Faced with Shinryu Hayashi's gaze, fierce and invasive like that of a wild wolf, a mix of shyness and bliss surged within her.
For Anna, she truly accepted Hayashi's feelings from the bottom of her heart.
It was just that this came on too sudden and too boldly, making it hard for her to handle all at once.
"U-Um… Hayashi… it's still daytime right now, and I… I have to do farm work."
Finding a poor excuse, Anna bolted out like a startled fawn.
Watching her retreating back, Hayashi saw the flash of her affection level.
[Affection Level: 100]
"Just a confession alone maxed it out? What an irresistibly perfect wife she is, Anna."
As he savored the lingering taste, Hayashi couldn't help recalling other memories related to her.
Even though she didn't carry much fortune and barely counted as a supporting character—
She was now his woman, and he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her!
"Signing the Master-Servant Contract is absolutely necessary.
There should still be a few days before that bitch, First Princess Flare, arrives."
Leaving the house, Hayashi immediately headed toward the forest.
To ordinary people in this world, the vast forest was practically a forbidden zone.
The monsters roaming the woods would indiscriminately devour anyone who entered.
But for Hayashi, this was a natural hunting ground.
Unfurling his pitch-black Fallen Angel wings, Hayashi soared above the treetops and stretched out his hands.
"Boosted!"
The Boosted Gear manifested on his arm, multiplying his power to its peak!
With the tenth "Boosted!" echoing out, Hayashi's strength had swelled 1,024 times over. His skin began to crack under the surging energy.
"Heal!"
Relying on uninterrupted healing magic, Hayashi forcibly endured it all.
Then, grinning wide, he unleashed near-Demon Lord-level magic power in full.
"Gravity Magic: Chaos Storm!"
A massive purple gravity ring burst forth, expanding across a 20-kilometer radius.
RUMBLE!!!
A chaotic gravitational field descended upon the forest.
Within this field, gravity direction would shift randomly, and its intensity ranged anywhere from 1 to 100 times normal.
In an instant, the entire forest was warped and shredded by the gravitational forces.
Tens of thousands of monsters and creatures were torn apart in a single breath.
The world's unique "experience points" flowed into Hayashi like rivers.
He could clearly feel his body becoming tougher and his magic power increasing.
Thirty seconds later, he retracted the Boosted Gear.
With his aura reined in, his strength had nearly tripled from before!
"Slaughtering monsters gave me this much growth? This world really is the perfect training ground!"
Thanks to the Trait [Chosen Hero (Gold)], his growth had been smooth and unimpeded.
In the past, once he hit a limit, no amount of training could help him improve.
Hayashi flew across what now resembled a blender-torn wasteland of a forest.
Soon, his figure appeared above a pristine lake.
Though it had been within the chaos zone, the lake remained untouched—protected by an invisible force.
"A lake connected to the spirit realm… but I don't know the ancient spirit language at all."
Hayashi frowned slightly. He hadn't killed the second-loop version of Keyaru, so he didn't have the relevant memories.
Right now, he had no clue how to extract benefits from the spirits.
"If I can't get through by the book… then I'll just break the rules!"
"Boosted!" ×10
BOOM!!!
The sheer density of his magical aura was distorting space itself.
He was stronger now—unreasonably stronger!
"I can still hold out—barely!"
"Heal!"
"Boosted!"
With healing magic keeping him stable, Hayashi doubled his strength again!
Now, he had reached 2,048 times his original strength!
He couldn't even cast Gravity Magic anymore—his body could only expel raw magic power.
But that alone was already more than enough!
A massive golden energy sphere formed in the sky above the forest.
Its blinding brilliance outshone the sun, and its terrifying pressure threatened to reduce the entire region to ash!
As Hayashi completed his "Spirit Bomb," ripples spread across the lake.
Suddenly, the sky lit up with twinkling stars, and a blue pillar of light sliced open space, appearing over the lake's center.
In the next moment, a beautiful woman wearing a semi-transparent azure robe and bearing translucent wings flew out from within.
She anxiously looked in Hayashi's direction, her voice trembling.
"Child of man, what is it that you seek!!!"
Even from within the spirit realm, she had sensed the overwhelming magical disturbance here.
If that orb of energy were to fall, the spirits would suffer devastating losses.
As the Star Spirit, she had no choice but to come out and negotiate.
Hayashi, holding the "Spirit Bomb," lowered his gaze to the newly arrived Star Spirit.
Screw the formalities—this got results.
"Simple. I want the power of you spirits."
"..."
The Star Spirit was stunned.
With power like his, why would he even need the power of spirits?
From what she could tell, he alone was more than capable of wiping them all out.
Still, the fact that he could talk was a good sign—there was still hope.
"I am the Star Spirit. On behalf of the spirit race, I shall grant your wish.
The arms to shatter all things, the legs that soar like the wind, the ears that hear a thousand miles, and the eyes that see through everything.
Child of man, which do you desire?"
With trembling voice and open arms, the Star Spirit made her offer.
Hayashi replied calmly, "I want them all."
"..."
The Star Spirit froze. She thought she must've misheard.
But staring into Hayashi's earnest expression, she found herself unable to voice a single objection.
All she could do was reply in a helpless tone: "As you wish~~"
Flapping her wings, the Star Spirit flew to Hayashi and gently kissed his forehead.
HUMMM——
Verdant spirit power surged into him, flowing through every fiber of his being and into his left eye.
[Ding! Trait Acquired: Arm of Monstrous Strength (Blue), Legs of Wind (Blue), Thousand-Mile Ear (Blue), Jade Eye (Blue)]
[Arm of Monstrous Strength (Blue): Your wrist strength is immense. You can shatter boulders with ease.]
[Legs of Wind (Blue): Your legs are imbued with the power of spirits. You can soar freely through the sky.]
[Thousand-Mile Ear (Blue): Your ears can hear sounds from a thousand miles away.]
[Jade Eye (Blue): Your left eye can perceive ambient magic, the flow of ley lines, and others' status panels.]
Looking at the steady stream of blue Traits, Hayashi couldn't help but grin.
The now-weakened Star Spirit before him looked like a priceless treasure in his eyes.
If just one spirit could bestow this much…
Then what about the rest of them?