Limitless Evolution Through Conquering Primal Beauties-Chapter 20 - Crush Status

For about the first hour and a half, Leonard truly felt just how exhausting this work was. He had to constantly exert force to scrape off the remaining fat and flesh from the hide, and he was fully aware that he was nowhere near as strong as Borami.

His hands ached, a dull pain spreading from his fingertips all the way to his shoulders. Every scraping motion made the muscles in his arms scream in protest. Every few minutes, he had to switch hands—one scraping while the other held the hide steady and rinsed it—trying to distribute the strain so he wouldn’t tire too quickly.

He paused for a moment, sitting on a river rock while wiping the sweat from his forehead. His breathing was slightly ragged. Even just sitting there, he felt tired. The work was monotonous, boring, and draining.

Leonard went back to work.

As he entered the second hour, something strange began to happen. Leonard realized his hands didn’t hurt as much as before. The dull ache gradually faded, replaced by a strange numb sensation. The skin on his palms began to harden, but he didn’t think much of it. What mattered was that he could keep going.

By the third hour, Leonard felt perfectly fine. As if his body had already adapted to the task. His movements became smoother, more efficient. He no longer had to stop every few minutes to shake out his hands.

He paused and stared at his palms. The skin had thickened, but there were no blisters or abrasions. He turned his hands over, examining his fingers. Nothing hurt.

He wondered inwardly, ’Is this because of my regeneration ability?’

His mind started working. Until now, he had assumed regeneration only healed external injuries—like bruises on his face or cuts and scrapes. But now, he realized it might be more than that.

The tiny tears in muscle fibers that usually occur during hard labor or exercise normally take days to recover. But with regeneration, his body could repair all of that within hours—maybe even minutes.

’In other words,’ he thought, his eyes beginning to shine, ’if I train my muscles, I could build an athletic, muscular body quickly. As long as I’m willing to endure the pain during training.’

That discovery boosted his motivation instantly. Suddenly, the fatigue and soreness throughout his body felt lighter. He knelt down again, picked up the bone tool, and continued his work with renewed energy.

Time passed without him noticing.

At last, Leonard finished.

He stood up and looked at the massive hide with satisfaction. There was no more fat or flesh clinging to it. It was completely clean, leaving only damp skin and neatly arranged fur. The sun had already tilted westward—perhaps around three or four in the afternoon—but it was still daylight.

Leonard lifted the large hide, folded it as best as he could, and hoisted it over his shoulder. Heavy. He walked back toward Borami’s house, unaware that behind him, among the trees, a pair of eyes continued to follow his every step.

When he arrived, he saw Borami sitting in front of her house, weaving something with her hands—a large basket. Her slender fingers moved deftly through the woven rattan or plant fibers—he wasn’t entirely sure what material it was. What was clear was that her movements were skilled and the result was neat.

Leonard set the large hide beside the house and approached her.

"Done," he said, slightly out of breath.

Borami looked up. Her honey-brown eyes widened a little. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Done?" she repeated in disbelief. "All of it?"

Leonard nodded proudly.

Borami set aside the half-finished basket and stood up. She walked to the hide and examined it carefully. Her hands ran across every section, her eyes inspecting the details.

"Pretty good," she said at last, admiration in her voice. "Very good, actually. I didn’t expect you to finish this quickly, or this cleanly."

Leonard grinned widely. The praise felt deeply satisfying.

"Later I’ll soak it in the bark mixture. But for now, you can rest. You must be tired," Borami said.

Leonard nodded and sat nearby.

"Oh, right. After you’ve rested enough, I’ll need your help again." She returned to her seat, picked up the weaving, and resumed working. Her fingers moved quickly, weaving the plant fibers into an intricate pattern.

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Borami pointed toward a stack of firewood beside the house, or rather, to where the stack should have been. Only a few small pieces remained.

"I’m out of firewood. Tonight we’ll need a fire for cooking and warmth. You can gather dry wood from the nearby forest."

Leonard looked at her with a sour expression. "You really have no hesitation about using me, do you?"

