Chapter 65

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 65

Chapter Title: Transformation is Everyone's Dream

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Pulling on Rin's cheeks for trampling all over my pure heart was only a momentary indulgence.

"Nyaah... Daddy-nyang... Good morning-nyang..."

"Hue... Daddy... Did you sleep well...?"

"My little girls are awake? If you're still sleepy, you can keep sleeping..."

Kururuk~!!!

"...Or not. Are you hungry, by any chance?"

"Lulu's hungry-nyang..."

"Arin's stomach is stuck to her back too..."

"Yeah. Food's more important than sleep, after all."

The sleepyhead daughters had shuffled into the living room, yawning with their mouths while their stomachs rang like alarm clocks.

So, to calm their rumbling bellies first, I pulled out some dishes I'd made with Tabula and started breakfast.

And that's when it happened.

"Rin. You're eating too, right?"

I figured it was only natural for Rin to join us, so I invited her to eat together.

But upon hearing that, Rin tilted her head as if I'd asked something completely unexpected.

Then, in a tone full of doubt, she said,

"You're giving me some too?"

"You think I'd sit you right here and eat without sharing?"

"You hate me, Oppa. I wouldn't feed someone I hated."

"That's because you stick to me with ulterior motives. Aside from that, I don't have any real negative feelings toward you."

"So you don't hate me?"

"Well... for now, yeah?"

"Then... since Oppa permitted it, excuse me for a moment."

"?"

Permitted? What was that supposed to mean?

Do you need permission just to eat? I wondered briefly.

But Rin's footsteps, which I'd assumed were heading to the table for food, didn't stop at the chair.

She passed the girls' seats and came right up to me, and that's when I realized.

Oh?

Come to think of it, Rin was the leader of the Blood Sect in this era, serving the pathetic progenitor.

And she'd inherited that grace directly from the pathetic progenitor, right?

Which meant...

"Oppa’s blood. I'll have some."

Kaduk-! Chup-chup-chup-!!!

"Oppa's blood... is so delicious... I could do this forever..."

...I'd momentarily forgotten that Rin, like me, could fully sustain herself on human blood.

She was practically a vampire.

"God damn it."

On top of that.

Rin had that annoying penalty requiring her to drain me once a day.

Giving blood wasn't too hard, but that didn't mean she could just sink her fangs into my neck whenever.

I need to come up with a countermeasure.

Whether it's drawing my blood into blood packs or capsules.

Or having her feed on something made from my blood instead. I needed a plan.

If possible...

Chup-chup-chup-!!!

"Pfuaah... Now I have one more reason... to never let go of Oppa..."

...as soon as possible. Quick and swift.

#####

After that disastrous breakfast finally ended.

Rin wandered off home in a daze, saying she'd go train her martial arts.

The full-bellied daughters, feeling great, dashed around the house showing off their vitality—for a little while.

"Nyang...? Daddy-nyang. What's this red box-nyang?"

"There's a blue box here too!"

Before breakfast.

I'd deliberately placed the transformation gear boxes in plain sight in the living room corner, and the girls had spotted them.

I casually told them they were gift boxes for the two of them and to open them up.

"Those are gift boxes that came for Lulu and Arin."

"Nyang! Gift box-nyang!"

"It's my first gift box ever! Can I open it now?"

"Of course."

The two daughters, thrilled at their first-ever gift unboxing, bounced in place for a moment.

"Hmm-nyang... Which one to open first, Arin-nyang."

"Arin's new to this too, sis. It's so hard to choose."

"Hmm-nyang... Little one-nyang. Which do you think we should open first-nyang?"

"Heuk-nyang?! Little one-nyang, are you a genius too-nyang?!"

"Just like me and sis! Such a smart little sister!"

Following Tabula's advice, the two girls decided to check the red box first.

They tore off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the shiny wrapping and opened it.

And at that moment.

Hwaruruk-!!!

As the box opened, a pillar of crimson flame erupted, gathering in midair.

The flames soon coalesced into a small sun-like orb, darting around wildly before slowly descending in front of Lulu, flickering as it spoke.

...!

"Nyang...? No way, a cape-nyang!?"

...!

