--- Chapter 40 ---
West Border, Suma's Outpost.
Huo Yuhao rested on a mattress and stared at the ceiling with a tired look. He was surprised by the Bronze Monarch's durability in the last fight, considering the rusty-looking dragon resisted quite well against his attacks.
Corrosion Energy is also an annoying ability to face off because Huo Yuhao couldn't let anyone be close to it. Unless he wanted Dragon Nest's members to be rusty dust, that's it. He shook his head and closed his eyes, letting High Human's adaptability take care of his body.
...
...
"T-That was unbelievable..." Liu Mei, also known as the Dragon Nest's secretary and Lightning Demon, said while looking at the destroyed Swamp Land. "How could the young lord create such massive destruction while taking care of the Bronze Monarch straight ahead? Not to mention he pushed away the Corrosion Energy from us."
Yun Han chuckled wryly on the side and replied, "You seemed to forget who he was. That brat was the greatest monster on this land and True Dragon King of the Dragon Nest."
"Be more respectful, Yun Han... He's our leader, don't call his majesty "Brat." like that." A solemn-faced man commented while frowning at the former fisherman of the Northern Sea City. This man is one of the Dragon Nest's higher-ups, Liu Beng. A man in his early thirties with short green hair and a scar mark on his neck.
Yun Han shrugged and kept drinking his wine, making Liu Beng annoyed. "Let Elder Han be, brother. The young lord permitted Elder Han to call him like that." Liu Mei smiled weakly.
"Ah yes, Beng and his belief, nothing unusual here." A yawn escaped a young-looking kid in his hoodie. "I wanted to sleep, but the alarm was going off."
Pa!
Murong Qianxue suddenly slapped the young-looking kid and gently smiled like an ice demon. "Oh, you're the oldest here, Ji Ma. Act like an adult because your appearance won't fool anyone here. Also, The young lord is a thousand times more adorable than you." She made everyone around her tremble out of the cold.
Ji Ma stuck his tongue out and countered, "Say that to yourself, Qianxue. Act like an adult, not a Shotacon!"
"What? No one agrees with me?"
The other higher-ups chuckled because Ji Ma used a forbidden word on Murong Qianxue. The woman before them is known as Ice Demoness, and saying something related to her taste is considered taboo. He was lucky Qianye Ying'er or Huo Yun'er wasn't here.
Murong Qianxue placed her hand on Ji Ma's shoulders and whispered, "Hey, let's talk in a more peaceful place."
Zhou Xuan stared at Ji Ma with a pitiful gaze and prayed for this man's life. Even though Ji Ma was one of the higher-ups, he was also one of the recently recruited compared to others. He slowly peeked at Ling Ming, who also had the same look.
"Rest in peace, shorty." Ling Ming commented while looking away, wiping nonexistent tears from his eyes.
Ji Ma's mouth twitched in annoyance as Murong Qianxue lifted his body in the air. He wanted to nitpick, but the Ice Demoness dragged him somewhere else already, leaving five title doulos above the West Border's wall.
Yun Han sipped his wine and said, "Well, what are we going to do now? Bronze Monarch has died under Yuhao's hand, and his spirit beast's army will get wiped to the ground soon."
Liu Beng shook his head and replied, "Drunken man like you won't help anyway. I'll check the surrounding area."
"I'll go with you!." Zhou Xuan and Ling Ming immediately stared at each other.
"Motherfucker! Why did you always copy me?!"
"You copied me first, numb nuts!"
"These two..." A sigh escaped Liu Beng's mouth.
Liu Mei giggled and told everyone she wanted to report the war casualty to the young lord. "See you guys later." She waved her hand and disappeared with a flash of lightning, having a faint dragon silhouette flying after her.
...
...
Scathach danced around the battlefield and massacred the last bit of the Bronze Monarch's army with her Soul Breaking Spear. She grinned wildly and let blood drench into her battlesuit, feeling the warm sensation seep into her skin.
"Universal Breathing Technique." The red tear mark on her cheek grew slightly and covered half of her face, turning into a half-destroyed mask. "Soul Breaking..."
"Hmm??"
Scathach stopped her spear midway and examined her current condition. She reached over her face and clutched the half-destroyed mask with a confused expression. And feeling something is changing inside her Spirit Circuits.
"What's this sensation? All my strength increased by several folds without getting any buff?" She frowned while examining her condition. Everything seemed okay spiritually and physically, but something was off.
Spirit Circuits inherently developed based on the Magic Circuits of her previous world. They created Spirit Circuits to complete the Universal Breathing Technique and increase the efficiency of someone's growth.
