“Indeed, the essence of this move is vibration, isn’t it?”
In a disheveled corridor, Mu’en sat on a piece of crumbled wall, observing the movements of his hand.
His five fingers curled and then spread, simulating various forms of beast claws, but the movements varied without straying from their purpose; as his palm waved, the surrounding air also slightly quivered.
Thunder Strike LV2!
Looking at the record in the black book, Mu’en couldn’t help but show a delighted expression.
After being beaten hundreds of times by Eluka’s husband, that powerful adventurer, he finally grasped this move.
Compared to the Shadow Step, which could only be used for displacement, and the dagger fighting technique that was more of a skill than a martial art, this move had a significantly broader applicability.
It could also be considered Mu’en’s first offensive martial technique.
Moreover, even at LV2, it had such impressive power that Mu’en dared not imagine how terrifying it would be when its proficiency rose to higher levels.
However, because of this, the difficulty in learning this move was raised to more than just a notch compared to the previous Shadow Step.
“But once you’ve entered the basics, subsequent improvements will be much easier.”
Learning martial techniques through combat, lacking a teacher’s guidance, always made the initial entry the most difficult.
Yet once you’re past that phase, high-intensity training would make future improvements much easier.
For example, Mu’en had now reached LV8 in dagger fighting.
When it came to the art of manipulating the dagger, Mu’en prided himself on being no weaker than that maid assassin from before.
Of course, in the black book, he still had no hope of winning against her in a duel, as the gap in realm and overall quality was still one that Mu’en could not bridge.
“I have to keep working hard.”
Mu’en reined in his gaze and looked beside him.
Ryan lay on the ground, bloodied, with his body trembling slightly, emitting a low mourn from his throat.
Ryan opened his eyes, confusion filling them.
“You’re awake, Ryan?”
“What is happening to me…?”
Ryan felt the excruciating pain tearing at his sanity and awkwardly turned to look at his body.
His right hand was pinned to the ground by an ordinary fruit knife, its blade buried in his palm, all the way to the handle, while other limbs had twisted at various degrees. Ryan tried to move but found no reaction other than the pain growing more unbearable.
“Sorry, you were too scary just now, so I temporarily deprived you of your mobility,” Mu’en said softly.
“Do you remember what happened just now?”
“I…”
Ryan’s expression was blank, his blood-drenched lips mumbling.
He certainly remembered what happened just now.
He had led a group of evil cultists into the dormitory to look for Mu’en.
He had fought with Mu’en Campbell and ended up like this.
And…
Before that, he had continuously stolen boys’ underwear from other dorms, collecting them as if they were precious items, not hesitating to lock a common wardrobe with a dozen locks.
But the question was…
Why did he do that?
Why did he hurt his classmates?
Why did he become one of those evil cultists?
And…
Why did he do such perverse things?
He had always yearned for pretty young girls to be his girlfriend.
He was not a homo!
“It seems you’ve finally come to your senses.”
Mu’en stared intently at Ryan’s eyes and found that the previous rage and ferocity were gone; he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
“But sorry, I cannot let you go just yet, because I can’t be sure if the evil god’s influence on you still lingers.”
“I’m sorry… Mu’en.”
After understanding everything that happened, Ryan trembled and began to cry.
Endless remorse flooded his heart; although he didn’t know why he had done those things, he knew they were all wrong.
“It’s okay, I didn’t really mind.”
Mu’en smiled, his handsome face glowing under the outside light, seeming to sparkle brightly.
“Do you remember when you became like this?”
“When?”
Ryan fell into recollection.
“Probably… before the school year started…
I was wandering around the street when I met someone handing out flyers…
The flyer said it could make you popular and help you find your true love…
So… I went… I don’t remember exactly where.
When I got there, it was that High Priest, who said something to me…
Then… then I thought… since I can’t find a girlfriend… it seemed okay to like men?
And when I finally came to my senses, I was already back at the academy.
Usually, I didn’t feel anything unusual; I thought it was just a boring dream. But every night, I couldn’t control myself from doing those things…
And before… when those people appeared in front of me, I was always in a daze… as if… I wasn’t myself.
When I fought with Mu’en, it felt like the anger in my chest was about to surge out, as if what Mu’en said had… tarnished my love.”
“Is that so?”
Mu’en sighed lightly upon hearing this but couldn’t help but feel relieved and smile:
“Fortunately, you were only controlled in some way and weren’t truly tainted by the evil god, or perhaps your contamination isn’t that severe.”
Like Eluka and the previous High Priest, a significant characteristic of those influenced by the Love God was that during emotional breakdowns or at their wit’s end, they would transform into those disgusting and hideous monsters.
That was the external manifestation of their completely twisted hearts, a sign that the power of the evil god had completely seeped into their bones.
But Ryan hadn’t; the change in his physique seemed more like his own martial technique or talent.
Moreover, he could regain consciousness again, indicating he wasn’t beyond redemption.
“I’m really sorry, I just… just wanted a cute girlfriend.”
Ryan continued to apologize, tears and snot streaming down his face, mixing with blood, creating a very pathetic sight.
After the influence of the evil god faded, his true nature was now revealed before Mu’en.
He was neither a violent pervert nor a psychologically twisted homo.
Just an ordinary boy yearning for the affection of cute girls, who was now troubled.
“I see. Since that’s the case, as the academy’s renowned playboy, let me teach you how to win a cute girl’s heart,” Mu’en suddenly said.
“Huh?”
Before Ryan could understand the meaning of Mu’en’s words, he suddenly stood up and looked out the corridor window.
Under the glaring beams of light like many searchlights, below the dormitory building, a huge and twisted monster was continuously roaring.
That was the High Priest.
Having been driven to a dead end by Ariel and other elite students rushing to assist, the High Priest, like Eluka before, devoured other muscle men and transformed into this massive and disgusting monster.
But unlike the previous situation with Eluka.
This time it was at the St. Maria Academy, known for its magic.
Such an enormous size was simply a living target.
Thus, under the fierce coverage of magical strikes, even if the High Priest’s recovery speed was fast, he would soon be torn apart, revealing vulnerabilities.
The source of the pollution, that hefty Holy Scripture, was floating amidst the flesh.
As if conscious, it evaded the magical attacks.
But since the source had been revealed, there was no reason to let it go.
Mu’en bent down, picked up the enormous broadsword from the ground, and walked toward the shattered window.
“Ah, right.”
Just before leaping down, Mu’en seemed to remember something and turned back to Ryan, gesturing to his ear:
“Your ear has a very smooth cut. I think if you use magic in time, it can be saved, so you don’t have to worry about your appearance affecting your popularity in the future.”
“Mu’en…”
“So, just watch carefully next.”
Mu’en smiled and then turned, without hesitation, leaping down from this floor, plummeting toward the monster.
“How to win a cute girl’s heart, rule number one.
—Never miss any opportunity to show off!”
