At dinner, Rito tried adding a bit of red obre powder, and it blended well.
The white rice took on a strangely appetizing red glow.
He also added some to the stewed meatball.
The food served on the table steamed with an appetizing aroma that lingered in the air.
"As always, it looks delicious~" Lala clasped her hands: "Thanks for the meal."
Zastin appeared as usual: "Thanks for the meal."
"It does look delicious, but…" Mikan sighed.
Seeing her touch her stomach, her concern was evident.
"Mikan, actually… This secret seasoning is one of the reasons for my change." Rito said with an air of mystery: "You know what I mean, right?"
"… Thanks for the meal!" Mikan clasped her hands and picked up her chopsticks. Without hesitating any longer, she started eating.
Mikan was a girl, after all…
"I knew it!" Zastin looked at him: "As I expected, this has some effect that helps improve the body… Not bad, kid. I won't ask how you got it, but I should also warn you…"
"I know, I won't go around saying I have something like this." Rito interrupted: "I only told you guys because I trust you."
"My lips are sealed!" Mikan assured.
"What are you guys talking about?" Lala tilted her head as if she hadn't heard anything.
"Kid, don't worry, I don't intend to reveal this to anyone." Zastin also promised.
'If he's already acting like this with it… I don't even want to imagine how he'd react if he found out about the light orbs…'
Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away.
In truth, he didn't expect Zastin to keep this secret from Lala's father. However, the existence of the light orbs was an entirely different matter.
…
Lala went to sleep in Mikan's room tonight, and Rito took advantage of this time alone to lay out tatami mats on the floor and train.
The reality was that he was just one step away from reaching the next level.
It would be faster with increased gravity on the spaceship, but he used weights on his feet and hands as a substitute, though it was far from the same.
He started with push-ups while using red and purple orbs.
"Nine hundred ninety-nine… One thousand!"
After finishing, he lay on his back on the tatami while resting a bit, using the red orb to speed up recovery.
Less than a minute later, he started doing sit-ups.
If he completed this, he would retire as a rabbit hunter and planned to start hunting more powerful animals like the Green Wolves.
Using the larger red orbs from rabbits over a meter tall and the purple orbs, he saw his power nearly reaching the next level.
An intense pain radiated from his bone marrow. An hour later, the energy within the light orb was depleted, and the refinement was complete!
A light shone in his eyes.
Suddenly, his eyes began to ache as if they were boiling in hot water.
"Urghhh…"
Clenching his teeth, he endured the pain while stopping his squats and sitting on the floor.
With his eyes closed, he could feel the flow of energy moving toward his eyes.
The orbs began to be used at an incredible speed, especially the purple orbs this time. The amount he needed was almost depleting his stock.
When it finally ended… Rito opened his eyes.
What started with the sound of gears ended with an echo resembling an eagle's cry.
His eyes were wide open, and he began to notice the tiniest details.
His peripheral vision had greatly increased, giving him nearly 360-degree sight.
That wasn't all—Rito felt even stronger now!
His power was at least twice what it had been before.
However, his excitement didn't last long. A foul smell rose, and that's when he noticed the familiar goo on his body.
Although the amount decreased each day, this time, there was quite a bit on him.
While washing himself, layers of goo fell to the floor and slid toward the drain, which he had deliberately left open.
After finishing, he stood in front of the mirror while drying his hair, but then he froze upon seeing his eyes.
His eyes were golden, and his pupils were red in an eight-pointed star pattern that extended beyond the golden irises. Moreover, it was a bright red.
'No wonder my power has been draining without me noticing. So that's why…'
It also made sense why his vision was different. It was because of these eyes!
'How do I deactivate this?' he wondered, touching his face near his left eye.
Using a purple orb, he tried to find a solution to his problem.
The energy from the purple orb flowed through his body, and it didn't take long for him to figure out how to deactivate it.
When he tried, the sound of gears echoed, and he saw in the mirror's reflection the star pattern in his eyes spin like a windmill, shrinking and changing shape until it became round pupils. The dark color returned, and the previously golden iris reverted to its original color, though slightly more golden than usual.
'Good! At least I can deactivate it…' he thought. 'Now, let's try activating it.'
With that in mind, he closed his eyes and repeated the process.
When he activated it, he opened his eyes to the sound of gears and saw his pupils change shape, gaining eight flaming red points and spinning until they stopped, with a sharp sound resembling an eagle's cry echoing once more.
He repeated this about five more times.
'Perfect!' He smiled in front of the mirror. 'I've got the hang of it!'
…
In his room, lying in bed, Rito could hardly contain his excitement to test his strength. Especially his eyes.
So far, he didn't know if, beyond nearly 360-degree vision, this pair of eyes had any other advantages.
To find out, perhaps the best way would be through real combat.
However, maybe because of his excitement, it was hard to fall asleep and enter the hunting dimension.
Though reluctant, he used a bit of the purple orb's power to calm his restless mind.
By the way, thanks to the purple orbs, his mental power had increased even more. While he wasn't capable of launching mental attacks like those rats, at least his mental defense had strengthened, as had his cognitive processing.
With the influence of the purple orb's energy, Rito managed to calm his excitement. His eyelids grew heavy, and in moments, he entered the hunting dimension.
==
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