[Haru's POV: ]
If someone asks me that, did I enjoy insulting Gojo with the mockery which must have hit him the hardest?
Well, yeah. Kinda.
But more than my amusement it was about motivation for both of them to understand that they weren't the strongest as of now. And since I have changed the course of the plot by killing Toji Fushiguro, I need to sow the seed to make them aware of their current stance.
In the plot, Gojo unleashed his Reversal Red and Imaginary Purple while fighting Toji, and from thereon, he never stops turning stronger than his past self. Even the mangaka was annoyed by the fact, how overpowered he made Gojo in the canon which called up the prison realm. Though I didn't read after the Shibuya arc because my friends called for the trip in my last life, I don't think it would matter much.
Sukuna would probably be the final boss or something and for Gojo to face him, it would take a lot from the OG Six Eyes user.
Currently, both Suguru and Gojo were rendered unconscious, which naturally was my doing since I didn't want to face the fruitless struggle.
'Man...I somehow feel guilty...'
The reason for my guilt doesn't emerge from the two fainted boys but from the girl who was weeping her heart out to her maid. In the manga, the innocent girl didn't even make it past a few chapters. Thanks to the fact that I do not generally attach myself to any character after I watched DITF, or I would have been depressed upon seeing Riko die in the manga.
I had the urge to see Jinah as soon as I could but to separate them mercilessly...yeah, it didn't sound great. And not something Jinah would feel proud about.
'System...can't I take both of them?'
[Ding!]
[Yes, of course, Host!]
[But in return, the quality of your reward would be degraded slightly.]
[Accept?]
[Y/N]
I dumbly looked at the screen for a good while.
For some reason, it seems the system always wants to leave a chunni mysterious vibe every time it rewards me. The previous time I was dead curious about that DC superpower and now here I would be interested in what I could have gained if only I would have pressed 'No'.
But well...
"Hey, Kuroi-san. Wanna tag along?"
Their attention immediately shifted in my direction but rather than the person in question, it was the younger one who shouted in caution.
"No, she won't! Kuroi has to do nothing with this! All the cruelty and shameless work would be mine for alone to handle... "
The determination in her eyes and the resignation she expressed told me that she have misinterpreted something here. Or more like, since I haven't clarified my goal regarding Riko has given birth to some misleading ideas in her mind.
Sighing, I spoke up, "I am not going to enslave you, Amanai. The world I am bringing you is worse than this place but there you would be a normal girl who can enjoy a high schooler life without fearing being targeted by some goons or curses. If you are wondering what I would gain from this, then consider your rescue as my mission which would grant me some godly rewards, I guess. And of course, if Kuroi comes along I would help you both settle in the new place and continue your daily life as it was a week ago. "
I listed everything I needed to grab her attention since this was part of my bargain to bring Riko back with me.
In a world where people were fascinated with hunters and terrorized by monsters, a unique girl with peculiar body composition, surely wouldn't become the center of their attraction.
I have already decided to help her settle in that world so she doesn't die young on my account.
They both were still contemplating which was justifiable since in their eyes I must be some random salesman, selling them some mysterious too good to be true deal.
But when my eyes went toward the timer of the portal...
[Portal closes in the 30s]
[Warning!]
[If a host fails to cross the portal within time, then a forced evacuation would be implemented, and the Floor would be tagged as a failure.]
"Fuck...alright, pack up guys... " Making both of them levitate in my direction I didn't wait to hear their words of exclamation before disappearing through the invisible portal, which only I could see.
"Hmm? Fainted?" I couldn't help but raise my brows in slight surprise to see how quickly both of them fell unconscious as soon as I walked through the portal.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host, for conquering the second floor]
[Due to the Host's choice of picking an extra specimen belonging to another universe, the reward would be degraded slightly. ]
[Calculating... ]
A side of the system screen was illuminated with such a notification when another window popped up.
[To ensure the secret of the Host's ability to travel cross-dimension, the two specimens are required to go through a Memory Alteration procedure. Please put the specimens on the MA chairs.]
I turned toward my right to see two long chairs emerging out of nowhere.
"So...this would alter their mind about my ability to travel across universes?"
[Certainly.]
That would be a huge help...I inwardly muttered before placing both Riko and Kuroi on either seat before a helmet that reached up to their forehead descended to cover the scanning area.
I have no idea what would be filled in their mind but until this secret of mine related to the system remains a secret, I couldn't care less what they say.
[Would the host like to receive the reward?]
[Y/N]
Without any hesitation, I pressed the yes before a huge window popped up.
[Energy Manipulation]
[Rank- SSS]
[Description: The ability to absorb and bestow. ]
[In detail: The user can absorb one's energy from those who are weaker than the host. The absorbed energy could be anything, like one's life energy, their mana, their soul, anything. The absorbed energy could either be used to strengthen the host himself or could be bestowed on other living beings as well. Those whom Host would bestow with external energy would naturally become loyal to the host to the point of utmost devotion. ]
[Note: The host cannot force the absorbed energy on anyone until they are not willing to accept it. The host can coercively make them accept the blessing as well. ]
[Note: Once absorbed, the host can bestow the energy to the same person from whom the essence was absorbed, to make the specimen loyal to Host.]
[Note: It could force awaken a person's mana pores as well, but providing a high density of energy to non-awakened might cause adverse effects.]
[Note: A random skill might get soaked along with one's energy. ]
[Note: Every mortal body has its limits so forcing vast energy of numerous specimens to a single unit might cause a mana explosion. So be cautious.]
[Note: Host would be granted the ability to manipulate what he desires to absorb. That means the host can entirely absorb one's specific kind of energy without killing them. But for that, some training is required. ]
Reading all the information three times back and forth, the first thing that came out of my mouth was... "I want to ask something...well, many things. "
Despite seemingly being baffled about various things, I was sure about one thing.
This skill was broken.
****
A/N: - Sorry for the delay. If the power stone reaches 300 by tomorrow then another chapter. If not then we would meet next week.
And yeah, this skill is OG if only it doesn't coincidentally align with an already existing skill.
Until then~