"This is great!" Asta's eyes lit up as he stared at the reward list projected from the system window. Chakra Flame: Increases chakra accumulation speed by 300%. With this, he could compress vast amounts of chakra in a short period. And once he achieved that level, if he were to open the Eight Gates technique—especially the Eighth Gate of Death—the power he'd unleash would be insane!
And unlike in traditional chakra systems, his chakra flame was under complete control. No backlash, no instability. In fact, he could even deprive others of their flames if needed. Still, the price tag made him wince.
"Only five flames for all the points I just earned? Tch, still too poor…" Asta muttered, shaking his head. He still had 48,000 points left. He'd save them for now.
"Next up—recovery potion. 50 points per bottle. Restores half of total mana and chakra instantly." Asta grinned. "Now that's more like it. I'll take three!"
He tapped on the option, and three small, glowing blue vials materialized in his inventory. With a swipe, he pulled them out and handed one each to Noelle and Finral.
"Bottoms up." Without hesitation, Asta downed the vial in one go. It had a light, sweet taste—not unlike honey water—and the moment it hit his stomach, a surge of warmth radiated through him. His stamina, chakra, and mana all refilled in a flash. He clenched his fist and grinned.
"W-What is this dirty-looking liquid?" Noelle wrinkled her nose. The noble in her was obviously offended by the crude-looking potion.
"Relax, it's a good thing," Asta smirked. "It restores your strength and energy instantly. You'll love it."
Finral blinked. "A-Are you sure? I mean, you drank it, so…"
"Gulp gulp!" Finral followed Asta's lead, and his eyes widened in shock. "What in the Clover Kingdom…! This is better than those high-grade herbs nobles use to restore mana! I feel completely recharged!"
Asta rolled his eyes. "You're acting like some hillbilly discovering modern magic. You're supposed to be a spatial mage, Shanpao."
"Shanpao!? What does that even mean!?" Finral's pride as a noble took a hit.
Noelle, still skeptical, dabbed her finger on the rim of the vial and tasted the blue potion. Her eyes flickered. It was sweet. Surprisingly… delicious.
"…Just this once," she muttered and tilted her head back, finishing the potion.
The warmth that spread through her limbs made her exhale softly, the sensation not unlike soaking in a hot bath.
"Mmm…"
The soft sound she made was so unexpectedly gentle and alluring that both Asta and Finral turned their heads.
"Wh-What are you looking at?!" she snapped, cheeks flushed, turning her head sharply away.
Despite her flustered state, the way she glowed in that moment—eyes bright, cheeks rosy—made her look like a blooming flower, full of unspoken charm.
Asta scratched the back of his head. "Alright, enough stalling! Let's move. If we're late, Luck'll snatch that mission before we can blink!"
"Huh? You never rest, do you?" Finral groaned. "I was hoping we could at least relax for a bit…"
"Didn't you just say you felt recharged?" Asta smirked.
"…Touché."
With no more complaints, Finral opened a large spatial gate, warping the group back to the Black Bulls' base.
Back at the Black Bulls Base
Captain Yami looked up from his beer as the portal opened. "Back already?"
Asta stepped forward, full of energy. "Captain! The Longxi Village bandits have been handled. We're ready for the next one!"
Yami raised a brow. "Heh, not bad, brats. Alright then. The next one isn't a straight-up combat mission. It's a rescue mission."
"A rescue mission?" Noelle asked, her voice a bit uneasy. She still remembered Suozi Village—how they were too late, and the loss of innocent lives had haunted her.
"Yeah. This one's a bit messy. It's a village built near an ancient battlefield. A gang of enemy bandits tried to take over the place—thought the terrain would make a good hideout. But the villagers were tougher than expected. Fought 'em off again and again."
Yami lit another cigarette before continuing. "Eventually, the bandits surrounded the place, trying to starve the villagers out. A man named Chris pretended to surrender but actually lured the bandits into the ancient ruins nearby—old battlegrounds full of traps and cursed relics. Now, the bandits are stuck inside, and your job is to finish 'em off and rescue the villagers."
"That's…" Noelle's fist tightened. This time, they'd be faster. Stronger.
"Where's the location?" Asta asked quickly.
"Fenglei Village," Yami answered. "Name sounds like a storm's comin'. Fitting."
Finral's eyes widened. "Captain, that place is way out there! My magic won't last if I have to transport all three of us on a broom—especially him." He jabbed a thumb toward Asta.
"I'll pretend I didn't see that," Asta said, crossing his arms.
Noelle smirked. "You know, I can fly better than before. I've been practicing."
"Oh great," Finral groaned. "I'm the only one cursed with weak endurance…"
"Stop whining. We've got a mission to crush," Asta said, eyes blazing. "And 100,000 points waiting to be earned!"
