"Well? What does it say?" Inquired Key in anticipation.

  "Hang on, it's still scanning……alright, here it is. Your maximum power level is now……a bit over 52,000," I replied, as I scanned her.

  She'd combined her new Vampire Mode transformation with her Retractable Anima, and with that, she easily qualifies for the second highest rank of Archwarrior, with her currently being categorized in the second rank of Sentinel. Her power level had previously been below 10,000, so this is a huge increase.

  "My turn, Kuro, hurry!" Spoke up Persia impatiently.

  "Easy, Cat Girl, there's no rush," I replied with a wry smile, as I began scanning her power level.

  She'd entered VamPanther Mode and activated the Accelerate Cross at the max, which was her at her strongest and fastest……technically, Accelerate only boosts her speed, but the extra momentum means that her attacks pack more of a punch too. And in numerical terms……

  "Your current power level is……around 77,000," I replied, right as the door suddenly swung open and an extremely cheerful and excited head poked in.

  "Duuude, this thing is so awesome, I feel so much stronger, just from picking it up!" Exclaimed Rai, as he walked in, beaming goofily.

  Well, can't blame him, he's always been really skilled, I noticed that much all the way back during our Adventurer's Academy entrance exam. All things considered, he would probably have done really well in this world as an Adventurer if things had stayed normal.

  But luck has been a pretty significant factor in all the drastic power boosts we've seen over the past two or three years, which I've benefited a lot from, but him, not so much.

  "Glad you like it……wanna see how powerful you are now?" I inquired with a grin, holding up the glasses, "Oh, by the way, what did you guys name these glasses?"

  "Hm? Didn't Rion tell you? We're calling it the Power Reader!" He answered, as he swung the hammer around a couple of times, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

  Power Reader, huh……I mean, I guess that isn't exactly a bad name, but……it isn't really a good one either. Well, whatever, calling them Scouters would be problematic, so I'm not going to complain.

  "If you ask me, that name is kinda……unremarkable? Like, I wouldn't say that it's a bad name, but it could definitely be better," Remarked Persia with a frown.

  Nice, great minds think alike and stuff.

  "I think it's fine, it's nicely simple and self-explanatory," Countered Key.

  "Anyway, uh……how'd it go, did you two get stronger?" Asked Rai curiously.

  "Yup, my new full power is almost double what I was previously capable of," Grinned Persia, holding up a peace sign.

  "Mine was a lot more drastic, about six or seven times greater than my previous maximum," Added Key, looking pleased.

  "Wow, sounds like it all really paid off, huh? Kuro, dude, now do me!" He urged me impatiently.

  "Don't put it like that," I sighed, before putting the Power Reader back on and getting him within my sights.

  "Well? Well? Well? What's my reading!?" He inquired restlessly, looking like he could barely contain himself.

  I decided to ignore him till the scan is complete……and here we go……

  "A little bit under 31,000……hey, open your Demonic third eye, that should boost you a bit further," I suggested.

  "Oh, right, forgot about that!" He grinned sheepishly, before opening his third eye.

  Huh, that's about a fifty percent increase……the reading is now at above 46,000," I informed him, as the Power Reader accommodated for the increase in power.

  "Well, that still doesn't hold a candle to you or Az, but I don't feel as hopelessly outclassed as I did before," Remarked Rai with a gleam in his eyes.

  "I mean, as things stand, you're currently more powerful than the Vampire King was when I fought him, so your current level is nothing to sneeze at," I pointed out, "By the way, you and Key are currently ranked at Sentinel, go update both your spots up to Archwarrior."

  Rai and Rion are in charge of maintaining and updating the ranking system, so yeah……

  "You don't have to tell me twice! Aw, man, this power seriously feels unreal, this is, like, the second best day of my life!" Declared Rai with a grin.

  "Oh, yeah? Then what was the best day of you life?" I inquired curiously.

  "Well, duh, the day Key reciprocated my feelings!" He responded in an obvious tone.

  "H-hey, shut up! You're so embarrassing sometimes!" Snapped Key, her face turning red.

  "And you never complain when we're alone, so……," Trailed off Rai with a mischievous smirk.

  "That's……sh-shut up!" She huffed, before storming out.

  "Think you might've pushed her too far?" I said to Rai with a raised eyebrow.

