Chapter 29: Enchanting Proposal.

Tereda POV

Rem's sobs echoed through the training room, a heartbreaking counterpoint to the rhythmic hum of the airship's engines.

I held her close, my own heart aching with the echoes of the future we had experienced.

Hisoka.

The name now held a weight.

He was a monster, a force of absolute strength compared to us.

Strength that threatened to tear our lives apart.

We had twenty-eight hours to prepare, to find a way to overcome him, to prevent that horrifying future from becoming our reality again.

My mind raced, seeking a solution, a strategy that could bridge the gap between our current strength and the overwhelming power Hisoka wielded.

Our Nen training had been accelerated by the potions Kasimir had provided, but even with our enhanced abilities, we were still outmatched.

Hisoka's mastery of Nen, his cunning and ruthlessness, had proven deadly.

It wasn't enough. We needed an edge, something to tip the scales in our favor.

My gaze fell upon the 1000-hour amulets we both wore, a reminder of Kasimir's generosity.

I'm absolutely certain he dropped the price for me.

There's absolutely no way this is only worth around 20 platinum.

They were powerful tools, no doubt, accelerating our learning to an astonishing degree.

But they had limitations.

One minute of training equaled 1000 hours of skill acquisition.

But that was it.

Strength, speed, and combat experience were unaffected.

Even our cultivation, the foundation of our power, remained bound by the constraints of linear time.

I could reach the 9th level of Houtian, push my chi to its limits.

But it wouldn't be enough.

Hautian, even at its peak, was still a relatively low level of cultivation.

In a world like this, a world teeming with Nen users and superhuman abilities, it was barely enough to compete.

We needed Xiantian, the realm where true superhuman strength and speed manifested, the level at which chi manipulation defied the limitations of the physical world.

And even then, our Nen skills and combat experience were still lacking.

Hisoka had years of fighting, countless battles under his belt. We had a few days and months of constant battle respectively at the most.

Rage threatened to engulf me, but I pushed it back, clinging to the sliver of hope that had brought us back from the brink.

We had time. Not much, but enough.

I needed to find a way to accelerate our cultivation, to amplify our base strength and speed, to bridge the gap between our potential and the reality of the threat we faced.

Enchantment.

That was the answer.

I recalled the countless hours spent within Kasimir's enchanting chamber, the knowledge and skill we had acquired.

I could create something. Something to boost our cultivation speed.

I reached into my armor's storage, my fingers brushing against a collection of materials I had acquired from the material creation machine.

Adamantine bands, their metallic surfaces gleaming with a cool, green glow.

Gems of various sizes and colors, their facets reflecting the dim glow of the training room's lights.

Each one held a potential to be a treasure for pulling power from the void and into our bodies.

I spread the materials out before me, my mind buzzing with possibilities.

Time was short, but with the 1000-hour amulet amplifying my focus and ingenuity, I felt a surge of confidence.

We had a chance.

I got to work.

Rem sat beside me and seemed to do the same.

–-

The air crackled with energy as I channeled my chi and Nen into the adamantine bands.

The Grand star-sapphires, their celestial blue depths swirling with trapped starlight, pulsed with a soft, rhythmic glow, while the Void-obsidians, their surfaces reflecting the emptiness of the abyss, hummed with a barely perceptible vibration.

Runes, etched onto the bands with a precision honed by countless hours of practice within the enchanting chamber, shimmered with a faint, ethereal light, their intricate patterns weaving a tapestry of intent and power.

The first two rings, adorned with the largest gems, took shape before us, their metallic surfaces imbued with our combined will.

We slipped the rings onto our fingers, a sense of anticipation buzzing in the air.

For a moment, the world seemed to shift, time itself distorting around us.

I felt a surge of energy coursing through my meridians, my chi flowing with a renewed vigor.

Rem, beside me, gasped, her eyes widening in surprise.

"It worked," she whispered, her voice laced with awe. "But…"

Her expression shifted, a hint of disappointment replacing her initial excitement. "It's not as powerful as I hoped," she admitted. "It feels like a five-times increase in cultivation and Nen training speed, but that's it. Nothing earth-shattering."

I nodded, sharing her assessment. "It's the limit with our current skill," I said, examining the rings with a critical eye. "We'll need something to push our knowledge further to truly accelerate our progress."

"But wasting the Void-obsidian on something we might replace later…" Rem trailed off, her brow furrowed with concern. "It seems… wasteful."

A smirk spread across my face. "Don't worry, love," I said, my voice laced with a playful confidence. "I wouldn't create something this important without ensuring its… adaptability."

I channeled a pulse of Nen into the ring, my senses attuned to its internal structure.

The runes I had etched onto the band, usually a fixed, unyielding pattern, shimmered with a newfound fluidity, their forms shifting and rearranging themselves with a subtle hum.

"Re-enchantable?" Rem exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "But how? I didn't see you add those runes."

"A little trick I learned from the +99 Enhanced Enchanting Tome," I explained with a wink. "Some secrets are best kept hidden until the right moment."

"But why is it so important?" Rem asked, her curiosity piqued. "Why go to the trouble of making the rings re-enchantable?"

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding against my ribs.

This wasn't the plan.

