Chapter 77

A tongue, ripped out by the roots.

With a crimson, viscous juice, it flew from a distance, planting itself squarely onto Taniel’s face.

Taniel hadn’t expected any of this, and after the tongue slapped onto his face, the young, confused teacher from Deer Academy immediately let out a series of screams:

“Aaaah!”

Then?

The tongue slowly slid off.

Splat.

It fell to the ground.

Once Taniel realized what had landed on the ground, he immediately exclaimed:

“Mama Mia!”

Instinctively, Taniel reached out to grab Jason’s sleeve.

Then, was disdainfully dodged by Jason.

Taniel, catching nothing but air, paused for a moment before noticing Jason’s indifferent expression toward Pea Street, carefully withdrawing his hand, and deciding to act as if nothing had happened.

“What happened?”

“Did this tongue come flying from Pea Street?”

Taniel stepped back, distancing himself from the unsettling object on the ground, and after wiping the blood off his face, he asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

Jason nodded, his brows furrowed deeply.

The situation was more complicated than he had imagined.

This location was only a few dozen meters from the entrance to Pea Street.

Simply put, the sounds of gunfire and explosions should have been crystal clear to Pea Street.

But,

Pea Street was silent.

It was as if none of this had happened.

If you said the sound of gunfire had weakened due to distance.

Then what about the explosion sounds?

The two recent blasts were so loud that ordinary people hundreds of meters away could hear them clearly, not to mention a few dozen meters.

Yet inside Pea Street, whether it was the ordinary folk or Sir Beta himself, everyone seemed to have ‘heard nothing and asked nothing’ about the incidents here.

Especially the latter!

As one of Lorde’s leading representatives on the ‘Mystical Side’, it was highly unlikely that he would act in such a manner.

Given the ‘character’ he had always displayed, and his status, something happening so close to home like this would undoubtedly prompt him to investigate.

But at this moment, everything was eerily quiet.

There was only…

A tongue, that had come flying out of Pea Street.

The end of the tongue was jagged, clearly yanked out forcibly, even pulling out some other organs with it, but due to the tossing action, only the tongue ended up smearing across Taniel’s face.

What had happened in Pea Street?

Jason speculated.

Taniel, however, quietly took a couple of steps back, inching behind Jason.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, Taniel had to acknowledge that he was a bit frightened.

As an outstanding ‘person of the Mystical Side’ from Lorde’s official circles (or at least that’s what he considered himself), Taniel was all too aware of the old Sir’s strength. Unlike most who relied on a single secret technique, ritual, and a few with professions, the old Sir possessed multiple secret techniques and rituals, and moreover, his professional level was no mere beginner.

At the very least, he was third order, if not fourth.

Otherwise, the officials in Lorde wouldn’t be so ‘polite’ to him.

And now?

The street where he resided was not only hushed in silence but had also sent flying a tongue.

Taniel did not know what had transpired inside.

But one thing was for sure.

Inside was laden with peril.

Watching his tall friend before him, Taniel couldn’t help but remind him:

“Ja-Jason, I think we should wait for Bondi and the others before taking any action?”

He was worried his friend might rush in impulsively.

Actually, if the main quest hadn’t restricted Jason to Lorde at this time, he would have turned and left.

Jason hadn’t directly experienced Sir Beta’s strength.

But a glimpse of the leopard’s spots is enough to tell its speed. If Lorde’s officials had acknowledged the old Sir, that in itself said everything.

And now, the man himself had fallen into it.

Jason certainly didn’t think he was stronger than Sir Beta.

But!

“`

Faced with this unavoidable situation, being stronger by even the slightest bit counts!

With a slight sigh, Jason carefully took out the ‘Dove Egg’ left by Harken.

Originally, Jason wanted to make something like a steamed egg cake after he was safe.

But now?

Jason took out the ‘Dove Egg,’ gently tapped it on the hilt of his knife, and, just like the first time, sucked out all the liquid inside.

Of course, fine salt was a must.

For a sense of ceremony, Jason even added some black pepper.

The salty fragrance mixed with a hint of spiciness spread from Jason’s tongue and entered his stomach, where that warm sensation again appeared, surging throughout his body.

[You have consumed Harken (Larval Stage)!]

[Physical strength and energy greatly recovered!]

[Satiation +9]

[Satiation: 18]

[Excitement of Feast +1]

[Excitement of Feast: 1]

…

His satiation level once again rose to double digits, and he regained 1 point of Excitement of Feast.

Jason’s gaze began to hover over three skills: [Powder Weaponry. Light Weaponry], [Barehanded Combat], and [Mist Concealment].

If possible, Jason still wanted to enhance [Protection Against Evil] the most.

But a proficiency-level [Protection Against Evil] requires not only 15 points of satiation but also 2 points of Excitement of Feast.

The same goes for [Dufol Language]!

Therefore, Jason’s options among the remaining skills were limited.

The most he could upgrade was one of [Powder Weaponry. Light Weaponry]or [Barehanded Combat], in addition to the secret technique-level [Mist Concealment].

Both [Powder Weaponry. Light Weaponry] and [Barehanded Combat] need 4 points of satiation and 1 point of Excitement of Feast to reach proficiency level.

[Mist Concealment] needs 9 points of satiation to go from basic to entry-level.

With Jason’s current level of satiation and Excitement of Feast, it was enough.

But Jason had his reservations.

That was, how many fatal injuries would he suffer later on?

Therefore, [Mist Concealment], which requires the most satiation, was temporarily crossed off the list.

As for firearms, against truly bizarre phenomena, they are far less useful than explosives.

Even if they could enhance perceptual attributes, it would be the same.

[Powder Weaponry. Light Weaponry] was also temporarily crossed off.

Only [Barehanded Combat] remained!

At the entry and proficient levels, [Barehanded Combat] gave a 0.1 increase to Physical Strength and Strength, so it’s a given that the master level would also increase attributes, most likely Agility, or it may emphasize Physical Strength and Strength.

But Jason was more concerned about what the proficiency option for [Barehanded Combat] was.

Mere speculation could not lead to a conclusion.

Without a better choice at the moment, Jason chose to enhance [Barehanded Combat].

[Yes/No Spend 4 points of satiation and 1 point of Excitement of Feast to upgrade Barehanded Combat to proficiency level?]

“Yes!”

Jason gave an affirmative answer as he scanned the text before him.

Afterward, the text appeared again—

[Barehanded Combat (Proficient): Your body itself is a powerful weapon. With long-term basic training and certain talents, you’ve not only mastered considerable skills, but your body has also become stronger without losing agility; Effect: Physical Strength +0.1, Strength +0.1, Agility +0.1]

[Having upgraded Barehanded Combat to proficiency level, you gain the inherent talent option: Well-trained]

[Well-trained (Passive): A large amount of combat training has given you this talent. When faced with an unexpected fight, long-term training allows you to adapt to emergencies more quickly.]

…

“Well-trained?”

“To handle sudden situations?”

After the skills and body were attuned, Jason opened his eyes.

He took a slight breath.

Without a doubt, the proficiency option for [Barehanded Combat] is quite decent.

Although there is no direct improvement, it has a broad range of application.

For example,

Right now!

“J-Jason, I feel like something is wrong with my body…”

Taniel, standing behind him, spoke with a strange tone.

Even stranger were his cheeks.

Tiny buds of flesh were slowly growing from his pores.

“`