Encouraged by Black Rabbit and Kasukabe Yō, Pest's small fighting spirit was rekindled.
That's right, what did it matter if she was weak now? As long as she kept working hard, she might just have a chance to surpass her teacher.
And so, the trio arrived at the ecological park, with Kasukabe Yō taking on the role of teacher for the first time.
"Before we find a way for you to get stronger, we first need to understand your Gift."
The deadpan girl raised her hand with a serious expression, lifting a ten-ton rock.
"For example, my Genome Tree allows me to acquire the biological traits of other life forms. Whether it's the strength of an elephant, the speed of a cheetah, or the talent of a bird to fly, I can use them as if they were my own instincts."
With that, she dropped the boulder and raised her right hand.
A wisp of golden flame ignited in her palm.
Pest didn't feel anything special about the flame, but Little Black Rabbit instinctively took a step back.
"The Golden Wing flames of the Garuda clan? Don't just show off an exception-class flame like that! What if you burn me?!"
Seeing Little Black Rabbit's nervous look, Pest asked in confusion.
"Even with your power, you're afraid of this flame?"
"Of course! It's an exception-class Gift that specifically targets gods and dragons. For someone like me, a familiar of buddhas and gods, it's my natural enemy!"
Little Black Rabbit answered honestly.
"Even if I can use other methods to avoid it, it's still very dangerous if I get burned. I don't want to become a roasted rabbit!"
To her, Kasukabe Yō was actually the most difficult of all the Problem Children to deal with.
Saigō Izayoi was too reckless, Saigō Homura too timid, Kudō Asuka wasn't good at close combat, and Kudō Ayato wasn't good at long-range.
There were strategies to deal with the others, but only Kasukabe Yō, who usually seemed quiet and reserved, could throw her into a panic with a sudden outburst. She was the most unstable of the bunch, and also the most dangerous.
"The Garuda clan?"
Pest's mouth fell slightly open. Though she'd never heard the name, she could guess its origin.
"Is that some kind of divine beast from mythology?"
"You guessed it!"
Little Black Rabbit nodded.
"Just like I once was, the Garuda are divine beasts belonging to Buddhism."
"So you're saying..."
Pest turned to look at the placid Kasukabe Yō.
"I'm saying that whether it's a normal animal or a divine beast, as long as it's an individual that exists on the evolutionary tree, I can acquire their racial abilities... and that includes the Moon Rabbit clan that Black Rabbit represents."
As she spoke, Kasukabe Yō pointed at Little Black Rabbit.
With just a light hop, she could exert leg strength exceeding the third cosmic velocity, reaching altitudes of tens of thousands of meters.
"She can even copy the power of divine beasts..."
Pest was once again stunned by Kasukabe Yō's power.
She thought this girl was a noob just like her, but it turned out she was a king?
"What about you, Pest?"
After demonstrating the power of her Genome Tree, Kasukabe Yō looked at the girl before her and asked.
"Black Rabbit said your Gift is the same type as mine. What is your power?"
Hearing this, Pest's expression immediately stiffened.
She didn't want to show it, but after Kasukabe Yō had gone this far, she couldn't very well refuse.
So, she activated her unique ability on the spot, switching to her cat-girl state.
"Ooh! The power of a cat! It really is the same type of Gift as mine!"
Kasukabe Yō's eyes lit up, and she then asked.
"How many animal traits can you master now? Can you synthesize these special powers? Have you reached the Crown of Life stage?"
Pest didn't understand the string of questions.
But she knew how to answer the girl's inquiry.
"No, none of that, and I haven't even mastered a single trait."
"Eh?"
Kasukabe Yō tilted her head in confusion.
She had clearly transformed into a cat-girl, so why did she say she hadn't mastered anything?
She instinctively reached out and squeezed Pest's arm, testing her reaction and strength, and only then did she realize the problem.
"Your strength, speed, and agility have increased by less than ten percent... This level of combat power is even worse than a normal adult's. Even if it's the same type of Gift, isn't this boost a little too small?"
"Pest, do you have any other abilities? It can't be that you can only change your appearance into a cat-girl, right?"
At Kasukabe Yō's persistent questioning, Pest shook her head.
"Oh, so you do have other powers?"
Kasukabe Yō's eyes widened.
"No."
Pest shook her head again.
