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"Damn it, something's seriously wrong with this guy!!!"
Dou Erfan couldn't help swearing. "If that thing lands a clean hit, we're looking at at least serious injuries."
"Genjutsu isn't working either…" Yuu Kaito muttered, sweat dripping down his face.
He'd already pushed his illusion techniques to the limit.
"Then we take it down head-on!"
Captain Yujiro Hanma tore off his shirt, revealing a lean, battle-hardened body. It was obvious he specialized in physical cultivation.
"This thing… it's strong."
The moment the opposing captain got serious, the Nine-Tails—Kurama—felt it. A shift in the air. Pressure.
Of course, that was because he could only use the power of three tails right now. If he were at full strength, these people wouldn't even be worth a glance.
And then—
Boom.
He got punched and sent flying.
"What the hell?!"
His claws dug into the ground as he skidded backward, carving four deep trenches into the earth. Kurama stared at the man in disbelief.
"How does he have that kind of physical strength?!"
"No wonder this world once had S-rank missions popping up… even if they later got downgraded to A+." Yujiro Hanma clenched his fist, staring at Kurama. He'd just thrown a full-force punch—and the beast wasn't even scratched.
"Looks like you're the real high-end combat unit here."
"I knew it. That so-called Konoha didn't have any real strong presence."
Kurama fell silent.
They weren't entirely wrong. Konoha right now really didn't have many top-tier fighters.
But if you'd shown up a few decades earlier, you wouldn't dare say that.
Showing off in front of me?
If I didn't have to worry about killing that inexperienced jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, do you think I wouldn't just flatten you all with one swipe?
Still…
Better to retreat for now.
The other three were closing in. Kurama could vaguely sense something off about them. For safety's sake, running was the smarter choice.
Charge in recklessly?
Please. I, Kurama, am a fox who's read books.
Even limited to three tails, once he decided to bolt, his speed in Tailed Beast Mode was terrifying. Those four chasing him? Wishful thinking.
Hmph. Just wait until I break free of the seal. Then we'll see who dies.
…
"Haah…"
"Life suddenly got boring again~"
Sam sprawled across the sofa, boredom written all over his face.
While the Super Dimensional Mercenary Guild was upgrading, he genuinely had nothing to do. He couldn't even read manga anymore.
"Wisdom King, how's your analysis of Hell going?"
With nothing better to occupy him, Sam decided to check on the little world he'd acquired.
"Analysis complete. Several functional applications of Hell have been identified."
"Applications?" Sam blinked. "Hell has usage methods?"
"…"
"Go on."
Since he was bored anyway, he might as well learn more about his "mini world."
"Function One: Every soul taken into Hell, when it enters reincarnation, sheds most of its soul power. What reincarnates is the pure, essential core of the soul."
"The shed soul power remains behind, becoming part of Hell itself. It transforms into nether energy, expanding and strengthening Hell."
"…I knew it!" Sam slapped his thigh. "Even if someone reincarnates, there's no way a massive soul just fits into a baby the size of a loaf of bread. So that's how it works."
"Though your focus is… unconventional, your understanding is correct."
"So if I collect more ghosts into my Hell and let them reincarnate, Hell grows bigger and stronger?"
"Yes. And since Hell belongs to you, the stronger and larger it becomes, the stronger you become."
"Furthermore, the bodies and souls you absorb—everything they cultivated in life, their abilities, their power—you can obtain through Hell."
"However, all of it requires analysis and conversion."
"…Isn't this just straight-up cheating?"
Actually—
No, it absolutely was cheating.
So that's it.
No wonder after his trip to the Douluo world, his strength had inexplicably skyrocketed.
"By your logic, if I drag someone with a Sharingan into Hell, I could get their Sharingan too?"
"Yes."
Sam went silent for a moment.
"…Damn. So Hell is basically Rimuru's Gluttonous King."
The Wisdom King paused. "There are differences, but that comparison is acceptable."
Sam immediately tried summoning the martial souls of the soul masters he'd absorbed into Hell.
And sure enough, he could.
But…
They were useless.
Weak as hell.
"....."