The urgency of our situation, the fear of losing Rem again, had pushed me to act impulsively.

But now, with her standing before me, her eyes filled with love and a hint of confusion, I knew there was no turning back.

I got down on one knee.

"Rem," I began, my voice trembling slightly, the weight of the words catching in my throat.

"We've faced death together, rewound time, and defied fate. We've seen the best and worst two worlds have had to offer. through it all, my love for you has only grown stronger."

I met her gaze, my heart pounding against my ribs. "I know this isn't the ideal time or place," I continued, "but I can't wait any longer. I can't imagine facing another lifetime, another reality, without you by my side."

I held up the Void-obsidian ring, its dark surface reflecting the view of my emotions upon my face. The love, the hope, and the absolute unyielding determination to make this work "Rem, will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened, tears welling up, and a radiant smile, brighter than any star, spread across her face. "Yes," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "A thousand times yes!"

I slipped the ring onto her finger, its cool touch a grounding sensation amidst the whirlwind of emotions.

Rem, her eyes shining with love and a hint of mischief, pulled me to my feet. "Now it's my turn," she said, taking the Grand star-sapphire ring and placing it on my finger. "Consider yourself officially trapped, Tereda Chouju. You are absolutely mine forever."

I laughed, a sound of pure joy, and pulled her close.

Our lips met, a kiss that sealed a promise of forever, our commitment that transcended time and realities.

It was a kiss that held the weight of our love and shared experiences, of trials overcome and futures unknown, of a love forged in the fires of adversity.

One that would be tested throughout time and space.

We broke apart, our foreheads touching, our breaths mingling in the charged air.

For a moment, the weight of the Hunter Exam, the looming threat of Hisoka, the unknown fate of Ram, faded away, replaced by the simple joy of being together.

But the respite was brief. Time, as always, was our enemy.

"We have work to do," I said, my voice regaining its focus, a determined glint surfacing to my eyes and etched upon my face.

Rem nodded, her smile fading into an expression of steely resolve. "Right," she said, her voice echoing my determination. "Let's get to it."

With renewed purpose, we turned back to our task, the materials before us shining and ready.

—

We shifted our focus, abandoning the quest for a better training amulet for now. The 1000-hour amulet was a tough act to follow, and our attempts to surpass it had proven futile. The best we could manage was a paltry 100 hours of training for every hour spent in real-time, a far cry from the efficiency of Kasimir's creation.

"That damn merchant," I muttered, with a frown on my face. "He's hiding something. I'm sure of it."

Rem nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Next time we see him," she said, her voice low and menacing, "we're getting some answers."

With a shared scowl, we turned our attention to a more attainable goal enhancing our physical attributes.

We started with adamantine bands, meticulously etching runes onto their surfaces, infusing them with our intent to amplify strength and speed.

We experimented with different gems, their energies resonating with our chi and Nen, seeking the optimal combination to boost our physical training.

After several hours of trial and error, we achieved a breakthrough. Two sleek, silver wristbands, adorned with Sunstones, lay before us, humming with barely contained power.

"Ten times multiplier on physical training, affecting both speed and strength," I announced, a satisfied grin spreading across my face. "Not bad, eh?"

"Not bad at all," Rem agreed, strapping the band onto her wrist.

I was already reaching for more materials. "We need something for foundation and adaptation to increased strength. Something to reinforce our body control and accelerate our ability to adapt to cultivation."

We crafted two additional wristbands, this time using Earthroot Stones and Homestead beryls, their enchantments resonating with our chi and the stones used to solidify our foundations and enhance our adaptability.

"Ten times increase in adaptation and foundation solidification," I declared, examining the bands with a critical eye. "That should do the trick."

We slipped on the new wristbands, feeling a surge of energy course through our bodies.

Our muscles tingled, our senses sharpened, and a strange sense of stability settled over us.

But after an hour of us practicing our martial arts forms, a wave of exhaustion washed over us, far greater than our usual training fatigue.

"Damn," I gasped, my muscles burning with exertion. "This is… intense."

Rem, her face flushed and her breath coming in ragged gasps, nodded in agreement. "We need a countermeasure," she said, her voice strained. "Something to regenerate stamina and health as fast as these bands drain it."

We spent another hour crafting a pair of sleek, adamantine rings, this time using Emeralds enchanted for life force, their vibrant green glow radiating a soothing energy.

"Pointer finger rings for regeneration," I said, slipping one onto my finger. "Should match the drain from the wristbands perfectly."

We tested the rings, feeling a wave of revitalizing energy course through us, counteracting the fatigue from our enhanced training.

"Perfect," Rem said, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.

I glanced at our hands and wrists, now adorned with an array of enchanted jewelry. "We're starting to look like a couple of walking treasure chests," I remarked dryly.

Rem chuckled. "Indeed. After the exam, we need to visit Kasimir and use that synthesis pot to merge everything but the rings into our amulets. Streamline things a bit."

I nodded in agreement.

A more elegant solution was definitely in order.

But for now, these enchantments would have to do.

We had a fight to prepare for, a monster in the skin of a man to defeat, and a future to rewrite.

Time was ticking away.

And we couldn't afford to waste another second.