The Pugilist Cousins

"Where the hell did you drop from?! We searched all over the camp!"

"We heard some weird things about you..."

The siblings spoke in unison, their eager gazes betraying the relief they felt at Damian's presence. Though they were trying to act tough, their voices revealed their true emotions. Damian was also pretty happy seeing them doing well, he had not expected he would feel this much seeing them but somehow he did. Guess the past weeks had not been as easy on him as he made them out to be in his head.

Damian had noticed that he'd developed a kind of mental barrier against unpleasant or painful emotions, as though his mind was protecting itself, making him emotionally stronger. Could his stats be affecting his feelings too? That would explain why third-rankers seemed so weird and distant. He could only imagine what those even higher in rank must feel like.

"It's a long story... I'm just glad to see you both doing great," Damian said genuinely.