"Praise!"
Ma Jun let out a low shout. A jade-like glow flashed across his back in a sweep of white light.
His arm immediately changed shape as well.
The skin and muscles along his entire arm turned almost jade-white, carrying a glossy, polished texture.
Moments later, it gradually returned to normal.
"Bigger!"
"Smaller!"
Ma Jun discovered that his arm could freely change size according to his will.
At its maximum, it could swell to three times its original size.
He played around with it happily—this change sparked all sorts of practical ideas in his mind.
Perhaps… all of them could really be realized.
Then, on a whim, he tried altering the form of his arm.
Under the influence of his thoughts, the surface of his arm began to shift dramatically.
At times, rows of sharp reverse barbs grew out.
At other times, intricate textures appeared, clearly designed to increase friction.
"Good stuff!"
"This is way too practical!"
Even Ma Jun couldn't help but marvel repeatedly.
The new functions of [Praise] were simply outrageous.
It could even be attached to the face and turned into a mask.
That meant disguise was now possible as well.
Incredibly convenient.
While Ma Jun was having fun experimenting, Beilei was practically staring herself cross-eyed.
Watching his arm constantly morph, she involuntarily recalled certain memories.
Her chest tightened, waves of heat rushed upward, and she let out a small, embarrassed yelp as she turned her head away.
So close—
If she stared any longer, she might really faint again.
She patted her chest, trying to calm herself.
Ma Jun turned his head, gave Beilei a strange look, and felt helpless.
This girl really had her head full of those kinds of thoughts.
With [Praise] successfully upgraded, one of Ma Jun's concerns was finally settled.
If he wanted to upgrade it further, he'd need to devour three higher-grade spores.
He immediately thought of Lady Akuna.
There should be one inside her body as well.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
Lady Akuna's whereabouts were still unknown, and Ma Jun had other things to do.
He needed to gather ingredients.
The dragonfish and fragrant pork collected earlier had all been eaten by the girls, so he needed fresh supplies.
Fortunately, there was now one more helper following him around.
With three sisters working together, the efficiency of gathering ingredients increased dramatically.
His backpack had ten slots. He'd tested it before—
One slot could store five portions of [Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish], or two portions of [Aromatic Pork Chop].
Taking into account cooking time, ingredient handling, and potential selling price, Ma Jun decisively chose to reserve three slots for [Aromatic Pork Chop], filling the rest entirely with [Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish].
It was the optimal plan after weighing all factors.
After making the decision, Ma Jun set a strict schedule for the three sisters.
Since staying outdoors too long would cause fatigue, the three rotated gathering ingredients, then turned everything in to Ma Jun.
Ma Jun was responsible for cooking.
Once the work was divided, everyone got busy enthusiastically.
During the day, the three sisters fished or slaughtered pigs outside.
Ma Jun found a warm spot and grilled meat over charcoal.
At night, the three sisters would decide a "lucky one" through rock–paper–scissors, earning the chance for intimate contact with Ma Jun.
The days passed peacefully, warmly, and fulfillingly.
In the blink of an eye, four days flew by.
Ma Jun opened his item inventory and looked at the purple items filling more than half of it, feeling extremely satisfied.
Not bad.
Every single one was purple-tier.
That was money—lots of it!
Over four days, excluding the food eaten daily by the girls, he'd collected a total of twenty portions of [Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish] and five portions of [Aromatic Pork Chop].
His inventory was already more than half full.
Just thinking about how much these would sell for made Ma Jun feel refreshed.
On the evening of the fourth day, Ma Jun was sitting by the grill, drinking plum wine he'd brewed himself while biting into a skewer of grilled fish.
That was when he heard approaching footsteps.
He followed the sound and looked over, slightly surprised by who he saw.
It was Jiang Han.
The normally cold, expressionless girl now had a flicker of nervousness in her eyes.
"Ma Jun."
She called his name, then fell silent.
"Something up?"
Ma Jun took a bite of fragrant fish, asking through a mouthful of food.
"I… I came to thank you."
Jiang Han finally made up her mind and spoke the words she'd been holding back for days.
"If it weren't for you that day, I'd probably have died in the dungeon."
"You saved my life."
Ma Jun's eyes instantly lit up.
It's here!
The legendary life-saving grace!
If the savior was handsome, it would lead to a promise of one's body in return.
If not, then it was a vow to repay the debt in the next life as an ox or horse.
Which one would he get?
He was very much looking forward to it.
If the person standing here weren't Jiang Han, but her mother or aunt, he wouldn't even need to think about the answer.
There were simply too many older sisters and aunts expressing very intimate intentions toward him already.
What he really yearned for—
Was friendship with lolis and girls his own age!
The black-haired, straight-backed girl before him—
Whether in looks or figure—was undoubtedly top-tier among her peers.
Ma Jun felt his spirits lift all at once.
Could it be…
That he was about to unlock the achievement of being confessed to by someone his own age—for the very first time in his life?!
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