Chapter 163: Ran, I've Met Your Distant, Distant Relative
Haruto was quite satisfied with the rewards he'd reaped from this instance. The free time before the next game began was the perfect opportunity to freeload at both Eientei and the Kirisame Magic Shop.
Youmu's S-rank evaluation mirrored his own. Her rewards were a collection of minor ghost artifacts, but it was the slight enhancement to her reaction speed that truly stood out. According to Youmu herself, that single reward was worth two months of her dedicated cultivation, not to mention the ten percent increase in physical strength that came with it.
The thought conjured a vivid, almost cinematic scene in Haruto's mind—
Mokou kicks the door open with a resounding crash. "Shut-in! Come out and fight me!"
Kaguya, a smirk curling the corner of her lips like a veritable god of war, slowly rubs her hands together. "Bring it on."
Ten minutes later... Mokou is bruised, swollen, and staring up from the floor in utter disbelief. "When… When did you get so strong?!"
Kaguya, perched elegantly on a high seat with her legs crossed, looks down her nose at her rival. "I was always this powerful. Putting a little roasted chicken in her place is only natural."
…Haruto shook his head violently, banishing the bizarre image from his thoughts. He and Youmu then left the reward settlement room together.
When they returned to Gensokyo, they materialized within the serene grounds of Hakugyokurou. Kaguya had already arrived and was making herself comfortable, sitting right on Youmu's bed.
"You two are so slow," she drawled. "I've been waiting for ages."
"Ages, my fuzzy-tailed foot. We were only a few minutes behind you, at most," Haruto retorted, rolling his eyes.
"That's still a long time. The instance ended, so why didn't you come right out? What were you two doing, staying behind in there? Could it be…" At this, Kaguya's eyes took on a suggestive, mischievous glint. "Taking advantage of everyone leaving to secretly open a—Wah!"
Before she could finish her scandalous sentence, Haruto had already landed a sharp knife-hand strike on her head.
"It hurts! Why did you hit me?!"
"You have the nerve to ask? What kind of nonsense were you about to spout? We only stayed a bit longer because we discovered a problem at the last minute."
Seeing her eyes well up with theatrical tears, Haruto couldn't help but complain, "And what are you crying about, anyway? Someone who plays at tearing people limb from limb with Mokou every day has no right to cry about a little pain."
Kaguya stuck her tongue out playfully and sat back up properly. "So, what did you discover?"
"Do you remember that spider monster? The one that kept following us back in the underground base?"
"Spider monster?" Kaguya frowned, her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before realization dawned. "You mean that Crawler?"
Haruto nodded grimly.
Kaguya seemed to grasp the implication, and her expression slowly grew complex. "Don't tell me it's still alive."
Haruto confirmed her suspicion. "Either it knew we were going to trigger the base's self-destruct and escaped beforehand, or it evolved to the point where it could withstand the explosion by eating all the bugs and monster corpses we left in our wake."
"Damn," Kaguya hissed, clenching her fists in frustration. "What a clever little bastard." Her knuckles cracked loudly. "I was wondering why that thing kept following us while keeping its distance. So it was just there to scavenge our leftovers."
She glared at the empty air. "That thing had better pray I never go back to that instance, otherwise I'll beat it so hard its own mother won't recognize it!"
"It's not like we can't go back," Haruto said, resting his chin on his hand. "Once Lady Yukari manages to take control of that instance, we'll have a way to get there again."
Even as he said it, a part of him was secretly curious. He actually wanted to feed that Crawler a few more things, just to see what it could ultimately evolve into.
Afterward, Haruto asked Kaguya, Miko, and the others about their rewards. Most of them had also received ghost artifacts and similar items. Yotsuya Miko and Lin Xuelao had both received further enhancements for their unique eyes.