  "Nah, it'll be fine, I'll go after her," He replied with a grin, before leaving with a wave.

  I'm not sure that won't make things worse, but it's not going to affect me either way, so I'm not going to interfere. And besides, he knows her way better than I do, so he can probably handle it.

  "I think I'm gonna go test my increased power out, maybe find someone to spar with……what about you, Kuro?" Inquired Persia, still looking a bit giddy from the power boost.

  "I need to go meet with Az, the sooner we upgrade the protective barriers, the better. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

  "'Kay, miss you already," She replied, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a quick peck on the lips, before heading out with a wave.

  That was nice……now, then, where did Az say he'd be, again?

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Rai Rumel

  ———————————————————————————


  Whew, that was close……Key was more embarrassed than angry, but she was still pretty annoyed at me, so she was giving me the silent treatment. From her attitude though, it shouldn't last long, she isn't as pissed as she sometimes can be. She'll probably be over it by tonight, and then comes the best part; make-up sex!

  Anyway, I have to say……I feel so freaking good right now! Like, seriously, I feel unstoppable……even though I know that's definitely not the case, such a drastic boost in power just feels so……awesome!

  There's still a whole lot of people, both friend and foe, that are significantly stronger than me, but I can at least put up a fight against most of them, not many of them can simply brush me aside using nothing but sheer power anymore.

  "Oh, sorry!" I apologized suddenly, as I bumped into someone, nearly knocking them over.

  "No, it's okay, don't worry about it," Replied the person I bumped into, turning around……oh, it's Prato, haven't seen him in a while.

  Lusk is with his too.

  "My bad, I was kinda lost in thought……huh, you two look pretty amped up, where're you headed?" I asked them.

  "Training, we are going to the nearest arena……Prato has been rather determined to get stronger lately, and I suppose that his drive has influenced me to do the same," Explained Lusk.

  "Oh, yeah? What's motivating ya?" I inquired, turning to Prato.

  "I……I need to become powerful enough to……to kill Hacte Routh," He responded as his expression darkened, his face clouding over with hatred.

  Woah, talk about intense……

  "Oh, uh, I see. So, uh, you two spar against each other to train?" I asked, changing the subject.

  "Normally, yes. But today, we are pairing up, Ragiu and Miss Selesa agreed to duel us, and a Demon volunteered to referee the fight," Answered Lusk in response.

  "Huh……hey, actually, I've got a suggestion for you guys, and it might be even more effective as training," I remarked with a grin.

  "Continue," Responded Prato immediately, narrowing his eyes.

  He's, uh, become kinda intimidating lately……

  "Hm? What's he doing here?" Inquired Misen, as we arrived at the arena.

  "Why do always gotta act like you've got a sandpaper dildo superglued inside your butthole?" Sighed Selesa with a shake of her head.

  Wow, she's as descriptive and overly specific as ever……

  "Are you joining as well?" The Demon who was refereeing the fight asked me.

  Normally, the safety barrier would be enough to ensure that no one got too badly hurt. Therefore, the ref's job is to make sure that, afterwards, the loser doesn't lose their temper and lash out outside of the safety barrier.

  "Yup! And in fact, it'll be me alone against the four of them," I replied with a grin.

  "Hmph, you seem to be getting rather full of yourself……," Began Misen, before trailing off as I gestured to the weapon on my back.

  "Woah, is that one of those unbreakable weapons that only one person can use? What were they called, Legendary Arms or something?" Inquired Selesa with a look of intrigue.

  "That's right, and thanks to this, I'm now ranked at Archwarrior……well, not officially yet, but my power level qualifies for the promotion," I grinned in response, "So, you guys wanna do this, or are you too scared?"

  Super cheesy taunt, I know, but right now, I feel way too good to care. It's rare that I feel this giddy.

  "Huh, this confidence is kinda hot……wanna bone me?" Offered Selesa with a seductive wink.

  "……you know that I'm with Key, right?" I responded with a sigh.

  "That's fine, she can join too!" Replied Selesa immediately, without so much as a second's hesitation.

  "……"

  "……"

  "Anyway, let's get started, shall we?" I suggested, as I cracked my knuckles.

  "Hey, don't ignore me!" Exclaimed Selesa indignantly.

  _____________________________________________

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

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