8
Girls Should Seize Their Own Future
Time flew by swiftly, and three months had already passed since the cheat code awakened.
During this period, Luke’s daily life appeared largely unchanged on the surface, but in reality, it was packed to the brim.
Apart from spending one or two hours each day forging, he dedicated most of his remaining time to refining chakra, occasionally visiting Ichiraku Ramen to bond with Ayame.
Even after returning home at night, he had tasks to attend to. Aside from sleeping, he needed to practice the demon arts that Shinigami Luke had memorized but hadn’t had the chance to practice yet.
Limited by the environment, he focused mainly on Binding Arts, while practicing Destructive Arts in the mysterious space. As for Healing Arts, Shinigami Luke hadn’t learned them yet, but given the importance of healing techniques, he mentioned he would catch up as soon as possible.
This was also part of his duty.
Yes, duty.
During a recent meeting, the Lukes had discussed and agreed that someone should always be present in the mysterious space as much as possible, since the timing of each world’s Luke arriving there didn’t seem to follow any specific pattern.
If a Luke were in danger, having awakened the cheat code only to meet misfortune because no one was around would be a tragedy. After all, they were all connected by the same roots, and they had to ensure their own benefits.
The only challenge at the moment was the small number of Lukes, making the initial shifts somewhat strenuous.
Shinigami Luke took on the majority of the guard duty, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. This was partly because his self-study progress at the Shin’ō Academy had already surpassed that of his peers, earning him the reputation of a top student, so sleeping in class wasn’t a big issue. Secondly, he wanted to be the first to greet any new Lukes.
He refused to believe that all the newcomers would be freeloaders.
He was certain he’d eventually encounter a powerhouse.
What gambler loses every single time?
Pirate Luke was responsible for the shift from 8 p.m. to midnight. He chose this timeframe due to the daily routines in the pirate world. Although pirate crews often partied around bonfires at night, ordinary people generally rested after sunset.
Why? Because there was no electric lighting.
Pirate Luke had also complained about the bizarre technological tree in the pirate world. While biological and mechanical technologies were advanced enough to create artificial humans, and military forces had submarines and such, civilian technology seemed to have regressed to the last century. Communication relied entirely on Den Den Mushi, and electric lights weren’t even widespread, leaving oil lamps as the primary source of light at night.
Naruto Luke’s shift was from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. During this time, he practiced Destructive Arts in the space while waiting for newcomers.
Over the three months, the Lukes from different worlds had doubled their strength.
The combined energy of Naruto Luke’s refined chakra and Shinigami Luke’s spiritual pressure was approximately 0.7 cards. Through practice, Naruto Luke could now use demon arts up to number thirty without incantations.
Shinigami Luke hadn’t learned the subsequent demon arts yet, as he had been intensely focusing on flash step during this period.
Pirate Luke’s physical fitness had also improved. Although he hadn’t been in actual combat, according to Koshiro’s assessment, his current physique surpassed that of many sword masters. However, his swordsmanship progress was only moderate.
This was because his current strength was such that a single strike would send his sparring senior flying, leaving no room for actual combat experience, and thus no way to refine his techniques.
It was at this moment that Luke suddenly realized he seemed to have transitioned from cannon fodder to a mere foot soldier.
His powerful physique combined with the flash step made him highly capable whether in ambushes, direct assaults, or escapes. With a 0.7-chakra capacity unburdened by the Sharingan, he was quite exceptional, and his robust vitality ensured endurance wasn’t a weakness either.
The soul strength accumulated from Death Gods and other Lukes was substantial—unless faced with exceptionally powerful illusions, most wouldn’t affect him much.
In terms of attributes alone, aside from some deficiency in offensive power, his stats already surpassed those of an ordinary Jonin. He excelled in endurance and resilience, matched them in agility, and only potentially fell short in burst damage and real combat experience.
It was a pity no newcomers had arrived in these three months, otherwise he could have advanced further.
…
Summer mornings arrived unusually early.
After exchanging shared memories with the on-duty Death God Luke, Luke left the mysterious space and slowly opened his eyes.
“Brother, time to get up!”
As usual, Chuan Guang came to wake him. When Luke opened the door, he found the child staring at him with sparkling eyes while waving a hand.
“What is it?” Luke looked utterly confused.
Chuan Guang puffed out his cheeks. “Today’s my sixth birthday. You didn’t forget, did you, brother?”
“…”
Watching his brother’s smile fade and his mouth pucker up, on the verge of tears, Luke quickly grabbed the unused sword from the corner.
“Of course not! Look what this is?”
“Wow! Thank you, brother!”
Chuan Guang’s eyes instantly lit up. He hugged the sword—nearly as tall as he was—as if wanting to kiss it.
But when he tried to swing it, he found the sword too heavy and long for his small arms and legs to handle.
“Oops, I forgot to get one your size. Looks like you can’t really use it.”
Chuan Guang nodded dejectedly. “Seems so. What do we do now?”
Luke shrugged, taking the sword back. “Nothing for it—I’ll use it then.”
“But my birthday gift…”
“I’ll buy you a smaller, lighter wooden sword later.”
Those toy swords wouldn’t cost more than two hundred ryo, far cheaper than this Ninja Tool Sword made of special materials.
“A wooden sword…” Chuan Guang’s excitement visibly deflated.
“Tell you what, I’ll also treat you to a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. That way, you get two gifts! Trading one for two—you’re coming out ahead, right?”
Considering he hadn’t visited Ayame in a while, Luke figured he should drop by. An extra pair of chopsticks didn’t matter; it’d cost less than a hundred ryo anyway.
Chuan Guang counted on his fingers, glancing at the sword in Luke’s hand. Two was indeed more than one, so why did he feel shortchanged?
“Got two birthday gifts, and you’re not thanking your brother?”
Luke patted his head, cutting off his pondering. The kid was sometimes foolish, other times shrewd.
Chuan Guang nodded glumly. “Thanks, brother.”
…
After changing clothes, the two headed straight to Ichiraku Ramen.
It wasn’t breakfast rush, so the shop was quiet. Soon, Ayame brought two steaming bowls of hand-pulled ramen, piled high with toppings as always.
Setting down the bowls, she said with a hint of melancholy, “Luke, you haven’t come by in days.”
“Been a bit busy at home lately.”
“Is that so… I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore.” Ayame sighed, her gaze tinged with wistfulness.
With the cheat code activated and charm enhanced, Luke’s already handsome face received a further upgrade.
Last time when he came for noodles, Ayame had barely served the bowl before all three seats at Luke’s table were occupied.
What a bunch of bitches!
Ayame’s gaze fell upon Luke’s dashingly elegant face, then drifted down to the well-defined chest muscles outlined beneath his loose robe.
Tsk, he really does have such a provocative body. No wonder those bitches crowded so close—they must have been lured by this indecent appearance.
She gritted her teeth secretly, deciding to show less restraint and take more initiative from now on.
These days, waiting passively for men to pursue you is no longer fashionable. Rather than letting other bitches seize the opportunity, she’d take the initiative herself to solidify the relationship first.