, an expression on his face suggesting a profound reevaluation of his life decisions.

"What the hell was that?" he inquired, his breath coming in short bursts.

"A new technique."

"That wasn't a technique. That was cheating." He pushed himself up slowly, gingerly testing for any fractures or internal injuries. "You took my entire combo, and it had zero effect. Didn't even blink."

"It had an effect," I clarified, "just not the one you were anticipating."

A laugh escaped him then. An actual laugh—a genuine sound of surprised amusement that echoed throughout the gymnasium. It was the sound of a warrior who had just encountered a challenge worthy of his attention.

"You're going to make Reyna furious," he stated, his grin returning with amplified intensity.

"That's the objective."

"I take it back. You might actually pull through this."

"I appreciate the confidence boost."

"Don't get overconfident. She still holds the advantage. Her experience and training are superior, and her Aspect is a natural counter to most close-quarters combatants."

"For now."

He rose to his feet, dusting himself off before extending his fist towards me in a gesture of respect, a gesture that felt surprisingly sincere coming from someone who typically conveyed his thoughts through aggression and insults.

I met his fist with mine.

"Give her hell on Wednesday," he advised.

"That's the plan."

Raphael retrieved his towel and made his way towards the showers, leaving me standing alone in the gym, the nascent power of my newfound abilities thrumming beneath my skin like a contained electrical storm. Kinetic Absorption had transformed Raphael's fierce assault into an unexpected training session. Steel Body had rendered me impervious for ten exhilarating seconds. And I hadn't even deployed Lightning Rod yet—that particular trump card would remain concealed until the precise moment Reyna unleashed her initial energy bolt.

She had no inkling of what was imminent.

But I did.

I intended to capture her lightning as if it were a precious gift. To savor it like the finest vintage. And then, to return it to her with amplified force.

The door creaked open once more, disrupting my internal celebration of victory.

Cel entered, cradling a still-purring Maki against her chest as if holding a contented infant. The cat's twin tails swayed gently in the air, her expression radiating a smug satisfaction.

"Your cat is quite affectionate," Cel remarked, her tone conveying both an observation and a hint of playful annoyance.

"She's a menace."

"She's sweet." Cel released Maki onto the floor with evident reluctance, as though separating from a cherished stuffed toy. "Also, Braxton requires everyone in the common room at 0800. It's about tournament preparations and avoiding a gruesome demise."

"How much time do I have?"

"Forty minutes." She scrutinized my face with the sharp focus of a scientist performing an analysis. "You seem different."

"In a good way, or a bad way?"

"In a dangerous way." She moved closer, her proximity allowing me to detect the clean, crisp scent of her skin. Her hand reached out, settling over my chest directly above my heart, where she could likely feel its rapid beat. "What did you do?"

"I took a chance on the gacha system."

"Naturally." Her expression was a complex mix of exasperation and affection. "Did it work?"

"Ask me again on Wednesday after I haven't met my end."

"Confident."

"Overly optimistic," I corrected.

A smile graced her lips then—a rare, genuine expression that transformed her entire countenance from that of an ice queen to something remarkably human.

Then, she kissed me.

It was slow, warm, and entirely unlike the frantic embrace in the death garden, where we had both been fueled by the adrenaline of narrowly escaping mortality. This was more tender, more deliberate. A silent promise rather than a possessive claim.

As she drew back, a faint flush colored her cheeks, unrelated to the ambient temperature.

"For good luck," she murmured softly.

"I'll gladly accept it."

Maki let out a loud meow, the sound carrying distinct undertones of both judgment and disapproval.

We both glanced down.Nestled between us, the feline sat, her twin tails forming a flawless spiral around her petite form. With an accusatory gaze that could curdle milk, she fixed her stare upon us, radiating a disapproval only a cat could muster.