Chapter 30: Extended Stay  

"Here."

Akame, chewing on roasted meat, suddenly spat out her first bite and snatched the skewer from her sister's hand. She offered both skewers to Broly.

"Aren't you eating?"

Broly was confused.

"We are, but you eat first."

"I have plenty here."

Broly gestured to the large leaf in front of him, piled high with offerings from the others.

"We want to acknowledge you as our leader."

Akame said seriously. Life as a wandering orphan with her sister was too hard. She wanted someone to rely on.

Clearly, she had overheard the chubby boy's words about acknowledging a leader. After some thought, and before the meat reached her mouth, Akame's rationality overcame her hunger. She decided to offer the first bite to Broly, along with her sister Kurome's share.

**[Kurome's happiness value is decreasing.]**

"You're already my best friends. You don't need to give me meat..."

**[Akame's happiness value is decreasing.]**

**[Kurome's happiness value is increasing.]**

Broly paused, then offered his own skewer: "How about this? I'll eat your meat, and you eat mine. We'll exchange."

**[Akame's happiness value increases.]**

**[Kurome's happiness value increases.]**

Akame agreed, as if sealing some unspoken pact, and took Broly's skewer.

Unbothered by the fact that Broly had already taken a bite, Akame began eating.

Kurome, seeing the skewer returned, also brightened up. Like a little squirrel, she held the skewer with both hands and nibbled away.

Though the sisters ate differently, their speed was similar—both were fast.

Soon, the large skewers were clean.

They sat by the bonfire, waiting for the next batch of meat to roast.

"Want to eat some of mine first?"

Broly offered. He ate faster than both sisters combined.

But with so much meat and more skewers constantly being brought to him, he had plenty to share.

"Isn't that too much?"

Akame was more reserved, but two minutes later...

"Who roasted this? It's delicious, with a sweet flavor."

"I did. I soaked the meat in nectar before roasting."

A girl named Tsukushi raised her hand. Before her family was killed by bandits, she had often watched her mother prepare meat. She was one of the few who had some culinary skills before becoming a homeless child.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She asked, worried.

"No, you're amazing!"

Hearing that her meat was delicious, Broly immediately snatched the remaining portion of Akame's skewer.

The exceptional flavor triggered a new thought in his mind.

"What does 'amazing' mean?"

Before Tsukushi could fully grasp the situation, Broly rushed over and shoved a bunch of skewers into her hands.

"Let's swap!"

In return, Broly took her roasted meat.

The BBQ lasted late into the night. The other children had long since eaten their fill, but Broly was still hungry. He finished off the remaining food by himself.

Two years. It had been two years since he'd eaten like this.

"Tonight, we'll rest here, but it's dangerous. We'll take turns keeping watch..."

Before Nahashu could finish his sentence about taking shifts for the night watch, Broly, now full and satisfied, fired an energy blast at a nearby giant tree.

The Jifunora Sea Tree Forest earned its name because of its countless towering trees.

Based on Broly's experience as a cave dweller on Planet Vampa, living higher up could help avoid many dangers.

The dense canopy was obliterated by the energy blast. Broly returned to the ground and said to the group, "You can sleep up there with me."

Great and powerful, this big brother was very reliable, directly solving the issue of where to sleep.

Of course, the trees weren't entirely safe, but compared to the rustling sounds below and the occasional glowing eyes in the distance, it was much safer.

"It's so high. I don't think I can climb that."

However, the terrifying height of the tree, now missing its canopy, intimidated some of the children who weren't confident in their climbing abilities.

"You can't fly?"

Broly scratched his head.

"Are you saying flying is normal for people?!"

The group didn't speak, but it felt like they were all thinking the same thing.

"Fine, I'll take you up."

Seeing their reactions, Broly finally remembered that people in other worlds usually couldn't fly.

After two years of flying on Planet Vampa, his brain had become a bit addled, constantly thinking about speed, speed, and more speed.

Grabbing two sturdy vines, Broly made four trips up and down the tree, carrying all seventy-three children to the top.

The tree's cross-section was wide, and though not entirely flat, the core was surprisingly soft, almost like a mattress.

Without torches, the moonlight from the highest tree provided enough light.

Broly thought for a moment, then went to a nearby tree to gather some large leaves, which he handed out to the children as makeshift blankets.

The night wasn't silent, of course. These children had endured much suffering at the hands of the slave traders.

Before becoming commodities, their backgrounds varied. Some had been sold by their parents, others had become orphans due to misfortune, and some had been kidnapped.

The sound of sobbing and the occasional comforting words between siblings kept Broly awake. He didn't fully understand the struggles of these children, who seemed to long for a home or to return to one.

[So, this isn't home?]

Broly wondered, but no one answered.

After some thought, he gave up and turned his attention to the Crystal Palace.

This time, the duration he could stay in this world was...

"62 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes, and 22 seconds?"

"Huh? Why so long?"

[Notice: This world does not possess a subjective will that rejects outsiders. Therefore, the Crystal Palace does not need to expend additional spatial energy to counteract it.]

[Note: Since each world's passive rejection force varies, the duration of stay in different worlds will also differ. However, more spatial energy will allow for a longer duration of stay.]

Having more time in this world was excellent news. Satisfied, Broly fell asleep.

The next morning, Broly was awakened by a commotion. An early-rising bird-like danger beast had spotted them in the tree.

Birds didn't rely on smell to detect danger, so it attacked. Fortunately, Nahashu, a light sleeper, noticed it first and scared it off with a loud shout, also waking the other children.

By the time Broly got up, some of the more capable children were already grappling with the large bird that had landed on the tree.

One of them was Lothar, the chubby boy from last night. He was strong and had rushed to the front, but unfortunately, the bird had targeted him first.

"Lothar!"

The bird's talons gripped him, but he resisted with all his might. The children who had just met him the night before called out his name.

Some rushed to help, but their small knives couldn't penetrate the bird's thick feathers.

Stabbing at its talons was equally futile—the layered feathers was as hard as thick wood, and the children's strength only allowed them to scratch the surface.

Broly, yawning, walked over. This new world seemed like a great place—food came to him even before he was fully awake.

"Step aside!"

Casually uttering the words that suddenly popped into his mind, Broly stepped forward as the children made way.

The bird, using the chubby boy as bait to lure in rescuers, didn't expect Broly to act so quickly.

Broly grabbed its talon, and despite the bird's incredulous look—as if to say, "What good will that do?"—he lifted it up.

Broly began swinging the bird, slamming it against the surrounding trees.

After just a few hits, the bird twitched and died.

"Breakfast is served."

Pointing at the dead bird, Broly announced to the children, who cheered.

Though they had seen Broly hunt danger beasts the day before, witnessing it again filled them with admiration.

It was clear that following such a powerful leader would ensure they never went hungry.

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