"Ah~ I am spent!" declared Yuuki, flopping down on his bed, arms wide spread, back sinking into the mattress like a man who had just conquered the world.
A towel rested loosely on his shoulder—he was freshly out of the bath, and his hair, still damp, was swept back, drops of water trailing down the side of his neck. Steam still clung faintly to his skin, his body warm and relaxed from the heat.
His blue eyes were shining with a glint of satisfaction as he looked over the progress he had made—not just in strength, but in purpose. His lips curled into a faint grin.
He could say, without hesitation, that he was having the time of his life. Because who wouldn't…? I mean, he was ready to fight even the gods if he got this kind of reward, you know—from the girls. Pleasure and power hand-in-hand. It was the stuff of dreams.
But anyways, he wasn't this happy just because of the rewards he got from the soft tsundere Himari. No, he couldn't let it get to his head. What made him even more overjoyed—what truly filled his chest with pride—was that he had finally, one hundred percent, unlocked the first chakra of his. The first gate. The root chakra.
And there were various changes that had happened to his body—both externally and internally.
He stood up and pulled off his loose T-shirt, revealing the work of days carved into flesh. He stood before a mirror about the size of his torso, the faint light of the room falling over his toned frame.
And what came into view was something that would have made him a celebrity back on Earth, just for existing like this.
A physique like the old man Arnold in his prime—not bulky yet, but well on the way. He was growing bigger and stronger day by day, like a forged blade being tempered in fire.
In just four days, his height had increased by four centimetres. It was insane when you thought about it. His lanky figure, which had once been lean and just a step above average for his age, had now refined itself into something sharp and packed with explosive strength.
His muscles were ripped, veins starting to show like cords under his skin. He flexed his biceps, striking a playful pose in the mirror. Then he turned and showed off his ten-pack abs—because yes, it was ten now.
Then he twisted and admired his back muscles—broad and strong, like a beast in the making.
He was behaving like a kind of self-obsessed man, staring at himself, posing, admiring. But really, why wouldn't he?
When the dream physique you always dreamt of—so far out of reach all your life—was now suddenly yours, there was no reason not to celebrate it.
He would fawn over himself a little, and honestly, there's no problem in having self-love. On the flip side, it was boosting his self-confidence. For a man, the body is a point of pride—a monument of effort—and muscles are like medals earned from pain.
And it reflects on their personality well. Very well. The force of testosterone surging through him made him feel alive.
Yuuki, however, still had a hard time calling the energy that originates at the base of his spine as Kundalini every time. It kind of sounded foreign to the tongue—too spiritual, too delicate.
So he just started using the word Mana for it instead. It was easier. Felt more natural to him. More... shounen.
He then stepped back a little and removed his pants, now standing only in a tight, V-shaped underwear. His cock strained against the fabric, a huge bulge formed there—stirred by pride more than lust.
He resumed checking his muscles, flexing different groups as his mind wandered again to his root chakra—the first gate.
After the first day of training with Himari, he had felt that his control over mana manipulation had increased all of a sudden. Something clicked. His awareness sharpened, his senses grew faster, and a thread of understanding began to unspool.
So, without wasting any time, still in the Whirlwind form—where his senses were heightened, his instincts honed for speed, and his perception nearly doubled—he guided his energy all over his body. He passed it through the first gate, which, he realized, provides mana with an element.
It might be a little complex to understand, but think of it like this:
His mana—untouched, raw, and untainted—was elementless and pure.
So, if he used that mana and circulated it through his body, the effects would be basic but vital—recovery of stamina, restoration of vitality, and minor healing.
Meaning, mana itself isn't all-powerful… or rather, even if it is, Yuuki wasn't at that level yet.
But the thing is, the seven chakras govern all elements present in the world—be it the soul, or even concepts like space and time.
And there are seven steps to them—something like a staircase to transcendence.
Anyways, without the first gate, the other gates were impossible to open. The root is the foundation—the rock upon which everything else is built. It prepares the body and soul to accommodate the strain and power that the second gate and beyond will bring.
So the foremost and most important was the first gate. To open it, he had only one choice.
To follow the technique he had read and used in his past life—a technique that had helped him tremendously, a method born from grit and blood.
It had been almost two weeks since he started this chakra awakening training. And today, it felt easy—a testament to just how far he'd come. But easy didn't mean effortless. It only meant he had earned it.
He had worked himself to the bones. The first gate was associated with the Earth element—power and strength. To awaken it, he had to become Earth itself.
So, from a freshly mined-out iron ore, he had to refine himself over and over again. Again and again, he would push himself to the absolute edge—until he vomited stomach acid and blood. His hands and knees scraped raw. His muscles screamed for mercy.