"Lulu should imagine the form she wants to transform into-nyang...? Nya...... I imagined it-nyang!"

...!

"Shout it out-nyang...? Heuk-nyang?! N-No way, cape-nyang... you're gonna do that-nyang?!"

...!!!

"Got it, cape-nyang...!"

After their secretive exchange between Lulu and the cape.

Nyang-! Nyat-! Nyan-nyat-!!!

"[Transformation]-nyang!"

Imitating the iconic pose from tokusatsu shows on TV, Lulu shouted [Transformation].

Flash-!

A massive, intense flame engulfed Lulu's entire body—but it wasn't hot or blinding at all.

As the flames subsided, a completely different Lulu appeared before us.

"Hero Lulu has arrived-nyang!"

And so.

Our reactions to witnessing the whole thing...

"Wow! Lulu sis! You're so cool!"

"Our Lulu... you've grown so gallant. It feels like just yesterday you were a kitten. Now you're a full-fledged adult cat."

"Heh-nyang... Thanks for the praise, everyone-nyang!"

...It was a bit sudden, but.

The transformation process and the result were so cool that everyone applauded involuntarily.

-Ding!

We confirmed that aside from adding the transformation function to the cape's effects, nothing else had really changed.

Arin was fidgeting, eager to open the blue box, so I told her to go ahead.

"Arin will open hers too!"

As if she'd been waiting for those words, she ripped open the blue box's wrapping in an instant.

Wooong...!!!

A gem-like staff glowing deep blue floated into the air, orbiting around Arin.

"Wow... This staff is so pretty!"

"Yeah, you can tell a lot of care went into it."

I wasn't just saying that.

The staff's coloring, the handle details, the patterns and engravings—all perfectly harmonious.

It was an incredible piece, hard to believe it was made in such a short time.

...But.

Wooong......

This staff just kept circling Arin without any sign of transforming like Lulu's cape.

Wondering if there was a problem, I checked the item info.

-Ding!

...A bit more ordinary compared to Lulu's cape.

But considering this was a masterpiece ego gear crafted over years by Hyung-gyu hyung and Garam, the difference was understandable.

This staff was still an excellent item with all the bells and whistles.

Anyway, glossing over the spec difference for now.

Back to the issue at hand.

The staff doesn't seem faulty, so why isn't it transforming?

Arin started tilting her head at the staff that just hovered there doing nothing.

I had to figure out the cause before she got upset.

So I quietly asked Tabula to investigate, distracting Arin to buy time.

From the second alert Tabula popped up, I got a rough idea of the situation.

-Ding!

"A powerful being's aura?"

Could this be...

...The staff reacting to Arin's true body?

#####

Now even I knew.

If something utterly ridiculous happens out of nowhere, just blame Arin's true body.

"Yeah, figured."

Arin's true body was the one that erased a transcendent just because it didn't like them.

Its mere presence nearby boosting gear grades?

Hm, not surprising at all.

Honestly, with my own mindset of "I could do anything if I wanted," I was starting to feel like I overreacted to something trivial.

In that vein.

To get Arin's transformation working—and resolve this quickly—I made my decision.

[Condition 1: Something with a deep sea aura.]

[Condition 2: Something harboring power strong enough to alter the equipment's grade.]

"Tabula. These conditions. What if we use the blood Arin shed and her broken tooth from storage?"

"Hm... Alright?"

Last time I brewed an elixir with Arin's shed blood.

I'd vowed never to use parts of her body as ingredients again after seeing that chilling 'I won't tolerate it twice.'

Zzit-! Zzit-!

But strangely, now it felt not just okay to use it, but necessary.

Of course, this was just a vague 'gut feeling' with no basis or theory.

Still, as an alchemist, I trusted my instincts.

And I believed Arin's true body wouldn't harm me.

So I explained the situation to Lulu and Arin, had them step back.

"Tabula. Pull them out."

The moment I brought Tabula's retrieved pieces of Arin to the staff...

-Ding!

...An alert appeared saying the gear's grade had changed due to some influence.

I was grateful for the help from Arin's true body—only for a moment.

The next alerts made me realize I was wrong.

"...What?"

The one who helped me... wasn't Arin's true body...?

No, wait.

Why is it suddenly coming to our world?