If there was anything particularly special, it was Kaguya's new ability. She had obtained a power that could force a biological being to evolve in the direction of an insect, which happened to pair bizarrely well with her previous ability to turn people into rabbits. Of course, just like the rabbit transformation, this new power could only take effect when there was an overwhelming difference in strength or when the target was completely unable to resist.
'If her future abilities continue down this biological transformation path…'Haruto mused. He felt as if he could already see a new, terrifying monster named'Cthulhu' popping up in Gensokyo in the near future.
Kaguya returned to Eientei first, but Haruto didn't follow her. Instead, he headed back to the Yakumo Residence to find his Ran.
Yakumo Ran had woken up not long ago. Since the Great Barrier no longer required her constant maintenance, her days were now spent cleaning the Yakumo Residence and occasionally going out for a stroll.
Seeing her dear Haruto-sama return covered in dust, his Daoist robe stained and worn, a hint of heartache immediately welled up in her lovely peach-blossom eyes.
"Young Master," she said softly, her voice full of concern. "Please, allow Ran to serve you for your bath and help you change your clothes first."
"No need, I'm not Lady Yukari. I can handle this sort of thing myself," Haruto decisively refused. After speaking, he glanced around alertly, making sure no disembodied palm had appeared out of thin air to discipline him. Satisfied, he reached out and placed a hand on Yakumo Ran's shoulder, his tone suddenly grave and serious.
"Ran, I encountered a distant, distant relative of yours."
Yakumo Ran froze for half a second before the words registered, her expression turning completely blank.
A distant, distant relative of hers? How was it that she had no knowledge of such a person's existence?
Haruto then recounted the story he had heard from Ye Tian in the instance—the tale of the powerful fox demon.
Ran now understood what he meant, but her gaze became even more subtle. "Haruto-sama, that can only be considered a member of the same race, not a relative."
"It's all the same," Haruto waved his hand dismissively.
"Then… could you show Ran her photo?" she asked. "Perhaps it is a youkai from this world. It's possible Ran might even know her."
Haruto was a bit surprised. "You know other fox demons?"
Yakumo Ran nodded. "Although none have currently cultivated to nine tails, and even seven-tailed ones are rare, the number of fox demons in the outside world is still quite considerable."
If it really was a fox youkai from this world, Yakumo Ran felt she ought to tell the other party to take better care of her Haruto-sama in the future.
"It probably wouldn't be such a coincidence."
Despite saying that, Haruto still took out his Ghost Phone. He had added Ye Tian's contact information during the instance. As soon as he lit up the screen, a cascade of messages popped up, nearly all of them sent by Ye Tian.
[Invincible in the World]: "Brother Bai Liu, are you back yet?"
[Invincible in the World]: "I forgot to spar with your attendant. How about we enter another instance tomorrow? I'll provide the Tracking Card. If I lose, I'll hand over the title of number one."
[Invincible in the World]: "Hello? Brother Bai Liu? Where are you? Or the two of us can spar instead."
…The unread messages continued in a long series, all of which could be summarized with a single, desperate desire—he wanted a duel.
Seeing that this guy actually wanted him to enter another instance tomorrow, Haruto's eyelid twitched. He decisively typed out a refusal.
[The Most Handsome Realm Demon]: "Thanks for the invite, but I'm already back in Gensokyo. Do not disturb."
He had finally cleared the last game and returned home. He wasn't a masochist; there was no way he was diving back into another instance just a day later.
[Invincible in the World]: "..."
[Invincible in the World]: "Then when is your next instance? Call me when the time comes."
Ye Tian seemed to have been waiting right by the chat box, as his reply was instantaneous.
Haruto thought about it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring this guy along. At the very least, when they encountered monsters, there would be someone else to put in the effort, allowing him to slack off.
[The Most Handsome Realm Demon]: "Fine, but I have something I want to ask of you."
[Invincible in the World]: "Say it. As long as I, Ye Tian, can do it, I'll get it done for you!"
[The Most Handsome Realm Demon]: "Give me a photo of that fox demon friend of yours."
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