Chapter 206: [Chapter - 206]
As Leo walked out of the Audience hall, the night had started to fall upon the town of Auravale.
After issuing his decree, Leo decided not to head to the town square to hear the blood curling screams of the nobles that he had just sent away for punishment.
Leo walked past the guards, as their backs stiffening as he approached. They didn't even dare to breathe until he was ten feet past them. He then pushed through the heavy iron gates of the Lord's private garden.
The garden was a sprawling, decadent masterpiece of noble excess. Lord Caelum had spent thousands of gold coins cultivating rare Moon-Lilies, exotic Night-Terrors, and perfectly manicured hedges. It was a place of serene, poetic beauty.
But Leo wasn't in the mood to appreciate the beauty.
"My Lord," one of the guards began, bowing his head.
"Leave!" Leo growled.
Leo said, waving his hand, "Get out of the garden."
"If anyone comes through that gate right now, I will rip their spine out and use it as a whip," Leo ordered, his eyes glowing fiercely in the dark.
The guards didn't hesitate one bit, and they turned and practically ran out of the garden, slamming the heavy iron gates shut behind them.
Now Leo was left all alone.
Leo walked to the centre of the garden and threw himself down onto a cold, white marble bench. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring down at his hands.
He was irritated.
The "bad hunch" about Caelum and Aliana wasn't just a passing thought, it was a persistent, gnawing itch in the back of his skull.
He had let them slip through the cracks of the dungeon. He had underestimated the coward's persistence.
But worse than that, he was pissed off at himself.
He closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the skirmish in the Endless Forest. He thought about the ambush.
He thought about the Blackfang bandit, Bane, who might have nearly cleaved in half if that mysterious guy in that void hadn't saved him at the last moment.
He couldn't even open the packs, or spin the wheel and the sword was already on his neck.
Leo cursed himself.
"I was a fucking casual," Leo muttered into the empty garden.
[Finally, Master. I was beginning to think you enjoyed the thrill of nearly being disemboweled]
'Not now, Aiva. I am in a bad mood,' Leo replied mentally., 'The rats are gone. Caelum and Aliana are out there somewhere, and they are being kept by someone who knows how to use some nasty shit.'
[Indeed. Lord Caelum is a coward, but a cornered rat with necrotic support is a nuisance you cannot afford. Perhaps we should focus on making sure you are too big for them to bite?]
He had unopened loot packs. He had Random spins for random awards. All of it was sitting in his inventory gathering digital dust.
Why? Because he was treating this brutal, flesh-and-blood reality like a video game.
He was suffering from the ultimate gamer syndrome. He was hoarding the legendary spins, and premium loot boxes for the "final boss." He was waiting for the perfect moment to use them.
"I was a fucking amateur," Leo sneered, his hands clenching into fists.
There was no 'respawn' in this world. There was no loading a previous save file.
If Kraven's anchor had smashed his skull instead of the mud, all those unopened loot packs would have just gone into the ground with him.
If Bane was a breath faster, his head would not have been on his shoulder.
Being a hoarder made him weak.
"I am done playing it safe," Leo said, his voice cold and absolute.
[Are we done sulking in the bushes? You are ruining some very expensive horticulture.]
"Shut up and pull up System screen," Leo demanded, leaning back on the marble bench, "I want to see everything."
[As you command, oh tyrannical one!]
The blue screen rippled, lines of text scrolling rapidly before locking into a clean, organized interface.
[LEO DRAGOMIR - SYSTEM STATUS]
[LEVEL: 18 (EXP: 36458/38000)]
Leo stared at the numbers. He was less than two thousand experience points away from Level 19. The slaughter in the Zarthian camp had pushed him incredibly close to another threshold.
He just needed to butcher a few more high-level beasts, or a few more elite assassins to cross the line.
[HP: 27000 / 27000]
[MP: 18000 / 18000]
[I have included the baseline mortal averages for your ego-stroking pleasure, Master!]
But Leo ignored the sarcastic remarks of his trusted mate, Leo continued to go through the details.
[STATS]
Strength (STR): 169 (Average Human Mortal: 15)
Agility (AGI): 186 (Average Human Mortal: 19)
Stealth (STL): 155 (Average Human Mortal: 16)
Stamina (STA): 193 (Average Human Mortal: 16)
Intelligence (INT): 69 (Average Human Mortal: 37) [Max: 100]
Charisma (CHA): 71 (Average Human Mortal: 25) [Max: 100]
Leo let out a short, harsh laugh.
He had suddenly made a huge jump thanks to that Zarthian Slaughter. He had to thank those beasts for it.
Leo looked at his right hand, flexing his fingers. He didn't just feel strong; he felt like a walking tank surrounded by an army of cardboard soldiers.
If he wanted to, he could punch his fist straight through the chest plate of a Royal Guard, rip out the man's spine, and beat his commanding officer to death with it.