"Soul..." Scathach muttered to herself. "Spirit Circuits reside within the Spirit Master's soul, and the pseudo-nervous system that spreads over one's body is just a physical expression. That's why having Magic Circuits broken in my universe was a dead end for Magus."
"A technique that makes one's soul stronger..." She realized something and felt an intense pulse in her chest. "Universal Breathing Technique and Spirit Circuits would turn one's soul into what the Spirit Master desired."
"I have to research this with Yuhao later."
Scathach breathed out and noticed the mask crumbling from her face. She stretched her body and grabbed a handful of stones from her spatial storage. As she threw them away, spirit rings within one hundred meters "somehow." were sucked into them.
Rune Stone, it's an item Scathach and Huo Yuhao developed to store spirit rings. It keeps "Essence." and other things, allowing the Spirit Ring to get absorbed by someone else after a certain period.
Scathach waved her hand, and Rune Stones returned to her back slowly. She checked their qualities and nodded because nothing was wrong with the mechanism. She loosened her nerves by breathing and saw two people flying out from her peripheral vision.
"Murong Qianxue."
"And Ji Ma? What are they doing there?"
"Probably just usual stuff." Scathach kicked the ground and returned to the Suma's Outpost by gliding in the air.
She arrived at the Suma's Outpost and saw Huo Yuhao lying on the ground while Liu Mei gave him a report about the war. She landed on the concrete and alerted both of them.
"Welcome back, Shishou." Huo Yuhao smiled at her. "How was it, Refreshing?"
Scathach smiled back and replied, "Of course. I could never feel better without a battlefield, but Yuhaonium is still the one for me."
"Ehem, Teacher Scathach. Please pardon my intrusion, but I haven't finished my report to the young lord. It will be a problem if he doesn't know Dragon Nest's loss and wins so far." Liu Mei cleared her throat.
Scathach picked a comfortable blanket in her spatial storage and tied herself with Huo Yuhao in one motion. "Continue, Mei. I'll also hear your report." She said while hugging her student tightly.
"U-Uh, okay." Liu Mei was lost and felt slightly jealous inside.
The secretary skillfully explained everything that ensues in the war/massacre against the Bronze Monarch and his spirit beast army. She reported that Dragon Nest doesn't lose any members, but some people did get injuries, not life-threatening ones.
"After the war, we have killed over 169.420 spirit beasts, and the number is still growing.."
"As for the loots, Xiao Chen and other Spirit Masters have been dispatched to check the Spirit Beast's remains. We probably need a few days to sort out Spirit Bones and rare materials."
Scathach inhaled deeply and added something to Liu Me's reports, "I've killed a few thousand more in the south. You should send someone there."
"Okay." Liu Mei nodded in understanding.
Huo Yuhao gave Liu Mei a thankful look and said, "Good Job, Mei. I gave you one week's holiday after the battlefield cleaning because you deserve it. And tell everyone who contributed to this war to take one Life Force enhancing pill."
"Eh? Is it okay?" Liu Mei was shocked because the Life Force enhancing pill was a precious rare medicine that only a few people could get. It's "precious." because one's Life Force/Ki and indirectly lifespan increased by consuming it.
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and answered, "Tell Yun Han and Xiao Chen to give everyone one pill. You guys higher-ups could get two."
Liu Mei couldn't describe her overwhelming feeling right now and lowered her head. "T-Thank you, young lord. I'll tell everyone about this." She responded merrily.
As the secretary returned to her place, Scathach chuckled because the Life Force enhancing pills aren't precious. Her disciple has a ton of those pills inside his magical storage device, over a billion probably, after synthesizing Senzu Beans with other medicinal ingredients.
"How wicked~!" She whispered into Huo Yuhao's ears.
Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, "What's wrong with giving my subordinate some small rewards? They will be happy for a while now."
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...
A month passed quickly, and Huo Yuhao was currently in his bedroom. He woke up with a yawn and brushed his long blue hair up.
"Hao'er~."
"Yuhao~."
"Hmm, my disciple~."
Huo Yuhao yawned and saw Huo Yun'er, Qianye Ying'er, and Sctahach mumbling on his bed. He smiled weakly and kissed them on the forehead. "Good morning." He said while checking their conditions.
"Young lord, emergency!" Liu Mei's voice echoed in the bedroom. "The Spirit Radar has detected an enormous spirit energy coming to the Dragon nest."
"Well, she takes quite a while to react." Huo Yuhao commented while walking off the bed. He stretched his body slightly and picked up a hoodie from his wardrobe.
"The last beast lord, Auspicious Monarch."