Ayano struggled to contain his thoughts, feeling them about to burst.
Perhaps thanks to Hana's, Somiya's, and Shima's abilities, he had acquired everything he needed to build an invincible force in this world.
Ayano quickly tested his two copying abilities, gaining six fusion abilities. He felt he could copy any of his abilities with each one, as long as they didn't exceed A-level. In other words, he couldn't copy S-level abilities.
'Hmm, maybe because the ability is A-level!' '
Suddenly, Ayano's watch rang.
He checked it and saw that Amano was calling.
Amano told him she missed him and that she had successfully evolved to Level 1.
Ayano sent her the address of the Goddess Consort Sect building so they could meet there. Then he called everyone who had joined the guild and asked them to assemble.
Half an hour later, all the current guild members had gathered:
Itsuki Shima, the sect leader, Level 2 evolved
Mojikawa Mashima, the alchemist, Level 2 evolved, and her daughter, Majimi, Level 1 evolved
Misaki, the teacher, Level 2 evolved
The three Segawa sisters, all Level 1 evolved
Inori Amano, a second-year university student who had already evolved to Level 1
Finally, Hirakata Sumiya, who turned out to be Level 2 as well
Ayano hugged everyone and spoke happily with them.
Shima told him that she had registered the guild under the name "Flower Palace" the previous day and was deeply moved.
For years, she had operated secretly and illegally because she lacked official members and feared that she might recruit random people who would betray her or reveal her treasure. But everything changed after Ayano's arrival.
Shima gazed at Ayano with satisfaction, then her expression turned serious when she saw him lost in thought.
"Patriarch, are you alright?"
"Yes, Shima, I'm fine! Please lead everyone to the meeting room."
Inside the meeting room, the women gazed at Ayano with some concern. They saw him lost in thought, his face unusually serious.
Ayano looked around, and sensing their unease, he smiled and spoke softly.
"Do you want to become stronger? Do you want the chance to rise higher and change this situation?"
"If you do, and your answer is yes, then you will remain in this room now."
"From this moment forward, you will be, forever, part of my family. We will protect one another, but no one can even think of leaving or betraying us!"
After Ayano's words, the women looked at each other as he gave them time to think.
He had already decided that he would not act like the heroes in the stories he knew, those selfish individuals who only knew how to strengthen themselves and develop their abilities without any regard for those around them.
Unlike them, he cared for his women, and he would certainly empower them alongside him; he would not leave them behind.
He had always admired that proverb in the Xianxia novels that said when a man achieves immortality, even his chickens and dogs ascend.
For him, these women held the same place as his real wives. And he would certainly hold a formal ceremony for them when the time was right.
At that moment, the alluring Yoshino Ayaka walked behind Ayano and lightly stroked his temples with her Quirk. "Ayano, you know we love you!"
"We may not have spent much time together, but we're not fools. We see in your eyes, along with your desire, genuine appreciation, admiration, and a desire to protect us."
"I can vouch for that!" Somiya spoke up. "I may be the newest member of this group, but I'm deeply affected by you and want to settle down with you, even though for years I avoided all kinds of commitments and restrictions."
"Well then! You'll never regret choosing to trust me!"
Realizing that everyone would stay, Ayano smiled happily and slowly stood up. "Shima, come with me!"
Ayano led Shima to the main room and told her he had a way to enhance her Quirk.
"I'm not sure of the results, Shima, but would you like to take a chance?"
Shima immediately agreed and stared at Ayano with longing.
Ayano began working cautiously, copying her ability six times, giving her seven abilities. He then tried combining them, but nothing happened.
This time, he copied his own ability six times as well, and this time he managed to obtain a D-grade ability after combining ten E-grade abilities.
Ayano gave the ability to Shima, then obtained it as the Flower Master ability and copied it six times for both of them, bringing the total back to fourteen abilities.
This time, Ayano was unable to obtain a C-grade ability, and nothing happened after the combination.
Ayano thought for a while, then summoned the three men and rendered them unconscious. Afterward, he stole their abilities and replaced them with F-grade abilities.
"Hmph!" Ayano obtained two F-grade bloodline abilities, but the third ability of the one who tried to attack Karin immediately caught his attention.
[Copied Ability #11: F-grade Energy-Absorbing Parasite Vine
- The spirit of the vine parasite takes shape and grows with the user.
- The vine absorbs the energy of any element and gives it to the user.]
'Oh!' 'An interesting ability!'
'That bastard seems to have developed rapidly thanks to it!'
Forget his thoughts, Ayano worked quickly, and thanks to the three men, they had 35 identical D-Class abilities. After combining 20 of them, he obtained a C-Class ability.
He repeated the process, and they all possessed 35 C-Class abilities, but they still didn't reach the required number for a B-Class ability.
'Hmm, it seems to be doubling!'
'So, to create an S-Class ability, I'll need 160 A-Class abilities.'
'I need help from the crumbs!' '
After making some calculations, Shima slowly left the room, deep in thought, while Misaki entered.
Shima didn't answer the girls' questions, smiling faintly and simply saying, "You'll know everything once you come in!"
Ayano summoned the girls one by one, upgrading all their abilities to at least Grade C for those who didn't possess them—except for Amano, Someya, Mashima, and Majimi.
Then, they all worked together, upgrading their abilities to Grade B when they collected 40 Grade C abilities, and then to Grade A when they collected 80 Grade B abilities.