"Well, that's true. Wouldn't want you turning into a total idiot out there."
Yami smirked with his usual rough nonchalance, teasing Finral as he slouched in his chair.
Finral's expression twitched, a shadow of exasperation hanging over his head. He really appreciated the "concern."
"Captain! I've had a full day's rest—I'm feeling great! Let me take this one!"
Vanessa stretched her arms wide, lounging on the Black Bulls' tattered couch like a lazy cat basking in the morning sun. The light caught her pink hair just right, giving her an air of carefree elegance.
"I'd volunteer too…" Gordon whispered, though his words barely reached the others through his usual cloud of muttering. His poisonous mist drifted up, only to be ignored like always. But as he glanced over at Grey—silent and stiff as usual—he felt oddly comforted. At least he wasn't the only one blending into the background.
"Alright, you lot can go. Just remember—if things go sideways, push past your limits."
Yami waved his hand dismissively, letting them take off. Asta immediately leapt to his feet, clearly eager to get moving.
"In a rush, aren't you, little Asta?"
Vanessa chuckled, standing beside him and yawning. She moved at her own pace, graceful and casual.
"'Little'? I'm not that small anymore!"
Asta protested, tapping the Demon-Dweller Sword at his hip. But deep down, his real concern was Luck. If that battle junkie showed up late and still snagged the mission, Asta would lose out on valuable merit points.
"Alright, alright. If you're so grown up, how about coming to big sis's room later and proving it?"
Vanessa purred teasingly, flashing a mischievous wink. Asta sputtered, face flushing, while Noelle looked scandalized.
"What kind of indecent things are you two talking about?! Why would he go to your room?!"
Noelle demanded, arms crossed in righteous fury. She definitely didn't understand whatever strange innuendo was flying over her head.
"Relax, you'll figure it out someday."
Asta waved it off awkwardly, and Vanessa pulled out her broom.
"We've got about three hours to reach this 'Fenglei Village.' Hop on—we'll fly there together."
"Got it!"
Asta was already mounting the broom when—
"Asta! Get down right now!"
Noelle shouted, annoyed. Asta sitting between her and Vanessa? Absolutely not.
"Noelle, this is an emergency. People's lives could be at risk. We can't waste time arguing over who sits where!"
Asta countered, surprisingly earnest. His tone, along with his determination, caught Vanessa off guard—and even made Noelle falter.
"...Fine."
Noelle climbed on, sitting behind Asta with a pout. His back was warm and steady, and that only made her more annoyed—for reasons she didn't want to think about.
As the trio took off, Asta opened the Hokage Mall in his system menu, eager to check the last item from earlier.
Flying Jade: Summon 15 floating jade tiles beneath your feet for flight. Flexible, fast, chakra-powered. Cost: 100,000 Points
"This thing looks awesome, but it's way too expensive..."
Asta sighed, eyeing his current total: 47,850 points. He'd have to save up a bit more—maybe after this mission.
"Alright, hold on tight, kiddos. I'm flying higher!"
Vanessa announced.
"Roger!"
Asta instinctively wrapped an arm around Vanessa's waist, while Noelle reluctantly did the same with Asta.
"This isn't really hugging," Noelle told herself, blushing furiously. "It's just...clinging for stability. That's it."
But then the broom unexpectedly grew slippery, and she slid closer to Asta without meaning to.
"Weird...why's the broom so smooth all of a sudden?"
Vanessa asked, glancing down.
"No idea. Maybe your broom's worn out from all the flying, Sister Vanessa!"
Asta offered with mock innocence—he had secretly coated the broom with chakra to reduce drag and friction, unintentionally creating a slide effect.
****
Back at the Black Bulls' base...
"Hey! Captain Yami! I'm back!"
Luck bolted through the doors, still crackling with leftover lightning. "Hand me the next mission—come on, I'm ready to go!"
Yami took a long sip from his drink, then lazily glanced over at Luck.
"Too slow. Asta and the others already left. Took the non-urgent one you were eyeing."
"WHAT?!"
Luck's eyes widened in disbelief. "I ran at full speed the whole way!"
"Doesn't matter if you're fast when Finral's got spatial magic, dumbass."
Yami shrugged, and Finral smirked from the side.
"Exactly~ Some of us don't need to run when we can just blink across the map."
Luck pouted, but quickly bounced back.
"Captain, you have to give me something! Please tell me there's another mission!"
Yami scratched his head, pulled out a crumpled paper from inside his robe, and gave a tired sigh.
"Tch...fine. I got one left—something about a rogue mana beast in the Eastern Wastes. Sounds like your kind of party."
"YEAH!! LET'S GO!!"
Luck lit up with joy, sparks flying from his fingertips.