"My point is, I can also become a bunny-girl, a dog-girl... but none of them give any physical boosts."
"..."
Kasukabe Yō fell completely silent.
All appearance and no power—are you just cosplaying here?!
At that moment, she finally understood why Pest had been so desperate earlier. Trying to become a savior with a Gift like this would make anyone despair.
"So, is there any hope for me?"
"...If you train a lot, maybe?"
After a long silence, Kasukabe Yō said with little confidence.
"...Alright."
Pest lost her fighting spirit once again.
After a day of training, Pest had indeed gotten a little stronger.
It turned out her Gift wasn't just a useless ability to turn into a cat-girl.
By slowly increasing the activation rate of her Gastrea virus animal genes, she could obtain power equal to, or even greater than, that of the Cursed Children.
If she had been training alone and seen this level of improvement, Pest would have surely gained a huge boost in confidence and been very satisfied with her Gift.
But in front of Kasukabe Yō, and compared to Kasukabe Yō's Genome Tree, she couldn't feel a shred of pride.
Not only that, but she really wanted to scream in her heart—how could such a broken ability exist!
You don't know until you compare, and the comparison was terrifying.
The power of Genome Tree was practically the Ultimate Enhanced Gold Diamond Supreme Edition of the Gastrea virus.
The animal life factors that Pest needed to train hard to acquire and improve, Genome Tree could obtain permanently with a single touch, maxed out from the very beginning, requiring no effort or training.
The power of divine beasts that Genome Tree could easily copy was something the Gastrea virus was completely helpless against. Other than the genes of real-world animals, the Gastrea virus couldn't simulate any divine or phantom beasts.
This included the Moon Rabbit clan represented by Little Black Rabbit, from which Pest could gain no help whatsoever.
Instant mastery of normal animals, effortless copying of mythological creatures, and even the ability to fuse and stack them to perform secret techniques like the Crown of Life.
Faced with this complete and utter domination, even though Pest's strength had already surpassed that of an ordinary person, she now carried a psychological burden far heavier than any normal person's.
Whoever wanted to be the savior could have the job; she wasn't cut out for it.
At most, she would try her best to grind her life factor levels as a response to Su Mo's expectations.
As for anything else, she really couldn't bring herself to fight for it.
"Pest..."
Seeing her new friend's despairing attitude, Kasukabe Yō was quite understanding.
It wasn't that Pest lacked confidence; it was that her Gift was just too poor, leagues behind everyone else's.
So, while Pest was resting, she, who didn't need to try hard, also sat down beside her to chat with her new friend.
"Do you really want to be a savior?"
Kasukabe Yō asked curiously.
"Not really."
Pest immediately shook her head. She had no particular interest in becoming a savior.
"Then why are you trying so hard?"
Kasukabe Yō found it strange. To her, Pest was already working very hard.
"...Trying hard?"
Hearing this, Pest fell silent for a few seconds.
If she were the her from the original story, there would only be one answer: for revenge.
Whether it was revenge against the sun or revenge against the gods, as a spirit who had perished from the Black Death, she had more than enough reason to do so.
But now, having deviated from her original destiny due to Su Mo's intervention, she didn't carry such a heavy hatred.
What drove her from the beginning wasn't hatred, but—
"Let's just say I'm doing it to complete my master's mission."
She averted her gaze, speaking with a slight awkwardness.
"Oh! So it's to meet Lord Su Mo's expectations! I totally get that feeling!"
Little Black Rabbit instantly saw through her tsundere friend and sighed in understanding.
She, too, worked so hard because she wanted to be praised by Su Mo.
"Wh-Who's doing it for my master?!"
Pest subconsciously retorted, unwilling to admit the truth, which left Little Black Rabbit looking confused.
As the two bickered, Kasukabe Yō's expression turned curious upon hearing Su Mo's name.
"Lord Su Mo? Speaking of which, I think Father mentioned before that once Lord Su Mo returns, it will be time for the final battle. Pest, you came back with Lord Su Mo, right? Do you know anything about the final battle?"
At these words, Little Black Rabbit also looked over curiously.
"Me?"
Pest pointed a finger at herself. Seeing the two of them nod, her small, youthful face was filled with bewilderment.
"I don't know!"
She had only just started training, and it was already time for the final battle?
You've got to be kidding me!