Borami grinned—a mischievous smile that made Leonard’s heart race uncontrollably. "Everyone has to work, Leo. There’s no such thing as a free lunch."

Leonard snorted, though he couldn’t suppress a smile. "Fine, fine. I’ll get some later."

He sat near Borami, leaning against one of the house’s pillars, watching her work. Her fingers moved gracefully, weaving the fibers at a speed that left him astonished. Occasionally she paused to check the pattern, then continued. Her movements looked natural, as if she had done this thousands of times before.

Leonard kept watching her beautiful face. Her black-and-white hair neatly braided over her shoulder. Her incredible figure, with tempting curves even beneath simple leather clothing. And above her head, the system screen appeared at his will.

[ Borami ]

[ Bloodline: Cow ]

[ Stage: 3 ]

[ Evolution Progress: 1,091/6000 ]

[ Affection: 52% ]

[ Lust: 28% ]

[ Trust: 49% ]

[ Status: Crush ]

Leonard studied the numbers carefully. 52% Affection. 49% Trust. 28% Lust. Status: Crush—which, in system terms, likely meant she had developed romantic feelings or attraction toward him.

He hadn’t expected this much progress, and this quickly. Especially after Borami had poured out her emotions earlier. At that moment, he had only wanted to comfort her, to convince her she wasn’t cursed. He hadn’t been thinking about the system, let alone about conquest. He had simply been sincere.

And now, the result exceeded his expectations.

But he also noticed the Lust value—only 28%, though it had increased as well. Leonard figured that when he comforted Borami, he hadn’t demonstrated any masculinity at all.

So far, what had he shown? He lost to Lily. He cried in Borami’s arms. Not exactly an image of strong masculinity.

He hadn’t shown himself as sexually attractive. He had only been a good listener, a shoulder to cry on, a caring companion.

That raised Affection and Trust quite a bit. But Lust? That required something else.

’Her status is Crush,’ he thought. ’Does that mean she already has feelings for me?’

Leonard remembered his goal. The message that told him he had to conquer women to obtain their bloodlines. That through conquest, he could evolve, gain power, survive in this cruel world.

And he had already chosen his first target: Borami.

Of course, his reason wasn’t just the system. Leonard genuinely liked this woman. Who wouldn’t? A kind woman who cared for him without expecting anything, who fed him and gave him shelter, who held him when he cried and allowed him to hold her when she cried. A woman strong yet gentle, beautiful yet humble, who had endured so much suffering and still managed to smile.

Leonard liked her. Truly.

But...

’How do you even flirt with a woman?’

The question surfaced and immediately frustrated him. He was a man in his twenties who had never dated in his life. In his old world, he had been too busy studying, then too busy being unemployed and applying for jobs.

He had neither time, nor money, nor confidence to approach women. His longest relationship with a woman might have been with a customer service representative over the phone.

His former dream of marriage had been to buy a beautiful female robot if he ever had enough money. Pathetic.

’And now I have to flirt with a real woman? An incredibly beautiful and kind beast woman?’

Leonard truly questioned whoever had sent him into this world. They had clearly chosen the wrong person. He wasn’t the type suited for this mission. He wasn’t a playboy, nor a casanova, nor a charming handsome man.

Everything that had happened with Borami so far was pure coincidence. He hadn’t planned those words. He hadn’t planned that hug. It had all happened naturally, because emotions overflowed. He didn’t know how to make a woman fall in love. He had only been himself.

But now, after seeing Borami’s status and feeling his own emotions, Leonard realized he had to do something. He couldn’t rely on coincidence forever.

’Should I try teasing her?’ he thought, his heart beating faster. ’But how? What should I do? What should I say?’

He looked at Borami, who was focused on weaving. Her fingers moved deftly. Occasionally she licked her lower lip in concentration, sometimes smiling faintly as the pattern took shape.

Leonard bit his own lip.

He had made up his mind.

He would try to flirt with Borami.

Now the question was how.

He took a deep breath. And tried.