Finally, they reached the maximum, combining 84 abilities with Ayano's cloning abilities and 175 abilities after Someya copied their two abilities.
During the process, Soumya stared at what was happening, her mouth agape in astonishment.
She had understood the value of her ability years ago, which is why she had avoided revealing it or giving away any information about it. But only now did she realize its true horror and how she still underestimated it.
Meanwhile, Ayano, realizing he needed more girls, postponed the matter. He didn't want to bring in the students; they were still too young, and keeping this secret would be more of a burden than a help.
He would allow them to train and endure some hardship during this period, but he would certainly stop if they faced any real danger.
Ayano then considered the second problem: how to deal with the extra abilities everyone had gained as a result of their actions.
Perhaps he could leave the extra abilities for his women, but he certainly wouldn't leave them for the three men.
Suddenly, Ayano remembered the energy-absorbing parasite ability and described how it absorbed energy from any element.
He tested the ability on one of the men and felt something inside him that sent a feeling of hunger, and he also felt he could absorb any of their abilities.
After further experimentation, Ayano discovered the limits of the ability and how difficult it was to absorb higher-grade abilities. So, he collaborated with the girls to develop it to Grade A.
[The Ability] Copy #11: The Parasitic Vine Energy Absorber Grade A
- The Vine Parasitic's soul forms and grows with the user.
- The Vine absorbs the energy of any element and gives it to the user.
He restored the girls' normal abilities, then absorbed all their extra abilities.
At that moment, Ayano felt an intense surge of energy flood his body and every cell.
"Do you need special abilities?"
After Ayano asked the girls, they stared at each other and then sighed sadly.
"Ayano, perhaps having all these abilities is a problem for us!"
The group explained how the extra abilities made them feel bloated, gave them headaches, and caused them pain.
Ayano quickly realized that his guess about upgrading the abilities themselves, rather than replacing them, was correct. Not everyone was as strange as him, or perhaps the Flower Master's ability was what set him apart.
After addressing the problem and absorbing their extra abilities, Ayano successfully upgraded his guild's capabilities. They formed a small team of Grade A-level occupiers and quickly divided their tasks.
Misaki's role would be recruitment.
The role of Ayaka is the healer, especially after her abilities have developed and become perfected.
Both Mashima and Sumiya are responsible for financial support, and Mashima will also take Asaka under her wing and teach her alchemy.
Shima will be responsible for managing the guild and assisting all the teams.
The rest will form the guild's fighting team, which currently consists of four people: Tsukino, Yuki, Majimi, and Amano.
Tsukino will be the team leader, and Majimi will be her deputy.
The structure is still empty, but at least it exists, and future expansion will be much easier.
The group trained a little on the first underground floor and enthusiastically tested their new abilities.
Ayano also enjoyed himself with his women. He was full of energy and couldn't think of a better way to release it, which the women welcomed. Previously, they had been focused on leveling up their abilities, but now they were free to relax and simply enjoy themselves.
Three hours later, Ayano finished his lunch, bid the girls farewell with a broad, satisfied smile.
He had physically evolved and used the girls' presence to develop all his abilities to an A-level. His organization had finally taken shape, and the potential of its members had grown, filling him with confidence and optimism for the future. His ambition had also increased significantly.
It had been almost a week since he had fully consciously arrived in this world, and he already had four Level 2 Advancers.
This was no small feat. The fact that Mashima and Shima were alchemists and Sumiya was a merchant didn't mean they weren't skilled fighters. The foundation of their combat was their bodies, which had evolved after absorbing mana. Abilities were merely supplementary.
That's why everyone in this world was skilled at fighting. Those with combat abilities might have an advantage, but it wasn't absolute. A good weapon or a higher level of development would completely negate it.
As he strolled around, Ayano passed by Mashima's building and noticed the blond boy, Leo, staring sadly around.
'Hmm!' '
'I think that game of the king, or something, made Lady Fortune smile on me today!'
Ayano moved swiftly toward Leo and then rendered him unconscious without him noticing a thing.
He immediately used the power of the Plundering Soul Hand, and a wide smile spread across his face.
[Copied Ability #47: Yang-Eating Giant Bloodline, Grade S / Requires 0/10,000 Yang Units to evolve
- The body evolves, becoming stronger, larger, and more robust.
- Bloodline Form Transformation: Transforms into a form that is half human and half possesses all the characteristics of the Yang-Eating Giant Bloodline.]
'Oh! Is this another Grade S ability?!'
'And it can evolve too?!'
Ayano carefully examined the unique evolution feature of this ability and discovered that the Yang Unit was an element he could see in all men.
He checked his own Yang Unit and saw a value of 8, then Leo's and found it to be 3.
He then randomly examined the men around him and immediately understood the reason for the difference in value and its characteristics.
'Hmm! The average man has 1 Yang Unit, while hentai heroes have a higher value, and it seems it might represent sexual desire or potency!' '
Having arrived at this deduction, Ayano left one Yang unit for Yu to calm down a bit, along with an A-grade Yui ability, and then left, overjoyed.
'I've finally figured out how to get rid of them.'
Ayano considered several individuals within his girls' families and racked his brains to find a suitable way to deal with them. He didn't want to kill or coldly kidnap them.
Now Ayano had found the perfect solution to make them act normally and not hinder his plans.