His Agility was even more absurd. At 186, he wasn't just fast. To a normal peasant, Leo moving at top speed would look like a blur of dark leather and sudden death.
He scrolled down past his Stealth (155) and his Stamina (193).
His eyes locked onto the bottom of the list.
Charisma (CHA): 71 (Average Human Mortal: 25) [Max: 100]
Seventy-one Charisma. It was the reason the corrupt tax officials had literally suffered explosive heart attacks just from him smiling at them.
It was the reason Ryana, a composed, icy Merchant Queen, turned into a shivering, desperate mess whenever he pinned her against a wall.
But it wasn't enough.
[It is high enough to make any woman in a five-mile radius spontaneously ovulate, Master,]
Aiva quipped.
[What more do you want?]
"I want absolute control," Leo replied flatly. "The Capital is going to send their real dogs soon. Seventy-one Charisma might make the nobles here wet their diapers and attractive to women. But I need it to peak at one hundred."
If he hit 100 Charisma, he wouldn't even need to draw his sword.
He could break a nun's faith with a single command.
He could look the King of the realm in the eye and make the man kneel.
He glanced at his active titles.
[Active Title: Local Hero]
Leo barked a loud, genuine laugh. The irony was so thick he could cut it with a dagger.
"Local Hero," Leo sneered, shaking his head, "I executed five men in the town square today."
"I practically extort the local church, and my city guards are literal bandits. The only reason the peasants call me a hero is because they are too absolutely terrified of what I will do to them if they stop smiling."
[Fear and respect are often indistinguishable to the weak, Master,]
"I am done looking at numbers," Leo said, waving his hand. "Open the inventory. It's time to stop hoarding."
The screen shifted, opening a grid that represented his Mortal Grade Storage Pouch.
Leo reached his hand directly into the holographic interface. His fingers went and touched the inventory and like a flash, two items appeared in front of him on the marble bench beside him.
The first was a massive slab of Frost Serpent Flesh, wrapped in thick leather. The meat was pale blue and radiated an intense, biting cold that frosted the marble beneath it.
The second was a cluster of three Nine Yin Fruits. They looked like dark, bruised plums, pulsing with a dense, shadowy magical aura.
"I will use these as rewards," Leo decided, looking at the potent cultivation items.
Seraphine's core ran hot with her new golden lightning. The Frost Serpent Flesh would be perfect to cool her internal pathways so she didn't burn herself out again.
And the Nine Yin Fruit? That was going to Belladonna. The Bandit Queen was insanely strong, but this Nine Yin Fruit can help strengthen her skeleton.
He reached back into the inventory and pulled out a pouch. It clinked loudly.
He dumped the contents onto the bench.
Beast Cores.
Right now he had Five Level 23 cores, Seven Level 20 cores, and Thirteen Level 16 cores pulsing with mana.
They were the spoils of the Endless Forest and the Zarthian vanguard. Pure, condensed violence.
"I'm keeping these," Leo said, sweeping the cores back into the sack, "I will use them for for my own Core Reconstruction session. My mana pool needs expanding."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Alright, Aiva. Open the packs. All of them. I don't care weather it is Silver or bronze. Just give them all to me.
[Finally,]
Aiva sighed with exaggerated digital relief.
[I thought you were going to take them to your grave. Unboxing in 3... 2... 1...]
The blue screen flared to life in the darkness of the garden, scattering golden sparks like drifting fireflies across the night.
The air hummed softly as several translucent cards appeared before Leo, floating in an orderly row.
They did not fall into his hands. They simply hovered there, rotating slowly as if waiting for his attention.
One of the cards glowed brighter than the rest and turned over.
[Item 1: Golden Wooden Training Puppet]
Leo narrowed his eyes as lines of information began to unfold beneath the card.
[Golden Wooden Training Puppet – A puppet used to practice martial techniques.]
[Material: Spirit-Hardened Goldenwood.]
[Durability: Can resist damages from Level 35 cultivators.]
A projection of the puppet appeared beside the text, rotating slowly for inspection.
The training puppet was about the height of a grown man. Its body was carved from dense golden wood that glimmered faintly under the system light, the surface etched with dozens of tiny runic grooves designed to absorb impact.
Three thick wooden arms jutted from its torso at different angles, while a rotating central pillar allowed it to twist and swing when struck.
Additional information scrolled down.
[Properties:]
1. Adaptive Resistance: Repeated strikes will gradually increase its resistance, allowing it to simulate stronger opponents.
2. Self-Repair: Minor cracks and dents regenerate automatically over time.
Leo rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the holographic image spun in the air.
"So basically… a sparring partner that doesn't complain," he muttered.
More lines appeared.
[Function: Once placed, the puppet anchors itself to the ground and activates training mode.]
[Recommended Use: Striking practice, body conditioning, weapon technique drills.]
Leo smirked faintly.
"Not flashy," he said to the empty garden, "But useful."
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