He walked and did his tasks barefoot—even on jagged, desolate cliffs. Even when his feet bled, when the skin was scraped off and small pebbles stabbed into his soles like thorns, he couldn't give up.
Not when he knew for sure that the results that awaited him would be out of this world. Not when he had the chance to be the first man in this world—the first human to awaken without relying on the peaches.
That craze alone, the ambition burning inside him, was enough to fuel his every step.
And just like a wise man once said: a hundred strikes of a goldsmith are useless in front of a single strike of a blacksmith.
And he—Yuuki—was able to withstand the constant strikes of the blacksmith, like iron in the furnace, refining and taking shape with every blow.
And thus, to say his gains were "satisfying" would be an understatement.
They were proof of his rebirth.
•••
After admiring his body in the mirror, Yuuki didn't bother putting on his pants or t-shirt. He flopped onto the bed just like that—bare, relaxed, and oddly satisfied.
His skin was a little tanned now, spotless and smooth. That was because the moment the First Gate had opened, his body had been purified—every cell, every drop of blood, flushed of filth and impurities.
A thick, black goo-like substance had been expelled from every pore and hole in his body. The pain that came with it was far from mild. In fact, it was horrifying. His bones had creaked, his veins had burned, and for a moment he thought he might scream. But he bore it.
His joints had been reinforced by new energy. His muscles had grown, but instead of bloating, they had compressed—refined and efficient. His skin, too, had toughened while somehow gaining flexibility beyond any human level. It was a body sculpted for battle… and maybe a little bit for admiration too.
His chest had broadened, his shoulders now wide and sturdy—it gave him a look that was reliable, dependable, even heroic. A warrior in disguise.
And all of this… had happened without the girls knowing a thing.
They'd already gone to bed by the time he made the decision. After dinner, once he'd finished cleaning and checking everything, he snuck into the onsen alone. There, he poured every last drop of mana he had into the nearly-fully-open First Gate—finally pushing it beyond its limits.
It wasn't like he didn't want to tell the girls about this new, incredible power. If he revealed it to them, especially women as naturally talented as they were, they might even awaken the same transformation in a matter of days.
Maybe then, they could finally take their revenge on the Shuuki. Maybe they could even destroy the Mato dimension itself, burning it down to ash.
Or… it could go the other way.
Not someone like Kyouka—she only went insane when it came to Shuuki. She was usually kind and composed otherwise. But the higher-ups? The women at the top of the system? They might see this power as dangerous. They might declare it as something meant to stay exclusive to women. They might use it as another reason to keep men down, lower than pets, barely above tools.
No. Yuuki didn't consider himself greedy for wanting to keep this power to himself for now. Maybe in the future, he'd teach it to his wife, to his children—as a legacy. But right now, he couldn't risk it.
And if push came to shove, he could always say it was a side effect of Kyouka's "Slave" ability. That alone was enough of a cover.
Because Yuuki wasn't dense.
He could see it in their eyes—how they looked at him. Especially Himari, even though he'd spent the least amount of time with her. She didn't treat him like a meat shield. Her words and actions didn't match, and that was… really cute.
Then there was Shushu.
She was a rare breed. Too bold and too forward for her own good, yet it only made her more charming. Yuuki could never be so clueless as to miss those subtle, love-bitten glances she gave him. Her clinginess. Her casual touches.
She was loud, sure, but from Yuuki's perspective, she was the definition of a protagonist in danger of getting NTR'd—just for not confessing her feelings in time and waiting too long to "match" someone else's level.
And that, in Yuuki's opinion, was the dumbest thing anyone could do.
If you're in love with someone, and if the feeling is mutual, why hesitate? Why delay? Why force yourself to "catch up" to some imaginary standard? If they truly like you for who you are, they'll accept you. They might even walk the path of growth together with you, using each other as pillars of support.
That was the ideal. The best-case scenario, in his nerdy, right-handed-man logic.
But there was also the worst-case.
The dumbest thing you could do was keep your feelings hidden and go on some lonely self-improvement arc. By the time you returned, the person you loved might already be in the arms of someone you hate.
That's why it was better to make your feelings known. If you got rejected with a dumb excuse, that just meant they weren't into you. Move on. Improve. Try again with someone who sees your worth.
Or better—ask for time. Grow together. Live honestly.
In the end, it all depended on the person.
Thinking about all that dumb emotional stuff, sleep came early to Yuuki. His body was tired, his heart full, and his mind drifting.
But before sleep took him, he made a quiet vow.
To push Shushu's buttons tomorrow.
To shake her out of her illogical fears.
To show her that she didn't need to hold back from the happiness she deserved.