What the Hell, Murim?

--- The Next Morning, Ren's POV ---

Life is an unpredictable journey, where each night's slumber may carry you into an uncertain tomorrow.

You often question whether you'll awaken to another ordinary day or if the winds of change will whisk you away.

This uncertainty, I've worn upon my shoulders for centuries, thanks to my weird 'inclinations'. I can attest to its weight.

In truth, I hardly required sleep since centuries ago, so I've always been dedicating those quiet hours to various pursuits. Lately, I've patrolled all around Orario, and if I wasn't doing that, I kept myself busy by training more.

It's become the norm, and I harbored doubts that even something as extraordinary as the events unfolding now could change that aspect of myself, my innate anxiousness to never let myself truly be vulnerable.

Yet, as I slowly pried open my eyes, I found myself gazing beyond the window, past the horizon, and far into the beyond as it was evident I'd been sleeping soundly for hours, as it was now almost dawn. In that moment, I recognized that even one as resolute as myself could succumb to the embrace of slumber.

I slept like any ordinary human, rousing from slumber with a lingering drowsiness. If someone at my level had seen me in this situation, they'd probably spit on my corpse after they killed me for my arrogance.

Ah, I see now, I mused. That's what it was...

Anxiety had been a silent companion within me. It may sound peculiar, but the long night spent entwined with Ais in passionate intimacy had offered a profound reality check. For the first time in ages, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

Yeah, it's post-nut clarity that always hits the hardest, in more than one way.

Perhaps it was the conceit of a somewhat arrogant man, for I had yet to resolve the countless challenges that plagued Orario. Nevertheless, this sensation of "clarity" was unmistakable.

Could martial artists term it "Enlightenment"?

As my gaze rested upon the golden-haired beauty still nestled in peaceful slumber, she resembled a pampered princess. A gentle smile graced my lips as my fingers affectionately ruffled her hair, coaxing a soft groan from her.

An internal serenity wrapped around me, cradling my being in a cocoon of contentment, as though I had been freed from a weight I hadn't even realized I bore. It was as if the boundaries that had long separated me from the simple pleasures of an ordinary life had dissolved.

In that tranquil moment, I felt one with the world. The gentle rustling of leaves in the morning breeze, the soft warmth of sunlight filtering through the curtains, and the soothing rhythm of Ais's steady breaths as she slept beside me—I took it all in as I realized, I was nothing special.

There was no stark contrast between the mundane and the extraordinary, no discord between the supernatural and the natural...

I am...

[Warning! Warning! The Host's {L#@&v_#: ???} Trait is #@!... with Nature. Left unchecked, the Host will transcend the limits of this world

Current Mana Core Status: Perfected+++

Physical Body: Unfathomable (Estimation impossible)]

All the calm and inner peace I had savored a moment ago vanished in an instant, leaving me cursing with a fervor I'd rarely displayed.

"Fuck! What the hell just happened? Is this some kind of martial artist novel plot twist?"

Fear crept over me, undeniable and potent, as I tried to come to terms with the abrupt surge of raw power welling up from within. It coursed through my very being, threatening to shatter the chains that had restrained me for so long had I spent one other second in that state.

Had Lucy not woken me up, I'd suddenly have found myself out of this world without even knowing it, damn.

How could I have missed the signs? It had to be that fucking trait...

Panicking thoughts raced through my mind. What should I do now?

[Without intervention, the Host will be forcibly expelled from this World within minutes.]

The World around me began to warp and crack, as if reality itself had detected an anomaly within its fabric. A series of bell-like chimes reverberated throughout space, disrupting the serenity of my surroundings.

I didn't have time to explain to Ais, who had awakened from the huge commotion. Instead, I made a swift decision and shattered the window to escape. I couldn't risk her coming into contact with the inexplicable surge of power surging all around me, an aura so dangerous that made my newly found heightened senses tremble.

Whatever happened, there was no way I could stop it from harming her.

The situation had escalated suddenly, alerting the entire city to the anomaly, a prospect I found rather displeasing. Still, I had no choice in the matter. My strength had clearly surpassed the boundaries even of Demi-Gods, and that did not go unnoticed by all the Gods close enough to feel it.

With my physical body surpassing the limits, a single step was enough to take me far away from Orario, heading toward a random forest, my emotions roiling within me.

Since the World had no concept of speed, I still felt the bell ringing and the rippling of space as it seemed I could never escape its eyes now.

"I halted my advancement, so why are you still so furious at me? I'm not even half a God yet."

My voice was tinged with roughness, likely due to my hasty movements. I couldn't deny the reality—This massive upheaval was proof that I remained far from being an ordinary human.

Still, it's true that I was nowhere close to a real God yet, as there is not even a hint of any Divinity within me, the source and mark of a God's power.

The question remained: how could I resolve this? There seemed to be no clear path forward, and unless I could venture into the Dungeon to gather the materials necessary to upgrade Lucy, I doubted the world would patiently wait for my intervention.

Still, before I could doubt any longer, I heard a voice beside me as if a ghost had materialized.

"Oh my, how troublesome, Ren...."

The only one who could still fool my senses easily was Eve, so I didn't spare even a second to be surprised about her being there as I just asked

"Is there any way to avoid this tsundere from kicking me out?"